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

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!

The Audiofiles: 2012 – A Year in Musical Review

December 17, 2012August 14, 2013Leave a comment

When I moved to Los Angeles in the Summer of 2008, I had a pretty good idea of the things I wanted to accomplish but little to no idea of the journey that I was literally right about to undertake. From living in a small city where everyone more or less knows your name and who you live with to living alone in a enormous city where you blend into the masses, I had a considerable amount of adjusting to do. So I sat down with myself and I made some lists – things I wanted to accomplish before my time in Los Angeles had past and personal benchmarks that I thought would guarantee my sanity, both short term and long term. What started out as a brainstorming session, turned into several binders of ideas – things scratched off and scribbled on; intentions, desires, dreams, passions, places to live, things I wanted to avoid and types of people I wanted to meet; you name it – I had a list for it.

I don’t think I’ve ever talked about this before, but I have a strong affinity for lists – I love making lists to the point that I have lists for my lists; my friends that are Virgo’s seem to be convinced that I should have been born under a different star sign but – as usual – I digress. This year has been more than I could have ever imagined or asked for – and trust me when I say there will be at least few more posts chronicling my crazy antics of this past year; including best weekend vacation, least favorite month, darkest dive bars and best places for hipster watching. But first things first, I gotta bring it on home – and if home is where the heart is, then home is living in some Funktion 1 speakers and being played at full volume. Let’s get real for a millisecond, and fun fact to boot: all of my photo albums on Facebook are from songs by DJs that I love! So without further ado, this is my 2012 Musical Year in Review =)

Coachella 2k12

Live Shows: Concerts and Festivals

Favorite Event: Cosmic Gate + W&W at the Hollywood Palladium, Coachella Day 2

Worst Event: Coachella Day 1 – bad weather, boo!

Best Venue: LA State Historic Park – I had an absolute blast at HARD’s Day of the Dead and Summer Festivals; and to boot, perfect venue for those of us taking the metro in lieu of driving!

Weird but Rad Venue: On top of a parking garage in Downtown Los Angeles for All Day I Dream

Best Pool Party: Standard Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles; Hollywood’s Roosevelt Hotel is a close runner up

Best Party: All Day I Dream

Douche-iest Pool Party: Drai’s Hollywood; just shoot me.

Rockstar Studios: All Day I Dream

Douche-iest Venue: Sutra. I cruised through for an Infected Mushroom DJ Set and some girl asked me if “I knew anywhere around that wasn’t so nasty.” Hello, did you realize that we’re here for a group called INFECTED MUSHROOM and their fans are some of the smelliest, sweatiest, music appreciating-ist fans around? Ugh, STFU and choke on your sugar-free Red Bull with Vodka that tastes like shit.

Best Up and Coming Venue: Exchange in Downtown Los Angeles

Best Crowd: Avalon until 4am – the people and vibe is hands down the best; you’ll probably meet your next best friend in line for drinks or the bathroom; Incognito after 2am

W0rst Crowd: Avalon after 4am – the Mt Fuji Swing is in full force and most likely headed straight for your face; also, that girl you’ve been checking out has a really sexy adam’s apple….

Best Lasers: Avalon – according to a few friends who assist with the lighting and making us all go “Ooooh, LAZERS!”, they change things up at Avalon quite a bit and it shows – every time I’m there the lighting effects are stunning and unlike the last show I went to.

Group Therapy with Above & Beyond

Artists

Favorite Set/Act: Maya Jane Coles at Hard Festival: Day of the Dead, Snoop Dogg + Friends at Coachella

Best Surprise of 2012: W&W

So Glad I Discovered: Finnebassen, Jessie Ware, Cyril Hahn, Climbers, Infinity Ink, Art Department, Jamie Jones, Lee Burridge,

Remixes So Nicely: Rihanna, Adele,

Best Remix-er: Finnebassen + Cyril Hahn; the remixes – or rather, reworksthey produce sound very little like the original and give me everything I didn’t have before. They’re stunners and I can’t wait for more.

Most Disappointing: Afrojack – his noises used to sound more like music, now they sound more like broken horns fighting each other. Also, way to teach Paris Hilton how to DJ; apocalypse meow….

DJ who should stick to one DJ name: Avicii. Just stop it already. Tim Berg remixed by Avicii with the Tim Berg vocal remix on the Avicii instrumental….and shut the front door already. If you have two DJ monikers, you’d think you’d produce twice as much good music….wrong.

Most Sold Out: Swedish House Mafia – with your “ONE LAST TOUR” and your jumping around while you press a button and then blame it on the “really skilled pyrotechnics” that are going on behind you. Shut up and go learn how to spin vinyl; there are plenty of First Class DJs who would rather give a great musical performance than dazzle with lights…

Vocalists Who Shouldn’t Perform Live with DJs: Rihanna, Wynter Gordon

People Who Should Be Reminded They’re Not DJs: Paris Hilton, “DJ” Pauly D, Kim Kardashian

Songs:

Get LOST

My Top 10 Songs of the Year:

Gareth Emery – Concrete Angel
Nero – Crush on You (Knife Party Remix)
Above & Beyond – Love Is Not Enough
Finnebassen – Go Slow
Eric Prydz (Pryda) – Shadows
DEVolution – Good Love
Jessie Ware – Sweet Talk (Joe Goddard Remix)
Kamelion – Confetti
Boys Noize – What You Want (Chromeo Remix)
Alex Clare – Too Close

Worst Popular Groups: Gotye, One Direction

5 Songs that DJs need to stop remixing:

Avicii – Levels
Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know
Avicii – Levels (Skrillex Remix)
Alesso – Calling

Show and Tell:

Best Hosted Web Show: BBC Radio 1 Fridays with Annie Mac, Above & Beyond Group Therapy

Best Site for Discovering New Music: Hypem

Most Annoying Site to Discover Music: Spotify – did I really need to know that you still like Nickleback? Probably not. It is, however, wonderful for helping clear out your friends lists…..

Best Recommended Shows: MetroWize LA, Resident Advisor

Hottest Tickets: Flavorus – http://www.flavorus.com/

XP Points:

Festivals Attended: Coachella Weekend 1, HARD Summer, HARD Day of the Dead

Shows Attended: Skrillex, Lucent Dossier Experience, Ferry Corsten ft Aruna and Kristina Sky, Tommy Trash & Fegulk, Norin & Rad, Sander Van Doorn, Emancipator, Pendulum DJ Set, Group Therapy with Above & Beyond, Andrew Bayer, Gui Boratto & IV Legend, Mark Farina & Colette @ Focus 9 Year Anniversary, Eric Prydz, Overboard // Incognito Presents: Moonlight, Get LOST: Art Department, Infinity Ink, etc, Beats Antique, Max Graham & Rank1, Cosmic Gate + W&W

Parties Frequented: Incognito, Harmonic Productions, Reset

♥

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

[Roadtrippin’] It’s a California State of Mind

October 19, 2012January 13, 2014Leave a comment

For the past few weeks I’ve had little angel on my shoulder, coercing me to get the fuck out of my overheated Los Angeles bubble and venture up north for an extended weekend of good food, great meals and family time. But, whenever I was close to jumping in my car and cruising back home, the devil on the other side would start with the litany of excuses: I hate driving on the 5 – That’s too long to leave my cats alone for– gas prices are cray cray – etc, etc. The fact of the matter is those are all very valid reasons for not wanting to hit the road – but at the end of the

day, they all start to sound like the same excuse, ‘I don’t want to.‘ It’s been a long past few months and there was a lot of apprehension about being isolated, and in the middle of nowhere, for an extended amount of time – but I’ve also come to terms with the fact that I over-saturate my life with connections. My phone may as well be tethered to my side as a Siamese twin because I swear I’m always on it – Tweeting, texting, Instagram-ing and Facebooking; may as well just call me a walking, talking social media slut – I’ll take it.

I also, finally, took some my own advice: get out of my head and into my heart.

Being a creature of logic and reason is fine and dandy; but, emotions can’t be quantified, feelings can’t be measured and you can’t organize anxieties.

With this freshly pressed game plan in mind, I turned to packing up my troubles, both literally and physically. Piling clothes, jewelry, hair products and my work laptop in an over-sized duffel bag, I synced my iPod and kissed my cats goodbye. The drive can last anywhere from 6 and 9 hours, so I had a lot of music to load in to get me through it. For the first time, I wasn’t planning outfits or huge escapades – I was going to be comfortable and at home with the people I love. Yes, the 5 is awful and gas prices aren’t going down – but the idea that the people I love are only a tank of gas away is so comforting.

When I hit the road, I double checked my route and turned my phone off for a while; I was on auto-pilot, my car was on cruise control and it was just the two of us and the highway. I’ve had my new car since April and the furthest we’ve gone together is Ojai – this was our first big adventure and I had way too much fun. There’s a feeling that I get from being in the open road, windows down and music up; my mind opens up, my stream of consciousness is deep and introspective and I almost get this runners high. Maybe it’s a drivers high. Either way, that drive cleared out my mental cobwebs and reset my system. Around 10 pm I cruised into the city and it was bustling with lights and noise, roaring with personality as it always does.

San Francisco at Night

5 Roadtrip Essentials:

Map I know I’m captain obvious but you should probably know where you’re going – just in case your phone dies, your partner in crime slash navigator passes out or you’re just horrible with directions.
Music Make sure your playlist is twice as long as your total drive – if you’re like me, you probably have musical ADD and change a song halfway through…which means your playlist doesn’t last as long as you think it does. Plan ahead and your head will thank you later; besides, how many times can you really listen to Levels*?
Good Vibes If you’re no fun, your drive isn’t going to be fun! Besides, if you can’t have fun by yourself rocking out with an air guitar and singing lead vocals at the tippity top of your lungs – why would anyone else want to?
Comfort Grub There’s nothing worse than hitting the road, getting super hungry and not being able to find a damn thing you want to eat or drink – well, save yourself the problem and do a little store run before you head out or save some money and make sandwiches at home. Make sure you have something delish to wash it all down, and a few extra bottles of water – and you’ll have a happy heart, and stomach, the entire drive.
Car Charger Phone navigation applications, especially Verizon’s – and I speak from experience, do a pretty good job of draining your phones battery. Being lost in the middle of nowhere with no phone is kind of horrible, so do yourself a favor and make sure you have a working phone charger.

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.