something awesome indeed.

the stage set-up

eppie

Just The Tip (VJ Jay & DBriggs)

JPG (steven oey & JAWSOMO)

pasternak

kMerch

JameRSun

photos by Thomas Hong. 08-09.01.11. more here.

Something Awesome 2011 @ucsd price center plaza,
presented by the dvc (deejays & vinylphiles club @ucsd).
the dvc on fb.

the big rush down

by erika h. nov. 2010.

in são paulo, rolandia, mococa, or unicorn ze. I dunno.
South America is on my list of places to travel.

strumming am strand

erika h. nov. 2010.

in são paulo, rolandia, mococa, or unicorn ze.

bird in hand

by erika h. nov. 2010.

darker than dust

by niklas j.s. west cliff, santa cruz, ca. 01.2011

bottlehood sd

Eco-friendly, upcycled glassware made from recycled bottles from our neighborhood...

tumblers, juice glasses and vases created from wine, beer, soda and liquor bottles.

bottlehood, san diego.

Whiteroom – The Whiteroom

When people look back on the decade that was the 2000s, they will see that 2004 (how I can EXTRA-BOLD this??) was the greatest of those years in trance. Among dozens of other reasons for this, The Whiteroom is one phenomenal track and has already established itself as a classic born out of that year.

To me, this track is the greatest hybrid of the stellar ambience of psytrance and the build-up/breakdown structure of progressive to date. A simple enough bassline plods along and its repetition is present enough to put you in a trance, but made subtle enough by all the other different elements that you maintain interest. Hypnotic, indistinguishable vocals, by 2004 already a legendary trademark of Andy Moor, are scattered tastefully throughout those nine, blissful minutes. Yet, they are such a massive component of The Whiteroom's overall force, keeping the listener in a constant of suspense and chills. I say this out of respect for the notion that, somehow, all trance releases are supposed to give listeners goosebumps, which has surely become a bastardized cliche by this point. No, something about The Whiteroom simply justifies that old adage about trance music, they way it manages execute impeccable timing, knowing when and where to bring in new elements, while removing others.

Seven minutes inward, as the song's ever genuine build-up culminates to one steep climax, a much anticipated breakdown strikes and, even after the full-blown impact is delivered, the ambience is never lost, but rather grows. The vocals become intense and are backdropped by an utmost spooky melody played on the leads. I'll leave the rest to the reader's imagination.

Absolutely stunning.

OMG truthful trance review. Thank you discog reviewer.

something awesome 2011

the deejays & vinylphiles club (DVC) at ucsd present:

SOMETHING AWESOME

sat. 08.01.2011 | 9pm-2am

Price Center Plaza, UCSD Campus | 1400 capacity

FREE for UCSD STUDENTS | $5 non-UCSD students

– must have valid college ID –

— LINEUP/SET TIMES —
09:00 Eppie (Elizabeth Epps) dirty electro
09:50 Just the Tip (Donnie Briggs & Jacob Gray) electro/nu disco/indie dance
10:40 JPG (Steven Oey & Jerry Lin) random
11:30 Pasternak (Arthur Pasternak) house
12:20 DJ kMerch (Kyle Merchant) trance
01:10 JameRSun (Jameson Rikel) acid crunk/dubstep/drum'n'bass

fb event page with links to 20min. demos by the djs

amos goldbaum

amos goldbaum

very cool line drawings.
I've seen this guy on Market a couple times;

wanted to support him and buy a drawing or something, but student budget.. :/
maybe next time.

ONNELLISTA UUTTA VUOTTA!!
(happy new year in Finnish)

sensation white NYE düsseldorf

20:00 doors open
21:30 - 22:40 Mr. White
22:40 - 23:58 Richie Hawtin
23:58 - 00:05 Silvester Moment
00:05 - 01:35 Sebastian Ingrosso
01:35 - 02:00 The Mix
02:00 - 03:30 Fedde Le Grand
03:30 - 04:45 Funkagenda
04:45 - 06:00 Joris Voorn & 2000 and One

Sensation White New Years' Eve — Düsseldorf, Germany

Line-up not even close to spectacular/epic as I had envisioned.
but oh, well. I bought my ticket early on, and Sensation is definitely a rave to go to while in Europe.
kinda regretting not having gone to the one in Copenhagen in November, though.
line-up was better, and it looked quite epic from the pics.
but I wasn't sure how the courseload would be (classes only started in mid-October) and so didn't buy a ticket and plan for Copenhagen.

sensation white — copenhagen, nov.2010

Happy New Year 2011!

_________edit:
Here's my little review-ish of the event. (02.01.2011)

clinic NYE

click flyer for more event info.

The Finnish superstars are back in their hometown for a NYE party.
Too bad I left Helsinki on Tuesday and am back in Berlin.
Gawd I love Finland.

and the event is at a place quite near center and a few blocks away from where I was staying.

super8 & tab / orkidea / orion
raw finnish artists making a mark in the electronica world.

Bright Lights (Netsky Remix)

artist(s): Die & Interface ft. William Cartwright

track: Bright Lights — Netsky Remix

genre: drum'n'bass – liquid

rating: sehr gut

320kbps / buy

chongqing

Many buildings are marked with a “chai” character, meaning that they are to be demolished.

Lost in China, 24.12.10. nytimes travel.

let there be neon

Here, Neon Is Anything but Inert. nytimes, 30.12.10 (yes, I'm backdating my entries)

swedish sweets

Martin Johansson saw the American cupcake boom firsthand during a two-year stint as the chef at the Swedish Embassy in Washington. In August, after returning to Sweden, he opened Cupcake STHLM with a childhood friend, Mikael Ingeltun, who had spent the past few years as a chef aboard luxury yachts. Rather that importing an American craze, the pair say they are championing the contribution Scandinavian immigrants made to American home cooking.

Delicious Desserts at Stockholm's Cafes, 22.12.10. nytimes.

animal rights

21.12.10. deadmau5: Animal Rights in Leeds and Manchester, UK

Terranaut - Start Your Engines / Reunite

artist: Terranaut, from London, UK

ep: Start Your Engines / Reunite

genre: Drum'n'Bass

label: Mindstorm

release date: 10.Aug.2010

rating: pretty good.

buy: junodownload

33mb/320kbps

1. Start Your Engines (Original Mix) (06:10)
2. Reunite (Original Mix) (07:26)

Orkidea - Radio Unity 024 (15.12.10)

Orkidea: Radio Unity 024 (The special xmas chill piano trance mix)

broadcasted on 15.12.2010 on ah.fm

rating: super good! ★★★★★
I've compiled Orkidea's commentary on the tracks on this single blog post so you won't have to read the whole 23 pages of forums posts (unless you really want to). scroll down after the tracklist.

1. Rober Miles: Children (Lowland orchestral version)
2. Philip Glass Metamorphosis: Metamorphosis Five
3. Thrillseekers: Synaesthesia (Lowland orchestral version)
4. Thomas Newman: Any Other Name
5. Way Out West: Mindcircus (Lowland orchestral version)
6. Philip Glass: Truman Sleeps
7. BT: Flaming June (Lowland orchestral version)
8. Yann Tiersen: Comptine d'un autre été - L'après-midi
9. Greece 2000: Café del Mar (Lowland orchestral version)
10. Michael Nyman: The Heart Asks Pleasure First / The Promise
11. Chicane: Theme from Harry's Game (Saltwater) (Lowland orchestral version)
12. Wim Mertens: Close Cover
13. Aalto: Rush (Lowland orchestral version)
14. Cosmic Baby: Thinking About Myself
15. Binary Finary: 1998 (Lowland orchestral version)
16. Wim Mertens: Struggle for Pleasure
17. Slusnik Luna: Sun (Lowland orchestral version)

1. Rober Miles: Children (Lowland orchestral version)
Petri "Lowland" Alanko made special piano/orchestral versions for our Club Unity's 10th anniversary back in 2006. They ended up being released on Armada and if you haven't heard this amazing album I highly recommend to check it out. It's amazing to hear all these classic tracks in this form. The pure musical emotion shines through even without the beats.

2. Philip Glass: Metamorphosis: Metamorphosis Five
Philip Glass is the man we can thank for many of the musical foundations of trance music as people like Oliver Lieb and Cosmic Baby rate him as their key inspiration in early 90s with his arpeggiated piano pieces.

3. Thrillseekers: Synesthesia (Lowland orchestral version)
Another Lowland intepretation. This time remaking Thrillseekers late 90s classic Synesthesia. It's nice to see how something so simple can be so effective, emotional and deep at the same time. Timeless.

4. Thomas Newman: Any Other Name
Key piece from Thomas Newman's score for 'American Beauty' film. Mr. Newman really knows how to build simple yet so emotive and catchy pieces. And the sound of his piano is probably the softest one around.

5. Way Out West: Mindcircus
Nick Warren and Jody Wisteroff at their poppiest are getting the Lowland treatment here. The original was one of the highlights of the 'Intensify' album and even reached the UK singles chart #39. Classic.

6. Philip Glass: Truman Sleeps
Philip Glass piece which was included on the Truman Show movie. Not sure if this was actually written for the film but amazing two minutes of music never the less. Philip Glass really is one of my alltime musical heroes. Highly recommended to anyone who is into trance and classical music.

7. BT: Flaming June (Lowland orchestral version)
Listening to this together with BT during a car drive to the gig venue in Helsinki in April 2009 was a moment I will never forget. He is truly special person with AMAZING positive energy in him. And Flaming June is the finest of his many many great musical moments.

8. Yann Tiersen Comptine d'un autre été - L'après-midi
One of the key themes from the Amelie film. I used this Yann Tiersen's piece in a fashion show last year here in Finland and I've been wanting to play it in a set ever since. If you find more emotional music than this, please let me know;)

9. Three Drives: Greece 2000 (Lowland orchestral version)
Yet another Lowland version. Here is link to the full album in iTunes: Classical Trancelations by Lowland - Download Classical Trancelations on iTunes. Perfect "introduction to trance music" xmas gift to any friend/partner you want to convince of the beauty in trance music;)

10. Michael Nyman: The Heart Asks Pleasure First / The Promise
Theme music from the movie 'Piano'. Emotionally super charged music. Perhaps Michael Nyman's finest moment until today and something that will surely stand the test of the times for centuries to come. Is this trance?

11. Clannad: Theme from Harry's Game (Saltwater) (Lowland orchestral version)
Nice to see how music can travel from one piece to another and yet another, transforming from song made for TV series in 1982, being sampled by Chicane in 1999 and now re-living once again in another form by Lowland. Some people question remixing and remaking, but with examples like this I think sometimes it's all :D

12. Wim Mertens: Close Cover
I heard this one first time on one of Jose Padilla's (of Cafe del Mar Ibiza fame) legendary mix CDs and been in love ever since. And if your ever looking for good chill out CDs/mixes, Jose will always deliver. I highly recommend checking out his Mixcloud sessions. For example this is pure bliss: Jose Padilla - Ibiza Classic Sunset by Jose Padilla | Mixcloud - Re-think radio

13. Aalto: Rush (Lowland orchestral version)
Lowland's version of the Super8 & Orkidea remix of Aalto's Rush. Lowland said that the ending of this version kinda took over Brilliant stuff in it's all Hollywood hugeness.

14. Cosmic Baby: Thinking About Myself
Cosmic Baby was the person responsible for many of genre defining pieces of trance music back in 1992/1993 when he was recording on Berlin based MFS Records. Another old school name to check out and this was the title trance from his 1993 album where (IMHO) you can hear influences of Wim Mertens and Philip Glass clearly.

15. Binary Finary: 1998 (Lowland orchestral version)

16. Wim Mertens Struggle for Pleasure
Sounds familiar? The stiry behind Energy 52' Cafe del Mar was that DJ Kid Paul went to Ibiza in 1992 and heard a DJ (most likely Jose Padilla) play this piece during sunset in Cafe del Mar (a sunset bar in San Antonio in Ibiza). Kid Paul came back totally electrified, played the track to Cosmic Baby and then they made some history by writing 'Cafe del Mar'.

17. Slusnik Luna: Sun
The grand daddy of all finnish trance tracks: Slusnik Luna's 'Sun'. Niko from Slusnik Luna made first version of this and brought it to our summer Sunday club 'Sun' in Helsinki in 1999. I played it that night as encore without even listening to it first because my trust in these guys' skills is endless. But I was completely blown aways by the track. So much that we set up a label to release it. It caused major hype with everybody playing it and all the big labels wanting to sign it. It went on to UK singles chart Top 40 in August 2000 and holds a firm position as one of my alltime fave tracks.

urbanization

Mike Foyle & DNS Project - Cayo Norte

artist(s): Mike Foyle (UK) & DNS Project (Estonia)

EP: Cayo Norte

label: Soundpiercing

release date: 14.11.2010

genre: trance

rating: sehr gut. dark and classical.

1. Original Mix

2. Lemon & Einar K Remix

320kbps/51mb/.rar (pw: afterpre.com)

'Cayo Norte' is intensely deep and diverse. A bold bassline supports a scintillating combination of strings and Mike Foyle's typical piano-lines. The mesmerizing break-down leads into a storm of a record, unleashing a big room power that'll make 'Cayo Norte' explode every dance floor.

On the remix, Norwegian duo Lemon & Einar K present a 'Cayo Norte' translation that sits between progressive- and tech-trance. It hits in harder, faster and stronger.

–armada music (preview and purchase)

in the moment

dm5, bournemouth, UK. 08.12.2010. (fb photo album)

new visuals for the mau5cube

dm5, bournemouth, UK. 08.12.2010. (fb photo album)

on his stage

dm5, manchester, UK. 10.dec.2010. (fb photo album)

etd.love2011 — prohibitions

THANKS, underage kids and irresponsible "adults" overdosing and not keeping hydrated and straight-out stupid people jumping fences causing ridiculous chaos and just plain disrespectful partiers.

Now I'll have to sneak in my tube of organic pomegranate orange lip balm and ricola cough drops feeling like a paranoid druggie or some shit.

THANKS.

gd, kinda glad I'm still in Europe and security checks at raves are relatively quick, non-fuss..basically, AMAZING, at this current viewpoint.

I still love skills, though.
Good lineup, and Dyloot & crew working with sf officials, etc. to try to keep etd going despite all this shit and bad rap around raves.

etd.love, 12.feb.2011, sf. (fb event page)

ASOT yearmix2010 is READY

01.dec.2010

Armin van Buuren's A State of Trance yearmix 2010

release date: 17.dec.2010.

label: Cloud9

pre-order now (2CD) (and view tracklist).

here's the little armada video ad on youtube:

Sied van Riel & Ummet Ozcan - Serendipity [Phase II]

artist(s): Sied van Riel & Ummet Ozcan (from the NL)

track: Serendipity (Phase II)

release date: 15.11.2010.

label: Reset Records

genre: Trance

rating: alright, pretty good. does have a stadium sound feel.

trackitdown.net

320kbps

also, here's the original Serendipity (release date: 17.08.2010).

uk highway

deadmau5, on way to tour rehearsals in the uk, day 1.

sound equipment

deadmau5 uk tour rehearsals, day 1.

xmas sales

by k. treiberg. leipzig, germany.

"here comes the offer!"

rehearsals

deadmau5 uk tour rehearsals, day 1.

del mar sands

by sanh l. 2007.

a piece of oakland's hidden history

The Athens Athletic Club was where the East Bay's civic and business elite devoted time to exercise, relaxation, and fellowship. The building came down in 1977. The Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building now occupies the site.

oakland, postcard history

postcard from old oakland

oakland, postcard history

imperative

by e. epps.

Local Natives :: Gorilla Manor (2010)

artist: Local Natives (from California)

album: Gorilla Manor

label: Frenchkiss Records

release date: 16.02.2010

genre: indie

rating: alright. as rated by me, remember? and I'm getting quite tired of indie shit. but don't let my opinions override yours.

62.72mb preview / purchase

(01). Wide Eyes [4:28]
(02). Airplanes [4:00]
(03). Sun Hands [4:53]
(04). World News [4:32]
(05). Shape Shifter [5:31]
(06). Camera Talk [3:45]
(07). Cards & Quarters [4:01]
(08). Warning Sign [4:12]
(09). Who Knows Who Cares [3:55]
(10). Cubism Dream [4:02]
(11). Stranger Things [5:48]
(12). Sticky Thread [3:48]

I caught two or three of their songs at Coachella last year (2010).
I liked them better live than I thought I would based on their album.
But their songs still just aren't my type.

meowingtons vs deadmau5

we love you, joel. 19.11.10.

Matt & Kim :: Sidewalks (2010)

artist: Matt & Kim

album: Sidewalks

label: Fader

release date: 02.11.2010

genre: indie pop/rock

rating: okay. think I've had enough of their sound after two albums..

74.63mb preview / purchase

01 Block After Block
02 AM/FM Sound
03 Cameras
04 Red Paint
05 Where You’re Coming From
06 Good for Great
07 Northeast
08 Wires
09 Silver Tiles
10 Ice Melts

The tent in which they played at Coachella last year (2010) was packed, but I managed to squeeze in enough at one side opening to catch a couple songs. Kim was totally not what I imagined—she totally displayed the punk-rock-girl attitude.

response to mehserle's sentence

A man jumps on a car in downtown Oakland after people marched through downtown in response to a two-year prison sentence that was handed down to former BART officer Johannes Mehserle on Friday Nov. 05, 2010 in Oakland, Calif.

Photo: Mike Kepka / The Chronicle

100 protesters arrested in Oakland. sfgate, 06.nov.2010.

the police blocked the crowd from continuing the march? ??

had they not, maybe there would have been less rioting.

Oakland protests go wrong—152 arrested. sfgate, 07.11.10.

oh, the batch of young voters..

Hey, at least this guy voted. Obama won in '08 with 66% of the 18-29 vote. Most of that demo stayed home this time and played Cut the Rope and drank vodka/Red Bulls and tweeted about not caring anymore. Ah, silly youth.

Letter to a whiny young democrat. mark morford, sfgate, 03.11.10.

dragon ball

by andrei s.

night drive

by andrei s.

don't worry— let's call it even

"sick dialogue from an english textbook in korea"
– j. lee

fantasy fest 2010

those purple swirls are actually very pretty.

andrew w. key west, florida.

what's purple with yellow polka-balls?

by a. litak.

pulling him back

by andrei s.