Las Vegas is undoubtedly known for gambling and is aptly called Sin City. It’s a place that taught us about bar snacks, showgirls, casinos, prawn cocktails, casino residencies, and more. To say we love this city is an understatement. Sin City has taken a cue from Miami and raised the stakes with one of the most popular music genres on the planet, dance music. But how did this come about? Why has it become so popular? To answer that for you, we’ve looked at why dance music has seen an increase in popularity in Las Vegas.
Dance music made its appearance as early as the 80s when underground parties and raves started. During the 90s, the nightclubs in Europe picked up on the trend and Gen Xers were dancing up a storm. Millennials also got a taste for it when the genre completely reinvented itself into what we know today, electronic dance music.
The clubs
It’s been said that if you want a certain type of genre or even an artist to be popular you need to play the music in a club. The club scene is where all the cool kids are. So how does the club scene tie into the popularity of the music? It goes back to when the first dance music club, Utopia opened. If you are familiar with producer and trance DJ Paul Oakenfold, you will know that he regularly played at the club, and of course, he was playing dance music. This was a great way to entice locals to participate in this music scene. Oakenfold wowed the crowds with his incredible sets, playing exactly what patrons wanted to dance to as well as giving them a taste of new music too. Because of this, other popular nightclubs started playing dance music as well, including residencies from other famous DJs.
Festivals
We know Miami’s Ultra Music Festival, we know that Tomorrowland takes place in Belgium every July, and we know the Electric Daisy Carnival was the talk of the town in Los Angeles until it moved to Vegas in 2011 where it exploded. The Electric Daisy Carnival has been featured in movies too and has some of the best music moments ever. Four years after the big move, the Carnival was featured in Catfish TV series host, Max Joseph’s directorial debut in We Are Your Friends – a film about an aspiring electronic dance music DJ. Ever since then the festival has proven popular due to primarily featuring dance music.
Photo by Matty Adame on Unsplash
Residencies
Vegas is known for giving us magnificent residencies like Britney Spears, Celine Dion, John Legend, Lady Gaga, and many, many more. Nightclub owners then took this as a cue to start adding dance music DJs to their rosters and the rest is history! You will find that many famous DJs now have residencies all along The Strip and it’s proved successful. Fans across Sin City are lining up week after week to see their favorite acts.
The new stars
Since Sin City is habitually known as the gambling capital of the world, the introduction of dance music was well received from the get-go. A lot has to do with the fact that fans can see their favorite DJs live inside a nightclub. This does add appeal since they are practically able to touch said, DJ. Fans get to enjoy hours of music from the likes of Afrojack, Calvin Harris, David Guetta, and more. These DJs are now the new stars of The Strip and there is no way to stop them! If you want to keep an eye on the best dance music artists, check the latest rankings for the year.
It’s all about the vibes
If you’ve ever been to a festival, or even a nightclub you will be in awe of the fantastic productions on display. These productions create the vibes partygoers are after. One thing Las Vegas nightclubs are doing that’s keeping this music genre popular is creating the correct vibe. Looking back at the history of dance music in Vegas, a production company, A Way of Life Productions, hit the nail on head when they set up insane productions in unheard of and often obscure locations such as industrial warehouses. This made fans realize that they will always be catered to.
Dance music capital
Vegas has taken over the title of dance music capital of the world. Previously a title held by Miami and Ibiza. With groundbreaking venues, insane productions, and the most famous DJs, it comes as no surprise that Sin City now takes this title. It is also largely since fans have supported the scene for so long.
Lastly, the big night out
About 10 years ago there was a massive spike in clubbing by young people. This was largely due to the introduction of dance music. While young people are not the only ones to indulge on a big night out, the scene has grown so much that anyone who enjoys the music, participates in it. So, will you have your next big night out enjoying some of the best international DJs in Sin City?
About the Author/s
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.
