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Posts Tagged ‘Major Lazer’

Pretty Lights: “Future Blind” Video

December 6th, 2010 | No Comments

NEW YEARS EVE RUN AT CONGRESS THEATER IN CHICAGO

Pretty Lights is showing no
signs of slowing down as the year winds to an end- this morning, PopMatters premiered his new video for Â“Future
Blind,Â” which can be found on Spilling Over Every Side, his second (of three!) EP’s of 2010. Pretty Lights will
also be performing two shows at Chicago’s Congress Theater during his New Year’s Eve run, 12/30 & 12/31.
Supporting the shows will be Major
Lazer and Michael Menert on the 30th, and Holy Fuck and Tobacco on the 31st.

Pretty Lights
Tour Dates
::
Pretty Lights News
::
Pretty Lights
Concert
Reviews

Pretty Lights: 3rd EP of 2010

October 26th, 2010 | No Comments

DOWNLOAD THE NEW EP NOW AT
PRETTYLIGHTSMUSIC.COM

Glowing in the Darkest Night

Pretty Lights released
Glowing In The Darkest Night, the third installment of his trilogy of 2010′s EPs, this past Friday,
October 22 via his website, www.PrettyLightsMusic.com.

Pretty Lights is touring extensively to support Glowing In The Darkest Night, with the North American tour
kicking off Wednesday in Tulsa, and continuing through early December. There’s a New Year’s Eve run of shows
taking place at The Congress Theater in Chicago on December 30th and 31st. Supporting the shows will be Major
Lazer on the 30th, and Holy Fuck on the 31st.

Upcoming Pretty Lights Tour Dates

October 27 – Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, OK
October 28 – Lyric Theatre – Oxford, MS
October 29 – Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
October 30 – Patriot’s Point – Charleston, SC
October 31 – MoogFest 2010 – Asheville, NC
November 2 – Bourbon Street Ballroom – Baltimore, MD
November 3 – Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA
November 4 – The National – Richmond, VA
November 5 – House of Blues – Boston, MA – SOLD OUT
November 6 – Washington Avenue Armory – Albany, NY

November 7 – Higher Ground – Burlington, VT – SOLD OUT
November 8 – Higher Ground – Burlington, VT – SOLD OUT

November 10 – Madison Theatre – Covington, KY

November 11 – Boma – Columbus, OH
November 12 – Fillmore – Detroit, MI
November 13 – The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
November 14 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
November 15 – Sokol Auditorium – Omaha, NE
November 17 – The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
November 19 – Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA
November 20 – McDonald Theatre – Eugene, OR
November 21 – Arcata Community Center – Arcata, CA
November 23 – Knitting Factory – Reno, NV
November 24 – Fox Theater – Oakland, CA
November 26 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
November 27 – House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV

November 28 – House of Blues – San Diego, CA
November 30 – Rialto Theatre – Tucson, AZ

December 1 – The Marquee – Tempe, AZ
December 2 – Sunshine Theatre – Albuquerque, NM
December 3 – Telluride Conference Center – Telluride, CO – SOLD OUT
December 4 – Telluride Conference Center – Telluride, CO – SOLD OUT
December 5 – Belly Up – Aspen, CO – SOLD OUT

December 30 – The Congress Theater – Chicago, IL (w/ Major Lazer)

December 31 – The Congress Theater – Chicago, IL (w/ Holy Fuck)

Pretty Lights
Tour Dates
::
Pretty Lights News
::
Pretty Lights
Concert
Reviews

Pretty Lights: Chicago NYE Shows

September 13th, 2010 | No Comments

PRE-SALE TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW

Pretty Lights

To bring in 2011, Pretty
Lights will be playing 2 nights at The Congress Theater in Chicago, IL with special guests Major Lazer on December 30 and Holy Fuck on the 31st. A limited
number of pre-sale tickets are available TODAY (September 13) via http://www.prettylights.tickets.m
usictoday.com/PrettyLights/calendar.aspx.

VIP tickets are available during the presale for each night
featuring
access to VIP seating, a private bar and private restrooms. Additional tickets go on sale to the public Friday,
September 17 at 10am CST at http://silverwrapper.clubtix.net/.

Pretty Lights
Tour Dates
::
Pretty Lights News
::
Pretty Lights
Concert
Reviews

Pitchfork Music Festival 07.16-18 | Chicago

July 23rd, 2010 | No Comments

By: Cal Roach | Images by: Chad Smith

Pitchfork Music Festival :: 07.16.10-07.18.10 :: Union Park :: Chicago,
IL

Major Lazer

After two years’ absence, it felt good to be back at hipster central, dripping with sweat,
watching Liars pummel away onstage amidst varying degrees of fashion
sufferers. The feeling didn’t last, though. All the subtle niceties I remembered from
the first two years of the Pitchfork Music Festival seem to have gone by the
wayside – big bottles of Water Plus for a buck, Goose Island ales brewed just up the
street (so much for the whole carbon footprint/support local business thing; Heineken
must’ve given the P4k people too much swag this year), and especially the not-overselling
part. Plus, they still have the same flunkies in charge of sound – next year, test the
speakers in advance or something. But enough about such distractions; it’s the music we
care about.

PLEASANT SURPRISES

Sudden Swedish pop sensation Robyn (Friday) was a real firecracker. She willed you to
have a good time on her behalf, pogoing around and pumping her fists to the feisty groove.
And her tunes, infectious and attitude-fueled, sucked you in and pumped you up,
particularly the one-woman Rage Against The Machine of “Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do.”

The Jon Spencer
Blues Explosion (Saturday) hasn’t been very active over the past decade, but a
plethora of classic scuzz-blues from the Orange album sounded incredibly fresh
after not listening to it in probably ten years. Even the two cuts from the group’s
latest album (2004′s Damage), although more of the same schtick as always, were
blasts of vibrant snazz in a sea manufactured beats and furrowed brows. Spencer knew
better than anybody all day how to command a big outdoor stage (black vinyl pants are
key). His voice sounded great, the band was loose and wild, and the balls-out, salty wet
rock and roll show ended with the only Theremin/guitar demolition jam of the weekend. Yet
aside from the diehards up front, it was hard to tell if anybody in the crowd had ever
been to a rock show before. Politeness has somehow taken over the underground again.

Wolf Parade
(Saturday) kick started its set early on with a sharp guitar/keyboard call-and-response in
“Dear Sons And Daughters Of Hungry Ghosts,” and it was strength to strength from this
point on. I didn’t figure this screwball indie prog collective was going to pull off the
intricacies of its albums, but nearly every song sounded better live than on record –
intense, fully-realized sound, and a tangible elevation of the group’s presence. Best set
of the day and a strong candidate for best of the weekend.

Sunday hit its first peak courtesy of Girls. High
grade shoegaze spliced with melodic dream pop and a heavy Win Butler jones on the part of
frontman Christopher Owens, the band started off in relatively whimsical space, got
gradually more raucous, unleashed a couple of ear-splitting noise particle accelerators,
then eased out with a wispy stroll and a happy summery romp. The set was impeccably
arranged and oozed sincerity; exhilarating as a whole.

At most five seconds after Beach House began to exit, our heads snapped jarringly 90-degrees
to the right as Lightning Bolt (Sunday) stormed the stage. Dream popsters
scurried like frightened rabbits as it became clear that nap time was over. With nothing
but drums and a three-stringed electric bass, these guys created the most incredible din
of the weekend. It’s essentially pig-fuck verging on guitarless grindcore, and I have
never heard another bass player make sounds like Brian Gibson. From drone to
gently disturbing melodies to blinding chugging to all-out noise, generally with the fuzz
cranked to 11 and plenty of wah, he was unbelievable, and drummer/shouter Brian
Chippendale was the perfect compliment, thrashing his kit and his vocal chords with
equal aplomb. This basically blew away everything else I saw all day.

AS EXPECTED

Panda Bear
came out by himself on Saturday with a guitar around his neck and his little table of
gizmos and went to work. This was really a treat, though many in the crowd were clearly
bored. It’s layered, ambient music that only occasionally jumps out at you and exercises
in sustained clarity and precision of vocal tone. The set was almost completely comprised
of new material from the forthcoming Tomboy, which exhibit darker, more gothic
textures than his other recent work. As he continues to reinvent himself, you’re either
along for the ride or you aren’t, but you have to relish these opportunities to witness an
artist-in-progress, and it’s moments like these, rare though they may be, that you can
only get at Pitchfork.

LETDOWNS

Liars, while never actually boring, just aren’t interested in being as interesting as they
used to be. Everybody plays the same instrument for almost the whole show, and they’re
such slaves to the songs now, song after song, tight but relatively unadventurous. Singer
Angus Andrew almost seems trapped in the constraints of concision, but at least he
still shows off those tree-trunk legs of his.

Titus
Andronicus (Saturday) just loves the song-ending fake out, getting the audience to
cheer and then finishing the song. Clever! They’re like rock and roll convention
mash-up artists, and it all seems very sarcastic and disingenuous. Jury is out on whether
they have any idea where the name of their band comes from; probably just “sounded cool at
the time.” The biggest problem had to be frontman Patrick Stickles‘ raspy, fake
vibrato, though. I can conceive of this being a good band with a different singer, but
Stickles is awful live.

I couldn’t understand the guy who came out with the excuse for why Sleigh Bells
(Sunday) wasn’t onstage, but twenty minutes late is an eternity at a fest like this. Even
when they came out you could barely hear them; it was as if guitarist Derek Miller
was emitting from Walkman headphones. As technical issues plagued at least the first
three tunes, it was obvious that Alexis Krauss was desperate to overcompensate for
such a lousy start, and things were just so uncomfortable all around that the crowd lost
interest and started flocking to catch the end of Big Boi and to
get a spot for Pavement. In light of such a fantastic debut album (Treats)
and all the ensuing hype, this fiasco was an epic fail on somebody’s part.

THE HEADLINERS

Pavement

Modest Mouse
(Friday) and Pavement (Sunday) at the same festival ought to bring out the best in masters
and pupils. If you had to pick the two quintessential indie rock bands, these are
them, and while The Mouse has the upper hand in current and mainstream popularity,
Pavement’s long hiatus and legendary status ensured that fans would flock to the elder
statesmen’s closing set.

Isaac Brock & co. came out guns blazing, setting the bar high for the meat of the
weekend. I’d only previously seen Modest Mouse at Rothbury in 2008, a short afternoon set heavy on newer material and
light on passion, which seemed at odds with the group’s recorded output. At Pitchfork,
Brock was amongst his people, and he knew it. The frontman may have been a bit
snookered up (or do sober people generally bite into glow sticks?), but he played and sang
with the hunger of a still-unproven artist. The set was impeccably paced, showcasing the
recently remastered classic The Moon & Antarctica and last year’s No One’s First
And You’re Next compilation to greatest effect while avoiding the big hits from the
last couple of proper albums. It was a loopy dance party (splash-in-the-face realization:
these guys owe a huge stylistic debt to Talking Heads) with
well-timed low-key interludes and some frantic guest horn spots that all came together
perfectly.

LCD
Soundsystem provided the party everyone was craving on Saturday night with a
rousing set, mystifying the crowd as to why mastermind James Murphy is calling the
project off. The reason it’s so effective is the way the populist grooves mask the pathos
underneath: “Dance with me until I feel all right,” Murphy begs in “I Can Change,” the
ultimate summation of the LCD m.o. Another splash in the face: Murphy’s vocal phrasing is
frequently a dead ringer for Glenn
Danzig; you can’t stop laughing about it once you notice it. There’s no denying that
the man pours his soul out onstage, and the band killed it with tension/release hysterics
almost too perfect to be improvised. “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down”
closed the night in exhaustive fashion, a snippet of “Empire State Of Mind”
snuck inside for good measure.

After a too-obvious-to-be-effective satirical intro by Drag City Records’ Rian
Murphy, Pavement proceeded to flub “Cut Your Hair” and shuffle through a very lazy
set. I know, I know: the slacker aesthetic is what they’re after and it’s supposed
to sound sloppy and apathetic. But I’ve seen Stephen Malkmus
blow Radiohead away
on a night when he was truly inspired, and Pavement had been known in the past to grab
hold of an elusive band synergy on its best nights, so this belligerent lackadaisical
display didn’t quite cut it. Sure, percussionist Bob Nastanovich was full of
energy, hopping around and shouting at all the right times, but everybody else seemed
bored and aloof.

More than halfway through the set, the band briefly elevated beyond the norm. Beginning
with “Stereo,” Malkmus seemed to come out of a stupor, and for the next few songs up
through an enthusiastic “Conduit For Sale!” the band was on a roll. It’s not that anybody
expects crispness (there was none), just this type of rollicking energy, some way to tell
that they care about the songs. Otherwise, this is purely a nostalgia act, which suited
most of the crowd just fine. And there’s nothing even wrong with that, as long as you can
still play. Nice to hear the songs live, but for this final hour and fifteen minutes (no
encore), slacker nation got what was coming to it.

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7/16/10 – 7/18/10 @ Union Park (Chicago, IL) View
Photos

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Go See Live Music!

Hard L.A. Fest Canceled Hard Summer & Hard N.Y.C. Still On

July 13th, 2010 | No Comments

FESTIVAL CANCELED AFTER ELECTRIC DAISY CARNIVAL FALLOUT AND RUMORS OF SLOW TICKET
SALES; HARD SUMMER AND HARD N.Y.C. STILL A GO

Festival organizers have called off the Hard L.A. Festival, originally scheduled for this Saturday, July 17 at the Los
Angeles State Historic Park. The lineup would have included M.I.A., Flying Lotus, Sleigh Bells, Rye Rye, The Switch, Joker, 12th Planet, Destructo, and others.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the festival has been canceled Â“due to security concernsÂ” following
the drug overdose death of a 15 year old girl at the June 25-26 Electric Daisy Carnival at the L.A. Memorial
Coliseum and Exposition Park, which also led to over 100 hospitalizations. The event also prompted the Los Angeles
County Board of Supervisors to establish a task force to “enhance rave safety.” The Times also notes that
the festival had been battling rumors of slow ticket sales.

According to the Hard Fest website, the festival Â“has been cancelled, but not due to the lack of support or the full
approval from the personnel at the City of Los Angeles and California State Parks who have signed off on our
comprehensive security plan. We have decided to instead produce one massive event on August 7 at the same
amazing location, the Los Angeles State Historic Park in Downtown Los Angeles…We continue to work closely with
LAFD, LAPD, City of Los Angeles, and California State Parks who continue to support all Hard events Â…Â”

Tickets for Hard L.A. are valid at the Hard Summer Music Festival on August 7 which includes Soulwax, Crystal Castles, Major Lazer, Erol Alkan, Diplo, Digitalism, and others.

Hard is producing a show this Saturday at El Rey Theater in Los Angeles featuring Die Antwoord, Destructo and Borgore to make up for the
canceled Hard L.A.

Hard N.Y.C. is scheduled for July 24 at South Island Field on Governors Island. The show features a lineup of M.I.A. along with Die Antwoord, Skream, Benga, Rye Rye, Sleigh Bells, Theophilus London, Borgore, Destructo and more.

Tickets for Hard L.A. are valid at Hard Summer Music Fest or can be refunded through HardFest.com.

Camp Bisco: Lineup, Stage Breaks, Dance Tent, iPhone

June 30th, 2010 | No Comments

Camp Bisco has officially released the Camp Bisco 9 daily artist lineup for July 15-17, which is available
online here.

The 50+ performer lineup at the multi-
stage camping festival includes: The Disco Biscuits; LCD Soundsystem; Ween; Thievery Corporation; Wu
Massacre
featuring Method Man; Ghostface; & Raekwon; Girl Talk; Bassnectar; Pretty Lights; Major Lazer; Break Science with
special guests Talib Kweli and David Murphy (STS9); The New Deal; Diplo; Holy Fuck; Caribou; Raq Tipper; Beats
Antique; Welder; Aeroplane; Rusko; Sunrise Silent Disco; The Album Leaf; Brothers Past; Dieselboy; Gift of Gab (of
Blackalicious); Future Rock; SOJA; Telepath; Felix Cartal; Two Fresh; Kill the Noise; Eskmo; Orchard Lounge;
Rubblebucket; Emancipator; Spiritual Rez; Morning Teleportation; Archnemesis; Sub Swara; Derek Plaslaiko; Big
Gigantic; Earl Greyhound; The Black Seeds; Mimosa; Grimace Federation; C-mon & Kypski; Nobody Beats the Drum;
King Britt; Dubskin; Woodhands; Justin Paul; Lee Mayjahs; DJ Everyday; and The Constellations.

Camp Bisco veterans, Pretty Lights, Bassnectar and Girl Talk will be lending their spinning skills during
main stage
set breaks on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night respectively. The Pretty Lights set will be a precursor to the LCD
Soundsystem Thursday night headlining slot.

Details for the Camp Bisco 9 Late Night Dance Tent have also been announced. Performances include sets by
Caribou, Two Fresh, Holy Fuck, Diplo, the New Deal, Rusko, and Aeroplane. The dance tent, which has
been moved
to an improved location, will feature 360Â° surround sound system and visuals to enhance the visual experience of
the performances.

Camp Bisco 9 will once again be held at the picturesque Indian Lookout Country Club in Mariaville, New York,
located approximately 20 minutes travel time from Albany, New York, on 200 acres of rolling, grass fields. The
grounds come equipped with full bathrooms; which include flush toilets and showers, as well as 24/7 bathroom
attendants. Festival goers will have access to a full bar on site and a general store, which sells almost every
necessity for a comfortable and care free experience. iPhone users will also be able to download the Camp Bisco
iPhone app to help
them navigate the grounds, review artist bios, videos and photos, view the official schedule, and
access a direct stream of the Camp Bisco Twitter feed (
@campbisco).

Camp Bisco 9 is now releasing a limited number of $80 Saturday-Only tickets, as well as the 3-Day tickets, available
for $155 online at www.campbisco.net and 1-800-594-TXX, and at all FYE stores in New England and select outlets
in New York state. WIth the Platinum VIP Experience sold out, concert goers can still purchase, the VIP Experience
Packages, available for $199 in addition to the 3-day festival pass. 50 cents of every ticket sold will be donated to
Headcount, a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization devoted to voter registration and participation in
democracy.

Visit www.campbisco.net for the most up to date
information.

Oslo’s Ã˜ya Festival: M.I.A. Pavement, Stooges, The xx, LCD

May 1st, 2010 | No Comments

OSLO’S Ã˜YA FESTIVAL 2010 LINEUP TO INCLUDE M.I.A., PAVEMENT, IGGY & THE STOOGES

THE XX, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, AIR, RAEKWON, ROBYN & MORE!

M.I.A.

Ã˜ya Festival
August 10-14, 2010
Middelalderparkern, Oslo
http://www.oyafestivalen.com
Phone: +47 815 33 133
For ticket sales visit: www.billettservice.no

Headliners include: M.I.A.,
Pavement, Iggy and The Stooges, The xx, LCD Soundsystem, Air, Raekwon, Robyn, and more

More Performers: Miike
Snow, Major
Lazer, Big Boi,
Panda Bear, Q-Tip, Sleigh Bells, Surfer Blood, La Roux, Marina and The Diamonds,
Against Me!, Baroness, Converge, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Fool’s Gold, Serena Maneesh, Fucked Up, The Gaslight Anthem, Girls,
LindstrÃ˜m & Christabelle, Local Natives, Jonsi (of Sigur
Ros), tUnE-YarDs,
Casiokids, Tony Allen, Paul Weller, Trash Talk and more TBA

Plus Norwegian acts: Altaar, Motorpsycho, The Cumshots, CCTV, Lidolido, Navigators, John Olav Nilsen, Og
Gjengen, Obliteration, Djerv, Susanne SundfÃ¸r, Purified in Blood, The Megaphonic Thrift, Blood Command,
KrÃ¥kesÃ¸lv, Pow Pow, Lucy Swann, and Mhoo.

The latest wave of announcements for Ã˜ya Festival 2010 suggest this year’s lineup is going to be the most arresting and eclectic yet.

Full lineup and event details at www.oyafestivalen.com
5 DAY FESTIVAL PASS: 1940, – NOK + TAX. SINGLE DAY TICKETS ALSO AVAILABLE

Camp Bisco: LCD Soundsystem Ween, Thievery, PL, Major Lazer

March 3rd, 2010 | No Comments

THE DISCO BISCUITS ANNOUNCE FIRST ROUND OF PERFORMERS FOR CAMP BISCO 9

Performers Include The Disco Biscuits – All 3 Nights, LCD Soundsystem, Ween

Thievery Corporation, Major Lazer, Pretty Lights, Bassnectar, Diplo, Girl Talk, and Many More

The Disco Biscuits :: Camp Bisco 2009 by Vann

The Disco Biscuits have confirmed the first round of performers slated for Camp Bisco 9, the ninth annual three-day music and arts festival in Mariaville, New York this July 15-17, 2010. The 50+ performer lineup at the multi-stage camping festival includes: The Disco Biscuits – All 3 Nights; LCD Soundsystem; Ween; Thievery Corporation; Girl Talk; Bassnectar; Pretty Lights; Major Lazer; The New Deal; Diplo; Aeroplane; Rusko; Sunrise Silent Disco; The Album Leaf; Brothers Past; Dieselboy; Gift of Gab (of Blackalicious); Future Rock; SOJA; Telepath; Felix Cartal; Two Fresh; Kill the Noise; Eskmo; Orchard Lounge; Rubblebucket Orchestra; Emancipator; Spiritual Rez; Sub Swara; Derek Plaslaiko; Big Gigantic; Earl Greyhound; The Black Seeds; Grimace Federation; C-mon & Kypski; Nobody Beats the Drum; King Britt; Dubskin; Woodhands; Justin Paul; Lee Maytals and DJ Everyday. More artists and festival details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Camp Bisco 9 will once again be held at the picturesque Indian Lookout Country Club in Mariaville, New York. The expanded setup will include: a second stage in the main field, an improved location for the DJ and late night dance tent – complete with a surround sound system, a local artists and performance art stage. Indian Lookout Country Club is located approximately 20 minutes travel time from Albany, New York, and sits on 200 acres of rolling, grass fields. The grounds come equipped with full bathrooms; which include flush toilets and showers, as well as 24/7 bathroom attendants. Festival goers will have access to a full bar on site and a general store, which sells almost every necessity for a comfortable and care free experience.

Early bird tickets are on sale now for a limited time only and begin at $135. Tickets are available online at www.campbisco.net and 1-800-594-TIXX, as well as at all FYE stores in New England and select outlets in New York state.

For more on Camp Bisco, see our 2009 coverage here.

The Disco Biscuits Tour Dates ::: The Disco Biscuits News ::: The Disco Biscuits Show Reviews

Coachella: Jay-Z, Pavement, Yorke Vultures, Muse, MGMT, Claypool

January 20th, 2010 | No Comments

COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2010 LINEUP

JAY-Z, MUSE AND GORILLAZ HEADLINE 3-DAY FESTIVAL WITH MORE THAN 130 ACTS

TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, JANUARY 22 AT 10:00 AM

Coachella 2009 by Dave Vann

The 11th COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL will feature a mix of artists ranging from Pavement, Thom Yorke???? (ed note: that is how they are billing it), Vampire Weekend, Them Crooked Vultures, LCD Soundsystem, Phoenix, TiÃ«sto, Faith No More, Deadmau5, David Guetta, MGMT and Public Image Limited. Set for Friday, April 16, Saturday, April 17 and Sunday, April 18 at the beautiful Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA – the same grounds where COACHELLA debuted in 1999 – the COACHELLA 2010 lineup will feature more than 130 acts.

This year’s COACHELLA will feature a variety of options to make the concert experience an enjoyable one. In addition to expanded camping options – including car, RV and traditional tent camping – COACHELLA will allow, for the first time, in-and-out privileges for all attendees. Festival goers will once again have the ability to purchase 3-day festival tickets and various onsite camping options via an easy layaway payment plan.

For those looking to streamline the weekend’s experience, COACHELLA has teamed with Valley Music Travel to provide exclusive travel packages, local hotel shuttle transportation and private home rentals with VIP COACHELLA access. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.valleymusictravel.com/coachella.php.

FRIDAY APRIL 16: Jay-Z, LCD Soundsystem, Them Crooked Vultures, Vampire Weekend, Deadmau5, Public Image Limited, The Specials, Grizzly Bear, Passion Pit, Echo and the Bunnymen, Benny Benassi, Fever Ray, Grace Jones, She & Him, Erol Alkan, The Avett Brothers, Calle 13, The Whitest Boy Alive, The Cribs, La Roux, Yeasayer, Lucero, DJ Lance Rock, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Proxy, Ra Ra Riot, Deer Tick, Wolfgang Gartner, Aeroplane, Iglu & Hartly, Sleigh Bells, P.O.S., Baroness, Hockey, Little Dragon, White Rabbits, Wale, Kate Miller-Heidke, As Tall as Lions, Jets Overhead, Alana Grace, Pablo Hassan.

SATURDAY, APRIL 17: Muse, Faith No More, TiÃ«sto, MGMT, David Guetta, The Dead Weather, Hot Chip, Devo, Coheed and Cambria, Kaskade, 2Many DJ’s, Major Lazer, Dirty Projectors, Gossip, Z-Trip, The xx, John Waters, Les Claypool, The Raveonettes, Mew, Sia, Camera Obscura, Tokyo Police Club, Porcupine Tree, Old Crow Medicine Show, Aterciopalados, Bassnectar, Frightened Rabbit, Dirty South, Flying Lotus, Corinne Bailey Rae, Pretty Lights, Shooter Jennings, RX Bandits, The Almighty Defenders, Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros, Craze & Klever, Zoe, The Temper Trap, Portugal. The Man, Band of Skulls, Girls, Beach House, Steel Train, Frank Turner.

SUNDAY, APRIL 18: Gorillaz, Pavement, Thom Yorke????, Phoenix, Orbital, Spoon, Sly and the Family Stone, De La Soul, Julian Casablancas, Plastikman, Gary Numan, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sunny Day Real Estate, Yo La Tengo, MUTEMATH, Deerhunter, Infected Mushroom, Club 75, Matt & Kim, The Big Pink, Gil Scott-Heron, King Khan and the Shrines, Florence and the Machine, Yann Tiersen, Little Boots, Miike Snow, Talvin Singh, Ceu, B.o.B., Babasonicos, Owen Pallett, The Glitch Mob, Mayer Hawthorne, Local Natives, Rusko, The Middle East, Hadouken!, The Soft Pack, Kevin Devine, Paparazzi, Delphic, One EskimO.

Tickets for COACHELLA go on sale Friday, January 22 at 10:00 a.m. at all Ticketmaster locations and www.coachella.com. Three-day weekend passes are $269.00, plus surcharges. More details on layaway, camping options and up-to-the minute information, can be found at www.coachella.com. COACHELLA 2010 sponsors include Heineken and PlayStation.

For more on Coachella check out our 2009 review here.

Coachella 2010 Lineup Revealed

January 19th, 2010 | No Comments

Jay-Z, Muse, and Radiohead’s own Thom Yorke are among the acts leading the lineup at this year’s Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Them Crooked Vultures, The Dead Weather, and a bevy of reunion acts, including De La Soul, The Specials, and ’60s funk icons Sly and the Family Stone are other notable acts hitting [...]

Ultra Music Fest Initial Lineup Bisco, PL, Bassnectar, Lotus

January 11th, 2010 | No Comments

ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES LINEUP FOR 3/26-27 IN MIAMI

The Disco Biscuits

Promoters for the Ultra Music Festival (UMF), the world’s leading two-day electronic and alternative music experience, have unveiled initial details of its highly anticipated lineup for the festival’s 12th annual installment. Set for Friday, March 26 and Saturday, March 27 in downtown Miami as the official closing event of the 25th Anniversary Winter Music Conference, UMF will be the only place to experience a vast number of exclusive artist performances this year.

UMF 2010 boasts headlining appearances from Tiesto Friday, March 26 and Deadmau5 (making his first major festival appearance in 2010) and Groove Armada Saturday, March 27. Boston-based synth-popsters Passion Pit are also set for Ultra as well as Faithless Sound System and the Bloody Beetroots who will both make their U.S. live debut.

Carl Cox returns for the sixth consecutive year with his two-day mega tent; Armin Van Buuren, the world’s #1 DJ per DJ Magazine‘s annual readers poll, The Disco Biscuits, Ghostland Observatory, Bassnectar, Pretty Lights and Lotus will also appear. Additionally, UMF is mashing up dub step and drum & bass to create the very first Dub and Bass arena on the Saturday bill with a who’s who in both genres.

Additional acts will be revealed in the coming weeks. The current exclusive lineup for Ultra Music Festival 12 is as follows:

Friday, March 26
Tiesto, Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz, Passion Pit, The Crystal Method, The Disco Biscuits, Carl Cox, Dirty South, Will.I.Am, Rabbit In The Moon, Infected Mushroom, Plump DJs, Felix Da Housecat, Pretty Lights, Adam Freeland, Green Velvet, Alex Metric, Lotus, Uberzone vs. Bassbin Twins, Dan Black , Evil Nine, Kevens, and Afrobeta.

Saturday, March 27
Deadmau5, Groove Armada, Carl Cox, Faithless Soundsystem, Armin Van Buuren, Above & Beyond,
Crooked, Bloody Beetroots, Ghostland Observatory, Major Lazer, Bassnectar, Steve Aoki, ATB, The Glitch Mob, Diplo, LTJ Bukem, A-Trak, Rusko, Banga, Skream, Caspa, Toddla T.

Tickets for the Ultra Music Festival at Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami are available now exclusively here.

Two-day general admission tickets are $139.95. Two-day VIP tickets are also available for $350.00 and include access to multiple VIP covered areas, including strategically placed staging offering preferred viewing of the Ultra main stage, meet and greets with artists, no-wait entry into the festival via a VIP entrance, VIP bars and premium food vendors, air-conditioned restroom trailer facilities and much more.

Best of 2009 JamBase Staff List

December 25th, 2009 | No Comments

Kayceman’s Cuts of 2009

Kayceman

Aaron Kayce (Kayceman) – Editor-in-Chief

Albums

1. Alberta Cross – Broken Side of Time

2. Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse – Dark Night of the Soul

3. Built to Spill – There Is No Enemy

4. Mastodon – Crack The Skye

5. Elliott Brood – Mountain Meadows

Shows

1. Them Crooked Vultures | 11/19/09 | Fox Theater Oakland, CA

2. Widespread Panic | 11/13/09 | Fox Theater Oakland, CA (review)

3. The Mars Volta | 08/29/09 | Outside Lands Festival, San Francisco, CA (review)

Dennis Cook

Dennis Cook – Associate Editor

Albums (no particular order)
1. Mastodon – Crack The Skye
2. Akron/Family – Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free
3. Todd Snider – The Excitement Plan
4. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
5. The Black Crowes – Before The Frost…After The Freeze

Close runners-up: Bruce Springsteen at HP Pavilion (04.01), Mastodon at San Jose Events Center (11.21), Flowmotion at Summer Meltdown (08.15), Tom Jones at Outside Lands (08.28), and Bon Iver/Megafaun at Fillmore (09.22).

Andy Gadiel

Andy Gadiel – JamBase Founder & President

Albums (no particular order)
1. Fun – Aim & Ignite
2. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
3. Jerry Garcia Band – Let It Rock – Keystone ’75
4. Nathan Moore – Folk Singer
5. Corinne West – The Promise

David Rosenheim

David Rosenheim – CEO

Albums
1. Polvo – In Prism
2. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
3. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
4. The Mother Hips – Pacific Dust
5. Bat for Lashes – Two Suns

Tanner Wyer

Tanner Wyer – Sales Associate

Albums
1. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
2. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
3. Miike Snow – self-titled
4. Mother Hips – Pacific Dust
5. Portugal. The Man – Satanic Satanist

Mason Blake

Mason Blake – Lead Engineer

Albums
1. The Mother Hips – Pacific Dust
2. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
3. Alberta Cross – Broken Side of Time
4. Passion Pit – Manners
5. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion

Patty Kaufman

Patty Kaufman – Information Coordinator

Albums
1. Alberta Cross – Broken Side of Time
2. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
3. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
4. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
5. Iron and Wine – Around the Well

SuperDee

Deanne Herman – Web Producer & Designer

Albums
1. The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You
2. Phish – Joy
3. Wilco – Wilco (The Album)
4. The Lonely Island – Incredibad
5. Nathan Moore - Folk Singer

Runners-up: Umphrey’s McGee’s Mantis and Lily Allen’s It’s Not Me, It’s You

Geoff Harrison

Geoff Harrison – Sales Director and Biz Dev

Albums
1. Erin McKeown – Hundreds of Lions
2. Marco Benevento – Me Not Me
3. Cracker – Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey
4. Band of Skulls – Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
5. Brendan Benson – My Old, Familiar Friend

Leah Elton

Leah Elton – Accounting Manager

Albums
1. IAMX – Kingdom of Welcome Addiction
2. Manic Street Preachers – Journal for Plague Lovers
3. John Vanderslice – Romanian Names
4. The Horrors – Primary Colours
5. Bat for Lashes – Two Suns

Matt Tice

Matt Tice – Sales

Albums
1. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
2. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
3. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
4. Elbow & The BBC Concert Orchestra – The Seldom Seen Kid
5. Fever Ray – self-titled

Jennifer Zeghibe

Jennifer Zeghibe – Sales

Albums
1. Levon Helm – Electric Dirt
2. Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid
3. J.J. Cale – Roll On

Honorable Mention:
Greensky Bluegrass | 11.05.09 | Mission Rock | San Francisco, CA

Jamie Piazza – JamBase Web Producer & Designer

Albums
1. Passion Pit – Manners
2. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
3. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
4. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion
5. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca

Crystal Carlson – JamBase Information Coordinator

Albums (no particular order)
1. Monsters of Folk – self-titled
2. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
3. The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love
4. Umphrey’s McGee – Mantis
5. The XX – self-titled

Shows

1. Phish | 03.06.09 | Hampton Coliseum
2. Bon Iver | 09.22.09 | The Fillmore
3. Ween | 08.30.09 | Outside Lands

Continue reading for Best of 2009 lists from JamBase Writers, Friends and Associates…

Brian Bavosa – JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Brock Butler – Lately Here Though
2. Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3
3. Phish – Joy
4. Monsters of Folk – self-titled
5. The Flaming Lips – Embryonic

Shows

Basically, Phish is back!!!

Sarah Hagerman – JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Danny Barnes – Pizza Box
2. Elliott BROOD – Mountain Meadows
3. Sometymes Why – Your Heart is a Glorious Machine
4. Akron/Family – Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free
5. The Felice Brothers – Yonder is the Clock

Jake Krolick – JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid
2. The Heavy – The House That Dirt Built
3. The Mother Hips – Pacific Dust
4. Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros – Up From Below
5. Floating Action – Floating Action

Susan J. Weiand – Photographer, JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Phish – Joy
2. Umphrey’s McGee – Mantis
3. The Derek Trucks Band – Already Free
4. Chick Corea & John McLaughlin Five Peace Band – Five Peace Band, Live
5. Jimmy Herring Band – Lifeboat

Josh Miller – Photographer, JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. The Mother Hips – Pacific Dust
2. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
3. The Black Crowes – Before The FrostÂ…
4. The Dead Weather – Horehound
5. The Flaming Lips – Embryonic

Ron Hart – JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Part II
2. Elvis Costello – Secret, Profane and Sugarcane
3. Iggy Pop – Preliminaires
4. Flaming Lips – Embryonic
5. Dam-Funk – Toeachizown

Steven Walter – Photographer, JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
2. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus
3. The Felice Brothers – Yonder is the Clock
4. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
5. J. Tillman – Year in the Kingdom

Andrew Bruss – JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

2. Mastodon – Crack The Skye

3. Raekwon – Only Built For Cuban Linx Pt. II

Shows
1. My Morning Jacket At Madison Square Garden on NYE 2008.

Technically the second set was this year and it was the best musical performance I saw this year.

2. Phish at Fenway Park

3. Animal Collective at the House Of Blues in Boston, MA 5/14

Wesley Hodges – JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Passion Pit – Manners
2. Alberta Cross – Broken Side of Time
3. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
4. Atlas Sound – Logos
5. Dinosaur Jr. – Farm

B Getz – JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Jerry Garcia Band – Let It Rock – Keystone ’75
2. Mos Def – The Ecstatic
3. Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3
4. (tie) Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…Pt. II/Wu-Tang Clan – Chamber Music
5. (tie) Lil Wayne No Ceilings (official mixtape)/Clipse – Til the Casket Drops

Cal Roach – JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
2. Minsk – With Echoes In The Movement Of Stone
3. BLK JKS – After Robots
4. Themselves – CrownsDown
5. Krallice – Dimensional Bleedthrough

Casey Flanigan – Photographer, JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Phish – Joy
2. Bassnectar – Cozza Frenzy
3. Jay-Z – Blueprint 3
4. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
5. Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown

Court Scott – JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Pearl Jam – Backspacer
2. The Black Crowes – Before the FrostÂ…Until the Freeze
3. N.A.S.A. – Spirit of Apollo
4. Them Crooked Vultures – self-titled

Eric Podolsky – JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Monsters of Folk – self-titled
2. Return to Forever – Returns
3. Steve Martin – The Crow: New Songs For The 5-String Banjo
4. The Black Crowes – Before the Frost… After the Freeze
5. Vetiver – Tight Knit

JC Mcilwaine – JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Pretty Lights – Passing By Behind Your Eyes
2. Blitzen Trapper – Black River Killer
3. White Rabbits – It’s Frightening
4. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
5. Soulsavers – Broken

Kevin Schwartzbach – JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
2. Super Furry Animals -Dark Days/Light Years
3. Jim O’Rourke – The Visitor
4. Wilco – Wilco (the Album)
5. Rodrigo y Gabriela – 11:11

Zack Sampsel – Photographer, JamBase Contributor

Albums
Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3
DÃ¢m-Funk – Toeachizown
Pantyraid – The Sauce
Drake – So Far Gone
Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms

Ryan Dembinsky – JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Fanfarlo – Reservoir
2. The Avett Bros – I and Love and You
3. Devendra Banhart – What We Will Be
4. Alec Ounsworth – Mo Beauty
5. Bela Fleck – Throwdown Your Heart

Norman Sands – Photographer, JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Anthology
2. AC/DC – Backtracks
3. Mark Karan – Walk through fire
4. Tea Leaf Green – Coffee Bean Brown Comes Alive
5. Cornmeal – Live

Andy Tennille – BLURT & JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid
2. Dave Rawlings Machine – Friend Of A Friend
3. Heartless Bastards – The Mountain
4. Monsters of Folk – self-titled
5. Alberta Cross – The Broken Side of Time

Fred Mills – BLURT Managing Editor & JamBase Contributor

Albums
1. Flaming Lips – Embryonic
2. Reigning Sound – Love & Curses
3. Doveman – The Conformist
4. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – self-titled
5. The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You

Justin Gillett – JamBase contributor

Albums
1. Pretty Lights – Passing Before Your Eyes
2. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
3. Big Gigantic – Fire it Up
4. Eliot Lipp – Peace Love Weed 3D
5. Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms

Lindsay Colip – JamBase contributor

1. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
2. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
3. Vetiver – Tight Knit
4. White Lies – To Lose My Life
5. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

Alex Borsody – JamBase contributor

Albums
1. Gov’t Mule – By a Thread
2. Garage a Trois – Power Patriot
3. Math Head – Stab City
4. Mastodon – Crack The Skye
5. Greensky Bluegrass – Five Interstates

Mike Bookey – JamBase contributor

Albums
1. Monsters of Folk – self-titled
2. Pearl Jam – Backspacer
3. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
4. Dusty Rhodes and the River Band – Palace and Stage
5. The Decemberists – Hazards of Love

Jeff Terich – JamBase Contributor, Editor at www.treblezine.com

Albums
1. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
2. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
3. The Antlers – Hospice
4. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
5. Baroness – Blue Record

Tim Dwenger – JamBase contributor

Albums
1. Smoove, Turrell – Antique Soul
2. M Ward – Hold Time
3. Everest – Ghost Notes
4. The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love
5. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

J Gibson – reapandsow

Albums
1. Flaming Lips – Embryonic
2. Alberta Cross – Broken Side of Time
3. Mastodon – Crack the Skye
4. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
5. Big Rock Candy Mountain – self titled

Top Tracks
1. “Here to Fall” by Yo La Tengo
2. “These are my twisted words” by Radiohead
3. “Broken Side of Time” by Alberta Cross

Best Music Industry Article
“Smashing the CD… to Bits” by Paul Resnikoff (Digital Music News)

Jonathan Zwickel – Music Writer At Large

Albums
1. The Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
2. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
3. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
4. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
5. The Heliocentrics with Mulatu Astatke – Information Inspiration Vol. II

Melissa Adair – Elevation Group

Albums
1. The Mother Hips – Pacific Dust
2. Monsters of Folk – self-titled
3. The Dead Weather – Horehound
4. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
5. Nicki Bluhm – Toby’s Song

Jonathan Fordin – Camp Bisco Promoter, MCP Management

Albums (in no order)

1. MGMT – Oracular Spectacular

2. Jay-Z – Blueprint 3

3. Kid Cudi – Man on the Moon

4. Muse – The Resistance

5. Kings of Leon – Only by Night (Technically 2008 but tour was 2009)

Shows

1. U2

2. Muse (Opening for U2)

3. Camp Bisco – Nas and Damian Marley

Mike Greenhaus – Relix

Albums
1. Levon Helm – Electric Dirt
2. Passion Pit – Manners
3. Phish – Joy/Party Time
4. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – self-titled
5. The Black Crowes – Before the FrostÂ…
6. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You

Ted Kartzman – IODA, reapandsow

Albums
1. Dawes – North Hills
2. The Mother Hips – Pacific Dust
3. Built To Spill – There Is No Enemy
4. Alberta Cross – Broken Side of Time
5. The XX – self-titled

Please use the Comments Section to tell the world what your top albums and shows are from 2009.

Continue reading for 2009 Stats!

Top Searched Bands of the Year

Phish

Pretty Lights

STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)

The Disco Biscuits

Widespread Panic

The Dead

Umphrey’s McGee

Yonder Mountain String Band

moe.

Keller Williams

Radiohead

Dark Star Orchestra

EOTO

Lotus

The Allman Brothers Band

Railroad Earth

Bassnectar

Gov’t Mule

The New Deal

Furthur

Bands with the Most Shows

The World Famous Platters 436

Circle B Cowboy Supper Music 352

The Platters 307

Bill Medley 292

Roy Rogers Jr. 287

The Jim Stafford Show 260

Redhead Express 255

SIX 249

Fab Four Live 237

Baldknobbers Jamboree 235

The Marvelettes 234

Stacy Mitchhart 228

Zach Deputy 216

Joanna Connor 211

Passafire 204

Shinedown 203

Celtic Woman 198

Lightnin’ Malcolm & Cedric Burnside 198

A Skylit Drive 198

The Rankin Brothers 196

Venues with the Most Shows

Kingston Mines Chicago IL 627

Circle B Theater Branson MO 422

The Starlite Theatre Branson MO 414

B.B. King Blues Club New York NY 387

Jazz Alley Seattle WA 360

Le Poisson Rouge New York NY 345

Birchmere Alexandria VA 343

Mercury Lounge New York NY 329

9:30 Club Washington DC 323

The Jazz Standard New York NY 317

Highline Ballroom New York NY 313

The Masquerade Atlanta GA 310

Bowery Ballroom New York NY 309

Beachland Ballroom/Tavern Cleveland OH 309

Jim Stafford Theatre Branson MO 304

Iridium Jazz Club New York NY 300

The Independent San Francisco CA 300

Emo’s Alternative Lounge Austin TX 288

World Cafe Live Philadelphia PA 288

The Roy Rogers Theater Branson MO 287

JamBase | San Francisco

Go See Live Music!

Electric Daisy Carnival | 06.26 – 06.27 | L.A.

July 11th, 2009 | No Comments

Words by: Chris Clark | Images by: Ceasar Sebastian & Rukes

Electric Daisy Carnival :: 06.26.09 & 06.27.09 :: L.A. Memorial Coliseum and Exposition Park :: Los Angeles, CA

Electric Daisy Carnival 2009 by Sebastian

It’s tough to place a finger on where to begin to explain exactly what transpired at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum at Exposition Park in Los Angeles. For two nights, the 13th Annual Electric Daisy Carnival proved to be not only a colossal collection of some of electronic music’s biggest and brightest, but 2009′s EDC also secured itself as one of the premier festivals around, period.

Boasting a boisterous and kinetically charged bill that included headliners Paul Van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold, Thievery Corporation and Groove Armada, along with an eclectic array of electro wizards and bass bumpers (STS9, Pretty Lights, Diplo, Boys Noize, Major Lazer, Mark Farina, LTJ Bukem and several dozen others), EDC provided an astonishingly polished product for 100,000-plus revelers to party well into the early morning. Unlike festivals such as Bonnaroo, Outside Lands and Lollapalooza, EDC focuses solely on one section of the melange of music out there today: electronic. From drum ‘n’ bass at the Bass Pod stage to trance powerhouses at the Kinetic Field to thick, chest-thumping dubstep at the Neon Garden, if you’re into pulsating speaker stacks, big bass and sample enriched sonic soundscapes you didn’t leave without all your fancies tickled.

And this is just the music.

Both nights’ festivities were spread out over the sprawling urban landscape that surrounds the University of Southern California. It’s here, adjacent to the storied history of the USC campus that the mega-stadium Memorial Coliseum sits. Once home to the Los Angeles Summer Games of 1932 and 1984, the Coliseum currently houses the famed USC Trojans football team, and quite honestly, it was rather enjoyable to be seeing tens of thousands of scantily clad trance worshippers congregate on the very field O.J. Simpson and Reggie Bush, amongst many others, once dominated.

Electric Daisy Carnival 2009 by Rukes

After getting out of the cab, the sheer enormity of the surroundings was immediately apparent. Scores of teenagers, some I’d guess as young as 13, were decked out in their ultra colorful garb and candy bracelets. Florescent colors dominated the area, as did an onslaught of teenage girls wearing nothing but skimpy lingerie and knee-highs. Without even the slightest hint of embellishment, I have never seen anything like it. I’m sure it was a teenage boy’s dream. Other than these aforementioned jailbaits, scores of chemically altered, enthusiastic pacifier-suckers, dress-all-in-blacks, ravers and even some folks with beards and normal clothing filled the massive complex by the time we arrived around 8 p.m. Once at the colorful gateway, it was time to enter the Bass and not look back.

After I actually made it through security (which was maybe 10 minutes compared to the hours reviewers spoke of last year), a true “Party Like It’s 1999″ atmosphere arose. I’ve been to several Phish festivals, I’ve been to a couple Bonnaroos and I’ve witnessed countless other music festivals from coast to coast, and not one came close to comparing to the production experienced at EDC 2009. Not even close. Music aside, four out of five stages at the festival were as large or larger than any main stage I’d been to, but it’s not just the size of the stages, or even the festival itself, that made it so unequally impressive. Festival organizers Insomniac put extreme emphasis on appealing and stimulating all five senses of the concert going experience (their slogan is “Wide awake since 1993″). The sound at each stage, even the 90,000-seat Kinetic Field stadium, was amazing. Visually, the immense lighting rigs coupled with the giant laser fields proved to be a hallucination-inducing experience without the LSD. There were several points throughout the weekend where I had to close my eyes, reopen them and realize, shit, I didn’t take any extracurriculars.

Other than the walk in through the main entrance, the festival was kept rather clean (for that many people), with bathrooms readily available and the vending and alcohol was everywhere. Additionally, Ferris wheels and carnival rides could be found everywhere, including on the lawn of the Coliseum! So, for the thousands and thousands of paying festival goers, EDC made everything top-notch, safe, accessible and clean, exactly what all festivals should take into account when planning and executing a vision.

Friday, 06.26

Electric Daisy Carnival 2009 by Sebastian

Diving into the music, there certainly is plenty to talk about. Friday night, much like Saturday, focused each sub-genre of electronic music at a given stage. For the most part, the Bass Pod, which housed all the drum ‘n’ bass and a not-so healthy barrage of craziness, I stayed away from. Other than that, our crew split time between the other stages. After showing up just as Nick Catchdubs was firing on all cylinders and Daedelus was just ending his set, we made it over to the Neon Garden for Computer Club, an act I’d never heard of before. After running into him alongside a few Goth kids at our hotel in the early morning, his sound seemed properly fitting to his sheer size. Loud and intense, but super-funky, CC warmed up the early arrivals perfectly for Fake Blood, the man who says of himself, “I make music, and I take your music and do what I want with it. If swallowed seek medical assistance, will stain clothes, will sound spectacular.” I mean come on, how do you go wrong with that? Opening with Rusko’s Kid Sister’s “Pro Nails,” segueing into a perfectly placed “Big Pimpin’” into M.I.A.’s “Bamboo Banga” into Santigold’s “Creator” immediately immersed Fake Blood, aka Touche’ aka Theo Keating’s, into a frenzy at the Neon Garden.

For all those people who thought EDC was simply a massive rave, all you would need to do to capably discredit that very notion was go see Fake Blood and then make it over to the Coliseum Kinetic Filed for Thievery Corporation. I’d seen Thievery a few times before and knew what to expect, but still, something about seeing them on that grand stage made this show stand out. Gradually building up from just Rob Garza and Eric Hilton on the decks, Thievery seamlessly transitioned into full band format, adding a new member or two as each song developed. Maybe they didn’t notice or maybe they were just enjoying the smooth break, but the so-called “candy kids” were a meandering mass of sweaty souls; a continually enlarging group of glow stick-donning 14-22 year olds, twirling and swirling with each passing rhythm. Honestly, it was quite the sight. Unfortunately, the Thievery set was short lived, as it became time to trek back to the Circuit Grounds for the man of the hour, Pretty Lights.

Electric Daisy Carnival 2009 by Sebastian

Now, unless you’re either not paying attention whatsoever or have been hiding from what’s “in,” you’ll surely recognize that name. Having just seen him, along with Kap10 Harris, Morale and Shane King in San Francisco a few weeks prior, I had extremely high expectations for the former bass player of Fort Collins, CO’s Listen. Needless to say, myself and a crowd of several thousand gathered for the commencement and the sweat-soaked dancing never stopped. For an hour and a half, PL escalated then exploded EDC with a barrage of mash-ups like Rage Against the Machine’s “Bullet in the Head” with Rick Ross’ “The Boss” and M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” with “Rump Shaker.” Sans the drummer, Derek Smith was a one-man head-banger crew, providing some of the freshest mixes and most crowd pleasing beats EDC saw on Friday. From the front to back, the area was packed and moving; something I figured would translate into a fiery performance from STS9.

Sadly, that never culminated. STS9′s Live PA set was the definitive letdown of the weekend. Being one of the last additions to EDC, a DJ intensive mega festival, the band had an impressive opportunity to be just that, impressive, and gain a whole new allegiance of fans in the electronic world. Without question, a full band set would’ve automatically deterred the masses from stepping foot near STS9 (unless they dropped a Velmer-fueled “Orbital” to open or something along those lines), but the PA set wasn’t much better. Opening with the new “Lion” the midnight to 2 a.m. set began in rather average fashion, certainly not the way to hype a late night crowd at an event called the Electric Daisy Carnival. After a fairly slow start, the crowd eventually began to trickle out and head over to the 60,000 person strong attendance at the Coliseum for headliner Paul Oakenfold or over to the Neon Garden for Boys Noize. While there was a nice “Glogli” fit into the setlist, it still lacked the normal punch the band characteristically plays with. Much to be expected, a Michael Jackson appearance arose with a short “Billie Jean” beat, but the anticipation quickly subsided as the vast majority of STS9′s crowd started heading for the exit.

STS9 Live PA Set :: EDC 2009 by Rukes

After a little more than an hour and a half of their set, we too left and headed over to the end of Boys Noize. Earlier in the night we’d heard him open with “Thriller” and seemingly, he’d never looked back. His crowd was packed likes pigs in a blanket, as the an onslaught of big-eyed, gaping-grinned attendees bobbed and banged away at the closing minutes of the German electro mind-blower, who made the speakers sing, giving those not at Oakenfold plenty to look forward to on Day 2. While there were a few acts I would’ve liked to see, most notably Shiny Toy Guns, Day 1 was a complete success, even by the highest of standards.

Undoubtedly, Day 1 of EDC was, at the most basic of levels, a phenomenal social experiment, the likes of which I’d never been a part of before. While so many of the other concert and festival experiences I’ve encountered felt like social experiments, this first day of EDC proved to be a much grander, more colorful, better planned and supremely executed endeavor, where I never saw a sliver of violence, people that were too far gone or even the slightest inkling of life going wrong. For myself, and the friends that accompanied me, EDC Day 1 was quite the musical, cultural and artistic journey.

Continue reading for Saturday’s coverage…

Saturday, 06.27

Electric Daisy Carnival 2009 by Rukes

After one of the premier hotel nights and ensuing pool days I can remember, not to mention 80 degrees and sunshine all day, we headed back to the Coliseum and Exposition Center for Round 2 of EDC. While I anticipated a more raucous crowd than the previous night, I truly had no idea what would be waiting in store for Day 2. What I did know was the Kinetic Field would be full of huge trance/techno/house DJs from start to finish, highlighted by Groove Armada, Kaskade and headliner Paul Van Dyk. For those of you reading this that are into electronic music, surely quite a few of you will have had some of your first electronic experiences with the likes of Paul Van Dyk, Crystal Method, Mark Farina and Roger Sanchez (all who also played Saturday night). For others who caught onto electronic sonic hues a little later, Day 2 also boasted Infected Mushroom live, DJ AM, Major Lazer (like whoa!), Diplo (with a special lady friend to be mentioned later) and Simian Mobile Disco, amongst many other performers. If you’d made it through Friday and the controlled chaos that it was, Saturday was taking the leap to the big leagues.

You had better come prepared.

Luckily for us, there were only four in my crew, and we maintained a group philosophy throughout the duration of EDC’s festivities; a logistical and rational means to a greater end of not getting lost and no one losing their shit. Well thankfully, upon arriving on the Coliseum grounds at about 7:15 p.m. on Saturday, we stayed true to sticking together. Put simply, the place was a mad house on Saturday – exponentially crazier, more intense, more people and more nuttiness that Friday seemed to hold in check. Whereas Friday was making it to first base, Saturday was hitting a Grand Slam. But still, EDC and its inhabitants remained in a controlled frenzy. There weren’t cops running around (other than choking out one of about a dozen or so kids we saw sneak in), there weren’t teenage kids falling out everywhere and there certainly weren’t any problems that any of us saw. For all the negative press “raves” get, this event certainly wasn’t on par with any of those expectations. Authority and control were there just enough to keep everyone in check and with ample places to rest your legs, hit the bathrooms and get some alcohol, food and water, and any major fall out was avoided.

Electric Daisy Carnival 2009 by Rukes

Upon entering Day 2 of EDC, we first attempted to wander over to LTJ Bukem – not by my choice. Drum ‘n’ bass was never my thing and if you throw a MC into the mix, my opinion continues to deteriorate. But alas, we decided to head straight to the Neon Garden for Philly bred DJ AM. I love DJ AM. I loved him before he miraculously survived a small plane crash with Travis Barker of Blink 182 and I love him even more after the set he played at EDC. Whether it was his scorching electro remix of Guns N’ Roses’ “Paradise City,” his remix of Caspa’s “Where’s My Money” or the endless energy throughout his hour set, DJ AM came with his game face on and left the stage with way more people around then when he started. As the crowd rushed towards the front of the stage, AM’s production coupled with the startlingly crisp sound and out-of-this-world visuals were one of the defining moments of the festival. If you don’t know DJ AM, well, you probably should.

After DJ AM finished making all the young ladies shed whatever clothing they still had on, we headed over to the Kinetic Field for a rather back-in-the-day performance. I had first heard Groove Armada back with “4 Tune Cookie” when I first started seeing Phish in the mid-’90s and it was quite odd but enjoyable to see them perform in front of 50,000 people. Just to sit on the third level of the bleachers towards the back of the stadium and watch as the heaping mass of colors swayed to and fro to some drums-driven electronic was an absolutely amazing sight. It was then that all four of us got the timely opportunity to relax, sit on the bleachers and watch as tens of thousands of people lost their shit to “Get Down.” There was something so eerily soothing about that moment, a serene picture with 50,000 people at a heavy electronic show in a massive stadium.

Major Lazer :: EDC 2009 by Sebastian

After a short stint at the main stage, we navigated our way through the ever-exploding crowd to what was possibly the most anticipated set of the festival – Major Lazer. Arriving a little early, we had the chance to catch what was the worst DJ name of the weekend, Bass Weazal. Thankfully, a name doesn’t necessarily translate into a person or sound. Bass Weazel was actually mastering the increasingly swelling crowd, enticing the audience with a healthy dose of big bass with a slice of grime. Now, I’m not fully convinced I’d go see him in San Francisco, but hey, he was there, so was I, and we worked it out.

Major Lazer just may have stolen the show. The combination of Switch and Diplo together raging a 90-minute set of all sorts of electronic tones, from dubstep to electro to heart-pounding, was a complete mind-wobbling killing. This was one of those festival sets where you don’t even care or think about all the other acts that are playing – you tune in and you get down. With a new album out to support, the duo made their way through choice original cuts like “Pon De Dancefloor” and “Hold the Line” while also sifting through their massive catalogues for a delectable taste of Rusko and even threw a little Michael Jackson in there just for fun. Looking around, it was apparent my face wasn’t the only one that was blown by Major Lazer. Everywhere you looked there were sweaty faces, ruffled hair, dirty shins and even a little bit of drool. That’s how you can tell it was a good festival set. Before leaving for Crystal Method at the Circuit Grounds, we stuck around for Le Castle Vania, another sleeper set of the festival. I didn’t know who this guy was but their Daft Punk suite of “Around the World,” “Robot Rock” and “Technologic” had everyone freaking out. Or maybe that was all the consumption.

Regardless, the festival was almost over, but not before a quick stop over at the massively loud, color-filled stage of Crystal Method, where everyone seemed to be dancing and partying even harder (I have no idea how that’s possible). A quick glance over at Mark Farina was all that was needed before heading over to the man of the night, the Mad Decent man, Diplo. All I will say about his set is this: It was about as heavy, bass-driven and wild as anything I’ve seen in a while. Even seeing him on New Year’s in San Francisco didn’t quite compare. Oh yeah, this recently minted mother that goes by the name of M.I.A. made not one but two appearances alongside a guy who’s already impressive production credits are just beginning. Dropping “Paper Planes” as M.I.A. made her night-capping appearance, the crowd roared about as loud as it got all weekend, then, as Justice’s “Phantom” hit the speakers, Diplo left and other than a few weird minutes of Simian Mobile Disco, our time at the Electric Daisy Carnival was over.

EDC was not only successful at throwing the biggest party I’ve seen in this country, but also the most well thought-out, put together and executed gathering I’ve ever experienced. Even if you aren’t that into electronic music you would’ve had quite the time.

Continue reading for more pics of Electric Daisy Carnival 2009…

Images by: Ceasar Sebastian