It's the Supersound

Good morning! I have some news and videos to welcome you into the weekend. Today’s update includes the Cosmic Opera with Axwell, Tiesto playing the first ever live Twitter concert, Sebastien Tellier’s new album, the Brit Awards, and LCD Soundsystem’s documentary. Please read on after the jump.

Axwell for Cosmic Opera Event

In the past week, a mysterious teaser video has had the web abuzz with talk of a brand new New York event titled Cosmic Opera.

Today, the curtain has fallen and Swedish House Mafia member, Axwell has been announced to headline the first in a series of events.

The series, which will take place at the Hammerstein Ballroom is being billed as an extrasensory dance event.

Cosmic Opera founder, Justin Cohen said, “I have ambitions to change the way people experience electronic-dance concerts, turning them into theatrical events with dreamlike imagery.”

He added, “We will also have a storyline, with costumed actors mingling in the crowd.”

Keep your eyes peeled for more announcements and check out the bizarre trailer below.

(via Mixmag)

Tiesto DJs First-Ever Live Twitter Concert At 2012 CES

CES saw the power of dance music firsthand Wednesday night, as Tiësto took the booth at Las Vegas nightclub XS to make social media history.

The DJ/producer and Billboard cover star partnered with HP and Intel to stage the first-ever live concert stream on Twitter, for a room full of the sponsors’ best clients – some still wearing their CES badges and trade show comfort shoes – and an online audience of thousands.

“The coolest aspect for me is to be the first one to do it,” the 42-year-old global superstar said earlier that day. “Twitter is here to stay; it’s a long-term thing. And to be a part of it, to help its development, is amazing.”

The private, invite-only set also marked the launch of another social media initiative for the man his friends call Tijs: “In The Booth,” a 10-part video series meant to document Tiësto’s fast-paced, globetrotting life, is set to premiere on the artist’s YouTube channel on January 17. Produced by Believe Entertainment Group – the digital content company behind Lebron James’ animated Web series “The Lebrons” – the documentary was also underwritten by HP and Intel, and features Tiësto prominently using the brands’ products.

“He’s the king of electronic dance music, but he’s also a guy who gets it,” said Believe co-founder William H. Masterson III from the event’s “black carpet” (HP’s key brand color). “He tries to create experiences for his audience that they’ve never had before.”

For the sponsors, the Tiësto partnership was an ideal way to showcase their top priority for 2012: The new ultrabook category, created by (or according to event signage, “inspired by”) processor giant Intel to compete with Apple’s MacBook Air. Ultrabooks are meant to be light, thin and powerful; aesthetically pleasing but undeniably high-functioning. While Intel has charged all of its manufacturing partners to try their hands at making the lithe machines – with Acer, Lenovo and Dell also debuting new models at CES – the focus at XS was HP.

With media sponsorships that span other verticals – like “Project Runway” (Season 9 winner Anya Ayoung-Chee made an appearance at the HP booth, and at the Tiësto event) – HP likes to position itself as a facilitator of creativity, for a slightly younger and hipper audience. Its Envy 14 Spectre, a lightweight, visually striking Gorilla Glass-encased 14-incher; and Folio 15, a 15-inch addition to the Folio series, which boasts long battery life, were splashed all over the venue, on video screens, banners, and even in glass cases for revelers to gawk at.

Tiësto played his heart out for the full 90 minutes, blasting his trademark confetti cannons, and dropping a greatest-hits type of set, including Avicii’s omnipresent “Le7els,” Kaskade’s “Turn It Down,” a new remix of Oasis classic “Wonderwall,” and his own “Maximal Crazy.” The UStream video feed appeared in the extended body of a traditional Tweet, on HP and Intel’s enhanced Twitter pages. The video player was tiny – but the real-time quality of the platform, now augmented with sight, sound and motion, was undeniably game-changing.

With logos strewn around every corner of the room – sketched on mirrors, projected on walls, even stretched over male dancers in branded unitards – there was no doubt that HP and Intel were in full support of their smiling Dutch DJ star, and his 847,000 Twitter followers.

“Five years ago, no way – brands like this wouldn’t have gotten behind a DJ,” says Believe co-founder Dan Goodman. “They wouldn’t have known who you were talking about. Even now, I think it’s early; we’re just at the beginning.”

“Never before has their been a form of music that’s taken hold so hard,” said Masterson. “Electronic music is probably the most dominant category globally right now. The way people react to the music, and the enjoyment they get out of it – that tells the entire story.”
(via Billboard)

Sebastien Tellier returns with My God Is Blue

Sebastien Tellier will release his next album, My God Is Blue, this April on Record Makers.

My God Is Blue will be Tellier’s first batch of new songs since Sexuality, his 2008 LP produced by Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk. In his RA review of that record, James Glazebrook said: “It seems that Sebastien’s genitals have a greater attention span than his brain, and following them has given him some much-needed direction.” My God Is Blue seems to mark a shift in direction, judging by the comparatively un-sensual tracklist. A weirdly passionate press release claims the album shows him reaching “spritual maturity.” Tellier himself has this to say: “Don’t listen to my album; listen to my message. Enter into vibration with my music.”

My God Is Blue is produced by Ed Banger artist Mr. Flash, with guest production by Pavle Kovacevic.

Tracklist
01. Pepito Bleu
02. The Colour Of Your mind
03. Sedulous
04. Cochon Ville
05. Magical Hurricane
06. Russian Attractions
07. Mayday
08. Draw Your World
09. My Poseidon
10. Against The Law
11. My God is Blue
12. Yes It’s Possible

Record Makers will release My God Is Blue on April 16th, 2012.

(via Resident Advisor)

Brit Awards Nominations Announced

The Brit Awards have announced their nominations at a launch ceremony in London tonight with Chase & Status, David Guetta and James Blake all receiving nominations.

Taking place at The Savoy, the list was characteristically dominated by the massive selling but snooze inducing likes of Adele, Jessie J and Ed Sheeran.

The Brits abandoned their Best Dance Act category several years ago but there is a smattering of nominees from the genre in this years list.

Chase & Status are nominated in the Best Group Category, James Blake is up for Best Male Solo Artist and David Guetta is nominated in the Best International Male category.

There is also nods for crossover rappers, Professor Green and Example and Jay Z and Kanye West are up for Best International Group.

Click here to see the full list of nominees and let us know what you think. Are there enough dance acts in there for your liking?

(via Mixmag)

Watch and Weep: LCD Soundsystem’s ‘Shut Up and Play the Hits’ Trailer

LCD Soundsystem must be one of the most prematurely eulogized bands ever. Frontman James Murphy’s decision to announce the end of his hugely influential New York dance-punk group in advance, and to cap it all off with a four-hour farewell concert at Madison Square Garden last April, left plenty of time for TV victory laps and fond online tributes. By this point you might think you’ve moved on. The trailer for upcoming documentary Shut Up and Play the Hits will prove you’re wrong.

The two-minute video ought to bring back a flood of emotions for anybody the least bit invested in LCD Soundsystem. As a live recording of the band’s most powerful song, “All My Friends,” starts to lock into a groove, and longtime SPIN scribe Chuck Klosterman lends elegaic narration, we see Murphy wandering the streets of New York City, ecstatic fans crying and rocking out, balloons dropping, members of Arcade Fire making a surprise cameo, and even a particularly forlorn fan wearing what appears to be a panda mask. Never have we empathized so much with a furry.

The film, directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace and set to premiere later this month at the Sundance Film Festival, focuses on the final show and the events surrounding it. Southern and Lovelace previously directed and produced a documentary about Blur, No Distance Left to Run. Sundance is set for January 19 to 29 in Park City, Utah, and will also feature Murphy’s acting debut in Jagjaguwar co-produced film The Comedy. Murphy may have famously once turned down a Seinfeld writing gig, but like that show, LCD Soundsystem went out on top.

(via SPIN)

Good morning! I have some news and videos to welcome you into the weekend. Today’s update includes the Cosmic Opera with Axwell, Tiesto playing the first ever live Twitter concert, Sebastien Tellier’s new album, the Brit Awards, and LCD Soundsystem’s documentary. Please read on after the jump.

Axwell for Cosmic Opera Event

In the past week, a mysterious teaser video has had the web abuzz with talk of a brand new New York event titled Cosmic Opera.

Today, the curtain has fallen and Swedish House Mafia member, Axwell has been announced to headline the first in a series of events.

The series, which will take place at the Hammerstein Ballroom is being billed as an extrasensory dance event.

Cosmic Opera founder, Justin Cohen said, “I have ambitions to change the way people experience electronic-dance concerts, turning them into theatrical events with dreamlike imagery.”

He added, “We will also have a storyline, with costumed actors mingling in the crowd.”

Keep your eyes peeled for more announcements and check out the bizarre trailer below.

(via Mixmag)

Tiesto DJs First-Ever Live Twitter Concert At 2012 CES

CES saw the power of dance music firsthand Wednesday night, as Tiësto took the booth at Las Vegas nightclub XS to make social media history.

The DJ/producer and Billboard cover star partnered with HP and Intel to stage the first-ever live concert stream on Twitter, for a room full of the sponsors’ best clients – some still wearing their CES badges and trade show comfort shoes – and an online audience of thousands.

“The coolest aspect for me is to be the first one to do it,” the 42-year-old global superstar said earlier that day. “Twitter is here to stay; it’s a long-term thing. And to be a part of it, to help its development, is amazing.”

The private, invite-only set also marked the launch of another social media initiative for the man his friends call Tijs: “In The Booth,” a 10-part video series meant to document Tiësto’s fast-paced, globetrotting life, is set to premiere on the artist’s YouTube channel on January 17. Produced by Believe Entertainment Group – the digital content company behind Lebron James’ animated Web series “The Lebrons” – the documentary was also underwritten by HP and Intel, and features Tiësto prominently using the brands’ products.

“He’s the king of electronic dance music, but he’s also a guy who gets it,” said Believe co-founder William H. Masterson III from the event’s “black carpet” (HP’s key brand color). “He tries to create experiences for his audience that they’ve never had before.”

For the sponsors, the Tiësto partnership was an ideal way to showcase their top priority for 2012: The new ultrabook category, created by (or according to event signage, “inspired by”) processor giant Intel to compete with Apple’s MacBook Air. Ultrabooks are meant to be light, thin and powerful; aesthetically pleasing but undeniably high-functioning. While Intel has charged all of its manufacturing partners to try their hands at making the lithe machines – with Acer, Lenovo and Dell also debuting new models at CES – the focus at XS was HP.

With media sponsorships that span other verticals – like “Project Runway” (Season 9 winner Anya Ayoung-Chee made an appearance at the HP booth, and at the Tiësto event) – HP likes to position itself as a facilitator of creativity, for a slightly younger and hipper audience. Its Envy 14 Spectre, a lightweight, visually striking Gorilla Glass-encased 14-incher; and Folio 15, a 15-inch addition to the Folio series, which boasts long battery life, were splashed all over the venue, on video screens, banners, and even in glass cases for revelers to gawk at.

Tiësto played his heart out for the full 90 minutes, blasting his trademark confetti cannons, and dropping a greatest-hits type of set, including Avicii’s omnipresent “Le7els,” Kaskade’s “Turn It Down,” a new remix of Oasis classic “Wonderwall,” and his own “Maximal Crazy.” The UStream video feed appeared in the extended body of a traditional Tweet, on HP and Intel’s enhanced Twitter pages. The video player was tiny – but the real-time quality of the platform, now augmented with sight, sound and motion, was undeniably game-changing.

With logos strewn around every corner of the room – sketched on mirrors, projected on walls, even stretched over male dancers in branded unitards – there was no doubt that HP and Intel were in full support of their smiling Dutch DJ star, and his 847,000 Twitter followers.

“Five years ago, no way – brands like this wouldn’t have gotten behind a DJ,” says Believe co-founder Dan Goodman. “They wouldn’t have known who you were talking about. Even now, I think it’s early; we’re just at the beginning.”

“Never before has their been a form of music that’s taken hold so hard,” said Masterson. “Electronic music is probably the most dominant category globally right now. The way people react to the music, and the enjoyment they get out of it – that tells the entire story.”
(via Billboard)

Sebastien Tellier returns with My God Is Blue

Sebastien Tellier will release his next album, My God Is Blue, this April on Record Makers.

My God Is Blue will be Tellier’s first batch of new songs since Sexuality, his 2008 LP produced by Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk. In his RA review of that record, James Glazebrook said: “It seems that Sebastien’s genitals have a greater attention span than his brain, and following them has given him some much-needed direction.” My God Is Blue seems to mark a shift in direction, judging by the comparatively un-sensual tracklist. A weirdly passionate press release claims the album shows him reaching “spritual maturity.” Tellier himself has this to say: “Don’t listen to my album; listen to my message. Enter into vibration with my music.”

My God Is Blue is produced by Ed Banger artist Mr. Flash, with guest production by Pavle Kovacevic.

Tracklist
01. Pepito Bleu
02. The Colour Of Your mind
03. Sedulous
04. Cochon Ville
05. Magical Hurricane
06. Russian Attractions
07. Mayday
08. Draw Your World
09. My Poseidon
10. Against The Law
11. My God is Blue
12. Yes It’s Possible

Record Makers will release My God Is Blue on April 16th, 2012.

(via Resident Advisor)

Brit Awards Nominations Announced

The Brit Awards have announced their nominations at a launch ceremony in London tonight with Chase & Status, David Guetta and James Blake all receiving nominations.

Taking place at The Savoy, the list was characteristically dominated by the massive selling but snooze inducing likes of Adele, Jessie J and Ed Sheeran.

The Brits abandoned their Best Dance Act category several years ago but there is a smattering of nominees from the genre in this years list.

Chase & Status are nominated in the Best Group Category, James Blake is up for Best Male Solo Artist and David Guetta is nominated in the Best International Male category.

There is also nods for crossover rappers, Professor Green and Example and Jay Z and Kanye West are up for Best International Group.

Click here to see the full list of nominees and let us know what you think. Are there enough dance acts in there for your liking?

(via Mixmag)

Watch and Weep: LCD Soundsystem’s ‘Shut Up and Play the Hits’ Trailer

LCD Soundsystem must be one of the most prematurely eulogized bands ever. Frontman James Murphy’s decision to announce the end of his hugely influential New York dance-punk group in advance, and to cap it all off with a four-hour farewell concert at Madison Square Garden last April, left plenty of time for TV victory laps and fond online tributes. By this point you might think you’ve moved on. The trailer for upcoming documentary Shut Up and Play the Hits will prove you’re wrong.

The two-minute video ought to bring back a flood of emotions for anybody the least bit invested in LCD Soundsystem. As a live recording of the band’s most powerful song, “All My Friends,” starts to lock into a groove, and longtime SPIN scribe Chuck Klosterman lends elegaic narration, we see Murphy wandering the streets of New York City, ecstatic fans crying and rocking out, balloons dropping, members of Arcade Fire making a surprise cameo, and even a particularly forlorn fan wearing what appears to be a panda mask. Never have we empathized so much with a furry.

The film, directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace and set to premiere later this month at the Sundance Film Festival, focuses on the final show and the events surrounding it. Southern and Lovelace previously directed and produced a documentary about Blur, No Distance Left to Run. Sundance is set for January 19 to 29 in Park City, Utah, and will also feature Murphy’s acting debut in Jagjaguwar co-produced film The Comedy. Murphy may have famously once turned down a Seinfeld writing gig, but like that show, LCD Soundsystem went out on top.

(via SPIN)

Even if you caught snippets of the four hour YouTube video of LCD Soundsystem’s final concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden on April 2 before it was taken down, or even if you were lucky enough to attend the festivities themselves, we can guarantee that Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace’s feature film Shut Up and Play the Hits will give you a never-before-seen peek at that storied event.

Continue reading: LCD Soundsystem – Shut Up and Play The Hits Trailer

Read more articles like "LCD Soundsystem – Shut Up and Play The Hits Trailer" on PMA | Pretty Much Amazing.

Check out Brooklyn-based electronic duo, Holy Ghost!’s latest music video for their cover of the Ministry classic, “I Wanted To Tell Her.” The video pays tribute to the 1980′s BMX film classic Rad. The track features guest appearances from fellow DFA artists Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem and Juan Maclean. You can download the track for free at http://greenlabelsound.com.

Holy Ghost! – I Wanted To Tell Her

More Info…
web: www.holyghostnyc.com
twitter: www.twitter.com/holyghostNYC
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Holy-Ghost/65481678071
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/holyghostnyc

If you’re one of the 99.9% of the world who missed LCD Soundsystem’s final shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden, you check out at least some of the festivities you missed for the low, low price of a ticket to the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

The storied film festival will be screening the documentary SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS, named by the Arcade Fire’s Win Butler, in their non-competition “Spotlight” category; the film, directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace (who both worked on the 2010 Blur doc, No Distance Left To Run), covers LCD frontman James Murphy’s 48 hours leading up to and following his band’s final show. Are you psyched? Because we are.

Watch the band play their very last song, “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” in this amateur video, below:

Subscribe to the PMABLAST, a daily newsletter with free mp3s, music news and reviews sent directly to your email inbox.

Photo by Alexander Jacob

Happy Friday! We’ve made through yet another week and I have another GDD™ Morning Update to close it out. Today’s news features Electronic Music Grammy nominations w/ Skrillex, the Future Music Festival lineup, Boys Noize & Mr. Oizo start Handbrakes, The Chemical Brothers’ live DVD, & LCD Soundsystem’s final show documentary. See it all after the jump.

Electronic Music Grammy Nominations w/ Skrillex For ‘Best New Artist’

Despite the chorus of disbelievers, there’s no doubt 2011 has been good to Skrillex. Now the bro-step/complextro/’insert name here’ superstar has bagged himself a Grammy nomination in the ‘Best New Artist’ category.

Skrillex is up against Bon Iver, Nicki Minaj, The Band Perry and J. Cole – a mixed bunch if ever there was one. Usually dance music is neatly confined to the Best Dance Recording category, so this is a significant moment if you count these kinds of moments as significant.

Skrillex does also appear in the Best Dance Recordings nominees, alongside fellow top-earners like David Guetta and Deadmau5. Robyn’s Call Your Girlfriend is in there breaking up the boys’ club as well.

Arguably the standout of all the dance/electronic nominees is Australia’s own Cut Copy, whose very fine album Zonoscope has scored a nod. The accolade comes after a strong year for the band on the Stateside circuit. What a Grammys it would be if the boys from Melbourne muscled out the competition!

GRAMMYS DANCE NOMINEES

BEST DANCE RECORDING

Raise Your Weapon – Deadmau5 & Greta Svabo Bech
Barbra Streisand – Duck Sauce
Sunshine – David Guetta & Avicii
Call Your Girlfriend – Robyn
Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites – Skrillex
Save The World – Swedish House Mafia

BEST DANCE / ELECTRONICA ALBUM

Zonoscope – Cut Copy
4×4 = 12 – Deadmau5
Nothing But The Beat – David Guetta
Body Talk Pt. 3 – Robyn
Scary Monsters & Nice Sprites – Skrillex

BEST REMIXED RECORDING

Cinema – Benny Benassi (Skrillex Remix)
Collide – Leona Lewis (Afrojack Remix)
End of Line – Daft Punk (Photek Remix)
Only Girl (In The World) – Rihanna (Rosabel Club Mix)
Rope – Foo Fighters (Deadmau5 Mix)

(via inthemix)

Future Music Festival Lineup

Future Music Festival 2011 :: Highlights Reel from Future TV on Vimeo.

Future Music Festival returns in 2012 with an eclectic array of artists. Heading up with Australian festival will be Sven Vath, Swedish House Mafia, Paul van Dyk, Fatboy Slim, Chase & Status and Skrillex.

They will be joined by other electronic acts such The Rapture, Azari & Ill, LCD Soundsystem, Jamie Jones and Aphex Twin. There’s a little something to tickle every tastebud.

Tickets are on sale now, so to get yours visit www.futuremusicfestival.com.au. See below for the dates and locations.

Brisbane -Saturday March 3– Doomben Racecourse
Perth – Sunday March 4– Arena Joondalup
Sydney – Saturday March 10– Royal Randwick Racecourse
Melbourne – Sunday March 11– Flemington Racecourse
Adelaide – Monday March 12– Ellis Park

(via Mixmag)

Boys Noize and Mr. Oizo Start Handbrakes

Boys Noize and Mr Ozio have teamed up for a new project called Handbrakes. The pair will release their debut record together in January.

Talking to Mixmag during a recent interview, Boys Noize man Alex Ridha confirmed that he and Mr Ozio have a four track EP scheduled for early 2012.

Fans of the duo will be pleased about the pairing, which promises to throw up some interesting new tunes from two of the most exciting producers in electro.

Annie Mac dropped a Handbrakes tune on her Radio 1 show a couple of months back, but now full details of the link up between Boys Noize and Mr Ozio have been revealed.

The Handbrakes EP, titled ‘#1′, will include a handful of new tracks including ‘Callgirls’, ‘Riho’, ‘The Qat’ and ‘Milc’. It is scheduled to drop on January 23 via Boys Noize Records.
(via Mixmag)

The Chemical Brothers Announce Live DVD

The guessing is over. Pass the popcorn and prepare to dance in the aisles. The unstoppable Chemical Brothers have officially announced ‘Don’t Think’, their first ever concert film.

Directed by visual mastermind Adam Smith, ‘Don’t Think’ was shot at the duo’s performance at Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, July 31, 2011. The film, which has been specially mixed in surround sound by the Chemical Brothers themselves, weaves together the stark psychedelic imagery of the groups legendary live shows with immersive forays into the crowd.

Advance screenings for ‘Don’t Think’ will take place in 20 cities worldwide on January 26, with a global release on February 1.

For more information on ‘Don’t Think’, including a list of cities where advanced screenings are happening visit www.dontthinkmovie.com.

(via Mixmag)
 

LCD Soundsytem Final Show Documentary to Screen at Sundance

Photo by Alexander Stein

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival is going to be heavy on James Murphy. As reported yesterday, the LCD Soundsystem frontman will appear in a feature film called The Comedy, which will screen at the fest. And now, the Arcade Fire fan Twitter Arcade Fire Tube points out that Sundance has announced that the festival will screen the documentary SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS, which chronicles the final LCD Soundsystem show at Madison Square Garden this April.

The Sundance site’s description of the film reads: “A documentary that follows LCD Soundsystem front man James Murphy over a crucial 48-hour period, from the day of their final gig at Madison Square Garden to the morning after, the official end of one of the best live bands in the world.” It’s part of Sundance’s non-competition “Spotlight” category.

The documentary was directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace. As Arcade Fire Tube points out, the film’s title comes from Arcade Fire’s Win Butler.
(via Pitchfork)

Toks

Yes! Just the day we’ve been waiting for, Friday. We’re bringing in the weekend strong with the most packed GDD™ Morning Update ever. Rather than listing a more specific overview of the content, you need to go straight to the articles since there is so much great content. See it all after the jump…

David Guetta Headlining Creamfields 2012 & Opening the American Music Awards

Hot off the presses from Creamfields HQ is the news that world-conquering Frenchman David Guetta is at the top of the bill for the 2012 festival. This is how they’ve put it:

“Creamfields 2012 is proud to announce, that worldwide artist/producer/DJ, Grammy winning, platinum selling, superstar David Guetta, will be headlining the event next April 2012. Guetta is currently riding the wave of success following the release of his 5th studio album Nothing But The Beat. Undoubtedly one the world’s most famous producers, he has worked with the cream of the crop of hit making artists including: Madonna, Sebastian Ingrosso, Kelly Rowland, Dirty South, Usher, Will.I.Am, Rihanna, Flo Rida, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown and Kid Cudi.

The full Creamfields event line-up will be announced in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.”

(via inthemix)

David Guetta along with Nicki Minaj will be opening the 2011 American Music Awards. The perks of becoming DJ Mag’s number 1 DJ in the world…

In the Studio with Benga

Vice’s series The Producers takes us inside London’s Red Bull Studios for a behind-the-scenes look at Benga‘s session with Youngman.

Tomfoolery aside, it looks like the dubstep pioneer is on schedule for his forthcoming LP. So far, details are pretty slim on a solid title and date but, as we’ve reported before, if you hop on over to Benga’s official website and sign up, you can stay on top of all the latest. Check out the video below for an extended clip to the Benga and Youngman project “Choose One.”

Get two new Benga tunes on Dub Police Records’ My Style 002, and go here for a free track from the album, D1’s “Keep on Lovin’.”

(via Beatportal)

Skrillex on Ableton Live, plug-ins, production and more

Amazing photo by: Alexander Jacob

You’re a big Ableton Live enthusiast. What’s it got that other DAWs don’t?

“I think, for laptop producers especially, it’s just so intuitive in the box. Everything is laid out and you don’t have to go searching for things like automation or plug-in parameters – in fact, all the things that are really hard to do in other DAWs. Ableton’s just very fluid and quick.”

Your editing skills are all self-taught. Do you think that helps you to do things that perhaps the manuals wouldn’t tell you to do?

“I wouldn’t call myself stubborn in an egotistical way but I do like the idea that in the past, what I do would not have been considered production – it would have been considered noise. I like doing things in a very minimal, unconventional way as a personal way of saying, ‘Look, I made a career out of carefully and craftfully, though unconventionally, making records on laptops and blown speakers.’”

What are your top soft synths?

“My two personal favourites are NI’s Massive and FM8. My best monster bass sounds have come from FM8. People think they all come from Massive, but most of the ones that kids online are trying to recreate in Massive are actually from FM8. I also really like Sylenth1, my Tone2 Gladiator and some other granular soft synths as well. That’s about it, man.

“I haven’t really expanded too far off FM8 and Massive because I know them so well and can pretty much make any sound I want with them – especially with FM synthesis, which is so basic.

“I also use Operator a lot, which is Live’s FM synthesiser. It’s a similar kind of thing, but the matrixes are different so you can make different kinds of sounds.”

What filters and distortion do you use to create the signature Skrillex sound?

“I really like iZotope Trash, which is a great plug-in for distortion, as is Ohmicide, which I love. It’s an absolutely crazy multiband distortion, compression, EQ and filter, which pretty much lets you do anything.”

Do you see programming as a joy or a necessary evil?

“It’s only evil when I work so fast that I haven’t properly labelled anything and my project files are all messy. To me it’s always a joy to create music no matter what it takes to actually get there. The real evils are always whatever stops you from doing that – like if your CPU is spiking and you have to sit there and bounce all your MIDI to audio. Now that’s annoying!

What type of pitch/formant processing do you use to create your amazing vocal sounds?

“I use Melodyne for formant stuff and basic pitch, but then I’ll print a whole line of audio. To be honest, for all my detailed cuts, chops and actual lines I’ll just basically take my vocal or someone else’s and process it through Melodyne in a certain way. All the stylistic treatments I do then all come from audio slicing and transposing in Live.

“Melodyne is crazy – with DNA you can actually take the individual sounds in a chord, isolate them and then change any of them.”

How do you get your beats to drop so damn hard?

“The easiest trick I use is basically to make sure that whatever sample you’re using, it’s hitting at 200Hz. Look through a spectrum analyser and you’ll see a little ‘dunk’, and it should sound like that. The beginning transient should look like a brick that kind of bubbles out into the notes, creating a big hit that dominates the whole spectral sphere of your music for that one second. The drum becomes the loudest element in your mix just for an instant.”

Any mastering secrets you can share?

“Maybe there are magic techniques out there that I don’t know about, but I think mastering is something that’s given too much credit. I always get people asking me about my mastering techniques and where I get my stuff mastered, but for me it’s more about getting the mix right.

“Mastering, for me, literally consists of an iZotope Maximizer, maybe with a little bit of EQ and harmonic excitement, but that’s it. It’s all about what makes you smile at the end of day.”

(via Music Radar)

Hot Chip and LCD Announce New Build

Members of Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem have revealed their latest recording project, New Build.

Al Doyle (from Hot Chip and previously LCD) and Felix Martin (Hot Chip) have joined forces with studio engineer Tom Hopkins for the London based collaboration.

Conceived of as a collective, New Build’s early sessions, which have been described as a ‘drop in centre for friends’, have featured LCD drummer Pat Mahoney. Their debut single, ‘Misery Loves Company’, features a remix from Planningtorock.

The limited edition 12″, ‘Misery Loves Company’ is released on November 28 with artwork from Andy Martin. Check out track clips on the Soundcloud player below.

Misery Loves Company 12″ (audio snippets) by newbuild

(via Mixmag)

Pandora CTO: Half of Americans don’t pay for music

Today at GigaOm’s RoadMap conference in San Francisco, Pandora CTO Tom Conrad revealed that his company aims to monetize the vast majority of listeners who pay little or nothing per year for music. Conrad explained that “Over half of the U.S. doesn’t pay anything for music each year”. He continued that another 40% of the population only pay about $15 a year, the cost of an album or two. While there are opportunities to build businesses on the 10% who are willing to pay more, Pandora’s plans to focus on monetizing the majority via advertisements. Other music companies might be wise to target the non-paying segment as well.

Conrad was asked about whether the rapidly growing Spotify was a threat. That service now has 2.5 million daily active users and 7.5 million monthly active users. Conrad said “I see Spotify as largely complementary to what Pandora does. Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek says he thinks Spotify is the future of the record store, and that Pandora is the future of radio.”

Personally, if I was him I’d worry that Spotify could integrate a teachable radio feature similar to Pandora into its product. While it might not be as accurate, Spotify could significantly reduce the need for users to also visit Pandora by augmenting its listening on demand service with a satisfactory personalized radio. That certainly seems easier than Pandora trying to secure the licenses to offer on-demand listening.

In addition to monetization, Conrad says Pandora is working on “how we make the service as ubiquitous as radio — in the home, the television, the living room, the bedroom, even embedded above the ice maker on your refrigerator.” Its most recent push to accomplish this is its expansion into the automobile. Conrad says this is a natural fit because Pandora is designed to be simple and not require constant interaction, similar to radio. This means people can use Pandora safely while driving.

Pandora has had an eventful second half of 2011. It IPO’d, trading at over $16 a share on its first day, and has stabilized around the $14.44 it’s at today. It announced a record $67 million in revenue for Q2 of the 2012 fiscal year. Studies show the majority of Pandora’s listening is now through mobile. It also released its HTML5 app, and dropped its 40-hour free listening cap to make sure users can hear as many songs, and advertisements, as they want.

(via Techcrunch)

Watch The EDC Experience At Home!

Beginning Friday, November 11, 2011 (TODAY), the EDC Experience film will be available on Video on Demand from the cable outlets listed below!

Grab your friends, throw your own party and take a trip into the mind-blowing, sensory feast that is the Electric Daisy Carnival Experience. This documentary immerses viewers inside the world’s pre-eminent electronic music festival, featuring over one hundred A-list artists on five stages, plus 250 professional dancers, fire performers and world class acrobats.

If you were there, relive the experience. If you weren’t, don’t miss it this time.

Starring (in alphabetical order):
12th Planet, Above & Beyond, Afrojack, A-Trak, Benny Benassi, Boys Noize, David Guetta, Deadmau5, Fedde Le Grand, Kaskade, Laidback Luke, Lil Jon, Moby, MSTRKFRT, Simian Mobile Disco, Steve Aoki, Swedish House Mafia, Travis Barker, Will.I.Am <http://Will.I.Am> , With a special tribute to DJ AM, Featuring additional songs by Black Eyed Peas, The Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, Alex Gaudino, Kid Cudi, N*E*R*D, Nero, Underworld, and many more.

PLAYING ON THESE CABLE OUTLETS
Comcast
Cox Communications
Time Warner
Verizon
Charter
Liberty Cablevision
MidContinent Media
RCN
Bluegrass Telephone Company
Bresnan Communications
Choice Cable
City of Wilson
Dalton Utilities
Eaton Video
Fidelity Cablevision
Frontier Communications
Metrocast Digital Cable TV
Phonoscope Cable
Service Electric
Wave Broadband
Windstream Lexcom Ent.

(via Insomniac)

Offices, home of concert promoter raided as part of Coliseum probe

Los Angeles County authorities have raided the offices and home of a concert promoter as part of a widening investigation into a financial scandal at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, The Times learned Thursday.

Armed with search warrants, the district attorney investigators seized computers and documents from Go Ventures Inc. in West Hills and the Malibu residence of its chief executive, Reza Gerami, said an official with knowledge of the probe who was not authorized to speak about the matter. The investigators have been examining the company’s payments to firms run by a former Coliseum manager who had helped oversee Go Venture’s rave concerts at the stadium complex.

District attorney spokeswoman Jane Robison confirmed that the searches took place but declined to provide more details.

The Times has reported that Go Ventures paid about $876,000 to the firms founded by Todd DeStefano, then the Coliseum’s events manager. The firms also received about $800,000 in payments last year from concert promoter Insomniac Inc., and tens of thousands in outlays from other companies that did business with the publicly owned Coliseum and companion Sports Arena.

Last week, the Coliseum’s governing commission and its nonprofit concession arm sued DeStefano, his three firms, Go Ventures and Insomniac, seeking recovery of the money the companies paid to DeStefano’s firms, as well as unspecified damages.

Gerami said Thursday that he and his company have done nothing wrong. In staging the concerts, Gerami said, he did everything that DeStefano, as a Coliseum manager, told him to do.

“The person who got ripped off was me,” he said. “If there was foul play on the expenses, it worked against me. I was the victim.”

The lawsuit also named DeStefano’s wife, who was listed in state records as an officer or manager in his firms, and former Coliseum general manager Patrick Lynch. It demands that Lynch return payments totaling nearly $395,000 that he received in regular installments from a Coliseum contractor. Lynch’s attorney has said the money involved a private boat transaction between his client and the contractor and had nothing to do with the Coliseum.

About five months ago, district attorney investigators searched DeStefano’s and Lynch’s homes; Insomniac’s offices and the residence of its top executive, Pasquale Rotella; and several banks. Rotella’s attorney has said his client is not a target of the investigation.

Based on records and interviews, The Times has reported that DeStefano’s firms collected at least $1.8 million from the rave promoters, film productions, stadium vendors and other enterprises that had business before the Coliseum Commission. Lynch approved DeStefano’s side dealings with Insomniac, and transferred title of a commission-bought Cadillac to himself, the records and interviews show.

Another former Coliseum manager, while employed by the commission, directed stadium business to a company he founded with a co-worker, according to material obtained under the California Public Records Act. In addition, Lynch, DeStefano, Coliseum finance director Ronald Lederkramer and other then-employees of the stadium billed the commission for thousands of dollars in luxury car expenses, gasoline purchases and other perks, including massages.

(via LA Times)

Have a great weekend and I’ll catch up with you on Monday!

Toks

We never thought we’d say this, but thanks Mountain Dew for hooking us up with this Ministry cover by a bunch of DFA artists! For real – your favorite hyper-carbonated soda’s Green Label Sound project has been blowing it out of the park in the past year or so, but we’re particularly psyched on their latest release, Holy Ghost!’s cover of Ministry’s “I Wanted to Tell Her,” with vocal appearances by John MacLean and Nancy Whang of the Juan MacLean and LCD Soundsystem.

Continue reading: MP3: New Holy Ghost – “I Wanted To Tell Her”

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It’s about time that NYC-based Holy Ghost! got to headline their own tour. After opening up for the likes of LCD Soundsystem, Cut Copy, and Chromeo as well as releasing their incredible debut album on DFA Records this year, the dynamic duo is well-deserving of the 20-date tour that they’ll be embarking on this October and November. In addition to the upcoming North American jaunt where they’ll be accompanied by Jessica 6, Midnight Magic, and Eli Escobar, Holy Ghost! has teamed up with Austrian producer Wolfram to put together the latest single, ‘Hold My Breath,’ which will be released as an EP on October 17th complete with remixes from Tiger & Woods, Cosmic Kids, and Falty DL. Feast your eyes on another great music video from director Ben Fries, and check tour dates below for a stop near you.

Fall Tour Dates
10/29 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
10/30 – Orono, ME – University of Maine
10/31 – Montreal, QC – Belmont on the Boulevard
11/01 – Toronto, ON – 69 Bathurst
11/03 – Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
11/04 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
11/05 – Chicago, IL – Double Door
11/08 – Vancouver, BC – Fortune Sound Club
11/09 – Portland, OR – Holocene
11/10 – San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
11/11 – Los Angeles, CA – Music Box
11/13 – San Diego, CA – Voyeur Night Club
11/16 – Dallas, TX – Prophet Bar
11/17 – Austin, TX – The Parish
11/18 – Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s
11/19 – New Orleans, LA – Parish @ House of Blues
11/21 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
11/23 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
11/25 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
11/26 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg

___________

♥ jonahberry

Tokyo Police Club are up to 2007 on their 10 years of covers project, a week in. I’d imagine that deciding to cover LCD Soundsystem’s unerring “All My Friends” for 2008 must have been a no-brainer. The band’s watered down rendition is respectable for the most part, up until the end where it sounds as if they just gave up. But that’s okay, TPC; that last verse is a toughie.

Continue reading: MP3: Tokyo Police Club – “All My Friends” (LCD Soundsystem Cover)

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