The boys from Newcastle have done it again. Lisbon released ‘Native’ off their debut EP ‘Life Is Good’ a few days ago, a catchy alt-pop piece that tells the story of taking chances and traveling into the unknown, finding yourself along the way. The boys blend all of their sounds together from the vocals to the guitars to the electronic melodies in such a fitting fashion. There is no way to turn this song on and not get up and dance, go ahead, try not to, I dare you.
Ninjas, are you ready for an exclusive mini-mix from our Resident Artist Klingande? He has put together a combination of songs sure to please. Time to fall into fall with this mix.
Turn it up, fam.
TRACKLIST:
MØ – Walk This Way (Alle Farben Remix)
Sigma ft. Paloma Faith – Changing (Klingande Remix)
Parov Stelar – The Sun Feat. Graham Candy (LCAW
Remix)
Monkeyneck – Brown Skin
Mozambo & Pakem & Kungs Ft. Julia Church – Soulmate
MJB – Just Fine (GAMPER & DADONI X Mingo Starr
Remix)
Felix Jaehn – Ain’t Nobody (feat. Jasmine Thompson)
Today we have the pleasure of sitting down with one half of Big Gigantic, the man on the drums, Mr Jeremy Salken. Jeremy! Thank you so much for taking some time out of your busy day to talk with The Music Ninja!
Jeremy: Yeah, thank you
Jeremy: Thank you very much, that’s awesome that so many people are coming. In regards to Rowdytown, we kind of had been on tour for a few years, traveling all over the country doing festivals and playing shows and opening up for people like Pretty Lights, Bassnector, and Skrillex. We got the opportunity to play Red Rocks, which they start talking to you about playing there the year before so the summer before the first Rowdytown we began talking about it. We were like, are we really going to play Red Rocks? Yes? Ok, then we need to make it big. We need to name the show something and just try to go all out. We passed around so many different names for months, from the stupidest stuff to great stuff. Then, Dom and I were goofing off with our friends, and one of them said, ‘Why don’t you call it Row-town?’ which, we used to say, we are going to take it to Rowdytown tonight you know when it was a big show and we were going to get crazy. So while we were talking about it, it turned into Rowdytown, and we were like that’s what we should call it.
TMN: An immediate that’s it!
Jeremy: Exactly, and now we are finally getting to a point where Rowdytown is developing into what we wanted it to be, two nights and everything, where it feels more like a festival. There are five artists each night, we are getting all special stuff, we have the little G’s coming out who are the advanced volunteers that are going to be helping out with stuff. There will be a photobooth, all sorts of things. Hopefully everyone has a great time this year.
TMN: Were you and Dominic surprised about the huge success of this event? It’s no surprise to anyone how much Colorado loves you two, being your hometown and everything, but you hear about people traveling from all over the US to see this. Tell us about how Rowdytown has become a staple for the Big G family?
Jeremy: Yeah, I think it is our mecca for Big G (laughs).
TMN: I would definitely say so!
Jeremy: And now that it is two nights, it is even more of an event because you can travel and go for two nights and make a weekend out of it. We are so psyched that it has built up to where it is and we are so appreciative to everyone who comes out to see us. It wasn’t that long ago that we were practicing in our basement and didn’t know what was going to happen and we were playing in tiny rooms all over the country. We started in Boulder and it is really cool that we can come back home and do something really awesome for Colorado.
TMN: Of course you are playing at the greatest outdoor venue in the world (that’s not just me saying, it has been voted on) Red Rocks. Does the experience just keep getting better and better everytime you are at that venue and what do you love most about playing there?
Jeremy: Red Rocks is definitely my favorite venue in the world. I honestly never get tired of that place; I went to shows all summer and saw a lot of my friends play. Every time I go to a show I spend half the show looking up at the audience and half the show looking at the stage. People are always asking me what I am looking at and I just can’t get over the way the moon always comes around that one big rock at the top on any clear night. It is just awesome, I love the vibe there.
TMN: I mean, not a bad thing to claim Red Rocks as a home venue.
Jeremy: (Laughs) Yeah not a bad place to claim at all. That we can even say that is beyond amazing.
TMN: And what a way to start before you head out on your “Touch the Sky” tour which is just twelve short days away. Tour are always fun, invigorating, and a massive commitment. What are a few things your fans can look forward to on this tour?
Jeremy: We are going to have a new light rig so that will be really cool. The set right now is pretty crushing. Dom has been working a lot on the older stuff. He finally found the master files for that stuff so we are making it a little fuller sounding, will be sharing some of it at Red Rocks. This tour coming up is going to be great, it is all over the country and we will be playing at some great venues like Madison Square Garden with Bassnector to kick it off. We have a big Halloween show in Atlanta, other shows in Detroit and Philly, just a lot of great places throughout the fall.
TMN: Sounds like a great tour, I’m sure all of your fans are looking forward to it.
Jeremy: It will be, tell everyone to come out, it will be a rager.
TMN: Just tell them all they will go ‘Row-Town’ every night right?
Jeremy: (Laughs) Yes, it is going to be so ‘Row’.
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Oh man, these two are at it again with another incredibly sexy and seductive new song. For the past year, Alina Baraz and Galimatias have been wowing us with their musical style, a combination of Baraz’s overly delightful vocals mixed with Galimatias’ addicting electronic melodies. Their recent release ‘Fantasy’ takes each of us on a musical journey as this duo quietly overtakes our personal fantasies. You will get so high on this song because there is no other sensation to feel. These two have showed us they understand how to musically speak to anyone who listens to their music. Leaving all my worries behind, it’s time to dive into my fantasies with this beat carrying me all the way.
TMN: Cédric! Hello and thank you so much for being our resident artist this month, real honor to have you. Let’s start from the beginning and work our way up to today ok? As a child, you studied music theory, not exactly a typical thing for a young person to do. Tell us how you got into that study and what something from that experience that you still carry with you today?
K: Hey! It’s an honor for me to be your resident artist 🙂 Thanks for welcoming me. Actually when I was a child I first got into music by DJing in my room like a lot of teenagers do now; first on my computer, then on CDJ 900 my parents bought me for Christmas. I was playing only for myself and wanted to go further. That’s how I came to production and to production school three years ago. I really wanted to play my sounds, even if it was just for me and a few friends, I liked it, just for fun. This experience of music production school in London brought me a larger musical culture. At the time I was listening EDM big room things like Swedish House Mafia, Avicii and more. I loved it and in London I met people which brought me to other kind of music, where I discovered Deep House. That’s the main thing which remains, and lead me to do this kind of music.
TMN: You really got into electronic music as a teenager (which seems to be a typical time for most young people to experience electronic music), do you remember who was the first group or artist you heard? All it takes is one really amazing song to speak to you.
K: As I said, I was fan of EDM, but at the same time, I was and still am fan of pop like Coldplay, Oasis… I think this is what brought me to do electronic music with acoustic instruments and songs in it. The song which stays for me is “Wonderwall” from Oasis, it’s not very original, but this song still does something for me.
God, we love a good story to go along with a music video. See here’s what happened, at the end of May while in Portland, EXROYALE awoke in a loft to the gleam of the Toronto skyline. He set out to get an espresso before the day’s writing session. On his morning walk, the artist-producer came across a message boldly displayed on the side of a building: “YOU’VE CHANGED.”
In that moment, he connected with the truth and how it related to someone that was on his mind and returned to the studio filled with inspiration that quickly turned into EXROYALE’s new single, ‘Stuck In My Head.’
The video feels almost dream like with the lyrics appearing briefly before disappearing in giant white light spots. It is almost as if you looked at the sun for a second and then looked away to see the circle of the sun’s outline in your visionary line. A video that fits perfectly with the thought and feel of trying to get rid of a person who has made themselves at home within your head and refuse to leave.
Now this is a nice mix.
LA duo Made In Heights have found a catchy way of combining vocalist Kelsey’s voice with the static electronic beats of producer Sabzi. This song makes you want to first bust out a cowbell and second, turn anything around you into a drumstick. Kelsey has a light and airy voice. Seductive and inviting, her vocals connect our listening from our ears to our brain and back again. Sabzi is a wizard on the melody, combining electronic beats while also throwing in some classic scratch magic. Combining their strengths, the duo shows what they have to offer and then some.
