COVID-19
Joe Okei-Odumakin urges government to address citizens’ grievances
Cross River Watch Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, President, Women Arise and Centre for Change, on Friday urged all tiers of government to urgently implement policies that would address the grievances of citizens. Okei-Odumakin, in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos, said that there was so much pent up anger in the land as a result of deprivations and poverty. “It is time to now address such frustration and hopelessness that has made decent living impossible for millions of our people. “Staggering youth unemployment and high cost of living needs to be addressed,” she said. Okei-Odumakin said the high-handedness in dealings with citizens must become a thing of the past to regain the confidence of the people. Okei-Odumakin, therefore, urged the government to start making efforts to win bac...
Look Inside REZZ’s Limited Run of Intimate, Socially Distanced Drive-In Raves
Last week, EDM’s “Space Mom” REZZ took to the road in the United States for a limited and intimate run of drive-in concerts. With fellow rising star and collaborator Grabbitz in tow, REZZ made stops in Atlanta, Columbus, and Chicago to bring her astounding performances and visuals to audiences hungry for some semblance of a normal music event amid the chaos contrived by the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the drive-in format is a novel concept for concert-goers, it appears that REZZ and Grabbitz put on three delightful events to help those fans get their fix of live electronic music in the quarantined United States. In accordance with all nationwide and local regulations, REZZ’s concerts last week provided a safe and exciting experience for her fans in those three c...
Thibaut Courtois: Real Madrid are always favourites for the Champions League
Thibaut Courtois has insisted Real Madrid are “always the favourites” for the Champions League while expressing his confidence that the Blancos can conquer Europe again in 2020-21. Madrid have won the competition a record 13 times, six more than any other club, but an underwhelming start to the La Liga season has hardly served to inspire confidence they can claim a 14th title come May. Madrid are third in the early La Liga standings, one point behind early leaders Real Sociedad having slumped to a 1-0 home loss to newly-promoted Cadiz last time out. Zinedine Zidane’s side failed to reach the quarter-finals last season, losing in a two-legged last-16 tie to Manchester City with a five-month interval between the games due to the suspension of football amid the Covid-19 crisis. Drawn in Group...
Miami Club LIV Caught In Power Struggle over COVID-19
The puppeteer behind the parties and arguably the king of South Beach’s nightlife scene, LIV owner David Grutman, stopped by a few months ago to look at new upholstery, but he mostly stays away from the club at the center of his hospitality empire. “I cried real tears,” the 46-year-old Grutman said of his last visit to the shuttered club and nightlife’s seemingly bygone era. “It’s really been my lifeblood.” Technically, LIV and Miami’s other nightclubs could reopen at 50% capacity under an ordered issued Sept. 25 by Gov. Ron DeSantis. But Miami leaders have imposed a midnight curfew — a real buzzkill for a scene that doesn’t even get started until the a.m. hours — and are restricting loud music so that people don’t have to shout and risk spreading the virus through their spittle. Also, a l...
Arts Council England Awarding Financial Grants to DJs, Sound Engineers, More
Performing artists and creators—including DJs, sound engineers, and lighting technicians—can now apply for grants from Arts Council England. The Developing Your Creative Practice fund (DYCP) is open to new applicants seeking relief in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the grants is to assist “cultural and creative practitioners” financially by covering expenses related to the creation and development of their work. The organization is awarding £2,000 to £10,000 per grant. October 2020 to January 2021 will see four additional rounds of applicants awarded grants. Creatives may now apply for the first round, which opened on October 15th and will close on November 5th. Any unsuccessful applicants in each round may re-apply for consideration in ...
Insomniac Announces In-Person 2020 Halloween Festival
Insomniac has announced an in-person Halloween festival in Florida amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Boo! Orlando is scheduled for Friday, October 30th and Saturday, October 31st at Orlando’s Lot 54 at The Vanguard. Friday night will feature performances from Carnage, Loud Luxury, SayMyName, ATLiens, and Jinx while Saturday’s billing boasts Valentino Khan, Nitti Gritti, Schade, Sloth, and a yet-to-be-named surprise artist. As those in the live music industry continue to experience the pitfalls of the virus’ impact, shows like this may become more frequent in the coming months. It’s important to note that a lot of artists depend on booking fees to generate income, and since streaming isn’t exactly a cash cow, many of them feel they must resume to...
Light at the End of the Tunnel: 15 EDM Shows to Look Forward to in 2021
2020 has been—for lack of a better term—a dumpster fire. It’s been a miserable year, marred by an unrelenting virus that continues to suck the soul out of the live music scene like a Dementor. However, myriad concerts and festivals have already been announced for 2021, serving as a light at the end of a tunnel that seemed bleakly boundless following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. While these shows are not set in stone due to the uncertainty of the virus’ impact and the mercurial safety ordinances instated by the government, fans can certainly hold out hope. Here are 15 EDM shows to look forward to in 2021, courtesy of the EDM.com staff. March 27: Chase & Status (DJ Set) at Victoria Warehouse Dimension, My Nu Leng, Notion, and Bou round out an absolutely massive lineup—...
Promoters Behind The Chainsmokers’ Packed Hamptons Concert Fined $20,000
Over the summer, The Chainsmokers threw COVID caution to the wind with a “drive-in” concert in the Hamptons. VIP tickets cost upwards of $25,000, which is just $5,000 more than the promoters behind the event will now have to pay in fines to state of New York. Videos from the concert — thrown during peak pandemic back in July — immediately sparked backlash when they started spreading on social media. More than 3,000 attendees had arrived in over 600 vehicles, and they clearly weren’t staying within their designated parking perimeters. Even worse, most appeared to be gleefully flouting mask requirements. The New York State Department of Health launched an investigation into the concert over violations of its COVID-19 safety regulations. Today, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the event’s...
Promoters of The Chainsmokers’ Infamous Hamptons Concert Hit With $20,000 Fine
The promoters of the now infamous Hamptons concert headlined by The Chainsmokers last summer have been fined $20,000 for violating public health law, according to a tweet posted by New York governor Andrew Cuomo. “Following an investigation into the Chainsmokers concert in the Hamptons this summer, the promoters will be fined $20,000 for violating public health law,” Cuomo wrote. “Further, the Town of Southampton cannot approve permits for group gatherings without State approval.” The event, which was developed as the first leg of a charity concert series in support of a number of organizations, featured additional performances from Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon—who performs under the moniker DJ D-Sol—Southampton Town Supervisor Jay SchneidermanR...
Steve Aoki Announces First Ever Drive-In Concert
How much wiper fluid would it take to remove a splattered cake from a windshield? Barnstorming DJ, music producer, and cake-hurler Steve Aoki has announced his first-ever drive-in concert. Drive-in shows have become the new norm during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, so it’s no surprise that one of the most popular artists in dance music has thrown his hat into the vehicular rave ring. Aoki will be descending on the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Henry County, Georgia on November 13th, 2020, bringing dubstep don Riot Ten along for the metaphorical ride. While the show of course offers a one-of-a-kind concert experience, it also represents a good opportunity for target practice for Aoki, whose arm is probably rusty after so much time in quarantine. How far can he hurl a cake,...
The Flaming Lips Actually Performed Their First Bubble Concert
Those crazy SOBs actually did it. On Tuesday night, The Flaming Lips performed their first concert for a live audience that was entirely protected in inflatable space bubbles. Taking place at the Criterion in the band’s hometown of Oklahoma City, the short gig was half test run for future concerts, half music video shoot (via Brooklyn Vegan). Setlist.fm notes The Flaming Lips performed a dance remix of “Assassins of Youth” as well as “Brother Eye”, both tracks from their latest LP, American Head. Frontman Wayne Coyne posted video of the event, which showed him singing in his familiar bubble, only this time it was rolled atop a number of fans in inflatables of their own. Another image showed a floor decal that read, “The Flaming Lips ask you to please wear masks when not in the space bubble...
Social Distancing Ignored at Orlando Nightclub Show Featuring Ghastly
A show at Orlando’s Gilt Nightclub over the weekend is drawing the ire of the dance music community after footage from the event revealed a glaring disregard for social distancing. The concert, which featured Ghastly, occurred on Saturday, October 10th. The video below—shared by a Reddit user—shows a number of people in the crowd wearing masks while many are not. Social distancing, however, was largely ignored. It’s important to note that while the footage certainly looks damning for Ghastly, it is ultimately the venue’s responsibility to enforce rules and guidelines. Following the onset of the pandemic, Gilt Nightclub made headlines back in June 2020 for hosting a similar concert with dubstep artist Dirt Monkey. Following that show, a number of the nightclub’s...
