Tag Archives: Alt-J

Coachella 2015 – Must See Acts [TMN EDITORS’ PICKS]

TMNCoachThe spectacle and legend of Coachella Valley Arts & Music Festival seems to grow every year and, although it’s certainly reached a critical mass at this point, it proves time and time again to be worth the trip. After breaking box office records for consecutive years, Coachella continues blazing ahead in 2015 with a deep, diverse lineup and some of their most ambitious projects to date including their largest investment in art installations ever. With the first weekend kicking off this Friday, the set times for Coachella were finally let loose yesterday bringing up the regular scheduling conflicts and tough decisions. To make things easier for you all, we’ve decided to lay out our top acts to see every day chronologically. We hope this serves as a useful guide as you prepare for the whirlwind of emotion that is Coachella. Best advice we can give you all: keep good company, don’t sweat (figuratively, of course, perspiration is imminent) and most importantly be safe. Hope to run in to some of you ninjas there!

P.S. We didn’t forget the Do Lab! You can find our Do Lab picks on the final page.

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[Electronic] Phantogram – Never Going Home (Thom of Alt-J Remix)

Phantogram
Never Going Home (Thom alt-J Remix)

Alt-J and Phantogram have both been on killing it on tour non-stop since the release of their most recent albums–we’ve had the chance to catch both and they’re not acts you want to miss. In what promises to be one of the largest performances in either of their careeers, Phantogram will be opening for Alt-J tonight at the legendary Madison Square Garden. To celebrate the occasion and help fans prepare, Phantogram just DM’d Twitter followers with an exclusive remix of “Never Going Home” by Thom of Alt-J. It’s a sultry, brooding take on the original that’s available for free download as well. Enjoy above and check out interview with Phantogram from last year.

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Mosaics Talk their Musical Vision, Influences and San Francisco [TMN Exclusive Interview/Event Preview]

We’re really excited to be teaming up with the Make It Funky SF collective to put on a series of showcases in California highlighting local talent. Launching this Saturday, February 21st at El Rio in San Francisco, the first installment will feature experimental indie band Feed Me Jack and the folky, electronic vibes of Mosaics with support from acoustic soul duo, The Kakaroaches making for an eclectic mix of styles. As part of the series, we’ll be catching up with some of the performers to shed light on up ‘n coming musicians. RSVP at the link below. 

M o s a i c s
GLAM

The emergence of electronic music has created a fascinating rippling effect across genres as more and more artists find creative ways to combine musicianship with the seemingly limitless capabilities of modern studio technology. San Francisco band, Mosaics, have perhaps one of the most novel fusions we’ve heard yet using unconventional, percussive acoustic guitar to create samples that can be manipulated, arranged and layered with unique vocals into brooding, experimental compositions. Their debut LP, Of Colors, helps establish their forward-thinking sound proving refreshingly original without losing accessibility or catchiness. We had a chance to catch up with Mosaics band members Devon Kelts (guitar, vocals), Tyler Hill (production, keys), Grady Lee (vocals, guitar, bass) and Westin Joy (drum machine, bass) about their collective vision, musical influences and experiences as musicians in SF. Get to know Mosaics below and come out to see them this weekend at our first ever Music Ninja show in the Bay Area!

RSVP: Make It Funky & Music Ninja Present: Feed Me Jack, Mosaics and The Kakaroaches

 

TMN: Can you tell us a bit about how you all first met?

Devon: Tyler and I went to Loyola Marymount down in Los Angeles to study music and composition. We were best friends from college and decided to move up to San Francisco to try to make it as musicians. We did a couple musical projects that were kind of just our own thing but we didn’t really put out anything. Mosaics was the final iteration of those projects where we felt like we had a sound that was something we could stand behind. We needed a passionate musician and strong vocalist to get our LP Of Colors finished so we brought on Grady. It ended up working out really well and he made some really strong contributions in helping us finish the record. Then we needed someone to help us play live—Wes and I were already friends and he was pretty excited about the opportunity so we brought him in. He already has experience with production and has similar musical tastes so it worked out quite nicely.

TMN: Your music falls at this really interesting intersection of folk/acoustic, experimental and electronic. Can you talk a bit about the vision behind Mosaics?

Tyler: I think that the vision essentially started with Devon and I painting sonic landscapes on the computer. We wanted to create a sound that could be considered pop but still is drawing all of this original material in from things we’ve created. When we did our first EP, we had a concept where all the songs heard were coming from the guitar. So, basically we made an album all from samples created from hitting the guitar for drums, creating pads out of the guitar using production techniques and obviously writing melodies with lyrics. Our goal is to make something that is very authentic and artistic, but can still have that pop catchiness and drive.

Devon: We wanted to unite things. Often times really unique ways of playing the acoustic guitar are kept in a purist category. Meaning that they just play the instrument and nothing else. It’s very seldom that you see people with unique approaches to acoustic guitar uniting with the world of electronic production. Our goal was to find a way to unite the two in a tasteful manner and maybe, in that unification, to create something that’s new and novel.
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[NEW] Alt-J – Left Hand Free (Lido Remix)

alt-J
Left Hand Free (Lido Remix)

A week after Lido previewed this remix on his Diplo & Friends MixAlt-J has let loose the Norwegian producer’s much anticipated take on their infectious single, “Left Hand Free.” We’ve come to expect the unexpected from Lido at this point and, on this one, he relaxes the upbeat original to kick things off allowing Alt-J’s vocals to shine over a minimalistic background. Around the 1:45 mark, Lido breaks the tension with his signature big-room breakdown accompanied with vocoder melodies.

This one was released exclusively via Spotify and comes a day after Lido’s I Love You Too, the impressive remix EP of his debut project featuring a number of fellow up ‘n comers. If you’re anything like us, you’ll have this one on repeat all day.

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[Festival Review + Playlist] Photos & Songs from Treasure Island 2014, SF 10/18-19

_MG_1990As regular festival attendees, the Ninja staff has definitely learned to appreciate a well-organized event and last weekend’s Treasure Island Music Festival proved once again to be one of the best in the business. With no overlapping sets and plenty of room to dance, TIMF, even in its most well-attended year to date, felt like a paradise for festivalgoers who, with the current popularity of live music, have become accustomed to the more stressful aspects of music festivals. Treasure Island’s 2014 lineup featured masterful curation of diverse genres encouraging attendees to check out acts they might not have otherwise.

Check out a playlist of memorable songs to go along with some amazing photos of MØ, Chet Faker Outkast, Alt-J and more from Treasure Island Music Festival below. If you were in attendance last weekend, we hope this brings you back!

Day 1

Why we loved it: Electro-pop vocalist MØ has been on our radar for quite some time now. As a performer, she has an undeniable energy with a voice that translates incredibly well live. Due to an eye infection, she was rocking an eye patch during her set, which actually ended up making her look even cooler on stage. TIMF2014_4 TIMF2014_5TIMF2014_6

”MØ
Don’t Wanna Dance’
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60+ Songs to Prepare for Treasure Island Music Festival in SF, 10/18-19 [Event Preview + Playlist]

timf2014-sfweekly-fullpgLineups for major music festivals often boast 100+ artists, which although in theory is a great concept, can end up being overwhelming and frustrating when you realize the impossibility of seeing every act on the bill. San Francisco’s Treasure Island Music Festival, a collaboration between Noise Pop and Another Planet Entertainment, provides one of the few exceptions to this conundrum electing to go with fewer artists and alternating sets at only two stages. Having attended last year, we found this to be a genius, albeit seemingly obvious, solution making the experience far more relaxed for festival-goers without sacrificing any quality in the music. Aside from the unique arrangement, the backdrop of Treasure Island overlooks both the Bay and Golden Gate bridges and has one of the more stunning sunsets the Bay Area has to offer. For anyone who will be attending this year, we also highly recommend checking out the non-stop Silent Disco stage courtesy Silent Frisco.

To help you all prepare for what should be an amazing weekend of music, we’ve put together a massive playlist including every single artist on the TIMF lineup because, with no overlapping sets, you will actually have the opportunity to see them all. Whether you’ve already got your ticket, are still on the fence or can’t make it this year, we hope this serves as a fun, introduction to a dynamic collection of musicians. One and two-day passes for Treasure Island Music Festival are still available so, if you like what you hear below, grab your tickets HERE.

Day 1: 

Painted PalmsNoon @ Bridge Stage. 

Sounds like: San Francisco-based, psychedelic pop.

’Painted Palms
Anna’
’Painted Palms – Here It Comes’

Tobacco (of Black Moth Super Rainbow), 12:40PM @ Tunnel Stage.

Sounds like: In his own words, “I want to make you feel paranoid in a good way.”

’Tobacco – Self Tanner’
’Black Moth Super Rainbow – Gangs in the Garden’

ratking1

MUST-SEE: Ratking1:10PM @ Bridge. 

Sounds like: Gritty, high energy New York hip-hop.

’Ratking – So It Goes’
’Ratking – Pretty Picture’
’Phantogram – Fall in Love (RATKING Falling Off Remix)’
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Alt-J – Every Other Freckle

alt-J
Every Other Freckle

Alt-J‘s upcoming album is shaping up quite nicely. Earlier today, the U.K. alternative rockers released the third consecutive quality track from the project. In tandem with the other two songs we’ve heard thus far, their latest offering helps crystalize expectations for their highly anticipated sophomore record.

Each glimpse has featured a different dimension to the band’s sound–“Hunger of the Pine” full of sultry, powerful longing and “Left Hand Free” feeling more upbeat and catchy. “Every Other Freckle” presents yet another facet falling in between the other tunes in terms of energy but incorporating some of the vocal patterns found on An Awesome Wave, most notably “Breezeblocks.” The range of styles presented in these first singles suggests that we can expect a versatile and engaging mix from This Is All Yours, which is available for pre-order on iTunes and drops on September 23rd.

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