Welsh DJ and producer Jamie Jones is probably best known for his Paradise residency in Ibiza, which will launch its seventh season at airport hangar-turned-nightclub DC-10 next month. In Las Vegas, Paradise was something of a test run for Ibiza-esque vibes on the Strip.
Jones has become a Wynn Nightlife resident this year after breaking through with a successful Paradise party at XS last Halloween. The Encore megaclub packed in more than 4,000 partiers on a Tuesday night (officials estimated locals made up half the audience), an event that confirmed it was time to bring more house music back to the Strip’s premier nightspots.
With EDC Week in full swing, those house sounds are taking over Encore Beach Club Thursday to kick off Wynn Music Week and one of the biggest weekends of the year. Black Coffee, Guy Gerber and Kölsch will soundtrack EBC’s day shift, while Insomniac’s underground experience Factory 93 takes over the Nightswim party for Dark Water featuring Jones and the Black Madonna.
Chicago’s Smart Bar is one of the country’s oldest independent club venues, and the DJ/activist Marea Stamper, aka the Black Madonna and formerly Lady Foursquare, is its first-ever creative director. She’s known for an eclectic, open style that champions diversity and acceptance in all its forms; essentially, she’s a dance music revolutionary, and she’s bringing the liberation to Encore Beach Club. A pairing with the pioneering Jones, positioned for the past five years as the leader of new house, could create the most talked-about set on the Strip this week.
FACTORY 93 PRESENTS DARK WATER WITH JAMIE JONES & THE BLACK MADONNA May 17, 10:30 p.m. $25-$45. Encore Beach Club, 702-770-7300.
