International EDM Producer EDX Plays Vibe Las Olas on Saturday

Miami's cool with us, but that doesn't mean it deserves to have all the fun — and, if you ask us, said fun sure as hell doesn't have to be so expensive. At least, the electronic-savvy minds behind online EDM publication thatDROP are trying to rectify this misconception by partnering with Vibe Las Olas to seriously up Fort Lauderdale's nightlife game and compete with venues like South Beach's LIV and Story.

This weekend, we're being treated to a new EDM party at the Las Olas dance mecca that promises both international clout and a price tag that won't leave you reeling with #regrets the next morning (financial ones, anyway).


The folks at thatDrop are looking to establish Fort Lauderdale as “a major player in the up-and-coming South Florida dance music scene,” and while you might picture scantily clad sugarplum e-fairies sprinkling molly dust, one can only imagine organizers of the new party want in on the massive piece of EDM pie Miami bakes up in the form of Ultra and the Winter Music Conference each year.

As downtown Fort Lauderdale and surrounding 'hoods continue to diversify their nightlife options, it’s a wise move for promoters to capitalize on the EDM train while it's still chugging away and attempt to establish a higher level of credibility by bringing in bigger-name acts with international draw. And for the civic-minded, it might alleviate the cluster of piled-up bodies that zombie-fy and clog up downtown Miami and Miami Beach during the aforementioned music events.

For this particular party, their first in Florida, thatDROP brings some serious cachet to Vibe Las Olas with DJ and producer EDX, who has charted alongside Deadmau5 and Eric Prydz as one of Beatport’s top progressive-house artists. Their goal: to become the “catalyst” that gets Fort Lauderdale on the EDM map.

A couple of additional points of attraction make the new party at Vibe an easy sell:

For one, venue size is a major factor when it comes to EDM, and while a huge festival definitely makes for one kind of experience, much of this kind of music's dark, thumping nightclub roots gets lost in translation and execution at those events. Vibe provides a more intimate club setting where you can both get your dance on and watch some up close knob-turning, if that’s your thing. Local "tropical house" DJ (and New Times' Best DJ 2014) Adam Foster will open the night with his signature mix of electric, upbeat dance tunes.

Another point is that, regardless of its reputation as a smaller, less diverse option for nightlife, a night out in Laudy is simply far less of a mission than trekking to South Beach, where traffic, pedestrians, and cover charges are all way less chill.


Which brings us to the final kicker, a point thatDrop have gotten right: EDX will play a set at LIV exactly two weeks from Saturday's party, where admission will set you back upward of $40. The Vibe Las Olas gig, on the other hand, is a paltry ten bucks so that you may “get down to some righteous dance music without breaking the bank."

Miami’s profile in electronic music will be hard to knock down a few pegs, but this could very well be the sleeper model that does it. If the Vibe and thatDrop partnership continues to deliver world-class EDM entertainment to the Fort Lauderdale masses at such appealing price points, Miami might just have itself a serious contender.

So, from our friends at thatDrop, "Save that money for drinks, take your girl out, do whatever — just know that you’ll have some extra cruising cash to have a night out on the town.”


EDX DJ Set

With Adam Foster. 9 p.m., Saturday, November 14, at Vibe Las Olas, 301 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $10. Call 954-713-7313, or visit vibelasolas..com.