07.28
Monster Massive 2010 Line Up (source: GoVentures e-mail)
Well… not the whole thing… but bits and pieces. Extremely delicious bits and pieces for those who enjoy the more dark, tribal vibe at Monster Massive events.
In case you are looking for a ticket link, click here to buy tickets for Monster Massive.
As usual, I will begin my discussion of anything related to Monster Massive by re-stating my fear of something horrible happening at this particular event. The time I went was incredibly over-crowded and really hot inside the Sports Arena. Getting around for me was really difficult and I was constantly in fear of losing my group. Granted that was 3 years ago, but whenever I ask friends who went, I hear pretty much the same concerns in past years. Hopefully GoVentures will learn from Insomniac and not over-sell the event. Putting the main stage outside is a good idea but still, the fact is, people always assume that the Sports Arena is the main stage (or go there regardless just for the visual trip). So to prevent that from being an ant trap, GoVentures needs to take serious steps. Step one is that they have made the event 18+, just like the new Insomniac policy. Good call.
Anyway let’s see what we got…
Tomb of Doom // Phantom Chamber (source: GoVentures e-mail)
Tomb of Doom – John Digweed, Gareth Emery, Judge Jules
Ah yes, the megastars of the dance scene will be gracing the main stage at Monster Massive as always. Replacing last year’s Sasha is John Digweed, bringing his platonic house style back to LA again. Ever since TAO 2008 I have been a staunch hater of Sasha & Digweed because I find their style fairly boring. Going from the buildups and emotional rollercoasters of trance and progressive house tracks to very steady house beats is pretty difficult, I must admit. I’ll stop talking here; I’m sure Rob will give this man a much better summary than I possibly can.
A solid addition this year is Gareth Emery. He was at #9 on the top 100 DJ charts last year (voting has begun for this year… twitter is already over-capacity from DJs asking for people’s votes) and will likely stay in the top 15 this year. He got stiffed at EDC and had to play the side stage so GoVentures is showing him more love than Insomniac ever could by putting him up at the main stage. He’s coming out with an artist album real soon, he’s got a new single out, and I’m sure he will bring the ruckus. He’s also British and drinks heavily at his gigs, which is always entertaining.
Last but not least is The Judge. Get ready for some really intense trance music. I still remember The Judge from my first and only Monster Massive in 2007 – man did he raise the energy in the room. And it’s no surprise if you listen to him on BBC’s Radio 1. He sounds like he’s constantly on at least four Red Bulls.
Oddly missing from this line-up is MM staple Markus Schulz but worry not – he will be at Nocturnal this year.
Phantom Chamber – Carl Cox, Moby, Steve Lawler
I’m surprised Steve Lawler is on this line-up and not John Digweed. If that were to happen, you could call this the “Pioneer Stage”. Big big names here, starting with Carl Cox who will bring some insane tech beats and monster grooves to the stage. Oh yes oh yes oh yes! If I were going to Monster Massive, this is the stage I would be at – a solid line-up with music that fits a dark, spooky halloween theme.
Moby is coming back for more, I’m guessing because he’s had a good time playing at EDC the past couple of times. He certainly added a lot of weight to the line-up, seeing as how he is a very well accomplished artist in many fields besides dance music, but that doesn’t mean he’s weak in this field either. He was responsible for the Area festival in the early 2000′s, one of the first big dance music events in the United States featuring Tiesto and John Digweed. He also has a lot of techno tracks of his own, including a famous remix of the James Bond Theme done for Tomorrow Never Dies back in the day. Man I hope they don’t kill that franchise by the way…
Anyway long story short Moby was sick at EDC and he will surely play some crazy s^@t again so go see him.
And that rounds up the line-up with Steve Lawler, AKA Lollerskates. Lots of tribal sounds here, very fitting for Monster Massive. Again, definitely a good stage to hit up. I will be interested to see who else they add to this one.
House of Horror (source: GoVentures e-mail)
House of Horror – Armand van Helden, Robbie Rivera, Antoine Claraman, TV Rock, DJ Reza
A lot of repeats here. Van Helden seems to be at most LA events nowadays, going in a more electro direction especially with his new Duck Sauce project. A-Trak just played at Audiotistic but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him make a guest appearance.
Robbie Rivera is an interesting addition seeing as how he is Mr. Ibiza during the summer months; however it’s not to say that I am against it. He has come out with a lot of great tracks in the last few years, and I highly recommend you check out his new Beatport compilation (Juicy Ibiza) for the summer – a lot of good Ibiza tunes there that I am hoping he will drop at Monster Massive to give people a taste of just how insane the parties on that island are.
As far as Antoine Claraman and TV Rock go – well those guys are straight shooters. European dance house all the way, straight from the clubs of Paris, Vienna, Berlin, etc. A lot of vocals and uplifting melodies that you love to hate.
And last but not least is DJ Reza, owner of GoVentures and Saturday Night Sessions in LA. The guy brings world class talent to Los Angeles every year and plays pretty damn good closing sets; check him out and support some local LA talent.
Devils Dungeon // Witches Woods (source: GoVentures e-mail)
Devils Dungeon - Pete Tong, Felix Da Housecat, Le Castle Vania, Classixx
This is an interesting grab bag stage – we’ve got house master Pete Tong, who can make anything at all sound legendary as long as that anything is doing an Essential Mix at Radio 1. Then we’ve got house pioneer Felix Da Housecat with a Chicago House sound that goes way back but of course his own sound is constantly evolving. Then we’ve got Classixx who play laid back indie type electronic music, and lastly we’ve got Le Castle Vania from So Sweet Records dropping some electro beats. The last two kinda got that whole retro-hipster-electro thing going while the first two are house legends… interesting. Most people at this stage will likely have heard of all the guys on this line-up, especially since the first two are there every year. Should be good times.
Witches Woods – Z-Trip, The Glitch Mob
Oh yes oh yes we’ve got my man Z-Trip back for another round. He seems to be a staple at most LA events these days, along with some others such as the Love Festival in Hawaii. Good for him. If his set is similar to EDC, expect some classic rock and hip hop mixed with really loud bass and dub-step. Not a fan of loud bass but huge fan of Z-Trip. He will be joined by Glitch Mob who play trip hop electronica that will surely warrant loud bass as well.
Say it with me: EARPLUGS!!!
Conclusion
Another interesting line-up with more and more variety compared to previous years. There’s a seeming lack of a drum and bass stage, but even if they add more of those artists to the Witches Woods stage it’s still not entirely D&B which is a shift in itself.
These events are indeed becoming more festivals and less raves in the sense that there is a lot of musical variety and something for everybody. The music is ahead of the game, but the vibe is a bit behind – I’m assuming it’s still going to be 90% people on drugs with pacifiers and glow sticks. I’m hoping for this trend to wane as well so Los Angeles can show the respect these musicians deserve and leave the rave culture to the smaller events. I hate to keep saying it but compared to other world class cities we really are a bit stuck in that aspect, although things are improving.
Anyway, hope gives you an idea of how it’s gonna go down and keep your eyes peeled for the rest of the line-up to slowly trickle out to the masses.
As always and again, here is the link for Monster Massive 2010 tickets. Buy ‘em now before the price goes up; don’t procrastinate!
© 2010, M Silin. All rights reserved.
