Pasquale Rotella Opens Up About 20 Years Of Insomniac & EDC

Electric Daisy Carnival, or simply EDC as many refer to the massive event as, has become one of the biggest dance music festivals of today, showcasing the genre's (and all its sub genre's) brightest talent -- and, of course, its headliners, who are the dedicated loyal fans. EDC and its creator Insomniac is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, which is a huge milestone for festival founder Pasquale Rotella. It's amazing to think that 20 years ago in 1993, Pasquale, a fan who lived for the music and the culture, would start what was essentially a rave in Los Angeles and evolve it into such a big part what dance music has become.

We recently got to chat with Pasquale during a one-on-one interview when he stopped by iHeartRadio HQ in New York City, in the midst of preparing for last month's EDC New York at Citi Field. He talked about what made him want to create Insomniac, where dance music is today, the 20th anniversary of EDC, what's in store for this year's festival, and more.

On Why Insomniac Events Was Created

In 1993, at the age of 21, Pasquale Rotella founded Insomniac Events in an effort to revive the dance music culture in Los Angeles, which he explains was dwindling due to police raids, the LA Riots, and the stigma that dance music emitted. "All those things combined killed the culture. It was a big part of my life and it was something that I lived for. And the only way to have it still in my life was to create it." During that time Rotella listened to artists like Moby, The Prodigy, The Hypnotists, Groove Writer, and Fabio to name a few. 

Fast forward 20 years later, and in 2016 Rotella's Insomniac Events has grown and evolved into one of the leading dance music events companies out there, boasting festivals like Electric Daisy Carnival in several main cities beyond LA, Beyond Wonderland, and Nocturnal Wonderland among others. 

On The 20th Anniversary of EDC

"It's definitely a milestone for myself, and I feel like even the culture. People have come and gone and all the challenges that the dance culture has had to go through to still be here is amazing, and I'm grateful."

Dance music has certainly changed a lot since the early '90s as it continues to develop and grow different sub genres. And Pasquale tells us that 2016 is an exciting time for dance music, and he believes the music is now better than ever. And with the evolution of the genre, EDC has also grown along with it.

On The Evolution of EDM & EDC

"I think it's an exciting time. Right now I feel like the music is better than it's been in while. There was a lot of the same stuff coming out, and it was all big room, kind of cross-over dance tunes, and now there are sub-genres that are coming out, and EDC is a good example of how the music has changed. There used to be one big ass stage, and now it seems like there are seven main stages. It's changed a lot and it's still changing. Dance music has always been about what's next, and what's going on right now is going to be totally different in five years."

As EDM evolves even more over the next five years, so will Insomniac. Pasquale says the events will be expanded more internationally, and the company will continue to focus on creating better experiences for their attendees, or headliners as Rotella calls them. "Every day we're working towards making it a better event and wowing people. We want people to walk through the doors and we want to enhance the experience using the most updated things going on with technology, bringing in new art."

Speaking of better experiences, a lot goes in to Insomniac's events. As Pasquale puts it, "Even when I'm dead, we won't be done. There are always gonna be ways to make things better and we're always searching those out." And as their festivals grow internationally, along with "a lot of passion, and a good team, and a lot of creativity," support from the local city is very important. Pasquale explains that is how EDC ended up in Las Vegas. "That's why we went to Vegas. That town is all about entertainment. So if you have those things in place, you can really create something special." 

EDC has already expended to New York (which recently took place at Citi Field), Orlando, Puerto Rico, São Paulo, and the UK. And while the festival may not be returning to certain cities at this point in time, it is definitely expanding to others. Pasquale tells us that EDC will be returning to Brazil with in the next few years, and that it will also hit cities in countries like India, Japan, and more. "We're definitely expanding in a big way internationally."

With the 20th anniversary of Insomniac and EDC taking place this year, there will be a lot to look forward to during this month's festival in Las Vegas to celebrate the two-decade birthday. Aside from the already epic lineup, which includes artists like Martin Garrix, Zedd, Axwell /\ Ingrosso, DJ Snake, Paul Oakenfold, Paul van Dyk, Tiësto, and more, according to Pasquale, there will be a "huge celebration show" every night in Sin City. 

On What The Expect During EDC 2016

"Las Vegas is the anniversary edition. That's where we're going to have those big celebrations. And then we have a lot of surprises, some people showing up that aren't announced, that tie into the 20 years of what we've been doing. I'm excited for people to see that."

Being the person who started it all, and having experienced 20 years of EDCs and dance music events, what is the best part of the festival? For Pasquale, it's the people who come out to experience these events. He tells us, "I feel like we have some of the best people in the world coming to our events that are just as passionate as we are, and it's beautiful to see, I love seeing that."

Apart from the events side of Insomniac, the company has also grown to create a label imprint, partnered with Interscope within the last few years. Launching with their first artist Arty in 2014, Pasquale tells us that Insomniac Records is planning to re-launch with a whole roster of artists, which will not be genre specific.

With an ever-changing roster of dance music events, a label imprint and more, there is certainly so much to look forward to within the next twenty years for Insomniac. "There's a lot going on right now and you think 20 years later we'd be slowing down, but we're, we're ramping up and preparing to do more things. It's a great time."

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