Tag Archive: "Ikonika"

Contest: Win Tickets to Dark Disco This Saturday


It’s that time again! Meanred’s Dark Disco is back this Saturday January 29th, and I couldn’t be more excited. This time, the merriment will take place at multi-level, subterranean Hell’s Kitchen space Good Units, which is sure to lend itself perfectly to the vibe of the event because hey, what’s darker than being underground at night? It’s no secret that we over at The HiFi Cartel are massive Ikonika fans, but if that’s not reason enough to attend, the lineup features Blaqstarr performing live, as well as sets from Jakwob, Tittsworth, Falty DL, and Redfoxx.

Ikonika is a UK-based electronic musician, producer and DJ often associated with Hyperdub Records and the Dubstep genre.Ikonika’s music combines melodic synth patterns, driving drums, melancholic sub bass and unorthodox song structures. She was described by The Observer as “a rare female face in the male-dominated world of dubstep, Ikonika melds the genre’s juddering bass with Aphex Twin-style melodic mischief-making.”

Blaqstarr is a crafty producer and a unique vocalist — his beats hit hard but leave plenty of room for mind-altering textures, while his voice carries a high-pitched, practically atmospheric, rough-hewn elegance. He gained a lot of recognition for his contribution to M.I.A.’s 2007 album, but he had already been well-established in his base of Baltimore, with productions notched on Young Leek’s “Jiggle It” and D.O.G.’s “Ryda Girl,” along with his own “Tote It” and “Feel It in the Air” — tracks that filled up Baltimore’s airwaves.

Jakwob first came to acclaim via some major appreciation in the blog world for his bootleg of Ellie Goulding’s ‘Starry Eyed’ and bolstered such support with his remix of ‘Under The Sheets.’ He’s since gone on to remix the likes of Empire Of The Sun, Temper Trap and Penguin Prison as well as the likes of Audio Bullies, Dan le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip and I Blame Coco. Jakwob is a multi-instrumentalist, which goes a long way in explaining his style, transcending genres and combining elements of dub step, electro, ghetto-tech and break-beat (to name a few). This eclecticism also manifests itself in Jakwob’s DJ sets, which take in dub, hip-hop, drum and bass, dub step and beyond.

Representing club music from the U.S. Capital, Tittsworth continuously dominates crowds with his signature blend of energetic dance music.From URB and XLR8R to NME and Fader, his production continues to gain equally high praise. Titts music is a permanent fixture in blogs, charts and DJ sets. He has been asked to remix pop icon Kanye West, disco legend Grace Jones, D&B front runner Subfocus, Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak label and AC Slater’s Party Like Us Records to name a few.

New York City’s Falty DL ia making garage ‘n stuff with his hands. He crafts nostalgic tracks immersed in the old New York and Chicago sound, yet creating a more subtle futuristic Big Apple version mashing together influences from hip hop, dubstep, garage, soul, jungle and electronica, thereby creating his own unique sound.

Get pumped with this awesome mix that Ikonika put together for FACT Magazine in November 2010.

Check out photos from December’s edition of Dark Disco HERE.

We’ve got two tickets to give away to one lucky winner! Just fill out the form below to enter.


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Posted in Contest, DJ, Live Music, Music News

The HiFi Cartel Proudly Presents sub:culture


A subculture is understood as a group of people with a culture, distinct or hidden, which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong. Subcultures can be distinctive because of the age, ethnicity, class, location, and/or gender of the members. For The HiFi Cartel, our subculture is that of an unwavering and impassioned dedication to music – and to sub bass. We believe in music that you can feel in your very being, music that makes you forget all about the worries of the day and the pressures of responsibility, music that makes you move without caring that anyone else is watching. We do not care about the label on your jacket, where you went to school or how much money you have in your bank account, for we serve only the rhythm, the beat, and the sub-bass frequencies which do not discriminate or pass judgment. Every subculture needs its arena, every sub-bass its system, and with that in mind, we are delighted to announce that on Thursday, September 23, 2010, The HiFi Cartel will bring you the premiere edition of sub:culture, our own celebration of musical innovation and inspiration, at Le Poisson Rouge.

Click through to learn more about the amazing artists on the roster for the evening and to preview some of their music. Advanced tickets to the event can be purchased HERE, or you can RSVP HERE for reduced admission. All RSVPs will be automatically entered to win a free pair of tickets.

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Posted in DJ, Events, HiFi Cartel, Live Music, Music News

Sonar Day One in a Nutshell



Day one of Sonar, the self-described festival of “Advanced Music and Multimedia Art”, taking place June 17-19 in Spain’s vibrant coastal city of Barcelona, kicked off yesterday with this weekend’s first edition of Sonar by Day. Located in the heart of downtown Barcelona, Sonar by Day features a variety of artists across three different stages, representing the broadest spectrum of what is considered to be electronic music. Thousands of partygoers, including locals, Europeans and music fanatics from all over the world, attended this roaring celebration of music and art that represents the beginning of what promises to be an incredible and inspiring weekend.

While the array of incredible musical talent on display makes choosing favorites nearly impossible, there are a few some stand out acts that were a cut above the rest. We first checked out the UK’s infamous Pete Tong’s set in the open air SonarVillage, which was overrun with revelers enjoying the beautiful bounty of sunshine and outstanding beats. Unaffected by the fact that it was still only early afternoon, the space was already vibrating from a multitude of dancing feet. Hyped from the vibe of the joyous atmosphere, we headed to Caribou’s excellent performance, who played to a packed audience in the SonarDome. Their onstage unity and aptly cheerful set list of tracks chosen primarily from their newer album “Swim” made for the perfect late afternoon warm-up for the coming night’s events. Another noteworthy act was Broadcast, who’s visual backdrop of surrealistic video footage contrasted against a dark stage and hall created a beautiful aesthetic of wonder and almost melancholy.

After an actio-packed day, we started our night at FACT and Plat du Jour’s Hyperdub Off Sonar event at Club Mondo, featuring Cooly G, Ikonika, Darkstar, Kode 9, and more, with a special surprise appearance by the supremely talented Flying Lotus, who will be performing again at Friday’s Sonar by Night under the auspices of Mary Anne Hobbs’ stage. Hundreds of dubstep fans packed themselves into the dark, sweaty, and seriously energized Hyperdub party, where the artists proceeded to blow the roof off the place with a heavy onslaught of bass music. To nobody’s surprise, Flying Lotus’ set in particular was an outstanding combination of his own production set to a background of more traditional house rhythms, and naturally caused the crowd to go completely mental with aural joy.

Next up was Desolat’s Off Sonar party, featuring Loco Dice and Marco Carola, among others. This massive event also served as the opening night of Ghoa Beach Club, a brand new open air space right on Barcelona’s waterfront. Energy levels remained high and the bass kept thumping as the artists carried the crowd straight into the dawn, keeping the dancefloor packed and he partygoers begging for more as the music finally came to an end well in the morning.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS


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Posted in Concerts, DJ, Events, Festivals, Live Music, Photo Gallery, Travel

Contest: Win Two Tickets for Dark Disco with MJ Cole, Ikonika, Michna, Actress, House of House, Kenny Dope and Egyptrixxx


Everyone in New York looks for big things; from big DJs, big clubs and big buzz, it’s all about the size of it all. Enter Dark Disco, MeanRed’s seminal event dedicated to all things massive. Originating from their Central Park event last year with Drop The Lime and Boys Noize, the MeanRed crew go darker and deeper in this installment; housing a multimedia extravaganza in the L.E.S. establishment Element. The fun starts with an atmosphere that will include ice sculpture art, textual imagery and much, much more, but the spotlight is on the group of artists who are coming together to provide the audio goodness for the 7-hour bash.

The artists taking the trans-Atlantic trip over are nothing short of epic; with Werk Discs head honcho Actress (off the heels of his amazing sophomore album, Splazsh), Hyperdub heroine Ikonika and UK Garage don MJ Cole providing the forward-thinking vibes of what’s across the pond with a spread of funky, dubstep and anything in between. Joining them will be NYC heroes Nick Hook (of Cubic Zirconia), Ghostly-based bass crooner Michna, and mythical house master Kenny Dope. In addition to all this, Canadian bass bomber Egyptrixx comes to round out a night full of amazing tunes.

Click through for a chance to win a pair of tickets. Advance tickets HERE.

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Posted in Contest, DJ, Events, Local Flavor, New Music, Up & Coming

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