Tag: Las Vegas

[Music Monday] EDC ’14 Live Sets

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Photo Credit: Alex Perez for Insomniac

This past weekend, over 400,000 smiling faces graced the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for three nights of what can only be described as a whirlwind combination of friendly faces, massive bass, eclectic costumes and immense, immersive stages.  Now in it’s 18th year – Pasquelle Rotella and Insomniac Events have been bringing people together under the beautiful, electric sky for a night of magic, mystery, euphoria and the most beautiful type of mayhem you’ll ever encounter.  From it’s humble beginnings in San Bernadino and Los Angeles, to the massive scale festival that’s now situated just beyond the bright lights of Las Veags – EDC has become an internationally renowned festival; and the Insomniac Team has it’s more than earned those bragging rights.

Between the 8 permanent stages of music and mobile art carts traversing the grounds, there was literally something for everyone.  neonGARDEN played host to the Deep and Tech House DJs for the night, and was hosted by the man, the myth and the legend Carl Cox the first two nights and hosted the likes f Claude VonStroke, Dusky, Art Department, Adam Beyer, Booka Shade, Maya Jane Coles and Eats Everything.  The circuitGROUNDS brought in some of the more bass heavy, electro house like Afrojack, Sander van Doorn, Dada Life, Bingo Players and my personal favorite, Prydz.  Even though there were some stand outs in the line-up for me, Martin Garrix would be enough for me to avoid the circuit like the plague on the first night and any stage hosted by Avicii is reason enough for me to meander elsewhere.

Bassrush hosted the BassPod and brought in crowd favorites like 12th Planet, Infected Mushroom and Seven Lions for the first two nights.  On the last night, the BassPod boasted a co-curated stage with Andy C’s Ram Records for one of the most epic nights of Drum and Bass I’ve ever seen stitched together with Wilkinson, Loadstar, SubFocus, Netsky….um, yeah. Swoon.  In what I consider a monumental move, HARD is back at EDC for it’s second year with a curated stage – bringing in a Dubstep, Electro House, Bass heavy…well, party.  They’re covering all the genres with eclectic artists like Diplo, Justin Martin, Oliver, Madeon, Flosstradamus, Knife Party, Chromeo, Brancez, A-Trak, Zeds Dead, Dillon Francis, Bassnectar, What So Not and HARD’s founder Destructo. And for the first year, the DiscoveryProject itself was expanded to encompass costume design, stage design and art installations in addition to DJs and producers.

edc las vegas schedule 2014

I consider music my religion, so when I discovered that the kinesticFIELD – the main stage of EDC – had been completely redesigned into a cathedral – the DJ booth was giant pipe organ, adorned by two massive owls with outstretched wings. At over 440 feet wide and 80 feet tall, this is the largest stage in Insomniac history.  As I burrowed through pictures on social media – my heart swooned almost as fast as the FOMO set in; yes, I get claustrophobic, sure Las Vegas would’ve been expensive this weekend, and maybe I’m not exactly all the way recovered from my amazing weekend at Lightning in a Bottle.  So what?! Oh, man – that’s when I knew I was really missing out on something.  It was the first time since EDMBiz ended that I really felt the need to physically be in Vegas for EDC.  Through an on-point digital partnership with 7Up, EDC live streamed select stages for ‘EDC Curated’ as a way to indulge those of us that couldn’t attend the spectacle – and I’m so thankful they did!  As part of this global consciousness, it’s a great reminder for those of us that’ve been part of this ‘scene’ or whatever you want to call it that we really are connected by the music; and that’s a formidable bond.  My first EDC was the last festival held in San Bernadino and my last EDC was the first held in Vegas; the event and the community that engulfs it have become a family and within that, a second home for me.  So even though I wasn’t there, it was near impossible to not feel like I was still part of the event.

From stilt walkers to aerial artists, winged fairies and masked marathon dancers – the troupe that Insomniac brings in rivals the high octane energy of each and every smiling face in attendance.  Over 400,000 people from 40 different countries and all 50 states came together to experience the epic 3 night event, and for everything potentially lost in the Vegas desert – from cell phones to wallets, id cards and brain cells – with the new friends and a welcoming community, I guarantee much more was found.

If you’re fighting against the grain this Monday, wishing you were in Vegas or itching to get back – I’m pretty sure these EDC sets will help you coast through until 5pm. Enjoy! 🙂

 

[Doing It Right] EDC Weekend in Las Vegas

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I’m back from a whirlwind trip to Vegas with some of my hands down favorite people ever!  We danced, we played, we raved and now we’re paying the price.   Traffic was no joke yesterday but when you have an amazingly handsome reason to come home, it just seems to fly on by.  Not only am I back home with some epic memories and an amazing group of friends, but I also have a new outlook on Vegas nightlife and a stellar PSA for you pretty party people about the “Las Vegas hat-trick-of-terror”

Hangovers, dehydration and hunger are awful, on you and most importantly…not cute!  No one wants to carry their friends to bed, charge the bar for waters ever ten minutes or cater to your dietary needs – you’re a big kid now in a big kids playground so start acting like it! You don’t have to go home, but please GTFO of Vegas so the rest of us can get back to raging like the professionals we are, thanks much 🙂

I know I touched on the idea of Vegas being a mecca of dehydration last week but it really should be stressed more frequently: if you’re trying to go to pool parties in heats that are reaching to 103 or clubs packed to the max while drinking copious amounts of alcohol and shaking your groove thang, you should always have a bottle of water handy!  For every alcoholic drink you consume, drink two hydrating drinks – and no, soda and chasers with caffeine don’t count, they’re actually diuretics that’ll dehydrate you even worse.  One neat thing about water, the more hydrated you are – the easier the hangover on your body.  Isn’t science neat?!

Ok, enough preaching – onto the party pics!

Friday night went from tame to turntUP in like 3.5 seconds; fine by me!  We ended up gallivanting around the strip and discussing the debauchery in our near and present future the whole night.  Also, I learned that even though I don’t need an entire bottle of champagne to myself…I totally do.

Saturday was a tame day; which was necessary after drowning myself in champ the night before – and at night we headed out to Daylight at Mandalay Bay to see Skrillex play a SunSET; absolutely amazing.

Daylight at Night; amazing…

That night we ended up at Light at Mandalay Bay for some dirty dubstep and Trap music courtsey of Baauer

Baauer at Light

On Sunday, we bounced out real quick so we could get into Krewella’s party at Daylight and let me tell you – so worth it; those girls throw down hard and they’re sexy as eff to boot.  I might or might not have a total girl crush on both of the ladies in the group….

Last, but most definitely not least – we made it out to XS’s famed Nightswim for Eric Prydz from 1 til 4 am. Amazing as all hell; easily my favorite party in Vegas – where the hell else can you cannonball on people as a sick beat drops?!

For some more icing on this EDC weekend cake, check out this amazing set by Eric Prydz during day 2 of EDC weekend =)

[Doing It Right] EDC Weekend in Vegas

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Sin City.

The City of Lights.

The City of Lost Wages.

Whatever you want to call it, Las Vegas definitely has a reputation that proceeds itself.

Funny fact about me and my relationship with Las Vegas: the only tables I’m there for are the type you can dance on.  I’ve never been much of a fan of gambling; Craps, Roulette, Poker, Blackjack, etc are wonderful games one can use as engaging mental tools – beat your friends, foes or simply learn to count the cards.  It’s pretty effing interesting – well, at least to me. As a Statistics major, we had to compute the odds for each Vegas game by hand  and let me tell you – Las Vegas wasn’t made on winners.  That said, I tend to stay away from those types of things – however, when it comes to getting down and enjoying myself, I can (and do) hang with the best of them and make some pretty fabulous memories.

From the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay to the Thunder Down Under at the Excalibur, Las Vegas bustles with literally thousands of daytime activities for each and every personality type .  People are constantly flocking in and leaving in just as much of a hurry – and the great thing about Las Vegas is it’s people from literally everywhere and every walk of life; to boot – Las Vegas is one giant celebration, and a mecca for people watching. There’s fireworks and people in costume, merry drunks parading the street with massive cups of booze and rowdy tables of gamblers.

Major Lazer Sunrise Set EDC Vegas 2011

Between the multitudes of Cirque de Soleil shows with residency in Vegas and the massive amounts of DJs with residencies, there’s always a hot show to see.  And do you know what’s better than just one or the other? Light at Mandalay Bay is the perfect synthesis of both ideals; the club is packed with the latest and greatest in speaker technology, performers straight from Cirque du Soleil and a whole host of DJs with residencies over the Summer months!  Not your thing? Just try one of the other dozens of clubs Vegas has to offer: swank people, sexy clothes and popping beats – they’re everywhere!

And this weekend, it’s going to be off the hook ridicu-crunk-ulous.  Insomniac’s famed Electric Daisy Carnival is entering (what I believe) is it’s 17th year as a festival and after some hiccups in Southern California, had been transitioned to the Motor Speedway in Las Vegas.  Though I’ve attended the festival in the past…six times to be exact…I don’t have any want or need to go anymore; it’s not that the events aren’t massive or amazing, but once you’ve been to a handful of festivals it’s only natural that you’d want to see what else is out there in the world of electronic music festivals.

So what am I doing instead? PARTYING (duh!) and sleeping, too….eventually. But first things first – it’s always smart to prep yourself.  Firstly, if you’re trying to ball on a budget try finding a Groupon or use a discount site to find last minute rooms and load up on your favorite drinks before you get to Vegas.

Second – putting together the fact that it’s summer-summer–summertime and Las Vegas sits in the middle of a desert – the smartest thing you can do for yourself is load up on water and electrolytes.  Sure, drinking is wonderful but save that mess for when the sun goes down.  Trust me when I say being drunk and dehydrated is not cute.   Another fact:   Las Vegas has an altitude of 1000 ft.   That might not mean anything to you right now, but if you’re from Los Angeles or New York – chances are you were born and bred at sea level.  Because of the altitude, be careful while getting crazy with your crew.  Try snagging a water at the bar every other trip and you’ll save yourself from a nasty hangover the next day. Chances are you want to be up in time to snag a lounge chair at any of the gorgeous pools.  Just remember, there really is such a thing as too much fun 😉

To prepare the earbuds for Vegas, I’ve gathered a few mixes from the DJs I’ll be shakin’ my money maker to!

We’ll mostly be hitting up the pool parties at Light – Saturday for a Sunset Set from Skrillex and Sunday for Krewella; then I’ll be heading to my first offical Nightswim at XS for Eric Prydz. I’ve heard a million phenomenal things about it and I’m stoked to finally give it a whirl.  Can’t wait to update everyone when I get back on Monday!

Xoxo

Wednesday Watercooler

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 “Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.” 
Groucho Marx

We’re down to the tail end of yet another month in 2013 and it’s left me sitting here, shaking my head while staring at my computer screen while I wonder where the time effing went.  Sure, February’s the shortest month of the year but it was pretty stacked socially and, let’s be honest for a second, entirely exhausting!  I’m looking forward to a few weekends of good R&R with the kitties, catching up on a few good books and getting my life back together.  Well, until I’m threatened with a good time…and we all know how I react to fun 😉  There’s been so much exciting stuff going on in the past few weeks that I’m just going to get down to it; it’s the last Wednesday of the month – let’s go!

The Olympics Just Got A Whole Less Manly

The next Summer Olympics will be unlike any other – but primarily because one of the sports that can be traced back to the 18th Olympiad all the way back in 704 B.C. , has been eliminated: wresting; to put it in perspective, we’re now entering the 4th year of the 697th Olympiad.  It’s not that I’m a huge fan of the sport, but I’ll agree that it’s both a graceful and powerful endeavor, and to boot one I’m surely not equipped to take part in.  And the Olympics without Wrestling?  That’s like the Bulls without Jordan, the 49ers without Steve Young, McDonalds without hamburgers…you get the picture.  It’s just plain wrong – and upset fans, competitors and coaches agree; Japan’s Wresting Foundation has launched a petition to get it back into the Olympics, Las Vegas has already decided to bring the cash cow on home for some good old fashioned sports betting and some have even gone as far as returning their gold medals.  First it was Bulgarian medalist Valentin Yordanov who returned his ’96 Gold Medal from Atlanta and now it seems that Russia’s Sagid Murtazaliev has followed suit and returned his Gold from the Sydney Olympics in 2000.  Now,  in the wake of it’s untimely Olympic exile – there’s a new question on the table: what sport is set to replace it?  There are seven sports currently competing to take it’s place – baseball, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wusho; if it’s not baseball or karate, I say nay.

We Want to See The Light

Even though I was just in that city of sin, I’m ready to head back – but there’s a whole new reason that I have that Las Vegas itch!  Mandalay Bay has paired up with Cirque du Soleil and host of A-List DJs.  Earlier we knew that Skrillex, that saucy minx, was in talks with the Cirque du Soleil crew but now we have confirmation that acts like Zedd, Alesso, Baauer and Sebastian Ingrosso will also be on the bill. Not that we needed it, but this elite pairing is further evidence of the staying power, and commercialization, of EDM – but knowing the caliber of the cast associated with LIGHT, there’s no doubt that this will be a top notch production.  Mark your calendars because LIGHT is scheduled to open April 26th – just in time for the pool parties!  For an all encompassing look at the talent LIGHT will boast  – check out out that stacked lineup below the video!

Pluto Gets a Friend

I don’t know about you guys, but when Pluto’s planet status was demoted I was a little sad – I grew up with the guy, he was part of my dioramas, part of my science fairs.  But then, in 2006, Pluto was downgraded to a dwarf planet.  Since then astronomers have discovered several new moons that rotate Pluto with a strange orbit in addition to Nix and Hydra, discovered in 2005, and Charon, discovered in ’78.  Until now, those moons have simply gone by P4 and P5.  Their names were put up to a vote the other week through the SETI Institute and the winning name is …drumroll, please…. Vulcan.  That’s right, Trekkies everywhere rejoice – William Shatner entered the name late in the game, but it somehow still ended up on top.  Live long and prosper!

In Russia, Moon Lands On You

To the complete shock of basically everyone, a meteorite broke through our atmosphere and decided to land itself on Mother Russia, the only country with dash cameras in every car. The meteorite broke apart over central Russia injuring approximately 1000 citizens, and the resulting shock waves rocked the infrastructure of the city and blew out windows like the big bad wolf on steroids.  Scientists have been working to trace this meteorite back in time – and it seems that the meteor (which is what you have before it enters our atmosphere), originated in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.  In turn, this has inspired NASA to team up with the Air Force to search for a way to prevent more detrimental asteroid attacks; anyone else picturing a real life Armageddon?

Welcome Back, Daft Punk!

I can’t tell you a time where there wasn’t a hot and heavy rumor about Daft Punk making a comeback – every other week we would hear something new but the sources were few and far between and we just couldn’t seem to catch a break.  Well, the other night while we were all sleeping sweetly and our computers were dreaming of electric sheep – something was a buzz over at Daft Punk HQ: the famous french DJ Duo has not only ditched Virgin Records to join Columbia, but among the rumors they’ll be releasing a new album in May it seems that they’ve updated their logo. Should we take this as a sign? I say HELL YES; it’s been too damn long!

Doing It Right: Veni, Vidi, Vegas!

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There’s nothing quite as fun – or draining – as spending a weekend in Las Vegas.  The first night is the most exciting, and probably the most debauchery….and each day when you wake up the glitz and glimmer of the city fades a bit more until your hangover takes over – and then it’s time to force feed yourself some reality and get back to that life you lead Monday through Friday.

I was lucky enough to be in great company the entire time; it was one of my closest gal’s Bachelorette weekends and we were all in the mood to get down!  We stayed at the Vdara Hotel & Spa and were not disappointed: as a non-gambler I was stoked there weren’t any machines or tables within the hotel.

We started the weekend off right with a deliciously expensive meal at TAO – well worth it, but getting only one piece of sushi for the typical price of two is simply not the business.

After dinner, we were whisked away to their nightclub for some overhyped Top 40 DJ; didn’t take us long to bounce out but thanks for the free drinks!

I should have prefaced this by saying that us ladies are more of the rough and tumble type than we are damsels in distress, so it didn’t take long for us to collectively say “Fuck that!” and change into manageable stomping attire.

Saying the next morning was rough might be the understatement of the month – but somehow we rallied and got down with our bad selves one more time; this time with the help of Doc Martin, DJ Sneak and Body English at the Hard Rock!

Wednesday Watercooler: The Music Edition

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One month down, eleven more to go – it’s crazy how this year is already picking up so much momentum! I’ve been  exponentially adding to the multiple hats I wear weekly thanks to a writing gig with the DJ List which I’m absolutely enamored with and being named the Board Liaison for the organization I volunteer for.  It’s a little overwhelming but nothing I can’t handle – I say bring it on!

Shazam x Beatnet = A Match in EDM Heaven

I don’t know about y’all, but when I Shazam  a remix that I love and it doesn’t give me any information I feel a weird mix of awesomeness that my music taste is so progressive and a little annoyed that it can’t tell me what’s playing; well have no fear EDM lovers, because this morning Beatnet and Shazam announced a partnership that will give Shazam access to over 1.5 million songs in the Beatport registry.  This is a huge step forward for EDM fans everywhere, but DJs are already lamenting that people will be glued to their phones instead of enjoying the tasty beats.

The War on EDM

Though there’s usually some uproar in the media about EDM, this week we’ve seen some considerable backlash from the likes of the LA Weekly and the LA Times.  Both had articles, published the same day mind you, written to rile up the general public and incite backlash against the wonderful community that we’ve built.  Both articles are beyond one-sided, not to mention highly inflammatory.  The good news, is that (at least with the people I know) it’s caused us to take a hard look at ourselves and the lives we live; and we’ve come together, stronger than ever, to fight against this negative stereotype that society wants us to remain under.  Kaskade, a top notch DJ and producer, delivered an eloquently written reply to the times and one of my favorite music blogs, Stoney Roads, had some great input as well.  If this has you as annoyed as it has us, take a minute to sign this petition and spread the word, you know, this one: PLUR

Skrillex pairs up with Cirque du Soleil

Skrillex is a mastermind in his own right; once upon a time, he was simply known the bassist of From First To Last but fastforward to 2013 and he’s become a household name that’s synonymous with Dubstep and the culture that surrounds it.  This past year he lent a hand to the Disney team by contributing part of the score for the hit animated flick Wreck It Ralph and was rewarded with a small cameo in the film.  Now, word on the street is he’s pairing up with the famed Cirque du Soleil  for a resident show in Las Vegas; no word yet on it’s direction, but believe me when I say you should not miss it!