T.I.M.

The Troubadour is never tame, but it is an intimate venue that is typically unaccustomed to the glow stick, rave-worthy show that Icona Pop put on for a sold-out crowd.

The audience was brimming with anticipation as Jawo and Hjelt entered from either side of that stage and made their way towards the center where their soundboards and laptops awaited. Looking flawlessly rave-chic in feathered vests and leather skirts, Jawo and Hjelt were a perfect reflection of the dance hungry crowd who’d come armed with glow sticks and a ferocious appetite for house-pop.

Opening with their monstrous hit, “Manners,” the women worked the crowd into a frenzy with their stage presence and made each concertgoer feel apart of the show. Between dancing like

a maniac and shouting their poppy lyrics, “take a second look and you’ll see, there is no one like me,” I became completely immersed in Icona’s world.

Adjusting the songs off their Iconic Pop EP into lengthier dance numbers, the performance was a continuous dance party that only intensified

as it went along.

Despite their mics being a little too low for my taste, the synths and bass were at an optimum level. When Jawo and Hjelt sang “Good For You,” the crowd bounced along with friendly familiarity. Singing along to such scorned lyrics as “you love my love, you never gonna find better love; you hate my love because you’re dead without it,” my heart was filled with pop-fueled admiration.

Icona Pop put their own spin on “It’s My Party,” followed by my favorite kiss-off song of the year, “Top Rated.” I know I don’t just speak for myself when I say that I lost my shit when “Ready for the Weekend” came on and Hjelt addressed the crowd, saying: “Playing here for you guys is very awesome for us.”

Icona’s encore began with “We Got The World” and transitioned smoothly into their hit “I Love It,” which is exactly when I, along with countless others, jumped on stage to finish the set with the most exciting electro-pop act out of Sweden since Robyn.

I left the Troubadour with stars in my eyes, a smile on my face and my shirt saturated with sweat. It was everything.

<3 Hazzard

Icona Pop Facebook ~ Twitter // Fresh Musikk Facebook ~ Twitter

a British boy named Jon, better known by his stage name, “Feed Me.”  It was love at first bite.

Feed Me revealed that he’d been in the hospital earlier that morning with meningitis, but still made it to the show.  Love that.  Furthermore, I have a different level of respect for DJs who produce all their own music rather than sampling and remixing other artists’ songs.  Feed Me has a unique sound, blending elements of drum and bass, dubstep, and electrohouse.

He played

some of his older beats such as “Whiskers,” “Strange Behavior,” and “Embers.”  The first highlight of the night was when he dropped “One Click Headshot,” which created a violent dance party.  As much as I enjoy Feed Me’s music, his lightshows are equally impressive; last night his teeth-shaped light set was in full force.  My second favorite memory was his lightshow during “Death By Robot,” which featured a tiny possessed Android-looking monster dancing toward the crowd.

I’m pretty stuffed after last night’s performance, but I know what I’ll be listening to during today’s road trip down to LA.  I’ll always be hungry for Feed Me.

- T.I.M.

With hints of the always epic, “Cry Me A River,” lacing the beat, Timbaland modernizes what will be an instant heartbreaking smash, going two for two on Justin’s comeback tour. The eight minute song solidifies exactly what Justin is trying to do: redefine and create great pop music. Somehow, somewhere it got lost amidst the genre blending static – which 90% is a great thing to see – but in the pop genre, originality has been lacking.

Last night, I felt like I was fourteen years old again as I sat back in awe every time JT popped up on my screen – trying to contain my giddy excitement, and once again realizing why no guy will ever live up to my unreasonable expectation of the perfect man. You guys can thank Timberlake for that one.

If there ever was reason for a Rick Ross grunt it’s now, because he’s

back and sexy’s with him. Ughnnn.

Fresh Musikk

The 20/20 Experience is out March 19^th….go on and declare it a national holiday already…

Kai wins the most interesting man of the year award.

Talk about intriguing – this homefree dude has captivated the attention of people all over the

world. By now, you have all seen his hilariously epic interview that went viral earlier this week, surrounding his heroic actions that saved peoples lives. What’s even more newsworthy than his bizarre hithchiking, hatchet suh-mashing story is the character of this wandering vagabond himself.

Since his celebrity status ignited, a video has surfaced of Kai jamming on the beach with some Canadians in Vernon BC. I don’t know what I love most: the fact that this kid can sing, the fact buy cialis he’s singing Bob Dylan, or that he’s tearing up that ukulele?

This is absolutely my favorite thing I’ve seen all week.

(shout/out Enthuzed for the euk find.)

Fresh Musikk

Courtesy of the emerging technology company, we are

able to enjoy Justin’s surprise interactive

artwork, which announces his tracklist for The 20/20 Experience!
No need to delay your mounting excitement, so just… hover & enjoy…

Fresh Musikk

I wanted you guys to see this first!!! #albumcover #tracklist stipple.com/photos/30556744

— Justin Timberlake(@jtimberlake) February 7, 2013

itched to pump their fists and shuffle across the dance floor.  I’m glad I wasn’t the only eager one.

Seven Lions took the stage and within five minutes everyone had forgotten they’d come to see

Porter Robinson.  Either that or they thought he was Porter Robinson, I couldn’t tell which.  It didn’t matter, though.  All that mattered was the bright lights and bangin’ beats.  Seven Lions wasn’t on my radar prior to this weekend but I’ve since downloaded much of his work.  Check out his song “Fractals.”

Porter took over the reigns after a much-appreciated dub-set by Seven Lions.  He opened with “Easy,” the Matt Zo Collaboration. At his first heavy drop, I could feel beer and whiskey gingers raining from the sky as riled ravers tossed their drinks into the air.  His set pinnacled with “Say My Name,” and the crowd once again went nuts.  From there the night got hazy but all I know is I never stopped moving and by night’s end I was drenched in booze, sweat and tears of joy.  Porter gets better and better each time I see him, and if you’ve never listened to one of his full live mixes I highly recommend consulting Google.com.  Here’s his BBC Radio One Essential Mix.  Enjoy!

St. Lucia came on stage at 7:30pm and played an hour-long set that was sincere and captivating.  While I enjoyed the set, I was left wanting more.  More bass and heavy drops, that is.

The ensuing acts were underwhelming and by 10:30pm the crowd had become restless.  The energy quickly shifted, however, soon after DJ Shadow took the stage.  Originally from San Francisco, DJ Shadow became the first artist to produce an album comprised entirely of samples.  An instrumental figure in hip hop and electronica’s development, his influence transcended the Bay area.  Two thirds into his show, Mixxmaster Mike of the Beastie Boys took stage and rapped over Shadow’s beats.  The crowd seemed to enjoy it but personally I had a hard time hearing (yet alone understanding) his lyrics over the heavy bass.

A drawn-out break after DJ Shadow paved way for a loud uproar as Diplo appeared behind the dj booth.  The crowd finally got what it wanted as Diplo fired off a unique mixture of 80s, electronica, and southern hip hop accompanied by heavy drops.  The intensity peaked when Diplo mixed Bay Area hip hop legend Mac Dre’s “Feelin’ Myself.”  By this point the entire crowd was violently shaking and dancing with no regards to their surroundings.   I couldn’t have asked for a better way to conclude the evening.  As you may know, Diplo is one of the two DJs in Major Lazer (the other being Switch).  It’s important to note, however, that as a solo artist, Diplo has a completely different sound than that of Major Lazer’s.  If you haven’t heard his solo performances, be sure to check out his live set at Electric Zoo in New York late last year.

Oh, and by the way, Diplo took his shirt off during his set

Over and out,

T.I.M.

The Mint is an intimate venue with a grungy, dive-bar feel to it. The staff are friendly and the drinks are strong, so by my standards, it’s a perfect bar that I plan to frequent more often. Cherub was taking the stage 11 PM and had two bands I was not previously familiar with, Mind The Gap and Mystery Skulls,  opening the night.

Mind The Gap started the night right with a lively performance of some truly catchy and fun original songs. I thought their stage presence and fun-loving style was infectious; I’m eager to explore more of their music and follow their budding career. Likewise, Mystery Skulls further filled my musical appetite. Armed with just a keyboard and his own soaring vocals, Skulls worked the audience into a pre-Cherub frenzy and captured my heart all at the same time. Be sure to look for future posts on these two up-and-coming bands!

At 11 PM Cherub took the stage with their signature croon and unabashed coolness. Jordan and Jason, who gave us one of our best interviews on Fresh Musikk, exceeded the already high expectations I had for their live show. Surrounded by experienced Cherub lovers and virgins alike, the duo wowed with soulful renditions of “XOXO,” “Monogamy,” “Lynndenberries” and “Hold Me,” to name just a few of my favorite songs off their critically acclaimed album, MoM & DaD. 

Jordan and Jason are talented and passionate musicians to their core, which is absolutely exhibited during their live show. Throughout their performance they incorporated live mash-ups of songs from a varying artists–my favorite of which fused Daft Punk’s “Around The World” with another hit (which I embarrassingly cannot remember at the moment, but which I can guarantee you was damn good), so Jordan and Jason, if you’re reading this, let us know!

When “Doses and Mimosas” played, I felt my soul melt. The crowed surged and sang along with heartfelt zest as Cherub closed the stage and expressed their love and gratitude for all the fans who’d come to see their first show in L.A. (Musical) scholars and gentlemen to the bone, Cherub closed the set and re-opened the bar, urging the crowd to stay and party with them… we’d all be singing “Dear Body” the next day.

<3 Hazzard

Cherub Facebook ~ Twitter // Fresh Musikk Facebook ~ Twitter

Huge shout out to Emilie and Ryan at HK Management for being so wonderful!

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity!”

“I’m SO jealous!”

“You are so lucky!”

Australia. Three weeks. Me. And my family.

Pretty incredible right? To say that I was shocked that my Mother’s lifelong dream of going to Australia was a very real reality that was a mere six weeks away, would be a vast understatement. I couldn’t believe it was actually happening. Years of talk and false alarms that we’d be ‘going in the fall’ never came to fruition, so hearing that the flights were booked and we’d be leaving a few days after Christmas came like a blow.

But let me back up.

I f*cking did it!!

Hello Australia!

 

Check back in for the second installation of the Sydney Series, later this week!

K.Roth Disclosure: As part of our Fresh Musikk Lifestyle venture, I am ecstatic to announce that this will be our first official feature as part of our Travel series. I will be documenting my trip throughout the next few weeks, and hope to impart some knowledge, inspiration, and travel tips to the incredible readers part of our FM family.