San Diego

DJ IDeaL's Top January EDM Events

DJ IDeaL kicks off 2018 with his must-see EDM events throughout January

A tremendous five-day New Year’s 2018 celebration in San Diego’s proved the city's nightlife scene evolution and growth is nowhere close to slowing as a very well-rounded variety of artists and genres graced dance floors all around town. From large hotel festivities to stadium takeovers with the top dance artists in the world and underground events which all received great reviews, I’m truly excited to see what is coming to San Diego this year.

As the evolution continues, locales in Pacific Beach are turning up with heavy dance-music influences and on Thursday, Jan. 4, the weekly Switching Lanes event hosts Divinity at PB Avenue with a tech-takeover featuring myself, DJ IDeaL, and Desert Hearts’ Memo Rex! Join us as we kick off the first weekend of the year and drop a heavy dose of tech beats.

January celebrates a range of anniversaries with Jan. 5 being the first for PB&J Presents. Featuring resident DJs and special guests, they will be whipping up a dance-floor frenzy at Blonde Bar by playing nothing but the best classic indie-electro jams from artists like Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem, Justice, Soulwax, Boys Noize, MSTRKRFT, Chromeo, Digitalism and more!

Grooving his way into town for his first headlining show in San Diego on Friday, Jan. 12, Wongo will be dropping in on Bang Bang. He has some amazing house-music productions behind his name already, which I’ve been playing out and it's sure to be a great night of dancing. On the same night up the hill at Spin, Tantrum Desire (from Technique Recordings out of London) hits town for one of SD Union’s dedicated drum & bass shows that always deliver highly sought-after artists. His love and passion for drum & bass music has escalated since the early 2000s and remained strong ever since -- so make sure to drop on by as the venue's subwoofers will surely get tested into the early morning.

Denon DJ showcase their new Prime Series media players as they take over the Hard Rock Hotel's 207 DJ booth on Saturday, Jan. 13! This event will be exciting and full of energy for all music lovers featuring resident DJs as well as Denon DJ team members who will be there to answer any questions that you may have after you demo their products yourself! At Spin, House2ourselves' 1-Year Birthday Party is headlined by an infamous duo setup featuring Lee Reynolds and Tara Brooks -- which will, like always, go into the after-hours.

On Jan. 14, Gryffin drops by Omnia San Diego to celebrate his latest release, “Nobody Compares To You” (featuring Katie Pearlman), for a special Sunday show before heading out on tour with Kygo.

United by Bass kicks off 2018 at Spin on Friday, Jan. 19, with a heavy hitter by the name of Dennis Ferrer. A house-music household name and continuous purveyor of hit after hit, it will be a house-music fan must. The next night, dubstep dominator Doctor P brings the bass to Bassmnt for a very special intimate show as the doc prepares to take off to the Bay Area for the huge Paradox tour featuring Excision and a slew of other bass artists. Get on presale tickets for this one as it'll surely sell out!

Enjoying the sunset while sipping on some ‘It’s Friday’ cocktails to DJs and house music will set the environment for you to enjoy your weekend and on Jan. 26, Solset features Silky from the famous UK record label My Favorite Robot at Firehouse Pacific Beach along with Oscar P, Drummer John and resident host Jimbo James. Closing out the month of dancing, Omega Squad headlines Cue Present’s dance gathering to deliver their unique style encompassing all areas of breakbeat bass music. From booty breaks to high-energy vocal anthems, Omega Squad's sounds will have you dancing and leave you addicted to the power of the bass.

Hope to see you on the dance floor, San Diego! 

DJ IDeaL's Top January EDM Events

  • Jan. 4: Switching Lanes -- Divinity takeover ft. DJ IDeaL & Memo Rex at PB Avenue
  • Jan. 5: PB&J Presents Dance From Above 1-Year Anniversary at Blonde
  • Jan. 12: Wongo at Bang Bang
  • Jan. 12: Tantrum Desire (UK) at Spin Nightclub
  • Jan. 13: House2ourselves 1-Year Birthday Party ft. Lee Reynolds & Tara Brooks
  • Jan. 13: SRT presents Denon DJ Takeover at Hard Rock Hotel
  • Jan. 14: Gryffin (DJ set) at Omnia San Diego
  • Jan. 19: United by Bass presents Dennis Ferrer at Spin
  • Jan. 20: Doctor P at Bassmnt
  • Jan. 26: Solset ft. Silky at Firehouse Pacific Beach
  • Jan. 26: Cue Presents Omega Squad at Kava Lounge

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.

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