Breakbot | SoundLogik | Amplified Access

What started out as an unexpected trip, turned out to be one of the best adventures of my life. For those who are new, I kind of like Breakbot. A lot. He’s not only a big inspiration, but one of the most well respected DJs and revered producers in the world. The initial plan was to catch him at the first of his SoCal tour dates in Hollywood on Friday. One sold out show, rushed group of friends, empty stomach, and bottle service later; I’m leaving the show early. Long story short, of course. I’ll spare you. Shout out to Bondax, though! I do remember them. Anyway, I woke up devastated. Depite having a busy Saturday in LA, I rendezvoused south bound with some of the crew. Arriving at the hidden venue moments before Breakbot’s midnight settime gave me a sense of accomplishment. Little did I know that after walking through those doors, I was about to get much more than I missed. Check after the jump for more on the night and music!

Breakbot – Baby I’m Yours
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/10%20Baby%20I%27m%20Yours%20%28feat.%20Irfane%29.mp3]

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Starfucker | Buy Miracle Mile | Original Photos | Our Interview

One of the best parts about running a blog like this is keeping up with artists coming in and going out of their scene. Some continue a slow and steady rise to their deserved spot on a headlining stage. Others get their five minutes of fame, and then they are gone faster than they got in. Not only is it cool to see artists do well that deserve it, it’s inspirational. It makes it that much more real that if you truck through the harder times, stay persistent, and don’t give up, it WILL pay off. Starfucker is one such story that continues to surprise me every time I see them.

Starfucker – Atlantis
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/starfucker/10%20Atlantis.mp3]
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This past weekend, I had the opportunity to check out the experience that is Sound Tribe Sector 9. I’d heard tales of its glory, but had never made too much of an effort to go out of my way to see what the fuss was about. My brief time spent with their soundcloud didn’t have that kind of impact. I suspected before, but now can confirm that laptop speakers or a song of theirs coming up on shuffle is a disservice. Hit the jump for more + a couple videos. (more…)

Excision | Paper Diamond | Original Photos

Ever since Skrillex took bass music to a whole new level in mainstream culture, the scene has been over saturated. Quality bass music tunes are few and far between. I’m not one to drop an entire genre just because it’s popular, but it’s become harder and harder to get down to something unique. Seeing this type of music live takes me back to the days when I used to go to hardcore shows. The only difference is that people are way less egocentric and aggressive. So you get all that energy, and you don’t have to be worried about being sucker punched by the next douche who thinks he’s going to be the World Moshing Champion. It’s about the music now. As DJs continue to push themselves, it all comes down to what you have to offer at your show. Why should someone pay to see YOUR show? Well Excision gave us a thirty foot wide, ten foot tall reason: The Executioner.

Excision & Datsik – Deviance (Dirtyphonics Remix)
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/Deviance%20%28Dirtyphonics%20Remix%29.mp3]

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Joachim Garraud | Original Photos

As certain DJs and producers continue to grow, the next logical step is to put together a unique live set. A performance that takes their shows to another level. Something special. Different. With everything that’s being done nowadays, what direction is there to go? Some DJs are incorporating a 3D aspect to the visuals of their performances. The show is already technically in 3D, because it is real life. You with me? In my opinion, this can go only so many ways. You know how some movies are coming out in 3D that really don’t need to be? Some things are just fine in 2D, and I was about to find out if this played out to be true at a concert.

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Going to shows has become a therapeutic get away. In a world under constant pressures of turning your past into the future, a concert becomes a very beautiful thing. A time to drop everything else and just focus on the “here” and “now.” What differentiates the following performances from the rest is not solely song selection, nor venue, nor crowd, but all of these combined. It isn’t enough for an artist to play a perfect set if there isn’t a crowd there to appreciate it. All of the following shows not only illustrated near flawless musicianship and delivery, but the crowd made them unforgettable. The artists vibe off the energy of the crowd and they combine to give you the best experience possible. With that, I give you the best performances of 2012:

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NYE has long been a tradition of turning things around. A fresh start. New beginnings. Whatever. Sometimes I think about how it sucks that people need a certain calendar day to start moving their lives in a positive direction. One thing I don’t question is the need to ring in a new year by means of celebration! Where and how one chooses to celebrate seems to set the tone of the year. House parties. Vegas. Family affairs. Work. It could go so many ways, but we decided to post up in surprisingly sunny San Francisco for Eye Heart SF‘s Wintersalt and Streets of SF NYE spectaculars!

This relatively new production company has been making waves that took nearly three years to reach Southern California. With consistently awesome events, it’s bound to happen at some point. This year they added two nights of a broad range of artists and producers to get the weekenders ready for the Big Bang that was Streets of SF. Artists such as Diplo, Zedd, Dillon Francis, Paper Diamond, Travis Barker and many more took part in these parties. I was very happy to finally see Travis Barker in the flesh, slamming on his drums which seemed to be on the verge of destruction! I missed him play with DJAM (RIP) at Coachella in 2009, but luckily have this recording (that you can download for free here) of that set to feel somewhat a part of it. Plus it was cool to see him pay tribute to a lot of the tracks off that recording as well! Another shoutout I have to give is to Paper Diamond off Pretty Lights Music. It was a nice change of pace to see Chicago’s own drop some bouncy dub and glitch hop jams for us all to jump to.

As far as Streets of SF goes, you’ll have to bear with me because it was an open bar. I have this thing with open bars that involves double fisting. I told myself to keep it easy, one drink at a time, but NOOOOOO! I had to bring 2013 right. By blacking out…I’m being sarcastic of course. In my defense, when they’re serving all-you-can-drink Kettle One and Crown Royal, I’d have been an idiot to not test my limits! My limits tested til 12:30. Got to see A-Trak AND the countdown, so all was not lost. Overall, a very different event on a dock over the waters of San Francisco. Beautiful people everywhere. The only thing that really bugged me was the sound. Maybe it was the walls? Who knows. I was in line getting more drinks anyway. Cheers to 2013!