With every blink of an eye, a new nightlife scene is emerging in Downtown Vegas. And for locals looking to escape the chaos of the Strip in search of entertainment, it’s a welcome trend.
Fremont Street is already teeming with an eclectic mix of venues, each contributing its own character to the city’s entertainment landscape. Just a few blocks away, you’ll find some of the city’s hottest dance clubs: Commonwealth, Discopussy, Lucky Day, Oddfellows, and We All Scream are just a few of the reliable downtown institutions that people flock to every weekend.
Substance is the newest player in the mix. The year-round venue is located on the second floor of the Neonopolis entertainment complex and is set to become a central meeting point for music fans.
Behind Substance are Marcel Correa and Joe Borusiewicz, founders of RVLTN Events, a Las Vegas-based company known for hosting some of the best electronic music events throughout the year.
As locals, they kept the wants and needs of their community at the forefront of their development of the venue. Through years of attending and coordinating countless events, they realized they wanted to do more to address the issues that come with going to the club: venue accessibility, dress code, parking and drink prices.
“Our goal with this project was to bring the high-end production of a strip nightclub to the city center,” the company told Weekly in an email.
“Substance doesn’t chase, substance attracts” is the duo’s motto when it comes to capturing the essence of their vision. Thanks to partnerships with influential promoters Insomniac and Altura Presents, the venue will host top electronic and Latin DJs.
This will certainly expand the company’s impressive event portfolio, and independent ownership gives promoters even more freedom to book and host new acts. The owners say they want to work with promoters in the region to expand musical diversity and showcase Mexican regional, rock, R&B and reggae acts.
“One of the areas where Substance will shine is the complete lack of genre restrictions,” says Borusiewicz. “We believe genres are a thing of the past. With Substance, anything is possible.”
When you enter Substance, you’re meant to feel like you’re entering a dystopian dreamscape. The décor, designed by artist Gear Duran, blends sleek architecture with a post-apocalyptic warehouse vibe across the 18,000-square-foot space. But you won’t lose your footing on the way to the dance floor, as the venue features one of the city’s largest LED installations, a 100-foot-tall video wall that will serve as the centerpiece at all events.
Opening night on July 12 featured house music duo Walker & Royce, followed by the debut of Altura Presents’ weekly Latin event on Saturday night. The summer lineup promises a number of exciting acts, including LA hip-hop and Latin-influenced techno producer Boombox Cartel and dubstep DJ Crankdat.
“Substance is a venue created by Vegas locals for Vegas locals. … We’ve incorporated and corrected everything we’ve learned over the years working with other venues as promoters,” says Borusiewicz.
“This is just the beginning of what we can expect from our group as we enter the hospitality sector.”
SUBSTANCE Neonopolis, 702-751-7827, substancelv.com. Daily, 9pm-2am
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