Insomniac already has had a monumental last couple of days with the announcement of the Live Nation deal, but the latest from the ground in LA is the highly in-demand promoter’s new collaboration with hospitality firm SBE for the reopening of the Create in Hollywood, formerly known as Vanguard. SBE purchased the room back in February (and threw a party where Avicii DJed), but not until now had there been firmer plans relating to the future of the venue.
Create will open on May 11 with a night headlined by Dash Berlin. There isn’t any specific information about what else is to come, but both Insomniac and SBE have indicated a full list of future dates and “genre specific” nights are to come. SBE also owns Greystone Manor and Agency and Insomniac owns Exchange in downtown LA, but this new collaboration with certainly be a strong partnership for both.
The world-famous Groove Cruise returns to the West Coast on September 27th 2013 for a three day journey in the Pacific. Scored by over 40 of the world’s best DJs, the Groove Cruise represents the more mature side of dance music – think of it like Holy Ship’s older brother. Bookings opened up this past Wednesday and can be purchased here. No lineup has been announced, but last month’s Miami Groove Cruise featured Boris, Sydney Blu, Sander Van Doorn, Mark Knight, EDX, Nervo and more.
Hot off the heels of his back-to-back “Poseidon” tour with Zedd, Porter Robinson has announced a new spring tour set to hit four major cities in the beginning of February. Boasting new light and video production, the tour will stop in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto, and New York. The four shows have been labeled “Circle Assembly,” and are sure to some of Porter’s biggest yet.
Anyone who has seen the young North Carolinian live can attest to the fact that Porter Robinson throws one hell of a live show From his creative bootlegs, to his lightning quick mixing style, Porter Robinson’s sets are truly captivating. And with a new album in the works, you can be sure to expect some amazing unreleased material. Tickets go on sale Friday. Don’t sleep on this one.
It’s mid-October and that means that New Year’s Eve lineups are starting to trickle in. Continuing the trend started by Kaskade with his massive Staples Center show (and Tiesto’s upcoming one there), Nicky Romero and Zedd will be headlining the evening at Club Nokia in Downtown LA. While Los Angeles is used to hosting music festivals and club gigs, large-scale venue electronic shows are still a fairly new attraction for the city.
Nicky Romero posted the event flyer on his Facebook page earlier this week, evoking a slew of excited fan comments. Both producers have had a busy year: Nicky Romero released “Iron” with Calvin Harris and “Sparks” with FLG while also putting out a killer set at Electric Zoo; Zedd’s clearly been busy with Clarity while also making the festival rounds at Electric Zoo and Hard Summer. These guys should definitely be ready to close out a successful 2012 and ring in a stellar 2013 in style. You can join them too. Tickets go on sale today.
Barcelona’s Sonar Festival is coming to North America for an eight-city tour set to kick off on Halloween. Making stops in major cities across the US and Canada, Sonar, along with its star-studded line up, brings a unique musical trend to the table. Headliners vary by city, but include Seth Troxler, Die Antwood, Paul Kalkbrenner, and more.
As the scene continues to grow in the US and underground artists gain the recognition that they rightfully deserve, two questions remain: How long can the ‘underground’ stay underground, and what are the larger implications for the scene? Jump past the break for a full list of dates and venues.
David Guetta is now part of Hollywood — literally. On Saturday night, the Frenchman had his hands imprinted at the Grauman’s Chinese Theater, joining some of the most influential names in entertainment history. We’ll remember 2011 as the year that Guetta became the (un)disputed king of EDM. Even if you don’t like his music, it’s hard to argue with the man’s resume. His songs dominate the radio on both sides of the Atlantic, he’s won two Grammys (and is nominated for two more next year), and he’s finally ousted Armin van Buuren as the #1 DJ in the world — according to DJ Mag, at least.
At the ceremony, Guetta came across as humble and honest. He expressed gratitude for the honor, as well as slight bemusement that DJ culture has propelled him to such astounding levels of fame and fortune. After hearing the paparazzi scream his name, it’s clear that Guetta is now an A-list celebrity worldwide — on par with the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and Jay-Z.
Dancing Astronaut would like to congratulate David on his achievement, and we wish him nothing but the beat best in the future. Sure, his music isn’t the most played on our iPods, but that doesn’t detract from his accomplishments. He’s managed to fuse pop and house, creating urban music for the radio. Without David Guetta, dance music would not be what it is today. His music is a gateway drug — providing casual listeners with an accessible pathway into the wonderful world of EDM. Click past the break for more photos. (more…)
Big news for trance fans on the West Coast: Armin van Buuren will return to Los Angeles on March 17, 2012. The Dutchman has confirmed that he will celebrate the 550th episode of his radio show, A State of Trance, at Insomniac Events’ Beyond Wonderland festival. It’s been a long time coming — Armin hasn’t performed in LA since he headlined EDC 2010.
After the Monster Massive fiasco, we’re thrilled that Armin has decided to team up with a competent promoter. Insomniac’s track record is impeccable, and we’re fully confident that the show will go ahead as planned.
If you’ve never seen Armin before, we highly suggest buying a ticket. There’s really only one word to describe his sets: transcendent.
Coming off the heels of his “Gimme Gimme/ The Wall” EP, UK DJ/producer Louis La Roche gives away a free tribute to the city of Los Angeles. If you are a fan of nu disco/ french house Louis is currently your king, no one has cleaner and more playful productions than him. The beauty of nu-disco is that it is truly takes you through time, allowing you to relive elements from the 70s and 80s. With that being said, Louis does a great job of blending the past with the future and creating a whole new appeal for ‘new age’ music listeners to n-joy. This track is fun and lively, which happens to be an accurate description of Los Angeles.
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We’ve told you about Tiesto’s history-making performance at the Home Depot Center already, but there’s something different about hearing it for yourself. Our friends at SiriusXM were lucky enough to broadcast an hour of the set for those of us who couldn’t be there to hear the mouth-watering tracklist live. Unfortunately this isn’t the complete set — and as far as we know, it won’t be broadcasted — but you can still check out the complete tracklisting after the break.
Our job here at Dancing Astronaut is to tell the story of dance music’s growth in the United States. Every day, in intimate nightclubs and at massive festivals, a whole new generation of fans comes together to celebrate everything that is great about the genre we love. The evidence that EDM is moving from the underground toward the mainstream is mounting: ”Take Over Control” is finally a radio hit (more than a year after Afrojack debuted it), Deadmau5 makes an appearance in a new Samsung commercial, and Avicii is now on every frat boy’s iPod.
But after witnessing Tiësto’s record-breaking performance at the Home Depot Center, we were forced to admit that were wrong. Dance music isn’t growing in the United States. It’s already here. Read on past the break for our take on a little piece of history.
