Well, I’m remiss to say that due to an extremely long work day and a fellow concert-goer being late, my crew missed seeing Classixx when they took the stage at 8pm last Tuesday (that said, 8pm is really early & it was almost impossible to pregame AND make it to the show in time).

While I’m upset I missed them live, I’ve been listening to them non-stop since. Hanging Gardens is an album chalk-full of cool dance tracks in the vein of Grum, Daft Punk‘s Random Access Memories and Flight Facilities. That’s right, it’s breezy, disco-inspired dance music perfect for summer.

Fav tracks:  “All You’re Waiting For” (feat. Nancy Whang), “I’ll Get You” (feat. Jeppe), “Holding On,” “Borderline” (feat. Jessie Kivel).

Stream below & enjoy!

<3 Hazzard

PS- In case you’re wondering: Yes, The Presets were absolutely EVERYTHING live.

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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

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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.

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.

but I was positively brimming with excitement: Cherub, one of my favorite bands, was set to perform in LA and I was going to see them live for my very first time.

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

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

Last Friday I ventured across the Bay to see Boys Noize perform at the Fox Theatre in Oakland.  I entered the venue and instantly noticed an eager, ready-to-rage crowd anticipating the German phenom spin his magic.  As the curtains opened and the stage was illuminated, Alexander Ridha (aka ‘Boys Noize’) sat upon his signature Skull-shaped DJ booth.  And then the party started.

Boys Noize opened with the first song on his new album Out of the Black, ‘This Is What You Want,“ a robot rock-infused electro ballad reminiscent of something out of a Justice live set.  From there, Ridha didn’t miss a beat, as he continued to melt the crowd with renowned hits “Jeffer” and “Starter” from his 2009 album Power.  Between the frantic energy, flashing lasers and robotic beats, I felt like I was in the movie Tron.  I was finally taken back down to earth when Boys Noize dropped

“Kontact Me” to conclude the evening.

The two things I appreciated most about Boys Noize’s show that night were (1) his focus on playing his own music and (2) his loyalty to his earlier albums.  Today’s EDM scene often consists of DJs sampling and remixing each other’s songs, which is fun but can blur the line between originality and copycatting.  Each time I’ve seen Boys Noize live, he’s exhibited an individuality that’s both innovative and refreshing.  If he rolls through your city, make sure you get your tickets early.

Cheers,

T.I.M.

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to this show.  But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t excited; plenty of trusted friends highly recommended him, and I enjoyed his popular songs such as Don’t F*ck With My Money and Multi-Millionnaire.

Penguin Prison did not disappoint.  Sampling songs from Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, and Prince, it was the perfect pre-party for The Twelves.  I was particularly impressed with his falsetto renditions of pop songs from the 80s and 90s.  As the end of his act was approaching, I realized that Penguin Prison’s set represented more than a warm-up for The Twelves; it was foreplay.

The crowd erupted as The Twelves took the stage.  We didn’t have to wait long as the dj duo from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil set up their equipment and started promptly with their original remix of Phoenix’s Lisztomania.  It’s difficult to describe the magic that The Twelves bring to the (turn)table.  You get the sense that they’re feeding off the energy of the crowd, playing songs that fit the mood of the audience rather than following a pre-planned setlist (which is becoming more and more rare these days).  The Twelves bring a very retro feel — their sound ranges from disco to funk to rock and roll.  Their short sample of “Brick in the Wall” by Pink Floyd was the highlight of my night.  Listening to individual songs, however, will hardly do the duo justice; I recommend checking out live sets such as their infamous Essential Mix from 2009.  Enjoy!

- T.I.M.

The Twelves // Penguin Prison // Fresh Musikk

As we got off the LA Metro at the State Historic Park, surrounded by eager ravers in full-on Halloween festival garb, our anticipation to enter the festival and begin dancing was immense. As with any festival, we knew we’d have to wait in line for roughly twenty minutes, give or take, to get in and get our dance on… little did we know that HARD, being an unorganized fucking mess, would have us wait in line for over two hours just to enter. Why? No one knows. All I know is that we arrived at the festival at 7:30 PM and did not enter until after 9:30 PM. We were stopped by a blockade of riot police (sans riot), keeping us and hundreds of others standing in a crowded mosh-pit that was brimming with so much contempt that I felt we may be in a very dangerous situation should anything go wrong.  After two hours of being stuck in a line that can only be described as hellish, and missing over two hours of music (including Zeds Dead. I’m livid), we were finally allowed in.

Keep in mind that most festivals overlook something simple that makes the experience slightly less enjoyable than it should be, but this was by far the biggest fuck-up I’ve encountered at a festival. HARD, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Finally inside with our raving shoes securely strapped to our feet, we were able to start enjoying the party. Kill The Noise was the first DJ I saw. Cranking up the energy of the crowd, I quickly forgot about the hellish ordeal I had just experienced in line. Suddenly, I was side-stepping and twerking in the dirtiest fashion I could, remembering why I was so excited for this event.

Knife Party came on the stage immediately following Kill The Noise, and it was apparent that the crowd was ready to give it all up. Knife Party’s music slashed through the crowd, tearing each and every raver apart with his sharp beats, bass-rattling dub and electro-house sound. Everyone went absolutely berserk as KP mixed in their classic, “Internet Friends,” which, in my opinion, is a classic Halloween song fitting of the 21st century.

Per usual, the headliners of the festival were all playing at the same time, so we were forced to chose between Justice, Tommy Trash and Diplo. I love Justice, but I’d seen them recently at Outside Lands, so I was more interested in seeing Diplo, whom I had not seen since TAO 2012. We decided the best thing to do would be to see Justice open before rushing over to see Diplo close it out. Best decision ever.

Justice killed it in their opening, playing sick remixes of “Civilization,” “On’n'On” and “We Are Your Friends,” which had me going absolutely insane! After 40 minutes of pure, unadulterated Justice, we literally ran across the festival grounds to see Diplo close it out.

Diplo was unreal! One of the most engaging acts I’ve seen live at a festival, he was in total sync with the crowd: bringing fans onstage (HARD security kicked them off shortly thereafter), remixing contemporary top 40 with his unique sound, and giving the audience exactly what they came for as he played some of his classics as well as some of his epic new jams off his Express Yourself EP.

While HARD: DAY OF THE DEAD defiantly started on the wrong foot, seeing Knife Party, Justice and Diplo made up for it. Unfortunately,  there were so many great acts there playing at the same time that I was not able to see everyone that I would have wanted, but closing the night with Diplo made everything alright in my book.

<3 Hazzard

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