Scrapbook: Virgil Abloh's Residency
at Wynn Las Vegas' XS Nightclub
Scrapbook is HYPEBEAST’s new series that documents the best festivals, events, activations and experiences. Using film photography, we’ll give you an inside look into events from around the globe through the eyes of influential members of the music sphere.
Las Vegas is the ultimate adult playground -- a weekend can lead to the best time of your life, or completely ruin your future. But one of Sin City’s biggest allures is its music; millions of visitors from across the world flock to the city to catch the best EDM and Dance DJs as well as icons like Celine Dion and Mariah Carey. However, over the last few months, hip-hop-based acts have also been signing up to become residency artists in certain hotel nightclubs, adding in a different kind of element to the nightlife scene.
In June, Off-White™ creator and Louis Vuitton men’s artistic director Virgil Abloh was given a DJ residency at the Wynn in Las Vegas at XS Nightclub and Encore Beach Club. XS is the same club where Drake kicked off his residency, a deal that was reportedly worth $25 Million USD. Along with becoming a permanent fixture at the venues for the rest of the year, the designer will also be opening the first ever Off-White™ boutique in the West Coast. The new storefront will set up shop at Wynn Plaza and opens this month.
HYPEBEAST was there for the opening night of Virgil’s residency and needless to say the place was a madhouse. For three hours, Virgil played everything from Kanye West to Travis Scott to house music, and the crowd of dedicated fans stayed for the entire set. It was a welcoming experience as the club was nearly packed throughout the night, which ought to be a sign of things to come for his next two performances.Virgil will play Encore Beach Club on September 13 and will take part in a joint show with Black Coffee at XS Nightclub on October 11, where they will perform as "White Coffee."
Read on for HYPEBEAST’s scrapbook of the opening night of Virgil Abloh's residency at Wynn Las Vegas' XS Nightclub. We also interviewed Wynn Nightlife Managing Partner Alex Cordova to learn what’s to come for the future of their partnership, and why hip-hop artists are now flocking to the Entertainment Capital of the World.
Victor Cruz
“Don’t wear uncomfortable shoes. You’re going to be on your feet a lot walking around. Also, don’t wait till the last minute to hit your friends up for your artist passes or credentials or the things you need to finesse through the festival.”
Snoop Dogg
“You got to have a mask, you got to have something that’s going to cover your face because it's going to get dusty. You have dress light because it's going to be hot but at nighttime it's a possibility that it could be cold, so you want to have both outfits. You want to have a night outfit and a day outfit. You want to stay hydrated and have a lot of fruits in your system and vegetables, if you know what I mean. Just vibe, because it's all positivity and all love; everybody is out here just living their life and just enjoying their time for Coachella. It's a great place that brings all kinds of people together so you’ll fit right in no matter who you are or where you’re from.”
Day 4: Desert Sundays - The Do Over, #REVOLVEFestival, 1Oak x Gravity Technologies Coachella Closing Party
What are some rules for Coachella or music festivals in general?
Todd Gurley: “It’s a music festival, there are no rules. You’re supposed to do what you’re not supposed to do that’s why you go to a festival.”
Alex Cordova:
Virgil has worked with us the past three and a half years. Ever since he really wanted to mature his DJ career, he’s been working with Wynn.
2016 was the first time he played for us. We were able to understand and he was able to understand what his musical style was. That’s really the platform that we’re able to provide a lot of artists, they want to go on a bigger stage like Las Vegas.
It’s not just about the club, that’s what drew me into Wynn. Every relationship that we had, we think how do we create memorable experiences for our guests that are different than them traveling anywhere in the world and just seeing someone come DJ or perform.
We do a lot of A&R work. We want to have a diverse lineup that’s the best in music. We will try to understand trends and why customers are not coming to Vegas and what they are looking for. We take bets on acts. We’re just not saying, “Hey, we have this act, we’re putting it on the marquee and if you want to go to this concert, buy the ticket.” We’re trying to redefine every aspect of what people feel nightlife is and what hospitality is.
Alex Cordova:
Virgil has worked with us the past three and a half years. Ever since he really wanted to mature his DJ career, he’s been working with Wynn.
2016 was the first time he played for us. We were able to understand and he was able to understand what his musical style was. That’s really the platform that we’re able to provide a lot of artists, they want to go on a bigger stage like Las Vegas.
It’s not just about the club, that’s what drew me into Wynn. Every relationship that we had, we think how do we create memorable experiences for our guests that are different than them traveling anywhere in the world and just seeing someone come DJ or perform.
We do a lot of A&R work. We want to have a diverse lineup that’s the best in music. We will try to understand trends and why customers are not coming to Vegas and what they are looking for. We take bets on acts. We’re just not saying, “Hey, we have this act, we’re putting it on the marquee and if you want to go to this concert, buy the ticket.” We’re trying to redefine every aspect of what people feel nightlife is and what hospitality is.
[Virgil] is pushing the envelope. He just went on tour with Travis Scott and performed at Coachella and he’s playing all over the world. For him, this is a great opportunity for people to see a different side to him musically. He works hard to be the biggest artist in the world and that goes over many different genres.
It’s incredible to see what’s happening with Virgil and we’ve kind of been along for the ride. And the partnership has grown past him just DJ’ing and playing in the clubs. Off-White™ will be opening a store [here in Wynn] in July. The grand opening party will be here in October, which will be right after Fashion Week.
It’s just an understanding of how far we can push the boundaries of a typical residency. The Virgil that we knew three years ago is a different Virgil that we know today.
We have a specific techno event called Art of the Wild, [Virgil] performs with Black Coffee and they do an event called “White Coffee” together, this is the only place in the United States where they do this event. It’s so special, you’ll have Virgil go on first then you have Nathi go on second and then they play back to back until six o’clock in the morning.
This is when Drake came for the first time and he sat there, and unless Drake is performing he doesn’t spend a lot of time in the nightclub. But he actually spent a few hours there and the next day we got a call from his manager. After that, we were able to negotiate a deal with Drake to become a partner
[Virgil] is pushing the envelope. He just went on tour with Travis Scott and performed at Coachella and he’s playing all over the world. For him, this is a great opportunity for people to see a different side to him musically. He works hard to be the biggest artist in the world and that goes over many different genres.
It’s incredible to see what’s happening with Virgil and we’ve kind of been along for the ride. And the partnership has grown past him just DJ’ing and playing in the clubs. Off-White™ will be opening a store [here in Wynn] in July. The grand opening party will be here in October, which will be right after Fashion Week.
It’s just an understanding of how far we can push the boundaries of a typical residency. The Virgil that we knew three years ago is a different Virgil that we know today.
We have a specific techno event called Art of the Wild, [Virgil] performs with Black Coffee and they do an event called “White Coffee” together, this is the only place in the United States where they do this event. It’s so special, you’ll have Virgil go on first then you have Nathi go on second and then they play back to back until six o’clock in the morning.
This is when Drake came for the first time and he sat there, and unless Drake is performing he doesn’t spend a lot of time in the nightclub. But he actually spent a few hours there and the next day we got a call from his manager. After that, we were able to negotiate a deal with Drake to become a partner.