Electronic duo Odesza performs to a packed Float Den at the Buku Music and Arts Project in New Orleans.

After a phenomenal Friday evening, the fourth year of the BUKU Music + Art Project in New Orleans had a diverse lineup set March 14. Spanning from indie groups like Passion Pit to electronic mogul Bassnectar and hip-hop legend Ghostface Killah, the lineup had enough diversity to keep festival-goers on their toes, and feet, all day long.

Backed by the Crescent City Connection, New Orleans locals SFAM put on an energetic electronic set at the Back Alley Stage with songs ranging from groovy Jersey club to downright grimy dubstep opened the second day of BUKU with a different style of New Orleans bounce. Keeping the homegrown vibe going, New Orleanian  Klutch took over the decks with only one goal in mind: getting the crowd to dance. An extremely varied set, Klutch opened with Carl Orff’s O Fortuna and in little over half an hour had introduced a club remix of a song by A Day To Remember.

[ READ MORE: Saturday at the Buku Music and Arts Project ]

The Float Den was packed by 7:00 p.m. for Seattle duo Odesza, which incorporated live drums and sample dropping to elevate its performance beyond just a standard DJ mix. The accompanying light show only captivated the audience more.

The highlight of the Ballroom stage was Hudson Mohawke (of Macbook commercial and Kanye West collaboration fame). Filled with sharp snares and brassy basslines, Mohawke’s set featured familiar sounds off of his Chimes EP as well as new music from his upcoming album, Lantern. Other artists from the LuckyMe record label were featured within the set, giving it a distinct hip-hop sound.

Bassnectar closed out the Power Plant stage, bringing everything one expects from the heavy metal-inspired producer. With head-banging, long hair and an unbelievable amount of energy, Lorin Ashton, the man behind Bassnectar, left the crowd of bassheads fulfilled in their search for some serious low-end.

Shortly before the final sets of Porter Robinson and G-Eazy closed BUKU, there was a rather disappointing performance by up-and-comer ILoveMakonnen. Known for his song “Tuesday,” the Atlanta singer spent more time on stage bouncing around, letting the backtrack do the singing for him. The crowd seemed to enjoy itself, however — just not as much as ILoveMakonnen was.

The Float Den closed with the live show designed by Porter Robinson for his Worlds album. As beautiful sonically as it is visually, the Worlds show blended digital distortion with live synthesizers and glitchy anime, transporting viewers to a place conjured within their own minds. Robinson seems to have truly enveloped himself within his live setup since I saw him last September, oozing a lot more confidence and charisma into his stage-presence, jumping and dancing with the crowd to his music. 

As he closed with a live edit to his song “Goodbye to a World,” the crowd started to dissipate, and just like that the two-day BUKU Music + Art Project was done. Many tired but happy faces were seen leaving the gates at Mardi Gras World. Now, on to the after-parties…