Axwell, of Swedish House Mafia, Headlining Cosmic Opera

Electronic and opera? Cosmic Opera, a dance music series with an opera format scheduled for February in New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom, is being headlined by Axwell. One-third of electronic dance music supergroup Swedish House Mafia, Axwell is essentially the conductor and curator of the event, which consists of three monthly six-hour performances that start on February 24.

But, don’t consider it a Wagner-esque take on electronic music. Rather, Cosmic Opera features high-tech 3D mapping, a technique used live by Skrillex and Deadmau5, Baroque-era performers, dancers, and acrobats around the venue. Creating a 360-degree performance, Cosmic Opera pays tribute to the venue’s origins. Founder and creator Justin Cohen stated in a release: "When I was formulating the idea for Cosmic Opera, finding the right venue was one of the most important decisions I needed to make. Hammerstein's legendary history of iconic performances and profound architecture gave me much of the inspiration for the vision of Cosmic Opera. When I first walked in to discuss the idea, I immediately knew it would be the perfect home for this event series."

All established producers, Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso formed Swedish House Mafia in 2008 and are currently working on their first studio album. Scoring hits with “Miami 2 Ibiza,” “One,” and “Save the World” and putting out a compilation in 2010, the trio recently did the first electronic dance music gig in Madison Square Garden and aim to change live performance in their genre. In an interview with The Mirror, Angello said: “We want to make sure fans get what they paid for. In the future, it’s important bands take more control of their shows. We’re planning even bigger gigs, and getting together the set and guests for our Milton Keynes show next summer.

“We are always looking for the next little rush. At Madison Square Garden, we wanted to create the world’s biggest nightclub, without the awkward moment where people are standing around at a concert. The sky’s the limit.”

Watch a preview of Cosmic Opera here: