Alright guys, fresh out of school since May 15th I am ready to get things up and running. Since I last posted I saw Wolfgang Gartner at Webster Hall on April 20th and Lotus at Irving Plaza on May 11th. Wolfgang debuted his new song Redline before I knew what it was (highlight of the night) and Lotus was an absolute jam. Irving Plaza only holds about 1000 people and we were less than ten feet from the stage until we went up to the balcony to get some extra room for dancing. This was the second time I have seen Lotus, which is an electronic jam band. I HIGHLY recommend seeing them as its a great change up from the normal EDM show and I am almost positive I danced even crazier- you just gotta go to understand as their recordings don’t capture a tenth of the energy that was inside that place. Anyway I have Electric Daisy Carnival coming up this weekend which should be absolutely unreal- I will document in full after the weekend!
Latest
**Temporary Hiatus**
Sorry everyone- my roommate and I are just discovering music faster than I possibly could have time to write about it. Except for upcoming concert reviews the blog will be on hold for a bit-live it up!
REVIEW- Anomaly w/ Pierce Fulton, Mt. Eden, Felguk, Martin Solveig, and Laidback Luke @ Terminal 5 3/31/12
Just to preface-this was just so, so awesome. I really liked the setup of the last Anomaly which had a killer lineup featuring Porter Robinson, Zed’s Dead, Bassjackers, and Araab Muzik, and Porter and ZD both had sets that were close to 90 minutes long. For $40 tickets it really couldn’t be beat. The lineup last night was Pierce Fulton from 9:00- 10, Mt. Eden from 10:00 – 10:45, Felguk from 10:45 to 11:30, Martin Solveig from 11:30 to 12:30, and LBL from 12:30 to 2:00. Every single artist just killed it there is no other way to put it. It was absolute liftoff from the time we got there until Laidback Luke closed us out. P-Fulton really got the crowd going, and it was non-stop after that. The sound system was definitely cranked up a bit and everyone was loving it. Mt. Eden played a great mix of lighter and heavier dubstep with some DnB thrown in, and whoever was rapping over their songs did a great job of getting the crowd into it (repetitive stage diving usually does that). I was front left for Mt. Eden, and these two guys we saw behind the barricades next to me looked a little different than your average concert goer, and after waging a bet that they were the duo that is Felguk we called out to them and were correct! Felguk threw down some great electro house beats and everyone was going absolutely insane by the time Solveig came on. Their remix of the Dirty South hit Eyes Wide Open was one of my favorite moments of mine as I was absolutely screaming the lyrics with a few friends of mine. The beginning of Mr. Sovleig’s set was surprisingly mainstream, featuring Skrillys’ first hit Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites. However he definitely eased into it and caught fire after the first few songs and the setlist he played was surprisingly quite heavy with lots of dubstep and thick beats in it. Laidback Luke had a seat that was just absolutely seamless, and he played all of his own hit remixes as well as new tracks, including Speak Up, his new collab with Wynter Gordon. Overall it was really just an amazing night. Insane music, great friends, cheap ticket prices, and now… free water at Terminal 5! Can’t be beat.
Dirty South- Eyes Wide Open (Felguk Remix)
Good times
Artist Spotlight- Vasudeva
I saw these guys twice before, and most recently at a benefit show about a year ago. Vasudeva (vah-soo-de’-vah) are an instrumental post-rock/math rock/jam band (self described as “instrumental dance-rock outfit”) from central New Jersey. They play in a style similar to the aforementioned bands Toe and LITE, yet their jams are so unique that after a few listens they easily stand out from the rest. The drumming of Derek Broomhead is just top notch. It is rare to see such a commanding presence from relatively young musician (I guess over 20 isn’t even young anymore…) but he lays the foundation with blazing time signature changes and remarkably danceable grooves. The bass lines bounce off the drumming while complimenting the complex beats and set the rhythm to be unbelievably entertaining. The guitars have a tone that is somewhat delayed and fuzzy, yet very clean to the listener, and the subtle yet rapid fills and riffs are the final ingredient in the recipe that reveal a super smooth final product. All band members are super talented at their respective instruments, and it is truly amazing to see them live. It is only a matter of time until big things happen for these guys, and my friend remarked out of nowhere upon hearing “Earthmover”, “wait…these guys aren’t signed?!” Yes that is correct… they are not signed! If I owned a record company these guys would be on it, and if my own musical career becomes overshadowed by business over time I will be sure to keep an eye on Vasudeva. These guys have been nice enough to put their FANTASTIC EP online for a free download. Check it out, drive to it, jam to it, study/party/have fun to it. They are extremely versatile musicians, and be sure to support them if they come near you.
Artist Spotlight- Toe and LITE
Doesn't the album cover already look interesting?
I am going to Bonnaroo in June this year, and ever since I have bought my ticket I have been edging more and more back into instrumentally-driven music and all sorts of rock (which is my roots in music anyway). I had an old Toe EP lying around, and after listening to it and searching for more songs online I discovered LITE. Both bands are from Japan, and are (mostly) instrumental bands that utilize the mastery of their instruments to create a highly entertaining and listenable style of music. A standard for good instrumental bands is that they have a strength in voicing and phrasing within their music, and these two bands are no exception. The drummer of Toe, Takashi Kashikura, is a master of his instrument, providing insane rhythms and rapid time signature changes throughout the songs to keep the listener guessing. LITE is more guitar driven, with their dual distorted/clean guitar attack guiding the direction of the music through their intense jams. Both have an amazing ability to be either relaxing or incredibly upbeat and fascinating, depending on the mood of the listener and what they choose to focus on. To the genre purists, LITE and Toe are “technically” categorized as post-rock or math-rock (due to the complex time signature changes and overlapping/intertwining lead instruments). But all categorization aside, I think both of these bands offer something that many different kinds of people will enjoy. I was playing these guys all day, and my roommate (who is primarily a EDM fan) commented something along the lines of, “dude…this is awesome.” Both are definitely worth checking out- they are fascinating to jam to and PERFECT for road trips, as well as studying.
LITE-Human Gift (Cmon just click play…)
Toe- New Sentimentality
Mau5hax Contest
Joel Zimmerman decided to go outside the box and have a production contest where the winners would be flown down to Miami during Ultra weekend to get a 12 hour production course with the Mau5 himself, along with a few guest appearances from Feed Me, Kill the Noise, Foreign Beggars, and Moguai, some of the most experienced artists on the Mau5trap label. After a long day of work two singles were made, and are being released for free through Soundcloud and Beatport. Definitely check both of them out- they have great fidelity and the first one features guest vocals from Foreign Beggars.
Mau5hax- Sprinkles Ft. Foreign Beggars
Mau5hax- Fractals
NEW Rusko Album- Songs (Released 3/26)
This album is actually going to be fire this summer. There is a huge reggae vibe throughout the album yet its mixed with enough of Rusko’s trademark bass to keep it real lively. Besides the single Somebody to Love, Skanker, Opium, Pressure, Dirty Sexy, Thunder, Roll da Beats, and Asda Car Park are the highlights off the album. The vocals alternate between super-silky (think Hold On) and entirely reggae with dub beats laid over (think Collie-Budz meets Rusko’s production skills). Rusko showcases a wide variety of genres while still keeping the bass as thick and grimy as ever, and the reggae aspect of the album surprisingly works very well. Definitely check out the new release!
There are no legal samples out now since it is just brand spankin new so buy it and support the man!
Rusko-Opium (change to 720p)
Artist Spotlight- Atmosphere
I have really been digging deep into Atmosphere’s album collection and I am glad I did. The combo between Slug and Ant (songwriter/producer) is truly amazing and Slug’s storytelling is some of the best around, past or present. The whole Sad Clown Bad Summer Number 9 EP is just so sweet and great to kick off the spring or summer, and the Lucy Ford: Atmosphere EP Collection is a can’t miss. The flow and truthful storytelling throughout all of their songs is at the top of the rap gang and Atmosphere is a rap duo that almost every hip-hop head can jam to.
Just listen to this…
Mattress- Atmosphere
Sunshine- Atmosphere
Dirty South- Eyes WIde Open (Felguk Remix)
Felguk is a group of DJ’s that aren’t necessarily well-known but it only takes one listen to some of their songs to recognize their talent for creating electro bangers. This remix of Dirty South’s new hit is probably my favorite remake out of them all, as it maintains the vocals, makes the piano absolutely gorgeous, and then throws in a drop that everyone will enjoy. Definitely worth the listen.
Dirty South- Eyes Wide Open (Felguk Remix)
Artist Spotlight- The Mavrikk
To be honest I have no idea where this guy came from, but it is music that immediately stands out to me. The dubstep he creates is absolutely filthy, unpredictable, and very unique, all while still maintaining a level of listen-ablility that wont deter fans from different genres.
Check out his Soundcloud where almost all of his songs are available for free, and I guarantee you this LMFAO remix is approximately 10000x more intricate and wild then anything LMFAO will ever create.
LMFAO- Sexy and I Know It (The Mavrikk Remix)
The Mavrikk- Biggie/Glitch Hop Mashup
