Given the recent anti-superstar soundbites from club owner Victor Drai, most nightlife onlookers expected his soon-to-open Drai’s Beach Club and Nightclub to reveal a talent roster that would be modest in comparison to the Strip’s current EDM palaces. That philosophy is realized with today’s announcement of the 65,000-square-foot party complex’s 17 DJ residents, most of whom are on the rise with regards to commercial electronic dance music and the larger club scene.
Among the names released include progressive house icon Eric Prydz (formerly of Wynn Nightlife), buzzing EDM duo Adventure Club (who have previously played local Tao Group venues), Vegas resident and big-room upstart Justin “3lau” Blau (a Marquee defector), recent Ultra/Sony Records signees and Kaskade collaborators Project 46, and, as previously revealed here, electro house-meets-bass-music duo Showtek.
12th Planet, MAKJ, Sidney Samson, Arty, Borgeous, DVBBS, DJ Irie, HELENA, Quintino, Ummet Ozcan, VINAI and Sick Individuals round out the list.
While Team Drai’s doesn’t have the EDM iconography of Hakkasan, XS or Marquee, it favors artists on the rise, whose appeal won’t threaten to overshadow the club itself — a goal of Drai’s, who has said club events with famous DJs have become too concert-like and less about an all-around club experience.
“We are booking artists that will ignite the crowd and create an energy that is missing from many Las Vegas clubs today,” says Drai’s talent buyer Alex Soifer, in a statement. “You won’t come to Drai’s and stand there holding your camera phone above your head aimed at a DJ a football field away. Instead, you are going to be in the middle of the biggest dance party on the Strip.”
Prydz, arguably the biggest name of the bunch, is often shadowed in the DJ booth, allowing his music and the atmosphere of the club to take the attention of his audience. His recent productions have been mainstays on the dance charts; his sound boasts more subtlety and less EDM gimmickry than his peers; and his set at last month’s Ultra Music Festival in Miami was one of the most lauded of the weekend.
3lau represents another booking coup by Drai’s talent buyer Alex Soifer. He’s not only a local, but he’s been prolific (and successful) in the studio, has signed with a major label (Republic) and has proven to be a force on social media.
Drai’s Beach Club and Nightclub will open Memorial Day Weekend atop the new Cromwell boutique resort, which replaces Bill’s Gambling Hall and Saloon and, prior to that, Barbary Coast, where Victor Drai first opened his subterranean restaurant and afterhours spot. (He will retain that space for continuation of his sun-pushing party program.) And despite the foray into competitive talent booking, his M.O. — to create an alluring venue where people can escape — seems to remain consistent.
“I’ve been dreaming about a rooftop experience for 15 years,” says Drai, in today’s release. “Now with the Cromwell, I’m making that dream a reality. It’s sophisticated, it’s sexy, it’s everything people love about coming to Las Vegas. Now they will get to experience it all from a spectacular rooftop setting with the best DJs in the business.”