Meet Contributor: Julian Gonzales!

Name: Julian Gonzales

Twitter: http://twitter.com/omg_its_jewels

Website: http://soundcloud.com/omg_its_jewels

About Me:Gotta love defining yourself in these little boxes while still trying to come off as an interesting and multi-faceted individual. I was born and bred in central California. Growing up surrounded by farmland, I found a lot of joy as a child playing with my grandparent's jazz LPs and mom's disco/funk vinyls as opposed to doing what the other kids were doing like AYSO Soccer. I moved to Southern California when I was 18 for college with dreams to hopefully work in the music industry. As an undergraduate, I interned at Billboard Magazine and have since worked with Capitol Records and Universal Music. Upon moving to Los Angeles 5 years ago, I dove head first into the LA underground house scene. Going to undergrounds in downtown warehouses where the funkiest jams would be playing until sunrise changed me and fueled me into loving and appreciating house/dance/electronic music. While I do listen to and enjoy almost every genre (country included), I admit that my heart thumps to an electronic beat.

Read All of Julian Gonzales Posts Bellow

[Product Review] V-Moda – Crossfade LP Headphones

Here at The Music Ninja, we like to cater to all needs of music fans, be it suggesting music and providing download links, letting you know about upcoming concerts/festivals, as well as letting you know what products out there would be best suited to give you the ultimate music listening experience.

I recently got my V-Moda Crossfade LP Headphones a couple of weeks ago. I’ve played around with them, listened to a plethora of different kinds of music with them, tested their durability and just overall had fun with them.

I think it’s safe to say that it was love at first site with how sexy these headphones looked. Solid construction and undoubtedly durable all in a very nice looking hard case (see below).

These were without a doubt a significant upgrade from my earbuds that came with my iPod and upon receipt I just had to hear what my favorite albums sounded like on these headphones (albums like Miike Snow‘s eponymous debut, DJ Sasha’s “Airdrawndagger,” Cut Copy‘s “In Ghost Colours,” Daft Punk‘s “Discovery,” Goldfrapp’s “Black Cherry,” Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Fever To Tell,” Kaskade’s “Strobelite Seduction,” and The Kills’ “Midnight Boom” just to name a few).

Perks: These headphones come with a few extras: 2 sets of interchangeable cloth cables, iPod/iPhone remote and an inline mic.

Comfort: These over-ear headphones are super comfortable and stay on your head no problem. I’ve actually taken them to the gym this past week with me and they had no issues with falling off, whether I was doing weights or jogging. I also have my tragus’ pierced and they don’t jab my piercings into my ear canal. Going along the lines of comfort, many DJ’s can be seen sporting these headphones during their live sets (like Roger Sanchez and Morgan Page below). You know they must be comfortable and meant to stay on your head if a DJ would sport them for their (sometimes many hours long) sets.

Audio: Putting it bluntly, these headphones were made for BEATS and BASS…be it electro beats, dub step, hip hop or any variation thereof. The way these headphones project the bass just tickle and vibrate the hell out of your eardrums is almost out of this world – HOWEVER – if you are looking for a pair of headphones to get the most out of your rock/acoustic/folk experience, these are probably not the best headphones for you. Don’t get me wrong, selective bands like System Of A Down and The Kills blast on these, but for the more subdued rocker, these wouldn’t be the best investment in headphones for you.

Overall: Love them, a definite upgrade from earbuds or the complimentary set that comes with flying certain airlines. I would give them an A- overall and would recommend them to any music aficionado that was interested in getting more bass in their ears.

[NEW] The M Machine – Trafalgar

Simply mind-blowing. The city of San Francisco gives us so much…being a NorCal boy myself, I was super stoked that The M Machine hails from the city by the bay. Home to The Love Parade, a handful of good electronic radio stations and one of my favorite clubs ever (The End Up), it’s no surprise this city produced The M Machine. Formerly known as Metropolis, The M Machine dropped their first song off their upcoming EP on their Soundcloud page. Rich with delicious bass, hints of progressive beats and ridiculously banging, if this is a preview of what is due out on their EP later this year we are all in for a treat.

The file for this track is kind of high standing at 14K for the 6 minute song, but you’ll appreciate the intricacies of the production of this song so much more with a great set of headphones.

The M Machine – Trafalgar

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

[Chill Out] – Gramatik – Beatz & Pieces EP

Gramatik graced us with a sick remix back in April to Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven” and he just dropped a sick EP titled “Beatz & Pieces Vol. 1.” His Zeppelin remix was so clean and refined and there is plenty more where that came from on his latest release that came out last week via Pretty Lights Music.

File this music under: Chill/Chill Out/Instrumental Hip Hop

This is just a couple of samples of what you will find on this release

Gramatik – DreamBIG

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Gramatik – Moar Jive

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Go get this EP now for free here!

[Cover] Toro Y Moi – Saturday Love

Toro Y Moi take you back to a time where rollerskating rinks were playing the funkiest of disco beats with their latest cover of Alexander O’Neal and Cherelle’s “Saturday Love.” I always appreciate when today’s artists bring back old school funk and disco tracks because it turns a new generation on to these hits that ended up becoming the very foundation for which a lot of electronic music is based upon today. Updating the track with a careful production and a modern sound, they do the 80′s track justice by still inducing you in a smitten feeling upon listening.

Toro Y Moi — Saturday Love

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

[Remixes] Chromeo – When The Night Falls (Breakbot/Hercules & Love Affair remixes)

“When The Night Falls” is the latest track from your favorite synth pop duo Chromeo to get the remix treatment.

French producer Breakbot gives Chromeo‘s “When The Night Falls” a super funkdafied rework. Not straying too far from the original song and bassline, he’s turned up the funk 10 fold on this remix to give you a booty shaking and head bobbing addition to your increasingly growing summer playlist.

Chromeo – When The Night Falls (Breakbot Remix)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Hercules and Love Affair stay true to themselves and their house driven beats on their on their remix of the Chromeo track. Highlighting Solange’s vocals a bit more in their rendition and adding in a truly infectious beat, this is the remix that is perfect for when you’re heading out for a night on the town.

Chromeo – When The Night Falls (Hercules and Love Affair Remix)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Which do you like more?

[Mash Up] Pretty Lights vs. Summertime

SUMMER IS HERE! Pretty Lights has taken some of music’s most classic and anthemic summer hits and blended them into a 5 and a half minute chilled out track to groove on. Mashing up summer themed songs from Nina Simone, Sublime, The Fresh Prince (when he was known as that), Mungo Jerry and a few others, the Colorado native created a well-mixed, yet very subdued song practicing a lot of restraint to create a must for your summer playlist.

Pretty Lights vs. Summertime

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

[Dubstep] AC/DC – Back In Black (Samples Remix)

I think I have made it clear on a couple of posts that I am super picky on my dub step, especially when I hear that a DJ is attempting to touch a staple classic rock song; Samples took on this task and succeeded heavily…heavily in the boom that he gave AC/DC’s “Back In Black.” Denver’s Ben Samples took a stab at one of the band’s biggest hits and released this sweet remix Tuesday adding in some delicious wub wub wub and some wobbles to bang on your eardrums.

AC/DC – Back In Black (Samples Remix)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

[Rock] The Naked and Famous – Bells

A haunting track I came across from New Zealand indie-rockers The Naked and Famous. I absolutely LOVE this band and their album “Passive Me, Aggressive You” was easily one of my favorite albums of 2010. They have been making a name for themselves stateside, having their songs “Young Blood” and “Punching In A Dream” featured in a few television shows I saw in passing, as well as getting the remix treatment (of which we have featured a few here on The Music Ninja). When I first heard this track, I instantly became mesmerized, but I couldn’t find it anywhere since it was on one of their lesser known earlier EPs. Needless to say I found it and I am sharing this rare gem with all the ninjas. Enjoy!

The Naked And Famous – Bells

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.