NYS Music 202​0

Category: Electronic

  • Jimkata Announce first new Album in four years, “Bonfires”

    Jimkata announces new album titled Bonfires which is anticipated to be released in Spring of 2021. The new album announcement comes on the coattails of the band dropping multiple singles this summer after their indefinite hiatus back in 2017. Bonfires is Jimkata’s first studio album since 2016’s In Motion.

    Jimkata Bonfires
    Jimkata. Photo provided by press release.

    The new album will include 10 tracks according to their press release. The album will be released as a series of singles every month with an accompanying visuals and merch line for each song.  Jimkaka hopes the album Bonfires highlight themes of uncertainty, being in limbo, and looking for an anchor of hope in these trying times. 

    Three singles have been released so far off the anticipated album. The three singles, “Wanna Go,” “Wait for You,” and the title-track “Bonfires” already nod to the themes Jimkata is trying to capture within the album. “Wanna Go” focuses on perception versus reality particularly in the times of social media. “Wait for You” touches on the feelings of being dejected and the unknown of what the future holds. “Bonfires” is all about the vulnerability people feel when they are facing uncertain times and the reflexive tendency to seek out the comfort of nostalgia that happens as a result. 

    Jimkata is a three-piece anthemic, synth-washed, electro-rock band based out of both Ithaca and Los Angeles. They had grown a large grassroots following before taking a two and a half year hiatus. They have released six studio albums all with their signature swirling synths, infectious pop hooks and candid lyrics. 

    For more information on Bonfires and Jimkata, and to pre-order limited edition vinyl of the new album and other merchandise, visit Jimkata’s website and stay tuned for updates. Enjoy Jimkata from their final perfomance in Albany in May of 2016 below.

  • Disco Biscuits announce 3-night Halloween Drive-In Run in Syracuse

    Apple butter toast is nice, but how about apples and Biscuits this Halloween? Lafayette Apple Festival Grounds, in conjunction with Creative Concerts, are bringing the Disco Biscuits to Syracuse for a 3-night Drive-In run over Halloween weekend, October 29-31.

    The Disco Biscuits 3-Night Halloween run will offer fans the opportunity to safely enjoy live music while following social distancing guidelines. A car pass provides a designated space for a standard passenger vehicle and entry for a maximum of four  people per vehicle.

    disco biscuits Halloween

    Concertgoers will be able to enjoy the full Disco Biscuits concert production within their designated space for the duration of the event. Fans may bring their own prepared food and beverages to enjoy during the show.

    Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, September 25 at 10AM ET. For more information visit CCTix.com. 

    The LaFayette area of New York produces a great deal of apples amid a rural atmosphere, rolling hills, and beautiful fall foliage. Lafayette Apple Festival is one of the Northeast’s premier arts and crafts shows, and is within walking distance of the site where the Cardiff Giant was discovered in 1869.

    The Disco Biscuits played a very memorable Halloween in Syracuse in 2015 at Crouse-Hinds Theatre when they put the disco in Disco Biscuits. The show featured the Philly Stray Horns in the second set, along with vocalist Alita Moses who sang on covers of “Get Down On It,” “Funky Town,” “You Should be Dancing,” “Born to be Alive” and “Give it to me Baby.” Listen to the full show here and watch the first set below.

    Last November, the Disco Biscuits played SI Hall at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, and a month later closed down Playstation Theater in Times Square. Watch the 45-minute “Spacebirdmatingcall” from SI Hall below, including a Tractorbeam jam on Crackazat’s “Fly Away.”

  • Escaper bassist Greywolf drops debut single “Exit Key”

    Greywolf, aka Jay Grey, bassist for rising powerhouse band Escaper, has released “Exit Key,” the first single off his upcoming debut album Operation Wolf.

    Greywolf

    “Exit Key” is a sample of what the multi-instrumentalist is able to do on his own. Haunting and beautiful, the lyrics evoke themes of love, loss, and wanting to make a change. The track opens with a droning synth, before dropping into love story lyrics. Prescient themes for these times are found, with change needed to be made after reaching a breaking point and wanting to make change.

    Greywolf recorded and played all the instruments on this record in his home studio, including piano, synth, keys, guitar, bass and beat programming. The record as a whole addresses change, longing and one’s personal connection with nature and the universe. You’ll find an autobiographical feel and personal touch to the music and the album.

    While Jay Grey is best known for his work with Escaper, he has branched off to deliver a sound all his own. Keep your eyes and ears open for more brilliance from this emerging artist.

  • Elements Fest Announces Fall Edition “In My Elements”

    In My Elements, created by Elements Festival, has announced their fall edition and will attempt to recreate the concept of the Elements Festival in a smaller, more intimate environment. This fall installment will take place on September 25 – 28 on Lake Como in Pennsylvania.

    In My Elements festivities will focus on the safety of attendees by being a tested and contained retreat. The festival, in addition to onsite cleaning and safety protocols, will require all guests, staff and vendors to participate in an advance 2-part COVID-19 test prior to entry and will limit attendance to 250 people following PA outdoor gathering limits.

    In My Elements

    The festivities will include music for techno and house devotees as well as intimate stages where guests will be able to experience the sounds from their Air and Water stages. There will also be special programming with daily yoga and meditation sessions and wellness activities held in open-air environments, to help calm the mind and cleanse the spirit. Exciting art installations and wild shows. The festival will be located in forests and lakefront settings giving guests a peaceful place to explore.

    In My Elements full lineup includes: Wax Motif, Eli (Soul Clap), Sacha Robotti, Desert Hearts: Lee Reynolds + Porky, Gene Farris, J.Phlip, Golf Clap, Westend, The Golden Pony, Alexander:Louis, Cakewalk, Dastan, Kate Stein, Koop, Late London, Nacho Isa, Papyon, Ria Bird, Ryssa, TMBER, with more regional DJs to be announced. 

    The TCR 2-Part Testing Model required by attendees will work by first In the week leading up to the retreat, people will take a test at one of their certified testing locations in multiple cities. Results will be reported before the retreat. Although testing kits may vary depending on location, the preferred test is the Mako Medical TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Assay with 100% PPA and 100% NPA. At home mail-in tests are available as an add-on to tickets for an additional fee. The second part of the two part testing is that when guests arrive on site, their cars will be guided into distanced parking spaces where they will take an active COVID-19 rapid test. Results will be received in about 30 minutes and guests will be directed into the event grounds. This test will be a Sofia 2 SARS Antigen FIA with 96.7% PPA and 100% NPA sensitivity, manufactured by Quidel.

    General admission passes are now on sale and can be purchased here. This time around the In My Element guests have the option of camping or cabin packages, including a deluxe cabin apartment option. Camping passes are currently sold out and cabins are following close behind. If there’s another lockdown, or the gathering is cancelled for any reason, they will issue full, automatic refunds of all tickets and credit card fees, no questions asked.

    For more information visit In My Elements website.

  • Camp Bisco 4: A Farewell to Sammy and a Festival Trance-Formation

    From August 26-27, 2005, Camp Bisco 4 was held in Van Etten, NY at the Skyetop Festival Grounds, marking the first time the festival was not held in Pennsylvania. The festival grew this year, and would return even stronger in 2007 at Hunter Mountain before firmly establishing their presence in Mariaville, NY from 2008-2013.

    Camp Bisco 4
    Camp Bisco IV lineup

    This weekend in particular held additional significance for the Philadelphia-based hosts of Camp Bisco, the Disco Biscuits. Original drummer Sam Altman would be leaving the band after this weekend to pursue a medical degree. With the fate of the band, and festival in question, Camp Bisco IV: The Trance-Formation was held to send Sammy out on a high note. The band would later welcome current drummer Allen Aucoin behind the kit at shows starting that fall.

    camp bisco 4
    Map of the festival grounds

    Ahead of Camp Bisco IV, Meat Camp Productions (now MCP Presents) took over management of Camp Bisco and, being fans, the band felt the festival would be in good hands. MCP sought to make Camp Bisco a larger event by moving to Van Etten, and drew a reported 4,400 attendees, the largest Camp Bisco at that time.

    Camp Bisco IV offered two sets of the Disco Biscuits each night, as well as 2005 up-and-coming bands Umphrey’s McGee, The New Deal, Conspirator, John Brown’s Body, The Benevento Russo Duo, Brothers Past, Big in Japan, and DJ’s Christian Bruna, Omen and D.R.O. (Final Phaze NYC), DJ Mauricio a.k.a. Fractalien (Portland), and Orchard Lounge (Chicago). Many acts can be seen on the Camp Bisco IV official DVD, which is incredibly still in stock.

    Camp Bisco 4 schedule

    Friday night would feature regular Camp Bisco acts including Brothers Past, Orchard Lounge and The New Deal. The Disco Biscuits would kick things off with “Astronaut” -> “Shem-Rah Boo” -> “Astronaut,” the start of over 100 minutes of non-stop playing in their first set of the weekend.

    Day 2 of Camp Bisco IV featured even more music, as well as overcast skies that would lead to rain later that night. Lynch, featuring Jim Loughlin of moe., John Brown’s Body from nearby Ithaca, the Benevento Russo Duo, two sets of Chicago firebrand Umphrey’s McGee, and following two sets of Disco Biscuits, the trance-heavy sounds of Simon Posford projects Hallucinogen and Younger Brother.

    Big in Japan
    The Benevento Russo Duo
    Camp Bisco 4
    Lynch
    Umphrey’s McGee

    Camp Bisco IV boasted not only a family-friendly environment, with a family camping area and child play-park (Mulberry’s Dreamland) as well as the first time Color War was a featured activity during the day. The event pitted four teams of festival attendees (Orange, Green, Yellow, Purple) in friendly competition, reminiscent of summer camp ‘color wars’ of the past. Activities included volleyball, dodgeball, capture the flag, a freestyle competition and much more. The Orange team was victorious in the first event, now a staple of Camp Bisco, held at Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA since 2015.

    color war
    Color War schedule of events, as created by Yancy Davis

    The emotional build up of the weekend would take place late in the Disco Biscuits’ second set on Saturday, following “Floes.” Jon “The Barber” Gutwillig noted to the audience that there were some in attendance that night who were at the first Disco Biscuits show, saying, “So we feel like we have a lot of the old, a lot of the new, and everybody came together up here in the mountains for a very, very special night. The Professor, his last gig on the drums. Let’s hear it for Sammy.”

    With that, the crowd roared with appreciation as the band played “A Song for Sammy,” referencing songs he wrote, inviting him back to perform whenever he wanted, tying an emotional bow on the weekend.

    Appropriately, the band returned to the stage to perform “Spectacle,” with lyrics that spoke to the closing of one chapter of Disco Biscuits and Camp Bisco lore:

    Asleep in the day, awake in the night, only so many roads to take your life.

    The problem you see, you can’t mess with time, and take a different road you’d try.

    “Spectacle”

    Special thanks to Camp Bisco Color War HQ for photos of the first year’s events.

  • Rave Organizers Continue Defending their Illegal Events

    Over the past month, illegal raves have continued to spark anger throughout Brooklyn as rave organizers claim they’re not doing anything wrong.

    Rave Organizers
    The event on Aug. 15 lead to testers and tracers being dispatched.

    According to Gothamist, Brooklyn had a reported 200 positive cases from the last two weeks. In response, test and trace teams were dispatched to the Sunset Park area.

    Regardless of the positive cases, rave organizers continued to hold two parties in the same area on Aug. 8. Being illegal, the Sheriff’s Office broke the two raves up the early morning after.

    One rave took place on 47th street in a warehouse with 200 people. There was alcohol, even though the event didn’t have a liquor license. Police arrested and charged multiple people.

    In a statement made to reporters the following Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said no one should be putting others’ lives at risk.

    “I want to be abundantly clear: you cannot organize a large gathering that’s going to put people’s lives in danger or you will suffer the consequences,” said de Blasio.

    The other rave happened only a few blocks away and also had alcohol without a liquor license. Police busted the event shortly after the 47th Street rave at 2 a.m.

    According to sources, the events had different organizers, but they coordinated the timing together.

    Nocturnal Radio Live hosted the 47th Street rave, but it wasn’t their first. On July 4, multiple raves throughout the city popped up, including one thrown by them.

    Although the events were highly illegal, the group had no problem promoting them on their social media pages.

    Rave Organizers
    Nocturnal Radio Live posted this on their Instagram page, but took it down along with their whole page.

    From a Chainsmokers concert in July to a secret rave under Kosciuszco Bridge a few weeks ago, rave organizers don’t seem to want to back down from hosting these events.

    Ulitsky and Simms, the head of Nocturnal Radio, said they provided “unity.”

    “Everything we’ve done and plan to do in the future is out of unity, not about separation and depression,” said Simms.

    Ulitsky added, “As far as people attending, we’re getting a lot of positive feedback. As long as that’s happening, we don’t feel like we’re doing anything wrong.”

  • Jimkata Debuts New Single Reflecting on Sensation of Hanging in Limbo

    Jimkata, to the excitement of their fans, debuted their new single “Wait For You” on August 13, 2020. The band recently came out of the woodworks last month dropping their single “Wanna Go” after the band went on an indefinite hiatus back in 2017. 

    The new single focuses on the feeling of being in limbo. It narrates the feeling of sitting around waiting and feeling restless while navigating uncertainty which is a feeling many can relate to during the pandemic era. The music video accompanying the song was created by animator Ben Clarkson. His animation brings further depth and dimension to the notion of waiting and being in limbo. “Wait For You” isn’t just a heartbreak inspired pop song, it is also a commentary on helplessly waiting and hoping for the world to get itself together.

    Frontman of Jimkata Evan Friedell shared some of his insights behind the new single saying, “I didn’t realize at the time I wrote it how prescient and universal that feeling would become as we experience a global pandemic and a world in chaos.”   

    The band Jimkata is a three-piece anthemic, synth-washed, electro-rock band that is based out of Ithaca, NY and Los Angeles, CA. Jimkata is known for their swirling analog synths, infectious pop hooks and candid lyrics. The band has built a distinct sound which has been resonating with listeners across the country. The band has a strong and loyal grassroots fanbase created by their relentless performing across the country before their Hiatus. 

    For more information on Jimkata and to check out “Wait For You” visit their website.

  • Brooklyn’s Monograms Release Album Summing Up Quarantine

    Brooklyn’s “nuke wave” dark synthpop band Monograms has come out with new single “Lines” to go along with their newest album, Only a Ceiling Can Stay Inside Forever.

    Monograms

    Monograms started a Brooklyn bedroom recording experiment that evolved into a full band. The band features frontman Ian Jacobs (multiple instruments), Ali Yildiz (drums), Michelle Feliciano (synth), and Devan Davies-Wood (bass). The dark and moody tone to their music sets Monograms apart from other mainstream pop. Their sound manages to remain ambient and musically interesting without becoming chaotic or unharmonious. The combination of Jacobs’ songwriting talent–his artful and poignant lyrics, clear beats, and angular riffs–allows him to truly make each song its own unique world with a notable landscape.

    The newest LP, Only a Ceiling Can Stay Inside Forever, was recorded in Jacobs’ home studio during these past months of the COVID-19 quarantine. The album is a culmination of his feelings towards the social justice issues which plague America today. “Everyone I know just feels really frustrated about the situation,” says Jacobs. “The politics, the sacrifices everyone is making, and the reality has been a very twilight zone-like kind of time for the entire world and the country.”

    Jacobs expressed that in the midst of uncertainty and fear, he “just needed to do something creative to bob and weave with all these things, so [he] just started writing some words down and recording some ideas and experimenting.” Even though the songs were different, “after a few weeks, it all started to spiral into what felt like a cohesive thought” for Jacobs. 

    “Lines,” featuring Kat E., is a perfect representation of Monograms’ dark and brooding synth. Jacobs colors the song with what feels like melodic distortion that reminds the listener of the fear and uncertainty that has troubled all during these past few months. “Lines” is thoughtful and modern and showcases Monograms’ truly unique sound. 

    Only a Ceiling Can Stay Inside Forever is available on all streaming platforms, and can be purchased on Bandcamp. 50% of all Bandcamp sales will be donated to Know Your Rights Camp, an organization whose “mission is to advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass-mobilization and the creation of new systems that elevate the next generation of change leaders.”

  • Rave Party at Kosciuszko Bridge leads to National Distress

    Not too long after parts of the nation started reopening, did many individuals start to ignore the CDC’s recommendations to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

    Rave Party NYC
    A picture of the secret rave held under Kosciuszko Bridge.

    Footage of a secret rave at Kosciuszko Bridge in Brooklyn showed people gathered without participating in social distancing. Regardless of the global pandemic, hundreds of guests attended and many didn’t wear masks.

    This happened not too long after a Chainsmokers concert had the same outcome. Governor Andrew Cuomo expressed his anger with large gatherings.

    “Huge parties whether on land or boat are: Illegal, Disrespectful, violate constant decency, rude,” Cuomo tweeted.

    Renegade, the rave organizers, told Gothamist that there’s no stopping people from gathering. One organizer said, “people need a release,” referring to quarantine.

    This was not the first time Renegade held a group gathering during the pandemic. On July 4, they organized a rave supposedly for the Black Lives Matter Movement.

    Among artists asked to play was DJ and producer Mike Simonetti. According to Guest of a Guest, Simonetti declined. He felt the event was disrespectful after his father died alone from COVID-19.

    Although many attended the rave, some guests felt uncomfortable once they arrived.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDblAYOjKJC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    Footage taken from attendees shows no social distancing among the rave.

    An attendee told Gothamist that him and his friends stayed on the outside and stating, “I would not do that again….It was too soon for too many people in one spot.”

    Renegade continues to defend the cause of the rave, but said it got out of hand.

    “I don’t want people to go back to putting their heads in the sand. We need to stay on top of this and keep marching and keep protesting,” said one organizer.

  • Moon Hooch and Too Many Zooz Revive ‘Moon Zooz’ livestream

    Brooklyn based Moon Hooch will team up with “brasshouse” Too Many Zooz on Saturday, July 25 for two live streamed shows dubbed ‘Moon Zooz’. The virtual concerts are three hours long and will start at 3 PM ET, running back to back.

    This is not the first time that these former subway players have joined ranks to bring their unique sound of jazz, edm and rock to the masses. During the spring of 2019 the two trios successfully co headlined a tour across New England.

    Both bands got their start busking in the New York City subway platforms where they gained notoriety for the dance parties that would form. Too Many Zooz consists of saxophonist Leo Pellegrino, trumpeter Matt Muirhead and drummer David Parks. Moon Hooch is saxophonists Wenzl McGowen and Mike Wilbur and drummer James Muschler.

    From viral videos in the subway to the studio, both have gone on to deliver new sound that is meant to make you move. Too Many Zooz released their debut album Subway Gawdz in 2016 and most recently released a music video for the track “Car Alarm” that received more thank 2.5 million views. Moon Hooch has respectively dropped a total of four studio albums including this year’s self-released Life on Other Planets, along with numerous EPs.

    To RSVP to either the early or late showing click here.