[Event Preview] One Love Festival – Lake Perris, CA – 10/20-10/22

It’s tough to keep up with the seemingly endless supply of festivals. With only a limited amount of disposable income, it’s a challenge to pick and choose which ones are worth your time. The heavy hitters are always a good route, whether it be Coachella or Lollapalooza, but those come with a hefty price tag, and an endless sea of people all jockeying to get closer to the stage.

Lately, we’ve been checking out a few festivals that fall into the “Transformational” space. Aside from offering up a solid line up, they have a little more too offer — yoga, bonding ceremonies, healers, live painting, and more.

In a few weeks, we’re going to head out to Lake Ferris, California, which is about two hours outside of Los Angeles, for the One Love Festival. It covers all the bases mentioned above, delivering programming that goes well beyond music. Not to say that we’re not excited for a few of the acts playing — Moby, Mark Farina, and Alex Cruz are a few that we’ve highlighted. But, the thought of a deeper meaning to the festival experience is something we’re excited about, especially after hitting so many that are just about the music over the years.

To switch our usual routine up even further, we’re going to skip the camping, luxury hotel packages, and the AirBnB rentals, instead opting for a completely unique experience. It’s called the Lost Hotel, and it’s unlike anything that we’ve ever heard of.

You set the scene – each cube tent is a blank canvas. At the Lost Hotel we take an expansive notion of the word art. Surprise us. Shock us. Illuminate us. Do it however you please, and the floor, or at least one square cube of it, is yours. We’re specialized at vacation de-programming and, if needed, can help co-create a new story tailored just for you.

If you’re feeling lucky, or if you’d just like to help out with a great cause, our friends at Cadence & Cause have a handful of ways to get into the festival and support Fuck Cancer, a charity that helps with prevention, early detection, and emotional support for those battling breast cancer. From artist experiences with Alex Cruz, to the ultimate festival experience for four people, you have a chance to have the time of your life, all while helping something that affects us all.

While you’re checking that out, feel free to jam on the little playlist we’ve curated below, and get amped for your time out at Lake Ferris.

’Mark Farina & Homero Espinosa – Mistreated (Original Mix)’
’Xavier Rudd – Follow The Sun (Alex Cruz Official Remix)’
’Alex Cruz – Rubberband (ft. Tania Zygar)(short edit)’
’Rocket Heart Ft Katie Gray’
’Moby – Porcelain’
’Washed Out – All I Know (Moby Remix)’
’The Polish Ambassador, Mr. Lif, Ayla Nereo – Terra Bella – 01 Shine Bright’
’Karma Fields
’Liquid Love Drops and An
ten
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[Trap] SAYMYNAME – Drop It

SAYMYNAME
Drop It

At The Music Ninja, we LOVE Fridays. Not only does it mean we get to relax, have fun and sleep in, but most importantly, it means new music. This is also why Friday is one of the hardest days for us. With so many incredible releases, it’s quite difficult for us to tackle all of those newfound singles in one day. That’s why today we are going to share one of our favorite Friday finds from hard trap pioneer SAYMYNAME titled “Drop It.”

The Los Angeles-based producer had us on the edge of our seats with his blood-pumping single. Bass lovers around the world are bound to fall head over heels for the original’s dirty demeanor. The excitement doesn’t just end with the release though. “Drop It” comes with the exciting news of SAYMYNAME’s recent announcement of his US What’s My Name Tour. Make sure to snag a ticket while you can here. We can only say that this tour is one you won’t want to miss, and his latest single is a perfect reason why.

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Lessons for a Lifetime. WORLDZ Was One For The Books

This past month, some of the worlds leaders in business, tech and entertainment gathered for a conference of epic proportions dubbed WORLDZ. Defined as a “cultural marketing summit”, the line up included Kelly Slater, Gary Vaynerchuk, Will.i.am, Deborah Dugan [CEO of (Red)], and Alexis Ohanian [Co Founder of Reddit].

I had heard some amazing rumors about its predecessor PTTOW! years ago, and knew that the evolution of that event was something I must attend. After an early morning flight, a 90 minute cab ride from LAX to Hollwood, and a quick run to the ATM for cash to pay the concierge to check my bag; I had finally arrived to the coveted event within the Dolby Theater.

Flash forward and I am sitting front row as Deepok Chopra presents Shaun White with a ‘Titan Award’, followed by some spectacular 80’s hair metal covers as Lucent Dossier danced in the background. I was dumbfounded, even Shaun White looked a little confused on how this was all happening at once. Lessons from the masters was an understatement, and with over 70 industries represented, the Titans were everywhere.

Uniting the top global leaders on the planet and integrating their stories into one consistent narrative was a brilliant approach to taking the audience right into the Universe of WORLDZ. And with pver 65 master courses taught by CEO’s, CMO’s, and cultural icons, it was set up as a accelerated learning university.

You are able to choose from a variety of classes happening all at once during multiple time slots throughout the day . The options seemed endless, it could be specific to your industry or you can actively avoid it by learning skills you’ve wanted to acquire for years. With the underlying themes being positive social change, cultural disruption, and taking your mission to the next level, you couldn’t go wrong.

From participate in a VANS workshop on experiential marketing and actually building a skateboard with a professional skater, to attending an augmented reality meditation class and having an open discussion on AR integrating into our daily lives; there was no creative ceiling to speak of, ideas was everywhere.

Each day way wrapped up by mingling with cultural idols and rising stars at a catered happy hour. There was an overwhelming feeling of acceptance withing that space, like everyone at the event realized we are all only humans (that all just happen to be up to some really kickass things!)

The sit down with Will.Iam and Gary V is just one of many fusions of industry they set out to intermix. Will has recently started an Artificial Intelligence company and Gary is one of his advisors. Their chemistry in this lecture would be hard to replicate. A feeling of deep, mutual respect and understanding for the amount of time they have both spent honing their completely unique set of skills radiated throughout the room

The energy was remarkable, the classes were intimate, and the speakers were people who all seemed to nonchalantly have 3 TED talks under their belt. It makes you think, when you put that many masters in one confined space, it seems certain to create an alchemical explosion of mass global shift.

To conclude the event you receive a standing ovation from a choir of people as you ascend the staircase to the main ballroom! “Losing site of the shore”, the theme of the second chapter in a 10 chapter series, I will certainly be back for Chapter 3. Elite performers, executives, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, creatives, game changers, and the future of tomorrow; all truly asking the same question, what Legacy do you want to leave?

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Supercharge Your Music Festival Experience at FestForums

Curating a powerhouse merger of festival and music leadership, FestForums® is the new zero point of music festival culture. November 16-18, experts at the forefront of dominant organizations such as Superfly, Goldenvoice / AEG, Insomniac, SXSW, Ultra, and more converge in Santa Barbara for a synergistic weekend exploring the next wave of festival development.

Defined by live music performances exclusive panels, emmy-nominated film screenings, and cutting-edge technology, this event is a multi-day mastermind group of music, food, beverage, and cinema festival industry thought leadership. With panels revolving around topics like branding your festival and monetizing your event’s social capital, event experts will explore how to sharpen the edge of your event’s experience from the bottom up. When it comes to branding, it’s recommended that you contact one of the top media agencies in Toronto.

Past FestForums® peak panel curation has featured inspired discussions from the likes of icons such as Quentin Tarantino, Bruce Dern, and The Weinstein Company’s Head of Music Richard Glasser. The talks will also feature a capable-yet-diverse set of hosts ranging from the CEO & Founder of Rhino Media: C R Capers, to leading entertainment lawyer William Hochberg.

FestForums® will also be partnering with Cinetransformer’s mobile theater for a special screening of the Emmy Award Nominated film series American Epic. The film focuses on contemporary music culture and interviews iconic artists from the last several decades over many genres. With Jack White as one of a core group of executive producers, this is for the music enthusiast in everyone.

Anyone interested in being a part of the conversation can find registration for FestForums® here. Be on watch for updates as the November 16th – 18th event date approaches and the next wave of music festival culture!

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[Event Review] NVDES and RAC Rock The Independent, SF 9/19

NVDES
I Want To Make Out At The Gay Club

TMN favorite NVDES opened up with an electrifying performance in support of RAC last Tuesday night. Playing in the intimate setting of The Independent in San Francisco, NVDES surprised an open-minded crowd that collectively seemed unfamiliar with their work. Frontman Josh Ocean and his long time collaborator, fondly known as Lemon Girl, rocked out with endless energy and charisma.

Attendees jammed out to tunes from NVDES’ most recent EP, La Nvdité Vol. 1. The EP was featured here on TMN and went along with an exclusive interview; check it out here. Highlights included the infectious electro-punk tracks “Dancer from New York” and “May and June”.  Ocean and Lemon Girl also graced us with tracks from their older discography, like “I Wanna Make Out at the Gay Club”. True to NVDES nature as a revolving collective, frontman Josh played a few tracks that bandmate Lemon Girl did not know. Much to his credit, Lemon Girl improvised flawlessly and put up a great performance throughout. Finally, they played some unreleased material, sharing some of their political leanings as well as their love for the Hyundai Elantra. Truly an eclectically enjoyable experience– one of the top 3 shows this Music Ninja has been to this year. Continue reading

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[Gotta Be] Fresh Coat Mural Festival – LA Arts District – 10/7

We’re gearing up for another trip out to LA. This time, we’ll be hitting up the inagural Fresh Coat Mural Festival, which takes place on the streets of DTLA on October 7th. A beautiful blend of art, music, food, and drinks, this brand spankin’ new block party has something for just about everyone.

Legendary local and national street artists Drew Merritt, Breeze, Vyal, It’s a living, Axis, Carley Ealey, Andrew Hem, and OG Slick will be taking over walls in the Arts District, serving up incredible, live street art for everyone who comes down. On top of that, there are local, curated food trucks from LA dishing out tasty bites, alongside of brews from Angel City Brewing and hand-crafted cocktails featuring Hansen’s Soda.

As if that wasn’t reason enough for you to head down, there’s also a top-notch musical lineup. The day kicks off with old school, hip-hop icons, The Beat Junkies, followed by Peanut Butter Wolf and The Hood Internet. Rounding out the bill are a handful of TMN favorites. Viceroy, who was one of our Resident Artists here at TMN, and the ever-so-chill Poolside. The cherry on top? RJD2 will be closing out the night. We’ve admittedly never seen him live, so you’ll find us front and center as soon as he takes the decks.

The best thing about this fest? It’s free. That’s right. The organizers, The Container Yard and Hansen’s Soda have you covered. All you have to do is RSVP and you’re good to go.

’Poolside – Next to You’
’Poolside & Fatnotronic – Esperar Pra Ver’
’RJD2 – Peace Of What’
’RJD2 – 20 Grand Palace’
’RJD2 – Smoke & Mirrors’
’Stayin’ Alive (Viceroy Edit – TMN EXCLUSIVE)’
’50 Cent – Disco Inferno (Viceroy Jet Life Remix)’
’Peanut Butter Wolf feat. 50 Grand of Homeliss Derilex
Max Mode(1995)’
’Charizma & PB Wolf – Tell You Something (1992)’
’Mocky – Sweet Things (The Hood Internet Remix ft. Donwill)’
’Beat Junkies – Classic material vol 1 ( full mixtape )’
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[Dubstep] Al Ross – Boneless

Al Ross
Boneless

There is a whole lot going on for team Buygore. They have releases coming all the time and have expanded with the creation of FrshBlood, a sub-imprint focused on names in bass music that need highlighting. One of those names is Al Ross, who dropped his single “Boneless” as a free download through the label to celebrate his signing to their roster.

“Boneless” is a gut-wrenching dubstep track that will leave you shaken to your core. Heavy isn’t even the half of it with this immense single that should come with a warning stamp. Perhaps the fact that FrshBlood released this one is warning enough; this sort of earth-shaking sound is to be expected from their catalog. Speaking of catalog, theirs is set to grow with the coming of their third compilation this October 10th. In honor of the compilation release there will be a FrshBlood showcase party at the Belasco in Los Angeles the following day. Don’t miss out on it, get your tickets today!

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