At 5:30 Monday morning, Dash Berlin was winding up his set. As he finished, the Insomniac owl closed it’s wings, and the lights came down on one of the most intricate and astounding stages to date. This year, Insomniac Events poured $35 million into production costs alone. It was an astounding number to say the least but those of us “headliners” lucky enough to attend can attest that it was most definitely spent wisely.
Vegas goes for a spin with Electric Daisy Carnival
If you’re lucky enough to snag a ticket to the sold-out Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas on June 21-23, it looks like you’ll be in for one of the all-time great electronic dance music festivals. Never mind the who’s who of headlining acts — spot-on promoter Insomniac Events leads with big names such as Calvin Harris, Gareth Emery and Carl Cox — the festival also promises larger-than-life theatrics and effects.
While Pasquale Rotella, owner of Insomniac, tries to keep from sapping the surprise out of what promises to be a jaw-dropping dusk-till-dawn spectacle at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he does reveal, “It’s a $35 million show and the largest percentage of that money goes toward the production. We’re stepping it up and presenting things that you’ve never seen before.” Pressed for specifics, he says, “We’re creating an environment along the lines of what you see at a theme park — but on an even larger scale.”
Gareth Emery will be back at EDC after seeing this crowd last year.
For example: Each day’s crowd of 115,000 free-spirited dance fans, many in their own unique costumes, might also find themselves lensed for the documentary “EDC 2013: You Are the Headliner.” Try experiencing that at Six Flags!
For music lovers locked out of Electric Daisy Carnival, Vegas remains an alluring destination. As in previous years, the mayor will issue a proclamation declaring June 18-25 EDC Week. Guaranteeing that the city lives up the mayor’s promise, local party-starters will collaborate with the folks at Insomniac to put on a dizzying array of beat-fueled days and nights.
When the guys at Marquee are not busy running bottle service at the festival, they will offer up Avicii (June 20 and 22), Armin van Buuren (June 21) and Kaskade (June 22 and 23) at their Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas outpost. Other clubs affiliated with the Marquee crew will rise up as well. Dash Berlin performs at Tao (June 20) and John Digweed presents Bedrock at Lavo (June 22).
Over at Steve Wynn’s Encore resort, always a DJ stronghold, Dirty South lights up Surrender (June 20) and Steve Angello busts it out at XS (June 22).
Newcomers Hakkasan and Light will have their say with Hardwell (June 20) and Alesso (June 21), respectively.
Even spots that don’t usually put on EDM events will get into the swing during the big week. Hard Rock’s Rehab pool party features pioneer Fatboy Slim (June 23) the day after Robbie Rivera’s Juicy Beach, a big hit in Miami, takes over the casino/resort’s Paradise Beach.
Over at the Orleans Arena, Insomniac puts on Bassrush Massive, complete with immersive visual displays to complement that heavy audio (June 20).
Things might seem to be winding down on Sunday night, June 23, when Electric Daisy Carnival wraps up, Deadmau5 hits Hakkasan and Eric Prydz mans the decks at XS, but those in the know will be staying for one last blast. Monday the 24th promises to be a total barn-burner with Afrojack playing Encore Beach Club during the day and then teaming up with Diplo for back-to-back alternating sets at XS that night.
All of this scheduling aside, some of the most amazing events should be the ones you can’t predict. Last year at Surrender, for instance, Knife Party and Afrojack jumped on stage together during Bingo Players' set, boosting the vibe into the stratosphere. “Nobody expected it, and it ended up being one of our best shows ever,” says Sean Christie, managing partner at Surrender. “So many DJs are in town that all kinds of performances can come together. It’s a signature weekend for us, and you never know what will happen.”
LET THE GAMES BEGIN IN LONDON
If you’re feeling footloose and just can’t get enough of the beats, Electric Daisy Carnival pulls into London on July 20. Insomniac has another stellar lineup — with the expected marquee names, including Tiësto, Rusko and Porter Robinson — and a location that can’t be topped: Olympic Park, which was built specifically for the 2012 games. “I remember being inspired by the London dance culture in 1991,” says Insomniac’s Pasquale Rotella. “Doing an EDC festival there, right in the middle of the city, is real special. This culture has been thriving in London for a long time and people there are very seasoned. I look forward to seeing how the DJs respond to that.”
