Showing posts with label stratus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stratus. Show all posts

Thursday, August 23, 2012

StereoTerra 2012: Zodd's Musical Aftermath



What'sup!? Z again and I'm just coming back all the way from Michigan from the newly christened StereoTerra Music Festival. This certain festival holds very close to me as I made a ton of new friends and met tons of motivated individuals for the common cause of getting together and having fun doing whatever it is that they do best. I got the privilege to  see lots of amazing DJs and talent try out new songs and styles that were very eye opening and break away from the norm of their usual genres, so today in taking note of which at EGP I'm gonna share with you the acts that blew me away.


Photo By Zodd

Photo By Zodd
Stratus is no stranger to the game as you all should know by now. His set was more of a celebration of his normal stylings with a lot of familiar songs being played like "Understand?!". But, midway through his set he threw on some original trap music that he had presumably been working on and I just have to say that his method of bass control made it all the more intense. If that was any indication of what he's gonna be releasing in the future then all fans of bass music need to be paying attention because it was so intense that even I had to go in and rage a bit. He has a playful manner on stage that fits his image very well and for my first time seeing him although it was a morning set It  was fun as hell. His set was a bit on the short end of the spectrum but It wasn't any less that what I had imagined.

Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd
Robotic Pirate Monkey was a ton of fun, I was impressed with the way they weave in and out of each other and use each others equipment to make impossible combinations with pieces of equipment that one person using each just wouldn't normally be fast enough or mentally capable to do, and it shows in their music. The set was one of the most energetic of the first day, they were making jokes on stage wearing masks throwing them out to the crowds and dancing around like a bunch of best friends having the time of their life. They bring a playful integrity to their shows that shows you how down to each and connected to their fans they really are.


Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd

Griz put it on hard. He played a lot of his back catalogue and it got the crowd going. His energy on stage is really something to be admired, as he always looks as if he just started and enthusiastic as ever. He's a great showman and displayed which mid set by bringing out the saxophone and going in with it, He has some minor technical difficulties with his equipment and fixed it up in 2 seconds without anyone noticing, certifying his position as a professional DJ and producer. It was one of my favorite acts of the entire festival.

Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd
Tittsworth's set was some madness, lots of mooba beats and intense bass, I actually had to thank him after the show for putting on such a good time. My only regret was that it was too short and I didn't get enough pics because I was dancing so much. I feel with a longer set time he would destroy crowds but I'm assuming that there was time constraints on the festivals line-up.


Photo By Zodd

Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd
Zoogma put on literally one of the greatest live shows I've seen yet. If you aren't familiar with Zoogma they are a jam band with electronic elements fused in very nicely, a great thing to catch if you ever get the chance as they are regulars in the festival scene. They played tons of new content and old, Their entire set flowed together with high energy almost metal sounding stylings into vibed-out soulful riffs and amazingly done remixes, Their "Starry Eyed" remix was terrifically set up and the got the crowd with every type of energy to dance to imaginable, from rock, dubstep, drum and bass, to other things undefinable. Do yourself a favor and catch them any time you see them on any bill for any event.

Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd
RJD2 is an artist, simply put. His skill with vinyl records was something else, his flow into tracks on top of other tracks seamlessly put into each other on traditional analog equipment amazed everyone and brought a humbling energy to the crowd and other DJs. His composure on stage and ability to create a mood was the mark of a true professional in the game. Deservedly a headliner by far and I can't wait to catch him again. Next time maybe without a camera so I can sit down and fully take in the complexity of what was going on.


Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd
Michal Menert definitely brought a level of intensity to his set which makes me wonder why this Pretty Lights Music artist doesn't get as much as attention as his other labelmates. He was singing along to every song he had with words showing his attachment through pure soul in his music, it was fun to watch. his high energy set contained heavy basslines and smooth synths, and left me struggling to name the genre being played, other than swag.

For a first year festival, the line-up for StereoTerra pulls no punches as they brought in people from every side of the spectrum. There were a lot of other great names playing like Muzzy, Freddy Todd, Crushendo, and The Spring Standard just to name a few. I expect this festival to be one to look out for in the next year if the amount of effort and quality showcased in the musical choices and creative effort in all directions for this event is any indication on the direction its going to eventually grow into.


PHOTOS:
EGPunk Official: FESTY SET // ARTIST SET
HEAR Magazine: SET
Taryn Waffles: SET
Bands That Jam (instagram flow): SET


Love & Light
Z aka ~ZODD~

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Musically With It: Zedd's Beatport Remix Contest


Hey everyone, Z Here! I'm sure a lot you guys already know that Zedd and Beatport are throwing a remix contest for that catchy tune of a song Spectrum, and if you didn't then now you know why everyone and their mom has heard this particular song or one of its many remixes floating all over the EDM scene in the past couple of months. That isn't at all anywhere near a bad thing in my opinion this song is one of the most killer tracks out this year, and the plethora of amazing remixes that these artists new and old, established or grassroots, big or even small as hell keep this song and the entire scene fresh.

Never has one contest amazed me over and over, and I feel us at EGP need to give a certain spotlight to a few of these soon to be contenders in the EDM field. So I took the time myself to get over to the contest page and check a bunch of remixes out and pick out a few that really stood out to me as a couple of my favorites and who I think would win. Keep in mind that this is all my own opinion, I tried to do this with variety in mind so if anything you know that if you don't like any of the individuals up here you can figure that there's sure to be a bunch out there that you most definitely will like. The contest winner gets announced by August 14th, so in the meantime enjoy some tunes!



This first one up is one by none other than AaA, most don't know this man, the Laguna Beach native Erich Vickers, but he really knows how to make a presence for himself. He's fairly well known in EDM circles, and his remix of Spectrum goes hard with a higher tone on the overall package, an amazing spaced out glitch hop kinda feel which borders on funk and catchy new rythmns that fit in equally well with the originals tone in and out. This one is a personal favorite of mine which I know for a solid fact I'm gonna be bumping this for a while. 





This second one I'm showing you here is by ILLECTRIX. He's another big name coming up from the UK.  Nick KJ has been producing for a couple years and has just started to come in circles that are getting his name out there. He's pulled together a banging electro house drumstep mix for the competition using what I think are precise drum kicks and some heavy wet bass sounds to make an altogether dope remix.




This banger of a third is by Foxsky. He's from Fremont, California. His version of this song is an INTENSE moombahcore track with syrupy slow melodic choruses bringing in an altogether complete package if you love that spanish sounding beat timings. Which I do. Bassssssss.




Now this Fourth one, is who I think will win, Now I could be wrong but lets see here. I'm sure you've all heard of Stratus and if not, You should play catch up quick cause the EDM world is moving on fast and furiously without you. This remix although just a dubstep mix of Spectrum, gets treated with Stratus signature flair with lots of intense novelty sounds into almost vertigo speed inducing tempo shifts backed with a classic composition just only there to remind you what genre you're actually listening to. It's a work of EDM art if you ask me.

[scratchy records] WOAH

Hey ya'll, it's Wish[Paus3]. Z was telling me about this contest, so I had to check it out. Here's my two cents about he contest. I checked out the top voted, the mixes were hot! But, I know how sometimes talent can be overshadowed, so I went dooooown the list of entries and votes. I checked out this one mix by Razihel, and I'm glad I did! He clearly has a following, but the votes are lacking. Sitting between songs that were listened to at 700 something and almost 3,000 hits, Razihel's mix is almost at 6,000. Busing out some dubstep on the track is appropriate and he does it right. 

LISTEN HERE



[deep jazz dj voice] Back To Z

That wraps it up for my coverage for the contest. Hopefully I gave you all some insights into some directions to look for new music, sparked maybe a couple of ideas for upstart producers, or even showed you the new "favorite" song. Let me know what you think of the mixes in the comments below!

'We'll Hiiiiiide where love can save us... lol, its catchy. don't shoot me'

Love & Light
Z