Splash House

Splash House is like a much needed kick-off cruise to Summer without the need for sea legs or the risk of being stranded in the great blue. We went in with our questions: How will this operate between three pools? What will the crowd be like? What debauchery would take place? Now that we’re back, we highly recommend Splash House for anyone searching for a more intimate vacation where a less hectic pool vibe (see: Vegas) and music are the centerpiece. Add squirt guns, floaties, awesome views and architecture, beautiful people, and hammocks and you’ve got the one-of-a-kind experience that is Splash House.

The shuttle system was the first question to leave our thoughts. They literally came one after the other so waiting was a non-issue; they even had free water, red bull, and shade for attendees throughout the festival. As it turns out, the shuttles were also my favorite part of the festival. Traveling from the 6 various stages (I’ll get to that) in tight seating allowed for a more personal touch to the festival and made for a great way to organically meet people. Everyone surely came away with new friends, at the very least.

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pc: Terry Pratt Photography
Lightning In A Bottle | The Do Lab

The Do LaB’s flagship festival, Lightning in a Bottle, attracts some of the weirdest people – in the best of ways – we’ve ever met. For two of us, this was our first time attending a “transformational” festival and it definitely won’t be our last. For years, we had to deal with all our other friends expressing how amazing the “vibe” was. We finally got to find out first hand at the 2014 installment. Check after the jump for how it went.

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What So Not @ IHEARTCOMIX Showcase

South By South West (stylized: SXSW) is unlike your typical music festival. First off, it’s not just a music festival. It’s three weeks long and split into technology, film, and music sections. The entire downtown of Austin, Texas and its outskirts get overrun by pop-up venues and converted restaurants to allow bands and DJs of all kinds to perform in their city. The best part? The music festival is pretty much free if you’re 21+. Everything is run by RSVPs and waiting in line. All you have to pay for is your flight, stay, and the best BBQ you will ever have in your life.

Every year SXSW cultivates artists from around the world to showcase what the upcoming year holds. Being the first proper music festival of the year, this gives upcoming and established artists alike a chance to create their buzz for the year during festival season. Some of these acts play for sub 500 person venues before performing in front of thousands later on in the year! This provides an insanely special environment for both the performers and fans. Check our top artists after the jump

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APEX TOUR

There’s nothing quite like a warehouse party. There’s nothing quite like deep house and minimal techno out of primo speakers. Throw the two together and you’ve got yourself a guaranteed amazing time. Last Friday, APEX and LOT 613 definitely proved this point. We heard complaints of long lines and the like, but we got there at opening so we’ve got no say in that. The vibe once we were inside was perfect; the energy was palpable.

There were 2 rooms as well as an outside patio so there wasn’t ever too large a crowd in one spot. The visuals from Strangeloop were projected on pretty much every surface, which added to the whole underground warehouse rave vibe. That and the whole ending at 4am thing.

We got in for Droog to warm up and then moseyed on over to the Mateo Warehouse for Split Secs – definitely not a disappointment – my “got-to-see” for the night. There was no separator between the DJ booth and the crowd which made it even cooler.

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DARKSIDE | Soundcloud

DARKSIDE – Heart
[audio: https://controlaltdelight.com/best%20of%202013/03%20Heart.mp3]

10 minutes of ambient intro.

This massive mirror hung overhead; it was essentially a portal to another dimension.

Awe-inspiring lights flooded the stage. Sometimes calm, blue, peaceful. Other times bright, red, intense. At one point the entire platform was drowning in a sea of flames. Thankfully our protagonists, unscathed.

Then there were sounds, lots of them…

The amount of instruments & electronics was stupefying.

Dave Herrington jammed on the guitar, bass, organ, piano, and clarinet. All while Nicolas Jaar wrestled with a Wurlitzer and another goofy contraption called the Mellotron. I dunno what they do, but they sounded really cool.

The set progression was flawless, the crowd was into it, and the place was packed. Everyone I interacted with was super genuine & nice. Props to The Do LaB for throwing a quality show.

Gramatik | Our Interview | Soundcloud

Last year I had the fortunate opportunity to venture off on my own to central and South America. I took any chance I had to talk to someone and direct the conversation to what makes them happy or what their passions entailed. Those conversations really put the human spirit and the world into perspective to me in a whole new way. With my answer to both of those questions being music, I was under serious pressure to show them something worthwhile and fresh. It didn’t take long for me to get set on sharing Gramatik and his universal bread of hip hop and electronic. The album I showed everyone is below, and you can download it free here.

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Buy Don’t Talk To | RAC

Last weekend, we had the privilege of catching RAC’s fifth ever live show at the Observatory OC. Having only seen DJ sets by Andre and Karl, we didn’t know how this would fly. They were continually retweeting people talking about how the set was high energy, but how…was the mystery. We got into the venue filled with anticipation – it’s been a while since we’ve been this giddy to see an artist we’ve seen before. The band stepped out on stage to the roaring crowd: Andre, Liz (Andre’s wife), Karl, and Jeffrey Jerusalem of YACHT. I have to add right now that there was this weird feeling of insane happiness to see Andre and Liz up there following through with their passion together. True love is real people! They got right into it with one of our favourites: Foster the People’s Houdini and the room started heating up almost instantly.

They continued to play their crowd classics in a fresh new way that only live instruments could orchestrate. Among them were Two Door’s Something Good Can Work, Temper Trap’s Sweet Disposition, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Zero, Hollywood, and a guest appearance by MNDR for the encore: Let Go. The standout tracks of the night were Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’ Home, which they completely revamped to incorporate the kind of energy the song always lacked, and their original off the latest EP, Tourist. RAC also decided to surprise us with a completely new original that showcased Karl on vocals! Can’t wait to see that one surface for us all to fawn over. We were thoroughly impressed with how the live instruments brought the fire out of tracks we always viewed as being more “chill” than anything. Not to mention the eye candy they brought to the table:Strangeloop’s Reactive Pillar was a work of art!

We have no qualms with saying we were dancing and singing along non-stop. And all too soon, the show was over. I have to say, though, it was getting pretty unbearably hot in there – sweat dripping from the ceiling status. That’s just how you know it was a special show! One of our friend’s summed it up quite well: “RAC is one of the bands we’d follow around the country on a live tour.” We agree and absolutely hope they incorporate more live shows into their schedule. Best of luck to the crew and big up on a glorious transfer to a live band.