[The Audiofiles] Paul Oakenfold to host Inaugural Electronic Music Awards & Foundation Show

January 28, 2016January 28, 2016Leave a comment

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock (& roll), you’ve been privy to the near over-saturation of the Electronic Dance Music circuit in the last five years. The lineup for multi genre festivals like Coachella has seen a higher proportion of dance acts overflow the Sahara tent and into the Gobi Stage, Yuma Stage and even the Main Stage, while you can find Dupstep, Trance, House and Bass anywhere from run of the mill television commercials, professional sporting events, and even in a video made by the White House concerning the President’s State of the Union.

Dance music is literally everywhere, and while I certainly don’t mind, it’s an observation worth nothing; and it seems I’m not the only one. This April, the station that brought us American Idol presents the inagural Electronic Music Awards & Foundation. Airing April 23rd at 8pm, the first EMAF will be hosted by none other than Trance legend Paul Oakenfold.

“Experience the excitement of the world of electronic music as the biggest names in the industry, from across the globe, celebrate the year’s best music, artists and creative talent.”

The real question on my mind, that should really be on everyone’s at this point – with the amount of commercialism pumped into the industry in the last few years, exactly what facets of dance music will be hitting syndicated television, how much homage will the underground culture, community and artists be paid and how will underrepresented demographics like women and minorities within dance music be displayed?

For more on Paul Oakenfold or the Electronic Music Awards & Foundation Show, head to their socials –

Paul Oakenfold
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EMAF
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[Cross Published on The DJ List]

[The Audiofiles] “Say It” Loud and Step Inside The Mind of Miami’s Rising Star Eche Palante

January 19, 2016January 19, 2016Leave a comment

Just the other morning, I was prowling through my Soundcloud feed on my usual Saturday scroll; after spending the first twenty minutes jumping haphazardly between singles and snippets, I was impatiently waiting for something to jump out of the page, grab me by the eardrums and take me on an novel auditory adventure. Now that Winter has attempted to make an appearance in Los Angeles with it’s blustery mornings and monotone skies, my musical tastes have edged back towards the bouncier and brighter beats, poolside sets, tropical house and beachside bass. So it’s only fitting that I fall right into a delectable set from a new artist I’d never even heard of.

Enter Miami’s Eche Palante, a synth loving symbiosis of my current favorite musical traits. Drawing inspiration from across the musical sphere from the likes of Prog House standout EDX, the emotive stylings of Sam Feldt and legends like Daft Punk and Michael Jackson, Eche Palante has honed in on a feel good sound that you can’t help but bounce along to.

Earlier this month, he produced the delectably downtempo Steve Void rework of “I Can’t Feel My Face” with The Weeknd x Ember Island under his personal name, Dylan Echevarria. The track has been all over the blogosphere in the last few months, with ample use in mixes and upwards of 3.8 Million views on Soundcloud, including at least a few hundred from yours truly over here. Not to outdo himself, Dylan is back with all the feels in his latest single under the Eche Palante moniker.

Featured in his Melodic Essentials Volume 1 Mix under a sneaky, sneaky ‘ID-ID’ tag, his first original single “Say It” featuring emotive vocals from Eric Simpson is out today and available for free download on Soundcloud. As a standalone single, “Say It” slowly unfolds into a euphoric and open breakdown, with hints of KYGO and Duke Dumont; as part of the Melodic Essentials compilation, the track is a perfect compliment to the depth and brooding layers elicited over the hour long musical journey.

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I was lucky enough to steal a few moments with Eche Palante and understand his creative process.

The DJ List: Beyond music, where do you pull artistic inspiration from?

Eche Palante:The main source of inspiration for me is Soundcloud. Every day, the first thing I do is go on Soundcloud and listen to all of the new music on my feed, and continue to find more. If you go through my favorites, it includes hip hop, experimental trap, dubstep, uk bass, and other genres that people wouldn’t think they’d see in there. I’m always trying to find different sounds to pull from different areas and mix them into the melodic house spectrum.

The DJ List: You’re the founder of ‘The Groove Garden’ – tell me a little about it’s ethos and what TGG will be bringing to the table in 2016?

Eche Palante: The Groove Garden is a new artist collective that caters to house, specifically Tropical, Melodic, Progressive, and even Future House! Over the years, my ear has developed for a wide range of sounds, and TGG is essentially a reflection of that development. I feel that my passion for music can now be seen on both sides: the people who find the sound, and the people that craft the sound.

The DJ List: You’re one of my artists to watch for this coming year – who else do you recommend I keep an eye on?

Eche Palante: I recommend keeping an eye on Sam Feldt, as he is constantly delivering amazing content, as well as the upcoming talent KYFRA, who I have a collaboration in the works with

To learn more about Eche Palante, visit his socials –

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[The Audiofiles] Get Your Thrills at LA’s Air + Style Show

January 12, 2016January 12, 2016Leave a comment

Over the last two decades, what started as a European snowboarding contest in Austria’s Innsbruck has manifested into an international entertainment phenomenon. Celebrated by thrillseekers and snowbunnies world wide, the Air + Style Show is a birdseye view into the world of extreme sports paired with music from the best in bands and bass for a global audience. To end 2015, the festival took to Beijing, China and will be heading back to Austria later this year. Now in it’s 2nd year in the United States, the two day festival lands at LA Coliseum’s Expo Park in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles on February 20th and 21st.

Boasting two days and two stages of music, the event also hosts art installations, vendors, fashion – and let’s not forget: top snowboarders from around the globe going at it on Air + Style’s mind boggling 16 story-high snowboard jump. Now with a second round of artists on the bill, the lineup boasts an incredible menagerie of established musicians across the genres, ensuring a passionate parallel between the high octane energy in the air and on the stage.

This morning, Air + Style added the delectable sounds of Kaskade, Gramatik and Danny Brown to a talented stack of artists introduced back in November, including J. Cole, Incubus, HAIM, Big Grams, All Time Low, Action Bronson, Rudimental, A-Trak, Netsky, A$AP Ferg, Flatbush Zombies, Travis Barker (Drum & DJ set), The Struts, Migos, Bas, Cozz and Omen.

Purchase Tickets | RSVP on Facebook

The event will be exclusively live streamed on the go90 app – a free mobile-first, social-entertainment platform for both Android and iOS. For more on the 2016 Air + Style Show presented by Shaun White, head to the Air + Style socials –

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[The Audiofiles] Music Icon David Bowie Passes On After Releasing Iconic 25th Studio Album ★ (Blackstar)

January 11, 2016January 11, 2016Leave a comment

This morning, the music community stands united in mourning as we’ve learned that visionary musician, performing artist and all around entertainer David Bowie has passed on, leaving a legend of almost unfathomable depth in his wake. As of just last Friday, audiophiles, fans and musicians alike have been a buzz with the with the release of his Bowie’s latest work, ‘★ (Blackstar)’, marking a milestone of 25 studio albums.

Released on Bowie’s 69th birthday, the album stands as a tribute to his legend in one parting gift to his fans before the man who fell to earth ascended into the great beyond after a silent, 18 month battle with cancer. This morning, UK Record Imprint Rough Trade took to Twitter to announce that all proceeds from Bowie’s albums in Jaunary will be donated to the Non Profit foundation Cancer Research UK in their dedicated research for a cure.

More than a musician and recording artist, David Bowie lives on as a multi talented entertainer who touched the lives and influenced the trades of artists across musical genres, artistic mediums and generations. From starring roles in iconic films such as the ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’ and 80’s cult classic ‘Labrynth’ and a cameo in Zoolander, collaborations with equally esteemed artists like Iggy Pop, Queen, John Lennon, Mick Jagger and Giorgio Moroder , touring with Nine Inch Nails Bowie has left a larger than life imprint in our ears and eyes while finding a permanent place in our hearts. An enigmatic, outrageous character, Bowie perpetually pushed the boundaries of imagination with his ever evolving need to create.

Whether known to fans or not, his legacy has been propelled forward, forever ingrained within the fabric of the 21st century, while his legacy lives on. Bowie will be forever immortalized in the computer game Omikron that he produced the soundtrack for while Skrillex’s second artist album Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites is an ode to Bowie’s album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). Just last Fall, Bowie premiered the incredibly well received off Broadway production of Lazarus at the New York Theater Workshop. Starring Dexter and Six Feet Under standout Michael C Hall in near perfect parallel to Bowie himself, Lazarus crossed another milestone off of Bowie’s bucketlist as the first stage show he’s scored.Lazarus runs until January 19th.And let’s not forget, Bowie received a little old thing called the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award almost a decade ago in 2006. Regardless of the last time you’ve listened to the man, no one can deny his creative genius or the lasting power of his craft. Today, the world is missing a true visionary; today, we aspire to create in his honor.

“The truth is of course is that there is no journey. We are arriving and departing all at the same time.”

[The Audiofiles] Shpongle and Alex Grey Grace the Stage for California’s Gem and Jam PreParties

January 6, 2016January 6, 2016Leave a comment

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This year, as the 10th Annual Gem and Jam Festival prepares to touchdown in Arizona – two extra special evenings of creativity and consciousness will be ushered in around California in celebration. On Thursday, January 14th and Friday, January 15th, the foremost artistic creators and psychedelic thinkers will join forces under one roof for two nights of epic proportion; first at San Francisco’s 1015 Folsom and then at the Belasco, located in the heart of Los Angeles.

From the moment the doors open, dancers, prancers and merrymakers alike will dive in feet first to the true ethos of the Gem and Jam Festival. A bohemian bazaar of vendors adorn the walls with finest wares, including some of the magnificent specimens you’ll find at the Gem show in Arizona, handmade festival wear and illuminated flow toys that they’ll be happy to show you the ropes on.

Prepare your dancing feet and head for a delightful treat as Simon Posford delivers a body moving, soul grooving DJ set as Shpongle, accompanied by Ott., Russ Liquid, Andreilien and Soulular. If one stage of music was phenomenal for the last Gem and Jam PreParty, then three are even better for this year! Los Angeles booty shakers and tastemakers the The A BUN DANCE stage features bass for your face from an-ten-nae, Mimosa, Huglife Music, Stylust Beats while The Cruz Coalition has curated a dance floor that focuses more on those four to the floor beats featuring Worthy, Sacha Robotti, IAMNOBODI, divaDanielle, DJ Loomer and RYBO

The multitude of music textures and performances are mirrored perfectly with live painting from the genius of visionary artists Alex Grey + Allyson Grey, among other local and festival circuit favorites like Sam Flores of Upper Playground, Amanda Sage, Gabriel Welch, Benedigital, Anthony Sirios West and Jef Logan. Visuals for the event will be done by none other than the esteemed Johnathan Singer of Tipper and Greatful Dead 50 fame.

Calling All DJs and ProducersThe team at RE:CREATION LA has an amazing opportunity for those that fancy themselves musical inclined. For your first chance at fifteen minutes of fame, Gem and Jam style playing alongside some of the most sought after names in the festival circuit.

To Enter: Submit a Short Bio, Photo and Link to your best work to eventagency.redefine@gmail.com by Friday, January 8th at 12:00 PM PST.

The team at RE:CREATION LA will select their top 5 submissions to share for voting this weekend; the voting process begins Saturday, 1/9 at 12PM PST and will end Sunday at 12AM Midnight with the winner announced Monday Morning, 1/11.

For more information on the Gem and Jam Pre-Party in LA, visit the Facebook page here.

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Not in California? No problem! Colorado will be hosting it’s own Gem and Jam PreParty at the end of January with Exmag, Defunk, and Mikey Thunder on Thursday, 1/28 at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom with headlinres Jason Burruss and Sassfactory in Denver and 1/29 at Hodi’s Half Note in Fort Collins with headliners iLL Banks and Jason Burruss.

More Details HereFor more on the Gem and Jam Festival itself, head to their official website and social media channels:

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[The Audiofiles] Bonobo Announces New Studio Album for 2016

January 4, 2016Leave a comment

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On New Years Eve, fireworks illuminated the sky as clocks from each corner of the world counted down to a brand new year to the delight of partygoers around the world, and one of the most celebrated musicians within Dance Music took to Twitter to make an extra special announcement. Known for his unique soundscapes of ethereal downtempo beats mixed with trip-hop, electronica and a world music backbone, Simon Green – better known as Bonobo is hailed as a true innovator through his enchanting studio albums, one of a kind DJ sets or my personal favorite – accompanied by a full band. And now, for 2016 – he takes the main stage again in a very welcomed light.

On New Years Eve, Bonobo took to the Twittersphere for one last hoorah in 2015:

This new album would mark Bonobo’s sixth studio album, and his first release since North Borders came out back in 2013. If his last album is any indication, this too will be released on the Ninja Tune imprint.

If you’re itching to get some new Bonobo material in your life, make sure you check out his new radio show – OUTLIER Radio. The first episode premiered back in December, but it’s still so fresh – not to mention it includes his latest mesmerizing remix of George Fitzgerald’s Full Circle.

For more on Bonobo, head to his socials –

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud

[The Audiofiles] Countdown to 2016 with Insomniac’s Twelve.31

December 30, 2015December 30, 2015Leave a comment

Now that the slow crawl of the holidays has clamored back to a regular roar around Los Angeles, New Years Eve is approaching at lightning speed and I’ve had the itch to come out of my annual post-festival season hibernation and paint the town all sorts of technicolor. In a city equally basked by sunlight and spotlights, New Years Eve has become a choose your own adventure extravaganza, and Insomniac Events most certainly takes the lead in this respect with events in each and every corner of Southern California.

It’s hard to believe that almost a decade ago I was celebrating a decade of Electric Daisy Carnival, but in June 2006 that’s precisely where I was – diving headfirst down the rabbit hole at the good ol’ NOS Center in San Bernadino. Twirling under an electric sky with strangers that manifested into friends, I felt myself unfolding into self like a flower that blooms, blooms and blooms again in what’s become a semi-permanent state of self-evolution. Slowly but surely, I’ve drifted away from the large scale massives and events over the last few years and into the realm of boutique and transformational festivals; believe me when I say that my love for the former them hasn’t waned – it’s simply that I’ve been on a personal, perpetual hunt for something new, something different. Maybe it’s some new age form of chasing the evolved dragon, but I’m on the prowl for that perfect ‘je ne sais quoi’ of the musical experience – a special combination of musicianship, creativity, production value and community that sits delightfully smack dab in the center of their Venn Diagram, and this year – it’s called Twelve.31.

Tomorrow night, Insomniac Events is pulling out all the underground stops at the legendary Hollywood Palladium as Minimal, Tech and Deep House legends grace the decks for one unforgettable evening of dancing and decadence in the city of angels.

Start the night off right as the duo Divine Minds in Time grace the decks from 8 to 9pm. Recently transplanted to Downtown Los Angeles from upstate New York, the pair have already made quite the name for themselves playing popular local events around the city such as Clinic Wednesday and Sounds Like. Keep your eyes on them next year as they’ll be releasing their debut EP on their very own record imprint – Akashic Records.

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Then from 9 to 10:30, Washington DC transplant turned West Coast House phenom Jon Charnis takes the stage. Throughout the years, Charnis has produced under many different monikers but now that he’s found his true calling within the darker, deeper production – there’s no going back from this one; plus, since it’s his birthname he’s basically stuck with it – so why not rock it?! If you’re a tried and true Angelino, you’ve probably seen him at All Day I Dream or Capsulem.

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Say one final goodbye to 2015 the Dirtybird way as Shiba San’s French House flair and grooving tunes countdown the last drops of the year from 10:30 to Midnight. After a year of what felt like chasing him around from Lightning in a Bottle to Focus, to Shambhala – I’m excited to finally see him in LA – and I know a whole hell of a lot of other people are too.

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Kick 2016 off in an official capacity with London production duo Dusky as they hit the stage from midnight til 1:30AM. The pair recently released their latest work – a three track EP titled ‘Lydia’ – on the label 17 Steps this past November

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From 1:30 to 3am, bear witness to the epic back-to-back set from Canadian DJs Tiga and Kenny Glasgow and prepare to lose yourself to dance. Though Glasgow is best known for his influence in the sphere of dance music as half of the duo Art Department, this past spring the two split ways to further develop personal projects, including his latest ‘In Too Deep’