Decadence is only days away and we couldn't be more pumped! Showcasing their largest lineup yet, Decadence 2016 is sure to make the history books. Limited tickets still remain and they're going quick.
In it's 4th iteration, the Summerset Music and Camping Festival has once again grown in both size and scale with added stages and it's most ambitious line-up yet. The 3-day festival held in western Wisconsin is just weeks away and as anticipation builds, we thought we'd run through what they have in store.
Now with music on 5 different stages, there is action happening all the time. Last year's upgraded Grove stage may have been the best of the 4. Now with this year's additon of the Meadow stage, it's anyone's guess as to where our favorite spot will be. With acts like Purity Ring, Theivery Corp and Lettuce on the new stage, I'm guessing it's already in the running for the top spot. The Grove stage is not lacking top quality acts either though with Odesza, Lotus, The Weeknd and Tune-Yards all gracing that stage.
The daily schedule came out recently and we've been scrutinizing it daily. Trying to put together a schedule of our own has been something of a challenge. With 5 stages and dozens of acts we want to see, being able to teleport would be a wonderful gift for these three days.
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Aside from the headliners, Bassnectar, Big Gigantic and Deadmau5 which we know will draw record crowds, here are some of the highlights we are most excited for...
Odesza:
Lotus:
Slow Magic:
Thievery Corp:
Manic Focus:
Tune-Yards:
Lettuce:
If that wasn't enough music for you, hold on to your shorts for the after parties... Kicking off once the main stage shows wrap up, you are in for some great tunes and historically some of the coolest and most musically creative collaborations we've ever seen. Griz on Friday night and the Floozies on Saturday??? Yes, please!
Needless to say, we are a bit pumped... Who are you most excited to see?
Earlier this week, Emancipator dropped a remixed version of "Dusk Till Dawn" featuring a collection of different artists. Due to the wide range of styles, the new album breathes new air into an already established masterpiece. For today's Song of the Day, we have chosen the third track off the new album, an Odesza remix of "Eve II."
The track is beautifully reworked, taking two similar feel-good styles and mixing them together to produce perfection. Enjoy!
Today we show some love to another awesome artist out of Denver. Here we have a hybrid song from Nicholas Miller but you might call him Illenium. This is "So Wrong" an excellent single released just under a year ago. It's hard to categorize a song like this, it's part chill, part trap, and part future music. Illenium has definitely caught the attention of the Colorado crowd and he is expanding his fan base rapidly in all directions. You will see when checking into his library further that he has killer remixes of Kill Paris and Odesza songs; and he has amazing collaborations with another Denver producer Said The Sky. You can listen to more from Illenium on spotify here.
ODESZA has a number of astounding songs that take you on a journey through music and space. They have a way of keeping it so chill that you fall into a daydream. Here is "Koto" a perfect track for a mental road-trip into the subconscious mind. This is from the album In Return released last September. ODESZA is amazing so definitely peep more from them on their official soundcloud page here.
Happy Monday everyone! Today's Song Of The Day comes from a crew that I consider pretty close to me. Braunstein Freres is a group of producers currently students at Illinois State University who literally spent their entire spring break creating this amazing remix of Odesza's "White Lies". The original is a beautiful, light, and soothing track that accompanies the sweet voice of Jenni Potts. Braunstein Freres does a great job of keeping those vibes alive in their remix as well. It's a little bit more upbeat then the original, but still keeps that steady flow throughout. This remix definitely reminds me a bit of a Jersey Club track that's still true to the vibes that Odesza is trying to give off. Give it a listen and see for yourself, you won't be disappointed.
If you dig what you're hearing you can follow everything these guys are doing here. Also they've entered this remix in a contest to play at Bonnaroo. If you dig what you're hearing don't hesitate to throw them a vote!
This groundbreaking remix from Venice's up and coming artist Big Wild has began to take form of an anthem. Displaying a sensual setting on an uplifting song in this case calls for the perfect outlook of a summer day in the ocean breeze. Gaining some much deserved attention on tour with Odesza, the future seems to hold only good things for the Big Wild crew. If you don't already, head over to the pages provided and show your appreciation! Be sure to check tour dates for a show in a city near you.
The melodic duo consisting of members Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight that come together to form Odesza have been chosen for our song of the day today. Odesza has been making big moves lately and this track goes to show some of their hard work at putting their spin on a Pretty Lights song. The original is great, but this version brings something new to the song and they did a great job getting it together. Give this song a listen and check out their other stuff if this gets you going.
Ilya Goldberg (left) and Doug Appling (right) of Emancipator
With the first month of 2014 behind us, let’s all take a
moment to appreciate how much change and growth can transpire in just one short
year: strangers become friends, lovers become stalkers, baby-faced Bieber
becomes a baby-faced douche - although that one may have been a long time
coming. For Doug Appling, aka Emancipator, 2013 was a year of major growth
and achievements. When I first saw Emancipator almost exactly one year ago, it
was in front of a crowd of no more than 100 people at Chicago’s Bottom Lounge.
Fast forward just 6 months to June 2013 when I had the
immense pleasure of seeing him perform at Electric Forest’s largest stage
(Sherwood Court) - a show my editor considers the best single set he has ever seen, then consider the fact that this past Friday the Emancipator
Ensemble sold out the Concord Music Hall (listed capacity is 700-1600) in Chicago and
you’ll appreciate how much the music of Emancipator has grown in popularity and
recognition while garnering a diverse and passionate fan base in just one year.
The full Emancipator Ensemble
The event sold out early afternoon on the day of the show
and when I arrived at the Concord somewhere around 9pm not a single scalper was
in sight, though many hopefuls could be found wandering the parking lot and
entrance line in search of spare tix. I completed the security/ticket
check/coat check ritual just in time for the start of ODESZA’s set. The West
coast-based electronic duo have an approach to music that combines catchy
hip-hop percussion beats, glitchy vocals with layers of some quite beautiful
electronic melodies. Their whole sound feels upbeat and bouncy yet dreamy all
at once, and they definitely delivered these sensations and more during their
live set.
As I found a spot on the floor close enough to the stage for
a good look, which isn’t too difficult at the Concord, one of the first things
I noticed was how incredibly down the people around me were getting. I
mentioned before that the sounds of ODESZA have an upbeat and bouncy vibe to
them, and as I looked around at my fellow patrons of the arts I was struck by
how the whole crowd was literally bouncing in unison, which is definitely a
good indication of the performance. Highlights from the set include their hit
jam “iPlayYouListen”, two unreleased tracks that sounded unbelievable and an
encore performance of “My Friends Never Die” off their recent EP by the same
title.
Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight of ODESZA
I think there’s something to be said for having an energizing
opening act for a downtempo headliner, as the combination of ODESZA into the
Emancipator Ensemble was a winner in my book, as the former set the tone and
energy beautifully for the dancy drum beats and soaring soundscapes of
Emancipator. Performing with a live band is becoming more prevalent in
electronically produced music as of late, most notably with Pretty Lights’ AnalogFuture Tour in the Fall of 2013, and I can’t imagine a better candidate for a
live band performance than Emancipator. To the uninformed listener, his studio
albums sound closer to a full band than a single producer, so the live ensemble
seems like a logical evolution for Doug Appling’s music.
The Ensemble featured Appling on guitar, the familiar face
of Ilya Goldberg on violin, Colby Buckler on percussion and an unnamed virtuoso
rocking the bass, all performing in front of a beautifully understated stage
production that featured tall, skinny parallel screens depicting a sunny,
cloudy sky rolling past- an ideal backdrop to the nature-esque music being
played. The Ensemble opened with “Lionheart” from Soon it Will be Cold Enough,
and shortly after really got the audience moving with their popular single
“Elephant Survival” and the song’s addictive drum beats and ethereal flute
riffs.
Goldberg and Appling, lost in music.
From there, the performance was a perfectly concocted mix of
songs off all three studio albums- Safe in the Steep Cliffs, Soon it Will Be
Cold Enough, and, most recently, Dusk to Dawn- plus a couple very well received
unreleased tracks to give us die-hard fans some new Emancipator to eagerly look
forward to. The performance seemed to stand still in time, as one song flew so
seamlessly into the next it was hard to keep track of them all, even to a seasoned
fan like myself. The crowd was pleasantly diverse in age and backgrounds, and
positivity and goodwill abounded amongst the enchanted, swaying showgoers.
The music’s enchantment was momentarily broken as Appling
& Co. left the stage for their customary pseudo-exit and eager cries for
“one more song” instantly arose throughout the venue. The good men of the
Ensemble only left us hanging for a few seconds before re emerging to jubilant
cheers and beginning what would be a three-song encore with the iconic
Emancipator song “Anthem”, a fitting end to a beautifully crafted performance.
I arrived at the Concord many hours earlier with high expectations for one of
my favorite minds in music today, and Doug and his Ensemble far exceeded all of
them in what was, from a passionate fan’s perspective, a flawless performance.
The Emancipator Ensemble Tour continues across the East and
West Coasts through April, and if there’s a tour stop within a day’s drive of
you I cannot stress enough how dearly you need to get out to see the Ensemble!
