Duke Dumont: House Music, Fresh Air, & Sunsets at the Malkin Bowl

By Ryan Hayes

Since 1934 Stanley Park’s Malkin Bowl has been hosting summer events and getting Vancouverites under the stars to experience live music. This year Blueprint is using the illustrious venue to extend long weekend vibes and chase away the post festival blues that will be stirring in house music fans after Foundation 10 Open Radius—the two-day event headlined by Purple Disco Machine & Fisher. Just five days later, on May 24th, Duke Dumont is set to bring club energy and festival ready choruses to the Malkin Bowl.

Over the last year Blueprint Events has focused on curated house music events covering the vast spectrum of the genre. Although Duke Dumont’s event isn’t Foundation Series branded it is the ultimate follow up to Open Radius. The storied producer has been active since the early 2000s—releasing house anthems like “I Got U” “Won’t Look Back” & “Ocean Drive” for well over a decade.

His debut album, Duality, released in 2020 with a contingent of tracks for house purists; “Therapy” & “Love Song” are sure to be highlights of his Malkin Bowl show.

The sheer power and perfection of “Ocean Drive” & the essential live music moment it will create should be enough to sell dance music fans attending…but if you still need convincing give his 2023 Red Rocks show a listen. It doesn’t disappoint.

Next month—May 24th—nature, house, and bliss with Duke Dumont. We’ll see you there.

FVDED IN THE PARK returns this year and the lineup is HUGE!

FVDED in the Park makes a huge comeback after taking some time off with a massive lineup which will no doubt get the EDM fans into a frenzy. Swedish House Mafia rarely ventures into the festival circuit so it’s a real treat that they’re coming to FVDED. KX5, which is a union between Deadmau5 and Kaskade, and they give their Vancouver festival debut.

Combine this with the likes of John Summit, who has been on an absolute tear in the last few years, and the likes of Chris Lake, Diplo, Zeds, Dead, Slander and more - I believe FVDED has done this lineup right with a renewed focus on EDM which will hopefully be recognized by the fans once it’s ready to buy tickets.

There are currently no tickets available but you can sign up for presale access here.

Foundation 2.0 & John Summit prove you can come home again

All photos by Ryan Hayes

Last November Blueprint Events celebrated its 25th anniversary with a weekend of genre specific festival nights. The closing event was for house music lovers and headlined by Fisher. While it was an all-ages event the audience noticeably skewed older. There was a buzz in the air, something was different, and whether Blueprint was aware of it going into the event or not, it was the start of a new foray for the company. That night Foundation Series was born.

Foundation was meant to represent a haven for house music fans, a series thoughtfully curated to explore sub-genres and draw upon the fandom of long-time dance music lovers. The result was a full circle return to the early pre-boom days of EDM. Foundation feels both big in stature and deeply personal. An energy has returned to the scene, and it is easy for fans to get caught up in the notion that they are on the cusp of something larger.

The entire event revived an atmosphere that has largely been dormant in Vancouver for over a decade. A spark not felt since the days of massive 19+ spectacles at Vancouver Convention Centre. To return to the significance of that era is both a testament to the current state of dance music and Blueprint’s acumen as a promoter.

Although the 19+ designation may not seem like a defining characteristic of the event—the lineup curation remained the dominating factor—it markedly pushed the median age above those in attendance at Fisher and helped establish the kind of positive-inclusive energy the dance music scene has always attempted to advocate for.

While volume one was rightly headlined by Chris Lake, Easter long weekend was helmed by John Summit. As an auteur, Summit perfectly embodies the new wave of dance music currently breathing life back into the scene. House music with a smattering of dark driving techno dominated Summit’s set and his hold over the audience was palpable. Unlike Chris Lake who had to work within a standard festival runtime Summit was given a two-hour set, a needed alteration by Blueprint. The extra hour allowed Summit time to stretch his legs; a necessity for an artist like Summit who doesn’t adhere to traditional genre barriers.

The visuals were restrained, they popped at the right moments, and let the music lead the way for most of the night. For one night the PNE Forum transformed into an oversized club.

While all the acts were all phenomenal, Summit was the standout. He capped off the night with his newest release ‘Where You Are.’ It’s rare that both the audience and the performer are aware that they are experiencing a seminal moment in a song’s upward trajectory. Seconds into the track Summit’s grin said it all, he knows what he has, and the audience’s elation reinforced his resolve. ‘Were You Are’ is on the verge of tapping into the very ethos of dance music. The track is a testament to Summit’s artistry and a leading indication that 2023 may be kicking off a second—more restrained—golden age for the scene.

Blueprint nailed the entire experience of Foundation Series, and it should leave fans hopeful for whatever they have in store for us next.

By Ryan Hayes (@VanCityDanceNrd)

Check out these images from John Summit and Green Velvet yesterday in Vancouver

Yesterday Vancouver was treated with a legendary show with John Summit and Green Velvet. As you can see below, the crowd was lit and the vibes were heavy. Stay tuned for the full report from @VanCityDanceNrd!

Both Veld & FVDED Mark Change For Canada's Dance Music Festival Circuit

View fullsize

View fullsize

By Ryan Hayes

With the recent release of the Veld's 2020 lineup an official shift has begun within the Canadian festival landscape. This year Veld will be helmed by four powerhouse dance music artists; Armin Van Buuren, Illenium, Marshmello, & Martin Garrix. This slate of headliners marks the first time that Veld has not had a major rap act gracing the top of their roster since 2015 when the festival was still, for all intents and purposes, a dedicated EDM festival; the 2015 lineup did present patrons with two rap acts, A$AP Rocky and I Love Makonnen.

In the four years that followed (2016-2019) Veld became a full on hybrid festival riding the wave of rap and hip-hops integration in to the world of dance music, in an attempt to feel fresh and relevant. During this time period festival headliners included;  Travis Scott, Future, Migos, and most recently Cardi B.

However, it takes more than a few big names to make a festival a true hybrid. 2020 marks Veld's lowest percentage of rap/hip-hop acts since 2016; over a 10% drop in non-EDM performers when compared to the 2019 iteration. Currently under 20% of the festivals scheduled talent is drawn from outside of the realm of EDM.

Outside of Veld, in the Canadian festival circuit as a whole, there has been a reshuffling of dance music talent.  House music leaning acts continue to increase their presence while EDM artists who focus more heavily on integrating rap in to their sets have begun to wane.  This shift can be seen on top of the diminishing power of rap and hip-hop artists, both as a result, and a contributing factor, to the continued evolution of the festival landscape.

The major question now is, will the 2020 festival season be more successful than 2019—and if it is, does that mark the end of the major push for hybrid festivals?

Coupled with the evolution away from rap integration is the deconstruction of the headliners reign of power. This year lineups are bigger than ever—Veld's 2020 lineup is, by far, it's largest offering to date in terms of pure numbers. Within the festival circuit there is a trend away from spending all your money on headliners, and through these means focusing on a really flushed out middle tier of talented dance music artists.

Nowhere is the shift away from rap and towards an EDM heavy mid tier more apparent than BC's FVDED in the Park.  This year FVDED's  heavy hitters (outside of their three headliners) include; Alison Wonderland, Alesso, Black Tiger Sex Machine, Dave, and Gorgon City. Four of the aforementioned acts are EDM artists, and that is a major shift compared to 2019 when three out of five of the festivals largest second tier artists were rappers, and one of two EDM artists had strong hip-hop underpinnings; Tory Lanez, French Montana, Louis The Child, RL Grime, 6lack.

FVDED also supports Veld's move away from a hybrid focused event. Although FVDED has roughly the same amount of rap/hip-hop acts as it always has, the 2020 iteration marks the events most EDM artists since 2017; and the first time the festival has had a dance music headliner on each night since Jack U and Zedd headlined in 2016.

Both Veld and FVDED stand as strong evidence that 2020 marks a turning point. As EDM continues to drift out of the pop-culture ethos the fans who have stuck with the genre are evolving, and finding their own particular niche soundscape. Where this road will ultimately lead is unclear—however—this year seems to be proving pivotal in the shift towards more dance music centric events. Escapade, the dance music diehard, sold out in days, Veld dropped it's rap headliners, and FVDED refocused it's budget on dance music.