3 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(05/27/16 3:51am)
Eric Wood and Michael McReynolds
Since the year 2000 Detroit has celebrated its role in electronic music every Memorial Day weekend. Dance music bled from the fabled Detroit warehouse raves of the 90's into the mainstream, forever altering the worldwide sphere of electronic music. Detroit’s Movement festival has had many names over the years but every year it stands tall, a testament to the past of electronic music and a beacon for its future.House and techno are definitely not the only genres represented; drum n bass, hip-hop, trap, and dubstep are all part of the diverse lineup this year. Here are some of the acts we're most looking forward to that will be performing this weekend:
Four Tet – Widely regarded as a revolutionary of experimental electronic music and a master of sampling, Four Tet is definitely one of the most anticipated acts of this year’s Movement Festival. Kieran Hebden is a recent father, manager of the record label Text Records, and a prolific DJ since before most of you reading this could even say the word DJ. He has been releasing albums as Four Tet, Percussions, and under his own name since 1998. His unique style of sampled rhythms and driven beats will both make you move and make you think. Kieran’s unique style of vocal sampling to create disjointed yet human sounding melodies is evident on his latest release as Four Tet, Morning/Evening, a single consisting of two 20-minute-long atmospheric tracks. If you’re headed to Movement make sure to prepare mentally for what should be a physically and mentally enriching experience on Four Tet’s dance floor.
Josh Pan – This up-and-coming producer is a part of Owsla’s day-long showcase on the Underground stage. Once thought to be a collective of many different producers, his music merits questioning who or what he is. Josh Pan’s particularly dark and textural brand of trap beats is a breath of fresh air into the quickly stagnating genre. Having collaborated already with producers like Oshi, Misogi, and Medasin, Josh Pan is the type of producer you could expect to hear behind any major rapper in the next year.
lip - In 2014, acid legend Boys Noize was scheduled to close out Movement Detroit to a packed crowd; illness struck, and the festival scrambled last minute to find a suitable replacement. Chicago native Jessica Phillippe was chosen to fill in, and the star-making set that resulted is the stuff of legends. Jessica (J. Phlip) is a producer, DJ, and overall force to be reckoned with in the house scene as a tastemaker. After winning a DJ competition in 2005 and touring the nation, she moved to San Francisco to pursue her dream further, where Barclay Crenshaw's Dirtybird imprint was just getting its start. Now, she regularly tours the US and Europe both solo and without the Dirtybird crew, showing no signs of stopping. Her releases with Huxley and Chris Lorenzo, remixes for Claude Vonstroke, Justin Martin, and The Knife, and impeccable live sets make her an elite member of the US techno scene. We'll be catching her set Sunday at the Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) stage.
Caribou – Dan Snaith has been releasing albums as Caribou since 2001. Much like Four Tet, the music of Caribou is heavily sampled and synth influenced although it regularly features his own vocals. Caribou is equally dense with 90s club-sounding loops as well as his high-pitched, reverberant lyrics about love. If you were alive in 2011 you may have heard his hit ‘Odessa’ in a commercial, but his music is far from commercial. His most recent album ‘Our Love’ was nominated for a grammy, and is equally a throwback to 80s synthpop and a preview of synthesizer based pop music from the future. Snaith has also released EP’s and a one-off album under the name Daphni, a project centered more on the dancefloor influenced elements of his style. Expect to see him with his full band at Saturday’s Red Bull Music Academy stage.
Kevin Saunderson - As one of the Detroit "Belleville Three" (alongside Juan Atkins and Derrick May), it's immediately obvious that Saunderson knows what's up, and knows exactly what he's doing onstage. The B-ville three are attributed with the creation of Detroit techno, and worked together throughout high school and college to come up with the sound that the city is known for today. Another notable dance music facet, the Reese bass sound, also comes from Saunderson's work; a simple synth line created on Kevin's Casio CZ-5000 went on to have a massive influence on jungle and DNB genres. What's even more intriguing is that both of Kevin's sons Dantiez and Damarii, both respected DJs and producers, will be playing a duo set at Movement mere hours before Kevin takes the stage to close out on Sunday night.
The Black Madonna - Her bio on music site Resident Advisor reads: Androgynous Mind, Avenger of Comiskey Park, Patron Saint of Abandoned Daughters, Smart Bar Resident. The Black Madonna is one of the most important house figures in Chicago today, as a creative advisor of legendary club Smart Bar, as resident DJ, and as a touring act and label curator. She's known for lengthy, genre-blending vinyl sets, and her impressive statement on dance music, which sums up what Movement Detroit is all about:
"Dance music needs riot grrrls. Dance music needs Patti Smith. It needs DJ Sprinkles. Dance music needs some discomfort with its euphoria. Dance music needs salt in its wounds. Dance music needs women over the age of 40. Dance needs breastfeeding DJs trying to get their kids to sleep before they have to play. Dance needs cranky queers and teenagers who are really tired of this shit. Dance music needs writers and critics and academics and historians. Dance music needs poor people and people who don't have the right shoes to get into the club. Dance music needs shirts without collars. Dance music needs people who struggled all week. Dance music needs people that had to come before midnight because they couldn't afford full admission. Dance music does not need more of the status quo."
Be sure to keep an eye out for our coverage throughout this weekend!
(02/24/16 10:22pm)
Simply put, here are some of my favorite tracks that I’ve heard over the last month.
Rihanna - Goodnight Gotham
Hearing this on Rihanna’s recent album Anti really threw me for a loop. This entirely instrumental track, found only on the deluxe version of the album, actually samples a record by Florence + the Machine, and it employs Glitch Mob-esque sounds (prod. by Mitus) to take you to an intensely emotional place for the short minute and a half. I listen to this every day.
Ducky - Work
“When I get behind the decks there’ll be nobody left alive, you don’t think that I can throw down just because you’re twice my size”. If SOPHIE was mashed up with 90s rave culture, Chicago footwork/juke, and a badass girl-power attitude, you would get Ducky. She simultaneously reps serious underground music culture and knows how to talk the talk on this track.
Keith Ape - It G Ma (josh pan Opus)
This 15-minute homage to Keith Ape’s rap banger “It G Ma” proves that josh pan is one of the most technically skilled and futuristic hip-hop production collectives in existence.
Oliver Tank - Tonight (Unreleased Dreams)
This is by far the slowest track in the list, but the emotional impact is immense. Here’s a Soundcloud exclusive cut by downtempo producer Oliver Tank that was originally destined for his Dreams EP, and has just now found its way online. Protip: don’t throw this on the stereo at a house party (unless you’re having a good ol’ drunk cry), it’s just too much emotion for a Saturday night.
Misumami - Let The Drums Speak feat. Illa J (Prod. Lay-Far)
Australian soul vocalist Misumami lists in her bio; “Influences: BADU, DILLA, MARY J BLIGE…” and the list stretches on. Just listen for a minute, and you’ll be singing and dancing like you’ve known the words your whole life.
Toxe - Xic
If you’ve ever wanted an industrial techno rework of a Britney Spears track, here ya go. If you’re into sampled door slams and breaking glass, the remix is up for streaming on underground label Halcyon Veil’s Soundcloud page.
Frits Wentink - Rising Sun, Falling Coconut
This killer analog synth-filled house jam feels almost improvised, with light-hearted melodies skipping and swaying around like palm trees swaying in a 50-mile-per-hour breeze. Considering the length of the track, Frits’ ability to keep it consistently fresh is astounding. Every replay feels like a new experience, and the rest of the newly released Rising Sun, Falling Coconut EP is equally as reckless and danceable as the title track.
Double Duchess - Good Girl Freak Out (Normaling Remix)
Playing this remix to a packed house with definitely get the “dance floor maxed out like a credit card” (according to the lyrics). This duo really delivers the B-more flavor on this remix, just like they have on all the rest of their productions. Also, coolest name goes to “.Rar Kelly”, who makes up one half of Normaling.
Aiobahn & Yunomi - 枕元にゴースト(Jam_Boy Remix)
Internet label Maltine Records has a soundcloud page worth following if you have any interest in nightcore or J-pop; if you don’t know what either of those things are, you should. Melodic, upbeat tunes await, and this Jam_boy remix of a track by Aiobahn and Yunomi stood out for its jersey-club beat resting under swooping electro stabs and hyper-kawaii vocals.
Mace - Jungle feat. Sofi de la Torre (Crookers Remix)
Crookers has never disappointed with a release, which is impressive considering he’s been on the blog-house scene since 2003. Many fans were first introduced to Crookers’ style with his massive remix of Kid Cudi’s “Day N’ Nite”; his raw, jarring sound is argued to have been one of the initial influences of current US trend ‘future house’. This remix harnesses that simultaneously bass-heavy and sexy sound to accentuate Sofi de la Torre’s unique vocal performance. I’ll undoubtedly be playing this one out for years.
(02/09/16 2:34am)
Released: 1/29/2016
Rating: 4/7
For fans of: Zedd, Deadmau5, Disclosure, Mord Fustang
What I expected: Awesome synthy-electro that makes me want to smash a Macbook
What I got: A shiny, funky dance album based more around vocal showcasing than club play
Standout tracks: "Unholy", "Replay It", "Feel Right", "Hurricane Slurricane"
I know for a fact that I’m not the only person who has been asking, “Where the hell did Wolfgang Gartner go?"
In my early experiences with electro, he was the artist that consistently pushed boundaries and delivered incredible collaborations with Deadmau5, Skrillex, Cam’ron, Mark Knight, Tiesto, and (I guess I’ll mention) Will.i.am. After releasing Backstory in 2012, he dropped off the map for the most part.
There was rekindled hope of a major release in early 2014, when “Unholy” was released as a single, with remixes from up-and-coming heavy hitters Tchami, Milo & Otis, Amtrac and others. Sadly, the tour to accompany the release and all future performances were cancelled due to medical concerns, and since then Wolfgang has been silent. Until now, that is. Last week, 10 Ways to Steal Home Plate was released on Kindergarten Records, Gartner’s own label.
Anybody left searching for more variation and depth in recent dance music releases should find what they’re looking for in Gartner’s 10 Ways to Steal Home Plate. After being on a lengthy hiatus since his last LP in 2012, Gartner comes back to break into the dance/pop crossover market. Standout tracks “Unholy”, “Feel Right”, and “Replay It” walk the line between vocal pop and progressive house in a way that most EDM producers can’t pull off, and it feels good when those moments happen. While he does find success in that regard, his departure from frantic rhythms and intricate synthwork (refer to his earlier track “Menage a Trois”) might be a bit disappointing to longtime fans.
On the other hand, new listeners might find the album varied enough to catch their ear, which would be a boost to the veteran producer’s reputation. Even though it wasn’t what I was hoping for from Wolfgang Gartner, I can most definitely appreciate this LP as a solid attempt at bringing a sense of musicality back to electronic dance music.
Check out "Unholy" below.