In the tangible world, it’s only been two months since’s Autograf’s last remix; but to tried and true fans of the Chicago triumvirate those sixty some days can feel like a lifetime. Admittedly, he sultry Future Disco forerunners have been keeping themselves busy by taking their signature sound to clubs and parties on the East Coast and releasing exclusive mixes through Dancing Astronaut, Gotta Dance Dirty and most notably, THUMP and Too Future as of late. This morning, they returned to their downtempo, day party vibes with their take on the synth heavy, electro pop summertime anthem ‘Gust of Wind’ from Pharrell and the legendary Nu Disco duo Daft Punk.
Eliciting feelings of Pretty Lights, Griz and Late Night Radio, Autograf’s mix takes an equally eerie and seductive turn – reminiscent of their takes on classics like Marvin Gaye’s ‘Heard it Through The Grapevine’ and Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’. The end result is a groove perfect for pool parties and cruising to at high volumes in your ride.
“With the hot sunny days upon us, we decided to start the Future Summer remix series. For every month this summer, we’ll be taking a song we’re really feeling at the moment and giving it our Future House, summer-inspired remix treatment…And we’ll be giving them all away for free as a thank you to our fans. As a new group, it can be hard to get noticed, so we really appreciate people taking the time to discover and share our music. For the first one in the series, we couldn’t have thought of a better song to remix than Pharrell’s collaboration with one of our all-time heroes, Daft Punk.”
If the caliber of their remixes is any indication of future success, make sure to keep your eyes and ears out for Autograf in 2014. Be sure to grab tickets to their upcoming shows and stay up to date with them through their socials.
From the US inception of the Silent Disco in 2007 at the Bonnaroo Music Festival, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that this novel idea would become a bonafide hit at festivals and parties nationwide. This goes doubly so for Robbie ‘Motion Potion’ Kowel, founder of San Francisco’s famed Silent Frisco and Co-Founder of SunsetSF – not to mention the premiere Silent Disco DJ in the United States. Until 2011, Kowel spun the Silent Disco alongside DJs LOGIC, QUICKIE MART, and MEDI4 using one channel headphones manufactured by KOSS; now in 2014, you’ll find the Silent Frisco footprint at over 100 different events year round.
In the last two years alone, they’ve hosted monthly residencies in Los Angeles and San Francisco, had their hands on events from clients like Dos Equis, MacWorld, Yahoo and the L.A. County Museum of Art – not to mention the eye-opening experiences at music festivals nationwide like Electric Forest, Treasure Island Music Fest, Gathering of the Vibes, Camp Bisco, Ghost Ship Halloween, High Sierra Music Festival, Hornings Hideout, Sonic Bloom, Another Planet Entertainment, Insomniac Events, Madison House Presents, NoisePop and so much more.
Now, they’re pairing up with longtime friends and fun makers The Do Lab to bring their amazing energy, positive vibes and Silent Frisco-ing down to the hills of Monterey County for this year’s Lightning in a Bottle festival, held over Memorial Day Weekend. The Silent Frisco will broadcast for four nights over two channels with an exceptional roster of talent from all over the nation for four nights. On Thursday night, you’ll hear the tunes of Talking Heads vs LCD Soundsystem and the next night it’ll be Radiohead vs Daft Punk. This hefty portion of eclectic music has been meticulously schemed to ensure a sublime morning for all.
“After years of welcoming The Do Lab to produce stages at our greatest annual creation, Sea of Dreams, it’s only fitting that we should do the same for them at their incredible festival,” said Silent Frisco/SunsetSF director Robbie Kowal. “The Do Lab are among the finest of event producers and giving us “the keys to their sunrise” is an honor we do not take lightly.”
Silent Frisco will broadcast in our upgraded and expanded HushZone late night on Thursday, Friday, Saturday (that’s Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings) from 12:30am until 7am. The eclectic lineup will feature nufunk legends FORT KNOX 5 and drum & bass innovator Thunderball, (both from D.C.) as well as LA/NYC Moombahton trailblazer Sabo. SoCal will be well represented with electro-swing producers THE GENTLEMEN CALLERS of Los Angeles, eclectic electronic stalwarts ROMY ACONA and PATRICIO, and two sets from AARON CASTLE, including his patented LCD Soundsystem set. NorCal will represent as well with remix aficionado Zack Darling, mid-tempo hero Malarkey, and downtempo producer INI. Silent Frisco’s residents will keep the trains on the tracks with sets by including resident DJs MANCUB, MATT HAZE and SHOUTS and Motion Potion’s patented Radiohead and Talking Heads sets.
Adds Kowal, “Silent Frisco creates a direct connection between the listener and the artist, which enables more creative, explorational sets. We pride ourselves on curating experiences that allow DJ’s to truly stretch and take the listeners on a journey.”
For additional Silent Frisco events in the San Francisco and Los Angeles area, head over to their website, Facebook or Twitter pages.
Keep up to date with all things Lightning in a Bottle and Do Lab with their socials –
Last night, Hollywood went Hollyweird as Avalon Nightclub opened their doors to Shpongle, Desert Dwellers and San Diego’s Vokab Kompany; all thanks to the Do Lab, one of my all time favorite production companies – not to mention, the brainiacs behind my favorite festival, Lightning in a Bottle! At a show like last night’s – costume’s aren’t just welcome, they’re encouraged – and beyond being part of the Hippie Olympics, last night was full of friendly faces, new and old, all getting down to the psytrance sounds. It was absolutely beautiful and I’m so glad I could share the night with my friends! For the ‘Museum of Consciousness’ tour, Shpongle had visual team at Zebbler Studios create their second version of the ‘Shpongletron’, an ever changing, 3D, 3 story, projection mapped stage that evolves and manifests itself through amazing colors, flashing lights, sound reactive elements and all around trippy imagery throughout the evening; overall, this is the third version , dubbed Shpongletron 3.0. Today, Shpongle is cruising up the California coast to San Francisco and Arcata, then the tour will be making stops in Portland and Seattle before venturing off into the Mid-West. If you have a hankering for a good time, great people and fantastic music – check this tour our, I promise you won’t be disappointed!
“I keep it playin’ while some choose to play it safe…”
As I cruised through the lineup for Lightning in a Bottle, a wave of confusion washed over my body – I recognized about two thirds of the entire line-up but the closer I got to the bottom of the bill, the more questions I had: who are you, how did you get here and can you move my head,heart and / or feet? Moby, Phantogram and Little Dragon grace the topline and rightfully so – they’re household names that you actually have the chance of hearing on mainstream radio. Then you work downwards: Amon Tobin, Gold Panda, Simian Mobile Disco, Beats Antique, Gramatik, Chet Faker, Thomas Jack, Random Rab, Desert Dwellers; those names might cause some to scratch their heads, but if you’ve been on the outskirts of indie electro or in the electronic underground – they’re just as familiar, if not more so than the latest work from the ‘headliners’.
Slowly but surely, I’ve been chronicling the artists starting from the bottom right corner and heading up that bright headline of familiar faces. Over the past few years, this process has become more of a tradition – starting with my first Coachella and leading me here – to my second Lightning in a Bottle experience. And now that I’ve gotten aquanited with some of the lesser known acts, let me just ooze with excitement for a second: between the world music out of Natasha Kmeto, the delightful deep house grooves of Marley Carroll and the groovy, jam-band Plantrae – the bottom of the lineup has just as much, if not more talent than the top. And of course, I already have a steady list of favorite artists that I’m delighted to be sharing with the world. The cherry on top of my ice cream sundae is that two artists that I’ve featured in my Rising Star Spotlight series made the line-up – Thomas Jack and Flume, who’ll be performing as half of the duo What So Not.
The original plan was to meander through the artists repository on Soundcloud and throw a few tracks into my LIB Prep Playlist; but then, I put on The Polish Ambassador – and somewhere between the one woman dance party that started in my living room, rocking out in the car and then sharing my favorite jams with my friends, I’d realized that I’d been on a 2 hour kick and wasn’t planning on coming out of it anytime soon. From the funky soul grooves to the ambient, ethereal soundscapes, The Polish Ambassador has effortlessly and successfully crafted music for any occasion. My current favorite called ‘Girl Control’; it’s an oldie, but a goodie – and I’ll bet your bottom dollar you won’t stop booty shakin’ til its over.
As the festival gets closer, I’ll be shining the spotlight on the artists, entertainment, live talks and music that will be filling the hills of the San Antonio Recreation Area in Bradley, CA. I can’t wait to share what makes this festival so amazing with everyone, and hopefully I’ll be seeing your beautiful faces in the mountains!
Fresh off the heals of their epic lineup celebrating a decade of live entertainment at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, The Do Lab – the seminal and ever evolving production team out of Los Angeles California, just keeps the hits coming with yet another epic festival announcement: the lineup for Lightning in a Bottle (aka, my favorite festival ever). From Amon Tobin to Kraak & Smaak, Thomas Jack to Desert Dwellers, Kaytranaa to What So Not – the weekend offers a little bit of something for everyone, especially those who distance themselves from the monotony of mainstream EDM. In a page from the book of Sea of Dreams, you’ll still find various remenants of mainstream indie acts like Moby, Little Dragon, Phantogram – but that just leaves more dancing room for the rest of us at the other stages! The majority of the lineup is, and has always been, creative and cultured underground music scene – and that’s precisely what the Do Lab is known for. Take a gander at the playlist they threw together and feast your ears on these delightful beats:
When it comes to music festivals, seeing is believing – and if you’re never been to Lightning in a Bottle before, each and every one of your senses is in for a delectable treat. These videos chronicle last year’s festival out at Lake Skinner in Temecula, California. This year’s festival promises to be bolder and brighter as the event migrates from its home in Southern California to the hills of Bradley, a location equidistant from the overflowing West Coast Music communities in Los Angeles and San Francisco (and you, too, San Diego; don’t think we’ve forgotten about you). The new location boasts more land, and swim-able water; a perk for those of us last year that spent too much time seeking shade in that hot, Summer sun.
Looking back at my posts from the last year, one that stands out the most to be is my 2012 Year in Musical Review. Partially, because it’s catalyzed my writing career on multiple fronts – but mostly because music, especially kickass live music, is something I truly care about to my core. Music influences our moods, our personalities and even our daily interactions. Unless there’s something highly important and technical that I have a deadline for, I’m literally submersed in music 24/7 – from the time my alarm and I wake up, to my morning runs, to the drive to work, you get the picture: I more or less have provided myself with a soundtrack to my life. With my attention span as short as it is (…squirrel!…), I constantly refresh my collection of original jams, remixes and singles and try to take in as much live music as I can.
I’ve been leafing through the ticket stubs and reminiscing about the excellent year in music that I just had. From attempting to co-start a music forum site and to with The DJ List, my daily extra-curricular activities have always circled around new music, fresh artists and the latest and greatest they have to offer. Somehow, even though I’ve managed to be busier than I’ve ever been I’ve definitely managed to fit in some quality R&R (Rave & Relaxation) into the mix. So, without further ado – here are my musical musings for 2013; enjoy!
Truth be told, I’m sitting here trying my hardest to even place Cosmic Gate in second place because Above & Beyond’s sunset at Avila Beach was just so spectacular! It was a small crowd with unexpected surprises in store for everyone in my friend group – we each found someone at the event from out of town (LA, Riverside and SF) that we didn’t know was in attendance and were all simply wowed by the musical prowess the group possesses. But Cosmic Gate is not a team to be underestimated, during the live show they brought out my favorite pixie blonde vocalist, Emma Hewitt, and Jonathan Mendelson who gave a phenomenal first live vocal performance during Nic Chagall’s ‘This Moment’.
Best D&B show: Modestep at the Nokia Club, High Contrast w. Camo & Krooked at Dim Mak Studios
Best Deep / Tech House Show: Kaskade @ Focus OC’s 10 Year Anniversary
Best Progressive House Show:Eric Prydz / Pryda / Cirez D @ Create
Best Electro House Show: Gareth Emery @ XIV
Best Festival: Lightning in a Bottle
For the last six or seven years I’ve been a self-professed seasoned festival go-er and have a host of Insomniac, HARD and GoVentures events under my EDM belt (almost 40 if you want to get specific), but truth be told last year I only attended three festivals, one of them being Sea of Dreams on NYE. For as much as the lineup to HARD Summer thrilled my pants off, the event didn’t…however, Lightning in a Bottle and Sea of Dreams surely did. Each was musically right in their own right but on a more personal level, I truly felt bonded to the community that LIB and Burning Man cultivates and have actively been seeking out similar events ever since.
Best Festival Set:Keys n Krates, Dillon Francis, Alex Metric ((HARD Summer)) HeRObust, Pumpkin, Rusko, The Polish Ambassador, Odeza, Andreilien ((LIB)), LowRIDERz, A-Trak, Thievery Corporation ((Sea of Dreams))
Best Venue: Sea of Dreams @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium | NYE was one of the most amazing musical experiences I’ve ever had, everything about the night was golden and a lot of that is due to the venue and soundsystem that came with it; top notch.
Weird but Rad Venue: Lightning in a Bottle @ Lake Skinner, Temecula, CA | I was tempted to give LIB the gold star for ‘Best Venue’ but after the all of the shenanigans with the county and residents of Riverside, I’ll wait until next year to grant the festival that award. Basically, I want to see it shine in all of its glory; not just in my personal experiences but for the greater community in attendance as well.
Best Pool Party: Daylight
Best Party:Sea of Dreams
Best Up and Coming Venue:Sound in Hollywood
Favorite Reopened Venue: Create (previously, known as Vanguard)
Best Crowd: DoLab shows –Avalon | If you only remember one thing about the music scene in LA, let it be this: the Do Lab will always do you right. I always look forward to the art infused musical events they throw. Whether they’re at the Nokia Club, King King or out in the middle of nowhere Riverside – they make sure to cater to all of your senses and the people who show up are some of the nicest friends you hadn’t met you.
Douche-iest Crowd: XIV by Hyde, Greystone Manor, Sutra | I still hold by last year’s statement about Sutra, but now that I’ve finally attended events at Greystone and XIV I can easily bump those two to the top of the list. Maybe it goes hand-in-hand with my appetite for all things Do Lab and underground, but I can’t wrap my head around wearing 3″+ heals to a club and cozy-ing up to people just snag an extra drink (or five). I prefer the let-your-freak-flag-fly mentality of other events and prefer stomping around in flats to trying to maintain a proper demeanor in an outfit that’s definitely not meant for dancing.
Best Lasers:Create and Exchange have most definitely stepped their laser game up in the last year, far surpassing anything that Avalon has ever done (sorry guys – not knocking the place (it’s still rad!) but it’s true).
Ferry Corsten @ Exchange Hit us with those laser beams *pew pew pew*
Artists
Favorite Set/Act of 2013: Above & Beyond in Avila Beach
Best Surprise of 2013: Crywolf, Mitis, Kill Paris, Disclosure, Keys n Krates, Flume
So Glad I (Re-)Discovered: Bonobo, Emancipator, Shpongle, The Magician,
Remixes So Nicely: SubFocus, Flume
Best Remix-er: Boy Noize, Dillon Francis, Cazzette
Favorite Vocalists: Jonathan Mendelson, Alex Clare, Annabel Englund, MNEK, Chet Faker, Florence Welch, Emma Hewitt
Most Disappointing: Daft Punk everything; maybe because it was directly juxtaposed to Keys’n’Krates with their live instruments, but Duke Dumont was also pretty underwhelming live and looked like he was just pressing a button; last but not least, Cedric Gervais did absolutely nothing for me.
Vocalists Who Shouldn’t Perform Live with DJs: Danny Brown
People Who Should Be Reminded They’re Not DJs: Will.i.Am, Paris Hilton
Songs:
My Top 10 Songs of the Year
Depeche Mode – Soothe My Soul (Steve Angello + Jaques Lu Cont Remix)
Darkside – Papertrails
Oliver – Night is On My Mind (Dillon Francis Remix)
Disclosure – You & Me (Baauer Remix)
Seven Lions + Myon & Shane 54 – Strangers
Minnesota – Stardust Redux (Crywolf Remix)
Maya Jane Coles ft Karin Park – Everything
Thomas Jack – Booka Shake
Flume ft Freddie Gibbs – Holdin’ On (LKids Remix)
Lane 8 – Be Mine
Mat Zo – Lucid Dreams – (M Machine Remix) [runner up]
It’s been officially one year, 200+ posts and 80+ subscribers since I started this amazing blog last Summer and I have to admit – it’s the best kind of therapy a girl can have. Thoughts stream from my brain, through my veins and onto the screen with beautiful synchronicity and I’ve watched myself grow from a confused young lady to a less confused woman. Also, I’ve realized that it’s a crying shame I never formally created a 2013 Bucket List because there’s a lot of things I could be crossing off right now – like this:
My first Drive Thru Car Wash!
To that effect, this week has been beyond bonkers and full of wonderful food and good company [ per usual; noticing a theme, yet? 😉 ]. First things first though, I love the way that new months are announced! Whether it’s a friendly ‘Rabbit, rabbit’ or someone posting Bone Thugs n Harmony, the first of the month is always full of wonder [ e.g. ‘I wonder how the fuck this year has gone by so fast! ] I remember last Summer when I was getting ready for HARD – while most girls are sitting around debating about outfits, getting excited about makeup; I’m sitting around drafting schedules and figuring out who I must-see this weekend.
Tracklist:
Justice – Helix
Bassnectar – Upside Down
Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream
Zedd – Spectrum
Crystal Castles – Plague
Disclosure – You & Me (Baauer Remix)
Dillon Francis – IDGAFOS 2.0
Etc!Etc! x Brillz – Callisto
Flosstradamus – Rollup
Gesaffelstein – Control Movement
Mr. Oizo – Secam
Busy P – Still Busy
Claude Vonstroke – Beat That Bird
Breakbot – Baby I’m Yours
Brodinski – Let The Beat Control Your Body
Felix Catral & Clockwork – The Fire
Rudimental – Feel The Love
Justin Martin & Eats Everything – Feather Fight
Eats Everything – Jagged Edge
Paper Diamond – Can We Go Up
Breach – Jack
J.Phlip – Big Ass, Party Hat
Cashmere Cat – Mirror Maru
Don Diablo – M1 Stinger (gLAdiator Remix)
Unfortunately, with how much vacation I’ve taken and the limited amount of time I’ve been able to update, I haven’t done a ‘Wednesday Watercooler’ piece in forever. And, with the amazing news that I’ve been hearing and reading about lately it’s truly a shame! So, before we get into the fun and fabulous post I had in store -I thought I’d hit you with a dose of awesome links and reads to make your cheeks hurt from laughing and turn that pretty mind of yours in circles. We’ve got the whole spectrum: science, silliness and of course – cats, so let’s dive in
![Pharrell - Gust Of Wind (ft. Daft Punk) (Autograf Remix) [Future Summer. Issue 1]](https://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000081523077-iwbr77-t500x500.jpg?30a2558)
The Bouncy Kitty 
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