[Ed. note: We might be a few days into November at this point, but DJ IDeaL runs on international DJ time -- which is much different than our normal time. Just go with it.]
Have you recovered? I sure hope so because as fun as Halloween was for nearly six days (because there are party warriors that started Wednesday and danced through Halloween Tuesday), November has taken quite the challenge head on and San Diego promoters/nightclubs have ramped it up for our city.
On Thursday, Nov. 9, Digital Cocoon celebrates their one-year anniversary at the Kava Lounge. I had the honor of performing in their "cocoon" at YouTopia last month and the attention to detail in their environment production, along with a booming sound system, always guarantees a good time. On the same night at the AC Lounge, a group of legendary San Diego talent is gathered up with DJ Greyboy, Mark Quark and DJ 1979. They'll be throwing down on the decks while the event is enhanced through live painting by Presone. This event is catering to industry networking, so all DJs/producers/promoters and people who want to mingle with fellow artists should stop on by.
Saturday, Nov. 11, is a magical day for many, and the talent is stacked up across town! Trent Cantrelle makes a special San Diego appearance with a very intimate setting at the Kava Lounge. Known for his varied style of house and techno, make your way there for a rare opportunity to see Trent up close and personal. Up the street at Blonde, H&T goes off with house and techno artist Sydney Blu. Hailing all the way from Canada, Sydney is a legend amongst artists as one of the leading female tech artists established with releases on plenty of the top record labels as well as running her own imprint, Blu Music. In addition to her set, she’s also my guest of the week for my new radio show, "In the Mixxx," on FM949’s dance channel Glow Radio -- so tune in for that Friday (7-10 p.m.) and Saturday night (9 p.m.-midnight).
If that’s not enough house music for you, Sante and Sidney Charles double up at Spin that Saturday as well for late-night underground vibes at their finest. Refining the sound of ‘house,’ step into the triple-decker nightclub with a blasting main-room sound system and dance the night away till 4 a.m. If you’re seeking the bass fulfillment, drum n' bass legend and artist innovator Sub Focus turns it up at Bassmnt. With many years under his belt as a headlining act, his recent exploration into the realm of electronica sees him putting out tracks that move past dubstep and d-n-b and into more of a 'four to the floor' vibe.
The underground comes alive with the annual Danksgiving on Saturday, Nov. 18. This year, the Turkey Dance Off celebrations enlisted breaks-and-bass music sensation Omega Squad. True to the underdround ideology, the location is set to be disclosed the night of the event, so keep an ear out for this one, as only those who can seek out the party will get to be part of it.
Tapping back into the Gaslamp, on Nov. 22, Borgore lights up the chandeliers and reigns over Omnia with his Blasphemy Tour while RL Grime takes over the Valley View Casino Arena for his Nova Tour with Graves & Kittens.
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On Friday, Nov. 24, MK aka Mark Kitchen & Lee Foss join up for a double dose of house music at this special FNGRS CRSSD event at Spin.
Finally closing out the month on Saturday, Nov. 25, at Bang Bang is the multi-talented and genre-diverse artist Matthew Dear. Ranging from a variety of styles from house to commercial crossover tracks, Matthew’s expansive sound history has taken him from traveling the world to being on tour with Depeche Mode. The same night, all the way from Ibiza, Alice Clark returns to San Diego to bring with her some of the magic island vibes featuring balearic melodies and hard-driving house and techno. It all goes down at Blonde.
For those looking to plan their New Year's festivities early, the mini-festival OMFG! NYE by LED Presents returns to town -- this time as a two-day event featuring some of the most sought-after headliners in the world. With Tiesto, Zedd, Dillon Francis, NGHTMRE and many more on board, this is looking like the new year fest to be at in San Diego. Tickets are available now right here -- get 'em before they run out!
As for me, I’ll be dropping a special set at the AC Lounge for Asylum’s celebrations with a special early event featuring special treats and surprises on Tuesday, Nov. 28. Hope to see you all out!
DJ IDeaL's November EDM Events
- Nov. 9: Digital Cocoon One-Year Anniversary at the Kava Lounge
- Nov. 9: RetroBox SD feat. DJ Greyboy, Mark Quark, DJ1979 and Presone at the AC Lounge
- Nov. 11: Trent Cantrelle at the Kava Lounge
- Nov. 11: "House & Techno" with Sydney Blu at Blonde
- Nov. 11: Sub Focus at Bassmnt
- Nov. 11: Sante & Sidney Charles at Spin
- Nov. 18: Danksgiving with Omega Squad @ TBA on night of event
- Nov. 22: RL Grime at Valley View Casino Arena
- Nov. 22: Borgore at Omnia
- Nov. 24: MK (Mark Kitchen) & Lee Foss at Spin
- Nov. 25: Matthew Dear at Bang Bang
- Nov. 25: Soul Work with Alice Clark (Ibiza) at Blonde
- Nov. 28: Asylum with DJ IDeaL + friends at the AC Lounge
- Dec. 30-31: OMFG! NYE at Valley View Casino Center with Tiesto, Zedd, Dillon Francis, NGHTMRE and more
Tomas Serrano, aka DJ IDeaL, is the electronic dance music correspondent for SoundDiego, covering the best of San Diego's electronic music events and culture. Follow his whereabouts on Facebook, Twitter or contact him directly.
