You know the drill people! Closing in on 11 years of drum and bass music each thursday at the Phoenix Landing, Lenore and Crook have some good stuff in store to finish 2009 off on a high note.
Despite their dedication on their Hot Pink Delorean project, the Terravita guys still MAKE time to work on drum and bass, their tunes sounding better than ever before (especially that new joint Loud And Proud; can’t wait to hear that on a good system!) and are going to kill it this thursday just like always.
Xample is also one of the best jump-up producers at the moment, releasing dancefloor-based tracks left and right on Ram and Frequency. To the producers out there, I highly recommend the tutorials he made with Lomax for Computer Music Monthly this past summer, check out the youtube video below for the first part!
Oklahoma City producer Subsonik will be making his debut trip to Boston in December; he’s been well known for his fusion of trance and drum and bass music on labels such as Sudden Def, Cymbalism, and Beta. He also runs the label Subsonik Sound, have a listen to one of his own tunes on the imprint below.
DJ Fresh (of Bad Company UK fame) is also making his Elements debut! Still running the Breakbeat Kaos label and producing himself, he’s had a big hand in helping newer talent such as the Brookes Brothers and Furlonge get a bit of recognition over the course of the past year. He’s responsible for two of the biggest drum and bass releases this year: the vocal “Hypercaine” on his own imprint, along with the classic 1990s jungle-tinged Fantasia/Heavyweights 12” on Digital Soundboy. Should be a pre-holiday set!
September is just around the corner, the college kids are returning to school, the beaches have emptied out yet the water is still warm…and the Phoenix Landing will surely be packed on Thursdays! Here’s the confirmed September lineup- I was wondering if producer Klute of Commercial Suicide fame was going to play out here this year, he’s played at Elements every year since I’ve lived out here, 2009 now being no exception. Oh yeah, Caustic makes his return from the left coast. He hasn’t played here since he originally moved away in 2006- another reason for celebration (bitches)!
August 27Dip Vertigo(Bass Dynasty, Timeless, Maximum Moves)
Concord Dawn will be playing at Elements at the Phoenix Landing in Cambridge tomorrow night! If you're a drum and bass fan you obviously need no explanation as to who this duo is, but to those not familiar with them, they're from New Zealand and have been making music for about a decade. They released two LP's (self titled and Disturbance) in their homeland as they toured locally and slowly built a fanbase who were attracted to their unique signature sound. Strangely enough, they incorporated a good amount of heavy metal guitar licks as well as trance synths in their music, and somehow they made it work. Really well!
In 2002 they released Morning Light, and the following year, they (along with Pendulum) proved to the entire world that there was more to drum and bass music than just the U.K. In retrospect, I think Concord Dawn was one of the groups that really opened up the doors to producers throughout the world to get noticed and spread awareness.
Concord Dawn plays elements once a year. I've seen them every installment here since 2005, and their sets are always incredible and filled with energy. Elements resident M-Doc, who moved away many years ago, is also making the trip back to visit and will be opening!
Check out some of CD's videos below. My favorite song of theirs, Say Your Words, I (strangely enough) couldn't find on youtube, so I did the honors and recorded it myself! Also, below that, check out one of their earliest tracks which you may have never heard before: Guardian Angel, from their sophomore LP.
Nothing like a saturday rooftop party in downtown boston to kick off the summer! Seed Recordings is launching what looks like series of outdoor jams this saturday with their first installment titled "Get Together". Party starts at noon, goes till whenever, and weather's looking partly cloudy and 74 degrees. Good enough for me. If you want to go, you must email stonesbeatbones@yahoo.com to RSVP and for directions.