electronic

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Irvine grown duo Starfari‘s newest EP is a step above their first release Clear the Clouds. This time, they’re shooting for space with Total Solar. Whereas their first EP featured more tropical and cinematic sounds, their newest EP is an ode to the Great American Eclipse, and the wonders found in exploring the shadows. To that effect, the EP has a much higher energy influence with dashes of world and hip hop.

 

Hanuman is the heaviest hitting track on the upcoming EP. It features Niko Brahman and Jules telling a story of passion, distraction, the rat race, and being the judge of your own journey. It’s clear to see there’s a level of sophistication and sound experimentation that the homies Ali and Alex have taken on with their Total Solar EP. A few words about “Hanuman” from STARFARI themselves:

 

“The main thing we’ll vividly remember from this song is that we were writing and finishing it as we were shielding ourselves from the election results coming in back in November. This song is coincidentally about not letting ulterior distractions get in the way of your focus and being the hero of your mind; realizing the courage and strength within you like the Lord Hanuman.”

 

 

 

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With a style that’s reminiscent of early Pinback and a dash of Radiohead, Klangstof sends listeners on an ethereal journey through space and time. Every time I listen to them, I imagine I’m driving down PCH, top down, not a cloud in the sky; I’m home. Their name is a combination of the Norwegian word for “reverb” (“Klang”), and the Dutch word for “dust” (“Stof”). Reverb Dust seems fitting, as their guitars, vocals, and synths drift to give you a floating feeling and tease the echoes of an empty room.

 

Klangstof is nestled comfortably, and borderline unusually, among the Mind of a Genius family, whom you may be familiar with (Zhu and Gallant). As of late, they were picked up to tour with Phantogram and Miike Snow. Be sure to go early, not just to get a good spot (thank you General Admission), but to see them when they make their way to the Greek Theater on Saturday July 1!

 

 

 

 

 

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Tickets

 

One thing that sets San Francisco apart, as far as cities on the west coast go at least, is its illustrious history. From the gold rush to the tech rush; from earthquakes to fires; from skyscrapers to monuments; the city has been through it all, and for that reason, has a lot to offer. Of the offered, the Palace of Fine Arts is one of the most sensational. The monument was built in 1915 for the World Fair, and I bet they would never have guessed, 100 years later, it would host the premier hip hop and eclectic soul collective in the world: SOULECTION.

 

Being born and raised in southern California, Soulection’s rise to international acclaim has been nothing less than a wild ride to watch and be a part of. When they come to town, no matter who of their collective will be selecting, we’re there. This time, though, it will be with the historic backdrop of one of San Francisco’s most admired treasures.

 

Best part? This event is only $20. $20 is a steal just for the lineup: The Whooligan, Sasha Marie, Mikos Da Gawd, and Ryury. I’ve included some music below if you need any more coaxing. Saturday night is going to be about the experience. Come one, come all!

 

 

 

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Jai Wolf’s newest track featuring Mr. Gabriel calls to form his 2016 breakout hit – Indian Summer. Both call to mind the triumph of setting forth into the great expanse. Starlight incorporates the vocals of Mr. Gabriel to drive the “explore-some-more” point further. And we’re all about ‘splorin.

 

Be sure to catch him at Coachella!

 

Jai Wolf – Starlight ft. Mr Gabriel

Jai Wolf – Kindred Spirits EP

 

 

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Big Wild | Soundcloud | Buy Invincible

 

This Friday, one of my biggest inspirations makes his way to San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom. Jackson is a hell of a dude, and his music has a very unique way of giving you energy while immersing you in a plethora of synths in a drum-filled frenzy. Check out what he had to say about his path and process so far:

 

 

C+A+D: Let’s start with how I found out about you, through Odesza and when you opened for them about 2 years ago at SXSW. How did that relationship come about and how do you think that made a change to your career?

 

Big Wild: Our relationship definitely helped a lot, because there’s a lot of crossover between their music and my music. Odesza’s fans were able to connect with their music and they become my fans too. It was just a really beneficial relationship for both parts. It’s been cool to get tips and advice from them. Not to mention working with Foreign Family. It was a big difference maker in pushing me to where I am today.

 

C+A+D: The invincible EP is a perfect summation of you and how your sound developed over the years…My favorite song is between Empty Room and Invincible, which are unmistakably you. What was the most challenging part of putting this EP together? Where did you see the most improvement to your process?

 

Big Wild: The hardest part about it was just its completion. I had been working on some of these songs for over a year; on and off. It’s really easy to run into roadblocks or writers-block. Through this process, I’ve made changes on how I make music now, so I can make music a lot faster than before.

 

There would be times when I didn’t know how to make the drop hit harder…or how to tweak this or that. I think that was the hardest part. Accepting that I could keep making changes to the song forever, and it’s never going to be perfect, and to just finish it. That’s a really big part of putting together any kind of project, EP, or even a single. Just knowing when to say, “OK. I’m not really improving the song. I’m just making it sound different.” And that’s crucial.

 

C+A+D: What other equipment makes up your live rig? Did you evolve your rig from a more basic set up, or has it remained the same since you began performing

 

Big Wild: I really try to focus on not piling up a bunch of gear and keeping it fairly minimal. I don’t want to clutter my stage with gear and separate me from the crowd. My set up over time has pretty much the same amount of things. I used to use a nord keyboard but on this tour I’m using a keyboard that also triggers samples off my computer as well. I’m happy with how it brings my songs to life in front of a crowd.

 

C+A+D: If you had a time machine and were able to talk to yourself before your first show as Big Wild, what advice would you give?

 

Big Wild: Oh that’s a good question. *thinks for a few seconds* If I had to give myself advice, it would be not to overthink everything. Don’t make music more complicated than it needs to be, because I definitely tend to do that. Another thing is to understand the importance of different elements in all types of music and why people would like those things.

 

For example, when I started out I was really into hip hop. I would make hip hop instrumentals, and I was 100% all about producing. That’s what I was listening to and focusing on in songs. By doing that I wasn’t focusing as much on vocals, or what type of voice this needs, or what the lyrics are. When I first started out, because I didn’t pay attention to that, I had holes in my musicianship. When I would go to make a song and try to focus on vocals or a lead instrument, it would be really difficult.

 

It’s important to not get sucked into one part of a song, and focus on all the parts; like the melody of the vocals for example. Understand what goes into making a FULL song, rather than get too obsessed on one specific part of a song. Which I guess goes back to not overthinking it. These are all things that were goals for me on this EP. Get involved with writing the lyrics. Get involved with writing the melody for the singers. Work on these other things that I never cared much about, but now I’m very much into. This EP was a learning experience for that, and I’m at peace with how it came out.

 

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Bi-annually, the gorgeous San Diego Waterfront Park plays host to one of the most unique and certainly by far one of our favorite festivals in existence: CRSSD Festival. CRSSD Festival can mostly be described as a fusion of electronic and indie pop acts with a good mix of rising young talent and seasoned veterans. Going into the weekend, we were highly anticipating this year’s March iteration. Not only have we been craving the delicious gourmet tri-tip selection but this specific line-up had our mouth’s watering all the same. Let’s take a look at who threw down the hardest sets last weekend:

 

Josh Wink

 

Many people have no idea who Josh Wink is. This is a damn shame. Not only is he a native Philadelphian but he’s also been one of the the biggest godfathers and pioneers of acid house as we know it. Just as mean on the 303 as he is on the decks, Wink’s CRSSD set was hard, gritty, and pure acidic bliss. Tracks like “I’m Talkin to You” and Ben Klock’s remix of his own record “Are You There” thundered out of the speakers at the City Steps stage on Saturday to an elated crowd who ate up every beat.

 

Jackmaster

 

Jackmaster is a unique soul. Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland this legend of the underground is known for his crazy afterparty shenanigans and his insane crate diggalicious song selection. Probably one of the best selectors of the weekend, Jackmaster featured an eclectic mix of house, acid, tech house, and everything else under the master of jack’s dirty bass heavy rainbow.

 

Justin Martin

 

Dirtybird’s lieutenant of the dance floor is making a strong push for General. Justin Martin has been perfecting his own brand of bouncy bass house for well over a decade now and his meticulous attention to detail of his craft was put on display for the San Diego crowd in full force. In our opinion Martin’s biggest track of the night was actually Christian Martin’s remix of Justin’s original track “Back to the Jungle.”

 

2manyDJs

 

What else is there to praise that hasn’t already been praised about the brothers Dewaele a.k.a. 2manyDjs. The Belgian duo (who are also both in a little band called Soulwax threw down our favorite set of the whole weekend. We have been big fans for as long as we can remember and their closing set on Saturday night was a testament to our love for their emphatic style. You can tell these guys are just huge fans of music. They played everything from the techno classic “OG Trommer Bass” by Andre Bratten to “Underwater” by Harry Thumann and seamlessly blended dark and light-hearted tones.

 

Aluna George

 

British electro-pop superstar act AlunaGeorge is actually a duo comprised of Aluna Francis and George Reid. Facts of the day aside, their performance at CRSSD was simply magical. Incorporating stunning visuals, well-choreographed dancing, and Aluna’s remarkable singing voice. They truly owned the main stage using every square inch of it to connect with the crowd and belt out classics like “White Noise” and “You Know You Like It.”

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It’s only a week away!

 

We think this might be the best CRSSD line-up ever!

 

PHASE 1:

2manyDJs
AlunaGeorge
Ame (DJ)
Amtrac
Billie Eilish
Blood Orange
Bob Moses
Boys Don’t Disco
Cut Snake
Damian Lazarus
Darius
Duke Dumont
Dusky (live)
Elderbrook
Flume
Fritz Carlton
Giraffage
Horse Meat Disco
H.V.O.B.
Jackmaster
Jason Bentley
Jerry Folk
Josh Wink
Justin Martin
Kasbo
Lane 8
Lauren Lane
Lee K
Lost Frequencies
Louis Futon
Martin Jensen
Midland
Paul Najera
Peggy Gou
Rad Cat
Recondite (live)
Rodhad
Seth Troxler b2b Eats Everything
Skream
Sonny Fodera
Snakehips
Tensnake
Wax Motif
Wingtip
Yotto
Cassy
Claude Von Stroke
Detlef
Heidi
Latmun
Mija
Moon Boots
Point Point

 

Hope to see you all out there on the San Diego Waterfront!!!!!!

 

Flume – Depth Charge

 

Bob Moses – Far From the Tree

 

Darius – Hot Hands

 

Sonny Fodera – You & I