Alda plots in-person Rave Culture fest in Thailand
Following the success of its first Rave Culture show, which welcomed 1,400 fans to Cologne’s Lanxess Arena in July, Dutch electronic promoter Alda is planning an “even more spectacular show” in Thailand this December.
The first Thai music festival since early 2020, Rave Culture part two will be held in Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Pattaya, on the Gulf of Thailand, on 12 December. A co-pro with Bangkok’s 808 Festival and Amsterdam-based creative agency 20 Agency, Rave Culture welcomes a “top-tier” line-up, says Alda, as well as high-end production featuring lasers, LEDs, “state-of-the-art” lighting and other special effects.
Performers will include trance star Andrew Rayel, hardstyle duo Sub Zero Project, psy-trance act Vini Vici and future-rave pioneer Morten, as well as Rave Culture founders W&W. W&W played at the inaugural Rave Culture festival, as well as an Alda-organised virtual-reality live stream which attracted more than a million viewers in May.
Pattaya is known as the nightlife capital of Thailand, while the 500-acre Nong Nooch gardens will provide a “beautiful setting” for the event, adds an Alda statement.
Tickets for Rave Culture, which takes place as part of day two of 808 Festival, start at ฿2,950 (€81) for general admission and are on sale now.
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1m+ view groundbreaking W&W XR live stream
Dutch DJ duo W&W played what was billed as the world’s first extended-reality (XR) live stream over the weekend, performing amid virtual pyrotechnics in a custom-built stadium to more than a million fans on Facebook and Twitch.
The pair appeared as themselves inside a 3D virtual world, playing a new set to 900,000 viewers on Facebook and over 150,000 on Twitch, while green-screen special effects, including lighting, confetti, lasers and fireworks, illuminated the computer-generated environment around them.
Commenting on the 23 May show, Allan Hardenberg, CEO of organiser Alda, says: “It was incredible to bring to life this revolutionary experience in dance music.
“The partnership with W&W meant that we could bring the best in music, and we succeeded in our goal to bring our fans the best music experience, no matter where they are in the world. We’re looking forward to bringing more groundbreaking music experiences to our fans.”
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Dutch DJs W&W plan ‘world’s first XR livestream’
In what promoter Alda Events is calling the dance music world’s first-ever extended-reality (XR) live stream, Dutch DJ duo W&W have announced a show that will take place inside a specially created 3D virtual world.
For the 23 May event, the pair – who have been among DJ Mag’s top 100 DJs since 2010, and are renowned for their live shows – will play a set in a custom-made virtual stadium overlaid with futuristic, videogame-like ‘XR’ effects, pointing the way towards “a potential future route for the events industry during the global lockdown,” says Alda.
In addition to Alda – the part-Insomniac-owned, Amsterdam-based EDM promoter – the show’s partners include Chinese sports brand Li-Ning (which lends its name to the virtual ‘Li-Ning Arena’), DJ Mag, livestreaming platform Twitch and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).
The concert will see W&W “implement green screens to enhance the illusion of their creative 3D reality”, surrounding themselves with “a series of mind-blowing special effects”
According to the show announcement, the concert will see W&W “implement green screens to enhance the illusion of their creative 3D reality”, surrounding themselves with “a series of mind-blowing special effects” and “creating a space that welcomes everyone”.
The W&W shows follows Travis Scott’s pre-recorded show in the videogame Fortnite, which was seen by an estimated 12 million people and won praise for its spectacular visual effects, as well as the boom in livestreamed shows of all kinds during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The event will be streamed live on Facebook and Twitch on Saturday 23 May at 5pm CEST.
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