Skrillex, aka Sonny Moore, released a new song on Soundcloud yesterday that definitely gives you an idea of what he's all about. This LA-based, dubstep/electro producer, former punk-rocker, has a very well-blended heavy, yet danceable sound. Enjoy:
Girl Talk aka Greg Gillis' first new album since 2008's Feed The Animals is out today, and it's called All Day. As usual with Girl Talk, there are hundreds of mixes, ranging from things you'll hear on the radio today, to stuff that was on the radio 30 years ago. One example is the song "Makes Me Wanna," which mixes Basement Jaxx's "Where's Your Head At," the Arcade Fire's "Wake Up," Radiohead's "Idioteque," and the Isley Brothers' "Shout," with about 2 dozen other sings, all under 6 and a half minutes.
If you've never heard Girl Talk, download his new album here, for free of course (and in multiple formats). If you've heard Girl Talk before, download All Day here, and enjoy.
Girl Talk will return to NYC's Terminal 5 on Thursday, February 24th, 2011.
Last Saturday, 11/13/10, Glass Gifts performed a free show at Spike Hill Music in Williamsburg. I had been excited to see him perform since first listening to his self-titled debut LP and I'd heard that he had performed recently at several CMJ events.
After the performance I had a chance to meet up with Glass Gifts, aka Rich Cupolo. I was surprised that this performance was not more heavily attended, although Rich explained to me that this was only his fifth live performance as Glass Gifts. From the way he moved comfortably around on stage, switching between his monome and keyboard, to the quality of the music he was producing, and the awesome visuals on the screen behind him, I found it hard to believe how fresh on the scene he was. He told me that he plays keyboard/guitar in the band 'The American Dollar,' and while his involvement in that band gave him a firm musical foundation, as well as a large following, he's very passionate about his new Glass Gifts project, and dance music in general.
All in all, he played for about an hour, playing all the tracks off his debut EP 'Glass Gifts', as well as a couple of new tracks including the Crystal Castles ft. Robert Smith remix, "Not in Love," seen here.
Glass Gift's sound is unique but well defined. Rich said he drew a lot of his influence from bands like Oasis, the Disco Biscuits, and DJs like Pretty Lights, though it's evident in his music that his influences go far beyond that. From Hip Hop to Blues and Jazz, Rich merges and blends multiple genres amazingly and fuses them in a seamless manner. I could easily see Glass Gifts performing at larger venues, to larger crowds, and look forward to seeing him perform again in the near future.
If you haven't listened to his self titled debut, or the Crystal Castles remix yet, I recommend you check it out here, he is definitely a fresh new artist to watch. Also check out his Facebook, and of course, right here, for updates about upcoming shows and new releases.
When not performing as the bassist for Pnuma Trio, Alex B(eats) is a notable hip-hop, livetronica producer, whose sound more closely resembles artists like Two Fresh, than his afformentioned collaboration. Alex B just released his first full-length LP, "Moments," which is available for download here.
The impact of Eliot Lipp's early interest in hip-hop artists like the RZA, and Hieroglyphics is evident throughout his music. His style incorporates elements of hip-hop with early electro and 90's techno, that combined with his performance style, give his music more of an old school feel.
San Francisco native, Ana Sia's style combines glitch-hop, dub step, and her personalized "global slut psy-hop," into one high octane sonic blend. Of the three headliners, I'm easily the most excited to catch this set.
The show starts at 9:00PM, and tickets are available online, or at the door for $6, which is less than the price of just about anything you could do at Brooklyn Bowl that night.
ESKMO's self-titled debut is a satisfying full-length introduction to the world from recently signed Ninja Tunes artist/producer Brendan Angelides. The sound is tighter, the tracks are generally more concise and, for the most part, more lyrical than some of his earlier single and EPs, but ESKMO has managed to successfully transplant the haunting rhythms, ethereal melodies, thunderous bass, and syncopated, natural beats from many of those earlier works into this new, tightly-knit LP.
ESKMO's first single under the Ninjatunes label, and the first single from the new LP, "Cloudlight" was released with this music video, on August 11th, and later on it's own EP "Cloudlight/Come Back" in early September.
ESKMO's unique sound has made him one of my favorite artist/producers both live and in the studio to date, and all of his talents are on display in this new LP. One aspect of Angelides' many talents on greater display in this LP is his voice. In many of his previous singles, his vocal contributions took on a minimalist tone, such as in the singles "Harmony" and "Let Them Sing." While this new work steers mainly toward the minimalist approach, his voice has become a much more integral component of the music itself, such as in the dirty sing-along anthem, "We Got More." Alternatively, on the track "The Melody," the distorted hum of his voice works in tandem with the synthesized elements to create an odd, yet pleasing tonal hybrid that builds until the song deliberately collapses under its own weight, and Angelides' own voice sputters the name of the song in sync with a wild flowing bass line.
Angelides' vocals are not as successful on every track. As a first track, "Cloudlight" is somewhat of a weak start for an album that goes through such a range of natural sounds, and heavy beats. Once "ESKMO" finally hits its pace, it loses some of that momentum with the track "Communication," in which Angelides' uses both his own vocal range and various distortions to create the driving melody of the track, though quite unsuccessfully in my opinion. His voice is an amazing compliment to what he has done well throughout his career, and even works as a predominant component in some tracks, but as a sole driving force, falls short.
As a whole, the LP is a great exposition of ESKMO as one of Angelides' two musical identities, relying heavily on deep bass, and syncopated rhythms to create an eerily mystical, yet danceable experience for the listener. The focus on his vocal contributions worked as a compliment in some cases, but not on their own. Ultimately, this does not detract from the quality of what I would say is a solid release under this new label.
The LP was released with exclusive availability through iTunes on September 21st, and will be widely released through other outlets on October 4th.
That's right, James Murphy, multi-talented producer, DJ, and frontman of the world-famous LCD Soundsystem and DFA Records will be performing live tonight at the Hudson Hotel's Bar in NYC between 9PM & 4AM. When performing solo, Murphy is often found on the turntables mixing danceable disco beats with more contemporary tunes. Here's a video of James Murphy performing with LCD Soundsystem drummer, Pat Mahoney at Camp Bisco's DFA Dance Tent.
More recently, James Murphy has been on a worldwide tour with LCD Soundsystem following the release of their newest album, This is Happening,. Though a New Jersey native, Murphy currently resides in New York, making frequent appearances at venues like Brooklyn Bowl, the Wellmont Theatre, and Terminal 5. This, however, is his first free performance in some time. For show info, click here.
Halloween is an amazing time of year. For young and old alike, it's the only American "holiday" that let's you dress up, and let your inner demon run wild. Halloween concerts are certainly in no short supply.
While searching for Kill The Noise's next NYC event, realizing he was overdue for a return, one particular event caught my eye; Rather than performing in one of New York's many clubs, or concert venues, KTN will perform at a place which is likely host to more Bar Mitvahs than concerts, Sportstime USA?!?!
That's right, Kill the Noise will be performing at the Elmsford, NY's "premier family entertainment center" as part of the "Creatures of the Night - Halloween Massive" event, hosted by Tight Crew. KTN will be playing sometime between 9PM & 5AM alongside other electronic acts, including EVOL INTENT, DJ Teddy Glow, and about a dozen other DJs. What makes this Halloween event unique is that alongside your Electro, Drum & Bass, and Trance music, you can also enjoy bumper cars, ice cream, arcade games, and a roller coaster? That's right.
This is definitely the most unique Halloween/Dance Party I've ever heard of, so with a clear work schedule, I plan to be in attendance. For more information, check here.
I heard this remix before hearing the original song. Now I'm quite partial to both, though I think the remix has a nice dubstep aspect to it that sets it apart. Enjoy.
Nero is a Drum and Bass DJ duo from the UK, consisting of Dan Stephens and Joe Ray. They broke onto the Dubstep scene in 2008, and have remixed many popular electronic dance tunes.
NOTE (8/30/2010): I just remembered where I first heard this song:
That's right. Deadmau5, the world-famous Toronto DJ/Producer will be going back on tour after a brief break, and numerous cancellations following his collapse at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. last month. Following his recovery, he will make a stop in NYC for three nights in October at the Roseland Ballroom on October 28th, 29th and 30th. Definitely going to check that one out.
Electric Zoo, New York's largest Electronic Dance Music Festival, is back for a second year. Made Events is following up last year's lineup, which included Armin Van Buuren, Deadmau5, Benny Benassi, Busy P, Steve Aoki, Yuksek, and many more, with an even more impressive lineup, found here.
Montreal native, 26 year-old Alain Macklovitch is A-Trak. Widely known for his collaborations with Kanye West, Travis Barker, Boys Noize and Kid Cudi, A-Trak has been a World Champion DJ for over a decade (after winning the DMC at the age of 15). Though often indescribable, A-Trak's style blends multiple genres, most notably Hip Hop and Dance Music.
A-Trak got his start at a young age, spinning records for his older brother, David Macklovitch's (Chromeo's Dave 1) band in Montreal. Since those humble beginnings, A-Trak has worked with Kanye West, Kid Cudi, and Boys Noize, as well as many other well-known artists.
Considering his fellow performers at Electric Zoo, A-Trak's style is definitely underrepresented. Turntablism and Techno usually don't go together, but A-Trak brings them both together seamlessly with the audience watching in awe, and will definitely be a welcome addition to this event.
Derek Vincent Smith of Pretty Lights can deliver. "Spilling Over Every Side" is his 2nd EP of 2010, and the 6th free release on his website, Prettylightsmusic.com. There are 6 songs in total, all of which are noticeably longer than in previous releases (5 of the 6 are upwards of 7 minutes). This length allows for a mixture of the styles Pretty Lights has become known for, thumbing electronic hip hop beats, distorted synths, and more organic jazz sampled lyrics and horns. Smith explains the emphasis on longer, genre bending tracks in that, "I guess, because thats what I want to hear... fresh, intricate, beats that attempt to communicate ideas or tell a story somehow."
What's more impressive about the EP, is that Smith released it in the midst of a busy summer tour. Look for Pretty Lights, now featuring live drummer Adam Deitch, Saturday, September 4th at Electric Zoo.
Yesterday, the Love Parade, perhaps the world's most illustrious electronic dance music festival, known for celebrating peace and love, became the scene of a tragedy. Nineteen people were killed, and 342 injured during a stampede which occurred in a tunnel that was the only entry-way for an estimated 1.4 million people who would attend the event. While the cause of the stampede is seemingly unknown, blame is already being placed on the city officials, who had planned only one entrance to this year's event. It seems that the sheer amount of people drawn to this event was greatly underestimated by the those officials, and festival planners, and with horrendous consequence.
The Love Parade, which began in West Berlin, Germany in 1989 originally as a political demonstration for peace and international understanding through love and music, had been held annually in Germany's capital until 2003. Since it's inception, the Love Parade has become an international spectacle, drawing hundreds of thousands to Berlin, and later other German cities, to celebrate life, love, and EDM. In an attempt to prevent further panic, the event was allowed to go on in spite of the incident, however it is not known whether the festival will continue after this year.
It is my hope, that in spite of this tragedy events like this will not be discouraged in the future, but rather more emphasis will be put on accommodating the many, many people whose sole desire is to celebrate peace, love, and music. On that I will leave you with a reminder of how great the Love Parade has been as a tribute to what may be its final year.
Thanks to A.R.T. for showing me this video of a great ESKMO set at Camp Bisco 9 on 7/16/10. I'm dead center in the yellow soccer jersey, but you should definitely focus on the guy on stage. Brendan Angelides aka ESKMO is an amazing, up and coming San Francisco Producer/DJ who has a unique and interest sound, and is someone to watch. More to come from CBIX.
I am an avid, dance music enthusiast. While I spend a good portion of my days looking for new music, the purpose of this blog is to share whatever song is being replayed constantly in my library, whether it is new, or a classic.
