In the typical recording studio, you see the same few things, every time: a plastic MIDI controller, a glaring widescreen LCD monitor, and a couple of shiny objects with large Apple logos on them. And, as Legowelt says in the interview above, “a bunch of boring bits of furniture”. Replace all that with a slew of the most vintage analog Roland synths money can buy, a TR-808 to lay down the drums, and a few tape echo machines for effects, and you get the studio of the guy in question here. I’m not sure if it’s Legowelt’s vision that makes his music sound pristine, or if it’s that owl-shaped metronome he uses as an “analog quantization tool”. But either way, I dig those synthetic retro-fitted loops that come out those speakers of his; a natural combination of vintage Italo disco, 80s electro, with (of course) that kraut rock edge.
Legowelt is laying down a live set tonight at Make It New (315 Mass Ave, Cambridge). I doubt he’ll have all his synths in tow with him, but will certainly be interesting nontheless! Volvox and Baltimoroder opening, and if you get there before 11, cover is only $5.
When you hear the phrase “live dance music” you usually consider there are bongos in the equation and perhaps a whistle.
Portland Oregon’s Miracles Club replaces those things with live drum machines (808, 909, you know) and vocals from Honey Owens. It’s such a unique style they’ve been called “vintage house.” Their cover of “Can You Feel It,” Church Song” and especially “Light of Love” has everyone talking. So much so the Grammy-nominated Cut Copy picked them up for their own label: Cutters.
Call them what you will, there’s no doubt you’ll be dancing tonight, enraptured through the classic house stylings of live electronic music. Believe it. They are going to make you sweat.
Support from David Day and Alan Manzi. Stay hydrated.
ElecSonic Substance is proud to present a selection of female DJ’s, Artists, Vocalists, and Live Visual Artists from the hottest and most talented ladies in Boston!
One of the first groups to ever successfully combine drum and bass with rock is returning to Boston for the first time since 2008! Pendulum has been relentlessly touring on the road, supporting their successful third LP, Immersion, released in 2010. As many know, Pendulum has helped redefine the sound of drum and bass over the past 7 years. Competing producers have sought to emulate their production style, crafting songs that are catchy and accessable to the populous.
With tracks like “Propane Nightmares” and “Witchcraft” dotting music charts around the world, Pendulum have also ensured they have the live show to back up their studio work. Whether it be a large performance like Glastonbury in front of tens of thousands of people, or a DJ set like you’re about to see at the Middle East downstairs tomorrow, you’re going to be in for a treat. And the awesome sound system at the Middle East is the icing on the cake.
I was going to post this on Friday, but work was keeping my free time at an absolute minimum. I’m pretty sure the tickets for this have sold out by now, but don’t fret. Here’s your chance to win a pair, thanks to the Embrace guys. Same drill as always: leave your name and email in the comments section. At 9 AM tomorrow (Monday), I draw a winner. Easy enough, right?
As per the course, you have some of the best drum and bass DJ/producers in New England opening. Terravita will most likely play a set of entirely original productions, while Elements founder Lenore and d.Surge will surely get things moving from the very beginning.
Show starts at 8 tomorrow! Get there early to avoid the line, it’s going to be a big one. Middle East downstairs, 472 Mass Ave, Cambridge.
New party launches tonight at everyone favorite dance-friendly watering hole, the Goodlife (28 Kingston St., Boston). A once-a-month thing on Thursdays, Mirrorshades is a throwback to everything that was hip about the 80s. (And probably not the things people want to forget from the 80s, sorry hair metal fans) Expect to hear a ton of the stuff you remember from those rollerskating parties when you were in elementary school…or for the younger crowd, before you were born! In fact, in their own words, here’s what Mirrorshades is about:
Big empty houses on the hill, Arcades, Rollerskating, Carousels, The Lost Boys, The Future, Waves crashing, pools lit at night, driving to the desert, being in love, making it on your own, Saturday morning detention, Friday nights at the drive in, breakdance battles, ditching school, coast Highways, L.A. at night, neon lights, futuristic dashboards, being deaf to teachers and preachers and fast cars.
Resident DJ’s Gemini Caezar, Dusty Digital, and Kurt Sloan are all on deck tonight. Plus VJ Jay Medina, and yours truly on photo duty. FREE!
And if you’re looking for something a little more edgy and experimental, why not check out Make It New over at the Middlesex tonight. Sound Designer Mark Fell is playing there. He isn’t your average verse-chorus-verse songwriter; his style is very organic, non-linear, and loves to take a sounds and tweak the hell out of them. Take a listen to his Multistability album above to get an idea.
For Fell, the final product is more the journey that goes into creating it, rather than the end result! Expect this to be anything but your average record-spinning DJ set.
Composer and percussionist Ricardo Donso and Die Young are also playing. $10 cover, Middlesex Lounge, 315 Mass Ave, Cambridge.
Sorry I’m late to the draw posting tonight’s events. Been grinding away on day gig work the last few days. But tonight you’ll probably see me at (at least) one of these parties. Dog out!!
WeNo.. Presents: TIEFSCHWARZ [Souvenir Music // Berlin] with Tamer Malki and Sergio Santos!
► For info and RSVP: Pepe Elias: 617 785 2514 | Fabiana Arselan: 857 389 8142
► LIMITED CAPACITY and NO pre-sales for this event, to ensure entry RSVP with Pepe or Fabiana.
DJ Chandelier, and COCO LOPEZ are back at it again! Also they will be Djing at All ASIA!
The Theme is drinking and dancing!
(Not sure what cover is on this, might be free)
Matt McNeill has stormed onto the Boston scene with Create Space Collab, a group organized to bring very serious techno jams to Boston. Already they have put mnames like Doc Martin and Dirtybird’s J Phlip to our fair city.
McNeill is no slouch on the decks though. Through meticulous selection, considerable digging and a respect for the history of house and techno, you’ll find names like Wax next to Tevo Howard. We’ve been looking forward to hosting him at Make It New for a while.
It is also with a bittersweet air as the night will be opened by and come to a close with our friend and long-time resident DJ DJezus, aka Baldur, who is heading home to Iceland for a spell. Here’s what he had to say:
“When I moved away from Iceland I felt like a polar bear in the jungle, completely out of place. Then I found Make it New and it was cooler than ice cold, my own little iceberg it was home.”
Damn we’re gonna miss him. Baldur has opened for some of the greatest guests we’ve ever had, like Martinez, Dirt Crew, Sian and Daniel Bell. He was always there with a smile and a helping hand. Please bring him a token of your love and appreciation (like, say, a record!)
Welcome Mr. McNeill to the decks and say farewell to one of the greats this Thursday at Make It New! The night is free.
After a very short summer hiatus, Embrace Presents kicks off back-to-school and football season correctly by bringing a very big duo to downtown Boston. Crookers: you know the name, and even if you don’t, you know the influence they’ve had on a good deal of chart-topping music over the past several years. I’m honestly not even sure if they’ve been to Boston before, but following a youtube search that turned up zero videos, I’m willing to bet the answer is a solid NO. So if this duo is on your bucket list, get ready to scratch that shit off come Thursday.
Let’s start with their biggest song, a remix of Kid Cudi’s “Day and Night”. I first heard it when B.Rich (who lived in Boston at the time) handed me a mix CD back at the beginning of 2008 when LA Riots played at the same spot Thursday’s party is happening: The Middle East Downstairs. The song left an instant impression on me as the most memorable track on a mix CD rammed with cutting-edge house and bassline-driven gems. Fast forward to the beginning of 2009, I started hearing the same song in full rotation on Top 40 radio stations, probably the first song to achieve such status since Darude’s “Sandstorm”. 73 million views on YouTube is no joke!!!
Do the math to figure out what Crookers was doing between 2008 and 2009: impressing the pants off both the underground and mainstream, while getting asked to remix and do production work for dozens of well-known dance and pop acts. Synthesized and bassline driven music has become fairly prominent even on the FM airwaves these days, and I think this was in no small part due to the success of acts like Crookers.
What have they been doing since “Day and Night”? Well, for starters, they released a well-received full length album in early 2010 titled “Tons of Friends”. Living up to its name, guest appearances from, well, friends of theirs, were rammed into every song on the disc. Everyone from Will.i.am to Pitbull, Spank Rock, Drop The Lime, Rye Rye, and Kelis (no big deal there, seriously…) But the music itself made as much of a statement, serving as less of a DJ tool and more of an artist’s album. The music itself included everything from the house and electro sound they are known for to bilal funk, salsa, borderline pop (but with soul), no-frills hip hop, and even dancehall. It was so well received they’re still touring and hustling remixes based off of it.
Non-album track “Bust ‘Em Up”, a duo between Crookers and Savage Skulls, have shown that during all of the touring, these guys still make time to get into the studio and crank out some beats. Returning to their dancefloor friendly format prior to the 2010 album, you’ll have the vocal stutter-edits of this one in your head for a LONG time after a listen. And be sure to check out the French Fries remix; he flipped that one HARD. (Hey by the way, did I mention that one’s FREE?!)
So thanks to Embrace, as per usual, we have a contest. Same as we always do, I’m going to give away one free pair of tickets to one lucky person who leaves their NAME and EMAIL address in the comments section below. And, despite the lame pun, you have one DAY and one NIGHT to get your comment in. Contest closes at 12am this Thursday. So you’ve got 24 hours, good luck.
On opening duty are Hot Pink Delorean, Bangarang, and the Bass Alchemists. You know who all these guys are, and if you don’t, get there early and get your learn on. They’re all making moves of their own.
DON’T FORGET! All the guests who confirm to our Facebook event get in for FREE! No kidding. Absolutely free entrance as long as you arrive before 11pm.
OFFICIAL AFTERPARTY!!! @ RISE until 6am! Reduced admission with SPHERE flyer until 3:00 am! RISE. 306 Stuart St. Boston 617-423-7473 http://www.riseclub.us/
Don’t miss out!
Sphere presents HOUSE IN THE HOUSE Friday, August 26th @ OM Lounge & Bar 92 Winthrop Street Harvard Square, Cambridge Doors open at 10pm. 21+ / $15 after 11pm. Strict dress code: look sharp. Contact: chris@sphereboston.com
SPHERE is the newest electronic music night in Cambridge. What’s different about SPHERE? Lights and effects like you’ve never seen this side of the river. Top-notch DJs. And the sexiest crowd in town. Come see for yourself and be ready to dance it up!
JASS is a concept club that seeks to create a culmination of emerging styles and bring you the best new producers of forward-thinking live electronic music. However you choose to label the sound, which has captured the attention of the music world, be it ‘bass music’, ‘beat music’, or ‘post-’ whatever is not as important as building a community of fans and producers alike that cultivates and nurtures artistic freedom. .
This is not a danceclub night. This is LIVE, ORIGINAL music. Bring your dance shoes anyway.
For our debut night, previous ElecSonic performers and beatheads TIME WHARP, M. CONSTANT, and FAT CAMP are joined by the dark, pulsing, and addicting rhythms of Baltimore’s mysterious HOWSE.
+ RESIDENT ElecSonic DJs, Tyler Randall and Alec Beloin who as usual will be spinning a mixture of electronic and hip-hop in-between the live sets. Always on vinyl.
*VISUALS BY THE ONE AND ONLY - RENZO*
——————- THE PHOENIX LANDING, 512 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE, CAMBRIDGE, MA
9PM - AGES 19+, $5 AT THE DOOR, There is no RSVP, get there early as WILL reach capacity $2 BEER ALL NIGHT!
RAFFLE OF 2 FREE IDENTITY MUSIC FESTIVAL TICKETS AT THE END OF THE NIGHT!!! FREE RAFFLE TICKET WITH ADMISSION!
Another drum and bass legend makes his way to Boston tonight to play Elements at the Phoenix Landing (512 Mass Ave, Cambridge). DJ Friction will be reporting for duty, with three turntables to show everyone what some of the next cutting-edge tracks on his label, Shogun Audio, will sound like.
Friction, based out of the U.K., is no stranger within the genre, and therefore remains a busy man even in dubstep-dominated world in 2011. Although initially garnering credits for his production work on top shelf labels such as 31, Renegade Hardware, and True Playaz, he was equally revered for his flawless DJ skills. Often playing on 3 or even 4 turntables, Friction has been known to incorporate all sorts of mixing tricks into his sets, satisfying even the fussiest listeners. He plays across a very wide gamut of the genre as well. He is best known nowadays for his label, Shogun Audio, which has worked its way into the A-list for dnb imprints over the last five years.
There’s never a shortage of anything dance music-related happening on Thursdays in and around the Cambridge area. Conveniently nestled in the heart of Harvard Square, OM lounge now provides house music afficiandos another stop on their pre-weekend pub crawl. It doesn’t have a name, but it doesn’t need one either really.
Veteran house DJ’s Jeff Curtis and Andy Savage (both of whom I’ve known for many years) have launched a Thursday night weekly over at OM. If you fear that the flyer suggests they’ll be playing Lady Gaga or Ke$ha remixes all night, don’t worry, they won’t. Nothing but quality house; in fact the library of both of these guys ranges from deep to techy to progressive, maybe even a little techno or trance for the hell of it. Refer to recent Soundcloud mix below.
Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 9:26AM 
