Local Music

Photo from Underground Tuesday’s facebook page

Through this blog I have yet to share the amount of good music that can be found right in the local area. Especially living so close to Austin, there’s sooo much of this electronic scene revolving around us. Although i’ve covered a lot about experiences through music festivals, there’s been equally as many through music events all around. And the cool thing about local events is that they are much more personable versus an event like a festival, where they have multiple stage setups and thousands of other people you are in a crowd with. At a local music event, you get a much deeper feel for that one particular artist you are there to see and it’s also cool to get to connect with people who are into the same music that are in your own area. No matter where a music event takes place, if you’re surround by dope sounds and good people, then the feelings are all the same.

UnderGround Tuesdays Promo Video by: Kaylin King 

Underground Tuesday’s Promo video by: John Patrick

Just here in San Marcos alone, there is a pretty solid electronic music scene. There is also sooooo much local talent happening. One of my best friends has an event called Underground Tuesdays that’s hosted at a local bar on the square called Kiva Lounge and Bar. The event has been a success every Tuesday night since it started in November and always brings some crazy talented local DJs to drop some sick deep underground electronic beats. I know when i’ve heard these headliners play I always have that disgustly amazed look on my face when I hear all the heavy bass drops. The crowds are always high-vibed at Kiva and it brings together a lot of talented people. Checkout some of my homies Mike and Tyler playing at the Undergound events; these funky dudes are some of the future bass heads to watch and never disappoint with their rad mixing skills:

BOOGIENOSBST pic.twitter.com/mSnMAKSTji

— Underground Tuesdays (@UndergroundTues) December 7, 2016

Pink panther up in here w/ @tyler_allison pic.twitter.com/pL8FanK45V

— Underground Tuesdays (@UndergroundTues) November 16, 2016

Underground Tuesday welcomes any local producers/DJs to stop by during open decks from 9-11pm. They also offer great drink specials throughout the entire night: $1 Landsharks, $2 Dos XX, $2 Pickle shots and $4 “drop” shots. Check out their Facebook and Twitter pages to find out more and see who’s headlining at the next UnderGround Tuesday event. There’s no other place on the square the brings you underground beats like this. Come out next Tuesday and see for yourself!

Artists on the rise

SPACE JESUS 

Now this guy is someone everyone needs to watch out for. Jasha Tull, known as Space Jesus, is a heavy bass enthusiast to say the least. He came for a free show a few weeks ago at Empire Control Room in Austin, TX and oh my god. I haven’t been slapped in the face with heavy deep beats like that since like I don’t know…. maybe Bassnectar. He drops the most absolute ridiculously funky, underground, heavyyyyyyyy (and I meany heavy) futuristic bass. He is definitely number one in the race for the ever evolving search of future beats. His production is like nothing I’ve ever heard.

The alien spaceman

Jasha was born in New Jersey and was raised listening to a lot of hip-hop. He now currently resides in Colorado and continues to explore the electronic universe for, as he says, “lower frequencies, future feels, and fire beats.” His website describes him as “the feeling you get when you travel through a wormhole in a fresh pair of Jordans.” This couldn’t be more accurate. When you see him live he gives a sort of intangible like presence and really does take your ears on a journey into space (hence the word space) and into the future of music. This Spaceman marks his unique signature sound onto any genre he graces with some deep alien baselines, fresh gangster beats and heavy futuristic vibes.

@SpaceJesusBASS b2b @yhetimusic 👽🚀 pic.twitter.com/LeNga4olFR

— Alyssa Hamilton ❁ (@AlyssaDanielly) November 17, 2016

Live in Austin, TX (Was luckily there to witness this) ^

While storming the electronic music scene and building his reputation with his dynamic live sets, Space Jesus is only getting started. He’s already made appearances at huge festivals such as Mysterland, Shambhala and Tomorrowworld. Get a taste of his deep production sounds by checking out his Grassroots Dope Hat Mix or his SoundCloud, but make sure you have your grime faces on and bass hats ready. And if you ever get the chance to see him live, I would highly recommend doing so because listening only online simply doesn’t do justice to the full space effect. Expect to hear big things from this guy, for this is only just the beginning. Strap your belts and take a seat future space cadets.

The Jesus of Space himself in the midst of creating some alien baselines at Euphoria Music Festival  ^

Something Wicked Recap

photo from somethingwicked.com

Just this past Halloween weekend, my friends and I went to Houston’s annual Something Wicked Music Festival. To say this years Halloweekend was absolute insanity would be an understatement. I mean just seeing Zomboy and Excision alone on the lineup already sold me. The electronic music festival was two days long on Saturday October 29th and Sunday October 30th. Saturday’s lineup included: Diplo, Marshmello, Slushii, Herobust, Louis the Child, Autograf, Hucci, Oshi, Keys n Krates, Jauz, illenium, A-trak, Krne, Prince Fox, 3lau, Slander and many more! Sundays lineup included: Excison, Zomboy, Joyryde, Drezo, Spag Heddy, Seven Lions, Ghastly, Nghtmre, Borgeous, Hardwell, Yellow Claw, Vanic and many more! The venue had three stages so all the artists performed at one of them at scheduled times through out the day, meaning some overlapped others /: but we made it work to where we got to see the ones we wanted to the most.

Video I recorded of EXCISION X Rated 

The first artists on the lineup I have to start with are Sunday night’s last two headliners: ZOMBOY and EXCISION. They played the last two hours of the festival literally back to back…. it was two hours of mind melting madness. Like I swear there are no words to describe the filth (term of endearment). I’ve been listening to Excision’s Shambhala mixes since 2011 when they started becoming an annual thing so I had been wanted to see him for years and he did not disappoint. His new 2016 Shambhala Mix and new Virus Album were released literally a fews weeks before Something Wicked (be prepared for some X-rated filth if u click those links) so we heard  a lot of new stuff. Zomboy I’ve also been a fan of since high school and he was just as mind blowing. Both of them were definitely the two dirtiest and filthiest DJs out of the whole lineup. (Checkout the video above to see for yourself) They were also really the only two big ones that were part of the “Dubstep” genre of EDM I explained in my previous posts. My neck was literally sore for a week after head banging nonstop for those two hours.

that one time we met Ghastly 🙂

Some of my next favorite sets would probably be a tie between: Spag Heddy, Herobust, Louis the Child, Hucci and slushii! Mainly because they were ones on the lineup I had never seen but have been dying to, so all their sets were a total surprise. Each of them have very different sounds and they all killed it. All brought so many elements to each set, mixing up a bunch of different subgenres of sounds and drops and always constantly shocking the crowd with a unique twist on a song. My next favorites were Ghastly, Nghtmre, Jauz, Autograf and Diplo! I had seen all them a few times before but that made no difference because each time I see them they do not disappoint. Marshmello was an artist I had never seen and was excited to cause I love his music but when I heard him live, it honestly was not one of my favorite sets. But then there were artists like seven lions, who I didn’t really care much to see, but when we did he literally blew me away.

Overall this festival had sooo much talented production that I’m so glad I got the chance to witness live. The lineup was filled with this huge mix of different artists because each one of them has that unique subgenre of sound they are known for within the EDM genre as a whole. The neck and body soreness was all worth it because dancing like crazy to electronic music with your friends never gets old.

How To Survive a Festival

Well first off a music festival and just a one night show are two totally different things. Going to a show is simple but going to a 2-3 day music festival requires some preparation. They usually start during the afternoon and go into late at night so by the end of third day you’re definitely worn out. Music festivals get pretty wild, especially an all electronic one but they are also some of the best times you’ll ever have. And if you’re going to a festival that requires traveling then you’ll really need to prepare. I’ve had experience at quite a few different types of festivals, some in Texas and some in different states, so for this post I hope you can gain a few helpful tips that I think are important when attending a music festival!

1. Go for the music: when I attend a festival the lineup is obviously what I’m paying for. I mean sure there are other aspects to a festival that are fun but the music is the number one thing. It’s so much more fun knowing what you’re listening to and being able to dance or sing to your favorite beats and songs. Indulge yourself into the music that’s being played by your favorite artists. You’re there to experience it live. And if you’re not in love with the music, the experience isn’t the same.

2. The people you’re with is everything: you feed off other people’s energy at festivals so go with friends who love to have a good time. Cliche or not, vibes are everything. Going with a group of good high-vibed people creates nothing but good energy and makes you want to dance harder, sing louder, make head banging circles and have a good freaking time throughout each artists’ set. And if something goes wrong and you have good friends with you, then you’re in good hands.

3. Get off your phone and DANCE: you’re not there to stand around and look at the stage. I see too many people do this at festivals. I literally get so distracted by dancing and having a good time that I actually remind myself “oh wait you might want to take a video or two of this”… so thats how I know I’m having a good time. Live in the moment. If you don’t like getting sweaty and pushing and shoving through crowds, then go to the back of the crowd and trust me you’ll have so much space to dance around with a great view. Just find a way to do it. Not constantly being on your phone also helps preserve your battery so when the festivals over it’s not dead. Win win 🙂

Dillion Francis performing

4. Guys drink water!! I swear water is the key of life and ESPECIALLY at a festival oh my god. Highly suggest investing in a camel back or even one of those hydration packs to fill up that you can put in your own backpack or whatever it is you carry. It’s easy to forget how thirsty you are during the festival and once you start chugging water I promise you’ll have more energy.

5. Have fun and have the experience of a lifetime: if you’ve been to festivals then you know that after the first one, you’re already down to plan the next one. And if you haven’t and want to, then start saving! Check out some sites dedicated to exploring different music festivals across the nation: Fest300 and everfest

Spring Awakening Music Festival 2014

Free Press Summer Fest 2015

Euphoria Music Festival 2016

Hard Summer Music Fest 2015

The Music Experience

crowd I was in during Borgore’s set at Spring Awakening Music Festival 2014 in Chicago

When you’re in love with the music it’s not just something you’re listening to, it’s something you’re experiencing. So for this post I thought i’d share some of the experiences i’ve had over the past few years with music. I previously mentioned in my blog intro about how i’ve been lucky enough to travel to some of the music festivals i’ve had the chance to go to. If you’re an EDM fan, then you know that going to music festivals like the ones i’m about to talk about is honestly life changing. There’s no moment you can ever top than like being with your friends in a crowd dancing your face off to the best beats and drops by your favorite artists.

mad appreciate to the dudes who put girls on their shoulders like my friend here

Pretty much starting at the end of my freshman year of high school (shout out to Skrillex’s: Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites) is when the EDM scene was really taking off. From 2010 and on my friends and I would go to as many shows and festivals as possible. Then after I moved to San Marcos and started college here at Texas State, the continuation of these music experiences have been continuing ever since. Below are some of my favorite moments during music festivals i’ve been to over the past years:

Recorded this video of Odesza (another one of my all time favorite artists) at Hard Summer Music Festival in California last summer. This definitely has to be one of the top moments of my life so far

Recorded this at Decadence New Years Eve Music Festival in Arizona this past year during Jack U’s performance

This video I also recorded at Hard Summer Music Festival in California last summer when JUSTIN BIEBER literally made a surprise appearance on stage with Jack U.. I mean that was insane. Sorry for the bad quality, I couldn’t stop dancing and jumping 🙂

Austin City Limits 2015

If you ever get the chance to go to any of these annual music festivals, highly recommend any of them! There’s obviously a million and one other choices of festivals to go to but these are just some of the ones I can actually really vouch for… so far 🙂 Below are the links to all their event websites so check out their lineups and see for yourself:

Spring Awakening Music Festival (Chicago, IL)

Austin City Limits Music Festival (Austin, TX)

Hard Summer Music Festival (Los Angeles, CA)

Free Press Summer Fest (Houston, TX)

Decadence NYE Music Festival (Phoenix, AZ)

Euphoria Music Festival (Austin, TX)

Mad Decent Block Party (cities throughout the U.S)

Dancing Astronaut Blog Review

photo from linkedin.com/company/dancing-astronaut

Dancing Astronaut is an online music blog that is the go-to place for all things involving electronic dance music. It was founded by Kevin Kaiser in the summer of 2009 right when EDM started taking over the music industry in the U.S. As the music genre took off and was becoming more serious, so was dancing astronaut about building a high quality news publication. Their reputation has been hailed by Billboard Magazine as “the voice of the EDM generation.” Dancing Astronaut utilizes all other social media platforms as well including a Facebook page, Twitter, SoundCloud, YouTube, Reddit and Google+

screenshot of Dancing Astronaut’s homepage

Their online website includes so much content about EDM including new music, breaking news, reviews, features, photos and videos. Under each of their tabs in their website layout is even more  underlying content within each of the categories. For example, In the music tab I love how when you click it, it then breaks down the electronic dance music genre into literally every sub-genre you can think of within it including: grime, g-house, hardstyle, bounce, funk, future bass, future house, moombahton, glitch hop, tropical, bass, trap, deep house, dubstep and so many more. And then when you click on one of those sub-genre links it gives you top picks on news and music within that sub-genre. They are really staying on top of it in my opinion because just the music tab itself is SO much to offer.

Overall I give this blog review a huge A+ because Dancing Astronaut is well organized, user friendly, offers so much content, optimizes key words like electronic dance music, and has something to catch the interest of every EDM fan. Personally, my favorite part is how interactive it is. Any one of my favorite EDM artist I can think of, I’m simply able to look up news and new music. I also love all the recap photos and videos available of different music festivals and events. Dancing Astronaut is definitely not any average music blog, it’s a fully utilized online website that offers every aspect into the EDM world you can think of.

Some Of My Favorite Artists

Ok so this list is definitely in NO particular order whatsoever because there is no possible way I could ever make a definite rank of my favorite artists because it would literally be like picking my favorite child (not that I have any, just have heard that’s hard to do). And also, this is not at ALLLL a complete list of my favorite artists either because if it was, this blog post would be about 100 paragraphs long and nobody has time for that. So here’s a list of just a few of my favorite EDM artists/producers that I thought of off the top of my head. Hope you guys give them a listen 🙂

JACK Ü (A.K.A DIPLO AND SKRILLEX)

photo from http://www.billboard.com

I’m pretty sure there is no greater duo in history like Skrillex and Diplo… I mean literally they are two  completely different sounds coming together as one giant dance party (that’s probably the best way to describe them). I’ve seen them twice live and i’m not kidding you when I say there’s no greater party on earth than the one they throw for the crowd. According to Skrillex, this collaboration is called ‘Jack Ü’ because it refers to how the music ‘jacks you up’ with it’s high energy beats and base line. Their success has marked the start of a new era of collaborations and ventures by DJs. They are seriously changing the whole EDM music industry. Both own their own labels OWSLA (Skrillex’s)  and Mad Decent (Diplo’s). Check out their debut album Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü

LOUIS THE CHILD

photo from http://www.runthetrap.com

Hmmm well production geniuses would probably be an understatement. Another dynamic duo who are from Chicago, IL. They are definitely a totally different style than Jack Ü, but their music is no less. It’s more of the type that gets into your soul. Like honestly i’ve never heard a set or track from them where my heart doesn’t drop because it’s suchhh pretty music. For a better understanding of their style of music, check out their HSMF Official Mixtape Series #2 . It’s for sure one of my favorite sets of theirs.

RL GRIME

photo from http://theelectroside.com/

Henry Steinway (aka RL Grime) can straight get the crowd grimeyyyy and also throw some bass in your face. I was actually in that crowd of the photo of him above at Hard Summer last year and oh let me tell you, my mind was exploded. He is one of the DJs killing the trap game and I personally LOVE his use of incorporating so much hiphop and rap into his sounds. If you’ve never seen him live you need to because your mind will be blown I can guarantee it. Check out the set he played at Hard Summer last year

The subgenres of EDM

photo I took at Decadence New Years Eve Music Festival in Arizona during Pretty Lights’ set

I guess to first understand Electronic Dance Music (EDM), you have to understand that EDM is only a  broad generalization of the different genres within it. When you think EDM, it’s generally associated with raves and music festivals where a DJ is in the front of a crowd live mixing a variety of tracks, while a bunch of sweaty crazy-eyed kids are dancing to the music. Although that is all part of the EDM culture, that’s not what the genre itself is. I’m going to provide a list of some of the main subgenres that make up electronic dance music as a whole.

House- now this is a subgenre that may be the most tricky to explain because although house in itself is actually a subgenre, there is subdivisions of it like: bass house, deep house, future house, garage house, tech house, tropical house and then sometimes a combination of two or all. But all still HOUSE. Ultimately house music is definitely my favoriteeeeeeee subgenre. Highly recommend checking out these playlists on my SoundClouud to understand house music: Feel the volume, Deep in the bass,

Trap- This is probably the most recognized subgenre. It’s also common to be associated with rap. I personally love when rap and electronic music comes together. This is definitely the music you’ll see people “twerking” to because it’s pretty commonly played by popular demand. Here are some more of my SoundCloud playlists to understand trap: Traphouz, Grime, Fire

Took this at Hard Summer Music Festival 2015 in California of JACK U right after being back to back with RL Grime and Zeds Dead :’)

Dubstep- now this subgenre is for sure the most acquired taste of EDM music and probably why people who don’t like edm music associate the whole genre with being “noise.” It’s also associated with the WOMPWOMPWOMP sound. My favorite term for dubstep is filth. But I use filth in the most enduring way possible because personally the filtherier the drop, the better. Those are the songs you see people headbanging to at concerts and festivals. You just have to be able to handle the filthy bass drop because it’s louddddd. And of course you already know I have playlists for dubstep on my SoundCloud: filth

 

I will go further into explanation on the different sounds of EDM later but for now I hope you got an idea of a few main subgenres that categorize the whole EDM genre.

Intro to my blog

 

That’s me in the circle during Bassnectar’s set for his NVSB 2014 tour

Hi there. My name is Danielle and I’m a junior mass communications-public relations major with a concentration in digital media at Texas State University. I grew up in El Paso, TX and although i’ll always love my hometown, nothing beats living here in the beautiful San Marcos, TX. Something that i’ve always been obsessed with for as long as I can remember is music. I could talk about it forever so I only thought it would be fitting for this blog. I think any of my friends would vouch for me when I say you can trust me to play some good beats. Edm, hip-hop, rap, I love it all. But here I will be focusing on my favorite type of music: electronic dance music (and the million sub genres within it).

Euphoria Music Festival 2016

 

I guess EDM is my first choice because it’s not only a genre of music, it’s an entire culture in itself. First thing I tell anyone when they ask me what my favorite type of music is, “check out my SoundCloud.” Because there’s no possible way to categorize my favorite type of music into one genre. I may take too much pride in my SoundCloud/music selection at times but hey, I’m definitely someone you can trust with the aux cord 🙂  Since Freshman year of high school 6 years ago when I first downloaded Skrillex’s More Monsters and Sprites, i’ve been lucky enough to travel and experience much of the world of EDM. Besides Sun City Music Festival that I would go to every year in my hometown, the first eye opening experience for me was Spring Awakening Music Festival in Chicago, IL. After that I was hooked. Since then I’ve gone to as many festivals and shows as I possibly could. For me music is more than just entertainment, it’s a huge part of my life. And hopefully something I can continue in the future.

Through this blog I hope to share my knowledge and experiences that i’ve gathered over the years to help any other music lovers further explore the many aspects of the EDM culture, as well as gain new perspective of my own along the way. I’ll be sharing my own insight that i’ve experienced as well as gain new insight with upcoming shows and concerts i’ll be attending during the time period i’ll be writing this blog. Feel free to check out my SoundCloud: here. I also make lots of playlists on there! Promise my music won’t disappoint 🙂