Events, Exclusive | Countdown to ADE Spotlight: Rustie
Posted by mimada on October 16, 2013
Tomorrow, Fresh New Tracks will be jetting off to the Netherlands for ADE: Amsterdam Dance Event, a five-day electronic music festival, conference, and playground taking over the city. Leading up to ADE, we’ll be filling you in on just who and what we’re looking forward to seeing most. And if any of you out there have any insider tips on the best acts to catch, drop either VMan or myself a line and we’ll be sure to add it to our list.
Name: Rustie
Born: January 4th, 1983 (30)
Homebase: Glasgow
Previous Occupations: Apprentice park keeper and tractor operator (source)
Latest Release: “Triadzz / Slasherr”
I’m ashamed to admit producer Rustie really only entered my radar within the past 6 months after falling head over heels in love with the Flume remix of “Slasherr” and consequently the EP’s other half, “Triadzz.” Since then I’ve diving further into his discography, specifically his album, Glass Swords, which was recognized by the Guardian for their first album award in 2012.You might have also noticed his contribution to Danny Brown’s latest game-changing album, “Old.”
The beginning of Rustie’s electronic career could be described as “aquacrunk,” but has since continuously evolved through various artistic styles and trends, while staying true to it’s hip-hop, 8-bit, and grunge roots. It’s dynamic, spontaneous, and unpredictable, which makes it much more of a rewarding listening experience. Even after having his works on repeat for the past few days, I have no idea what to expect in his live set – I mean, other than potentially a guitar? – nevertheless, the anticipation is killing me.
So, if you can’t make it across the pond to Amsterdam this weekend, I’ve got a solution for you. During his set at the Numbers x Lockdown Showcase at Paradiso on Friday, take an hour or two (considering the event lasts for 6!) to dive into some of his stuff. I’ll leave his legendary BBC 1 mix here for you in case you need a starting point…
FACEBOOK || SOUNDCLOUD || TWITTER
Events, Featured | Countdown to ADE Spotlight: Kastle
Posted by mimada on October 1, 2013
Today is October 1st, which means in 16 short days Fresh New Tracks will be jetting off to the Netherlands for ADE: Amsterdam Dance Event, a five-day electronic music festival, conference, and playground taking over the city. Leading up to ADE, we’ll be filling you in on just who and what we’re looking forward to seeing most. And if any of you out there have any insider tips on the best acts to catch, drop either VMan or myself a line and we’ll be sure to add it to our list.
After browsing through the hundreds of artists set to play at ADE, Kastle’s name was the one that lingered with me the most. The producer//philosopher has beautifully maintained a characteristic, innovative sound over the period of his career thus far. If there’s any slight possibility you’ve found yourself unacquainted with Kastle and his work (which really shouldn’t be the case), then let us give you a little background. Kastle’s music tests the limits of art and expression, ranging all the way across the spectrum from electronic dub, garage, and house to R&B and hip-hop. Kastle himself, also known as Barrett Richards, is in an artistic sense a renaissance man by constantly exploring the virtues of all forms of art and philosophy. Browsing his Facebook, you might stumble upon an assortment of great music along and thought-provoking quotations with corresponding photos. I’m particularly fond of his Tumblr, which is almost like a window into Kastle’s seemingly infinite pool of inspiration.
Kastle will be headlining the Plafonddienst showcase at The Sugar Factory Thursday, October 17th. Joining him will be Liar, one of the newest additions to Kastle’s very own label, Symbols Recordings, and Tourist of the UK. I’ve heard rumors of these artists putting on live sets that are high energy and perhaps different than their typical sound, so I’m pretty anxious to see what these guys throw down. Keeping my fingers crossed for the Ellie Goulding remix Kastle dropped just a few days ago… (which is available for free download!)
Whether or not you make it out to Amsterdam for the weekend, be sure to indulge in Kastle’s vast selection of free downloads and his full length, self-titled album. While you’re at it, check out this interview with MTVHive where Kastle pairs cocktails with tracks from his album. Cheers!
FACEBOOK || SOUNDCLOUD || TWITTER || FREE DOWNLOADS
Electronic | gLAdiator – VIP EP
Posted by mimada on August 14, 2013
In honor of hitting the 50k mark on Facebook, LA DJ duo gLAdiator released their VIP EP, a 3-track selection of some of their most popular tracks, tracks that you’ve probably heard at every music festival and block party this summer. Although it’s brief, each song varies enough to keep you on your toes for the release of their actual, official EP. The M1 Stinger track is dope though, probably my favorite out of the three. Download the EP and bump it today in honor of Mila Kunis’s birthday,who happens to be gLAdiator’s “muse and guiding light.” With a muse like that, how could you possibly go wrong.
FACEBOOK || SOUNDCLOUD || TWITTER || TUMBLR (it’s cool, I promise)
Contests, Events, Featured | We Are Recess
Posted by Mach on March 29, 2013
Remember back when recess was the pinnacle of your childhood school day? Somewhere throughout the years, this fun and carefree attitude has seemed to fall by the wayside with students becoming consumed with school work and the endless search for a secure career upon graduation. Recess has bee reinvented to bring the playground mentality back to life by instilling an entrepreneurial inspiration and excitement back into campus through a music festival featuring your favorite dj’s and musicians. The event will take place at Michigan State University as well as Georgetown University.
Events | South by Southwest 2013
Posted by mimada on March 9, 2013
Next week, Fresh New Tracks will take on South By Southwest, the self-proclaimed “premier destination for all discovery” that sets the trends of music for the next year to come. SXSW is a film, music, and interactive festival that takes over the city of Austin for 10 outrageous straight days. The music festival is comprised of official and unofficial (usually free) shows, rooftop parties, party boats and buses and no to mention the most interesting collection of people you will ever see.
Allow us to give you a little taste of what went down last year…
Stayed tuned for Sev and Mimada’s Complete What-To-Do and How-To-Do-It guide after the break.
Trap | Stromae – Humain à l’eau (Dj Snake Remix) / DJ Snake & Alesia – Bird Machine [Preview]
Posted by Spice on February 20, 2013
And here we have some straight bombs from French producers DJ Snake and Aleisa. The above preview for “Bird Machine” notably made its way into Knife Party’s recent set in the RISE digital music festival on turntable.fm after Mixify’s servers couldn’t handle the heat, and is easily some of the best trap I’ve heard in a long time. If you’re into it and need it now, fear not; it’s set to drop tomorrow as part of a mini EP on Mad Decent’s Jeffree’s imprint. Below, we’ve got some legitimate swag for your ears that for whatever reason is made even swaggier by the fact that it’s all happening in French. Fact: the awesomeness of that drop negates the need to understand what he’s saying, anyway. Free DL; no brainer.
House | Mimada’s Top 12 for 2012
Posted by mimada on January 5, 2013
With the renaissance of music festivals and growing popularity of electronic music, it’s safe to say my attendance to live shows grew exponentially in 2012 (not that I had that many years under my belt to begin with). However, this really changed my perception of music and how I listened to it. Before, I would see an artist based on my familiarity with them and listen to their songs on repeat in the parking lot until moments leading up to the show. Now, it’s more so that I attend a concert based on the artist’s live talent and/or how much fun the performance will be. When I hear their songs in the future, I get sentiments of that first time I heard it sitting outside in a grassy field surrounded by flag holders or squished up against girls in moonboots rather than it’s premier on SiriXM radio. For me, music in 2012 was not about what would get me out of bed in the morning or play in the background at the gym while I worked out: it was what I could dive into and take me away from any known reality. I guess it’s always kind of been that way, but once you get a peek at my top 12, I think you’ll understand what I mean.