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Grandtheft is serving up the heat with a ruthless new track,”Bags” — out now. This hybrid trap production will shock listeners at every turn, with chopped vocal samples, uniquely crafted synths, and a hard club beat. With all these elements rolled into one smooth flow, “Bags” is sure to turn heads. The track goes hard, but there’s enough room for some bounce as well. Based in Toronto, Canada, Grandtheft is a DJ/Producer who’s done it all. He’s headlined global tours, shared a stadium run with the Chainsmokers and hit the stages of some of the biggest festivals such as Creamfields, Coachella and Ultra Music Festival. Be on the lookout for more from Grandtheft in 2019. For now, bump “Bags” right here. Your EDM Premiere: Grandtheft – “Bags” Get it: http://maddecent.fm/bags This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Your EDM Premiere: Grandtheft Brings The Heat with New Track “Bags” [LISTEN] Source

The organizers behind KAABOO Festival will once again stage an offshoot event in Arlington, Texas this spring. The second annual KAABOO Texas takes place May 10th-12th at AT&T Stadium, boasting a lineup led by by The Killers, Kid Rock, Sting, The Avett Brothers, and Ms. Lauryn Hill. Other notable acts include Alanis Morissette, Garbage, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Violent Femmes, X, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Counting Crows, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bush, Rick Springfield, Collective Soul, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Eric Burdon & The Animals, Old 97’s, The English Beat, Blue October, and more. The comedy lineup includes Demetri Martin, Garfunkel and Oates, Brad Garrett, Whitney Cummings, Rory Scovel, and Jim Breur, among others. Tickets are now on sale via the festival’s website. Along with its Texas festival, KAABOO stages an annual event in Del Mar, California as well as a second offshoot fest in the Cayman Islands. Source

The Pitch: Nineteen years later, director M. Night Shyamalan rounds out his supposed Eastrail 177 Trilogy with Glass, a crudely drawn sequel to both 2016’s Split and 2000’s Unbreakable that unites David Dunn (Bruce Willis), Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson), and Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy). Together, the would-be superheroes and villains serve as broad caricatures for Shyamalan’s antiquated dissection of the comic book medium, whose cracks and fissures rival that of all 98 breaks on Elijah Price’s body. What’s Broken? Oh, where to begin. Glass is such a shattered mess that it’s almost overwhelming. There are tonal inconsistencies with its source material. The pacing is as manic as its disassociated villain. The dialogue is pedantic at best. The plotting is patched together. The twists are as predictable as they are cloying. The direction is unruly. Even the score is forgettable. But really, what it comes down to is Shyamalan, whose unearned confidence over this picture is downright embarrassing. Exhibiting the worst version of himself, Shyamalan acts as if he has so much to say and yet winds up saying absolutely nothing. For the majority of the glacial two-hours and 10 minutes, he wastes time painting the core tenets of comic book narratives, acting as if we’re not about to complete Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even worse, he does this by tasking his rogue’s gallery of talent, be it Spencer Treat Clark or Anya Taylor-Joy, with these godawful lines of exposition. No kidding. By the final act, characters aren’t so much as saying dialogue anymore as they are reading off a freshman essay on comic book culture with the grace of that paper clip guy from Microsoft Windows. It’s unbelievable and yet Shyamalan never stumbles in being so brazen. Probably because the entire movie feels designed to serve as some vindication for the guy. So much of its designed to elevate the creator, the mastermind, the one who has all the answers, even at the mercy of its overall themes. And let’s not forget, this is the same filmmaker who cast himself as an unlikely messiah (see: 2002’s Signs and 2006’s Lady in the Water), and whose narrative metaphors have only gotten worse with age (see: 2004’s The Village and 2008’s The Happening). With Glass, it’s almost easier to see this as some missive on his relationship to Hollywood, especially if you’re to draw parallels between the studio system and everything that goes down at the institution. In fact, it makes the film almost smarter. After all, the idea that this should be any sort of enlightening dissection of comic book culture is laughable. For Christ’s sake, if that’s the case, what took Shyamalan three movies and 19 years to say took Christopher Nolan five minutes and one barren room … 11 years ago. Again, it’s all so goddamn antiquated, grooving by with the swagger of Billy Madison sidling up to Generation Xers in an REO Speedwagon shirt. It’s not just late on arrival, but dead on arrival, and the collateral damage is two solid films and one comeback. Because after this, it’s doubtful you’ll look at Unbreakable or even Split the same way again — especially the former. God, the amount of backpedaling on narratives here makes everything that goes down in Spider-Man 3 look ornate by comparison. Shyamalan has to take so many leaps to make this work that it would be impressive if any of them were even remotely interesting. Or necessary. Instead, they’re all just proof that none of these characters had any reason to be together and any more story left to tell. Okay, But What About the Matchups? What About the Action? There isn’t much. Whereas Unbreakable thrived with genuine drama and Split clenched down with claustrophobic tension, Glass never finds a consistent enough rhythm to amount to anything. The first act should satiate those hoping to see two of the principal characters in action, but that crowd will likely bow out for the next hour of unnecessary therapy, which foolishly spends most of the time trying to dissuade the audiences of everything he spent two movies already proving. It doesn’t help that Shyamalan makes zero attempts to mask how cheap and low budget this movie is, particularly towards the end, when he dubiously sets his final act during the day. Gone is any semblance of his creative eye — a strength of his even at his weakest moments in the past — and that fact is exacerbated when you see Willis stroll onto the scene with his trademark Overseer raincoat in broad daylight. Or when there are so many characters that Jackson just winds up sitting there staring around for the majority of a scene. Basically, go in expecting less. The Verdict: In the end, Shyamalan would have been better off leaving the past with the past. Everything that needed to be said in Unbreakable was already said. (Almost too much. Have you watched it recently? That post-script is egregious.) And everything that needed to be said in Split should have been said at the end. (The conclusion is still the weakest part of a strong outing, namely because the ending was tasked to leave some connective tissue to this mess.) Instead, he doubled back, and unlike his previous lows, this one feels as if he’s plumbing new depths. Not to sound redundant, but it all goes back to that irrational confidence. Shyamalan comes off so smug by the end of this movie that it’s insufferable — and also kind of jarring. It’s as if he’s learned nothing from his past and still believes he’s pulling a quick one on his audience. The tell is in the way he treats the subject matter, strolling into the game like a naive grad student who’s reading his dissertation without pulling from a single original source. That lack of context wouldn’t be so infuriating if it weren’t so emblematic of his worst qualities as a filmmaker. Perhaps the real twist is that those qualities are all that’s left. Trailer: Source

The Lowdown: On Deerhunter’s eighth album and first since 2015’s Fading Frontier, Bradford Cox turns his gaze towards the horizon, surveying a ravaged environment and vanishing landscapes. Recorded in Marfa, TX, with Cate Le Bon, Ben Etter, and longtime co-producer Ben H. Allen III, Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared? reflects the desert it was created in. Arid and expansive, the album shimmers with thoughtful meditations on destruction of both human life and nature itself, drawing inspiration from climate change, the 2016 murder of a British politician by a mentally ill man with ties to a Neo-Nazi organization, the 1917 Russian Revolution, and the final months of James Dean’s life. The Good: Whereas Deerhunter’s music always felt like receiving distant transmissions from some far away time and place, Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared? disarms with a striking clarity. Hypnotic melodies swirl as Cox’s voice fills the forefront while the rhythm section, anchored by longtime members Lockett Pundt and Moses Archuleta, flesh out the songs with grand arrangements. Instrumentals like “Greenpoint Gothic” and the sprawling outro of closer “Nocturne” find the band locked in and focused, capturing the lingering dread that pervades the record. Deerhunter always excel in contradictions, and the juxtaposition between the violent themes on “No One’s Sleeping” and the song’s bursting saxophone and jubilant keyboard line is an early highlight. It’s taken to an extreme on “Element”, where a joyous melody obscures the apocalyptic imagery, the song brimming with a nervous energy reminiscent of Halcyon Digest. The Bad: Deerhunter’s latest is a bleak affair, which crackles at times but often relies on a despondent mood that differs from the frenzy of Monomania or the headrush of Microcastle. As such, it drags in moments, especially on the ambient “Tarnung”, where Pundt and guest vocalist Cate Le Bon sing a stilted baroque duet that drifts. Other experimental tendencies falter, such as “Detournement”, where Cox pitches down his vocals for a speech that sounds like a message from a dying computer that’s more compelling in theory than execution. A sense of listlessness takes hold, especially on the album’s second half, that the band finds difficulties overcoming. The Verdict: Though the album loses some of the momentum from its gripping beginning, the twisted imagery lingers long after the final notes. Scenes of toxic skies, dead workers, and barren plains contribute to a consuming unease, punctured by brief hopeful moments. These stick out against the largely relaxed atmosphere the album lives in, a resignation of sorts. Though less immediate, Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared? still bristles with the spirit that makes Deerhunter’s work mystifying. Along with Fading Frontier, the album presents a new era for Deerhunter, one more contemplative and spacious yet continually beguiling. Essential Tracks: “No One’s Sleeping”, “Element”, and “Nocturne” Source

Suck in your guts, the Ghostbusters are coming back. Sony is ready to believe in their franchise again, and they’re going straight to their source material. As Entertainment Weekly reports, director Jason Reitman, aka son of original director Ivan Reitman, will co-write and direct a new sequel that will be set in the original universe. In other words, the world where Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts), Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver), and Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) all exist. “I’ve always thought of myself as the first Ghostbusters fan, when I was a six-year-old visiting the set. I wanted to make a movie for all the other fans,” Reitman tells the publication. “This is the next chapter in the original franchise. It is not a reboot. What happened in the ‘80s happened in the ‘80s, and this is set in the present day.” Fans who were disappointed in Paul Feig‘s 2016 remake, which turned the reset button on the beloved franchise and drew all kinds of controversy from idiots who hated an all-female cast and stand-offs who wouldn’t accept any sort of criticism, should breathe a sigh of relief. “I have so much respect for what Paul created with those brilliant actresses,” Reitman contends, “and would love to see more stories from them. However, this new movie will follow the trajectory of the original film.” Already, Sony has dated the film for a Summer 2020 release with filming to commence this summer, which should coincide with the previously reported 30th anniversary plans that include a two-day Ghostbusters Fest this June on the original Sony lot. Reitman co-wrote the script with director Gil Kenan (Monster House, Poltergeist), and is keeping mum on the details, particularly which of the original characters (if any) will return to the fold. “This is very early, and I want the film to unwrap like a present,” Reitman says. “We have a lot of wonderful surprises and new characters for the audience to meet.” He goes on to add, “I’ve thought about this franchise and it has occupied a piece of my heart for basically as long as I can remember.” No kidding. Reitman appeared in both films. In the original, he can be seeing fleeing Barrett’s apartment, and in the second one, he plays a dickhead teenager who ridicules both Stanz and Zeddemore at a birthday party. “It will be a passing of the torch both inside and out,” his father, Ivan, says. He’ll be around, too, serving as a producer through his Montecito Pictures moniker. “It was a decision [Jason] had to come to himself. He worked really hard to be independent and developed a wonderful career on his own. So I was quite surprised when he came to me with Gil and said, ‘I know I’ve been saying for 10 years I’m the last person who should make a Ghostbusters movie, but…I have this idea.’ Literally, I was crying by the end of it, it was so emotional and funny.” This won’t be the only Ghostbusters movie, either. Sony still has their eyes set on creating an animated movie, which won’t drop until after this film. Seeing how well Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse turned out, it’s not surprising to see their confidence reignited on the project. Last year, Reitman released the critically acclaimed indie favorite, Tully, starring Charlize Theron and Mackenzie Davis. In the time since, he had been developing this movie under the fake title Rust City to stay under wraps. Hollywood. I love this town! Source

Mountain Sounds was already looking like the pick with a stacked lineup of Australian and global talent with What So Not, Slumberjack, Riton, Late Nite Tuff Guy, Human Movement and more all set to do their thing mid-Feb. Well things have been turned up a notch with a bustling addition to the Bacardi El Coco Tropical Danceteria Stage that has even more local selectors ready to throw down and more. Beats boss Aywy, tropical mover Klue, Triple J presenter Shantan Wantan Ichiban, house guides Lovebombs, pocket rocket Lex Deluxe and more will be drip-feeding the good times for those that venture into the El Coco world for a refreshing bevvy and shuffle. Better still, coveted dancer Amirta Hepi will be showing you HOW TO throw those shapes down with her all-inclusive dance class. Check out the full lineup below; Aywy Klue Shantan Wantan Ichiban Lovebombs DAWS Lex Deluxe Carla Uriarte Carolina Gasolina Jhassic Ariane Nes Bad Deep DJs feat Amrita Hepi’s Dance Class Mountain Sounds will run over two days – Friday 15th of Feb to Saturday 16th of Feb. Grab your tickets here. Source

It’s a great time for fans of evolutionary electronic music with The Chemical Brothers penning a new album and now, Booka Shade announcing a return to Australia and New Zealand ahead of a new single release. The German duo have pegged four dates through March where they will visit Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth and no doubt be playing a host of their classics as well as new music. The new single ‘I Go I Go’ featuring icelandic singer Kaktus Einarsson, which is scheduled for release this coming Friday after Pete Tong hosted the world premiere for the track on BBC1 Radio last Friday is the first new music from the two since their last studio album ‘Cut The Strings’. Check out the Booka Shade Australia and New Zealand tour dates below and one of our favourties tracks below that (yeah you know the one). Booka Shade Tour Dates Thurs 21st March: Studio, Auckland NZ Frid 22nd March: Metro, Sydney Sat 23rd March: Reminisce Festival @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne Sun 24th March: Elizabeth Quay, Perth Source

Off the back of a big Australian tour and Alison Wonderland support, Sydney hip hop producer Perto is on the attack with a banging rework of a real popular single from Kodak Black dubbed ‘ZEZE’ ft. Travis Scott. It was an eventful 2018 for Perto with shows in South Korea, a visit to the U.S. where he hung out with Diplo and Post Malone as well as official releases with Enschway and a collab with vocalist ‘DCMBR’. There’s nothing that quite frames all the action like this recap. Perto’s rework of ZEZE pushes the energy levels up 10 notches from the original with some solid melodic grooves and a tropical twist. I dare say that it’s better than the original but why don’t you decide? Source

Among the damning revelations to come to light through Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly docu-series involves the secret marriage between R. Kelly and Aaliyah. In the series, one of his former tour managers claimed Kelly knew Aaliyah was just 15 years old (thus too young to give legal consent), and that he forged documents so they could be married. Kelly has long kept coy about the relationship, but his lawyer Steven Greenberg maintains that the singer was unaware of Aaliyah’s age at the time of their marriage. In an interview last week, Greenberg said it was his understanding “that she did not claim to be 15, and in order to get married, she had to lie about her age.” (Read: Beyoncé’s Parents Kept Destiny’s Child Away From R. Kelly) Now, new video has surfaced proving that Kelly definitely knew Aaliyah was only 15 at the time of their marriage. Uncovered by TMZ, the clip is taken from a 1994 documentary and unequivocally sees Kelly acknowledging Aaliyah’s age. “Right now I’m producing a very talented lady — a young lady,” Kelly narrates in one of the scenes, adding, “She’s 14, Aaliyah. She’s real street.” Watch the video proof below. Kelly and Aaliyah reportedly met when Aaliyah was just 12 years old; she was the niece of Kelly’s manager at the time, Barry Hankerson. The two were married in 1994 when Kelly was 27 and Aaliyah 15, but called things off less than a year later. Kelly is credited with writing and co-producing Aaliyah’s curiously named 1994 debut album, Age Ain’t Nothin’ But a Number. Since Surviving R. Kelly aired earlier this month, Georgia authorities have launched an official criminal investigation into the singer’s sordid history. A number of Kelly’s previous associates, including Lady Gaga, Chance the Rapper, and Phoenix, have condemned and cut ties with him, as well as removed their collaborations from streaming services. His record label, RCA/Sony Music, has also decided to shelve his music for the time being. Kelly, who’s been accused of holding women hostage in a “sex dungeon,” has not been taking the fallout too well, despite his best efforts to discredit his accusers; he was recently hospitalized for panic attacks. Source

Rock icon Chris Cornell will be remembered Wednesday night with a star-studded tribute concert in Los Angeles. With just less than 24 hours to go before show time, a number of prominent names have been added to the roster for “I Am the Highway: A Tribute to Chris Cornell”. Fiona Apple, Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme, and Chris Stapleton are now part of the bill, as are Miley Cyrus, Miguel, and Brandi Carlile. Also in attendance will be The Melvins, who are expected to take the stage for a special performance with the surviving members of Soundgarden. (Read: The Top 20 Soundgarden Songs) Today’s new additions join previously announced artists Foo Fighters, Metallica, Ryan Adams, and Faith No More leader Mike Patton. Members of Cornell’s other former bands, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog, will also be on hand. “We are honored to have all these amazing artists and friends come together to pay tribute to and show their love and appreciation for Chris, his music and the mark he’s left on the world,” Cornell’s wife, Vicky, said in a statement. “We look forward to sharing this night with all the fans.” The “I Am the Highway” tribute concert will take place at LA’s Forum venue with Jimmy Kimmel serving as the evening’s host. Proceeds benefit The Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation, as well as The Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to raising funds and awareness for this painful and debilitating genetic disorder. In November, an archival box set celebrating Cornell’s work from Soundgarden and Audioslave was released. That same month also saw a new music video for posthumous single “When Bad Does Good” starring Cornell’s own son. Source

Travis Scott and Big Boi are set to join Maroon 5 during the Super Bowl LIII halftime show this year, confirming earlier reports. According to multiple sources, the rappers have signed on to play despite criticism from public figures that believe artists should boycott the league altogether. In order to counter those arguments, the Super Bowl and Travis Scott are giving back to Dream Corps, what’s known as a “social justice accelerator.” Sources say that Travis wouldn’t have agreed to perform if it weren’t for the $500,000 donation. “I back anyone who takes a stand for what they believe in,” Scott explains in a statement. “I know being an artist that it’s in my power to inspire. So before confirming the Super Bowl Halftime performance, I made sure to partner with the NFL on this important donation. I am proud to support Dream Corps and the work they do that will hopefully inspire and promote change.” Maroon 5 will take the stage with Travis Scott and Big Boi during the big game on Sunday, February 3. Source: Noisey | Photo via Rukes.com This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Travis Scott & Big Boi Sign On To Play Super Bowl Halftime Show with Maroon 5 Source

Whatever you think of Post Malone, his songs end up becoming hits. Off his newest album beerbongs & bentleys alone, there are at least five huge hits, and every track has over 80 million streams. Those aren’t rookie numbers. Among them is “Better Now,” arguably one of the biggest songs of Post’s whole career. Everyone and their mother has put out some sort of remix or edit of the hit, but KUURO went one step further. The new track from KUURO is a pure cover from top to bottom, recreating the vocals with help from Grey’s Michael Trewartha, and doing all new production on it. The result is a song that sounds fresh, but familiar. The lyrics obviously remain the same, but Trewartha’s voice doesn’t have that sort of slurred inflection that Post’s does. As for the production, it’s super crisp. All of the sounds, from the crunchy synths in the drop to the dark future bass vibes in the bridge serve to bring the whole project to a level never reached by the original. Check out KUURO’s cover of “Better Now” by Post Malone, with help from Grey’s Michael Trewartha, below. This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: KUURO Deliver Fresh Cover Of Post Malone’s “Better Now” Source

Ariana Grande is absolutely dominating the festival circuit this year. First, it was confirmed she took Kanye West’s place to perform at Coachella this year. (Tame Impala reportedly took Justin Timberlake’s spot.) Now, she’s expected to headline another major U.S. music festival. According to Variety, Grande has been officially booked for Lollapalooza. It’s even possible Coachella took Lollapalooza’s lead in booking her for 2019 — or, vice versa. The rumors of a Lollapalooza headline make total sense considering Grande has rearranged her tour schedule to make way for festival gigs. Especially with Coachella coming on so suddenly, she had to make some sacrifices. The Sweetener Tour is scheduled to kick off on March 18 in Albany. This marks the pop star’s third arena tour. Some of those arena tour dates will just have to wait. See full list of changes and cancellations here. As for Lollapalooza, it could be weeks or even months before an official lineup announcement. The music festival is set to take place at Chicago’s Grant Park over August 1-4. Source: Variety | Photo: Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for Live Nation This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Ariana Grande Expected To Headline Lollapalooza 2019 Source

I’m not entirely sure where the surge of popularity surrounding Toto’s song Africa came from, or why it was the most streamed song in 2017. However, I do know a bloody good meme when I see one and in that regard the nearly 36-year-old song has well and truly delivered. Now, one man has vowed to take his appreciation of the song to incredible new heights, after setting up an art installation that will play the hit song on a continuous loop until the sands of the Namibian dessert wash it away. Namibian artist Max Siedentopf said he set up the installation to pay homage to the hit song, constructing solar-powered batteries to ensure the song was played continuously for as long as possible. wanted to pay the song the ultimate homage and physically exhibit ‘Africa’ in Africa,” explains the 27-year-old artist. “Some [Namibians] love it and some say it’s probably the worst sound installation ever. I think that’s a great compliment.” “Most parts of the installation were chosen to be as durable as possible, but I’m sure the harsh environment of the desert will devour the installation eventually.” Max has kept the location secret, so if you’re down to pay homage to one of the greatest art pieces the world has ever seen then you better pack your hiking boots and jump on over to Africa. Source

Fire Festival (probably not the one you’re thinking of) just took place over the weekend inside of Minecraft. It was one of the first music festivals of its kind to exist in an exclusively virtual realm. The two-night show included performances from Ekali b2b Vincent, Hudson Mohawke b2b Lil Hank, ARTY, Luca Lush, Lil Texas, Slumberjack and Y2K, among so many others. For gamers, this was a no brainer, but many others didn’t catch wind of the festival until it was already happening. Luckily, organizer SLEEPYCATT, real name Max Schramp, kept an archive of the music festival with a collective playlist via SoundCloud. There’s total of 37 sets and hours upon hours of awesome music featured below. We’re missing some of those key sets we’d love to replay — but that only means there’s even more to explore! Enjoy! Fire Festival 2019 – Official Recap Playlist This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: REPLAY: Full Sets From Minecraft’s 2019 Fire Festival Are Here Source

Golden is the follow up release to KyE Nathaniel’s ZeZe Remix video. It’s inspired by “the glow” in The Last Dragon movie made by Berry Gordy. When one has become a “master” of the art they achieve a supreme glow. “Having a love for the cult classic film I adapted it to music. Rather than how its used for martial arts.” -Kye Nathanial The verses are filled with punchlines, schemes and witty wordplay. Such as the Incredibles scheme where KyE names the whole superhero family. Check it out here and let us know what you think. Also if you missed his ZeZe remix catch that below. Enjoy. FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM The post KyE Nathaniel Drops Heat With His Latest Release ‘GOLDEN’ appeared first on Verge Campus. Source

Breaking out in the bass scene in today’s world is no easy feat. Some of the most hyped up-and-coming dubstep and trap acts really have to do something unique and exceptional to stand out. Mike Lisanti of Warpath Group has seen the success of his clients break through this barrier and are on the fast track to becoming household names. With acts like TYNAN, Kompany, and Champagne Drip all represented by Lisanti, it’s clear that managing in-demand bass DJs is no easy task. We got the scoop from Mike on how working the scene from literally every angle sent him full circle into a management career, juggling brand development as well as hands-on A&R between all of his acts. What got you into electronic music? How did you get introduced to the scene? I’m a traditionally trained guitar player. I know how to read music and still know a handful of my jazz standards to this day. I’ve always been into whatever the new thing was in music, from the post-hardcore and metal/screamo days, to the rise of all the dance music subgenres in the first decade of the 2000s. All in all, I would say that just being a “DJ” was never something I was interested in. So I immediately picked up Ableton in 2010 as soon as I started playing at local spots in my college town for extra cash or whatever. (Kompany b2b AFK – Photo: @fredericlyphotos) Tell us about your former group Charity Strike. Why did you end it and are you happy with your new path? This was a project that I had started with my friend Philip Scully in 2012 back when I was going to school at UCSB. We won a couple of Beatport remix contests and caught some buzz from that (back when remix contests were a thing). After a year of doing a good amount of tour dates and getting a lot of the Dutch label-affiliated looks, the model for pitching was evolving to stacking copious amounts of records and keeping them on the shelf as “ammo.” This concept of stacking original records is the most important thing a producer can do, and once I realized that, it hit me that I didn’t enjoy producing enough to always be strapped with 10+ unreleased demos each month. I began to realize that I had more fun selling other people’s product. Once I knew that the artist side wasn’t for me, I got a job at Dim Mak Records in 2014 through my good friend Basie Hauser (who is now known as Ephwurd). After about a year of helping them with radio stuff, I worked on A&R-ing tunes with my mentor at the time, Lorne Padman (Vice President of Dim Mak Records). Then a good family friend, David Gordoni (who is now a senior agent at United Talent Agency), tipped me off that one of his clients, Borgeous, needed a hand on the road. David has been there from the beginning of my career offering advice as well as support and now handles bookings for some of my artists in Asia. Crazy how things can come full circle. I grabbed the job tour managing Borgeous and doing his day-to-day, which landed me in Las Vegas in 2015. I did that for about a year and a half, and just at about the time he moved to Red Light, I realized that I wanted to start breaking my own guys, so the timing was perfect. John (Borgeous) is still one of my best friends to this day. So long story short, I would say that I feel happy and blessed with the path I have chosen. (Mike w/ Kompany) You have multiple clients playing Wobbleland this weekend in San Francisco. What’s it take for a bass act to get to that level of performing at one of the premiere bass festivals in the country? Yeah I’m really excited for this weekend. TYNAN and Kompany are doing a b2b on the first day of Wobbleland and Champagne Drip is doing a b2b set with Zeke Beats on the second night. I’m really happy with all the hard work that TYNAN’s agent Corey Krogman (UTA), Kompany’s agent Max Freeman (UTA), and Champagne Drip’s agent Cory Riskin (APA) have been putting in on the boys this past year. That Zeke Beats b2b Champagne Drip package is a legendary combo. They crushed it at Countdown on NYE during their massive Bassrush debut together. I can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeve for this Wobbleland performance. In regards to being able to stand out enough to big buyers, promoters, and even getting agents to join your team, the artist really needs to make sure that they’re staying active in releasing music, social media presence with linear growth, and of course making sure the entire product looks good. Just like any business, you want to make sure that your product is 100% ready before you go on sale with it and start adding personnel expenses, etc. Regarding music output and strategy, unless you have an infinitely enormous reach on social media (like people getting famous from being in your Instagram stories or something), I always recommend having a home for your music — and if playing the label game feels like it takes too long, create your own internal road map for releases independently and retool whenever necessary. I prefer to keep the release schedule monthly with my dudes. That internal battery is everything because regardless of who’s jumping on board to partner with the product or not, the show must go on. (Champagne Drip b2b Zeke Beats – Photo: @alexvarsa) Can you talk a bit about Warpath? How did you link up with Warpath Group? Warpath Group is a company based out of Oklahoma City that is owned by Loper and Nate Schoenfeldt. They currently manage acts like Liquid Stranger and Protohype and are running the label management for Wakaan. We work really closely on clients together as we co-manage acts. I work remotely out of Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Interestingly enough, in 2014 they had approached me as an artist to start working with them on the next chapter of whatever I was doing back then. I was already done focusing on being an artist at that point, so the conversation kind of fizzled out organically. We reconnected in Amsterdam during ADE 2016 over a coffee and some ridiculously good European breakfast out there. Months later I approached TYNAN to manage him, and since he had something going on with Nate where the focus was on his (now) side project Ohmy, Nate believed in me enough to allow me to partner with him on TYNAN and co-manage. Shortly after that, I brought Kompany into Warpath and then Loper gave me Champagne Drip to partner with him on and the rest of this second full circle story is history. Do you believe that people need college in order to get into artist management? Although I graduated from UCSB, I really think it’s just a way to train your brain to excel and stay motivated in things that aren’t necessarily fun or easy (which is how all work is in reality). I got a little lucky because one of my focuses in school was Mandarin Chinese, so now whenever I’m in China with one of my boys (which is a huge market for dance and bass music right now), knowing Mandarin helps a lot with some of the language barriers. Although I highly encourage education for everyone, I don’t believe it’s fully necessary to get into managing an artist’s business. (TYNAN @ Hard Summer – Photo: @dougfilms) You have your hand in a few different pots right now. What other projects are you working on in the dance music scene? I still do radio engineering with various artists through Sirius XM as well as A&R/consulting for some acts out in Asia. I’m currently developing a couple of newly signed clients on the management side who I’m really excited about: Effin and KRILLA. Check them out for sure. All that can be pretty tiring I’d imagine. How do you unwind in your spare time? I go to the gym twice a day almost every day, I like boxing quite a bit, as well as flat ground skateboarding. On Sundays whenever I’m in town, I play in an organized wood bat adult baseball league (not softball). I also enjoy cooking my weekly meal preps, hanging out with my dog Bandit, and I frickin’ love playing video games — especially when any of my boys are online. (Mike w/ TYNAN) Favorite festival? Venue? I have a lot of favorite festivals, but I have to say my all-time favorite is EDC Las Vegas because it’s the one where even I’ll go and disappear into the crowd sometimes to just enjoy the event. My favorite venue is NOA Beach Club in Croatia. That place is nuts. How do you see the bass music scene unfolding in the next five years? Positive growth? I view bass music as something that’ll remain having dedicated fans in a similar way as to how a lot of the metal acts that are worth tickets are still going. There’s a strong sense of fan loyalty in the bass community and I really like that a lot. (TYNAN in China – Photo: @mikelisanti) Favorite food? Movie? Bath soap? Travel spot? Favorite food by far is pizza (I just can’t eat it that much or I’ll gain weight). Favorite live action movie is City Of God and my favorite animated movie is COCO. Favorite bath soap is charcoal and clean body wash by AXE. Favorite travel spot to date is Morocco for sure. North Africa is so sick. This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Industry Spotlight: Mike Lisanti [Warpath Group] Source

Back in September, Vic Mensa told Consequence of Sound that he and Bad Brains frontman H.R. had recently worked on a new song described as “punk rock over trap drums.” It appears that forthcoming track will eventually be released under Mensa’s new punk-inspired band called 93PUNX. In a recent Beats 1 interview, the Chicago rapper said he decided to form a new group after he realized he had music that wouldn’t quite fit on his more rap-oriented EP, Hooligans. “I also was making this punk music,” said Mensa, who cites The Dead Kennedys and The Clash as two of his favorite bands. “As I came to have these two different separate entities, I was like, ‘OK, let me not try to just mash all of these together and have to compromise being to go all the way.’ I took the records that were more in a rap space and made this project out of them. And the punk records are going to be on that album.” While that punk album isn’t quite ready yet, Mensa has officially launched 93PUNX today with a new cover of The Cranberries classic “Zombie”. The release coincides with the one-year anniversary of the death of lead singer Dolores O’Riordan. “We connected to ‘Zombie’ because we were born from violence. RIP Dolores,” the rapper said in a press statement. Take a listen below. In addition to Bad Brains’ H.R., Mensa has said that his upcoming 93PUNX material will feature contributions from Blink-182’s Travis Barker and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte. As for The Cranberries, today they announced In The End, their eighth and final album with O’Riordan, as well as shared a new single called “All Over Now”. Source

Yesterday, Lightning in a Bottle announced that the festival would be moving dates and location in 2019. The festival will now be held on May 8th – 13th, but the location was not officially announced in the statement to fans. However, some enterprising and sleuthful attendees managed to find a proposal for a temporary event permit to Kern County naming the festival. If the proposal remains permanent — which we expect it to — LiB’s new home in 2019 will be at Buena Vista Park, just outside of Bakersfield in central California. And, yes, it will have a lake. The proposal submits for over 1,000 acres of land, with an on-site attendance of 20,000-25,000. It goes on to specify three main stages and four supplementary stages, in addition to “entertainment and vendor areas, security and medical stations and a production center.” Set up for the festival is expected to begin April 17 if all goes smoothly. You can read the whole proposal below, and catch up on LiB’s announcement here. Photo via Jessica Bernstein Photography This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: New Location Of Lightning In A Bottle 2019 Uncovered Source

It looks like 2019 will be a prolific year for Rob Zombie as both a rocker and filmmaker. With a new album already on the way, Zombie has wrapped up work on his latest movie, 3 From Hell, the final installment of a horror trilogy that includes 2003’s House of 1000 Corpses and 2005’s The Devil’s Rejects. Zombie reported the news via an Instagram post that has photos of him directing all three films, with the caption, “It took awhile to complete the trilogy but we did it. Top pic is shooting House of 1000 Corpses in 2001 – shooting The Devil’s Rejects in 2004 and finally shooting 3 From Hell in 2018. Quite a Fucking journey to say the least.” The new film will see the return of actors Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, and Sheri Moon Zombie (Rob’s wife), along with Clint Howard and Jeff Daniel Phillips, who play two creepy clowns. A few months ago, Moseley told Rue Morgue, “All of the people who loved House of 1000 Corpses and Devil’s Rejects are going to have a luau of excitement and happiness when they see 3 From Hell … it’s chockablock with gratuitous violence.” As of now, there is no release date set for 3 From Hell. Meanwhile, Zombie’s next album is expected to arrive in 2019, although no title or release date has been revealed. During a recent appearance on the podcast Talk Toomey, Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 boasted, “[It is] the best Zombie record to date — better than White Zombie, anything… He went nuts on this one. I’m telling you, it’s the best Zombie record you guys will hear. And we’re gonna have a big tour, we’re gonna do videos.” Metallica’s Top 5 Songs Tour Preview: Bring Me the Tool’s Top 5 Music Videos Behemoth's Top 5 Songs Atreyu In Our Wake Promo Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” Annotated Video Source

Chachi releases his ‘Split Personalities’ Volume 10 mixtape. It features the top hip-hop and EDM remixes out now. ‘Split Personalities’ is an annual mixtape. A NYC DJ/producer, Chachi releases its 10th edition. The mixtape drops at the beginning of each New Year. This mixtape brings in 2019 featuring the top hip-hop and EDM remixes. It’s 1-hour of bangers highlighting Chachi’s brilliant taste in music and eclectic style. For example, Chachi drops E-V’s fiery ‘Mo Bamba’ edit by Sheck Wes. He also drops music from Cardi B, Post Malone, Childish Gambino, Drake, David Guetta, Martin Garrix, Marshmello, and many more. Above all, there’s music for everyone, and it’s perfect for pre-games and workouts! Chachi’s ‘Split Personalities’ Volume 10 is available for free download. Take a listen to Chachi’s ‘Split Personalities’ Volume 10 mix and download it for free below. Free Download: Chachi – Split Personalities Volume 10 (Mixtape) The post Chachi – Split Personalities Volume 10 (Mixtape) appeared first on Verge Campus. Source

Michael Sorrentino and Michael Cohen don’t just share a first name — they’ll soon find themselves residents of the same federal correction facility. Sorrentino, a.k.a. “The Situation” from MTV’s Jersey Shore, recently pleaded guilty to tax evasion. He was sentenced to eight months in federal prison, which he’ll serve at the Otisville Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville, New York. Sorrentino reported to Otisville on Tuesday to formally begin his sentence. Come March, Cohen is expected to join Sorrentino at Otisville. Donald Trump’s former attorney received a three-year prison term after pleading guilty to a variety of crimes, including campaign finance violations, tax evasion, and lying to Congress. Once inside the medium security facility, Sorrentino and Cohen can expect to wake up at 6 a.m., eat breakfast, and then report to their work assignment, which could include landscaping or laundry. (Something tells me Sorrentino is especially qualified for the latter.) Lunch is at 10:45 a.m., dinner is at 4:30 p.m., and lights to the facility are turned off by 11:00 p.m (via People). Inmates are allowed to spend up to $320 a month at the prison commissary, where they can purchase hair care products, clothing and, to the delight of Sorrentino, snacks. Needless to say, The Situation will have some stories to tell once he gets out of prison and begins filming the next season of Jersey Shore (which has already been green-lit). Source

The Lowdown: After six years, the “Brooklyn Lords of Doom” return for their third LP, When The World Becomes Undone. A Pale Horse Named Death’s use of catchy rock elements inside moody atmospheres makes for their most compelling record to date. Boasting former members of Type O Negative, A Pale Horse Named Death offer listeners a satisfying record full of gothic-doom. The Good: The band does a superb job in establishing atmosphere from the start; in the title track, the guitars exude thick melancholy in each strum, the drums clashing at the right moment to catch the song’s emotional inflection. Sal Abruscato, who played drums in Type O Negative and Life of Agony, fronts A Pale Horse Named Death, and his vocals add to the atmosphere, bringing forth much of the album’s gothic vibe. Injecting melody into their material feeds into both the doom and rock flavor of the album, as well. Lyrically, the disc contains a plethora of intimate ideas and stories; in “Love the Ones You Hate”, you can feel sadness in the words: “Love the ones you love to hate/ Dancing devils in your parade.” “Fell In My Hole” takes on a slower approach, emphasizing the doom qualities of the band. What works so well for the music is the balance in composition; A Pale Horse Named Death know when best to tap into the heavier components of their material (and vice versa for the slower atmospheric pieces). “Lay With the Wicked” unleashes a hectic blast of drum beats alongside a sultry guitar rhythm; as one of the record’s heavier songs, it makes for one of the band’s strongest moments of embracing that dual goth/doom quality. The Bad: When the World Becomes Undone is not without its off moments. In particular, the instrumental component of the album’s midsection loses some traction. “Vultures” provides a generic vibe to its progression, lacking the more dynamic punch the tracks before it offered. “End of Days” feels like a loss of emotion, due primarily to its awkward instrumental composition. Minus the banging drums and a solo towards the end, the track slogs on for most of its runtime. The Verdict: From misty distortion to emotional strings of melancholy, When the World Becomes Undone is a strong addition to the band’s discography. Despite a few missteps in its midsection, the album provides a solid collection of catchy instrumentation and atmosphere. Essential Tracks: “When the World Becomes Undone”, “Lay With the Wicked”, “Dreams of the End” Source

From its place in an episode of Scrubs to finally being covered by Weezer, Toto’s 1982 smash hit “Africa” probably has a longer shelf life than the band ever anticipated. Now, thanks to an art installation from Namibian-German artist Max Siedentopf, it has the potential to live on forever. Siedentopf was inspired by the song’s recent resurgence in popularity (that is, more than it already was), and created a monument to its timelessness. Writes NPR, “Siedentopf installed Toto Forever late last December while back home with his family in Namibia. Six speakers are placed atop individual plinths and attached to an MP3 player that contains only the song; the entire thing is powered by solar energy with the promise that it will run ‘for all eternity.'” Of course, that’s if the hot sun and scratchy sand doesn’t cause irreparable damage to the speakers and/or MP3 player first. “I was very intrigued by this and wanted to pay the song the ultimate homage and physically exhibit ‘Africa’ in Africa,” Siedentopf told NPR. “The Namibian desert — which is, with 55 million years, the oldest desert in the world — seemed to be the perfect spot for this.” As for the location of the installation, all that’s known is that it’s somewhere in the Namib Desert. The desert itself is 31,274 sq mi, so good luck if you ever try to find it. This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Toto’s “Africa” Will Play On Repeat In African Desert For All Eternity Thanks To This Art Installation Source

Rihanna has filed a lawsuit in California federal court accusing her father of misusing her “Fenty” brand name — a name she just happens to have gotten from her family. Specifically, RiRi’s attorneys claim that her father, Ronald Fenty, and his business partner, Moses Joktan Perkins, “have egregiously and fraudulently misrepresented to third parties and the public that their company, Fenty Entertainment, LLC, is affiliated with Rihanna, and has the authority to act on her behalf.” However, the pop star has her own trademark on the Fenty name, most famously aligned with her Fenty Beauty products, and she has no connection to her father’s company (via TMZ). Court documents note various transgressions, including incidents in which Fenty and Perkins allegedly accepted offers for Rihanna to play a number of shows. In addition to gigs in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, Fenty Entertainment reportedly booked an entire Latin American tour to the tune of $15 million. Such bookings were branded by Fenty Entertainment as “exclusive deals,” but Rihanna says that neither her nor her label, Roc Nation, were ever made aware of the deals her father was making. Rihanna has reportedly sent several cease and desist letters asking her father to stop capitalizing off her Fenty brand, yet they have all gone ignored. Ronald even went so far as to unsuccessfully try and trademark “Fenty” last year to use in connection with plans for resort boutique hotels. The singer is asking a judge to place an injunction on her dad using the name Fenty, as well as for damages. Rihanna is expected to drop her ninth full-length studio album and follow-up to 2016’s Anti later this year. Source