After much anticipation, A-Trak has finally unleashed Dirty South Dance 2 on the interwebs. The sequel to the 2007 original flawlessly fuses hip hop vocals with dance tracks and his signature scratching, resulting in fifty minutes of pure fun. With seamless transitions and a top-notch song selection, A-Trak makes it seem like hip hop and electro were born to mingle. Our favorites? “Trizzy Turnt Up”, in which he layers Soulja Boy’s “All The Way Turnt Up” over Claude VonStroke’s “Vocal Chords”, and “Ain’t I a Joker”, which pairs Yung L.A.’s “Aint I” with Joker’s “Tron”.
You have roughly six hours left to purchase discounted Electric Zoo tickets at $107, and given the most recent additions to the line-up, you’d have to be out of town, out of cash, or out of your mind to miss New York City’s biggest annual music event.
While last year’s line-up was almost all house, this year, Made Event is expanding the festival to include more sectors of electronic music, adding dubstep, electro, experimental, and more. In addition to the previously announced headliners, Flying Lotus, Bassnectar, Boys Noize, A-Trak, Major Lazer, Rusko, Wolfgang Gartner, Diplo, Steve Aoki, Aeroplane and Afrojack are among those that will grace Randall’s Island with their musical touch this Labor Day Weekend. Keep checking the official website (and The HiFi Cartel, of course) for the latest updates on the line-up – and trust us, there is plenty more to come.
CLICK HERE to purchase your early bird passes, and don’t forget, the prices will go up TONIGHT at midnight. Check out photos of Day 1 and Day 2 of the inaugural Electric Zoo by Oliver Correa and Kenroy George, and check in with us later this summer for your chance to win tickets to this massive blow-out.
On May 1, Deitch Projects will debut Shepard Fairey’s latest exhibition, May Day, for a nearly month-long run. The title of the exhibition not only refers to the day of its opening, but the many meanings of May Day that are reflected throughout the artist’s body of work. Through portraiture, May Day celebrates some of the artists, musicians and political activists that Shepard Fairey admires. “These people I’m portraying were all revolutionary, in one sense or another,” Fairey says of his subjects, “They started out on the margins of culture and ended up changing the mainstream. When we celebrate big steps that were made in the past, it reminds us that big steps can be made in the future.” A limited number of screen prints based on the series will be available exclusively on the night of the opening. A future release of the prints is planned for the OBEY online store.
Shepard Fairey also designed the artwork for A-Trak’s Dirty South Dance mixtape and the upcoming sequel Dirty South Dance 2, which makes A-Trak a fitting choice to soundtrack Meanred’s after party at 88 Palace, Dance Right New York. DJ Diabetic and DJ Pubes will also spin.
There are 100 advance $10 tickets available HERE, but we’re giving away two pairs of tickets to the after party, courtesy of Meanred. To enter the contest, fill in the form below and click “Enter Contest”. You can double your chances of winning by sending THIS MESSAGE via Twitter. You must be following both @HiFiCartel and @builtbymeanred to be eligible to win. The contest will close on Thursday, April 29 at midnight. Good Luck!
Last week, the third and final phase of the Ultra Music Festival was posted, adding LMFAO and Sander Kleinenberg (among others) to the already massive line-up that includes Damian Marley and Nas, Passion Pit, Tiesto, A-Trak, Bassnectar, Crookers, The Bloody Beetroots, Major Lazer, and hundreds more.
This year will feature some special collaborations – Florence (from Florence and the Machine) will join Swedish House Mafia on the Ultra Main Stage on Saturday, and Kelis, whose sound as taken a turn towards electro, will team up with Benny Benassi for a few songs.
Four new arenas have been added to the festival grounds – the UMF Ibiza Tent, the UMF Brazil Tent, the Root Society Dome, and the Heineken Dome Experience – bringing the total to a staggering ten (yes, TEN) stages.
Another new addition to Ultra is Sonic Forest, an interactive installation by artist/composer Christopher Janney that will entice festival goers into a unique environment with aural and visual components. Sonic Forest is composed of eight-foot tall aluminum poles that trigger melodic and environmental sounds as people move through the “electronic trees”. Independent drummers will be present in the Forest during various parts of the installation. Sonic Forest has been featured at Bonnaroo, All Points West, and Coachella in the US, and various festivals around the world.
Last Thursday, we caught the third installment of Chilly Gonzales‘ Piano Talk Show, a four-part series with a featured guest performer at each show. Gonzales, who recently set the Guinness World Record for longest live piano performance (27 hours, 3 minutes and 44 seconds), wore a robe and slippers when he took the stage for his cabaret-style performance. He played songs that ranged from classical pieces and traditional Jewish tunes to songs with spoken lyrics, amusing the crowd with witty and brutally honest banter in between.
Special guest A-Trak joined Gonzales on stage during a jazzy piece, and took over by recording a snippet of the song, replaying it with a beat, and adding his trademark scratching. After some more banter, where Gonzales called A-Trak “the Michael Jackson of the turntables”, the duo went into a medley of songs where A-Trak added vocal instrumentals and scratches to Gonzales’ piano melody. The medley included Stevie Wonder’s “Uptight (Everything is Alright)”, R. Kelly’s “Fiesta”, Tears for Fears’ “Shout”, Steely Dan’s “Back Jack”, Chaka Khan’s “Sweet Thing”, and Clipse’s “Wamp Wamp (What it Do)”. The duet (or “Jewet”, as Gonzales put it) presented a unique take on each song that showcased the two artists’ significant talents.
In the past two years, we’ve seen A-Trak perform more times than we can count, most often in a club setting where he typically spins a blend of hip-hop and electro with his signature scratching and beat juggling thrown into the mix. You can always count on his club sets to get a crowd moving, but its in special performances like this where A-Trak really shines.
Last October, A-Trak was among the momentous roster of scratch legends who came together to pay tribute to the late Grandmaster Roc Raida. Turntable veterans, including the members of the X-Ecutioners and Beat Junkies, took turns recreating some of the Grandmaster’s celebrated turntable routines. As the youngest DJ to win the DMC World Championship (at age 15), A-Trak is comparatively new to the scratching scene, but he more than held his own among his older cohorts, eliciting an overwhelmingly positive reaction from a surprised crowd.
Like the Roc Raida tribute, A-Trak and Chilly Gonzales’ duet for the Piano Talk Show was a collaboration so rare, it is likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime moment. The performance revealed a new layer of skill and creativity that reaffirms A-Trak’s position as one of the top DJs in the world. MTV recently announced that A-Trak and Travis Barker are building a live show that will debut in Los Angeles on March 9 and 10. Needless to say, we’re looking forward to seeing what comes out of this new accord.
Check out Nicky Digital’s video of A-Trak and Chilly Gonzales’ performance below, then click through for a round-up of photos from A-Trak’s various exploits around town. Don’t miss Chilly Gonzales’ final performance of the Piano Talk Show at Joe’s Pub this Thursday where he will be performing with Princess Superstar, and be sure to download his Pianist Envy mixtape HERE.
Chilly Gonzales and A-Trak perform at Joe’s Pub on February 18, 2010
When you hit the seven-year mark, you either go big or go home, and after making the trip across the Atlantic, the latter was definitely not an option for French label Ed Banger Records. Everything about their seven-year anniversary celebration was massive: the venue, the line-up, the cake, and the overall atmosphere hit all the right notes for the sold-out crowd at Terminal 5.
The evening began with DJ sets by Breakbot and DJ Mehdi, followed by a surprise guest set by Ed Banger “cousin” A-Trak. Uffie, accompanied by Ed Banger DJ/producer Feadz, briefly took the stage to perform two songs, ”MC’s Can Kiss” and “Illusion of Love”, from her new album, Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans.
Head honcho Busy P had the most festive set, which saw the unveiling of the four-layer cake and a colorful balloon drop into the gleeful audience. He played songs by the Bloody Beetroots, Major Lazer and 50 Cent, and segued into Justice’s set with “Tthhee Ppaarrttyy”. When Justice took over, Busy P ceremoniously cut the cake as Feadz cheerfully handed out pieces to the audience. Justice played all of their hits, including a mash-up of D.A.N.C.E. with Bob Sinclar’s breakout hit “Gym Tonic”.
After the show ended at 2 AM, we headed to Webster Hall for the after party, which was already in full swing. The rest of the Ed Banger crew also came through to continue the celebration and show their support for So Me, SebastiAn, and Feadz. During his set, SebastiAn hilariously dropped Mariah Carey’s “I Can’t Live (if living is without you)”, a song that the French seem to adore, and in a Webster Hall first, he took one of the CDJs into the audience, allowing them to manipulate the sounds from Feadz’s set. By 5 AM, the party was still going strong, until security called it a night and ushered out the crowd.
We’ve seen a lot of anniversary parties in our time, but this one definitely takes the cake. CLICK HERE for photos of the “Ed Banger Seven” at Terminal 5, and HERE for photos of the after party at Webster Hall.
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 week, Fixed got the holidays started early with a DJ set by Hot Chip. The parties continue this week when our favorite NYC music families bring us plenty of reasons to celebrate the season…
Every year, Matisyahu celebrates the Festival of Lights with a whopping eight shows, each with a different opening act. This year’s festival kicked off last Thursday with Glitch Mob at Webster Hall, but you still have four opportunities to see the reggae musician in action at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Personally, we’re planning to catch this Thursday’s show, when HiFi favorite Kid Koala will also be playing. Get your tickets here.
On Friday at Webster Hall, GBH is celebrating with Mark Ronson and Aaron LaCrate. We caught Mark Ronson with Q-Tip at Santos Party House last week, and look forward to seeing him at our favorite weekly party. A limited number of $10 tickets are still available, so act fast.
Meanwhile, at Public Assembly, the Trouble & Bass Crew will be spinning alongside Finnish producer Rico Tubbs. Click here to win tickets to what is sure to be another great party.
On Saturday, The Brothers Macklovitch, Nick Catchdubs, Max Glazer and Just Blaze will headline the Fool’s Gold and LTD Holiday Party at the Etnies Showroom. The party is free with RSVP.
Also on Saturday, Basic NYC residents Sleepy and Boo are getting in on the holiday action at the Sullivan Room with special guests Mark Farina, Nickmatic, and a tag team set by Pete Schwinge and Tonylee. Get advance tickets here.
Looks like it’s going to be a busy weekend… click through to view the fliers for this weekend’s events, and check in next week for the lowdown on New Year’s Eve in NYC.
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.
As co-creator and weekly resident DJ of Girls & Boys, Webster Hall’s acclaimed Friday party, Alex English has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in the DJ world. In the past year alone, Girls & Boys has played host to Xavier de Rosnay, A-Trak, Boys Noize, Crookers, Steve Aoki, The Bloody Beetroots, MSTRKRFT, Deadmau5 and Chromeo, among others.
With over 20 years of DJ experience under his belt, Alex English has become a fixture in the electro scene in New York City. Apart from his residencies at Thom Bar on Thursdays, Webster Hall on Fridays, and the Tribeca Grand Hotel on Saturdays, Alex also deals with booking the all-star DJ line-up for GBH parties at Webster Hall, Tribeca Grand, and North 8th in Williamsburg.
Tonight, Alex English and Dan Physics will make their debut as Disko Dali when they open for Justice’s sold-out DJ set at Webster Hall. Though Alex came up with Disko Dali back in 2001, he and Dan didn’t start working together until this past summer. The duo writes and produces original dance music and has done remixes of artists like the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Dragonette, and Depeche Mode (check out some of their remixes on their MySpace page, or listen to their remix of “Plastic Caramelo” below).
Over the last few weeks, we traded emails with Alex to discuss his DJ career, influences, and upcoming projects. After the jump, read an excerpt of the interview that transpired.
We compiled photos documenting some of Alex’s exploits around New York City to celebrate The HiFi Cartel’s 100th Photo Gallery… click here to check it out. Be sure to listen to the Disko Dali remix of Plastic Caramelo’s self-titled track, streamed below, and check back soon for the Alex English edition of HiFi Essentials.
Plastic Caramelo – “Plastic Caramelo” (Disko Dali Mix)
