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Quick Six: Rise Records Retrospective

Posted by admin on Apr 16, 2015 in Editorials, Featured, Latest, Reads | 0 comments

Rise Records pretty much took the music industry by storm, and have held on to their place at the top of the indie label totem pole for the better part of a decade. They’re still churning out huge hits like that new Dance Gavin Dance album that we may have mentioned once or twice, the new Of Mice & Men, and an upcoming Silverstein album,among other things. They have also been responsible for monumental hits like The Devil Wears Prada’s Plagues or Attack Attack’s Someday Came Suddenly. In fact, for a little while there around 2010, they had worked out such a foolproof formula of success that a lot of their albums started to sound a bit monotonous (see: aforementioned Attack Attack), but they were still a force to be reckoned with. But despite a few obvious choices and easy money makers, they have always been pushing the envelope and innovating the music scene. In fact, it was generally the lesser known albums that Rise released that went on to be the true gems. And that’s precisely what we’re looking at here; we’re going to take a look at 6 of the lesser known hits from Rise Records on this week’s Quick Six.

AltFreq Weekend Planner (4/16/15-4/18/15)

Posted by admin on Apr 16, 2015 in Featured, Latest, Noise | 0 comments

–Written by Kevin Madert

It’s nearly impossible to keep track of all the events going on in the area, so we’re here to let you know what’s happening in live music over the next few days. Watch out on Sundays for our “Weekly Planner,” where we’ll cover the remaining four days of the week.

Frequency of the Week No. 7: Tides of Man

Posted by admin on Apr 15, 2015 in Featured, Frequency of the Week, Latest, Noise | 0 comments

You may have heard all the hooplah about the new Dance Gavin Dance album, if you read this blog at all, I’d say it would be pretty difficult to miss it. But in case you aren’t hip, Instant Gratification will be the second full length album from DGD with Tillian Pearson fronting the band. Tillian is far from new to the scene, he had previous played with Rise Records labelmates, Tides of Man. Tides of Man played to a similar crowd, representing the more technical side of the genre, though they were always more polished than Dance Gavin Dance. They were the Envy on the Coast to Dance Gavin Dance’s The Fall of Troy, for all five of you that will understand that analogy.

New Tune Tuesday (4/14/15)

Posted by admin on Apr 14, 2015 in Featured, Latest, New Tune Tuesday, Noise | 0 comments

–Written by Kevin Madert

Gramatik – Native Son (Ft. Raekwon & Orlando Napier)

The lead single from Gramatik’s upcoming Epigram EP sees the Slovenian teaming with an emerging talent and an established hip-hop legend to craft a too-smooth instant classic. The juxtaposition of frequent collaborator Orlando Napier’s syrupy tones and rapper Raekwon’s incendiary verses atop seriously sensual riffage amounts to some of Gramatik’s best work. The often humble producer seemed almost as excited as we were about the tune: “I’m sure you can imagine how some random kid from Slovenia must feel, realizing he just made a song with a legend.” (via Facebook)

Local Spotlight: Choppy Oppy Gives Insight Into “Funkier” “Swingstep Vol. 2” Mix

Posted by admin on Apr 13, 2015 in Featured, Latest, Noise | 0 comments

–Written by Kevin Madert

Since we last covered DMV by way of Orlando native Choppy Oppy, he’s been busy. He released a mix, “Swingstep Vol. 1,” full of swing and glitch gems. He secured a spot playing JamCamp Music & Arts Festival, set for June 5-6 in Centerville, VA. And he’s even scheduled a rooftop performance at DC’s Rock & Roll Hotel alongside fellow local DJ Slugworth – the only logical place you should be this Friday, April 17.

Review: On “FWR05,” Friends With Robots Show Us The (Post) Future

Posted by admin on Apr 12, 2015 in Featured, Latest, Noise, Reviews | 0 comments

–Written by Kevin Madert

Our favorite Boston-area production collective is at it again: Friends With Robots made our week on Tuesday, releasing the fifth installment of their monthly mixtape series. The collection overflows with pepped-up post-future bass music, offering the listener seven tunes well-suited for the euphoric warmth of spring.