Electronic Arms Race: Inside The Booming Business Of EDM Effects

Skrillex and Diplo performing together prior to their Full Flex Express tour. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Levi’s/AP Images).

Earlier this summer Skrillex, Diplo and a handful of other acts embarked upon an eight-city excursion that had all the trappings of a typical EDM tour—screaming fans, thumping beats and stops at major festivals—except for one major difference: it was structured as a cross-country Canadian train ride.

The Full Flex Express careened through the continent on a...