Las Vegas

Wynn Las Vegas Announces 2017 DJ Residencies

Las Vegas entertainment company Wynn Nightlife has unveiled its DJ residencies for XS, Surrender, Encore Beach Club, and Intrigue.

Returning from 2016 are Alesso, A-Trak, David Guetta, Dillon Francis, DJ Snake, Flosstradamus, Major Lazer, Ookay, RL Grime, Skrillex, Slander, Virgil Abloh, and Yellow Claw.

Joining the roster are Alison Wonderland, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Duke Dumont, Marshmello, Robin Schulz, and The Chainsmokers, plus more.

“Wynn Nightlife has always had a strong commitment to providing the best entertainment experience possible,” Wynn Nightlife Executive Vice President and Managing Partner Alex Cordova said in a press release. “We are happy that so many incredible artists are returning — many have been with us five, six or seven years — and are excited to welcome the newly-signed residents. With our carefully curated roster, we provide the most stylistically diverse music lineup in town, positioning us as the leader in Las Vegas nightlife entertainment.”

Watch the promo video above.

Related: Wynn Las Vegas Announces 2015 DJ Residencies

DJ Five on What It’s Like Being a Vegas DJ

dj five
DJ Five at Tao Nightclub in Las Vegas, 2015. (Global Media Group)
 
Being a DJ for the hottest clubs in Las Vegas is a unique experience that only a few can describe. To understand what it’s like, Red Bull TV spoke with Tao Nightclub resident DJ Five as part of their Inspire The Night series.
 
The series, which began in December, examines different cities and the people in it who are transforming American nightlife.
 
Watch Five’s interview below, which starts at the five-minute mark.
 

 
Related: Local Vegas DJs Discuss Current State of the Scene

Wynn Las Vegas Announces 2015 DJ Residencies


 
Wynn Las Vegas has announced its 2015 artist residencies for XS Las Vegas, Tryst, Surrender Nightclub, and Encore Beach Club.
 
Their press release says: “Wynn Las Vegas has bolstered the careers of countless numbers of electronic dance music artists over the years. Witnessing the explosion of EDM in Las Vegas, Wynn daylife and nightlife venues dominated the club scene with outstanding artist lineups.”
 
Here’s the full lineup:
 
Alec Monopoly, Arty, Avicii, Cazzette, David Guetta, Dillon Francis, Diplo, DJ Snake, Flosstradamus, Grandtheft, Jermaine Dupri, Kaskade, Laidback Luke, Lil Jon, Major Lazer, Manufactured Superstars, Martin Solveig, Miss Nine, RL Grime, Ryan Lewis, Skrillex, Slander, TJR, Tommy Trash, Will Sparks, Wolfgang Gartner, Yellow Claw, Zedd
 
Related: Las Vegas’ XS Nightclub Unveils Multi-Million Dollar Renovation

Las Vegas’ XS Nightclub Unveils Multi-Million Dollar Renovation

XS Las Vegas
 
XS Nightclub — one of Sin City’s most popular nightlife destinations — just unveiled $10 million worth of new lighting, sound effects and technology. The club is located at Wynn Las Vegas and has been a fixture in the city’s EDM scene for the last few years.
 
According to Billboard, additions include “a large-scale flame, pyrotechnic and laser system, high-resolution LED video screen upgrades to a new 360-degree DJ booth structure, a comprehensive and seamless new lighting system for the dance floor and outdoor pool area, and a double kabuki drop in front of the booth featuring projection-mapped video content.”
 
“Our vision was to go into this new era of EDM and have the best visuals,” XS’ Jesse Waits told Billboard. “We made it so you can change the elements for each DJ, customize sets for each DJ and make atmosphere and mood changes.”
 
“We knew we had to do it,” said Waits. “A little bit of it was pressure from the DJs. When you travel around the world and go to the likes of Ushuaia and Pacha in Ibiza, they have different technologies that we don’t have.”
 
The two-year renovation was implemented in partnership with SJ Lighting — a company recommended by EDC founder Pasquale Rotella. Their portfolio includes festivals such as EDC, Ultra, Nocturnal, Beyond Wonderland, along with dozens of clubs around the US.
 
Watch a time-lapse video of the renovation below:
 

 
Related: Deadmau5 Live at XS Nightclub Las Vegas

Hakkasan Aims to Dominate Vegas Nightlife Scene with Light Group Buyout

Martin Garrix
Martin Garrix performing at Hakkasan Nightclub.
 
Hakkasan Group is set to acquire a majority stake in Light Group, the operator of Las Vegas nightclubs including Light and 1 Oak, according to sources that spoke with Forbes.
 
“If Hakkasan is able to complete its deal for Light, the hospitality firm may own three of the largest nightclubs by the time of Omnia’s opening next year,” Forbes writes. “While the final purchase price is unclear, those familiar with the negotiations suggested that the deal could be valued at more than $40 million in cash and debt, with Hakkasan taking control of about 20 restaurants and clubs in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Miami.”
 
Representatives at Hakkasan Group and Light Group declined to speak with Forbes.
 
In October, Hakkasan announced plans to launch Omnia in the former Pure Nightclub space at Caesars Palace. The 75,000-square foot club is expected to open in spring 2015.
 
Its flagship Vegas club, which launched in 2013, boasts a lineup of superstar DJs including Calvin Harris, Hardwell, Afrojack, Steve Aoki, Martin Garrix, and Tiesto.
 
Related: Hakkasan Las Vegas Announces 2014 Lineup

Local Vegas DJs Discuss Current State of the Scene

DJ Five
 
Sin City is famous for its thriving EDM scene and high-paying residencies with international DJs but what about the locals who’ve been holding it down for years? What do they think about the current state of the scene and where it’s headed?
 
Las Vegas Weekly recently spoke with eight of these hardworking DJs about the progression of their careers, the pros and cons of working in the city, the future of the scene, and more.
 
The revealing article includes insights from DJ Five, Dave Fogg, DJ OB-One, Jeff Retro, DJ 88, DJ IKON, Brett Rubin, and Alex Clark. Here’s some of our favorite responses:
 

DJ Five: Those [international headliners] are demanding from $10,000-$200,000. When the clubs come hiring open format guys, they won’t hesitate to give more to the locals since they’re used to paying so much for the [big DJs] … Clubs make more money with open format guys anyway — we can play all the big EDM songs and also Top 40 and hip-hop, and we work with the club on bottle presentations and shout-outs.

 

Dave Fogg: [DJs] just see the spectacle, and that’s what they want. They want to be in front of the crowd. There’s more to it than that. [They’re not] thinking about the times when the whale comes in and drops $50,000, or let’s say $200,000. You essentially turn into a jukebox. You’re playing whatever that guy wants to hear. The set you may have prepared for two hours is now thrown out the window! Your artistic integrity means nothing then. In some respect, the money is the star.

 

DJ IKON: It’s funny. When I moved here from Reno, in my mind I was like, yo, I’m versatile! When I actually moved here, I was like, I am not versatile — I have a lot to learn! I had an immediate wake-up call as to what DJ I was, especially in the midst of the DJ AM era … He shows up and it was like, this is versatile, this is open format. You have to be able to go into any room, know what you’re [doing], be up on music, and you have [to] play it really well.

 

DJ 88: I would love to see a lot of the younger DJs challenging themselves and coming out of their comfort zones. Anyone can play the hits. I would love to see more variety and more excitement and creativity in people’s sets.

 

Dave Fogg: [The resurgence of open format] is definitely happening. The EDM boom in this market is over. People will come to EDC, yeah, but that has nothing to do with the way the clubs are booking and what next year is looking like. The experience of being at XS every weekend and seeing how the crowds react to DJs and music they like—it’s definitely there. Even the EDM artists are playing hip-hop to deal with the market.

 
Related: Kaskade Calls Las Vegas “an Unlikely Hero” & Releases Deep House Mix

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