As a general rule, the top trance DJs are all European. One of the few exceptions that proves the rule is Florida-based trance hero George Acosta. He may not have quite the same cultural cachet as Tiësto, Ferry Corsten or Sasha, but he is certainly capable of spinning the same…
So I just flipped on the inauguration, a few minutes before Obama took the oath, and who do I see playing to usher in the 44th President, our first African-American president, the first president who acknowledges having Jay-Z on his iPod? Let me give you a hint. It wasn’t Jay-Z…
Because almost everyone likes 3OH!3 and everyone loves free shit, let us present to you this limited-time-only free offer of a download of DJ Hot to Death’s hot-as-fuck remix of 3OH!3’s “Don’t Trust Me” (right click and “Save File As”). Like I said, it’s a limited-time deal, and I have…
You’re looking at a custom synthesizer built into the casing of a classic Atari 400 computer. Combining my love of synthesizers, custom-built gear, obsolete computers and 8-bit style sound in one small package, this thing is like my dream instrument. It’s a one-of-a-kind masterpiece from Fridgebuzz Electronics (they also make…
Just because Beatport is already the premier digital download service in the world for DJs and electronic-music enthusiasts doesn’t mean it can’t get better. Just got word that as of next Wednesday, the new and improved Beatport will be available to feed the world the best in dance and electronic…
Geek icon and Internet rock star Jonathan Coulton is set to make his first appearance in Denver on January 17, at the Soiled Dove. In anticipation of his first concert in the Mile High city, Coulton was kind enough to sit down with us to talk about his beginnings as…
Facing possible torture and death at the hands of the warlords tearing their country asunder, the women of Liberia stood up and resisted the violence through non-violent means, helping bring an end to their country’s civil war. The story of those women is told in Pray the Devil Back to…
Catch up with the author of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, a New York Times Bestseller and Oprah’s Book Club entry that was easily one of 2008’s most celebrated books, tonight at An Evening with David Wroblewski. Colorado resident Wroblewski will read from, discuss and sign copies of his book,…
If you’ve spent any time at all in the Denver dance scene, you’ve almost certainly caught a set or three from Ivy, a multiple Best of Denver award-winning DJ. From his start on a pair of jury-rigged secondhand turntables in 1996 until today, Ivy has developed his skills and style…
Jonathan Coulton is okay with being a geek. After all, his geekiness is the key to his success as a musician who writes about mad scientists, sad robots and being a code monkey. “I’m lucky in that the things I am interested in and the things that I write about…
This is the sound of aging hippies who never gave up the fight. It’s possible to admire their steadfast adherence to principles, but overly earnest lyrics and awkward attempts at hip references (ninjas? Really?) combine with leaden arrangements for poor results. Musically, the Poets draw on lots of folk and…
Of all the changes technology has wrought to my listening habits and way of experiencing music, the biggest impact has come from the way my iPod destroys context.The most obvious benefit of the iPod revoution is the convenience of having thousands — even tens of thousands — songs in your…
Local DJ/producer Kostas K is climbing up the charts at Beatport with his new release “Change We Can.” It’s an Obama and MLK sampling monster of a swooshy, chugging progressive track that’s currently at number 12 on Beatport’s charts. Pretty impressive for our scene, which is awesome but hasn’t had…
I was there, and you can hear it In case you’re not familiar with it, archive.org is a giant Internet archive of all kinds of stuff — old websites, tons of free audio and video, etc. It’s one of my favorite Internet sites, largely because of the absolutely ginormous collections…
Nothing I could possibly say would add to this video in the slightest, so let me just say thanks to fellow Westword scribe A.H. Goldstein for putting this horrible thing on my MySpace page, inspiring me to share it with you all. Push play and bask in the incredible power…
I pretty much fell in love with the pop-art styled hippy/hottie take on Shiva (I think that’s Shiva — my Hindu mythology is a little shaky) on this U.S. Pipe CD release poster the second I saw it. The style, the subject matter, the detail — all brilliant! Good to…
Everything about Dang! screams “bar band,” from the ridiculous name and cheesy CD graphics to the generic hard rock/blues boogie style and instantly forgettable tunes. That’s not to say that you wouldn’t enjoy a Dang! set if you happened upon it during an epic dive-bar bender; it might be just…
I’m a sucker for a great name, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard as perfect a DJ moniker as Treasure Fingers. The fingers in question belong to Ashley Jones, a man who’s already had a fair amount of success as part of Evol Intent, one of the jungle scene’s…
If you’re looking for some new music and in need of a new ring tone for your phone, have a listen to Baji. This pop/rock outfit reminds me a lot of the Heyday: similar radio-ready sound, same big, soaring choruses and hook-filled tunes. As a promotion, they’re offering free ringtones…
The Ideal Fathers have a fresh, danceable, well-crafted take on post-punk. They have a freshly recorded, yet-to-released EP that’s damn good. What they don’t have is a drummer, and that’s holding them back from capitalizing on those first two things, which is a shame. Their longtime drummer recently succumbed to…
Girl Talk (aka Greg Gillis) gets a fair amount of love here at Westword for his ace mashup skills and incendiary live performances, and with good reason: the man is an artist at what he does. And if you’ve ever wondered exactly how he does what he does, today is…
Chase away that case of the Mondays at New Music Mondays, a weekly free-form dance party hosted by DJ Hot to Death, better known as Matt Fecher, co-founder of the Monolith Music Festival. Each week, Fecher brings in guest DJs from both the local and national scenes to play their…
