Robert DeLong is a nerd at heart. How else do you explain hacking into a Wii remote and using it as a musical instrument? GEEK ALERT. Recently voted as one of MTV’s Artists to Watch, and at the ripe young age of 25, he’s been making tidal waves in the electronic music world. He stole the spotlight at several shows during SXSW in Austin. His style is totally unique and stands apart from typical Beatport top-10 unse-bunse house DJs, incorporating elements of electro, moombahton, and pop. If I had to draw comparisons, Dillon Francis comes to mind, but DeLong adds a live performance aspect to the show. It’s impossible to classify! I caught him live at The Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco back in February and he put on a pretty awesome one-man show. His gear comes complete with a drum set, drum pad, tambourine, shakers – as well as joysticks and Wii remotes as MIDI controllers! He sings everything live, too. DeLong’s passion behind his work is extremely obvious, and his live show is a pleasant breath of fresh air. He’s paving the way for electronic artists to break away from the mold and be creative, which is something the EDM industry desperately needs. He breaks a heavy sweat by the end of each set, and you can see the raw talent dripping from his pores. Pretty legit if you ask me, and guaranteed to be different from any typical DJ that you’ll see at Coachella!
Original Repost: SXSW 2013 – Austin, Texas
SXSW 2013 Recap
Over the past week I was one of the lucky few who got to go to South By Southwest under the guise of a “work trip.” While of course I was on the clock, I also was able to enjoy the madness of what they call South By Southwest. It was my first time in Austin, and it’s true when they say everything is bigger in Texas. The Mexican food was prime. The cheap Lone Star Beer was flowing.
Monday
Now let’s get down to the music. On Monday, we threw a South By Southwest after-party on Rainey Street. It’s a street full of houses turned into bars. It was like Fraternity Row for adults. WillCall is a concert ticket app, and the only way to get into the party was to RSVP on the app. The line made its way all the way down the street. The vibe called for a hipster indie-electronic crowd, people who have their pulse on new music.
While I enjoyed of the musicians equally, I have to say that Alpine was my favorite, because the Aussies absolutely killed it live. They rocked out pretty hard and looked like they were having a great time doing it.
Alpine – Gasoline
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wSGCp5vX14
Generationals came in a close second. Their songs are super happy-go-lucky. Take a listen below… “Say For Certain” is certainly a gem!
Generationals – Say For Certain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpKNwiWUVBs
Charli XCX was also really fun, but I had no idea she was only 20. She looks like she’s 16 close up. Her song You (Ha Ha Ha) is pretty pretty catchy.
Charli XCX – You (Ha Ha Ha)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y460idoXD8g
Guards was pretty cool too, their music is more mellow but all in all the acts we booked were solid.
Tuesday
On Tuesday we went to the VEVO TV Control Room party. The setup was pretty cool, there was a big outdoor patio with pretty views of the skyscrapers. There were beer pong tables set up. Several of my male coworkers are cuckoo for HAIM, and needless to say the boys were screaming like little girls when they came on. In case you’ve never heard of them, they’re a rock band made of 3 sisters from LA. And they all pack a LOT of swag. Oh yeah and they’re all extremely attractive. And they rock out on their guitars. Their music is inspired by 80’s influences, and draw similarities to Blondie and Fleetwood Mac.
HAIM – Forever
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEwM6ERq0gc
Wednesday was a pleasant surprise. I originally went to Empire Culture Club for Goldroom, but he was done by the time I got there. So instead I went next door to the BitTorrent party and saw Rustie perform. He’s 28, but looks like a 17 year old. But the British Producer put on a really sick show. It had more of a hip hop sound than I’m used to, but it was really cool standing right in front of him watching him do his thing. At one point he started skillfully “scratching” the vinyl record to the beats, which was awesome.
Rustie – Slasherr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stT4VAnVfY4
I then went to the Brooklyn Vegan party. It was pretty fun but Delorean weren’t what I had hyped them up to be for their live performance. Their Spanish accents were endearing and I was glad I got to see “Stay Close,” but the lead singer just wasn’t up to par. I think he was tired. Also the DJ would play extremely cheesy loud horns at the end of every song. That was really obnoxious.
This RAC remix of “Stay Close” is the best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck6NkOpQrmg
The highlight of my SXSW experience definitely had to be the MTVU Woodies Festival. Their slogan is “Music College Students Love.” They had some pretty cool up and coming acts. I was so stoked to see Alt-J, a new indie band that is really innovative and unique with their sound. They remind me a bit of Edward Sharpe with some Fleet Foxes and even some racy Dave Matthews thrown in there (I mean that in a good way… ha). They’re gonna be at Coachella so make sure to put them in your schedule.
Alt-J – Something Good
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNYjOVo5IEw
Alt-J – Fitzpleasure
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npvNPORFXpc
Next up, it was HAIM time. Again. They definitely rocked the stage with their guitar solos and it was cool seeing them on a huge stage as opposed to a smaller venue. They looked like rock stars. Tegan and Sara didn’t disappoint either. You can’t really go wrong with hearing “I Just Want Back In Your Head” live.
At this point Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were the highlight of the show. I’m a fan of his pre-“Thrift Shop,” days and his entire album “The Heist” is pretty solid. Ray Dalton (John Legend’s voice twin) wasn’t a bad choice either. Ryan Lewis was pretty funny when he tried to come up from behind the DJ booth and steal the thunder away from Macklemore. Sad, but hey, when you have an extremely attractive and swaggy frontman, what else do you expect? You gotta be okay with being in the background.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Can’t Hold Us feat. Ray Dalton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBItbPi-ZU8
This the original video that made me fall in love with Macklemore.
Otherside – Macklemore
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru-LgSvOCrE
But master Zedd is the one who took the cake. When Foxes came out and sang “Clarity” I almost cried. Being a girl and singing that at the top of my lungs is the best. His transitions were perfect, and props to MTV for building a solid lightshow & stage. I guess if this is airing on national television and it’s kind of the biggest moment in your career thus far, you definitely go all out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxxstCcJlsc
Just me and BF Zedd.
All in all, SXSW is sheer madness. All the bars are open all the time, there’s free booze, delicious food, and awesome free shows to check out, providing the best of all possible worlds in music — from smaller, tiny bands to huge headlining artists, and if you’re a music fanatic like me and like to rage, it’s impossible not to have a good time.
Odesza – In Return (NEW FULL LENGTH ALBUM)
Odesza, the Seattle two-piece electronic trip hop duo consisting of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, have released a full length album today called In Return. It’s a pretty cool combo of trip hop, psychedelia, tropical house, and indie pop-rock, without losing the Burning Man vibes. It’s an interesting sound that is more than eager to please, and screams uplifting lyrics and positive vibrations. The sound starts small and cute but slowly starts dripping its way into your headphones and lifting your spirits up, and before you even know what’s happening to your brain, the delicious melodic drop hits and suddenly everything is okay in the world. With “In Return,” the duo prove they’re capable of mastering many different types of genres and sounds.
Oliver Heldens – Summer Mixtape #5
Oliver Heldens is my most recent favorite DJ/Producer/Prodigy obsession from the Netherlands. From legends like Tiesto and Armin to more recent stars like Hardwell and Avicii, the Dutch have truly mastered that Dutch House sound. Part of what makes them so good at what they do is because of the massive role that EDM plays in pop culture on that side of the world. Young people often start producing and DJing as soon as they start walking. Oliver Heldens, at just a tender 19 years old (he was born in ’95), has already put in his 10,000 hours — The result is an incredibly unique sound, not to mention impeccable mixing.
What’s most intriguing to me about Oliver Heldens is that he melds my two favorite genres of house, DEEP HOUSE (thick/dark bassline) and BIG ROOM HOUSE (think big, catchy rave tunes that hit hard and fill the area with sound). It’s an addicting combination that I can’t get enough of. Feast your ears on this Summer Mixtape to keep you dancing through the work week.
Stay High (Habits Remix) – Tove Lo
PREMIERE: Campus Point feat. Jordan Corey – “The Floor”
Rolling in from the salty sea of the idyllic Santa Barbara beach life, something’s come splashing out of the Pacific Ocean waves. Santa Barbara/SoCal Natives Campus Point and Jordan Corey‘s first collab, “Do You Want Me.” Originating from that lazy beach town life of Keystone Lights, sunsets, snappa/beer die games and midnight ocean skinny-dipping, we get the sense of the college-town influences, muddled with a new, matured, and modern sound — a funky-fresh dance tune that’s sure to transform dance halls of 2014 into Studio 54’s. Jordan Corey‘s soulful and seductive croons, rivaling a young Nadia Ali, complement the impeccable combo of clean piano transitions and irresistible Gorgon City-like deep house vibes, all with an added splash of tropical house. Sure to be a standard anthem of Spring and Summer, Campus Point will transport you to a simpler time of dance, funk, barefoot island raves and neon bathing suits, hand-in-hand with that low-key beachy bassline that we all crave.
Symbiosis Gathering 2013 – Woodward Reservoir, Oakdale, CA
It’s taken me about 2 weeks to recover from Symbiosis as well as adjust to a new 5am shift at work, but I’m finally finding some time to write about my experience at Symbiosis. Dubbed “Burning Man In a Bottle” [aka Lightning in a Bottle + Burning Man], Symbiosis Gathering was the talk of the City and my Facebook feed for several weeks. My friend, a seasoned Burner and Festivalgoer, tipped me off to the festival on my way home from HARD Summer a few months ago. I checked out the lineup, which included the likes of STS9, Shpongle, Polica, RL Grime, Lunice/Hudson Mohawke, Emancipator and Purity Ring, and my curiosity was piqued. I had to check out what all the fuss was about.
The 5 day festival was held on the Full Lunar Moon weekend (September 19-23) at the Woodward Reservoir in Oakdale, CA. I arrived to a dust-laden security-guard hippie, who was all-smiles and set the positive vibes for the weekend. I parked and started walking towards the multi-colored lights and heavy bass music in the distance. After seeing the eccentric and bizzare festival garb people were wearing, I felt a bit out of place in my shirt and shorts. I arrived to the campgrounds and downed a Lagunitas. The festival was unlike any other festival I’ve been to. Most of the people in attendance could be categorized as hippies, free thinkers, tree huggers, organic living enthusiasts. It was an out of body experience but I never felt unsafe or strange. Everyone I encountered was very kind. It was pretty awesome.
I only attended for two nights, but I definitely saw some quality music. The Empire of Love stage was definitely a standout, and I never thought I’d be so into Psytrance, but Positive Thought completely shut the place down. The dark, eerie bass and synth lines pulsing through my body at a high BPM speed induced zombie like dance moves, interspersed with intense jumping up and down to the beat. RL Grime played some quality trap, and STS9 was magnificent. They are fantastic musicians and I love a good orchestra of live instruments. The guitarist was exceptional.
It was a new experience and a different kind of festival than I’ve been to. I never felt unwelcome, and I admired the festival’s commitment to Organic Food, recycling/composting, yoga/lifestyle workshops, art installations, and their “no trace left behind” attitude. I will definitely be going back.
Album Review: Secondhand Rapture – MS MR
I’ve seen the initials “MS MR” here and there on blogs, but never fully gave the album a chance. And after hearing Secondhand Rapture the whole way through, I understand why I didn’t hear about it earlier. It’s alright, but it’s better suited in the background of an MTV commercial.
MS MR, the seapunk New York boy-girl duo pronounced “Miss Mister” consists of Vassar College ’10 grads: lead singer Lizzy Plapinger and producer Max Hershenow. Together, they serve up some cute electro-indie pop that sounds like the copycat little sister of Polica and Chvrches. Lizzy’s voice is cute, but she’s no Florence Welch. Some of her vocal tricks remind me of Icona Pop and Avril Lavigne. That might be an unfair comparison, and don’t get me wrong, the album’s solid. And I’ve got to give the girl major props for helping to start Neon Gold Records, which have produced tracks for Passion Pit, Gotye, and Marina & The Diamonds. She’s got an okay voice, no doubt. But it’s meek, shy, and unmemorable. Show us some RANGE, girl! The vocals and the production sound a bit monotone and repetitive. They need to push the envelope and show me something revolutionary.
Overall, the album starts out strong, but it hits a plateau and can’t recover. “Salty Sweet” wasn’t impressive. It’s not memorable, and it’s not groundbreaking. The tracks have potential, but they sound like they’re still in pre-production and need some more work.
Final Grade: C-
Oliver – The Night Is On My Mind
I seriously can’t get enough of Oliver! Ever since I listened to the new Mechanical EP and saw the duo kill it at HARD Summer, I’ve been addicted to their nu-disco, electro-infused, ultra-sexy jams. Gentlemen, get ready. Once the video hits the halfway point it’s enough to convert any electronic non-believer with an XY chromosome. Watch out, I foresee big things happening for these guys.
Album Review: Halcyon Days – Ellie Goulding
The 26-year-old British songstress Ellie Goulding has announced the release of “Halcyon Days,” which is essentially an Extended version of her original album, “Halcyon,” with some fresh new goodies added. Smart marketing tactics on Ellie’s staff’s part, since the enormously talented singer with the voice of an angel has come out with hit…after HIT… AFTER HIT… in the first half of the year 2013. The original album, Halcyon, out earlier this year, was above-average on its own, whose standout track “Anything Could Happen” was widely played on the radio and the blogosphere. The first half of the album is comprised of Ellie’s works on the original album, and is a bit somber and depressing at times, but undeniably moving and tear-inducing. “Figure 8,” “JOY,” and “Dead in The Water” are clearly from a darker place in Ellie’s soul. But this massive album serves as somewhat of an art collection, and is meant to be appreciated in its entirety. So read on.
The second, more uplifting, half of Halcyon Days is meant to mirror the first half, and solidifies Ellie Goulding’s status as a musical entrepreneur. (Just a thought: If the original Halcyon was meant to be listened to at “Night” or in the “Dark”, then maybe the term “Days” was added to juxtapose the original effort and signify the positive change.) Released earlier this summer, the massive hit “Burn” went platinum in the UK. Her collab with young French prodigy Madeon on “Stay Awake” gives it a modern electronic vibe and proves that Ellie’s not willing to conform to your standard pop-princess mold. And last but not least, her awesome, jazzy, sax-y rendition of Alt-J’s “Tessellate” showcase her raw edge and ability to take any track and make it completely her own, as witnessed by her covers of Passion Pit and Temper Trap. Her musical vision is best experienced by listening to the album as a whole, and is a testament that her music is an effortless, natural talent that continues to stay relevant, fresh, and innovative.
Tessellate & Burn are below. Listen to the full album for free on Rdio!
the drop 