Every couple months in Los Angeles, a few thousand people have a quaint get together titled simply, “HARD“. It is here were they are entranced by the finest envoy of eclectic electro this side of the Mississippi. Well, unless HARD is on rotation in New York.
So we here at ChinaShop don’t know what your plans are for this Labor Day weekend but if you don’t have any or even if you do, cancel them quick and head out to the Electric Zoo, New York’s electronic music festival out on Randall’s Island. There will be tons of music, interactive arts displays and plenty of eats to keep your dancin’ pants on all day.
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) Standard for portable ladders contains specific requirements designed to ensure worker safety when using portable ladders. #1926.1053(b)(4) States: Ladders shall be used only for the purpose for which they were designed. Shit! I swear, if any of you tell Skerrit Bwoy from Major Lazer that OSHA may frown upon his leaping through the air from said ladder and into the crotch area of his lady friend, I will turn this car around and no one will be getting a drop of MDMA. Not even you DJ Diplo.
Coachella might be known as one of the world’s finest rock festivals, but since it’s inception all the way back in 1999, the event’s promoters put as much focus on LA rave culture as they did catering to the alternative nation (now called the indie rock masses). From Daft Punk to Kraftwerk, many of Coachella’s greatest moments over the years have come from electronic music titans. Here’s a collection of sets from artists playing this year’s festival. The perfect collection of beats to get you warmed up for the desert.
The consummate man-behind-the-curtain, Diplo, aka Wes Pentz, has been responsible for the rise of pop musicians like MIA, Blaqstarr and Santogold, a record label (Mad Decent) and one of today’s most hyped acts, Major Lazer. So it was pretty fitting that I was able to slip into the depths of the Mexican-American Cultural Center for a few minutes with one of modern music’s most influential heads. He’s done this a million times already and is cool and collected, friendly and far from flapped even though we spoke in the midst of what I was later told was an extremely hectic time.
For the tens of thousands of music heads who descend on Austin, TX each March for the SXSW music conference, the accompanying day parties have grown to equal the official night time showcases. And no place is this more true than this year’s Carniville—three days of music and mayhem presented by Mad Decent, Jelly NYC and IHeartComix. With headline acts Major Lazer, The Walkmen and Diplo, plus almost 40 other artists, rides, games…oh, and free booze, this is one fiesta not to be missed. Chinashop will be there and we asked IHeartComix head Franki Chan to get us psyched. Read the full story
Despite its clandestine location in what is pretty much an alleyway (make that a nice alleyway, aka Jessie Street, near 5th and 6th street in San Francisco), Mezzanine has been enjoying immense popularity in the club scene as well as a reputation for being one of the most musically diverse clubs in the Bay Area but also one of the most affordable: lots of alcohol, a $2 coat check and a criminally cheap VIP section. It’s a little hard to find in the sprawling metropolis of ‘Frisco but now that this article’s out, you have no excuse. And after cultivating a close working relationship with Red Bull Music Academy, as well as embracing the latest and most groundbreaking in the ever-evolving world of electronica music, Mezzanine has hosted the RBMA twice already and, with the help of stalwarts Major Lazer, has some huge shows planned.
Ever seen a band that just completely and utterly lacked an ability to laugh at themselves? In trying to survive in today’s musical environment, having a healthy dose of self-effacing humor helps big-time, and one glance at the various websites related to Major Lazer (if the name alone isn’t enough) shows that the band is more than willing to laugh at itself. While the project is comprised of on-the-rise DJ/producers Diplo and Switch, a band biography makes clear that “Major Lazer is himself a fictional animated character, who fought as a Jamaican commando and lost his arm in a secret zombie war in 1984.” A closer look at his discography shows that he isn’t above collaborating with a wide range of different artists. Take a listen to “Hold the Line” featuring Mr. Lex and Santigold and get an idea how legendary Clint Eastwood western composer Ennio Morricone can be mashed with a flurry of different beats and Caribbean rhythms. They draw largely upon the Reggae influences of old, but channel it all in a new way. Check out The Red Bull Music Academy for more.