Some Strip nightclubs shifting away from big-name DJs

The days of coming to Las Vegas Boulevard to drink Champagne with the Kardashians of the world while listening to the sounds of million-dollar DJs may be behind us.

At least that’s what Victor Drai, nightclub mogul and owner of Drai’s, says.

“I have no interest to pay celebrities to come,” he said. “You come and do a real show, or I don’t book you.”

He’s got no interest in paying upward of $500,000 per performance to have a big-name DJ provide the music in his club night after night either.

“You lose money at every show,” he said. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

It’s purely business, he says, and featuring one artist doing the same set multiple times a week is not a moneymaker.

His distinguished model for the club atop The Cromwell stands out, he says, because “we do a real show, we do real, live performances.”

It’s a shift that Drai says he felt before it happened.

Likening the nightclub industry to fashion, he said trends in after-hours music come and go and are often recycled.

For now, hip-hop is the most popular genre at Drai’s, so he books artists who satisfy.

“Hip-hop works really well for us,” he says. Residents Chris Brown and Future have been the most popular acts.

It’s a revolutionary idea to step away from electronic dance music on the Strip dance scene. But it’s worth the risk, he says, because other clubs “all do the same (expletive).”

And should other clubs start to follow in his footsteps, he says, Drai’s will continue to separate itself with its layout.

“I have a real stage,” Drai said.

That stage is at the heart of the dance floor, and the way his club is built allows for “real” performances, he says. On the side of the stage, a VIP table sits just above the crowd and is usually filled with celebrities and performers.

“I’m proud of it,” he said.

He’s also proud of his ability to scout up-and-coming artists and then book them at his venue.

“I have a real sense for who’s coming up,” Drai said.

He sensed the talent in the Weeknd and booked him multiple times before the singer got his big break, he said.

“Nobody knew who the (expletive) he was,” Drai said. “Now, he’s too big for me.”

There’s no animosity for that from Drai, who explained that he’s happy for the now-Grammy Award-winning R&B artist.

Recognizing that there are EDM-heavy weekends, like during Electronic Daisy Carnival, when hip-hop may not be what revelers want to hear, Drai says he stays in his own lane.

“I go against exactly what they do,” he said of other nearby clubs, who cater to the carnivalgoers.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And, Drai plans to keep on the same path.

“Next is to perfect what I’m doing.”

He’s not the only industry professional recognizing that there’s a market in Las Vegas’ club scene outside of the likes of Calvin Harris.

Joe Bravo, director of nightlife and day life at the Hard Rock Hotel, said during an April interview about resident DJ Pauly D that it’s about a performer’s ability to fit in with the desired atmosphere of the venue.

“For us, we’re not looking for the most popular DJ,” Bravo said. “We’re a little bit different.”

Bravo is looking for DJs who help evolve the interactive experience, to involve the crowd and get the party started.

“That is what makes it fun,” he said of the parties at Rehab Beach Club at the resort.

Instead of one celebrity DJ, Bravo says there are a handful of artists who fit his bill and are entertaining crowds this summer.

You know what they say: “different strokes for different folks,” and the hip-hop-focused play list that Drai touts is not something Bravo relies on.

“We’re about a party.” A mix of pop, country, hip-hop, dubstep, trap and electronic dance music can be heard and is responsible for getting that party going and appealing to all sorts of people.

“We’re leaning really hard on the EDM format this year,” he said. It’s the favorite genre for clubgoers, he said.

XS Nightclub, which has had success with and is known for its popular DJ lineup, declined to comment on its achievements in the industry with its opposing model.

Contact Kimberly De La Cruz at kdelacruz@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Find her on Twitter: @KimberlyinLV.