The Inaugural Electronic Music Awards featured quality performances and a fantastic atmosphere in Downtown Los Angeles.
Hosted at Willow Studios in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles, the Electronic Music Awards brought the industry together for a night full of beats and honors. Unlike most awards shows you may have tuned into, the EMA’s didn’t feature speeches, a black-tie attire, and a red carpet was all but absent. Instead, the more casual atmosphere allowed for attendees to express themselves.
Three stages dominated the venue, while an art car provided an open to close-set from The Saunderson Brothers. Performances throughout the night included notable names like Moby, Paul Oakenfold, Autograf, and more, who had varying lengths of sets throughout the evening. Illenium only receiving a 13-minute set was confusing, and seemed oddly placed, but he definitely drew a huge crowd for the short set.
The EMAs were streamed live on Twitter, which was also broadcast inside the event as well. I felt they did a great job on that front, and if I wasn’t there in attendance I could see the appeal of tuning in to check it out. Personally, I would have enjoyed seeing the announcements of the awards happen on one of the stages in-between performances instead of living solely on the internet though.
The event itself ran smoothly and ended up being a lot of fun to attend. There were plenty of food options ranging from Grilled Cheese to Korean Cuisine, and the drink prices were very reasonable which definitely was an added bonus.
Some things that the EMA’s could improve on in future editions would include an extension time-wise of the event, reducing the sound bleed inside the venue by repositioning stages, and perhaps making it more of an awards show instead of just a party. My biggest complaint was that the sound itself was good, but there was serious sound bleed inside the venue that was nearly unavoidable.
The Electronic Music Awards 2017 – Full List of Winners:
DJ Of The Year
Eric Prydz
Producer Of The Year
Cashmere Cat
Live Act Of The Year
RUFUS DU SOL
New Artist Of The Year
Alison Wonderland
Record Of The Year
RUFUS DU SOL – Innerbloom (Sasha Remix)
Remix Of The Year
Flume – Say It (Illenium Remix)
Album Of The Year
Bonobo – Migration
Single Of The Year
Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber & MØ – Cold Water
Radio Show Of The Year
Diplo & Friends and Pete Tong Radio 1 Essentials (TIE)
Festival Of The Year
Electric Daisy Carnival
Club Of The Year
Output (New York)
Lifetime Achievement Award
Moby
Innovation Award
Juan Atkins
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Featured Photo Credit: GOTO Photography
