Tickets: "Skrillex Week LA" 1/24/12-1/29/12

I have bought my tickets for what I am dubbing "Skrillex Week LA." Skrillex is headlining a different venue with different artists every night from Jaunary 24th through the 29th. Heres a list of the shows and I will post links for tickets as I get them:

Tuesday, January 24 at Dim Mak Tuesday at Cinespace (Skrillex, Alvin Risk, KOAN Sound)
Tickets on Sale for $15 are available at the door. You can see event details here.

Wednesday, January 25 at Echoplex (Skrillex vs. 12th Planet, Diplo)
Tickets on sale for $30 might be available at the door. You can see event details Here

Thursday, January 26 at Exchange (Skrillex, Zedd)
Tickets are on sale for $50. You can buy them Here.

Friday, January 27 at Avalon (Skrillex, Huoratron, KIll the Noise)
Tickets are on sale for $38 $43 after service charge. Presale is sold out! Tickets can be bought at the door. See event details here.

Saturday, January 28 at The Palladium (Skrillex, AraabMUZIK, KOAN Sound, Munchi)
Tickets are on sale for $50. You can buy them Here.

Sunday, January 29 at L.A.Live Event Deck (Skrillex, Benga, Nadastrom, Dada Life)
Tickets on sale for $55. You can buy them Here

Review: HARD x MOUTH TAPED SHUT 12/17/11

Last Friday night after work I decided to take a shower as I had a Holiday party to attend to the night. When I stepped out of the shower I logged on to Facebook and the item at the top of my news feed read this:

I had seen the ads for HARD x MOUTH TAPED SHUT, but not until after all the original RSVPs were given away. This announcement had been posted 2 minutes ago, so I threw on some clothes, called up some friends and flew down to the Palladium, picking up my friends along the way. We arrived at about 8:45 and were able to grab tickets for the next night. My weekend was set.

*On a side note, let me tell you if you want to be one of the first to know about any of your favorite artist’s concerts, social media is the way to go! Like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and they will be the first to tell you about upcoming events.

Saturday night rolls around and I was ecstatic. I hadn’t gone out to an electric show in a while and I needed to cut loose. The universe provided, and the best part was, it was FREE! We met at a friend’s who lived near the Palladium, pregamed a little, and then headed over to see the show.

If you didn’t hear about HARD x MOUTH TAPED SHUT, you really missed out. HARD Events set up a promotion with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. They had Free concerts around the world, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, New York, Chicago, and Stockholm. Tickets given out on a first come first serve basis. Each city had a different lineup. I feel like I lucked out, as the LA lineup was Eve, Proxy, James Murphy, and Deadmau5 (I had missed Deadmau5 the last time he was he town, so I couldn’t wait).

The Palladium is a fun Venue to attend. It’s your typical concert hall. I had seen Bassnectar there, and gone when ID Fest was in town. There was a good crowd there as well, which you can only expect when it’s a free concert. However, it was 18+ (I’m used to 21+ shows), and it always weirds me out to know that I’m now partying with people who were born in the 90’s!

We arrived after Eve’s set, in the mist of Proxy spinning the records. Proxy was a good warm-up for the night. As a friend of mine put it, “He sounded very Radio.” Pretty much generic, which is okay to get you into the mood for the night.

I Hadn’t heard of James Murphy, but my friend informed me he was part of the now broken up LCD Soundsystem (which just recently released a new music video ???). He definitely had a different vibe for the night. Much more relaxed them I’m used to at these events. His music is something I would listen to chilling at home relaxing.

Before I get to Deadmau5’s set, if you haven’t been to an Electronic’s show before, you need to understand there are two aspects to these parties. There’s the music, and there’s the show. The Music is what people will immediately know, even without going to a rave. The synth, the bass, the repeating lyrics, stuff you’ve heard all over the place. The show is the lights and the images thrown around you. Mixed with the atmosphere of the crowd, there’s nothing quite like it.

This night one of my friend’s had brought a pair of Magic Glasses, which basically prism and light that signs towards you. It takes the show to a whole new level and I don’t know how I didn’t have them with me before! Now I have to admit, I’ve seen better light shows then this night, but with what they had, they did a great job.

So when Deadmau5 took the stage, with glasses in tow, I was blown away. From the moment the bass started to thump, the excitement in the crowd grew, and when he pulled out his Mouse head and put it on, it was a feeling that can only be experienced in these types of environments. His set was great, playing some songs I easily recognized mixed with some new hits. He brought the crowd up in intensity, then chilled everyone out in the last 20 minutes before ending in an rush f harmony and bass.

For a free concert, on a night when I had nothing truly planned, there couldn’t have been a better night. This is why I love LA. If you know what you like, and you know where to look, you’ll always find a group of people who are into the same thing and love it just as much. And with finding these people, you’ll find the events to go to any day of the week.

Video: James Murphy at HARD x MOUTH TAPED SHUT 12/17/11

Heres a video I shot of James Murphy's set at HARD x MOUTH TAPED SHUT. I shot it through a pair of my friend's "Magic Glasses" which added a lot more to the light show.

Photos: HARD x MOUTH TAPED SHUT 12/17/11

Proxy at HARD x MOUTH TAPED SHUT

James Murphy at HARD x MOUTH TAPED SHUT

James Murphy at HARD x MOUTH TAPED SHUT

Deadmau5 at HARD x MOUTH TAPED SHUT

Deadmau5 at HARD x MOUTH TAPED SHUT

Deadmau5 at HARD x MOUTH TAPED SHUT

Tickets: HARD x MOUTH TAPED SHUT 12/17/11 **UPDATED**AGAIN**

Just scored a FREE Ticket to HARD x MOUTH TAPED SHUT featuring Deadmau5, James Murphy, Proxy, and Eve at the Palladium!

If you were following me on here or Twitter you could have known about the free giveaway they were doing!

**Tickets will be given out again at 10am on 12/17/11 at the palladium!!!! Get there early to get your ticket!**

**And all free tickets are gone! Cya there tonight if you managed to score one!**

Review: Boys Noize at the Music Box 12/2/11

Let me preface this review with a little background on myself. I work. A lot. And when you work in the industry that I do, it’s difficult to get any free time to relax (it also wreaks hell on your dating life).

That being said, after a 10 hour day at work last Friday (and knowing I had to work at 5am the next morning), I met up with a few friends of mine and headed over to the Music Box to see Boys Noize. I had slacked off on buying a ticket when they first went on sale and ended up spending way too much for what I feel I got in return. Don’t get me wrong, I had a lot of fun, but just not enough for what I paid for.

The Music box itself is one of my favorite venues. The place is small/intimate while still being able to pack a good amount of people in it. There’s a great rooftop patio that in the warmer months is open to the sky and allows you a great look at Hollywood around you (this night they had a tent set up to keep the roof warm).

My friends and I arrived a little early as we hadn’t looked up when Boys Noize was going to take the stage, so we sat on the rooftop and enjoyed some drinks while waiting for the show to start. Boys Noize eventually took the stage at 1am (remember… I had to work at 5…). The warm up DJs were okay, but I always feel like they hold back so that the headliner seems that much more intense and exciting. That being said, when Boys Noize’s set started, the energy in the room definitely doubled.

Now I pretty much went into this concert blind. I had heard of Boys Noize before and had listened to a few of their songs, but nothing extensively. I definitely felt a good vibe at the beginning enjoying the songs he started off with. They also had air compressors set up along the balcony behind the pit which would blast you with air periodically throughout the show, which was always a good thing.

After a while though, the concert started to get a little mundane. I felt like most of the songs were far too similar and ended up being simply a lot of the same bass pounding at the same pace. It could be that I was up all day working, but the whole experience started to lag about an hour into his show. I just wasn’t enjoying it as much as I’ve enjoyed other DJs. I will admit that getting close to 3am I felt like the set did start to pick up again, with Boys Noize seeming to vary the style and tempo of the music he was mixing, but at that point I forced myself to go and get at least 2 hours of sleep before work in the morning.

I’m a little sad I didn’t get to see the end of his set, and I will definitely see Boys Noize again, just not for anything close to what I paid to see him this time.

Photo: Boys Noize 12/2/11

Review: Martin Solveig at the Avalon 11/19/11

So here’s my first review of one of the events I’ve attended. I am a little worried that my view of the night is a bit skewed. At these events I’m relaxed and enjoying myself, which usually consisted of me enjoying a few beverages as well, which may in turn blur the night a little. I hope to avoid the drunken slur of “oh maaaan, it was sooo gooooood! I danced so hard!” but I can’t promise that my recollection of the night is much more then that.

My friends arrived at the Avalon club in Hollywood around 10:30 that night. Martin Solveig was supposed to play at some point, but we weren’t exactly sure when he was supposed to take the stage. The only thing we knew was the event was supposed to run from 9:30pm till 8:00am.

Before I bought my tickets for the show, I had really only heard Solveig newest chart-topper “Hello,” but I listened to a few of his songs the days before the concert and generally enjoyed his music and the hilarity in his music videos. But as for this night, I had no expectations of what to expect, which I always enjoy because I most likely won’t be disappointed.

This was my first time to the Avalon, and I wasn’t disappointed. We picked up our will call tickets and were taken to the upstairs area. We could see where the set was supposed to take place, but opted to travel to the Bar instead. This is where I discovered the drink “Adios Mother Fucker.” On a side note, you need to understand I don’t branch out that often when it comes to drinks. I’m a beer and Rum and coke kind of guy, and boy was I not ready for those AMFs. Their not kidding with a name like that, and with the amount of alcohol I got, I think the $14 price tag was well worth it. I only needed two drinks that night and I was set.

When we finally made it to dance floor, the crowd was a decent size, and the excitement was at a mid high level. Whoever opened before Martin did a pretty good job of getting people into the mood, but once Solveig took the stage, the atmosphere swung and the excitement got out of control.

None of us realized that Solveig was really just there to do a DJ Set, but that made the night so much better. You could tell from the moment he started DJing, that Solveig loves what he does. He bracketed his performance with mixes of his hit “Hello,” something I noticed it, but didn’t mind as his set lasted four hours and featured so many different artists and genres that you were able to just move to whatever he played. Solveig seamlessly blended the sounds of artists like Skrillex and Afrojack with bands like Queen and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The Dance floor itself was full of people, but not so much that you couldn’t dance comfortably. Some of the greatest moments were when the floor would be filled with a thick smog and you could witness silhouettes of people dancing around you. An eerie yet wonderful experience to watch as the bass pounded around you.

Solveig’s set ended at 3am, and while another DJ took the stage to continue the party, my friends and I were worn out from the excitement of Solveig (and we had prior obligations in the morning) and decided to call it a night. I hope the next time the Avalon hosts such an epic event as this that I will be able to spend the whole night there and dance until the sunrises.

Breaking into the Dance/Club scene

I’ll admit I haven’t been into the electronic dance scene quiet that long, but man, when I entered it I hit the ground running.

As a quick background, a few months after moving to LA, several of my friends introduced me to the subgenre known as Dubstep. They would (and still do) listen to it every time I ended up over at their place. First, I didn’t know what to think. The grueling bass hits, the odd electronic high notes, it just didn’t seem to fit my current musical tastes (which at the time rotated between country music and hip-hop). I had a light background listening to a few Trance artists like George Acosta and Tiesto, but this genre was something completely new.

But the more I listened to it, the more it dug deeper into my soul. Dubstep reached down to the animal inside of me. With every Bass Drop, the raw energy started to explode out of me, allowing me to just be one with the music and the environment around us.

Around my start into the genre, one of my friends was handed a flyer for a Dubstep Party at the Vanguard in LA hosted by Perish 69. It was a Pirates and Ninjas party, which, even if we weren’t already interested in the music, how do you resist a party with that sort of theme? We were ready for the music, but we weren’t ready for the crowd. The neon clothes, the fuzzy boots, the amount of skin, it was like something straight out of the movies. And I loved it.

Once I got a taste, I couldn’t stop. I’ve never joined in with the garb at these events, but seeing people so free and unabashed, it was something I had dreamed of achieving (I’ve always been pretty shy when meeting new people). Everyone here was so out there and didn’t care what people thought at all. It made for great people watching, but it also opened my eyes, well in a sense, closed them from worrying about what those around me thought.

After a few trips to the Vanguard, we bought our tickets to Hardfest. The sheer size of this event was something I was not prepared for. I spent most of the night trying to find people I know at the event, but once I finally gave up and simply enjoyed the music, it was like something I’d never experienced before.

From there its been a slew of different parties and concerts, every one a night of pure freedom flooding out of me. The remorse, no worries. Just me and the music.

Tickets: Flavors #4 1990s 12/9/11

Bought my Tickets for Flavors #4 1990s Dance Party at the Echoplex on December 9th!

You can get yours here!

Photo: Martin Solveig 11/19/11

Photo: Chromeo 11/17/11

Tickets: Bormance Tour 1/14/12

Bought my tickets for the Bromance Tour! Brodinski and Gesaffelstein at the Key Club on January 14th!

You can get yours here!

Tickets: Boys Noize 12/2/11

Bought my Tickets for Boys Noize at the The Music Box on December 2nd!

You can get yours here!

Tickets: Martin Solveig 11/19/11

Bought my tickets for Martin Solveig at the Avalon on November 19th!

Tickets: EDC 6/8/12-6/10/12

Bought my tickets for the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas on June 8th - the 10th!

You can get yours here!