Duke Dumont & House Music Thrive In Rainy Vancouver

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By Ryan Hayes

It was a variable sea North Face, Arthrex, & Columbia at Blueprint’s Malkin Bowl season opener last Friday. An authentically Vancouver experience for Duke Dumont fans who were treated to an unadvertised extended three hour set by the house music auteur.

In a world of sixty-minute festival sets Friday’s format gave Duke time to breathe; his set evolved and progressed through tempos naturally the way true house should. Over the last year Blueprint has done a brilliant job fostering and nurturing the growth of the house scene in Vancouver through its Foundation series of events. And it shows.

The audience was primed and ready for anything Duke had in store. Just as twilight passed, and Duke donned a toque as the rain relentlessly continued, the crowd erupted—with an electric ripple—as ‘The Chant’ ended and he took a dark turn towards acid-tinged house.

In trademark fashion Duke let the music speak, uttering no more than four words over the course of the entire three hours. He sipped champagne from a red solo cup as he took house-heads on journey, and despite the weather the audience spirits never dampened.

As the first hint of ‘Ocean Drive’ kicked in to close out the night a euphoric sing along broke out, & we all left with a smile.

House is alive and well in Vancouver.

Duke Dumont: House Music, Fresh Air, & Sunsets at the Malkin Bowl

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By Ryan Hayes

Since 1934 Stanley Park’s Malkin Bowl has been hosting summer events and getting Vancouverites under the stars to experience live music. This year Blueprint is using the illustrious venue to extend long weekend vibes and chase away the post festival blues that will be stirring in house music fans after Foundation 10 Open Radius—the two-day event headlined by Purple Disco Machine & Fisher. Just five days later, on May 24th, Duke Dumont is set to bring club energy and festival ready choruses to the Malkin Bowl.

Over the last year Blueprint Events has focused on curated house music events covering the vast spectrum of the genre. Although Duke Dumont’s event isn’t Foundation Series branded it is the ultimate follow up to Open Radius. The storied producer has been active since the early 2000s—releasing house anthems like “I Got U” “Won’t Look Back” & “Ocean Drive” for well over a decade.

His debut album, Duality, released in 2020 with a contingent of tracks for house purists; “Therapy” & “Love Song” are sure to be highlights of his Malkin Bowl show.

The sheer power and perfection of “Ocean Drive” & the essential live music moment it will create should be enough to sell dance music fans attending…but if you still need convincing give his 2023 Red Rocks show a listen. It doesn’t disappoint.

Ilesoniq's 2024 lineup includes Tiesto, special B2B's and much more!

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This week has been a huge week for festival unveilings as Ilesoniq, Quebec’s premier EDM festival held in Montreal from August 10th to 11th at the always beautiful Parc Jean Drapeau location.

This year’s lineup includes the legendary Tiesto who always brings a banging set to Ilesoniq, and a diverse lineup including an excellent B2B set between Green Velvet and Patrick Topping, and the usual solid bass combo of NGHTMRE B2B Jauz. We also get a celebrity set from Idris Elba who has shown his stripes as a DJ of the more underground vibes. Joining him will be Seth Troxler, Paul Kakbrenner, Ben Bohmer, who will no doubt know how to kick a side stage to another level.

This year’s mainstage will be joined by the ever popular Canadian duo Loud Luxury, the wild stage presence of Timmy Trumpet, the mainstage mainstay Zedd, and more.

Tickets are now on sale as 2 day GA passes can be bought for as little as $210. You can buy them here.

The Escapade Music Festival in Ottawa is almost sold out!

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The Escapade Music Festival, which is set for June 21st to 23rd at the beautifully located Lansdowne Park, is almost sold out! With 93% of all of the tickets sold, there are only a few left and will for sure sell out by the time summer rolls around.

Escapade will be one of the most popular festivals on the EDM circuit and one can see why all of the hype is generated as the lineup represents a little for everyone. Whether you like bass, trance, house, or the biggest headlining acts, Escapade has it for you.

This year’s crop of artists include the legend Armin Van Buuren, Illenium, and includes a special Gouryella performance by Ferry Corsten, and the ever popular B2B with Tchami and Malaa. This is an EDM lovers festival as you are guaranteed to be electrified for all 3 days.

Don’t wait, get the last remaining tickets here.

FVDED IN THE PARK returns this year and the lineup is HUGE!

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FVDED in the Park makes a huge comeback after taking some time off with a massive lineup which will no doubt get the EDM fans into a frenzy. Swedish House Mafia rarely ventures into the festival circuit so it’s a real treat that they’re coming to FVDED. KX5, which is a union between Deadmau5 and Kaskade, and they give their Vancouver festival debut.

Combine this with the likes of John Summit, who has been on an absolute tear in the last few years, and the likes of Chris Lake, Diplo, Zeds, Dead, Slander and more - I believe FVDED has done this lineup right with a renewed focus on EDM which will hopefully be recognized by the fans once it’s ready to buy tickets.

There are currently no tickets available but you can sign up for presale access here.