Things came full circle for Pasquale Rotella when the California native brought the Electric Daisy Carnival to London in 2013. Against the backdrop of the Los Angeles riots back home, the UK rave scene of the early ‘90s partly inspired his journey to the top of the EDM mountain.

“I wasn’t even 18 when I went on my first trip to the UK,” he smiles. “Even though dance music started in America, the majority of music was coming out of ...