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[Supernova]

Axwell and Ingrosso team up again at EDC and Hakkasan

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Axwell-Ingrosso return to Hakkasan during EDC Week.
Photo: Al Powers/Powers Imagery

Electric Daisy Carnival veterans and electronic dance music all-stars Axel Hedfors and Sebastian Ingrosso have been spending a lot more time in Las Vegas nightclubs lately, performing individually and as Axwell Λ Ingrosso at Hakkasan and Omnia. Industry Weekly caught up with the dynamic Swedish duo as they prepare to take the EDC and Hakkasan stages again this weekend.

What’s it like to be back again for EDC this year?

Ingrosso: We’ve both played EDC in the past but back in 2014, we made our EDC Vegas debut as Axwell-Ingrosso. It’s always an amazing time, and this is the 20-year anniversary so we’re looking forward to another night of incredible memories.

What do you think separates EDC from other festivals around the world?

Ingrosso: The production is truly over the top, genuinely one of the best in the world and so are the people who attend EDC. They’re always stoked and know how to party, and when the crowd brings that much energy you always know that it’s going to be a sick party. Naturally we want to give all our energy back to the crowd and make the show epic for them.

What is the rest of your festival experience like when you play an event like EDC? Do you get time to explore the city you’re in?

Ingrosso: In general, we run on a very tight schedule so we don’t have a lot of downtime when we are playing festivals. However, it’s always nice to wind down and enjoy the cities we’re in when we can. We like to hit up local hot spots to try out the cuisine—we’re big on sushi!

You’ve both been in Vegas a lot lately, individually and together. What is your take on the Vegas club sound right now?

Axwell: The thing that sets Vegas apart is that people come here to have a crazy fun time no matter what. Just like the music scene evolves, we see the club scene evolving and it’s interesting to see how the most progressive-thinking minds in entertainment and nightlife are approaching the “new” Vegas. It’s important to support the talent of tomorrow—and having a great mix of talent at the shows—so we’re really excited by the fact that clubs are putting more and more focus on bringing in emerging talent to add diversity in the artists being booked, in addition to the established acts.

How do you approach a performance individually vs. together?

Axwell: Well, we’ve performed and toured together for so long now that we can almost predict what the other is thinking. But in being prepared, the one thing that always changes is the selection of tracks for the setlist. We collaborate when we’re planning a performance together and stick to our personal preferences when solo.

How much fun did you have putting together the video for “Thinking About You”?

Ingrosso: We’ve been having a lot of fun with it! We like to be as hands-on as possible with all aspects of our content. Ax actually came up with the idea of creating the music video for “Thinking About You” around the faceswap feature. Once we saw the Snapchat faceswap filter, we were hooked and have been using it to faceswap ourselves with everything, all the time! Needless to say, we’ve been hysterically laughing at the video ever since we received the first draft. Axwell Λ Ingrosso at Hakkasan at MGM Grand, June 17.

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Brock Radke

Brock Radke is an award-winning writer and columnist who currently occupies the role of managing editor at Las Vegas Weekly ...

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