Holiday weekend brings DJ fever

Las Vegas is the center of the universe.

At least for a few days, for a certain segment of the music community, right around this time every year.

"The entire country knows that on Memorial Day weekend Las Vegas is the hub of electronic music. One hundred percent," says Jason Strauss, a partner in Tao Group, which oversees such properties as Tao, Tao Beach and Marquee.

Las Vegas' growth as a dance music destination, particularly during the upcoming holiday weekend, has developed rapidly, and this year, things have hit a fever pitch with what looks to be the biggest four-day collection of DJs this city has ever seen.

The lineup is incredible: There's the Love Festival at the Palms, with Paul Van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold, Felix da Housecat and more; the "United" festivities at Marquee, topped by Fatboy Slim, Armin van Burren and others; Deadmau5, Afrojack, Kaskade, Steve Aoki and others at XS, Surrender and Encore Beach Club; Tiesto at the Hard Rock.

That's pretty much a roll call of the world's electronic music prime movers.

"Memorial Day weekend is our biggest weekend, but this year, obviously the explosion of dance music has changed dramatically," says Jesse Waits, managing partner of Tryst/XS. "The competitiveness of the nightclubs have changed a lot. I think this year's going to be humongous. We have the biggest DJs for the weekend."

This isn't exactly a new development.

Memorial Day weekend in Vegas has steadily become a staple event in the dance music scene.

Strauss recalls first bringing in renowned house DJ Erick Morillo for the holiday five years ago.

The gig drew 1,200.

Last time he was here, Morillo attracted 7,000.

He returns to Tao Beach on Sunday for an eight-hour set.

All of this underscores the steady rise of Vegas as a dance music capital, with the massive Electric Daisy Carnival coming to the Las Vegas Speedway next month and new electronic music tour Identity Festival coming here at the end of the summer.

All of a sudden, a town posited on serious partying is being taken serious in another sense.

"We haven't been credible in the last few years, as far as nightclubs go," Waits says. "We've had the biggest, nicest and best ones, but not the coolest ones. Now that we have these big DJs as residents, we're being recognized as the most credible city now."

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.