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[2016 Recap] A Few Of My Favorite Things
bless Topsters for assembling this graphic infinitely easier than prior years
Surpriiiiseee!! I'm going to do my year end wrap up differently than most of the ones I've seen. Mostly because I have so many to share, but mostly because I like to let the music do the talking and help you get better connected to the artists themselves. Instead of recaps of each record, I'm going to point you to my favorite tracks so if any of these are new to your ears you'll have the best starting point I can give you.
Personal Observations for 2016
This was a weird year for me in terms of listening/discovery habits. Instead of fighting against music consumption trends, I decided to play along. I dove head first into my Discover Weekly playlist. I even followed some of my friends' in order to see what I would find and set up an IFTTT recipe to archive everything recommended to me so I could go back and reference it later if I wanted. I barely touched my SKOA inbox, which probably upset a lot of publicists. Anyway, according to Last.FM's data (since Spotify never ended up sending me mine), I listened to 1,919 new artists this year, which is ABSOLUTELY INSANE. But really when you think about how much music Discover Weekly puts in front of you, it's really less than what everyone had the potential to check out (which is 1,560 if you figure we get 30 new tracks a week for a year). I am in the 98th percentile in music listening per Last.FM (meaning I listen to more music than 98% of people who still scrobble to Last.FM) and I found myself panicky and overwhelmed by the sheer volume of music that Spotify thinks I can get through on TOP of the music I already love and want to enjoy, or the random rabbit holes I end up falling into that typically bring me great new baby bands. I guess most people approach Discover Weekly differently than I do, letting artists come and go as they please, but knowing the transformative power that music possesses, I'm always wary of passing on an opportunity to be affected and share those experiences with others.
It's crazy to think that 20% of what stuck with me this year was randomly generated by The Algorithm and not delivered to me by humans. I almost said that the human delivery was through cosmic forces, but really, if music finds its way to your ears/hearts by friend or by Algorithm, both are cosmic in a way, no?
This is my struggle at present. I value the connection that happens when a humans experience music together, whether it be by recommendation or attending shows together. I worry this experience will continue to be diminished the more we silo ourselves into our algorithm-based echo chambers. I really hope I'm just out of touch and someone will point me to where this is the opposite, but I can't ignore how self-serving shows feel now every time I treat myself to a Night Out. This has been on my heart/mind too much lately to ignore it, so expect some changes to how things go down on the site (starting with making more time for this now that my new job isn't crazy busy for awhile).
What music moved you this year? Did you like some of these records but different tracks? I'd honestly love to know so please drop me a comment. Also if you want more than favorite tracks out of me for these records, feel free to bug me on Twitter I am happy to share!
My Favorite Things Of 2016
[Outside Lands 2012] Top Five High Energy Shows to Dance at Till You Drop
This Friday marks the beginning of this year's Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco, the fifth edition of the cultural highlight. SKOA will be attending the festival this year, and each day leading up to the festival we will be dishing out a feature focused on the bands set to appear at Outside Lands. Today, our spotlight is focused on the top five high energy shows to dance at till your knees are trembling.
If you're willing to put the time, effort, and money into going to a show, then it is immediately worth it. One aspect that makes a show much more worth it, though, is if you show up and you're dancing from start to finish. When a band has a stage presence that is so energetic, and when the music is paced perfectly so that you don't stop moving for the entire set, that is when you know it was a good show. Take a look at the top five picks for the most danceable acts at this year's Outside Lands after the jump.
This Friday marks the beginning of this year's Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco, the fifth edition of the cultural highlight. SKOA will be attending the festival this year, and each day leading up to the festival we will be dishing out a feature focused on the bands set to appear at Outside Lands. Today, our spotlight is focused on the top five high energy shows to dance at till your knees are trembling.
If you're willing to put the time, effort, and money into going to a show, then it is immediately worth it. One aspect that makes a show much more worth it, though, is if you show up and you're dancing from start to finish. When a band has a stage presence that is so energetic, and when the music is paced perfectly so that you don't stop moving for the entire set, that is when you know it was a good show. Take a look at the top five picks for the most danceable acts at this year's Outside Lands after the jump.
Justice: The moment Justice becomes a topic of conversation, the song "D.A.N.C.E." is almost always brought up. The French house duo has become iconic for their Parisian brand of electronic music, a brand that translates perfectly to the dance-hungry crowd. Whether you're playing Justice at a house party or seeing them live in concert, the dirty, sexy basslines and unwavering barrage of synthesizers plays perfectly into high energy, non-stop dance-a-thons. When it comes to dancing, Justice has you covered. Just make sure you have a full day afterwards to recover.
YACHT: This Portland outfit continiously impresses with their infectious electropop sounds, and in a live setting, it's impossible to prevent the onslaught of dancing crowds. Who wouldn't dance to "Dystopia (The Earth Is on Fire)" or "Shangri-La"? It's all just so damn catchy. YACHT knows how to do danceable, groovy beats right, so do yourself a favor and check them out.
Passion Pit: If you've ever watched footage of Passion Pit performing live, there is no doubt that their catchy pop sounds are perfect for crowds of eager fans wanting to dance to their heart's content. Manners was packed with danceable song after danceable song, and Gossamer is no different. The Massachusetts outfit knows how to deliver a fulfilling pop song, and fans of the band know perfectly well how to dance to it. Seeing this band live is not something you should pass up.
[Listen] Skrillex - "Reptile's Theme"
Check out the new track from Skrillex off the upcoming Mortal Kombat game titled "Reptile Theme." The track is the theme music for, you guessed it, the character Reptile in the upcoming MK video game and is also featured in the game's recent TV Spot. The full track will appear on the album Mortal Kombat: Songs Inspired by the Warriors which release next Tuesday. The album is being executive produced by JFK (of the DJ/ production duo MSTRKRFT and Death From Above 1979) who also features on the record. Peep a preview of the track below in all its dubstep/glitch glory chalked filled with Mortal Kombat samples that will bring the child in you to life.
[Listen] MSTRKRFT - "Back In The USSA"
Looks like the boys of MSTRKRFT have leaked yet another track titled "Back In The USSA." The song isn't as heavy as last week's tune "Beards Again" but if you are into nice house beats, Lazer sound effects and uproaring synths this is your jam. Check it out below.
[Listen] MSTRKRFT - "Beards Again"
SXSW is near and after watching the rehearsal video this morning from JFK's reunited band Death From Above 1979, you know the SKoA crew was more than excited of the possibility of catching MSTRKRFT and DFA1979 as well as tons of others at one festival. But this new jewel was highly unexpected. MSTRKRFT released a new single titled "Beards Again" earlier today and my god is it amazing. We're uncertain if this track is going to land on MSTRKRFT sophomore album but damn, if this is what to expect for their future material, fuck it, I'm down. Check out the track below.
[Download] Just Blaze, Dan The Automator, MSTRKRFT & Nguzunguzu w/ Rye Rye Remix A-Team Theme
Check out the video of producer Just Blaze working on his version of the A-Team theme above and Al-P of MSTRKFT after the jump. Then grab his remix along with Automators, MSTRKRFT and Nguzunguzu below. I can't wait for the movie!
[Download] Various Artists - A-Team Theme Remixes
Check out the video of producer Just Blaze working on his version of the A-Team theme above and the rest after the jump. Then grab his remix along with Automators, MSTRKRFT and Nguzunguzu below. I can't wait for the movie!
[Download] Various Artists - A-Team Theme Remixes
MSTRKRFT - Behind The Scenes
Dan The Automator - Behind The Scenes
NEET Recordings (Nguzunguzu/Rye Rye) Behind The Scenes