CORE Los Angeles Was a Breath of Fresh Air for the SoCal Scene

2 days ago 10

Tomorrowland and Insomniac’s second collaboration, CORE Los Angeles, brought immaculate vibes and immersive production to LA State Historic Park for its debut edition.

Last year, the global dance music community got its first glimpse of what would happen when two of the biggest brands in the scene put their minds together. UNITY, Insomniac and Tomorrowland‘s collaborative show at Sphere in Las Vegas, married the minds of these two promoters, showcasing the themes from their festivals and creating a futuristic experience. This year, they doubled down on what they could do together by bringing the first-ever edition of CORE Los Angeles to life.

While Tomorrowland had graced US soil a decade ago with editions of TomorrowWorld, it had been a dream for many in the scene to see their presence return. CORE, which began as a stage at Tomorrowland’s main festival in Boom, has grown immensely since spinning off into its own event series and was clearly the prime choice to test the market. This sparked excitement after the initial announcement, with many left to wonder what the experience at LA State Historic Park would be like on May 2-3.

Flash forward, and it was finally time to experience the madness of CORE Los Angeles, with thousands flocking to the iconic venue to check out what Tomorrowland and Insomniac had crafted up. The ease of getting to the venue and ingress into the world they created was seamless, and the overall takeaway was that this was a strong showing of how these two brands could collaborate. So let’s dig into the aspects that made it truly stand tall.

CORE Los Angeles hit its marks on the lineup and production quality.

CORE shows are typically defined by their impactful lineups, featuring plenty of depth and curation in the house and techno realm. They’ve also brought forth immersive production elements and stage designs for added effect. The edition in Los Angeles checked off both boxes by offering a wide array of artists to choose from across its three stages, which gave you the chance to change up the scenery a bit along the way.

The Origo stage played host to some fresh faces and deeper acts that turned the crowd upside down. Annika Wolfe, Onyx, Trax Unit, Londen Summers, and more were among the talent gracing that stage, along with Barbosa, who threw down a wicked techno set to close out the first night. The stripped-back, almost intimate atmosphere of the area where this stage was placed, which aligns with Day Trip in the Park events, played into the overall ambiance.

Meanwhile, the Mano stage delivered a dose of bouncy, higher-energy grooves as the night proceeded. While acts like Corey Sizemore helped keep the stage pumping early on with some solid house, the hype began to swell when others like Malugi, X CLUB., Mija, benwal, and Hannah Laing took control of the decks. Design-wise, it was a step up from Origo, but felt a bit dialed back than anticipated. Where Mano really delivered was with its sound quality, which only seemed to get better as the evening transpired.

Of course, the prime focus for many attending CORE Los Angeles was the CORE stage. This is where the biggest acts played, and crowds swelled to their largest sizes when the likes of Four Tet, Dixon, ARTBAT, Honey Dijon, Kevin de Vries, and Eric Prydz performed. Yet it also offered more interesting sets, like the one from Oscar and the Wolf, which featured live vocals and helped create a unique vibe that felt perfect for the daytime hours. As for its design, I loved how the production team incorporated water and pyro elements, lasers, and more to make the stage feel larger-than-life.

What really stuck out about the event was the crowd and overall atmosphere.

While there were certainly younger people attending CORE Los Angeles, the crowd felt more mature than most events I’ve attended lately. Everyone I encountered was nice and welcoming, which was a breath of fresh air compared to how things have felt at major events in recent years. It also never felt overly-packed, with plenty of room for attendees to roam around, bounce between stages, or chill out at art installations or in the seating spread throughout the GA and VIP areas.

If you’re wondering why that might’ve been the case, you can look at the surrounding aspects that might’ve impacted the atmosphere. There was a competing sold-out event on Saturday that realistically drew some potential attendees away from CORE. Additionally, the event was 21+ and only two weeks out from EDC Las Vegas. Perhaps it’s the blend of those three aspects that allowed this event to cultivate a memorable crowd environment, or perhaps it’s a testament to the type of person Tomorrowland draws in general. Either way, it felt like a massive step forward for the Los Angeles community.

Don’t sleep on CORE Los Angeles when it returns in 2027.

As someone who has yearned for the experience Tomorrowland offers, CORE Los Angeles was a much-appreciated slice of what that would be like and only deepened my desire to attend their other festivals. The festival is returning in 2027, and I recommend checking it out if you love house and techno and want a break from the norm. Details haven’t been announced yet, but you can sign up via the official website for updates.