Celebrating the right to shake that groove thang

Dance music promoter Go Ventures has enjoyed great success creating holiday-themed dance festivals with Monster Massive (Halloween) and Together as One (New Year’s Eve). With those under its belt, the company expanded its repertoire Saturday with a new Fourth of July-related event, the Independance Festival.

Held in the Coliseum before what looked to be a few thousand fans, the nine-hour bill featured an international array of DJ talent, headlined by German trance favorite Paul Van Dyk. The festival did offer a few frills, including two fireworks shows, two giant video screens (one flashing video images, the other text) and a light show.

But the strength of the event rested mostly in the hands of the DJs, something that’s become increasingly rare at festivals.

New York house favorite Erick Morillo was one DJ up to the challenge of carrying the event, turning in an often masterful, if occasionally sporadic, 90-minute set. Mixing recognizable songs from such acts as the Doobie Brothers and Coldplay, given fast-paced dance beats with some tribal percussion grooves, Morillo made Kings of Tomorrow’s dreamy “Finally” the centerpiece of his set. By letting Julie McKnight’s ethereal vocals breathe, Morillo created a healthy flow that allowed the crowd to show its appreciation.

Italy’s Mauro Picotto took a different, if no less effective, tack, keeping the crowd dancing continuously with a barrage of straight techno beats.

Those who braved the cold were rewarded by Van Dyk, who took the stage around 1:30 a.m. One of the most respected DJs on the international scene, Van Dyk is an increasingly familiar presence in L.A., but his appearances still take on event status. He, along with Morillo and Picotto, showed that if Go Ventures was letting Independance rest on the DJs, they picked the right talent.