Earlier this month, Los Angeles’ highly anticipated HARD Summer took place in its new home on the radically expanded grounds of the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area. Outdoing themselves not only in the amplitude of attendees, but with the mind-boggling lineup, Gary Richards (Destructo) and his crew delivered one wild party.

Notorious artists such as the Jack U duo, Nero, Dillon Francis, A-Trak, and Disclosure headlined the overwhelmingly distinguished lineup of artists, although all of the talent could have been headlining acts. Each headliner delivered a wild, main stage primed set, capping off each night of the weekend with a bang. Of course we could not miss the rare union of Skrillex and Diplo coming together to form Jack U, nor could I have passed up on crowd-pleasing funnyman Dillon Francis.

However, since the day the lineup dropped back in April, I was beyond enthusiastic to see the amount of funky deep house and techno house talent that was represented. Don’t get me wrong, witnessing the Jack U closing spectacle the first night in the rain, playing banger after banger, setting off flames and lasers was incredible, but what really got me going was the intense funkiness that characterized this summer lineup.

Watching A-Trak do what he does best on his turntables in complete awe was unforgettable, and Disclosure’s all-out, strictly business live set won’t soon be forgotten either, however, I was mostly grasped by HARD’s heaping dose of groovy garage funk. The acts I boogied down at were marked by surprisingly small crowds in HARD’s multicolored tent stages where I spent most of my time out of the dust and getting sweaty in the massive awnings from group-session groovin’.

Saturday kick-started the funk in the Pink Tent. Representing the badass ladies taking over the scene, JNTM favorite J.Phlip had the Pink Tent going off with her infectious, deep bass lines meshed with bouncy disco elements. J.Phlip throws down a party, never a moment of monotony, and she effortlessly makes the crowd dance as hard as they can as everybody gets down to her bootylicious house. I stayed right where I was in the Pink Tent as J.Phlip came to an end for my most anticipated set of the weekend, Tchami.

This Paris native is conquering the states with his uncanny, groovy take on what he is calling “future house.” Tchami flaunted his melodic, deep basslines making anyone and everyone boogie down, whether they were in control or not.

The Pink Tent was booming and what seemed to be a smaller sized crowd was now a roaring crowd of people reflexively dancing in unison, almost as though Tchami was robotically controlling the entire Pink Tent.

From the visuals and the grooving to his exotically catchy take on deep electro house and addictive hit remixes, Tchami tremendously exceeded my expectations and upheld my every reason for anticipation. I headed over to the Purple Tent for the infamous British OWSLA duo, Jack Beats, initially to catch a quick glimpse of what their hype was about.

It quickly turned into me becoming hooked by their incomparable sound blending everything from hip-hop to drum and bass to dubstep to electro/deep house. Their captivating originality makes Jack Beats’ set one I will not soon forget either.

Sunday’s staggering schedule of performances had me restless before I even entered the festival’s gates. My day started early and I soon realized the incredible inflation in attendees, dust, and intoxicating performances. Australia’s Danny Blanc, known as Wax Motif, brought his fresh and unique mixing technique to the Green Tent.

Wax Motif’s techno house sound had crowds flocking from every direction to get down and dance. His set showcased elements of hip-hop throughout his distinct techno dance style and was the perfect prelude to the Green Tent’s next electrifying star, Hannah Wants.

As one of her premiere US appearances, Hannah’s garage-house sound that incorporates familiar hip-hop and R&B tracks had the crowd boogying down. Her use of heavy bass creates a toxic sound that had me goggle over her and her groovy deep house style that impressively stimulated the entire crowd. Hannah Wants got me and the rest of the crowd so pumped for the style she was creating as well as ceremoniously showcasing the success of women artists across the dance music spectrum.

I moved from the Green Tent to the Purple Tent to experience a different take on deep house by Pittsburg’s own Kastle. His sunset performance brought a soulful edge to grime and garage style dubstep. The crowd was disappointingly small considering Kastle’s love to party that is represented by his accomplished development of underground electronic music fused with hip-hop.

His sound is so clean and precise due to his background as an engineer you can’t help but wonder when people will catch on. Kastle effortlessly warmed up the crowd for Wave Racer to take the decks, flipping the party upside down.

The crowd was immediately hypnotized by Thomas Purcell’s, a.k.a Wave Racer‘s, playfully distinct sound. His mix of bouncy, animated synthesizers, electro house, and samples of 90’s gaming systems are compiled into an unmatched blend of sunshine that intoxicated the Purple Tent. Wave Racer’s unconventional and whimsical take on future bass and warping of party jams had everyone boogying down.

The final night of HARD ended with a rapid fire round-robin of sets, as we checked on Gary Richard’s funk-laced techno set as Destructo, Disclosure‘s absolutely jaw-dropping live showcase at the main stage, alongside R&B maven Mary J. Blige, DJ Mustard‘s rowdy hip-hop shakedown, and Nero’s festival-ending return to the American festival circuit.

My weekend ended with some of the best sets of the festival, where I got to see some of the freshest talents dance music has to offer. Nero’s set wound down with their famed “Must Be The Feeling,” artfully mixed with Justice’s pounding magnum opus “Genesis.” I let the goosebumps take over as I put my hands in the air, let my head tilt back, and I took a moment to take it all in.

I had survived HARD Summer. As I joined the mass exodus of exhausted fans still buzzing from the festival’s finale, I realized I had seen every set I wanted to see from the lengthy weekend lineup, while also turning myself onto some brand new sounds I had previously never heard before.

Known for their ultra-diverse roster each year, HARD had me at hello, and now the waiting game begins with anticipation soaring high for next year’s big event.

The post HARD Summer As I Saw It: Fresh, Feisty, and Funky appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

Life is Beautiful festival Founder Rehan Choudhry describes this incomparable music, food, art, and learning festival in downtown Las Vegas with his simple, yet refreshing intentions for the event; “Life is Beautiful is about inspiring people. It’s about offering messages of hope and encouragement through a unique experience.”

After the success of its 2013 debut, Life is Beautiful has grown from 2 days to 3 unfathomable days loaded with internationally established musicians, chefs, artists, and speakers. Choudhry ultimately wants to make a connection between the company’s core message of beauty and the festival generation by reminding everyone “that you are never alone, and life IS beautiful”. This festival brings together and gives attendees the opportunity to actively engage and witness the beauty in all types of art.

This year’s lineup embodies Rehan Choudhry’s vision of togetherness with its eclectic collection of nearly 70 notorious musicians representing different genres. Showcasing Hip-Hop legends like Kanye West and OutKast, rock icons such as the Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys, and Flaming Lips, with electronic music icons Skrillex, A-Trak, Baauer, and RAC united with other notable artists Lionel Richie, Alt-J, Little Dragon, Tune-Yards, and TV on the Radio just to name a few.

The unimaginable list of musicians is blended with a lineup of world-class chefs and brewers, mixologists, and wine-makers creating a rare culinary experience. Alongside the four outdoor stages is a Culinary Village featuring the best of local Las Vegas restaurants, handcrafted beers, wines, and spirits, and chefs onstage.

Dropping the music and culinary lineups adds anticipation for the dropping of the art and learning lineups happening very soon. The Life is Beautiful festival will exhibit street art installations, fine art displays, performance art, and inspiring speakers from around the world.

Stay tuned to Just Noise To Me for more details coming soon!

Life is Beautiful Festival, Las Vegas

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Like any festival, decisions and sacrifices will be made. With five stages spanning across a much wider venue (Whittier Recreational Park — just north of the Downtown LA area), it’s almost vital to have some sort of personal schedule to follow. Or not…

HARD SUMMER 2014 MUST-SEE ACTS

With this being my fifth HARD Summer (not bragging, just establishing some background), it’s easy for me to say that HARD always brings the most talented DJs and producers around. This year, however, it almost goes without saying. With a multitude of genres occurring across the park, it’s going to be difficult to watch everyone you want, so here are some of the ones you should make an effort to squeeze into your schedule.

Brillstein — HARD always likes to bring some Los Angeles natives into the mix, giving the festival its own home-grown vibe. This time it just so happens to be Thee Mike B‘s most recent and funky project. Since the festival starts so early this year, there’s no reason why you and the homies can’t show up and get things started properly with Brillstein. If you’re into deep, rump-shaking funk, Brillstein will be delivering some serious grooviness that you should not miss out on.

Trippy Turtle — This one is brutal because it lines up with Dillon Francis, but if you’re trying to see one of the best up-and-coming producers live and in action, this is the dude to see. Trippy Turtle has been making some remarkably huge waves as of late, and HARD will be the perfect stage to see him strut his stuff.

He has been instrumental in the rise of the Jersey and Baltimore Club sub-genres and this young gun’s skills are creatively reflected in every live performance he puts on. Trippy Turtle will definitely be a wise choice for anyone looking for bouncy, out-of-the-box goodness.

DJ Mustard — If you were able to watch the live stream of Skrillex’ Mothership Tour at Red Rocks (or even better watch it IN PERSON), you most likely caught DJ Mustard. He’s the man behind some of the most infamous pop/ hip-hop fusion songs you hear on the radio and also is extremely mean on the decks.

Mustard’s set will undoubtedly be one wild party, so if you’re craving a hard, trap and hip-hop influenced sound, and you’re trying to get down with everything you’ve got, leave it all at DJ Mustard’s stage.

A-Trak — It goes without saying that this guy is a living DJ legend. So why see him when you can see other awesome DJs instead? First of all A-Trak has been DESTROYING his live performances lately. If you’ve been able to catch any of his recent Instagram posts, you’ll see that the dude is scratching better than ever and playing out one of the most diverse set lists you will ever see. Fact.

Coming off the recent GoldGoneWild tour, the Fool’s Gold Records boss is white hot, and with HARD coming up, you can most certainly expect this renown veteran to put out an amazing performance this weekend. With a handful of DMC championship titled under his belt, as well as production credits with some of hip-hop and dance music’s biggest names, A-Trak is a marquee act that you absolutely should not pass up on. Trust me.

Jack U — Another fairly obvious choice but, come on. Who would give up the chance to see Skrillex and Diplo share the stage together? They haven’t played a festival this big since Ultra and that was just a shit show (the good kind).

These are arguably the two biggest, most dominating American DJs and producers in the game right now, and I’ll bet the house of the fact that these two are going to deliver a larger-than-life performance at HARD. Not to mention that LA is Skrill’s hometown, so you know he will be putting out for his city in impeccable fashion. Sonny and Wes onstage for an hour and a half? Yes please. Move over Carnage. Go stage dive some more…

HARD SUMMER 2014 SCHEDULING CONFLICTS

Both days are packed to the brim with talent, so naturally there are some pretty major scheduling conflicts. This obviously all depends on what you’re into and who you’re trying to see, and thankfully, HARD is the festival that can deliver a completely unique festival experience to all of its attendees, because of its incredible diversity. Some of these conflicts might not even exist for you because you’re only going to see Tiesto though. Hey, that’s cool too, bruh.

Saturday:

GRiZ vs Bro Safari — Does one get funky as fuck or so turnt your face hurts? This is a toss up because I’m a huge GRiZ fan but I also love making that “who just shat in my lap?” face when Bro Safari drops something too nasty. With GRiZ making sweet electro-soul laced with sexy saxophone, and Bro Safari bulldozing masses with waves of head-crushing bass, taste plays a big part in making this tough call.

Tchami vs Alex Metric — The real question here is, “how much booty shaking do I want to do?” Either way you’re making a great choice. Are you going for that future-house sound Tchami has mastered over the past year or that silky, ultra-soulful, funky kind of booty shaking only Alex Metric can provide?

Flosstradamus vs Dusky vs What So Not vs Oliver — Woof. Turn up or boogie down? If you’re a ratchet bitch, go to Floss, obviously. But, if you’re into What So Not’s ambient, yet party-fueling sound, it’ll prove to be another tough call up against the likes of Oliver’s unmatched funky, nu-disco finesse. To make this even more difficult, Dusky will be serving up hot, fresh booty-house vibes right at the same time. This one is about to be a doozie.

Baauer vs Justin Martin vs Jack Beats — Good Christ. First off, after the “Harlem Shake” phenomenon, Baauer chilled out for a little bit, and now has returned with some pretty incredible tracks. On the other hand, Just Martin killed in the Dew Lab at this year’s Coachella, and he is one of the unparalleled masters of the booty bumping goodness that is DirtyBird Records.

But then there is Jack Beats. The UK-bred OWSLA duo is known to spin a wide variety of different sounds, but are always known to bring a good time, as well as a raucous set. These two vets are definitely a force to be reckoned with too, making this triangle of heavy-hitters an incredibly difficult call to make.

DJ Snake vs Kill The Noise — Another tragically difficult decision to be made here, although it really once again comes down to taste. Kill The Noise is going to offer his OWSLA/Slowroast Recs hybrid sound; a mix of head-splitting dubstep and wild electro-house. KTN will surely deliver the one-two punch with his veteran experience performing at HARD, and will undoubtedly put on one of the grimiest sets of the weekend.

Next, consider DJ Snake. The Parisian Mad Decent superstar has taken over the world this year with a handful of twerk-inducing collabs and originals that turn dance floors into saunas instantly. Taste remains key, but for those just looking for a good performance, this one is nearly impossible to call.

Seth Troxler vs The M Machine vs Jack U — This one might be the most difficult call on Saturday. Diversity, as welcomed and appreciated as it is on a lineup this large, is coming back to bite us in the ass as Saturday’s final sets pose this incredibly tough decision. Off to party with forward-thinking beat maker Seth Troxler, or will you make your way to one of the biggest, most anticipated headlining sets of the entire festival circuit over at Jack U? 

And as if that wasn’t hard enough to call, throw the M Machine into the discussion and it becomes all the more difficult. The OWSLA championed trio will be throwing down their brand of futuristic, fresh, hard-knocking bass music at the same time. 

Sunday:

Milo and Otis vs. Wax Motif— Sunday afternoon offers its first conflict as Wax Motif and Milo and Otis take the decks at the same time. To choose between the up-and-coming trap duo who are fresh off Skrillex’s Mothership Tour, and funky, techno guru who frequently collaborates with Destructo will prove to be a difficult test of tastes.

Mercer vs. Hannah Wants– Both of these performers have some serious talent to showcase at this year’s HARD. Both bred in the house genre, these two have respectively taken club music to their own realms, and each pack some noteworthy talent.

For the type looking for an immerse, deep house experience, look no further than Hannah Wants (who is making her first US appearance this weekend). However those looking to party down to some of the hardest electro-house out there, Mercer will absolutely be the set for you.

Clockwork vs. Shiba San vs. 2manydjs–  This conflict might be overlooked, however, with some thought, you’ll find this one to be just as tough as most of the others. Shiba San is going to take his crowd through a variety of different deep and funky soundscapes, while Clockwork is going to do what he is best at. Clockwork is going to deliver a mind-bending, teeth-grinding set that will be an absolute party from start to finish.

Then there is 2manydjs. The Belgian duo have been around forever and have produced some of dance music’s most creative outputs in the last two decades as either 2manydjs or their live collective Soulwax. Anyone who appreciates where all of this came from should definitely give 2manydjs a gander, I promise it’ll be worth your time.

Trippy Turtle vs. Dillon Francis– Probably the hardest toss up of the whole weekend here, folks. Cat master and festival headliner Dillon Francis is slated to play at the exact same time as on of the most promising up-and-coming names in all of dance music, Trippy Turtle. Both will surely deliver amazing bouts from behind the decks, however unfortunately this painstaking decision will have to be made.

Trippy is going to offer a bubbly, light, bouncy experience, complete with dripping synths and bedroom-rattling remixes. Dillon is going to bring the party like only Dillon Francis knows how. Who knows, DJ Hanzel, or even DJ Rich As Fuck might even make an appearance at Dillon’s set. Either way, this one will most likely be a game-time decision.

Maya Jane Coles vs. Tiesto vs. Nero vs. Brodinski– Oh, brother. We have the return on UK-trio bass masters Nero, going on at the same time as Bromance authority Brodinski throwing down his own meshing of deep, dark techno and filthy hip-hop.

As if that wasn’t difficult enough, you also have to choose between one of the biggest DJs who ever lived, Tiesto, playing at the same time as Maya Jane Coles. Tiesto will bring the world-celebrated house and club sounds that he helped create and popularize over the last twenty years, while MJC will bring her meticulous brand of silky, sexy deep house to the mix. This four-way talent cluster caps off the festival, leaving one of the hardest calls for last.

HARD SUMMER 2014 VENUE LAYOUT

One of the best things about this year’s HARD Summer is the new venue. Whittier Narrows Recreation Area is almost three times larger than the Los Angeles Historic Park (HARD’s former home) and offers guests a much GREENER atmosphere. I think I speak for most of the HARD ticket-holders when I say I’m very much looking forward to leaving the festival sans dust and wood chips.

The new venue offers guests a TON of strolling area compared to the Historic Park’s high-traffic try-not-to-run-into-people areas. My hopes are that with so much additional space, the festival will be able to accommodate attendees with plenty of bathroom areas. Although last year was fine (for me at least) there still seemed to be an alarming number of drunk white girls screaming “I’M GONNA FUCKING PISS MYSELF!”

TRAVELING TO HARD SUMMER 2014

As always, HARD makes it incredibly easy for you and your crew to get to the festival. By train, cab, uber, or hooves, you can get to Whittier Park for next to nothing. Or absolutely nothing. Take a look at this dope ass pic:

Welp, that about sums up everything you need to know about this year’s HARD Summer. Have fun, be safe, and dance your little tush off!

The post The Ultimate Guide to HARD Summer 2014 appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

Legendary DJ/Producer and DMC World Champion A-Trak has had some pretty incredible collaboration throughout his career, but none have been as totally rad as his most recent work with the legendary Roots band on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

The Fools Gold Records co-founder showed off his scratching techniques while The Roots performed their track, “Never,” (off their new album …& Then You Shoot Your Cousin) along with the Metropolis Ensemble in what was a rather dark and eerie song for the regularly funked up band. Nonetheless, the performance was incredible and definitely worth a watch.

A-Trak with The Roots on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

Video courtesy of NBC

A-Trak has a pretty busy summer season ahead, making appearances at festivals worldwide including HARD Summer, and is about to hit the globe for his Gone Wild World Tour.

A-Trak

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HARD came through with their full lineup announcement for the August 2nd and 3rd festival, at it’s new location, and the two-day roster is boasting what should be the biggest party of this festival season. Headlining bouts by dance music royalty tag-team Jack U, Nero, Mad Decent don Dillon Francis, and Disclosure are set to make waves, along with HARD newcomers Tiesto and former Swedish House frontman Axwell set to make stellar HARD debuts as well.

The genre bending fashion that HARD lives for comes through in full effect with performances by everyone from the likes of A-Trak to What So Not, Dirty Bird Player Justin Martin to Bro Safari, back to young gun Martin Garrix and so many more in between.

Spanning the entire electronic spectrum, leaving no taste left unsatisfied, the summer festival of the year is here. From Kill The Noise to J.Philip, Brodinski to Kry Wolf, A$AP Mob to Clockwork and back, HARD knows no bounds. Check out the official trailer below and get your tickets to HARD here.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 2
JACK U| A$AP MOB | AXWELL | FLOSSTRADAMUS
BAAUER | TOMMY TRASH | DJ SNAKE | CARNAGE | JACK BEATS
SETH TROXLER |KILL THE NOISE | JUSTIN MARTIN | PUSHA T
TIGA VS. AUDION |  THE MARTINEZ BROTHERS |  JOSH WINK | GRIZ
WHAT SO NOT |  TCHAMI |  OLIVER |  DUSKY |  RUSTIE | BRO SAFARI
ALEX METRIC | LUNICE |THE M MACHINE | CYRUL HAHN | HENRY FONG
GOLDROOM (DJ SET) |  J. PHILIP | AEROPLANE |  JUAN MACLEAN (DJ SET)
JUSTIN JAY |  SHIFT K3Y | TWRK | VALENTINO KHAN  |  DAVID HEARTBREAK
LOUISAHHH!!! | SHAROOZ | WORTHY | EPROM | HARVEY McKAY |
ALESIA | ETNIK | CUT SNAKE | ALIX PEREZ + MORE

SUNDAY, AUGUST 3
TIESTO | DISCLOSURE | NERO |DILLION FRANCIS
2MANYDJS | MARTIN GARRIX | A-TRAK | CHASE & STATUS | MAYA JANE COLES
RUDIMENTAL (LIVE) | SUB FOCUS | BRODINSKI | CLOCKWORK
DESTRUCTO | JULIO BASHMORE | DJ MUSTARD | THE CHAINSMOKERS
GORGON CITY | CASHMERE CAT | MERCER | HUCCI | BREACH
JESSE ROSE | CLAPTONE | DANNY DAZE | WAVE RACER | JACQUES GREENE
KASTLE | JIMMY EDGAR |SHARAM JEY | 100S | DJ SLINK
TRIPPY TURTLE | BRANCHEZ |MILO & OTIS | ETC! ETC! | KILL FRENZY
SHIBA SAN | HANNAH WANTS | BLOOD DIAMONDS | MR. CARMACK
VANILLA ACE | DJEMBA DJEMBA | WAX MOTIF | VINDATA
KRY WOLF | CORY ENEMY | BONES + MORE

As always, check back right here to Just Noise To Me for updates! And go ‘LIKE’ our Facebook page, ya dingus!

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Disco revivalist, turntable tyrants A-Trak and Armand Van Helden, have released their new LP; a glorious 54 minute homage to disco, with classic hip-hop elements laced throughout. The two mighty crate-diggers, otherwise known together as Duck Sauce, have made a big splash as their highly anticipated, full-length studio album Quack has finally reached the wire.

The release marks a notable trend as artists are beginning to move away from shorter EPs and are beginning to offer more full-length projects instead. The long awaited debut LP may be the most appropriately named collection of music in history, as the album’s title reflects exactly what the album is meant to represent; simply quack.

The album is quintessential Duck Sauce– its goofy, groovy, and delivers the insatiable desire to dance like a complete fool. Quack, in this case, is much more than merely the average mallard’s battle cry, but rather quack means unparalleled, good natured folly. It means embracing the crazy, where nothing is out of bounds.

It means busting some fly moves on the dance floor at your niece’s quinceañera, or the street corner, or even the kitchen counter. The album represents a dangerously fresh, frivolous, ultra cool disregard for the rules. It means quite simply not giving one single fuck and having a good time while doing so.

Quack stands as the lighter, whimsical, not-so-serious side of dance music, much in line with Trak and Armand’s philosophy on producing music overall. And furthermore, in the face of this industry’s astronomical expansion into the global limelight, a little lightening up would do us all some good, according to the vinyl veterans.

The LP also offers a sort of historical perspective on the two perennial pranksters. The album rounds together canonic Duck Sauce tunes of old, and pairs them with brand new, in-your-face nu-disco selections.

The dynamic duo’s lead off single from 2009, “aNYway” finds itself rubbing shoulders with newborn inspirations of funk and hip-hop such as “Radio Stereo” and “Charlie Chazz & Rappin’ Ralph.” Similarly, the duo’s club-favored, inescapable sing along jam “Barbra Streisand” matches a Duck Sauce vintage classic with new, sexy styling on tracks like “NRG.”

Duck Sauce’s official debut also characterizes more than just the duo’s production philosophy. Quack paints a cultural mural of a side of dance music that may otherwise be overshadowed by kandi-clan teens at massive festivals where neon tutus reign supreme and the drop is all that really matters.

Quack takes the listener down the hip-hop hardwired alleyways of Brooklyn, into dusty record stores, through buzzing barber shops, and back to the dance floor. The 12-track LP offers a much needed departure from “EDM,” but with a light hearted intention, free of any pompous judgement against the greater dance music spectrum.

Duck Sauce – Chariots of the Gods

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“Chariots of the Gods” opens up the album with a throbbing baseline that grips the listener with wacky scratches and spastic sample work, before spiraling into a stomping disco frenzy.

Duck Sauce – Everyone

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“Everyone” incorporates a little brotherly love as the duo enlist A-Trak’s older brother, Dave1 of Chromeo to lend his silky vocal gift to the tunes snappy pop vibe. Crooning under the guise of Teddy Toothpick, the best dressed man in music lends his production ability and gushing sex appeal to this love-soaked selection.

Duck Sauce – Radio Stereo

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“Radio Stereo,” cropped straight out of the pair’s super successful Essential Mix last year, brings an exhaustive repetition however the track’s appeal does not suffer whatsoever, as the groovy cut keeps your feet moving from start to finish.

A-Trak and Armand van Helden offer Quack as a creative intersection of retro 80’s hip-hop breaks and shuffle inducing disco mayhem. Moreover though, an expectation-free listen to the album in its entirety will prove that Quack is not Random Access Memories, nor is it meant to emulate the artful composition of Daft Punk‘s comeback release a year ago. In fact, Quack may be the opposite.

The 12-track LP begs the question to the global dance music community that if we can’t at least laugh at ourselves, then what do we really have? Duck Sauce doesn’t need Beatport Chart conquering bangers, Duck Sauce is looking for a good time. Because really, that is what this is all about.

Stream the album below, or reach down into your pockets, grab a couple of bucks, and grab your own copy of Quack on iTunes. It may be the best cash you spend all year, because the fun doesn’t stop, and each track on the album is worth more than just one listen. Available now via Fool’s Gold Records, quack is back folks, and the good times are only just getting started.

Duck Sauce – Quack

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The post Duck Sauce keeps the good times rolling with debut LP ‘Quack’ [Review] appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

Slowly releasing track by track for eager fans, the group, Low Pros, composed of A-Trak & Lex Luger, have released their latest, “Muscle“. This huge trap production including Metro Boomin & High Klassified, is accompanied by Juvenile’s catchy rap talents which mashes flawlessly with the huge bass Low Pros have unleashed. This is only one of the tracks coming off their first EP which is coming sometime this year via Fool’s Gold. Stream below and stay tuned for updates on this upcoming EP. Enjoy!

Low Pros – Muscle (feat. Juvenile) | Release Sometime This Year

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 A-Trak

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Fool’s Gold pres and DJ extraordinaire A-Trak is heading on tour this summer with Salva and other special guests. The Gold Gone Wild! tour will be somewhat of an exclusive affair, only stopping in 11 cities across the US, including two appearances at Chicago’s Spring Awakening Festival as well as the Firefly Festival in Dover.

A-Trak Gold Gone Wild! Tour 2014

May 30th — Paradise — Boston, MA

May 31st — Terminal 5 — New York, NY

June 6th — Hoxton — Toronto, ON

June 7th — Elektricity — Detroit, MI

June 12th — Muse — Minneapolis, MN

June 13th — Spring Awakening — Chicago, IL

June 14th — Spring Awakening — Chicago, IL

June 19th — 9:30 Club — Washington, DC

June 20th — Firefly Festival — Dover, DE

June 22nd — Firefly Festival — Dover, DE

June 26th — Fluxx — San Diego, CA

June 27th — Gothic — Denver, CO

June 28th — Emos — Austin, TX

A-Trak

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The post A-Trak Gold Gone Wild! Tour 2014 appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

The saying goes, “everything is bigger in Texas.” Lights All Night in Dallas was no exception. Taking place in the Dallas Convention Center (literally one of the biggest venues I’ve ever seen an indoor festival take place), Lights All Night was two days full of top-billing artists, awesome visuals, and a whole lotta PLUR.

Day 1

I started the day off arriving in Dallas with just enough time to drop my bags off, grab a quick bite to eat, and hop in a cab before catching Icona Pop at the main stage, “The Mothership.” Before the all-girl duo took stage, I honestly had my doubts. I’m typically not a fan of live vocals (or live instruments for that matter) during an EDM show, but as soon as they took the stage I was blown away. With impressive vocal harmonies and fantastic stage presence, Icona Pop was definitely the best way to start off the night.

Before too long I decided to mosey on over to the next stage, “Boombox,” to see Le Castle Vania who was someone I’ve heard great things about but never actually had the chance to see. He definitely lived up to his reputation, playing a high energy, progressive set.

Next on my list was Carnage. Not only is the dude a big guy, his set was just as huge. Blending trap and big room, Carnage was definitely in my top 5 favorite sets of the entire weekend. And, with some insane pyrotechnics blasting across the stage, things were definitely starting to heat up.

Zomboy was another surprise of the night, playing a strictly dubstep set. I really had my doubts about this young talent, but seeing him live was one of the most fun experiences of the weekend. His energy was absorbed by the crowd and made his set more than just an auditory experience.

After a quick set change, Grizmatik took the stage at Boombox and threw down one of the funkiest sets I’ve seen in a very, very long time. With a combined effort from Griz and the two-man troupe Gramatik, the room was full of sax, guitar, and huge beats. It was so much fun seeing these three truly enjoying themselves in front of a packed audience.

I wrapped up the night with one of the biggest (and most outspoken) producers in the world — Deadmau5 — whose set was a perfect combination of old and new. After some minor technical difficulties, the mau5 was up and running, and before long had the crowd screaming the lyrics to “Ghosts ‘n Stuff.” “Oh, come on! Don’t act like you don’t know the words!”

Day 2

The second day of Lights All Night started off after another late start — a little sightseeing in Dallas never hurt anyone! I got to the show just in time to catch Nom De Strip, another act I had heard great things about but never had the chance to see. He also lived up to the hype with a set full of a little bit of everything — disco house, progressive house, big room, etc. I could tell he was humbled a bit when he looked out and saw the massive amount of people that had gathered to watch him play. 

Next up was Kill Paris who was also on his funk game, even more so than when we saw him at the True Music Festival in Phoenix. With huge tracks and an even bigger stage persona, Kill Paris was another fun one to watch for sure.

After Kill Paris I pretty much set up camp at the Boombox stage to see four of my favorite artists from 2013. First up, Paper Diamond. PD was one of my surprise favorites at HARD Summer, and was in my top 5 from LAN as well. His set was full of some of the best trap tracks of the year along with a new collaboration with Arizona native Protohype. I also later found out he performed his entire set with a broken foot, and when asking him about the injury he stated, “broke my foot but I’m still out here partying!”

Once the dust had settled from PD’s set, the one and only A-Trak took the stage. Now, I’ve seen A-Trak multiple times within the past few years, but no set came close to the one he played at LAN. Playing all his hits while catering to the raver audience, A-Trak was one of the hardest sets and definitely my favorite of the weekend.

Legendary duo Above & Beyond took to the Boombox stage next, playing a set consisting of their hits including their Blue Monday remix, giving their crowd some very much needed Group Therapy.

To end the night, I stuck around to catch one of my all-time favorites, Major Lazer. The trio could not have made for a better way to end my weekend in Dallas. Their set included their most recent hits like “Jet Blue Jet,” along with their classic ML antics like Diplo roaming the crowd in his Zorb ball.

After leaving the venue that night, I ran into two older women with “Rave Mom” printed on their shirts. I asked if they were picking up their kids and, in a very southern accent, they responded, “Oh hell nah, we were here partyin’! We just love Kaskade and Above and Beyond. We would’ve stayed all night but it’s already way past our bed times!” Definitely the highlight of my entire trip.

Lights All Night 2013 Review

Lights All Night was a well-organized production with very little to complain about. One thing I noticed was the fact that the Silent Disco stage was almost completely hidden. To be honest, I actually still have no idea where it was.

Security was just tight enough, and there seemed to be little to no medical emergencies. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy put in place by the festival was also a great addition.

While not everyone is addicted to cigarettes, I still found the “smoking lounge” (basically just  fenced off area outside the venue) could have had a bit more organization. Separate “in” and “out” doors would have been a great idea.

As promised, the sound was on point and the stages all had fantastic visuals. The Dallas Convention Center was a perfect place to hold the venue, as attendees could cross over from stage to stage with ease, relax in the lobby area, and purchase food, drinks, and souvenirs from vendors surrounding the stages. There was never any overlap of sound from either one of the stages, and guests seemed to be having a generally awesome time throughout.

All in all, there was still that one thing every festival would suck without — unity. As lame as it may sound Lights All Night was a look inside the Dallas EDM scene which, judging by these two nights, is alive and well. Everyone got along just fine and there were zero fights, arguments, etc. The love for EDM was in the air and it was truly a PLUR-tastic time.

If given the opportunity, I would ABSOLUTELY head back to Dallas for Lights All Night. Thanks for having us!

More photos on the way! Sit tight. 

The post Lights All Night 2013 Review appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

5. A-Trak Live at Electriz Zoo

Despite the festival being shut down early due to drug related incidents, Electric Zoo still had some of the best artists in the world together for hours of EDM. Easily one of the best performances of the festival was Fool’s Gold co-owner and world class DJ, A-Trak. Mixing and scratching were only part of this set, as A-Trak played a set that was completely all over the place in terms of genres and artists. From Oliver to DJ Snake, this set was covered end to end with hits from all over the EDM spectrum. “Big Bad Wolf” and other songs that would later be released on Duck Sauce’s Duck Tape EP were some of the songs that brought the funk to A-Trak’s set. A special reworking of Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” was also featured, along with a track from JNTM favorite Sleepy Tom. What A-Trak set would be complete without “Heads Will Roll”? A-Trak completed his set with infamous remix along with over a minute of intense scratching that got this DJ to wear he is today.

A-Trak – Live @ Electric Zoo 2013 (NYC) – 31.08.2013 by Livesetsat on Mixcloud

4. Hardwell Live at Ultra

One of the biggest names in the festival circuit world wide, Hardwell had yet another unbelievable set at this year’s Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Florida. Known as one of the biggest names in Dutch Progressive/Electro House, Hardwell is more than just the #1 DJ in the world according to DJ Mag’s Top 100. With incredibly consistency, Hardwell completely destroyed the stage at Ultra, involving the crowd as much as possible. The best part of Hardwell’s set was his ability to combine so many songs together. Using samples from Daft Punk’s “Harder Better Faster Stronger” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Hardwell does a fantastic job of turning out song after song full of bounce and energy. The coolest part about this set was the fact that Hardwell played right as the sun was going down in Miami Beach. With an incredible sunset as his backdrop, the show quickly went from a day time rave to a night time party.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/83846454″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Hardwell: Facebook // Twitter // SoundCloud

3. Clockwork Live at EDC

Alter ego of Trap superstar R.L. Grime, Clockwork is another name to have risen to the top this year. With his incredibly high energy and strictly Big Room repertoire, Clockwork was a perfect fit for this year’s EDC. Los Angeles based producer proved his chops to the festival circuit this year, especially with this live set from the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Throwing in a couple Trap breakdowns and Moombahton beats thrown into the mix, Clockwork had a perfect blend of original tracks as well as crowd favorites. With consumers jumping from genre to genre, it’ll be interesting to see how Henry Steinway performs in 2014, and whether he’ll favor his festival favorite Clockwork alias, or heavy Trap god R.L. Grime.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/98568848″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Clockwork: Facebook // Twitter // SoundCloud 

2. Dillon Francis Live at HARD Summer

 Easily one of the most fun sets of the entire year, Dillon Francis‘ set at HARD Summer was one for the books. Starting his set off with Daft Punk’s “Doin’ it Right,” this set was nonstop hit after hit. Shouting things like, “If you ain’t down with Moombahton, you’re at the wrong stage,” and “This is seriously one of the most special experiences in my entire life,” this set was more than just a mix. It was a heartfelt live performance by one of the fastest growing artists in the EDM community right now. Playing classic Dillon Francis hits along with some throwback Hip Hop jams and never-before-heard remixes, this set was an incredible combination of the past, present, and future of music. Some notable moments include a special appearance by Flosstradamus (who, along with Dillon make up “Dillstradamaus“) and a short clip of “Forever Young” by Alphaville.

Hard Summer 2013 – Dillon Francis Live-SAT-08-04-2013 by Mixing.Dj Livesets on Mixcloud

Dillon Francis: Facebook // Twitter // SoundCloud

1. Dog Blood Live at Coachella

Not including their appearance at HARD New Year’s Eve 2013, this was Dog Blood‘s first live appearance. After the release of their two-track EP, no one really knew what to expect of the super group comprised of Skrillex and Boys Noize. This hour long set proved to everyone that these two were onto something huge. Dropping tracks from their respective labels along with tracks that would later appear on the group’s next EP, this live set is packed with hard hitting, never-before-heard tunes. Ranging from Big Room House, to Acid Bass/German Techno, to Trap, to some super dirty Dubstep, this Dog Blood set set the bar HIGH for other festival performers. Dog Blood would spend the rest of the year playing festivals all over the world, melting faces at every stop.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/93531492″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Dogblood: Facebook // Twitter // SoundCloud

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The post Top 5 Live Sets of 2013 appeared first on Just Noise To Me.