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Whatsup Internet, Z here again and today I felt like I had to share
some personal hotness from my collection I feel wasn't getting enough
attention in the EDM scene in the U.S. let alone the rest of the world
away from the U.K. which even in itself is in spades. So for today's
artist overview is on none other than Raf Riley.
The onslaught of a producer Riley is a 21 year
old from North London who is currently signed to Labrinth's Odd Child
Recordings and is creative quite a stir in the underground for those
who pay attention to what I call the "release flow" of music.
His style mixes everything from Trap, Drum and Dubstep, Moombahton,
and other influences on all sides of the spectrum cultivating a sound
that is very much his own and can't even be called any of the genres
he decides to take from and build upon. I was literally taken aback
by his producerial genius a couple weeks ago as I sampled some tracks
so here at EGP today I wanna share with you this bit of EDM gold. I'm
warning you here, prepare to be blown away, at least I was. I think you
guys trust me enough, now don't ya?
This first track is off his recently released EP Dog Unit, which by the way is available free, and this impressive beast of a song is a certified BANGER. His incorporation of Drumstep stylings
twisted into a form only known as Raf Riley with an almost surrealistic
feel to its highs, well placed and crunched into a almost royal sounding
overtone complete with crushing intense bass and drumplay. Etta Bond x Raf Riley - Boring Bitches by Raf Riley
This next one is featuring vocals from Etta Bond. Her and Raf Riley have another free EP out called ETTA BOND X RAF RILEY for your listening pleasure. This song is just as impressive with a Trap outing that quickly destroys the wall into some more intense
bass-play. This is sure to get spun at many events soon, and I for one
can't wait to hear this dropped.
This next one is the first track off the Dog Unit EP, and this is Trap at its finest. It creatively mixes that police siren sample in a way that doesn't make me pissed off at it, and that's a feat in itself. The 808 bass is something else and its interludes
are surprisingly funky. Making a whole ensemble that feels like something you'd listen to in the future in some far off time where music has evolved beyond comprehension.
I personally believe Raf Riley might be the next big thing especially with the whole Trap movement coming on up in the EDM scene. Keep your ears open, and expect a lot from him. I know I'm gonna be on the lookout for any shows or events in the area that he
might spin at. If this isn't enough to make you keep him on the radar then I don't know what is.
So, The Polish Ambassador has returned with more news of a future filled
with space aged beats. His new album "Superpowers" (which is being
released FREE on his website on August 1st) is a marked departure from his last release, Homeboys in Outerspace 2. Sounding more similar in tone to his more recent Explosions in the Sky and Bon Iver remixes, this new EP has six
originals that seem to suggest the Ambassador is trying to increase the
population of his listeners in more ways than one. This is
straight baby-making music with a beat. Equally befitting night stargazing on an
empty beach or a trek home from whatever strange planets your adventures have brought you. You can check out the albums first single
"Earth Crush" on his soundcloud now, and while you're there you should catch up with all his music. If you haven't been following The Polish Ambassador
already, do a little homework 'cause this mans music is
definitely out of this world.
You can catch The Polish Ambassador live on tour. He appearing this Sunday, July 29th at Catalpa on
Randalls Island, New York, and at Gnarnia in Beech Mountain, North Carolina. The Polish Ambassador's live performance is something you
have to see to believe. Imagine a non-stop flow of every type of song,
regardless of genre or generation, that makes it impossible to stand
still. I frequently refer to his last NY appearance in March with
Stephan Jacobs and Alpha Data as minute-for-minute the best show I had
ever seen in NY, and I am looking forward to as much time with the
Ambassador as I'm allowed.
Yo
Whatup?! Z here again and I just had to share with you something that
literally blew me away when I was at Camp Bisco 11. I found myself separated
from Wish[Paus3] and Fitz, so I decided to take my good friend Josh
around for some sight seeing in the late nights on Friday. We found
ourselves at the door of the Silent Disco neatly tucked away on the
outskirts of the festival with an impressive underwater decor theme and a
caged dance floor and a cool versus-style DJ setup. They had two DJs
every set to go on the wireless headphones off two FM channels. The
headphones were some of the best I've ever used by the way, on top of
being wireless with no delay. I thought it was a cute idea but I didn't
really give it any thought to who might be there until earlier that
morning Alpha Data
had told me he would be playing again later in the Silent Disco. Being that he's one of my favorite glitch hop DJs made me realize I
should be spending a lot more time there, and boy was I right in deciding
that.
I
Had no Idea what to expect from The EDM producer and DJ, Jasha Tull, I
mean really? Space Jesus? I had thought the name was funny in a cheesy
way. Maybe some campy DJ alot of the locals knew or some kinda fun joke
guy... at least that's what I expected. Upon putting those wireless
headphones I was instantly hooked on some the dopest,
dirtiest, catchiest, and most versatile music I have heard from one
single DJ at Bisco 11 yet. I mean just listen to this:
DURO
DURO quickly became one of my favorite songs ever the second I heard it
and I'm pretty sure it was his first time playing it that day from what
he said, and It doesnt dissappoint with its catchy vibe and nice
glitched out vocal work that just gets your head in the right kinda mood
to party. Great thing to be introduced to the Silent Disco to if I
don't say so myself.
Songs like Book One, really showed off his harder side with still
keeping a bouncy style that leads off in a sick original styled drop
that I quickly learned can only be called Space Jesus style. I couldn't
help myself I was literally jumping around at every corner of his music
it sets such a great mood, and it looks like he's having a blast doing
what he loves on stage. Keep a lookout for him if you don't know him
already I expect alot from him. He's also giving away his newest album
Quantum Crunk Theory for free on his Bandcamp. He just might really be a saint.
Wow,
Where to even start? Z here people and I'm just coming back from Camp Bisco 11 with my dudes Wish[Paus3], who you all know and love, Steve from Triple Threat Productions and Mr. Fitz.
Needless to say it was an amazing experience, with great vibes all around
with great people at literally every corner. It was hot
as all hell which didn't help me one bit but with all the free water
(boss as hell, thank you MCP) it wasn't too bad. You could almost
taste all the good energy flowing around the place, not to mention tasting all the dust [lol].
Anyway
I'm here to talk about Crystal Castles set that went on Friday
afternoon. The electronic duo Crystal Castles, comprised of Ethan Kath on
synth and fronted by none other than the dark haired (now blue
apparently) witch house looking hottie Alice Glass, threw on an amazing
set that blew people away. While pounding bottles of what looked like
Jack Daniels, Alice proceeded to get the crowd going during their set by
jumping off stage almost seducing the audience and literally crowd
walking across hands. There was even one lucky kid who snuck on stage to
sing during a remix of Crimewave.
All in all, it was an impressive bass intensive set showing off their newer
stylings with alot of remixes and new songs I expect to be on any new
releases once they get announced, but hey who knows whats in store for
them. Thursday was a perfect indication of all the goodness in store for the rest of the weekend. Expect great things in the future and more news from Bisco
11 to come!
Seems like the majority of parties lately have been at the newest welcome addition to the BK underground rave scene, the 12 Spot (aka The Hindsdale). You've read about it in previous reviews (Mad World, Sugar Rush), but this time around, the party was predominately on the roof.
The 5th of May, a day immortalized in drowning in beer and partying it up. Why? Well other than the historical significance, to party! What better way than to stomp around in the early summer weather? This party was pretty cray, although when I first got there it seemed almost dead. Party starts at 2pm? Yea a lot of people aren't coming out that early. But, my eyes were deceiving me. You see, the party was on the roof. About 50-60 people were inside while close to 300 (when I got there) were jamming upstairs.
The place was alive! This event brought forward some new twists. In the house was The Brooklyn Salsa Company! The guys that run the company are all artists themselves. Playing in bands, spinning records, being themselves. Since they are all such vibrant personalities, these spicy connoisseurs are making a documentary about their company and themselves. Why were they at a BK rave? Simple, they are artists and want to reach the artistic people. Genius. So not only did they have an enormous box of chips and all different flavors of their salsa, Rob Behnke was on stage spinning some of his trancealicious tracks. It was great meeting them, and the salsa's pretty damn good too.
Although there weren't many people downstairs, Morgan Freeman had the place looking like light wonderland. His visuals never cease to amaze me, you need to check out his work. He is a very talented individual and we are lucky to be able to experience his work first hand the way we do. HOMAGE!! Also on lighting was Paradox Productions (pew pew). Greeting all the people as they came upstairs was the one and only Kevin Carpet. Always active with the crowd, this living piece of art even got a chance to squeeze in an interview with the Triple Threat Production team!
Triple Threat has been on the NYC scene for a little over a month now, and their videos are pretty kick ass (check out this one HERE). It's great to see more than just party videos going up. HOMAGE. They had set up shop with Electrik Graffiti the back right corner of the roof, offering a place to chill, get a light show, and buy rave goodies. Some interviews went down there, including one with the owners of Satellite Records. Their very own DJ Bill was spinning and TTP and EG were lucky enough to have them hanging out. I even saw them enjoying a couple light shows!
As for food, there was a BBQ and... Thai Food! Why, I don't know, but it smelled hella good! Another great party brought to you by Morgan Freeman, Biggie Stardust, Helen Pyre and Duke Live!
This past weekend was completely unbelievably... mad. It all started on Friday as I made my way into Jersey in the early afternoon. From Jersey all day and night, and then back to the city to go down the rabbit hole in Brooklyn for Saturday night, I was basically in no-sleep non-stop mode. It was insane and well worth it. Here's what went down at Nightlight Neverland and MADworld.
The Jersey rave scene is kinda lacking is existent at all. The majority of ravers come to Brooklyn to rage, and they are dedicated to coming out to at least two events a month. There are groups that want to bring the Jersey scene to a new level, one where the parties get just as wild and crazy as the ones we have here in New York. One of these groups is Subground Promos. Constantly on the prowl to find spots that would accept parties with open arms, and grinding the pavement to promote, Subground is up and coming in Jersey. These was their second event (I believe) and it was held in a venue unlike any I've ever seen. It was a bar that was once a strip club. Low ceilings, checkered white and light brown tiles, a pool table, gumball machine, huge full bar, and a stripper pole; the spot was very interesting.
Electrik Graffiti with Gloves and Schoodiez
Dancing on a Pole... Yes.
Gum Ball Machine FTW
After the lights were in place, DJ's booth was set up, and Electrik Graffiti was all set up, people started to slowly make their way to the spot. It started off small, with about five locals at the bar and 10 glovers jamming to the music. As the night went on, more ravers came out, and so did more locals, about 300 people came in to party with us that night. It seemed that everyone was digging the music, but there were a bunch of technical problems that forced the music off a couple times. That's when I noticed the dudes (bros) at the bar. It was a weird mix of people, considered that it was a rave held in an open bar helped with that. I was extremely happy to hear Rockman spin again, that was a treat, as well as meet the boys from Triple Threat Productions. They are similar to 314 Media here in NY, and their work is amazing! Check them out and show them some love!
After driving home at 5am on no sleep and onto a full work day, I didn't know if I'd survive the next event at night. I've been waiting for MADworld to happen since D3b told me of it's conception. DJs from all over the country. Brand new Brooklyn spot. A rave by ravers for ravers. I was pumped and needed the be awake for this. As the night crept closer, I began to get more tired. This wasn't good...I would not let me body shut off on me for this. I got to the spot fairly quickly after getting off the Williamsburg Bridge. Not sure if I was at the right place, I walked inside and BA-BAM... I was in the right place. About 9,000 square feet, an enormous stage, second floor and roof the same size as the whole building, VIP area nicely secluded overlooking the dance floor, full bar... this spot is awesome! There were a bunch of people there already and once I got to shmoozing I was awake again with excitement. Only problem was my brain had become so cloudy I had the hardest time remembering names... no matter, time to do this!
Alice is Not Home Right Now
Mad for the Mad Hatter!
The Queen's Personal...er...Rabbit.
This was D3bst3p's first party, and you can tell there was a lot of effort put into making her vision a reality. The deco was awesome. They lined the entire second floor with cut up sheets and trippy tapestries to hang from the balconies. The lighting was pretty good with a nice boost from Morgan Freeman working on the projectors. With all the white walls, and sheets, he had a lot to play with, and was a big help in making the room come alive. With Electrik Graffiti in the house, you know there were tons of glovers, and a nice addition for this party was fire spinning (rooftop FTW)!
The music was AMAZING. The set-up was all sorts of jimmy-rigged, but it didn't really seem to matter. Haters gonna hate and everyone is going to dance. There was mixing off an ipad at one point, I heard an ipod came into play at another point... the fact of the matter is that there was hardly any technical issues, which is amazing considering the gear they had to set it all up. Huge kudos to you guys, seriously, I had such a blast with everyone's sets. And big shoot out to the dudes coming in and showing NY what they got! (iNexus, Trigga Happy, DJ Conduktor[Dirty Nitrous])
For all you glow freaks out there, a two-tiered gloving competition sponsored by Electrik Graffiti went down, beginners and advanced. This was new and worked out really well! Beginners tier was taken by Sammy, and Sick Noley took the title for advanced. Mad skills were being thrown down, it's insane to watch so many new glovers come on the scene and how quickly they are getting better. Keep practicing guys! I want to shake the west coast, killing it!
Here's all my pics from the night, with a little spice of video!!
Once the night was over (at 7am), I got my well deserved 2 hours of sleep, and went to work the next day a zombie. It was well worth it. Thank you so much to Subground and D3bst3p for doing what you do, I can't wait until the next ones!!
I knew Naughty Neon was going to be huge, but I didn't expect what went down last weekend to actually go down. Original Brooklyn and NYCR had been promoting like crazy for this party. The lineup was insane, this was a new venue to be used, and they packed as much fun side goodies as possible. In the end, most people had an amazing time at the party, although it might have gotten to big for the production crews to handle.
The table was set for a massive party. The party was being thrown in a brand new venue for events, the Cultural Performing Arts Center of Brooklyn. The actual building had one main room with two floors, and an out side that sported three tents of music, a food kiosk, and a bouncy castle. It was huge! As for attractions you had four different DJs spinning at any given time, a bouncy castle, the food, three different UV body painters, a massage table (Batman and Jolly Green), Electrik Graffiti (scoodies, LED gloves, party toys), and two other vendors with chachkies and some cool hats and clothes. To me, it seemed kinda silly to have so many different body painters there. But, with the mass amount of people I guess it made sense. One guy seemed a little stingier than the rest sporting a "work for gratuity" sign, but one that stated you had to pay first, and don't expect anything special for a dollar. I'd just head over to see Pixel doing his thing cause I know he'll go all out regardless of the tip I give.
Anyone Down to Read an Essay at the Rave? By: Paus3
The music was insane! This was the first event I had to put in ear plugs it was so intense. My favorite sets included X-Dream, Lisa Lashes and the three minutes of DJ Isaac. By the time X-Dream came onto the main stage, there must have been 800 people in the house. The entire room was jumping, this event was more like a concert than any party I've been to before. The lighting system was eh. They had the same set up on stage as Pussy Power with the LED rings and four moving heads. What did get me was the projections all over the room, there were some pretty cool things flying around!
There were people from all over the country and even different parts of the world! Party kids were coming in from all over to see their favorite DJs spinning and to party hard in Brooklyn. The mass amount of people that showed up is a large part to making this party success. The promotions done were heavy and successful, but production was not ready to this volume. The line to get into the spot took up the entire block. And this was not a single file line at all. By the time 1,000 people were inside, there was still probably about 200 waiting outside. 2am came along, DJ Isaac started to blow the house up, and then the cops shut him down when Bitches came on.
Now, parties get shut down, but there were a lot complaints on facebook right after the party shut down. People felt they were cheated out of their money, others felt they were taken advantage of by the door security, and some didn't get what they were promised for being VIPs there. Although all legitimate complaints, NYCR and Original Brooklyn were doing all they could to make their largest event to date work as they planned.
A couple days ago they released an official response to the happenings that night, and to tell you the truth, I'm super f'in excited to the NEON-R3W1ND. Apparently they spoke to Irene and Isaac's managements and they are both down to come and do it again! Don't hold it against the promoters, it happens. Part of it has to do with planning yes, but part of it has to do with raver responsibility, so party hard, but party smart. After the party was shut down, a number of ravers went back to the familiar Electric Warehouse (The Lab) and continued the party there till 8am!
I had a blasty blast selling at Electrik Graffiti's tent as well as running around taking pictures. I didn't get to give more than one light show though...however it was super awesome to see so many glovers come out to play! So many people came and bought glove sets for themselves, and there were a bunch of uber cute and awesome scoodies that were picked up as well!
There were two events this past weekend that should not have been missed. It marked the second party for Blue Star Productions and a stand alone event brought on by the handiwork of three awesome ravers! Both were great events and both unfolded very differently. They had a lot of similarities as well as many differences... Let's take a closer gander into the happenings of A Heartless Valentine and Pussy Power!
First and foremost, this was a double header for the Electric Warehouse, aka The Lab. Both were themed parties: Heartless being Kingdom Hearts themed and Pussy Power being....well vagina. The decor for each party was pretty cool too. For Heartless, there were people sporting keyblades running around, a lot of people in costume, Jack Skellington was all over the upstairs - which was absolutely stunning by the way, playing cards on the walls, a big wall with the Kingdom Hearts logo on it behind the kandi table, a sick laser system by Paradox Productions... some pretty cool stuff. Pussy power had decorations all over! Some walls had white sheets with holes cuts in them, there were lips and balloons all over the place, painted banners, visualizations by Kaliptus, towers with LED disks blasting color out, an LED wall behind the DJ booth... Pussy Power went all out with decorations!
You can imagine how different the room looked with just the lights alone. For example, at Heartless the upstairs was banging with the lights and awesome decor. For a while the upstairs at Pussy Power was lightless, lending hand to upstairs being a little more chill. Eventually there was a system brought upstairs, and the room became more lively, but it was good to have a spot that was more relaxed. The rooms were lit up otherwise, not to mention Kaliptus' work. His visualizations are mostly animations he put together, and it's some trippy stuff. He was telling me how most of his work is in the psy-trance scene, a genre of music that I really got into while gloving. Best believe that in a little bit I'll be going to one of his events and seeing what that side of the scene looks like.
Mischief Sporting Electrik Graffiti By: Griffin Dolan
Friends Having Fun and a x2 WTF Moment By: Ronnie C.
As far as music goes, Pussy Power felt a lot more laid back. The music seemed to mostly be hardstyle for both parties, and Heartless was banging on it all night. For me personally, I loved Pussy's feeling to the music. The beginning was very trancy, slow and progressive. All of a sudden the beat dropped and hardstyle took over. The weird thing about hardstyle is how trancy it is in the beginning of a track. You could be dancing and jumping around and all of a sudden the whole room is just standing there waiting till the next moving part. One set of DJs that did it right for me was at Heartless, Wink-E VS H4rdnox *Hardstyle Vs.Jumpstyle*. Wink-E knows how to get a crowd pumped, apparently his secret lies in cursing everyone out. No joke, it really works. At Pussy Power, I was melting over Gaby Noodle set. Two reasons, one the music was on point and two she had a gogo dancing slave-girl. This girl had a collar wrapped around her neck and the other end was Gaby's wrist. I stood the and watched as Gaby (without paying any mind) walked to the other side of the stage yanking the girl with her, and she loved it. Plus ten swag points for Gaby, look out for her sets at upcoming events!
Both parties had different attractions, including Kevin Carpet (both), kandi making table (Heartless), Electrik Graffiti with their tent selling scoodies and led toys and gloves (both), UV body paint by Pixel (both), costume contest (Heartless), Massage Table by Batman (Pussy), free stuff like candy (both), Kaliptus (Pussy), fire poi (Heartless).... there was a lot to do and see at each event, which is a very positive thing. Getting people stimulated if they are not dancing to music keeps the movement going.
I was a little put off by some of the crowd at both parties, which is going to be expected anywhere you go. However, when looking over the event postings on facebook, I noticed several similar complaints for either party. At Heartless, a lot of cell phones went missing. At Pussy Power, there were some undesirables that kept putting their hands on women there. Things like this will happen, but in my opinion, collectively it can be dealt with in two ways. What you do to prevent it in the first place, and what everyone does to keep the environment friendly. First and foremost, don't leave your stuff lying around. No matter what. Give it to a friend or have a bag with you, or don't have it at the event in the first place. Second, tell somebody. If something happens, calmly tell the promoters, tell a friend, spread the word, and the situation will hopefully be dealt with.
All in all, I had a fantastic time at each event. However, Pussy Power will forever hold a special place in my heart due to all the wonderful people I met there. From all over the world in fact! It shows that our scene here in NY is thriving. There is so much good in it, what can i say, I love it! Big shout outs to Blue Star Productions, Sacha, Sam, Yolanda and W@x, awesome job this weekend!
