socalthizzn
Bluelighter
10/10 for junion sanchez. had me reaching for the roof and doing backflips screaming omg at love fest. fabulous selection, quality mixing. blew BBBvsrichard vission awayyyyyyyyyyy.
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Music Moderators: Shinji Ikari
Social The Live Show Review Thread
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StarOceanHouse
Bluelight Crew
Doc Martin (dj set)
8.5/10
I saw him play at an underground warehouse in los angeles 2 weeks ago. Played a good 5 hour set til 8 am in the morning. He mostly spun deep and tech house but also added a bit of acid, tribal, soulful house. It was a great set nonetheless and had me dancing the whole time. He can be hit and miss sometimes but this was definitely a hit!
Glosolalia (live + dj set)
9/10
I saw this argentine darkpsy producer in an outdoor party in mexico last weekend. He played one of the most brain melting darkpsy sets I've heard. He played for about 4 hours straight and the music was intense. The music was so pounding and twisted as my brain is still melting from that night. Just check out his shit on his myspace to see what I'm talking about:
http://www.myspace.com/glosolalia
Seriously, his music wants my brain to explode!!!
8.5/10
I saw him play at an underground warehouse in los angeles 2 weeks ago. Played a good 5 hour set til 8 am in the morning. He mostly spun deep and tech house but also added a bit of acid, tribal, soulful house. It was a great set nonetheless and had me dancing the whole time. He can be hit and miss sometimes but this was definitely a hit!
Glosolalia (live + dj set)
9/10
I saw this argentine darkpsy producer in an outdoor party in mexico last weekend. He played one of the most brain melting darkpsy sets I've heard. He played for about 4 hours straight and the music was intense. The music was so pounding and twisted as my brain is still melting from that night. Just check out his shit on his myspace to see what I'm talking about:
http://www.myspace.com/glosolalia
Seriously, his music wants my brain to explode!!!
zamzams
Bluelighter
- Joined
- May 18, 2010
- Messages
- 473
Went to Dance Valley a few weeks ago, only caught a few DJs due to the state i was in.
I spent half an hour listening to who i thought was Riva Starr but turned out to be someone completely different! so missed him and Jesse Rose, whoever i did listen to was good though
Intec arena - Umek, Carl Cox 8/10, 9/10
atmosphere was good here Umek rocked it with his usual in-yer-face funky techno - had to miss the end of Carl though.
Claude VonStroke (Barclay Crenshaw) 9/10
I minused him one point due to a non-existent crowd (everyone had gone to see Armin Van Burren - a state of trance by this point) other than that his music and ability to get everyone jumping/going mental was legendry. His set was mainly techouse of his own making mixed across genres, house techno some hip hop, dub & drum n' bass made him the most adventurous DJ of the day.
I spent half an hour listening to who i thought was Riva Starr but turned out to be someone completely different! so missed him and Jesse Rose, whoever i did listen to was good though
Intec arena - Umek, Carl Cox 8/10, 9/10
atmosphere was good here Umek rocked it with his usual in-yer-face funky techno - had to miss the end of Carl though.
Claude VonStroke (Barclay Crenshaw) 9/10
I minused him one point due to a non-existent crowd (everyone had gone to see Armin Van Burren - a state of trance by this point) other than that his music and ability to get everyone jumping/going mental was legendry. His set was mainly techouse of his own making mixed across genres, house techno some hip hop, dub & drum n' bass made him the most adventurous DJ of the day.
ChemicalSmiles
Ex-Bluelighter
Completely updated this thread on the first page. Every DJ/producer has been logged and our list is getting quite large. Thank you for your submissions! After next festival season is over this is going to be a huge collection of reviews, I understand why thizz is so proud of this thread. :D keep em' coming everyone.
|>R()|)!G/-\|_
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2007
- Messages
- 1,134
The Flashbulb feat. New Millenium Orchestra @ Chicago Cultural Center 9-11-2010
In 1998 or 1999 I was handed a CD with The Flashbulb printed on it while leaving a party. I remember listening to it and having my mind completely blown. The drum patterns and sampling was so complex and fast that my brain literally felt like it was dancing inside my skull. I've lost the album since then but believe it may have been Binedump or an earlier EP.
Since then, The Flashbulb aka Benn Jordan has genre-jumped under various aliases but tonight, despite a long-standing affection for his music I saw him as The Flashbulb for the first time. Unfortunately, it was kind of fail. I can't say it was a complete failure because I still left as a fan but felt that the studio genius and precision I was so fond of just didn't translate well into a live show.
Here's how it went down:
He played popular stuff from Kirlian Choices and Louisiana Mourning starting with an acoustic guitar piece. From the moment I heard him playing I knew the show's/room's sound was questionable. The high frequencies were tinny and grating and the bass tones were muddy and loose. The composition and playing were pretty good. He threw down some nice tapping and apreggiated flourishes. After that, he moved over to his machines.
He was setup running what I imagine to be some type of sequencer on the laptop controlled in part by a Korg nanoKontrol. He also played a MIDI guitar most of the time. I couldn't see the screen or his other gear so don't know what else was up there and couldn't tell how much was audio and how much was MIDI but I'd imagine with the performance very closely resembling the studio recordings, he was launching digital audio clips from s'ware.
The MIDI guitar was cool because it's data can be applied to different patches so he could play a sitar, string, dulcimer, etc... patch via his guitar. He used that functionality to display his strong guitar playing abilities but unfortunately, the drum clips and muddy bass were bouncing all over the room and stepping all over the guitar playing to the point where he might as well not have been playing at all.
Halfway through, the New Millenium Orchestra came on and managed to save the show as the tone moved from overly glitchy via a poorly EQ'd sound system to emotional and moving via an expertly practiced string and brass ensemble. Unfortunately, the room/sound engineer let the drums and bass step all over the orchestra also. The parts I could hear were fantastic though. The arrangements were complex and moving. Every part was dynamic enough to avoid any stagnancy.
Overall, the problem was not in the compositions or talent of the performers. I do think Benn could arrange his sets to flow better; perhaps in ways that build energy or anticipation. The songs were great but arranged in a seemingly random order. The sound engineering was the main problem. It turned beautiful music into semi-irritating thunks, squeals, and smacks. Flashbulb/NMO was doing their thing onstage but had I been in the audience and unfamiliar with the material, I would have been thinking "WTF am I hearing?"
4/10
In 1998 or 1999 I was handed a CD with The Flashbulb printed on it while leaving a party. I remember listening to it and having my mind completely blown. The drum patterns and sampling was so complex and fast that my brain literally felt like it was dancing inside my skull. I've lost the album since then but believe it may have been Binedump or an earlier EP.
Since then, The Flashbulb aka Benn Jordan has genre-jumped under various aliases but tonight, despite a long-standing affection for his music I saw him as The Flashbulb for the first time. Unfortunately, it was kind of fail. I can't say it was a complete failure because I still left as a fan but felt that the studio genius and precision I was so fond of just didn't translate well into a live show.
Here's how it went down:
He played popular stuff from Kirlian Choices and Louisiana Mourning starting with an acoustic guitar piece. From the moment I heard him playing I knew the show's/room's sound was questionable. The high frequencies were tinny and grating and the bass tones were muddy and loose. The composition and playing were pretty good. He threw down some nice tapping and apreggiated flourishes. After that, he moved over to his machines.
He was setup running what I imagine to be some type of sequencer on the laptop controlled in part by a Korg nanoKontrol. He also played a MIDI guitar most of the time. I couldn't see the screen or his other gear so don't know what else was up there and couldn't tell how much was audio and how much was MIDI but I'd imagine with the performance very closely resembling the studio recordings, he was launching digital audio clips from s'ware.
The MIDI guitar was cool because it's data can be applied to different patches so he could play a sitar, string, dulcimer, etc... patch via his guitar. He used that functionality to display his strong guitar playing abilities but unfortunately, the drum clips and muddy bass were bouncing all over the room and stepping all over the guitar playing to the point where he might as well not have been playing at all.
Halfway through, the New Millenium Orchestra came on and managed to save the show as the tone moved from overly glitchy via a poorly EQ'd sound system to emotional and moving via an expertly practiced string and brass ensemble. Unfortunately, the room/sound engineer let the drums and bass step all over the orchestra also. The parts I could hear were fantastic though. The arrangements were complex and moving. Every part was dynamic enough to avoid any stagnancy.
Overall, the problem was not in the compositions or talent of the performers. I do think Benn could arrange his sets to flow better; perhaps in ways that build energy or anticipation. The songs were great but arranged in a seemingly random order. The sound engineering was the main problem. It turned beautiful music into semi-irritating thunks, squeals, and smacks. Flashbulb/NMO was doing their thing onstage but had I been in the audience and unfamiliar with the material, I would have been thinking "WTF am I hearing?"
4/10
|>R()|)!G/-\|_
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2007
- Messages
- 1,134
Lynx + Beats Antique @ Abbey Pub 10-2-2010
This was a pretty good show. It was my first time seeing either Beats Antique or Lynx but after watching some of their live videos, I had a basic idea what to expect. Luckily, seeing them in person exceeded those expectations.
Lynx kicked things off with her brand of dubstep/hip-hop inspired tunes. Her production is superb. All of her backing tracks were self-produced and consisted of complex half-time rhythms, snarling/modulated basslines full of movement, and peppered with delicate melodic blips and beeps. I'm not a huge fan of vocals in electronic music but Lynx makes vocal integration palatable at the very least. She is an adept vocalist with a good range. Her voice didn't fail once throughout the entire night. However, her vocal prowess shines brightest when she beatboxes.
She ended her set with a 3.5 minute beatbox song where she produced everything from the rhythym, bass, sub bass, scratches, vocal samples, and sound effects with nothing but her mic and vocal cords. It was truly top notch and easily on par with what folks like Rahzel and Beardy Man are doing.
Beats Antique followed Lynx's set with an energetic pairing of old and new tunes. The first 2/3 of set was the old material and the last 1/3 was the new stuff from "Blind Threshold" They also threw in 2 or 3 collaborations with Lynx; one of which, "She's Looking for Something", is everything Rusko and Amber Coffman wish "Hold On" was.
Beats Antique avoided the stagnancy that sometimes accompanies live electronic acts. Instead of relying on MIDI controllers and laptops they incorporated live instrumentation and brought some improvisational musicality to the stage. Tommy played trap set the entire time while Satori switched between MIDI connected banjo and fiddle. Zoe Jakes danced but also incorporated herself into the musical performance by playing bass drum, percussion, and APC. They also travel with their own front-of-house sound engineer name Nate (I think). He was awesome. I haven't heard show at that venue sound better than it did that night. Every sound sat well in the mix and was clear to the ears. Altogether, Beats Antique gave a strong performance.
If anything, the crowd was the evening's most lackluster element. At first, they were marginally energetic but by the end of Beats Antique's set, were ready to leave. In fact, Beats Antique had to try harder than any act I've ever seen to get an encore. I don't know why. Perhaps there weren't enough drugs in the building. Perhaps, everyone was worn out from partying the night before. Either way, I'd be happy to lend some energy to Beats Antique's next live appearance.
7/10
This was a pretty good show. It was my first time seeing either Beats Antique or Lynx but after watching some of their live videos, I had a basic idea what to expect. Luckily, seeing them in person exceeded those expectations.
Lynx kicked things off with her brand of dubstep/hip-hop inspired tunes. Her production is superb. All of her backing tracks were self-produced and consisted of complex half-time rhythms, snarling/modulated basslines full of movement, and peppered with delicate melodic blips and beeps. I'm not a huge fan of vocals in electronic music but Lynx makes vocal integration palatable at the very least. She is an adept vocalist with a good range. Her voice didn't fail once throughout the entire night. However, her vocal prowess shines brightest when she beatboxes.
She ended her set with a 3.5 minute beatbox song where she produced everything from the rhythym, bass, sub bass, scratches, vocal samples, and sound effects with nothing but her mic and vocal cords. It was truly top notch and easily on par with what folks like Rahzel and Beardy Man are doing.
Beats Antique followed Lynx's set with an energetic pairing of old and new tunes. The first 2/3 of set was the old material and the last 1/3 was the new stuff from "Blind Threshold" They also threw in 2 or 3 collaborations with Lynx; one of which, "She's Looking for Something", is everything Rusko and Amber Coffman wish "Hold On" was.
Beats Antique avoided the stagnancy that sometimes accompanies live electronic acts. Instead of relying on MIDI controllers and laptops they incorporated live instrumentation and brought some improvisational musicality to the stage. Tommy played trap set the entire time while Satori switched between MIDI connected banjo and fiddle. Zoe Jakes danced but also incorporated herself into the musical performance by playing bass drum, percussion, and APC. They also travel with their own front-of-house sound engineer name Nate (I think). He was awesome. I haven't heard show at that venue sound better than it did that night. Every sound sat well in the mix and was clear to the ears. Altogether, Beats Antique gave a strong performance.
If anything, the crowd was the evening's most lackluster element. At first, they were marginally energetic but by the end of Beats Antique's set, were ready to leave. In fact, Beats Antique had to try harder than any act I've ever seen to get an encore. I don't know why. Perhaps there weren't enough drugs in the building. Perhaps, everyone was worn out from partying the night before. Either way, I'd be happy to lend some energy to Beats Antique's next live appearance.
7/10
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AndroidsDreamofBTC
Bluelight Crew
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2007
- Messages
- 3,554
Godskitchen Urban Wave 2010 @ International Exhibition Center, Kiev
Lineup:
21:30 Denis Dynamite
22:30 Chief_MC
00:00 James Zabiela
02:00 Markus Schulz
04:00 Sander van Doorn
2nd stage:
Spartaque & Friends
Chief_MC
We entered sometime around 22:30/23:00 and I didn't really get a chance to properly check out Chief_MC as we were busy dealing with "logistical issues" such as making sure everyone got in fine and convincing my friend that trying MDMA would be okay :D. Chief_MC is one of Ukraine's veteran DJs and he definitely has the technical skills to put on a good show. He mostly played progressive house. Nothing revolutionary or mind-blowing, but it was an nice intro for the night.
7/10
James Zabiela
He was definitely the highlight of the night for me. Maybe it was because we were all peaking during his 2 hour set, but I don't think it was just the MDMA. His set had a very refreshing feel to it. At no point did it sound generic or "holed in" to a particular style/formula. His music was basically a form of house fused in with elements from other genres. It was had a "deep" vibe to it, but still retained a synthetic, "ravey" style to it. His mixing skills where top notch and he had a good presence on stage. And by "good" I don't mean the typical Armin Van Buuren "acting like an annoying monkey" behaviour, he genuinely seemed to be enjoying playing his set and he didn't engage in a "DJ worship" BS.
9/10
Markus Schulz
Again, maybe the fact that towards the end of his set I was starting to come down from the MDMA had an effect on my ability to appreciate Markus Schulz set, but I doubt it. I am pretty experienced with both EDM and MDMA :D and I know a good set when I hear one. Markus was quite competent and the music he played was decent, but it was generic trance. And he also engaged in the whole "put your hands up for the DJ" thing, which I just don't understand. Halfway through his set we actually decided to move onto the second stage to check out another Ukrainian DJ Spartaque.
6/10
Spartaque
Spartaque's set was a really nice change from the generic trance. He was playing a nice bouncy kind of tech-house. Very danceable :D, much more so than the boring breakdowns and buildups of Schulz set. The music was fun and playful and got you dancing like mad. The crowd here was also more chill and seemed to be having a really good time. Contrast this with the main stage which was full of people who seemed to have come just to say they saw Schulz and a brand of people who can be best described as a Ukrainian version of English "chavs". I also liked that while Spartaque kept up the upbeat, happy mood, he never entered the realm of cheezy or non-EDM. It was distinctly electronic set.
8/10
Sander van Doorn
I didn't really like his set at all. More generic trance. Me and my friend spent maybe be 15 minutes at the main stage and then we went back to the second stage, danced for a bit and then went to the chillout areas.
I a really glad that I discovered James Zabiela, although from listening to his tracks on youtube, he seems to be much better at DJ than at production (although his production skills are still very good). Hopefully they'll release the DJ mix that he played for this night.
Lineup:
21:30 Denis Dynamite
22:30 Chief_MC
00:00 James Zabiela
02:00 Markus Schulz
04:00 Sander van Doorn
2nd stage:
Spartaque & Friends
Chief_MC
We entered sometime around 22:30/23:00 and I didn't really get a chance to properly check out Chief_MC as we were busy dealing with "logistical issues" such as making sure everyone got in fine and convincing my friend that trying MDMA would be okay :D. Chief_MC is one of Ukraine's veteran DJs and he definitely has the technical skills to put on a good show. He mostly played progressive house. Nothing revolutionary or mind-blowing, but it was an nice intro for the night.
7/10
James Zabiela
He was definitely the highlight of the night for me. Maybe it was because we were all peaking during his 2 hour set, but I don't think it was just the MDMA. His set had a very refreshing feel to it. At no point did it sound generic or "holed in" to a particular style/formula. His music was basically a form of house fused in with elements from other genres. It was had a "deep" vibe to it, but still retained a synthetic, "ravey" style to it. His mixing skills where top notch and he had a good presence on stage. And by "good" I don't mean the typical Armin Van Buuren "acting like an annoying monkey" behaviour, he genuinely seemed to be enjoying playing his set and he didn't engage in a "DJ worship" BS.
9/10
Markus Schulz
Again, maybe the fact that towards the end of his set I was starting to come down from the MDMA had an effect on my ability to appreciate Markus Schulz set, but I doubt it. I am pretty experienced with both EDM and MDMA :D and I know a good set when I hear one. Markus was quite competent and the music he played was decent, but it was generic trance. And he also engaged in the whole "put your hands up for the DJ" thing, which I just don't understand. Halfway through his set we actually decided to move onto the second stage to check out another Ukrainian DJ Spartaque.
6/10
Spartaque
Spartaque's set was a really nice change from the generic trance. He was playing a nice bouncy kind of tech-house. Very danceable :D, much more so than the boring breakdowns and buildups of Schulz set. The music was fun and playful and got you dancing like mad. The crowd here was also more chill and seemed to be having a really good time. Contrast this with the main stage which was full of people who seemed to have come just to say they saw Schulz and a brand of people who can be best described as a Ukrainian version of English "chavs". I also liked that while Spartaque kept up the upbeat, happy mood, he never entered the realm of cheezy or non-EDM. It was distinctly electronic set.
8/10
Sander van Doorn
I didn't really like his set at all. More generic trance. Me and my friend spent maybe be 15 minutes at the main stage and then we went back to the second stage, danced for a bit and then went to the chillout areas.
I a really glad that I discovered James Zabiela, although from listening to his tracks on youtube, he seems to be much better at DJ than at production (although his production skills are still very good). Hopefully they'll release the DJ mix that he played for this night.
Richie Hawtin @ The Warehouse Project, Manchester, 15th October 2010
I was really excited about seeing Richie Hawtin. I hadn't seen him for about 8 years, and I am well aware that, on his day, he can be the best techno DJ in the world. Sadly, on this occasion, his set never really went anywhere. He kept playing one slightly more banging track, that made you think the set was going somewhere, but then immediately following it with a chilled-out track, which just brought the energy right back down. He did finish his set with 'Egypt Egypt' by Egyptian Lover, which was a nice touch. It's just a shame that what went before it was pretty mediocre.
5/10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ec134Wk1GI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g2pWEM7VW0
I was really excited about seeing Richie Hawtin. I hadn't seen him for about 8 years, and I am well aware that, on his day, he can be the best techno DJ in the world. Sadly, on this occasion, his set never really went anywhere. He kept playing one slightly more banging track, that made you think the set was going somewhere, but then immediately following it with a chilled-out track, which just brought the energy right back down. He did finish his set with 'Egypt Egypt' by Egyptian Lover, which was a nice touch. It's just a shame that what went before it was pretty mediocre.
5/10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ec134Wk1GI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g2pWEM7VW0
Tina Dopemau5
Bluelighter
deadmau5 live reviews
deadmau5 (headlining Ultrafest in Miami 2010)
9.9/10
Saw him at Ultra in Miami 2010. It was THE BEST musical event I have ever been to. Not just Ultra, deadmau5 in particular. It was where he debuted his songs off his at the time new album and was the first show where he broke out a dubstep track. As far as equipment used, obviously deadmau5 is a live PA and I understand he uses Ableton and other programs/equipment. There were no bobbles or train wrecks in the mixing that I heard, his performance was flawless. He had Tommy Lee on stage doing live drumming at one point and SOFI was there singing SOFI needs a ladder, so there was even more of a live element.
The light show from the main stage was mind blowing. Combined with deadmau5's awesome music and some E the experience was orgasmic. My one complaint, and the reason I did not rate this a perfect 10 was it was so packed that I couldn't get anywhere near the stage. That was the one suck factor. Also he only played for an hour and apparently the powers that be would not let him do an encore.
deadmau5 (w/cube in Washington, DC July 2010)
9.9/10
O.M.F.G. deadmau5's "cube" stage thingy is well worth the 2 million dollars he spent on it. I got to the show ungodly earlier and got a front row center position. deadmau5's show is so worth whatever tremendous amount you pay to get a ticket ($40 for me). The lights on the cube are INSANE. More importantly the music was INSANE!! I was totally smashed against the railing in the front row, hot as hell, be shoved and dry humped and I had a blast!! When he played 'FML' my ears and eyes had simultaneous orgasms. lol. The one criticism: in the front row at the club I was at the "cube" partially blocked your view of deadmau5, which sucked. I'll attach pics to show what I mean. If you see him at a club I don't recommend a front row spot. Performance-wise deadmau5 was dead on, no flaws that I could detect. He even came back for a 2 song encore even though he was sick (this was 2 days before the incident where he fainted.)
deadmau5 (headlining Ultrafest in Miami 2010)
9.9/10
Saw him at Ultra in Miami 2010. It was THE BEST musical event I have ever been to. Not just Ultra, deadmau5 in particular. It was where he debuted his songs off his at the time new album and was the first show where he broke out a dubstep track. As far as equipment used, obviously deadmau5 is a live PA and I understand he uses Ableton and other programs/equipment. There were no bobbles or train wrecks in the mixing that I heard, his performance was flawless. He had Tommy Lee on stage doing live drumming at one point and SOFI was there singing SOFI needs a ladder, so there was even more of a live element.
The light show from the main stage was mind blowing. Combined with deadmau5's awesome music and some E the experience was orgasmic. My one complaint, and the reason I did not rate this a perfect 10 was it was so packed that I couldn't get anywhere near the stage. That was the one suck factor. Also he only played for an hour and apparently the powers that be would not let him do an encore.
deadmau5 (w/cube in Washington, DC July 2010)
9.9/10
O.M.F.G. deadmau5's "cube" stage thingy is well worth the 2 million dollars he spent on it. I got to the show ungodly earlier and got a front row center position. deadmau5's show is so worth whatever tremendous amount you pay to get a ticket ($40 for me). The lights on the cube are INSANE. More importantly the music was INSANE!! I was totally smashed against the railing in the front row, hot as hell, be shoved and dry humped and I had a blast!! When he played 'FML' my ears and eyes had simultaneous orgasms. lol. The one criticism: in the front row at the club I was at the "cube" partially blocked your view of deadmau5, which sucked. I'll attach pics to show what I mean. If you see him at a club I don't recommend a front row spot. Performance-wise deadmau5 was dead on, no flaws that I could detect. He even came back for a 2 song encore even though he was sick (this was 2 days before the incident where he fainted.)
Attachments
Tina Dopemau5
Bluelighter
Designer Drugs show review
Designer Drugs (saw them twice in 2010 at U Street Music Hall in Washington, DC)
9.8/10
Dude, these guys are fucking incredible. The energy at their shows are intense. Both times I saw them there were mosh pits at a RAVE!! The way I can tell if a musical performance is any good is if it inspires me to jump and dance and go nuts. Designer Drugs SO did that! The whole crowd had the most incredible energy. Everyone was jumping, sweat was practically dripping from the ceiling. I was drenched when I left! On a more technical side I do not know what kind of equipment they were using because I was too busy dancing my face off to care. Their music is crazy super energetic electro with the dirtiest beats. They remind me of an electro/house version of Dirtyphonics. Also both times I saw Designer Drugs the tickets were only $10! Ironically and truthfully seeing Designer Drugs dead sober will put you in a state of ecstasy. Their music, especially live is THAT powerful and moving.
The things that sucked about the show had nothing to do with DD. The club is small, low roof, no balcony, and the cheapest ass lights you can imagine. I still rate both DD shows in my top 10 all time fave music events all genres.
Designer Drugs (saw them twice in 2010 at U Street Music Hall in Washington, DC)
9.8/10
Dude, these guys are fucking incredible. The energy at their shows are intense. Both times I saw them there were mosh pits at a RAVE!! The way I can tell if a musical performance is any good is if it inspires me to jump and dance and go nuts. Designer Drugs SO did that! The whole crowd had the most incredible energy. Everyone was jumping, sweat was practically dripping from the ceiling. I was drenched when I left! On a more technical side I do not know what kind of equipment they were using because I was too busy dancing my face off to care. Their music is crazy super energetic electro with the dirtiest beats. They remind me of an electro/house version of Dirtyphonics. Also both times I saw Designer Drugs the tickets were only $10! Ironically and truthfully seeing Designer Drugs dead sober will put you in a state of ecstasy. Their music, especially live is THAT powerful and moving.
The things that sucked about the show had nothing to do with DD. The club is small, low roof, no balcony, and the cheapest ass lights you can imagine. I still rate both DD shows in my top 10 all time fave music events all genres.
ChemicalSmiles
Ex-Bluelighter
BUMP, expect a total update by December 1st.
-CS
-CS
AndroidsDreamofBTC
Bluelight Crew
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2007
- Messages
- 3,554
Nice! That means I'll be able to add the people who are playing at this event on the 26th:
http://www.last.fm/event/1621326+Continuous+Dreaming-Awakening
Looking forward to seeing Shulman and Entheogenic Live. :D
ChemicalSmiles
Ex-Bluelighter
and i see datsik on saturday!
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chitown rollin
Bluelighter
^^^^ agreed! seem Lorin a few times. show at the Aragon a few weeks ago which I would def in my top 5!!.
Artist: PAUL OAKENFOLD is not on the list and I'm not sure why...
Rating: 8.5-9
Description: I always grew up loving Oakey and have seen him a few times (nocturnal, Bonnaroo, and a bunch of times at Perfecto Vegas). The one show that stuck out to me, however, was a show that he played with Paul Van Dyk at the Congress Chicago. PvD opened and played from about 1145-1, then the oakenfold played a crazy trance set from 1-2 45 when we couldn't take it anymore! I'd be willing to say he played past 3, and for those of you who know the Congress Theatre... THEY NEVER LET IT GO PAST 2... ever. they were all great sets, I think oakenfold is one of the best Trance artists of all time hands down. PLUR everyone!
Artist: PAUL OAKENFOLD is not on the list and I'm not sure why...
Rating: 8.5-9
Description: I always grew up loving Oakey and have seen him a few times (nocturnal, Bonnaroo, and a bunch of times at Perfecto Vegas). The one show that stuck out to me, however, was a show that he played with Paul Van Dyk at the Congress Chicago. PvD opened and played from about 1145-1, then the oakenfold played a crazy trance set from 1-2 45 when we couldn't take it anymore! I'd be willing to say he played past 3, and for those of you who know the Congress Theatre... THEY NEVER LET IT GO PAST 2... ever. they were all great sets, I think oakenfold is one of the best Trance artists of all time hands down. PLUR everyone!
ChemicalSmiles
Ex-Bluelighter
The page is completely updated... thats probably the most organazational skills ive used in a LONNNNG time. Appreciate. I spent like 40 minutes. Expect me to submit about 6 reviews ive been meaning to along with 1 or 2 other Bl'ers submitting something. Keep it up guys!
wow I can't believe no one has said this....
EOTO
10/10 Oh My Jesus. I've seen quite a few shows and no one has ever come close to EOTO.. cept maybe Big Gigantic. EOTO literally controls the crowd with his fingertips. The Crowd was like a sea of people waving in unison to the music and lights. Their light shows are unreal....really... unreal... the music matches the colors so perfect and really draw you in. EOTO is all Improv dubstep/house/electronic with live drums and is just unreal.. Definitely the best thing happening in live music for sure!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcOEeDCxBGU&feature=related
thank me later
EOTO
10/10 Oh My Jesus. I've seen quite a few shows and no one has ever come close to EOTO.. cept maybe Big Gigantic. EOTO literally controls the crowd with his fingertips. The Crowd was like a sea of people waving in unison to the music and lights. Their light shows are unreal....really... unreal... the music matches the colors so perfect and really draw you in. EOTO is all Improv dubstep/house/electronic with live drums and is just unreal.. Definitely the best thing happening in live music for sure!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcOEeDCxBGU&feature=related
thank me laterYEABRO
Greenlighter
BOYS NOIZE
10/10 - Saw him three times. HARD NYC @ terminal 5, killed it. Electric zoo 2010, killed it. Webster hall 2010, killed it. He's my favorite artist.
Rusko
9/10 - Saw him at webster hall. He was playing the most ridiculous tracks, the kind that make you say OMGWTF while rolling. Rusko performed, then boys noize performed, then rusko came back on and played until 4:00am. He is out of his mind and it's amazing.
Skrillex
9/10 - Webster hall 2010, killed it. Played never before heard tracks, made us feel exclusive
A-trak
8/10 - Saw him @ HARD @ terminal 5 ed banger, killed it. Heard him at e-zoo 2010, played a really good set. Very technical. His DJing skills are almost unmatched.
Proxy
8/10 - Saw him at terminal 5, he's so dirty, but doesn't have the dj skills of boys noize or a-trak yet.
Deadmau5
8/10 - Saw him at the wellmont theatre in NJ. This was my only time ever seeing deadmau5, and the venue was pretty small so it was incredible. Deadmau5 is arrogant and a nerd, but he can play a sick show
MOBY live set
8/10 - Never seen him play a live set before, but he absolutely killed it at electric zoo 2010. Dropped amazing songs at the right times.
Bassnectar
7/10 - E-zoo 2010, he blew the top off the tent he played in. Probably only giving him a 7/10 because he was the last performer and I was getting tired.
Justice
6/10 - Ed banger @ terminal 5. I really expected more from them
Major Lazer
5/10 - Dude's alright.
10/10 - Saw him three times. HARD NYC @ terminal 5, killed it. Electric zoo 2010, killed it. Webster hall 2010, killed it. He's my favorite artist.
Rusko
9/10 - Saw him at webster hall. He was playing the most ridiculous tracks, the kind that make you say OMGWTF while rolling. Rusko performed, then boys noize performed, then rusko came back on and played until 4:00am. He is out of his mind and it's amazing.
Skrillex
9/10 - Webster hall 2010, killed it. Played never before heard tracks, made us feel exclusive
A-trak
8/10 - Saw him @ HARD @ terminal 5 ed banger, killed it. Heard him at e-zoo 2010, played a really good set. Very technical. His DJing skills are almost unmatched.
Proxy
8/10 - Saw him at terminal 5, he's so dirty, but doesn't have the dj skills of boys noize or a-trak yet.
Deadmau5
8/10 - Saw him at the wellmont theatre in NJ. This was my only time ever seeing deadmau5, and the venue was pretty small so it was incredible. Deadmau5 is arrogant and a nerd, but he can play a sick show
MOBY live set
8/10 - Never seen him play a live set before, but he absolutely killed it at electric zoo 2010. Dropped amazing songs at the right times.
Bassnectar
7/10 - E-zoo 2010, he blew the top off the tent he played in. Probably only giving him a 7/10 because he was the last performer and I was getting tired.
Justice
6/10 - Ed banger @ terminal 5. I really expected more from them
Major Lazer
5/10 - Dude's alright.
YEABRO
Greenlighter
oh and
Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77
2/10 - I know they're DJ set must be sick, but whatever the fuck they did at webster hall like a month ago was terrible. Yea the mosh pit was fun for a minute, but the drumming and guitar is not what i wanted to see. not to mention they played warp 1.9 like 3 times
Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77
2/10 - I know they're DJ set must be sick, but whatever the fuck they did at webster hall like a month ago was terrible. Yea the mosh pit was fun for a minute, but the drumming and guitar is not what i wanted to see. not to mention they played warp 1.9 like 3 times
Bomboclat
Bluelight Crew
Mad props to CS for updating this, sorry for falling so behind everyone!
I have tooooooooooooooooons of reviews, dating back to June! Ill get on a few tonight
Also as a reminder, please follow the format in the first post, and please try to write a thorough review! Otherwise, we'll just delete them.
Much love
I have tooooooooooooooooons of reviews, dating back to June! Ill get on a few tonight
Also as a reminder, please follow the format in the first post, and please try to write a thorough review! Otherwise, we'll just delete them.
Much love
Underworld live at Manchester Academy, 25th November 2010
9/10
As most people in EMD know, I am a HUGE HUGE Underworld fan, and so I was ever-so-slightly excited about this gig!!! It had been almost 2 years since I last saw them (in Melbourne), and this venue (the Academy) was a lot smaller than the arenas I'd seen them in before.
I'd already seen their setlist from their previous gig a few days before, and I was a little disappointed that they played exactly the same set - I'd have loved it if they'd surprised me by playing some of their older, more obscure tracks. That said, their set still took in 'Dark Train', 'Rez/Cowgirl', 'Born Slippy NUXX', 'Dirty Epic', and 'Moaner', so I guess I can't complain too much!!!!
I'd actually forgotten just how good a frontman Karl Hyde is. He's got a real presence about him - he's like an 80s synthpop singer fronting a techno act!!!! And in this smaller arena, I got to see all his crazy moves in full!!!! I thoroughly enjoyed the whole set - even the more 'poppy' new tracks. My only real gripe was that the soundsystem wasn't great - there was hardly any sub-bass, which meant that the kick drums just kindof merged into the synths. The clarity was pretty poor, in all honesty. But that wasn't Underworld's fault.
All-in-all - a thoroughly enjoyable performance, and I would recommend everyone else go and see them when they get the opportunity!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8tuya_gUu4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Upp74GwK1k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_JGv-iQo0Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpzuXeET2RI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ni3JvTOLFQ
9/10
As most people in EMD know, I am a HUGE HUGE Underworld fan, and so I was ever-so-slightly excited about this gig!!! It had been almost 2 years since I last saw them (in Melbourne), and this venue (the Academy) was a lot smaller than the arenas I'd seen them in before.
I'd already seen their setlist from their previous gig a few days before, and I was a little disappointed that they played exactly the same set - I'd have loved it if they'd surprised me by playing some of their older, more obscure tracks. That said, their set still took in 'Dark Train', 'Rez/Cowgirl', 'Born Slippy NUXX', 'Dirty Epic', and 'Moaner', so I guess I can't complain too much!!!!
I'd actually forgotten just how good a frontman Karl Hyde is. He's got a real presence about him - he's like an 80s synthpop singer fronting a techno act!!!! And in this smaller arena, I got to see all his crazy moves in full!!!! I thoroughly enjoyed the whole set - even the more 'poppy' new tracks. My only real gripe was that the soundsystem wasn't great - there was hardly any sub-bass, which meant that the kick drums just kindof merged into the synths. The clarity was pretty poor, in all honesty. But that wasn't Underworld's fault.
All-in-all - a thoroughly enjoyable performance, and I would recommend everyone else go and see them when they get the opportunity!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8tuya_gUu4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Upp74GwK1k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_JGv-iQo0Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpzuXeET2RI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ni3JvTOLFQ