Insomniac Events' Pasquale Rotella Urges LA County Not To Ban EDM Events

Insomniac Events Founder Pasquale Rotella has urged L.A. County authorities not to ban EDM events and festivals in the area. In an Instagram post, he outlined his reasons saying that it would be a mistake to send a cultural revolution back "into the unregulated underground" that the government banished it to back in the 1990s and early 2000s, where the risks were much higher than they are today.

The post comes as a response comes as authorities are facing pressure to take hard line action against festivals, notably electronic music festivals on L.A. county grounds, after two teenage girls died from suspected overdoses at the recent HARD Summer in Pomona, CA

Hearings have been held on the matter and various officials weighing on the matter, ranging from sheriffs to congressmen to ER doctors who are all have varying opinions on what to do about drugs and music festivals.

Pasquale has his own as "someone" who has been industry for more than two decades. In the post, he pays his respects to the lost women. Rotella insists that his firm does not condone drug use, noting that EDM or even festivals are not at fault here, pointing out that he lost five friends to overdoses when he was younger, and not at music events.

The solution wouldn't be to band them all together and kill a growing culture, which offers a sense of community for thousands, but rather "creating a national dialogue that educates out youth and encourages them to be accountable for their choices—especially when it comes to drugs."

Driving EDM events underground would be reminiscent of when the 2003 Rave Act was enacted as part of the Amber Alert bill, which gave the government extra powers to shut down events and penalize promoters if officials find evidence of drug use.

Read the full post below.

 I’ve been incredibly saddened by yet another loss of life that’s been attributed to our culture, and I have spent the last week reflecting on how the story has played out in the media. First and foremost, my heart goes out to the friends and family of those two young women. We don’t condone or tolerate drug use, but the problem here isn’t raves or dance music, or even festivals in general. The health impact of drug abuse in our country extends far beyond what happens at our events. I lost five friends to drug overdoses at a young age, none of which occurred at dance music festivals; most of them weren’t even fans of the genre. No one wrote about them. Dance culture has survived for decades and has never been more popular. Banning these events at facilities where we are able to provide first-rate medical care and emergency services is not the answer. I hope that policymakers and the media do not turn their backs on a cultural movement that is thriving and brings so much happiness to a generation that, quite frankly, needs an environment where they can feel loved and accepted. Most just want healthy interaction with their peers. I know that if I didn’t have access to this community growing up, my life would have taken a much different turn. I see nothing but great opportunity within large gatherings; opportunity to promote health, happiness, individuality, and human connection. If we’re trying to create a safe and secure environment for these passionate fans, sending them back into the unregulated underground isn’t a step in the right direction. We all need to do our part in creating a national dialogue that educates our youth and encourages them to be accountable for their choices—especially when it comes to drugs.✌