Last March, attendees from 80 countries flocked to Miami for the annual Winter Music Conference. The legendary five-day event , which goes from March 23-27, will host some of the best parties of the year, informative panels with world-renown DJs, and of course, Ultra Music Festival.
The initial line-up for the music festival, taking place once more at Bicentennial Park, already includes A-Trak, Major Lazer, Steve Aoki, the Bloody Beetroots, and Pretty Lights. The added presence of Rusko, Skream, Bassnectar and Crookers is just another indication of how prolific dubstep has become in the music scene. Tiesto, Carl Cox, Dirty South, Rabbit in the Moon, Infected Mushroom, Deadmau5 and Armin Van Buuren were on the bill last year and will make repeat appearance in 2010.
Click through to view the complete list of the initial acts set to perform at Ultra, along with the official festival trailer. If the line-up wasn’t enough to get you psyched, check out photos from Ultra 2009 with Santigold, The Ting Tings, Armin van Buuren and Prodigy.
Stay tuned for our complete coverage of WMC – we’ll be posting info about the week’s best parties, panels, concerts, and more…
Last June, Major Lazer exploded on the international music scene with their debut album, Guns Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do. 2009 was a big year for Major Lazer – they were nominated for two MTV awards, headlined multiple tours (including a star-studded performance at Hard NYC), and brought their reggae-tinged sound to dance floors around the world.
Their third single, “Pon de Floor” enjoyed quite a bit of club play at all of our favorite parties, and even crossed over to the mainstream when it was used on the season finale of So You Think You Can Dance. Skerrit Bwoy’s graphic reenactment of the NSFW music video (directed by Eric Wareheim of the comedy duo Tim and Eric) at the Best Buy Club Beats event last November ruffled a few corporate feathers, resulting in an abrupt end to their set and a hasty exit. Considering that the Jamaican government instilled a nationwide ban on all music and videos relating to “daggering” last February, we’d say that Major Lazer got off easy here in the states.
After Dances With White Girls equated “Pon de Floor” to Reel 2 Reel’s 1994 hit “I Like to Move It” via Twitter, “Pon de Floor” secured its position as The HiFi Cartel’s song of the year.
We trust that as HiFi Cartel readers you’ve heard the original song, so we’ve included Laidback Luke’s remix below for your listening pleasure. Be sure to check out photos from Major Lazer’s NYC debut at S.O.B.’s, Hard NYC at Terminal 5, and Club Beats at Best Buy, and in case you’ve been sleeping, watch the video for “Pon de Floor” after the jump. Major Lazer will once again play Hard NYC when it returns to Terminal 5 on April 3. Get your tickets here.
Major Lazer – “Pon de Floor” (Laidback Luke Remix)
Last Friday, GBH decked out Webster Hall to celebrate the holidays. Mark Ronson headlined the event with support from Aaron LaCrate and Girls & Boys residents Alex English, Rekles, Gavin Royce and Kids with Snakes. The evening had a great turnout that included Theophilus London, Spank Rock, Prince Terrence (of HEARTSREVOLUTION), DJ Treats, Dances with White Girls and The Chainsmokers.
Last Thursday, Kid Koala joined Matisyahu at the Music Hall of Williamsburg for night six of Matisyahu’s fourth annual Festival of Lights.
Kid Koala is the type of artist that gets better each time you see him, not only because each set is different, but also because his unique style and technique becomes more apparent with each live show. I’ve witnessed my fair share of beat juggling, but Kid Koala is the first and only artist I’ve seen who uses the turntables and mixer to actually create and manipulate melodies.
The short, 40-minute set included reinterpretations of “Robbing Banks (Doin’ Time)” and “You Turn Me Cold” by The Slew and “Poison Dart” by Warrior Queen. He also played Nas’ “Bridging the Gap”, adding a layer of bluesy harmonica that gave the song a heartier quality. He closed with his mother’s favorite song (and a Kid Koala classic), “Moon River”.
The giant disco dreidel suspended from the ceiling set a festive tone for Matishayu’s epic performance that followed. While he’s best known as a reggae artist, he incorporates many different styles into his music, drawing influences from rock, hip hop, and even psychedelic jam bands. The set lasted for over two and a half hours and consisted entirely of reworked versions of his songs. Matisyahu took a moment to light a menorah towards the end of the show, calling upon an audience member to help with the ritual. It was a touching and refreshing moment, especially given the fact that most mainstream holiday celebrations focus on Christmas.
Tonight is the final performance of the eight-night run. In case you missed it, you can stream tonight’s show live on Facebook beginning at 7:45 PM EST.
On Wednesday night, Fixed celebrated the holidays with a party at Le Poisson Rouge. In the past year, Fixed has brought us some of the biggest names in music (Boys Noize, Basement Jaxx and Simian Mobile Disco, to name a few), and their Holiday Party was no exception, which featured a DJ set by British electro-pop duo Hot Chip, along with JG Wilkes of Scottish DJ duo Optimo and Fixed residents JDH and Dave P.
Hot Chip’s got started at 12:40 with “Ready For the Floor”. Their set, which was dominated by funky electro and house, included their own songs “One Life Stand” and “(Just Like We) Breakdown”. The most surprising song choice was Gloria Estefan’s “Conga”, which they dropped midway through their set in its full original glory.
After Hot Chip’s high-energy set, JDH and Dave P brought a welcome change of pace when they took over the decks close to 3 AM. Their low-key selections included “Saviour” (La Roux) “VCR” (The xx), and “I Feel Just Like a Child” (Devendra Banhart).
The event drew an international crowd, with attendees from Austrailia, Germany, France, England and Mexico, among others, many of whom stayed until the lights came on at the end of the night.
Last Wednesday, Fool’s Gold Records celebrated the release of Kid Sister’s Ultraviolet with a party at Griffiin. With music by label founders A-Trak and Nick Catchdubs, it was refreshing to hear good music in a regular club setting. Dave 1, Diplo, Theophilus London, Spank Rock, Amanda Lepore and even Mrs. Macklovich (A-Trak and Dave 1’s mom) were in the house to celebrate Kid Sister’s big debut.
Nick Catchdubs was manning the decks when we arrived. He spun a good selection of pure hip-hop, possibly in anticipation of A-Trak’s electro set that followed.
A-Trak started off with a short speech congratulating Kid Sister and “aNYway” by Duck Sauce. The beginning of his set was dominated by electro, leaning more towards commercial club tracks before moving on to the good stuff. He played Jack Beats’ dubby remix of La Roux’s “I’m Not Your Toy”, an electro mix of Kid Sister’s “Big n Bad”, and his own remix of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Heads Will Roll”. He later moved into hip-hop, dropping crowd pleasers like Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” and Puff Daddy’s “Bad Boy For Life”.
Click here to view the photo gallery, and check out Jack Beats’ remix of “I’m Not Your Toy” below.
After weeks of anticipation, Theophilus London finally released his first single, “Humdrum Town”, on Green Label Sound. Since the debut of This Charming Mixtape in January, Theophilus London has made considerable strides in both his work and his career. Not only has his music matured, he is also a member of Chauffeur, a supergroup that also counts Mark Ronson, Sam Sparro, and The Dap Kings’ Victor Axelrod and Tommy Brenneck as members.
Last month, the up-and-coming artist packed in a whopping six appearances during CMJ’s five-day period, including the Green Label Sound party at the Brooklyn Bowl on October 23. Rocking a pair of sunglasses, Theophilus London’s presence on stage is decidedly cool. He made good use of the large stage, engaging the audience with his slick dance moves. Set highlights included “Humdrum Town”, “Ultraviolet”, and remixes of Amadou & Mariam’s “Sabali” and The Very Best’s “Julia”. He closed with his catchy rendition of Whitney Houston’s “Always Love You”.
It was clear that his sound developed considerably since the mixtape’s January release, evident in the drastic reimagining of “Ultraviolent”. The original version on This Charming Mixtape is punk rock fused with hip-hop, in a manner reminiscent of N.E.R.D. The new version, renamed “Ultraviolet”, retains the punk influence in the bass line and drums, but adds a synth-pop melody that gives the song a completely different feel. A silvery hook and smoothed-out vocals complete the transformation. Listen to the two tracks for yourself:
Theophilus London – “Ultraviolent”
Theophilus London – “Ultraviolet”
If you think Theophilus London’s music isn’t enough evidence of his growth, look no further than his latest incarnation, Chauffeur. Described by Mark Ronson as “a fictitious supergroup”, Chauffeur was commissioned to record a song to tie into the release of Mark Ronson’s new line of shoes for Gucci. There are very few bands that are fronted by both a vocalist and a rapper, proven to be a winning combination when Chauffeur performed at the Levis/Fader Fort on October 24.
With one original song under their Gucci belts, Chauffeur’s set only consisted two songs: a cover of Sheila E’s “This Glamorous Life”, and “Soles on Fire”, which has a soft electro melody over a subtle hip hop/funk beat. With lyrics like “Guccis on my feet, it’s about that time” and “I ran so far, my soles’ on fire”, Chauffeur does a great job of producing a solid track while tying in the brand. Gucci is giving away an exclusive 12″ vinyl of “Soles of Fire” with the purchase of Mark Ronson’s shoes.
Chauffeur has shown a lot of promise in their debut track, and we have a feeling this isn’t the last we’ve seen of their unique collaboration. As for Theophilus London, based on what we’ve heard in the past year, there’s no doubt in our minds that we have a lot to look forward to.
After the jump, check out a few photos of Theophilus London’s recent CMJ performances, and be sure to click here for a free download of “Humdrum Town” from Green Label Sound.
Bassnectar stopped by NYC last Friday for a sold out, ear-shattering performance at Irving Plaza. Along with opening acts Nosaj Thing and Joro Boro, Bassnectar quenched New York City’s thirst for dubstep… at least for the time being.
Joro Boro kicked things off with his worldly set that drew from a wide range of music. With oriental, indian, and even polka influences, it wasn’t surprising to learn that Joro Boro has toured with gypsy band Gogol Bordello.
Nosaj Thing took over at 11 PM with a more subtle, low-key sound. His set-up was simple – a laptop and a MIDI controller – but his hands were in constant motion. Just when I was beginning to liken him to Flying Lotus, he dropped his own remix of Flying Lotus’ “Camel”, solidifying the comparison. Other highlights included a bass-heavy remix of Busta Rhymes’ “Dangerous” and an interpretation of Kid Cudi’s “Man on the Moon” instrumental.
True to his name, Bassnectar leaned heavily towards dubstep and drum & bass, amplified by the wall of subwoofers lining the front of the stage. While he played genre staples like Emalkay’s “When I Look at You”, “Eastern Jam” by Chase and Status, and his own “Cozza Frenzy”, he also used songs and samples from every genre imaginable, including electro (Justice “Phantom”), reggae (Buju Banton “Walk Like a Champion”) and even rock (Led Zeppelin “Kashmir”). Hip-hop and dubstep have seen a lot of crossover lately, and Bassnectar didn’t shy away from putting in his two cents, dropping reworked versions of The Fugees’ “Ready or Not”, Missy Elliot’s “Work It”, and Pharoahe Monch’s “Simon Says”. Bassnectar’s set, which lasted nearly three hours, was coupled with a wide variety of visuals that included tripped-out animations and seemingly random video clips projected on a large screen behind him.
When he needs a change of pace from the bass-heavy goodness that is Bassnectar, Lorin Ashton turns to his side project, West Coast Lo-Fi, a more downtempo outlet for self-expression. After the jump, check out the West Coast Lo-Fi Remix of Bassnectar’s “Heads Up”.
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