Moby - Old-School Rave Mix

If you've only heard Moby's radio singles, try your best to pretend you've forgotten them. Moby's roots are in old classic big beat music that fills rave parties, and he can KILL IT at the decks, which I can testify from the New Year's party at Brooklyn's Studio B in '08. This week's XLR8R podcast is to remind (or teach) you just that. Whether you need something to kickstart you at work (I have been treading in nap mode since my four-taco binge at lunch), get you to survive the drive home (though beats this blazing often make me more impatient in Chicago highway traffic), dancing in your living room while trying to cook or do chores (guilty as charged...), or actually entertain friends who like to rave during the week (if so, please invite me over soon), hop over to XLR8R and stream or download this. I know I'll be listening to this mix more than once to get me pumped for Deadmau5 at Soldier Field this Friday night.

If you're new at XLR8R, they feature weekly podcasts. Each podcast is originally and exclusively mixed for XLR8R usually by a premiere DJ/team, and long enough to fill a CD. I love grabbing one of these when I need a new background for running, working, anything where I want a fresh consistent beat.

If you know me, you know I listen to bands, specifically LPs more than anything else. Ever since my senior year college I have followed the indie music scene closely (mainly through Pitchfork like most everyone else), and have since maintained an incessant habit of following every band and LP that garners attention in those circles. But in my last year in grad school I finally got turned on to live DJ music after getting to know an experienced DJ in Pittsburgh and going to some killer shows (in NY and Detroit, not so much Pittsburgh ;). I discovered XLR8R when I came to Chicago in 2008. I was unemployed and didn't know a whole lot of people, especially anyone really into music, and so I'd spend time at record stores and magazine stands, and I think I randomly saw a print issue of XLR8R before I found their website. I was attracted by the fact that they focus on electronic music. They follow some bands and emcees, but it is primarily DJs and producers as their culture is that of the dance party scene. Although I was turned onto many new artists, simply reading about music only gets you so far, and I was finding it much harder to find material from many of their featured artists. So discovering the weekly podcast as well as daily MP3s (~three every day) turned out to be an exciting thing for me. It was a way for me to get in tune to the DJ world as well as keep my interest in shows alive at a time when I wasn't going to many live shows since I was new to the city and was trying to focus on getting a job before going out and partying hard.

Even though now I am still mainly a band/LP consumer, XLR8R is still my primary source for electronic music and DJ news. Hell, if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have been the first of everyone I know to discover Major Lazer. So if you're looking for a source of electronic/hip-hop focused music, with a penchant for the dance party scene and an ear to styles from around the globe, check out the XLR8R website from time to time. You just might start dancing in your cube.

2010 Pitchfork Music Festival - My Schedule

Some really tough squeezes on the festival schedule for me. I was already annoyed at the sheer number of 'chillwave' artists on the lineup (We know where the scene is: can't we just call it 'beachwave'?), but now they are all pretty much lumped onto Sunday. As if a hangover wasn't reason enough to go the festival late on Sunday, but now I have even more reason to be going late since the only band I like of the early batch of sandcore-ers, Girls, I have already seen play a completely fulfilling show at Empty Bottle last November. Both days I'm disappointed I'm going to have to split time for so many of the bands late in the day, but I guess this is what I get for following so many Pitchfork-favored bands. One surprise is that Sleigh Bells is headlining the small stage. I was really hoping for Major Lazer. I did fall in love with Sleigh Bells at Coachella however, and am pretty sure I'll still be ending my night at the Balance stage after all, as much as I'm curious to check out a bit of Big Boi. I also think it's bull shit that Panda Bear gets such a great spot. I mean, I really like a lot of AC album material, the AC show at Pfork two years ago blew my mind, and I think Person Pitch is a work of art. But I was disappointed with AC at Coachella last year and I feel they're more likely to put on a fest-friendly set than just PB. Don't get me wrong, I find so much of AC/PB compelling that I'm curious enough to check out some of his set, but I can't help but wonder if I'm the only fan of theirs that doesn't think everything each of them shits is gold. Then again, looking again I can't really rearrange the schedule too much better. Maybe I'm just pissed I can't see all of Wolf Parade, Bear in Heaven and Panda Bear. Or maybe I'm just trying to push the AC anti-hype ;)

Anyway, without further ado, my 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival schedule (full schedule here):

a = Aluminum Stage, b = Balance Stage, c = Connector Stage

Friday July 16 (gates at 3 p.m.):

5:30 Liars (c)
6:25 Robyn (a)
7:20 Broken Social Scene (c)
8:30 Modest Mouse (a)

Saturday July 17 (gates at 12 p.m.):

1:45 Real Estate (c)
2:30 Delorean (a)
3:20 Titus Andronicus (c)
4:15 Raekwon (a)
4:45 Smith Westerns (b)
5:45 WHY? (b)
6:15 Wolf Parade (a)
6:45 Bear in Heaven (b)
7:25 Panda Bear (c)
8:30 LCD Soundsystem (a)

Sunday July 18 (gates at 12 p.m.):

2:30 Girls (a)
3:45 Local Natives (b)
4:15 Lightning Bolt (a)
4:45 Surfer Blood (b)
5:45 Here We Go Magic (b)
6:15 Major Lazer (a)
6:45 Neon Indian (b)
7:25 Big Boi (c)
7:40 Sleigh Bells (b)

Kanye West - Power [single]

You probably already heard about this a couple weeks ago, but this is the first link I found that worked, and thus the first time I'm listening to it. All Kanye antics aside, I've always liked his music (music > real life?), so I'm definitely looking forward to a new album of material.

Stream the new track "Power" over at That Grape Juice.

The Roots - Dear God 2.0 [single]

On June 22nd, the Roots will release their ninth LP, How I Got Over (Island/Def Jam).

Check out one of the new tracks, "Dear God 2.0" over at Magnet Magazine.


Also, if you're looking to catch one of the band's amazing live shows, your best bet looks to be at Milwaukee's Summerfest on Thursday, July 3rd. As long as I'm still on my current work shift with Fridays off, I'm there!

Lollapalooza Schedule Revealed

Today the Lollapalooze schedule dropped, and while I'm happy that I don't have as many conflicts as Coachella, I'm still pissed that I have to choose between Arcade Fire and Soundgarden on Sunday.

This isn't the most difficult choice I've faced at a fest, but it is the hardest one of this particular weekend. What makes it hard is not necessarily the level of appeal of both bands, because to be honest, I've never listened to a single Soundgarden album (or if I have I haven't paid attention) while Arcade Fire's Funeral stands as one of my favorite albums of all time, and indeed one of the first 'indie' rock albums I unabashedly fell head over heels for. The difficulty is mostly due to the fact that neither band are touring in full this year. Arcade Fire has another album on the horizon, so they will most definitely be touring in full soon enough to support that. As for Soundgarden, however, that is probably much less likely. But ultimately I think I'll follow my heart-- I'm proud to say that I'm still a fan before I'm a critic.

So after resolving that conflict, my personal schedule came together more easily than I thought it would. From my experiences at Coachella and Detroit this summer, when in doubt, I plan to favor more dance-friendly acts this year than in years past.

Friday

Los Amigos Invisibles
Ana Sia
The Big Pink
Devo
Dirty Projectors
Hot Chip
Chromeo
Lady Gaga


Saturday

Wild Beasts
Wolfgang Gartner
the xx
Gogol Bordello
Joachim Garraud
Metric
Kaskade
Cut Copy
DJ Mel
Empire of the Sun


Sunday

HEALTH
The Antlers
The Dodos
Blitzen Trapper
Minus the Bear
Yeasayer
Erykah Badu
MGMT
Cypress Hill
Arcade Fire

The Cool Kids - Tacklebox [mixtape]

Now still in Omnaural's infantile stages, music links have pretty much been limited to mixtapes. The reason for this is mainly because I blog from work-- not only don't I have my own music available, but I also spend a lot of time reading other news sites and blogs, and so most of what I listen to anyway there are new free singles, remixes, and mixtapes. Those of you who know where I work know that my resources are limited, and so I can't proffer the more obscure of diamonds in the rough. But I really want to get this blog really rolling, so I'll be passing along good stuff I find even if it's on the front page of nearly every other in-the-loop site.

This week The Cool Kids dropped their fifth official mixtape Tacklebox. These young MCs from my very own (I say that with liberty ;) Chi-town have only one formal originally produced output to their name, 2008's popular EP, The Bake Sale, but their first LP, When Fish Ride Bicycles, is purportedly in the works. This isn't a party mix like A-Trak's recent Billboard-single-studded affair, but there are enough colors of electronic production and smooth lyrical licks to please indie and hip-hop fans alike. Plus they get extra props in my book for referencing 'talking to Samson'! So do yourself a favor and get over their silly name and check out their mixtape here.

Hope to get some reviews posted soon...

You slept. I raved. (Detroit Movement 2010, North Coast Music Festival and more...)

I only wish I could say that this was true of my entire weekend. Even if I only partied all night for one of the three nights, I still had a blast at my second DEMF/Movement experience. My introduction to the phenomena was two years ago by a DJ friend from Pittsburgh, where I first learned how to really party hard. Last year I regrettably missed the fest, and now I find myself having to relearn the ropes again. Apparently skipping a year and hanging out with hardly anyone who knows how to party like these people makes you lose your edge a bit...

Check out the TimeOut Chicago reviews of the first two days below:

TimeOut Chicago: Movement Festival - Day One
TimeOut Chicago: Movement Festival - Day Two


Movement 2011 seems so far off, and I'm depressed by the thought of waiting that long for another ravefest. But I've already got a rebound strategy. For starters, I've got my ticket to the Chicago Deadmau5 show at Soldier Field on July 3rd. Check out the links for complete lineup and the ticket information:

Deadmau5 - Full Lineup
Deadmau5 - Tickets


Also, thanks to promotion at Detroit, I was made aware of the North Coast Music Festival happening for the first time at Union Park this year on Labor Day weekend. This is the only big-name-DJ heavy fest in Chicago that I'm aware of, and so I think I can safely say this was the best thing I've ever discovered at a porta-potty. Presale tickets went on sale today at 8am, and I've already added this to my ever-growing summer festival calendar. Again, lineup and ticket links below:

North Coast Music Festival - Lineup
North Coast Music Festival - Tickets


For all my friends who don't care for this scene, and for all the bands out there who make beautiful music the old-fashioned way,

I love you but I've chosen techno.