1 night, 30 gigs, 30 live streams, this is one hell of a big idea… For one night only, the iconic London Eye turns into a revolving musical celebration of epic scale. Imagine the worlds fanciest ferris wheel with each “pod” hosting a dj / live act and 30 persons raging to the music while revolving along side the historic Thames River… and not just any act, the most progressive, revolutionary, innovative artists that Red Bull Music Academy consistantly sources and supports… Imagine Scream and Benga’s pod pulsating and rocking with every kick pulse, I hope they tightened the screws (yikes!), Oh, and down below the silent dance party continues… what? wait? silent dance party? let me explain… it’s not really silent, the dancing people below can tune into which ever live streaming pod their little heart desires. But enough out of me, watch the below video to see for yourself.

The Soho House West Hollywood Screening Room is tucked away behind hidden sliding panels in the walls of what is LA’s hotlist member’s only refuge. Its deep red velvet armchairs are free of the common slippery popcorn butta and it’s cashmere blankets, pillows and ottomans are sans sticky soda pop. This is a intimate room with a view, not a 180 degree view of the city as one floor above, but of a small stage on which this particular evening found Motown legend Larry Mizell in conversation with Eothen ‘Egon’ Alapatt, bossman of Now-Again Records –part of the family at cult independent hip-hop label Stones Throw.

This evenings conversation is a continuance of nearly 5 years of autobiographical lectures the Mizell brothers, Larry’s brother Fonce passed not a month ago, have been doing at various locals at the bequest of Red Bull since the Blue Note release of their retrospective compilation “Mizell.”

Although the moniker “Mizell” may not flip the switch of that 10 watt burnt out bulb in your brain, I’m most assured that those dangly white ear buds stapled to your head have held a tune to their credit. Current artists, producers and DJs like Dr. Dre, Mos Def, and DJ Shadow have sampled or been influenced heavily by the beats of these, and their predecessors. Query anyone near you that is old enough to know a rotary phone and inquire as to who the Jackson 5, Martha & The Vandellas and Bobby Darin are and then Pandora that shit. For the Mizell’s have penned, scored, and even sang backup on some of those artists’ top records.

Tonight’s address touched on various points of their storied career, but a couple artifacts and some good old fashioned show and tell tipped the scale. First, was a sheet of music carrying a title, “I Wanna Be Free”(I Want You Back) by Gladys Knight. I’ll let Larry tell- “This chart you see here is called ‘I Wanna Be Free’ and if you notice right under it it says Gladys Knight. Well, up on the upper right it says Gladys Knight, but underneath you’ll see a subtitle saying ‘I Want You Back.’ This song was supposed to be cut on Gladys Knight, but the night before they were due to cut the song, Berry Gordy phoned up and said: “Forget that, I’ve got this bunch of kids I want you to cut on and change the lyrics.” They were bummed out because they had Gladys Knight and who were these kids? The kids turned out to be the Jackson 5 and they changed the title to ‘I Want You Back,’ so that (points to slide) is the original music that shows it. I don’t think Gladys Knight knows that story to this day. ”

There was also a shot passed around of a young Jackson 5 playing basketball in front of the Mizell house post recording. “Look how little they are. Actually, Jackie had the most game,” reflected Larry.

The highlight of the evening for me though was not so much show, as tell. Egon dropped a very special disk that only clan Mizell and few others in the world have had the pleasure of hearing. The track is called “Woman Of The World” by a cat named Marvin Gaye. Per Larry,“This is a cut on Marvin Gaye. We produced a Marvin Gaye record that never came out. This record’s never been heard before, it’s never been released. It was supposed to be the follow up to “What’s Going On,” but it got shelved when Marvin did “Trouble Man.” It was buried in Motown’s vaults. Fonce, Freddie Perren and I are singing background behind Marvin, bringing our college crooning to the scene. We’re still talking to Universal, trying to get them to release this one because we really like it.”

It’s from the past that we are present…

To watch a complete interview with Larry and the Mizell Brothers, Click Here.

Words and images by Dustin Downing

Later, Foo Fighters performed a torrential two-hour finale of old and new songs on another main stage in the rain – sounding and looking stellar as always (even drenched). Lead singer/guitarist, Dave Grohl, yet again steers the Foo Fighters into becoming the most seminal American rock band of this musical era with hit after hit song and consistently brilliant headlining live performances like this one. Hence, it was fitting Foo Fighters should close this historical 20th year of Lollapalooza. As they say, it will go down in history.

While on the other main stage, Deadmau5 planned to introduce the new staging for his next mega tour but the rain shorted out a lot of the production. Here’s what Joel Zimmerman (Deadmua5) tweeted prior to the set, “Well, because of the rain totally fu**ing up most of our system… we can’t do the full new production… so.”

Instead he delighted fans by performing an unprecedented act – he took off his mouse head off onstage! An excitable crowd, with their very own glow stick mouse headbands, went wild. As usual, his set was brilliant and always groundbreaking in production.

(It’s funny that these two acts should oppose each other on the Lollapalooza 2011 main stages considering the Deadmau5 remix of Foo Fighters “Rope.” Check it out on iTunes.)

In other parts of the festival, Perry’s stage, featuring The Red Bull Music Academy Showcase, ignited a sea of electronic-heads. Granted, it was the only tented stage to hear music and seek shelter from the storms – but that’s not why music fans came in droves.

Red Bull Music Academy delivered a diverse lineup of musical visionaries from electronic to hip hop, collaboration and solo. They did so by kicking off the day with Chicago-spun party duo Midnight Conspiracy, who delivered an electro set that shook their captivated hometown. Then ending with a charged performance from superstar KiD CuDi. Despite the mud bath, fans of the Kanye protegé got down and dirty while he sampled hits new and old in a dramatic showing.

A pulsing stream of emerging talent from electronic virtuoso Daedelus to Dubstep sensation 12th Planet (ah-mazing) made it the place to come and, well, dance. Midwestern-bred hip hop favorite, The Cool Kids, even scaled the stage scaffolding to drop infectious beats from above.

Global DJ force Switch and sensational French-born, electro-house mogul, Busy P, delivered two of the best straight-up slamming dance sets. All in all, the showcase united diverse musical sounds while opening up the minds of those in attendance.

In other Lollapalooza news, the comeback band of the festival had to be The Cars, who played earlier in the day in broad daylight (and even some sunshine) to a very gracious audience. The 80’s iconic pop rock act sounded exactly like they did in their early days – yet they manage to sound relevant by today’s electronic standards. Always stoic lead Ric Ocasec didn’t look too bad either, as the band ripped through a set of mostly old hits ending in “Let The Good Times Roll,” yet omitting the ominous “Candy-O.”

At the end of the successful yet sometimes challenged by nature three-day event, after 20 years, Lollapalooza still has it as the longest-standing, most musically rich festival in America.

Words by Kim Taylor. Photos by Graham John Bell.

As bloggers rave about “the death of rock”, artists are finding new ways to utilise technology on stage – challenging the role of the guitar as popular music’s greatest fetish. Our columnist Joe Muggs takes a closer look at the transformation of the performance in digital times – citing frontrunners like Gaslamp Killer, GoldieLocks and Flying Lotus.

This year started with debate about the “death of rock”, based on UK statistics showing guitar bands barely touching the charts in 2010. On the whole it was standard silly stuff, hype over content – but a part of me almost wanted it to be true. Not because I dislike rock, or because there is no good rock around, but because focus on the boys/guitars/haircuts format has become symbolic of industry conservatism: of the forces that turned Britpop into rancid revivalism and filled the charts with “landfill indie” even as dubstep, grime et al were proving real innovation and subculture were alive and well.

But thinking on, I realised that there is a reason beyond mere nostalgia why rock is so enduring, and why the industry feels so safe with it: PERFORMANCE. The guitar/drums/vocals format just works. It is so adaptable, so flexible, so familiar, and it doesn’t have to be reinvented each time it’s taken on stage. And what’s more, you can more or less see the music being created. While Madonna, Busta Rhymes, Orbital may have created amazing shows, pop, hip hop and dance acts are always up against the fact that a rock band playing traditional instruments just feels more live.

But could it be that this is changing? The edges are certainly blurring: from Pendulum to The xx, Gorillaz to James Blake there are acts pushing into the mainstream for whom the division between rock and not-rock seems to have evaporated. And at A Taste Of Sónar at the Roundhouse in London earlier in the year, I witnessed Dels and Buraka Som Sistema deliver rocking sets that drew their drummers right into the heart of the actual performance rather than having them there as an embellishment or tacked-on badge of “liveness”. Gaslamp Killer blurred the lines between DJ set and performance with an electric stage presence (and an iPad!). It was the polar opposite of clichéd electronica bores, crouched over laptops. But these are all unique acts – are there general principles that link non-rock performance in the 21st century?

GoldieLocks (above), the Croydon leftfield pop producer/singer and Red Bull Music Academy alumnus, sums up the problem. “People want to see new things now,” she says; “they may be a little fed up with the guitar, drums and vocal setup. But on the other hand I HATE it when rap, MCs or urban acts try to go mainstream and therefore get a live drummer and/or guitars. So wrong! They made electronic music in the first place so why change it to live instruments? Because your label told you to? WACK!”

One electronic performer who does perform purely electronic music entirely live yet still involves crowds is Tim Exile – but few can do what he does. “I do feel like an exception at the moment,” he agrees, “but this seems to be changing. Before, truly live, improvised electronics have often been very esoteric and weird, so appeared like an in-joke to audiences who didn’t get it. The challenge is to make it live, involving and communicative at the same time.”

James Blake’s shows revolve around live instruments because he was desperate to escape the laptop. “As well as not giving much to look at on stage, it ruins things for the performer,” he says, “because you can’t see anything behind your screen. All you see of the audience if you’re lucky is silhouettes… I want to be able to look them in the eye, and see into their souls!” It’s about balance, though: “Playing the piano is at the root of what I do, so we began with that and built around it – but we’re keeping a strong electronic club element so that when everything drops out and you hear a few moments of solely vocals or piano, it just feels a bit more potent.”

But it’s not just what happens on stage that affects electronic performance. “Club audiences are a bit of a nightmare to perform to,” states GoldieLocks bluntly. “I have found they usually don’t want to stop having fun to stand and watch something live for 30 minutes. Clubs are about getting mashed and dancing – a show where people have actually come to see live music is always more responsive.”

Of course some do find a way of reaching those partying club crowds with live music. Sónar’s own Georgia Taglietti “definitively agrees” that performance is hard in a dedicated dance environment. But she points to musicians like Richie Hawtin who “make a big impact integrating strong visuals, integrating apps for mobiles and interactive ways to grab the full attention to what’s happening on stage.” And indeed, from Daft Punk to Magnetic Man, this is certainly proving a viable way of engaging crowds. Which is fine if you have a big club and budget – but as Tim Exile says: “it takes a lot of time, effort and cash to kit out a venue for a purpose. As long as you’re stuck behind floor-level DJ booths in smaller clubs there’ll be less incentive to push performance boundaries. Venues aren’t likely to speculatively invest in a refit that frees artists from the DJ booth, unless they’re funded.”

Some – like James Blake – are determined to push it regardless. “I don’t want to just service clubs by playing an hour of beats. I don’t do that even in my DJ sets, and for me, music can be so much more interesting when it challenges you over the course of a gig.” Kode 9 & Space Ape’s live club sets have escaped the DJ booth’s constraints by having the vocalist perform from within the crowd. “I found I could never stay in one place when MCing,” explains Space Ape, “so I’d just roam around dancing among the crowd with a cordless microphone. This goes back to the idea of having a voice but no direct focal point. People are at first surprised but then start to respond. You create a real party vibe and people appreciate this, it’s something new.”

This brings up one crucial issue that artists trying to draw the focus of a club crowd come up against: personality. A truly charismatic performer, or one whose physical presence expresses something in their music, can draw a crowd’s attention – whether it’s Jeff Mills on turntables or Flying Lotus on a laptop and MPC. Fly-Lo himself is at a loss to explain how he does it, but finds a clue in his musical background: “It comes from hip hop first, just because that’s what I grew up with. There’s that competitiveness where if someone kills it with a beat, you’ve got to REALLY kill it, you’ve got to come with something bigger and badder. But I’d say jazz comes a close second as inspiration for how I am on stage.”

“I used to jam with MPCs [samplers] a lot with Gaslamp Killer back in the day,” he recalls; “and I still love to see what he does every time. I love the way he plays the iPad on stage – it looks like he’s holding a baby and poking it in the eye!” He laughs, but then more seriously explains: “It’s all about the experience. I know that I want to give my fans an experience they’ve never imagined.”

Perhaps changing technology is what’s needed to free the personalities of more musicians and rid us of the laptop non-performance. As Georgia Taglietti says: “I think laptops can sometimes be quite old school and not always reliable so anything that can improve the performance is welcome. We have experience of all types of technological applications in electronic music performances at Sónar. Björk discovered the Reactable through an exhibition we have done in Sonarama long ago, and uses it in her live sets. Anyway, after tablets and touch-screen real integration in the everyday world, this should be the path that we will follow in the next years.”

“The iPad definitely has great possibilities,” enthuses Tim Exile. “I’ve been using a wireless joystick with a wireless headset mic for years and that’s always been one of the most enjoyable bits of my show – getting down and dirty with the punters. I think the Monome used a la Daedelus was a good starter in terms of giving the audience some idea of what was going on. There’s also a bunch of people messing around with the new Xbox Kinect controller. It’s at a pure geek phase at the moment: YouTube’s full of vids of proofs of concept at the moment, but it won’t be long ‘til someone comes up with something really musical and impressive to do with it.”

Straight computer performance isn’t bad in itself, though, as James Blake points out. “I think there needs to be various ways of interfacing with a computer for sure,” he says, “but I’ll always enjoy writing beats on a grid, as it seems as logical to me as the layout of the piano. I see a lot of electronic artists pressured into playing live because it seems like the right thing to do, even though they might have no real feeling for playing live or might not even enjoy it that much, and that’s given electronic performance a bad name. But Ableton is one of the most criminally underexplored programs, I think. It has real potential but a lot of people use it in a very mechanical way.”

Basic tech requirements are an issue, when elaborate sonics are vital to the music. “Getting the vocal levels right is hard,” says Space Ape, “particularly when doing a live set. All venues come with their own particular set of issues but this is the one constant. I like to get the vocal to sit inside the mix but cut through so it’s audible, and relying on a soundman who doesn’t know what we do can be difficult.”

All of this means we’re still in a world of trial and error – picking up a guitar and getting up on stage must still seem like the easier option to a lot of musicians. And so what we see is not one technological generation supplanting another, in the way that electric amplification did for rock ‘n’ roll bands in the 50s, but a complex evolution. Or as Georgia Taglietti puts it: “I don’t think the band era is over. Nothing in music is ever over: it’s summing up, merging, converging, adapting. The inheritance of a band format is still strong and sometimes still considered as a much more ‘serious and real’ type of presentation. I see that evolution in bands like LCD Soundsystem, for example. The ‘band format’ but updated for today’s audiences.”

However, Georgia does think there are wide open possibilities, meaning we have moved past the age of the rock god, the iconic Elvis or Jimi or Joe Strummer. “Icons like in rock are quite over, and I think it’s great,” she smiles. “The whole dance scene is mutating all the time so it never stays with one icon. It’s not just a question of quality of the music though, it’s the new internet-quick-browsing type of mode. This happens a lot at Sónar. Bands or musicians we have loved and hyped in the past have been gradually losing their edge after a while, and new ones come after them. It’s much more vital and in a way competitive. But the older ones might be coming back as stars in a blink of an eye.”

And that, more than anything else, sums up the challenge and the opportunities for performers today: you have to fight harder than ever to keep the attention of the fast-shifting audiences of the 21st century, and you have to be on point constantly, not just technologically and businesswise but with your passion and personality too. And if you are on point, then whatever your vintage or style, you can still create magic moments. Flying Lotus talks with awe of the experience of playing his Coachella set last year, just after ‘Cosmogramma’ came out: “The stage was set, people filled up the tent, and I just felt some kind of magic up there. It’s just impossible to explain what happened that night, but it was just something else entirely; people keep reminding me of that moment still, and I will sure as hell never forget it.”

Maybe Georgia is right and there are not iconic rock stars any more – but unique artists like Fly-Lo are demonstrating constantly that there can still be iconic moments in time like this, moments where something truly new takes place that will be remembered by all who were there. And the chance to create moments like this makes all the hassles of innovating and trying to create new formats for performance worthwhile, right?

Joe Muggs is a London-based music writer and reviewer for the likes of The Guardian, The Wire, Word, and The Arts Desk. He also put together the recent compilation Adventures In Dubstep And Beyond for Ministry Of Sound.

Despite my complete love for music, aside from the occasional spin on the ol’ salsa dance floor, Latin music isn’t something I’m all that familiar with or find myself listening to very often, so I was eager to check out just what LAMC had in store.

Whilst I enjoyed pretty much every show I checked out, Wednesday night’s acoustic showcase at S.O.B.’s was by far the highlight of the week.

Rocking up to the venue just as the show began, I took a seat in a corner booth as the evening’s first act, Curarto Poder (a Venezuelan hip hop group whose unique style fuses street lyrics with folk verses and traditional rhythms), stepped on stage. From the moment the first note was played, I could feel the fatigue of the day wash away as I was swept up in the performance in front of me. Though the setting intimate, the energy was incredible; it’s such a refreshing sight to see a majority of an audience up on its feet, dancing around (an oddity in New York City where it seems as though most crowds are too consumed with acting nonchalant to let their hair down, so to speak, and immerse themselves in what’s in front of them). I’ve come to notice that an active audience is one of the key components to a truly excellent show. When an audience is responsive, the performer becomes further engaged and gives a more heartfelt – and, arguably, better – performance, which in turn causes the audience to become even more alive and so forth in the circular cycle.

Aside from the infectious, electric energy, the other wonderful aspect of this particular showcase was the variety of artists featured; from One Chot, a Venezuelan rap crew (whose lead rapper was sporting the longest set of dreads I’ve ever seen in my life (down to his feet… seriously), still quite amazed as to how home boy wasn’t constantly tripping over them), to a costume clad rock group, La Vida Boheme (also hailing from Venezuela), to Gaby Moreno, an LA based, Guatemalan raised, singer-songwriter whose stripped down set had the audience rapt with attention. As Ms. Moreno sang, I glanced around the room and noticed each person in the crowd had stopped what they were doing – drinks were held suspended in motion, conversations paused mid-sentence – everyone’s focus was centered on her soulful performance. It was beautiful.

The LAMC did a truly wonderful job of spreading awareness on the Latin music scene and it’s immensely talented array of artists. Check out below for some live recordings of Wednesday night (more over at RBMARadio.com) and RedBull.Panamerika.fm for exclusive interviews.

Words by Amanda Boyd. Photos by Untracht-Oakner.

Just a few days before, he expressed that same mentality from his Los Angeles home studio.

“You can’t bring some half-ass shit to Detroit,” said Ellison. “People go there with the mentality of destroying — destroying the party, destroying the DJ before them, whatever. I like to have fun, too… but when you’re in Detroit, you can’t fuck around.” The sentiment is made that much sweeter knowing Ellison’s family still resides in the area (his great aunt, the great late Alice Coltrane, was born in Detroit).

Ellison rocked like the stage with the excitement of a rookie, like he’s never seen 1,000+ people in front of him. Each sample he dropped, he lip-synched along with it like there was some deeper meaning within each track (his fondness for Lil’ Wayne was evident throughout the hour-and-a-half performance). Ellison also brought his sense of humor, bumping his way through Radiohead’s “Idioteque” as a way of answering rumblings that he might be remixing an upcoming Radiohead record.

Before Ellison arrived to rock the Red Bull Music Academy stage and close out Movement 2011, we caught up with him at home to discuss his upcoming work as a producer, his growing interest in the written word and the pressures of running his own label, the aptly titled Brainfeeder.

Word on the street is that you are busy producing the new Thundercat record, one of the artists on your Brainfeeder roster.

I think it’s going to be one of the most important records out this year — not because of my involvement, but because it’s music that we are not hearing right now. A lot of the stuff that we’re hearing this year is very, very familiar. You can talk about mainstream stuff or you can talk about the underground stuff, but it’s all real familiar.

But with Thundercat, I can say with full confidence that you haven’t heard nothing like this. But you’ve been wanting to (laughs). It’s very exceptional, you know? But it’s still challenging. There’s lots of jazz playing on there. At the same time, there are lots of ballad-y songs. It’s such a pleasure to work with the guy because he’s an amazing musician. It makes the work that I do very, very easy. For anyone who is wondering, that album is expected to drop at the end of August.

That plays into the idea that you are taking on more and more production work.

This year I am. I’ve been working on other things. I don’t feel the need to make a record for myself right now.

A producer can easily become a fifth member of a band. If you look at a guy like Jon Brion (Kanye West, Fiona Apple), you can always tell when he is on a record. What’s the role of a producer to you?

It’s definitely different for the two projects I’m working on — one being the Thundercat record, the other being the Erykah Badu record. The Thundercat [record] is more of a Quincy Jones situation… where that record was almost complete before I was brought in. What I did was help flesh out the ideas on some of these tracks and put the record together in a way that is cohesive.

With Badu, I’m starting from scratch. It’s really interesting to deal with two different people. It’s a fun learning process for me as an artist. I’ve never really felt the need to step out on my own, but now, I really like the idea especially at a time when I don’t want to be producing my own record.

There is always a risk that you can get lost in your own work when producing a record you wrote and recorded yourself. It’s like a screenwriter directing his own movie.

My year without making a record is like me being a student again. I’ve been studying piano more and studying motion graphics. I’ve been applying myself all over again. It’s definitely one of those years where I’m back in the cocoon.

Are you picking up techniques and practical skills you’ll apply on future projects?

Absolutely. More than anything, I’ve been fascinated with songwriting because it’s an area I haven’t really dived into much. I’ve lived a crazy life and, for a long time, I’ve been really terrified of words.

What do you mean by “crazy life?”

Well, I mean, my life is crazy, dude. I’m sure yours is, too. I’ve dealt with a lot in the past five years. I finally feel like I have enough life experience to write songs and not regret the words that I wrote down the road. Right now, I feel like if I write something, I’ll mean it. I might not feel like that ten years down the road, but I’ll be able to say, “Well, shit. That was the true shit at the time!”

It’s like a tattoo. You don’t want to get one you’ll regret.

Absolutely! I’ve been comparing songwriting to that for a long time because I don’t have any tattoos and I’m terrified of getting one. I’m afraid that I’ll get all buff and the tattoo will move out of the place from where I put it, you know? I’ll put it on my shoulder and it’ll end up on my triceps or something (laughs).

As time goes on and you accomplish more as an artist, do you find that it’s easier to get the things done that you want to do?

Absolutely not. It’s tough to do everything now because there is so much risk and responsibility. It’s not so much about creative voice, but more about the fact that I’ve got a label and other peoples’ reputation on the line. It’s weird (laughs). It’s like being a dad in the way. I gotta make sure the kiddies eat.

You’ve got brand to protect now.

Even if I don’t want to pick up the phone, I still have to do it for other people. It’s awesome, but at the same time, dusk rolls around and all I’ve done is check e-mails. But I don’t have to work a regular job, so I can’t complain about shit, can I? There’s more work to do than just showing up at the party, that’s for sure.

Words by Ryan Patrick Hooper. Photos by Joe Gall.

Daedelus, well-known around the electronic music industry as one of today’s cornerstones of new sound graced the Red Bull Music Academy stage incorporating a deep jazz element into his Movement set proving his nickname — “mad professor” — true.

“I make a slightly odd love affair with electronic sound,” explained Daedelus, describing his rich style.

According to Rich Thomas, ChinaShop’s music curator, “Daedelus’ latest album Bespoke, which, by definition, is an adjective that describes something (usually clothing) that is custom made to order. For someone with a penchant for Victorian-era attire, a head full of eloquent prose, and nimble fingers engineered for stitching together dusty bits of vinyl, the title draws obvious comparisons.”

In a recent interview with ChinaShop, Daedelus shared with us his love for juicing and his ambivalence for technology over wheat grass shots and other concoctions that clean your pipes and make your ankles sweat. Read the interview here and take a look a Daedelus’ chops in action below before checking out the shots of this mad scientist from his Movement set.

Photos by Joe Gall

These, ladies and gentlemen, are the perks of being the digital art director for a global pharmaceutical firm and a budding New Jersey-based DJ whiz.

The One-Two Punch

“Who knows better what the sound looks like than me?” says Com (born Seth Haley), sipping on a Red Bull and vodka after his afternoon set on the Red Bull Music Academy stage. “A lot of artists don’t have that one-two punch, so I definitely got lucky. Working in the advertising industry really pushes me towards branding — creating it and managing it. That all comes into play when it comes to the look of my music.”

There is no doubt that Com is aesthetic-minded, but don’t think for the skip of a heartbeat that such attention to design details has kept him from the mixing board. His two-hour set started out slow, but by halfway through, Com had found his rhythm and word had spread.

The crowd tripled in size. Even the photographers and beat writers couldn’t stop buzzing about his set. With one foot in the world of analog and another firmly planted in modern electronics, Com cruised his way through what seemed like a smooth-synth ear massage (an exercise in editorial expression that he couldn’t agree with more), drawing easy comparisons to instrumentals that groups like Passion Pit and CCS would easily lay their vocals over. But can you really describe it as well as the man himself can display it?

“Lately, I’ve been describing my stuff as melty,” laughs Com.

Com won’t be melting away with the icecaps anytime soon. Before he heads off for tour this summer with Glitch Mob and Phantogram, he’ll be balancing the day job and slaving away on a handful of remixes for some heavy hitters (soon to be announced!).

Words by Ryan Patrick Hooper. Photos by Joe Gall.

Upcoming Tour Dates

Com Truise w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob

July 12 : Ft. Lauderdale, FL : Revolution w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
July 13 : Tampa, FL : Czar w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
July 14 : Orlando, FL : The Beacham Theater w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
July 15 : Atlanta, GA : King Plow w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
July 16 : Nashville, TN : Exit In w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
July 17 : Asheville, NC : The Orange Peel w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
July 19 : Charlottesville, VA : Jefferson Theater w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
July 20 : Washington D.C. : 9:30 Club w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
July 21 : Philadelphia, PA : Theatre of Living Arts w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
July 22 : New York, NY : Terminal 5 w/ Phantogram & RJD2 & Glitch Mob
July 23 : Boston, MA : Paradise Rock Club w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
July 24 : Northampton, MA : Pearl Street w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
July 25 : Burlington, VT : Higher Ground w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
July 27 : Montreal, QC : SAT w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
July 28 : Toronto, ON : 69 Bathurst w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
July 29 : Buffalo, NY : Town Ballroom w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
July 30 : Pittsburgh, PA : Rex Theater w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
July 31 : Cleveland, OH : Grog Shop w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
Aug 01 : Cincinnati, OH : 20th Century Theatre w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
Aug 03 : Detroit, MI : Magic Stick w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob
Aug 04 : Grand Rapids, MI : Intersection w/ Phantogram & Glitch Mob

Last weekend he played on the Red Bull Music Academy Stage at Movement in Detroit. Skrillex is no newbie to being the center of attention. He has been attached to such notable personalities as Deadmau5, Team Sleep, and Korn. He’s also been on tour supporting some of ChinaShop’s favorites artists such as Forever the Sickest Kids, Innerpartysystem and Paper Route. We’re impressed…get your skrill on!

CAT RATS by Skrillex

On June 7, 2010, Moore released his official Skrillex debut EP, My Name is Skrillex as a free download.

Catch Skrillex in a city near you this summer:

Appearing with Deadmau5

Sat 06/11/11 London, United Kingdom Victoria Park

Appearing at “Parklife Weekender” / Chase & Status

Sun 06/12/11 Manchester, United KingdomPlatt Fields Park

Appearing at “Electric Daisy Carnival”

Fri 06/17/11 Las Vegas, NV Crown Theater And Nightclub

Sat 06/18/11 Dallas, TX Fair Park

Mon 06/20/11 Oklahoma City, OK Diamond Ballroom

Wed 06/22/11 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre

Thu 06/23/11 Scottsdale, AZ The Venue Scottsdale

Fri 06/24/11 Pomona, CA Glass House

Sun 06/26/11 San Luis Obispo, CA The Graduate

Mon 06/27/11 Reno, NV Knitting Factory Concert House

Tue 06/28/11 Boise, ID Knitting Factory Concert House

Wed 06/29/11 Missoula, MT Wilma Theatre

Fri 07/01/11 Minneapolis, MN Bar Fly

Appearing at “Electric Forest” / REO Speedwagon

Sat 07/02/11 Rothbury, MI Double JJ Resort

Sun 07/03/11 London, ON London Music Hall

Mon 07/04/11 Waterloo, ON Beta

Tue 07/05/11 Rochester, NY Water Street Music Hall / Club @ Water Street

Appearing at “Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest” / Ben Harper

Wed 07/06/11 Ottawa, ON Lebreton Flats Park

Appearing at “Camp Bisco” / Disco Biscuits

Thu 07/07/11 Mariaville, NY Indian Lookout Country Club

Fri 07/08/11 Atlantic City, NJ House Of Blues

Sat 07/09/11 Charlotte, NC Neighborhood Theatre

Sun 07/10/11 Huntsville, AL Sammy T’s

Tue 07/12/11 St. Louis, MO The Pageant

Wed 07/13/11 Kansas City, MO Beaumont Club

Thu 07/14/11 Omaha, NE Slowdown

Appearing at “Global Dance Festival”

Fri 07/15/11 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Appearing at “Lollapalooza” / Coldplay

Fri 08/05/11 Chicago, IL Grant Park

Appearing at “Hard Summer Festival”

Sat 08/06/11 Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles State Historic Park

Appearing at “Identity” / Kaskade

Sat 08/13/11 Burgettstown, PA First Niagara Pavilion

Appearing at “Pukkelpop Festival” / Foo Fighters

Thu 08/18/11 Hasselt, Belgium Kempische Steenweg

Appearing at Creamfields / The Chemical Brothers

Sat 08/27/11 Halton, United Kingdom Daresbury Estate

Appearing at “Electric Zoo New York” / David Guetta

Sat 09/03/11 New York, NY Randalls Island

Appearing at “Austin City Limits Music Festival” / Stevie Wonder

Sat 09/17/11 Austin, TX Zilker Park

Appearing at “Holy Ship!”

Fri 01/06/12 Fort Lauderdale, FL MSC Poesia

Sat 01/07/12 Fort Lauderdale, FL MSC Poesia

Sun 01/08/12 Fort Lauderdale, FL MSC Poesia

Words by Barbie Brady. Photos by Joe Gall.

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Ooooh the sun is shining, the weather is beautiful here in the NYSheezy (it’s about damn time), Friday is finally here and two of my favorites get into town from good ol’ London this weekend! All of which makes for a very excited panda. So, let’s kick off this week’s music news with a track from the immensely talented, Skream! Stream. Check out his remix of Miles Kanes’ (formally of the Last Shadow Puppets, now doing his own thing) “Rearrange” after the jump.

I wouldn’t normally post something from The Black Eyed Peas; after I was at a party Will.I.Am DJ’d last year where he played one of his own songs every other song and gave himself a ludicrous number of shout outs, they’ve rubbed me the wrong way. However, the video (below) for “Just Can’t Get Enough” was shot in Japan only one week prior to the horrific earthquake and tsunami. Donations to the Red Cross can be made here, or text REDCROSS to 9099 to donate $10. Also, the animals need help too! Here’s a list of five ways to help those furry friends.

The Strokes, Angles, drops March 22 (after two years in the making) but, in what seems to now be the norm, it’s available for stream before its release! Have listened to it a few times and am thoroughly enjoying it.

Tragic news in the hip hop community this week: rapper Nate Dogg (real name Nathaniel Hale) passed away at the young age of 41 on Tuesday night. Cause of death has not yet been released but Nate had been struggling with his health for some years following an astonishing two strokes (in 2007 and 2008 respectively). Head on over here for a tribute and playlist of some of his work. Below is the video for one of my personal favorites (and a karaoke staple!) “Regulate” featuring Warren G. And if you haven’t read the wikipedia entry for it yet, I highly recommend you check it out. Seriously entertaining.

Here’s the simple but totally adorable for Aloe Blacc’s “Loving You Is Killing Me” featuring an awesome kiddiwink with some serious dance moves. Fun fact for the day: Aloe Blacc met his wife when they both were at Red Bull Music Academy in Australia! Magic.

You know what always makes for a happy Mandy? Well, aside from YouTubes of cute animals (animals in general, really) and soft toys (I swear I’m 24, honest.)? New – free! – music from The Kills! I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before: I have a total girl crush on Alison Mosshart – as I’m sure most of you who’ve seen her perform live do as well. She’s just so badass and exudes pure rock and sex. Head on over here to grab a copy of “DNA”; Blood Pressures is out April 5.

SXSW is underway in Austin, Texas and a ton of performances have already hit the web; my favorites thus far are Jack White’s surprise set outside his Third Man Records Rolling Record Store (video below) and James Blake’s beautiful performance, which NPR is currently streaming.

So I finally got around to listening to Chase & Status’ new album No More Idols this week and am completely loving it. It’s such an eclectic album, no two songs sound alike. My favorite track (which I can’t stop listening to) is “Midnight Caller” – makes me feel like I’m on a beach in Thailand watching the sunset; a welcome break in the midst of all the hustle and bustle in this crazy city. Give it a listen here.

That’s it for this week!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and as always:

Peace, love and Red Bull,

Mandy