With Finals Quickly Approaching...

There's a first for everything (I'm like the lurkers of Reddit...).

I know I have a pretty unique taste in music, varying from some hardcore screamo to Bon Iver, but when it comes to studying I only listen to electronic. That's probably the biggest reason why I enjoy being a part of this; I never run out of study music with all these new songs.

Down to the point though, I've put together a small sampler of my study playlist for everyone else to enjoy. Most of the songs you'll find are pretty chill and relaxing while still having an upbeat feel so you don't find yourself falling asleep on those damn notes of yours. It also has minimal lyrics as I find memorizing drug names while singing along to a song the least effective form of studying known to man.


Hope you find it as good as I do and feel free to give me some feedback. And if you don't like one song I suggest you try others, there's a varying range of styles.

Peace Homies,
Kirk

NORTHERN LIGHTS!!!!!!

NORTHERN LIGHTS IS LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY, GET FUCKING AMPED! We put together a little playlist of NLMF artists for you guys to blast your eardrums all week in preparation.  Enjoy, and hope to see you all there!

p.s.  WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! ONLY 4 MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!

A STATE OF TRANCE 600 @ ULTRA

Out of all the bloggers here on Lister Electronic Blog, I think I am the biggest trance addict. I even made my school schedule to have a break between class from 12-2 on Thursdays just so I can listen to ASOT.

Today, ASOT has made its way to Miami beach, with what is most likely to be the biggest trance line up EVER in history. The entire broadcast started just less than an hour ago with the man himself, ARMIN VAN BUUREN playing his warm up set. Yup, I am up on a Sunday morning at 10 AM because I want to have trance for breakfast, and lunch and dinner and night cap, today entire broadcast goes on for 12 eargasming hours AUOEFHDOUFNSJ




Trance music has that power to just put you away into A STATE OF TRANCE (puns intended). The vocals, melodies, piano and all else just makes it ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE AND EPIC.

It is like painting a picture with sounds, all those different instruments and elements are like strokes of a glistening brush, and who's to say trance DJs can't paint pictures to those of Van Gogh and Picasso?














 AND THIS ONE HERE JUST WON AN IDMA FOR "BEST TRANCE TRACK" YESTERDAY =D

LEL Swag

Hey everyone,

So I am putting in a shirt order tonight for some sick LEL swag. these are the shirts if you or anyone wants one, let me know the item number and size(s) you want. (Women's sizes available upon request). They are Gildan shirts and will cost $21. let me know before 6am tomorrow morning if you would want one. Message me your order or comment below!

Mau5 and Mau5 Remixes!

I've been on a bit of a hiatus from posts for the last little while; the combination of a heavy school load and lack of motivation has left me unwilling to sit in front of my computer to bang out an uninspired ramble.  Watching the live streams of UMF Miami over the last weekend was just the spark I needed to get going again.  Since Deadmau5 played an amazing set on Saturday, I thought it would be fitting to cover some of my favorite Mau5 tracks and remixes of Mau5 tracks!

First off is Mr FijiWiji's remix of Aural Psynapse.  This was a very recent discovery of mine, but it instantly found a place in my heart.  I'm a pretty big Mau5 fan, not necessarily a die hard, but I've even gone so far as to BUYa couple of his albums (thats how you know shits real).  I didn't even know that the original of this song existed!  Originally recorded in 2001, things don't get more classic Deadmau5 than Aural Psynapse.  Mr FijiWiji's remix changes things around a bit.  The song is sped up a little, but somehow maintains a more chill vibe.  Super tranquil and relaxing, yet simultaneously uplifting; I imagine that in a far off Utopian future, there will be monks that masturbate to songs like this to try to reach Nirvana.

Second I have a really old favorite of mine.  Strictly speaking, I am not the biggest fan of mash-ups.  They have their place, and I don't mean any offense to those who like them, I don't want them in my music collections.  This song, dubbed "I Remember Shelter" is one of the exceptions.  Everything about this song works amazingly well, capturing the initial feelings of both originals, both amazing in their own right.  



Last is Deadmau5's remix of Morgan Page's "The Longest Road".  After Strobe, this is hands down my favorite Deadmau5 song.  Lissie, who you might recognize from her  rock cover of Pursuit of Happiness, is stunning in this.  I would love to hear more of her in electronic music in the future.  Everything that Zimmerman does to this track is subtle; I absolutely love how he can take a simple repeating chord progression and turn it into something amazing through the simple use of filters.  So many artists out there are obsessed with a filthy drop, and while I enjoy this as much as the next guy, there is something to be said for taking time to build of a song instead.  Its like comparing a quicky to spending an entire day with a gorgeous girl (or guy) exchanging smiles and laughs, all building up to that glorious moment later in the night.  In my opinion, Deadmau5 is one of the best at building up songs like this, giving us something that is way more profound. 

You Audio in Review

I’m going off on a bit of a tangent for this post. And this is a bit off a wall of text you could say, but to start with, here's Zedd's remix of his own song Clarity so you have something to listen to if you want to read on. (There are 2 more tracks in there later on too.) Zedd remixed his own track and came up with something that is clearly Clarity, but sounds completely different, a completely different genre actually, but if you like the original, you'll probably have some appreciation for this. I find this remix much more passive and maybe more hopeful and although I probably like the original more, this still has it's place and is pretty sweet.
     Zedd - Clarity feat. Foxes (Zedd Union Mix)

Check it out and read on through my ranting and raving if you want.

Weekes' Weekly Wobble ~4

Here comes another weekly wobble everyone. I have sort of been out of the loop for the last little while, and have been a bit crunched for time, in light of that I think I just need to chill to a good wobble, and hopefully give you all something new to listen to.

First follow these 4 steps for the best experience.
Step 1. Purchase Marley Mellow Mood
Step 2. Purchase Red Bull
Step 3. Purchase Vodka
Step 4. Combine the above 3 items (from steps 1-3) and click play to the wobble (below)

This weeks wobble goes out to Skrillex and Damian Marley - Make It Bun Dem

Damian Marley--> Bob Marley's youngest son.. nuff said pretty chill
Skrillex--> I don't think i need to explain Skrillex to you all

Mix the two and you're in for a pretty good time.. I think at least

Enjoy!

Pegboard Nerds

I recently came across a track from these guys, and I thought it had a pretty great sound so I started digging around, and man did I like what I started to find. I'm not even sure which track I'd call my favourite from these guys, but the track that set me onto them was Pegboard Nerds - Fire In The Hole. Take a listen.

So these Pegboard Nerds are a duo made up of Alexander Odden of Norway and Michael Parsberg of Denmark ('of' sounds way more badass then 'from' here, hey?). This pair got together way back in '05 and started dicking around, but they only became the Pegboard Nerds in 2012. Since they became their own artist and started throwing out their own tracks, they have made quite a ripple. The genre they play in is definitely dubstep and you could say they have a similar sound to Knife Party. There is quite a bit of variation between their different tracks though and the level of skill that these two possess is quite obvious once you've listened to a couple different tracks and remixes.

The track Fire In The Hole that you should be listening to now has a nice beat to it with some good swing you could say, and although the lyrics don't really do anything for me, the track is solid dubstep that's not too heavy.

But now onto the two tracks that really made me sink my teeth into these guys. One of these tracks is Pegboard Nerds - Self Destruct. This song has a sick synth melody interspersed that really kicks in near the end and it just feels good. The song gets pretty heavy in places, but there is just enough of that high spirited melody slipped into those heavy places to keep you flying through and wanting more.



The other track that really caught my attention is Pegboard Nerds - Disconnected. I'd say this track is lighter, more melodic throughout, and farther from dubstep than the other tracks. The feel I get from this song reminds me quite a bit of that young kid Madeon.



After listening to these three tracks you may realize that these guys like to mix some real heavy stuff in with some pretty light stuff, and they do a damn good job of it. The transitions keep a natural feel too them and the heavy and light parts do a nice gob job of complementing each other. The different sounds that this duo can produce is fairly well demonstrated by these three tracks; Disconnected is overall cheerful and upbeat, that melody in Self Destruct is just awesome and there are some some pretty heavy bits in there too, and Fire In The Hole has some swing that can really get you moving with some nice small drops.

If you like what you've heard so far, here are three more originals and three remixes to check out to give you more of a feel for these guys.

Kaskade Coachella Set

Ive wanted to write a blog post on Kaskade for a while, but I didn't know where I would start. It would have been impossible to focus on a few tracks when he has produced so much gold. I mean, the guy has produced 41 singles and 38 remixes, along with over 100 mashups from Frank Sinatra to Paris Hilton. 

Then I discovered his 2012 set at Coachella, which is the epitome of what Kaskade represents. This set is unbelievable in every way shape and form. It contains all my favorite Kaskade singles (Eyes, Raining, Llove, I Remember, Lick it), as well as some B.E.A.utiful mashups such as Empty Streets Cascade and Fire in Your Antidote. This set is so much more impressive than an average set because all but one song (In My Mind) are produced by him in one way or another! There is a very small class of elite Producers/DJ’s that have the ability to make an amazing set strictly using your own material, showing he deserves to be named among the likes of Deadmau5, Avicii, and Al Walser. This is one of the very few Mormons that I would embrace upon knocking on my door.
   

If you're lazy as fuck and dont want to experience an hour and a half eargasm, it's a bare bones requirement to at least listen to Raining- Adam K & Kaskade (1:21), as well as Lick it- Skrillex & Kaskade (1:02). Enjoy!

LEL Party Playlist Thursday! (on a Friday...)

Welcome to week three of the LEL party playlist Thursday!  I know its a day late, but this its just cause this weeks edition is extra special.  As a bonus, at the end of the post are some pictures taken from the AC show this last week that I think are absolutely amazing (credit to Ellie).






Songs by Contributor:

Pat
Must be the Feeling -- Nero
Don't You Worry Child -- Swedish House Mafia
Finale -- Madeon

Nathan
Kill Paris -- Slap Me (Candyland Remix)
The Juggernaut -- Chess Fight
Martin Sloveig -- The Night Out (A-Trak remix)

Jedd
Carnage & Borgore -- Incredible
Lykke LI -- Dance, Dance, Dance (Dada Life remix)
Porter Robinson -- Unison

Braydon
Feed Me -- Pink Lady
TNGNT -- Higher Ground

Lin
Gareth Emery -- Fight the Sunrise
Andy Moor -- Love Again
Knife Party -- Rage Valley

Ryan
Midnight Conspiracy -- Satellite
John Dalhback -- Embrace Me (Dirty South Remix)
The Killabits -- OH HAI!

Skrillex -- Breakin' a Sweat (Zedd Remix); Zedd -- Epos

Got a bit of a double header for you guys today.  Zedd has made a name for himself over the last couple of years.  I don’t understand some of what he does (producing for Lady Gaga and….ugh...Justin Beiber?...really?...) but there is no denying that he is one hell of a talented musician.  To get an understanding of what I mean, look up his piano version of Spectrum; its rather stunning, and to me it really proves that these electronic producers are just as musically talented as any other musician. We’ve all heard that dickhead say something along the lines of “What do they even do? Don’t they just get up on stage and press play? I could do that.” As someone who used to listen to a lot of classical music, I liken them to orchestra conductors/composers.  These guys really need to understand music, every little component, where the bass should come in, how to tweak the synthline to sing above everything else, how to make that stunning vocal track stand out and add to a song rather than just a muddled mess in with everything else.  In a good electronic song, every single bit has its place. Takes talent man, and anyone who says otherwise can GTFO.

So with that bit of a rant done…I heard Zedd’s work for the first time a couple of years ago with his remix of Skrillex’s “Breakin’ a Sweat.”  I didn’t really think much about it at the time, but its slowly become one of my favorite electronic songs.  The original, while good, is kind of mellow for what I expect from Skrillex.  Zedd  throws up the middle finger and brings the intensity right back up.  He takes what I saw as a kind of messy track and brings it together, but leaves it close enough to the original so that it shows off both Zedd and Skrillex’s talent.  The original is like your lame ass hanging out with the chess club all weekend and the Zedd remix is like your older, harder, badass-er brother (I heard that one time he even injected 5 whole marijuanas!)

Now, following his Spectrum release over the summer, Zedd released his first album Clarity, which I think is absolutely fantastic.  While certainly not ground breaking, every track is technically fantastic, and you can really hear Zedd playing around with some different styles, flexing his legs a bit.  Epos is really the highlight of the album for me.  Its got a really Deadmau5-ish vibe to it that I absolutely love.  And dat synth line man….something about the way that it drifts in and out of synch makes your brain itch, but in a good way! ….kinda like the satisfaction that you get from popping a really big zit. 

So yeah, a couple of killer tracks from Zedd; really shows off his diversity, and I’m looking forward to hearing more from him in the future.

Happenstance

I'm honestly not sure when the first time I heard this song was. I think I might have heard bits of it in people's live sets, but there is no way I could tell you for sure.

However what I could tell you is that I came across it at home more so by happenstance. If one small thing had happened differently in that day, week, month, etc, I likely wouldn't have come across it. Something as small as dropping a couple extra noodles in a pot could have changed it all; my brain chemistry may have been slightly altered from the extra food so I may have made some very small decision differently such as choosing to follow some link, then I may have become distracted by some article that I otherwise wouldn't have and that cold have changed what I read into and how late I stayed up one night, then I would have felt completely different than I did the next day, so the chances of my day playing out sufficiently similar to come to similar results drop off significantly, now as you can see the chances of the same things happening rapidly decay with time. It could have been something as small as reading or not reading someone's Facebook status that could have stopped me from coming across this track, or someone giving me a smile at party, talking to someone in hall, playing tug of war, or skipping a class.

Any little thing could have happened differently, but it didn't. So that track that I recently happened across is Party Police by Damien Le Roy & Chebacca. Until I came across this track I had never heard of this Damien Le Roy guy, so I look into him, and I can barley find anything on this guy, just a preview of this song, a remix, and a mix on his soundcloud and only 236 followers. So I'm sitting there and I'm like 'What the fuck? how does this guy put down a track like that as one of his first songs?' So I keep looking and I find out he used to be DJ Ammo and did work with the Black Eyed Peas, then most of it made sense, but still how does he have that few followers?

But anyway back to the track. Sure this may not be the best song ever, or that good of a track for casual listening, but fuck, I'd say it's a pretty good song to see live with your eyes wide. This track just has a massive sound to it and features some sounds that remind me of Mario from back when you all were learning to walk (and I was graduating highschool). I'd say its a pretty good song to get you going.

So this song was a little harder to find on that internet thing than I'm used to, so I'm gonna have to redirect you if you want to listen to the full song,

Check it out here.
Party Police - Damien Le Roy (Ctrl-Click to open in a new window)


Here's the preview on souncloud if that link doesn't work, but the full song is way better. 
Now your choice to read this and listen to or not listen to this track may have a far bigger impact on your life and the people's around you than you may imagine.