The Audiofiles: My Top Trance Tracks

February 22, 2013August 14, 2013Leave a comment

One of the great things about meeting people in the EDM scene is we each have such unique tastes in what moves us; take me for example – I’m a sucker for some floor to the four beats but I love me some dirty dubstep and vocal trance. Actually, let’s just be real – I love it all!

The other day, a new friend of mine got to talking about favorite trance tracks and he sent me away with some homework: my mission, should I choose to accept, was to create a CD with ten songs – seven favorites and three absolute classics. Well, I’ve been bumping this mix now all morning and can’t get enough – so I thought I’d share the wealth =)

#1. First State – Falling (First State’s Stuck Parachute Mix)
#2. Above & Beyond present Oceanlab – Lonely Girl (Gareth Emery Remix)
#3. Aly & Fila ft. Jwaydan – We Control the Sunlight
#4. Armin van Buuren ft. Jennifer Rene – Fine Without You
#5. Aven – All I Wanna Do (Ferry Corsten Remix)
#6. John O’Callaghan – Save This Moment (Gareth Emery Remix)
#7. Lange ft Sarah Howells – Out of the Sky (Kyau & Albert Remix)
#8. Markus Schulz & Departure – Without You Near (Gabriel & Dreseden Remix)
#9. Motorcycle – As The Rush Comes ( G&D Sweeping Strings Remix)
#10. Tiesto – Everything (Cosmic Gate Remix)
(Bonus) – Tritonal – Hands to Hold Me

Oh, Snap: Concert Photography

February 21, 2013August 14, 2013Leave a comment

There’s something to be said for combining two of my favorite pastimes and fueling my creative fire; I’m a sucker for live music, especially the electronic kind as I’ve more than displayed on my blog – and to boot, I have this new obsession with photography. Capturing a person in a moment is one thing; capturing a community in a moment is another thing entirely. In some situations, people might look at me like “Why is this girl standing still on the dance floor? Don’t you realize my legs want to stretch seven ways until Sunday on that spot you’re stuck in?” – but in our little EDM community. We were made out of PLUR, kandi, lasers, confetti and a shared appreciation of all things EDM. Being able to capture that moment, share it with friends and strangers alike and relive it together – that sums us all up in a nutshell. Besides, what good is a great time if you can’t share the wealth?

Here are some of my favorite concert snaps from the past few years; they still bring me back and give me goosebumps. Enjoy!

Porter Robinson, Hollywood Palladium

Max Cooper, King King

Krewella, Exchange LA

All Day I Dream of Cities and Angels

Bones, The Nokia Club

HARD Summer

Cosmic Gate, Hollywood Palladium

Above & Beyond, The Shrine

Pendulum, Avalon Hollywood

Judge Jules, Vanguard Hollywood

Ingrosso + Alesso, Hollywood Palladium

Kaskade, Hollywood Palladium

Pryda, Hollywood Palladium

Tiesto, Ten Nightclub

Infected Mushroom, Sutra OC

Coachella

Wednesday Watercooler: The Music Edition

February 6, 2013February 27, 20131 Comment

One month down, eleven more to go – it’s crazy how this year is already picking up so much momentum! I’ve been exponentially adding to the multiple hats I wear weekly thanks to a writing gig with the DJ List which I’m absolutely enamored with and being named the Board Liaison for the organization I volunteer for. It’s a little overwhelming but nothing I can’t handle – I say bring it on!

Shazam x Beatnet = A Match in EDM Heaven

I don’t know about y’all, but when I Shazam a remix that I love and it doesn’t give me any information I feel a weird mix of awesomeness that my music taste is so progressive and a little annoyed that it can’t tell me what’s playing; well have no fear EDM lovers, because this morning Beatnet and Shazam announced a partnership that will give Shazam access to over 1.5 million songs in the Beatport registry. This is a huge step forward for EDM fans everywhere, but DJs are already lamenting that people will be glued to their phones instead of enjoying the tasty beats.

The War on EDM

Though there’s usually some uproar in the media about EDM, this week we’ve seen some considerable backlash from the likes of the LA Weekly and the LA Times. Both had articles, published the same day mind you, written to rile up the general public and incite backlash against the wonderful community that we’ve built. Both articles are beyond one-sided, not to mention highly inflammatory. The good news, is that (at least with the people I know) it’s caused us to take a hard look at ourselves and the lives we live; and we’ve come together, stronger than ever, to fight against this negative stereotype that society wants us to remain under. Kaskade, a top notch DJ and producer, delivered an eloquently written reply to the times and one of my favorite music blogs, Stoney Roads, had some great input as well. If this has you as annoyed as it has us, take a minute to sign this petition and spread the word, you know, this one: PLUR

Skrillex pairs up with Cirque du Soleil

Skrillex is a mastermind in his own right; once upon a time, he was simply known the bassist of From First To Last but fastforward to 2013 and he’s become a household name that’s synonymous with Dubstep and the culture that surrounds it. This past year he lent a hand to the Disney team by contributing part of the score for the hit animated flick Wreck It Ralph and was rewarded with a small cameo in the film. Now, word on the street is he’s pairing up with the famed Cirque du Soleil for a resident show in Las Vegas; no word yet on it’s direction, but believe me when I say you should not miss it!

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

Wednesday Dance Break

January 23, 2013January 25, 2013Leave a comment

So, here we are – Wednesday of a fabulous, four day work week; half begun and half done at the same time, it doesn’t get much better than this. We’ve been blessed with phenomenal weather for the past week and my time has been consumed with great company and amazing food; believe you me, there are absolutely no complaints from this little kitten!

Since we had Monday off, I only need to be in the office one day this week – leave it to my coworkers to keep it interesting though: I got in this morning to a stripped down desk; rut roh! Apparently, five coworkers were playing ‘Musical Cubes’ right before the three day weekend and somewhere, someone had the bright idea to move all of my stuff too. Now that the dust has settled and I’m back on the computers grinding it out, I definitely need something to get my heart beating, feet moving and fingers tapping – so thank goodness I have a couple kickass mixes to keep me going today.

The first mix is from Mister Tommie Sunshine – who lately has caused quite a stir in the EDM world with his recent article on the growth of EDM in the music community, as well as the industry at large. Originally, the article was published in the Huffington Post but since then it’s made its way around the interwebs with lightning fast speed. Known for smashing basslines and eardrums, Tommie Sunshine pays homage to his Chicago House roots and lays down the funk; he even includes a few tracks from a local favorite in LA: the Hot Natured crew!

Tracklisting:

Duke Dumont – The Giver
Debora & Hannah Holland – Fight [Citizen Remix]
Dan Beaumont & Terry Farley – Fire
Rudimental feat. John Newman & Alex Clare – Not Giving In [Huxley Remix]
Jamie Jones – Road To The Studio [Fly Mix]
Northbrook – Dance [Tommie Sunshine Dub]
Jamie Jones – No Rush
Lana Del Rey – Blue Jeans [Omid 16B Remix]
Aphex Twin – Windowlicker [Tiger Stripes Remix]
Sidney Charles – House Lesson
Jesse Rose – Love The Feeling High feat. Ed Weathers
Deichkind – Leider Geil [Solomun Dub]
Deboa & Hannah Holland – Skentello [Donewrong Miami Mix]
Ts7 – Heartlight (Polygon)
Fake Blood – All In The Blink
Duke Dumont – Need U (100%) feat. A*M*E & MNEK
Chromatics – Ceremony feat. Ida No

This second mix is from Wolfgang Gartner and was released by good people of Dancing Astronaut earlier today; every once in a while, Wolfgang really surprises me. Granted, I’ve actually never enjoyed a show of his live – but I love the production value in all of his tracks, the liberties he takes in his unreleased material and the constant evolution of him as an artist. After listening to this lovely little 90’s throwback mix I’m a little more inclined than usual to give him another chance:

Up in the number three spot, is my main DJ crush of the past year: the man, the myth, the legend, the Lee Burridge! I’ve been to three separate All Day I Dream events and each was better than the last; I’m so excited to see what he does next – but in the meantime, check out this mix from the Robot Heart bus at Burning Man 2011.

Today’s 4pm, in the homestretch tunes, are brought to you by the letters W&W. They blew me away when I saw them close for Cosmic Gate last month, and their weekly podcast – Mainstage- is what gets me through my morning runs: you just can’t help but move!

Doing it Right: Making 28 Look Good

December 10, 2012August 14, 2013Leave a comment

This past weekend I celebrated my 28th birthday out in Los Angeles and Hollywood with some of my closest friends and I honestly can’t stop smiling from ear to ear when reminiscing; it was one of the best weekends of my life and hands down the best birthday celebration I’ve ever had =) Here are some of the highlights…

Friday Night – Round 1, Thirsty Crow & Los Globos

My Ladies

Saturday Night, Round 2 – Cosmic Gate + W&W at the Hollywood Palladium

Cosmic Gate

W&W

3:45 in the morning and packed as all hell…

Doing it Right: The Electric Run

December 3, 2012August 14, 2013Leave a comment

When it comes to running, let me be the first to tell you that it’s neither my forte nor something I’ve been interested in for very long. I grew up playing basketball, volleyball and swimming – nothing that required running long distances or for extended periods of time. But then, last spring – something weird happened: my tried and true GTI 1.8T decided to have a crisis of faith and stop working. Transitioning to bipedalism wasn’t the biggest issue in the world; when I moved into my apartment last year, one of the first things I looked up was the “walk-ability” of the neighborhood and was pleasantly surprised that the area had a score of 91 out of 100 – meaning daily errands don’t require a car. Instead of driving to get produce or supplies for the apartment, I was walking here there and everywhere; except for one minor detail – the gym. Not being a runner, I was at a loss for a few days…I would run the stairs in the apartment, go for long walks or do some yoga; unfortunately for me, it just wasn’t the same. So, I did the unthinkable: I started running.

I started slow and steady by running a bit then walking it off; slowly, I worked up to changing the ratio – running for a mile, walking a few blocks, then running another mile. And then the strangest thing happened – I started falling in love with the balance of breath and movement, grace and growth. I didn’t have an end goal when I started, but through social media channels I found out about something fabulous called the Electric Run – a 5Kfunrun that’s best described as the illegitimate child of a rave and a half marathon; and to boot, the inaugural one was essentially going to be in my backyard – Orange County.

Over 10,000 people signed up to be part of this ridiculously fun – and incredibly well run – event. The premise was that the entire 5K course was adorned with lights, lasers and speakers blasting some of the best EDM currently around while participants decked out in their favorite glow and neon outfits frolicked around the track. There were families and there were rambunctious teenagers; there were people determined to run their hearts out and others who just wanted to take it in and dance. Before the run, we were all handed an official T-Shirt and some glow gear of our very own – and others dressed to the 9’s in LEDs, EL-wire and their very own outfit creations (we even saw a ‘ma5 head!). Employees of the Electric Run were scattered around with cups of water and high fives of encouragement and at the finish line we were showered with granola bars, cheap shots of whiskey and a live performance from DJ’s Sultan and Ned Shepherd. You were basically welcome to enjoy the intersection of exercise and playtime anytime you wanted. I had an absolute blast running around with my friends and taking it all in – if the Electric Run comes to your city, hop on it like it’s your job!