Lollapalooza 2015: Our Top Takeaways [Event Review]

Lollapalooza-2015

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

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[Future] Banks – Someone New (Esta Remix)

Banks
Someone New(esta Remix)

This summer, the Soulection super-team has continued to release progressive tunes on a daily basis. With its recent announcement as a program on the new Apple Radio, the Soulection brand has become nearly synonymous with a new type of music altogether. Demonstrating an exceptional style and flair, this crew of producers have toured, coproduced, and pushed each other to create innovative music for the last several years.

L.A. based crew member Esta – who has worked with the likes of JMSN, Kehlani, Towkio, Alina Baraz and many more – released his newest remix, “Someone New” late last week. The original, an acoustic track from Banks.’ album Goddess, is a soft-spoken ballad often overshadowed by the mainstream success of singles “Warm Water”, “Brain”, “Drowning”, and “Beggin for Thread”.

With the additional support of Jose Rios creating an up-tempo harmony on the bass guitar, Esta injects new life into his energetic new version. In “Someone New”, Esta once again does a masterful job of crafting synthesized loops, especially within the bridge of the song. This rhythmic tune succeeds in feeling unique while still amplifying the passionate elements of the original.

Esta is currently on tour; fans can catch him at stops in Washington DC with Goldlink and New York with Sango later this summer.

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BANKS – Someone New (New Mantra Remix)

Banks
Someone New (New Mantra Remix)

BANKS is hands down one of our favorite artists right now. Her seductive voice, confidence on stage, and intricate lyrics keep all listeners in a music-induced trance of pure bliss. Many artists have remixed her more popular hits, but not many have wandered down the path of her lesser known songs because it is always a little scarier to remix those unknowns. But New Mantra has done just that, putting a delightfully light twist on BANKS’ “Someone New.” The song is about a woman who really likes a man, but is not ready for love and asks him to be patient. New Mantra adds quiet melodies to the song–electronic beats mixed with a bit of delicate drums. The producer also adds an echoing male voice to match BANKS vocals, making it sound like a duet. A beautifully simple yet complex remix, this track will make you remember people from your past, present, and future.

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[Future Trap] BANKS – Drowning (Stwo Remix)

BANKS
Drowning (Stwo Remix)

There is nothing more exciting than anticipating new music from Stwo. The French producer is renowned for transforming tracks into gold and, with his latest release, he certainly does not disappoint. Reworking “Drowning” by the LA lovechild BANKS, Stwo has once again proven that he is the remix king. Going with a minimalist trap beat, Jillian Banks’s vocals shine mixing perfectly with the ominous, emotionally-driven tune. Stwo definitely elevated the listening experience by throwing in his signature elements. He is so good at curating songs to remix that it’s easy to mistake his renditions for the originals.

Sharing is caring, and Stwo has always been extremely generous with giving out free music. Make sure to grab a free download via his SoundCloud here, and catch the him on a stop of his North American tour with Snakehips. Trust us, you do not want to miss out!

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60+ Songs to Prepare for Treasure Island Music Festival in SF, 10/18-19 [Event Preview + Playlist]

timf2014-sfweekly-fullpgLineups for major music festivals often boast 100+ artists, which although in theory is a great concept, can end up being overwhelming and frustrating when you realize the impossibility of seeing every act on the bill. San Francisco’s Treasure Island Music Festival, a collaboration between Noise Pop and Another Planet Entertainment, provides one of the few exceptions to this conundrum electing to go with fewer artists and alternating sets at only two stages. Having attended last year, we found this to be a genius, albeit seemingly obvious, solution making the experience far more relaxed for festival-goers without sacrificing any quality in the music. Aside from the unique arrangement, the backdrop of Treasure Island overlooks both the Bay and Golden Gate bridges and has one of the more stunning sunsets the Bay Area has to offer. For anyone who will be attending this year, we also highly recommend checking out the non-stop Silent Disco stage courtesy Silent Frisco.

To help you all prepare for what should be an amazing weekend of music, we’ve put together a massive playlist including every single artist on the TIMF lineup because, with no overlapping sets, you will actually have the opportunity to see them all. Whether you’ve already got your ticket, are still on the fence or can’t make it this year, we hope this serves as a fun, introduction to a dynamic collection of musicians. One and two-day passes for Treasure Island Music Festival are still available so, if you like what you hear below, grab your tickets HERE.

Day 1: 

Painted PalmsNoon @ Bridge Stage. 

Sounds like: San Francisco-based, psychedelic pop.

’Painted Palms
Anna’
’Painted Palms – Here It Comes’

Tobacco (of Black Moth Super Rainbow), 12:40PM @ Tunnel Stage.

Sounds like: In his own words, “I want to make you feel paranoid in a good way.”

’Tobacco – Self Tanner’
’Black Moth Super Rainbow – Gangs in the Garden’

ratking1

MUST-SEE: Ratking1:10PM @ Bridge. 

Sounds like: Gritty, high energy New York hip-hop.

’Ratking – So It Goes’
’Ratking – Pretty Picture’
’Phantogram – Fall in Love (RATKING Falling Off Remix)’
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[Electro] Lil Silva – Don’t You Love (Feat. BANKS)

Lil Silva
Don't You Love (Feat. BANKS)

Do you love BANKS as much as we do? Well her recent collaboration with British producer and DJ Lil Silva will deifnitely satisfy all of Jillian’s fans. This new track by Lil Silva titled “Don’t You Love” has an interesting yet lengthy buildup. From the get go, Lil Silva is incorporating his funky elements into the beat. There are the echoing male vocals in the beginning, something resembling BANKS’ style, most notable in “Brain” produced by Shlomo.  Then as the funky bass comes in, the anticipation builds up. The vocals from BANKS don’t come in until over half way to the track, but the result is a drop that gets you vibin’ and headbobbing all over the place. BANKS’ solo towards the end of the tune shows every bit of her goddess-like sassiness. Everything comes together so well with the overdue beat drop that it was worth all the hype and anticipation.

With his new project “Maple EP” coming out August 4, Lil Silva is definitely looking to diversify his fan base by recruiting some of BANKS’. With the addition of this track, we are very excited to how BANKS is going to change the game with the release of her new album.

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[NEW] BANKS – Beggin For Thread

BANKS
BEGGIN FOR THREAD

Just as we were beginning to grow weary of the countless–although excellent–remixes of her last single, “Drowning,” BANKS decided to bless her fans with some breathtaking new material, unleashing “Beggin For Thread” earlier today. With this latest effort, the talented songstress can safely add yet another notch to her belt, continuing to prove why she’s one of the premiere names at the forefront of pop music. Opting for a much quicker tempo than we’re used to, BANKS still brings much of the same raw energy and aggression in her vocals, producing an addicting melody through the use of zippy synths and reverberating percussion.

As BANKS continues to impress us with each and every release, it makes the wait for Goddess that much more unbearable. Luckily, we’ll have this song to to help occupy the time until the album comes out on September 9th.

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