See also: Club Candids: Calvin Harris at Myst See also: Sound Wave Music Festival 2012 Announced for September
When Scottish electopop producer and vocalist Calvin Harris appeared in Scottsdale in January, he nearly caused a riot. Thousands of club kids and EDM fans jammed into the now-defunct Myst to watch the 28-year-old electronica wunderkind perform his hits -- including the blockbuster track "Feel So Close," which resulted in an off-the-chain reaction from the S.R.O. crowd.
Needless to say, Harris -- who's fandom has only gotten larger since then -- is likely to draw as big a crowd (if not bigger) when he performs at the latest Sound Wave Music Festival this fall at Big Surf in Tempe.
Festival promoters Steve Levine Entertainment announced that Harris will headline the all-day EDM extravaganza, which takes place at the East Valley waterpark on Saturday, September 29.
If you're unfamiliar with his exploits and grandiose claims (including the one contained in the title of his 2007 album I Created Disco), Harris' career follows a similar path to many other European electronica stars. He started out as a teen recluse who created electronica in his bedroom, became a hit in the UK club circuit, got discovered by heavy hitter of the electronica world (in this case Tommie Sunshine), and wound up inking a record deal as both a beat-smith and vocalist with EMI.
His fame has grown through albums laden with electo-pop and space disco sounds like the aforementioned I Created Disco and 2008's Ready for the Weekend, both of which went gold, and penned such chart-topping hits hits as "Bounce", "Awooga," and "Let's Go," in addition to collaborating with the likes of LMFAO and Kylie Minogue.
If this year's Sound Wave schedule mimics the last, Harris will close out the festival with an 60-minute-plus session. Let's hope he actually does some mixing and spinning of other artist's work instead of providing a set consisting of mostly his vocal tracks (which he tried to pull off at this year's EDC in Las Vegas and earned plenty of derission in the process). Sound Wave Music Festival will take place Saturday, September 29, at Big Surf in Tempe. Tickets are $35 for general admission, $65 for VIP access.
