IT’S SO SEXY…
This is Dom. He’s also in a band called, well, Dom.
Siren on Saturday was fantastic. Shout out to Mill-alumna Fran Stabile who was workin’ her ass off to throw the whole thing together along with the rest of the people over at Village Voice and whoever else was behind it. If you were there early enough, and I was lucky to be, you caught the set from Dom, a band hailing from Worcester, Mass who were the first on the stage and probably performed under the hottest conditions of the entire day.
Dom released a 10” on Burning Mill Records (not really sure how I feel about any name that refers to the burning of our fine establishment) called Sun Bronzed Greek Godz and it is just fantastic. Tracks like “Bochicha” and “Rude As Jude” have a very distinct surf-rock feel to them while “Hunny” and “I Wonder” echo the grungy feel of late 90’s alt-rock with a new better produced tilt.
The best two tracks on the record, though, are the first two: “Living In America” and “Burn Bridges”. High pan-flutey synths soar on top of really grimey bass while Dom preaches ideals about patriotism and relationships with the sage of your best friend who gives his/her best advice when he/she’s wasted. It’s like if Neon Indian and MGMT had a love child that just wanted to dance, even when the music wasn’t playing anymore. Really fun stuff. And come on, how dope is that lyric? “It’s so sexy, living in America!” Isn’t that what we want snooty Europeans to think about when they hear whispers of Americana from afar? Hell yes.
Check it. And go and pick up a copy of their record from Burning Mill.
Run to the the lights of the city ... 
Cut Copy’s new song. Courtesy of New York Magazine. Devour it. 
LightsoverLA INTERVIEW
What’s up peoples. To follow up my recent post, I recently got the chance to ask Stormy Logan, aka LightsoverLA, a few questions to learn a bit more about the man behind scenes and to see what LightsoverLA is all about. Full interview below! Also, be sure to check out his new label At Dawn We Rage! Enjoy.
How did it all get started? Now, you are the face of LightsoverLA right?
I put out some random remixes every couple months in 2009 but in 2010 I decided to take it to the next level and release as much as I could. In the beginning it was kinda just something to keep my mind off a pretty lame breakup/living situation in my life. Since the inception, I have had different people come and go that wanted to be a part of it but no one ever really put in as much as I did. LightsoverLA has kinda been my baby and I am pretty strict on what I want to do with it so that was probably hard for other people to deal with. I think it just works better for me at this point, and I have other collaborations in the works with other projects.
Alright so for those of us who don’t know, how’d you come up with the name?
I was driving (when I still had a car) down the 202 in Phoenix trying to come up with a name. The name Lights Over Phoenix came into my mind but if you do some google research, you’ll find out that we had some UFO conspiracy stuff go down a few years back. I didn’t really wanna be to related to that whole thing or come off as some UFO nerd so I went with one of my favorite cities, Los Angeles.
Gathering from your very DIY approach to things, it’s obvious that your metal/punk roots are still an important part of your life. How has your musical background influenced your style, sound, or approach to putting together a new track?
Growing up in the metal/punk scene gave me a very DIY approach to the way I am doing everything. I think my background is also a reason I like a lot of the heavier electronic artist out there. I am sure in the future it will come out more in my own writing.
What can we expect to see from LightsoverLA in the near future? I’ve been hearing rumors of some big things in the works.
Touring is my biggest concern right now along with releasing originals. Since I started writing music my main goal was to travel. I have been touring in random bands and working for bands since I was out of highschool and it has brought me all over and I love it. So any promoters looking to book me PLEASE email me at lightsoverla@gmail.com. On top of everything with LightsoverLA I am starting a label with a good friend of mine. We have big plans for the label and we will be announcing more on all that soon so be sure and check http://www.atdawnwerage.com soon!
What’s your typical live set up?
Right now I use a Macbook Pro along with an APC40, the show thing has kinda come up on me pretty fast and I am still figuring out what ways will work for me best. In the future I want to bring a much of a live aspect to the show as I can.
As an Ableton user, what’s your response to the laptop DJ critics?
Get with the times! Haha just kidding. I got mad respect for the dudes that can kill it on turntables/CDJ’s but honestly it just isn’t my thing. You will never see me spinning records or CD’s. I really have no desire to learn or master the art of “DJing”, I love technology plain and simple.
Who have you been listening to recently/this past year? Anyone in particular we should hurry to listen to?
Netsky has been putting out track after track of great drum and bass. His album is probably my favorite record so far this year. I have been listening to this pop/rock band a ton lately called VersaEmerge, they are female fronted and I am total sucker for female vocalists. And unless you have been living under a rock in America you can’t ignore some of the great dubstep coming out lately from Rusko, Excision, Datsik, Nero and 16bit, all those dudes just kill it on so many levels. And of course Deadmau5 who is my biggest inspiration in electronic music.
Any advice for the bedroom producers out there?
Learn as much as you can! There are so many places on the internet to learn how to produce, I am still learning new stuff everyday. And never let anything get you down, the internet is full of dudes that basically troll and talk shit so sometimes it kinda sucks hearing that stuff on a track you put time into…but fuck em I bet 98 percent of those dudes don’t even know how to open a DAW or know what DAW even stands for ;)
Say you get banished to a deserted island, you can only bring 3 albums and 2 other random objects. What would they be and why?
Pantera-Great Southern Trendkill
Pantera has been one of my all time favorite bands since I was
a young kid and I first saw them back in 97. That band changed my life in so many ways and Pantera was a huge part of some of my best
friendships growing up. The day that Dimebag was murdered was one of the worst days of my life but I was lucky enough to see them three times and I will cherish those moments forever.
Paramore-Riot
I get made fun of a lot for this one but Paramore is in my top
5 favorite bands. I think everything they have done is amazing and I
have been a fan since their first record. I think Hailey is one of the most talented females in music and I only see Paramore getting bigger in the future.
Deadmau5-Random Album Title
This record is the record that got me deep into electronic
music. I used to be into random trancey stuff back in the day but I
never really got THAT into it. “Random Album Title” changed all that and I found that record at a pretty lame time in my life and it helped me get through that time. I think on a production level as well very few electronic records come close to how good that record sounds.
Macbook Pro and Verizon WiFi card so I can still look at porn, read blogs and release tracks from the deserted island :)
NAKED
You know when you find a song that changes your life? This track is fucking unbelievable. Orchestral. Danceable. Emotional. Beautiful. Everything I want pop music to be.
The Naked And Famous - Young Blood (mp3)
Hey todos. Hope everybody is getting excited for America’s birthday and has had a sweet summer so far. One of my favorite producers continues to catch the blogosphere by surprise with every track he puts out, and it couldn’t make me any happier. LightsoverLA has recently added three new remixes to his diverse arsenal of jams. First, we have his take on Norwegian outfit Casiokids’ “Finn Bikkjen!”, an ethereal, upbeat groover that is sure to help some light punch through some storm clouds. Next, there’s the remix of Foxtrot by BetaTraxx (aka Redlight), a fun bumper for the dancefloor. Last but not least, we have LightsoverLA’s take on “Dead Hearts” by Stars, slow and steady, perfect for those chill moments, like lying on a beach. Can’t wait to see what he’ll do next.
Casio Kids- Finn Bikkjen! (LightsoverLA remix)
BetaTraxx- Foxtrot (LightsoverLA remix)
Stars- Dead Hearts (LightsoverLA remix)
Enjoy.
Czech this out:
“Take it Easy on Kathy At Least She Can Dance”, by Andrew Graham & Swarming Branch !! (You will like it).
hey gang.
this past friday, The Glitch Mob came to houston and i’m pretty sure people are still trying to gather what’s left of their melted faces off of the floor. the 3 piece, formerly a 4 piece, dj/producer group (Ooah, edIT, and Boreta) put on such an incredible, mind blowing/boggling/fucking show that it’s hard to put it into words. armed with touch pads, midi keyboards & controllers, electric drums, an electric guitar, and an electric bass, they stormed the club with such ferocity i thought the place was going to crumble. how they each managed to quickly switch between instruments at the right time and keep the song going while simultaneously slaying the crowd, is completely beyond me. in short, they are masters of their craft, both on stage and in the studio. do yourself a favor and go see them. even if you’re not into them, you’ll be blown away by what they do.
their debut album Drink The Sea comes out tomorrow, but if you know where to look you can find it. i’d rather not talk about the album right now. all you need to know is that it’s sick.
now for some jams, enjoy!
The Glitch Mob- Drive It Like You Stole It
Sound Tribe Sector 9- Beyond Right Now (The Glitch Mob Remix)
Nalepa- Monday (The Glitch Mob Remix)
The Glitch Mob- Starve The Ego, Feed The Soul
happy summer time!
hello everyone. here’s an old interview of iggy pop on a canadian tv station. although he seems to act a bit on the arrogant side, what he has to say is pretty incredible. mogwai sampled some of the audio and used it in their song punk rock, a very somber little number. it’s almost a cry of nostalgia for the raw, fearless, and captivating energy that was the punk rock movement.
on a lighter note, here’s a bit of dub step for you to keep you groovin. once again LightsoverLA has come through with another keeper, doing their thing with Deadmau5’s Some Chords.
Deadmau5- Some Chords (LightsoverLA 5am Dub Step Remix)
SLEIGH BELLS’ NEW LP TREATS IS OUT!! GET YO HANDS ON DAT!!
enjoy.
Drink Up Buttercup is a sick band out of Philly that have opened for Dr. Dog in the past and just finished up touring with Maps & Atlases. Check out their daytrotter sessions for auditory arousal. This is one of their slower songs, Lovers Play Dead, but their live performances are fantastically rowdy and glorious. They’re playing a free 21+ show TONIGHT at House of Blues Boston (I’ll be moonlighting as their merchgirl), and another one at Mercury Lounge in NYC on Friday.
Let’s get them to come to the mill next year!!
Foals - Miami.
Foals new album, Total Life Forever, came out yesterday! They have definitely matured as an indie rock band, and each song off this album is something unique, despite it being a bit more macabre than their last. Also check out “Spanish Sahara,” “Blue Blood,” and “Alabaster.” Honestly every song is a gem. Especially the song “2 Trees,” it sounds as if Explosions In The Sky and Radiohead had come together :0. From their first album, Antidotes, is one of the greatest songs called “Hummer,” which was featured on the British show, Skins, in Season 1. It’s been one of my favorites for a couple of years now.
