Jamie Jones Solidifies L.A.’s Underground Dance Prominence With ‘Paradise in the Park’ Debut
With Ibiza season imminent, one of the island’s staple characters, Jamie Jones, brought his legendary Paradise party series from the Balearic shores to Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park on Saturday for an all-day underground affair aptly coined “Paradise in the Park.”
Nestled between towering oaks and palms at the lakeside Levitt Pavilion close to downtown L.A., the inaugural daytime event hosted 3,000 patrons partying for a nine-hour marathon with billed talent including Marques Wyatt, Nathan Barato, Art Department and, of course, Jamie himself. Implementing the event’s world-renowned art-deco aesthetic, including oversized cube structures and signature neon cursive “Paradise” signs, Jones’ transformation of the storied public park marks the first time any music event has been held on the property.
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“Paradise in the Park was truly epic and magical — it was amazing to see a party like this in such a beautiful center city location,” Jones told Billboard, adding, “The icing on the cake was how positive and smoothly the day went from start to finish. Everybody form the attendees, staff and authorities had a big smile on their face the whole day.”
Art Department at Paradise in the Park Kaitlin Parry
While the party went off without a hitch, just before the event, two of the lineup’s original acts, Skream and Doc Martin, were axed from performing after it was rumored that city council members allegedly banned the two upon labeling them “rave DJs,” according to reports from 6am-group.com and outlets that have since deleted their articles. Billboard Dance reached out to Doc Martin, who seemed to be just as confused as electronic fans, saying, “I don’t have the full story myself yet.” He also noted that no authorities from the city of Los Angeles had formally reached out to him. Billboard Dance also reached out to the L.A. City Council and have not yet received a response.
However, Skream did ultimately get to play at the event’s afterparty, located at the MacArthur hotel (formerly known as the Park Plaza hotel), which allowed him to rattle the chandeliers of the gorgeous formal ball room during a special back-to-back set with Jones. The London producer said of the evening’s course: “It was nice finally being able to play on Saturday night. Jamie’s a really good friend of mine and also an absolute legend so it was great being able to play B2B with him.”
Paradise in the Park proved to be a reminder that this scene, while constantly evolving within the L.A. community and continually re-establishing its relationship with local authorities, is a major piece of the cultural fabric that weaves together the city’s championed diversity.
Jamie Jones has officially announced Paradise’s annual return to Ibiza, revealing this year’s theme to be “Electric Jungle,” taking place Wednesdays from June 21 to September 27 at DC10. Tickets and the full summer lineup are available here.
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