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To kick-off the first official weekend of summer, Wicked Paradise brings a new caliber of nostalgia and underground house funk that embraces the old and new for music lovers of all ages.
Ahead of Wicked Paradise’s slew of summer jams, beginning on May 25th, I was able to get to know the masters behind the enterprise, Matt Orlove and Tom Astley Williams of Orlove Entertainment and L’Affaire Musicale, respectively.
Orlove and Williams enter their fifth year of teaming up since both moved individually to Los Angeles from New York back in 2014. After fate brought them together at an event, the two decided to join forces and create Wicked Paradise. The duo boasted a host of over 250 events last year.
Now they’re back with even more planned for this year, beyond Los Angeles, from coast to coast and everywhere in between, including New York, Miami, Chicago, and San Francisco, with ever ambitious plans to continue expanding to more cities domestically, as well as internationally.
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I got my own taste of the distinct flavor that Williams and Orlove are executing during their partnership for Giorgio’s at The Globe, normally a weekly residency at The Standard. It was a riotous night of costumes and laughter, inviting a touchstone of hodgepodge, lavish affairs that are returning to the spotlight finally.
The crowd was endlessly entertaining, as many posed with avant-garde decorations such as human-sized disco heels while spectators looked on from the balcony to the colorful display of lights and movement below to DJ Adam 12’s beats.
Beginning this weekend, Wicked Paradise kicks off with a whopping four events over the three-day weekend, starting with Space Yacht Boat Party in Long Beach and Miami Horror at West Hollywood’s Skybar on May 25th, and continuing on with Rum & Bass at Liquid Frequencies on the 26th and a return to Skybar on the 27th to host Classixx and a wealth of other talents.
The rest of the summer also heats up with the likes of Le Youth, Paul Oakenfold, Derrick Carter, Viceroy, Justin Jay, Will Clarke, and Croatia Squad.
When it comes to choosing the music for their events, Orlove and Williams keep it close to heart, choosing artists they like and admire, and then striving for what they call the “selling juice,” a combination of eclectic sounds and a strong fan base to really amp up their events, together introducing a musical ethos of excitable and cutting edge house music from the underground to the forefront.
As part of their unique curation, Orlove and Williams first consider their venues, really honing in on the individual vibes of the respective spots. They also aspire to expose their audiences to new and unusual “paradise-like” places, from urban rooftops, to pleasurable day cruises, and finally classic pool parties. This was definitely the case as they celebrated their third year at Coachella hosting parties at Saguaro, including Ardy Pardy and Café Mambo Ibiza.
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Looking ahead, Wicked Paradise is excited to partner with Whet Travel and Groove Cruise for Groove Island festival on Catalina at the end of September, hosting the main stage acts.
In an era of great musical renaissance, Wicked Paradise brings an edgier side of the musical spectrum, with deep funk, grandiose aesthetics, and a safe, fun, playground for people who just want to dance and have a good ass time.
With the strong intention of manifestation, Orlove and Williams hope to someday create Southern California’s biggest beach festival, with Williams saying, “We want to take Wicked Paradise to that kind of place of endless self-expression… There’s a culture inspired here that we want to tap into, where decadence roars, and there are no rules, and everyone can have fun.”
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