When you were a kid, you probably looked around at the world and assumed that it all made sense.
If you were lucky, you had two parents who loved and cared for you, who filled your life with warmth and comfort, who fed you were you were hungry and consoled you when you found yourself inexplicably moved to tears.
You never had to think about the Big questions, because the adults surely had the Big answers. How else could they move through life with such confidence and grace? How else could they navigate the world so effortlessly?
But as you grew older, you realized that everything wasn’t quite as it seemed.
On Sunday May 29th, electronic phenomenon Deadmau5 returned from his wildly successful two year anniversary party to bring his overwhelming popularity to Memorial Day Weekend at XS Nightclub.
Sunday marked the height of Memorial Day Weekend in Las Vegas as a lineup of all-star artists flooded the town. Talent such as Armin Van Buuren, Erick Morillo, Paul van Dyk, LA Riots, and David Guetta were all set to perform that evening and unfortunately we could only choose one. I whipped out the DA Guide to MDW and decided that Deadmau5 at XS was the place to be.
Wolfgang Gartner is a man of efficiency and the best way to describe his sets is down to business. The crowd was already rumbling at around 11:30, anxiously waiting the arrival of Wolfgang. Keep in mind this was a Thursday night and the place was jam packed, showing how much pull Joey Youngman really has within the San Francisco area. People were pushing and shoving before Wolfgang even got on stage, jostling for a better position on the dancefloor. This was one of the rowdier crowds we have ever been a part of inside Ruby Skye. Not only did the pumping electro sounds create a moshpit-like surrounding, but it also brought out some aggressive spirits. You have to love two people yelling at each other at the top of their lungs to no avail because the speakers within the club drown out any sounds that can be emitted from their vocal chords. Right?
There are a select few human beings in the world that can withstand multiple nights of raging, and still bring the heat. Afrojack falls into this category. After playing an incredible set at Coachella on Friday (some of the Astronauts were lucky enough to witness it), he flew to San Francisco to play one of the most exciting live performances we have ever been a part of. Many of us were able to see Afrojack at TAO, and while seeing a DJ at a festival is a great spectacle, an intimate club setting is a whole different experience. Ruby Skye’s dancefloor extends right up to the base of the stage and the upstairs viewing section allows you to lean over and watch (almost) directly above the DJ.
The scene: Ruby Skye, San Francisco. The big players: Dada Life. And play they did, rocking the house with some swanky tunes. Check out more of Dancing Astronaut’s exclusive video coverage and interviews on our YouTube Channel.
For those of you who happened to miss out on the terrific Anjunabeats in Miami party (at Ice Palace), we were able to snap a few pictures. A&B, Kyau & Albert, Super8 & Tab, John Dahlback, Jody Wisternoff, and Gabriel and Dresden all made an appearance. It was a phenomenal show, so be sure to check out the gallery.
The biggest names in dance music today still take themselves too seriously; the industry is filled with stern faces and exclusive parties. In a world with seemingly no sense of humor, it was time that EDM was punked. There is a Swedish saying that goes: “Allvar och gamman trives gärna samman”. Meaning, seriousness and pleasure should thrive together. DJs like Tiesto, Paul Van Dyk, Sasha, Roger Sanchez, and even Daft Punk, are about an untouchable image. You’d be hard pressed to find a picture of any one of them out of character. Lets be honest, funny isn’t a word that anybody would find synonymous with dance music. Well, seriousness is something that the red meat toting, Tiesto bashing, Swedish duo lack in full. Every day is about having fun and everything they do or say is done with a smile. With that said, there isn’t a better team of DJs to break the ice than Olle and Stefan. Cue Dada Life. Grinning while mounting the DJ booth with a bottle of champagne in one hand and a bunch of bananas in the other, Dada Life immediately had the audience’s attention. Ruby Skye’s doors were open to an 18+ crowd that night, and the venue was sold out packed to the back of the room. Those who didn’t know Dada Life surly asked themselves, “are these guys serious?” The long and short of it is, no. But that doesn’t stop them from serving up cookies with a smile, nor does it stop them form unleashing the f***ing Dada upon the dance floor. Before Dada Life drops bass and sets sail, let’s back up…
Last weekend, NYC once again played host to some of the foremost names in dance music. Normally we are content, even appreciative, with one big name per week – but something much greater was in the cards…a weekend of back-to-back Afrojack and Laidback Luke.
On New Years Day, Ruby Skye San Francisco hosted Dancing Astronaut favorite, Laidback Luke. A few Astronaut’s had the pleasure of seeing him at TAO (Los Angeles) and thought that his set was the highlight of the night. On New Years Eve, he not only did the year ending countdown but included some new touches I had never seen from him before. We were curious to see if his New Years Day set at Ruby Skye was going to match the energy of his New Years Eve set. Perhaps playing for a massive crowd at the TAO festival the night before had exhausted him… no! After watching his performance at Ruby Skye, we learned that Laidback Luke is inexhaustible when he’s on stage. Not only did he match his previous night’s performance, but he reached an even higher level.
2010′s biggest trio comes out with an absolutely massive set that incorporates all their massive tracks. The middle just gets me going when they drop ‘In The Air’. You can download the entire set here, and see the entire tracklisting after the jump. N-JOY TO THE MAX!
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