Los Angeles, in general, has been a great bastion of solid electronic music. Sporting a variety of clubs in DTLA, Hollywood and Santa Monica, as well as festival venues galore in the surrounding area, it’s definitely one of the hubs for EDM in the US.
However, it has been under fire repeatedly for “unsafe rave practices.” First, in 2010 – an event that always seems to be brought up when discussing these things – a young 15-year-old girl died of drug-related complications at Electric Daisy Carnival. This was the impetus for its move to Las Vegas, and the spark that ignited the Las Vegas EDM scene overall.
More recently, and more to the point, two young adults passed away following this year’s HARD Summer from drug complications. The LA County Board Of Supervisors, spearheaded by Supervisor Hilda Solis, placed a set of harsh restrictions on HARD specifically, reducing its hours at the festival and capping the attendees at a meager 40,000 (this year’s HARD Summer saw 65,000 attendees). It seems that the LACBS has loftier plans, though.
Oh Dag Yo Photography © 2015
This past Tuesday, September 1, the County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the formation of an “Electronic Music Task Force” that “would provide recommendations on ways to make electronic music fests safer for attendees.” This motion was brought by Supervisor Solis, and L.A. County Mayor Michael Antonovich.
“I want to emphasize that our efforts around this motion, above all, are about the health and safety of those attending these events,” Solis said in a statement.
The task force will “develop recommendations for enforceable health and safety measures and procedures, that would be required for all electronic music festivals on County-owned property.” The task force’s initial report is due in approximately four months. The motion also states a ban on electronic music festivals “remains a possibility.”
We hope that efforts to keep attendees healthy and safe will bring up names like DanceSafe and Bunk Police, but it’s very likely that the decision will only bring about more police officers, drug dogs, and an unsatisfactory dancing environment. The reality remains to be seen.