EDC Day 1 photos: Manufactured Superstars, Wolfgang Gartner, Richie Hawtin, Tiesto

A dancer performs at the circuit grounds during the Electric Daisy Carnival at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 25, 2011.

Saturday, June 25, 2011 | 12:42 p.m.

2011 EDC: Night 1 With DJ Tiesto

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2011 Electric Daisy Carnival

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Electric Daisy Carnival Night 1

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2011 Electric Daisy Carnival Friday Night

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By Anisa Buttar

The 15th Annual Electric Daisy Carnival has arrived in Las Vegas; music, lights, rides and, of course, the 250,000 beautiful people. A feast for the senses, body and mind fully endorsed by the previous and current mayor, this three-day party solidifies Las Vegas as The Electronic Dance Music Capital of America.

Denver house music duo Manufactured Superstars dropped house anthems like “Show Me Love,” as well as contemporary favorites like Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You” (the unedited version, of course). The Superstars drew quite the crowd. When they dropped their last track, Daft Punk’s “One More Time,” the Kinetic Field was packed with people singing its refrain and jumping to the beat.

The audience screamed as Austin-based DJ/producer Wolfgang Gartner approached the decks. Thousands of people entered the colossal main stage, pumping their fists and chanting “Gartner! Gartner! Gartner!” Red and white lights flashed across the elaborate setup of screens onstage. “Wolfgang’s 5th Symphony” united the crowd. A collective “ooohhh” was heard at the track’s onset as people looked at one another and smiled.

The Knife’s Karin Dreijer Andersson joined Norwegian duo Royksopp for a unique set at the Cosmic Meadow stage. The Swedish singer appeared on two tracks of their 2009 release Junior. Svein Berge and Torbjorn Bundtland alternated between playing synthesizers and guitars effortlessly, and the addition of a drummer created an exciting live band dynamic.

Andersson was a great frontwoman, she sang passionately and moved to the music. Crowd favorites were “What Else Is There?” and “Happy Up Here.” Acrobats in metallic body suits twirled and somersaulted in the air, jumping on trampolines set up in front of the stage.

Bloody Beetroots-Death Crew 77 gave an energetic, punk rock performance at the Neon Garden stage. Bob Rifo left his decks and synths between songs to play guitar. Beastly drummer Battle played an acoustic drum set with electronic pads in arm’s reach. The crowd clamored when the ticking started for the group’s hit with Steve Aoki, “Warp.” Everyone jumped and shouted, “One two, whoo, whoo,” and many continued jumping until the track was over.

EDM icon Richie Hawtin brought his 10-man team, including filmmaker Ali Demirel, for his Plastikman set at the Cosmic Meadow stage. A convex screen of lights the height of a two-story house separated Hawtin from the audience. The high-tech screen displayed images of wavelengths, circles and patterns moving in time with his music.

Many people laid on the grass, entranced by Hawtin’s production. For the last 20 minutes of his set, he played a mixer in front of the giant screen. The crowd cheered as images and pictures flashed behind Hawtin.

Keep checking back all weekend long for continuing EDC coverage, and thanks to Nikki Villoria, Justin M. Bowen and Steve Marcus for their photo galleries of Day 1 at EDC at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.