Monster Massive: It’s about the music -- and Halloween scare tactics

Two years ago, the Halloween-themed dance-music festival Monster Massive attracted almost 40,000 people to the L.A. Sports Arena and the surrounding grounds. But last year, just a month after 9/11, that number was reduced by more than half.

Now Halloween 2002 seems poised to recapture the spirit of the day.”I can feel the response just in the hits to our Web sites and ticket sales,” says Reza Gerani, an L.A.-based DJ and the chief executive of Go Ventures, the company that will stage the fifth annual Monster Massive on Saturday.

Monster Massive has not only the party atmosphere of Halloween in its favor, but also the fact that it is one of the few large-scale festivals in L.A. this year. Even reliable events such as Nocturnal Wonderland have been absent in 2002, due in part to the struggling economy, in part to negative publicity about the rave scene, according to promoters and others in the business.

That publicity, often focusing on drug use at raves, has made relations between promoters and authorities problematic, but Gerani credits Monster Massive’s track record as a key to avoiding that conflict.

“We’ve been doing Monster Massive at the Sports Arena for five years, and because of that we’ve proven repeatedly to the city that we can do these events,” he says. “City officials have been to our events and they know they’re about the music.”

At a festival of this size, the whole experience -- lights, sound, videos, setting -- is important, but the music is the foundation, and Gerani has whittled down more than 200 inquiries to the 50 or acts on the bill.

Saturday’s DJs include house stars Kevin Saunderson, Derrick May and Felix Da Housecat on five Halloween-themed stages. Gerani is particularly excited about Chicago-based DJ Funk, a deep house act making his first L.A. appearance.

“I look for, (a) DJs that can put on a performance, (b) DJs that haven’t been out here too long and don’t perform repeatedly, and (c) I look for what people are asking for,” Gerani says. “We take polls on our Web sites. And that’s the equation we use to figure out who’s going to play our next party.”

Drum-and-bass star AK1200 (real name: Dave Minner), who will be playing his first Monster Massive, likes the approach.

“Most promoters end up getting the same lineup they usually get because they work with the same people all the time,” says the Orlando, Fla., artist. “But these guys wanted to get a few people they hadn’t gotten yet.”

Unlike most raves. Monster Massive also features live performers, including the Spacemen and the San Fernando Valley duo Signal, which has just released its second album, “The Message Is Clear.”

Much of Monster Massive’s success stems from the spirit of the holiday, with fans of all ages coming in costumes, the stages designed to reflect the theme and the spooky but celebratory nature of the night.

“There’s that mysterious feeling about the night of Halloween that brings out that full moon-type feeling; that kind of eerie, scary vibe. But it’s also a fun night.”

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Monster Massive

When: Saturday, 6 p.m. to

4 a.m.

Where: Los Angeles Sports Arena, 3939 S. Figueroa St., L.A.

Price: $35 in advance, $45 day of show, $75 VIP package.

Contact: (323) 960-5155, www.monstermassive.com.