Pasquale Rotella, the CEO of Insomniac (the organizers behind EDC Las Vegas), went on Reddit tonight for his AMA (Ask Me Anything) thread. One Redditor asked Pasquale about what he thought of Deadmau5's comments on festivals from a recent article from the London Evening Standard. For those that didn't read those original comments, here they are:
“It’s another thing I can’t f*****’ stand, you know? Festivals are being branded bigger than the acts, which is totally backwards in my head,” he spits. “It’s ’cause of those acts that you’re a festival! Who wins? The promoter. The guy who’s throwing this festival that’s branded bigger than you, that you think you’re awesome for headlining. It’s a shame, so that’s why I’m pulling out.” (Click here to read the entire article)
Pasquale had this to say in response:
"First, I want to give props to deadmau5 for acknowledging that some festivals are bigger than the artists. I absolutely agree with him; it’s not some fluke or mistake. I don’t know what Canada’s dance scene was like, but this is the way it’s been in the US since the beginning of the underground scene. There were always DJ-centric events, but those were never the big parties.
In rock and rap, the performer is usually the center of the show. Dance music is its own thing. It’s about having a good time, celebrating life, and listening to good music. From his comments, I’m assuming he’d rather people stand there and gawk at the artist for an hour-and-a-half, but that’s not where I come from, nor where I want things to go. DJs deserve to get love from their fans, but that’s not shown by standing there and watching with your arms crossed. It’s shown by dancing and getting lost in the moment.
I wish deadmau5 would continue making good music and spend less time knocking people that have been supporting the culture since the beginning. I respect his art form. It would be great if he would respect mine, which is striving to produce magical events."
Well said.
To read the full Pasquale Rotella AMA, click here.
