Photo Gallery: Flow Festival Day 2
Marjana Jaidi / August 14, 2011
Featuring Mayer Hawthorne, Iron & Wine, Janelle Monáe, Empire of the Sun, 2562 and Martyn.
Photo Gallery: The Cool Kids at Brooklyn Bowl (August 10, 2011)
Marjana Jaidi / August 14, 2011
The Cool Kids performed at the Brooklyn Bowl last Wednesday in support of their new album When Fish Ride Bicycles. Stream the full album HERE.
Photo Gallery: Flow Festival Day 1
Marjana Jaidi / August 13, 2011
Featuring Destroyer, Matthew Dear, The Budos Band, Warpaint, MF Doom, Hercules and Love Affair, Röyksopp, Pearson Sound, Cosmo Baker and Joy Orbison.
Album Review: Azari & III’s Debut LP
Cecilia Doreng-Stearns / August 12, 2011
Just the other day, I found myself remarking to a friend that Canadian house revivalists Azari & III seemed to be keeping relatively quiet recently, and how it was unfortunate considering their infectious energy and sound. Lo and behold, I only needed to check my ever overflowing inbox to see that they are in fact set to release their debut LP on August 12, 2011, and for the time being the entire album can be streamed through Soundcloud below.
Azari & III
At first listen, the album is much what you would expect it to me: soaring diva vocals and energizing peaks lift the listener into ecstasy-like highs that can only be expressed adequately on a strobing dancefloor. However, their is a darker side to this album as well; a layer beneath the pure hedonism that in many ways is symbolic of what we as a culture have learned since the 1990s. The lightly masked wisdom seems to warn of what our generation already knows: that relationships built in nightclubs do not last, that beauty fades, that drugs wear off, and that eventually, the lights do turn back on.
Perhaps because of this, the tracks that most stand out on this album are the ones that express this duality in both their sound and lyrical content. Ironically, these tracks that could almost be more apt referred to as “songs” are also the ones that set themselves apart as dancefloor anthems. That is not to say that the instrumental tracks are less interesting, but they are interesting in a more strictly musical sense and seem to be more suited for personal listening.
Notable tracks include “Into the Night”, which is groovy and full of live, recalling the early stages of a blossoming love affair, where everything sparkles and every breath is intoxicating. I do not think it is accidental that this track opens the album, as this feeling of giddy new romance is representative of the inception of every person’s affair with nightlife.
If “Into the Night” is the naive beginning of a love affair with the night, “Reckless (With Your Love)” then represents the next level of developing maturity, delving into deeper house and calling forth a distinct taint of irony. It tells a story of someone figuratively hiding in the party, wearing a mask of freedom and fun that truly stems from an attempt to fill the void within. This irony is then magnified by the musicality of the track, as at first glance it seems made for the dancefloor, yet on a deeper level contains a beat that could almost be interpreted as melancholy. It is furthermore interesting that the infamous Tensnake remix of this track has been the more popular version, as it glosses over the darker underbelly turning it into true pop. This almost adds a third layer of irony – that the remix that focuses on danceability and lightheartedness, thereby ignoring the true meaning, represents, if you will, the mask worn by the subject of the track itself.
“Change of Heart” also stands out, with its echoed female vocals that sound almost ethereal when laid over needling synths. Conversely, “Manhooker” seems to be the most honesty dark track of the album, with elements that are almost industrial and stark infused with an overlay of sex, recalling a low-point in hedonistic revelry. “Hungry for the Power” is given depth by its subject matter, which is all about control, turning this track which might otherwise come off as cheesy into something much, much more.
You can purchase the album HERE, and check out the full tracklist below.
01. Into the Night
02. Reckless (With Your Love)
03. Tunnel Vision
04. Indigo
05. Lost In Time
06. Infiniti
07. Change of Heart
08. Manhooker
09. Undecided
10. Hungry for Power
11. Manic
Celebrate 10 Years of Resident Advisor on August 20
Cecilia Doreng-Stearns / August 10, 2011
To celebrate Resident Advisor’s 10th anniversary, they’ve cooked up something rather epic: a series of ten parties in ten cities around the world, each with a secret headliner.
The ten parties in ten cities thing is pretty easy to understand, so here’s the deal with the secret headliners: each event will feature one carefully selected artist who RA thinks has positively influenced the electronic music landscape over the past decade. Their identities will remain strictly under wraps until they take the stage. Up to that point, each one will be known simply as the X.
For the US stop, they’re taking over Le Poisson Rouge on August 20, the iconic live music venue in Greenwich Village. With the live dynamic firmly in mind, the X has curated a line-up that combines Montreal Jazz Festival stars King Sunshine, a nine-piece ensemble that’s worked with everyone from Robert Owens to DJ Sneak, with master of all things soulful deep house Peven Everett, plus Mala, half of pioneering dubstep duo Digital Mystikz, and Japan’s DJ Masashi Nakazawa. The night will close with a performance by the X, an esteemed headliner whose identity will remain unknown until he or she takes the stage.
The poster for this one is done by Zeke Clough, the man behind Shackleton’s vivid and occasionally disturbing sleeve designs. As usual, this one’s all organs, bones and things getting impaled. Only 75 will be available, all screen-printed and sold only on RA. It’s shipping internationally too for those of you who can’t be there but would still like a piece of the action.
Check out Mala’s XLR8R Podcast from the end of May for a taste of what to expect.
To help celebrate RA’s New York shindig, they’re giving away entry to the party for one person and three of their friends, as well as a $200 bar tab to help sweeten the deal. What’s more, they’ll also kick in one of the limited edition posters.
Grand Prize
One winner will receive:
- Entry to the event for themselves and three friends
- A limited edition screen-print poster by Zeke Clough
- A $200 bar tab
Runners up Prize
Four winners will receive:
- Entry to the event for themselves and three friends
Head HERE to enter the competition, or purchase your advanced tickets HERE.
Photo Gallery: Verboten Presents Damian Lazarus & Stacey Pullen (August 6, 2011)
Cecilia Doreng-Stearns / August 10, 2011
Last Saturday, Verboten orchestrated yet another magnificent event, bringing Damian Lazarus and Stacey Pullen to the decks at subterranean Good Units. Damian Lazarus is above all else known for his sense of playfulness and knack for experimentation, and his set last Saturday presented a perfect example of that. He took the crowd through different styles of techno, minimal and deep house, whilst thoroughly enjoying himself in the process, clearly throwing himself into the music and moving along with his audience. Detroit’s Stacey Pullen closed out the night, and rather than ease the crowd down and back to reality, he kept the dancefloor thumping early into the morning.
Up next, Verboten is bringing Danny Howells, Brad Miller, Down Deep & Stadenco to the Hudson Terrace, this Sunday August 14. Ticketz to that can be purchased HERE, and in the meantime…
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL PHOTO GALLERY.
Road Trippin’: Royal Family Affair hits Vermont this Weekend
Marjana Jaidi / August 09, 2011
Looking to get out of the city for the weekend? Then consider getting funky in Vermont at the Royal Family Affair on August 12-14. Headlined by Soulive, Chromeo, Lettuce and Big Gigantic, the line-up also includes Medeski, Deitch & Skerik, Break Science featuring Chali 2na, The London Souls and a closing set by the Royal Family All Stars.
In addition to your typical festival programming, the Royal Family Affair is hosting afternoon music workshops that cover a wide range of topics including composition, improvisation, production and engineering. The esteemed faculty? Eric Krasno, Adam Deitch, Neal and Alan Evans, Skerik, John Medeski and the Shady Horns’ Ryan Zoidis and Sam Kininger. Workshops cost $15 each, $75 for an unlimited workshop pass, and are free with a Full Rager VIP Pass.
If that weren’t enough, the Royal Family Affair is offering a wide range of activities that are free to all ticketholders, including hiking, free beer tasting, paintball and tennis.
Sounds like the makings of an awesome weekend. The Royal Family Affair will be held at Stratton Mountain in Bondville, Vermont, which is accessible by car, train or shuttle bus. CLICK HERE for more info about planning your trip, and get your tickets HERE.
Photo Gallery: Friday Double Header with The Twelves and Miike Snow
Marjana Jaidi / August 08, 2011
After a ten-week absence, I celebrated my return to NYC with a killer double header. The night started at Good Units with Fixed’s JDH and The Twelves, then the party continued at Webster Hall, where Girls & Boys was in full swing with a DJ set by Karlsson & Winnberg of Miike Snow.
CLICK HERE for photos from The Twelves and Good Units, and HERE for photos of Miike Snow at Webster Hall.
Verboten Presents Damian Lazarus & Stacey Pullen at Good Units
Cecilia Doreng-Stearns / August 04, 2011
Photo: Matt Fried for Gradient Magazine
This Saturday, August 6, Verboten proudly welcomes Crosstown Records head honcho Damian Lazarus to Good Units, where he’s joined by Detroit techno pioneer Stacey Pullen. With the massive success of Damian’s record label and Get Lost WMC party, combined with the amazing music that attendees of Movement and FROLIC know Pullen is known for, this looks to be an epic Verboten event. Starting off the night is longtime flawless friend Delete aka Sergio Munoz (Crosstown Rebels, Get Physical), debuting his newest project Fur Coat.
Driven by an almost childlike curiosity, a vivid imagination and wicked sense of humour, Damian Lazarus has used his role as a DJ, label owner and now musician to nurture and share the most exciting and experimental music on the planet. Drawn to the darkness, but buoyed by the light, ever ready to embrace new ideas and different perspectives on music and the dancefloor, Lazarus is always ahead of the curve, with a wry smile on his face and a neat trick up his sleeve.
An innovator from the Second Wave of Detroit techno, Stacey Pullen grew up under the mentorship of Detroit’s legendary three: Derrick May, Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson. Still continuing to produce his characteristic atmosphere laden electronic sound, Stacey Pullen compounds his reputation as a producer with that of being one of the world’s most in demand DJs, playing weekly across the globe year in, year out. With a font of passion for music and performance that never dries up, Stacey Pullen still plays every gig from the heart seeking to surprise and engage, to provide an unforgettable experience, to offer up his unique catalogue without predictability – defying expectation. Above all, from his earliest attempts to the current day Stacey Pullen has stayed true to his one goal: to become and to always be an Innovator. Listen below to a live set from Stacey at Fuse in Brussels.
Stacey Pullen Live @ Fuse, Brussels – 30-04-2011
This event is FREE before midnight with RSVP HERE, or advanced tickets can be purchased HERE.
Escape to New York This Weekend
Cecilia Doreng-Stearns / August 02, 2011
Curated by Fred Fellowes, the founder and creative director behind The U.K’s Secret Garden Party, Escape to New York is a three-day festival/vacation unlike any other in the U.S., and it’s coming to you this weekend. Held on the picturesque Shinnecock Reservation adjacent to Southampton, NY, patrons will be treated to performances by the likes of Patti Smith, Of Montreal, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, Best Coast, Mates of State, Chairlift, The Psychedelic Furs, and White Rabbits. In addition to the festival’s musical acts, Escape to New York will also feature dazzling art installations curated by Winkel & Balktick, performance artists, luxury camping (aka. “glamping”) an intimate acoustic stage, speaker tent, dance tent, and the largest brunch on The East Coast, catered by Silkstone.
Guests will be able to enjoy freshly prepared dishes from some of the best restaurants in the country, including seafood from Luke’s Lobster, American BBQ from Brinkley’s, ceviche and hanger steaks from Ofrenda, and traditional tacos with homemade guacamole from the soon-to-open Pulqueria. In addition, attendees will be able to choose among Mediterranean food, innovative sandwiches, Vietnamese cuisine and much more.
Tickets are $275 for the three-day festival and $100 for day tickets. Festival and “glamping” tickets can be purchased HERE. For more information, and to check out the full line-up, click HERE.
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