#ElementsNYC Festival (BangOn!NYC) Playlist - Liquid Stranger, Eduardo Castillo, Autograf, Minnesota, and more

The Elements Festival in NYC was a great party with amazing DJ and production talent. The festival was set in industrial Brooklyn among what felt like a construction site and rock quarry. It was a truly unique music and art experience - the scenery set it apart and the music took it to amazing levels of dance and energy. Check out this playlist of DJs who performed. 

My favorites were Liquid Stranger (bass, dubstep) and Eduardo Castillo (deep house). I missed Autograf (deep, tropical house) but I've heard he's really good live - wish I could seen him. 

Gramatik LIVE SHOW Review

I've been a fan of Gramatik for many moons, and have loved hearing his sound shift and evolve over the years. He is produced and distributed by Pretty Lights Music - so if you like Pretty Lights then its a sure bet you'll dig Gramatik. His sound is rooted in hip hop percussion and rhythms, with blues, jazz and funk melodies spattered with modern doses of electronic and dubstep elements. He's an artist who has taken the best of dubstep and applied it to his style without diluting the spirit of what he's really trying to do. His music can be downloaded for free at the Pretty Lights Music record label website.

I loved his live show last night. His lighting set up was really cool - an industrial feel with two large video screens, one served as the a backdrop and the other was the front of his DJ/setup stand. If you've seen Pretty Lights' older shows (3-4 years ago), it was kind of like Pretty Lights' setup when he was first blowing up. The sound was incredible and Gramatik didn't just blast dubstep - he played a real sweet balance and mix of his old and new and focused on what makes his style unique - a blend of jazz/blues/funk elements with modern electronic. I'd recommend ANYONE go see him. Here's a video that gives you a taste:

The Upside of Down: Show Review & DJ Sets - Matthew Dear & Sleepy + Boo at Le Poisson Rouge, 6.14.12

Last night I attended Basic NYC, a house party at Le Poisson Rouge. Resident DJs Sleepy + Boo kicked off and guest Matthew Dear followed. The show was spectacular. For one, Poisson Rouge has quickly become one of my favorite NYC venues. There's no dress code, the crowd is all about the music and NOT about the "scene." The music is consistently amazing.

Before I get into the show, this post represents a slight departure from the "downtempo" music I normally share. Its difficult to segment music all the time. I find myself often wanting to share the uptempo or dance oriented music that I listen to as well. Balance is important, and uptempo is complimentary to dowtempo, its simply necessary. So with this post I'm starting a new feature: "The Upside of Down." Posts with this tag will feature more uptempo stuff that I'm enjoying when I'm not chilling with my favorite downtempo tunes. Don't worry though, this does NOT mean I will be writing about downtempo any less, just that I will be adding more uptempo flavor! Now onto the music and show:



Resident DJs Sleepy + Boo have curated the Basic NYC party for years and they are known house DJs in NYC, also hosting a monthly party at Cielo in the city. They describe their brand of house music as "thick drums, big basslines, hypnotic grooves and tripped-out sci-fi synthesizers." Unlike many house DJs, this duo keeps their mixes interesting by playing a variety of tempos, rhythms and sounds. It also helps they've created a really cool aesthetic in the club - their stage backdrop is a curtain of luminescent bulbs that create a waveform in time to the music. It also creates psychedelic swirls and visualizations.



Matthew Dear came on around 1:30AM and dropped heavy beats immediately. By that point, the crowd was well warmed, and he took us to an even deeper, tribal place. Matthew Dear (a co-founder of Ghostly International and featured artist on the label) is known around the world as an experimental electronic music producer and house DJ. His original work has a dance pop quality, but not the kind the mainstream kind that makes me groan. His DJ set certainly delivered - very heavy and deep, with all the right peaks and drops to keep the crowd grooving with him. AND I was excited to see he uses Traktor for his DJ sets - my personal DJ software of choice :)

Check them out some pics below and listen to sets by Sleepy + Boo and Matthew Dear. I suggest listening to these on some device where you can get the true bass experience. Enjoy!

Show Review, Pics & Video: Ghostly International artist Shigeto live in NYC (Le Poisson Rouge, June 10, 2012)

I saw a side of Shigeto that I didn't quite know existed at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC. He was trained in jazz at the New School in New York and his studio work has an ambient, jazztronica vibe. But his remixes and original samples lately have been layered with ruptured electronic music that seem influenced by other Ghostly International artists like Mux Mool and Com Truise. His foray into other sounds was awesome live, and I was able to snap some photos and take a short video of his performance. The last 30 seconds of the video is a glimpse into Shigeto's new world, of deep broken beat electronic music that blew my mind. Definitely see Shigeto live (here's his tour schedule), listen to his tracks and check out the video and pics from his performance below:

DJ Shadow show review - 3.30.12 - House of Blues in Boston - the SHADOWSPHERE

Legendary producer DJ Shadow performed at House of Blues in Boston last night. His performance was nothing I've ever seen before - he climbed into a giant ball "Shadowsphere" which was placed in front of a giant projection screen. He performed in the sphere all night. The ball acted as a 3D screen that interacted with the projection on the background.

It was an elaborate, but simple and entrancing performance. DJ Shadow has been performing the "Shadowsphere" for nearly 2 years now, but it was new to me and I recommend it to anyone. He performed for 2+ hours and his attention to the crowd was great. He is a true performer.

DJ Shadow performed various tracks - classics like "Building Steam on a Grain of Salt" "Six Days" and "High Noon," along with music from his latest album The Less You Know the Better. DJ Shadow has been outspoken about the art of DJing being a performance, and he lived up to that message. He remixed on the fly, used an array of turntablism, synth and midi effects, live drumming and masterful mixing to refresh his tracks for a live audience. He performed various styles that he's experimented with through the years, ranging from trip hop, drum & bass, dubstep (new stuff), and pure hip hop.

Here's a few pics from the night, plus DJ Shadow videos and tracks to check out - and visit his site for his newest album, many more pics and other media:

White Panda show/album review in Madison 3.22.12 - Stream/ Download new album Bambooyah, Pics & Mixed Feelings

  

I saw White Panda perform their new album Bambooyah last night in Madison, WI. The album is great - it's a fantastic new set of mashups of electro dance, pop, and a lot of classic samples and riffs, and the continuous mix flows really well. I had high expectations for this show - of live remixing and DJing - hearing new mashups on the fly. Yet, I came away with mixed feelings. Here's why:

1. White Panda are great mashup artists. Definitely download their music (as linked to above) - it was great to dance to their mashups in the club. They had the crowd going. But, it was clear that they were just playing their pre-mixed mashups with little live mixing or DJing.

2. They went on late - after 1 AM. That's acceptable in NYC or Chicago, but not Madison (IMO), where bar time is 2/2:30 AM. They played for an hour. If i'm paying a premium cover to see a DJ act I expect more than an hour.

3. Then they abruptly stopped. No cool down, no taper, no bravado, nothing. They just stopped their set and walked off. Lights on, show over. It was musical blue balls.

Bottom line: I really enjoy White Panda's latest mashup album - it is the highest quality production and mashup they've achieved yet - and I will continue to download and recommend their music. However, I'm unlikely to see them live again or recommend that anyone does. They have to deliver more if I'm going shell out a cover premium to see them live.

Nonetheless, I had fun despite my expectations not quite being met. Maybe I should just appreciate it for what it is - great music played really loud ;) Here's pics from the night: