Houston

As if to conclude with an exclamation point a year in which great music arrived in a steady, satisfying flow, the second annual Day for Night festival, held here this weekend, presented a diverse lineup of some 70 rock, pop, jazz, hip-hop and electronica acts. Björk spun tracks as a DJ; the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA appeared with Stone Mecca; the Butthole Surfers reunited for a set; Run the Jewels showcased new music; and Odesza added live brass and a cadre of drummers to its electropop. Blood Orange excelled, and so did the Scott Hansen-led quartet Tycho, which featured an explosive performance by drummer Rory O’Connor that added a raw edge to its electronica-meets-prog-rock. Survive, the quartet that’s best known for scoring Netflix ’s “Stranger Things,” made music that was more art rock than horror film score.

The centerpiece of Day for Night was the extraordinary collection of musicians who deploy synthesized sounds. They included Björk collaborators Arca and the duo Matmos; Squarepusher; Oneohtrix Point Never; and, in a major coup, Aphex Twin, who played his first U.S. set in eight years. The festival was held in a massive former post-office depot and its vast parking lot.

As often happens at overstuffed concerts, scheduling conflicts were maddening: The Jesus and Mary Chain, Nick Murphy and Oneohtrix Point Never began their Saturday evening sets within 15 minutes of one another. On a unseasonably cold Sunday, with Squarepusher on the main stage, Unknown Mortal Orchestra started its performance just as Björk kicked off her DJ set.

Thus, artists were challenged to play so well that fans wouldn’t roam. The Jesus and Mary Chain’s pop-flavored post punk sounded dated; and Oneohtrix Point Never, the alias of Daniel Lopatin, relied heavily on his late-2015 album “Garden of Delete,” an exercise in electronic grunge that features voice-altering technology and lacks the beauty and subtle provocation of his “R Plus Seven” (2013). Mr. Murphy, who has shed his Chet Faker stage identity in favor of his real name, borrowed from the Faker repertoire and also performed new groove-driven synth-rock including “Stop Me (Stop You),” a lengthy workout that concluded with him alone at the keyboard, singing quietly.