Quick drop for your Sunday. Some chillness for you from a new Soundcloud follow of mine. Chill Sessions HD focuses exclusively on the lighter, turned down side of things. Dotting a mix with tunes from Jacoo, Enigma Dubz & Coma, plus many others I’d not caught, the hour rounds out in a gorgeously chill way. Check em out if you’re into it & enjoy the Sunday!
The Opening Part 2 kicks, with some serious high energy grooves. The scintillating production values of MitiS shine once again, with this bloopy anthemic tune to open his EP. The Original Mix tease means there’s remixes on the way, which makes me warm & fuzzy inside. Touch gets at the real signature sound that MitiS brings to the fore. There’s this triumphant synth work that picks you up and never lets you down. The tune is infectious and deceptively dubby. The vocal mix, featuring Shana J. Munson adds another excellent layer to the massive tune. It picks the energy up and combines it with some fantastic lyrical work. This is some festival ish right here. I’d mistake it for a tune off of A State of Trance if I didn’t know better.
Namaste, Alvida is a translation of Hello, Goodbye in Hindi, also the title of a particularly complex and delightful tune on the EP. The massive dubstep combined with the chilled out elements that MitiS is at most home with work splendidly. There’s a bit of a Drum & Bass feel in the second half of the tune that’s wonderful. Life is a slower, more massive tune that, much like life, you don’t start to appreciate until you’re about 30-40% of the way through it. Drearily euphoric, with amassive front end and a build that blew me away. The breakdown reminds me of some of the most victorious guitar work I’ve ever heard. Forget the Wyld Stallions, MitiS will bring peace in our time. Breezes rounds out the EP with a rambling, drum & bass tune that pulls everything together nicely. I’d love to see an acoustic version of this, because I bet it’s a blast on the piano. Hit up the EP below and show the dude some love. Trust me, he’s one of the great ones, you’ll see if you don’t yet.
Tonight, I want to bring you a project done by some amazing friends of mine. They’re down to the wire and so close to their goal so I definitely hope some of you check your pockets to make this thing happen. TOAD is an absolutely fantastic piece of art that proves you can get both form & function right. The Toad roving mobile sound vehicle blew my mind at my first PEX back in 2011. The roving DJ was jamming out and there was this party just following it, wherever it went. The thing returned in 2012 with even more DJs, sweet lights and lasers. Freaking laser beams. It has gone to some of the best underground events in NYC when space & weather allows. My photographer managed to capture it being wonderful outside of the Kostume Kult costume give away for the kids at Figment last year. Beats, costumes and kids laughing, it’s a good thing, ya know? Not only is the tech amazing, but so are the people making it happen.
Boris, Lori & David are 3 of the Burner core that keeps the underground in NYC moving. No seriously, they sometimes actually have to grease physical wheels to keep shit going. Kostume Kult produces some of the most consistently awesome parties in NYC with DK as one of the leaders of that merry band. Boris has been DJing probably longer than I’ve been alive, and if you’ve gone to an underground party, you’ve probably seen an event or an attendee decorated by Lollygoa.
I hope they’ve crossed the threshold they need for funding by the time you reach this, and I hope you give afterwards too. Every dollar will go to make Toad more fantastic. These 3 will do everything they can to use that cash wisely. Trust that you’re not going to be poolside at PEX next year with TOAD showing up with rims or weird hydraulics. Dope ass speakers and a disco ball however? Very possibly. Get at the sets in this post and just imagine that following you around. Or not, if you’re not cool enough to donate.
The producers are getting younger and younger. For this week’s motivational midnight music, get a load of this 17 year old out of Sweden. The reworking of the amazing Pendulum track “The Island” is a masterful, driving progressive house anthem that I’m kicking myself for not discovering sooner. The euphoria is strong with this kid and I’m hoping that nothing gets in his way. Because seriously, I’ve been waiting for the pendulum (you see what I did there?) to swing away from the big room electro crapola into some potent melodic. And this guy’s got the chops to lead the charge.
(I was really lucky to be given this opportunity. The DJs are getting younger and younger, with the talent continuing to skyrocket. A friend hooked me up with this shooting star coming out of PA. A progressive gem, this kid has tunes that are going to find ways into your ears at festivals soon enough. Just like Seven Lions, you heard it here first. Check out my conversation with Steve James below.)
1. What are your friends listening to these days? What is it like being a DJ in high school?
Haha, starting off strong! It’s definitely an interesting dynamic, that’s for sure. My area is fairly dominated by top 40 music, plus some country and hip hop. My friends are well aware of what I do, and a lot of them have grown to appreciate EDM – and have been super supportive – but in the end I don’t think too many are listening to much dance music outside of Steve James, truthfully. Being a DJ in high school has certainly been interesting though. I actually DJ’d my high school’s homecoming dance before I was old enough to attend. I did last year’s as well (with my homemade booth!), and the seniors loved it, but most of the underclassman didn’t appreciate all the EDM. I actually was unanimously voted out of this coming years, haha! No requests + no country + no hip hop will do that for you around here, I suppose.
2. What kind of music theory & piano training have you had? Are you planning on studying music/production after you graduate High School?
My musical background is primarily in piano. I’ve taken lessons for as long as I can remember from a close family friend. I still see him often, and even though he’s 100% classically trained, he’s grown to enjoy a lot of the stuff I show him – especially music by artists like Zedd, who use such complex writing. He’s even helped me several times by rounding out a chord progression or livening up something with some more suspensions or accidentals. I dabbled in viola for 4 years as well, but I feel like almost everything I draw from was part of my classical piano training. As for my plans with school, that’s something I’m not really concerned with yet. I started school late, so I’m a 16-year-old going into sophomore year of high school – the oldest of 120-some kids in my class. I’ll be 18 before I finish junior year. With the résumé I’m building and keeping my grades up, I know there will be options, but in a perfect world I won’t need further education if I keep working hard the next 2-3 years.
This week, we’re moving into the bassy space, with a gorgeous mix from years ago by Jaya Prime. Just in case you’ve never gotten into this, you need to put it into your face. Dotted with samples from Inception, the mix is ethereal, heavy & at times pounding when it comes to the blend of dubstep, future garage & metal. Any mix that has Burial, Sarah McLachlan remixes & Bassnectar is one you need to hear. Get into the heavy and enjoy.
Porter Robinson is having a stellar year, with this Essential Mix being a highlight. This two hour sonic voyage brings in the sensibilities of the music nerd with the inventive imagination of every crazy boy genius you’ve ever read about. The mix is lush, full, inventive and masterfully mixed. I approve of all uses of Chrome Sparks, the Clint Eastwood he drops is incredible, and there’s even a Kingdom Hearts shout out 28min in. The Flume remix of Lorde and about a dozen other great tracks are highlights. He’s got the time to really work with his sounds and it goes swimmingly. He also features a bunch of tracks off his hotly anticipated new album, so there’s another reason to put it into your face. Listen to this in the sun.
I don’t know who got on this idea, but they need to stay on it. The infusion of uptempo house beats to some of the smooth lyrical work that I’ve not found anywhere. It either comes off trappy or kitch. This gets away with fantastic audio modulation because the beat doesn’t quit and the lyrics are mature and on point. I’m looking forward to this blend of R&B, hip hop and house come together as production costs come down. A few beat makers, a vocalist & one engineer with a laptop and you’ve got your self a new clan.
Time to get out into the sun and enjoy the day. Agent Orange is coming at you with an hour of gorgeous, sophisticated techno for you to bomp while grilling or hiking or sitting on your ass with the AC blasting directly onto your sweaty, hungover body. You know, whichever. Agent Orange is one of the only people I know consistently pushing out new releases, mixes and compilations while living the Gotham life without getting a big head. Get at this guy and if you’re a producer, hire him. The Techno Master won’t disappoint you.
Now that I’m old and whiny when it comes to going out, weeknight events are a supreme rarity for me. I’m not the spry youngling I once was, able to knock out 9hrs at the office after dancing all night. However, every once and a while, I make an exception. I may need to finally show up at Verboten and watch some old friends do Brooklyn proud before a New York selectro himself. The global, deep & soulful vibes that Sabo drops are going to hold that dance floor together well into the morning. He knocked it out of the park on playa with Robot Heart I hear, so I’d imagine this will be all of the fun, none of the need for co-signers. If they keep grabbing talent like this, Outre by Evolve and Talon & Claw
Terry Gotham 