Tag Archives: Bay Area

Noise Pop 2016: 7 Acts We Loved–SF, 2/19-2/28 [Festival Review + Playlist]

Posted by Ash El Gamal - March 4, 2016

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All photos by Dom Powell except for photos of DIIV, which are by Ash. 

Over the last few years, San Francisco’s Noise Pop Festival has grown into our favorite week for music in the Bay Area. Taking place at venues across the city, the logistics can get tricky, but the venue hopping and set-time speculation is completely worth the broad variety of music the lineup offers. As is true for any festival. there’s no way to catch everything and there was plenty of FOMO to go around between the surprise guest filled late night Cafe Du Nord shows to the various events at Noise Pop’s home base, Swedish American Music Hall. With a couple years of experience under our belt, we definitely feel like this was both our best go-around thus far as well as the festival’s. The one great thing about the staggering number of events is that every publications experience is slightly different, each choosing different favorite takeaways based on their schedule. Take a trip back with some of our favorite sets, songs and moments from the week below. Continue reading →

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[TMN Premiere] Tyler Hawkins – From That Land (EP)

Posted by Ash El Gamal - December 16, 2015
’Tyler Hawkins – The People’
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You might recognize the name Ninety if you’ve been following us over the last couple years. The Bay Area-based duo, which consists of Tyler Hawkins and Mikey C the Man (MCM), first caught our attention in 2014 with their unique brand of sunny, west-coast hip-hop. Today, we’re excited to bring you the premiere of emcee Tyler Hawkins’ debut EP, which both establishes and serves as the perfect introduction to his sound.

With all production handled in-house by MCM (of Ninety) and oft-collaborator Yung H33M, From That Land plays out like a dedication to the past, present and future of the Bay’s hip-hop scene. Each of the project’s seven tracks possesses its own vibe without losing site of that broader mindset. Laid-back, classic-styled cuts like the “The Come Up and “101 (Cruisin’)” find contrast on harder-hitting tracks like “Options,” which has a subwoofer-rattling bassline. Aside from a diverse set of beats, Hawkins’ various emotive flows, which hit their most ambitious on “Dreamin,” are what truly tie the project together and further contribute to that overall Bay sound.

The EP’s finale, “The People,” with its addicting Last Lynx sample sees him taking that inspiration a step further carving out a sound all his own. Stream the rest of project below–you can also grab a free download on Bandcamp.

’Tyler Hawkins – From That Land (Intro)’
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’Tyler Hawkins – The Come Up’
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’Tyler Hawkins – Options’
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’Tyler Hawkins – Yakkums’
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’Tyler Hawkins – Porn Beat (Interlude)’
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’Tyler Hawkins – 101 (Cruisin’)’
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’Tyler Hawkins – This Is For…’
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’Tyler Hawkins – Dreamin”
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[Event Review] ODESZA’s Dazzling Victory Lap at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium–SF, 12/10

Posted by Ash El Gamal - December 15, 2015

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ODESZA
Memories That You Call (feat. Monsoonsiren)
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Since the release of their 2014 album, ODESZA have grown into an omnipresent force in dance music appearing at nearly every major music festival and making their way across the globe on an extensive headlining tour. This year has been particularly pivotal for the Seattle duo—they’ve dropped several massive remixes, continued to expand their live set (including a full marching band at Lollapalooza) and launched the Foreign Family Collective. Through Foreign Fam, they’ve helped introduce like-minded artists such as Big Wild and Jai Wolf to larger audiences. As huge fans, the Ninja staff have had the pleasure of covering the Seattle duo’s upward trajectory and interviewing them a couple times along the way. 

In the last two years alone, the TMN writers have probably seen ODESZA a combined 20 times—my best guess for myself is 6. So, going into their show last week, I frankly wasn’t sure there was much more to see and, even if their performance hadn’t evolved, I would’ve admittedly left happy. Once again, though, ODESZA put together an awe-inspiring set fit for Bill Graham Auditorium’s grand stature. As the set began, members Harrison and Clayton emerged with their parallel MIDI and drum setup offering some words about their admiration for the SF crowd, who have shown out every time they’ve come to town. Musically, “Koto,” a gorgeous and low-key track, set the tone before the first high point hit with their remix of Sia’s “Big Girls Cry.” Granted a nearly 2-hour set, ODESZA was able to dig deep in their catalogue playing standouts from their oft-overlooked debut, Summer’s Gone, such as ”Above the Middle” all the way through the fan-favorite remixes of opener Hayden James’ “Something About You” and Zhu’s “Faded.”  DNP_9124 Continue reading →

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[Festival Review] Moments & Songs from Treasure Island 2015–SF, 10/17-18

Posted by Ash El Gamal - October 27, 2015

DNP_5253It’s particularly sad to say goodbye to Treasure Island Music Festival. Not only does TI mark the end of the summer festival season, but it’s also a true breathe of fresh air from the oft-overwhelming mega events that have come to dominate the space. With relief from the typical pains of festivals –trouble meeting friends, overcrowded stages, set conflicts and the list goes on–we always walk out of TI refreshed and this year was no exception. Overlooking the San Francisco skyline, Treasure Island’s serenity never fails to amaze us and it didn’t hurt that the weather was pretty much perfect all weekend.

The clear-split lineup that highlighted electronic/hip-hop on Saturday and alternative rock/pop on Sunday gave each day a vibe all its own. Take a trip back with photos and songs from the two different, but equally enjoyable, days.

All photos by Dominic Powell unless otherwise stated. 

Continue reading →

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[Hip-Hop] Main Attrakionz – Ain’t No Other Way

Posted by Ash El Gamal - May 28, 2015
Main Attrakionz
Ain't No Other Way
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Oakland duo Main Attrakionz blew up seemingly out of nowhere back in 2011 pioneering “Cloud Rap”–a unique brand of hip-hop that combines airy beats with equally weightless rap styles. Lyrically, it’s not what you’d categorize as verbose but it’s overwhelmingly positive, melodic and genuine making for a completely novel listening experience.

The sub-genre has had an enormous influence on rap music since that time with acts like A$AP Rocky, who was featured on their 808s & Dark Grapes II breakout mixtape, Danny Brown and Gucci Mane all taking notice of the alluring aesthetic. In fact, the track “Leaf,” a standout from Rocky’s debut mixtape, was originally featured on 808s & Dark Grapes II under the title “Take 1.” After releasing a solid debut album in 2012 with Bossalinis & Fooliyones, the rappers behind MA, Squadda B and Mondre M.A.N., have been relatively quiet honing their craft after a somewhat unexpected and hasty rise to notoriety.

After a lengthy hiatus as Main Attrakionz, during which time they continued releasing music under their Green Ova label, the duo returned last week with the first single, and accompanying visuals, for their upcoming project, 808s & Dark Grapes III. “Ain’t No Other Way” proves that Main Attrakionz have been hard at work perfecting their supremely ethereal sound. Among rappers, you’d be hard-pressed to find any as low-key, humble and unassuming, while simultaneously enormously influential, as Main Attrakionz. See for yourself in the Kreayshawn–directed video below and keep your eye out for 808s and Dark Grapes III due out June 30th.

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A-1 – Doing The Most (prod. Mikos Da Gawd & Left Lane) [TMN Premiere]

Posted by Ash El Gamal - February 12, 2015
A-1
Doing The Most (Produced by Mikos Da Gawd & Left Lane)
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Bay Area hip-hop, with its unique style, slang and sound, has long been a pioneering force within the genre. Casual fans may be most familiar with the explosion of the hyphy movement in the 2000s, but the scope of the Bay’s influence goes back much further than that and continues to expand on the foundations laid by the scene’s legends including Hieroglyphics, Souls of Mischief, Mac Dre, Andre Nickatina, E-40, Too $hort, The Jacka (RIP) and many more. San Francisco native, A-1, has been carrying on that legacy for quite some time pushing the music of his predecessors forward all the while fusing elements of electronic music into his sound. As he prepares for his upcoming album, A-1 has been putting out new content every Thursday and we’re excited to be premiering the latest in that series.

“Doing the Most,” titled after a common Bay Area term for letting your guard down and being yourself to the fullest, features a minimal instrumental driven by steel drums, rolling percussion and rumbling 808s crafted by fellow San Francisco natives Left Lane and Soulection‘s Mikos Da Gawd. The backdrop fits A-1’s style to a key and, unsurprisingly, everything about the track is delightfully Bay, from the lyrics and production to A-1’s vocal inflections and delivery. Although “Doing the Most” definitely fits the party vibe, there are more serious undertones about being proud of who you are in the song, further enforced by an airy, thought-provoking monologue about the human experience during the outro. It comes as little surprise that Mac Dre served as an inspiration for this track, and more broadly for A-1’s music–read what he has to say about the late legend below:

Mac Dre was sort of like a teacher to my generation on how to be yourself and do whatever the hell you want to do in the name of fun. As youngsters he showed us that we could wear whatever we want, dance however we want, and speak however we please as long as it makes us feel good, and as long as people in the Bay live their lives that way his legacy will always live on. Whenever you hear me in a rap song at my silliest, goofiest moments, that’s something I got from the Mac.

Slap this one above and look out for more tracks from A-1 in the coming weeks leading up to the release of his album, Thurlian, on March 5th. Head to A-1’s website for some more content and info.

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[Hip-Hop] Ninety – Livin In The 90s

Posted by Ash El Gamal - September 13, 2014
Ninety
Livin In The 90s (prod. T_T) (feat. Jhabit$)
Soundcloud

West coast hip-hop duo Ninety know how to translate good vibes into music drawing influence from their Bay Area predecessors and the classics of the genre more broadly. Gearing up to release their second project, Tyler Hawkins and MikeyCtheMan dropped off one of their best songs yet a few days ago demonstrating immense growth in the short time since their debut project.

“Livin in the 90s” brings an unprecedented level of energy with a bouncy, layered piano and synth driven instrumental courtesy fellow Bay native,  T_Thrust, who actually has quite the following himself as the frontman for a metal band called Nekrogoblikon. Hawkins matches the production opening the song with a quick-hitting flow setting the tone for MCM who provides an equally animated delivery. The soulful hook from JHabit$ ties everything together adding the catchiness that will have you listening on repeat. This jam is perfect for a warm weekend outing. Peep above and look out for their forthcoming project at the end of this month.

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