Events, Review | Afrojack, Diplo & Rusko invade Pier 94 For A Pre-New Years Party To Remember
Posted by Middy on January 7, 2013
Accompanied by Sazon Booya, Leroy Styles & Bobby Burns, Afrojack, Diplo & Rusko came down on Pier 94 in New York City on the eve of New Years Eve with a vengeance, displaying a wide variety of different styles and genres across this outstanding lineup. The venue was also playing host to Afrojack’s Jacked NYE party the following night, which went off with a bang, but no expense was spared or production lost on this night with 3 stars taking the stage. While it may have been the night before the biggest party night of the year and one might expect people to spend the night gearing up for NYE, but that did not stop the thousands of concert goers from seeing Diplo, Afrojack, & Rusko put on a clinic at Pier 94 well into the early morning. Leroy Styles & Sazon Booya got things started as the crowd started to file in at the 8pm, mixing in a steady pace of moombah and electro, keeping the growing swell of people moving and getting them warmed up for the main acts about to grace the decks.
Dubstep, Glitch, House, Review | Teknian – Sonic EP
Posted by Mach on January 7, 2013
We’re only a week into 2013 and already Teknian has delivered the first quality EP of the year. Having only announced the EP about a few weeks ago, and seeing a tracklist containing all tracks that fans of his have been dying for, I knew this EP was going to be sick to say the least. People in the music forums have been requesting the starter track, “1984,” for some time now. I had never found a clip of it to listen to so I didn’t understand what all the hype was about. Now that I have listened to it, I can see why everyone was dying for the release of this fun 80s style Glitch-Hop track. Next, “Behemoth,” which has to be my favorite on the EP, actually has a cool story. Back when Avicii’s “Fade Into Darkness” remix competition was going on, “Behemoth” was the instrumental to Teknian’s remix. After he realized how awesome his instrumentals were, he pulled the track out of the competition and delivered a heavy bass blow to our eardrums. “Sonic” is another track I have only heard stories about. It starts out like Drum & Bass, leaving you to think it might turn into Neuro-Funk. Like a B0:55, Teknian drops the bass leaving you speechless to this Dubstep fire. The last track on the EP was a complete surprise to all those anticipating its release. Teknian has been known to troll and produce outside his usual styles, but to have a house track like this one just hanging out amongst a sea of bass seemed ridiculous. “You Make Me So” is actually one of the funkiest Deep House tracks I have laid my ears upon and is a lot of fun to listen to. The “Sonic” EP is a great success, and in my opinion, Teknian did an incredible job.
Events, Review | Fareoh returns to Santos Party House for a Special Hometown Set
Posted by Middy on December 20, 2012
I had been very excited to see Fareoh for a second time after his Halloween set with Adventure Club & Nero, especially in a club setting where he would be the headliner with more time to craft the ideal Fareoh set. I got to the venue around 11:45 and the place was largely empty as you would expect in a New York City nightclub, with a few groups dancing on their own to the soulful tech grooves of the opening DJ. As time progressed from midnight on, the crowd started to fill in, many wearing santa hats and costumes because of Santacon that day. Fareoh was late getting to the venue and this threw off the opener who reverted to some safer, commercial plays a little after 1am as the venue was getting very full.
At around 1:30, Ian Spurrier, better known by his stage personna, Fareoh, arrived at the venue and wasted no time getting right into it. The venue itself has a very unique charm and style, as it does not go for the big LED screen or the big laser displays, but rather puts the DJ booth front and center in the middle of the crowd and allows for a more intimate setting between the DJ and the audience who surround the booth on all sides. Fareoh, playing to a packed club of people dressed in clothing ranging from full on Santa costumes, to your usual clubbing attire, to the guy in a LED suit (way to be), wasted no time making sure his presence was known on the decks taking the lead with a big room, bootleg heavy set.
Hip-Hop, Review | Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: Live In Boston [Concert Review]
Posted by Grubeats on November 26, 2012
Thanksgiving came one week early for Macklemore & Ryan Lewis fans, as the duo energetically turned the sold out House of Blues into their musical cornucopia. As the sun set and the brisk Boston air settled, fans from all over New England lined Landsdowne Street hours before the doors opened, hoping to grab a spot close enough to catch a drop of Macklemore’s sweat. Many stood dressed in character, more than likely raiding their grandmother’s closet or the local Goodwill earlier in the day to find the freshest fur. Some went as far as cutting their hair to match that of the #SharkFaceGang captain. It’s amazing how dedicated fans can be.
With hopes of bypassing the line and making my way into the heated venue a bit earlier than the rest, I stopped at the box office only to find the media list was still “under construction.” With time to spare, I snapped some pictures of the infamous Heist Tour Bus, detailed with everything from a mountain goat to a cactus to a Paul Wall grill, before spotting young Ben Foley of Swaggernaut Productions. As Ben and I chopped it up, we noticed Ryan Lewis grabbing a breath of fresh air out of the venues side door. As fans remained oblivious of their idols presence, we calmly let the man enjoy a moment of tranquility before it was his time to drop the needle on the vinyl.
Albums, Contests, Featured, Review | Sensation Innerspace New York 2012 Mixed by Fedde Le Grand
Posted by Middy on November 8, 2012
Fedde Le Grand fresh off of his performance at the first Sensation on US soil (there will be more), has put together the mix compilation for the event to help you relive those timeless memories of the best all night concert in the world. It is a two part mix CD that takes you on a journey of sound and style, much like the journey you experience at Sensation. The first CD leans more to the electro / progressive realm, utilizing lesser known tracks to keep the idea that the experience of the Sensation comes first and the DJ is secondary, including several from Fedde himself, Chris Lake & Lazy Rich “Stand Alone”, “Toxic Rush”, “Tombo” and others. The second CD gives the official ID&T package with a more clubby, techy sound that you would have heard at the night itself. Seemless transitions from one track to the next makes the 75 minutes on each CD fly by very quickly. After the jump are the tracklists and the sets from the both nights with their respective tracklists.
We are giving away two physical copies of the CD that cannot be bought in the US, so this is an opportunity that you do not want to pass up on. This is only open to residents of the United States unfortunately, but if you live here, you will want to get this CD you can’t are not able to purchase.
iTunes: Sensation Innerspace New York 2012 Mixed by Fedde Le Grand
Albums, Review | Kill The Noise – Black Magic EP
Posted by Spice on November 8, 2012
Nearly a year after the release of his show-stopping debut EP, Kill The Noise proves that he remains firmly positioned at the vanguard of a rapidly changing electronic music scene. Black Magic, his sophomore effort, showcases both his evolution as a producer and his uncanny ability to find musicality in unexpected places. While there’s less of the slowed-down, guttural bass that was omnipresent on Kill Kill Kill — and which has arguably become his calling card as a producer — there’s plenty of goodness here to fill the void. There are positively haunting vocal harmonies that slide seamlessly into an eerie bass interlude (“Black Magic [Kill The Noise pt. 2]”). There’s hard-hitting dub (always an OWSLA favorite) in the form of “Jump Ya Body;” thanks to agile, relentless synthwork, it feels fresh even amidst “Make It Bun Dem” and “Jah No Partial” oversaturation. “Rockers” borrows a bit too heavily from the Knife Party playbook, but it’s a fun and high-energy listen — and the pitch-perfect trap breakdown at the second drop rights all wrongs. “Mosh It Up” and its fierce laser synths were made for the dance floor, while the funky, moombah-tinged “Thumbs Up” (a collaboration with Feed Me) is about to make my commute home a lot more interesting. “Saturn” is a startling and lovely surprise that is perhaps the most unexpected track on the EP; the ethereal vocals culminate in an ecstatic harmony before KTN navigates us into some pounding electro house and a bridge that features an intricately woven hook. The final track? A totally mind-blowing piano cover of “Kill The Noise pt. 1” by internet wunderkind Evan Duffy (seriously, if you haven’t checked out this kid’s covers of your favorite EDM tracks yet, do yourself a favor and spend an hour on his YouTube channel). It’s a brilliant marriage of the traditional with the unconventional, and — like the rest of Black Magic — strikes just the right chord.
Events, Review | Pier Of Fear: The Haunted House Tour Takes Over NYC
Posted by Middy on November 7, 2012
Despite being still 5 days away, on Friday October 26th Halloween was in full swing at Pier 94 as the Haunted House Tour made its first stop in its trek across the country in New York City, bringing along a cast that included, Knife Party, Tommy Trash, Style of Eye and others. The sold out pier which has seen the likes of Avicii, Arty and others was rocking all night long with top of the line visuals consisting of an outstanding laser and light display. While it is true that Pier 94’s ventilation system is pretty awful and it becomes a sweat box, despite the size of the venue, the night overall one to remember with some great performances across the board.
Destructo, who’s day job is the head of Hard, the main event organizer of the night, started off the night with a set that mixed together a whole host of different genres getting the night started as the crowd was quickly starting to file in. Fast riser on the scene and hometown kid, Baauer, followed up Destructo with his hip hop infused electronic beats that got the party started with a bouncy mix of trap, electro and hip hop. Next up came Style Of Eye, who delivered my favorite set only to Tommy Trash.