Latest Event Posts

[Denver Event Preview] Autre Ne Veut @ Lost Lake – 10/16/15

Posted by Matthew Bloss - October 13, 2015

When Arthur Ashin’s Autre Ne Veut project announced its followup LP to 2013’s excellent Anxiety in the form of the gleefully frantic Age of Transparency (which you can listen to in all of its glory below via Spotify), we perked up in preparation to devour every last piece as it was revealed. In advance of Age of Transparency’s October 2nd release a few weeks back, we had the chance to hear singles “Panic Room” & “World War pt. 2” and even crafted an entertaining and lovely conversation with him last month, which all only served to stoke our flame for a live experience. Luckily for us, Autre Ne Veut’s just three dates into an album supporting North American tour, and for our Denver based Ninjas, TMN will be out in full force this Friday at Lost Lake Lounge for the show.

The night won’t be short of talent either, with an opening set provided by the talented, L.A. via DC duo of Lindsay Pitts and Clifford John Usher, known simply as GEMS. GEMS have been carving an impressive sonic niche over the last few years, and with their debut on Carpark Records slated for an October 30th release right around the corner (pre-order here) we’re urging our readers to get there early for an amazing night of music.

Stream Autre Ne Veut’s latest LP, Age of Transparency, below, and for the rest of our friends around the country, check out the remaining tour dates underneath the Spotify player.

Oct 13 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
Oct 16 – Denver, CO @ Lost Lake
Oct 18 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Oct 20 – Toronto, ON @ The Hoxton
Oct 21 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
Oct 22 – Boston, MA @ Middle East Downstairs
Oct 23 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
Oct 26 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

[Event Review] Mad Decent Block Party – San Diego – 9/13

Posted by Ivan Chung - September 23, 2015

(PC: LED Presents & Fixation Photography)

The tradition never stops! TMN has attended Mad Decent Block Party for the second year straight here in San Diego, and we’re here to tell you how it went and what we think about it. Switching to The Park at Petco Park, the new venue provided a more refreshing and intimate setting. Despite no-shows from ATL producer Metro Boomin and up and coming rapper Travi$ Scott, MDBP has once again wowed us with a lineup filled with electrifying acts that managed to turn up the heat even more here in San Diego.

Sam Vogel a.k.a Jauz, is a newly emerging superstar who helped fuel the whole bass house movement with tracks like “Feel The Volume”. Following his amazing performance at Hard Summer, he once again won the hearts of the fans here. With an hour of non-stop bass action, the crowd went crazy the whole time. To our surprise, he brought out producer Ookay as a special guest and hypeman, which you can watch here. He also played a whole bunch of new unreleased tracks that got the crowd super excited, one of which is his collaboration with Ghastly titled “Ghosts N Sharks”.

Thomas Jack, who is the father of tropical house, took the stage soon after Jauz. It was intriguing to see the crowd transitioning to melodic house music after an adrenaline-invoking set. It gave everyone time to relax a bit but kept them vibing to the music still. And when Netsky came on, it was a whole different story. Talk about somebody who combined some good ol’ drum and bass with trap, house, hip-hop and just about everything else in a set. With so much energy and finesse, he’s definitely one of the true OGs in the game.

What’s a block party without Dillon Francis? Another powerhouse in big room music, the social media-active producer put in some of the most current bangers in his set, combined with his signature hilarious visuals, which took the crowd on a crazy ride as dusk approached.

Closing out the night was none other than Major Lazer, which is Diplo‘s side project together with Jillionaire and Walshy Fire. With so much radio exposure, many would critique Diplo for caving into mainstream music; however, just like Jack U, Major Lazer’s music speaks otherwise. It was the perfect headlining set, as the three gave every bit of their energy to hype up the crowd and took turns DJing. There was no denying that Diplo helped popularize bounce and moonbahton music and gave them the electronic change-up they needed.

With such a great channel like Mad Decent Block Party, which had 22 shows in 19 cities during this year’s tour, there’s no wonder it just keeps getting better and better each year. Diplo gave MDBP the perfect identity as the chillest and most intimate turn-up fest around, unlike the usual electronic festivals filled with rave culture. We are excited to see what else the Mad Decent crew has to bring to San Diego next year.

If you’re interested in experiencing the party for yourself, we’re giving away a pair of tickets to the Chicago leg of the tour this weekend.

(Pics or it didn’t happen, right? The photos in this article are to help relive some of the most memorable moments from Mad Decent Block Party. Shouts out to LED Presents and Felicia from Fixation Photography for the pictures!)

Event

[Secret Ninja Pass] This Week at Beta – 9/3 – 9/5

Posted by Blas Yaselli - September 3, 2015

Alright, ninjas. We’ve been hooking you up with free entry to Beta over two years now. We know you’ve had some epic times, catching some of the most legendary talent EDM has to offer, and we’re on board to keep this thing going. So, we’re once again giving you an opportunity to check out the best night club in North America for free. What all do you have to do to get in? It’s pretty damn easy. Just follow these steps:

– Head to the front door and enter the club before 11 pm
– Show this post to the cashier (Valid for 21+ only)
– The deal is valid for tonight and Saturday only. If you want to catch Doctor P, you should pick up tickets here.

See you on the dance floor.

Bingo Players - 9/3

’Bingo Players – Curiosity’

Soundcloud

Doctor P - 9/4

’Bubblehead’

Buy

TENSNAKE - 9/5

’Tensnake – The Walk’

Buy

14 Unforgettable Sets from Outside Lands 2015 [Festival Review]

Posted by Ash El Gamal - August 13, 2015

It’s been nearly a week since we first stepped into Golden Gate Park for Outside Lands, but with the return to the daily grind it feels like even longer for most of us. This year’s festival, yet another record-breaking one by attendance, featured all the amenities that make OSL special–amazing food, craft beers, a star-studded comedy lineup, the beautiful backdrop of Hellman Hollow and of course a top-notch bill of musical performances. With its rapid expansion came some growing pains as well, though, and our main gripe was the inaccessibility of the Heineken House, which featured some great DJs, due to overcrowding. At the same time, the greater depth of the lineup made the previously overlooked Panhandle stage the place to be and when the crowd came together at shows, the energy was unbelievable.

In the stupor that follows music festivals, it can be easy to allow your precious experiences to fade in the rearview of your memory bank, but there will always be sets that you’ll never forget. We’ve recounted 14 sets that have been stuck in our minds all week and also tried something a bit new with this review by asking random fans to review our favorite sets. If you were in attendance this year, we hope this brings you back and, if not, it might just make you want to check out OSL next year.

All images by Ninja Dominic Powell. All writing, unless otherwise noted, by Ash.

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[Event Review] TMN’s Favorite Sets from HARD Summer 2015

Posted by Ivan Chung - August 8, 2015

(Photo by Rukes.com)

If you’re caught up with the news in the EDM world, you’ve probably heard about Jack Ü‘s starfilled performance that featured many special guests, including 2 Chainz, AlunaGeorge, CL and Justin Bieber. Apart from all the craziness that went down last weekend, HARD Summer 2015 was one for the books. Ranging from hip-hop to electronic music, HARD Presents once again outdid themselves to satisfy every single one of their attendees’ musical palate. How do we even begin? The two-day festival in Pomona California was too much epicness to put in words. I think we’ll just end it here.

Just kidding. But there were indeed too many stellar performances to comment on, so we’re going to give our take on some of our favorite sets from Hard Summer. You’re about to relive some of the greatest moments from the annual summertime radness.

1. Big Gigantic

And the saxiest performance award goes to… Yes, Big Gigantic! The Colorado-based electronic duo absolutely brought down the house with their electrifying set. Coming on after fellow future funk artist GRiZ and headlining the 7-Up (Green) Stage, Big Gigantic gave every bit of their energy to their performance. Fusing dubstep and hardhitting bass with soul and funk, they definitely made their sound one of a kind. Dom the saxophonist held it down for all the live instrument performers and it goes to show how their music was able to reach out to so many different crowds, even at a EDM-filled festival.

2. Porter Robinson

(Photo by Jake West)

Something magical happens everytime we see Porter Robinson perform. The Worlds producer tweaks his live shows all the time by adding in different edits and transitions of his own songs, and making every set unique. His performance at HARD Summer was stellar to say the least. Filling the HARD Stage with a sea of people was no easy task, but he managed to do just that. It was visually stunning and emotionally provoking; it’s also everything a hardcore Porter fan could ask for. Everybody was already singing along to “Sad Machine” right when he started his set, and was left in tears as he ended it with “Language”. Only a handful artists could do the same to the audience as Porter did. Kudos to the just-turned-23-year-old feels capturer.

3. Jai Wolf

The “Indian Summer” producer managed to pack Purple Stage to over capacity with just 15 minutes into his set. He was among the youngest bunch to perform at this year’s festival. The list goes on… From “Lotus Eater”, remix of Odesza‘s “Say My Name”, remix of Mocki‘s “Weekend”, or ending his set on a high note with his version of Skrillex‘s “Ease My Mind”, Jai Wolf showcased his caliber to the fullest. He also had Mark Johns as his special guest, and the whole crowd just went nuts. Everyone was living in their own world during his set, and left talking about it for the rest of the festival. TMN is very excited to see what new music the yung producer has in store for us in the near future.

4. Die Antwoord

(Photo by HARD Presents)

In the midst of their American tour, Die Antwoord stopped by HARD Summer, took over and left everyone in awe. As if the photo above doesn’t speak enough (or too little), the South African alternative hip-hop group represented everything they stand for in the music community and brought down the Harder Stage with their cunningly crafty and one-of-a-kind performance. To everyone’s surprise, actor Jack Black (who was featured in Die Antwoord’s “Ugly Boy” music video) even came out during the set. With that said, if you haven’t seen Ninja or Yolandi perform before, you’re definitely missing out.

5. Jack Ü

Are you sick of listening to “Where Are U Now” on the radio? We are too, but Jack Ü has undeniably crushed it with their spectacular performance, and was definitely the HARD crowd’s favorite. Let’s start with the special guests. 2 Chainz popped out of nowhere during “Febreze”, Fly Boi Keno came out for “Beats Knockin'”, Aluna from AlunaGeorge performed “To U” and DJ Snake‘s version of ‘You Know You Like It”, CL from 2NE1 performed Diplo’s “Dirty Vibe” and “Revolution”, and hollywood golden child Justin Bieber closed out the night with “Where Are U Now”. The starpower was incredible and arguably topped Ultra Miami’s earlier this year. It was a party from beginning til end, as Skrillex and Diplo managed to take their bounce-influenced electronic music to the biggest stage. You could see the Skrill and Diplo waving their Jack U flag throughout the night, and many followers rocking their apparel in the crowd. They have successfully started a movement, and to say their performance was epic is an understatement.

And that concludes it with our review for HARD. With the amount of positivity going into the weekend, TMN is proud to say that we had a blast. Like Jauz said during his set, we were all there for one reason and one reason only: music. These artists continued to inspire and entertain all around the world, and HARD offered a great platform for that matter. With that said, we’ll see you all next year for another unforgettable weekend.

Lollapalooza 2015: Our Top Takeaways [Event Review]

Posted by Baseer Ahmad - August 7, 2015

As with any music festival, after Lollapalooza is over, it always takes us a few days to digest everything and snap back to reality. For locals, the festival serves as a three day escape within our own city. For outsiders, it provides them with a completely unique way to experience Chicago. The magic of Lollapalooza is simply unmatched, and despite a weather scare on the final day, Lollapalooza 2015 turned out to be just as memorable as years past. On the next few pages we’ve broken down some of our lasting impressions from Lolla.

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Rose Quartz Sits Down With TMN To Discuss New Album, Record Stores & More [Exclusive Interview]

Posted by Matthew Bloss - July 31, 2015

Denver based Rose Quartz has long been a staple in many of The Music Ninja staff’s music diets. Back in December, the now four-piece released their re-tooled, textured and evolved debut EP as a full four-piece, Leaving Now, which we fell head over heels for and most recently dropped a collaborative ‘TMN Premiere’ single with Brothertiger, “Pleasure & Pain”. Last weekend we had the chance to take in one of our favorite music festivals, The Underground Music Showcase, in Rose Quartz’s backyard of Denver, which this year featured headliners like DIIV, STRFKR, Tennis and of course, Rose Quartz themselves for one of the busiest three-day stretches we have the pleasure of consuming all year. After taking in their Saturday performance on the Main Stage, we caught up with Ethan, Alex, Clay and Matt after an intimate and enthralling set on Sunday at the Hi-Dive to discuss the important things in life. Like disco, Schlitz Malt Liquor and loads more. Read our entire interview below.

TMN: First off, thanks guys for sitting down with us, we’ve been huge fans since it was just Ethan & Alex as FLASH/LIGHTS, and then of course to the debut Flashlights EP from Rose Quartz. We’re just going to keep it super casual, so let’s just get right into it.

So, now that you’re a full live quartet with the addition of Clay on bass and Matt on drums, there seems to have been a shift in sonic temperament from the Flashlights EP to your most recent EP Leaving Now, which we loved. Can you talk a little bit about how that shift has affected the songwriting and recording process for you guys.

Alex: Yeah, we’ve done a lot of different things now that we’re a four-piece. We’ve been writing for the entire band now, and shifting our influences much more to a funky, disco kind of influence. We’ve been listening to a lot of the BeeGee’s, Hall & Oates, and Michael Jackson…

Clay: …The Gap Band

Alex: …Yeah The Gap Band, and a bunch of good 70’s funk and disco. And I think that just that has really helped out, and then having four people, whether it’s on stage or in the studio, just having three other people to smile at has made us want to play I guess, happier and more upbeat in regards to the music.

Ethan: And now that we’re a four-piece band, the writing style has changed. When it was just the two of us we had to write stuff that could be performed by two people and didn’t look shitty. *Laughs from the room* Which limits the kind of writing we could do in terms of our live performances. So now that we can do it as a four-piece we can write much more complex stuff with more layers, and more tasteful ways we could actually recreate live. So that was a big shift for us definitely. Just.. finding the groove.

Read the rest of our interview with Rose Quartz after the jump….

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