Embrace Presents Pendulum & Terravita @ The Middle East- Ticket Giveaway!

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. 

Electro Monster Feed Me Plays Middle East w/Skism & Terravita, 6.29.11. Ticket Giveaway!

Next wednesday Embrace Boston brings another massive producer to Cambridge to work the Middle East’s subwoofers: Feed Me! Also known as Spor to drum and bass fans, as well as Jon Gooch to his parents, this guy has become very well regarded as a producer during his short, yet significant, music career of 6 years. 

Feed Me’s earliest work under the “Spor” alias reaped the rewards of several very successful 12” singles and EP’s released on popular drum and bass labels such as Subtitles, Renegade Hardware, and Lifted. Thanks in no small part to Andy C’s rinsing of his tracks in the UK, as well as Evol Intent and Ewun’s support of his work on this side of the Atlantic, this guy became established very quickly. Many producers aspire to Gooch’s high level of skill in the studio.

In 2008, Deadmau5 signed him to his Mau5trap label to put out what was supposed to be a “side project” consisting of house and electro. Momentum and support was so strong for the release, which included “The Spell”, that we can pretty much call the rest history. His “Big Adventure” LP, released last year on Mau5trap, devoured the Beatport Top 100 late last year, many of its tracks becoming nightlife staples. Since then, he has released several respectable remixes for Chris Lake and Robyn, on flagship labels Nervous Records and EMI respectively.

Although Feed Me stays pretty true to his electro and house sound, culling massive drums and booming bass against piercing synths and catchy hooks, he also dabs in dubstep on occasion as well. “Strange Behaviour” on his most recent EP on Mau5trap a good example.

If just a little dubstep isn’t enough, Skism will also be there to provide support in that arena. With a wobbly, dancefloor driven sound, he is a perfect fit for a mid-summer heater and has plenty of original material to bring to the table(s). I’m personally a fan of his throwback (and Henry Rollins)-laced “Rave Review” on Never Say Die, but also be sure to check his cuts on Rottun Recordings, which event openers and local favorites Terravita also happen to be signed to.

Feed Me/Spor/Gooch has not been to New England since 2005, when he played a party in Providence with good friend and label mate Ewun/Kill The Noise. He touches down with Skism, Terravita, and Efrain Vargas at the Middle East Downstairs (472 Mass Ave) on Wednesday, June 29th. 8-12:30 PM. Facebook Invite

And here’s your chance to win a pair of tickets. As we have done in the past, leave your full name and email in the comments section below. I will draw a winner at NOON, on Tuesday June 28th. Thanks to Embrace once again, good luck and see you on the dancefloor next week.

Tickets at ticketweb.com

September and October 2010 Elements Lineup is Released

So I decided to cut back during the month of August posting events on here just to temporarily take a break. Now that school is back in session, the Fantasy Football drafts are over and all my favorite shows on FX are rolling new seasons in high gear, it’s time to get back to work!! 

Let’s start with Elements. There’s no question they have a solid lineup for September and October (no surprise really, when don’t they?)

Basek and Fes tore it up last week, and if you weren’t there, check out the pics I took in the gallery.

This Thursday (Sep 9) is DJ DARA, who will kick off his set with some London ‘Ardkore from circa ‘93-‘94 at around 160bpm, and work his way up to present-day drum and bass. And Pete Dev/Null is opening, who also happens to have plenty of records from the early years of drum and bass. Will definitely be a full house so get there early.

Following DARA, here is the schedule for Sept/Oct:

9.16: Terravita
9.23: Residents Crook & Lenore
9.30: Klute
10.7: The Statesmen
10.14: John B (Phoenix Landing 15 Year Anniversary)
10.21: Ross Tiefenthaler
10.28: Residents Crook & Lenore 

Embrace Presents Caspa at the Middle East Downstairs, 8.4.10

CASPA **LIVE** @ THE MIDDLE EAST DOWNSTAIRS ON WEDNESDAY AUGUST 4TH 2010.

WITH TERRAVITA, J. RABBIT & SCOUNDRELS

Originally associated with the dubstep genre, McCann founded the Storming Productions music label in 2004.

Co-founder of the dubstep record labels Dub Police and Subsoldiers, he mixed the first commercially released dubstep compilation for Fabric Live and has a bi-monthly residency at London club Fabric with his label partner Rusko. As a producer he has turned out a variety of remixes, including a dubstep remix of Deadmau5’s ‘I Remember’ and Rusko’s ‘Cockney Thug’.

Caspa has also been featured on Pete Tong’s weekly 2 hour electronic dance mix on Radio One, the Essential Mix.

It has been suggested by critics, that Caspa revolutionized dubstep and certain sounds from the genre. Many artists in the scene note Caspa as a major influence.

DONT MISS THIS CHANCE TO SEE HIM LIVE - THIS SHOW IS GOING TO BE BANANAS. CASPA IS ONE OF THE LARGEST DUBSTEP ARTISTS ON THE SCENE AND HIS SHOWS SELL OUT FOR GOOD REASON! 

Buy your TICKETS here:
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/010044C9A8167F0E?artistid=1456137&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=60

Boston Dubstep Heads, Tonight Is It! Goodlife, Middle East, Rise. 6.4.10

OK folks, tonight is going to be a big one for dubstep fans (i.e. pretty much everyone who listens to dance music nowadays!) If you do not know, Bassic and Soundbox collective were arguably the first promoters to regularly start promoting events showcasing dubstep music, in the summer of 2007. With the popularity of MERGE, their once-a-month garage and dub theme nights they used to throw at the Solstice Cafe (now Savant Project) prior to 2007, they knew that an outlet was needed for this growing genre of music.

And grow, it did! Bassic continued hosting events each month at Goodlife, each one growing significantly bigger than the last. They have seen countless acts roll through, including Starkey, Joe Nice, Martyn, 2562, Appleblim, and a host of others. Martyn returns in his usual form tonight, and there’s no doubt that because of how organic the sound he crafts is, it will be a completely different set than the one he played the last time he passed through, in January 2009. 

Congrats to Bassic on three years of dubstep music in Boston.

Pandaia will be in the house as well, visiting from the Lone Star State!

Fabric50 minimix by Martyn by Hypnosis Events

Official event info:

“This party marks a huge milestone for Boston! We’re celebrating the releases of BASSIC’s own C Dubs. His remix of An On Bast’s “Upon the Dew Drops” crafted alongside La Folia Label head Inanna has been receiving love from big guys such as Axel Bartsch, Konrad Black, and Luciano! And his first release “Don’t Know, which was featured on the TOGETHER festival compilation has also been making waves.

We’ve got Boston’s Bad boys Damien Paul & Jay K rolling out the beats upstairs all night long so there’s something for everyone. Don’t sleep and get there early b/c we can’t guarantee there’s room for everybody!”

BASSIC Presents:
MARTYN (3024, Tectonic, Warp, Revolver)
C DUBS (BASSIC, La Folia)
Damien Paul
Jay K

Goodlife Bar, 28 Kingston Street, Boston, Ma, 21+, $7

If harder-edged dubstep is your cup of tea, you may be interested in a show going on at the Middle East tonight as well. Excision will be touching down for the first time in Boston, and has been pretty busy this year, opening for Pendulum and perfecting his blending various forms of metal, drum and bass, and hip hop into his 140 beat-per-minute template. Terravita will be opening with a special jungle/dubstep-oriented set (a rarity these days, I don’t think I have ever heard them drop dubstep before), along with the Scoundrels (Scotch-1 and Prodigal Son). 

Excision - Shambhala (2008) by asmbler

After-party at RISE tonight too!

Members $10 
Guests $20 

www.myspace.com/jay.kennison 
www.myspace.com/djdamienpaul 
www.myspace.com/bassicboston 
www.myspace.com/pandaia 
www.goodlifebar.com

Drum & Bass Heads! Elements November/December '09 Lineup

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!