Kelowna's big EDM vibe threatened by indoor venue uncertainty

There is no shortage of support and passion to keep Electronic Dance Music (EDM) pumping in Kelowna.

A simple search of events taking place in the coming months in and around the city includes DJ gigs at local bars and clubs, and events at the Kelowna Event Centre over the next two Saturdays, Feb. 14 and 21.

However, with the expected closure of the event centre this summer, that will leave Kelowna without any quality, large indoor venue that can handle standing crowds. The owners of the Kelowna Event Centre plan on building a mega convention centre, but that could be years away.

Many local artists and event producers have expressed concerns about a clear lack of appropriate indoor venue space. Indoor is very important for EDM because noise levels can be contained allowing these events to run to the early hours of the morning.

We spoke with local entrepreneur Matt Perron, about the gig he's organized at the Kelowna Events Centre this Saturday which will feature French DJ Samplifire. He says his event is about bringing dubstep, riddim and heavy bass back to Kelowna.

Perron is also concerned about the future lack of a venue but remains hopeful the City and live music lovers can be part of a brighter future.

"Kelowna is one of the biggest growing cities in North America, " he told Kelowna10. "We need the music scene and the venues. We all need to work as a community to push the City for these, and also keep supporting all local music."

Watch the video.

Click here for ticket info for Saturday's show.