Las Vegas Weekly

May 27, 2011 · 5:04 PM

The Love Festival and Paul Van Dyk: An electronic weekend in Las Vegas

By Nikki Villoria

Paul van Dyk.

Photo: Courtesy

By Nikki Villoria

The Love Festival is raising the bar this year and ready to outdo last year’s record-breaking turnout by creating the biggest dance music hotspot for Memorial Day Weekend. The three-day festival features sounds from some of the world’s top DJs and draws the masses to the Palms for sets at Palms Pool & Bungalows and Rain.

Go Ventures, one of the largest event production and promotion companies in the U.S., and the Palms are hosting the return of Love Fest. Launched in 1992, it continues to exceed standards as the largest and longest-running electronic music festival around, touring cities including Honolulu, San Francisco, San Diego, Denver, Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Among the 20-plus DJs scheduled to perform is Grammy-nominated and globally acclaimed DJ/producer Paul van Dyk, a recipient of Berlin’s Medal of Honor.

“Whenever I played in Vegas, I have to say I’ve had a really good time. The crowd that’s there is obviously there for partying as much as for actually having a good time and listening to good electronic music, so that’s something that works very well with what I do. It’s always exciting,” Van Dyk said.

With his new album Evolution, ready for release this summer, PvD, as his fans have nicknamed him, has been ranked the world’s No. 1 DJ twice by DJ Magazine’s Top 100 DJs poll.

“In regards to Evolution, all I can say is that people that know me say that it’s my most personal album, my most intense album and also the best music I’ve ever done. So them saying that already sort of makes me really happy ’cause they would never actually just tell me something or lie to me, so that makes me feel good obviously,” he said. “Most of it will actually be played in Vegas. The biggest chunk of the album is ready. It has a lot of different aspects of electronic music.

“I always said electronic music, it’s not just house, it’s not just techno, it’s not just trance or whatever. It all comes from the same source -- love of electronic music --and so this is on the album. … It all basically comes together as one big chunk of energy and electronic power into it.”

Clubgoers can be guaranteed that during PvD’s set Sunday evening, killer sounds won’t be the only form of entertainment in the club, as he has made it a point to incorporate over-the-top visual dynamics into his performance, as well.

His 2003 album Reflections received a Gammy nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album. Earning recognition isn’t restricted to his onstage performances. His work with organizations such as Ruckenwind, a self-started charity for helping poor children in Berlin, won him Berlin’s Medal of Honor.

“Along with the album, there goes a lot of visual elements of what Evolution is all about. I went together with a lot of people that are the best of their arts in terms of space and light and visual design, and we are bringing all that to Vegas. It’s going to be really interesting and really exciting.

“It’s a very special concept of how LEDs and screens are triggered and put as an example in a very special light design. I’ve worked together with the people that did undoubtedly the best live show of the last two years, and I’m talking about Muse. Everybody agrees they’ve done the most phenomenal production on their tour, and I talked to these people, and they were really up for doing something for me.”

Sunday’s lineup also includes DJ Reza, Marcus Schossow, TV Rock, L.A. Riots, Justin Martin and more. The Love Festival is a 21 and older event and runs today through Sunday. Daytime events are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and night events are 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.

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