Is It Still Electronic Dance Music if They’re Playing Live Instruments?

EDM is evolving as fans demand more from onstage performances; ‘they’re wanting to play where bands are’

INDIO, Calif.—Electronic music is tapping an unlikely ally to help it stay relevant: actual musical instruments.

Nearly a decade after a craze for electronic dance music, or EDM, swept the U.S. festival scene, the genre has evolved as fans demand more from their live experiences than a DJ on a laptop. The shift is playing out at musical festival Coachella, where live electronic acts like Odesza and Kygo are performing with keys, vocals, strings and horns in addition to electronic equipment, on the festival’s high-profile...