Albums | Future bass purveyor Maddy O’Neal recruits vocalist MOONZz for inaugural collaboration “Change Of Pace”
Posted by VMan on August 17, 2022
Evolution is at the core of Maddy O’Neal’s creative process. She’s cultivated a brand of future bass that incorporates intricate synth design, glistening electro-soul melodies and funky, pulsating basslines. And yet the dynamic artist is always looking for new sounds and styles to explore – a sonic curiosity that spotlights her unique innovation within the male-dominated bass scene.
Following a breakneck tour schedule that’s seen O’Neal vaunt her hybrid DJ-drum pad live performance at 90+ shows annually for the last five years, the Denver-based beatsmith will continue to showcase this musical fervor on her sophomore album Ricochet which drops Tuesday, September 20.
Her first full-length LP since 2016 and the follow-up to four celebrated EPs, Ricochet will be an immersive, personal experience, pulling listeners into a buoyant journey through a shifting arsenal of styles and soundscapes. The album’s production process features O’Neal playing drum pads, keyboard, and synthesizers, in addition to collaborating with various vocalists and instrumentalists. The result is a bold body of work that peers into the musical auteur’s internal artistic and personal dichotomies.
In May, O’Neal dropped the album’s first single “Never Fades,” a sparkling, euphoric future bass banger. Then in July, she released “Follow Me,” a trap and reggae-inspired track featuring producer/trumpeter Balkan Bump.
Now, O’Neal unveils “Change Of Pace,” a bouncy, exuberant song that further expands the artist’s sonic palette while still retaining her typical creative panache. Featuring LA-bred vocalist MOONZz (the singer-songwriter project of Molly Williams who featured on Big Gigantic’s “Future’s All I See,” CloZee’s “Hold On,” DROELOE’s “Statues,” and SLUMBERJACK and Daktyl’s “Crucified”), “Change Of Pace” represents a fluid chemistry between vocals and instrumental, surrounding MOONZz’ melodic, celestial performance with ascendant chord progressions, glitchy synths, and a booming, bass-infused beat.
“Change Of Pace” is the first collaboration between the two artists, and their writing process proved to be a natural creative partnership invigorated by shared taste and history (both are CU Boulder alumni).
The single features a genre-melding, trunk-rattling instrumental, combining trap and bass music elements to create a kaleidoscopic, dance-fueled experience. O’Neal’s production is the perfect foil for MOONZz’ vocals, which glide throughout the track and anchor the electronic core with layers of heavenly, triumphant melodies.
“Change Of Pace” is a resounding single leading into O’Neal’s album release, and anticipates an LP that will bring fans a bevy of colorful, genre-crossing experiments. Hot on the heels of her Lollapalooza debut, the bass maestro will showcase Ricochet across the country this year, performing at festivals such as Hulaween, Secret Dreams, Same Same But Different, and Lost Lands. O’Neal’s live performances consist of original compositions, drum pads and an interwoven storyline, ranging from down low grimey bangers to shimmery mid-tempo vocal bass tracks and head nod disco.
Events | Fetty Wap, Chainsmokers, Big G, Lil Dicky, Post Malone, & More To Headline #FEST
Posted by VMan on January 19, 2016
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The 14th annual #FEST boasts a multi-genre line up that has a little something for all tastes. Friday night’s Welcome Event will be hosted by two of the best party throwers in the nation, Big Gigantic and NGHTMRE. Saturday’s line up never even gives you a chance to go to the bathroom with Fetty Wap, The Chainsmokers, Lil Dicky, Post Malone, Slander, Pierce Fulton, Cal Scruby, Wes Walker & Dyl, and Futuristic providing a day of non-stop good tunes. Taking place April 15-16th near the campus of Ohio University, this camping festival is something no Midwesterner should miss out to begin their festival season right. Buy your tickets at primesocial.com.
News | TomorrowWorld Unveils Complete Phase 1 Lineup
Posted by Juicebox on May 28, 2015
TomorrowWorld is considered by many to be one of the world’s premier electronic music festivals, thanks to its emphasis on creating an all-encompassing festival experience. Year in and year out, the SFX festival has grown bigger and better, and this year marks the third edition of TomorrowWorld in the States. With brand new additions like Breakfast Beats to DreamVille, a new slate of stage curators lined up, and headliners like Hardwell, Armin van Buuren, and Jamie Jones already announced, there’s no denying that TomorrowWorld 2015 will be a festival for the ages.
Today, TomorrowWorld has unveiled their remaining phase 1 headliners, an impressively curated group of dance music superstars including Martin Garrix, Big Gigantic, Get Real, Adventure Club, and more, with many more names to come. Starting today, single day tickets to TomorrowWorld are available for purchase as well. There’s no doubt that TomorrowWorld will sell out, so get your tickets here.
Electro | Resonant Frequency – 4sight (EP)
Posted by dshaq on March 27, 2014
I can’t tell you what it is, but something about funk music just gets me. So groovy, so upbeat, so perfect. Today we have Resonant Frequency’s brand new EP, 4sight, and boy is it a good one. Think Gramatik, Big Gigantic, Griz type of sound minus the huge dubs. Pop this one on and you’ll be grooving all night long. Holler at the EP below and enjoy!
Trap | The Chordettes – Mr. Sandman (RaceCarBed Trap Flip)
Posted by yabishcic on November 19, 2013
Here’s a classic song with purely original flip that’s absolutely awesome. RaceCarBed, the DJing duo since 2010, has opened for Diplo, Crookers, Rusko, Pretty Lights, Dillon Francis, Clockwork, Big Gigantic, Baauer, RL Grime, Kill The Noise, Bro Safari, Brillz, and Heroes x Villians, among many others. Creating their own style and dope remixes, this fresh take on the popular song is worth the share.
Events, Review | North Coast Music Festival Recap
Posted by dshaq on September 19, 2013
Summer’s last stand, North Coast Music Festival’s motto, could not have been more accurate depiction of this past Labor Day weekend. With a lineup up to par with Lollapalooza, Coachella, and other big festivals, North Coast brought the house down beginning with Friday, where the festival had to be evacuated due to severe weather. While it dampened the mood for a little, the festival resumed and big names such as Mac Miller and Passion Pit killed their performances.
Saturday brought out some pretty good performers for the afternoon, such as Flatbush Zombies, who were probably my favorite performance of the whole festival, but also DVBBS, Futurerock, Gramatik, and Nas. Gramatik put on a killer set, straight shredding on the guitar. Nas also killed it as well, performing most of Genesis. I’m pretty sure my life has been completed from seeing that live. Finally by the end of the night, it was a tough decision: Afrojack or Big Gigantic? Torn between the two, I chose Afrojack. Although I did end up going to Big Gigantic for a little bit, Afrojack was definitely the right choice. It was one of the best sets I’ve heard in a while, incorporating a wide variety track list but he always kept the crowd jumping and engaged. That was one of the things that I noticed at Big Gigantic: although they played a great live show and sounded fantastic, the crowd was nowhere near to as upbeat as the people at Afrojack.
While the first two days were a lot of fun, they had nothing on Sunday. By far the best day of the festival packed with names such as Danny Brown, A-Trak, Madeon, Cherub, Datsik, Rebelution, Wu-Tang Clan, Purity Ring, and Lotus, it was easy to understand why Sunday reigned supreme. I began my day at Danny Brown. The Detroit native put on a fabulous performance incorporating old stuff from XXX and The Hybrid but also some of his newer stuff. He even brought out GBE member, SD, and the crowd went absolutely nuts for it.
After Danny, we darted over to A-Trak and the next two hours of A-Trak and Madeon, back-to-back, was amazing. A-Trak just knew how to get the crowd into it, dropping a New Slaves trap remix then going straight into Bugatti then straight to Aint worried bout nothin. Breath taking. Madeon was next and had some big shoes to fill after what A-Trak just did, but the French wonder kid put on a show nothing short of spectacular. After those two were finished, we made our way over to Cherub and watched them perform. I’ve seen Cherub before, but they were just as good as I remembered. Hold You and Doses and Mimosas got the crowd going wild and they had some jam sessions during the middle of their songs. Finally it was time for Wu-Tang clan. The best part about that was that they were performing all of 36 Chambers. All the while showing love to ODB, Wu-Tang did their thing up there. I almost shed a tear of joy when CREAM was played. Then straight out of left field, like Friday, they stopped the show and evacuated the festival due to severe weather warnings.
Although it was a bit anti-climatic, the festival was a surreal experience that will definitely have me coming back in the next coming years. A nice closed environment makes it easy to navigate while being close enough to see and hear all the artists perfectly. A big thanks to North Coast for their hospitality and see you at Union Park next year!
House, Mix | Klingande – Jubel & Musique Chic Mixtape
Posted by mimada on September 16, 2013
It’s a very rare thing to experience an artist live for the first time and immediately and unexpectedly fall in love with them right then and there. When I got the chance to see the French duo Klingande, I went in with an open mind and ended up being totally mesmerized during the entire hour and a half long set. How these guys have gone under my radar for so long, I’m not sure, so I’m thrilled to be sharing them now. Their live set was by far one of the most energetic I’ve seen yet this year. Imagine: Big Gigantic meets Disclosure, with a twist of that upbeat nu-disco from the likes of Dimitri From Paris. It was the perfect medley of funky jams, house, and indie electronic, which sounds like a crazy combination of everything but I promise, these guys make it work. And you better believe there was a live sax player rockin’ out up there, too.
Their first track I’m sharing, titled “Jubel,” seems to be one of their most popular tracks around these parts. It’s a got a great, vivacious melody, delicate vocals and a super groovy appearance by the sax.
This second one is a summer mixtape they produced for the French music blog, Musique Chic, which gives a much better feel for what their live set was like. I’ve had this one of repeat for days now and would encourage you to take advantage of this free download as well.
Looks like these Frenchmen have yet to make their way to the states, so for now, keep posted on their social media for upcoming releases. Fantastique ^_^
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