[GIVEAWAY] Free Weekend Pass for ARISE Music Festival - Loveland, CO

It's that time of year again and we've got your chance at a free weekend pass to ARISE. Check out the giveaway on our Facebook page: HERE, and enter now to get your awesome weekend getaway FOR FREE. Contest ends 6/12/15 @ 4:20pm Mountain Time.

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The Polish Ambassador - "Earth Versus the World" - Song of the Day - 7/11/14

Earth's best ambassador has been cranking out hot tune after hot tune for years and this one definitely classifies as a "golden oldie" as far as his catalog is concerned. It's just so good...

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Wildlight - "Conversations Between" - Song of the Day (7-8-14)

This song "Conversations Between" is my favorite track from Hers Was As Thunder the debut album from Wildlight. The band is made up of Ayla Nereo and David Sugalski (The Polish Ambassador). Ayla Nereo is an exquisite vocalist and David Sugalski is a cutting edge producer, together they make music unlike anything else. The vocals are particularly enchanting on "Conversations Between", the use of vocal tones rather than always words being sung is refreshing. Wildlight is even more captivating when performing live, Alya Nereo and David Sugalski are both excellent dancers and they shine in the lime light. You can download all Wildlight music for free on soundcloud. But if you get the chance to go check them out live, you can stay on the up and up with tour dates by liking Wildlight on their official facebook page here.

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Sonic Bloom Festival @ American Safari Ranch in South Park, Colorado [6/19/14-6/22/14] (Review)

Review By: Justin D'Amico  &
                     Troy H. Manley

Sonic Bloom Festival was an amazing musical and spiritual journey shared by thousands of people. The American Safari Ranch in South Park, Colorado was the new location for the event this year, and what a great place to have a festival. The area is a beautiful valley up in the mountains of Park County, Colorado. Sonic Bloom Festival brought together a huge array of musicians and artists of all forms for a celebration of love and creativity.

Stunning visuals were a natural theme for Sonic Bloom Festival. Throughout the weekend, vivid blue skies dominated the daytime hours and the clear skies made all the stars visible at night. It was important to be prepared for the intense mountain sun blazing down on the grounds. Each night at dusk a brilliant glowing orange sunset fell over the mountain ranges. Evenings were rather chilly getting down to near freezing temperatures in the middle of the night. The range of temperature was drastic, and it was again important to prepare accordingly for the weather. Only a small portion of the festival saw rainfall, making it particularly dry and dusty. Being in an open natural setting for a long 4 day weekend was a great way to unwind and indulge.

Sonic Bloom was a giant celebration of love and unity, with everyone helping their neighbors. There was minimal conflict among the attendants, and also the American Safari Ranch remained clean throughout the weekend with little garbage accumulating on the grounds. Each individual campsite was asked to maintain a refuse container and properly dispose of waste. The majority of the campers were compliant and this made for a good environment to live in for the long weekend.

Probably the busiest person at Sonic Bloom Festival was Jamie Janover, he was directly involved with multiple performances, collaborations, and a key promoter. Jamie Janover is a part of the band Zilla, as well as Janover & Resunator, not to mention that he got in on Break Science's live set. He even led the Sonic Bloom Orchestra on the final night of the festival as the conductor. During the second media press conference on Sunday, Jamie Janover told in depth stories about the origins of Sonic Bloom Festival. He mentioned an amazing fact about how, the now gargantuan producer, Pretty Lights, agreed to play Sonic Bloom Festival in 2008 for a mere $100 dollars! It was really cool to be around such an influential individual like Jamie Janover, he was very humble, insightful, and easy to talk to.  

A number of vendors set up tents all around Sonic Bloom Festival to display and sell merchandise. One that stood out to us was Wasatch Glass Works. In their booth you could watch glass blowing demonstrations and check out some of the best hand made glass products in the world. They are famous for inventing a unique hash oil rig called the Nectar Collector, of which now there are many versions. The founder Kristian Merwin spoke to us about his difficult to master triple bubble style and the Nectar Collector 3.0 - the newest version of the legendary design. Merwin has been blowing glass creations for 14 plus years, and he now has a team of apprentices he is showing his highly specialized skills to. Check out the Official Wasatch Glass Works website to see more extraordinary designs and to purchase one of your own.

Nectar Collector version 3.0

One thing that's really cool about a giant festival like Sonic Bloom is how everyone remembers it a little bit differently. Each individual's experience is from a completely unique perspective. The music is shared equally, but the way it is observed will always be exclusive to each person, and that is what makes it so special. Everyone had their favorite performances at Sonic Bloom Festival for certain reasons, these are ours and some of the finer details that we noticed while watching.


5 Favorite Performances At Sonic Bloom Festival - Justin D'Amico - 


The Polish Ambassador

He is becoming one of my favorite people to see live for his music as well as his energy. The Polish Ambassador has such cool dance moves it forces you to try to imitate him. He does a cowboy hand air gun thing and dips left and right to the beat with a certain swagger no one else can mimic. The Polish Ambassador plays only original music and his own remixes for live sets. His music is so tropical it makes you feel like your at an all inclusive resort of awesomeness. I was super exhausted from a long day of shenanigans and still I had to dance my ass off to The Polish Ambassador's set because it just moved me. Music like The Polish Ambassador's gives me a chill and chokes me up almost to tears, but then I just blink really fast.


Unlimited Aspect

As if it wasn't enough to get Unlimited Gravity and Project Aspect together; for Sonic Bloom they added Steven Kuzma from Lost Optical on drums and saxophone from Clark Smith of Dynohunter. Boosh! Unlimited Gravity brought his whole setup with keyboards, samplers, and vocal manipulators. Project Aspect busted out his guitar and also live mixed music at the same time. Super Unlimited Aspect, as I was referring to it, was a lot of fun to watch, it reminded me of a Big Gigantic set but with even more glitch goodness. Many sets included quick collaborations and cameos but this was an entire set combining 4 amazingly talented musicians.


Mr. Bill

Mr. Bill was rocking out the Dome Stage so hard on the last night of Sonic Bloom Festival. He first caught my eye with his crazy socks, they were pink, black, and blue with some kind of Aztec pattern. It's entirely possible he was wearing yoga pants because they were really tight and pulled way up, but I am not for sure. Regardless to his attire Mr. Bill put down a badass set Sunday night, one of the best of the weekend.



Krooked Drivers

The set from Krooked Drivers on the Hummingbird Stage was killer. The Denver duo fired up the crowd right away with music I suspect will be a part of their new album coming soon. It's cool to watch Maddy and Donnie get down to the music together. They often are on the same wavelength dancing to the beat. Lots of love was in the air and it spreads fast when listening to great music.


Zion I

This was a straight hip-hop to death set; lots of fun, tons of crowd participation, and big smiles all around. Zion I stood out to me, being the only true hip-hop group at Sonic Bloom Festival, and just for being so hype. The Dome stage was completely poppin off for Zion I. It was just one of the types of performances that puts me in a good mood for the rest of the night.





5 Favorite Performances At Sonic Bloom Festival - Troy H. Manley -

Shpongle (Simon Posford DJ Set)

Shpongle is the brain child of British masterminds Simon Posford and Raja Ram and is self-coined as "a strange hybrid of electronic manipulation and shamanic midgets with frozen digits squeezing the envelop and crawling through the doors of perception." Shpongle's music has the ability to open your mind and free yourself from daily constraints to enable your imagination run wild. Throughout the set Simon was accompanied by fire dancers and hanging acrobats - making the show a total sensory experience. The trance music played by this man was something else, I swear for at least half an hour of that show Simon was playing just for me. Yup, it was that damn good.

Tipper 

The legend himself returned to Colorado after having successfully recovered from an open heart surgery the year prior.  His live sets consisted largely of new and unreleased material, which always makes things interesting. His down-tempo set on Friday was magical, with insane graphics by Johnathan Singer constantly twisting, turning, melting away, and reappearing throughout the set. Saturday's dancefloor set by Tipper was accompanied pair with visuals by mastermind, Android Jones. Being his only appearance in Colorado for the year 2014, these sets were something extra special.

Unlimited Aspect

Ronnie Weberg (Unlimited Gravity) & Jerry Jaramillo (Project Aspect) are two of the most down-to-earth dudes I have had the opportunity to rage with on many occasions. Big things are on the horizons for these two Colorado natives and it's only a matter of time before big-time success finds its way onto the laps of these ridiculously talented musicians.



Zion-I

It's not very often hip-hop shows capture my ear and totally engulf my soul. However, these dudes did it. Their energy was unprecedented and unlike many rap shows I've been to, you could clearly understand them as they murdered their set. Although seemingly out of place at a festival heavy on the electronic side of things, these guys were the biggest surprise of the weekend and now it is known not to miss these guys given the opportunity.



Kalya Scintilla

Having never heard of Kalya Scintilla prior to Sonic Bloom, I would have never thought to skip some of the Polish Ambassador to check him out. However, I was lucky enough to have a good friend tell me not to miss at least part of this show. So, I didn't. Kalya Scintilla was something else, creating vivid soundscapes with an accent of world fusion beats, and at times even vocalizing some enchanting tribal chants during his set. He moved from song to song and kept the crowd in a hanging suspense of what ridiculousness he was going to throw at them next. His high energy levels and enthusiasm for the music lifted the mood of the crowd and made it easier for everyone to lose themselves in the music.

Sonic Bloom Festival was a mystical musical journey full of unforgettable memories. Being out in the middle of the mountains with nothing to do but party with your homies is a great way to find out who you really are. The American Safari Ranch was an excellent setting for this spiritual journey of love and unity. We at Ikonic Sound hope to become one of the regulars at Sonic Bloom Festival like some of the legends we were amongst. Thanks again to everyone who made Sonic Bloom Festival such an amazing time, CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT YEAR!

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Sonic Bloom Festival - The Unified Field - June 19-22 @ American Safari Ranch - South Park, CO (Preview)

Preview By: Troy Manley

Sonic Bloom Festival is back once again and this year it is taking place on the summer solstice! The summer solstice is the longest day of summer because the sun is at its highest point in the sky, making it the perfect weekend to get down and rage with your homies! 

Taking place at a new location than last year, Sonic Bloom will take place at American Safari Ranch in South Park, CO. "Featuring a breathtaking 360 degree mountain panorama and views of the continental divide, this new site is South Park is purely Colorado. The site allows for on-site parking, a new limited car camping option, (no more shuttles!) plus VIP on-site lodging packages complete with an indoor saloon, an expanded workshop series, more art installations, a larger main stage for even more epic performance spectacles and all accommodations and camping / car camping / on-site lodging options are just a short walk to the stages!

In his only appearance in Colorado in 2014, Dave Tipper will be performing his only 2 sets in Colorado for all of 2014, each with a special visualist: Android Jones for one set and Johnathan Singer - Live Visual Artist for the other." The lineup also sports the likes of EOTO, The Polish Ambassador, OPIUO, Ott., Random Rab, Zion-I, Michal Menert Big Band, Zoogma, Unlimited Aspect, and many more - with yet another wave of artists featuring another headliner to be announced! 

In addition to the stellar music in store the weekend, the festival also offers revitalizing yoga, stimulating workshops, and glorious art installations. Conscious Alliance and Sonic Bloom have teamed up once again for an "Art That Feeds" drive through which patrons that donate 10 non-perishable food items will receive a free limited edition Sonic Bloom poster by an artist yet to be determined.

 Sign up for Sonic Bloom's newsletter to receive updates, announcements, and festival news as they become available! Do that HERE.

Go "like" our Facebook page and "follow" us on Twitter to catch your chance at snagging a free pass to this incredible festival!

FOLLOW Sonic Bloom on Social Media:

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/SONIC_BLOOM

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Winter Warmer @ The Fillmore Auditorium in Denver (Review) [2-14-14]

Review By: Justin D'Amico

Last weekend Live Nation and Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom put on a big EDM concert called Winter Warmer at The Fillmore Auditorium in Denver. The Winter Warmer brought together a bunch of different artists and a good variety of musical EDM sub-genres. The Polish Ambassador, Wick-It The Instigator, and Michal Menert all threw down hard.







Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom started the weekend off early last Thursday with a Winter Warmer pre-party showcasing Wick-It The Instigator. This was my first time seeing Wick-It live and he was awesome. Wick-It represents Nashville, Tennessee, but after a killer weekend in Denver he is considering moving out to Colorado. He was happy to share his first ever experience legally purchasing marijuana here on his trip to Denver. One way Wick-It sticks to his Nashville roots is with a killer trap remix of  the Johnny Cash song "Walk The Line". He also rocked a remix of C&C Music Factory's song "Everybody Dance Now" - needless to say, everybody did. Wick-It The Instigator did a great set for Winter Warmer pre-party at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom. 

Winter Warmer was my first time at The Fillmore Auditorium and I was impressed with the venue. The Fillmore Auditorium is a giant room with a lowered dance floor about the size of an NHL hockey rink. The dance floor is surrounded by another standing level and above certain sections of that middle level are balcony areas. The balcony at the very rear part of the room has a small seated section. When sitting in the back balcony seats you are about 300 feet from the stage, to give you an idea of how long the room is. For the Winter Warmer nearly the entire dance floor was full and bouncing all night.

The Winter Warmer fell on St. Valentines Day and a lot of love was in the air, love for electronic music and trippy visuals. The stage set up for most of Winter Warmer included a brilliant visual display using a high power projector and giant white fabric arches were the canvas. The stage setup mostly was provided by The Polish Ambassador, but the opening artists used it as well. The final version of the white arches wasn't revealed until just before The Polish Ambassador started. The white arches stage setup is a creation of Liminus, the excellent graphics specialist who accompanied The Polish Ambassador on stage for the Winter Warmer performance. The best visuals of the night came during a Polish Ambassador remix of Michael Jackson's "Beat It". For this song Liminus used a morphing image of all the different faces of Michael Jackson from his youth and progressing to later in his life. The Polish Ambassador and Liminus had incredible energy on stage which made the performance even more entertaining.

To close out the night was Denver native Michal Menert. For this show Michal Menert brought a live drummer, A.C. Lao, to play the beats. The majority of the set was a glitch hop flavor with some variations here and there. Michal Menert refers to his style of music as space jazz and that is a pretty good way of describing it. His beats are very chill with some interesting futuristic bass lines. Michal Menert is part of Pretty Lights Music the label founded by Derek Vincent Smith aka Pretty Lights. The crowd was going insane for Michal Menert, he is definitely loved in his home town. Michal Menert was superb live and a great closer for the Winter Warmer. 

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