Last year’s bass-themed Valentine’s Day party XO was so successful, it’s coming back this year. RVLTN’s XO Returns will celebrate the big holiday four days early on February 10, with touring DJs GTA, Joyryde, Bleep Bloop and Graves and local support acts RR x AR, Evan Durant and JDHD.
“XO has been one of our most popular brands,” says Joe Borusiewicz, the director of business development for RVLTN. “We had Zeds Dead, TroyBoi, Hucci and a bunch of bass-oriented folks on the [2017] lineup. This year, we’re just trying to improve upon it. Sales are already on track to surpass what we did last year, so we made some big upgrades, just kind of based on what the feedback was and what we hear all year round from doing the shows at different venues.”
Borusiewicz is a local bass music veteran with nearly 20 years of experience both throwing parties and performing as a DJ named Stasis. He has come a long way from holding events at tiny karaoke bars near Chinatown, when his keen ear brought heavyweights like Skrillex and Borgore to town long before they headlined megaclubs.
“I had just gotten done with Frequency Events at Body English and was looking for something new to get into, so it worked out really well that [Marcel Correa and Chris Kelley of RVLTN and I] all linked up together,” Borusiewicz says.
RVLTN’s introduction to the World Market Center Pavilions itself was a happy accident. Correa drove past it one day, saw a potential for live shows and suggested it to Borusiewicz. “We just kind of cold-called them out of the blue one day and just said, ‘Hey, do you guys mind if we do some shows over there?’” Borusiewicz says. “We really vibed with the team. They’ve been awesome with us so far, and they’ve had our back on just about everything.”
Borusiewicz is happy to parlay his love of bass and other electronic music into booking talent for a younger Las Vegas crowd, including headliner GTA, fresh off a residency at Hakkasan. Also, “Joyryde played for us first on [our] three-year anniversary show ... and he’s really blown up since then, so we’re stoked for his set,” Borusiewicz says. Nonetheless, it’s another XO participant the promoter is most excited about. “Bleep Bloop is one of my favorite producers right now. His mixtape hasn’t left my car in months, and his style is just so all over the place—it’s not like anything else that’s out there—so that’s the set that I’m, personally, the most hyped for.”
XO Returns with GTA, Joyryde, Bleep Bloop, Graves February 10, 8 p.m., $20-$70. World Market Center Pavilions, RVLTNevents.com.
