Sep 16 2014

ARTIST FEATURE: Keepin’ it in the Family: An Interview with Matt Hill of The Floozies

SITTING DOWN WITH THE FLOOZIES PT 2:

Brothers Matt and Mark Hill of the electro-funk duo The Floozies have been making their way across the country for a couple years now and are currently wrapping up their first major national tour with upcoming stops in Richmond, New York, Philly, and Baltimore. We last caught up with the funk brothers in March to and now, Matt was kind enough to take a few minutes out of his day to talk life on the road, Wizard of Oz, Back to the Future, Subway, and even staph infections. Yeah, we hit a lot of topics.

CM: You’re in the middle of a pretty hefty tour schedule, do you even know what state you’re in right now?

Matt: Well, we’re on our way to Richmond right now for a show tomorrow night… *yawns*

CM: The road is takin a lot out of you, huh?

Matt: Yeah man. We have a day off today. We’re using it to get as much stuff done as we can. We have like a nine hour drive.

CM: What kind of support do you have with you when you tour? What’s your crew like?

Matt: Well we actually have a fancy Sprinter van for this one we have us, our tour manager and two lighting guys, actually.

CM: Every time I talk to a fan of the Floozies, people who go to your shows and check out your sets at festivals and stuff, the one thing they talk about his how cool your mom is.

Matt: (Laughs) Oh yeah?

CM: Yeah, tell me about your mom and her influence on you and Mark.

Matt: Well, she’s just a really nice person. A really good person. But on top of that, she’s also a really talented baton twirler. She twirls fire and stuff. I mean she’s pretty much better than anyone we’ve ever seen. I mean, she was a baton twirler for her college marching band and she was the one who originally turned us on to Funk when we were little. We used to listen to all that stuff, you know, Aretha Franklin, Earth, Wind & Fire, and all of that.

CM: So did she encourage you guys to take up your instruments?

Matt: No actually I started playing guitar because I saw Back to the Future and Michael J. Fox doin’ Johnny B. Goode at the end I thought was really cool.

CM: That might be the best reason I’ve ever heard anyone give for picking up the guitar.

Matt: Yeah and it’s true. I spent like a year trying to learn how to play it on like a plastic guitar with one string before they finally broke down and bought me a real one.

CM: And what brought Mark to play drums?

Matt: He just wants to be like me but he picked a different instrument.

CM: Once you guys started playing music together, did you think it would ever get this far? Was it always your dream to be professional musicians?

Matt: Yeah, we always did. We never really had a back up plan. When I went to college I experimented with different majors but I always ended up coming back to music. Then we got a couple of Colorado gig offers and Mark dropped out of college to go on tour.

CM: Yeah you guys had a little bit of fear about staying in Lawrence so you moved to Colorado, right?

Matt: Yeah, we moved to Colorado for a year. We lived in Denver, actually. You know, it was cool. It’s a really cool place. It’s just, to be honest, we missed our family too much. It’s like you move out there and you meet new people but it’s just not the same as your life long friends and mom and dad and stuff.

CM: So what does it take to grow up and live in a city like Lawrence, not necessarily known for its major performing artists and try to make it there? What’s it take for someone like you guys to do what you’ve done?

Matt: I don’t really know how to answer that because I don’t really have anything to compare it to. That’s just been our life, you know? That’s where we’re from. I guess it took a while. Like, sometimes people think that we’re a country band and they make jokes about the Wizard of Oz, which is just the stupidest thing ever. But Kansas City and Lawrence have been really good to us. I don’t know what it’s like to start a band in new York, but the one good thing about it is we kind of run shit out there, ya know?

Like one of our management companies is also one of the biggest promoters out there so we’re on really good terms with them, obviously. We get to do all kinds of fun shows. We got to do Funk Street this past summer. That was the biggest show we’ve ever thrown at an outdoor venue. We get to do that once a year now, so that’s really cool. We get to do a lot of things that would be harder if you were from a bigger city with more competition. But Lawrence is great. It’s a really fertile, musical town. And Kansas City has a great musical history so it’s not like they sucked before we started. There’s a lot of really great different sized venues and they’re all pretty nice, you know? I don’t know that every town has that.

CM: I once took a friend to see you guys live. He isn’t into electronic at all. He’s a classically trained jazz musician. He plays the saxophone. Yet, when I took him to see you guys he was completely blown away. Loved the show. What do you think it is about your music that can attract those kinds of musicians and fans who have absolutely no previous interest in electronic music?

Matt: Well, you know, I’m also one of those guys. You know, I’ve played Jazz. I’ve done all kinds of crazy arrangements like that. And I learned… and I guess I should get back into it, but I used to just learn people’s solos from start to finish. Like Pat Martino, and George Benson and other Kansas City guys. I think a lot of that stuff comes through when I’m playing. Actually, I quote Pat Martino a lot. He plays a lot of licks I really like. I don’t know if that registers with people on a conscious level or not. Maybe just some of the tonalities are familiar, I guess.

CM: So obviously your musical interests and stylings have changed a lot in your life. Where do you see the Floozies in the next five years?

Matt: I don’t know, that’s a good question. Hopefully selling out Red Rocks as a headliner. And hopefully not getting fat from life on the road.

CM: No time to exercise out there?

Matt: Yeah and you know, gas station food. We’re at a gas station right now. I think I’m gonna get Subway because at least that has some vegetables.

CM: What’s the hardest part about being on the road all the time?

Matt: The health thing, for sure. You never got good sleep, you inevitably have one too many hard party nights and it catches up with you. Booze, the food, you know, trying to get something that’s real food, something with nutritional content ya know? It’s so hard.

CM: Favorite festival?

Matt: I don’t know, I kinda like ’em all. It’s hard to compare them because every place is different and cool in its own way.

CM: Any one particular performance that you’ve had that’s stood out though?

Matt: Yeah our set at Hudson Project, I was really proud of that one. And Summer Set. I had been in the hospital and just gotten out that morning and I got to unleash the dragon on stage.

CM: What were you in the hospital for?

Matt: I got a staph infection in my blood. I got like an infected spider bite and it got into my vain and got me really sick.

CM: Yeah staph is no joke.

Matt: Yeah, apparently it can kill you.

CM: I had a coach who lost his leg from it.

Matt: Man if I would’ve lost my arm I really would’ve been screwed.

CM: Well I think I can speak for all of us that we’re all glad you didn’t. Thanks for taking the time for us Matt and enjoy the last part of your tour!

You can catch the Floozies still on tour with new added dates!

Sep. 17 – New York, NY
Sep. 18 – Philadelphia, PA
Sep. 19 – Cambridge, MA
Sep. 20 – Baltimore, MD
Sep. 26 – Red Rocks, CO
Oct. 11 – Kansas City, MO
Oct. 30 – St. Paul, MN
Oct. 31 – Tulsa, OK
Nov. 1 – Little Rock, AR
Nov. 6 – Tuscaloosa, AL
Nov. 7 – Knoxville, TN
Nov. 8 – Nashville, TN
Nov. 9 – Carbondale, IL
Nov. 13 – Oxford, MS
Nov. 14 – Live Oak, FL
Nov. 15 – Pensacola, FL
Nov. 18 – Baton Rouge, LA
Nov. 21 – Austin, TX
Nov. 22 – Dallas, TX

Watch The Floozies – “Love, Sex, and Fancy Things” (summer recap) video:

And check out the Floozies all over the interwebs:
Soundcloud
Facebook
Twitter
Web

By Moniker

Sep 12 2014

EVENT PREVIEW: 10 Fall/Winter Tours to Cure Your Post-Festival Season Blues

GET OVER FESTIVAL SEASON WITH THESE HOT FALL/WINTER TOURS:

The weather is starting to cool down a bit after a scorching hot Summer Festival Season for a lot of us. We all had our favorites. Summer Camp, Waka, Shambala, Mysteryland, North Coast, Hudson (lol jk). They will all forever hold a special place in our hearts. But they’re over. In the past. Time to move on. No drunk dialing your ex’s. Just move on to that rebound. Get yourself some strange ass and have a hot and heavy one night stand.

And boy do I have 10 Fall/Winter tours for you that are going to make you forget all about camping, camelbaks, and cashless systems.

10. Savoy “Mo Lasers Mo Problems” Tour featuring Bright Lights. Because Lasers. These guys have been playing bigger and bigger venues for the last few years and their live production is nothing short of a spectacle. They’ll surely highlight their 2014 album “Predator,” an album just made for lasers in a dark smokey room. If you like drum and bass music, be sure to catch these guys when they tear up a town near you now through mid-November.

9. Skrillex Fall Tour. Stop. Before you say anything, just stop. If you’re sitting there thinking how “basic” I am for this pick or if you think ya boi Sonny is a one trick bro-step pony then you haven’t been paying attention for the last year. Recess was scary good and his Mothership Tour this past Summer made people realize that dubstep may not have the draw it had when it was fresh, but Skrillex is so much more anyway. His high energy, genre clashing sets have everyone talking and his Fall tour, accompanied by Big G, GTA and others is hitting a city near you and you better be there. Beem yourself up, Scotty.

8. Odesza’s “In Return” Tour. Supporting their latest studio effort, “In Return,” these Northwest up and comers have been hitting the festivals, supporting major tours and even headlining at smaller clubs across the country all building up to their biggest headlining tour yet. If you haven’t gotten a chance to catch Odesza live yet, their headlining tour would probably be the place to do it. Their sets are usually non-stop tunes that will truly entrance any listener and get them moving on the dance floor, whether they want to or not.

7. Dillon Francis’ “Money Sucks Friends Rule” Tour. Yada yada sell out blah blah getting a can to the face drama, Dillon Francis tends to attract all the gossip from an immature EDM fanbase, but his talents as a producer and DJ should not be overlooked just because he finds himself on the losing end of everything that’s wrong with the electronic music community. This major headlining tour has Francis playing larger venues than any previous solo shows in support of his first studio album distributed with the help of a major record label. The irony of the name “Money Sucks Friends Rule” tour is not lost on this writer. Still, Dillon continues to put on one of the best live shows out there, and with support from TJR, if he’s stopping anywhere near you, you should probably head over.

6. Lettuce. Because everyone loves funk. You need the funk. And there is no more funkier act out right now than Lettuce. So many acts these days rely on stage production, and there’s not necessarily anything wrong with that, but if you’re looking for a show that relies strictly on the group’s musical talent and musical entertainment value, Lettuce is it. Jesus saves but Deitch shreds.

5. Run The Jewels (2). Plans for the sophomore album from the Killer Mike & El-P project have just been released along with plans for a Fall Tour. The first release and tour from these two was out of the world with energy that is pretty hard to match. A unique show, the duo brings it every time and any hip hop head would be remiss to not show up.

4. STS9. After some time off following a little bit of a lineup change, STS9 has proven themselves to be back and seemingly without missing a step. Having played several festivals this summer and a sold out run at the legendary Red Rocks, these, dare I say, Jamtronica heavy hitters are ready to melt your faces indoors this Fall.

3. Pretty Lights Music Keepin’ it Crew Tour. Perhaps Michal Menert constantly getting overlooked and left off most major Summer festivals could really be a blessing in disguise. He’s certainly kept busy, starting his own label, Super Best Records with friends Krooked Drivers, Late Night Radio and others, as well as planning a massive PLM fall tour with his homies Eliot Lipp, Supervision, and Paul Basic. If you’re tired of the BS of mainstream electronic music and want to see some passion on the stage, this is the tour for you. If you’re going to take a risk and see any artist on this list for the first time, make it Menert. He will not disappoint. You’ll probably even be able to catch him wandering about the crowd with a drink taking pictures with friends and fans. If you’re lucky (or have equipment and a couch to crash on) he may even play a sweet after party at your place.

2. String Cheese Incident. First studio album in 9 years? Check. Biggest tour since reuniting 5 years ago? Check. First time playing several East Coast spots in almost 10 years? Check. This tour is a no brainer. Don’t act like you haven’t been missing cheese. Eoto is great and all, but give me some cheese!

1. Bassnectar’s Noise Vs. Beauty Tour. Because, well, Bassnectar. Don’t miss out. Especially his Basscenter show at Madison Square Garden. Don’t be a fool, wrap your tool. And see Bassnectar live.

If you’ve got dough left over, you should also check out:

The Floozies “Back On It” Tour
Creature Carnival featuring Beats Antique, Emancipator, Shpongle and Lafa Taylor.
Atmosphere’s “North of Hell” Tour
Safe in Sound Festival ft. Flux Pavilion, Adventure Club and more
Marco Benevento
The Werks vs. Zoogma Tour
Big Gigantic Touch The Sky Tour

By: Moniker

Sep 11 2014

NEW RELEASE: Freddy Todd – “Golden Tremendous” (9-Track Album Out Now On Lowtemp) [FREE Download]

FREDDY TODD RELEASES GOLDEN TREMENDOUS VIA LOWTEMP:

Guess who’s back with yet another proper installation into his catalog of smashing albums. That’s right, it’s the production horse Freddy Todd and his newest baby is a masterpiece to say the least. Culminating over the past year or so, Golden Tremendous, the 9-track studio album out now on Gramatik’s Lowtemp record label, spans across the list of genres and barrels past into a sound all in it’s own. Freddy Todd has created nine songs that individually and collectively showcase his abilities to build a style that is truly innovative and futuristic. Packed with synthesizers designed to seek extra terrestrials, and kicks that would flatter any car’s system, Golden Tremendous is a big one.

The album opens with the funky tune “Fastenator, Get Up” that brings the classic F.T sound back into our lives instantly with the simple press of the play button. From there, Freddy carries us into “Let Me (Awesome)” and a single from the album, “TimeBeings” featuring the horns of Lowtemp labelmate Russ Liquid. Then there’s “The Jestler”, an inspiring, beautiful ballad featuring piano chords and a broken beat that makes you ponder the world (what else is out there, how did we get here, and what’s next???). It’s there when Freddy Todd reintroduces us to his future funk sound on “Tread Jello”, an energetic and sub heavy track.

My favorite tune off the album is “Infinitesimal”. The tune is very hard not to vibe to. Featuring a kinetic synth line, the tune put’s you on an electric ride through Tron’s grid and into Freddy Todd’s intergalactic brain. Woah.

The album concludes with a perfectly re-mastered version of his tune “Wave Therapy” and another glitched out hit “Glove Coast Cruise Control”. All in all, Golden Tremendous is a 10 in my book and will easily stay in the front of my listening rotation for quite some time. Better yet, the album is FREE to download direct from Freddy’s website: www.freddytodd.com

Be sure to show some support and share the album with EVERYONE! Much love and enjoy the new tunes!

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD: Freddy Todd ‘Golden Tremendous’ on Soundcloud:

Freddy Todd on Facebook
Freddy Todd on Twitter

Sep 11 2014

CONTEST: Win Tickets To See EOTO & Luminox At The Crofoot On Sept. 25th (ENTER HERE)

WIN TICKETS TO SEE EOTO IN DETROIT:

If you are a fan of bass music, jamtronic, electro, or basically any genre of music under the sun, than it’s a sure thing that you’ll get down to EOTO. The two piece, all-improvisation electro band has created a sound and energy unique to only them. The two String Cheese Incident percussionists have traveled the globe with their EOTO project, and on September 25th, the intense, energy packed live EOTO set comes to The Crofoot in Pontiac, Michigan. You can purchase tickets here or you can enter in our contest below for a FREE PAIR of tickets to see the bass charged duo. Good luck, we hope to see you there!

ENTER TO WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS:

JOIN THE EVENT ON FACEBOOK

Sep 3 2014

FESTY NEWS: 11th Annual Decibel International Festival Of Electronic Music Hits Seattle September 24th-28th (Our Top 3 Favorite Showcases)

DECIBEL FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 11 YEARS:

The scene is set in Seattle. The music is a broad spectrum of electronic innovators up & coming and legends alike. The event is the 11th annual Decibel Festival, and it’s returning to it’s fitting Seattle home this September 24th-28th. Boasting a lineup featuring big dogs like Richie Hawtin & Pete Tong, plus crowd favorites like Paper Diamond, Soul Clap, Chet Faker, & Martyn, Decibel has once again curated quite the impressive & eclectic lineup for their 2014 programming. Truly one-of-a-kind, Decibel Festival is sprawled across 5 nights in 12+ venues throughout the city with a large emphasis on the audio/visual components of each production. From the nightclub, to the theater, to a bumping boat party, Decibel offers surprises around every corner.

PURCHASE TICKETS TO DECIBEL FESTIVAL

With a lineup as huge as Decibel’s (well over 100 performers from almost 20 countries), it’s really tough to play favorites but below are the top 3 sets we WOULD NOT miss under any circumstance.

3. Hot Creations Showcase with Lee Foss feat. Anabel Englund @ EMP Level 3 on Saturday
What could be better than a hot creations party in the middle of Decibel Festival?! Lee Foss always brings a huge party for his sets and with the addition of Anabel Englund, things are about to get real… Sexyyy! Don’t miss this!
MORE INFO

2. Resident Advisor Showcase with Kaytranada & Lunice @ EMP Level 3 on Wednesday
This is the Resident Advisor showcase and it’s hotttter than the sun! Featuring the two Montreal natives, things are about to get real for this one. We’d have to hope that a little B2B action might just happen! Fingers crossed.
MORE INFO

1. Crew Love Showcase with Soul Clap, Wolf + Lamb, & Nick Monaco @ Q Nightclub on Friday
Well, the only way to prep for a Hot Creations party on Saturday is to attend the Crew Love showcase on Friday! This is almost guaranteed to be the hottest music of the week. Expect to dance.
MORE INFO

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Richie Hawtin & Friends @ EMP Sky Church on Saturday
Friends of Friends Showcase with Salva, Nadastrom, Groundislava, and Deru + Effixx @ The Crocodile on Sunday
Bass Cadets 1 with Paper Diamond, Keys N Krates, gLAdiator, and Thugli @ Showbox Sodo on Friday
All Gone Pete Tong with Pete Tong, Tensnake, and ISIS Graham @ Q Nightclub on Sunday

2014 Lineup (In alphabetical order):
!!! DJs, 1979 feat Deru + Effixx, Alice Boman, Ana Sia, Andy Stott, Anna Lunoe, Anthony Parasole, Arca + Jesse Kanda, ASC, Atom, Avalon Emerson, Baryonyx, Baths, Bgeezy, Black Asteroid, Blue Hawaii, BRAIDS, Brian Lyons, Chet Faker, Christopher Wilits, Claptone, Clean Bandit, Cock & Swan, Com Truise, Demdike Stare, Denise & Pika, Deru, DJ Spinn, DJAO, Douglas Dare, Eden Hagos, Etdemin, El Ten Eleven, FaltyDL, Fluxion, gLAdiator, Greg Gives Peter Space, Groundislava feat. Rare Times, Guti, Hanssen, Isis Graham, J Alvarez, Jacaszek, Jamie McCue, Jon Roberts, JusMoni, Kangding Ray, Kastle, Kaytranada, Keys N Krates, Kid Smpl, Kim Ann Foxman, KiNK feat. Rachel Raw, Kode9, Kraddy, Kris Moon, Lauren Lane, Lee Burridge, Lee Foss feat. Anabel Englund, Letherette, Lindstrom, Loscil, Luke Mandola, Lunice, Lusine, Made In Heights, Manatee Commune, Marcel Dettmann, Martyn, Matrixxman, Max Cooper, Midnight Magic, Milie & Andrea, Mimosa, MK, Murcof + Simon Geifus [Antivj], Nadastrom, Natasha Kmeto + Effixx, Nick Monaco, Nordic Soul, Oneohtrix Point Never + Nate Boyce, Paper Diamond, Patrick Topping, Pete Tong, Pezzner, Recondite, Richie Hawtin, Rival Consoles, Robert Babicz, Rone, Rrose, Sabota, Salva, Sango, Sassmouth, Scratcha DVA, Scuba, Sean Majors, Segue, Shadow Child, Simian Mobile Disco, Slow Year, Son Lux, Soul Clap, South London Ordinance, Splatinum, Steffi, Survive, Sweater Beats, Ten Walls, Tensnake, The Sight Below, Thugli, Tokimonsta, Tomas Jirku, Total Freedom, Taso, Vatican Shadow, Vox Mod, Waldo, WIFE, Wolf + Lamb, Young Marco, Yppah

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