Sunday, April 25, 2010

Another Night With The Mau5


You would think that after seeing Deadmau5 3 times in the last two years, twice in LA and once in New York, I'd seen it all. This last Friday, I was given another opportunity to see the Mau5 here in New Orleans. But this wasn't as easy of a decision to go as it has been in the past. Did I want to spend the money to go see a set that might possibly be just like the set I saw a couple months ago? There was no way the new Mau5 head was going to make its way to New Orleans, the scene here isn't worth it. Plus, early Friday morning, it was pouring rain in New Orleans and one of his facebook updates read "fuck being sick!." Great! Having not heard any new releases from him since For Lack of A Better Name and shitting my pants since I hadnt started studying for my finals that were this week, I was leaning towards not going.

But that didnt happen. Some little voice inside me said "How can you not go?" Curious to see what the EDM scene is really like down here in New Orleans and praying for him to play some of his new tracks from his upcoming album, I decided to go. Also, Insomniac was helping run the event, you know, the guys that put on the biggest and best events in Los Angeles. I had to go give them my support.

Here is how the night unfolded:

THE VENUE: The event started at 9:00 PM (thats what the ticket said) but we didnt get there till 11ish so I cant confirm. Upon arrival to the venue, the Contemporary Arts Center, I broke down laughing. It was your stereotypical hidden warehouse in the middle of the downtown business district. This was nothing like the events these days back in Los Angeles, but there is a first time for everything. It took us a while to get in (30-45 mins) but sure enough we got in before Deadmau5 was getting on. Once stepping into the venue, I was immediately hit by the stank and heat radiating from the center of the crowd packed in front of the stage. No ventilation + ~1000 people + building being made entirely out of bricks = WORST SAUNA I'VE EVER BEEN IN. It got so sticky and steamy in there that my camera lens kept getting stuck while trying to open. Thats not fog in the video's people, its pure nasty stank.




THE MUSIC: Luckily, the venue was the only crappy part of the night. I couldn't tell you who was spinning before Deadmau5 came on, but he was throwing down some nice house/ Dutch electro.

Deadmau5 came on finally at 1:00 am, with his blue Mau5 head (at least I was right about him not having the new LED Mau5 head with him). Right away he started hitting us with some heavy minimal beats I haven't heard him throw down before. After three banging songs into his set, the Zelda theme started to fill the room. I thought I knew exactly what song was coming next, but when the beat dropped, I was caught off gaurd. I quickly realized it was Deadmau5's new version of You Need A Ladder featuring vocals from Sofia Toufa (apparently the song is called Sofia Needs A Ladder).




Next came Moar Ghost n Stuff, and Deadmau5 decided to throw the Rob Swire vocals on top of that version.




The highlight of the night came after a couple songs. Deadmau5 laid down a rough smacking on the entire crowd by throwing down his version of Killing in the Name Of by Rage Against the Machine. His version tweaks up the bass riffs in the originals and adds some heavy electro synths to it without straying too far from the original. His song mixed right into the end of the original and had everyone going wild




Then came something I didn't expect at all from the Mau5. Blowing out of the speakers after Rage was some filth dubstep. The venue may have sucked, but the bass from the dubstep he was playing was blowing out eardrums.




Another highlight of his set was his new song supposedly called "Some Chords." This song was absolutely ridiculous. I assume it is one of the new tracks on his upcoming album (I HOPE). In my opinion, this is his best single since Ghost n Stuff. Deadmau5 and Wolfgang Gartner were recently in the studio together earlier this month, and I have a feeling this may be one of their tracks they worked on together. Regardless of if the Mau5 did this song by himself or not, its sure to be HUGE once released.








With about 20 minutes left in his ~ 2 hour set, Deadmau5 slowed things down a bit and moved into his famous progressive stuff (i.e. Strobe, Not Exactly, Arguru[the piano version]). Not being able to handle the heat anymore, my group and I decided to bounce with about 10 minutes left into his set.

Now that I have seen Deadmau5 4 times in the past 2 years, in 3 different cities, what did I learn? Just when you think you know exactly what to expect from Deadmau5, he proves you wrong. While it was hotter than Hades in there, the set is the best I have heard from him. I give him the utmost respect for powering through his sickness and delivering a massive set. All in all, Insomniac and Ampersand threw an incredible party.

2 more months from now I will be back in sunny Southern California, where it will be time to see Deadmau5 for a 5th time at Electric Daisy Carnival. Now THAT will be one HUGE spectacle. There is no doubt in my mind that he will have the same stage set up as he did at Coachella, including that crazy new LED Mau5 head!



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Thursday, April 22, 2010

Classic Tune of the Week

In my opinion, Tiesto was really on top of the electronic music world back in 2004. That year he released his album Just Be (which may be one of the best trance/progressive house albums ever), performed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and followed that up with the Parade of Athletes album, a mix of songs he played during his Olympic set. Even though Im not a fan of trance music now, his set he performed at the Avalon in Los Angeles in 2004 is still in the top 3 sets I have ever seen. Although Tiesto still sticks mostly to his progressive roots, his sounds are still evolving and keeping up with todays electro scene(his new song with Diplo,"Come On", is ridiculous). I know I've talked some shit about him before, but once again, I have to give him tons of respect.

Here is one of his most well known tracks which never seems to get old.





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Monday, April 19, 2010

Artist profile - Afrojack


The Dutch electro house scene would not be where it is right now without Holland's Afrojack. He really is putting the bwoopy house genre on the map. In my opinion, there is no one more influential to the Dutch house genre as Afrojack. He is literally molding the genre to his liking. His tracks are getting play from the worlds biggest house DJ's, including full support from the Swedish House Mafia. Afrojack's productions have all the best bwoops and bweeps around with some hard hitting house beats. They are catchy and will make you want to bust a move on the dance floor (regardless of your dancing skills). What is even more impressive about Afrojack is his ability to recreate world renowned house tracks and make them his own.







Afrojack's Dutch house rendition of the recent Boris Dlugosch hit Bangkok



Afrojack's acid filled version of Steve Angello's track, Teasing Mr. Charlie. Guess Steve liked Afrojack's rendition so much, he released the song on his Size Records label.

We will all be waiting for more from Afrojack to see where he will lead the fast growing Dutch house scene.

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Ghetto Bass 2 - The Sound of Hervé



Just last week, Hervé dropped his newest double CD mix that is a compilation of songs from some of today's biggest producers, like Fake Blood, Chase and Status, and Jack Beats, as well as five brand new releases from Hervé himself. The track selection has an amazing flow to it, and it will take you on a intense bass heavy journey through a variety of genres, from house to dubstep.

The first CD of Ghetto Bass 2 has tracks that showcase Hervé's hard hitting, funky house, ghetto bass style. With new tracks from Hervé, sick remixes from Reset! and favorites from Jack Beats and Fake Blood, the first CD is my favorite out of the two.

Here are 3 tracks from the 1st CD.









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Keeping with the bass heavy theme, CD 2 features one of today's fastest growing genre's, dubstep. CD 2 allows Hervé to show another side of himself that most people aren't used to. Hervé brings the dubstep, and he brings it hard with some of his own productions. And he finishes up with some energetic drum and bass.








Hervé Ghetto Bass 2 compilation is a bass lovers dream and is highly recommended.

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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Classic Tune of the Week

If you haven't noticed already, trance doesnt ever really find its way onto Electronic Eargasm. However, trance is the true root for my love of electronic music. And thats why the majority of my classic tunes will always be some sort of trance. I may not be a big fan of the trance music out nowadays, but the classic trance anthems will always hold a special place in my heart. In my opinion, this weeks classic tune sits at the very top of Paul van Dyk's long list of world-renowned productions. Nothing But You has one of the most memorizing and soothing vocals samples EVER! Its practically impossible for this track not to lift your spirits.



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Artist profile - DIGITAL FREQ


After making 2 appearances on Electronic Eargasm, Digital Freq is back once again with his own artist profile. Digital Freq is one of Mexico's best producers right now. His tracks contain progressive sounds, filthy electro funk, gut-wrenching bass and some awesome futuristic vocals. With 9 years of experience under his belt, Digital Freq is consistently producing chart topping hits that are being released on some of the biggest labels, including Miles Dyson's Plasma Pool label. I'm sure there will be much more in the near future from this impressive producer.









3. Digital Freq - Crash (Original Mix)



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Artist profile - LAZY RICH



Originally from the UK, the Vancouver based DJ/producer has been dishing out chart-topping hits the last two years. Lazy Rich's funky/disco style mixed with intense bass riffs will make anyone on the dance floor groove their butts off. This rising star's DJ sets have blown the roofs off some of the world's most prominent clubs. When he isn't traveling the world DJing or in the studio producing, he is running his own record label, Big Fish Recording. Lazy Rich's success is sure to continue in the coming years and the electronic world will be anxiously waiting for more of his epic beats.









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Saturday, April 10, 2010

NEW MUSIC! From Electro House to Breakbeat!

Sorry for taking so long for a new update. There are a couple things I wanted to share with you guys before we get into the music.

1. Dont forget to follow me if you are on Twitter. The link to add me is at the top of the bar on the left. I'm in the process of also finishing up a logo, at which time I will also make a facebook fan group for people to follow Electronic Eargasm on facebook also. Facebook and Twitter are the best ways for me to let you guys know when there are new updates.

2. I would really appreciate feedback from everyone on what they think about the site, songs, and writings. Use the star ratings to let me know how you guys rate each post. Also, comments would be an awesome way for me to find out what you guys are thinking.

With that said, lets move on to some songs. Here are a bunch of different tracks from a variety of styles that I have come across the last few days.

1. Hey Today! - Toasted

This song from Hey Today! reminds me a lot of Boys Noize's fast paced, electro-techno-rock. Hey Today!'s newest album is sure to please any electro punk lovers out there.
BUSY P WHAT THE FUCK!!! The Ed Banger Record Label head is back with his signature French electro style. His remix of Talk to Me combines Techno, Electro, and Breakbeat elements.

3. Hervé - Zombies

Fidget House mastermind Herve returns with another hit. However, he strays away a little from his fidget style with this song. It has a heavy bass line that has a Fake Blood feel to it. Check out his new mix album, Ghetto Bass 2.


One of my favorite tracks from last year was Electrixx's take on our favorite old school video game, Tetris. Electrixx puts out this banging electro house hit that features the same flavors used in their Tetris production.



Known mainly for their DnB productions, Noisia delivers a hard hitting breakbeat song with some psychedelic synths that are sure to wake you up.

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Tuesday, April 6, 2010

New Uppermost + some more and this weeks Classic Tune of the Week

MORE MUSIC!!



New production from Uppermost that will hit you in the face hard with a heavy glitchy warped bass. Uppermost has been on a roll recently, dropping some of my favorite tracks of the year.

2. Nervo & Ollie James This Kind Of Love (Lazy Rich Remix)


Sick progressive electro from Lazy Rich. Definite big room banger. Check out his remix of Fatboy Slim - Weapon of Choice 2010. Rich is far from Lazy with the amount of work he puts into his songs.


Haven't heard of DiscoTech before, but I'm really enjoying the electro-punkness of this production.


CLASSIC TUNE OF THE WEEK:




Probably the most influential, groundbreaking, and well known classic electronic tune of our generation. I dont care who you are, at some point in your life, you've heard this song and have also fallen in love with it. This track is associated with the greatest time of my life. It still sends shivers down my spine.


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Monday, April 5, 2010

CYBERPUNKERS - Punkers can love electro too!



Their name tells you exactly the type of music you can expect with these guys. Much like Stevie Aoki and the Bloody Beetroots, Cyberpunkers blend together electro beats with punk elements to produce some hard rocking electro craziness. Not to mention, they are also a duo hidden behind some masks(I'm guessing they like paintball). Regardless of the fact that they are another act covering up their faces (its getting old), Cyberpunkers put out some serious head bobbing music. Their new EP, I Needed to Go, is sick and is sure to please any Electro-Rock-Punk-Indie-Dance (or whatever Beatport is calling it these days)fan out their. Starting with this post, I think I'll be referring to this style as electro-punk.



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Friday, April 2, 2010

More Exceeder, more Digital Freq, and some others.

I've been coming across so many tracks lately, its getting hard to choose which ones to post. To fix the problem, I guess I'm going to have to write more posts. As always... ENJOY!



Another new remix of Exceeder released with the Felguk remix. The Tai remix saves a lot more of the original beats than the Felguk remix, but makes it pound a lot harder. I think I might actually like this version better than the original (GASP!). A++



Digital Freq makes another another appearance on Electronic Eargasm. This guy knows how to drop the beats hard. His remix of Her World Goes On starts of soft with some progressive elements, then hit HARD. Digital Freq will definitely be frequent returner to this blog.



I swear, One Republic was made just for producers to make remix's out of their songs. They are definitely a good group to sample. Danger's remix of All The Right Moves features his signature fast-paced electro rock style.



What can I say? I love the guys first name. Plus, bringing back the disco sexiness of Rod Stewart and mixing it with some dirty beats is a huge plus for the Mightyfools. The house heads out there will like this one.





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Thursday, April 1, 2010

Tunes from WMC!

WMC included an eclectic group of artists, all throwing down the newest jams. It was HUGE this year, with Ultra Music Festival selling out for both days and bringing in over 100,000 people on Saturday alone. There was a tribute show for the late DJ AM earlier in the week and Lil Jon even decided to DJ. With the rising popularity of the new Dutch house craze, the big rookie making a lot of buzz at Miami this year was Afrojack. And to close out the festivities, the Swedish House Mafia threw a crazy party (as always). Stay tuned for more WMC updates!

Below are some of the songs from WMC getting a lot of hype. (sorry, they arent the best quality... but these songs are brand new and havent even been released) Hope you enjoy.


Time after time, the Swedish House Mafia release mega tracks. They debuted their newest track (which still has no official name) at WMC last week and it turned out to be a definite crowd pleasure. See for yourself ^


How could you ever go wrong with samples from Scarface? What better connection with Miami than Tony Montana. This Cube Boy's song is in the running for the WMC 2010 anthem



DLGs has brought us some hard bangers recently, but this upcoming release is very melodic and has a nice tranquil feel to it.

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