Being a well known and talented DJ nowadays is becoming more of a difficult feat as new artists jump into the scene regularly. Haters from a year ago are aspiring to be the next Tiesto, and we have to deal with it. Experience on the tables is only half the game, though. You have to really know the music. The ins and outs of every beat, of every track and sample, to weave it all together in a way that no one else can to stand out.

Finally. Some more local talent that knows their shit. Groove Monsters consists of UCI alumni (zotzotzot) Alex “Yooney Tunes” Yoon and Kyle “Time Machine” Dineen. They have been on the tables individually since ’09 and decided to combine forces June of this year. I’ve been fortunate enough to see these guys perform at a couple local clubs, and it’s a breath of fresh air to hear them throw down tracks that need more airtime. Tracks that force you off your ass and to get into the groove like their name suggests. They hooked me up with an exclusive HARD mix doing just that. The tracklist alone should be enough to woo it into your ears. Yoon shared a blurb on his blog about the track that you can download here. Here’s what he had to say on their second mix:

“This one was definitely a challenge as song selection was limited to only HARD artists. Finding music from as many of them as I could that intertwined well together resulted in soooo much trial and error haha. Especially working on turntables and Serato, it’s all about being diligent and finding that perfect bar to drop the next song to. Our main goal as mix producers is to create a unique mix with seamless flow from start to finish while utilizing variously sounding songs (i.e. AC/DC-Thunderstruck Crookers Remix to Shobaleader One-Cryptic Motion Mr. Oizo Remix). We basically decide what direction we want to go in, whether it be theme or sound-driven, and go about finding those building block songs to tell the story. We really want to expose music that you normally wouldn’t hear very often, but that is also approachable for new electronica ears. Also, I could be wrong, but I feel that most people nowadays don’t give songs a full listen (I know I sometimes don’t). With electro music there are so many layers and so much that progresses in a 6 minute period, that a quick mix wouldn’t have done these songs justice. Many mixes tend to play about 1-1.5 minutes of each song, but we really wanted to give you all a decent listen to each“

Hard Haunted Monsters’ Mix by Groove Monsters

Enjoy this shit. Get pumped on the weekend. We’ll see you there!

TRACKLIST

N.E.R.D. – Hot-N-Fun (Boys Noize Remix)
Calvin Harris – Ready For The Weekend (Fake Blood Remix)
Busy P – To Protect & Entertain (Crookers Remix)
Chromeo – Fancy Footwork (Crookers Remix)
Fake Blood – I Think I Like It
AC/DC – Thunderstruck (Crookers Remix)
AC Slater – Jack Got Jacked (Jack Beats Remix)
Shobaleader One – Cryptic Motion (Mr. Oizo Remix)
SebastiAn – Momy (Erol Alkan Edit)
Mr. Oizo – Lamb’s Garage (Doorly Re-Edit)
Bloody Beetroots feat. Congorock – Rombo
Erol Alkan & Boys Noize – Lemonade
Boys Noize – Oh! (A-Trak Remix)
Swedish House Mafia – One (Congorock Remix)
Bloody Beetroots – We Are From Venice (La Serenissima)
Rusko feat. Amber Coffman – Hold On (Sub Focus Remix)

Credit: Jason Shindler

Halloween is getting closer, and I find myself seeking out reasons to talk about it regularly. I’ll spare you in this post. To keep my mind off it, I’ve been going to shows in LA as often as I can. The most recent was Born Ruffians at the Troubadour. The first time I went to see these guys was a major date fail, because it sold out when we got there. Round 2, although, was a major success. I had heard great things about the Troubadour, but for some reason never went. They get pretty big acts to play there regularly, and it’s a relatively small/intimate venue. The bars were very accessible, and there was one exclusive to 21+ fans with a great view from upstairs. One of the coolest places I’ve been to without a doubt, especially for this music. To top it all off, Born Ruffians played a flawless set.

Their second album Red, Yellow and Blue is one of my favorite albums of all time. They played everything I wanted to hear from all of their albums with the utmost perfection that one could ask for. The sing-alongs and their energy matched the positive, uplifting vibes of their recordings to the tee. Definitely going to see them again when they return. I haven’t had that much fun at an indie show since I can remember. I even got a souvenir drum stick and this video to relive the occasion:

Click to Download

Delightful Mention!

Artist: Two Gallants
A gallant (gal-ant) is defined as being someone who is unflinching in battle or action. Pretty accurate description of the ferocity and passion behind these guys’ music. What intrigued me almost immediately about Two Gallants is that it really does consist of only two dudes. They are a folk/rock duo from San Francisco, made up of Adam Stephens on guitar/harmonica/vocals and Tyson Vogel on drums and backing vocals. Stephens’ raspy voice and mad guitar picking skills puts him apart from most people I’ve ever heard. The fact that he can put together such beautiful guitar lines while singing AND playing the harmonica always gets me. I can only imagine the hard work and bloody fingers he put in to multi-task as such. Most of the songs have more of a bluesy mood to them that is tough to listen to all the time.

I tried to include some of the more inspiring catchy songs that hooked me at the beginning. I put in some serious time to all three of their albums when I was going through an interesting point in my life. Pretty sure I owe most of my sanity to them. They’ve got some really powerful lyrics and one of my favorite lines of all time: “Never let your weakness show.” A really great all around band for people who are into the more folky/bluesy sound that takes you through the downtimes of life. It’s always nice to listen to a band that feels your pain…no homo.

Set times are out. Saturday is sold out. Sunday is about to be. Buses are locked in and packed to the brim. In a perfect world where bitches don’t be crazy, money grows on trees, drugs have no negative side effects, and people don’t understand the concept of sadness…my weekend schedule would look something like this:

Saturday, October 30th (PREVIEW)

8:20-9:20 Busy P HARD
9:20-10:20 Mr. Oizo HARD
10:20-11:20 Crookers HARD
11:20-12 Rusko HARD C+A+D MUST!
12-1 sebastiAn HARDER C+A+D CHOICE!
1-1:20 Fake Blood HARDER
1:20-2 Bloody Beetroots HARD

Sunday, October 31st (PREVIEW)

7:20-8:10 Congorock HARDER
8:10-8:55 AC Slater HARDER C+A+D MUST!
8:55-9:55 Calvin Harris HARD C+A+D CHOICE!
9:55-10:20 A-Trak HARD C+A+D MUST!
10:20-10:50 Flying Lotus HARDER
10:50-11:50 SPECIAL GUEST** HARDER
11:50-12:50 Erol Alkan HARDER
12:50-1:20 Jack Beats HARDER
1:20-2 Boys Noize HARD C+A+D MUST!

**Past special guest included: sebastiAn, deadmau5, 2 Many DJ’s, Daedalus. Be prepared for an ACTUAL special guest. FYI, Justice has been at the last two Haunted Mansions, but I really don’t wanna get my hopes up…we’ll see!

Treasure Fingers (aka Ashley Jones) has been bringing the disco heat with his banger remixes for quite sometime now. Treasure Fingers is a fresh addition to A-Trak‘s Fool’s Gold Records along the likes of Chromeo, Crookers, Kid Cudi, LA Riots, Laidback Luke and way more. A-Trak wouldn’t put just anyone on his label, a very talented bunch. He was originally a part of drum and bass band Evol Intent before he decided to take his talents elsewhere. You can hear bits and pieces of his drum and bass backgrounds in this new EP which features three tracks:

1. Lift Me (Original Mix) Delightful Choice!
2. It’s Love (Original Mix)
3. It’s Love Instrumental

The EP may be brief, but it doesn’t fail to bring the uplifting disco/house sound we’re used to getting from him. His remixes have made several YOLO lists, and I’ll continue to add as they come. Be sure to catch him live if you can. His performance could use some work, but his song selection is unreal. Best end to Audiotistic that I could have asked for. Here’s a video I snagged:

BONUS!

Empire of the Sun – Walking On A Dream (Treasure Fingers Remix)
N.A.S.A. ft. Kanye West – Gifted Delightful Choice!

Hockey – Mind Chaos

It’s not very often I’ll actually make the effort to listen to an album or a song by request. Definitely not because I don’t want to. It just gets overwhelming sometimes with everything that comes my way and everything that I want to listen to. Plus, I’m just lazy. Every once and awhile, I’ll feel the passion behind someone’s request and I can’t help but to drop everything and see what the deal is. This last request came in the form of Hockey‘s Mind Chaos from a fellow Strokes and Tokyo Police Club fan. With a résumé like that, I had to give it a run through.

The album is reminiscent of the same happy, jumpy vibe of Vampire Weekend and the funky, synthy sounds of the Rapture or Goose. They keep classy and even straight old school at times. With songs like “Learn to Lose,” which brings back the nostalgic feelings of listening to the Beatles, and “Four Holy Photos” satisfying the folky, Bob Dylan side.

These guys really explore the depths of music, which is apparent in the variance of all the songs. Every song has something different to say and a different chord to strike. Most of which are really upbeat and uplifting. This album recognizes the ups and downs of life, yet understands that you’ve got to dance through it. A very approachable album that gets better with each listen.

9.0/10

Tracklist

1. Too Fake
2. 3 AM Spanish
3. Learn to Lose
4. Work
5. Song Away
6. Curse This City
7. Wanna Be Black
8. Four Holy Photos
9. Preacher
10. Put the Game Down
11. Everyone’s the Same Age

Credit: Jason Shindler

Not too much going down in the music world this past week. Although, I did make it to a new weekly event at Drai’s Penthouse in Hollywood to see Basement Jaxx spin alongside HARD‘s own Gary Richards (aka Destructo). Pretty cool night at an even cooler hotel. The vibes, although, I could do without. Pretty much the epitome of high class Hollywood clubbers who know they are better than you. Regardless, it was an experience. It was nice to see Basement Jaxx for free, because I wasn’t able to make it to Smokeout Fest due to unforeseen circumstances. Oh well…there’ll be others!

Click to Download

Delightful Mention!

Artist: The Growlers
There’s something about bands with a timeless sound that always get me. The first time I heard these guys, I could have sworn they were just a bad ass surf/rock/psychadelic band from the 70s, only to find they’re in their mid 20s and local! The Growlers, Costa Mesa’s own, are definitely making a name for themselves, as they should be. The first time I went to see them was at one of their warehouse shows they threw from time to time. Really cool set up. $2 for entry and you get a couples CD with some random songs they had wrote, which ended up becoming collector’s items. They set up the warehouse very creatively and had a bar for everyone. We need more bands to do this. Now they’re opening for the likes off Dr. Dog, The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas, and most recently The Black Keys. I saw them when they opened for Julian Casablancas with The Strange Boys. Awesome show. All these bands are worth a listen and have made it on a YOLO List or will at some point, so check them out. They just released an EP called Hot Tropics which you can read more about and download at Let Your Hair Down. Looking forward to their full length.

Artist: Kids At The Bar
Another dancy/electronic DJ duo that is bound to make it in the libraries of every electronic fan out there. Just like I called it with the Bloody Beetroots, Jack Beats, The Twelves and Felguk, these guys are going to do big things in the future. They just need to be heard. Kids At The Bar are remix extraordinaires, and that’s how you have to start. Take a song thats big and put your own spin on it. They have all ready developed their own sound, which is crucial, and theirs is more favorable then most. Their “Walking on a Dream” remix is my favorite rendition of the song. It was the first I heard from them, and “love at first listen” is an understatement. I’ll throw it up in case you missed it. Watch out for these guys.
Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream (Kids At The Bar Remix)

Artist: The Black Keys
All my rock lovers look no further, as these guys are gods amongst men. The Black Keys consists of singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney. They specialize in lo-fi psychedelic rock and blues. These guys formed in 2001, and in 2003 Rolling Stone named them one of the top ten best acts behind Outkast and the White Stripes. I had heard about these guys the first time back in 2006 upon their release of Magic Potion, but it took until their most recent release of Brothers for them to really hit home. I’ve always been an advocate of the lo-fi rock sound, and these guys have damn well nearly perfected it. Another one of those timeless sounding bands that any rock or soul lover is bound to enjoy. The whole Brothers album is a work of art and has taken up a majority of my listening time the past couple weeks. They’ve got a massive discography, so I suggest you get started now.

It’s only so often that you come across an album that foreshadows major change in the direction a genre will take. After my first run through of Magnetic Man‘s freshly released, debut self-titled album, it all became clear. They’ve given dubstep the last shove it needed into the mainstream spotlight. Kick out the negative connotation of “mainstream.” This is a good thing.

Magnetic Man consists of a team of the most influential dubstep producers in the game: Skream, Benga, and Artwork. All from the U.K., where dubstep is just as important as the top40 bullshit we hear on the radio every day, and all prominent acts in the advancement of the genre. Individually successful, but together groundbreaking.

This album is as revolutionary to dubstep as Justice‘s Cross was to electronic, and I stand by this 100%. Cross was right there for me as I made the leap into electronic music. Every song on the album was very different and amazing in its own way. All of the songs showed every aspect of what electronic had to offer, so there was something in there for everyone. DANCE, Phantom Pt. 1 & 2, Valentine, and Genesis all brought something different to the table, much like the songs off of Magnetic Man‘s self-titled.

The album contains a lot of the traditional, more ambient, and mellow sides of dubstep. Yet, it still manages to have songs with the heavy, hard hitting sound of more modern dubstep (that I love). For my trance fans out there, the vocals are very comparable to what you’re used to hearing, laid gently atop a dubstep beat. Some of the songs, like the ones featuring Katy B and John Legend, are pretty poppy which makes for a great listen at any time. Study to this album, dance to this album, chill to this album, sleep to it..whatever. It’s got the sound and vibe that will ease the masses into the oddly fantastic genre that is dubstep, and it’s about time.

Tracklist

8.3/10

1. Flying Into Tokyo
2. Fire (Ft. Ms. Dynamite)
3. I Need Air (Ft. Angela Hunte)
4. Anthemic
5. The Bug
6. Ping Pong
7. Perfect Stranger (Ft. Katy B)
8. Mad
9. Boiling Water (Ft. Sam Frank)
10. K Dance
11. Crossover (Ft. Katy B)
12. Box of Ghosts
13. Karma Crazy
14. Getting Nowhere (Ft. John Legend)