The next phase of an arms race is kicking off in Las Vegas, and the arms in question are attached to turntables.
Top of the market DJ-producers like Calvin Harris, Tiesto, Deadmau5, and Steve Aoki all opened Hakkasan last weekend, a five story, 80,000 square foot restaurant, lounge, and mega club, a testament to the big business and unending current popularity boom of electronic music.
Located at the MGM Grand, the new venue played host to Jennifer Lopez, Vanessa Hudgens, Pharrell Williams, and "Glee" star Mark Salling who were among the L.A. invasion delegation.
Top photo: Casper Smart, J. Lo, and Tiesto.
Owned and operated by Angel Management Group, the group behind Pure, Lax, and Wet Republic, it’s instantly a nightlife wonder of the world. Talent wise, they’ve consolidated four of the biggest global headliners in long term residencies keeping them exclusive to their multiple venues, and giving them a home.
It’s the musical equivalent of a plush studio overall deal. Someone like Tiesto, who's usually on a (private) plane every day, will begin his residency by staying put at MGM for three weeks straight.
Above: CW "Carrie Diaries" star Austin Butler and Vanessa Hudgens – two of the first 3,024 people to see and hear the space.
The celebration included Run DMC's Rev Run singing his classic “My Adidas” in his adidas, as Grammy breakout Miguel popped up out of nowhere as a surprise.
Meanwhile, one floor up, Paris Hilton (wearing her own set of mouse ears) was nodding her head to Deaadmau5 in a completely different space. Fellow nightlife entrepreneur Jeff Beacher was in her booth’s social cocktail.
On the more intimate "Ling Ling Club" floor, Pharrell Williams threw himself a 40th birthday. “I feel like they are ambitious in a great way – they want to change things up," he said. Breaking new ground himself, Williams is enjoying success with current hit, "Get Lucky," a collaboration with Daft Punk.
Above: Angel Management Group's Neil Moffitt, and a look at one of the five floors.
It’s the culmination of a long dedication for Angel Management Group and founder/CEO Neil Moffitt Moffitt predated the current electronic music boom by 10 years, first bringing the then-fringe format to "Ice," a standalone venue in Vegas. (At that time, Spike and Ben Silverman produced a reality show about that space.)
“I knew Calvin Harris when he was stacking shelves in a Tesco in Scotland,” Moffit said of his deep roots and personal connection to the big names.
Hakkasan, in its traditional, London-originated, fine-dining version comes further west to Beverly Hills this fall.
Photos by: Al Powers of Powers Imagery LLC., Denise Truscello of WireImage and Rukes/angelmg.com.
