Archive for the ‘diplo’ tag

2010 Pitchfork Music Festival Preview

This weekend we will be heading to Chicago for our third consecutive Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park. There are so many reasons this fest is so great especially when compared to the other huge fests I’ve gone to in the past.

Maybe one of the best parts of the fest is the ratio of big name acts to the small size of the festival grounds. There are only 3 stages at this fest, 2 of them being right next to one another, and a third just a 5 minute walk away. And there’s really only music going on 2 of those stages at any given moment. The beauty of this is that unlike the huge festivals (usually with 6+ stages), it is actually viable to catch all the acts you want to see without worrying about which of your 4 must see acts you will watch, since they’re all playing at the same time. And it’s not like these are no name bands either. Many of these acts actually performed at Coachella, including some headliners and just about headliners.

This year they’ve changed up the Friday format a little bit as well. In the past, there were only a few Friday performances on the A and C stages. Two years ago, some of the acts performed full albums from cover to cover sponsored by All Tomorrow’s Parties and last year the acts played requests from the audience as part of Pitchork’s Write the Night. This year it seems the acts are free to perform whatever they want, and the fest has opened up the B stage on Friday for a lineup of top notch comedians as well. The Fridays in the past have felt a bit disconnected from the rest of the weekend so hopefully this will correct that. All they need now is to revive the DJ tent that I’ve heard about from the fest’s first years. I also think the Friday action starts a bit earlier this year, so it won’t feel so much like that half day with a few bands before the real fest begins (at least like it has for me in the past).

Another pretty unique aspect of Pitchfork fest is all of the interesting and unique merch you can obtain. There are typically 2 huge tents with lots of vendors selling just about anything you can think of, on top of most of the indie record labels on site with plenty of vinyl to go around. And for all of you poster collectors, make sure to check out the entire walkway devoted to unique and (presumably) handmade posters for just about any indie artist you can think of.

And let’s not forget the food. While festival food in general has greatly improved over the past few years, Pitchfork has always had a great selection of any type of food you could possibly want, including plenty of veggie and vegan items. And the beer, which I believe was $4 or $5 a piece last year, is also pretty reasonably priced compared to other fests, not to mention that it’s delicious Goose Island beer rather than the typical Bud Light.

But, of course, the most important part of the festival is the crazy good lineup they manage to put together every year. I mean, looking at the Sunday lineup this year is almost like taking a look at my most played artists in my iTunes. I’ve seen a lot of these acts live before (and am greatly looking forward to seeing them again), but I thought I would just highlight a few of the acts I’m most excited to catch this time around that I haven’t seen before. I’m wondering who will take the cake as this years unexpected MVP (the title I so dubiously granted to the incredible, perfectly lit by natural light M83 performance last year).

I have to admit, over the course of the past year, I’ve found a whole new appreciation for well-done pop music, so I’m especially excited to catch Robyn live on Friday night (especially since I’ll be missing her Detroit stop on the tour the following night). I’m expecting a high powered performance that could be a highlight.

Saturday afternoon should get a jolt of high powered Spanish energy when Delorean takes the stage. Besides their own brand of summery and danceable tunes, these guys have put out some of the brightest remixes in recent memory.

Cold Cave – Life Magazine (Delorean Remix)

I have to admit, while I’ve heard and loved a handful of Wolf Parade tracks, I’m much more familiar with side projects Handsome Furs and Sunset Rubdown. But if the energy of those bands is any indication, I fully expect Wolf Parade to have its way with the Pitchfork Crowd.

Wolf Parade – Shine a Light

I’m not going to get into all the things I (and presumably many of you) love so much about San Fran rockers Girls. I will only say how excited I am to catch their early afternoon set.

Girls – Laura

Last but not least on my list of “most anticipated Pitchfork acts that I haven’t seen live before” is none other than Major Lazer. The Diplo and Switch-led live act is, by any account I’ve ever read, a not-to-be-missed all out party in all senses of the word.

Major Lazer ft. Ninjasonik – Pon de Floor (Diplo Rap Remix)

Make sure to check back next week when we will bring you our festival highlights as well as a whole boatload of pics from the weekend. A big boatload.

coachella 2010: the video! (and final thoughts)

For the last three days, you’ve all been hearing about the video. I’ve never made a video before, so I was a bit worried about it, but just tried to capture as many moments in time as I could in hopes that they could be spliced together into something not terrible. And now that the video is complete (thanks to iMovie being super easy to use), the time has come to share it with the world! I’m mostly happy because normally I would talk about doing something like this and find myself with 15 seconds of video at the end of the weekend. So I was happy to learn that I can, in fact, sometimes follow through.

WARNING: This was all shot on my old point and shoot camera, so the quality is going to look extremely grim in comparison to any other Coachella videos you’ve likely already watched. But I think it gives mine a more “authentic” feel to it. The everyday man’s Coachella recap video.

The theme of the video, much like the weekend, is night and day. And this seemed to be the perfect song to use for such a theme.

Wasn’t that fun? Did it make you a little nauseous? I hope not, but I can see how it could.

Here are some other final thoughts on the weekend, and then I will stop talking about Coachella, except for constantly and incessantly referencing it.

- This was my first Coachella ever, so I have no frame of reference, though it seemed like a lot of people were bitching about how crowded it was. Compared to other fests I’ve been to, this was by far the least crowded, and not only that, it was extremely easy to get relatively close up for almost any show, minus maybe a headliner or two, without camping out all day. It seemed that for the most part, this crowd didn’t really stick around from one show to the next, so if you were in position as soon as the previous show ended, you could usually get within the first 15 or 20 rows without a problem. Major plus.

- Favorites of the weekend. In no particular order, Fever Ray (queen of darkness), Local Natives (killer afternoon set. Just killer), Miike Snow (they always bring the heat, but it got even more broughten in a packed tent as the sun went down), Aeroplane (of all the fantastic DJs I saw all weekend, their mix of songs was the most right up my alley. And they saved what started out a miserable day). Honorable mention to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. I loved everything about it but I couldn’t get over the vocal issues. That being said, they got huge bonus points for happiness, quirkiness and energy and general fun. But really, I enjoyed most of the acts I saw quite a bit.

- Wish I would’ve seens. Thom Yorke, not sure what I was thinking on this one. Hot Chip, because I don’t know when I’ll get to see these guys again. Deadmau5, despite conflicting with Fever Ray and even though I just saw him recently, mostly because of this video I saw of his SIIIIIIIICK dj table. Shit looks crazy!

- I said it before, but the Sahara tent is off the hinges. The crazy lights and all day dance party are not to be missed. The only downside, the kids and their drugs. I’m not juding anyone based on what drugs they want to take, but I am judging people who are stupid and irresponsible about it. I had at LEAST 5 people directly surrounding me throughout the weekend just collapse and pass out. It was really gross to see. At the Gorillaz show, the guy behind me collapsed right on his face and didn’t wake up for a solid ten minutes. His friends’ response? “He’s done this a few times today, but he always gets right back up.” Like I said, I’m not juding anyone’s recreational drug use, but at least try to be responsible about it, and look out for your friends. It didn’t help that most of these people looked like they were barely old enough to drive a car.

- Cancellations. Shit happens, and it sucks. Nothing anyone could have done about any of it, but still grim to say the least. But overall I was happy with the acts I did get to see. And the people who are like “I maybe saw one good performance this weekend” on the message boards need to stop going to shows, because what’s the point if you never have a good time?

- The overall ambiance of the fest is the best I’ve ever experienced. The Chicago skyline as the backdrop of Lollapalooza is pretty spectacular, but being surrounded on all sides by endless palm trees and mountains is both spectacular and extremely relaxing.

- The layout of the fest is also one of the best I’ve seen. The long and narrow Lolla setup leads to inevitable clusterfucks left and right. And Bonaroo’s circular setup is a better alternative. But it seems like it only takes 10 minutes to walk from one end of Coachella to the other. A major plus when you’re trying to catch consecutive shows at opposite stages. The setup does lead to some issues, however, like when the whole world was trying to see MGMT and the crowd was essentially surrounding the Outdoor Stage (where the band was performing) and extended all the way back through the Gobi and Mojave tents.

- Cameras. What do people think about bringing their nice cameras? I saw millions of them and it seemed like security was allowing them for some reason, so I was debating all weekend if I wished I would have brought mine. I think that I wouldn’t want to have to worry about it getting damaged, a very distinct possibility in those crowds, but I was also pretty underwhelmed with my shots, so I guess it’s a trade-off. I think a small handheld video camera may be in order for my next fest, however.

- Diplo got some major props this weekend. Aside from what I hear was an absolutely bonkers Major Lazer set, both David Guetta and supergroup Club 75 included “Pon de Floor” in their sets. Not too shabby.

- The tents. The tents are good and bad. If you are inside the tent, they are amazing. I love the enclosed feel, the shade they provide, and the great sound. However, when the tents start to overflow and you find yourself on the outside, they kind of blow. But as long as you can arrive a little early to the show you’re seeing, this is usually not an issue.

Misc.
- Throw away your garbage, people.
- Children, stop trying to get to the front 5 seconds before (or after) a show starts with all 45 of your closest friends hand in hand. Spend more time making sure your 45 friends aren’t on course to have a drug-induced death scare before the day is over.
- What’s with all the feathers and face paint?
- There’s going to be traffic whenever tens of thousands of people are in one place. Deal wit’ it. Or drive over the fence like the guy in front of me did, saving me at least a half hour on the way out.

Thanks to Beta Mike for the rad pic above that I stole from him.

Here’s to a great Coachella 2011. I leave with a few remixes by Aeroplane, the act that really kicked things off for me this year.

Robbie Williams – Bodies (Aeroplane Instrumental Remix)

Au Revoir Simone – Another Likely Story (Aeroplane Remix)

feist – i feel it all (diplos plastic remix)

another friday, another pretty cool remix to brighten your day. i have to thank elyse (aka peeflyse, aka auntalyse) for playing this track at a recent sideyard phone book bonfire. as one of the millions of members of broken social scene, feist has made a pretty huge name for herself as a solo artist. and diplo seems to be everywhere these days, with his major lazer project catching quite a buzz this summer. as i mentioned before, diplo was pretty awesome at lollapalooza, and i just read on wikipedia that diplo used to be a school teacher. so i guess theres still hope for me to quit my 9-5 job and become a famous musician and/or dj.

i happen to like feist, depending on the mood im in, but “i feel it all” is one of the songs that i always like because its so upbeat and happy sounding. and the video is kind of cool with choreographed fireworks that go along with the music. and diplo is pretty good at remixes a lot of the time, so right off the bat theres a pretty good shot that this unlikely pairing will bring happy results. i think i like the way that diplo takes the little things in the original song, like feist doing an ad-hoc “ha” and turning it into a major part of the remix. a pretty cool take on a great song.

feist – i feel it all (diplos plastic remix

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lollapalooza day 2 recap

unfortunately, i dont really have many pictures and/or memories from day 2, just because it was so stinkin hot and miserable. but lets go ahead and see what we can remember, but be prepared for a slightly less robust recap than yesterday. i think the saddest part of my pictures from the weekend is that i forgot to take pictures of me and my friends for the most part.

i arrived at the festival at around 1 45 pm, which is the earliest ive ever gotten there, making for an extra long day. i headed straight to the vitaminwater stage to meet up with karen and to check out miike snow. as the lead singer told us all, “miike snow is a band, not a person. and we’re keeping two i’s in our name, because its too late to change it”. id only heard a miike snow remix that i posted here a while back and am obsessed with and was curious to see what their own stuff was like. needless to say, i was EXTREMELY impressed. excellent melodies mixed with rockin beats in an electronic wonderland. it was so fun that we almost didnt notice it was 90 degrees with high humidity and became what i think may have been my favorite show of the weekend.

ive listened to their self-titled album probably 15 times in the last few days (literally listened to it on repeat the entire day at work yesterday) and am loving it, and know it will be growing on me even more in the coming days. i remembered hearing a mishmash of electronicness when i was walking up to the stage and after hearing the album i THINK what i was hearing was the track below, starting at the 3:20 mark. great album, great band, great performers.

miike snow – in search of main

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after that, we ran into caitlin and alex, and alex inquired about writing some sort of column for dailybeatz similar to peter griffins “what really grinds my gears”. im still waiting to hear back from her on that, but the offer has been extended. then we went to the eyeball tower aka the flag tower aka the best and easiest meeting place on the grounds to meet up with ursula and crew. after exchanging a sweaty hug, i met allison, her brother james and his friends and we all headed to perrys to see the animal collective dj set, and on the way i ran into peabs for the first time (of many). despite how hot it was, we were excited to dance, but sadly the animal collective dj set was so mellow we didnt even know that it began and was not very condusive to dancing, so we all decided to go back to the other side of the park to catch some of gomez.

however, 10 minutes in, the sun was beginning to get the best of us. we decided shade was in order and split up. on my way out, i ran into amy, who i run into everywhere. then i luckily ran into karen and louis again after a bathroom stop and we decided it was time for a nap in the shade. we went to the nice shaded area of the bmi stage and took a nap under the trees while listening to blind pilot, who reminded me of a more bluegrassy fleet foxes, but i was sleeping so i guess i dont really remember. i just know it was great resting music.

we met back up with ursula, james and crew at perrys and were going to see hercules and love affair, but when we realized it was a dj set, we decided to see santigold instead. as we we waited for 20 minutes or so for the set to start, the effects of the heat were apparent. the six of us couldnt even muster up the energy to have any sort of conversation, and we all acknowledged that we were completely ok with that. santigolds set began and we all got a little more pep in our step, but about a half hour in i had to leave the crowd to use the restroom.

this is where i encountered the most persistent clusterfuck of the festival, and when i returned there was no way i was getting back in the crowd (although i did run into amy again twice in the next half hour, which was weird). i decided to get some potstickers (chicken and vegetable dumplings) from star of siam and they were phenomenal. tv on the radio was up next and i spent half the set trying to find anyone, and by the time i did we were so far back that it wasnt even enjoyable. i dont know why i am cursed never to enjoy a tv on the radio show, but im sure i will one of these days.

after that, karen louis and i headed to catch diplo at perrys and it was a blast. the sun was finally starting to disappear and we knew that the worst was over (for that day at least) and danced away until it was time to head back to the budweiser stage for the newly announced headliners, yeah yeah yeahs. and i think this is when i ran into shaf and agatha.

im a big fan of yeah yeah yeahs, but i guess i didnt expect much out of their live show for whatever reason, so i was pleasantly surprised when it was rockin with heavy beats that i wasnt expecting. karen o, in her ever infinite wardrobe of weirdness, came out wearing a full headdress and covered in feathers. below is an awful picture of the feathery mass that was karen o. for some reason, their set was almost impossible to get a clear picture of, at least from where we were standing.

she stripped that off after a few songs and was left wearing some sort of flower covered material that looked to be wrapped like a diaper. the show was completely above anything i expected and worthy of a headlining spot, but after a little while we decided we all wanted to see what bassnectar was all about back at perrys.

yeah yeah yeahs – heads will roll

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bassnectar was exceptional. the sun had finally set, and the awesome visuals of perrys were now in full effect. like i said before, the perrys area this year was pretty much out of control all the time and usually had something great going on and this was a great way to end the night.

with 20 minutes or so left before the shows ended, we decided we should check out tool, just to say we did it. we marched across to the other side of the park again, and once we arrived, we all decided that we didnt want to be there at all, so we left. we stopped on the way out for some food and got the most perfectly cooked french fries we have ever had. crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. we ate them as we walked back to the red line, which we were able to get on immediately despite it already being full of white sox fans, and headed home. i was able to convince the guys to go to wicker park with me to meet up with allison and ursula and we hit up a few bars and had a great, late night. the effects of the weekend were quickly catching up with me and i crashed, knowing that i had to wake up at some point to let nick and mark into the apartment, and knowing that i had to be at the festival by 1230, impossibly early for a festival for me, to see friendly fires the following day, and boy am i glad that i did.