Over the past couple months, I’ve been gushing over Intergalactix. Now, I’ve got a video to share with you guys!
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Category Archives: Awesome
Video: Menace & Lord – “Sun, Moon & Stars , Pt. 1” (Part 1 of 3)
“We wanted to make a collection of songs that are a soundtrack to the times you lose yourself in the moment…whether it’s in the club, in the sunshine with friends or staring up into the night sky.” – Menace & Lord
Each has individually enjoyed a colorful, successful career within the electronic music industry, but now Kris Menace and Simon Lord have teamed up for an all-new music project simply dubbed Menace & Lord.
In step with their new direction, the pair will release an album on September 15th, and the debut single from the album is the title track “Sun, Moon & Stars, Pt. 1”.
The music video was directed by Rolling Stone Awarded Meeto Worre Kronborg Grevsen from Denmark who says: “When I was first presented to Menace & Lord, I was completely astonished by the feeling of the tracks. For me, they had a sense of magic like the feeling of being in love for the first time. A feeling of the universe coming together around you and a feeling of coexisting with another person and daydreaming. We wanted to create a love story, and we quickly decided to let the video universe evolve over more than one video to get deeper sense of the story and atmosphere. It’s always a task to make a story fit within a music video, because making a music video is to the create a visual emotion to the music, and often a story is told by words and within a narrative structure that has to make sense somehow. But I think we found a way to create a sense of a story without making it depend on words and the narrative structure. You should feel the videos rather than understanding it perfectly. And I love the chemistry between the actors.”
This is just the first video of three that will be released for the debut album Sun, Moon and Stars. The next two music videos are just as visually breathtaking as this one, and will be released in the coming months.
Again, from Meeto, “‘Sun, Moon & Stars, Pt. 1’ is the initial video of the trilogy and it should set the atmosphere for all three. It’s centred around the first meeting and the magic of feeling another person for the first time. It’s a happy beginning but we put some drops of melancholy in there as well. The sense of nothing last for ever.”
Menace & Lord are defining an all-new path in the electronic music scene so keep an ear out for the revolution.
Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, listen, new albums, video, Whoa!
Live Show Review: Caught a Ghost
Here’s some education on the band Caught a Ghost —
Jesse Nolan describes the name of his band ‘Caught A Ghost’ as referring to the sensation of being filled with the spirit of the past. “It’s an old expression,” he says, “musicians used to say you caught a ghost if you gave a good performance. Like you were possessed.”
As the songwriter, producer and lead singer of the band, Nolan is a devotee of music from bygone eras. But he eagerly expounds upon his affection for vintage soul, delta blues, and 90s rap alike. As Nolan explains, “It’s definitely like being possessed. It’s an obsession. What’s not to be obsessed about? I don’t think it makes me unique, it makes me human.”
What does make Nolan unique is his musical dexterity (he plays all of the instruments on his recordings except horns and some of the drums) combined with the effortlessness with which he seems to pull from many different genres. His music recalls influences from the soul and rock n’ roll traditions (Stax, Motown, Sam Cooke, the Rolling Stones) yet still feel distinctly modern with references to hip-hop and electronic recordings from the 90s to contemporary tracks.
Anyone who has seen Caught a Ghost play live can testify to that notion that in addition to playing high energy shows with as many as nine musicians and various dancers onstage, the group often makes use of projections and performance art as a means of shaking people out of their comfort zones.
When I went to see these guys jam out earlier this month, it turned out to be one of my favorite shows. The energy and the NEED to dance is immense. I liked that the show was a little bit more intimate, too. The venue is a big one, but the show that night was off in a corner of the building by the bar. If you are into Fitz and the Tantrums, I think you’ll highly benefit from checking out Caught a Ghost. If they’re playing in your city, definitely go see them live.
Here’s 2 audio recordings from the show. The quality is bad, this is know; and you have to turn it up to be able to really get into their jam sessions. But, I couldn’t help it! I had to share them with you because the energy was awesome. I never said I was an audio recording expert.
The band’s album Human Nature is out now.
Free Download: B Riddimz – “Rookerie Ruins” (M!NT Remix)
Listen/download: B Riddimz – “Rookerie Ruins” (M!NT Remix)
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There are very few DJs and producers nowadays who began their careers by teaching themselves how to play multiple instruments by the ripe age of 14, but the exception lies within this aspiring musician who has come a long way since his move to Brooklyn earlier this year. Effortlessly incorporating his instrumental zeal over trapped out rhythms and melodic beats, Cody Yozipovic aka M!NT reveals a brand-new remix of B-Riddimz’s original track called “Rookerie Ruins.” The Canadian-bred, Arizona-to-Colorado raised artist is a dedicated composer, music producer & multi-instrumentalist who encompasses a wide range of experience over almost every genre of music which goes to show in his latest production. The remix comes from a track by fellow Brooklynite B-Riddimz, who broke into the music scene as a drummer for Brooklyn-based bands Brooklyn Gypsies and Technicolor Lenses. Yesterday Run The Trap premiered both the original and the remix, noting how B-Riddimz is “no stranger to the game as his productions are dripping with taste of a guy who’s played instruments for a long time.” Following the release of his debut music video “Flashlights” earlier this summer, Do Androids Dance gives credit to the young producer noting how “M!NT has been on a roll lately, producing a steady stream of soulful bass music, and it doesn’t look like his output is slowing down at all.” Case in point — in addition to releasing his sophomore EP Pay It Forward this fall, M!NT plans to top off the year’s events with a slew of new productions and upcoming tour dates along the West Coast, including four memorable performances at Burning Man, all while scoring his first major documentary film. |
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M!NT’S UPCOMING TOUR DATES: 8/15 @ SPARC w/ Freddy Todd & Kraddy – San Francisco, CA |
Video: Francisco the Man – “Progress”
“…indie in theory, but with big-tent ambitions, a little shoegaze, a lot of synth-pop, the faintest hint of danceable forms of punk.” Pitchfork
“Francisco the Man articulate all their pent-up yearning and tension with layers of reverberating guitars (and now, synths) ranging from lush to squalling. If you’re looking for reference points, think Built to Spill canoodling at the beach with ’90s British shoegazers and contemporary electro-poppers.” Buzzbands LA
“The right balance of ear-catching fervor with a looming electronic armor to separate itself from the throwaway pop milieu.” I Guess I’m Floating
“The glistening, hook-filled guitar jam “Progress” is the first single and it packs a huge melodic punch.”Music for Ants
“A catchy chorus that gets stuck in your head for the rest of the day, tight wave-guitars and an overall summery dancing vibe.” Subbacultcha
LA’s Francisco The Man recently announced the release of their debut album, Loose Ends, on Small Plates records this September 30th. Check out the video for their song, “Progress” now!
It took roughly seven years, a teenage instrumental rock band, a debut EP, additions and subtractions, a roller rink and a near death experience to arrive at Francisco The Man. Following a two-year hiatus beginning in 2008, the band relocated from Riverside to Los Angeles, CA, bringing along a new addition, guitarist Brock Woolsey. With the help of Small Plates Records, they released two 7″s, In the Corners and Tiger.
Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, listen, new albums, video
Wanna Go On A Flashback Cruise?
Flashback Cruise’s 3-day getaway hosted by MTV’s Downtown Julie Brown will celebrate four decades of dance music and pop culture with world renowned live performers, DJs, comedians, TV stars, and guest chefs. There will also be a celebrity cook-off for the winner’s charity of choice in addition to a Charity:Water awareness campaign where a portion of the proceeds will be donated on behalf of Flashback Cruise’s bookings. Setting sail from Miami to the Bahamas, February 27 – March 2, 2015, Flashback Cruise is the only cruise of its kind to unite entertainers, producers, radio and TV personalities, guest chefs, and a charity on a single voyage.
Live performers and DJs announced include: Lime, TKA, George Lamond, France Joli, Judy Torres, 2 In A Room, Nicky Siano, George Morel, Anthony Acid, Hex Hector and Angel Moraes. Artists just added include: DJ Skribble, DJ Riddler, Denny Tsettos, Razor & Guido, Johnny Vicious, Maximus 3000, and Jonathan Peters. A final round of headliners and special guests will be announced in September. Combined, they will represent the full spectrum of dance music from its inception as disco to its evolution as house and its present renaissance as EDM.
Organized by veterans of nightclubbing’s golden eras, Flashback Cruise offers more than just a great weekend of dancing. It offers a complete experience. “This is a trip music lovers, foodies, and party people can afford and appreciate much more than other festivals and cruises, where you feel like cattle being herded,” says Flashback Producer Ryan Morales. “We are offering people 72 hours of non-stop fun and excitement for less than a third of that price. They will get the show of a lifetime.”
Flashback Cruise is also connecting with past and present through social media. Flashback Cruise’s Facebook Ticketing Engine keep costs down, and make it easier for vacationers to buy their tickets, build party buzz, brand recognition, and share the memories with their friends.
Cabins start at $699 USD per person. Reserve a cabin with this special discount by visiting:HERE and use promotional code FLASHBACK. Payment plans available.
Flashback Cruise is the only experience-focused dance music, food and comedy event on water. The three-night cruise will entertain guests with original live acts from some of the greatest DJs and performers in the genres of disco, house music, freestyle and techno from the late ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s.
Flashback Cruise was created by Ryan Morales, a native New Yorker, audio engineer, and member of BMI. Ryan has been DJing since 1989. He was a resident DJ at New York’s notorious Limelight while still a teenager, and his production credits include remixes for major artists like Bon Jovi. He has played at some of the largest music festivals in the world including Ultra, and at some of the biggest clubs in New York and Miami. Ryan launched Flashback Cruise in response to the negative changes in the nightlife industry. “I wanted to go back to good old days, when you weren’t just a dollar bill to some club owner.”
New Original Track From The Chainsmokers
Listen: The Chainsmokers (ft. Siren) – “Kanye”
If you’ve been a long time reader here at Musically Amusing, you know that I’ve been a HUGE fan of The Chainsmokers from the very beginning! While I LOVE their remixes, I’m pleased to bring you their second original track, “Kanye” featuring Siren (an LA based indie-pop duo).
Available on iTunes and through all digital outlets, the track follows up one of the year’s biggest songs and cultural phenomena, “#SELFIE”. However, it’s quite a departure from the cheeky, crossover club anthem that put Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall on the map.
Provocative in both its name and stirringly gorgeous sense of melody, “Kanye” fuses Siren’s divine delivery and uplifting lyrics with The Chainsmokers entrancing and enigmatic production. Moreover, there’s a very special and ultimately inspiring message at the heart of this anthem. The word “Kanye” insinuates that only you can define what makes you individually happy. What other people think doesn’t matter, and do not let anyone take that happiness away from you. If you believe in yourself, anything is possible and no judging allowed!
Pall elaborates, “We look at the word ‘Kanye’ as an adjective. The song is about what it means to be like Kanye. It’s about just owning it no matter what you’re doing. Whether you’re on top of the world partying in a penthouse or you’re driving an old car playing your favorite song, it’s about enjoying the moment you’re in and feeling like you’re the king. You embrace that confidence. We didn’t want to do something too left field after ‘#SELFIE’, but we wanted to show another side of ourselves. What Siren does is just beautiful, and we built the production around that. It gets the message across. Own your shit, be self-assured, and remain confident in everything you do.”
In addition, the boys have launched an Instagram and Facebook campaign with the hashtag #BeLike. They’ve included a fun quiz that you can take here!
After returning from a packed European tour where they hit stages at both Tomorrowland and Ultra, the guys are also gearing up to launch a live radio show on SiriusXM August 18. It’s called “Nice Hair with The Chainsmokers” and it will air on Electric Area. The show is unlike anything else on the air. The guys will speak candidly on the lifestyle of touring international EDM superstars, allowing listeners a vignette behind the curtain. Nothing will be held back, and their wild antics and unpredictable personalities will be on full display!
Things just keep heating up for The Chainsmokers, after MTV recently crowned the group an “Artist to Watch”. “#SELFIE” was officially certified platinum by the RIAA for digital sales in excess of 1,000,000. The song also soared to #1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart within merely five weeks and reached the Top 5 on iTunes in over 43 countries. “#SELFIE” is the #6 video on YouTube’s “Top Music Videos of 2014”. Furthermore, it garnered a nomination for “Choice EDM Song” at the 2014 Teen Choice Awards and the guys have been receiving tremendous support for DJ Mag‘s “Top 100 DJs” [vote here!]
Check ‘Em Out: Streets of Laredo
Brooklyn-based, New Zealanders’ Streets of Laredo have announced their first full-length album, Volume I & II on Dine Alone Records, out October 7th. Destined to be a soundtrack for all things Fall, this album is a sing-a-long collision of jangling harmonies, stomping percussion, horns and guitars. Take a listen to their debut track “Slow Train” below. The band also premiered a teaser trailer documenting life on the road; check it out here.
Founded by close-knit family members Daniel, Dave and Sarah Jane Gibson and inspired by the fervor and madness of the 70’s folk-rock circuit, Streets of Laredo was born out of trying to escape the mundane everyday working life. Older brother Dave tells the story, “Both Dan and I had done the hard yards in bands in New Zealand but we were worn out and a little lost by it all. And broke. I was running this t-shirt company and Dan walks in one day to tell me that he’s finished with music and he’s gonna go get a real job. All of a sudden my ‘big brother’ instinct kicks in and rather than see this young songwriter throw it all away, I gave him a job doing t-shirt orders, and we started working on demos and writing songs together, pretty much day and night from then on in.”
Refining their sound and songs one holiday weekend at a beach house on the New Zealand coast, the Gibsons started to fashion a sound that was equal parts folk storytelling and psychedelic madness. With just one home-town show under their belt, a handful of demos and a whole lot of hope, they took the plunge and decided to move halfway around the world. Fast forward to the summer of 2012 and Streets of Laredo in a rehearsal space in Brooklyn NY with a guitar, a drum-machine and no money, trying to figure out what comes next.
Quickly adding fellow countryman Thom Darlow and local Brooklynites Sean McMahon and Andrew McGovern to the mix, this now rambling, multi-instrumental, seven-piece started to craft a dance-inducing mix of vocal hooks, beats and wild sounds that saw the New York music scene embrace them as their own – building a firm reputation in the music halls of Brooklyn and the Lower East Side for playing danceable, crazy songs that kept fans coming back for more – not to mention seeing the band feted as a must-see act at both CMJ and SXSW.
A quick trip back to New Zealand saw the band record the bones of ‘Volume I & II’ – ten songs inspired by their old life in NZ and their new life in NYC – in an old converted Auckland theatre where, courtesy of friendships and favors, they locked down that distinctive Streets of Laredo sound.
Like Bob Dylan running late to a Ramones concert or Paul Simon getting blind drunk with Grizzly Bear, however you describe them the resulting songs and sound have had an instant effect on fans and critics alike. Stay tuned for an upcoming US tour announcement!
Listen: Streets of Laredo – “Slow Train”
Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, listen, new albums
Newest Love: Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness – “Cecilia and the Satellite”
Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness has shared the cover art for his upcoming self-titled album, which will be released on Vanguard Records on October 14, 2014. The striking image was created by Jimmy Marble. AMITW’s first single, “Cecilia and the Satellite,” is already getting strong airplay across radio formats and is available now on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify.
Andrew is currently on tour with Matt Nathanson and Gavin DeGraw and will be performing tonight at Central Park’s Summer Stage. For other tour dates, updates and more information visit: http://www.andrewmcmahon.com/
Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, listen, new albums, Newest Love
Check ‘Em Out: Daniel Wilson – “Killed Ya”
“Wilson’s latest takes on the stylings of a gospel song but steadily marches with soulful synths and drums built upon a rock-solid foundation of a pop song nonetheless…there’s a solid chance that the skill he showcases will get stuck in your head all day” – YOURS TRULY
Detroit-based songwriter Daniel Wilson returns this week with late summer single “Killed Ya” as the first offering from his forthcoming The Boy Who Cried Thunder EP out this September via Zap Records.
Influenced by his love of the hometown heroes of Motown, classic rock ‘n’ roll and the years dedicated to singing in his church choir, the new track is an upbeat, more sophisticated departure from his beloved first EP Young Rubbish which included singles “Will You” and “Please Dream Again”.
Daniel Wilson grew up in Detroit, Michigan. His family regularly attended church and even though Wilson didn’t care for the sermons too much he loved the music. Much like the music on those Sunday mornings, his parents would pack the car full of Gospel cassette tapes.
As a child spoken for mainly by religious music, he wouldn’t dive into anything wildly different for years. He became a choirboy and found support from his choir director who encouraged him to explore his classical voice. After spending years keeping his voice hidden, too shy to sing at even family get-togethers, he slowly found the confidence to explore performing which opened up a new world of possibilities and reinvigorated his initial thirst for music.
He was born again, baptized by The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, as many big names as he could find for free on the Napster’s and Kazaas of the world. He took the Christian music with him and never let it go but was starting to realize that heaven was more than one thing, more than one place, that God could be found in Aretha Franklin asking for Respect. His bond also grew with the classical music and show tunes his choir teacher would pick out for them to sing. It helped that his mother loved musicals and watched them almost all the time.
Before long he began auditioning for solos; still couldn’t read music but his ear and voice were good enough. He was then offered the opportunity to travel Europe with BLFAC’s International Choir and ended up singing several solos on that tour – suddenly he wasn’t so afraid anymore. Being heard became something he needed, a rush that brought him closer to people, himself, a new idea of God. Before the trip to Europe he had even started writing, whether it was poems or little songs about faith, bullies, girls. He wanted to be heard, he wanted his songs to be heard.
So he used his Mom’s old tape recorder and bought some tapes just to start somewhere and sort out his ideas. One thing let to another and he finally found the money to buy cheap music software, which then led him to uploading his own music online, covers, simple collaborations with friends, fully aware that he was now on the path to finding himself, his voice. He wondered, “What else is there for me to find?”.
Listen: Daniel Wilson – “Killed Ya“
Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!
Musically Amusing 