I’ve probably seen more events at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia than any other venue in the area. Since the days of Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, & Staind back in 1999, to present day for another sold out event with Steve Angello, a member of the dynamic dj supergroup Swedish House Mafia, this venue has always had a soft sport in my heart. Recently, the Electric Factory became its own independent entity, booking shows on their own, and working with local promoters, rather than large ticketing companies.

Before tonight, I never was that into Swedish House Mafia’s music, but was familiar with many of their club hits, such as “Antidote”, “Save The World”, and “Dont You Worry Child”, that all have made their way in some shape or form (remix), into almost every DJ’s set. The show tonight would be no different as many of SHM’s tunes were played along with other club favorites from the likes of Alesso, among others. Steve Angello’s set was laced heavy with CO2, Lasers, and Confetti blasts throughout the night, which seemed to energize the crowd into a frenzy before every big drop.

However, before we go full steam into Angello’s set, we must set the stage for the rest of the evening which featured direct support Fareoh, and a close friend of mine, Johnny V. Johnny V is a resident DJ with local promotion company House of Hearts, which has come to the forefront of the Philadelphia Dance Scene in just under a year. Johnny V earned his time slot for tonight’s show by having his loyal following vote for him via several social media networks. An outstanding response, decimated his competition, and before you knew it, we were all onstage together once again, having fun before the show.

I had my good friend and DJ, Yousef, also known as Dubsef, come along and shoot the show with me, as he is a man of many talents. Yousef is always good to have on hand, espeically at events like this, as he knows his way around the stage and equipment very well, eager to assist at any time.

As the opening DJ began his set, we all went back to Johnny V’s Green Room and to have a celebratory drink as Johnny prepared for his set and made conversation with the crew.

I hung out for a few minutes before venturing out into the crowd to see some friends, get some shots of a few pretty ladies, and chat with the local characters.

A little after 10pm, I made my way to the stage for the start of Johnny V’s set, along with fellow House of Hearts Album, Mik Polli, who “Likes To Party”.

Johnny V’s set can best be described as a high powered blender that mixes elements of Progressive, House, & Dirty Dutch. During his set, the venue started to fill substaintially. Large groups of brightly colored fans swarmed past the doors and onto the dance floor.

His set even caught the eye of Fareoh, who was set to play after Johnny as direct support to Steve Angello.

I really had not heard of Fareoh until this past summer when he performed on Kaskade’s “Freaks of Nature” Tour, and was highly impressed with his production / mixing skills. Fareoh has several house tunes such as “Feathers”, which make him a perfect fit for events featuring the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Kaskade, and the “Life In Color” Tour (formerly Dayglow), as they all have that big room, progressive, club vibe to them.

As Fareoh’s set came to an end, everyone exited the stage, and the lights were dimmed to mask the venue in a sheet of darkness. Steve Angello was about to head onto the stage and the crowd went wild with anticipation. His set included more power house tunes than I can even mention, and featured some of the best production I’ve ever seen at the Electric Factory. Gigantic LED screens were lit up behind him, along with CO2 Canons lining the entire photo pit (I wasn’t even able to take photos in that area, to give you an idea of how many blasts they had planned for the event). The venue had two people in the photo pit at any given time reloading the canons with confetti and streamers. If that wasn’t enough, some of the strongest lasers I’ve ever seen at an indoor venue (of this size) were strapped to his table, and mounted on the sides of the stage.

As the night came to a close Angello dropped “Don’t You Worry Child”, a new favorite of mine, which seemed to be the highlight of the show. It felt as though the entire crowd was singing along to the tune as Angello jumped on top of the table, throwing up his signature “SA” hand signal, applauding the crowd, then jumping back onto the stage to finish out his set. I could tell his manager was even impressed with the moment as he too, snapped a shot with his cell phone. All in all, the night persuaded me in the direction of some music I really had not given a chance before, and left every person in the venue with a giant smile of satisfaction on their face.

The Entire 200+ Photo Album of Steve Angello at the Electric Factory Can Be Viewed Here
Steve Angello at The Electric Factory Photo Gallery

The Entire 200+ Photo Album of Steve Angello at the Electric Factory Can Be Viewed Here
Steve Angello at The Electric Factory Photo Gallery