Every year, the Bamboozle festival comes to New Jersey and draws fans from all over the tri-state area. In recent years, the festival has taken place at the Meadowlands, but this year Bamboozle returned to its original location in Asbury Park. The acts range from punk rock to alternative, and sometimes even rap, but the talk of the 2012 fest was electronic dance music visionary Sonny “Skrillex” Moore.

Playing in a deejay booth that resembled a space-age army tank, Skrillex headlined the first day of the 3-day festival and had the huge crowd on its feet from beginning to end. As is typical at electronic music shows, attendees of all ages swung glow sticks and glow necklaces, jumping up and down to the beat of the sounds Skrillex was creating with his turntables, controls, and mostly, his imagination.

His 90-minute show was a nonstop party, but what most concert-goers didn’t know was that Skrillex was putting on another show that night. After his Bamboozle slot, he made his way to the Stone Pony and rocked another set. Though smaller, the second crowd was equally enthusiastic, dancing to the music as if in a trance.

Whether electronic music is your typical “type” of music or not, it is hard to deny the amount of sheer talent that goes into producing the types of songs that Skrillex plays. The crowds at both New Jersey venues showed their appreciation simply through their enthusiasm, dancing, swinging glow sticks, singing, and even fist-pumping to every beat.

The genre of electronic music is quickly growing, and if Skrillex’s show at the Bamboozle festival is any indication, it isn’t going anywhere soon. Crowds are welcoming the creativity-driven music because of it’s juxtaposition, which is best explained as a bar of soft vibraphone followed by an attack of distorted bass synthesizer. It is so different from any type of music today, and Skrillex is making it something that almost everyone can enjoy, whether their usual music style is punk rock, country, or even rap.

The Bamboozle festival welcomes different types of music every year, and Skrillex was a valuable addition to this year’s lineup. Asbury Park was bumping with nonstop bass lines, and attendees were treated to 90 minutes of creativity, imagination, and innovation. With any luck, Skrillex will return to a New Jersey stage in the near future so that fans can once again get lost in the music and dance the night away.