We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Austin Morales, Skyler King, and Joshua Pickett a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Psychosis Events, thanks for joining us today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?
Since we started Psychosis Events, the most important trends that we have noticed in the scene are that the community is refocusing on “PLUR” and is also craving more bass-heavy music events in the city of San Diego. PLUR is a term commonly used by ravers and festival goers that stands for Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect. This is a set of values and a mentality that ravers have spread across the community. It can often be associated with a rainbow because the full spectrum of colors symbolizes all the different energies we may represent, and how beautiful we are together. It is about creating an environment that seeps inclusivity from its core and allows everyone to come together as one while celebrating each of our uniqueness. PLUR allows us to celebrate individuality and oneness at the same time.
One of the main reasons why the EDM community has had such a positive impact on the city is the strong sense of community and inclusivity that is fostered at these raves. During recent years, many EDM lovers have felt that PLUR has been a long-cherished golden rule of raving that has helped define our community in such a positive way, had been fading. But recently, we’ve noticed a renewed focus on spreading PLUR energy to keep the scene alive in a healthy way.
The crowds that these events attract are truly special. It’s beautiful to see people treating strangers and friends alike with genuine love and kindness on the dance floor. We can confidently say that PLUR is alive and well in San Diego!
As San Diego reopened after the pandemic, notable EDM night clubs in the area went through a major change. Omnia was purchased by Insomniac and rebranded as Nova, while Bassmnt, a venue previously branded around a heavier EDM sound, was also rebranded as Bloom Nightclub. While Nova does feature harder EDM styles for some of their shows, they still headline several house artists — others such as Bloom focus exclusively on House and Techno music.
San Diego, in general, has been a long-standing hub for house music lovers, whereas many have assumed that the focus on house and techno would negatively affect bass-heavy EDM shows causing lowered attendance and revenue of ticket sales. Instead, what we saw was a surge of bass-driven shows where people came together to rent music production such as sound systems, DJ decks, lights/visuals, etc. all composed of smaller local companies to help fill the void, and ‘answer the call’ for our Bassheads (bass music fans). We wanted to provide a home for a specific diversified bass sound we are seeking to bring to our city.
It’s been incredible to witness how impactful and resourceful the San Diego community has become. San Diego’s scene has seen a surge in popularity and growth with the rise of multi-genre music events, advancement in production, and the overall growing popularity of the underground scene with bass collectives such as Project Seismic, Pirate Pandas, Daisy Chain, and others have helped tremendously with promoting these community-based events. With the continued growth and popularity of bass music in San Diego, it is likely that we will see even more exciting developments and trends in the years to come.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Psychosis Events was founded in 2021 by our President Skyler King, me as our Marketing Director, and our Head of Finance & Merchandise Josh Pickett to create a home for bass lovers in San Diego and to provide a platform to feature talented local bass artists who don’t always receive fair opportunities for exposure in a house music-based market.
We believe that the best way to accomplish this goal is to create immersive and high-energy experiences. We do this by providing festival-level production, and high-quality visuals/lighting from our talented VJs (Visual Jockeys) we work with by bringing our audiences out of their current reality and helping them rediscover how powerful it is to create new experiences. Bringing people together with one common love and mission… to have more bass events in our community that we all crave alike.
A large part of our mission is to curate events in San Diego that promote the community through an inclusive, welcoming environment where people from all walks of life can come together to enjoy diversified bass music — giving our audience memories that will last a lifetime. This sense of community has helped us create a strong network of fans, volunteers, and partners who are committed to helping us fulfill our mission.
The moments that give us the most pride are when we introduce San Diego to some of the best new talents in EDM and debut artists who are making names for themselves in the scene. It’s an incredible feeling to create new fans of bass-heavy EDM and the artists we love. While running a successful show is always a rewarding feeling, the ‘cherry on top’ is the opportunity to introduce our audience to the strongest local support that we discover (and we are always looking…), to where we also see the exposure and recognition created for the local artists we enjoy listening to.
Another important way that our team sets itself apart is that we pride ourselves on our commitment to creating a safe and supportive environment for our guests. We believe that music and art can be powerful tools for positive change, and we work hard to provide a space where people can express themselves in any way they see fit. We understand that our role as event organizers extends beyond the party itself, and we take that responsibility seriously when it comes to leading a team to accomplish those goals. Raising awareness of important issues such as sexual harassment, prevention of harm to others, and mental health promotion in the EDM community are some ways, in which, we aim to make an impact on the scene. We have also collaborated and partnered with current EDM organizations such as End Overdose, which serves our community by offering online and in-person certified naloxone training and harm reduction services.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
We built our reputation by providing fresh EDM experiences that bring the sound quality and good vibes we seek that are similar to how a music festival would make you feel – just at local venues instead. As a team, it’s always been our main priority to foster deep connections within the San Diego rave community. We have created a platform for some of the world’s top DJs, and up-and-coming local talent to showcase their art and attract a dedicated community of bass-heavy artists in our city.
Our commitment is bringing festival-grade production to local venues and working hard behind the scenes to ensure that each experience is unique and unforgettable – which also helps us stand out more in a competitive market. From working with choreographers, local vendors, and flow artists to decorating venues for theme events ourselves… we make sure every show is special!
Music brings people together! That is why we work tirelessly to enhance every EDM event while creating a safe and supportive space for everyone. With our focus on creating captivating experiences, supporting local talent, putting our community first, and most importantly developing a reputation as a company that truly cares for our audiences.
How did you build your audience on social media?
We’ve built our demographic audience on social media by using a few key marketing strategies that have helped us connect with our niche target audience and organically grow our following over time.
Social engagement and creative content are key! We strive to create visually appealing and engaging content that captures our events, our brand, and the overall vibe of the San Diego EDM scene. This includes everything from photography, videography, working/partnering with influencers, paid ads, SEO, PR, email marketing, graphic design, and professional animations that showcase our brand entirely – which is to become San Diego’s biggest Bass Promoter for EDM.
Secondly, we prioritize promoting our community presence. We believe that social media is not just a platform to broadcast our own message, but also an opportunity to engage with our followers and foster a sense of togetherness around our brand. Our favorite content to share is people dancing, headbanging, vibing with friends/family, and overall having a blast at every show we organize.
Finally, we stay up-to-date on current trends within the industry. This helps us create content that resonates with our target audience and stay relevant in a fast-moving industry. We research new artists, upcoming events, and emerging trends in the community — using this knowledge to improve our social media strategy and content creation.
For those just starting to build their social media presence, we would advise using visually appealing and engaging content that highlights your brand and its message Engage with your followers and foster and create a community of your own. Keep up-to-date on current trends within your industry to stay relevant and resonate with your target audience. Consistency is also important, so make sure to regularly post and engage with your followers to keep your social media presence active and growing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.PsychosisEvents.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/psychosis_events_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/psychosiseventssd/?ref=pages_you_manage
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/PsychosisEvents
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@psychosisevents
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@psychosisevents
Image Credits
Ask me what photos you are using and I will let you know who the individuals are!