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Insomniac Brings Back On-Site Drug Education For First Time in 10 Years

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Escape Insomniac

Insomniac, the Unites States’ largest electronic dance music promoter and event organizer, has announced an exciting new partnership with the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA).

Beginning this weekend at Escape: Psycho Circus in San Bernardino, about an hour east of Los Angeles, the collaboration will see on-site drug informational material being passed out to festival attendees in an effort to educate on the subject of mind-altering substances, sex and mental health.

Called ‘Project: #OpenTalk’, the initiative will provide unbiased information with the purpose of beginning and continuing an open dialogue that aims to reduce the number of drug-related health incidents and deaths. This is the first time Insomniac works closely with an advocacy group of this type in the last 10 years, likely prompted to do so by the increased scrutiny into festival-related hospitalization and deaths.

“While Insomniac still has a zero tolerance drug policy and conducts entry searches, they at least acknowledge that more needs to be done to keep their attendees informed and safe,” said Stefanie Jones of DPA’s Safer Partying campaign explained in an official statement.

Connect with Insomniac: Online | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Connect with Drug Policy Alliance: Online | Facebook | Twitter

Pasquale Rotella Agrees to No-Jail Deal Receiving 3-Year Probation and Fine

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Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

Today the district attorney’s office was forced to offer a plea deal, after prosecutors admitted for the second time to making “very embarrassing” procedural blunders in the high-profile case that saw Insomniac’s Pasquale Rotella, L.A. Memorial Coliseum event manager Todd DeStefano and fellow promoter Reza Gerami all charged in an alleged bribery-and-embezzlement scheme dating back to the days of EDC LA.

As the LA Times reported, “Pasquale Rotella, who was indicted in 2012 on multiple felony counts, pleaded no contest Thursday afternoon to a single misdemeanor conflict-of-interest count and has agreed to pay $150,000 and serve three years of probation. Reza Gerami will accept a similar deal on Friday and pay restitution of $30,000, his lawyer, Larry M. Bakman, said.”

Settlements will also take place for DeStefano, meaning that all three will avoid having to stand trial next month as originally scheduled.

When referencing the costly and repeated blunders on behalf of prosecutors, Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy stated, “You guys are just tripping over your feet and falling on your faces.”

Gary Jay Kaufman, Rotella’s attorney, issued the following statement in response to Thursday’s dismissal:

“I am so pleased that all of the charges in the grand jury indictment against Mr. Rotella have now been dismissed.  We have maintained from day one that Mr. Rotella is innocent, and today’s dismissal finally confirms this.  I am elated for Mr. Rotella and his family.”

Mr. Rotella issued his own statement as follows:

“I always knew the charges were politically motivated and publicity driven. While it’s taken too long to finally put this behind me, I can now focus my energy where it belongs: my family and my company.  Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this.”

H/T: LA Times

Pasquale Rotella’s Bribery And Conspiracy Trial Begins Today, August 1st

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Pasquale Rotella 1

The People vs. Pasquale Rotella begins today.

Although many may have forgotten, the Insomniac founder’s trial has been scheduled to begin today for a while now. Included are L.A. Memorial Coliseum event manager Todd DeStefano and promoter Reza Gerami, all of whom are being charged for alleged bribery and conspiracy and paying $1.9 million in payoffs to DeStefano as an exchange for helping them put on the original EDC raves at the stadium.

The case has been delayed multiple times, initially as Judge Kathleen Kennedy needed time to oversee the Grim Sleeper trial and again after the District Attorney’s office was charged with prosecutorial misconduct. In May of last year, Deputy District Attorney Dana Aratani had to be pulled off the case after reading emails between Rotella and his own attorney, Gary Jay Kaufman.

The mistake was pounced on by Rotella’s attorney, who asked the judge to throw out all the charges he was facing and to punish the DA’s office for fostering “an environment where the prosecutors and investigators not only reviewed attorney-client-privileged emails willy-nilly but also failed to keep any records of the privileged emails that they read.”

While Judge Kennedy didn’t throw out the charges, it was inevitable that she would approve the replacement of the prosecuting attorneys, delaying the trial by over a year. It is noted that Rotella and Gerami are also being sued by the commission that owns the building, a case originally thrown out by a 2013 LA Superior Court Judge but then reinstated by a state appellate court in 2015.

LA COliseum

In July 2015, an attorney for Gerami asked the judge to stop the civil trial, believing and arguing that it might force the defendants to incriminate themselves ahead of their criminal trial. Judge Delila C. Lyons however has refused to delay the trial, ruling that it will continue as scheduled in November of this year.

It is alleged for both cases that Rotella and Gerami supposedly paid DeStefano and former GM Pat Lynch to hold raves at the stadium, while little money was actually being paid to the owners of the building.

The allegations were a result of an investigation in the building’s finances that began when a 15-year-old girl died at Electric Daisy Carnival 2010. In 2012 Lynch pled guilty to the charges to avoid a prison sentence and is expected to testify at the trial.

EDC Las Vegas Used a Series of Radio Mixes To Announce 2016 Lineup, which includes Plastikman

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EDC LAS VEGAS Neon Garden

neonGarden stage at EDC Las Vegas. Photo by Electronic Vegas

As the years pass by, festivals are constantly coming up with new ways to announce their lineups.

Insomniac’s EDC Las Vegas took a new approach to unveiling their 2016 roster, even if just partially. Yesterday they used short mixes on Night Owl Radio to introduce listeners and fans to names set to perform at the Las Vegas Speedway next month.

According to Insomniac boss Pasquale Rotella, the majority of the lineup was indeed released during episode 039 of his SiriusXM radio show.

A particular useful Redditor, blondie232, put together the selection of names as released by the show. Some of the most interesting bookings from our perspective include techno pioneer Derrick May, Chicago house legend Bad Boy Bill, and of course a selection of techno, tech house and house artists scheduled to play the revered neonGarden stage. The biggest news of them all is that attendees will also be treated to a special Plastikman set during the festival. See the full tentative lineup below:

Upside Down House

Armand Van Helden
DJ Dan
Derrick May
Rell The Soundbender
Bad Boy Bill
AWE
Two Fresh
Billy Kenny
Dom Dolla

Stage 7 

Pierce Fulton
Sleepy Tom
Giraffage
Throttle
Botnek
MORTEN
Redlight
Craig Williams
Shaun Frank
Anevo
Take
KDrew
Aryay
Lookas
My Digital Enemy
Julian Hordan
Jordan Suckley
John O’Callaghan
Wuki
KRNE
Hotel Garuda
Coyote Kisses

Neon Garden

Julia Govr
Jonas Rathsman
UMEK
Bart Skills
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs
Dusky
Pan-Pot
Hot Since 82
Lane 8
J. Philip
Nicole Moudaber
Loco Dice
Maya Jane Cole

Plastikman

Wasteland 

Adrenalize
Kutski
Adaro
Da Tweekaz
Sylence
Coone
Code Black
D-Block and S-Te-Fan
Gunz for Hire
Wasted Penguinz
Darren Styles
Audiotricz
Bioweapon
Lady Faith
LNY TNZ
Angerfist
DJ Isaac
Ran-D
Crisis Era
Audiofreq
Digital Punk
Brennan Hart
Max Enforcer
Radical Redemption
TNT

Bass Pod

Bro Safari
12th Planet
Must Die!
Pogman
Eptic
Caspa
Delta Heavy
Datsik
Soloman
Prototypes
Doctor P
Armanni Reign
Ookay
LOUDPVCK
Eptic
Brillz
Troyboi
FUNTCASE
Wiwek
Snails
NGHTMRE
Zomboy
Excision
Pendulum
Culture Shock
Brookes Brothers
Matrix
Cyantific
Mefjus
Andy C
Bad Company UK
Crizzly
Mind Vortex
Dimension
Habstrakt

Cosmic Meadow

Zedd
Knife Party
Joyryde
Ephwurd
Shiba San
Studio 54
Martin Solveig
Chris Lake
Valentino Kahn
Flux Pavilion
A-Trak
Hermitude
Marshmello
GTA
SLANDER
RL Grime
Paul Van Dyk
What So Not
Swanky Tunes
Tycho

Circuit Grounds

Eric Prydz
Kaskade
Deorro
Avicii
Armin Van Buuren
Adventure Club
Above and Beyond
Aly and Fila
Ace Ventura
Afrojack
Duke Dumont
Tom and Collins
Tommy Trash
TJR
KSHMR
MAKJ
Paul Oakenfold
Gouryella
Showtek
Martin Garrix
Markus Schulz
Gareth Emery
DJ Perry Beck
Gaia
Insomniacs
Party Favor
Paul Oakenfold
Ben Nicky
Astrix
Michael Calfan

Kinetic Field 

Chainsmokers
Axwell /\ Ingrosso
Alesso
W&W
Hardwell
Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike
Oliver Heldens
Bruno Sheeran
Don Diablo
Tiesto
Seven Lions
4B
Mike Williams
Jauz
Dada Life
Danny Howard
Galantis
The Magician
Mercer**
Anna Lunoe
DJ Snake
Propaganda
Alison Wonderland
Yellow Claw
Carnage
Dash Berlin
SNBRN
Madeon

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