Lane 8 b2b Sultan + Shepard - DALLAS

We live at a time when distractions from reality are never further away than our fingertips. Our phones offer us unlimited stimulation and temporary comfort. The possibilities of technology are endless, but they also limit the possibility…the possibility to truly experience and submit to the moment. For me, going to a club has always been about letting go of the world around me, like a vacation from the nagging realities of everyday life. In the best clubs I have been to, the people were united by a desire to experience electronic music in the purest sense; to get lost in its tension and release. No matter what was going on in their lives, it was a place where, for at least a few hours, nothing else mattered but the sheer power music had to bring people joy. And those experiences - held only by those in that room, at that moment - were almost like the reward to submitting to a secret society. At the end of the night, I could look at my friends, old and new, and without saying a single word, we'd know that what we experienced together was something special, something that would never quite be repeated again. Some of my early clubbing experiences have stayed with me for my entire life. They are why I'm doing what I'm doing today. There is not a photo, forum thread or social media post in existence to mark their happening, but the memories, the emotions I felt, the way those nights changed my life - those things stay with me to this day. Somewhere along the way, we as a society have lost the ability to experience those special moments. On the rare occasion that they do happen, we scramble to grab our phones in time to capture them - but those moments cannot be truly captured - and they don’t need to be broadcasted or recorded. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is fully appreciate what is happening in that room, at that moment, with those people around us. I think our society needs clubbing experiences where they go home with more than just a picture to post on instagram. That's why I'm starting This Never Happened - I want to create that experience for people. At This Never Happened, we invite you into a space where the only thing that matters are the people in that room, the music and the magic that happens when those things interact. An event where the dancefloor will be a phone and photo-free space. This experience we share together may, by today’s standards, have never happened. But those who dare will always know - something special did happen here. I look forward to building this concept with you :) Love, Daniel

Sultan and Shepard (stylized as Sultan + Shepard) are a Canadian electronic music duo who frequently collaborate in record production, songwriting, and remixing. Sultan, born Ossama Al Sarraf, lived in Kuwait, Cyprus, and Egypt, before moving to Montreal in 1996 to study mechanical engineering and business at McGill University. While there, he became immersed in Montreal's nightlife and the house scene. A series of gigs DJing led to the release of his first track, "Primal Instinct". Sultan was signed to Chug Records in 2001. In 2004, he starred in the documentary Being Osama which detailed his Christian Palestinian roots. In 2002, Ned Shepard, also a student at McGill DJing in Montreal, gave Sultan a demo CD of music he had been working on. Sultan called Shepard the following morning and expressed an interest in producing together. In 2008, Sultan + Shepard formed Harem Records to release their music. Their singles include "Walls" featuring Quilla, "No Good" with Fedde Le Grand, "In the Air" with Morgan Page and BT, "When We Were Young" with Dillon Francis, and "Make Things Right" featuring Tegan & Sara. In July 2018 they announced their upcoming debut artist album, slated for release in 2019. They co-wrote and co-produced the 2014 David Guetta song "Bad", co-wrote "Drove Me Wild" by Tegan & Sara from their 2013 album Heartthrob, and have collaborated with Tiësto, Junior Sanchez, The Boxer Rebellion, Vassy, and Nadia Ali. They were nominated for a 2013 Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for their remix of "Locked Out of Heaven" by Bruno Mars. They were nominated for a 2018 Juno Award for Dance Recording of the Year for their song "Almost Home" featuring Nadia Ali and IRO. Shepard cites Brian Eno, Underworld, The Chemical Brothers, Faithless, and Sasha & John Digweed among his major inspirations. Sultan cites the same artists as well as Daft Punk and Deep Dish.