The Audiofiles: Travellin’ Tunes

November 12, 2012August 14, 2013Leave a comment

I’m currently suffering from Packing Procrastination Syndrome, and writing this entry is even more evidence that I just am not in the mood to get it together this fine Monday morning. Tonight, I’ll fly into Bentonville, Arkansas for a work trip and to be honest I can’t decide if I’m more excited or nervous. It’s such a privilege to be asked to participate in Wal Mart’s “Bring it Week” – no one from Walt Disney Studios has gone in the last six years; and at the same time, it’s kind of like an earthquake – no matter how prepared I think I am, there’s no way to fully prepare for an experience that is so beyond unique.

One thing I can prepare for is pleasing my ear-buds for two days of six hour flights. For car trips, I honestly live for making customized mp3 playlists; but when I’m flying, it’s nice to let someone else do the legwork while I sit back with a book in one hand and a drink in the other. Below are some of my favorite Soundcloud DJ sets that I’ve queued up for today’s flight. Some tried and true, and others brand spankin’ new – regardless, I’m stoked on them and I hope y’all are too. Bon voyage!

The Audiofiles: Chilled Out

November 5, 2012August 14, 2013Leave a comment

It’s officially the calm after the Music Festival Storm – last Saturday was Day of the Dead presented by HARD Fest; and with the likes of Maya Jane Coles, Justice, Knife Party, Soul Clap, Tommy Trash and Diplo it was not to be missed. We’ve all been putting the glorious pieces of our weekend back together and are coming to the same conclusion – we had such the excellent time! Sure, there were some hang ups and things that could’ve been handled better – the line to get in was awful, and there were moments we thought we might get trampled – but once we got inside the festival…it was magical! Per usual, I had the time of my life bouncing, rocking and raging to the sounds of my favorite DJs….but now that it’s Monday, I’m ready to chillout again. Below is a mix of my favorite chilled artists Blackmill, Seven Lions and Phaeleh; Seven Lions gets a little harder and dirtier than the rest, Phaeleh us full of sweet and delicate rhythms Blackmill rests beautiful somewhere in between the two. Enjoy, and hope your Monday is as relaxed as mine is about to be!

Tracklist

Blackmill – Miracle
Phaeleh – Natural Feeling
Seven Lions ft. Shaz Sparks – Polarized
Blackmill – My Love
Phaeleh ft Soundmouse – The Cold In You
Seven Lions ft. Birds of Paradise – She Was
Blackmill – Friend
Seven Lions ft Fiora – Days to Come
Phaeleh ft Soundmouse – Afterglow
Blackmill – Lucid Truth
Florence and the Machine – Cosmic Love (Seven Lions Remix)
Blackmill – Home
Above & Beyond – You Got To Go (Seven Lions Remix)
Phaeleh – Lounge
Blackmill – Evil Beauty
Superbus – All Alone (Seven Lions Remix)
Phaeleh – In The Twilight
Blackmill – Skippin’ ‘n’ Trippin’
Phaeleh – ft Indi Kaur – Healing
Blackmill – Spirit of Life
Above & Beyond ft Richard Bedford – On My Way To Heaven (Seven Lions Remix)
Phaeleh – Think About It
Carly M Burns – New Obsession (Blackmill Remix)
Blackmill – Fortune Soul
Velvetine – The Great Divide (Seven Lions Remix)
Phaeleh – Should Be True
Blackmill ft Veela – Let It Be

The Audiofiles: Required Listening for HARD’s Day of the Dead

October 29, 2012August 14, 2013Leave a comment

Halloween is a magical time of year for most people but once you’ve been to Santa Barbara to celebrate the holiday Gaucho style, there’s really no turning back. Instead of just one day of tricks, treats and costumes you can spend the better half of the month in costume. Now that I’m a little older and a tad more mature, I don’t feel the need to party the way I did for it in college. I still have a hard time saying no to fun, but I’d like to think that I pick and choose my battles a little more wisely at this point.

Like I always rave about LA, there are so many – almost too many options when it comes to getting down with your bad self. I tend to be swayed by the social factors – like which of my friends will be there and who would be down for group costumes; but it also comes down to taste in music, how far you’re willing to travel and preferred venue – house party, festival or club. And since I’ve moved to LA, I’ve basically covered all of the bases. My first year, I went to Monster Massive, Hard Haunted and spent the week in Santa Barbara; in 2009, I stayed in to study for the GRE and hang out with my kitties; in 2010 I went to Avalon for Dirty South and last year it was a combination of a great house party in Newport thrown by close friends and seeing Nero slay it at the Music Box. And finally this year I’m going back to my festival roots and hitting up HARD Presents Day of the Dead.

I have somewhat of a lovehate relationship with festivals – they’re crowded, the lines are terrible, lots of pushing and sound systems failing, the beer cups are small, the drinking area is in an undesirable location and lets not even get started on the bathroom situation. But then, there’s this glorious flip side: magical experiences with new friends and old, ridiculous people watching, amazing costumes, incredible performances, surprise guests and celebrity sightings. Over the past few years I’ve been known to say the phrase “Never, ever again…” while leaving but I just keep coming back for more. I went to HARD summer and had a fabulous time so I figured why not give it another whirl – the Metro is free to ride and runs until 3am, perfect for us nocturnal kittens who thrive on the freaks coming out at night.

To better prepare myself for next Saturday’s mayhem, I’ve made a little playlist of the artists I want to see next weekend. Let the countdown to Day of the Dead begin!

Tracklist

Knife Party – Internet Friends
Justice – Genesis
Zeds Dead ft Omar Linx – You and I
Major Lazer ft The Partysquad – Original Don
Blue Foundation – Eyes on Fire (Zeds Dead Remix)
John Dahlback ft Erik Hassle – One Last Ride (Tommy Trash Remix)
Tiesto vs Diplo – C’mon
Jack Beats ft John B – All Night
Dillon Francis & Kill the Noise – Dill the Noise
Massive Attack – Paradise Circus (Zeds Dead Remix)
Moguai & Tommy Trash – In N’Out (Tommy Trash Remix)
Jack Beats – Get Down
Bo Saris – She’s On Fire (Maya Jane Coles Remix)
Chris Isaak – Wicked Games (Soul Clap Remix)
Clockwork – Airflow
Diplo ft Lazrdisk Party Sex – Set It Off
Dillon Francis – I.D.G.A.F.O.S.
Zedd – Stars Come Out (Dillon Francis Remix)
MGMT – Electric Feel (Justice Remix)
Knife Party – Centipede
Major Lazer ft Nina Sky – Keep It Going Louder
Florence + The Machine – Spectrum (Maya Jane Coles Remix)
Felix Cartal – Love (Clockwork Remix)
Knife Party – Rage Valley

Mellow Monday: Finnebassen

October 8, 2012Leave a comment

This past summer was probably one of the, if not the busiest I’ve had in 27 years of existence. Sure, as a child my time would fill up with camps, sports and sleepovers – but those were all ridiculously fun endeavors that I simply didn’t have to pay for out of my own. The older and more mature I become, the more I realize that absolutely nothing from childhood can compare to the harmony any of us have to sustain in our adult lives.

Weeks are spent negotiating an 8-to-5 job, gym sessions, and extended family dinners; the better part of the weekend is spent finding an equilibrium between the dance floor and downtime. Well, this summer I spent a lot of momentum bouncing from rooftop, warehouse and boat parties all around the great city of Los Angeles. Maybe it’s the fact I finally did my financials, or it could be the shift to Autumn weather – and by Autumn I mean that the temperature in LA is below 90 for now – perfect for catching some Indian Summer sun by the pool and devouring a great read – but lately I’ve shifted from ballin’ on a budget, so to speak, to kicking back with a good soundtrack, some drinks and my close friends.

One of our favorite pastimes is sharing music – which is convenient because we all have an immense love for music and overlapping, phenomenal tastes. One of the up and coming artists we’re all enthralled with is Finnebassen from Norway. What hooked me on his music were the R&B vocals delicately layered over his deep house beats, which is perfect for floating through the day to 5 o’clock.

Tracklist

Finnebassen – Monday
Finnebassen – Touching Me
Finnebassen – If You Only Knew
Finnebassen – When Doves Cry
Teenage Mutants – Out of Time (Finnebassen Remix)
Finnebassen – Such a High
Finnebassen – Bleedin Out
Finnebassen – Repeat
Finnebassen ft. Gundelach – When It Rains
Caribou – Jamelia (Finnebassen Kose-Edit)
Finnebassen – I’m In Love With You

The Audiofiles: Let’s Get Mellow

September 17, 2012August 14, 20131 Comment

I don’t know about y’all, but I had a busy, busy, busy weekend. Several friends were enjoying birthday celebrations and to boot – the weather was absolutely phenomenal! It’s been nothing but heat wave after heat wave, but with gorgeous blue skies and pools, playful friendships and a city to paint all sort of neon colors – I don’t think I have any business complaining.

My head’s been in the clouds all day running through the hilarity of the weekend and I could use something mellow to soothe my soul (and my new tattoo!); these are the jams that are currently making my Monday more enjoyable. Enjoy!

Tracklist

Waifs & Strays – Body Shiver (Hot Natured Remix)
Solomun – After Rain Comes Sun
Infinity Ink – Infinity
Maceo Plex – Ain’t That Love
Fritz & Paul Kalkbrenner – Sky and Sand
Jan Blomvist – Something says
Maceo Plex – Frisky
OXIA – Harmonie

Sunday Soundcheck

August 19, 2012September 8, 2012Leave a comment

I’ve spent some quality time with my cats and my music this weekend; it’s been both nice and necessary. If you have air conditioning in your apartment (and it works) consider yourself very lucky right now! This weather has been ridiculous lately – maybe upper 90s for the past few weeks at the very least. Which is fine and dandy during the weekends, but during the week it’s just cruel and unusual punishment to have the beach so close yet so far.

Basically every day I dream about sitting near some calming body of water with some great friends and good music. Well, I’ve accomplished half the battle; enjoy this hour long playlist of some of my favorite mid-summer, sunny Sunday sounds!

Tracklist

Eats Everything – Jagged Edge
Flashmob – Need in Me
Aaliyah – If Your Girl Only Knew (Finnebassen Remix)
Martin Roth – Beautiful Life
Finnebassen – Touching Me (Dj Christodoulos Remix)
Jamie Woon – Lady Luck (Luciano Remix)
Kameleon – Confetti
Green Velvet – Preacher Man (2012 Edit)
Umek vs Traumer – She Never Wants to Come Down (Tocadisco Remix)
Funkagenda ft. Big Ed – Afterclub (Riva Starr Remix)

Trance: The Natural Evolution of Classical Music

August 16, 2012March 8, 20131 Comment

Music, like math, seems to run in the family; both of my Grandmothers sang and played the piano. My dad is a master of the guitar and the cello, which he brings out of the old closets every now and again. My mom grew up playing the piano and still loves playing the guitar and piano as hobby. Growing up, the musical staples in the household were CCR, Johnny Clegg, Eric Clapton, U2, the Jackson’s in any combination, and the soundtrack to La Bamba.

I picked up the flute when I was in 3rd grade; don’t let anyone tell you differently than this: it’s a difficult instrument! I went from having a basic flute, to a silver flute, to a flute with open holes called the ‘French Model’. The older I got, the more modified the instrument became but my love for sports and physical competition outweighed my desire to play. (Fun Fact: The bone flute is the oldest recognizable instrument, coming in at 40,000 years old.) Ironically, after I left the basketball team as a Sophomore I dove right into my music history class and joined the choir.

The more I studied the different periods of classical music, the more I picked apart modern music and saw it in context with society. The music genre says something very specific about the culture and era of the people that both produce it as well as absorbing themselves in it. The first CD I ever bought was Offspring’s Americana, my first mix tape was Hip Hop and R&B with the likes of Next, TQ, Nas, TLC and 2Pac.

By the time I was old enough to both understand what those rap songs were talking about and be annoyed by emo screaming, I’d gravitated towards electronic music and have dabbled in pretty much in subgenre, but Trance was my first love.

There were little to no vocals, and if they did exist there were sweet and delicate; much more pleasing to the ears. In my opinion, modern day trance is the natural evolution of classical music as a genre. Songs contain harmony, modulation, and thematic development; they more or less follow strophic form and much like with classical composers, modern producers have essentially attained demigod status.

Most of my favorite DJs have a weekly broadcast on Digitally Imported Radio, which covers all genres of Electronic Dance Music – more commonly referred to as EDM. I could go on and on and on about all of the different trance DJs and what they each bring to the genre, but I’d rather have you listen for yourself. If you wanted to ask what my favorite trance tracks were, look no further than the Trance Thursday playlist below. And if you still want more, check the links at the bottom for a few of the DJs and broadcasts I can’t live without.