[The Audiofiles] 2013 – A Year In Musical Review

January 8, 2014January 8, 2014Leave a comment

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!

Live Shows: Concerts and Festivals

Best Trance Show:

Above & Beyond @ Avila Beach,

Cosmic Gate @ Palladium (Runner Up)

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 Dubstep show: Candyland, Krewella + Seven Lions @ the Hollywood Palladium

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]

Favorite Soundcloud Sets:

Show and Tell:

Best Hosted Web Show: BBC Radio 1 Diplo + Friends, Above & Beyond Group Therapy

Best Site for Discovering New Music: Hypem

Best Sites for Shows: MetroWize LA,Resident Advisor, The DJ List

XP Points:

Festivals Attended: Lightning in a Bottle, HARD Summer, Sea of Dreams

Shows Attended: All Day I Dream (/Lee Burridge), Donald Glaude, Richard Vission, Porter Robinson, Seven Lions(x2), Ferry Corsten, Krewella (x3), Modestep, Mimosa, Kill Paris, Crywolf, Markus Schulz, KhoMha, Jamie Jones, Jack Beats, Style of Eye, Gareth Emery, Kaskade, Skrillex, Bauuer, Eric Prydz (x2), Above & Beyond, Cosmic Gate, Candyland.

Parties Frequented: None (weird!)

♥

Wednesday Watercooler: Week of August 28th, 2013

August 28, 2013August 28, 2013Leave a comment

“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances:
if there is any reaction, both are transformed.”
― C.G. Jung

It’s almost been 31 days since August rushed in and it feels like it’s exiting my life is essentially the same fashion; the weeks get shorter, and the weekends – doubly so, but the memories I’ve made over the course of the past month are set to last me for a lifetime. As if it weren’t obvious, I’m beyond in love with the most wonderful man; he makes me feel equal parts sexy, intelligent and hilarious – what a hat trick, right?! To me, the best part about being in a relationship is constantly evolving myself to be the best person I can be; and he completely does that for me. I’ve been all over the map (literally and figuratively) for the past few weeks. I had a master plan to shake things up and I did! I cruised to LA State Historic Park for downtown’s now annual event HARD Summer, I had the luxury of heading to San Diego for an exciting weekend on the sea, I introduced my boyfriend and his housemate to the wonders of the J Paul Getty Museum and for the upcoming long weekend I’m taking my boyfriend home to meet the rest of my family and friends. A whirlwind for sure….but I couldn’t think of a more beautiful one to be stuck in!

Sunset from the J Paul Getty Museum

Before I get to the gusto of this post; I think it’s time for a teensy tinsy confession. The Wednesday Watercooler piece slowly but surely became my favorite post to churn out on a biweekly basis; but as I’ve been honing in on my writing style – and niche – I’ve enjoyed devoting full posts to interesting topics instead of glossing over them like stepping stones on a riverbed. I’ve gone head over heals about Doing It Right, a series of pieces on the way I play – my favorite vacations, staycations and day-ventures with friends; I’ve been creating my own visual quotations and adoring every second of the process – especially the photo editing, which I also do in my Oh, Snap segments; and last but definitely not least, I can’t help but want to write for days about my love of music – whether it’s the EDM scene, new artists, concerts or the community – if I’ve experienced, felt, laughed, screamed or cried about it, I want to share it with the world. In the past year, this blog has catapulted into over 100 followers and 200 unique and, at least in my opinion, well researched posts – all inspired by the effervescent and ever changing world around me. As I’ve developed personally over the past year, this blog has manifested into something bigger than I can imagine – and that’s thanks to my wonderful readers, like you! Anyways, now that’s out of the way – let’s get down to business.

The 50th Anniversary of I Have a Dream

Today is an extra special day in History; if you haven’t seen the Google Doodle or been inundated with posts from your favorite social media outlets – then let me break it to you nicely. 50 years ago today, one of the most influential characters in our Civil Rights Movement gave one of his most famous speeches. There’s a kickass interactive website set to capture and chronicle the voices of today discussing the changes and state of race relations in the United States today. Currently, the site contains almost 100 interviews from people involved in the civil rights movement – from leaders and activists, to elders and clergy members; if they had a voice, they’re telling their stories. If you feel inclined, you can head over to the website and submit your own story commemorating the 50 year anniversary of the event.

Twerk Somethin’

One thing’s for sure about the upcoming Generation – I’m a little nervous about their role models! Working for Disney maybe I’m hyper aware of this – but I’ve seen more than a handful of child stars that were plucked from the masses and put on pedestals completely disengage their fanbase and – essentially – say fuck the media, I do what I want. Currently, the Queen Bee of this scene is none other than ex-Disney star Miley Cyrus. Now, a girl can do what she wants – shake what her momma gave her, twerk sometin’, hang with the cool kids and run rampant on the streets; but in my opinion, once you’ve garned the power of popularity you should also have some semblance of social responsibility – mmm, yeah…right. This past weekend at MTV’s infamous VMA Awards, Miley treated us all to a lesson in Twerking; something I’d much rather soon forget. Between shaking her money maker on Robin Thicke, raging with Borgore and living the good life – I have to say, she’s doing something right; I’m just not sure what it is!

Concerning Consciousness

I’m no psychologist – but I’m earnestly and honestly fascinated by the human mind, how it can be manipulated and how it relates to others; as far as consciousness is concerned, it’s beyond interesting. What makes something sentient and self-aware? How can we possibly assume that because we cannot quantify consciousness in other things – a cat, a rock, a shooting star – that it ceases to exist? As far as humanity is concerned, I believe in a massive,collective unconscious that slowly gets siphoned in and out of reality and in and out of our constrained, physical bodies. But like they say in Fight Club: that’s just me, and I could be wrong. However, Aeon Magazine published a magnificent article about the condition of consciousness and I’m so exited to share it:

“We can’t help it, and the fact that we can’t help it ought to tell us something about what consciousness is and what it might be used for. If we evolved to recognize it in others – and to mistakenly attribute it to puppets, characters in stories, and cartoons on a screen — then, despite appearances, it really can’t be sealed up within the privacy of our own heads.” [Read More Here]

Pendulum Swinging Back Into View

At the beginning of last week I heard maybe the best EDM news of the entire Summer! A few years ago, one of my favorite groups decided they were done with their signature drum & bass sound in favor of evolving their craft the way of the industry – Trap, Dubstep, Drumstep, etc. They went from having 3 members to 2 members, and from being a live group to essentially being a DJ Set. If you haven’t put it together by now, the group I’m talking about is Pendulum – made of the trio Paul Harding, Gareth McGrillen and last but definitely not least Rob Swire; and Knife Party – their offshoot, is made of only the two later members.

In Spring of ’12, right after Coachella, one of my friends and I moseyed over to Funktion Wednesdays at Avalon to see a Pendulum DJ Set; I remember explicitly asking what the difference between a Pendulum DJ set and a Knife Party set was and they honestly couldn’t tell me. Low and behold, three months later Pendulum announced they were going to stop touring together in favor of pursuing Knife Party – much to the dismay of the majority of their fan base, including myself. Now, don’t get me wrong because I love me a bloody Knife Party – but there’s absolutely nothing like a live set from Pendulum! I’m definitely doing my happy dance in eager anticipation of their next album; bring on 2014!!

Who Gave Us Numbers

One of the greatest debates a mathematician or scientist can get into is distilling their craft to this: when it comes to numbers, did we as a society invent them or are numbers divinely created and handed down to us? I’m sure your side of the debate weighs heavily on your views of this world, or even worlds beyond this; but regardless of your stance, the following video from PBS’ Idea Channel asks the simple following question – does math exist; as a statistician, I’m sure you already know my response but I’ll leave the job of answering that question to you guys 😉

[The Audiofiles / Music Monday ] Keepin’ It Moving

July 22, 2013September 26, 2013Leave a comment

In standard, normal, everyday time it’s really only been a week since I’ve been home from Lightning in a Bottle but truth be told it feels like another century ago; another me ago, even. If you want to get down to brass tax – yes, in all honesty the weekend was absolutely transformational, mercurial and magical all at the same time. I’ve spent the past week in a solid state of reflection about life, the universe…and literally anything and everything under the sun.

My love; my life.

Part of the reason Lightning in a Bottle was such a big deal for me emotionally was that it represented multiple turning points in my life. First and foremost, back in 2010 I actually had a ticket for LiB – but because I was just diagnosed with Vasovagal Syncope I sold my ticket to get my health back on track. The year after, in 2011, was my best friend’s bachelorette party in Vegas and there was no way in hell I was missing that – so this year, my adventures to and at LiB seemed more than necessary and slightly overdue. Then mix in equal parts falling in love with my boyfriend while two of my best girl friends leave LA for Montreal and Boston respectively, and I had a whole mess of a machine to figure out for myself. Phaedra and Jessica represent two different worlds of friendships to me, but are equally loyal and loving friends; it was a blessing to have them get to know each other last summer and as people have always said – how lovely it is that I’ve met two souls who make saying goodbye so difficult.

It’s not that I define myself by the friendships I keep, but I place a lot of value on their opinions and moral codes; then again, shouldn’t we all? In the absence of both of them I’ve been doing some soul searching and emotional wandering with this mantra in mind: we’re all cups, full to the brim of emotion and with each interaction with others we’re constantly tipping out our emotions and being refilled by the thoughts and feelings of others; I’ve come out of my shell within the last two years and maybe the shape of my cup has shifted, or I’ve switched from still to bubbling water. Either way, I’ve watched myself grow – mature – evolve – and I simply don’t have the same needs, nor the same amounts of patience, that I used to have. Meaning a lot of introspection into what it means for me to both have a friend and be one.

Besides taking time to detox and emotionally decompress, this past week has been about intertwining friend groups and developing the framework for future plans and ideas. Simply put, every since LiB there’s been a sense of passion, dedication, creativity and urgency from my group of friends – business plans, life goals, trajectory altering decisions – they’re being made en masse and I couldn’t be more impressed. As my boyfriend put it – they didn’t call it the ‘Maybe Lab’ and they don’t call it the ‘Do Lab’ for nothing; we can’t wait to see what’s possible when we put our minds together for something positive!

Besides the introspection, we did manage to have a bit of fun over the past week: last Thursday I discovered that one our of favorite DJs and Producers – Pretty Lights – was playing a free show at the Amoeba records in Hollywood so I went with a few of my guy friends and had an absolute blast! He even freestyled for us – so legit.

Pretty Lights gettin’ funky

And now, for the next two weeks, I’ll be doing absolutely as little as possible as I get ready for the ruckus and shenanigans of Hard Summer! Just because I’m not out and about prancing to the beat doesn’t mean I feel like sitting still – so here are some jams to help you get through your Monday – your week – your whatthehellever – just dance!

Tracklist:

TJR – Whats Up Suckaz
Disclosure – F For You (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Remix)
Skrillex & Damian Marley – Make It Bun Dem (Dead Battery Remix)
Major Lazer – Get Free (Ft. Amber Coffman) (Andy C Remix)
Fatboy Slim & Riva Starr – Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat
Sound Remedy – Chiaroscuro (Original Mix)
Boys Noize – Starwin
Diplo ft. Mike Posner, Boax van de Beatz, RiFF RAFF – CROWN
Mounties – Headphones (Sleepy Tom Remix)
Neon Jungle – Trouble (Monsieur Adi Remix)
Foreigner – Cold as Ice (A.Skillz & Nick Thayer Bootleg Remix)
Major Lazer – Bubble Butt (It’s The Kue Remix!)
Gareth Emery & Krewella – Lights and Thunder
Thrift Shop – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (Kinetik Groove Remix)
HeRobust x gLAdiator – We Are
Rusko – Lift Me up
Deadmau5 – Suckfest 9001
Knife Party – LRAD (Erotic Cafe Remix)
Calvin Harris feat. Ayah Marar – Thinking About You (Laidback Luke Remix)
Krewella – Live for the Night
Sleepy Tom – Let It Go
Tommy Trash vs A Trak – Tuna Truffle (Tommy Trash Coachella Snack)
Matthew Koma – One Night (Vicetone Remix)
Smallpools – Dreaming (The Chainsmokers Remix)
Capital Cities – Safe & Sound (Panic City Remix)

The Audiofiles: Manic Monday – No Gloom in My June

June 3, 2013Leave a comment

“I don’t want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.” ― Oscar Wilde

Though I’m sure my parents would readily disagree with this statement – I don’t consider myself much of a whiner or a complainer; the fact of the matter is that I’m an only child – and twice over at that with divorced parents. But that’s totally a story for another day – bottom line: the only type of wine I like comes in a glass and is paired with cheese. That said – BLAAARG: <y Aunt has been at Mass-Gen with some rare, tropical illness that no one’s ever heard of or knows how to treat and – this isn’t me exaggerating to get my point across, or get your sympathy – she would’ve died last week if it weren’t for the quick thinking and overwhelming concern from a family friend. When ten of the best specialists in the world are running around like chickens with their heads cut off asking for “Dr.House” you know you’re in for a hell of a ride; thankfully, my family is rock solid and we’re sending all of our energy to get her better. To boot, I’ve had a whale of a time dealing with a misanthropic apartment “manager” on various different issues and it literally makes my head want to explode and implode simultaneously. So this is me; trying to be calm, content and in the present. This is me being constructive and moving forward. And this is me, understanding that I can only control what is in my power; the universe has it’s own plan for all of us.

So, that being said – I’ve been in search of an escape. Most people view escapism as something external: somewhere you go or a new place to rest your existence. But, why limit yourself? To escape is to literally break free of confinement, control and convention – did you ever stop and think that all those mechanisms exist in your mind? This weekend ended up being about an internal escape, a sort of manifest-destiny of the mind of you will. I had great company, good food, roamed the streets in the sunshine and had at least 8 hours of sleep each night; suffice it to say, I forgot how amazing detoxing can be! But now that we’re here – at Monday – again, I need something to pick me up. I was diagnosed with a fainting disorder a few years ago so with no caffeine in my diet, I leave it up to music to soothe my soul – here are some of my go-to, feel-good jams that make you just want to dance, love and break things (in the best of ways, of course!). Enjoy, and I hope your Monday is just as manic as you need it to be.

Playlist:

Depeche Mode – Soothe My Soul (Steve Angello & Jaques Lu Cont Remix)
Empire of the Sun – Alive (Zedd Remix)
SubFocus ft Alex Clare – Endorphins (Tommy Trash Remix)
Above & Beyond – Walter White
Disclosure ft Eliza Doolittle – You & Me (Baauer Remix)
The Partysquad – Lighterman (Krafty Kuts Skank Remix)
MitiS ft Collin McLoughlin – Born
J Majik & Wickaman – Life Me Up
Duke Dumont – Lean N Bounce
Armin van Buuren ft Trevor Guthrie – This Is What It Feels Like (W&W Remix)
Maison & Dragen – Wet Dreams
Hard Rock Sofa & Dirty Shade – Collapsar
Submatik – Stories Can Wait
Will Sparks – Ah Yeah (TJR Edit)
Wallpaper. – Good 4 It (Laidback Luke Goes Melbourne Vocal Mix)
Benga – Midnight
Oliver – MYB
Sleepy Tom – Hit Em
Skrillex ft Alvin Risk – Imma Try It Out

[The Audiofiles] Much Ado About Dubstep

March 8, 2013January 15, 20141 Comment

There’s something to be said for the recent and exponential growth of the Electronic Music industry – you can look at it like a supply and demand market if you want: there is a ridiculous demand for heavy drops and succulent progressive house jams right now and they’re making their way to your radio waves, commercials, TV shows and more. Electronic Dance Music, better known to us kandi kids as EDM is more than a musical movement, or a pop culture phenomenon; this is our subculture, this is our way of life.

When I started in on the scene in 2006, I knew little to nothing about what I was getting myself into. I was open minded and wide eyed; immersing myself into a way of life that had been essentially forbidden. Not on anyone else’s volition, mind you, but growing up I was a pretty straight edge girl with a head solidly placed on her shoulders. The more I grow into myself, the more starry-eyed and in awe I become; the more I stay the course, the more rewarding it becomes. No longer am I confused by genre infused mashups or the DJ that flocks to vinyl over CD-Js: I’m in it for the music; I’m in it for the love.

My first big event was Electric Daisy Carnival. Just remember, this is pre-Vegas, pre-LA even – this was back when the event was a one day, family friendlier festival out at the NOS Center in San Bernardino. I remember walking in, arms firmly linked through a best friend on each side. I was trying to figure out which side of the rabbit hole I wanted to wake up on; I was trying to come to terms with my world spinning inside out and upside down. Girls in neon tutus blocked every other turn but we were always greeted with friendly smiles, open arms and PLUR handshakes.

About ten minutes into the festival, my friends nodded in symmetry and announced they wanted to sit down and chat. I nodded in turn, but in silent agreement that I wasn’t in the mood for those kind of shenanigans. I did a quick gut check and dove right in; or at least – tried to. I must have looked as out of place as I felt, because immediately a charming sprite of a girl grabbed my arms and insisted I follow her to the dance floor. “Is this your first EDC?” she mused, but didn’t wait for a reply because she already knew the answer. “You need to let it go…” she continued, her eyes dilating with excitement “…let it all fall down; shake it off and breathe it in.” She was speaking in tongues but I understood every word. One by one, my hands wound up entwined between her delicate fingers and then, with glee, she announced my next move: “Spin! Faster! And now, just let it go…” For the next five minutes, I twirled with the delight of a toddler and every preconception I had about that night washed over and off of my like Spring rain. She smiled whimsically, like whatever magicians trick she pulled actually produced a rabbit out of a hat. She smiled with satisfaction; I smiled back in wonderment. We hugged and danced off in different directions – but the lesson remains: I haven’t been the same since.

Yo Dawg - Yo dawg, I heard you like subgenres So we put some chiptek in your jungle trance so you can glitchstep while you trapstyle

That night, I was exposed to live Trance and Progressive House for the first time: Above and Beyond floored me, Kaskade’s deep house struck a chord, Benny Benassi could do no wrong behind the decks and Guetta was still a respectable name in the business. But what my friends didn’t tell me about Trance and House was that they’re gateway genres. What they should have said is: this is your brain on bass; this is your brain during the drop. The Bloody Beetroots lead a nice segue into Electro House, and I was blown away by the rock infused Drum & Bass that I got from Chase & Status. There was Deep House, Breakbeats, Minimal, Vocal Trance…..head on over to Beatport right now and just see for yourself: it’s genres on genres on genres.

One of the things that I find most intriguing about the EDM Industry itself is their consistent ability to essentially reinvent the electronic wheel; the best examples of these are Trap and Dubstep. Personally, I don’t know how many times you can reinvent the wheel before it’s no longer a wheel but that’s besides the point right now. Most people would be (incorrectly) lead to believe these are band spankin’ new areas of uncovered music, those of us that have been around longer than a minute recognize the first as an homage to the bass heavy instrumentals from mid to late 90’s hip-hop and rap songs and the later is very reminiscent of the heavy, industrial rock sound of the 90’s that was fueled by groups such as Korn, System of a Down, Disturbed and more. For those of you that have been in a mosh-pit at an Atreyu show and then tried to navigate one at a Borgore or Noisia show, you’ll find that the crowds and subcultures themselves have eerie similarities.

There’s been more than a little debate about the roots of Dubstep. Korn, for example, believes they played a pivotal role; in an interview from 2011, their frontman Jonathan Davis claimed that “Dubstep is the new metal” and I 110% agree; then, on the other end of the spectrum is the famed Timbaland, who also believes he should be accredited with the rise of the genre, claiming that his bass heavy music of the 90’s helped the genre rise to its current state. But what exactly is Dubstep? Glad you asked!

Dubstep evolved from the intermingling of the Garage and Reggae scenes in the UK during the early 80’s and late 90’s. Some of Dubstep’s biggest giveaways are the syncopated percussion and drum patterns layered over sub-bass that’s all over your face: it can rattle you, floor you, bring the house down and bring your spirits up. The average tempo on any given House song can range from 115 to 135 BPM, Trance can be from 130 to 160 BPM and Dubstep tends to stick to 140 BPM for beat heavy tracks – but when there’s ’empty space’ between the notes, which is one of the primary differences between UK Dubstep and the tracks coming out of the USA, we consider it to actually be around 70 BPM. Though it’s been around for the upwards of the last three decades, the genre didn’t nosedive into popularity until the early 2000’s when a clear distinction could finally be made between 2-Step, Dubstep and Grime and it’s really been in the last two years that the US has seen its exponential rise in popularity.

Acts like Bassnectar and Nero give you more than a show, they give you an experience. I’ve been to a Bassnectar show where he spun live using not two, but four Ableton machines. About halfway through his epic set, a fire alarm was inadvertently set off – being the genius that he is, Bassnectar, better known to his friends as Lorin, created a beat that covered up the fire alarm for the rest of the night. It wasn’t until the house lights were brought on that we recognized it’s faint screeching. Nero got together with BBC’s Philharmonic Orchestra to produce the first, and hopefully not last, Dubstep Symphony.

Of all EDM genres, one thing I’ve discovered is that Dubstep is by far the most polarizing; by far the best example is Skrillex, who’s either hailed as a musical genius or mocked as the modern day version of a dial-up modem. Love it or loathe it, one thing’s for sure: Dubstep is here to stay. But is it really music? Though there are throws of young 20-somethings that would agree quicker than the bass drops, there are multitudes of music aficionado that would vehemently disagree: it’s nothing but noise. But thanks to the evolution of technology, and some daring and creative individuals in the past – we have valid argument for the actual genius of Dubstep.

As with most trends, this one has gone mainstream and in a big way. Just to get a picture of the reach and popularity that the genre has attained, take into account the following:

For the State of the Union Address the other week, the White House released a very socially savvy and media forward YouTube announcement that included, believe it or not, Dubstep.

The hilarious and ever on point Key and Peele poked fun at Dubstep in one of their most recent skits:

And last, but definitely not least – the Harlem Shake has swept our Nation faster than an epidemic. It’s hard to pick a favorite video, but someone’s gotta do it.

For a final and definitive look into what actually made Dubstep explode onto the scene, peep the infographic below – and don’t forget to shove a little bass in your face; it is the weekend after all!

Doing it Right: Porter Robinson’s Circle Assembly Tour

February 4, 2013August 14, 2013Leave a comment

Over the last few years, I’ve developed a major crush on Electronic Music – from Trance to Electro House, from Industrial Tech House to Dubstep, and from Drum & Bass to Trap, I basically love it all. And it’s no wonder, there are elements of electronic music oozing from every other genre. The “Dubstep” of 2013 sounds eerily similar to the hard rock sounds of Atreyu, Avenged Sevenfold, System of a Down and Korn and “Trap” music is nothing more than hard Rap and Hip Hop beats sans the obnoxious “Money, Hoes and Drugs” vocals.

Each of Saturday’s acts is respected within their own right, as well as their own cross-genre productions. If you made me drop a pin on the EDM map for Penguin Prison, Seven Lions or Porter Robinson I simply couldn’t do it; each act boasts a mature sound and is beyond versatile. To be honest, I’d either essentially forgotten or literally had no idea that PP was the opening act – it wasn’t until much later that I put 2 and 2 together to get 4; there were gorgeous vocals coming straight from the DJs mouth, which we were all highly astounded by, a Indie-electro sound and beats that made you just bop around the dance floor – he was the perfect opening act.

Next up was Santa Barbara native Seven Lions – the best way to describe his sound is Trance–step. By weaving beautiful, harmonious dissonance and booming basslines, he creates a unique sound that I’ve only heard from the likes of Blackmill, on the more relaxed “Chill-step” end of the spectrum, and Xilent, who sits on the harder hitting Dubstep and Drum & Bass side of things. Seven Lions played literally one of the best set’s I’ve heard in the last few years, let alone one of the best ‘Dubstep’ sets ever. He gets down with the crowd and his energy is contagious, the only other performer I could even compare him to with sound and style would be Bassnectar – and that’s an amazing compliment to both artists in my opinion.

Seven Lions @ The Hollywood Palladium

Last, but by no means least: there’s mister Porter Robinson himself. After the astounding set by Seven Lions I wasn’t expecting to get swept off my feet: boy was I wrong! He started off the set with his hit ‘Seconds’ and then continued, hit after hit, to wow, astound and hype the crowd. There was a perma-smile on my face the entire time he was spinning and my feet could not stop moving to his beats. The Circle Assembly Tour is a must for any self-professed EDM lover; if I could, I would go back in a heartbeat!

Porter Robinson at the Hollywood Palladium

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!