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Alex
Justice brought their thunderous French house to Oakland’s Fox Theater on Tuesday, playing a live set for a sell-out crowd of nearly 3,000. The French duo – with the ridiculously French names Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay – drew heavily from both albums throughout an impressive 90-minute set.
Flanked by three banks of Marshall cabs (which looked indisputably cool but made absolutely no noise), their performance began with a powerful rendition of “Genesis” into “Civilization” – the first single off their latest record Audio, Video, Disco. While this was sonically effective, I’ll admit I was a little underwhelmed by these first few minutes – I’d seen them open their set on the Coachella livestream in the exact same way. It felt too rigid. That being said, they began to spin a little more adventurously as the set wore on. Mixing between “Newjack” and “Civilization” worked like a charm, and they sliced and diced “D.A.N.C.E.” just about every way they could. Older tracks like “We Are Your Friends” and “Phantom Pt. 2” likewise sounded phenomenal.
Towards the end of the set, their bleep-blooping, glowing cross-adorned DJ-altar split in two to reveal a small, backlit organ. At this point, de Rosnay descended from the mountain to play “On’n’On” while Augé DJ’ed. This was wholly unexpected and an utterly charming change of pace. I might go as far as to say this turned “On’n’On” into one of my favorite Justice songs. My favorite live memories are when a performance makes me see a song in that I’d previously overlooked in a new light.
Many Justice fans haven’t transitioned smoothly to the classic rock-influenced sounds of their second album (often labeled prog rock), instead favoring the heavier tracks from their debut – 2007’s Cross. Now, I may take some flak for this, but I actually kinda like Justice’s latest album. Tracks like “Canon”, “Helix” and “New Lands” turned into gargantuan, crushingly powerful anthems at the show. Kicked some serious ass. The enormous ocean of energetically surging hands didn’t hurt, but I’m developing a special place in my heart for some of these songs.
Cross and Audio, Video, Disco are very different albums, no way around it. Fans of Justice’s first album often criticize A,V,D for not being dancy enough. This is unequivocally true, but many fans don’t realize that this was a deliberate decision to move away from the huge dance jams that characterized Cross. Justice didn’t suddenly lose the magic; they just decided to move in a new direction. It would’ve been way too easy to make Cross 2, sit back and watch the cash roll in. Instead, they took a creative risk. Some people don’t like it; I think it’s paying off. Whatever you might think of their new material, they deserve at least a modicum of respect for taking that leap.
Phil
The night before their show at LA’s Nokia Theater, Justice played a live set in Oakland. The LA show was advertised as a DJ set, and having only known Justice as live performers, I was completely in the dark in terms of what to expect.
The openers, Busy P and The Rapture, both played very interesting sets. I walked into the venue with Busy P talking in French on the mic then saying things like ‘You know, this is not an Avicii show you know, we are French, we play what we like you know, now I want to play a song that is very Los Angeles, if I can play this song for me, can I play this song Los Angeles?’ followed by Red Hot Chili Peppers’ ‘Suck My Kiss’. The Rapture, on the other hand, essentially played an hour of lounge techno. They usually perform live as well, and the DJ set is not a format that suits The Rapture. They didn’t even play ‘How Deep Is Your Love?’! In all honesty, the set was not very polished and left a large portion of the crowd feeling pretty sleepy.
Then Justice took the stage. Giant cross or no, these two dudes make a crowd go insane just by showing up. Now, I expected something different from what I heard from the live streams I’ve listened to, but I really wasn’t prepared for this caliber of a DJ set. Most DJs mix song to song, making it very apparent that they are DJing. Justice, on the other hand, tries as hard as they can to turn the decks into a live show. They mixed everything from acid to rock to techno, with acid and essentially every Gesaffelstein song being the non-Justice-song favorites of the French duo. Beat repeats were the main tool used for bpm switches, and while this has the possibility of sounding pretty tacky, they pulled it off well and made some very interesting transitions. Unlike Alex’s show, Audio, Video, Disco was their last track. I hadn’t given the song much thought on its release, but hearing it live on club speakers gave me an entirely new appreciation for it. It’s progressive house meets arena rock, and it works surprisingly well. Favorites like ‘Phantom Pt. II’ and ‘Waters of Nazareth’ were huge highlights – reminding the crowd why Justice is so phenomenally famous: they are phenomenally talented. Each song sounds damn near perfect played live, live set or no, and Justice has definitely been put on the ‘would see again’ list.
As of late, the club scene in San Francisco has become filled with numerous new crews throwing new events. While some of them are good, some of them are great and some of them you might get shivved at, two brand new groups are really shaking things up in SF’s scene in the best way possible. They are Madmen Entertainment and Thundergod. Last Thursday, they booked Metrojolt talk of the town Clockwork, to play at Manor West. Naturally I had to be there to give you the scoop. The scoop:
Let’s start with Manor West. I had never been there before last Thursday. It’s a small, intimate venue operated by polite employees which is kept clean and features a well stocked bar for the thirsty. The sound is EQ’ed just as it should be. Thankfully the problems that plague a certain club who shall not be named which might be across the street have not spread to this jewel of an institution. The bass in the room was solid and the highs didn’t drill into your skull and liquify your already swiss cheesed clubber brain. It was pretty chill leaving the club still being able to hear. Although it was just for this show, the lights were provided by the Top Shelf crew. These guys kill it at making things look pretty. Respect.
The weekly Thundergod parties are all 19+. While that sounds like a weird age limit at first, I think it makes perfect sense. Maybe you were pretty cool when you were 18, but compared to when you were 19 you were a doofus. Admit it. By setting the limit at 19, Thundergod and Madmen are avoiding dealing with doofuses, first time clubbers, ass-hats trying to start fights and people likely to puke on your shoes. In my book that’s pretty smart. They’re creating a vibe that is positive without people having to give out back massages and share friendship bracelets to reinforce that point. Trust me, it’s rad.
While the openers (Team No Sleep. props where props are due) certainly kept the crowd on their feet, the energy in the room surged as Clockwork took the stage. Being the headliner at a small club gives a ton of flexibility, and Clockwork took full advantage of this. He dropped banger after banger, keeping the crowd engaged by mixing in his stranger choices with big, anthem style tracks that everyone knows and loves My favorite portion of the beginning of his set was a combination of Diplo’s ‘Express Yourself’ and Dillon Francis’ remix of Clockwork’s original track ‘Hulk’. ‘Hulk’ itself is an absurdly giant track, and mixed with moombahton speed and the craziness of ‘Express Yourself’ made for a fun section of the set. Another fun part was his drunken exclamation that he ‘fucking loves Levels’ as he played his now infamous remix much to the crowd’s delight.
With about 25 minutes left in his set, Clockwork stopped the music, got on the mic and announced that he was drunk and wanted to play some rap. Although it was completely absurd, the small club atmosphere made it less absurd. The vibe was like a house party. It was refreshing being at a party where the DJ could throw down hard and yet no one was taking themselves too seriously. Tracks like Kanye West’s ‘All Falls Down’ were a fun throwback to a bygone era where rap ruled the club scene. By the end of his set, it was absolutely clear to me that this was an extreme novelty: in just a few years time, EDM will completely dominate the clubs, and anything straying from the 128, 140, and 108 bpm genres will slowly fade away until they are pushed to the underground and EDM rules supreme and the cycle starts all over again.
With shows like these, Madmen and Thundergod have cemented themselves as serious contenders in the ever growing SF EDM scene. I predict serious growth from them, both because of the incredibly dope artists they’ve been pulling and the friendliness and dedication of the management. We were shown an awesome time at this event, and I only saw smiles from everyone in the club from start to finish.
Metrojolt has teamed up with Talenthouse to offer you a chance to open for Rusko!
It all started back in 2003 when Justin Martin and his brother Christian teamed up with Claude Vonstroke and Worthy. They all decided to throw a free party in Golden Gate Park to showcase their new sound. This event sparked their following and now there are Dirtybird diehards everywhere. Dirtybird, is their record label, signing artists from all around the world. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the crew throwing high-energy parties, attracting gorgeous hipster crowds and making everyone move. The Dirtybird crew has a distinct sound, and they showcased that at the Mezzanine with some rattling bass and Funky Tech House beats.
Talk about atmosphere, The Mezzanine was on fire from start to finish. It was the party you wish you could throw: think throwback warehouse rave, in a concrete haven. Visuals were on every wall, lasers and lights conducting the dance-floor, and some of the most inventive DJ’s around.
As people settle into their first drink, the funky hip-hop infused disco jam begun. Justin started the assault by mixing deep bass lines and great vocal work, each track transforming into the next one. Only a couple transitions were shaky, but for the most part he nailed it. The stage was set with turntables on the floor. People casually walked up to Justin and shook his hand as he spun. It felt like I just rolled up to their house party, with 5 full bars, turntables, and they said “lets rage until 4am”. Claude Vonstroke stood with Justin for most of the set. They would amp up the crowd together, whenever it was necessary. Justin mixed very strong hip-hop influences throughout the whole set, while also working in some filthy tribal drum sounds to balance it all out. He dropped a very diverse set of tracks that meshed together surprisingly well.
Just as the doors opened, I made my way toward the dance floor and I noticed J.Phlip coming in right behind me with a rollie backpack. The rest was history. Who doesn’t love a girl dripping with swag, who could definitely throw down. There was barely an inch to move on the dance floor, and her set really started to heat up. One of the first beats J.Phlip dropped swept everyone off their feet. Hard-hitting drums took control, accompanied by very clean Tech House beat. She would also sprinkle some crunchy bass wobbles, mixed with sped up vocals that were chopped up at all the right times. She definitely had one of the highest energy sets of the night.
Boom. And there was Claude. With a perfect transition, J.Phlip handed over the reins to Claude, and within seconds he had the dance floor in the palm of his hand. The first part of his set had a groovy house vibe to it that allowed the audience to drift off into their happy place. He dropped a track, which was a collab with Eats Everything called, Ignorance Is Bliss. It’s on Part one of the Dirtybird EP, “Hatched” (Check it out here). He also played a remix of Super Sharp Shooter that had the whole room giggin. Claude definitely had the strongest connection with the audience, never letting off the gas at all, building up with some very catchy swirling chords and dropping funk infused bass lines.
By far the most unique quality of The Dirtybird Event was the flawless transition from one DJ to the next. Suddenly Worthy was spinning, and gorgeous women were flooding all around the turntables. It’s was last call so the dance floor was at its peak of the night, as everyone was trying to get on Worthy’s level. He delivered nasty drop after nasty drop, one of which being a release on Part two of the “Hatched” EP (Check it out here.) It’s called Shy Look, and has an 80’s dance feel to it, by far one of the sickest tracks of the night. His set illustrated how the Dirtybird crew can be diverse, with every artist bringing something different to the table. Worthy dropped massive bass lines with resonating vocal samples, that combined for a very satisfying set.
I cannot stress enough how fluently all 5 of these DJ’s sets meshed together. It truly is something you need to experience for yourself, and I hope to see other artist doing sets like this in the future. Finishing off the evening was Christian Martin, where after just two songs it was obvious why he was headlining. Christian brought a Dubstep infused Techy Hip-Hop hybrid creating the biggest drops of the night. Absolutely filthy transitions adding to the energy, which kept you wondering how much bass the next song would have. The biggest track he dropped was, Waiting, from Part two of the “Hatched” EP (Check it out here). He took bass infused funk to the next level with Techy build-ups, and classic bass lines.
After seven hours of non-stop, hard-hitting, bass lines, I commended the Dirtybird crew for putting on a stellar performance. Based on the crowd’s reaction throughout the entire night, everyone left satisfied. Thanks to The Mezzanine for their cheerful hospitality and a classy atmosphere. Cheers.
Journalism for this piece was provided by Maxmay of Neighbors Hate Us.
Photography was provided by Katie Rae Cornie
We want to fuck you sonically
Frontman, lead singer, guitarist and synth player Marc Gilfrey jokingly rolled this comment off after a quip about the live mixing that was along the lines of ‘we don’t want to be fucked sonically’. Amidst his t-shirt thrashing and heavily repeated lyrics, Gilfrey made these remarks to keep the crowd engaged in the group’s indie psychedelic music. Not indie psychedelic like MGMT, indie psychedelic like some amalgam between The White Stripes and The Bloody Beetroots. Gilfrey and his bandmates Billy Scher and Matt Ungson were all manning more than one instrument – turning this three person band into a six-piece looping powerhouse. Gilfrey would begin by talking up the audience, and then a surprising burst of sound would spark the song – an introduction that would only be trumped by the song’s ending. Bouncing over their synths, Scher and Gilfrey were slowly setting up the majority of the rhythm section that would later be joined by Ungson on the drums. Gilfrey and Scher were both playing guitars, parts that were constantly too similar to discern, leading me to the conclusion that Gilfrey should leave the guitar and focus on his singing– which faltered from time to time. The chunky guitar riffs, floating synth lines and repeated instrumental sections may not have completely fucked us sonically, but it pulled in a lot of new unassuming fans.
Rolling Stone, in its review of a Doug Appling A.K.A. Emancipator performance, posited that “you can feel [Appling's] energy when he performs. His face lights up and you can see how much he enjoys the music.” They were spot on. Appling, along with the accompanying violinist, killed their set (as much as a chill-hop, downtempo artist can kill it). It was like musical chocolate for my third-day-of-a-music-festival ears. A short unwind, an interlude, for the craziest – and final – night of all three. The catchy guitar solos bled into violin lines and steady synth drums– the perfect live mixing. Appling had it down. Mirroring the swaying of his fans, this Portland, Oregon native was all over his drum pads and midi controller. With the live feed coming in from the violin, Appling didn’t have to worry about creating a melody line. Instead he would alter its original meaning by changing the area around it to create a cohesive and interesting track. I personally had never heard of Appling or Emancipator but after his brilliant set. The performance was enough to make me, and many others, fans. I’m catching up with his past releases and waiting for his future ones.
Childish Gambino, the alter ego of modern Renaissance man Donald Glover, is the epitome of a branded artist. His style is evocation of other indie music icons: the fact that he wears short shorts, and name checks prestigious universities (See his song “You See Me” off Camp) in his lyrics. The best part about it is even though he was wearing a bright red cardigan, Georgetown University shirt, and skinny jeans during his set at SnowGlobe, it made sense – it worked for him. He has another dimension, a side of him that’s self-deprecating. Even though he’s reached this sudden fame, he’s oddly humble about it. More importantly than his style and actions is the music. First of all, the full live band is definitely a wise move – especially when that band knows every lyric to every song and yells it nearly loud enough to be discerned. Second, the lyrics are understandable – not necessarily relatable – and smart. Probably Glover’s most popular song off of Camp (his only studio album) was “Bonfire,” a tour de force full of profanity, anger, and power. By the end of the live rendition – which featured the crazy synth line, but lacked the R&B hooks Glover usually features in his songs – Glover and his bassist were facing each other, jumping as high as they could while the strobes flashed. It was a visual and aural overload to say the least, but that’s Glover’s forte – creating an unparalleled experience by pulling from every aspect of his life.
If SnowGlobe was compared to a baseball game, Thievery Corporation would definitely be the curveball that hits the strike zone – unexpected but successful. The masterminds behind Thievery Corporation are Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, two DJs from Washington DC. If you were at their New Years Eve set, there’s no way you’d think two guys were creating all that music. There was a seven piece band onstage made up of a bassist, guitarist, citar, two horns and two singers – not to mention the two guys behind the computers. Although the bassist was creepily staring at the audience the entire set, he provided a good foundation for the rest of the instruments to flourish out of. The band would alternate from being part of the huge rhythm section to taking solos when there was no sung melody line. Yes, Garza and Hilton are technically DJs, but they don’t seem to be doing any crazy mixing or cutting – just a few addition here and there. Thievery Corporation’s Middle Eastern influenced acid jazz was soothing and easy to digest, even though the chord progressions were complicated. The sounds melted together, lyrics becoming tones, citar lines becoming words, all flowing off into the frigid South Lake Tahoe air. If any performance at Snowglobe felt like an acid trip, it was this one.
After bouncing early from the Thievery Corporation set, there was only one place me – and a multitude of other fans. That was Paper Diamond’s evening set at the Igloo stage. This Denver, CO native Alex Botwin isn’t necessarily changing the game, but he’s playing along with it at a pretty high level. Besides controlling all his effects, samples and synths through his iPad, he was up there bouncing and yelling at the audience, getting them more and more into the show. His music is a hybrid of electro and hip-hop, an unsurprising combination since he’s signed to the label Pretty Lights Music. Regardless, it’s an interesting and easy-to-rage-to mix with heavy bass undertones and expected drops that usually feature a sample. In an interview with OurVinyl.com, Paper Diamond noted, “I am putting out the music that I like to play, which is dance. I like to play upbeat music with some bass and plenty of influences like soul and hip-hop.” Even though it was his own words, he was absolutely right, everyone was going crazy to his upbeat bass-driven electro hip-hop.
We’d made it. Three long, amazing days. It was all coming to an end – starting at 11:15 pm and ending at 1:00 am in a completely new year. Ed Ma, Justin Boreta and Josh Mayer – the men who make up the L.A.-based group The Glitch Mob – were going to close it out with a bang. Unlike virtually every other electronic artist at the festival (the exception being San Francisco-based R/D) The Glitch Mob showed us exactly what they were doing on their drum pads and MIDI controllers by tilting them toward the audience. Aside from their stellar light show, the premier aspect of their show was the amount of variation of roles. Ma usually took the complicated synth lines, but other than that they were all the drummers, keyboardists and synth players. The didn’t have the gimmicky drops that are the norm from Bassnectar and Pretty Lights – but it makes their music more flowing, more candid. There were minutes at a time when they would let their previously programmed track just play, staying completely off the controls and other times when all three were hunched over their tables violently DJing. They took a little break for the New Years Countdown, had some champagne on stage and hugged various friends who were in attendance. ’5…4…3…2…1!’ Boom. Confetti everywhere. Fireworks over the stage and The Glitch Mob starting the second half of their set. It was even better than the first half, like they were re-energized. The glitch-hop beats were dropping left and right with the vocal samples and monophonic synth lines thrown right on top. It’s hard to tell if the crowd was having a better time than Ma, Boreta and Mayer, but I guess it really didn’t matter, everyone was smiling, thanking every lucky star for the insanity of the last three days.
SnowGlobe 2011 was an amazing way to bring in 2012. Even without snow in Lake Tahoe, the whole experience was superb musically. Until next year.
