On Thursday night, we caught California-based electronic artists Nosaj Thing and Eskmo at Icon in Berlin. Click through to check out some selects from the show…

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I know a party is a really big deal if I simply CANNOT wear anything already hanging in my already rather expansive closet and just MUST go buy something shiny and new specifically for the occasion. This past Dark Disco, which took place at Element at the end of last May, was just such a party. Before I knew what was happening, I found myself adorned in neon and lace, entirely unnecessary drink ticket in hand, loudly professing my (totally platonic I swear) love to a certain female UK artist as my feet started to blister in my boots from hitting the dance floor too hard. Needless to say, it was a night to remember, and this upcoming Dark Disco on December 3 at Music Hall of Williamsburg is shaping up to be no different, with Nosaj Thing, Mary Anne Hobbs, Toro Y Moi (DJ set) and Dirty South Joe all confirmed. CLICK HERE for your chance to win a pair of tickets to the show.

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As the sun rose on day two of Sonar Festival in Barcelona, the masses once again flocked to the downtown location of Sonar by Day, pouring through the gates in even larger masses than the previous day’s festivities. Spirits were once again at peak levels during the afternoon hours, with Europe’s electronic music revelers taking full advantage of the beautiful weather and vibe of the city, the company of fellow partygoers, and of course the stunning array of musical talent from all over the world.

Once again, stand out acts were difficult to determine, as each artist contributed something creative and unique to the boundary-breaking display of electronic music across the three stages. Of particular distinction was the UK’s Hyperdub group King Midas Sound, who presented a brilliantly dreamlike set pairing their bass heavy and reggae influenced rhythmic sound with a backdrop of dramatic and hypnotic lighting in the darkened SonarHall. Also taking advantage of the confined space of SonarHall was Nosaj Thing, who performed his visual show to a thoroughly enthusiastic crowd. Matching a visual display projected against the wall behind him, Nosaj Thing took the audience on an aural and visual journey through his hip-hop inspired beats, dropping favorite tracks like “Coat of Arms” and “Fog” at key moments.

After a long day of music in the sun, we headed to the first installment of Sonar by Night, which takes place Friday and Saturday night in a massive old airplane hanger just outside of Barcelona’s city limits. Three enormous stages hosted a slew of even more enormous talent, with thousands upon thousands of people going absolutely mental for the breathtaking lineup and environment. Noteworthy acts included favorites like veteran French super-duo Air, DFA Record’s LCD Soundsystem whose performance of their beloved old track “Daft Punk is Playing at My House” got the whole room singing, and German house group Booka Shade, who all lived up to their stellar reputations as forerunners in the realm of genre bending electronic music. Indie electronic staple Hot Chip also played a thrilling live set under the open air night sky to the tune of thousands of cheering fans at Sonar by Night’s second biggest stage, SonarPub.

Mary Anne Hobb’s showcase at the SonarLab stage was also a big hit, showcasing some of the finest talent currently on rotation in the overarching realm of dubstep and UK funky. First the BBC Radio DJ herself took the stage, dropping some seriously grimy dubstep tunes and making the massive bassline reverberate through the ground and up into the enthralled audience. Second was a rare appearance by the illustrious Joy Orbison, who’s set was an extraordinary treat for UK funky fans. Flying Lotus took the stage next, spinning a set that focused on samples of some heavy hip-hop beats, and of course his own production, which contrasted effectively with his more house tinged set of the night before, and lead perfectly into the showcases’ closing set from the king of UK funky, Roska.

On the techno and electro side, 2manydjs spun a rambunctiously fun mix of electro tracks both new and old, with a multitude of stellar remixes and visual graphics animating each tracks record sleeves. Techno master Plastikman (otherwise known as Richie Hawtin) and the legendary Claude Von Stroke also each tore the roof off the epic venue. The latter’s closing set at the main stage, SonarClub, provided the ultimate ending to an incredible night, dropping monumental tracks like “Who’s Afraid of Detroit?”, shifting into some wicked drum and bass just when the crowd least expected it, and slowly bringing up the lights on the dancefloor throughout his set to emulate the sunrise outside, effectively preparing the crowd to face the bright day that awaited after the last note ended.

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New Yorkers are spoiled in terms of music; in a night where great parties run simultaneously, people must pick and choose which way their doldrums must go. In the end, the best way to go is with the anticipation of the vibe of the party that one goes to. With the Magical Properties tour (which features Jogger, Nosaj Thing and Daedelus), the sounds go between earthy, muddled, spastic and euphoric all at once. With a lineup that personifies audible contrast, the trio of acts would come to the art-deco-basement that is Le Poisson Rouge and provide a plethora of audible treats that ranged from IDM to dubstep all at once. Starting late into the early morning (quarter past midnight to be exact), openers Jogger came on and played a set that had its moments of unusually ethereal to downright weirdly trippy. Fiddling between MIDI controllers and guitar pedal boards, the duo found ways to include sweet melodies into near-WARP-like rhythms. While this was interesting, it certainly did not have a flow to its purpose. Jogger showed signs of musical curiosity but will need more to prove their weight in their tracks live. However, they did do their job in hyping the crowd up for what was to come; which was artistry through blinking lights and beat pads.

Nosaj Thing came on to a healthy dose of claps and woos, set up his MPD32 and did he what he does best; blow the roof off the place. The crowd went nuts with every changing beat pattern, every trick he had in his sleeve, and every time he fiddled with the knobs of his controller. The dancefloor shook with a definitive intensity that was powerful as much as it was passionate. Playing for almost 60 minutes, Nosaj Thing went between playing his own tracks and remixes while stopping by to France via a drop of Mr. Oizo’s “Z”, which got a screaming applause from a few particular audience members. Closing out subtly, the crowd applauded wildly while he gracefully bowed out to the final performance of the night, which would be provided by Victorian revivalist Daedelus.

The performance art that is a Daedelus live set is centered around the controller that is now famously know as the Monome, which provides custom control between sequencing, looping, editing and all other sorts of nerdy musical gigs. With the Monome facing the crowd, Daedelus let the audience savor in the artistry that took place live. Breaking bits of current dubstep tunes into crazy synth lines and vocal sample cut-ups, new songs were formed almost instantaneously, and with that a collective force of loud and aggressive crowd that seemed to have emanated from the ground up, starting with foot stomps and ending with fist pumps.  Piecing together bits from tunes of artists such as Untold, James Blake and Joy Orbison, the craftiness of Daedelus showed that he was in charge of the night’s destiny, taking the souls standing on the dancefloor to an entirely new world of mashed-up euphoria. The result was a crowd full of smiles, excitement and longing for the next time these artists would come together to dominate a floor like they did on this night. One may never know, but one will remember the night’s peaks and valleys; from the occasional shouts of sample-heavy love to the knee-shattering bass wobbles, there will be no way to get the sounds, sights and sensations felt on this night out of anyone’s mind.

Be sure to check out our recent interview with Nosaj Thing and have a look at the rest of the night’s photos.

Next Saturday, Nosaj Thing, Daedelus, and Jogger will bring a touch of west-coast magic to Le Poisson Rouge for the Magical Properties Tour. The tour takes its name from Daedelus’ “Magical Properties” imprint, which also released Jogger’s debut album. URB recently named the singer-songwriter duo one of their “Next 100″ artists to watch, and also named Daedelus’ “LA Nocturn” one of their top 10 electronic tracks of 2009. If you’re a fan of experimental electronic music, this show is not to be missed.

Enter to win a pair of tickets to the show after the jump, and be sure to check out our recent interview with Nosaj Thing.

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Last fall, Nosaj Thing blew us away with his opening set on Bassnectar’s Cozza Frenzy tour. Nosaj Thing, whose real name is Jason Chung (Nosaj is Jason spelled backwards), started dabbling in music production in high school. In the 10+ years since his start, Chung released his debut album, Drift, toured around the world, and has shared the stage with Flying Lotus, Diplo, Bassnectar, and Gaslamp Killer, among others. In 2008, Kid Cudi used Chung’s “Aquarium” (from the Views/Octopus EP) for his song “Man on the Moon”, which first appeared on his breakout mixtape, A Kid Named Cudi, and later became the title track of his debut album, released in 2009. Chung has recently done remixes for The xx (“Islands”) and Drake (“Forever”), both of which are available for download on his official website.

Nosaj Thing will kick off the Magical Properties Tour alongside Daedelus and Jogger this Thursday in Palm Springs. The trio will make a stop at NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge on February 20. We’ll be giving away a pair of tickets to the show next week.

Click through for our full intervew with Nosaj Thing, and check out his remix of Jogger’s “Nice Tights” below…

Jogger – “Nice Tights” (Nosaj Thing Remix)

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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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