My Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas Review

I know it took forever but here is my review of all the fun and insanity of Electric Daisy Carnival 2011 in Las Vegas!

Read it HERE

NoChella is coming!

Another year, another Coachella. And yet another year that I couldn't get a press pass! BOOOOO! But never fear. Coachella has never actually been my favorite event to attend. 3 days in the hot desert, walking for what feels like miles to get from tent to tent only to be so far in the back that you can't even see the artists you want to see. So for the second time I am driving out to the Palm Desert Cities to experience what I like to call NoChella. Each year more and more parties have been popping up surrounding the festival to make use of all the sponsorship money and impressive talent at the festival. So safe to say that there will be plenty to do. Some well known record labels, corporations, and party promoters are doing their thing so it is sure to be a great time. Some of the things that caught my eye include Smog's Coachella afterparty on Saturday night, 2 pool parties from Scion, a collaboration party from Brainfeeder and Stones Throw, and a Belvdedere sponsored pool party! Stay tuned for my review and photos from NoChella!

My Thoughts on WMC 2011

 

Winter Music Conference 2011 will always be known as the year of controversy. With the much discussed fights between WMC and the Ultra Music Festival and the subsequent split into 2 separate weeks in March, no one really knew what to expect this year. Having attended Ultra since its inception in 1999 and watch it grow and, in recent years, get worse, I decided to show my support to WMC who seemed to uphold the values that drew me to dance music in the first place. While this year's WMC was largely a subdued affair, compared to previous years, it allowed me the perfect opportunity to explore events, artists, and promoters that I had ignored because off all the big parties. My experience was unlike any year that I had been before and the smaller more intimate crowds we right up my alley.

Highlights for me this year included my involvement with NextAid and their Beauty & the Beats event. A unique event held at South Beach's Primp Salon, visitors could get their hair done while listening to house beats and sipping on wine. This was a surprisingly lively event and stood out as being uniquely Miami. Large Music's party also held a special place with some of the best house music I heard all week. I mostly hung out in smaller venues, catching Mark Farina at a tiny packed bar, catching the Geishaz spinning amazing electro bass at Jazid, digesting the warm house at Sobe Live courtesy of NextAid, chilling with my Om records friends at the gorgeous Setai hotel, random beats at South Beach dive bar Liquor Lounge. This year it wasn't about catching the biggest and most popular DJs. It was simply about the feeling of discovery and renewal that dance music can provide. And while most people are preparing to go to Miami for all the Ultra craziness, I feel fully satisfied in my personal and rather intimate experience I had at WMC this year. It was a return to basics. Friends, Fun, and Fierce Music!

The 10 Best Things About 2010

I have been debating putting together this list for awhile and I spent so much time doing my best tracks and albums that it almost didn't. But the fact is that 2010 was such a major year for me in so many ways that I simply had to retrace my steps and take a look at some of the biggest and best moments, experiences, and opportunities that changed my world this past year. Here are the ten best things about 2010 in chronological order...

1. The Foreign Exchange Grammy Nomination Party (January)

This was definitely a major turning point for me and my events. This free party celebrating the first Grammy nomination of The Foreign Exchange yielded an overwhelming response. 1200 RSVPs and a line around the block cemented my place among LA's recognized promoters and opened up plenty of new opportunities for me.

2. Ian the Intern (March)
Thank God for Ian, the very first intern for Nu-Soul Magazine. His hard work and dedication helped us double our traffic numbers in just a few short months. From the daily postings to the assistance at my numerous events, Ian was an invaluable addition to my world.

3. Birthday Raver Party (April)
I celebrated my 32nd birthday with an all night raver house party complete with glow sticks, candy jewelry and all vinyl dj sets!

4. The Strictly Social Tour (May)

I embarked on my first mini-tour in May, taking my signature monthly event Strictly Social to 3 cities in 3 weeks. With a solid lineup of artists that included Erik Rico, Afta-1, Havana, and Iman Williams not to mention the coming out party of Mark de Clive-Lowe and Sy Smith, the month of May saw Strictly Social take over San Francisco, LA and San Diego!

5. Electric Daisy Carnival (June)

I have attended many a dance music festival as both a fan and a journalist but none have compared to EDC in 2010. The epic scale of the event was outmatched only by the epic scale of my experience. The crew at Insomniac and MSO PR truly took care of media with rapid entrance through the artist area, a media sky box with supplies and a sick view, and full backstage access to mix and mingle with the talent. All my years of raving paid off in a big way!

6. Body Boyz United Las Vegas (4th of July)

The most fun I have ever had in Vegas and I was working! A truly great group of men from all parts of the world enjoying one of the craziest weekends around. This was an intimate affair that provided something new and different each day and plenty of eye candy!

7. All Hearts Tour w/ Robyn and Kelis (July)
Robyn was one of the most talked about artists of the year and this show with Kelis was the best I attended all year. I danced, I sang, I gushed!

8. September at Strictly Social
The September 2010 edition of Strictly Social seemed to be blessed by the gods or something. After booking Sa-Ra as headliners the blessings kept coming with Muhsinah jumping on at the last minute and Hennessy providing an open bar for the first hour of the night. Plus everyone discovered the remarkable talents of Grillade. The night broke all of our attendance records and set me up for some big things in 2011.

9. Halloween as Lil Wayne

After enduring so many compliments/insults from kids saying I looked like Lil Wayne, I embraced the absurdity of it all and dressed up as Weezy and scored my most popular costume ever. Drunken antics ensued.

10. Broke As F**k Thanksgiving

The most rewarding thing about throwing events is that I get to take something that is very personal to me and share it with the world. It warms my heart to know that I have helped keep the fire in LA's breakbeat scene and this Thanksgiving Eve party with none other than Simply Jeff providing an old school set, was the biggest and best I put together all year!

So that was my 2010! It was a major blast where all my hard work started to pay off in ways that I could have never expected. I am ready for the new challenges of 2011. Get ready!

Groove Armada @ the W Hollywood review for Urb

I reviewed a Groove Armada intimate DJ set at the new W Hotel in Hollywood for Urb magazine.


Read the review

Hilo Clothing Fashion show pics and article

So here are more photos from the fashion show in Long Beach. I also caught wind of an article on Long Beach Gay website GetOutLB.com

Check out the article for all the photos HERE

My Review of Manifest Equality Art Show for Urb

 

I have been quite the busy boy lately what with managing my 2 monthly parties, promoting a weekly event, and blogging for several websites. This week I went on assignment for Urb to cover the very special Manifest Equality art exhibit in Hollywood. Designed to shed light on the issue of marriage equality, this beautiful living breathing art installation was a wonder to behold.

Read the event review at Urb.com

My First Urb Magazine post

 

My first Review is live at Urb Magazine. I covered Wale's concert at the Roxy.

Check out the event review

The Foreign Exchange Grammy Party Photos

Nu-Soul Magazine and RedLight Special Events kicked off Grammy weekend 2010 with a special event to celebrate the first Grammy nomination of The Foreign Exchange. Although Nicolay and Phonte did not take home the trophy, on this night they partied LA style with their friends and supporters at the packed downtown venue, Elevate. A line stretched around the corner as eager fans awaited to take part in this momentous occasion. A truly memorable night in Los Angeles, 21 floors above the city, the party did not stop. Enjoy the photos courtesy of Kris Perry and check the video by Anthony Valadez! This was definitely the biggest party I have thrown so far!


Become a fan of Kris Perry Photography

This past weekend everyone headed out to the Southern California desert for the annual Coachella Festival. I didn't bother going to the festival itself since there was so much other stuff to do for free! I basically drove out to Palm Springs with my buddy Cezar (yellow shirt), and partied it up with my friends in the desert heat. Enjoy the photos.

Strictly Social March Photos & Video

Strictly Social's March edition was our biggest event so far as we finally fulfilled our promise of bringing together the worlds of soul and electronica. We brought you two rooms of sound which included stellar live performances from an eclectic trio of artists in the main room and a whirlwind of soulful drum&bass in the second room.

The night got off to an early start as special guest Rasheeda Wallace stepped onto a West Coast stage for the first time and wowed the growing crowd with her incredible voice and stage presence. Watch out for this girl from Harlem! Next up was local MC Brother Dvoaa who charmed the now packed house with his vibrant mic skills. Then former Mulatto frontman Diondre Jermaine showcased his new sound causing the Little Temple the rock out! The DJs brought the heat too! Our residents Myxzlplix and Destroyer kept it bouncing all night with their perfect selections and guest Al Jackson tore up the dancefloor.







Finally Strictly Social has grown to include a second room. Our friend Jayvon hosted Soul Good, an excursion into soulful drum&bass that was a much appreciated element in the Los Angeles scene. Sets by Jayvon, Reason, and Atlantic Connection kept it soulful all night. Check out a taste of the Soul Good flavor!





Get more info:

DIONDRE JERMAINE
www.myspace.com/diondrejermaine

BROTHER DVOOA
www.myspace.com/brotherdvooa

RASHEEDA WALLACE
www.myspace.com/rasheedawallacequeenofstreetsol