Elements Lakewood Delivers Yet Another Incredible Weekend!

It’s an extremely daunting task for young festivals to put on their sophomore event. “The first year was the best” is one of the most common things you’ll hear about any given festival, but Elements Lakewood took every piece of magic they created their inaugural year and enhanced it exponentially. 

As soon as you step foot on the grounds of that summer camp in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania there is a feeling of welcoming and comfort you can’t get anywhere else. The greatest part of Elements Lakewood is the wonderful acceptance and freedom you get to experience as both an individual and as a family. On top of all of that, the artists themselves seem to weave an air of exceptionalism in their sets hardly seen anywhere else. Everyone throws down on an incredible level, and performances soar to unfathomable levels. 

A Return to Jam: Lotus and Tycho at the Skyline Stage

Growing up the son of a Dead Head instilled a respect for the longform musicianship of groups like Santana, The Grateful Dead, and Widespread Panic, and even ushered in a fandom for more modern incarnations such as Dave Matthews Band, Dispatch, and Rusted Root, at a young age. I think it’d been about eight years since I last saw The Allman Brothers Band with my father, and last weekend I decided it was time to revisit my roots with Lotus at the Mann Center’s Skyline Stage in Philadelphia, PA.

I’d had my eye on this show for a while as one of my favorite ambient electronic groups, Tycho, was slated to be the opener for the show. I’d heard tales of Lotus before, and only ever good things, so I thought it would be a good way to catch a favorite of mine while opening the doors to some new music — and I wasn’t disappointed.

Pimlico Calling: My Return to Moonrise Music Festival

Earlier this month, I found myself back in Baltimore, Maryland attending Moonrise Music Festival for the second year in a row. I’d witnessed a handful of electronic music acts over the years, and attended music festivals since 2012, but it wasn’t until Moonrise 2015 that I truly discovered the wonderful world of electronic music events. There’s a seemingly endless amount of possibilities when you cross the threshold of one of these festivals, and for me, Moonrise was my electronic genesis. Needless to say, without my experience at Moonrise 2015, I wouldn’t have pursued the events that I have this past year, and I wouldn’t be writing about them today.

It’s crazy to imagine that just over a year ago I was attending Moonrise as a novice electronic music fan, and this year I was invited to attend as a member of the press.

Bass Center 2016 Raises The Bar For Artist’s Special Events

A little over seven months ago I journeyed to Hampton, Virginia to experience a two night event called BassLights. Not only did it provide me with the material for my first published article, but it opened me up to a whole new world of music. This past weekend I was able to build upon that first article, and that first event, by flying out to Denver, Colorado for the rebranded Bass Center hosted by electronic music mastermind Lorin Ashton, aka Bassnectar.

The event took place at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park just outside of Denver in Commerce City, Colorado. Soccer fields outside the stadium were converted to campgrounds, the roads and walkways leading to the venue taken over by hand-picked vendors and numerous activities in which attendees could partake. From the moment you turned down E. 56th Ave to get to the stadium, you could see the tents and Bass Center flags, as well as the towering stage peeking up from inside the field.

The lineup itself was worth the adventure, but the experience as a whole will last with me for a lifetime. Featured on the diverse list of acts were Minnesota, Lupe Fiasco, Flying Lotus, and Flux Pavilion on Friday July 29th, and Thriftworks, G. Jones, AlunaGeorge, Porter Robinson, and Wu Tang Clan on Saturday July 30th. Each night would conclude with an unbelievable extended set from Bassnectar, totaling close to 5 hours of music. The months leading up to the festival were filled with buzz, anticipation, and speculation about what might be in store for us when we arrived; but nothing could have prepared us for what we experienced.

“Snailed It!” - A Unique Experience In Grimy Music and Bone Rattling Bass

If you were to poll ten people on the street about whether or not they’d enjoy a genre of music described as “vomitstep,” I am willing to guarantee that all ten of them would give you a disgusted look and turn away, probably somewhat offended. The crowds of people who swarmed Webster Hall on Friday night for Snails’ special brand of filth, however, would utter something more along the lines of “yes, please.” This was my first time getting Snailed, and I can say it was most definitely a slimy, yet satisfying experience.

Snails is a French-Canadian producer from Montreal who earned his stripes with Kannibalen Records in 2012. Since then, his rise has been meteoric (to say the least). Bending and twisting sounds to near organic frequencies, Snails’ brand of bass music has left dubstep fans in awe. His unique sound has garnered him attention from some of the biggest names in the electronic music world, and earned him a spot on Skrillex’s heavy-hitting label OWSLA. When I saw he was playing the EDC pre-party at Webster Hall, I knew it was my duty to attend and try to describe my experience to the outside world.

Big Things Planned For Party Favor This Summer

Last summer, I attended my first electronic music festival ever — Moonrise Festival at Pemlico Race Track in Baltimore, MD. I still remember leaving Porter Robinson’s set early because there was no way I was going to miss even a second of Party Favor closing out the Celestial Garden stage. He was the last artist to play the smallest stage of the festival, and he was up against three of the biggest names on the lineup: The Glitch Mob, Zeds Dead, and Above & Beyond. There had to be less than 400 people at his set, but it will stand out in my memory as one of the most energetic live performances I’ve ever seen. That fall, I made my way to Webster Hall to catch his co-headlining tour with Brillz, “Twonk di Nation” and was wowed once again.

A Conversation With GRiZ: Funky Tunes From A Righteous Dude

On the day that GRiZ announced the specific, yet accurately titled, “My Friends and I Decided to Come to Your City & Play Some Super Rad Small Shows While I Write My Next Album” Tour, I knew that I was going to have to be quick on the draw to earn myself a spot inside the event. Within minutes of the release I was furiously typing away on my keyboard hoping to reach someone who could get me through the door. It’s not everyday that a producer who just sold out Red Rocks comes and plays a ~250 capacity venue like The Studio at Webster Hall. This was going to be intimate, and this was going to be phenomenal.

The entire tour sold out in a matter of seconds.

I Sat Down With RJD2 to Talk Remixes, Staying Current, and Artistry

I walked into Brooklyn Bowl on Tuesday night with a lot of nervous excitement keeping my heart at a rapid BPM. The place was relatively empty, as I walked up to the will-call window and requested my media pass before moving into the venue and dialing up RJ Krohn on my cell phone. No answer. I anxiously paced around the venue, until I noticed RJ working with some cables and his laptop behind the turntables on stage. I approached him and introduced myself, and he was immediately apologetic; apparently a cancelled flight delayed his arrival to just fifteen minutes before doors had opened. I told him to take his time, I was flexible.

The place began to fill up, and a vast assortment of humans made their way through the doors and into the open venue. I received a text from RJ telling me he’d be ready to meet shortly, so I moseyed along through the dance floor as DJ Thanksgiving Brown warmed the crowd up. I met RJ, who led me up and into the green room. Once again, that nervous excitement and inability to keep my voice from shaking took hold, and I’m sure it was obvious that I was just a tiny bit fan-boying.

BassLights, The Mothership, and My Electronic Odyssey

If you had told me last summer that I’d be spending a weekend in December attending one of the biggest electronic events of the year, I’d have laughed in your face. But here I am — a couple of weeks later — reliving the unforgettable weekend in my head over and over again. It all began with my friend Matt Hastings, and a simple question on a rain filled night: “So, what’s the deal with Bassnectar?” Before I knew it, I was following Matt down the rabbit hole; destined to follow as deep as he would take me — a rabbit hole that began with BassLights.