Greetings earthlings. 2012 kicked off with a whirlwind of events for me but I’ve finally come down from the clouds and back to reality. For many, Valentine’s Day is the ultimate reality check. It’s a date (or not) in which all people have to face their relationship status head on, whether they like it or not. A day when guys either sack up and serenade, or tuck tail and run. A time when girls eat an absurd amount of chocolate, either out of heart shaped boxes or cartons of ice cream.
On the single side of the fence? Don’t despair. We still have music. And where there’s music, there’s dancing. And where there’s dancing, there’s nothing but positive energy in the air. Whether you’ve already found that special person to cuddle with, or if you’re just looking for some cuddy, having a little background music is never a bad thing.
So here are some of my all time favorite ballads. I hope you enjoy.
For all you New Yorkers, Dillon Francis and Skism are playing tonight at Webster Hall. However, if you want to avoid that whole shit show (and if you’ve been to Webster Hall before you know what I’m talking about…), be adventurous and make the trek out to Brooklyn to catch the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Heavy Trash, and a DJ set by Bear in Heaven at Brooklyn Bowl. Also worth mentioning, Fucked Up, DOM, Big Troubles, and Radical Dads are playing at the Brooklyn Night Bazaar. (DOM will blow your mind.) Saturday looks a bit more laid-back. The National is playing at the Beacon Theater and Atlas Sound, Carnivores, and Frank Broyles will be gracing the stage of the Bell House.
(Dillon Francis)
L.A. crew, tonight is one for all you club kids. Le Castle Vania and Spencer & Hill will be playing Avalon’s weekly party, Control, which never disappoints, but the big news is what’s going down tomorrow. HARD & Mouth Taped Shut are putting on a free show at the Palladium where Deadmau5, Proxy, James Murphy, and Eye will be tearing it up. Try to make this, it will be one for the books. EDM is walking the razor’s edge between what’s been a blogosphere perpetuated youth uprising and what will soon be the mainstream co-opting yet another subculture for profit. (Danstradamus, who’s French btw, says the end is near.) Now, if you didn’t come to rave, Oh My Rockness is presenting Baths, DNTEL, and Raleigh Moncrief at the El Rey Theatre that same night. All of them are solid artists with amazing live sets.
(Mau5)
Bay dwellers, our Hard & Mouth Taped Shut party is a day earlier than our SoCal siblings’. Major Lazer, Proxy, James Murphy, and Eye will all be there. Look, I know Major Lazer is all the rage, but just hear me out for one second. If you show up for just the headliner, you’ll see their show, and this is what will happen. People with bleached mohawks in strange clothes will jump off ladders onto one another’s erotically sprawled out bodies. They’ll proceed to have fake sex on stage, and you’ll think to yourself WTF is going on. All the while Switch and Diplo will be spinning. Then at some point Diplo will do some weird shout outs in a swanky white suit. You’ll leave wondering what you saw, and why everyone seems to think it was so great. Trust me. Go early. The highlight of your night will be Proxy. Only one word can describe this guy, raw. He always kills it. If you didn’t get tickets for tonight’s “Hardfest,” we’ve got a back up plan for you. Dada Life is playing across town at Ruby Skye. (Inflatable Bananas are guaranteed!) Also, tomorrow night Pinback and Ghettoblaster are playing at Bottom of the Hill.
(Proxy)
Now for some tunes. This week saw a lot of releases, leaks, and new discoveries. We’ve got some leaks off Steve Aoki’s upcoming full length, two amazing mash-ups from 5 & A Dime, a new Skream track, and regretably, even some Lady Gaga. Boom. Metric – Collect Call (Adventure Club Remix)
Every year in the weeks before Christmas there’s a nervous hustle and bustle in the streets. People just seem a bit off kilter. The weather gets uncomfortably cold, annoying music plays in all the stores, and everyone starts to maniacally look forward to the holidays. Yep, it’s the holidaze, and when it strikes no one is safe. We all have that one coworker who got overly sauced at the holiday party…or maybe that was you. If it wasn’t, it’s time to get into the spirit of things; this weekend should provide many outlets for you to do some merrymaking. Now, off we go.
If you’re in New York, Yelle is playing tonight along side Housse de Racket at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. If that got you excited, tomorrow is a duesy. HARD has teamed up with Mouth Taped Shut to present the Bloody Beetroots, James Murphy, and PROXY for free with RSVP, but as you may have guessed all tickets are accounted for. If you weren’t on your A game this time, not to worry. I suggest you dig a little deeper into the underground scene. Our good friends at It Gets You Off will be throwing yet another private party this weekend at 190 Mercer St. All of the usual suspects from the IGYO crew will be playing, as well as Clockwork, and a “very special guest.” With so many artists passing through New York this weekend, it could be anyone.
For all you Los Angelites, Modestep & Jam3s K3nn3dy will be playing the Music Box tomorrow night, and up in the Bay, they’ll playing the Regency Ball Room this evening. Also, worth mentioning for tonight is the Snow Globe pre-party at 103 Harriet where Big Gigantic, Tokimonster, and others will be melting faces. It’s the weekend. Get some.
Es casi Navidad y eso significa que me voy a volver a casa al sur de Florida. Es siempre una Navidad blanco porque nosotros estamos rodeados de arena blanca. Me encanta. Me encanta la música y la cultura así. Y las chicas… ay yi yi.
Pero por supuesto, me disfruto de esta música con un toque. Por suerte, algunas de mis artistas favoritos también lo hacen.. Recientemente los productores se han unido con el sensación latino, Miguel Bosé. Hay algo en el lenguaje romántico que le da el toque perfecto a la música electrónica.
Así pues, aquí están algunos de mis favoritos. Disfruta.
This weekend looks promising. So we’ve put together a fat stack of tracks for your listening pleasure. In New York Digitalism is playing tonight! And so is Baths! On the west coast, Los Angeles will see performances by Boys Noize and David Guetta, as well as the 6th annual Winter Fresh Music Festival. If you’re in the mood for something a bit less ravey, check out Lord Huron’s free show with RSVP at Skybar. If you’re up in the bay and down for some bass, Low End Theory is tonight at 1015 Folsom, or you could check out Benoit & Sergio at Public Works. Want to see your event featured on our site? Shoot us an email. Now go get into some trouble kiddies!
