Insomniac founder Pasquale Rotella took to social media today to share some devastating—if unsurprising—news about the future of his company’s wildly popular dance music festivals in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Nocturnal Wonderland, Escape Psycho Circus, EDC Orlando, and Dreamstate SoCal have all officially been tabled, biting the bullet amid a relentless pandemic that continues to throttle the music community at large. They will now all be planned for unannounced 2021 dates. “As you might have imagined after we moved EDC Las Vegas to May 2021, we will be shifting Nocturnal Wonderland, Escape Psycho Circus, EDC Orlando & Dreamstate SoCal to 2021 as well,” he wrote via Instagram. “While this year has been full of ups and downs, it’s somethi...
The cancellation and postponement of many tours worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic has left both fans and artists alike feeling a bit empty. Luckily, livestream performances have come to the rescue to somewhat satiate those cravings for a live music experience. And thankfully, those looking forward to catching a livestreamed set from Yaeji will be able to do so this week. The Korean-American rising electronic star has announced via Instagram that she will be performing a special Boiler Room set, titled “Yaeji In Place.” “When all of this year’s touring was postponed, I felt a bit lost, not being able to see you all in person and share a new set,” Yaeji said. With that notion in mind, she promises something extra special for viewers. ...
As deadmau5 continues to test the waters of the drive-in rave scene, the venerated DJ and producer is now steering into the virtual concert space with the launch of his own livestreaming platform, mau5trap.tv. The live music streaming landscape in the US has only become more robust with each passing week as the country struggles to reduce the impact of COVID-19. With no nightclubs or festivals to turn to, what started out as a pie-in-the-sky idea has now mutated into the new norm, as legions of music producers and DJs have opted to funnel their sound into the blue light of user’s devices in the absence of tours. The lingering question, though, is how to monetize the streams beyond simple advertising campaigns. The launch of mau5trap.tv will be commemorated by a can’t-...
Denver nightlife group CoClubs and local artist option4 have teamed up to create a one-of-a-kind, socially-distanced music and art experience, The Acoma Street Project. The project debuts this weekend, August 27th to 29th, and the open air exhibit will run for six weeks. The rare pop-up will combine livestreamed performances from top DJs with an immersive art and dining experience for fans. This weekend’s event is headlined by house acts BLOND:ISH, Dubfire, and Random Rab. CoClubs is a local-to-Colorado business that runs five venues across Denver. They provide top experiences in unique spaces, serving the community for the last 20 years. option4 is a Colorado-based deep house artist by way of the Midwest. Despite the turbulence of events in 2020, the tw...
Aluna is unveiling songs from her upcoming album in style with her forthcoming virtual performance and afterparty, “Renaissance Royal Rave.” Aluna, of AlunaGeorge fame, is taking an ambitious step forward in her career as she prepares for the release of her debut solo effort, Renaissance, and fans are invited to hear the start of her next chapter live as she performs a selection of songs from the album for the very first time. According to the songstress, Renaissance is a celebration of individuality, and to that end, Aluna is encouraging her fans to “wear whatever makes you, you” to the “Renaissance Royal Rave.” Immediately following the performance, Aluna is set to host a virtual afterparty where fans can engage with her directly by ask...
Music festivals aren’t the only major events to feel the wrath of COVID-19 amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Venerated German music software company Ableton, the developer of the most ubiquitous digital audio workstation on the planet, has cashed in its chips and cancelled its in-person 2021 Loop Summit, citing fears of COVID-19. “We have taken the difficult decision to cancel the Loop Summit in 2021,” Ableton said in a statement. “It is increasingly clear that we cannot guarantee the level of health and safety that our event demands. In addition to the welfare risk, the ongoing global pandemic has continued to cast unmanageable doubt over all aspects of our event planning. Uncertainty in future travel and event restrictions has made it impo...
Over the weekend, an event called ReUnite Festival took place in Mojave, California that has drawn swift backlash and condemnation from the dance music community. Despite a ban on mass gatherings in the state, organizers reportedly shirked COVID-19 regulations while patrons failed to socially distance or wear masks at the event. Since ReUnite was planned and executed in a clandestine manner, certain aspects of the event and what took place remain hazily speculative, but firsthand accounts coming to light suggest the gathering had far-reaching consequences. As for how the fest was able to take place to begin with, multiple attendees have posited the event was ultimately allowed to operate after the gathering was characterized by organizers as a protest. According to rep...
Venerated electronic music producer and DJ Gareth Emery is throwing his hat into the drive-in rave ring. Amidst a year of unwavering bad news, the trance legend has announced his aptly titled “We’ll Be OK” drive-in concert series to conjure a glimmer of positivity for the live music scene, which was decimated by the impact of COVID-19. Emery is set to perform two socially distanced shows at the City National Grove of Anaheim’s Drive-In OC on Friday, September 18th and Saturday, September 19th. Emery took to Twitter to share the news, writing that he is “very grateful to have finally have a safe environment where [he] can see [his] california crew again.” Check out the announcement below. According to a press release issued to announce the series, Emery’s ...
Following a successful edition in Toronto, deadmau5 is flooring the pedal of his foray into the increasingly robust drive-in rave scene amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The renowned Canadian DJ and electronic music producer took to Twitter today to announce a drive-in concert on Friday, September 11th at Ottawa’s Wesley Clover Parks Drive-In. “Ottawa, you’re up next!” he wrote. The event was also revealed to be part of a “Drive-In Concert Series” sponsored by Budweiser Zero, so fans are safe to look forward to more events in the near future. Check out the announcement below. Tickets are set to go on sale tomorrow, August 25th, at 10AM ET (7AM PT). You can purchase your passes via Ticketmaster here. After the Grammy Award-nominated pro...
After Ubbi Dubbi Festival organizers Disco Donnie Presents announced a joint event with Freaky Deaky, fans were chomping at the bit to attend the Halloween-themed Ubbi Dubbi Gets Freaky Deaky festival. Back in June, representatives from the newly minted fest dropped a staggering first phase of the festival’s inaugural lineup, which featured deadmau5, Excision, Zeds Dead, Galantis, and many more. Fast-forward to today, when organizers cancelled the festival due to the unwavering impact of COVID-19. They shared an official statement via a blog post, writing that they explored “the best health technologies available.” “Observing the state regulatory environment, and using the best science- & health-based information available to us, we have...
Spin’s “Kat Calls” is live now with a special interview and Q&A session featuring two of dance music’s biggest contributors, Carl Cox and deadmau5. Right now, “Kat Calls” host Kat Bein has the two dance music tastemakers on the line for a virtual discussion on music, the industry at large, and more. It’s a landmark episode for the burgeoning dance music-focused talk show, which began in April of this year. Carl Cox and deadmau5’s worlds recently collided when Cox was approached with an opportunity to remix deadmau5 and The Neptunes‘ collaboration “Pomegranate.” The tenured producer outfitted the twangy nu-disco original with an instrument stack fit for the club, dialing up the tempo to 128 BPM and add...
The Hollywood Bowl’s in-person festivities have been cancelled this year due to the pandemic, but KRCW and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association will still be celebrating with weekly rebroadcasts of past iconic performances. This marks the first virtual season of Hollywood Bowl performances from KRCW, which has curated lineups at the historic venue for two decades. They’re kicking off the livestreamed event series, titled World Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, with a performance from none other than pioneering electronic quartet Kraftwerk. The group famously took the Hollywood Bowl stage nearly four years ago in September of 2016. Despite being held on a Sunday evening, the 2016 show sold out to nearly 18,000 fans, who were treated to an unforgettable per...