Dance music producer LP Giobbi teamed up with Redfield and DJ Rae for the rapturous new single “Waiting,” which was released on Diplo’s Higher Ground label on Friday, November 10. This is another step forward in what has been a massive year for LP Giobbi, releasing her debut album Light Places, launching her label imprint Yes Yes Yes, playing an international headline tour, and continuing to support LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC creators through her non-profit, FEMME HOUSE.
LP Giobbi shared, “This track came to life in London when Redfield brought an idea into the session, and we started building a track around DJ Rae’s vocals. After some back and forth, ‘Waiting’ was born.” DJ Rae added, “There’s some real soul in this vocal. The inspiration comes from a special place, which gives the record a unique energy. All the elements have married together to make this a killer collaboration.”
Photo L to R: Redfield, LP Giobbi, DJ Rae
LP Giobbi still has another month left on her Light Places Tour, with Yes Yes Yes afterparties in select locations. Cities up next this week include Denver, Washington DC, and New York City. The complete list of LP Giobbi’s schedule for the remainder of 2023 is at the end of the article after LP Giobbi’s media links.
LP Giobbi Upcoming Tour Dates November 16 – Gothic Theatre, Denver, CO * November 16 – Larimer Lounge, Denver, CO ^ November 17 – Soundcheck, Washington, DC * November 18 – Knockdown Center, New York City, NY * November 19 – FEMME HOUSE @ Superior Ingredients Roof, Brooklyn, NY November 24 – The Independent, San Francisco, CA * November 24 – Monarch, San Francisco, CA ^ November 25 – The Roxy (Two Shows), Los Angeles, CA *^ November 28 – Brighton Music Hall, Boston, MA * November 30 – Velvet Underground, Toronto, Canada * November 30 – CODA, Toronto, Canada ^ December 1 – Bar Le Ritz, Montreal, Canada * December 2 – Concord Music Hall, Chicago, IL * December 3 – Funky Brunch, Chicago, IL ^ December 8 – Art With Me Festival, Miami, FL December 30 – Vision NYE @ The North Warehouse, Portland, OR December 31 – EYE Heart NYE @ Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA * = Light Places Headline Tour ^ = Yes Yes Yes Afterparty
The lasers are coming to your city, as Gareth Emery brings his melodic techno alias LSR/CITY to main stages across the continent. 2024 rings in a new era for his project, with a massive run of shows announced for quarter one.
The tour will feature 15 stops in North America, from Toronto across to Los Angeles. Gareth Emery is famed for his unbelievable production, and the trance icon is sure to deliver an unmatched experience with insane visuals and melodic techno greatness. LSR/CITY debuted during EDC Week 2023, and followed up with a four-show run that stunned sold-out crowds.
Photo credit: @Kea.iu
LSR/CITY kicked off with the debut track “Like a Prayer,” a reworked version of the Madonna song featuring singer Annabel as the vocalist. The song has acquired millions of listens since its release on September 22 and is a shining example of Gareth Emery’s hit-making prowess. Fan demand led to the single’s release after an iconic premiere at the first LSR/CITY show.
Photo cred: Matthew Perry // @photogperry
Gareth Emery is no stranger to maxed-out production, as evidenced by his previous Laserface tours, and LSR/CITY is set to up the ante yet again. Shows are already selling out across the US and Canada, proving this tour should not be missed. Tickets are available for select tour dates and you can keep up with Gareth Emery using the links below.
Escape Halloween has been Insomniac’s Halloween festival since 2011 and is the United States’ most anticipated spooky festival. This year Insomniac once again showed why Escape rules Halloween! With a stacked lineup featuring names like Above & Beyond, Zomboy, Malaa, and Zedd, there was something for everyone’s music taste. With two days of music, the debut of five main stages, and Crazy Town, it was another wildly successful festival for ravers. Based on my personal experience, I’ve shared my scores for the production, music, and venue, plus an overall grade for the event.
The Production: 9 / 10
With every Insomniac event, the production is going to be next level. Each stage — The Grimm, Feeding Grounds, Sanitarium, Sewer District, and the brand new Wicked Woods stage — all had great visuals, lasers, ambiance, sound, and pyrotechnics.
The main stage, The Grimm, was closed out by some massive names: Kaskade on Day 1 and Armin Van Buuren on Day 2. The production at this stage was amazing as always. Featuring its signature Grim Reaper behind the DJ booth, accompanied by even more lasers than last year, amazing dancers and pyrotechnics, this stage got people hyped. Once the night got underway and the Grim Reaper started moving its arms around the artists, the crowd cheered every time. The hanging visuals that seemed like portals into another dimension had festivalgoers mesmerized. While hosting some of the biggest names of the weekend, like Slander, Zedd, and DJ Snake, the stage never got too crowded. There was room to walk around and dance without sacrificing your view or personal space. Simply put, the main stage was amazing!
Feeding Grounds was home to the bass lovers of the festival and was hosted by Bassrush on Day 1. With performances by Svdden Death, Zomboy, ATliens, Rezz, and Three Six Mafia, this stage had people headbanging, dancing, and singing all night long. It featured production that felt like we were in a hellscape surrounded by a giant spider web with two giant hanging spiders above us — and of course more lasers and pyrotechnics. If you like bass in your face, this was the place to be!
Photo Credit: Jamal Eid for Insomniac Events
Sanitarium had a different vibe each day. Day 1 was hosted by Basscon for hardstyle fans, and Day 2 was hosted by Night Trip for the house heads. The first day featured sets from Darren Styles and Lady Faith. the second day featured artists MK and Matroda B2B San Pacho. The crowd was dancing and shuffling like crazy both nights. Spookier than the other stages, this stage was darker and had lights and lasers to enhance the vibes.
Sewer District was hosted both nights by Factory93 and the techno was bumping. Blessing the stage were artists Jamie Jones B2B Loco Dice, Hot Since 82, Lily Palmer, and Green Velvet. This stage was unique and had my favorite layout of all the stages. It was open air while the others were under a tent and was surrounded by shipping containers with LED panels on them with fire blasting from the top. It was packed from open to close with techno fans vibing all night.
The newest stage at Escape was Wicked Woods. Day 1 was hosted by Lost in Dreams and had acts like ARMNHMR playing a house set and Kaivon playing a nostalgic 2010s throwback set. Day 2 was hosted Bassrush with acts like Macky Gee and Culture Shock. Hosted inside a warehouse, the bass at this stage was bumping, one could feel it in their bones. The only downside to this stage is that it got hot from the packed crown, but it still sounded great.
Each stage stood out in its own way with amazing Halloween vibes. There was no sound bleed between stages and everything was incredible. The production earned a 9 out of 10 this year.
Music: 9.5 / 10
This year’s Escape lineup was absolutely stacked. There was something for the bass heads, house heads, techno fans, and hardstyle kids. Both days had a slew of must-see acts, and from 4 pm to 2 am it was hard to find time to sit down and eat without missing an amazing artist. There were even after parties this year that featured Slander: Before Dawn and Malaa. It is hard to earn a perfect score, but Escape’s amazing music this year combined with the after parties deserves a 9.5 out of 10 score for the loads of talent across multiple different genres.
Photo Credit: Kristal Diaz for Insomniac Events
Venue: 9 / 10
NOS Event Center is the go-to venue for many California-based Insomniac events, and many ravers are quite familiar with it already. But what Insomniac does with the space is truly magical and masterful. As always, they went all out for Halloween, starting with Crazy Town and Psycho Circus, a little pocket of the festival that has fortune tellers, a lion tamer, acrobats, magicians, and singers — it really evoked the Psycho Circus theme. Not to leave out the Silent Disco which featured some notable up-and-coming artists.
On the walk into the festival, there was a cathedral with dancers and shows where one could sit and watch. There were also two secret stages that felt like walking into a haunted maze. The first was called the Poison Ivy Club. People handed out 3D glasses as you entered this club and there was a giant poison ivy plant in the middle with 3D paint everywhere. Music was bumping and drinks were flowing.
The second was called The Butcher, which had a much darker vibe. When you walked in there were dead bodies in bags hanging from the ceiling and body parts hanging all around with a butcher cutting more bodies. Listening to techno in a black-and-red-themed room was surely a Halloween vibe.
Insomniac went all out with its Psycho Circus theme this year. It was so impressive, I can’t even touch on all of it — an easy 9 out of 10!
Overall Grade: 9.5 / 10
Halloween and Escape go hand in hand for SoCal ravers and Insomniac fans around the world, and this year was no different. From incredible stages, top-of-the-line music acts, and a spooky ambiance throughout the venue, there was something to see, do, and listen to anywhere one went. The overall grade for this year’s Escape is a huge 9.5 out of 10 because it is hard to find a detail out of place. I’m already counting down the days until next year’s event! Hopefully, you’ll be there in 2024 too.
The new year is right around the corner, so the question is, will you attend the largest New Year’s party in the Arizona Valley? The team at Relentless Beats has already released its Decadence AZ Phase 1 lineup with all-star headliners like Illenium, John Summit, Slander, and Subtronics, but that was just the beginning.
Rounding out the lineup for this year’s Decadence AZ celebration with the fresh Phase 2 announcement are artists Bonnie X Clyde, Claptone, Shiba San B2B CID, and Wax Motif, plus local legends Dark Mark, Medicine Mike, Turbo, and the lovely Peachy Keen!
Your daily guide to The Sky Realm has arrived 🌌 Will you be partying with us on 12/30, 12/31 or both, perhaps?
Decadence is always a record-setting event in Arizona, and this year is already on track to be even bigger than before. Taking place Saturday, December 30, and Sunday, December 31 at the Phoenix Raceway, this is a New Year’s party you won’t want to miss. GA tickets are on sale now, as well as table deals, travel packages, and more, so head to the website and score your tickets before prices go up. The time is right to get you and your friends locked in to ring in the new year by dancing the Sky Realm.
2023 has been a monster year for the Denver-based bass artist Mersiv, who released his latest masterpiece, Out of Bounds, a 14-track album via MorFlo Records on October 20. Back in April, Mersiv sold out his headlining debut at Red Rocks and he has played at numerous summer festivals including Elements and Imagine to name a few. Now he is in the midst of an extensive fall tour that began September 1 and runs through the end of the year including nearly 50 stops along the way.
Out of Bounds is a testament to Mersiv’s growth as an artist and his ambition to break out of genre conventions. Three tracks immediately stood out for their hip-hop influences and stellar vocal collaborations: “Bounce” with Wreckno, “Coast to Coast” with ProbCause, and “Top Floor” with The Ninetys. My favorite track on the album is “Troubles” with Heyz which centers on the vocal sample by Vera Hall from her 1937 hit “Trouble So Hard” popularized by Moby’s “Natural Blues.” The final highlight of the album for me is the ethereal INZO collab “Metagalactic” which was featured on our Moon Lvnding New Music Friday Heat playlist last week.
Photo Credit: @mersivsoundproject
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I was moved by the gratitude and thoughtfulness that Mersiv showed toward everyone who has helped him create this work of art — from his management team to the numerous artists who contributed to the production of the album. We are encouraged by Mersiv’s growth from the first time Moon Lvnding covered his work with a feature of his track “Get Crazy” with Jantsen.
With over two months remaining on his fall tour which culminates with an appearance at his hometown New Year’s Eve celebration, Decadence Colorado, there is still ample opportunity to see him touring this album live. If his tour set is anything like the fantastic sets I got to see at Elements and Imagine, attendees are in for a treat. To keep up with all the latest from the Mersiv Sound Project, connect with him using the links below.
French bass queen CloZee is in the thick of her massive, months-long Microworlds Tour. She has big stops in the coming weeks including Washington DC, Brooklyn, and Boston to end October, and Montreal and Toronto to start November. Beginning in late September and running through December, her North American Microworlds Tour will touch down in over 30 different cities over 45 dates, marking the most extensive headlining tour of her career. This tour shares a name with her third album, Microworlds, which was released by her label Ozyzey Music back in July 2023 and has a fantastic music video directed by the talented Jade Ananda.
“One of my favorite parts of writing a new album is to tour with it and present the journey to an audience,” CloZee shared. “When I play the songs live, new dimensions, new memories and experiences are created, for the listeners and for myself. I can’t wait to connect with the fans through this new audio-visual adventure.” The Microworlds tour offers fans a unique live experience with new audio-visual production. Check out this coverage from the first week of the tour!
#MicroworldsTour Week One 😍🥰Sheesh! Absolutely incredible vibes!!!
Moon Lvnding has long supported CloZee, dating back to her release of Neon Jungle, and for good reason. In addition to her outstanding work producing music, she also goes above and beyond to create safe spaces for her fans at her shows. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community and an active advocate for diversity in the EDM industry, she took steps to support this cause by partnering with Good Night Out. This organization has a mission “to create safer and more accountable spaces by educating and supporting people and places to help them better understand, respond to and prevent sexual violence in their spaces, through an accreditation program, specialist training, policy consultancy, and public campaigns.”
CloZee also lined up an insane amount of talent to support her at these shows. Atlanta-based producer/DJ Daily Bread will be direct support at a majority of her tour dates, including all of the remaining tour dates outside of California. Other select dates will include performances from Canvas, Chmura, Daggz, Dreamers Delight, Heyz, Josh Teed, LYNY, Mfinity, Saturna, Super Future, and 9theory, along with special guest appearances from the genre-bending INZO and queer bass icon Wreckno. To check out updated information for support acts and secure tickets to a show near you, head to the tour link on CloZee’s website.
German bass house tastemaker Marten Hørger is in the thick of his Fall 2023 Come Together Tour, and this Saturday, October 14, he will take over Manhattan’s best nightlife destination, MUSICA, for his largest NY headlining event. Originating in Riccione, Italy (the capital of Italy’s nightlife scene), MUSICA expanded to New York City with a state-of-the-art 25,000-square-foot nightclub spanning three floors, and it will soon host one of Beatport’s Top 10 all-time bass house artists!
Hørger has enjoyed a whirlwind 2023, including performances at some of the world’s most iconic EDM festivals such as Ultra Miami, EDC Las Vegas, and Tomorrowland, as well as appearances at Ushuaia in Ibiza for David Guetta’s Monday residency to play out their pulsating collab “The Freaks.” Other notable 2023 song releases from Hørger include “Sent From Above,” “Get Real High,” “Ill Behavior,” and his most recent track, “Love All Night.”
Spreading the love at MUSICA and opening for Hørger on Saturday night will be Arizona’s house music starlet Ekonovah. Fresh off his latest release, “All Over Again,” Ekonovah is making this quick stop in NYC before heading to The Netherlands for the world’s most influential EDM event, Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE). He’ll be teaming up with other house music producers including Electric Polar Bears and Damon Sharpe, so check our recent coverage of Frozen Frequencies to learn more.
Hørger will continue his North American Come Together Tour next week with shows in Los Angeles and Chicago before finishing with a quick stop in Tucson, AZ, and a pair of dates in Calgary and Vancouver, Canada. Trust that you’ll want to see this captivating, high-energy, bass house star as he wraps up his latest tour. To stay informed of all the latest news and shows Hørger has planned, connect with him using the social links below.
Spooky season is here ladies and gentlemen, and that means it is finally time for this year’s biggest Halloween event — Escape Halloween 2023 — happening at NOS Event Center October 27 and 28! Here are four artists early in the day to start your Escape off right.
Credit: Insomniac Events // @Kristina Bakrevski
The first artist recommendation to check out on Day 1 is a drum and bass (D&B) artist out of the UK, Wilkinson. He has sold 4M singles, has been streamed over half a billion times and has a double platinum banger “Afterglow.” On top of winning four awards, including “Best Single” and “Best Producer” at the National D&B Awards, his debut album Lazers Not Included went #1 on the official dance chart. He’s played in venues and festivals around the world, in places like Glastonbury, London, Las Vegas, and Ibiza. He blesses the Feeding Grounds stage Friday, so make sure you are there to get your day started with some amazing D&B. Get familiar with some of his hits before you get there, like “Illuminate,” “Used to This,” and “Here For You.”
Another awesome Day 1 artist to hear is a SoCal native, and is quickly becoming one of the biggest up-and-coming artists of the year, Taylor Kade. In 2020, he released his first EP on Circus Records, Back to Life, and ever since, he has been on a roll, including having his own radio show on Insomniac Radio — “Happy Hour with Taylor Kade.” He bring his energetic and unique future bass vibes to the Wicked Woods stage on Friday. Check some of his hits below to get you ready to sing along. “Lonely,” “Love You Like That,” and “Want You Back.”
The first artist on Day 2 I want to highlight is a melodic bass DJ that you need to start to familiarize yourself with, YETEP. Releasing his first debut single in 2022 on Monstercat, “First Place,” he has been on a nonstop climb ever since, while receiving endorsements from giants like Excision, Adventure Club, and Illenium. Amassing a huge following in the few short years he’s been performing, you’re not going to want to miss your chance to catch him and join his already huge fan base Saturday on the Grimm stage. Here are some of his tracks to get you ready to rage: “Petals From A Rose“, “Gravity,” and “Mistakes.”
The second artist on Day 2 is bringing the vibes from Cleveland, DJ TopGun. Releasing his first EP in 2021, Cheap Thrills, and his 2nd EP earlier in the year, City of Freaks. Prior to starting his solo project, he was on tour opening for Lil Xan. Looking to bring his housey vibe to the Sanitarium stage on Saturday, get there early. Check out some his songs and make sure you get there early to check him out. “Took Some,” “Low,” and “The Hangover.”
Remember to prepare ahead of time to make it easier to get to the festival for these awesome early artists. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water, eat some tasty food, and most of all, have fun! Experience all that Escape Halloween has to offer and explore the full festival grounds. Check out some new amazing artists that you may not have heard of yet and enjoy the best Halloween party of 2023!
The pioneering producer and retro-electro-loving songwriter Yung Bae is back on the scene with his long-awaited follow-up album Groove Continental: Side B. He’s collaborated with another impressive list of musicians on this album from Nile Rodgers and Mayer Hawthorne to COIN, Barney Bones, and more! Side B is stacked with nine unique songs that defy any single genre’s definition while still feeling soulful and nostalgic with Yung Bae’s signature stylings.
“Control” featuring John The Blind is one song that immediately stood out on a first listen through the album with those spiffy horns and catchy vocals. The horns make a return on the yearning album finale that asks the eternal question, “Does Anybody Love Me?” Then there’s the visual side of the album, with four of the tracks having videos on Yung Bae’s YouTube, including “Fight My Demons” with Barney Bones and Leven Kali which accompanied the album’s release at midnight on October 6.
Another exciting part of Yung Bae’s release weekend is his day/night, full-venue takeover at Brooklyn’s lauded club, Elsewhere. This Saturday, October 7, he’ll play a pair of 2-hour sets — one an evening affair to close out the afternoon rooftop party and then a club set into the morning in the main hall.
He finishes the month with shows out in California next week before appearances at Live Out Festival in Monterrey, Mexico and Suwannee Hulaween in Florida. To keep up with the rest of his 2023 tour dates and new video releases, connect with his social links below.
