Anxiously Awaiting D-Day

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Friday, January 20th, 2017.

Here we are in Washington D.C. A vast swamp, figuratively and in reality, resting along the side of the mighty Potomac River, the East Coast’s fourth largest river. The site was chosen to be the final resting spot for the United States of America’s capitol by the prestigious General and then-first President of the fledgling nation, George Washington. Maybe you’ve heard of him. Alongside his fellow Masonic Temple brothers, Thomas Jefferson and French General Pierre Charles L’Enfant–who was a key player in the American Revolution–the three would have a major role in how D.C. was designed and the aesthetics of the new government’s buildings. With its curiously straight and diagonal streets that aligned many of the main areas and soon-to-be-built-monuments, many claim symbols hidden in plain sight can be seen in the city’s layout. But while Masons and the upper class may have designed the city, it was built on the backs of the poor, commoners and, of course–the blight on America’s face since it’s birth–slavery.

For such a youthful country it is an older city, with ghosts haunting every corner and alleyway. It’s the city of Abraham Lincoln during his tumultuous four years and would end up killing him. It’s where Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave his “Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself” speech that ignited a generation and has been carved into the pillars of history. Where–in 1812–it was pillaged and burned by the British and the Constitution and Declaration of Independence had to be briefly moved to Leesburg, Virgina, which became the temporary capitol. It’s the home to the world’s largest museum–the Smithsonian, founded in 1846. And it’s the yearly destination for roughly 17 million Americans to connect with our country’s past. To reflect on it’s monumental achievements, many faults and to rekindle the uniquely individual flame that burns inside every one us.

It is also the city where in less than 24 hours an unscrupulous con man–who could’ve been a used cars salesman if he had been born to a less wealthy family–will be inaugurated as the 45th President and leader of the Free World.

As I type this in my hotel room, my three comrades are catching what little sleep they can. Our alarms are set for 5:45am but it’s already 5:30 and I’m still going off roughly 6 hours of sleep in the past 48. I’m too charged on coffee, cigarettes and the pure adrenaline running through my veins, triggered by the electricity in the air.

My close friend and photographer for this trip, Michael Rork, and I meant to arrive in the afternoon on Thursday, but our first delay was sleeping through our alarms (only 4 hours for me due to work, packing and traveling the day before). Then we hit traffic and had to make the usual stops for food, gas and the occasional bathroom break as we traveled the 512 miles from Burlington, Vermont.

For those who didn’t pay attention in the last year, the quaint, New England city is the home of the man who could’ve become our 45th Commander-in-Chief (if it had not been for collusion and conspiracy within the Democratic Party), Bernie Sanders. As the snowy hills slowly changed into industrial cities, I couldn’t help but think what a different world we would be living–and the opposite, celebratory context our drive would take–had he won the nomination.

By the time we reached Baltimore we realized our friends from our teenage years–Marc and Eric who decided to fly to the East Coast on a whim the night before–would be arriving at the city’s airport within the hour. We decided to stay and wait for their flight, smoking a joint in the airport parking garage as we watched the police below us. I quickly scoured the news and discovered police had already begun deploying tear gas at protesters gathered at the anti-Trump “DeploraBall” event. Mike and I glanced at one another, with a concerned look not even the THC could cover-up.

After gathering Eric and Marc we made it to our hotel in Lanham, a suburb of the Capitol, stopping at a nearby IHOP for some much needed coffee, food and catching-up.

This is going to be a savage and brutal trip into the depths of the American soul. Appropriate for a candidate who regularly incited bigotry, hate and violence on the campaign trail. Who continues to divide citizens, journalists, politicians and the country every step of the way. The level of pre-inauguration scandal he has wrought is ludicrously unheard of in generations and hardly matched in our country’s history.

Today we face a brave, new world with quickly diminishing boundaries for the rich and powerful. A new America, where science and the truth are ignored and corporations will laughingly be carried to new heights of wealth on the broken backs of the poor and the Presidential Cabinet will quickly disembowel the very federal agencies they are supposed to captain.

Yes, Trump will make America great again for the real Americans by showing the majority of us that we are not them.

This weekend will be powerful. This weekend will be inspiring. And this weekend will be as goddamned frightening as staring into the mouth of Hell and seeing an orange-faced, self-righteous bigot staring back.

Fuck you, Cheeto Voldemort.

 

 

 

MAGIC BRONSON – “FINE LINE”

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We here at Euphoric love the Los Angeles based electronic pop and rock act, Magic Bronson. They’ve played Santa Cruz on several occasions as a touring band and as part of the Santa Cruz Music Festival. Formed in 2012, Magic Bronson began as an electronic duo between producers Matthew Lieberman and Michael Nicastro. In 2014 they dropped their first LP, Wildlife which was named the 14th best Los Angeles record in 2014 by BuzzbandsLA. It has now garnered over 500 thousands plays on Spotify.

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This year saw quite a bit of change and growth for the Bronson. In April they released the Magic Bronson EP and picked up a third member, drummer Michael Brown.

Yesterday the boys posted a new–well, new to us–track on their Soundcloud, “Fine Line.” We say “new to us” because technically it is. As the graphic released with the song says, it’s part of the “Lost Songs 2012-2016” group. An older track for new times and it’s one many of us can relate to. The narrator describes his daily life of waking up “at the crack of noon,” checking texts, and hating the bright sunlight that’s always brighter “when you’re sober.” The chorus is something I know I’ve said many times, “Yeah, I’ve done some wrong/but oooh I’ve done some right/It’s a pretty fine line.” As always, Magic Bronson writes music their audience can identify themselves in but in a clever, upbeat way.

But this leads me to the next question, is this a one-off track they found? Are they releasing an entire album or EP called “The Lost Songs?” According to their Facebook, Magic Bronson is set to push a new album in 2017, but no word as to what it will contain. I’ll keep you posted, Euphorites.

 

GETTER – MOONSHINE FEATURING ANDY MILONAKIS

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Remember Andy Milonakis? ‘Member? Getter does and he’s got the hip hop aficionado/comedian spitting fire on his latest track, “Moonshine.” The Los Angeles based, OWSLA , entertainer is prolifically minded and continually demonstrates you don’t have to ignite an entire field to be on fire. Even though the song isn’t long–standing at a whopping 1 minute and 16 seconds, it’s good to the last drop. Proving you don’t need to drag out a good thing to make a statement. I mean, how can you go wrong with lyrics like, “Never had the clap/but applaud?”

It’s short, hard, and heavy just like Milonakis himself.

getter

 

 

CLAMR – “CLOUT” FEAT. SOPHIA CRUZ (PARTYWAVE REMIX)

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Sometimes it takes a while for art to reveal itself and 9 times out of 10, it’s usually for the better. That’s exactly how Partywave’s remix of CLAMR’s “Clout” sounds.” Even though the original song came out almost a year ago, it was well worth the wait to hear Partywave’s take on the track.

The California native, hailing from San Diego, is still up-and-coming in the Bass and Trap scene but has already sharpened his teeth in the last year. Representing West Coast Bass, he has already shared the national circuit stages with acts such as Mr. Carmack, Great Dane and G Jones, the last who you can see in Feb 2017 at the Santa Cruz Music Festival.

“Clout” feat. Sophia Cruz contains all the unique elements of the original track while supplying the listener with a fresh set of goods. Cruz’s spell-binding voice flows throughout the track with Partywave utilizing her most hypnotic parts for an experience that walks the line between drunken euphoria and mind-boggling ecstasy. The golden chimes and calming sounds of water flowing throughout the song only add to the religious experience.

Check out the track on Spotify, iTunes or AppleMusic and keep checking back on this prolific artist. Something tells us he will be making A LOT more waves in the next year.

wave

 

SAN HOLO – LIGHT

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Just in time for his San Francisco tour dates Dutch DJ, San Holo, dropped his latest track–“Light”–and it’s definitely going to be a crowd pleaser.  The soon-to-be 26 year old DJ only recently released his debut EP, 2014’s Cosmos, but has already solidified himself as one of the hottest Trap and Future Bass producers on the scene. Earlier this year he released his third EP, New Sky, through the Monstercat label.

“Light” is the exact jam you’d hope San Holo would release. It’s poppy, upbeat and with a thin line of tragedy running throughout the lyrics “Even if it makes me blind/I just want to see the light.” Plus, it’s almost impossible NOT to shake your ass to the trap rhythms and beats. As always, turn this up, light a spliff and enjoy euphorically.

If you’re in the Bay Area, make sure to catch San Holo at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Wednesday, November 23 and Friday, November 25th!!!!

GETTER – MONEY A DO IT FLIP

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OWSLA label musician, Getter, has had a helluva year. It seems the prolific artist has constantly released new music throughout the year as a solo artist, and in collaboration with a number of artists including Santa Cruz native, Oliver Tree.

juicy j

Earlier today the electronic producer dropped his latest track, a remix of Juicy J’s “Money A Do It’ that Getter’s retitled, “Money A Do It Flip.” And it. Is. FIRE. He stays true to Juicy J’s original anthem, updating it with a mix between glitch hop and bass, adding trap beats and tweaking the vocals for a deeper tone. Getter even throws in a break down, slowing things down in a haze of syzurp ‘n lean. It’s easy to see why after only three hours the track already has over 5,000 plays, proving yet again that Getter is one artist to keep your eye on because he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Getting the Low Down on “Low End Landscape” EP With SOSAY

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Aaron Keysor Sosay–or So$ay, as he goes by artistically–is a Santa Cruz producer and DJ who knows what he wants. After releasing a string of singles, last week he dropped his debut EP, Low End Landscape. While So$ay is steeped in bass culture, Low End finds the artist exploring a wide range–or landscape, if you will, hehe–of music and sounds. Hip hop, glitch hop, and more make up the auditory view that rides the boarder between catchy and introspective.  We were able to get an email interview with him about  who he is, how he came to make  Low End Landscape,  and what we can look forward to from him in the near future.

 

How long have you been making music and what influenced you to start? 

SO$AY: I have always had a passion for music and I consider myself to have pretty good taste when it comes to track selection. One thing I love about performing onstage is having the being able to cultivate the vibe and take the crowd on a journey of sorts. You gotta be able to read the energy of the crowd and figure out on the fly which way to steer the music. A “choose your own adventure” type of thing.  I have always had a vision of what I wanted to create, but  DJing was much harder than I thought it would be, especially without using what I call a safety net. That refers to auto sync or others means to have the computer do the beat matching for you. I never use this. It’s kind of like this: There are two tightrope walkers, each with their own tightrope stretched across the Grand Canyon. One has a safety net underneath them; the other has no net and would surely die if they fall.  They both make it across. Which one is the more impressive feat? That’s how I feel about DJing.  Being that there are so many out there, I didn’t want to be “just another DJ”. I wanted to set myself apart so I thought it was important to make my own tunes. It’s fairly easy to make a beat, but it’s incredibly difficult to make a full track that’s good. That’s what I’ve been trying to do now for about the last 4.5 years.

How long have you lived in Santa Cruz and how has the city or scene affected your music
I’ve lived in SC for about 8 years total. When I was younger I lived here for about 4 years but this time around 6-7 moved away for a while but ended up moving back. It’s a helluva town. Expensive , but a helluva town. A Beautiful environment and chill vibe without the hustle and bustle of the city is really conducive to making music. That might be one of the reasons why there are a lot of producers that live here.
 As far as I can tell, “Low End Landscape” appears to be your first, multiple track EP, despite dropping many singles. What made you decide to drop an EP this time? 
I think it’s just the natural progression in the evolution of an artist. It requires a couple things – a little bit more vision to see the EP as a whole work instead of just individual components. It brings it all together as a finished product that delivers a representation of what Sosay is about and sounds like. I also use it as a tool of sorts to launch myself and my music career. More exposure equals more chances to be in front of–or in– the ears of peeps who are dig my style. Hopefully turn a couple heads along the way too. That’s the goal anyway. Half the battle is getting heard. Not just heard, but being heard by the right people .
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 What does “Low End Landscape” mean to you? 
In a visual sense, I kind of view it – like low end implies there’s bass- the low end of the frequency.  But the low end landscape I view as I’m your tour guide through this dark grimy wasteland – landscape like a patchwork of different terrains. I feel this EP is pretty diverse yet has cohesion overall. Its not just a playlist. It has an overall vibe which is important to portray without a neon blinking sign. The Low End Landscape is an alternate dimension that’s kind of menacing – Mordor meets the Matrix with some Salvador Dali-esqu imagery. It takes you on a journey but instead of using a visual medium, it uses an auditory one.
The EP has a wide mix of hip hop samples, glitch hop, bass and more. Was that a conscious decision or just the product of messing around in the studio? What is your writing process like?
+I kind of go where the track takes me. I have a general idea of what I want to do and take an element that I like and just go with that. I usually I start with the drums because it is the foundation of the track and you have to have that solid before you go forward. Trying to do something else first and then come back to the drums is kind of challenging because they are the blueprint and the concrete. So if the drums suck, the track will suck .
If you could collaborate with one artist, who would it be and why? 
Just one artist? That’s kind of a tough one… In the history of all mankind, I would probably say, just for the outrageousness of it, I’d probably work with Beethoven or someone like that because it would be just so crazy. But for the more realistic modern take from my era some of the producers I look up to like J Dilla, Dr Dre, any of those super elite producers – and from the electronic community, Lorn, Eprom, or Mr. Carmack,
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What’s been your favorite club gig? Your favorite festival show you’ve played?
One that stands out is one of my first ones actually. It was at the Bordello. For those that don’t know, the Bordello is this old Winchester mystery type house speakeasy sort of thing with legendary underground parties- Shout out to Christian ! This was one of the first time I ever slayed a dance floor. It was out of control. People were dripping from the ceiling. I had more people in the room I was playing in than the headliner in the other room.
AS far as festivals go, I’d say this year at Raindance . I got a 530 am time slot, which at first I was a little nervous about because it could go two different ways-The vibe could still be hyphy with the people still in party mode so you play bangers and such, or it could go the other way and be super chill and mellow as people are winding down. It ended up being perfect. A bit of both and it was a beautiful morning. The whole squad was there so that made it even more special. Definitely one of my most fun sets ever where I was really able to curate the vibe.
Who are you currently listening to?
 Well I’m always digging for new tunes for DJ sets but I don’t always like to listen to the shit I play because it gets a bit monotonous. I tend to get sick of the tracks after a while if I’m listening to them when I’m driving, practicing for shows, and working. But some of my favorites right now are Ivy Lab, Schoolboy Q, Eprom, Hucci, Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Mr. Carmack, and always go back to the classics of hip hop and gangsta rap circa 1992 – 2005.
Name one artist that makes your ears bleed. 
 I try and stay positive and not knock others’ art, but if I have to pick something, it would have to be whack rappers. I can’t stand whack rappers. It’s astonishing that these dudes get to such a level of notoriety when they are straight garbage. If Tupac and biggie were alive today they would eat these fools alive.
With 2016 coming to a close, what do you have in store for us in 2017? 
I’ve got a couple more shows before bringing 2016 to a close. Trap City @ 1015 Folsom on 11.11 is gonna be big. Ending the year with a show in Salt Lake City with the homie, VNDMG, on the Dec. 23rd. It’s become a bit of a tradition and shit always pops off. In 2017 expect to hear a ton of new music, more collaboration, and another solo EP by years end. There’s a HIGH NOON EP or compilation in the works. I’ve already got some festival bookings for the summer. I’ll have a track on the new Shadow Trix compilation as well as the upcoming WE GOT THIS compilation, which should be dropping soon. It looks to be a big year and I can’t wait!

Without Wings – “We Are The Future” (Original Mix)

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In the EDM world, there are bangers and then there are BANGERS. “We Are the Future,” the latest mix by Without Wings–released through Tektite Music–is most definitely in the second category. Heavy beats, catchy breakdowns, slow builds and the simple-yet-hypnotic lyrics that repeat the track’s title all add up to a hell of an earworm. It’s not reinventing the music scene, but it certainly pumps us up to kickstart our day and get ready for the party tonight. We couldn’t find much on Without Wings–or basically nothing to be exact–but we’re keeping our ears open for some future tracks. Check out Without Wings’ latest track now before the future is past.

SPOKEN BIRD – MOMENT OF CLARITY (CloZinger Remix)

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A few hours ago The Untz dropped the premiere of CloZinger’s  remix of  Spoken Bird’s “Moment of Clarity.” Here’s a little back story.

Spoken Bird is a DJ and Producer from Berkeley, Ca. He hit the scene a few years back now and has proven himself to be an innovator and pusher of new and interesting sounds. His heavy bass beats mixed with eclectic music styles and instruments–“Moment of Clarity” begins with an almost gypsy-like melody complete with accordian–rise him to the top of his class.

 

CloZinger
CloZinger

CloZinger is the collaboration project made up of  two artists, CloZee and Scarfinger, both from Toulouse, France. Both respected artists on their own in their country, the two decided to combine efforts in 2013. After two years, they dropped their debut EP, OVIATION, exploring the music and sounds of electronic, hip hop, glitch-hop and future bass.

“Moment of Carity (CloZinger Remix)” is a beautifully done track that combines the best of all the artists involved. It still amazes me out instrumental music can paint such a wild and imaginative portrait in one’s mind when we finally choose to give in, relax, and euphorically listen.

 

 

 

The Journey Tour Live At the Catalyst

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I only first heard the name Seven Lions a month ago when I agreed to work the up-coming (now past) The Journey Tour  show at the Catalyst Club. In all honesty, I didn’t even hear his–aka Jeff Montalvo’s–music until I wrote that last article about him the day of the show. Shit, I was missing out. But of course, you all probably already know that .

Seven Lions
Seven Lions

The 28 year old producer and DJ is one of the most talented on the scene today. Much like his hometown of Santa Barbara, Montalvo blends a concoction of different influences into a sound that’s glaringly rare and undeniably catchy. Since he hit the scene in 2010, the DJ who once told YourEDM.com “I’m too weird for the mainstream,” has torched his way through the underground by drawing from all aspects of the Electronic arena: trance, house, bass, dubstep, trap and many, many more. He might not be mainstream in the sense of Drake or Kanye, but he’s a big raft on a different stream altogether. And after all, isn’t one of the attractive aspects of this culture the fact that it’s something entirely on it’s own, unattached to the shit shoved down our ears on the radio?

Seven Lions Throwing Down
Seven Lions Throwing Down

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Anyway, I digress.

Needless to say, I was amped going to work last Tuesday (10/18/16). Even after I heard it was sold out–which usually means a shit show–I was still amped. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a shit show at all because–not surprisingly–everyone there was looking for a good time of dancing, tripping and fun.

 

Scottish musician, GRUM, opened the night with a striking set, followed up by Unlike Pluto. Danish and Norwegian duo, Pegboard Nerds, rounded up third with their poppy and chaotic, video game sounds. Even after hours of solid dancing, the 800 person crowd went nuts as Seven Lions took over the deck. For an hour and a half he flowed a solid set in his signature style and busted out many crowd pleasing remixes. The Journey Tour  continues until Dec. 2, so treat yo self to a ticket if it passes through your town. After all, don’t you think you deserve it?