Guy Gerbers' Rumors
Michael Mendoza for Rumors
With tastes in dance music shifting ever more toward house and techno in the States, American promoters are evolving as well — delivering the sounds of the underground to increasingly larger audiences across the country.
In Los Angeles, a leader of this evolution is Future Primitive, the events company founded in 2018 and made up of Adam Gold and Craig Pettigrew. Together, they bring a long history of experience in the worldwide dance scene. Gold is an L.A. native who’s worked with collectives, brands and events including Coachella, CRSSD, A Club Called Rhonda, Red Bull and Miami Music Week. Pettigrew was one of the founders of The BPM Festival and left the organization in 2019.
The business partners and good friends have on Thursday (Feb. 27) announced a stacked Summer Series that will make Los Angelenos feel like they’re in Ibiza, with a lineup including the fifth anniversary of Guy Gerbers’ Rumors event in Chinatown, Jamie Jones’ Paradise in the Park, a shared billing from DJ Tennis and Gerd Janson, and the only West Coast performance from German collective Keinemusik. (See the complete lineup below.)
Here, Gold and Pettigrew reflect on their upcoming season.
When and why did you guys come together as Future Primitive, and what do you aim to deliver?
Adam Gold: Both Craig and myself have a long history in the underground, both in the U.S. and around the world. Eventually, we realized that as close friends it would be fun to try something together, and that manifested itself in the Rumors Chinatown block party, which is now approaching its five year anniversary. Shockingly enough it seemed like a crazy idea to close a street and do that back in 2015.
As we brought more shows and artists to L.A., the Future Primitive name started in 2018 as a “home” to present our shows. Last year, we added artist Gianpaolo Altomari as a partner to help concept and design our physical sites, which really up leveled the experience. This year will be a major season for us, hosting with Rumors and DJ Tennis returning, Paradise’s expansion to a two day experience and the Keinemusik showcase.
We really want to throw shows from the fan perspective, with fair ticket pricing, experiential elements, surprises onsite, and great food and beverage options. To sum it up: You shouldn’t have to go to Europe to have an amazing outdoor block party with world-class underground DJs.
What are you each bringing to the table in terms of experience and expertise?
Craig Pettigrew: I endeavor to put together lineups that surprise and delight our fans — and us, of course! Having started as a promoter and talent booker almost 20 years ago, I am so fortunate to have relationships with the DJs themselves, which helped convince them to come to L.A. and play with unique talent one wouldn’t expect. Five years ago, putting Guy Gerber with an L.A. — and worldwide — legend, DJ Harvey, was a bit of stretch, but now it’s a tradition.
AG: As someone with a passion for my hometown of L.A. and real estate, I try to continually find unique venues to host shows and convince the City of Los Angeles that these shows will be good for the city and the neighborhoods we host them in. A specialty of mine is removing the stigma that may come from the uneducated about the scene. We want to show the diversity of people that enjoy our world and how well behaved and friendly our fans are.
With these lineups, do you think you’re bringing anything to the L.A. market that hadn’t previously existed?
CP: Los Angeles has a long history of booking underground DJs, but they were playing primarily in warehouses in Downtown L.A., so we felt it was time we showcased some of these acts in an open-air setting in some of L.A.’s amazing outdoor venues.
When we first started, we really were one of the first to bring underground music into the larger open-air daytime events. The artists and collectives we have worked with are also not coming to L.A. with tremendous regularity. We produced the first dedicated Innervisions, Rumors and Paradise shows in the city, so just being able to bring these talents here is something we’re proud of.
What other markets are you focusing on, and what markets in the States do you consider most exciting?
CP: We find the vibe in Miami during Art Basel pretty unique and have done some events there over the past two years. Closer to home, we are planning something really special in the desert outside of L.A. next year. And how could we not be looking at doing something in Ibiza this summer, if the opportunity arises?
What do you make of evolving tastes in dance music in the States, and how is what you’re doing with Future Primitive cater to that evolution?
AG: The fans are so varied now, it’s pretty amazing. You can truly find people from all walks of life at these dance music shows; it defies categorization. But the fan expects more as well — we can’t just put up some lighting and a DJ desk and expect the fan to be satisfied.