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Moby at Electric Daisy Carnival 2008 | Photo by Drew "Rukes" Ressler/Used with Permission
Every year dance music lovers around the world salivate over the DJ talent that drops in on Los Angeles to dance in the New Year. December 31, 2008 makes a strong case for those mouths to continue watering. From trance to house to techno to electro, here's a taste --
The Big Show
Giant Maximus -- Downtown LA
Giant and KCRW bring you Giant Maximus, at a parking lot turned three-rave circus, a party billed as the "Planet's Largest 21+ New Year's Eve Celebration." (Sorry, no word on the planet's largest 21 and under event.) Global superstars along with local house and hipster faves will spin this extravaganza. Paul Oakenfold drops a special early set before jetting to finish the night in Vegas. If that's not your thing a deep house sanctuary will be provided by Mark Farina and LA fave Marques Wyatt.
Featuring: Moby (DJ set), Benny Bennassi, Dirty South, Mark Farina, Marques Wyatt, Paul Oakenfold, Mickey Avalon, Dirty Nasty, Tittsworth, Franki Chan, Paparazzi and more.
835 Francisco Street, Downtown Los Angeles | More info and tickets: www.giantclub.com/maximus | 21+
Nine Hours of The World's #1 DJ
Together As One 2009 -- Los Angeles Sports Arena, Downtown Los Angeles (USC Adjacent)
2008 DJ Mag Top 100 winning Dutchman Armin Van Buuren brings his Armin Only brand to the former home of the Los Angeles Clippers. Expect sweaty fanatics worshiping all nine hours of AvB's internationally popular brand of trance. More acts can be found in two other areas.
Featuring: Armin van Buuren, Deadmau5 (live), M.A.N.D.Y., DJ Reza, Junior Sanchez, Pendulum (DJ set), Ed Rush & Optical + more.
The Los Angeles Sports Arena, 3939 S. Figueroa, Los Angeles | 7pm-4am | All ages -- seriously, no one's excluded (Capacity: 50,000) | More info and tickets: www.newyearsevela.com
Yet Another Dutchman
This is NYE... with Sander Kleinenberg -- Avalon Hollywood
Holland exports superstar DJs like Canada does hockey players. Catch Dutch progressive houser Sander K play a special 5+ hour set at a venue that's been around since the Great Depression. Avalon's Honey Lounge will feature LA's loved afterhours-friendly techno trio, Droog. With Avalon's prized afterhours permit you know this one will go well into 2009.
Featuring: Sander Kleinenberg, Trent Cantrelle, Kazell, Droog and more.
1735 Vine Street, Hollywood, CA | 21+ | More info and tickets: www.avalonhollywood.com
Big Trance from Israel
Infected Mushroom (live) -- Hollywood Palladium
Infected Mushroom'll make good use of the newly renovated Palladium. Expect this Israeli live trance act to pull out all of the stops and make laptop DJs look like geeks.
Featuring: Infected Mushroom, Chicago's Flosstradamus and more.
Hollywood Palladium, 6215 W Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles | 8PM-2AM, 18+More info and tickets: www.ticketmaster.com
Fun House
Mr. V & Doc Martin -- Sublevel
Doc Martin's Sublevel brand is for the house music aficionados who'd rather not deal with the candy kids, the neon hipsters or the Ed Hardy-clad bottle service crowd. The 7th Anniversary Sublevel Space Explorer New Years Party, at a to-be-disclosed warehouse somewhere in Los Angeles, features New York's hip-houser Mr. V and a lengthy late night set from the West Coast legend himself, Doc Martin. Also featuring Keith Evan, Cyrus, Sublive feat Lillia.
More information and tickets: www.sublevelcalifornia.com | 21+
Orange County
Dirty South -- Heat, Anaheim
Giant's Orange County outpost gets a visit from Grammy nominated jock Dirty South who'll lay down some beats before taking the 5 north to play Giant Maximus. No word on if there's an afterparty at Disneyland.
9P-2A | 21+ | Heat Ultra Lounge, 321 W. Katella Suite 214, Anaheim
More info and tickets: www.giantclub.com
18 Hours of House and Techno
Lunar 2009 -- Downtown LA... Somewhere
Local house and techno crews unite! Under one roof, in two rooms, you'll find LA favorites along with their out of town friends. Look forward to a night, a morning and an afternoon's worth of warehouse party mayhem somewhere downtown. If you're lucky they'll tell you where without your bringing an egg.
Featuring: Abe Duque, Maetrik, Apendics Shuffle, Nikola Baytala, Alland Byallo, Darius Aleksandar, Drumcell, DJ Developer, Macadamion, Suli Belarto, Andrew Kelley, Ben Annand, Mark E Quark, Scott K, Joe Rodriguez, Sergio V, The Hawt Crew, Joplin and plenty more.
More info and tickets: www.groovetickets.com [search "Lunar NYE"] | 323-960-1033 | 9PM 2008 - 3PM 2009
Pumping Beats on Hollywood Boulevard
Donald Glaude -- Kress, Hollywood
Kress features a 4-floor booztacular starring top American spinner Donald Glaude who'll be banging his unique brand of tough techno and house on the third floor.
More info and tickets: www.thekress.net | 21+ | 10PM - 2AM