Desert Dwellers, Kayla Scintilla, Eve Olution, Sixis, & YuYu @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom (9/25/15) [Review]

Photos by: Kyle Sutton

The Earth Heart Tour featuring Desert Dwellers, Kayla Scintilla w/ Eve Olution, Sixis and YuYu made a pit stop in Denver over the weekend at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom. Throughout the night music lovers poured into the venue, and once in they were transported to a far off destination, brought on by an array of musical soundscapes.

Photos from the memorable night are featured below. Click on any picture for gallery view!

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Phish Pre-Party @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom w/ Everyone Orchestra (Review) [9-3-15]

Photos and Review by: Kyle Sutton

Over the past several years, Phish has made a tradition out of visiting Dicks Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO right outside of Denver for three nights of music and jams. Different music venues around Denver hosted a slew of pre and post parties to please all of the incoming Phish "phans" – most of whom came to the mile high city from all corners of the country.

Cervantes hosted this year's official pre-party on Sept. 3 with The Everyone Orchestra, an improv heavy all-star lineup of well-known/respected musicians. The always changing lineup concept is the brainchild of conductor/creator Matt Butler. 

This show's lineup, in addition to Butler, consisted of Kris Myers (Umphrey's McGee), Jason Hann (String Cheese Incident), Paul Hoffman (Greensky Bluegrass), Aron Manger (Disco Biscuits), Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Robert Mercurio (Galactic), Eddie Roberts (The New Mastersounds), Durga McBroom (Pink Floyd), Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band), Natalie Cressman (Trey Anastasio Band).

EO operates off the concept of using improvisation as a vehicle to explore instrumentation between musicians from different styles. Butler spent some of the night leading the jams himself, using key words to signal a particular style. The rest of the night, Butler gave the reigns to the musicians making for a completely organic musical experience.  

More photos from the high-energy show featured below. Click on any photo for gallery view. 

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Isqa - "Ghosts" - Song of the Day - [9/22/15]

You want some raunchy grindy bass? I got you. Check out this bass attack from Isqa called "Ghosts." It has all the elements I like in a good dubstep song, plenty of naughty bass and some amazing electric zaps. Isqa represents on the record label DUSTLA a collective of awesome bass music. Definitely go listen to more from Isqa on his official soundcloud page here.

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Louis The Child - "It's Strange" (Featuring K. Flay)

Louis The Child delivers yet another drop that sends shivers up your spine. Robby Hauldren and Freddy Kennett make up the group. They come from Chicago. They have a unique way of combining great beats with amazing vocals that makes their music have an easy-going feel to it. Not even a day ago Louis The Child released "It's Strange" featuring K. Flay. The combination of K. Flays voice and Louis The Child is one you'll want to hear. The group is going to be at TBD Fest in Sacramento next weekend and are giving away two free tickets to the festival.

Louis The Child on twitter

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Mega Ran - "Splash Woman" - Song of the Day - [9/8/15]

If you want something to set off the nostalgia feels hit up Mega Ran. The style is a hybrid between chiptune and hip-hop, and it's so dope for the old school gamers. Often times you can hear bits and pieces of midi tracks used in the Mega Man games for the original Nintendo Entertainment System. The mastermind of Mega Ran is Raheem Jarbo, and he has a bunch of guest producers and musicians who collaborate under the Mega Ran name. Go to the official Mega Ran website for the latest on music releases and more.

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PYLOT - "Blurred Vision"

He's back! PYLOT the mystery producer from Monstercat has a vintage sounding jam called "Blurred Vision" that just dropped last week. Also more of his story is remembered as he begins to recall bit a pieces of his memories. I am in love with this very difficult puzzle PYLOT has unveiled these last few months. The retro feel with this song is a throwback to Knight Rider and awesome 80s sounding themes. Read PYLOT's descriptions and check out the latest journal entry in the image below and maybe you can figure out just who PYLOT really is.

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Blaster - "Apsos" - Song of the Day - [9/1/15]

This is a bad ass beat from Blaster, the dubstep storm trooper. This track is called "Apsos" and it goes hard! Blaster makes some awesome, in your face, bass music perfect for working out or hiking vigorously. Blaster has a lot of great original music, remixes, and collaborations with other big name DJs. Check out more on the official Blaster soundcloud page here.

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Cut Copy - "Saturday" (Live) - Song of the Day - [8/25/15]

This is a groove called "Saturday" performed live by Cut Copy. The band has evolved over the years and currently it is a group of four fellas: DJ Dan Whitford on vocals, keyboards and guitar; Tim Hoey on guitars; Ben Browning on bass guitar; and Mitchell Scott on the drums. They produce a complete throwback style with a funky disco feel for this track. Cut Copy will go all over the place from song to song mixing genres. Go listen to more from Cut Copy on there official soundcloud page here.

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North Coast Schedule is Out! -- September 4th-6th at Chicago's Union Park

NORTH COAST IS ALMOST HERE!!!!!!! :)

North Coast Music Festival was originally founded in 2010 by a group of independent promoters who came together to create an urban taste-maker festival of emerging and established artists from a diverse range of genres. Between them they produce hundreds of Chicago-based events each year, including multiple festivals in the Midwest, one off events at Chicago's premiere music venues, street festivals, and more, that attract thousands of fans and artists from all over the world. Last year, NCMF celebrated it's 5th year anniversary and sold out of 3-day passes for the first time, with nearly 60,000 people in attendance.

Check out the day-by-day schedule below! If you missed our last post with all the after parties & silent disco scheduled out for your easy digestion, check it out HERE.

Yes!!! You've got it, the lineup KICKS ASS!!! 

Check out their website and create your own schedule right meow! 

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!Tyro - "More Love" - Song of the Day - [8/18/15]

This is a naughty dubstep banger from !Tyro. He is a Denver dabstepper, as he calls it, and he has hooked up with Kairos Audio to release some new stuff lately. You can find !Tyro on stage a lot of times opening shows for big names in electronic music in the Denver area. Recently !Tyro was a part of the big Rebudz Presents show that brought out Eptic and Habstrakt. Denver dabstep is blowing up, and vaporizing all over the place, so definitely get down with !Tyro and his raunchy beats. You can follow !Tyro on soundcloud here. Also look for him next time a your favorite dubstep DJ comes thru, most likely !Tyro will be there too.

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Chives (feat. J.OI) - Feel It Now (Proppa Remix) - Song Of The Day - (8/17/2015)

 

Happy Monday everyone! Today's song of the day comes to you from a young up and coming producer out of Chicago simply named Proppa. As summer comes to an end, or at least it feels that way as I get ready for classes to start up, I felt like there should be another jam on here to keep those vibes up. While "Feel It Now" originally isn't the BIGGEST track that could've been remixed, this fits the style that Proppa has no doubt and shows great taste in doing so. The vocals on this track are amazing, and the violin track on top of it really creates a warm feel to the remix. So whatever you're doing, bust out some speakers, play this track, and get tropical with it! Be sure to follow on Soundcloud and Facebook to keep up with all the latest and greatest happening from Proppa. Enjoy!

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Arise Music Festival in Loveland, Colorado [8/7/15-8/9/15] (Review)

Review By: jdrightright


One of the most magical events Colorado has to offer. Held at the serine Sunrise Ranch in Loveland, Colorado it's Arise Music Festival. The third annual gathering of forward thinking people and a plethora of excellent musicians. It was my second year attending Arise Music Festival this time around, and it felt great to be back in the valley.


The Sunrise Ranch is so beautiful, the mountains surround the festival grounds with rocky tips. To the south just outside of the grounds is a pleasant view of the Green Ridge Glade Reservoir. At night the sunset glows bright orange over the mountain tops providing a natural light show. The moon and stars are extra bright at Sunrise Ranch a mesmerizing visual experience to say the least. It's an incredible place to call home for the Arise Music Festival campers.

A number of artists had set up shop around the campgrounds and inside the concert and workshop areas. Music inspires creativity and the painters, poi spinners, and hula hoppers were making the most of their time in the stream of good vibes. The most massive of the artworks was a giant owl made of metal with its wings spread out, and at night flames were ignited burning from the head and wings of the owl.

There was a lot more going on at Arise Music Festival than just musical performances. The main theme of the weekend was to love the planet, and to spread knowledge of how we can get back to our roots as children of mother earth. There were familiar faces from last year with advocates like Peter Yarrow, Josh Fox, Bethany Yarrow, and many more. I attended an Arise Dialogue where a number of important topics were discussed about how we should move forward from the outdated polluting technologies and save our future generations from living in a toxic environment. Another topic spoke about how Native American tribes lived and how we should get back to their ways of having a relationship with our Earth. It was enlightening to hear fresh points of view for positive change and a brighter future. I felt uplifted and empowered after listening to the panel speak.

Yoga and workshops were abundant at Arise Music Festival, with nearly as many sessions scheduled as performances by bands. The Yoga Zone tent was up a hill at the highest point of the ranch from where you can observe the entire festival. Each day seven different sessions were held and with different instructors. One of the special instructors was Ayla Nereo, an exquisite solo singer as well as lead vocalist for the band Wildlight.

Some of the workshops were also hosted by members of bands to discuss music or to even practice different instruments and get instruction. Out in the camping area there were different villages with seminars and rituals for anyone to attend. The Healing Village held meetings to converse about the body and how to prolong good health. The Wisdom Village held ceremonies and small performances as well as the Closing Fire Puja to end the event.     

Another neat thing was the children's camp up by the Sunrise Dome. The kids had their own mini workshop tents where they could hold chats about life or whatever they wanted. There were arts and crafts that the kids could learn about and be creative. They even had a little tiny stage set up for the kids who wanted to play instruments and sing. When I walked through the children's village a trio of youngsters were freestyle rapping about keeping the Earth clean for the future. That was a really moving thing to hear, and it made me proud to be a part of the Arise community.


At the heart of the Sunrise Ranch, in the field between the Area 51 stage and the Eagle Stage, you could walk through the official Arise Art Gallery. Inside of this big tent were a bunch of pieces inspired by the festival and works that reflected what the gathering stands for. On Sunday night a group of artists came together around the Area 51 stage to display their pieces and talk about their artworks. There were a lot of very talented painters and I really enjoyed watching them add more layers to their canvases. More art is exhibited and conceived at Arise Music Festival than any other event I have been to.

I had to do a lot of bouncing around in order to see all the various bands. It was hard to decide who to watch for some time slots. Three stages were continuously running at the same time! The two main stages, the Eagle Stage and the Phoenix Stage, were beside each other and they would have a band playing on one stage while the next band was setting up on the other. This made it so there was a steady stream of music and no lag in between bands.

The Area 51 stage was dedicated mostly to electronic music. This year a small amphitheater dome was built for the stage. On the Area 51 stage I counted seven lasers and a ton of stage lights. Right behind the performers was a custom structure made to look like three big flowers which housed lasers that shot out of the flowers. Also a projector was used to create textures on a wall of half cubes above the stage.  

The third stage was the Starwater Peoples Stage, a bit more intimate with room for maybe one hundred people inside. Right beside the Starwater Peoples Stage was a cafe serving delicious Ozo Coffee, the smell was intoxicating. Here you could see a huge variety of different musical genres. There were bands playing traditional and historical music from countries all around the world, there were bands spitting hip-hop flows, and even a couple electronic DJ sets. Shown here is the Starwater Peoples Stage during a set on Friday by Bethany and Rufus, two of the most inspirational people at Arise Music Festival.



Favorite Performances at Arise Music Festival
 

Ozomatli

I knew nothing about Ozomatli before seeing them here, but they had me jumping for their music. They are a big band with horns and guitar and a ton of style. Some of their music reminds me of ska, while other times they were rapping out ill freestyles. They put on a hell of a show and provided an unforgettable moment at the end of their set. To close it out Ozomatli jumped right off stage and into the crowd while continuing to play. They would do a couple songs while being surrounded by the audience and then they formed a sort of conga line and exited back to the side of the stage while still drumming and dancing. It was a really cool way to finish a set, and the whole thing was a lot of fun.


Wildlight

I have been in love with this band ever since last year at Arise Music Festival. They are electric on stage together, both are amazing dancers and they were having so much fun together, dance battling to the music. It was like the soundtrack to a dream listening to the chill beats and soothing vocals. Ayla Nereo is enchanting when she is in the bright lights, her movements are elegant and her voice is spectacular.  


saQi

On the Area 51 stage Sunday night a musician called saQi completely stole the show. He was kicking out some deep house and tribal sounding beats, and the people were getting down. While mixing, every now a then saQi would bust out a trumpet and start playing along to the beat. His set also incorporated a couple of other musicians, one with a saxophone and also another on the violin, creating a half live and half electronic blend. I had to stay late Sunday and see where saQi's set would go. He was kick ass, with every bass drop I was more intrigued.


Bethany & Rufus

Bethany Yarrow and Rufus Cappadocia are such incredible people as advocates for important social and environmental causes, and on stage together they are delightful. Bethany Yarrow is especially cultured and she shares all of her knowledge so eloquently. She has perfected extremely rare native songs from different tribes throughout the world, and her chanting touches the soul. Rufus Cappadocia has a magnificent skill playing the five string cello. For some of their set Rufus has a completely unique way of using the bow to slap the strings. The sound that it creates is like a percussionist beat and the bass/guitar all at once. Bethany Yarrow and Rufus Cappadocia are such a treat to see perform, I hope I can see them again sometime soon.


The Magic Beans

These guys play some a the dopest funk music I know of. I have seen The Magic Beans a couple times before but each time I like them even more. They took the stage during the day on Saturday so I was there to get my groove on. Everyone is super happy and the worries are washed away when listening to funky rock music. I always have a many funs and good vibes jamming out with The Magic Beans.



Unlimited Aspect

Unlimited Gravity and ProJect Aspect had a two hour chunk on the Area 51 stage late Saturday night back to back. First up was Unlimited Gravity with a nice deep and stretchy glitch set for starters. Then ProJect Aspect came on a bit early, but it was all planned out that way. Hard raunchy sweaty beats were a theme for ProJect Aspect, and he had it popping off. But then it went down! Kuzma and Unlimited Gravity come back out for a special Unlimited Aspect closing. This time Kuzma was banging a set of electronic drum pads, rather than a drum set. They crushed it! Definitely one for the ages, a perfect ending to the late night. 

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of this gorgeous festival again this year. Arise Music Festival has a way of rejuvenating the soul. New friends are made and knowledge is passed on, it's powerful and unforgettable. Big thanks to everyone who had a part in making Arise Music Festival such a success for the third year. I hope that we can make a difference for the future generations and this is a start.  

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North Coast Music Festival Quickly Approaching; After Parties & Silent Discos Galore!

North Coast Music Festival is coming back to Union Park for 6th year this Labor Day weekend. Spanning from September 4th-6th, North Coast has established itself as one of Chicagoland's premier music festivals. With tons of artists playing across multiple stages, there is bound to be something for everyone. If calling it quits at the end of the festival isn't quite your thing, don't worry, there are a TON of after parties for you and your friends to keep the evening alive. The full list of after parties and links to purchase tickets can be found below.

The Silent Disco... If you haven't checked one of these out for yourself, now is the year to do it. There's something pretty special about removing all the outside interference and getting a straight feed from the source. There a ton of people playing the Silent Disco throughout the day, be sure to check out the full schedule at the bottom of the post.

WEEKEND PASSES & SINGLE DAY TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE! 

Have you considered going VIP? If not, think again. Check out all these AMAZING perks of going VIP to North Coast this year:

• Express Entry at the Gates (no more standing in line with those stinky wooks)
• Two VIP Lounges (escape to a wook-free oasis)
• Spirits Bar and Food Options 
• Complimentary Bottled Water 
• Reserved Viewing Stands and Lounge Seating
• AIR CONDITIONED RESTROOM TRAILERS!!!! 

THURSDAY 9/3 
 Le Youth + Plastic Plates – the MID 21+ | Free with RSVP | Tickets

FRIDAY 9/4 
Daft Rock: Future Rock performs the Music of Daft Punk + North American Scum: Members of Turbo Suit, Digital Tape Machine, Spare Parts Present the Music of LCD Soundsystem – Concord Music Hall 18+ | Tickets
The Main Squeeze – Official Mind Your Head Album Release Party – Bottom Lounge 17+ | Tickets
Knife Party – the MID 21+ | Tickets
Salva, Sicko Mobb, Martin $ky + Cofresi – Cobra Lounge 21+ | Tickets

SATURDAY 9/5 
The Disco Biscuits – Concord Music Hall 18+ | Tickets
Lyrics Born, The Heard + O.R. They? – Cobra Lounge 21+ | Tickets
Sweater Beats, Humans + Smoko Ono – Bottom Lounge 17+ | Tickets
Steve Aoki + Ricoshei – the MID 21+ | Tickets Galactic – 1st Ward 18+ | Tickets
Chromeo (DJ Set) – Studio Paris 21+ | Tickets

SUNDAY 9/6
Goldfish + Auto Body – Bottom Lounge 17+ | Tickets
Green Velvet – the MID 21+ | Tickets
Kill The Noize, The Trap House + Rodga – Transit 21+ | Tickets
Until the Ribbon Breaks, GGOOLLDD, Equator Club – Cobra Lounge 21+ | Tickets

MONDAY 9/7 
NCMF Official Closing Party w/ Porn N Chicken + Special Guest TBA - Evil Olive 21+ | Tickets

HERE'S THE FULL LINEUP BY DAY FOLKS! HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!

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Möwe - Birds Flying High - Song Of The Day - (8/13/15)

Mowe has undoubtedly mastered the art of chill electronic and feel good house. At first when I herd one of their mixes I was positive they jumped on the tropical house movement, but during my research I found out that Mowe falls under deep house. Their unique sound is close to something of Kygo. Mowe translates to seagull in English, Which might have a connection to their remix “Birds Flying High”. If you haven't heard already, They put a beautiful and signature touch on the old hit tune “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone and hit it spot on. They have an amazing feel-good sound that has attracted an immense amount of new followers in the past few months which showed at Shambahala in Canada this past weekend. Be sure to follow them on Soundcloud & Facebook for new music and upcoming events!

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Simian Mobile Disco - "Hustler" - Song of the Day - [8/11/15]

Simian Mobile Disco is one of the illest production duos on the planet. The band is made up of Jas Shaw and James Ford two guys from the London, England area. They have a funky house style that is always a party favorite. This is "Hustler" a song from their debut album from back in 2007 called Attack Decay Sustain Release, an excellent listen all the way through. Check out more from Simian Mobile Disco on their official soundcloud page here.

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My Morning Jacket - "Only Memories Remain" - Song of the Day - 8/5/15

Today's song of the day is by My Morning Jacket off their most recent album, The Waterfall. What a perfect track to close out the album with.

Only Memories Remains.... 

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Mord Fustang - "PRESS START" - Song of the Day - [8/4/15]

The video game music is back with a new release from Mord Fustang. Here is one of the amazing tracks from his new album called 9999 in 1. Mord Fustang has a style of music that always makes me happy, some might call it lovestep. Fall in love and get freaky with some of the illest glitchs on Mord Fustang's "PRESS START"

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PANTyRAiD - "Get the Money" - Song of the Day - [8/3/15]

This is a nice chill beat from the duo PANTyRAiD. The band is made up of two guys who are each big names on their own; MartyParty and Ooah. MartyParty represents Miami with his purple beats of hip-hop flavor. Ooah is a solo producer as well as a member of the hugely popular group The Glitch Mob. PANTyRAiD is their kick ass side project where they blend styles and come up with new ways to kick it. Definitely some fire music from these two.

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Austin Powers 'Soul Bossa Nova' Theme (Remix) - Flavours - Song Of The Day - 8/2/15

This funky remix of the Austin Powers remix is on point. Jordan Andrew, also known as Flavours is a Canadian producer of multiple genres of music. He dabbles in stuff like this featured future-funk song as well as house, hip-hop, and glitch-hop. Enjoy this song of the day and check the links below for more Flavours!



Follow Flavours on: Soundcloud | Facebook | Official

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