Galore Intel: 1-on-1 With Thomas Turner, Mastermind Producer Behind John Summit’s Experts Only Festival
Galore went backstage with Relentless Beats’ founder Thomas Turner at Experts Only Festival, the inaugural festival headlined and curated by internationally renowned DJ, John Summit, held in New York City September 20-21, 2025. Known on the festival circuit as the brainchild behind several well respected festivals such as Phoenix Lights and Goldrush, Turner recently established his second festival production brand, East Meets West (EMW) in New York with Experts Only leading the charge. Experts Only festival is a landmark project for EMW and a testament to what East Meets West has built in New York. Over the past year and half, Turner has produced standout events for NYC including Vintage Culture at Under the K, Chris Lake (Black Book) and Mochakk at Brooklyn Army Terminal, among others. These shows helped shape the infrastructure and credibility that made last weekend’s Experts Only possible.
Galore: Why Was Experts Only a Must Attend Festival?
New York City has been without a real electric music festival for a couple of years now. We assembled an amazing year one lineup and produced an amazing event with one of the hottest acts / brands on the planet in one of the best cities. That certainly makes it a must attend for EDM fans. The Festivagoers were definitely impressed.
Galore: What made this so truly special for you?
As a producer and promoter, I take pride in more than just booking talent. I believe in aligning the right people, the right spaces, and the right energy. With Experts Only, we’ve done exactly that—bringing together John Summit, Medium Rare, and two independent promoter brands (Relentless Beats and East Meets West) to deliver something new, scalable, and truly special for dance music fans.
Galore: What inspired you to partner with John Summit and what makes this unique?
It was the right place and the right time to do this event with Wasserman and Experts only. I had an opportunity to put the teams together and make a play, and here we are. We had one of the most epic festivals New York has ever seen.
Galore: What inspired you to launch a brand-new festival in New York City, and why now?
It’s something we have been planning for some time. Not with experts Only but with my new company East Meets West along with Relentless Beats, my overarching brand. This came together incredibly, and more to come soon.
Galore: Why was Randall’s Island the ideal location for the first Experts Only NYC event?
Some of my best friends had Randall’s island held for a series of events and didn’t plan to utilize the dates in the end so it serendipitously came together with the right people at the right time. It was meant for this festival.
Galore: How did you approach curating a lineup that balances major headliners with emerging talent?
Tell us a few acts our readers should be excited for and that you are most excited for? John’s team was very involved in curating this lineup and it’s an excellent mix of fresh and legendary talent. Aybo & Roddy Lima are two I was really excited for and I can’t ever get enough of my boys Green Velvet, and Kaskade!
Galore: What role does community and culture play in the way you’re building this festival brand?
The community and electronic music culture are everything to us. We did this for the city of New York and electronic music fans across the globe.
Galore: In what ways are you creating an experience that feels both large-scale and deeply personal for attendees?
Hosting this event at Randall’s Island brings people back to the site where my partners Adam Richman, & Kevin Mitchell produced so many amazing festivals. They are deeply in touch with what works and what makes for a great event for our attendees. Experts Only is absolutely on fire right now and we have designed an experience with them that will leave fans highly anticipating next year’s event.
Producer Thomas Turner’s goal has always been to bring world-class dance music experiences to new spaces and new audiences. Turner connected John Summit’s team—led by Ben Shprits at Wasserman—with Medium Rare to pitch the idea of producing the first-ever “Experts Only Festival” at Randall’s Island. After a series of productive discussions, the concept was greenlit with full enthusiasm from all parties involved. What started as a single show quickly evolved into a multi-year commitment to co-produce a full-scale artist-branded festival, setting a new bar for what collaboration between promoters, artists, and experiential producers can look like.
For upcoming festival news check out www.relentlessbeats.com and follow him @thomasturnerAZ and @relentlessbeats
Photos courtesy of Experts Only festival / East Meets West
