The Billboard Dance Music Summit has teamed up with the Vegas Alliance Music Experience (VME) to produce the nighttime events to go with the daily panels. The five days of events feature performances by the best of electronic/dance music - Sasha, Benny Benassi, Jes, Ago Donald Glaude, Kaskade, Dave Navarro & DJ Skribble, Ultra Nate, Dirty Vegas, and many more. Las Vegas club entreprenuer Gino LoPinto heads up the VME and talks to us about clubland past, present and future in Las Vegas - the new nightlife capital.
DJ Ron Slomowicz: So what exactly is the Vegas Alliance Music Experience?
Gino LoPinto: The VME basically provides great parties with some
of the best artists and great emerging artists from around the world,
combined with Billboard Dance Music Summit as far as the business side
of it. It's combining great parties and great talent along with
panels, exhibits, workshops and seminars for the music industry.
RS: Who are some of the artists that you're really excited about
for this year?
Gino LoPinto: I love Paul Van Dyk, he puts on an incredible show.
Sasha really hasn't been to Vegas since the 90s. With the Dave Navarro
and Skribble band project, I'm really curious to see what kind of
music they come up with.
RS: I get the idea that the Vegas club scene is pretty
competitive, how were you able to get everyone to work together for
this event?
Gino LoPinto: Thirty-five years in Las Vegas and twenty years in the
nightclub business in Las Vegas. I own a company called Vegas
Alliance as well as the official after-hours for VME which is Empire,
so I already work with all the different nightclubs. Basically I'm
usually involved with a lot of the dance music parties and artists
that come through this town, whether it's a nightclub or one of the
other clubs.
RS: When most think about after-hours they often think of the
raver scene and a really druggy scene, but apparently the Vegas
after-hours scene is very different. What's the Vegas after-hours
scene like?
Gino LoPinto: It doesn't differ much from the regular club scene
other than the vibe is just so much better because it weeds out the
people that don't normally club or go out once in a while just because
they're in Vegas, The people at after-hours actually want to be out,
appreciate the music and and it's more of a lot of people on the same
level.
RS: What is the music scene like in Vegas? Is there a sound that
defines the Vegas?
Gino LoPinto: There really isn't. Unfortunately, a lot of the
mainstream clubs play the hip-hop and top 40. I'm basically the only
house or dance music venue in town other than special events at some
of the other clubs so. I bring in really a variety of acts - house,
electro, trance. Its an eclectic mix of styles so I would say no,
there really isn't a sound that defines Vegas.
RS: That's a really good thing, because lots of cities are
defined so much by one sound that it's hard to work other sounds into
the mix.
Gino LoPinto: Correct, yes,. Back in the day when it was more about
the drugs and the rave scene, trance was really big out but people
got tired of it and I think it helped break down the dance scene for a
while - some people wanted breaks, some wanted house and then hip-hop
kind of crushed it. Now I really feel like dance music is back for
good and actually has a face for the first time, People know what
Deep Dish does or the music that Tiesto or Oakenfold, where before
they knew the names but they didn't know the music that they were
putting out ten years ago.
