Kaskade at Supperclub

I'm not exactly sure how I let this much of my life go by without seeing Kaskade spin, but now that I have I will forever be a fan. He is one of the first DJs I had ever heard of, due to the fact that we are both from the North Shore of Chicago, and for some reason I always seem to miss him when he's in town. But finally he announced a Hollywood club show and of course I was on board!

 I was a bit nervous about attending his show because hours prior he made national headlines when a riot broke out on Hollywood Blvd. after announcing to twitter that he was doing a free "block party" show following the EDC Experience movie premier. Unruly ravers apparently got violent and smothered a cop car, which is the type of behavior you may expect from Korn fans - not the mainstream angelic vocals of Kaskade. However, the mob of crazies eventually cleared out and a much more civil crowd gathered for his Supperclub performance.

I've been to Supperclub on many occassions to see popular DJs such as Donald Glaude and Benny Benassi, but never had I seen the club more packed than it was for Kaskade (and let me remind you that it was a Wednesday). I'd say 50% of the tracks were his own, including his newest hit Eyes featuring Mindy Gledhill. The other half were current popular jams such as SHM's Save The World, his remix of Skrillex's Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, Laidback Luke's remix of Benassi's Cinema, and the Nicky Romero remix of Green Velvet's Flash.

Some of the highlights included Will.I.Am coming up on stage, as well as Paris Hilton, along with the dozens of face-painted gogo dancers and acrobats. But the best part was getting to go up in back where the lasers are controlled and learn how to change the colors and patterns of the lights. Damn, do I give a mean light show! :)

Another epic night for the books...

Avicii at Music Box

Friday night was my second time seeing up and coming producer Avicii (Tim Bergling) spin live at The Music Box Hollywood. Perfect timing too because earlier in the day the new Leona Lewis track Collide was released, which caused a huge controversy due to the fact that the tune she is singing over is undeniably Avicii's Penguin. For more on the Leona Lewis vs. Avicii debate, check out this article: avicii-leona-lewis-controversy-fade-darkness

Of course he played most of his original tracks including Penguin/Fade into Darkness, ID (Levels), and his famous remix of Armin's Drowning. My favorite surprise of the night was getting to hear his new track Enough is Enough (Don't Give Up on Us), here's the link: Enough is Enough. However, I still have the same problem with Avicii that I had when I first saw him back in December- as a producer he works absolute wonders but as a DJ (who for the most part only plays his own tracks) he weaves from upbeat high-energy tracks straight into slow trance-like songs; I guess it's just personal preference but I prefer DJs to start off with their slower tracks (if they must include them at all) then gradually raise the key and energy-levels throughout the set.

Whether or not I was completely satisfied with his song order, he's clearly making a name for himself, with two sold-out shows in a row and lines down the block, everybody wanted to get inside and see the hype that is Avicii. Some highlights of the night? Avicii made it rain. The Music Box had sprinklers from the ceiling cover the crowd in water, which was awesome for my sweaty-mess of a self after dancing for hours but I could tell some other fans weren't too thrilled. Another awesome moment is when Avicii bent down under his tables to smoke a joint with a couple friends. He's got an undeniable stage presence and a dedicated fan base so I know he's only moving up. I can't wait to see what happens with the whole Leona Lewis controversy, hopefully he decides to sue.

*Just bought tickets to Chuckie at Music Box, Ingrosso at Wavehouse, Electric Zoo Music Festival in NYC, and Monster Massive - check back for lots of reviews :)

Dada Life at Playhouse

5th times a charm.. well, this time it was. I've been a huge Dada Life fan since I first saw them spin at Nocturnal last year. Since then I've been to every LA show they've had - am I a creepy fan? Whatever. I tweeted the Swedish duo before the show asking them to deliver a fresh set (since I've been there done that so many times) and they promptly responded "oops, now we're nervous. ;)". No need to be nervous when you're making roughly 10k a show. Maybe it was the close and personal setting that really drew me in but I'd have to say it was one of their best sets yet.

I've always said they should remix Gwen Stefani's This Sh*t is Bananas and they finally did! They also spun a remix of Xzibit's Alcoholic that had an epic drop followed by a crate of bananas being thrown out into the audience. Did I mention all of the giant inflatable bananas hanging from the ceiling? I also need to give Playhouse props on really stepping up their display; LED lights everywhere and even spelling out 'DADA LIFE' directly in front of the stage to give the feel of a larger festival set. Towards the end of the night special guest and friend of Dada Life - Avicii came up on stage. This of course drove the crowd wild and I'll luckily be able to see a full Avicii set this Friday at Music Box.  A few hours later and hair full of champagne, we stumbled out of Playhouse with my favorite remix of Kaskade's Dynasty still in my head. Thanks again guys for NEVER letting me down - it was one of the best Monday nights I've ever had!

EDC Vegas 2011

I'm speechless. And not because I completely lost my voice but because this weekend will go down in the books as being one of the best displays of electronic music being blasted throughout the sickest environment I've ever seen! I really gotta hand it to Vegas - this venue was 100x better than the LA Coliseum.  The main stage (Kinetic Field) was supposedly the largest in North America, with insane LED lighting to match. Insomniac turned the Vegas Speedway into a ravers' paradise. While standing up in the VIP stands I took a panoramic snapshot in my head starting with the neon lit ferris wheel, to the crazy display of fireworks above our heads, to the thousands of people dancing and jumping to the beat - they literally looked like ants; every inch of the grounds were covered. Now let's get to the music!

Friday

Wolfgang Gartner - After his awful Roxbury set, Wolfgang redeemed himself again. He played all of his hits including Illmerica, Wolfgang's 5th Symphony, Space Junk, and Undertaker. I wasn't completely blown away but then again Wolfgang has already set himself up at a bar that is hard to outdo.

Dirty South - Dragan tweeted before EDC " i don't play dubstep..it's ok to listen to....sometimes.....but i DO NOT play it in my dj sets.." and this is why I love him, probably the best set of the night. I made my way to the very front and was surrounded by massive speakers that I could feel vibrating through my body. Was stoked to hear my favorite remix of Kaskade's Sorry and was in heaven when Phazing came on. He killed it by dropping Red Hot Chilli Peppers "Otherside" mixed into Nicky Romero's remix of Green Velvet's Flash; that drop was mind-altering.

Tiesto - I went with a crew of 10 wearing matching "Tiesto is the Besto" tanks, so needless to say, I was more than stoked to see the legend himself for my second time. The first was at the Shrine a couple year ago and I had been anxiously awaiting his EDC set. He played a perfect mix of Tiesto originals, remixes, and other DJ's new jams. There were giant colored monsters on stage and at one point the LED lighting behind him made a giant boom box! His set was definitely the most crowded of any set all weekend, he drew in around 50,000 people (or so they say) but it looked like way more. From as far as I could see there were people in the crowd with zero open spaces. One of my favorite parts of the entire weekend was when Showtek screamed "I want everybody to jump!" then watching from the stands above I witnessed all of the music-lovers jumping in unison. Here's the link so you can see it yourself --> TiestoJump

Steve Angello - Not as amazing as his Coachella set but still pretty epic. He of course played both Swedish House Mafia hits Save the World Tonight and One. But I was most excited when his awesome remix of Pendulum's The Island came on and fireworks burst into the sky! There were even acrobatic dancers bouncing off trampolines near the front of the stage doing flips high into the air; this was quite the production and an amazing nightcap. 

Saturday

Bassnectar - The last time I saw Bassnectar was about four years ago, and only because I was dragged by my sister, but was peculiarly surprised by how much I liked his style. I generally hate dubstep but he fuses the wobbly bass noise with an eclectic mix of sounds, whether it be rappers or pitch shifted vocal samples, it somehow all comes together to make funky harmony to my ears; definitely a great way to start out night #2.

Benny Benassi - I love Benassi but this was not his best set. Not only did he choose to pass up his perfect original version of Cinema for the Skrillex remix (even the Laidback Luke version would've been better) but he was all about the dubstep Saturday night. When House Music came on, I was elated until the drop went directly into that wobble noise that literally turned my smile into a frown. I forgive you Benny but please stick to what you do best - HOUSE MUSIC!

David Guetta - Hate to say it but he played way too many top 40 songs for a rave. We hear Love is Gone, When Love Takes Over, Where Dem Girlz At, and Getting Over You every day on the radio so why wouldn't he pull out some new stuff or even some of his old dirty house songs? Guetta is an amazing producer and I was luckily able to listen to some of his unreleased songs that are insanely similar to Daft Punk, so I just don't understand why he decided to go so mainstream at an event that draws in people who know their electronic music and want something fresh.

Chuckie - I might have to say that he had the best set out of everyone all weekend! After his mediocre Coachella set I was not expecting the filth he brought to Vegas, some of the best drops I've ever heard! Maybe he brought his A game because it was his birthday, as he announced to the crowd. He opened with his original Mutfakta then dropped into Guetta's One Love mixed into Move it 2 the Drum, another sick Chuckie original featuring Hardwell. He also dropped the Sidney Samson remix of Ferry Corsten's Punk, one of my faves. But the best surprise of his set was the Gregori Klosman remix of Avicii's Sweet Dreams. Every single song bumped hard and I could not stop myself from dancing. Step aside Afrojack, when it comes to dirty dutch - Chuckie takes the crown. Check out his live set here: Chuckie's EDC set

Dada Life - That shit was bananas, literally. Perfect way to end my night/weekend was getting to hear White Noise Red Meat, Fight Club is Closed, Cookies with a Smile, and of course their amazing remix of Kaskade's Dynasty. This was my 4th time seeing them and they always put on a good show - how can you not have fun when there's a crowd surfing gigantic inflatable banana in the mix?! 

When I first found out that EDC was no longer being held in Los Angeles I was very disappointed, however, it turned out to be one of the best massives I've ever attended. The venue could not be beat, it was surprisingly organized, not as many teens as the LA raves usually draw in and did I mention that it was in VEGAS?! Now time to recover..

Sander Van Doorn

Upon hearing that Sander Van Doorn would be spinning at EDC Vegas the night I'm attending, I decided to get a sneak peak at Playhouse on Monday night for their MNS 15 year anniversary and see what he's all about. I missed the dutch DJ at Avalon a few weeks ago and didn't want to miss out again so I brought my little sister (her first time coming to a club with me!) and we ended up staying til the early hours of the morning dancing our butts off to his amazing set. 

I wasn't too familiar with the songs he chose to spin, but they all bumped hard and had the entire club on their feet. I was surprised how packed Playhouse was on a Monday night; Sander had people lining up down Hollywood blvd. waiting to get in. I'm very excited to see what he has planned for EDC Vegas in a few weeks and can't wait to see him again!!

Supper Club

Last week I hit up one of my favorite Hollywood clubs (Supper Club) on Friday and Wednesday due to the amazing lineup. Friday I was able to get up on stage and watch Donald Glaude perform on the DJM-2000s that I desperately want! Wednesday night there was no way I was staying home because the dj of the night was none other than Benny Benassi!

The last time I saw Morgan Page at Avalon I left before getting to hear Donald Glaude's after-hour set but heard nothing but great things, so I jumped at the chance upon hearing that he would be performing at a more intimate club setting. Luckily I was able to get right up on stage and watch his technique from 2 feet away. For such a big guy he had loads of energy; dancing, jumping, giving out high-fives, Glaude was ready to party! When 2 am was nearing and he still hadn't played my current favorite song - his remix of Scooter and Lavelle's Beats Inside My Head, I leaned over and asked him to pretty please play it for me. He told me he was saving the best for last and I was able to finish out my incredible night dancing my ass off to my favorite song with Glaude rooting us on! Keep up the good work Donald! :)

I have a weak spot in my heart for Benny Benassi because for as long as I've listened to electronic music, he has always produced complete bangers. Benassi is one of the most talented producers/djs in the industry and the last time I saw him perform (at Rain in Las Vegas) he blew my mind. Although the atmosphere at Supper Club is much smaller and personal, the sound system was not! The bass vibrated the building so much that we knew Benassi came on stage while in the women's restroom upstairs - ha! He of course played all of his hits while 'BENNY BENASSI' lit up behind him in LED lights. Cirque de Soleil type performers flew from the ceiling contorting their bodies as neon lasers lit the sky. What a show! His set was a little short but I'm not complaining since it was free. I'm crossing my fingers that Benassi will be doing one of his famous sets at EDC Vegas this year!

*Just bought tickets to see Deadmau5 at the Hollywood Palladium - stay tuned!

Ghostland Observatory

Sunday night I went to Club Nokia to see Ghostland Observatory for my very first time! Aside from their famous laser shows and electro rock vibe, I really had no idea what to expect. I will be the first to admit that front man Aaron Behrens has some major talent - and dance moves to match. The duo is very unique and their performance was nothing short of awesome, however, I'm still not the biggest fan. Nothing against the Texas-based group but it just wasn't my thing; I'm addicted to house. But truth be told - the laser shows were seriously unreal and I wouldn't mind catching them again in the future.