While I've been out...

Again I would like to apologize for the long hiatus for the One Nation Under EDM. There is nothing more that I love than to share everything that interests me in the world of electronic dance music. Now, while I've been out, I went to one of the most prestigious festivals in the world known as Electric Daisy Carnival during the summer in Las Vegas including a pool party featuring Fat Boy Slim and Boys Noize. 

I've been listening to more and more sub genres in the electronic dance music scene and discovering new artists. I will from time to time let you know who I think is worth a listen to. Also, I haven't been to that many shows as of recent but I will attend some in the future and bring you my insight on those shows and past show and festivals I've attended.

Thanks again for everyone who's visits my blog from time to time and here's a sneak peek on what I will post in the near future.

- One Nation Under EDM

Upcoming topics:

Memory Lane: Something Wicked (2012)

2013 Grammy Nominees in Electronic/Dance genre

Memory Lane: Lights All Night 2012

Artists to Look Out For: Disclosure & Duck Sauce

Let's start this again

I would like to first and foremost apologize to the fans that we're expecting updates from day-to-day everything EDM related. I still want to share my moments in festivals that I attend to my audience because it makes me relive those moments and possibly inspire people who never attended electronic dance festivals to attend one. From time to time, I want to start again to review concerts going on, new music, and festivals around the U.S. Stay tuned for more updates soon. 

- One Nation Under EDM

Special Announcment from One Nation Under EDM

Thank you dance music fans for waiting patiently and now it's the time for the highly-anticipated news. One Nation Under EDM will be going to this year's Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas. If you're not going that's alright because I will be giving you the inside scoop behind the extraordinary festival. So stay tuned to my blog to get photos, video (unfortunately with no sound), and many reviews on live acts that will be at the three-day festival.

Also follow me on twitter: https://twitter.com/rruiz138 for updates and when blogs are posted.

Next Post: Memory Lane - Something Wicked 2012 - Houston, TX
Posts To Come: 10 Acts to see at Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas; Video Footage of Sun City Music Festival 2012

Album Review: Armin Van Buuren - Intense

     I know this album has been out for more than a couple of weeks, but I wanted to do another album review that dealt with another genre of dance music. So that's why I decided to do one from the trance realm and did an album review of trance legend Armin Van Buuren's fifth studio album Intense. From the 17 heart-pounding tracks, this album shows that Armin still delivers for his genre's fans as he still incorporates his defining trance beats with crisp classical instruments, soaring vocals, and different components of electronic dance music.

Cover of Armin Van Buuren's newest album, Intense.
Property of arminvanbuuren.com

     Some of the songs that stood out was the opening track, "Intense." This track makes the listener feel like they are on a musical rollercoaster. At some points of the song you hear trance, a violin segment that fuses with the song, and a slower version of the trance parts of the song (which is known as another kind of dance music called "Trap"). By combining these different sounds into one song, it shows that Armin really took the time in this track to compile as many sounds as he could in order to make the song have a great flow.

     Other songs that stood out from this album was "Pulsar" as I felt that the fusion between electro house and trance were incorporated into the song. "Turn This Love Around" was probably, if not for "Intense," the song that stood out in that album. The way the vocalist just delivered her voice made it feel almost like a heavy locomotion sounding its horn to let people know that the train is coming through. It's just that powerful.

     All in all, Intense lived up to what the name of Armin's album title name is. The album had many components to the trance genre but it made Armin seem like he was more open to add other electronic dance sounds from different subgenres. He's done it again and he's taking trance on a wild exhilarating ride.

4 out of 5

Next Post: Special Announcement from One Nation Under EDM
Posts to Come: Memory Lane - Something Wicked 2012 Houston, TX

Memory Lane: Sun City Music Festival 2012 - El Paso, TX (Day 2)

Two performing dancers on the main stage showing
off their flamboyant attire. (Roland Ruiz)

(Continued From SCMF 2012 D1 P2)

After the first day of Sun City came to a close, I woke up with my ears ringing lightly and my legs feeling sore to the point of walking becoming somewhat painful. But I knew after minutes of realizing my current physical state that I wanted more of what day one had to offer. So I got up, took another shower, and strolled out to the local mall to kill some time before it was time for round two.

As it was time to go to Ascarate Park for the final day of Sun City, I came to the situation where I was completely satisfied with myself and this festival enough to where I wasn't expecting too much to come out of the final day. I rushed into the venue and headed towards the main stage once again to see if lightning can strike twice like it did on day one.

John Dahlbach, center, at the main stage with headphones
positioned on his forehead. (Roland Ruiz)

The first act to go on was Lucky Date. He performed some of his own songs along with the popular tracks like Steve Aoki's "Turbulence." His set was pretty solid in fulfilling the role of a opening act. The DJ was really laid-back and was interacting with the audience frequently. After Lucky Date, John Dahlbach hit the stage. Although he didn't say anything to the audience during his entire set, the music he was dishing out of the speakers was fantastic. He played some of his hits like "Panic," "Zeus," and to finish out the set "Embrace Me" the Dirty South remix. He was one of the other DJs that I was looking forward to see because of his tracks that I heard previously, "One Last Ride" and "Life," both which he didn't play during his set.

Morgan Page, center, waving his hand as the crowd
gives him a warm welcome to El Paso. (Roland Ruiz)

After Dahlbach, it was Morgan Page's turn to shed some light onto the main stage. By then, I looked back and I couldn't see the floor anymore. This was a good thing because it only meant one thing - this party just got started. A big reaction emerges from the audience once Morgan Page hits the stage as he joyfully welcomes himself to El Paso and starting mixing on the tables. He played a combination of trance and house music during his set - I would say 60% trance and 40% house. It was great because his set felt like new music to my ears. My guess was that he plays at El Paso quite often and that's why he got a standing ovation a couple of times during his set. Nonetheless, good quality of music Page played. Sander Van Doorn's turn came after Page's electrifying set. I never heard of this guy prior to the festival, but he played a solid set. He played tracks like Deadmau5's "Professional Griefers," Afrojack's "Rock the House," and Zedd's "Spectrum" the Deniz Koyu remix. The track that stuck in my mind from my set was, at the time, the newest song from Swedish House Mafia "Don't You Worry Child." During the song, he threw his headphones into the crowd as he was close toward finishing his set. More so, the crowd's reaction toward the new SHM song was insane. I felt after hearing this song that this was going to be a radio hit and the pop stations are going to eat this song up.

Dada Life, center, giving the crowd what it wants - house music
(Roland Ruiz)

As the night progressed, there were only two more acts left before this two-day experience was all over. The first was Dada Life and they were nothing less from amazing. This Swedish electro house duo was, from start to finish, full of pure raw aggression and the crowd ate it up like candy. Their props were star-striking: Champagne spraying, throwing bananas to the crowd and their name inflated on each side of the stage. Their background was trippy as heck but it correlated to the music they were playing very well. Some of the songs they played was their remix of Kaskade's "Llove," their remix of Duck Sauce's "Big Bad Wolf," and Tiesto/Showtek's "Hell Yeah." They also played some of their own songs like "Happy Violence," "Rolling Stone T-Shirt," and their infamous "Kick Out The Epic MotherF**ker." They also did some amazing collaborations with songs like Beastie Boys' "Fight For Your Right To Party"/ Knife Party's "Rage Valley" and Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl"/ Sebastian Ingrosso & Alesso's "Calling (Lose My Mind)." Looking back at Dada Life's set, it was probably my top five greatest live sets that I've ever witnessed. They were just that good and they surprised the heck out of me from the moment they took the main stage.

Above & Beyond, center, during their moment of remembering
the famous people who died during 2012. (Roland Ruiz)

Thinking that the final night of Sun City couldn't get any better, the final act took the stage and gave the people of El Paso a 90 minute epic trance ride of their lives as Above & Beyond closed out the festival. Since I knew these guys were going to close out one of the days, I listened to their most recent album Group Therapy to get a dose of who these guys were (and boy did it work). I liked how their background at times reflected the audience so it felt like you were seeing yourself through the plasma screens. They didn't talk throughout their set, but they typed from the laptop onto the big screen to address the crowd. It was a unique way and my best guess was that it was the way they did things.

I wasn't a huge fan of trance before this festival, but Above & Beyond made me into a believer. They played songs from their Group Therapy album like "Alchemy," "On My Way To Heaven," "Thing Called Love," "Prelude," and their famous track "Sun and Moon." As the show ended, they dedicated a few minutes of their set for the famous people who have died during 2012 like Whitney Houston, Donna Summer, and probably one of the most forgotten Americans in the 20th century Neil Armstrong. The crowd loved it. Whoever Sun City decided who was going to close this two day festival nailed it to the point where it was practically impossible to get the nail out. The mood was great because it felt like after two days of non-stop heart pounding electronic music - Above & Beyond was the elixir to give the crowd some mellow trance to send them away floating.

Technicians working on the turntables for the final act of
the 2012 festival. (Roland Ruiz)

Then everyone's worst fear came, the end of the festival. It was 2:00 a.m. on Labor Day and it was time for everyone to recollect themselves and return home. But on my hand, my flight to go back to Houston was leaving in five hours so I couldn't reflect too much as I went to my hotel and packed everything. As I got back to the airport and ready to head on back to Houston, I quickly reflected that mere hours ago I was rocking my face off and it felt like one gigantic rollercoaster. I couldn't believe how much fun I had and most importantly how I wanted more of it. I knew after Sun City that I wanted to go to more festivals and as much festivals as I can before I come to terms with myself that it was time.

Looking back nine months into Sun City, I can say that this was one of the best times I ever had. Being there by myself had its perks and misfortunes but all in all I came to appreciate the vibe that surrounded me throughout those two days. I also appreciated the city of El Paso and the way it welcomed the dance community with open arms and the people were very nice and helpful throughout my quick stay in El Paso. I don't know whether I can do another year of SCMF, but I'll always remember it for being my first all-EDM festival.

Next Post: Album Review - Armin Van Buuren's Intense
Posts to Come: Special Announcement from One Nation Under EDM; Memory Lane: Something Wicked 2012 Houston, TX.





 

Memory Lane: Sun City Music Festival 2012 - El Paso, TX (Day 1 Part 2)

(Continued from SCMF 2012 D1 P1)

As I got inside the festival quickly, since I bought the 2-day VIP pass, I took a quick glance around the center point of Ascarate Park and noticed something that stood out to me. It was the desert scenery that captivated my eyes along with the sun starting to come down to make a pasty orange color to flow before the night took over the festival. I quickly rushed to get to the main stage because that's where David Guetta was playing at for the first night.

I parked myself up to the front row for the whole night as I wanted to get a good view on the DJs and as for the crowd when I turned around occasionally. The first act was a local DJ name Johnny Kage that got voted on from Facebook to perform at the festival. The only song that I can clearly remember he played on his set was a mashup with Deadmau5's song "Ghosts 'n' Stuff." He also had a local rapper, whom I forgot his name, that shared the stage with. I thought his vocals mashed up with Kage's set were unnecessary, but the crowd seemed somewhat intrigued with the duo.

After Kage came another guy named Kevin Focus. He played a combination of trance and house music in his hour long set. As the sun was coming down and his set was just about over, the crowd grew about six times as it was when Johnny Kage came on. I couldn't remember any of the songs that he played but most of his set was upbeat and always kept the audience at a medium throughout his time at the main stage.

By the time it was 8:00 p.m., the crowd grew enormously as the big acts were about to hit the main stage starting with Zedd. The fans of El Paso, by popular demand, wanted Skrillex's protégé back at this festival after a great set back in the previous year. This was Zedd right before he released Clarity - now a certified gold album as he announced on his Twitter/Facebook feed - and at the time he released his newest single "Spectrum."

As he entered the festival and onto the deck tables, the crowd was roaring with enthusiasm and praise as he was going to rock the main stage once again. He played some of the crowd pleasers like Swedish House Mafia's "Save The World," Axwell's remix of Ivan Gough and Feenixpawl's "In My Mind," and a mashup with Daft Punk's "One More Time." Zedd also played some of his own songs like "Shave It," "Spectrum," and his remix of "Legend of Zelda" - which was a personal favorite of mine. He put on a good show as he addressed the crowd occasionally and had a great approach toward being somewhere like El Paso.

After the highly-praised Zedd, Nicky Romero took the stage. He was another guy I was looking forward to as he had some songs that I liked from him along with occasionally collaborating with David Guetta. He started of his set with his popular song "Toulouse," which grew the crowd into a screaming roar and started to explode. He also played his new single at the time with Calvin Harris called "Iron." But his notable song he played in his set was a mashup of Swedish House's "Save The World" and the song that David Guetta and Romeo collaborated on called "Metropolis." As his set finished with "Metropolis," I was ecstatic as it was time to see the guy I was dying to see - David Guetta.

As Guetta made his red carpet appearance, people left and right were quickly getting out their smartphones and record the French DJ's first ever appearance in the Southwest region of the US. It was amazing how he entered the main stage. Everything was dark until Guetta's dazzling background reflected the crowd with awe as he entered the stage with glee. As his intro music faded into his opening song "Titanium," he took a long look at the audience and for a second noticed me pointed at him and he quickly pointed back at me. I knew from there and on that he was ready to take this festival to a new level.

As he played "Titanium," confetti spewed out of both sides of the stage like wildfire. The confetti came out as a surprise for everyone because the festival wasn't close to being over because there was still one more act to go after Guetta. He also played "When Love Takes Over," "Sweat" featuring Snoop Dogg, his newest single at the time "She Wolf (Falling into Pieces)," and "Sunshine" - a collaboration with Avicii. Song after song, Guetta was electrifying the crowd with his hard house beats along with his memorizing colorful background. His background read at one point of his set "El Paso, you rock." He then closed out his amazing set with the crowd pleaser "Without You" featuring Usher. As I was singing along with everyone else, I remembered hearing the Ultra 2012 set from David Guetta and said to myself that I wanted to be a part of that audience that sang "Without You." My wish became reality as Guetta was here in El Paso and I was living that moment I dreamt of.

Instead of David Guetta closing out the first day of Sun City, like I thought at first before they released the scheduling times, it was the duty of Australian duo Knife Party. I saw these guys before at Stereo Live in Houston months before and I knew these guys were going to put on a show. They played their 100% No Modern Talking EP songs, "Rage Valley," "Centipede," Skrillex's and Wolfgang Gartner's collaboration "Devil's Den," and their remix of Porter Robinson's "Unison." I was a bit fatigued after Guetta's stellar performance, but I toughed it out and kept jamming until day one was over. Every hard beat Knife Party dished out, the crowd kept getting wilder and wilder. As they finished, Knife Party quickly praised the crowd and then day one of Sun City was over.

I remember walking all the way back to my hotel from the venue. It was a painful an hour and a half walk. But every minute I spent walking, I was just humming and dancing to the beats that I vividly remember after day one. I got back to my hotel room, took a bath, and hit the sheets. Overall it was a great first day - the day I was mostly anticipated for - and it didn't disappoint one bit. But for day two of Sun City, I didn't expect anything to come out from it but little that I knew that it was going to be just as good as day one.

Next Post: Memory Lane - SCMF Day 2
Posts to Come: ML - Something Wicked; Album Review: Armin Van Buuren - Intense; Special Announcement from One Nation Under EDM.

Memory Lane: Sun City Music Festival 2012 - El Paso, TX (Day 1 Part 1)

Picture of SCMF 2012 lineup. Property of Disco Donnie.

Welcome to another segment of "Memory Lane" by One Nation Under EDM. "Memory Lane" is one of the components of my blog where I talk about the past festivals or concerts I've been to. As of now, I've been to many festivals and concerts around my hometown. This post is very special to me because Sun City Music Festival 2012 was my first all-EDM festival that I went to. It was also the first time I traveled in a far distance by myself. Not only I saw the headlining DJs for the event, including some new surprising acts, but I felt for the first time the vibe of a festival crowd. One that I'll always remember for a long time.

I heard about this festival while I was surfing the internet right about this time one year ago. At the time, I was searching for upcoming David Guetta appearances since he was one of the current and newest DJs I was listening to. So I searched and his shows were in the usual hotspots for DJ: Miami, Los Angeles, New York, Ibiza, and Paris. As I searched on, I happened to see him going to El Paso around Labor Day weekend. I was confused for a second and had to keep clicking the refresh button over and over to make sure it was a mistake or something. But it was true.

After being excited by the fact that Guetta was indeed coming to Texas I searched to see why was he coming to El Paso out of all places. That's where I found out about the 2-day EDM music festival and saw that Above & Beyond was headlining there as well. I was debating for about a month or two until I finally decided to go. After I committed myself to go, the rest of the lineup submerged. I didn't know too many of the DJs when I first attended the festival, but all I had on my mind was seeing David Guetta.

Attendees for SCMF waiting for the gates to open for the 2-day
weekend to start. Taken by Roland Ruiz

As the day approached, I was nervous because I have never been on a plane by myself or traveled this far from Houston by myself. As I got on the plane and it was taking off, I was less nervous about being on the plane and became more excited as the festival was going to start the same afternoon that I was leaving from Houston. I got to El Paso around 10-11 in the morning so I went to the movies to kill some time at the local mall. Afterwards, I checked in to my hotel and it was already time to head on out to the festival.

As I was on my way to Ascarate Park, the site of the festival, the taxi driver was kind enough to change the radio from the Latino station into a pop station that was playing electronic/dance music in honor of Sun City coming to town. The kind gesture went a long way because I've heard so many bad things about El Paso since it's right next to Juarez - the most notorious city in Mexico. These guys were so nice and kind to me from the moment I stepped foot into El Paso. I knew after I got out of the taxi and once the doors were opened for the 2-day festival to began that it was going to be memorable.

Next Post: Sun City Music Festival 2012 (Day 1 Part 2)
Upcoming Posts: ML - SCMF 2012 (Day 2); ML - Something Wicked 2012; Album Review: Armin Van Buuren - Intense; Special Announcement from One Nation Under EDM (stay tuned).

Concert Review: Far East Movement bedazzles crowd

Photo property of Stereo Live

     Sunday night is where you're supposed to rest up for the upcoming work week. But when the LA-based pop group Far East Movement invaded Stereo Live yesterday, there was no way you can tell it was a Sunday.

     Before Far East Movement came on there were three opening acts that performed at the venue. The one that stood out was a guy named Elroy Boogie. His opening song was the Lion King song when the sun is rising throughout the animal kingdom, which blew my mind. He also played Daft Punk's "One More Time" in Spanish, Flosstradamous's remix of Major Lazer's "Original Don," and SBTRKT's "Wildfire." The crowd was getting into what Elroy was playing as he was mixing up the genres of EDM and bringing different moods throughout his set. No doubt, this guy was the best opening act I've seen at Stereo.



DJ Virman and Kev Nish raising the roof during the first
half of the Far East Movement show.

     Then Far East Movement hit the stage. When their set began, it was only DJ Virman and Kev Nish on the DJ booth. They were jacked up and instantly got the crowd going. The were playing some of the popular songs to play at concerts such as Dada Life's remix of Kaskade's "Llove" and Showtek's "Cannonball." Since the event said they were going to do a DJ set, I was assuming that it was just going to be DJ Virman and Kev Nish to orchestrate the show. But 30 minutes into the set, that all changed.



Kev Nish, along with Prohgress and J-Splif in the
background, singing "Like A G6" for the crowd.

     As soon as they cut the music for a quick pause, the other half of Far East Movment - J-Splif and Prohgress - showed up and turned the DJ set into a live performance. All four guys were present on the stage performing their notable songs: "Like A G6," "Rocketeer," "Turn Up The Love" and "Rattle" (with the Bingo Players). They escalated the crowd's mood while they were all on stage and interacting with the fans. At one point, Kev Nish leaped from the stage and into the audience singing "Rattle" and jamming with the crowd.



Prohgress, shown above, spraying
champagne into the crowd while
performing "Rattle."

     After the half hour of Far East Movement performing their essential hits, they all left except for DJ Vermin and he kept to turn up the music. From time to time, members of the LA-based group interacted with fans and came to take pictures with the fans. For the people who only paid $11 when Stereo Live first announced that the group was going to be there, they got their money's worth. It was overall a VIP experience that people pay hundreds of dollars for. The beats were loud, the group was nothing less from hype and the crowd's reaction towards Far East Movement's performance was a superb one.




4 out of 5

Next Post: Memory Lane - Sun City Music Festival - Day 1.
Upcoming posts: Memory Lane - Sun City Music Festival - Day 2; Memory Lane - Something Wicked; Album Review: Intense - Armin Van Buuren.

   


 

Memory Lane: Knife Party 03/24/2012

     After the success of the Calvin Harris show, I definitely wanted a part of this EDM movement so I looked to see what other shows were coming up. Then I see this group called Knife Party. I didn't know who these guys were and the venue's website didn't say much other than they were from Australia. I didn't know what intrigued me about these guys but I had a feeling that his was a good show. Little did I know, that this show would change the game of EDM.

     I got to Stereo Live and the supporting acts were pretty good. One of them was a guy called Oscillator Z that played mostly dubstep in his set. I wasn't very big into dubstep back then but I grew into a liking of it later on at another festival (but that's another story). He played mostly his own material, which was pretty decent. The next guy was Surain, which played a couple of notable tracks in the beginning like "Promises" Calvin Harris remix and "Animal Rights" by Deadmau5. After that, he lost the crowd and they were already getting restless for Knife Party.

     After the opening acts did their sets, it was time for Knife Party. As soon as the Australian duo emerged from the backstage, the audience went berserk as the venue was taken over with screams and the smell of marijuana. They opened the set with their intro theme song called "Rage Valley" which was full of raw intensity and angst. I felt goose bumps after hearing that song. I also had a feeling that this song was going to be huge enough for other acts to play it.

    During Knife Party's set, it got a bit rowdy as people started to lightly push one another. But it was nothing that I could handle. They also played their songs from their 100% No Modern Talking EP: "High Five," "Internet Friends," "Destroy Them With Lasers," and "Tourniquet." When they played "Internet Friends," they played the regular version and then they added a dubstep version into their set - which the crowd expressed with screams. They also played Skrillex's newest singles, at the time, "Breakin' A Sweat" featuring the Doors and "The Devil's Den" featuring Wolfgang Gartner.

     Sadly, after all I listened to at Knife Party's set, I left early because I had to be in College Station the next day. But while I was there, it was full of pure loudness covered with mesmerizing sounds. After the show, I grew a real liking into Knife Party and their combination of electro house and dubstep incorporated into their music. This was another good call on my part by going to see Knife Party. A week after, I knew that they performed in Miami for Ultra 2012 and downloaded their link for their live set - which was just approximately as close as it was from their live set at Houston just days before.

Next Post: Far East Movement concert review
Posts to Come: Memory Lane: Sun City Music Festival - Days 1 & 2; Memory Lane: Something Wicked; Album Review: Armin Van Buuren - Intense 

Concert Review: Steve Aoki's Short Set Dissapoints Fans

Property of Stereo Live

    Thursday night was supposed to be a huge night for Steve Aoki and the EDM of Houston fans as he was going to put on a spectacular show. Everything was going great until 1:15 a.m. Friday morning, approximately 45 into Aoki's electrifying set, he sadly announced that the show had to stop early due to the Fire Marshall's request. The crowd was outraged.

    Even from the time he was on, playing some of his big hits like "Turbulence," Singularity," and "Warp," it was full of raw intensity. But as disappointing as a short set, he didn't get to play his "Pursuit of Happiness" remix and the "Ladi Dadi" remix by Tommy Trash. As the music stopped and the murmurs of disbelief delivered by the audience, Aoki tried with all his heart to make it right by doing the rest of his props - the infamous cake throw and the champagne drizzle to the audience. No matter how many cakes he had or how many champagne bottles he had to waste, it didn't make up for a short show that people invested in since the tickets went on sale last month.

Steve Aoki tying to make things right with
the fans after a short set Thursday night.

    Fans shouldn't be blaming the police or the fire departments or Aoki himself, they should blame Stereo Live for overselling tickets and under-planning the event. It seemed that Stereo Live wanted to capitalize the opportunity to sell as much tickets as they can because of the big name in EDM and how to plan the event later. I can't tell what would happen when Armin Van Buuren shows up next week at Stereo - another big EDM artist. It's obvious that Stereo won't give the people their money back for the short set of Aoki, but they could make it right - if they wanted to.

A fan receiving her request by Aoki with
her sign saying, "Cake Me."

    Overall, it was good while it lasted but everyone will always remember that Steve Aoki's set was short and thus ruined the vibe of the whole audience. A huge disappointment on the behalf of the promoters and people who run Stereo Live. The unsung hero of the night was hands down Aoki. He did what he could and had to make that painstaking announcement for the safety of the fans. He's a real class act. Hopefully Houston gets to see him soon - maybe at Something Wicked 2013?



2 out of 5

Posts to Come: Far East Movement DJ set concert review; Back to Memory Lane: Knife Party 03/2012 and Sun City Music Festival 2012.

Album Review: Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

It was spread like wildfire when EDM's worst kept secret was finally revealed that Daft Punk's new album Random Access Memories was going to be available via stream for a limited time. It was announced on iTunes due to third party websites leaking the album throughout the internet. Those who were able to pre-order the album online were given the opportunity to hear the album in its entirety on iTunes. I'm happy to announce that I happened to be able to stream the highly-anticipated album and to give an honest review about all the hype around Random Access Memories.

When you go through the legendary albums that Daft Punk has made over their career, Homework, Discovery and Human After All, you say to yourself, "Their next album has to be harder, better, faster, stronger than the previous three!" Sadly, this isn't the case. For all the EDM fans that are used to the raw heavy beats that dubstep provides you and the club anthems that House music want you to lose yourself in, you'll be disappointed. Random Access Memories features a 13-track album that focuses heavily on their disco funk roots that they've incorporated in their music since they started.

The album starts off with "Give Life Back To Music" which sets the tone to the album right away. This isn't Tiesto's Club Life compilations or Skrillex's More Monsters and More Sprites, this is the roots from where dance music came from - the genre of disco - and Daft Punk wants whoever is listening to know that. Throughout the album, songs like "The Game of Love," "Instant Crush," and "Lose Yourself to Dance" intensifies the direction this album is going with catchy melodic lyrics, flamboyant synthesizers, and smooth R&B influenced beats to compliment one another. Other songs like "Giorgio by Moroder," "Motherboard" and "Contact" showed more of the experimental side of Daft Punk with outspoken drum solos and crisp synths to either enhance or reduce the momentum that the song provided.

Throughout the pop-driven album, it seemed that some of these songs were pushed to have lyrics in the song such as "The Game of Love," "Within," and "Instant Crush." It's odd for Daft Punk songs to featured a heavy dose amount of lyrics. But in Random Access Memories, just about every song has lyrics in the album. Unlike their debut album Homework, "Teachers" is the only song on that album with more than a sound bite of the song title. Another factor that shifted the way the album's direction went was the heavy amount of collaborations with different artists such as Pharell Williams and Nile Rodgers. Figuring the way EDM has evolved since the late 90's, through many producers collaborating with one another or other music genres. Daft Punk went with the side of EDM as far as having other artists to collaborate with in order to appeal to the people who listen to EDM now and not 15 years ago.

Although Random Access Memories doesn't live up to the hype of their previous albums, this album shows that Daft Punk can do whatever they want and whenever they want and still be loved for who they are. This is one of these albums that you can play in front of your parents and they'll be instantly reminded of Saturday Night Fever, the Bee-Gees, George Clinton and the Parliament, and Barry White - all mashed up together. We don't know if RAM might become the fourth head of Daft Punk's Mt. Rushmore, but one thing is for sure - Daft Punk is back from hiatus and roaring once again.

4 out of 5

Upcoming Blogs: Steve Aoki and Far East Movement concert reviews and Trip Down Memory Lane: Knife Party 03/2012 and Sun City Music Festival 2012.

Concert Review: One More Time - Daft Punk Tribute Band

Photo Property of Stereo Live

As the day draws closer and close to the highly-anticipated Daft Punk album, Random Access Memories, the French duo has nonetheless caused the Houston area to be excited about the tribute band that made its way to Houston this past weekend at Stereo Live. The band named their group after one of Daft Punk's most prestigious songs on their catalog, One More Time.

After a 30 minute delay, most likely due to technical difficulties, One More Time took the stage. The stage was built as a homage to Daft Punk's 2007 Alive tour with a replica version of their infamous lighted pyramid. The tribute band started off with the "Robot Rock/Oh Yeah" mash up from Daft Punk's live album, Alive 2007, which lifted up the crowd off their feet. They went on to play the classics from the three albums such as "Television Rules The Nation," "Technologic," "Crescendos," "Da Funk," and "Aerodynamics." They also played songs from their Tron: Legacy with "Derezzed" and "The Grid," which got no significant reaction from the crowd.

At some points of the show, for instance when they played "Technologic," there were times when the music wasn't overriding the lyrics. Other times, there was a lack of bass that the speakers failed to produce for the show. All of these fallacies with Stereo Live's sound system made it seemed like they couldn't produce the crisp sound that this act needed to sound at its best. But nothing stopped the crowd from having a good time.

Photo Taken by Roland Ruiz

 

The tribute band went to by playing Daft Punk's new single "Get Lucky" featuring Pharell Williams. After a brief intermission, they came back on to play "One More Time" to close out the show and the crowd applauded with cheerful joy all around. Overall, it was a good show but they could of been at a better venue with a better sound system to perform at. Nonetheless it was a great time for One More Time to come when Daft Punk fever has spread around every EDM fan in Houston.

3.5 out of 5

Next: Daft Punk's new album Random Access Memories reviewed by yours truly.
Posts To Come: Steve Aoki and Far East Movement concert reviews

at Stereo Live.

Album Review: Justice - All Arena Access (Live)

This week Justice released their second live album, All Access Arena, recorded at a show in Les Arenes De Nimas during their 2012 world tour. I saw these guys at the House of Blues back in October of last year and their live album made me relive the raucous concert. Each song listed on the live album were the exact same song that I remembered Justice played in Houston. For those of you who missed Justice in their 2012 tour, this is as close as you're going to get to their insane live performance.

The live album consists songs from their heavy electronic 2007 album, Cross, and their progressive rock influenced 2011 album, Audio, Video, Disco, only for Justice to collaborate their well-known hits such as "D.A.N.C.E," "Phantom (I & II)," "Civilization," "Audio, Video, Disco," and "Helix." For Justice being a part of the EDM genre, they didn't feel like a typical EDM show. The sound and production for this album was so amazing, it felt like an actual rock concert. There was no way that any other EDM act can produce the kind of sound. The way they transition from one song to the next song ("Genesis" to "Helix" and "Stress" to "Waters of Nazereth") was magical - Daft Punk's Alive magical.

Taken by Roland Ruiz (HOB Oct. 28, 2012)

One part of the live album that raised a couple of exclamation points to me was when they started to combine the vocals for "D.A.N.C.E" and mashed it with the intro for Jay-Z's "On To The Next One." I would say the track that surprised me the most in this album was "On 'n' On." The song was played at a good time, after the crowd asked for an encore, and it set the mood toward the end of the album. It was slow, melodic and it built up the crowd up for the final song "Phantom Pt. II." It was the song to get your lighters out and wave them slowly back and forth. Before this album, I wasn't a big fan of "On 'n' On" at the time when Audio, Video, Disco was released. Now, I have a new appreciation for that song because of this live album.

All in all, Justice's All Access Arena album is a real as you're going to get as far as a live act from this French duo. They are a premier act in the EDM scene and there's nobody like them.

5 out of 5 Stars

First EDM concert: Calvin Harris 01/21/2012

Picture Above Property of Stereo Live

After getting into the electronic dance music scene for some time now, it was time to actually start seeing some live shows. I noticed, about a month in advance, that Calvin Harris was coming to Houston at Stereo Live and he was my favorite DJ at the time so what a way to start out my EDM concert experience with the Irish composer coming to town.

I remember it was the time when his hit "We Found Love" with Rihanna went number one in the pop charts. He also had some other singles out including "Awooga" and "Feels So Close" that were getting some playing time in the radio. But what made me fall in love with his music was his second album Ready For The Weekend. What separated him from the other producers I was listening to is how he incorporated his own lyrics into his own music - it was unique. It was sad to hear how he announced a year before he released his third album, 18 Months, that he wasn't going to use his vocals in his music anymore and focus on producing. Nonetheless, I felt that this show was going to set the tone for the future of Calvin Harris.

I arrived at the venue as soon as they opened the doors, but little that I knew Calvin Harris wasn't going to perform until midnight. I saw the previous acts that were opening for Calvin and they were great. I didn't know who was the first guy. Most likely he was a local DJ that occasionally plays at the venue. The other guy that was on before was Burns. I never heard of him until I went to see Calvin Harris and he plays some exceptional tunes that had me grooving. Some of the songs he played was "Epilogue," "Turbo," and "Heartbeats." I looked him up the next morning and bought his compilation album This is Burns 001 - European Sex Music. It was overall a good buy from iTunes: $5.99 for 38 tracks including two continuous mixes collaborating the whole album.

Picture Taken by Roland Ruiz

After Burns finished his great set, Calvin was next and he was nothing less than outstanding. He started off his set with "I'm Not Alone" and "You Used To Hold Me," two instant tracks that set the mood for the crowd. He went on to play some Swedish House Mafia tracks, "Save The World" and "Antidote," which the crowd responded heavily by singing along. He also played his newer hits at the time that were mentioned above earlier. Overall, Calvin Harris didn't disappoint. He was interactive with the crowd, his background and layouts of the stage was satisfactory, and his set list was out of this world.

I knew after this night, seeing my favorite DJ perform, that this wouldn't be my last EDM concert. I knew by interacting with people in the crowd and knowing they're here for the same reason that I'm here that I wanted to be a part of this music scene. This concert got me to get out of my shell of shyness and just get out there and have a great time.

How It All Started

Before getting into electronic dance music, I loved heavy metal, punk rock, and classic rock music. I never thought in my life that I would get into this music. EDM represented everything the opposite of what I listened to back in high school. I went to a few rock concerts but just about every band that I listened to were either deceased, split up, or too old to tour.

I was a still a rock music fan going into college until my sophomore year when I went to a friend's house party and dance music was playing in the background of the party. After the house party, my first impression wasn't that great. I didn't like the fact that my friends were listening to this kind of music because I had the assumption that only frat guys and people who go out to clubs were the only kind of people that listen to this music. At one point, I said that I promised myself not to get into this kind of music. I kept going to my friends' house parties from time to time and they would have the same music that I listened to from the first house party. Slowly but surely, I grew a liking toward electronic dance music and started to get into the genre.

First, I looked up the album that was played at the house parties that my friends were at and it was Daft Punk's Discovery album. From there on, I started to get into other acts such as Kaskade, Calvin Harris, Tiesto, Benny Benassi, and Skrillex. I wasn't at the point to where I wanted to see these guys live just yet because I still had my doubts about the people that go to these shows. Some of those doubts were having to dress in a certain way to enter or whether the environment of the venue will be satisfactory to me. But overall I overcame my doubts and from my first concert and on, I knew EDM will be a part of my life.