The east coast of America is exploding with electronic music. DJ/Producers are touring from Miami to New York City. Miami’s has some of the biggest night clubs in the world such as Liv and Mansion, but farther north is starting to bring in more fans. One of my new favorites is Echostage in DC. The sound system was designed by Tiesto (one of the highest paid DJ/producer in the world) and it is ranked one of the best venues in America by Armin Van Buuren. It is over 30,000 square feet and the sound is absolutely perfect. The vibe is incredible, and so are the acts that visit.
There are a lot of great upcoming shows at Echostage, for example New World Punks (Ferry Corsten and Markus Schulz back to back) are going in exactly five days. Ferry Corsten and Markus Schulz have been around for over fifteen years, but recently they teamed up to make New World Punks. The energy they produce in this “b2b” set (when two producers stand side-by-side and trade off songs) is fantastic. Echostage’s energy, production quality, and sound quality will make their show out of control.
The management and bar service is excellent there. I got stopped at the pat-down because there was medication in my pocket, and the management thought it was ecstasy. Luckily there was an EMT on site, so he verified that it was anti-seizure medicine for my epilepsy. I was very impressed on how the management did not throw me out on the spot (it has happened before). Also, drinks are not terribly overpriced considered it is located in Washington DC. A regular beer is only four bucks, which isn’t that bad. A regular beer at a bar in DC is around six or seven. I was pleasantly surprised when my bar tab at the end of the night was thirty dollars.
The VIP section of Echostage is wonderful. In a lot of clubs, the VIP section is pretty much stupid. It will be right beside the general admission, but it is way more expensive. At Echostage the VIP is secluded and gives a great view of the show. Bottle service is available, but I imagine the drinks are incredibly overpriced. After going outside to relax during the middle of the show, I was offered to go to the VIP section by some people, unfortunately I turned it down. VIP has never been my sort of thing because you don’t have the same energy as being in the crowd, but Echostage does indeed have a good one.
Echostage has been around for over a decade, but it is now more than ever a massive venue, and it is only getting bigger. There are internationally producers that go through there every single week, and the shows they put on for the fans never run out of energy. It is an affordable drive from anywhere on the east coast, and it is arguably the best venue on the east coast. For more information, visit http://www.echostage.com.
