[Festival Preview] Mayan Heart Festival -Tikal, Guatamala – 12/20 – 12/23

The first annual Mayan Heart Festival is set to take place this December (20th-23rd) for the Winter Solstice at the Tikal Pyramids at Guatemala, with artists ranging from Desert Dwellers and Kaminanda to soothing sounds from the likes of Deya Dova and Liquid Bloom.

I couldn’t think of a better reason to pack up for Christmas and spend it abroad, enjoying a soulfully curated line up, hotel after parties, workshops, yoga, and a fire ceremony with the local Mayan natives that have been practicing it for millennia. Ahead of our trip, I sat down with Amaya, the founder of this one-of-a-kind festival.

TMN: Amaya, so happy to be talking with you about this unique festival I have heard so much about. I would like to dive into the obvious question, what will people expect for a festival experience at such a unique location as the Tikal Pyramids in Guatemala? Where will the stage production and musicians be?

A: IT IS HARD TO DESCRIBE MAGIC! We are working on creating an experience for the Main Event On the Solstice/Full Moon of December 21st which is the Maya Fire Ceremony. There, you will NOT see multi-million dollar technology, million watt sound systems or robotic lights!! People who are present on December 21st in Tikal will experience the highest of all technologies, the technologies which built the pyramids which “modern” science can’t figure out to this day how it was done!! You will experience The MAYA technology. On December 21st we have a very special alignment which is the Solstice with a full Moon and an alignment of the Star System Pleyades with the Earth. This combination along with our open hearts and intention will open the door for anyone to significantly affect their future and that of the planet.

TMN: With so much intention behind an event like this, what type of audience do you expect? Will there be a large electronic music crowd, or more of a yogi and Burning Man-centric audience?

A: This event will bring the Bird Tribes, the Rainbow Warriors and as we will see, these are peoples from every corner of the planet and all walks of life. We have already people coming from Austria, Brazil, France, Colombia, Costa Rica, Portugal, Australia, Canada, Africa, among other places.

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[Music Ninja Radio] Episode 131: Return of the Barb!

Music Ninja Radio is a weekly podcast recorded and broadcast live on San Francisco’s BFF.fm  from 4-6PM PST every Friday. 

Music Ninja Radio
Episode #131: Return of the Barb!

Soundcloud || iTunes Podcast || Spotify Playlist  || BFF.fm Archive & Tracklist

We welcomed back DJ & Producer Barbara to this week’s episode of TMN Radio. Before getting into her quirky thumping live mix, though, we opened the show with a set of eerie electronic cuts and indie pop gems. Highlights from half 1 include Still Woozy‘s latest single, a selection Rejoicer‘s infinitely groovy album and a fantastic single from Saba. Barbara’s live mix kicks off with her first original production which you can check out here.

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[Music Ninja Radio] Episode 130: Earl & J.I.D

Music Ninja Radio is a weekly podcast recorded and broadcast live on San Francisco’s BFF.fm  from 4-6PM PST every Friday. 

Music Ninja Radio
Episode #130: Earl & JID

Soundcloud || iTunes Podcast || Spotify Playlist  || BFF.fm Archive & Tracklist

This week’s episode was heavily focused on two amazing hip-hop albums that dropped last week: Earl Sweatshirt‘s lo-fi and emotionally devastating Some Rap Songs and J.I.D‘s cinematic flow clinic DiCaprio 2. Other highlights include a chillwave-tinted jam from Mk.gee, Chance the Rapper‘s best song in a long time, an entrancing cut from Overmono and Loods delivering his signature dreamy sound for Shall Not Fade‘s 3 Years of Service compilation.

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[Electronic] Donna Missal – Keep Lying (Sapphire Adizes Remix)

Donna Missal
Keep Lying (Sapphire Adizes Remix)

Sapphire Adizes returns with another big remix. For those unfamiliar, he is a saxophonist, producer, and singer-songwriter who draws on his background in classical and jazz to create symphonic electronic tracks rich with experimental textures, ethereal vocals, and powerful sax and piano performances. This time around he stepped it up a notch and flipped Donna Missal‘s record “Keep Lying,”

The up and coming musician proves himself to be someone to keep your eye on in the future with this detailed and powerful Donna Missal remix. Stay tuned for new music, this is only his second release to date so I assume he is sitting on a ton of more music!

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HighSchool Jacob – Nobody But You [TMN PREMIERE]

HighSchool Jacob
Nobody But You

LA-based HighSchool Jacob has been making some waves as of late, releasing a handful of tracks in only a few months time. It’s not hard to understand the magnetism to this curious alt-pop act. His style is truly unique, which is getting increasingly more difficult to say anymore.

“Nobody But You” is a testament to his talents, and the most recent release that grabbed my attention. Lead in by soft, humming synths, and a warm, treated vocal, this fresh single doesn’t take long to build up intrigue. A vocal harmony wanders in next, brought in tandem with some spattered percussion, building to a big, beautiful, choppy lead synth. The eventual crescendo is powerful, spiraling upwards with an intense, passionately sung lyrics.

When I wrote this song, I wanted to experiment with unusual sounds (such as the sound of my mouse clicking) to provide an intimate and vulnerable atmosphere, and it was when I reached the chorus however that I discovered I wanted to express the other side of those intimate emotions with an energetic and big expression of that previously mentioned desperation. – HighSchool Jacob

The end result is something oddly nostalgic, though inevitably difficult to cite why. It just feels familiar. My best explanation? I don’t have one. Just sit back and drink it in.

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[Electronic] Sleep Thieves ‘Fortress’ EP

Described as the definition of ‘disco noir’, Dublin-dwelling trio Sleep Thieves  release their new EP Fortress.

 They tell it best by sharing, “We’ve been recording for the last few years, playing the odd show to try some songs out live. We’ve ended up with a massive amount of material all with varying vibes. This is probably due to being in a perpetual state of studio flux. The boom is back in Dublin, this generally means art is out and upmarket hip bars and coffee places are in. We’re in our fourth studio in the last two years. Just when we get settled and get into a groove we get moved on by the landlord and our studio is gutted and becomes a Karaoke bar, Office space, Starbucks.

We’ve now started to nest in a new studio outside the city with a different atmosphere. So what does all this mean to this release you probably ask? Well, we realized upon reflection that we’re a band that draws a lot from the atmosphere and the environment we record in and thus we’ve ended up with 4 different sets of songs recorded in each place. Fortress EP is a collection of songs drawing from each, beginning life in the first studio and evolving as our transient existence bounced us from home to home.  These songs are a snapshot of how time, surroundings, upheaval and change can sculpt the creative process in unexpected yet welcome ways.

Releasing this EP as a sonic collection of this time marks the end of this period of transience with a more permanent home sourced.  If your home is said to be your castle, we’re (finally) making our new studio our Fortress.”

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[Electronic] Chris Siegel – I Can’t feat. lulunah

Chris Siegel
I Can't feat. lulunah

Milwaukee’s musical mage Chris Siegel partnered up with Madison’s lulunah for a new vibey treat your ears will be huffing down over and over again. You can stream it here, or if you’re still into this sort of thing – download it for free.

“I Can’t” is more than simply a hit song. The two creatives work together in stride to deliver an enjoyable sonic adventure that blends together a sad realization with a promising sentiment. The spirited instrumental at times can be somewhat somber, fitting in line with the direction of the vocals – performed sensationally by lulunah – but at others gives a sense of optimism. For anybody that’s been in a relationship (sorry any Forever Aloners out there), this should hit near home.

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