Monthly Archives: July 2015

#FestFriday – Water + Your Body

Posted on by

Come join the conversation on Twitter! Use #FestFriday to join the pool party! We’re talking about water, your body and festivals.

ravelrie

Welcome to #FestFriday! What is #FestFriday? It’s a dialogue where we discuss important health and safety issues within festival culture. This round’s topic is WATER and your body. Sure, we’ve covered all aspects of hydration – what happens when you’re not hydrated enough, and what happens when you’re over hydrated – but we’ve never had a chat about how water is important to your body as a whole. If you want more info, join me, @staysafeseattle, @NYDanceSafe, & @terrygotham on twitter this afternoon at 4:30pm EST / 1:30pm PST, on twitter! 

View original post 330 more words

The Techno Ghetto – the History of Dance Music at Burning Man

Posted on by

It’s a lot bigger than diplo & Robot Heart. Trust that the intolerance of electronic dance music by the older universe at BM is the same level of shit you get from a techno head in his late 30’s when you talk about chillstep.

The cycle continues.

Burners.Me: Me, Burners and The Man

Recent announcements from the Org make it seem like Burning Man is trying to deal with Electronic Dance Music like it’s a new problem. In fact, this is not the case. Burning Man has been taking place in the desert since 1990 and ravers started playing there in 1992, the third party. Since then, rave has grown from a few DJs to more than 5,000 different sets listed in Rockstar Librarian last year.

Not only was it fine to post the names of DJs on flyers from the very beginning, it was also personally endorsed by Larry Harvey.

burning man 1992 djs and lasers Burning Man Flyer Advertising DJs, 1992

DJ Niles recalls:

I was DJ Niles and organized the first rave at Burning Man. I met with Larry Harvey in his kitchen to pitch him on the idea and he thought amplified music would be awesome at BM though warned me that any of…

View original post 3,448 more words

Midweek Music: Kasbo, Kasum, Le Dos-on, TroyBoi & Armand Van Helden

Posted on by

summerI saw sweaters & darker colors at Uniqlo this week, which means only one thing. We’re hitting the back end of July & there aren’t many moist summer weekends left in NYC. Don’t let them go to waste folks, still lots of time to have experiences that you’ll remember forever. Here’s a soundtrack for while you’re having them, or even for while you’re just scheming/dreaming about em.
KASBO kicks us off with a sun drenched future bass delight that needs to be on your beach playlist. A vibe that can only be described as triumphant melancholy, a rooftop bar feel that melds with almost sad vocals, twisted & stretched into sonic taffy.  After this single, you’re going to definitely mob Kasum‘s social media. The soundtrack of high school for the older millennials & I has been reworked by Kasum into a scintillating, shimmering day club tune. The syncopated bassline fused with the perfect 3EB vocals has been repped by the original band & you really need to bomp this with the windows open. The only thing you can say to yourself is TUNE! This is the gem of the week, so make sure to tell Kasum how dope it is.  Switching gears entirely, I’m delighted to showcase a track that will be entirely too hard/fast for a great number of you. It’s from a genre called Freeform Trance. The hallmarks of this genre include exceptionally fast BPM, heavy low-end, trance-infused melodies, major chords and a throw back to happy hardcore, that goofy genre that exploded across the world during the Rave movement of the 90’s. This stuff is anything but dopey. This genre holds (in my opinion) the hardest & most powerful builds/breakdowns/drops. The build that crescendos at 2:50 and rises into the massive drop at 3:30 is indicative of a genre & scene that would blow past most of the brolectro & even the hardcore dubstep out there. This stuff is not for the faint of heart, but if you’re into it, there’s nothing else like it. Le Dos-On is what he goes by, but you may have also heard of him by the name of Hyphen. Freeform Trance from Japan Tell your friends you listen to it and they’ll think you gained a level in EDM hipster points 😉  TroyBoi is a shining star. The Future R&B wunderkind blends garage, global bass, chill & some distinctly UK sensibilities. Nefera provides stellar vocals that Troyboi drizzles perfect chords and bass over. This track is less than a week old & it’s already racked 127,000 hits. You may not have heard of TroyBoi, but you will. This dude is skyrocketing to the top of the production pyramid, as these precious 4 minutes demonstrate. Rounding out the pack this week is the always on time Armand Van Helden. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, you’ve got years of music to listen to. Helden essentially created the pop remix for everyone not playing the home game. He brings in a deep, but surprisingly round & technical feel to one of the new singles off Disclosure’s album CARACAL. It’s a fluid, signature 90’s flow with an impressive dual drop structure. This is one for the warehouses, the club, the tech house music dens all over the world. A DJ track start to finish, so EDM kids, you’re gonna be mad. Or you’re going to love it. Hit up the comments and tell me which.

Burning Man Creates Dance Music Zone

Posted on by

Such shit. The backpedaling, now that the 1% can’t deal with massive sound, is so shameful. It’s like a club sending their GA attendees to a party across the street.

Burners.Me: Me, Burners and The Man

MadMax4set1small

BMOrg have created a new area for art cars with Level 3 sound systems called the Dance Music Zone. A mile from The Man, between 10:30-11:15 & K. They will be setting up portapotties at each end of the DMZ – so, if you need the toilet at night, head towards the loudest sound system.

Of course, in typical propagandist fashion, they have to tell us that rules aren’t rules: they are giving new permissions, not creating new restrictions. They should just go full Yin/Yang, and create half the party as a music zone, and half the party as a yoga/TED talks/early to bed zone.

from DMV:

DANCE MUSIC ZONE (DMZ): LEVEL 3 SOUND MUTANT VEHICLE PARKING

———————————————————–

This year we are establishing a deep playa zone where level three mutant vehicles can park for more than 3 hours.

The zone will be 5,340 feet from The Man between the 10:30 and 11:15…

View original post 196 more words

DXM, Promethazine & Lil Wayne: An Observation

Posted on by

First hit for “high on cough syrup” by the way.

Today, I wanted to present a small observation I found kind of interesting relating to, but not exactly about today’s #DFF on DXM/Cough Syrup. Cough syrup is used all over the world, with a varying degree of narcotic in them, depending on the specific laws surrounding opiates. For example, in France, you can get cough syrup with small amounts of pain killers in it. In the USA, the prescription strength cough syrup has both codeine (moderately potent opiate) & promethazine (sedative & weak anti-psychotic). Compare this to the active ingredient in over the counter cough syrup & the drug that many college kids experiment with, Dextromethorphan, an “antitussive,” or cough suppressant with mild sedative/dissociative properties.
This is why when you & your friends got fucked up cough syrup it felt like you were in a vomity K-hole, while Bieber, Lil Wayne & Soulja Boy are walking around, slurring their words & getting their “lean on.” The motivations for doing DXM include the psychedelic aspects & the hilarious lack of independent limb control at higher doses, though, that part of the drug is more entertaining for everyone around you. Sizzurp, or Purple Drank, has a very different effect, combining a weapons grade painkiller & sedative. If you ever wondered why the rap was so fluid & almost slurred, it’s because he is almost asleep. If you want to know why people consume this, the best way I’ve ever heard it described was from a case manager at a homeless shelter in the South Bronx. He reminded me that you can sip on sizzurp all day, quietly & slowly, and still be “more fucked up” than everyone at the party drinking Champagne or Hennessy or any alcohol. That meaning, you were intoxicated, but quickly, & cheaply, and remained at a low-level plateau all day. You didn’t ratchet up from buzzed to drunk to blacked out. Plus, you weren’t consuming alcohol, so you didn’t start fights/get violent which frequently got the cops called on parties. But this is where the funny part comes in. DXM does not provide the same effects of Purple Drank. But because of the explosion in popularity of Lil Wayne, & other rappers who embraced the cocktail, I wonder how many kids are out there unsure of the difference. I wonder how many Beliebers saw that he was drinking something that had cough syrup in it, then absolutely had to hit up a Walgreen’s on the way home. I definitely know kids who have “I swallowed 20 DXM gelcaps” stories. And, as we all know, those stories usually involve projectile vomit or descriptions of how their bookshelf turned into a pack of wolves. The other drug, definitely developed some cache, showing up on Instagram over and over, even getting repped in a Future rap video.

At the end of the day, DXM is not a particularly safe drug, as most cough syrup comes with other ingredients that are quite toxic in large doses. This means that if you consumed enough DXM to get fucked up, you’d probably make yourself sick from one of the other additives. Also, DXM addiction is real, and it sucks. When more than half users report flashbacks & general apathy, and 25% report nightmares and impaired memory for weeks after not doing the drug, just because it’s over the counter, doesn’t mean it won’t fuck you up. I have known people who lost summers & years to this, sipping on a cough syrup bottle. And they weren’t even rappers. For more safety info, or to swap stories, join Ravelrie, Stay Safe Seattle & NY DanceSafe at 4:30p/1:30p PST using #DXMFFCJ1LGEjVEAAc3Dd

Ten Questions With Terry Gotham: Linnae Ponté – The Zendo Project

Posted on by

For everyone who missed it, check out my interview with the director of The Zendo Project. This crucial program provides psychedelic harm reduction for Burners & Lightning in a Bottle Festival attendees. They’ve recently expanded to Boom Festival & AfrikaBurn, tomorrow, the world!

Burners.Me: Me, Burners and The Man

I am honored to be bringing you this chat I had with Linnae Ponté, director of The Zendo Project. This effort, funded by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), provides psychedelic harm reduction at Burning Man. This is one of those crucial services that can only be found at Burning Man, and nowhere else in the festival landscape. Trained professionals help people through (not out of) difficult experiences, and have probably saved someone you know from a really bad night on the playa. They’re currently raising money to have 2 locations at Black Rock City this year, and definitely need our help. If you’ve got it, they could use it. And most likely, when you’ve taken too much Saturday night, they’re going to be the ones taking care of you. CrowdRX may be in over their heads this year, so I anticipate The Zendo Project will need…

View original post 1,649 more words

Midweek Music: White Boys, MitiS, GRMM, Lookas, KSHMR & Vaski

Posted on by

These Irish guys said they’d let me know when their new single was out and they came through. This is a funky, indie flavored track that really makes me want to go to the party this was filmed at. Excellent effort by White Boys, and I can’t wait to see where they go with this sound. Here’s to hoping they invite me to the next party. I’ll show up. Even if it’s in Dublin. That kind of scene is totally worth a hop across the pond for.

GRMM is an Australian stunner on Hegemon records. This future tune took me by surprise. It almost shimmers as it smooths along the avenue. Travolta Cool is such a clever title for a relaxed track like this. Now I’ll be following this dude around the internet like the weird, creepy sonic stalker I am.

MitiS is a force of nature. I don’t care if you’ve followed him for years like I have, or if this is the first time you’ve heard one of his tunes. His signature fusion of electro, progressive, trance & chillout make him an act to remember. I interviewed him way back when. Who knows if he even remembers now that he’s a big star. If you don’t know why, put Forever into your face.

This Song Is Sick debuted a stupendous chillstep track this weekend. KSHMR & Vaski collab with Francisca Hall for a lovely, edgy dubstep track that keeps it taut. This one is some new hotness that should be getting a lot of attention this week already.

 Lookas keeps things real, and I’m so glad to hear some originals from this guy after a string of dope remixes. This kind of anthem trap that gives you hope for the future and doesn’t remind me of white guys with dreadlocks at all. When it could be performed live with a drum line you know it’s dope.

Treetops’ Freedom BBQ: Small Party Vibe, Big Party Sound

Posted on by

.gif by Daniel Montuoro

“Oh yea, Troutman is right over there,” a young, slick gentleman told me, who was walking the same direction. I’d gotten turned around, and as the mind goes when you get older, he directed me in the right way to Lot 45. There was a tech house party for me to get to, and with the ambient explosions, I didn’t want to end up lost and get blown away by an errant Roman candle.  The magistrate of massive bass himself, DJ Pony, was in the final moments of his set as I slid through the doors, so instead of making the rounds & saying hi to people, I ducked into a dark corner and jammed out to the precious last minutes of the deep dopeness. Deep dopeness isn’t a thing, but we can pretend. It’s one of those freedoms guaranteed to us by the founding father somethings. This also gave me the freedom to gawk at the utterly gorgeous visual art by Levitation Theory. This kind of projection was fantastic. If you don’t believe me, just check this out.

.gif by Daniel Montuoro

Yes, it was that bonkers all night. And it didn’t just stay looking like psychedelic eye candy, there was a significant amount of imagery that gave the mind something to play with as well. Watching a DJ from Berlin drop dope tech house while seeing plastic army men rotate on an American Flag backdrop was enough. Even the biggest partier probably took a seat and thought about the meaning of freedom at least once in the night. Even if it was waiting on line for the bar, the modern unisex WC bathrooms or the food truck! That’s right. I got a delicious burger and hand cut fries while I listened to Dan Caster tear shit up. Lot 45 was unique in that it had a decently sized dance floor, a bunch of couches AND a chill space outside with more seating, food and a separate smoking area.  While all of this seems a little extravagant, it had this very understated feel to it. The couches were comfortable and 2nd hand while the music was minimal, but utterly perfect for the venue. The population was dense but never packed or oppressive. I didn’t see a single instance of groping, grinding, bro stupidity, pretentious Berghain refrencing, or overdone costumes. There were people dressed in Freedom (take that however you’d like, what you’re imagining was probably there) for the event, but there was also an Owl mascot costume. I’m not kidding, here’s proof.
86While we all enjoyed the spectacle and the dance floor, we all knew why we were here. Treetops had brought over some of the best talent out there and Eelke Kleijn had people tittering 5 minutes in. I haven’t seen people titter in years. There were girls skipping onto the dance floor holding streamers, while fireworks went off in the background. How’s that for a Freedom set? 79 Eelke Kleijn had been given room to work. Freedom to stretch his wings & walk around. His hard-hitting fusion of progressive, techno & house elements was staggering. The room was throbbing with energy and the set was way, way better than I had any right to experience., Treetops gave him an extended set so his mastery of the medium really came through. If you were somewhere boring like the Hamptons or the Jersey Shore (for shame) and didn’t hear this, I am sad for your ears & serotonin receptors. They would’ve liked this quite a bit. To get a taste of it, check out his podcast, Outside the Box. He just finished his 100th episode, so now you’ve got taste & round numbers to motivate you to listen to it.

I had to be up the next day so I missed the closing act, Teddy Roosevelt. I know, that makes me sound like a terrible American. Which, for missing this guy’s set, I totally am. Here’s just a taste of this dude’s power (don’t worry, he’s nowhere near his final form) and get excited for the next Treetops event after the burn.

This is Terry Gotham, see you on the American dance floor.

Photos by the Irrepressible Daniel Montuoro

Midweek Music: Avicii, Ferry Corsten, Wyclef Jean, Delta Heavy & More!

Posted on by

Between July 4th & Labor Day, people check blogs less, they vacation more & need tunes to move to. For the summer, instead of doing music at night, I’ve decided to try something different. I’m going to try and put together a weekly set of tracks, most new, but the occasional oldie/goodie, for you, my faithful readers. Let me know if it’s a good idea.  Ferry Corsten remains one of my most favorite DJs, though he rarely gets to spin the music I love him for. Even though when he headlines mainstages, he does a lot of electro house & progressive, in my mind, he will always be a pure trance DJ. With this release and his recent new Gouryella track, it’s as if he has been reading my mind. The break at 3:19 is one of the best in the world and has been for years. This is a staple in his sets across Europe, but I’ve definitely been privileged enough to hear it on our shores on more than one occasion.  Mixmag premiered one of the better remixes of Giorgio Moroder’s new track “74 is the new 24.” Yes, that’s actually the name of the track, he’s really getting down and funky at 74. The tune has some interesting little guitars and some “I clearly listen to Daft Punk” vocoding effects which are totally welcome. It’s got a vintage, funky feel, while keeping the energy up in a 90’s dance kind of way. Kris Menace & Lifelike have grabbed my attention with this track, so y’all should keep an eye on them with me.
 Avicii is back, and he brought Wyclef Jean & Matisyahu with him. It’s a strange departure for Avicii and I wonder who wanted this deal to come together most out of the trio. Matisyahu & Wyclef Jean drop perfectly capable/dope rhymes, and the reggae vibes on this are strong. Avicii brings in the bluegrass & country influences from his previous work, as you can hear in the builds and lead up to the chorus. This is definitely a step in a new direction so definitely let me know if it’s something you’re feeling.   Bringing the energy down entirely is Glo. This downtempo/chill artist has studied at the School of Burial and we’re all better for it. I cannot get enough of this kind of sound. Do not play this for people on drugs, but if you’re sad, you just got dumped, or if you’re just walking in the rain, this is your jam. I know it’s mine, and if you want more, check out glo’s album saknad here. The list of tracks is fantastic, and it will get you through.  Last but certainly not least, Delta Heavy‘s got a new jam that’s out July 17th. This is no bullshit Drum & Bass. Classic, perfect Delta Heavy, like only he can be. Delta Heavy is able to use female rock vocals in a way I don’t think anyone else in the space besides Flux Pavilion can touch. And now I want to see a Delta Heavy/Flux Pavilion b2b set.

That’s it folks, leave a comment if you liked this format & want to see it again, or if I should get back to a track a day. I live to serve.