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.

The original GRiZ remix features big-sounding horn-filled verses, sprinkled with bouncy bass licks, accentuated by a one-two-three-four count off in the beginning.  GRiZ keeps all of these elements (even the count off, tastefully, of course) in the song, while liberally adding his own signature flair.  The result is a hard-hitting funk jam that stays true to the original, while building itself into a fresh, legendary track.

Being a saxophone man himself,  Grant Kwiecinski (GRiZ) injected some of his own magic into the song with a perfectly placed solo in the latter half of the song.

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Combine that with the sassy vocals of guest Jessica Breanne, and you’ve got an insta-classic birthed from the ashes of one of the best funk bands of all time.

Did we mention it’s free to download? Get it.

GRiZ

     Facebook // Twitter // Soundcloud

Lettuce

     Facebook // Twitter // Soundcloud

The post Lettuce – Slippin Into Darkness (GRiZ Remix Ft. Jessica Breanne) [Free Download] appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

New Orleans’ own BUKU Music + Art Project unveiled its schedule that fuses EDM, hip-hop, indie rock, and everything in between into two short days with 69 acts. With one of the year’s freshest and diverse lineups, its inevitable that BUKU’s schedule is full of overlapping performances forcing festival-goers to make tough decisions.

Friday the 21st’s schedule kick-starts the weekend with instrumental dubstep supergroup Conspirator followed by notorious hip-hop collective Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.  The conflicts get tough, do you see Paper Diamond deliver his soulful blend of bass and trap, hip-hop legend NAS, or New Orleans-native trap star Kid Kamillion? Catch Carnage’s grimy big-room showcase or WAVVES surf-inspired vibe session? Dance music powerhouse pop producer Zedd or pop-rock duo Sleigh Bells? Ellie Goulding or Dusky? How do you choose between Kaskade and Chance the Rapper? Do you cap the night grooving to the kings of dubstep Zeds Dead or with Holy Ghost (DJ set)?! Buku brings the best of all worlds, making festival-attendees to plan their sets carefully.

Saturday, March 22nd brings even more hype and brutal decisions.  The day gets started with Thundercat’s jazzy take on bass music, Mad Decent hotshot DJ Snake, and Schoolboy Q. But then, do you see the legendary Dan Deacon or electro-house maestro Clockwork? It’s painful knowing you can’t be getting funky with both Chromeo and GriZ.

Choosing between forward-thinkers Gaslamp Killer and Friends and Cashmere Cat will also prove to be a gut-wrenching call. Overlap between veteran psychedelic rock band The Flaming Lips and trap music’s most promising young guns Baauer and RL Grime‘s back-to-back effort also highlights just how packed this lineup is. French electro-pop juggernaut David Guetta or Explosions in the Sky? Tyler the Creator or Beats Antique? The Glitch Mob or Danny Brown?

Thankfully though, Buku has also announced a stacked series of after parties to keep the good times rolling after the festivities and into the early morning. Curated after hours parties hosted by the likes of Bassik, Lucky Me, Mad Decent, and Zeds Dead are bound to bring around the clock madness after each night of Buku. Follow up sets by Cashmere Cat, Doctor P, Just Blaze, Valentino Khan, Trippy Turtle and a bunch of guests to be announced add even more hype to one of this year’s most promising festival experiences.

Buku’s schedule announcement comes just a little more than a week prior to the event, giving attendees barely enough time to tweak their set schedules and prepare for an out-of-bounds weekend of good times, packed full of great music.

So if you still haven’t purchased your tickets for BUKU 2014 — Buy ’em now!

The post BUKU Music + Art Project Announces Set Times appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

The festival is a network of various stages and interactive attractions, along the river. Featuring unconventional stage setups, Buku will be delivering vibes at all corners, with one stage located in a Mardi Gras float manufacturing warehouse and one on a docked riverboat.  In it’s third year, Buku presents its best lineup yet with a vast range of artists and genres making it the festival for anyone and everyone.

From The Flaming Lips to UK dubstep pioneer Skream, Zeds Dead to Chance the Rapper and so many other different artists in between, it’s hard to believe Buku packs this incredibly loaded lineup into just two days on only five stages.

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Genre-blurring acts across a wide soundscape marks this festival’s lineup with a caliber of diversity that is hard to recreate.  Veteran hip-hop trend setter Nas is slated to deliver a soulful homage to rap’s roots, while Colorado’s favorite son Paper Diamond, will surely bring his distinct blend of trap-inspired electro to the mix.

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Adding sets from saxophone slayer Griz,  New Orlean’s own Kid Kamillion, Holy Ghost! and a slew of other talents, Buku is boasting one of the best lineups on the entire 2014 festival circuit.

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Immersing a festival experience into The Big Easy’s remarkably rich cultural atmosphere, enables Buku Music and Art Project to expose everyone to everything New Orleans has to offer in just two days. We couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the fun, and be sure to follow the journey as the action unfolds.

And if you haven’t already, snag your tickets for Buku here, as the limited number of tickets is bound to run out soon!

The post Bringing The Noise: Buku Music + Art Project appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

And for those with a curiosity for Denis’ producer setup–

Of course, the rabid internet fans couldn’t help but try and coax some secrets out of the Slovenian DJ, and try they did.  Unfortunately, we only got promises of collaborations.

We’re not surprised to know that we haven’t heard the last of Grizmatik.Throw Big Gigantic into the mix? Funky as shit indeed, fatroony5.

As I previously mentioned, it’s never strictly business with Gramatik.  So, when the time to came to revel his cannabis-consuming preferences, Denis did so jovially.

Seems like he knows what he’s doing.

Feel free to read the entire Q&A here.  Also, Gramatik released his newest album, The Age of Reason last month, and we’ve had it on repeat ever since.  Download it for free here.

The post Gramatik does Reddit AMA, Addresses Music, Collaborations, Weed appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

GRiZ has all the makings of an EDM susperstar– the kickass lifestyle, a die-hard commitment to his fans, and (of course) a divine prowess in music production.  In addition to a sneak peek at what we hope is an upcoming EP, GRiZ announced a slew of new dates for 2014 for what he’s calling the Power in Numbers tour.

THU | 4/3/13 | Marquette, MI | N Mich University
FRI | 4/4/14 | Fargo, ND | The Venue
TUE | 4/8/14 | Lincoln, NE | Bourbon Theatre
WED | 4/9/14 | Iowa City, IA | Blue Moose
THU | 4/10/14 | Milwaukee, WI | Eagles Ballroom
FRI | 4/11/14 | Grand Rapids, MI | Intersection
SAT | 4/12/14 | Athens, OH | #Fest
TUE | 4/15/14 | Pittsburgh, PA | Rex Theatre
WED | 4/16/14 | Charlottesville, VA | Jefferson Theatre
THU | 4/17/14 | Charlotte, NC | Chop Shop
FRI | 4/18/14 | Charleston, SC | Music Farm
SAT | 4/19/14 | Orlando, FL | Firestone Live
SUN | 4/20/14 | Miami, FL | Grand Central
WED | 4/23/14 |Tampa, FL | The Ritz Ybor
THU | 4/24/14 | Jacksonville, FL | Freebird
SAT | 4/26/14 | Counterpoint Music Festival | Kingston, GA
TUE | 4/29/14 | Fayetteville, AR | George’s Majestic
WED| 4/30/14 | Columbia, MO | Blue Note
THU | 5/1/14 | Tulsa, OK | Cain’s Ballroom
FRI | 5/2/14 | Dallas, TX | JMBLYA
SAT | 5/3/14 | New Braunfels, TX | JMBLYA

We’re excited to see what he and the Digital Liberation crew have in store for us.

GRiZ: Facebook // Twitter // Soundcloud

The post GRiZ Debuts New Track Alongside Tour Recap Vid appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

Disclaimer Part 2: Singles and short EPs didn’t make the cut for this list, there would simply be too much to consider.

Disclaimer Part 3: You’re getting tired of disclaimers, I know.  It’s a little late for a best of 2013 post, and I realize that.  But I needed the time to gather my thoughts, okay?

It was a massive year for EDM.  We saw the rise and fall of trends, the emergence of new artists and the dissolving of old.  Through it all, some artists really pulled themselves together to create masterpieces which broke trends, made us take a step back, and really think about where our music is headed.  I had a huge amount of fun discovering and sharing the diverse sounds of 2013, but there were just a few albums that really stuck with me.  Albums that I had on repeat for weeks on end.  These are my top five.

5. Aleph By Gesaffelstien

French House producer Gesaffelstien saw a big rise in popularity in 2013, from his collaboration on  Kanye West’s Yeezus, alongside big names like Daft Punk and Brodinski.  He also found a huge following with his remixes, taking on huge songs like Lana Del Rey’s Blue Jeans, and Justice’s Helix.  His hard-hitting, dark industrial style was a refreshing change of pace from the upbeat, happy-go-lucky vibe that was prominent in EDM in 2013.  Gesaffelstien’s newest album, Aleph, which was fully released in October, began to catch attention earlier on in the year with the release of “Pursuit”; an angry, progressive house song complete with unintelligible chanting, vicious beats, and intimidating melodies.  Although the album as a whole was not met with the same success as the single, Aleph’s disregard of trends in the industry and dedication to originality secures it as the number five spot on the list.

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4. Teddy Massacre by Teddy Killerz

Okay, so technically, this release is an EP.  But the exclusive tracks released alongside Teddy Massacre bumps it up to a nine-song production, making it an acceptable album-length.  These Russian producers have been around for a few years, producing small EPs and singles with a classic dub/drum and bass style.  Their newest release, Teddy Massacre, sponsored by the one and only OWSLA, made a splash with its diverse take on the horror-oriented sound made popular by juggernauts like Knife Party and Dog Blood.  Featuring songs with swing and jazz influence, supported by interesting bass lines and thick drum sounds, the Teddy Killerz proved themselves to be powerful innovators in EDM, and we hope that they continue their streak into 2014.

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3. A Color Map of the Sun by Pretty Lights

Derek Smith (better known as Pretty Lights) has long been credited for creating music that easily introduces people the concept of EDM.  His remixes of popular classics like Pink Floyd’s Time and Steve Miller Band’s Fly Like an Eagle began to turn heads and sway opinions as early as 2008.  Since then, he has become the proprietor of his own record company, Pretty Lights Music, which has gone on to sign funk-soul legends Grammatik and GRiZ, as well as push the Digital Liberation movement, encouraging artists to release their music free of charge for distribution.  In July, Pretty Lights released his newest album, A Color Map of the Sun.  Relying heavily on Smith’s gift from combining samples (all of which he created himself) with groovy beats, the album creates a pleasant, yet distinctly funky vibe front start to finish.  Although it leans slightly towards the mainstream with a premier on Conan, as well as a nomination at the Grammys, A Color Map of the Sun has cemented itself in the EDM scene as step forward for funk and soul.

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2. Random Access Memories by Daft Punk

What “Best of 2013” list would be complete without the earth-shaking release of everyone’s favorite robo-duo?  I’ll spare you the Daft Punk backstory that you’ve surely read 20 times this year, and get straight to the praise.  RAM was a massive wake-up call for EDM is 2013, proving that the bar can be raised in more ways than one.  This album collected tons of hype in the month preceding its release, and many weren’t sure what to expect.  Would Daft Punk follow the trends and progression of the genre they helped create and release a dub-centered, aggressive and heavy production? Nope. Instead, Daft Punk shocked old and new fans alike by releasing a smooth and thoughtful yet goofy album that shook the scene by its roots.  The first track off of RAM, Bring Life Back to Music perfectly summarizes their not-so obscure message, and we hope more artists will take heed of these legends in 2014.  Here’s to hoping for more ground-breaking material from the boys this year.  (Also, Coachella?)

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1. Rebel Era by GRiZ 

Grant Kwiecinski has been called a pioneer of musical expression, and that powerful, emotional expression shines bright and clear in GRiZ’s newest album, Rebel Era.  The album flaunts an air of defiance, Kwiecinski claiming it to be an act of rebellion against the oppression of capitalism, as well as a democratic government.  Besides the potent (and important) political statement carried with the production, Rebel Era contains the best combination of electronic music and live instrumentation I’ve heard thus far.  The beats in the album are, at times, slow and sensual, though the samples and horn instrumentation laid over the top build the songs in a visceral way, creating an outstanding and unavoidably danceable experience.  From the James Brown-influenced funk guitar licks to the perfectly placed and balanced electronic riffs, this album quickly became my go-to for every situation.  At parties, nobody hesitated to move to the main room and start dancing, all the while leaning over and asking “Who is this?”.  Rebel Era perfectly blended the fantastical, off-the-wall style of EDM, and the sultry, emotional style of funk and soul music.  We can only hope that GRiZ continues on his quest to liberate music, all the while keeping us on the dance floor.

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Honerable Mention: Rollercoaster by Skream (feat. Sam Frank)

I’m a massive disco-house fan, and to see Skream take a full 180 from his dubstep career to focus on disco was both hilarious and awesome.  Luckily for him, he completely nailed it, and I wouldn’t at all mind seeing Rollercoaster become the quintessential party anthem of 2014.

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So that’s it, I hope I didn’t step on too many toes.  Feel free to give your input in the comments, I’d love to hear it.  Happy 2014!

The post Zak’s Top 5 Albums of 2013 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.

The team just finished up their time at Lights All Night where they met with likes of Diplo, Griz, A-Trak, Grizmatik, Carnage, Kill Paris, and more.

After owning Dallas, TX the duo have cruised on up to Lake Tahoe for Snowglobe with Justin Martin, Holy Ghost!, and Tiesto.

Understandably, we haven’t heard much from Sam as he’s been knee-deep in EDM revelry but from what we can tell he’s having a great time covering these festivals.

Tonight, the guys will be enjoying the musical styling of Claude Von Stroke, Zeds Dead, and Justin Jay. Tomorrow rounds out the festival with Snoop Dogg, Dillon Francis, Cashmere Cat, and Gigamesh.

While in Texas, Sam met with some of the more interesting patrons at rave. No, we’re not talking about kandi kids or the guy miles deep in a k-hole, we’re talking about Rave Mom’s. Like a unicorn in the desert, JNTM has met with the matriarchs of dance music.

Now we’re not sure whether these are great mothers who brought their kids to the show under supervision or awesome moms who like to get turnt up but may I present to you, Sam and the rave moms.

Keep your eyes peeled for Sam’s comprehensive review of all of the artists in the coming weeks.

Here is a sample of all the acts JNTM will be covering at the festivals.

Griz

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Justin Martin

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Dillon Francis

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Kill Paris

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Cashmere Cat

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The post JNTM visits Lights All Night and Snowglobe appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

The day begun under the Arizona sun with a collection of local artists from all around the state.  While the park stayed pretty desolate for the first few hours, we had no trouble getting down and dirty with some of AZ’s finest (and hugely under appreciated) talent.

The Black Moods kicked off the festivities, and laid down a grungy, 90’s-esque set, while members of Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang, Berner and Chevy Woods drew the other half of the crowd to their side of the park with their consecutive rap sets.  We were lucky enough to run into lead man of the Black Moods Josh Kennedy, who was more than happy to share his sentiments on TMF.

JNTM : How did you get in contact with TMF? Was it tough to get a spot?

Josh : “Yeah, we came to them.  We had to fight tooth and claw to get in here—And we’re the ones playing right when the gates open”.

JNTM : That being said, what do you think of the festival as a whole?

Josh : “Oh, well it’s a great vibe in here already, it’s great!”

These Zeppelin and Creedence influenced rockers have been playing the AZ venue circuit for a while, and it seemed that they were happy to break into the world of festivals.  Oh, and of course they were willing to take some glamour shots with us.

The nine-piece, “Gypsy Funk” group Dry River Yacht Club was up next, and having seen them a time or two already alongside He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister, we thought we knew what we were in for.  Lead hottie Garnet and her motley assortment of musicians gave us a huge-sounding, trippy and completely unique experience.  Somewhere in between the oboe, the violin, and the sultry vocals, we fell in love.  After their set, we flagged them down to see what they had to say about their music and the festival.

JNTM : “You guys have an incredibly unique style.  How did you all come together to create the Dry River Yacht Club?”

Fred : “All of us are like one big group of producers—It’s like working on one big piece of wood, we all bring something to the table and widdle away at it.”

JNTM : “So how has your experience with True Music Festival been so far?”

Garnet : “We’re so proud to be playing here alongside such great acts.  He’s My Brother, she’s My Sister, The Flaming Lips? Awesome.”

As the day progressed, things only got more diverse, and exponentially more massive.  Lord Huron’s hippie-folk vibe flowed perfectly into the smooth, almost lounge-style rock of Black Carl on the other side of the field, and kept us moving until the big names began to arrive.

After a long few hours of rock in the hot sun, nothing was quite as refreshing as GRiZ’s funky, saxophone-accentuated set.  He laid down a medley of songs off of his new and critically acclaimed album Rebel Era, such as “Getting Live”, as well as the James Brown-influenced “DTW to DIA”, remembering of course to drop his collaboration track with Grammatik, “Digital Liberation is Mad Freedom”, sprinkling little sax solos whenever possible.

About midway through GRiZ’s set, people began to turn their heads to the sky to see the colorful parachutes begin making their way down towards the festival.  The skydivers continued to roll in through his set, and into Capital Cities.

We were wary of Capital Cities at first.  After all, all we had known were a few of their most poppy tracks, such as “Safe and Sound” and “I Sold My Bed, But Not My Stereo”, and we half-expected a somewhat boring, clap-your-hands pop set.  Instead, we got some thick and groovy funk sounds, with all the goofy nonchalant-ness of Chromeo, and the musical prowess and diversity of Breakbot.  They even gave us a slowed-down, soulful rendition of the BeeGee’s “Stayin’ Alive” that had us spinning and snapping like a couple of dudes right out of the late 70’s.

Sweaty from a couple hours of dancing and mingling with the Scottsdale folk, we traversed the field once again to feel the folky sounds of both The Kopecky Family Band and He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister.  Although HMB, SMS was missing their trademark lead woman, they had a medley of female vocalists cycle through their set in what they called “A big game of musical chairs”.

Stoner sensation Wiz Khalifa went on next, and as the night began to get cold (who knew it actually gets cold in Scottsdale?) everyone flocked to the main stage to watch him and his band do their thing.  He laid down hit after hit, from party anthem “Young, Wild, and Free” to “Black and Yellow”, and although his set was in every way opposite of the few before him, everyone seemed to get down without missing a beat.  It seemed that everyone had a certain act that they had come especially for, and for many of the people there, it was Wiz.

Next up, on the opposite end of the musical spectrum, but the same stage, The Flaming Lips went on, bringing their trademark freaky sounds and stunning visuals with them.  Lead man (and legend) Wayne Coyne stood atop a pile of massive silver spheres adorned with rope lights directly in the center of the stage (and he cradled a baby doll through the majority of his set, because sure, why not?).  After playing  variety of songs both new and old, and dazzling the crowd with their huge and all-encompassing light show, Coyne and the gang touched some hearts with “Do you Realize?”, and finished off their set leaving people dazed and confused on their walk over to Kill Paris.

Another polar opposite, Kill Paris brought some funky and heavy electro-beats to the table, playing fun remixes, and raising our heart rates for the big man himself, Bassnectar.

After seeing Wiz Khalifa and The Flaming Lips, I had come to a realization about TMF.  What I thought was directionless scheduling before was actually a cleverly-designed lineup designed to attract people of all walks of life.  They actually scheduled three different headliners with three completely different styles and fans.  Still, the same people who were awe-stricken at the Flaming Lips were right up front, getting weird with Bassnectar.

Now, we had recently had a Bassnectar experience at HARD Summer, and it was interesting to see how his set had evolved since then.  It seemed he had mellowed out his set slightly to accommodate the types of people who may have not been die-hard electronic music fans.  Either way, he still brought it insanely hard with heavy tracks like “Raw Charles”, and left us at the perfect point for the end of the festival—exhausted, confused, and grinning like children.

The True Music Festival Experience was weird, definitely.  That, however, did not subtract from the fact that the festival was one of the most interesting experiences we’ve seen in music.  From the added perks of picking up a VIP pass (Skydiving, exclusive areas, ect) to the seemingly clashy lineup, True Music Festival definitely took a few big risks for their debut show.  Fortunately for them, it paid off in what seemed to be a very successful and universally enjoyed experience.  We’re glad they invited us there to show their stuff, and if we’re lucky, we’ll be there next year to see what’s changed.

Photos by Quinn “TurtleGravy” Tucker

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