Insomniac, Exchange LA Team Up For Hollywood Club

Scott Legato / Rockstar Pro Photography – DVBBS
Electronic duo Chris Chronicles (L) and Alex Andre of DVBBS perform on July 12, 2017 in Quebec City, Canada.

EDM-festival heavyweight Insomniac’s club in Los Angeles is rebranding in a partnership with Exchange LA.

The new club, titled Academy, opens its doors with a show from Krewella Jan. 12, DVBBS on Jan. 13 and “Basscon presents TNT” Jan. 14. In subsequent weeks Benny Benassi is headed to the club on Jan. 19 and DJ Mustard will headline Jan. 26.

While many recognize Insomniac as Pasquale Rotella’s taste-making, production-pioneering EDM company that puts on Electric Daisy Carnival and a host of other events, some might not be familiar with Exchange LA. The latter is not only a 25,000 square-foot, four-story venue located at the site of a historic landmark, but also describes itself as “an alliance of curators, marketers, operators, and production staff with decades of combined experience.”

Academy was previously known as Create Nightclub, Vanguard, and Qtopia. Exchange LA’s Anthony Smith said Rotella has had his hands all over the venue for a long time, dating back to the Qtopia days. The club had its last show as Create on New Year’s Eve 2017, and was gutted and refitted in the following weeks to expand the floor for dancing and to incorporate an LED screen that expands into venue’s ceiling.

Exchange LA and Insomniac say in a press release that they have already collaborated on more than 600 events. Smith said he is excited to incorporate the new immersive visual elements into the space, even more clearly demonstrating the involvement of Insomniac.

Moving forward Smith said there might also be changes coming to Academy’s patio and upstairs room, but the immediate focus was to reopen as a re-branded club with a redesigned main room.