Electric Daisy Carnival has recently been on a mission to conquer Asia. This was no small part from Insomniac frontman, Pasquale Rotella, who has envisioned this expansion for a while now. When we went to China last month to EDC Guangdong, we had the opportunity to chat with Pasquale himself about various aspects of the industry in Asia. We also touched upon the topic of the possible return of EDC New York and Chicago. Check out our full interview with Pasquale below.
EDC Guangdong was the second EDC in China this year alone. What are the major differences of preparing for an EDC Festival in China opposed to EDC Orlando or Vegas? Did you learn anything during your time in Asia that could assist you in your endeavors in the US going forward?
The first show in a new city and a new venue is always exciting, especially in an international location, and it’s incredibly rewarding to have everything come together and see how the community responds. I’d say the biggest difference would be the logistics of the operation and making sure we can deliver an amazing experience. That’s where it’s important to have great partners who know the region. We not only want to throw an awesome party, but we want to be respectful guests. Asia really inspired and energized me, and reminded me that we can bring so much positivity and happiness to the world, one person at a time. Being around different communities makes me even more motivated to bring this beautiful, positive culture to as many places as I can.
The preference of music genre is different everywhere you go, whether it be United States or Europe. What do you think China’s music preference is and how was the talent selected for EDC Guangdong to best fit the crowd’s preferences?
When going into a new country, we always focus on bringing in local, up-and-coming talent, as well as mixing popular artists who are recognized worldwide with underground artists and genres they’ve never been exposed to. This is what the musical side of EDC is about, and we stay true to that wherever we go.
The EDM scene in China seems to be rapidly growing in recent years. I even specifically flew out to China for EDC to scout out the possibilities that awaited there! What do you think is the cause of this emergence of the scene in Asia? Do you think it’s just a phase or is there much more to come?
I think the dance music movement in the region will only get stronger. We’ve produced two EDCs in China in one year, we’ll be returning to Japan for our third EDC in 2019, and there’s some really exciting stuff in the works that I can’t quite talk about yet. We’re in this for the long run.
You’ve now hosted EDC in Shanghai and Guangdong, will we see a repeat of these 2 festivals in 2019 or do you intend to change up the locations? Where else in Asia would you like to take EDC?
The cities may change, but the vision is to be even more active and build a community in all of Asia, very similar to what we’ve done in the US.
We’ve now discussed many aspects of the Asian EDM scene but now let’s turn back to the states. What does insomniac have in store for the US next year? Could we possibly see the return of past EDC festivals such as New York or Chicago in 2019?
No plans now, but plans are always changing here at the Insomniac HQ!
