Trap To The Future 2

Chicago native Zebo has been tearing it up as the house DJ for The Mid, and is starting to fly to the top in the festival scene. This mix, Trap to the Future 2, is an epic mix that embraces what it really means to be a trap song. Slow grindin, bass thumping, nitty gritty beats that beg for a rhyme. An orchestrated version of Cinema for the intro? Genius. Most impressively, he takes the classic Show Me Love to that low flow at 8:11. I will love any song that has Robin S, it's just too sick. Give me more!

Rise & Fall D!RTY AUD!O Remix

We are lucky to be part of a music scene in which the artists are constantly feeding off eachother. Collaborations are more common than solo tracks, and it keeps getting bigger and better. When Krewella and Adventure Club teamed up, it was instantly success. D!RTY AUD!O changed it up on this remix, which includes a foot stomping "trapahton" intro and a synth-dub outtro that definitely brings a new sound.

The Living Dead

Zeds Dead teamed up with Omar Linx recently and the trio's new project, The Living Dead, is as filthy as a rotting zombie. Heavy dupstep roots take the levels lower and the drops come in hard. Many of the tracks include a full vocal track from Omar, but the title track kept it simple and used only one powerful verse. The emptiness of the intro is intentionally haunting, rolling in like the thick fog of a medieval horror story. Then at 1:32, the drop comes and sucks you into the darkness.

"We're the living dead, with our bloodshot eyes and our hearts of stone.
We're all that's left, and we all need rest but we won't go home.
We on our feet, where the beasts and the ghouls and the demons sleep.
Put it on repeat, keep the music going that's all we need.
We don't feel no pain, we just kill the night and we work all day.
We are the stars, come as you are, Kurt Cobain.
I never did afford a fame,
I just did it cuz I love it and I'm hard to change.
You can fool yourself but the monsters know when the lights are out and you're all alone like...

WOMP WUB WOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMP"

Tomorrowland 2012 Anthem

I had almost forgotten how devastated I am about having to miss Tomorrowland 2012, but the LE7ELS lable just released the official anthem! It's called Tomorrow Changed Today, and was produced by Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike. As wonderous as the festival itself, it rings through your eardrums like a fantasy. You can breahte in this house lover's fairytale like air. The dreamy build captures the majestic aura of the festival, which if you haven't heard is an absolute escape from reality. I have to add the official aftermovie just because I want to watch it...again.

Snoop Lion

Snoooooooooooooop! Of course it's Snoop D-oh-double-G, going reggae. I feel like I've been waiting for this to happen for too long, and couldn't have chosen a better producer. Who could possibly be good enough for Snoop with enough Kingston love to go dutti? Diplo is the boss of bosses, hitting every area of the music business like a white P. Diddy. Whoever got these two together is a genius.

Far From Coach

Wiz Khalifa teams up with The Game and Status Quo for this soothing exemplification of rags to riches, Far From Coach. With a smooth instrumental that soars like a private jet, it's a first class track. I've missed Wiz; this song is his transition from excited new money to a calm and cool sense of security. He's coastin.

This Is What You Want

http://www1.rollingstone.com/hearitnow/player/boysnoize.html


This is what you want, this is what you get... you can go with this, or you can go with that. This Is What You Want by Boys Noize might be the new Weapon of Choice. Maybe not, but it is definitely what I want, and certainly would make Christopher Walken get his groove on. Fantastic electro dub, keepin the subtle 80's alive in the upbeat. So new there's not even an embed code yet, available only through the Rolling Stone player link.

Ahhooooo! Mashup Monday!

Every summer, we require a new remix of the classic Warewolves of London to crank up at BBQ's and tanning sessions everywhere. The upbeat piano is just too good, and secures the success of any track. On this mashup collab, Manic Focus and D.Veloped bring you Mrs. Fantastic. They got nothin' on you, baby!

Settle Down Video!

here's the video! yay!

Settle Down

"Get in line, and settle down." Except that I can't settle, because No Doubt is back full force and I'm a little girl again. They've released a track that sounds as if they have been together making progress all this time. It's new and a little different than the ska-era No Doubt we were left with, but it is a great transition for the group who has come back to an electronically-dominated industry. Gwen's heartfelt vocals have reunited with the alt rock guitars that got her famous, and neither has forgotten the reggae lovin roots that No Doubt always had. Long live the 90's.

Symphonica Test Run

Nick Romero tweeted this video, a test run of his new track with the working title Symphonica. Global Gathering Ukraine is taking it surprisingly easy in the shaky video, apparently America goes harder than Eastern Europe? I'm confused. Either way it's a certified fist pumper that wastes no time and goes straight into the drop. The symphonic element comes in at 1:24 and gives you a melodic little break before picking it back up at 2:22. Hands in the air!

Rock The House

In honor of his one millionth Facebook follower, Afrojack finally released a single from his most recent tour. Rock The House is a classic dance track fit for the Energizer Bunny. Sounds like Paris-free Afrojack is back on track.

Manic Focus

Who Makes the Music? by Manic Focus

Manic Focus has been playing Chicago for a while now, and his dedication is definitely about to pay off. He is a sampling perfectionist, having dropped a saloon piano that is out of this world in his most recent track, Who Makes the Music? It has old school class with a brand new swagger. At 1:20, you'll fall in love. Honestly, he belongs on the Pretty Lights label with my other classy dubsteppers. That's a first, but this funky, jazzy, hip hop-dubstep-electronica is exactly what I adore. Oh, and it's all free. He's playing a Lolla after show with Zebo, get tickets!

http://soundcloud.com/manicfocus

http://manicfocus.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ManicFocus


Like him, follow him, support him!

and check out the video for his single off the album Expanding Mind, Circles.

Vaski

This weekend, Vaski is hitting up Milwaukee's Miramar Theatre, and he is definitely going to bring the heat. Another boss from Minneapolis, his drops are as cold as the northern winter. This is some seriously refreshing dubstep. Where You Wanna Go takes off with an intro that feels like a house anthem, until you're thrown into the bass 40 seconds in. His remix of Imagine the Dragon's song It's Time feels like the theme to a new John Hughes movie. Just wait, at 1:10 the entire Breakfast Club will be up against the subs. His Pumped Up Kicks remix is a little older, but the filthiest I've heard yet. Check out his soundcloud for more, and don't forget to grab a ticket for Saturday!

In Case You Missed It...

Eoto completely changed my perception of the group at Electric Forest this year. In fact, they actually changed the way I view electronic music. A new favorite, they are truly amazingly talented. They play their own instruments, a feature too far fetched for many DJ's. At 4:24 the guitar feature is the perfect segway into their version of Electric Avenue that literally made me spring from my seat on the ground.

Hold Up

Minnesota is killing it this festival season, and this new track Hold Up takes Snoop and Dre's The Next Episode to the next level. The drop at 2:07 fires the track into electronic melodies and drops that give the song the futuristic edge it needs to feel new. If you couldn't tell, I'm going through my list of Northcoast acts today, see you there.

The Eye

Alluring and intruiging, The Eye is a known symbol of Midnight Conspiracy. Almost dark, it beams out into the crowd and pulls you in. Set for release on Ultra Records July 16th, The Eye remixes are just as dark, pulling the bass lower and putting your heart on edge with haunting bits of orchestra and piano. It's epic like a videogame soundtrack, sending you straight into another world.

Live In Bora Bora (June 28)

The more I follow new music, the more I realize the similarities between music and fashion. Music has trends that allow artists to feed off eachother, and right now Moombahton is the new black. The people of the Carribean have a joy for life that EDM embraces, with the fire of dancehall deep in our roots. Felix Da Housecat has a classic electronic style that just makes you feel good. The beats utilize a multitude of drumkit sounds rather than drops and womps to keep the pace. You can rage or you can chill, but either way you're jammin. The last part of this mix at about 24 is my new favorite outtro, with a smooth steel guitar, sampling George Harrison's My Sweet Lord. Hallelujah.

Beats and Pussy

Coming from Chicago, Willy Joy must know his trap music. Adorably, a lot of new releases are being labeled "trap" songs now, but it's definitely not what I would call the genre. Trapstars don't know about drops, and they don't care what a "womp" is. But trap music, moomba, dubstep, and house all have one thing in common: we like our bass loud. We also like good sounds and sexy women, which brings us to this single, Beats and Pussy.

Masta Blasta (The Rebirth)

Dillon Francis has been throwing down at festivals all summer, including Chicago's Spring Awakening. His new track Mast Blasta (The Rebirth), kinda like his career, just keeps going up. The beat builds, getting stronger with each tap of the snare. Dillon is a known master of the transition between happy little melodies and dirty drops all in one song; but this one takes a slightly different route, building it up only to break it down piece by piece. It's more of a gradual descent than a drop, but a talent showcase nonetheless.

Skrillex Goin Hard

Here it is! After nearly bringing down Soldier Field at Spring Awakening, Skrillex releases the mix that made it rain. Birdy Nam Nam's song Goin' In was remixed for the Skrillex "Goin Hard" version, and his amazing production definitely made us all do just that. You can press play too! So do it. Go hard or go home, haters.

Electric Forest

Hey Guys! Check out this article that I wrote for Crowdnoize covering Electric Forest! Recaps on sets, songs, and the entire weekend experience.

http://crowdnoize.com/2012/07/review-electric-forest-2012-a-sonic-paradise-lures-thousands/
And, unfeatured in the article, here are some videos taken by me at the forest!

Mimosa at the Tripolee Stage:

Big Gigantic's Epic Final Set:

I Need A Dollar Sax Solo

New Song!

Vedlt of Mercy

G.O.O.D Music's "Mercy" is just one of those tracks nobody can resist. It is good in every form, every remix bangs. This one from Chi Duly takes a little bit of moomba to a haunting trance with Tommy Trash and Lifted's remixes of the new Deadmau5 single The Vedlt. It sucks you into the zone until all you have left is Lamborghini mercy.