Pasquale Rotella

It's Time for a Rave Promoters Showdown!

There's a corporate war brewing in dance music, with the two main sides being concert king Live Nation and billion-dollar-plus promoter SFX Entertainment. Over the last year or so both have been gobbling up electronic dance music organizers to the point where most of the biggest raves in the United ... More >>

Exchange LA Club Downtown Files For Bankruptcy Protection

A club that has been an anchor for downtown Los Angeles' nightlife revival has filed for bankruptcy protection. The corporation behind Exchange LA, a dance venue located in the Pacific Stock Exchange building on Spring Street, blamed legal disputes with its landlord for the Chapter 11 filing this w ... More >>

Pasquale Rotella's Rave Corruption Case Sees Four Charges Dismissed

A judge today dismissed four embezzlement charges against rave promoter Pasquale Rotella. See also: How Pasquale Rotella Built His Rave Empire. A grand jury indicted Rotella, fellow dance festival organizer Reza Gerami, and ex-L.A. Coliseum events manager Todd DeStefano on corruption charges, esse ... More >>

Judge Considers Dismissing Rave Promoter's Corruption Case

A motion to dismiss corruption charges against rave promoter Pasquale Rotella is being considered this week by the judge in the case. See also: How Pasquale Rotella Built His Rave Empire. A hearing on the dismissal request took place today. The judge in the case said more time was needed to consid ... More >>

Raves: Could Shady L.A. Coliseum Emails Help Promoters' Case?

The publication of emails between L.A. Coliseum Commission members, staffers and attorneys appears to show a public body making shady moves, including possible decision-making outside the public sphere, a legal no-no, vote counting, also illicit, and even sticking up for an indicted events manager w ... More >>

How Pasquale Rotella Built His Rave Empire

The man behind EDC is not going away, felony charges be damned

Government Lawsuit Against EDC Rave Promoter a FAIL

The L.A. Coliseum Commission will regroup next week to consider its options after a local judge basically threw out its civil lawsuit against rave promoters who organized parties at the Coliseum and its sister venue, the L.A. Sports Arena. The suit named promoters Pasquale Rotella of Insomniac and ... More >>

Who To See at Electric Daisy Carnival

Our coverage of Electric Daisy Carnival starts tomorrow -- the Las Vegas EDC festival features more than 200 artists, playing everything from house to trance to techno to chillwave to trip hop to luvstep to dubstep to hardstyle. It's chance to power down your phones, let the music lead you where i ... More >>

How to Have the Best Possible Time at EDC

Electric Daisy Carnival starts this Friday out Las Vegas, and it's gonna be totes bananas. A hundred thousand plus ravers (including us -- watch for coverage starting Saturday!) are about to descend upon the seediest city in America to pool party by day and dance in the desert by night. Nearly naked ... More >>

Wendy Williams on Ravers: 'They Take Drugs -- I Mean The Loopty-Doopty'

Usually people in the lamestream media get raves all wrong. It's not as if most journalists have even been to one. And then there were L.A. politicians, with pro-rave lobbyists whispering in their ears, who just a few years back described the events as "music festivals" with no more drug use than y ... More >>

Why Are Old School Electronic Artists Annoyed With EDM?

Broadly speaking, if you're an electronic music fan over 40, you probably dig Danny Tenaglia more than Skrillex. And chances are, if you're a Skrillex fan under the age of 30, you're like, "Who the hell is Danny Tenaglia?" Coachella 2013 exemplified the generation gap in the world of dance music. ... More >>

EDC 2013 Dates Announced

The L.A. promoters behind the massive Electric Daisy Carnival festival in Las Vegas announced its 2013 dates today: June 21, 22 and 23. See also: *Top Ten Awkward Coachella Dance Move GIFs *World's Douchiest DJs: The Top Five *EDC 2012: The Underground Has Left The Building A "very" limited numb ... More >>

NFL Failures, EDM Greed and Massive Corruption: The Inside Story of the L.A. Coliseum Scandal

EDC Rave Could Lose Vegas Permit if Promoter is Convicted in L.A. Scandal

< /a>Updated at the bottom with a Vegas official saying EDC's license for next year could be denied if convictions are successful in the bribery case against rave promoters in L.A. First posted at 3:24 p.m. Tuesday. Headline has changed to reflect new info. The promoter of Electric Daisy Carnival, ... More >>

EDC Vegas Pulls Plug on Music Due to High Winds

See also Our EDC slideshow: Photos of ravers Update at 2:48 a.m: EDC is over for the night. Organizers are waiting for crowds to thin out before making an official announcement. More details and older updates at the bottom. Electric Daisy Carnval in Las Vegas tonight was shut down temporarily as a ... More >>

Rave Promoters See Parts of L.A. Coliseum Lawsuit Dismissed

Are the cases against rave promoters caught up in the L.A. Coliseum corruption scandal starting to unravel? Last week we reported than an email described by the prosecution as a "smoking gun" had a questionable time stamp and arguably raised other issues with the criminal case against Insomniac Eve ... More >>

Rave Corruption Case at Coliseum Involves Questionable Email D.A. Calls 'Smoking Gun'

The case against two of the nation's biggest rave promoters, who have become entangled in the L.A. Coliseum corruption scandal, relies on emails between the party organizers and a public employee, Coliseum events manager Todd DeStefano. One of those emails, which a main prosecutor told us is a "smo ... More >>

Rave Promoters in Coliseum Scandal Get Access Back to Some Frozen Cash

In the case of the rave promoters accused of bilking the L.A. Coliseum out of more than a million dollars, they get to keep a little of their own money. Some of the assets of Pasquale Rotella and Reza Gerami, rival promoters who held electronic dance music parties at the Coliseum and L.A. Sports Ar ... More >>

Rave Promoters Rotella, Gerami Face Potential of 10 Years-Plus in Jail

The rave promoters indicted as part of the L.A. Coliseum corruption scandal could see more than 10 years each behind bars if convicted, an L.A. County District Attorney's office official tells the Weekly. In fact the potential sentence for Reza Gerami of Go Ventures is 15 years, 8 months, according ... More >>

Rave Promoters Reza Gerami, Pasquale Rotella Plead Not Guilty in Coliseum Corruption Case

Updated at the bottom with indictment details from the District Attorney's office. First posted at 12:22 p.m. Defendants in the corruption scandal at the L.A. Coliseum today pleaded not guilty today. Indictments, the details of which had yet to be revealed to the press, targeted rave promoters Rez ... More >>

Rave Culture Implicated, Wrongly, in Case Against L.A. Coliseum Promoters

In its prosecution of two electronic dance music promoters and four others for alleged corruption at the L.A. Coliseum, the office of Republican District Attorney Steve Cooley also nearly indicted rave culture itself. Cooley, also known for his stance against medical marijuana dispensaries, almost ... More >>

Rave Promoters Gave $40,000 to City Leader Bernard Parks' 4th of July Event: Money Magically Came Off Their L.A. Coliseum Bills

Cesar SebastianRavers at the L.A. Sports Arena.​L.A. city Councilman Bernard Parks has been an ardent supporter of the four-times-a-year raves that were fixtures at the publicly owned L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena since 1998. Parks, a former LAPD police chief, is a law-and-order guy through- ... More >>

Electric Daisy Carnival Rave Wants to Return to L.A: After Hollywood Near-Riot 'Los Angeles Times' Says Hell No

Dennis RomeroCops vs. ravers on Hollywood Boulevard.​We here at the Weekly have gotten some shit for affiliating the premier of a documentary about the controversial Electric Daisy Carnival rave with the chaos that ensued outside the theater last week. EDC organizers say a DJ's free performan ... More >>

Electric Daisy Carnival: Vegas Could See Nearly One-Third The Cops The LAPD Puts on Smaller Raves Here: Are They Really Ready For This?

YouTubeA girl in a crush of people at EDC in L.A.​Updated with LAPD Deputy Chief Patrick Gannon's thoughts on rave deployment, at the bottom. As Electric Daisy Carnival hits Sin City for what promoters are anticipating will be their biggest rave yet, the big question is, is Las Vegas really p ... More >>

Electric Daisy Carnival Sees Two More Possibly Ecstasy Related Deaths Connected to its Dallas Parties

Kevin TodoraEDC Dallas.​Updated with revised statement from EDC's promoters, at the bottom. Two more deaths have been possibly linked to Electric Daisy Carnival, the L.A.-bred rave that has been under fire following the death of 15-year-old Sasha Rodriguez at the Los Angeles party last year a ... More >>

Oscar Goodman, Las Vegas' Mayor, Calls L.A. a 'Second-Class Entertainment Venue' For Letting Controversial EDC Rave Head to Sin City

nba.comOscar Goodman.​Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman today welcomed L.A.'s controversial Electric Daisly Carnival rave to his town, saying our city is a "second-class entertainment venue" for letting it go. EDC last June at the publicly owned L.A. Coliseum saw more than 200 medical emergencies ... More >>

Electric Daisy Carnival Promoter Pasquale Rotella Wants Another Shot at Hosting Massive Parties at the L.A. Coliseum

Pasquale Rotella, second from right.​One tragic death, about 60 arrests, and 200-plus medical emergencies couldn't really pry the massive rave called Electric Daisy Carnival from its home base at the publicly owned L.A. Coliseum. But when it was revealed that the rave's promoter allegedly pai ... More >>

Electric Daisy Carnival Rave to Stay Away From L.A. For Five Years

Caesar SebastianEDC.​If a report is true, it looks like the L.A.'s controversial Electric Daisy Carnival has left town for a long time. The website Electric Visions reported over the weekend that EDC's promoter has committed to a five-year contract to hold the annual event at Las Vegas Vegas ... More >>

'Beyond Wonderland' Rave in SoCal Hosts Politicians, Paris Hilton, Alleged Drug Offenders, and Maybe Even a Good Vibe

Drew Ressler / Rukes.comBeyond Wonderland was not beyond comprehension for Fiona Ma.​Updated after the jump with 13 people taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. With a storm approaching and an army of cops and DEA agents, one woman named Paris Hilton, and even a few politicians in the h ... More >>

Raves: Electric Daisy Carnival Leaving L.A. Coliseum For Las Vegas

Caesar SebastianElectric Daisy Carnival.​Update: City council candidate Forescee Hogan-Rowles is claiming victory over raves, after the jump. See our piece about how raves could be finished at the L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena here. After a thorough shellacking over their controversial 2010 ... More >>

Raves: Coliseum Commissioner Rick Caruso Says Rave Ban Back on the Table, Electric Daisy Carnival Still up in the Air

The crowd at EDC.​Following revelations that the L.A. District Attorney's office is investigating an L.A. Coliseum official for working on the side for a rave promoter who's been lobbying the public venue to continue his controversial events there, Coliseum Commission member Rick Caruso says a ... More >>

Raves: How Do You Get L.A. Politicians to Get Behind Parties and Ecstasy? Here's How ...

Caesar Sebastian / InsomniacRavers at 'EDC.'​It was a day of magical thinking Wednesday at the L.A. Coliseum, where officials essentially said yes to another edition of a two-day rave that saw 60 mostly drug-related arrests, more than 200 medical emergencies and the ecstasy-related death of a ... More >>

62 Medical Emergencies, 25 Arrests Related To New Year's Eve Rave '#TAO' At L.A. Sports Arena

christinaaabla'Together As One' goes off at the Sports Arena.​Updated after the jump with a statement from the event's co-promoter. First posted at 2:31 p.m. Saturday. See a video clip about 2010's megarave controversies here. Ecstasy-fueled parties at public venues like the L.A. Sports Arena ... More >>

Death, Money and Megaraves

Why Los Angeles politicians embrace a growing Ecstasy phenom that kills

Ravers Take To Facebook To Protest Proposed Law That Would Ban Raves On Public Land In California

Ravers at Electric Daisy Carnival, held at the publicly owned Coliseum.​Updated after the jump with responses from the lawmaker herself. First posted at 8:38 a.m. Ravers got on their feet this week to "protect your right to dance" after a state lawmaker proposed a ban on raves at public venue ... More >>

The Next Electric Daisy Carnival Rave At The Los Angeles Coliseum Will Have To Be Approved By Politicians

Electric Daisy Carnival.​We reported how the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission made a sneaky move and voted to lift its temporary ban on raves earlier this month when no one was looking (and when some of its more rave-wary members were clearly unable to attend). Well, the body on Wednesday gave ... More >>

Pasquale Rotella, Promoter Of Controversial 'EDC' Rave, Claims Success In San Bernardino With 'Nocturnal'

Curious Josh​Updated with photos from Curious Josh. First posted at 9:08 a.m. The promoter of summer's controversial Electric Daisy Carnival in Los Angeles says that despite the fear of ecstasy-crazed kids overrunning such public venues, his other parties have gone off without a hitch. His la ... More >>

Rave Promoter Trumpets Texas Party Success, Praises The Kind Of 'Cooperation' Not Always Seen In L.A.

Timothy NorrisInsomniac's 'EDC.'​Insomniac Events, the Los Angeles rave promoter under that was put under the media spotlight following its controversial Electric Daisy Carnival event at the Coliseum in June, is claiming victory after an electronic dance music concert in Texas apparently went ... More >>

Electric Daisy Carnival Promoter Suing City

Electric Daisy Carnival at the L.A. Coliseum​The organizer of the giant Electric Daisy Carnival rave at the L.A. Coliseum, where this year a 15-year old girl died of a suspected drug overdose, is suing L.A. for not allowing his company, Insomniac Inc., to host a Tiesto show at the L.A. Convent ... More >>

21 Arrested At San Bernardino Rave Put On By 'EDC' Promoter

EDC 2010.​Drug possession and sales allegations reportedly prompted most of the 21 felony arrests at the weekend's Audiotistic rave in San Bernardino that was organized by the same people behind the controversial Electric Daisy Carnival event at the Los Angeles Coliseum last month. Fifteen peo ... More >>

Raves At L.A. Coliseum On Probation As Commission Continues Dance Party Inquisition

By Steve La and Dennis Romero Timoth NorrisA scene from 'EDC.'​The Los Angeles Coliseum Commission over the weekend continued a temporary moratorium on raves at the Coliseum/Sports Arena complex while allowing three previously scheduled dance parties, including one slated for next month, go o ... More >>

Promoter Of Controversial 'Electric Daisy Carnival' Rave Implements 18-And-Older Policy

'EDC' ravers.​The promoter behind the controversial Electric Daisy Carnival rave in Exposition Park last month has announced all its events will now have an 18-and-older admittance police. The 'EDC' rave, organized by Insomniac Events, attracted as many as 200,000 people and drew national head ... More >>

Promoter Of Troubled 'Electric Daisy Carnival' Rave Goes 18-And-Older For Next Event

Timothy Norris'EDC' fans.​The promoter of the troubled Electric Daisy Carnival rave last month, where a 15-year-old who later died apparently took ecstasy, is moving to an 18-and-older format for his next big event, the Audiotistic Festival July 24 at the National Orange Show Events Center San ... More >>

Should A Los Angeles Public Venue Be Used For Raves? Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Says Maybe Not

Timothy NorrisElectric Daisy Citizens.​Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa this week questioned whether a public venue should continue to be used for a massive rave that claims to have drawn 185,000 people to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum over the weekend.

Electric Daisy Carnival Announces Official Attendance of 135,000: Welcome Home, Ravers!

Timothy Norris As Josh Glazer at Urb so acutely pointed out, with the overwhelming success of last weekend's Electric Daisy Carnival at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum & Exposition Park, it can accurately be reported that the annual LA party has joined the ranks of America's biggest music festiva ... More >>

This Weekend's Electric Daisy Carnival: An Interview with Promoter Pasquale Rotella

By Dennis Romero For the 13th year Los Angeles promoter Pasquale Rotella and his company Insomniac are putting on one of the nation's largest dance music festivals, Electric Daisy Carnival. We say festival because rave just doesn't do it justice, even though he started off in the glowstick undergro ... More >>