Zyon Base - "The Wire" - Song of the Day [11/30/2013]

Starting with a very atmospheric synth coupled with a quick hi hat rhythm, today's Song of the Day comes from drum n bass artist Zyon Base. The Wire is a perfect fusion of lush ambient music and heavy drum n bass. Zyon Base does a very good job of layering a steady, quick percussion base with mid frequency warped vocals and high frequency synths. As the song progresses, Zyon Base mixes in a few LFO heavy basslines and bits n pieces of many other crisp sounding instruments. Ambient Drum n Bass is a genre that has not been delved into too much. It's great to see many up and coming artists diving into this genre without much experience.

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Mr Fijiwiji - "Let Me Out"

Mr. Fijiwiji is an 18 year old Pittsburgh native that has been bursting onto the scene one beautiful track at a time. "Let Me Out" - released on Monstercat Records -  is an incredible deep house track that utilized tantalizing vocals and hard hitting bass to draw the listener into an auditory coma that is only to be escaped at the conclusion of the track. Just let your worries and sorrows melt away with this incredibly passionate and well-produced track. Available now on Monstercat, this surely isn't a track to sleep on.

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Death Grips - "Whatever I Want (Fuck Who's Watching)" - Song of the Day [11/29/2013] [FREE DOWNLOAD]

Today's Song of the Day comes from experimental hip-hop group Death Grips. With roots emanating in acid house, dubstep, and grime, they have completely changed the meaning of hip-hop in today's sense. Through a barely organized chaos, Death Grips uses Whatever I Want and the rest of songs on their newly released album Government Plates to convey a feeling of strong discomfort. With MC Ride's countless double and triple entendres, Zach Hill's offbeat, erratic, and very heavy percussion, and Flatlander's trippy synth progressions, Government Plates is an album crafted to induce scattered reactions amongst listeners. The last song on the album Whatever I want (Fuck Who's Watching) is a seven minute work of chaotic art. With skull crushing percussion and distorted acid synths, Death Grips starts the song off with a very abstract but dark tone. MC Ride's menacing lyrics are similar to a calling for disaster. All in all, Whatever I want is a tune in which every single bit of noise seems to be a calling for a severe catastrophe.
Beware, this is not for the faint of heart.

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Jim Grim - "Staircase to Hell LP"

Jim Grim is probably a new name to most people, but with songs like his it's only a matter of time before he blows up. Jim Grim is from Norway a hot spot for excellent new EDM, with artists like Savant and Twistex also emerging from there. A similar style comes from all three as well, a sort of chiptune/dubstep. Jim Grim released "Staircase To Hell" on his own, unable to get backing from SectionZ Records, the label Savant and Twistex are signed with. Nevertheless the album is amazing with 14 unique tracks of multiple different EDM genres including glitch-hop, electro-house and dubstep. Check out Jim Grim's soundcloud page for more electrifying music, many of the his songs are available for free download.

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String Cheese Incident - "Texas" (Live @ Horning's Hideout 2010) - Song of the Day [11/28/13]

True story. The band got stopped by the fuzz in Fredericksburg, Texas on their way to Jazzfest in 1995, but the cops were obviously not the tallest trees in the forest, and so the band got away clean. (From the liner notes to Born on the Wrong Planet.) Their thankfulness for outcome of the situation is exemplified in the lyrics to this song. So let's all be thankful together people! HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 

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White Iron Band- "Whiskey Drunk And Bulletproof" Song of the Day [11/27/13]

It's officially that time of year again, the day before Thanksgiving, or as we in the Midwest call it, "Drinksgiving". To celebrate the occasion we enjoy some "foot stompin' honky tonkin' good ole' American music". White Iron Band is outlaw country group out of Ely, MN. They embody the working man spirit and it shows in their music. With a passionate and rowdy fan base White Iron is in a class all their own and with the experience of having played over 1,000 shows it's something to experience.

Learn how to get your music noticed at ReverbNation.com

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TC - "Get Down Low EP"

OWSLA as usual is on top of the game with an amazing new release. This time it's a master of the underground drum and bass scene TC. Representing Bristol, Britain; TC has made a name for himself in many facets. He has a huge library of music with remixes of massive artists, and big names have remixed his music too. TC is also an excellent singer, he sings on some of his own music and he provided vocals for Pendulum’s debut album ‘Hold Your Colour’. In 2011 TC started his own label 'Don't Play' where he released a few singles changing genres a bit to dubstep and drumstep. For the new "Get Down Low EP" the junglist roots show through and a new genre is showcased, trap and bass. A faster version of trap that can be blended into drum and bass. Similar with how drumstep works with transitioning from dubstep to drum and bass. Definitely check out TC's new "Get Down Low EP", it was just released today on OWSLA the giant EDM label founded by Skrillex.

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Prince, 3-Night Run @ Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut Announced!

Prince has booked three nights at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The shows run from Friday, December 27th to Sunday, December 29th. Tickets go on sale on December 6th, at 10 a.m. EST through Ticketmaster. The Minneapolis native has been dazzling crowds for nearly 4 decades and recently joined the Twitter nation using his following to promote his new single "Breakfast Can Wait". His followers were recently treated to another single "Da Bourgeoisie". At this rate if you're a fan of Prince it pays to follow.

Prince "Breakfast Can Wait"

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Imagine Dragons - Radioactive (Synchronice remix) - Song of the Day [11/26/2013]

Imagine Dragons has skyrocketed to the top of the pop/rock charts with this tune, which has become one of the most played radio tracks of 2013.  The song was begging to be remixed with an EDM flavor and in my opinion, Synchronice pretty much nailed it. They were able to leave the foundation of the track intact, while giving it a whole new feel and sound.  A bit more downtempo than the original, with a moderate drop in the middle.  Nicely done...

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STS9 - "Kaya" (Live 4/12/13 - Madison, WI) - Song of the Day (11/25/13) - [FREE DOWNLOAD]

Sound Tribe is one our favorite bands here at Ikonic Sound and today's song of the day brings us a live rendition of "Kaya" from their 4/12/13 show at the Orpheum Theater in Madison, WI. The song is also up for free download, so if it couldn't get any sweeter you can add this to your itunes for free. So just soak up the awesomeness my friends and get on this one.

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Cashmere Cat - "With Me"

From the same producer who remixed 2 Chainz's most famous "No Lie" and Lana Del Ray's "National Anthem" comes With Me released only a couple of hours ago. Like many other Cashmere Cat tunes, With Me starts off with lush melodies fused effortlessly with low frequency kick drums; however, this time he spins the tune in a very unintuitive but incredible way. With signature cut-up vocals and mid-frequency percussion during the buildup escalating into an 808 heavy drop combined with marvelous tribal percussion, Cashmere Cat completely tears apart classical trap-style conventions. Like his other tunes, With Me has incredible percussion; every instrument has perfect depth and seems to flow easily into the next.
Listen to With Me below via SoundCloud and watch for Cashmere Cat's upcoming Wedding Balls EP releasing in January 2014.

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Trampled by Turtles- "Where Is My Mind?" - Song of the Day - [11/24/13]

Trampled by Turtles has been dazzling crowds for over a decade and continues to gain fame as the years pass. "Where is my Mind" - a track off The Pixies debut 1988 album, Surfer Rosa - has been covered by many bands but Trampled gives it their unique touch and created a sound of their own. Creating a powerful rework while still maintaining the feel of the original comes natural to this group, so it's no surprise to their undeinable talent shine through on this one.

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Bassnectar's "Bassdrop" Symbol Explained

Lorin, better known as Bassnectar, has come out on his website and explained to his fans the meaning behind his infamous "Bassdrop" symbol. He said: “My dear friend who created the word “Bassnectar” helped me create the logo. We searched through books of images and icons, and found something similar to the first original design. We messed with it in photoshop and made it more circular (it almost looked like a bad 1970′s airline logo at first!) and I always took it to be kind of my own ‘yin yang’ interpretation, with an open end that flows out endlessly.

Depending on the color/contrast, there is one image that is ugly, looks insectlike, or like claws…it is sharp, cold, almost ruthless…or maybe just creepy. Or maybe just ALIEN and strange.

The flipside imagery is beautiful, circular, curved elegantly, sweeping, almost flowerlike…

I have had a very deep relationship with the understanding of ‘good & bad’ or right and wrong. Although my opinions and perceptions always change, I currently do not really understand life to be either good or bad, but rather open to perception, with everything in a bizarre indecipherable balance… something that is good for one is bad for another and vice versa.

Sometimes what is best for the human race is WORST for our planet. Sometimes what is best for a species of animal is WORST for some humans. Sometimes what is best for a beautiful oak tree is worst for mistletoe that is trying to grow inside of (and live off of) the tree.

Like This:

it is kind of psycho creepy, but also beautiful.

and what is bad there? is the ant bad because it is gross looking? it looks like a monster.

or is it bad because it ruthlessly kills other insects?

or is the cordyceps bad because it kills the ant so viciously?

are all the insects bad because they overrun their environment?

are the spores/fungus bad because they keep the insects in check?

etc etc…

The logo is about letting go of human dogma (RELIGION!) and surrendering to a much larger universe, but also embracing every minuscule second and tiny experience as PRECIOUS.

It’s a permanent, perfect SIMULTANEOUS dichotomy of total insignificance and total significance merged as one into every single flashing second.

And the logo means a lot of other things too, and you can say it means whatever you want to you as far as I’m concerned :)

As far as any other imagery, it’s all just fun, interesting, playful art that you can interpret as you please!

L”

————————————————————————————————————————

“The whole concept of the bassnectar logo/icon symbol is kind of a play on duality, in reference to the balance of positive/negative forces in the universe, and the relative aspects of these forces (meaning there is not absolute ‘right’ or ‘wrong’…only subjective perspective)

Even though there is no Absolute right & wrong, and even though even the SUBJECTIVELY wrong will never be eliminated, nor shall “goodness prevail” …at least not absolutely…. EVEN THOUGH that is true…. I still think that following your natural reflex to help is good because it SUSTAINS the balance.” So there you have it folks, the meaning behind Bassnectar's one of a kind, and infamous emblem. Have a good Sunday everyone :)

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Plastikman - "Spastik" - Song of the Day [11/23/2013]

Today's Song of the Day comes from an artist who needs no introduction. Richie Hawtin, the leading exponent in the minimal techno scene, released his most famous Spastik in 1993. Jamming with only a Roland 909, 808, and a 707, Hawtin produced Spastik as a live take. Starting off with a four-to-the-floor kick drum, Richie Hawtin takes us on a journey by adding only a few percussion sounds but changing the nature of those sounds throughout the tune using many effects on the Roland machines. Richie Hawtin has been a major player within the techno scene for over 20 years. He recently went on his CNTRL tour across many college campuses to give lectures about electronic music during the day and play shows at night.

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Excision and Space Laces - "Destroid 11 - Get Stupid"

This is the latest from the 3 man robot super group Destroid. Excision and Space Laces come together again for this new song "Get Stupid". Destroid consists of Excision, Downlink, and KJ Sawka. The majority of the studio music production is done by Excision and Downlink, while KJ Sawka keeps the beat for the live shows as the drummer. Destroid has also collaborated with a number of other big names like: Bassnectar, Far Too Loud, Ajapai, and they have a handful of tracks with Space Laces. "Get Stupid" is a tough song to classify because the style keeps switching up. It starts out with a nice build up into a dubstep drop then back into another build but this time the drop is more like a hardstyle beat. After a few bars of hardstyle the beat switches back to a hardcore dubstep/drumstep tempo. The track simulates a live DJ set within a single song with constant changes and tweaks. "Get Stupid" is set to be released on Monday November 25th, make sure to check it out.

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Röyksopp feat: Susanne Sundfør - "Running to the Sea" (Seven Lions Remix)

"To those readers unfamiliar with the up and coming producer known as Seven Lions, prepare for one hell of an introduction in the form of his massive remix of Royksopp’s “Running to the Sea”. Seven Lions, real name Jeff Montalvo, has been rapidly gaining the attention and admiration of the EDM community for music that seamlessly blends elements of trance, raw bass music and heavy metal, and his take on “Running with the Sea” is no exception. Beginning with the haunting vocals of Royksopp’s original and a hollow, eerie drum beat, this masterful rework gradually builds toward an eventual eruption of soaring melodies and heavy, growling bass lines that complement rather than compete with each other. The end result is an emotionally-charged song that will leave you wanting more. " - Joe LeBeau

Above: Seven Lions' Official Logo

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Harvey Danger - "Flagpole Sitta" - Song of the Day (11/22/13)

This Seattle rock group, Harvey Danger, formed in the early 90's but didn't really experience any fame until the release of this track in the late 90's. Essentially a one hit wonder, the band at least left us this awesome song that has be echoed as the soundtrack of many people's lives... "I'm not sick, but I'm not well." We all know how that goes, but it's Friday... Time to forget that shit and let loose. Have a good weekend y'all. 

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Enix - "Attraction" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

Enix, a Slovokia native, brought us his newest downtempo track recently and as if it being awesome wasn't enough, he put it up for free download. The atmopshere this song facilitates is tranquil and soothing, yet energetic and vivid. I love it. Don't sleep on this awesome piece of free ear candy!

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Jayl Funk - "Lowndown Funk EP"

Germany's funk group, Jayl Funk, dropped 2 new tracks the other day in an EP titled, Low Down Funk. Warm bass, sexy guitars, and an undeniable groove make this first cut of this EP one not to be overlooked. "Lowdown Funk" is a beautifully crafted track that surely doesn't fail to live up to it's name. The next track, "Rising" is equally as sexy and just as funky -  I don't even want to ruin it by talking about it. The good vibes were not left out while these tracks were being pulled from the trenches of their brains.

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Deadmau5 - "777"

Joel Zimmerman, aka Deadmau5, has been releasing a flurry of new, experimental, music through his SoundCloud page in the past couples of months and the most recent addition, "777," is pretty awesome in it's own right. It starts off with some pretty melodic piano like many of his recent releases but is soon lost into some moombah sounding bass and some masterful transitions. This 13 minute track almost seems like the score to a movie as it brings the listener through ups and downs and keeps your attention throughout. Joel showcases his high level of production ability and the incredible attention to detail that is consistent throughout his entire catalog. I love this other side to Deadmau5 that I haven't really felt since his first album, Get Scraped. I guess you can listen to the whole thing on Youtube, here, although I haven't checked the quality on it since I have it in my music collection.

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My Morning Jacket - "Man in Me" - Song of the Day [11/21/2013]

There are certain combinations that just work.  PB & J, Rum & Coke, Pizza & Beer...  It's like these things were made to go together.  Well, the vocal stylings of Jim James (My Morning Jacket) and The Big Lebowski track "Man in Me" is apparently a match made from divine inspiration...  Originally a Bob Dylan tune, James delivers a rendition I simply can't stop playing.  Lay back on the rug and let this tune take you on a Lebowski like journey, man.  

Happy Thursday, Dude...

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Paper Diamond's 2014 Tour Mix w/Tour Dates

Paper Diamond released a brand new mix to coincide with the announcement of this 2014 tour with LoudPvk, Gent and Jawns, Branchez, Manic Focus, & more to be announced. General Admission tickets go on sale tomorrow - Friday 11/22/13

Check Out All The Stops On The Tour Below!

12-28-2013 Dallas, TX

12-31-2013 New York, NY

01-23-2014 Birmingham, AL

01-24-2014 Knoxville, TN

01-25-2014 Nashville, TN

01-28-2014 Carrboro, NC

01-30-2014 Asheville, NC

01-31-2014 Athens, GA

02-01-2014 Atlanta, GA

02-05-2014 Charlottesville, VA

02-06-2014 Philadelphia, PA

02-08-2014 Boston, MA

02-12-2014 Washington, DC

02-13-2014 Syracuse, NY

02-14-2014 So Burlington, VT

02-15-2014 Portland, ME

02-16-2014 Northampton, MA

02-18-2014 Pittsburgh, PA

02-19-2014 Columbus, OH

02-20-2014 Cleveland, OH

02-21-2014 Detroit, MI

02-22-2014 Grand Rapids, MI

02-23-2014 Urbana, IL

02-26-2014 Milwaukee, WI

02-27-2014 Madison, WI

02-28-2014 Chicago, IL

03-01-2014 Minneapolis, MN

03-02-2014 Omaha, NE

03-05-2014 St. Louis, MO

03-06-2014 Lawrence, KS

03-07-2014 Tulsa, OK

03-08-2014 Fayetteville, AR 

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Pretty Lights w/Full Band @ The Myth - Maplewood, Minnesota 11/16/13 - "Future Analog Tour" (Review)

A Review By: Troy H. Manley

Derek Vincent Smith, better known by his stage name, PrettyLights, took the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul) by storm last weekend selling out his Saturday show at The Myth in Maplewood, Minnesota - a St. Paul suburb - during his one night stop on the Analog Future Tour. SIMshows, a staple EDM promoter in the Twin Cities, brought this huge name to town just a week after selling out the Aokify America Tour at EPIC Nightclub in Minneapolis. That was a crazy night in its own right, check out our coverage the Aokify America Tour HERE. But for now, back to Pretty Lights. I had never been to The Myth before, but everything I had heard about it was positive – other than the heavy handed security at the entrance – so I was pretty excited all around. There is a Days Inn less than a block from the venue that some of our friends booked a room at because of its proximity and low cost. DO NOT BOOK  A ROOM IN THAT GOD FORSAKEN HOTEL! Trust me, spend the extra money, stay at a Holiday Inn or something. It’s worth it. After partying a bit in the hotel room from hell, we decided to make the short walk over to the show. The 3,200 person capacity venue looks like an industrial warehouse of sorts from the outside - it’s a stand-alone structure in what appears to be a fairly commercial area. The will-call line took forever for us to make our way through so we ended up missing Paul Basic, which was a total bummer; yet, walking into the venue during Blood Diamonds was pretty sweet in its own right.

Coming in through the back left of the stage, the venue opens up into a general admission, multi- floor, concert utopia. There is a huge circle light installment that covers the entirety of the main dance floor, which you must take a staircase down into. The GA floor is lowered into the center, with a ground level around area wrapped around the sides that is home to bars, coat check, merch tables, and bathrooms.  There is also an upper balcony that wraps around the back and right side of the stage, and 3 VIP booths located on the upper left of the venue. The view from up top is pretty sweet and the support beams don’t cause much of a disturbance in your view – unlike at EPIC Nightclub. All of this exploring was while Blood Diamonds, a 6’9” Los Angeles native, took the stage by command. He skillfully switched between house & trap and kept the crowd going the whole night. It was pretty cool and I was definitely impressed this first time seeing him on the decks. I would definitely like to check him out again sometime and see if he can deliver a second time around.

Below: The Crowd Gets Fogged From Above

Pretty Lights took command of the stage around 11pm accompanied by his full band: Adam Deitch of Break Science on Drums; Brian Coogan of New Orleans All-Stars on Keyboard; Borahm Lee of Break Science on Keyboard; Scott Flynn of John Brown’s Body on trombone; and Eric Bloom of Lettuce on Trumpet. Having seen Pretty Lights twice previously, I was beyond excited to see this all-star lineup of musicians accompany this musical madman on stage.

 The band stood on raised platforms that were outlined in high powered LED’s that changed colors throughout the performance. Throughout the show Pretty Lights pulled tracks from every part of his catalog and the band members played an integral role in the composition of every live track. It was so awesome to see Pretty Lights with live horns. The funk just sounded so much funkier, and the jams sounded so much more alive with the help of all these musical technicians on stage with him while they pounded tracks like: “Color of my Soul,” “Lets Get Busy,” “More Important than Michael Jordan,” “Finally Moving,” One Day They’ll Know,” “I Know The Truth,” “Hot Like Dimes,” and that’s not even scratching the surface of what was played that night. At one point Derek hopped on the guitar and played a couple of riffs which was pretty sweet if you ask me.

But what was even sweeter were the lights. Holy shit, they were incredible. Easily one of the best light shows I have ever seen. I’m not sure what they were, maybe huge Co2 cannons installed in the circle fixture on the ceiling that got the whole room fogged up and the lasers in full effect. A huge shout out to the visual engineer for he was just as an integral part to the entire performance as each of the musicians themselves. Spot on all night and crisp as hell. I would definitely not miss Pretty Lights any time soon if he is coming to a city near you, it's well worth every penny you will spend making that concert happen. Big shout out to SIMshows for bringing this amazing act to the cities on a Saturday night. Check out their event calendar for all their upcoming shows. All photos are of Pretty Lights' laser show & performance by Troy Manley.

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Boom Festival @ 1st Bank Center - Broomfield, CO - 11/15/13 [Review]

Review By: Justin D'Amico

Sub.Mission went all out for the first ever Boom Festival at the 1st Bank Center. The two stages pounded beats all night with the Main Stage showcasing a versatile line up of all headliners. This was a triple hybrid genre concert with Trap, Hip-Hop, and Dubstep all represented by heavy hitters.


The 1st Bank Center is a medium size arena which is used for a number of different events. Minor league hockey games are held at the 1st Bank Center as well as headlining musical acts. A sellout concert is around 7500 tickets sold, this show sold around 4-5 thousand. The layout is wide open with a large main floor, and permanent bleacher type seats through out the upper areas. There are also a number of suites available with special services.


First up on the main stage was Robotic Pirate Monkey a killer duo of dubstep masters from Boulder, Colorado. Matt Berryhill, and Andrew Hathaway make up the band and they throw down hard. With such a jam packed schedule Robotic Pirate Monkey were only given a short set, but they made up for it in filth. Next was IllGates an electronic/glitch hop producer from Toronto. You may recognize him from his song featured on GTA V entitled, "Get Off My Remix". Illgates set the hip-hop vibe for the night with smooth beats.





Funtcase and Cookie Monsta would switch it up back to hard dubstep for a sick battle set. Representing Circus Records the two dubstep monsters went off for the crowd. These two label mates are good friends. They have worked together before in creating "Circus Two" a brilliant compilation. The album features the best new music from the best Circus Records artists. Both Funtcase and Cookie Monsta are very rowdy on stage, they skank as hard as they can for the full set.


The second stage was banging all night too, with a bunch of local Sub.Mission dubstep DJs. The line-up on the second stage included: Caustik, ETHER, Tr!ggv, Subliminal, Coult45, and Shank Aaron. Sub.Mission is a Colorado based dubstep community made up of incredible producers. 

 
The Deltron 3030 performance showcased the full crew: DJ Kid Koala, Dan the Automator, Del the MC, and the 3030 orchestra. After a short setup one of the most amazing sets ever went down. They started with the song '3030', the opening the self titled album "Deltron 3030". The music is absolutely beautiful and with an orchestra to reproduce it live, it's indescribable. Deltron 3030 went in between the new album "City Rising From The Ashes" and the old school classics like 'Mastermind'. The music sounded flawless just like on the album, every band member had to stay on point to keep everything proper and it was perfect.

Excision brought his enormous Executioner stage and 250,000 watts of bass for a huge finale to Boom Festival. This new stage setup is made up of a large uneven wall with a bunch of angled panels. The shape of the wall and the careful positioning of 2 big projectors turns the wall into the Executioner, a robot stage. The booth is in the center with a window that opens and closes for different visual effects. The show opens with the window closed and the stage reveals itself as a transforming robot synced up to Excision music. Then at the drop the window opens showing the man at the controls, Excision. The visual show combined with the hard dubstep Excision creates was overwhelming. Excision is set to tour all over the US early in 2014 with DirtyPhonics, IllGates and of course the Executioner stage.

Boom Festival was a lot of fun with a good group of people and amazing music. Sub.Mission did it right having a variety of genres represented well. Boom Festival went great and hopefully it can become an annual event for the Denver area to look forward to.

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Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival Returns For 5th Year in 2014

 CHICAGO BLUEGRASS & BLUES FESTIVAL 2014

"Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival (CBB) is ready to celebrate its 5th birthday! The wintertime roots fest returns with 17 shows format spanning three weeks in January and February!

CBB V is anchored in eight shows over three weeks at the newly-minted Concord Music Hall, the West Loop’s City Winery, and Evanston’s SPACE.  Rusted Root andJustin Townes Earle make their first CBB appearance, while David Grisman returns for his 3rd, this time with two nights as the David Grisman JazzFolk Trio.  The fest kicks off January 10th withLeagues and The Autumn Defense (feat. John Stirratt & Pat Sanson of Chicago's own WILCO) at Concord Music Hall.  Jonathan Batiste brings a dose of New Orleans, Greensky brings the Bluegrass, and Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater channels 60 years of Chicago blues experience.  Local showcases at Tonic Room adorn nights throughout. 

Aiming to showcase the musical styles that have evolved from bluegrass and blues culture, CBB was born in 2008 of a collaboration between Mike Raspatello, React Presents, and Silver Wrapper.   Since then, the fest has hosted acts like The Avett Brothers, Bela Fleck, Grace Potter, Del McCoury, Edward Sharpe, David Grisman, Drive-By Truckers, Dr. Dog, Dawes, Honeyboy Edwards, Joe Pug, Joe Purdy, Corey Chisel, and The Skatalites, making stops at the Auditorium Theater, Lincoln Hall, House of Blues, Congress Theater, and Double Door."

For complete details, please head to https://www.facebook.com/cbbfestival

Check out the full lineup below:

Jan 10 - Leagues & The Autumn Defense w/ The Giving Tree Band and Dick Prall @ Concord Music Hall

Jan 10 – Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater @ SPACE (Evanston)

Jan 11 – Acoustics Anonymous w/ Clusterpluck @ Tonic Room

Jan 13 - Jonathan Batiste @ City Winery

Jan 14 - Tiny Miles & The Big Kids @Tonic Room

Jan 15 - David Grisman JazzFolk Trio @ City Winery

Jan 15 - Great Divide w/ Nick And The Ovorols @ Tonic Room

Jan 16 - David Grisman JazzFolk Trio @ City Winery

Jan 16 – Evergreen Grass Band w/ guests @ Tonic Room

Jan 17 - Justin Townes Earle & The Felice Brothers w/ guests @ Concord Music Hall

Jan 17 – Shamekia Copeland @ SPACE (Evanston)

Jan 18 - Greensky Bluegrass w/ Escondido @ Concord Music Hall

Jan 18 - Shamekia Copeland @ SPACE (Evanston)

Jan 18 – American Babies w/ guests @ Tonic Room

Jan 23 - Huckleberry Green @ Tonic Room

Jan 25 - Rusted Root w/ Donna The Buffalo @ Concord Music Hall

Feb 2 – Swear and Shake @ SPACE (Evanston)

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Peter Frampton - "Do You Feel Like We Do" (Psymbionic Remix) [FREE DOWNLOAD]

The Austin, Texas native took a difficult challenge upon himself when he made the decision to rework the rock legend Peter Frampton's 1973 song, "Do You Feel Like We Do", and he nailed it. Psymbionic said on his SoundCloud: "Growing up, I listened to a lot of rock from across the ages. There were a few artists who I was particularly drawn to, and Frampton was one of those. I remember as a kid hearing the talkbox and being totally blown away. So when the opportunity came, I jumped at being able to do a funky little reworking of "Do You Feel Like We Do". He even gave a shout out to the rock legend himself - Peter Frampton - who apparently heard the remix, and to no surprise loved it. So don't miss out on this massive free download.

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Cheb i Sabbah - "Alkher llla Doffor" (Bassnectar Remix 2013)

From Bassnectar's SoundCloud:

  "Cheb i Sabbah was a musical pioneer, fusing together entire cultures of sound and music, pushing cutting edge blends of traditional songs with beats and ideas which were way ahead of his time. "Chebiji" as he was affectionately known passed away November 6, 2013 at the age of 66, and we are releasing this special remaster as a benefit to his family: he has two kids and three grandkids, who are largely dependent on him. All the proceeds from this remix will go straight to the family. 

 Get the track + more info here: www.bassnectar.net/?p=17032"

Right: Chebiji

From Bandcamp: "Chebiji" as he was affectionately known passed away November 6, 2013 at the age of 66 after being diagnosed with stomach cancer over 2 years ago. At that time he was given 4 weeks to live and through a combination of alternative therapies funded by his friends and fans, along with a sheer will to live, he exceeded all expectations for someone with an advanced stage of cancer."

This Track was released less than an hour ago with some incredible intention and energy. If this remix wasn't amazing enough, it's only a dollar and you're helping out a good cause while adding some beastliness to your library. Don't sleep on this one folks.

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Mad Violinist - "Skrillex and Nero Violin Smash" Song of the Day [11-20-13]

A little something different for the song of the day. Ashanti Floyd aka the Mad Violinist takes a Nero and Skrillex mix and absolutely shreds his violin. If your a fan of music you can appreciate the skill required to manipulate the violin to make these sounds. Using a guitar pad gives a whole new spin to the classical instrument. The video is a little grainy but its all about the audio when it comes to this man.

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Duwell - "Drop It" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

Released only a couple hours ago by electronic artist Duwell, Drop It is an amazing blend of moombahton and electro house. A club banger at its core, the tune starts off with a heavy bassline and a sharp moombah beat. As the song progresses, the bass slowly starts oscillating and you can hear a house beat kicking in. The drop is very effortless and simple; however, it is a perfect transition between the buildup and the spacey synth progressions. Because of its slow and very heavy nature, Drop It is a perfect song for festivals.

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The White Stripes - "Seven Nation Army" (White Panda Remix) - w/ Tour Dates - [FREE DOWNLOAD]

"The White Panda - with members Procrast and DJ Griffi -  started as solo mash-up DJs in college and ultimately joined forces. The result? Countless house-party playlist staples and time- traveling collaborations that we only wish existed in real life. The "Pandas" have won fans across the globe since their 2009 inception with their mashups and bootlegs and over 27 songs soaring to  #1 on the Hype Machine, including the irresistable "Diamond Thrones" that blends the Game of Thrones theme seamlessly with Rihanna's "Diamonds".

Yesterday the NYC-via-Chicago duo dished up their first-ever remix, a cold reworking of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" as a free download for their fans. Moving beyond mash-ups, White Panda honed their production skills and put a icy electro spin on the classic cut, building off that unmistakable bass line into a slapping tribal late-night flavored Dutch house remix." Cop it for free on their Soundcloud.

"The Pandas will be stepping into more of their own productions in 2014 - for now check out their upcoming U.S. tour dates HERE, and listed below." 

The White Panda - Tour Dates:

11/22     O2 Academy Inslington      London, UK

11/23     Nouveau Casino                 Paris, France

12/06     House of Blues                    Chicago, IL

12/07     El Rey Theatre                     Los Angeles, CA

12/28     Gothic Theatre                      Englewood, CO

12/29     Lupos Heartbreak Hotel     Providence, RI

12/30     Roseland Ballroom              New York, NY

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Seven Lions feat: Ciscandra Nostalghia - "Serpent of Old"

Seven Lions dished up some dark, industrial-like, trance infused, banging house with his newest release, "Serpent of Old." The gothic feeling track was released on OWSLA records and is poised to make its way into many clubs in the coming months. Don't sleep on this one.

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Felguk - "Crunch"

New from the Brazilian duo Felguk is the single "Crunch". This track is quick to the punch, with a nice fast electro-house beat. There is also a killer interlude with an 80's feel to separate the hard drops a bit. Felguk has a huge following with almost half a million likes on facebook and nearly ten years in the scene. Felguk started a record label in 2011 called Dongle Records, where they have released two singles, 'Blow Out' and 'Jack It'. If you like electro-house then you for sure need to check into Felguk, they are exceptional.

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The Black Keys "Tighten Up" - Song of the Day [11/19/2013]

Dan Auerbach and Partick Carney lay down some of the most anthemic rock tunes of the modern era.  The Black Keys, with 6 studio albums between 2002 and today, simply keep getting better with each release.  From their most recent release "El Camino", today's song of the day is "Tighten Up"...  Check out the videos these guys put out too; they're clever, funny and flat out entertaining...

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Pretty Lights - "I Know The Truth" - Song of the Day (11/19/13)

Derek Vincent Smith, better known by his stage name, Pretty Lights, dropped his newest album, A Color Map of the Sun, this summer and is currently touring in support of that album. This song, however, is not off that album. It's just a damn good song. Whatever the truth is, I too would like to know it.

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Burial - "Archangel" - Song of the Day - [11/17/2013]

Today's Song of the Day comes from an artist that needs no introduction. With his signature sound, he has forever changed electronic music. William Bevan, a.k.a Burial, released his eponymous album in 2006 and immediately received widespread critical acclaim. His style is very unique and unmatched. Through his use of garage percussion, sweeping synths, and chopped vocals Burial has created his own genre of music. Archangel, his most famous tune, off his second album Untrue starts with a percussion line that is a mix between UK Dubstep and Garage. Burial then throws in vocals from Ray J's One Wish; however, he completely warps them and cuts them up, dramatically expressing a vibe that is very emotional. As soon as the ambient lush synths are added, the tune becomes almost completely washed and very introspective. Archangel in itself is one of the most emotional tunes within electronica; however, to truly understand the personal journey expressed by William Bevan, one must listen to Untrue whole, not just one song.

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:Papercutz - "Rivers" (Synkro Remix) - Song of the Day - [11/16/2013] [FREE DOWNLOAD]

Today's Song of the Day comes from up and coming atmospheric artist Synkro. Like many artists within the post-Burial soundscape, Synkro aims to incorporate garage heavy beats with lush, ambient melodies. He starts his Rivers remix with the exotic ambient phrase evident in the original tune. He then combines his signature percussion and bass with the original floating vocals. Through many elements Synkro manages to create a tune that is effortlessly sensual and very introspective.

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Chance the Rapper @ The Fox Theater, Boulder, CO 11/12/13 - "Social Experiment Tour" (Review)

A Review By: Kenny Emmer

Of the countless show's I've attended over the year, nothing really struck me so emotionally as much as a night with Chance the Rapper at The Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO. There's a certain spirit to hip-hop that empowers my love for the genre a little more than others. The culture, the messages, lyricism, and the soul - it's something a large audience (me included) can often strongly identify with. There's nothing like singing along or spitting the rhymes of your favorite rapper who happens to be addressing a social issue that affects your own life in some way. I believe no other genre can tell a story, send a message, and address a multitude of issues as eloquently as hip-hop can; and Chance the Rapper is one of strongest artists to represent this idea. Chance has been blowing up over the past year, working with artists such as Lil' Wayne, James Blake, Ab Soul, Twista, Childish Gambino, and many more. Chance has released two mixtapes for free, "10 Day" and "Acid Rap", and has been offered countless record labels to possibly sign on to, but continues to work independently. His lyrics consist of Chicago gang violence, acid tripping, weed smoking, education and school suspension, family values, and promoting peace and love among other things. Chance has such an intelligent and clever way of rhyming so unique to hiphop it's no surprise how quick his rise to fame has been. The production on his music has quite an acid jazz feel, hence the "Acid Rap" moniker and repeated LSD references. It is very soulful, melodic, and generally joyous and uplifting. So to experience all this live was pretty overwhelming. Chicago based DJs Rashad and Spinn opened the show with a lot of trap heavy hip-hop tracks. It was a bumping way to start the show but I wasn't really feeling it. It was obvious the crowd was pretty anxious for Chance to walk out.

Chance performed with live instrumental support enhanced with trippy visuals projected in the background. Chance perfomed Acid Rap in nearly all its entirety, as well as a couple tracks from 10 Day, and an experimental version of his guest verse on Lil Wayne's song "You Song." And most surprisingly, he did a beautiful cover of "Fix You" by Coldplay. It's safe to say I haven't seen a crowd that passionate and excited for an artist before this. This crowd was loud, responsive, and in awe of the raw talent by both the musicians and Chance himself, so much to the point of chanting "We want Chance!" prior to his set and "10 more songs!" multiple times as he exited the stage....twice. Chance's voice is fairly nasally and raspy, but not in a bad way. One would say he doesn't have the most beautiful singing voice in the world but he's not a bad singer by any means. It's interesting, his voice would often send chills down my spine the way any other extremely talented r&b or pop singer would, despite Chance's vocal range not being very large. Particularly his cover of Fix You induced some intense goosebumps. Chance has crafted this image and sound in which he embodies this young, innocent, acid enjoying character who can simply speak or exclaim over jazz filled beats with catchy hooks, exclusive ad lib, clever word play, and memorable melodies that tell a wondrous story about the beautiful things in life, and occasionally the dark. It is very easy to identify with Chance, as he raps about how much love and respect he has for his family, specifically his mom and his grandma, and how "everybody's somebody's everything, nobody's nothing." Chance's poetic description of love in "That's Love" will have you feeling very warm inside. Chance closed with this as he pointed out to the crowd whilst constantly singing "I love you!" Each and every person had to have been smiling at this point. Aside from his serious and uplifting side of the show Chance had performed all of his purely fun, entertaining jump-up and dance tracks about summer jamming, weed smoking, and acid dropping, such as "Favorite Song," "Chain Smoker," and "Smoke Again." The crowd reached record heights as they jumped up and down to the sound of the beat. There were strong positive vibes glistening throughout the venue, as joints literally rained down onto the stage.

"Boulder, Colorado last night was ridiculous, forreal thunderstorm of joints and blunts raining on the stage last night the entire time. Love." - Chance the Rapper

Chance described a dream he had in which he performed at the Fox Theatre in Boulder but Jay Z was there to introduce him on stage. And as he described how amazing the crowd was in his dream, the crowd got louder and louder. After my experience at the Smoker's Club Tour with Joey Bada$$ and more, and now Chance the Rapper at the Fox, I feel overcome with excitement and optimism for how this music will play out and affect the world throughout the coming years. I've dreamt of a world that pushes for a moral consciousness in which every person cares for each other as if they are their own blood. And before now, I've rarely seen music that spreads this idea. Up until now, music has continuously followed this pattern of self satisfaction and reflection of personal loss or gain. Mainstream hiphop has painted an exaggerated picture of what every American strives for - money and popularity. It itself has become this commercialized product that misleads rather than informs. With artists like Macklemore, Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, and Chance the Rapper, a light now exists in what was a very dark area of the music industry. I believe music is one of the strongest influential powers in the world, but the industry itself has been manipulated and controlled and used the wrong way. These artists are pushing it in the right direction, and I want to see more out of it. Artists are finally ignoring the possible financial benefits of a contract. Artists like Joey and Chance are there purely for their fans, and more and more people are beginning to see this. I hope that one day the masses or the mainstream will turn to artists like these, because through this the world will only improve.

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Flight of the Conchords - "Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros" - Song of the Day (11/15/13)

This New Zealand based comedy duo were the basis of the HBO television series, Flight of the Conchords. This track is taken right from that awesome, and unfortunately short-lived, television series. If you weren't ready for the weekend already, this song will surely lift your spirits and get you into a good mood to start the weekend off on the right foot. 

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"Dear Boy" by Dave Edwards - an Avicii x Daft Punk MashUp

Here is a pretty sick mashup of Avicii and Daft Punk done by Dave Edwards...  A bit more down-tempo and kinda chill, but workin' perfectly for me this afternoon...  I dig it...

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Duwell - "Mission Abort" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

Duwell's SoundCloud Profile Picture

The Australian producer, Duwell, is presumably maintaining an arsenal of new music, releasing 3 tracks in the the past 10 days. "Mission Abort" is his newest song out for free download on his SoundCloud. The others, "Love Machine" and "Lick It", are pretty awesome in their own right. But let's stick to "Mission Abort." This track starts out pretty electro and I was definitely digging it. I changed pages on my browser so I wasn't ready for that incredible transition away from the electro feel to the pouding bass big room madness. Before I knew it, I was bobbing my head like no other and had to know what in the hell happened. Duwell, is simply a beast... that's what happened. His talent is undeniable, the ability to transition between genres is remarkable. I'm not just talking about this song, he maintains the consistent and profound ability throughout the entirety of his SoundCloud catalog. If you haven't heard of this Sydney native, I would definitely hop on board the Duwell train and pick up what you can off his SoundCloud while it's still there/

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