STS9 - "Abcees" Live from Hollywood 03.02.13 - Song of the Day - (2/28/14)

Sound Tribe has long been a favorite band of ours at Ikonic Sound and today's song of the day is a tribute to their awesomeness. This version of "Abcees" features their reworked ending of the track. Although the status of the group is still unknown to fans in the wake of Murphy's departure, they are billed for almost every major festival and I personally cannot wait to see what the future holds! Have a great weekend everyone!

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Keller Williams starring More Than A Little w/Jon Wayne and The Pain - "What The Funk Tour" @ The District - Sioux Falls, SD - (2/24/14)

MTAL Summer Camp Victor Wooten (credit: Brian Spady)

A Review By: Troy Manley

Keller Williams is from Fredericksburg, Virginia and if often described as a one-man jam-band because of his frequent use of live looping and multiple instruments during performances. Williams hit the road for a semi-national tour of the United States with his band, More Than A Little, in support of their most recent album, FUNK. Luckily for South Dakotans Keller made a pit stop on the "What The Funk Tour" at The District. The District opened its doors to Sioux Falls residents in the Fall of 2013, and has a capacity around 1,500. The venue is in the parking lot of the Sioux Empire Mall - which happens to be the largest single story mall in America - just off Interstate i-29. The District sports a fairly large standing area with a balcony with some more general admission space and a couple VIP booths. The stage is easily viewable from all parts of the floor; they unfortunately had the balcony closed for the night.

Starting things off for the night was Minneapolis based reggae, rock, and dub band with definite jam and EDM influences, Jon Wayne and the Pain. The group maintains a unique psychedelic reggae sound in their self-described "Reggae-Tronic Dub" by blending traditional styles of reggae-rock with bass heavy sections of electronic dub.  This trio has played an average of 20 shows a month over the past 4 years, playing venues and festivals across the country in support of their three full length albums. While living the dream may sound like a cake-walk, these guys poured their heart and soul into their performance at the District and the crowd was doing the same right back. Highly recommend checking these dudes out if they come anywhere remotely close to you in the future!

Jon Wayne and The Pain

Once the set break concluded and I had time to put the pieces of my brain back together, Keller came on for a brief 45-minute solo set consisting of looping and sampling for the handful of instruments that accompanied him on stage. After playing through a majority of his set, he invited Gerard Johnson to come on stage and take over the keyboards, he was followed by DJ Shaw on bass, Toby Fairchild on drums, and Tonya Lazenby Jackson and Sugah Davis helping out with vocals. Once they were on stage, Keller disappeared for a couple minutes only to reappear having ditched his casual attire for a suit and tie.  

MTAL (credit: Roger Gupta)

The group played through a majority of their album, FUNK, which consists of 10 songs; 6 of which are covers ranging from Rick James to the Grateful Dead, from Talking Heads to Flight of the Conchords. In an interview with hottesttune, Keller said the name of the band "came from the feelings he got the first time he played with this group. He was more than a little happy, more than a little inspired. And of course, the group is 'more than a little funky.'" Down-right funky is how I would describe the events that transpired on stage that magical night at The District. Keller & More Than a Little played with the utmost precision throughout the night as Williams was directing members of the band to play extended jams with each other while effortlessly moving between tracks. Gospel infused funk turned The District into a church of heavenly tunes for all those down with the get down to get down.  Hands down one of the best funk shows I have ever seen, I cannot encourage all you beautiful people enough to make it to a stop on this tour.  Pick up FUNK through Keller's site, HERE.

All Photos of MTAL taken from Keller William's official website gallery, HERE. 

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Hardkiss Brothers - "1991" Album Teaser - Song of the Day [2/27/2014]

A couple of weeks ago we shared an old-school track from late great San Francisco DJ Scott Hardkiss, who passed away about a year ago.  Well, the remaining members of the Hardkiss family have re-launched Hardkiss Records to release an homage to '90s acid house and trance from which they were born.  The album "1991", is currently available for pre-release sale.

They say: "Left a part of your heart in the '90s, we did"...  So did I guys, so did I.

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Finch - "What It Is To Burn" Song of the Day [2/26/14]

With the recent success of their "What It Is To Burn" Anniversary tour. Finch is making a comeback with their die hard fans. Releasing two full length albums before disbanding in 2010, Finch was one of my favorite bands during the years of teenage angst. "What It Is To Burn" contains all the aspects of what I enjoy about them.

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Foo Fighters - "I'll Stick Around" (Song of the Day) [2-25-14]

The Foo Fighters have become a massive band and one of the only true rock bands left in my opinion. "I'll Stick Around" was the second single from the album Foo Fighters. The self titled album was one of the first CDs I ever purchased as a teen. For this first Foo Fighters album everything was created by Dave Grohl, he recorded every instrument and all the vocals himself. The self titled album was never intended to become so popular. Dave Grohl once said, "The first Foo Fighters record was not meant to be an album, it was an experiment and for fun. I was just fucking around. Some of the lyrics weren't even real words." Grohl would later assemble a band to play the music at live shows, and eventually for the creation of more albums. Now the Foo Fighters are huge and known all over the world.

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Syn Cole - Miami 82 (Kygo Remix)

There's no better way to kick off the week than with a new release from Kygo. The deep house artist hailing form Norway has been gaining widespread acclaim due to his jazzy, chill-house remixes of many popular songs. His latest remix, which dropped earlier today, is of Syn Cole's Miami 82. Like most of Kygo's other remixes, this tune starts off with a four-to-the-floor kick, followed by tribal reverb heavy percussion. As soon as Syn Cole's vocals come in, the tune changes dimension and attains a pure lush vibe. As with most other Kygo songs, this remix is incredibly well-produced. Kygo keeps the vocals and melodies of the original track but warp everything significantly, turning it into his own creation.

Kygo has announced that he will start playing shows more often in the United States, and he is confirmed to be at the legendary Electric Forest Festival in June. With such groovy organic beats and uplifting melodies, we can definitely expect a late night after-party chill set somewhere Deep in the Forest.

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Pharoelidae - "Vector Equilibriums" - Song of the Day - (2/24/14)

Today's song of the day is a downtempo psy-dub type of tune by an artist I cannot find much about on the internet. Found this bit of information though: "Pharoelidae is the collaborative effort between Akhentek (http://www.akhentek.com) and Margot (http://www.margonaut.com)"Entheognosis" also features the vocals of Theda (http://thedaphoenix.com)" Came across this track in an incredible mix - HERE -  by DJ Maggie and I just had to share it with all you beautiful people. Let us know what you think!

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The Black Keys - "10 A.M Automatic" Song of the Day [2/23/14]

The Black Keys kick ass, have a small dose to get you over the hangover.

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The Floozies w/Gloominoti @ Big's Sports Bar - Sioux Falls, SD - 2/20/14 (Review)

Review By: Troy Manley

Brothers Matt and Mark Hill are the duo that make up The Floozies, a party rocking funk infused electronic dance music group that pumps up the crowd and gets everyone moving throughout their passionate performances. Mark rocks the drums while Matt is the producer and brings on the funk with the strings of his guitar. These brothers have been making waves in the music scene over the past couple years and released their most recent album, Tell Your Mother, on Griz’s lablel – Liberated Music. After seeing them perform live at Electric Forest last year I knew this chance to see them live should not be passed up. Although it would have been sweet to see them in a better venue, they took over Big’s Sports Bar in Sioux Falls, SD on a quiet Thursday night on their way to Lincoln to sold out paint party with Zeds Dead.

Big’s has two main rooms connected by a narrow path with a bar running along it. One with 4 pool tables, video lottery, and darts, while the other side is rigged up for shows. Although the sound isn’t the greatest, it’s respectable for the venue and has gotten progressively better with time.  Direct support for the night was the Sioux Falls based duo Gloominoti. The duo consists of Zach Geier and Kory Parisien and they are a staple group at electronic shows hosted at Big’s Bar. They played a range of tunes but mainly stuck with trap and dubstep tracks throughout their performance. Despite the fire alarm going off right when their set started and the trucks arriving after the place was evacuated, their set was raging and everyone there was really digging what they were laying down.

Once their set concluded and a short intermission was over the Kansas based duo, The Floozies, were poised to take over the stage. The guys rocked out some funky bass lines, guitar beats, and drum breaks throughout their show. The sound these two make on stage is so distinct from other electronic acts out there, it’s only a matter of time before these brothers are getting billed as festival headliners. The head bobbing never stopped as these two kept the tunes funky fresh until they had to shut down the stage. Playing tracks from throughout their catalog the show was a great showcase of what The Floozies are capable of. Unfortunately I don’t know of a soundboard existing for the show, however, lucky for us their music is available for free download on their website. HERE is that link. They’ve also got a shit ton of shows planned in the comings weeks so I would definitely advise checking that schedule out HERE and trying to catch them if the opportunity arises! 

All Photos taken from The Floozies Official Facebook page photo-stream: HERE.

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Wave Racer - Streamers (Ryan Hemsworth Remix) - Song of the Day [2/22/2014]

Future Bass artist Ryan Hemsworth just released his newest remix a couple days ago. Like many of his older works, this remix of Wave Racer's Streamers is extra lush and super sensual, with a foreground of playfulness. Starting of with the original melody coupled with a fat 808, Ryan Hemsworth sets the tone for a very positive experience. Warping vocals and jukey beats, he manages to express his talent in the most versatile manner we have seen thus far. 

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Zion I with Sol @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom (Review) [2-15-14]

Review by: Justin D'Amico

Pretty much every weekend you can count on Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom to have a kick ass show lined up. Last Saturday Party Guru and Cervantes brought the Zion I crew to Denver along with Sol. The place was bumping with a big crowd, and it nearly sold out.

A lot of new people are making their way out to Colorado and calling it home. Colorado has a lot of talent coming out of all facets of music. The best place to see these up and coming, underground groups is at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom. The opening acts tend to be amazing local talent, building a name and developing their craft. BMBC is one such local group that opened for Zoin I. BMBC is made up of Bobby Macavelli and BC Sound, they are out of California and are currently students at CU in Boulder. Another is Eddie Knolls, a smooth MC representing the Denver hip-hop scene. Eddie Knolls has a great style and his lyrics flow so nice. You can listen and download Eddie Knolls music on bandcamp. The influx of people from all over the country has made Colorado a very diverse place with a good mixture of different styles and ideas.

Sol the Seattle hip hop artist was a special guest on the Masters of Ceremony tour. Sol has more merchandise with the word Zilla on it than the name Sol! He is known for his album Yours Truly which made it to #1 on the iTunes US Hip-Hop Chart, and it went #4 worldwide. His latest project is called Eyes Open and you can stream it on Sol's official youtube page here.

The Zion I crew came out to a very hyped up crowd and they kept it hype until the end of the night. Zion I consists of two guys: Zumbi the MC, and Amp Live the music producer and DJ for live shows. They have a total of seven albums to date, the most recent is called Shadowboxing. The album is a bit harder and grittier than past projects, but still very good. Unlike some past works which use a full band for recording beats Shadowboxing involves a bunch of producers from different genres including Minnesota a glitch-hop / dubstep producer. Zoin I was incredible live and the crowd loved every minute of the show. After the show this was posted to the official Zoin I Crew facebook page, "Amazing show 2nite Denver!! The energy in Colorado has been super dope thus far." You could feel the energy in the air it was a thick fog of pure fun. 

Big ups to Party Guru and Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom for having Zion I and Sol come out to Denver. The show was a lot of fun and the crowd was really fired up for some underground hip-hop. It's always a good time at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom especially with all the top notch talent they showcase there every weekend.

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Marvel Years feat: Jay Fresh - "Get On It" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

If you didn't know by the end of 2013 you better funkin know by now that funk in EDM took the funk over!! Groups like Big Gigantc, Gramatik, and the Floozies helped solidify the surge as a producer to incorporate the dirty beats with the filthy funk. Marvel Years,  an up and coming 19 year old phenom from Vermont, straight brings you sly digital and the family stone status amped on a case of spike energy drinks. If the bass doesn't have you getting down I assure you the lyrics from Jay fresh will have you James Brown sea walking. This is a grand track for hip hop and electro soul fans to help fight traffic, you might even have to resist the urge to keep your feet on the pedals for liability reasons. Stop what you are you doing because there's something better waiting when your press play. Get on it!

By Dustin Huff

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Boss Miller - "Don't Stand Still" (Unlimited Gravity Remix) - Song of the Day - (2/21/14) [FREE DOWNLOAD]

Colorado native Ronnie Weberg, aka Unlimited Gravity, has been making waves in the electronic music scene over the past year and most notably, was signed to 1320 Records - STS9's label - in 2013; releasing his newest LP, Unlimited, on the label. Today's song of the day is a long time coming. Boss Miller and Unlimited Gravity have known each other for quite some time while simultaneously living in Sioux Falls, South Dakota - don't hate, we have fun here - and have worked on projects together in the past. Glad to see the guys getting some well-deserved and long-awaited national attention! Unlimited Gravity and Project Aspect are currently finishing up their tour for a collaboration of theirs, Unlimited Aspect, with the final show on 3/1 in Denver at Cervantes' - we'll be giving away some tickets for that show on our facebook page over the next week :)

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Synchronicity: Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon & The Wizard of Oz - Song of the Day [02/20/2014]

Long talked about, but often missed, the mythical synchronization of legendary rock album Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd and The Wizard of Oz.  I have tried this on a number of occasions, and always enjoyed the ride.  Well, here someone did the heavy lifting for you. I personally would have liked to have been able to hear some of the dialogue, but it's still cool...  Throw away all your expectations, just kick back, relax, watch the next 43 minutes of video and enjoy the ride to the Dark Side of the Rainbow.

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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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The Floozies Take Over Sioux Falls Tonight With A Ton More Cities On Their Agenda!

The Floozies are producer/guitarist Matt Hill and drummer Mark Hill. These two brothers are bringing their fresh approach to electronic music and live performance to venues and festivals all over the country. The duo's combination of cutting edge electronic production and party rocking funk energizes crowds and turns venues into epic dance parties. All of The Floozies music can be downloaded for free from www.flooziesduo.com. They have an insane list of cities coming up on their tour! Check them out HERE.

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Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival Initial Lineup Announced!

Another killer lineup by Bonnaroo, why would we expect anything less?

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World Class Art Thieves - "Love 4 You" Song of the Day [2/19/14] (Free Download)

World CAT does it again, another straight banger. This duo delivers with a chill-trap mix with some sexy vocals. Turn this joint up and tell your friends.

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Benjamin Briggs - "Trash FM" (Song of the Day) [2-18-14]

Benjamin Briggs is one of my favorite people as well as an amazing music producer. He creates original songs and incredible video game remixes. Ben also has a popular channel on Twitch.tv where he plays video games and interacts with viewers. He is hilarious and very witty, which makes his show rather entertaining. For special episodes Ben produces music live and gives a sort of tutorial of how he creates music. "Trash FM" is my favorite track by Benjamin Briggs, it is a prime example of his brilliant chiptune music. For more Benjamin Briggs downloads you can go to his official website here BenBriggs.net. And make sure to check out his live stream on Twitch.tv here.

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Nine Inch Nails - "Hurt" (Live: Beside you in Time) - Song of the Day - (2/17/14)

"Hurt" is a song written by Trent Reznor, first released on Nine Inch Nails' 1994 album The Downward Spiral. Originally recorded by Nine Inch Nails, the song "Hurt" has been adapted and covered by several artists, including Johnny Cash, Steve Hogarth (Marillion) and Leona Lewis. The song clearly includes references to self-harm and heroin addiction, although the overall meaning of the song is disputed. Some listeners contend that the song acts as a suicide note written by the album's protagonist, as a result of his depression, while others claim that it describes the difficult process of finding a reason to live in spite of depression and pain.

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