ISSUE 001 FALL 2015
DEBUT ISSUE Interviews with Bassnectar and Pretty Lights Album reviews The latest gear
THE F EST I VAL ISSUE
SPRING AWAKENING | ELECTRIC FOREST LOLLAPALOZZA | SUMMER SET
ISSUE 001 FALL 2015
MIDWEST EDM
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FORWARD
Electronic dance music (EDM) is one of the fastest growing music genres in the world, and has a very large presence in the Midwestern US. This region has spawned many popular electronic music sub-genres and has undoubtedly had an influence on the scene as a whole. Midwest EDM is an independent publication created by fans, for fans. Grounded in the roots of the Midwestern scene, it provides all the latest EDM news, album and gear reviews, exclusive interviews, concert/festival announcements and reviews straight from the dance floor. But above all, Midwestern EDM promotes good vibes and safe raving for everyone.
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CONTRIBUTORS
Interviews Bassnectar Hannah Lowry for Performer Magazine Pretty Lights Pranav Gupta for thebanginbeats.com Festivals Spring Awakening Peter Rubinstein for youredm.com Electric Forest June Reedy for gratefulweb.com Lollapalooza Nick Murray and Reed Fischer for Rolling Stone Summer Set Jared Hemming for citypages.com Gear All reviews courtesy of CNet.com Special Report DanceSafe Shut Down at Forest Matthew Meadow for youredm.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ISSUE 001
FALL 2015
INTERVIEWS Bassnectar Page 10 Pretty Lights Page 16
FESTI VALS
Spring Awakening Page 24 Electric Forest Page 30 Lollapalooza Page 36 Summer Set Page 42
MidwestEDM.com 6
REVIEWS
Kaskade - Automatic Page 50 Bassnectar - Into the Sun Page 51 Zedd - True Colors Page 52 Nero - Between II Worlds Page 53 Pioneer PLX-1000 Page 54 Philips A5 Pro Page 55 Plantronics Backbeat Page 56 Samsung Level U Page 57
T HE FE ST I VAL ISSUE SPECI AL REPORT
DanceSafe Shut Down at Forest Page 58
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MIDWEST EDM
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ARTIST INTERVIEW
BASSNECTAR words by HANNAH LOWRY Lorin Ashton, better known as electronic music guru/producer Bassnectar, sat down with Midwest EDM to discuss his past musical history, his current love, and where he plans on steering his career in the future. Before I sat down with him, I spent some time trying to formulate the questions that would get this guy talking. This creative hurricane has ‘superfans’ all over the country, these are people who follow him from show to show. I actually know one of these people
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myself (an old friend from high school) and I wanted to know what kind of magic Lorin Ashton bestowed upon these individuals to cause them to exhibit behavior not entirely dissimilar to the groupies that followed the Beatles around the world in the ’60s. Yet, as I conducted the interview, I found myself mesmerized by what I can only imagine is a similar presence that those superfans experience at one of his shows. Before I get too far ahead of myself, let’s get to the actual interview.
Lorin Ashton Born 02/17/1978 Raised Santa Cruz, CA Label Amorphous Music Active Since 1993
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ARTIST INTERVIEW
What you do, the music you create and the experience of hearing it live, seems like a tribal and even a religious thing for people. Why do you think your music, and bass music in general, speaks to people this way?
I feel like that was foolish of me. I missed out on Radiohead and the Deftones and all of these awesome bands because I only wanted Cannibal Corpse and whatever was the revolting, most satanic music that I could try and scare someone with.
I was always really attracted to niche, underground scenes. I think it came out of the insecurity of being 13 and not being badass, and wanting to be badass, and wanting to find something that was anti-religious, or to put up a flag and say, “This is my identity. I’m not cut from the cloth that you’re cut from.” And a lot of the time, especially in youth culture, you’re not really that badass; you’re living at your parents’ house and you’re in fucking high school.
How did that evolve into what you do now?
When I got into the rave scene, it was the same way. I wanted to get out of the main room and into the side room and into the obscure shit, or the intelligent shit, or the frightening shit. Just the weird stuff, so it would almost be bragging rights. I do think that’s a bit of an immature attitude, to like something because it’s weird, but that was where I came from. As what I was doing became popuI was always gravitating toward lar; it [became] a really unnatural what was left of center and what and surprising situation for me. I was the road less taken and almost, wasn’t used to liking something like, what was really good and what that a lot of other people liked, everyone loved, I wouldn’t listen to. and I certainly wasn’t used to be12
“How do I channel something that’s so emotionally precious and tender to me? Wh e n y o u t u n e into that emotional frequency, does it say the same?”
ing in mainstream culture. I’m really revolted and frightened by mainstream culture; it makes me feel spiritually alone. Something that I loved about bass music was that it was deep enough, heavy enough, and weird enough that it resembled some kind of alternative. As it became popular and mainstream, it became difficult to balance the two. At this point I think the dust has settled, and we’re back into where I think of EDM as basically house barbaric pop lyrics at the chorus;
and I feel grateful that that’s what’s blowing up, because it allows bass music to creep off into the side stages when needed. I get that, but you play at mainstream festivals like EDC, and there are a lot of people who go there specifically to see you. It’s a fun crowd to play to, and in all of my critical attitudes, I’m also a lover of nerds and outcasts. I’m not necessarily trying to find who I can hate here and tease at this festival. It’s a lot of fun to be there, and I like giving them a good time. So, do you think that’s why EDM is important, because it provides a point of entry for these people to be at big festivals and then maybe wander past your set?
Bassnectar has done several high profile shows within the past year. His performances usually sell out within minutes. (clockwise from right) Madison Square Garden, New York, NY; Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO; Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
I’d have to think about that thought before I condoned it. EDC and the Insomniac rave LA vibe were something that I heard about when I was a teenager. They really put a lot of time into the extra special effects and kind of tone down who the DJs are and what the lineup looks like. I think that’s fucking epic. The more faceless that these DJs can be, the better, myself included, because we’re just playing music that we love. We may be innovating and doing it really well, and that’s great for what we do, but it’s so silly to me to have 30,000 people facing and worshipping this one dorky human who’s lucky enough to be playing music for everyone. Wouldn’t trade it for
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ARTIST INTERVIEW Do you think your music speaks to people because it touches them in a physical way? You said it’s intellectual music, and it’s also really physical music because the bass hits the body in a way that you can’t help but feel.
And where does that emotion come from? Is it all your own?
I would love to take as little identity or credit for my music as I can, because I think, and I might be wrong, but I think there’s nothing original about humanity. I think we’re all I think part of it is, whether I was reflections of previous generations. an angry pre-teen and listening Whether it’s Elvis stealing musito “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” or cal ideas, or Ray Charles stealing whether I was in my teenage years musical ideas, or Mozart stealing and wanted to show up to school musical ideas, I don’t think any one literally blasting Cannibal Corpse human is born and goes through or NWA, some mode of violence their life in a bubble and at age or intensity or aggression or power. 21 has some brand new, ground breaking idea. I think they’re taking I love seeing and knowing that this things that they hated, fixing them, 16 year old kid with a Bassnectar and taking things that they love tattoo loves this music that I’m and trying to push them forward. making, and that it means so much to him or her. That’s what inspires There’s also this human urge to me to make it, not so much the be validated through our peers. I ego or fame or what I’m going think we all just want to connect, to tweet about. How can I best and through that urge we end up channel something that’s so emo- taking too much credit. I’ve made tionally precious and tender and 10 albums, and with some of those special to me? When you tune into albums, I’ve made such an effort to that emotional frequency, does it make every sound myself, master say the same thing? If it does, it’s everything myself, then mix everylike lovemaking on a musical level, thing myself. That was cool, but it even if it’s an ugly sound.
(right) Delta Plex, Grand Rapids, MI (next page) Freaky Deaky Music Festival, Chicago, IL 14
“Lorin is looping the sounds of life to push electronic music past its boundaries.”
was almost more athletic, like bragging rights, so I could say, “Yeah, that was me. I made that.” Now I don’t care. It’s like I want to be in a band and work with other humans and collaborate.
wide variety. It’s very tender, very ethereal, very sensitive at times, and also very hardcore and loud and noisy at other times, just like life. I’m giving myself a spectrum to play in.
Why keep making albums in an era when singles will do?
So now you have it. Maybe you can imagine why I felt so uplifted after this conversation with Mr. Lorin Ashton, even though it was unlike any interview I’ve ever held before. The only way I can explain this conversation is that Lorin constantly pointed back to the love he feels for life and music as reasons for why he does what he does, and what he wants to continue doing, looping the sounds of life to push EDM past its boundaries.
I didn’t make this album for any other reason than I was just making a lot of music, and I wanted to collect it together. It’s really hard for me to feel like I can represent myself musically with any one idea. It’s kind of like Goldilocks, where something is too hot, and something is too cold, and something is just right. I feel more comfortable with 15 songs because it’s a
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ARTIST INTERVIEW
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words by PRANAV GUPTA With shows that are a treat to your auditory and visual senses, Pretty Lights makes sure that his fans have an experience of a lifetime at his shows. His upcoming India tour with Vh1 Supersonic Arcade has been creating quite some buzz, and we had a chance to catch with the very talented Derek Vincent Smith to talk about his musical influences, his dream collaboration and much more.
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ARTIST INTERVIEW
This is the first time you’re tour- break ing India. What are you expecting t h e from this tour? mold o f This is my first visit to India and I t h e have been dreaming about it for tradia long time. I do not know a lot tional about the music of this country but m u I do know some things. Being a vi- sic innyl junkie and a crate digger I have d u s been exposed to a lot of old Ravi t r y . Shankar records and have amassed T h e quite a collection of his work which w a y I love to listen to on original vinyl. i n The current beat producer scene in Bombay and all of India is what I am most interested in learning about. And by “learning about” which my new projects will be I mean hearing as much of the presented and released will be a music as I can. huge part of what makes it original and cutting edge. Your last album, A Colour Map Of The Sun, was released back Your shows are known for their in 2013. Are you working on any immaculate visual production. new stuff, for an album or an EP? What all goes with planning and executing the entire concept? I am so excited to be working on several new projects, a new album, It’s actually quite different from the multiple singles and episodic/cine- norm from the electronic music matic music videos. My next single scenes specifically. It’s pretty stanwill actually sound like, in large dard for artists to have visual shows part, my experience in India. I’m completely pre-programmed out working on this song while I’m here. to their music. From the beginning I always want to really challenge myself and my crew have made it a myself with new projects and push priority to keep an improvisational forward artistically, aesthetically element in both music and the and, now especially, in the way that visuals. It has evolved to a point I think about how people experi- where we can communicate voence art and music. There are so cally where the audio affects the many exciting possibilities for ways visuals and vice versa so it’s very in which an independent artist can integrated. We spend months 18
planning and designing to make something that has never been done before. Which do you prefer more? A Pretty Lights DJ set or a Pretty Lights live set? Any rituals you have before taking the stage for a performance? If I go on a tour with a live band, I will be craving a DJ set and if I’m on a tour with the DJs, I’d be craving the live production set. I don’t usually do live DJ sets, it always has some sort of live performance element to it but I think a healthy dose of both is what I need so I go back and forth. Cannot choose one. As for the rituals, I just like to get pumped up before a gig and go out there and give it my best.
Derek Vincent Smith Born 11/25/81 Raised Fort Collins, CO Label Pretty Lights Music Active Since 2006
Which artists have influenced you, What have you heard about the from the point you started listen- Indian Dance Music scene? Are ing to music to now producing it? there any artists who have caught your attention? Pink Floyd. Musically, melodically philosophically and beyond, Its Actually, I went out filming this Pink Floyd. It’s nothing like that morning and heard some amazthe music I make but I see a com- ing music on the radio and I loved mon thread which is the purpose it. It was Honey Singh. I loved the and soul of channeling the human beats he put in. I cannot wait to ambition and emotion which I can hear more of him. relate to. What can your fans in India exHow did the name Pretty Lights pect from your upcoming tour? come about? Is there any story Any message for the fans? behind that? I have had the chance to produce Pretty Lights is not only the alias so much music in the last six years of myself as an artist, the name that I’ve been able to pick out the represents an aesthetic based on best from all my tours and experian awareness and openness to the ences to put them into one playlist. beauty in everything around us. Indian fans can expect only the Way back I once saw a poster of best of music that I’ve ever played. the Pink Floyd performing in the Cause it’s really important for me city and below it was written Pretty to throw a great party for my InLights to open for them. I then dian audiences at SPIRO and Vh1 thought to myself, I would want to Supersonic Arcade. open for them and decided then I could take up that name.
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MIDWEST EDM
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FEATURE
SUMMER FESTIVAL RE-CAP Spring Awakening 06/12 - 14 Electric Forest 06/25 - 28 Lollapalooza 07/31 - 08/02 Summer Set 08/14 - 16 22
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FESTI VAL REPORT
SPRING AWAKENING M idwest Ravers Invade Soldier Field words by PETER RUBINSTEIN As I approached the venue in my trusty Über, the bass from the Hangar Stage began to rattle the vehicle. The glowing pink lights flashing over a small sea of hands swaying back and forth to the rhythm could be seen from the rear of the car. Any nerves I had about my first Chicago festival were instantly extinguished, as the energy I hoped to see within the crowd had been confirmed before even getting off the freeway. The throngs of excited fans greeted me at the gates, as we cheered, chanted, sang, and yelped to the songs that could be heard from outside the stadium walls. Seven Lions was finishing his set under a cloudy sky as I entered the arena. Huge vertical pillars of screen and lights rose in a makeshift oval around the front of the stage. The booth itself stood high in the air surrounded by a pyramid of color,
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with endless jagged surfaces extended hundreds of feet to the sides. The balconies of the stadium encapsulated the entire floor in a ring of solitude from the outside world as the crowd began to pour in through the entrances. “Worlds Apart” left the attendees in a state of awe and affection as Seven Lions said his farewells. The weekend was officially under way. As the day quickly turned to night in the Windy City, the fans that decided to have a late start began to show up. Thomas Jack‘s euphoric melodies coming from the Equinox Stage were a welcome introduction as the entire venue became saturated with bodies. Now, the true magnitude of Spring Awakening was finally made apparent.
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FESTI VAL REPORT From Borgore to Martin Garrix to Zedd, the mass ocean of attendees continued to expand into the farthest reaches of the stadium floor. As Zedd winded down, I crept up into the high box section of the arena to get a better look at the spectacle. The festival became one entity when viewed from this height, the lights and colors blending into a swaying organism all its own. From the floor to the surrounding seats to the sectioned off standing areas, all of the movement flowed in a common direction. The location for such an event could not have been better chosen. Soldier Field left me exhausted and sore, but I was more ready than ever to wake up the following day and do it all over again. The second day began with glowing sunshine and a light breeze coming from the nearby Lake Michigan. I scrambled up the steps to the higher sections of the stadium just in time to catch Morgan Page and Lane 8 for a quick conversation. Due to the stacked list of artists on Day 2, the crowds arrived to the grounds quicker and in greater numbers. Morgan Page, Headhunterz, Adventure Club, Eats Everything, Zomboy, Bro Safari, Jack Ü, and Flosstradamus were more than enough to warrant single day pass attendees to make the trek. The anticipation was building steadily for the start of Skrillex and Diplo’s set at the main stage. The very first stop on Jack Ü’s infrequent tour schedule and their first visit to the Midwest wasn’t something I was going to be missing.
Spring Awakening enjoyed a record attendance in it’s fourth year, drawing over 50,000 to Chicago’s Soldier Field. 26
“J ack Ü’s first visit to the Midwest wasn’t something I was going to be missing.”
Just when they emerged from the booth, flags waving high above their heads and the introduction to “Take Ü There” swelling in the background, a light drizzle began to cascade down on the crowd. As the set picked up, Skrillex throwing transitions from Kanye to Snails to reggae rhythms and back to songs from the album, it started to pour. The crowd, not one to be deterred by a little weather, embraced the torrential onslaught and fought the elements with fists raised high. Nearly every track you’d expect to hear from the infamous duo was dropped with unprecedented energy and intensity. It was a true party from beginning to end. The hoods of light pink rain ponchos could be seen in every direction, the festival workers raking the puddles away from the crowd as best they could.
Nothing could stop the hype that surrounded the arena. As Flosstradamus emerged onto the main stage, their hometown cheering them on, they played a self-described “best set of their lives”. The strobe lights piercing through the walls of water from above combined with the ear-gouging bass and melodies was a true spectacle, one that I won’t be forgetting any time soon. Hardwell closed down the stadium with flying colors. I decided to take a break from dancing, and sat with a cold beer in the bleachers watching the mayhem continue below me. Around me, in the chairs, groups and loners bobbed their heads and watched the scene unfold in unison. Even though the sound was immense and unceasing, there was a universal feeling of peace emanating from the
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FESTI VAL REPORT
ARTISTS WE SAW
(clockwise from left) Hardwell, Excision, Zeds’s Dead, Jack Ü, Tiësto, Borgore, Flosstradamus
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sidelines. It was a blissful adventure of an evening that ended in happiness and soaked clothes. As expected, Day 3 was muddy and slippery from the previous night’s rain. The stages all had massive areas of liquid puddles, and everyone’s shoes and pant cuffs were caked up to the shin with dirt. The first artist of the day was Hucci, who played an unbelievable trap set at the Phoenix Stage. Throwing down tracks from artists like Mr. Carmack, RL Grime, Misogi, and more, it felt as if I was right back in Los Angeles. There were several times during his performance where kids could be seen hopping over the fences on the side and sprinting into cover away from the security guards. Some made it, others were apprehended and dragged away. Excision‘s show at the Equinox Stage was everything a bass head could dream for. Playing a set that rivaled even his yearly Shambhala mixes, the crowds once again embraced the mud and stomped their way into the night. W&W, Afrojack, Branchez, and more took the prime spot as the sun began to set, engulfing the venue in overlapping tracks, drawing their respective crowds to their stages from hundreds of yards away. Finally, Zeds Dead took to the main stage with an hour-long display of pure grime. Tiësto closed out the weekend with a performance worthy of the time slot. It was a fitting end to the festivities, and a welcome close to the exhausting 3 day excursion. As the crowds finally left Solider Field for the last time, smiles could be seen for miles. The nearby streets of Chicago were filled to the brim with our people, as the cab drivers (I’m sure) had one of the busiest nights of their careers. Before attending this year’s Spring Awakening, I had never raved in the rain, had never seen an ocean of 50,000 people inside a stadium sway as one to my favorite songs, and had never experienced the unmatched energy of a Chicago festival crowd. Needless to say, this event was one for the books, and I can’t wait to come back again next year.
“I had never experienced the energy of a Chicago festival crowd... This event was one for the books.”
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FESTI VAL REPORT
ELECTRIC FOREST FI VE YEARS OF FOREST
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words by JUNE REEDY Electric Forest is amazing. It inspires plenty to say but I am going to keep it short. This festival is unapologetically immature. Nanny Nanny Boo Boo. This is the festival of the future with freaks, geeks, and oh my! Kids. Or Kidz as we used to call em in my day. They are lude, crude, young, and full of piss and vinegar. Yes. These are the hippies, heads, Kidz, or whatever you in your time called them. They dress funny, they have no problem showing off their hot lil bods, they hold big obnoxious signs, and they litter! With that being said, EFF production does not print festival programs anymore. They have Electricology, a great recycling program to incentivize the trash/recycle/ compost program and to spread awareness for these kids to take home with them. Bassnectar launched the “Think for Yourself” campaign. Smirk all you want. The fact is, 50 years ago this is where the Grateful Dead began. Hardly anyone is young from that crowd. Five years ago began the gracious hosting of Electric Forest. String Cheese Incident is a band that is not bidding anyone Fare Thee Well. In fact, this band is welcoming all sorts of genre bending, diverse, and young talent. One thing I can say without doubt, especially in the case of Electric Forest is to never miss a Sunday show. That is where you will find your Americana, folk, roots, and newgrass fix. I actually wondered to myself why they don’t release just Sunday day passes. Let’s be honest, by that time in the festival a lot of the amateurs have gone home.
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FESTI VAL REPORT Put this is your pipe and smoke it. Most of the crowd at Electric Forest were born in 1995. Yup. That was the year Jerry died so let’s put this into perspective. These kids have never, nor will they ever, see Jerry live man. Live in the now. String Cheese Incident and members of The String Cheese Incident played with Skrillex, Bassnectar, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Big Gigantic, Yonder Mountain String Band, Keller Williams, members of the Infamous Stringdusters, and brought along their side projects like Prophet Massive and EOTO. String Cheese Incident played 6 full sets of music over the course of the 4 day weekend and still got out to check out the other musicians. They encouraged us to do the same. Have you ever heard of Lindsey Stirling? It’s crazy how fast that cyber space magic box works to spread the word of quality music these days. Her Saturday show was standing room only and there was nothing but smiles, smiles, smiles. Her sheer humility to see the crowd overflowing out of the shade was incredible. Her music was even better. Gotten up to Michigan lately? Honestly, that is the nicest festival weather you could ask for. More importantly, there is a place called Traverse City that is cranking out quality musicians and all around great people. Rothbury is just south and west of there. I caught the Accidentals once or twice, three times by accident. They played EFF 5 times over the 4 day weekend and are from Traverse City, MI. Their album Bitter Sweet credits Don Julin & Billy Strings, also from Traverse City. They are surrounded by the Earth Work Music Collective that includes and collaborates with the Crane Wives, Seth &
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“Meeting people and talking about the world is the best par t about a festival.”
May, The Voice Semi Finalist Joshua Davis, and of course good ol’ Michigan boys Greensky Bluegrass are related somehow too. To my delight when I asked the Accidentals what they thought of the future, future of music, future of festivals, future of community like ours, they responded, “Mentoring for strength and growing together.“ On a side note, they had a wordsmith sit in with them named Rick. He was an amazing lyricist that reminded me of a moonshining Eminem. Meeting new people and talking about the world is the best part about a festival. There was an element of suggestion going on when I asked new friends about what the future holds. I think Electric Forest is the festival of the future and most would agree. The answers tended to be a description of what was around and present more than what will be. An example of that would be “Our musical tree is growing a branch.” Or “What was my grandpa’s Perry Como is now my Zed’s Dead. Disco is still dead but it’s also evolving.” My favorite quote was from Katie Larson of the Accidentals when she said, “In the future there will be more diversity but a bigger crowd for each individual niche. An almost ‘One size fits all’ style music.” After the music stops, the party continues in the Forest’s campgrounds.
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FESTI VAL REPORT
ARTISTS WE SAW
(clockwise from left) Skrillex, Big Gigantic, Bassnectar, Flume, Kaskade, String Cheese Incident
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So there you have it. I won’t bore you with fashion commentary or sci fi metaphors; no quotes or lyrics that I have scrawled about. I think you get the idea of Electric Forest. It’s a mini Michigan Burning Man with shade, less dust, no barter system but still reasonably priced for the price of the production that goes into the event. I cannot stress enough, never miss a Sunday show! I think this year had a distinct funk flavor to it with lots of horns and jazz elements. I think the 2 added stages were awesome but I mostly enjoyed watching bigger better art installments happen. The Grand Artique was awesome and not even on the schedule. The schedule that you had to pull up with your own hotspot because Sprint sure wasn’t working up there for any decent wi-fi. The VIP package is great but mostly for the location. It also has its own stage and affords you much less walking time to get to the major stages. If you can caravan with your friends, do that and don’t worry about the VIP package. If you aren’t driving in together I would not expect to camp together. It is all an elaborate plot from the EFF production team to force you out of your comfort zone and help you make new friends. 35
FESTI VAL REPORT
LOLL A ‘15 RAGERS OF THE STORM
words by NICK MURRAY/REED FISCHER Ten years after finding a permanent home in Chicago’s Grant Park, Lollapalooza beat 2015’s midsummer heat with a lineup of artists that crossed genres and stretched across seven stages. Some 100,000 fans came out to party each of the three days, which culminated in sets by headliners Paul McCartney, Metallica and Florence and the Machine. When not basking in the music, attendees scrambled to find shade, sang along to “Hey Jude,” sampled weird treats and evacuated for severe storms. These are the best things we saw, heard or tasted along the way. At 2:31 on Sunday afternoon, 36
George Ezra was officially late, but the crowd wasn’t looking for him. Everyone was too distracted by the dark clouds that approached suddenly from the west and the strong wind that blew sheets of dust away from the main stage. A voice soon came over loudspeakers instructing everybody to evacuate the park. Persistent fans refused to budge, sitting in their hillside seats until the voice insisted. “Take this seriously,” the man behind it said. “Please, your spots aren’t that valuable.” Everyone eventually walked out either into the city or into a parking garage, and some fans made the most of the delay by blasting EDM.
Over one hundred thousand turned out this year for Chicago’s Lollapalooza. Headliners were Sir Paul McCartney, Metallica and Florence and the Machine.
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FESTI VAL REPORT
ARTISTS WE SAW
(clockwise from left) Kid Cudi, Abel Tesfaye of The Weeknd, Dillon Francis, Bassnectar, DJ Snake, Tyler the Creator, Sir Paul McCartney, Metallica
by blasting EDM. The impromptu party didn’t last long, but it was almost fun while it did. Almost. Capping a very hot, frenetic Friday heavy on rock and EDM, the Weeknd’s 8:30 set morphed the Bud Light stage into a chilled out nightclub once the sun went down. 38
“I came all the way from Toronto to fuck shit up tonight,” the enigmatic Edward Scissorhands of R&B proclaimed during his dazzling, hourlong performance. Aside from a few flourishes of pyro and a mini fireworks display after the MJ-on-lean highlight
“Can’t Feel My Face,” Abel Tesfaye’s key mood enhancers were his pipes. The crowd rewarded him by singing along as he leaned heavily into the boasts on “Often” (expected to be on his forthcoming second album, Beauty Behind the Madness) as well as a gender bent
cover of Beyoncé’s “Drunk in Love,” and the swerving falsetto on “Earned It.” With molten reds on the screens, strobe lights and a backing band adding punch, the iciness of Tesfaye’s oft sorrowful anthems melted into range of flowing emotion. “I gotta be honest, I never do encores, but you show me so much love,” he said before closing with “Wicked Games” as the lighters popped up like fireflies. Bassnectar opened his set with Beethoven’s Fifth and a reading of Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night,” then followed with a 45 minute barrage of rap samples, rave beats and pummeling, modulating low end. The rain delay had pushed him back until a second approaching storm bumped him up and cut him short, leaving the electronic musician five minutes for a closing argument. Rather than play a single song, he brilliantly cut between a few of the hardest tracks in his library, combining dubstep and metal before easing into “Riders on the Storm” to close out his set. A giant blue chair and massive, cartoonish bed were waiting on stage before Tyler, the Creator
came out. When he arrived, the rapper looked like he was ready for a nap. “Everybody yell so I can feel better,” Tyler mumbled with depressed detachment. “And when the song starts, jump like you’re into it.” And when the song “Deathcamp” started, fans were into it, and Tyler was really, really into it, racing across the stage, wildly swinging his arms and legs, leaping into the air like Michael Jordan and furiously spitting into his mic with his thick, toxic flow. Then, he busted out “Sam (Is Dead),” and as Tyler rapped about being “a leader not a puppet,” his body jerked violently in every direction, like there was a giant puppet master above him, pulling the strings. Jarring juxtapositions are Tyler’s trademark, and that was apparent on “IFHY,” as Tyler rapped “I fucking hate you, but I love you,” and wanting to strangle his girlfriend until she “stops breathing,” while throwing a tantrum on stage. bed like a toddler. Such disturbing songs have made Tyler one of today’s most controversial rappers. But his conviction also makes him one of the most fascinating.
Lollapalooza by the Numbers July 27 - July 30 Over 300,000 in attendance 31.5 hours of live music 34 police arrests made 238 sent to hospitals
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FESTI VAL REPORT
Kid Cudi stepped out on stage just as the sun set. But the moon wasn’t enough; with Cudi largely performing his spacey set alone on stage, the effect turned out to be alienating. But at Lollapalooza, Cudi was all about connection. Wisely backed by two musicians who, alas, overpowered his flow, Cudi was nevertheless practically gliding across the stage for set opener “Revofev,” like he was an astronaut happily bouncing on top of the moon, and suggestively straddling the mic stand for last year’s “Going to the Ceremony.” Practically the whole time, he was smiling from ear to ear, clearly thrilled to be embraced by the massive sea of humanity in front of him. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, back to earth. EDM producer Dillon Francis was supposed to play a Turner Hall 40
Ballroom show last December. It was canceled. Then Francis was supposed to play a show at the Rave in June. That was canceled. So what’s Milwaukee missing? On the surface, Francis is most distinguishable from the EDM crowd, not as much for his music, but his irreverent sense of humor. (Check out his website; you’ll see what I mean.) There were tastes of that at his Lollapalooza set Friday. Giant shifting eyeballs dominated the curved LED screen above Francis manning the DJ booth, while a series of jaws, from an elderly woman, a cartoon Minion, etc. flipped through on the screen below the booth, like someone was flipping through Tinder on their smartphone. There were also illustrations of talking Dorito chips and pink, sprinkled donuts with googly eyes.
“A voice came over the speakers and instructed ever ybody to evacuate.”
Those small touches gave Francis’ set a cheeky vibe, a refreshing change of tone from the melodramatic nature of many EDM sets. But his remixes stood out too, in particular a thumping trap version of Calvin Harris’ shimmering, soulful “Summer.” Next time he comes to Milwaukee, EDM fans should check them out, although maybe have alternative plans ready in case he cancels again. In the EDM world, electronic producer Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You,” is about as ancient as the pyramids. Yet it found somehow found its way into DJ Snake’s set early Friday evening, even if it was followed by another predictable bass drop. It was one of a few slight surprises in the French producer’s crowd-pleasing, speaker rattling, sweaty body bouncing set, where people smashed up in the front had the honor of brandishing giant cardboard smiley faces with sunglasses, cardboard signs that read “Pardon My French” and other signs of branding. Another surprise was when he at one point raised the tension, but then instead of releasing it through a standard sonic explosion, transitioned the mix to a relaxed, trippy, trap style groove. He did play pop culture-seizing single “Turn Down for What” of course, his slightly goofy but undeniably effective banger featuring screamed vocals from Lil Jon, and predictably the crowd turned it up.
(from top to bottom) The Weeknd drew a large crowd and vibed to Abel’s pipes. Eager Lolla-goers wait out the rain along Michigan Avenue. Bassnectar closed out the festival in spectacular fashion. 41
FESTI VAL REPORT
SUMMER SET WOODSTOCK OF WISCONSIN words by JARED HEMMING Driving northeast to the sprawling Summer Set festival campus in Somerset, WI on Friday night, one question continued ringing in my mind: What are the vibes at this festival going to be? The flocks of Midwesterners who gathered to catch the last major music and camping festival of the summer, however, answered the question with flowers, sweat, hula hoops, and pois. Lots of pois. At the security line, two first-time festival attendees from Mankato walked in with open minds and wider eyes. "I've never been to any sort of festival, so I'm just looking forward to having a fun weekend," Josh says. "I think I'm gonna see some things I've never seen before." His friend, Meaghan, mentions the flower in her hair that "some random guy" gave to her. Grins crept across each of their faces. Was this weekend going to be the Woodstock of Wisconsin?
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FESTI VAL REPORT Since starting in 2012, Summer Set has continued to book bigger and bigger EDM, electronica and digitized experimental bands. On Friday, between five stages, the fest bridged the gap between critical darlings Purity Ring and the in-your-face bombast of headliner Bassnectar. Playing to a sea of glow sticks and signs with psychedelic faces shining into the humid evening, Purity Ring’s all white aesthetic felt appropriately alien looking. Their outfits, including singer Megan James’s astronaut-like shoulder pads, hardly mattered as the Canadian electronic duo owned the Meadow Stage with glitchy hits like “Bodyache” and “Push Pull,” the latter from this year’s release “Another Eternity.” The pair’s sweeping beats sculpted their cinematic live sound; Purity Ring’s learned a thing or two since their first headlining Mainroom show in 2012. Beatsmith Corin Roddick pounded his signature lamps to queue different melodies, adding a fresh take to live electronic performance at a festival with an abundance of dudes just pushing buttons on laptops. After dedicating a rousing rendition of “Flood on the Floor” to Summer Set headliner Bassnectar, the beat heavy duo had their set cut short before they could finish their last song, resulting in jeers against the festival organizers from fans. By the time ripped off Purity Ring fans swarmed to the massive crowd at the main stage, Bassnectar’s pounding four on the floor beats commanded thousands of over stimulated fans to bounce in one motion, uniting like an army of music-powered neon robots. Bassnectar’s dazzling projections lifted his nonstop head banging stage presence with track after track of supersonic waves of earth shattering bass. It’s always fun to see such a huge group of music fans so excited, especially after the “King of the Sound” Lorin Ashton threw a remix of Grimes’ “Oblivion” into his set. Lorin ended the night with his face melting, wonderfully contorted banger, “Generate” to much delight of the crowd of Bassheads. Truly a great track to end with. After a disgusting and sweaty night’s sleep in a sun baked tent on early Saturday morning, too soon it was time again to continue the festivities and drown in debaucheries at the Summer Set Music and Camping Festival 2015. 44
Ever since hitting the gathering on Friday night, I have to admit I wasn’t feeling confident about this festival’s success. The amount of naked men and women stumbling between stages was dizzying and started to make me feel out of place. Sure, Purity Ring was fun, and there were weird and amazing sets to look forward to from Tycho, the Weeknd, and Bone Thugs n Harmony. But the endless lines at each of the festival’s three phone charging stations and the miles of hiking it took to get from the campgrounds to the stages made me question whether Summer Set was worthwhile. That’s when Hippo Campus, of all bands, ended up saving the day. I’ll add my critic’s bias here early: I’ve never liked Hippo Campus. It’s hard to watch people younger than you become seemingly instant successes in an art others struggle for years to find a career in. The Twin Cities cuties were the only people younger than the audience at their midday set, but that didn’t matter. Early in their set, Hippo Campus had legions of beer bellied ‘80s babies grooving along to bouncy renditions of hits like “Little Grace,” high out of their skulls to escape the even bigger skull numbing existence that is their day job, maybe Hippo Campus got it right by going to a performing arts high school. At the main stage, the Weeknd proved to be the only act at the festival that appealed to fans of every other act on the Summer Set roster. Abel Tesfaye’s futuristic Michael Jackson voice filled the entire campus with the sounds of his trademark PBR&B swagger. Fans brought out the lighters for the Weeknd’s Fifty Shades of Grey hit “Earned It,” and despite his short set (45 minutes), Weeknd performed a rare festival encore, only his second ever, with the devilishly groovy “Wicked Games.” The jazz-electronic group Big Gigantic closed out night two in spectacular fashion. Wailing on the saxophone and drums, the duo laid down past hits such as “The World is Mine”, along with plenty of tracks from their new album “The Night is Young.” Sunday started off with clouds looming overhead, but fortunately Mother Nature really gave us nothing
Summer Set, now in it’s fourth year, added a new stage, expanded campgrounds, and slightly less invasive security.
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FESTI VAL REPORT
ARTISTS WE SAW
(clockwise from left) Bassnectar, Big Gigantic, Deadmau5, Zed’s Dead, Action Bronson
resembling “severe weather”. But that didn’t stop festival organizers from calling the whole thing off about three songs into Die Antwood’s set. Chants of “rain or shine” and “hell no we won’t go” rang out among dissatisfied festival goers as they pummeled the unfortunate staff member who made the announcement with glow sticks. Fans were then herded out by Somerset Police and back into the campgrounds, where a massive protest was beginning to form. Parading through the campgrounds, 46
fans swarmed to the massive crowd to join in the chanting, blunt smoking and flashing of private parts. By the time the mob reached the main festival entrance, it consisted of thousands of unruly, drugged out ravers who just wanted to hear some music. The crowd was so large that festival organizers had no other choice but to allow the crowd to plow through and charge the main stage. Thankfully, Zed’s Dead’s set started right on time and was as gnarly as ever. The duo form Toronto
threw down with fan favorites like ‘Hadouken’, and the newly released trap banger, ‘Flies’. Zed’s Dead is one of the most consistently impressive EDM acts, begging the question of when they will finally headline a major festival. Sunday’s headliner was none other than the computer nerd turned superstar DJ, Deadmau5. After crew members took an hour to assemble an elaborate LED covered egg, Joel Zimmerman commanded the main stage audience with a ceaseless set of pounding prog-house beats, including updated versions of hits like “Some Chords” and “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff.” A few tracks in, Deadmau5’s cage broke free, offering the audience a clear look at his Mau5 Head. The black mascot head with flashbulb eyes bounced with the pulse of the beat, staring into the audience with its synthetic eyeballs. As one of the top EDM musicians from North America, Deadmau5 still experiments with expectations. Oftentimes he eschewed the standard 16-bar build-silence-beat with unexpectedly placed drops. Despite the gargantuan bass drum boom, Chairman Mau5 seemed relaxed during his set. At one point, he took off the mouse head to smoke a cigarette, repeating the gesture again when he sat on a couch and relaxed onstage while two people dressed in shark and hotdog mascot costumes, respectively, danced along. Watching Deadmau5 and a guy dressed like Sharky bounce together on the couch like kiddos ended Summer Set 2015 on a note of brotherly love and carefree good times, which, aside from the massive amounts of cocaine and MDMA consumed by kandy-clad neon colored ravers, sealed the weekend as a success.
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MIDWEST EDM
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ALBUM REVIEW
AUTOMATIC
KASKADE
Rating 8/10 Released 09/25/2015 Warner Bros. Records 14 tracks
Dance maven Kaskade has never been one to shy away from quality song writing or massive hooks. In fact, nine albums into his career, his material has become more aligned with the kind of popstyled sound that has allowed his star, and others in the EDM world to rise. On Automatic, his first album for Warner Bros., he embraces a more traditional Top 40 vibe, yet has managed to assemble some of the funkiest and most well rounded material in his legendary 25 plus year career. What stands out about this album is how aware Ryan Raddon seems to be about the current state of dance music. His history of playing small clubs, large stadiums, and some of the most significant 50
festivals in the world has tuned his ear to both pop trends and underground sounds. Arguably the strongest tunes on the 14 track release are the more dancefloorready cuts. With their heaving four on the floor basslines, “Tear Down These Walls” and “Phoenix” pack in classic house vibes while UKborn soul stirrer Estelle flexes on “Day Trippin’,” a track that could be the album’s best blend of dancefloor accessibility and blow away topline vocal work. Estelle’s soulful timbre seductively wraps itself around the piano stabs in a way that’s reminiscent of her 2008 breakout single ”American Boy.” Comparing Kaskade to legendary American house icon Todd Terry feels odd, but take one lis-
ten to Automatic’s “Breaking Up” and “Promise” and it makes sense. Terry’s 1994 remix of Everything but the Girl’s “Missing” features a knocking bassline, an ambient yet ear worming melody, and a vocal performance that simmers to a boil. K.Flay’s vocal feature on “Promise” is a half rapped whispered tone that is a departure from the norm for Raddon, but it still rings true. Also, like “Missing,” enough can’t be said about how funky the bassline is of “Breaking Up,” and how robust and a smooth rolling boil Scott Shepard’s topline needs to be in order to not be swallowed but the low end or sound entirely out of place on the track. Raddon has defied expectations and created a diverse, left leaning winner. If the album title has any meaning whatsoever, it’s that this full length is expected to “automatically” make the most ardent of non-dancers move their feet.
ALBUM REVIEW
INTO THE SUN
BASSNECTAR
Rating 10/10 Released 06/30/2015 Amorphous Records 16 tracks
I was very enthusiastic when Bassnectar sent me ‘Into The Sun’ last week. He is one of the most scheduled acts at festivals like Bonnaroo, Electric Daisy Carnival, and Electric Forest. There is a cult demand for his music and I was one of the first people hearing all 16 songs together. Led by the title track, Bassnectar promoted “Into The Sun” without label backing. Leading up its release, five songs “The Mystery Spot,” “Speakerbox,” “Dorfex Bos,” and his Naked and Famous “No Way remix” preempted it. ‘Into The Sun’ didn’t receive special online promotions. These days satellite radio or streaming services dominate how music gets discovered. What’s dope about Bassnectar’s ‘Into The Sun’ is its organic release. Instead of using predictable methods like radio interviews Bassnectar campaigned at live shows. For instance, he sold out Madison Square Garden last winter. Even Steve Aoki and Jack Ü that have albums out this year couldn’t sell out Madison Square Garden. Bassnectar’s has a rock star reputation that’s unlike many other artists these days. So when Kanye
calls himself “the biggest rock star in the world,” he is ignorant to the fact that title belongs to Bassnectar. A warming element about ‘Into The Sun’ is that it channels influence not only from EDM, but also from rock-n-roll, hip hop, and house music. The music is positive, upbeat, and original where all 16 songs could be anthems. Bassnectar’s ‘Into The Sun’ album delivers music like nothing you’ve heard before and there’s a lot of it. From beginning to end l didn’t skip one song nor did I want to. On all 16 records, Bassnectar’s trippy samples and galactic sounds will hypnotize you. Right out the gate with “Chasing Heaven” your mind can drift away. It’s an introduction that lulls your senses be-
fore other upcoming songs put you under his spell. Like Bassnectar’s live shows, ‘Into The Sun’ takes you along a musical journey of climatic builds and wicked bass drops. Then before you know it, Bassnectar melts your mind. In my opinion, the best EDM album this year is ‘Into The Sun.’ It’s experimental, dynamic, and inherently Bassnectar. He uses choice artist features sticking to his underground EDM approach. You don’t find music like this unless you’re looking for it, and once it’s found you won’t want to turn it off. Bassnectar’s ‘Into The Sun’ album is what the EDM game has been missing. Now that it’s finally here, it’s the only album I want to play over and over again. 51
ALBUM REVIEW
TRUE COLORS
ZEDD
Rating 6/10 Released 05/15/2015 Interscope Records 11 tracks
In 2013, Anton Zaslavski, who records as Zedd, went from “Who the fuck is Zedd?” to a household name thanks to two ubiquitous singles. First was “Clarity”, the aural equivalent of standing under a fake waterfall at Tomorrowland, and the brain invading Hayley Williams feature “Stay the Night”. This was sky scraping stuff, and it’s a sound that the 25 year old producer had made his name on behind the boards for artists like Lady Gaga (Zedd contributed three songs to Artpop) and Justin Bieber (Believe’s surging “Beauty and a Beat”). In 2015, Zedd is not only one of the richest men in the biz, he’s a tabloid star. Given the higher profile, it was probably no surprise that the ru52
mored Selena Gomez collaboration bore fruit in the form of “I Want You to Know”, the first, Ryan Tedder co-written single from Zedd’s new album True Colors. For better or for worse, “I Want You to Know” is a good entry point for True Colors, a collection of songs that features Zedd consistently failing to open up the playbook or alter the formula. Many songs opener, like “Addicted to a Memory”, “Straight into the Fire” feature familiar pop constructions. Not unlike his hits (including his Ariana Grande collaboration “Break Free”), Zedd routinely uses soaring synth stabs with crystal clear vocals from female singers. While it’s worked in the past, it feels like the colors Zedd tends to paint with feel faded.
Though Zedd keeps his foot on the pedal, it comes with the cost of diminishing returns. Even changes of pace like “Beautiful Now” feel flat and corny (“Let’s live tonight/ Like fireflies!”). If you want vague, positive platitudes bouncing off every pocket of pixelated pomp, True Colors is a one stop shop. Take “Transmission”, a song that limply thumps around the chorus “Cause you’re never too young, , never too young to die” and features a verse from Maryland rapper Logic that makes Kalin and Myles sound like UGK. It’s tempting to paint Zedd as a singles artist, and True Colors reveals that the DJ doesn’t have much to say at an album’s length. True Colors does traverse familiar, populous formats that may be difficult to innovate on top of, but other posi-tinted, mass audience focused projects have found success by mixing their own cocktails of EDM, soul, and of the minute rap production. Zedd’s True Colors, feels underformed and unoriginal. Basically, swipe left.
ALBUM REVIEW
BETWEEN II WORLDS
NERO
Rating 6.5/10 Released 09/11/2015 MTA Records 12 tracks Four years ago, Nero became the face of the burgeoning bass music movement with their debut album,Welcome Reality. With an equally stunning live show, the UK duo of Daniel Stephens and Joe Ray cemented themselves as one of the most exciting acts of the moment. Now with vocalist Alana Watson as a full-time member, they’ve embarked on the next chapter: Between II Worlds. Nero’s sophomore album has not been without its fair share of hype. In fact, fans have been clamoring for the project since late 2013 when Nero shared a cryptic, looped ambient piece, 28 minutes and 8 seconds in length, a recurring motif for the group. Being the perfectionists they are, however, Nero took their time sculpting the final release. Fortunately, the wait is over; Between II Worlds is here Let’s get one thing out of the way from the start: this is not Welcome Reality 2.0. If you’re expecting a continuation of their 2011 style with some minor developments, you’re bound to be disappointed. While Between II Worlds still bears the authentic Nero sound, the emphasis has been placed on authentic song writing over next level sound design. With Alana
Watson now permanently at the forefront, her vocals have become a fixture of their compositions, and in some cases, the most memorable aspects of the songs. Take “Two Minds” for example. Aside from riffing off modern UK house tropes, the single succeeds thanks to Watson’s charming vocal hook. While the track could surely stand on its own as an instrumental, Watson’s lyrical contribution affords a certain humanness to the track that can’t be replicated with any amount of sound design. Just as they did in 2011, Nero have once again provided a glimpse into the future of electronic music. Such a fluid combination of memorable song writing and flawless production is not achieved
often, nor ever this potently. With Between II Worlds, the trio have ultimately taken a more affirmative step into the crossover world, and that’s not a bad thing. Rather, the album offers a more matured sound, existing in the elusive middle-ground between catchy song structures and authentic electronic production. In many ways, the album’s title most powerfully serves as a metaphor for Nero themselves. Caught between the two worlds of rock and electronic music, they’ve meticulously constructed a sound that hinges upon the best elements of both. This is not the Nero of the EDM universe, but the makings of a timeless electronic band. 53
GEAR REVIEW
PIONEER PLX-1 000 Rating 9/10 Brand Pioneer Retail $699
Most audiophiles never got on board with direct drive turntables, which is why the vast majority of high end turntables are beltdrive designs. Their logic is simple enough: with belt drive, the belt mechanically isolates the motor from the platter, so whatever rumble or noise the motor generates won’t be transmitted through the platter and LP to the stylus tracing the groove. High torque, direct drive turntables are favored by DJs for scratching and quick platter start up, but direct drive’s advantages are of little use with an audiophile oriented turntable. Things are changing, over the last few years direct drives are picking up admirers among persnickety audiophiles. The new VPI Classic Direct Drive turned a lot of hardcore belt drive fans around, but it’s a very expensive turntable, so I wanted to try a much more affordable direct-drive turntable, and 54
Pioneer’s new PLX-1000 seemed like a great place to start. The PLX-1000’s LED in the front of the turntable scans the LP’s grooves, so you can cue LPs in a dark room and still see what you’re doing. I initially used a Shure M44-7 phono cartridge for all of my listening tests, but with the help of two audiophile buddies, Michael and Herb, I got a chance to try Ortofon’s 2 M Black moving-magnet and Zu Audio’s DL-103 Mk.II moving coil cartridges. Each one was mounted on a plug in headshell, so we could quickly swap one cartridge for the next. The Shure’s sound was the most forgiving: it was very mellow and sweet. The Ortofon had a lot more detail, but the Zu Audio cartridge was the best. It was far more transparent and lively than the others. We compared the PLX-1000 with a belt drive VPI Traveler turntable; that one’s bass sounded a
little soggy and bloated next to the PLX-1000’s tighter low end. Frankly, I was surprised; VPI sounded so lackluster, the PLX-1000 had more get up and go. Wow, the directdrive beat out the belt-drive; it was no contest. Michael also brought over a Technics SL-1200 Mk2 direct-drive turntable so we could compare it with the PLX-1000, while swapping the same cartridge between the turntables. The two tables look very similar, and had near identical feature sets, but they didn’t sound the same. The SL-1200 MK2 had a warmer tonal balance, with betterdefined bass; the PLX-1000 was brighter and clearer sounding, so it was more fun to listen to. The Technics is no longer made, so I’m especially happy to see the Pioneer PLX-1000 taking up the slack. It sells for $699 in the US.
GEAR REVIEW
PHILIPS A5 PRO Rating 8/10 Brand Philips Retail $300
Philips teamed up with musician Armin van Buuren to design its flagship headphone for DJs, and after several years of prototyping and testing, the A5 Pro over ear DJ headphones are available to purchase for $300. An arsenal of features like swiveling ear cups, powerful 50mm drivers, and detachable ear cushions all give the A5 Pros an advantage for DJs, but the box also includes accessories that you can swap in to make the headphones work with portable audio devices and home audio systems. Philips succeeds in bringing DJs
a headphone that performs just as well in a home setting as it does in a club. A solid build structure means there’s no worrying about whether or not they’ll be able to survive the abuse of everyday travel, and Philips includes plenty of accessories so you can tune the sound to your own preference, even if you’re only listening at work. There’s no question that the 50mm drivers are well equipped to handle a wide cross-section of music genres. I paired the headphones with a HifiMan EF2 USB DAC routed through my MacBook Air, and the closed seal design of
the ear pads offers a very good balance between the treble and mids while keeping music (and other noises) from leaking through. Straight out the box, the headphones have a smooth, undistorted sound with a colorful timbre that permeates throughout the overall presentation, whether you’re listening to EDM, jazz, rock, hip hop or classical. While you may not think of Philips as the first brand to check out for DJ headphones, the A5’s sonic versatility deserves your attention as a solid headphone. 55
GEAR REVIEW
PL ANTRONICS BACKBEAT SENSE Rating 8/10 Brand Plantronics Retail $179
Plantronics isn’t going to fool anybody into thinking it’s Beats, but over the years the company, best known for monaural headsets of the wireless and business/call center variety has been creeping into mainstream consumer headphones market and putting out some very respectable products, particularly in the Bluetooth realm. We gave high marks to the BackBeat Fit, and also liked the BackBeat Pro, a full size Bluetooth headphone that combines wireless connectivity with active noise cancellation. New for 2015 we get the $180 BackBeat Sense, a more mobile friendly on ear Bluetooth headphone that comes in black or white and may very well be the best of the bunch. For starters, it’s lightweight (140 56
grams or 4.9 ounces) and very comfortable for an on ear headphone, with a “self adjusting” headband (the frame is metal) and memoryfoam equipped earpads that are clearly labeled “L” and “R.” I found it to be as comfortable as the Bose Soundlink On-Ear Bluetooth (which, to be clear, is high praise). Probably the closest competitor to this model would be the Bose, which retails for $250, so I spent a little extra time comparing the two. The Bose is a bit warmer, particularly in the midrange (vocals), and more forgiving (read: slightly smoother) with a little plumper bass at higher volumes. The bass is tighter on the Plantronics, but there isn’t quite as much of it, so if you’re a bass lover it might not quite satisfy you. It had enough
kick for me when I threw some techno and hip hop tracks at it and it held together pretty well with one of our torture tracks, Bleachers’ “Wild Heart.” I also put it up against the Bowers & Wilkins P5 Wireless. I like how that headphone sounds, and it looks and feels like an expensive headphone, but the stereo separation wasn’t quite as good as that of the Plantronics, which cost less than half the price. The Plantronics BackBeat Sense is well designed headphone that’s comfortable to wear, has a strong feature set and sound and good battery life. If you’re looking for an on ear wireless headphone, it should be on your short list.
GEAR REVIEW
SAMSUNG LE VEL U Rating 7/10 Brand Samsung Retail $70
After the success of LG's Tone Bluetooth headphones we're seeing a lot of around the neck Bluetooth wireless headphones, including this one from Samsung, the Level U, which comes in two colors and retails for $70. Like all Bluetooth headphones, the Level U connects wirelessly to your smartphone, doubling up for enjoying music and as a headset for taking calls or checking voicemails. Since the this headphone's earbuds are designed to sit loosely in your ears, the best way to describe the Level U is a cross between a
Bose in ear headphone and an LG Tone. Like the Bose Freestyle and Sound True In Ear, the Level U is designed for someone who doesn't like having eartips jammed in their ears, and it's a very comfortable in ear headphone. I started out using the standard Hybrid Gels (they are simply a soft silicone earbud cover). They were fine but the buds didn't stay in my ears quite as well as I'd hoped. However, that issue was resolved when I switched over to the Stabilizing Wing Ear Gels, which created a more secure fit. Both sets
of Gels only come in one size but they seem to fit a variety of ears. Although it doesn't offer the greatest sound, I liked the Level U and found it very comfortable to wear and use, which is what makes it recommendable. Like Bose earphones, it's a good in ear headphone for people who don't like to have eartips jammed in their ears. At $70, it's not a bargain (it feels more like a $50 headphone), but it is competitively priced against LG's Tone models, which start around $50 online. 57
SPECI AL REPORT
DANCESAFE SHUT DOWN AT FOREST
words by MATTHEW MEADOW This summer at Electric Forest, non-profit harm reduction group DanceSafe was asked to pack up their booth in the vendors’ area. Mitchell Gomez, DanceSafe National Outreach Director who was supervising the booth, was in contact with Madison House Presents, the production company who makes Electric Forest possible, throughout the process and felt that the closure was unjustified based on past years’ agreements. However, it seems that there was a lack of communication, or some lapse in communication, that ended up with DanceSafe unable 58
to sell their merchandise on-site. Then, I was told by the security guard that I had “till the end of String Cheese” to close my booth, and that if I had not done so by that time, it would be done “his way.” I was deeply upset by this unnecessary threat, as we had been 100% compliant during every one of their requests. At no time during this interaction or any other interaction was the merchandise we sell in the booth (to fund outreach) mentioned to us, although that is now what the festival claims was the cause of us being shut down.
DanceSafe was selling their most popular item, test kits, on-site as part of their harm reduction practices, as well as giving away free water, condoms and earplugs. Per Madison House’s request, DanceSafe fully complied and ceased selling their test kits on Thursday, a full 24 hours before they were told to pack up, at which point they were given no explanation. Gomez states that in one particular meeting with a Madison House representative, the representative “insisted that DanceSafe had never been allowed to test on site or sell kits, despite the fact that we have
been doing so for several years and drug checking has been included in every proposal we have sent them to date.” This is where it seems the lapse in communication happened. In the official statement from Electric Forest, it was made clear that DanceSafe was supposed to be participating as a non-profit booth, and that would bar them from selling merchandise. However, other non-profits including Conscious Alliance, listed in the statement below, were selling merchandise. So what was the difference? Electric Forest is more than
happy to work with organizations spreading harm reduction information, as long as they follow the rules all participating organizations are required to follow in The Forest. From where I’m sitting, in a room admittedly very far from the Forest, it seems that there was a massive miscommunication between the two parties. I respect Gomez immensely for keeping his cool and complying with orders from EF staff, though some of the interactions from the staff side seemed unnecessarily aggressive.
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UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
Another crazy festival season is just around the corner!
THINK FOR YO U R S E L F A N D QU ESTION
ISSUE 001 FALL 2015