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FORGETTING IT WITH TREE ON GETTER’S LATEST VIDEO

June 26, 2016 thematweird

It’s Saturday, the weekend is here and we have an EUPHORIC EXCLUSIVE for you!

This week, San Jose native now Los Angelino, Getter, released a video phis tune “Forget It,” on Skrillex’s OWSLA label. The song is heavy-hitting and beat-filled, but also has an eerie thread of melancholy sewn throughout which becomes not-so-subtle in the video. With a budget for production and a song that combines such contradictory elements in a genre that praises optimism to the point of ignorance, it’s easy to see why the video has 152,000 views in under a week.

One of the elements that gives the song such a dark twist, comes from another Bay Area artist and one of our favorite local producers, Tree. While the 22 year old is currently a Los Angelino himself, finishing his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the infamous California Institute of the Arts (pretty much every one of your favorite Disney movies in the past 30 years were created by CalArts grads), Tree hasn’t forgotten his Cruzan roots.

We met up with Tree on a hot, L.A. day for some cold coffee and deep thoughts on the “Forget It” video, his current projects and embracing pop music as a whole and not just a genre.

Euphoric: So your Tree concept came about when you were a teenager on acid at Burning Man, right?

Tree: That’s when I had an outlet to pour all that energy into, instead of being reckless and doing/selling drugs. It gave me an opportunity to see that I have a chance to showcase what I do, to a large amount of people. I’m lucky to have found an outlet to do that.

E: And you did it well, too. You were signed right away.

T: For the first year, yeah, but that’s brought about a whole headache of issues, now. Whatever. I’m grateful to still be making art and nothing’s stopping me. I did take a break from music for a while, but I never stopped making art.

E: Let’s talk about the music video with Getter.

T: It should be out on tv–MTV–in America and the UK. I actually got this bowl cut because of the video and wanted to talk about that. It’s a statement for me. Everyone on the mainstream platform really take themselves seriously. They want to be sexy and pretty and all that. I got the bowl cut to make a statement that we should be able to laugh at ourselves. So I wanted to do something that would separate myself from everyone else. I thought, “How can I make myself look as ridiculous as possible?” and I think I accomplished that. We got some good shots of the haircut, too, even though it’s not about me at all. I play a cash register clerk. It’s a story about this guy who gets in a car crash with his wife and she dies. However, he’s a scientist so he tries to recreate her through cloning but he never gets the formula right. So the clones are bleeding and deformed. In the end, he realizes he won’t get her.

E: You can’t go back

T: Exactly. And it ties in with the theme of the song which is called, “Forget It.” It’s about moving forward and letting go and the guy has that realization over the process. It was awesome to be part of a big production like that. I’ve never had the opportunity to be a part of something where they could flip cars or rent out stores to film. It’s on Skrillex’s label, OWSLA, which Getter is signed too. He recently moved to L.A. because it really is the Mecca of electronic and pop music. If you want to be in the recording industry, you need to be here. When I lived in San Francisco there was no scene anywhere close to this.

E: Will you be collaborating more with Getter?

T: Yeah, we have some work in the process now. I’m not sure if it will be an EP or album. He’s also helping me some new music I’ve been doing. We push each other into genres neither has really done before. Which is what happened with Forget It. If you listen, it’s all heavy-hitting EDM music with my light break in the center to cleanse your pallet. Actually I have a bunch of albums I’m trying to finish and some will be coming out this summer. At least one, called Squirt. It’s all old-school hip hop. It’s a tribute to J-Dilla so everything on it is inspired by him and that era of hip hop: old school and soulful. I’m excited about it. It’s in the middle of being mastered right now, so it’s almost finished.

E: Who’s mastering it?

T: My friend, Clay. Another student at CalArts.

E: Being there, you’re surrounded by so many people doing awesomely creative things. It must be rad being able to help each other out.

T: Totally. I think the biggest thing is knowing what you want to do, when you go to that school. A lot of people know they want to do art, but not in which field, exactly. At least a large percent say, “I know I want to do this, but where do I fit in?” So for me to have an exact idea where I fit in the spectrum and what I need to do, it propels me forward. I only have a very limited time at this school anyways, two years. It’s essential for me. I’m finishing up my BFA because, halfway through, I was offered the job to be a recording artist. I couldn’t skip that opportunity, that’s the dream job.

E: And to do it at such a young age, too.

T: But that allowed me to see where I sat in the spectrum, to find out what I’m good at and what I want to do. Which, in turn, has made my time at CalArts more directed. I’m very grateful for that even if it’s led to some headaches.

E: Well so much of what we do ends up stressing us out, anyway. I think it’s best to be stressed doing something you love than have a job you hate and wonder why you constantly put yourself through shit.

T: You definitely need to set the goals and you’ll reach them when you get there. You know? But you have to set some deadline and who cares if you reach it or not. Be ambitious. Do something that may not be realistic at all.

E: Talk about your last performance in Santa Cruz at the Kuumbwa.

T: I built two trees–one on each side of the stage–and had a 12×8 foot projector in the middle so we could do visuals from behind it. We also had bushes and stuff, it was cool because it was almost like a children’s playset. It was all beautifully painted and put together, but it definitely separates us from other acts. That’s also what I’ll be using with my thesis and touring.

E: What’s your thesis?

T: This latest was a lot more psychedelic/hip hop and dance oriented. The next one will be more pop oriented but it will still be geared towards getting people to dance. This one was more live drumming and beats, but it was really big because I had to overcome the technical stuff. I have two laptops set up, one with audio and the other with visuals. I run them through one MIDI and then send that into a patch so I can trigger audio and visuals at the same time. So I was really in control. Having the freedom to overcome the technical aspects was really essential, so I can take the show in different directions each night and I don’t have to play the exact same set.

E: So it’s not a pre-recorded video. You’re actually creating the visuals as you go along?

T: The videos were all pre-edited. A lot of the music I was working with had samples from the 1940’s and 50’s but merged with a modern spin. I found old school footage of people dancing and made it–it was almost like an old-school hip hop video, but from the 1950’s. So it had an older feel but still very modern. It wasn’t hip hop at all, but what I’m saying is, when you sync it with modern beats it creates the feel.

E: It shows that if it’s hip hop, big band, jazz or whatever. That’s the music of the time and ultimately it boils down to people enjoying life and having a good time.

T: Exactly. Especially with having samples, from the original source, in the music. It syncs up and you think, “Oh, this makes sense.” It’s all part of one, consistent thing. It’s everyone contributing to an ongoing conversation.

E: It really is.

T: My goal is to take the mainstream platforms and inject them with art that inspires others. I want to breakthrough the mainstream and still put out work that I think is filled with art, love and passion. No matter what time frame we’re looking at, there’s always 5-10% of that mainstream that is incredible. Amazing things are happening but it’s hard to see that when there’s so much garbage. People always say, “Mainstream music sucks” but there’s always incredible stuff happening. It’s about being open to the idea that pop CAN be great. It’s not a genre, it’s literally just making something for the masses.

The intention behind your work has a really big part of this. Why are you doing this? Are you trying to make a bunch of money or are you trying to inspire people? That’s what makes the difference between the 5% and the other 95% of pop music that’s watered down. But there IS a time and place for all music. You don’t need to work your brain out 24/7 and you can listen to bad, fun music to relax. But you can also tell when the music has passion behind it.

E: Like punk rock. Half of the originators couldn’t play, but they had the passion.

T: People latch onto confidence. Be your biggest fan and your biggest critic. That’s the key.

AABO – “WORK WORK WORK” COVER FEAT. LAFA TAYLOR

June 22, 2016 thematweird

Can’t stop, won’t stop. Basically, that’s exactly what Rihanna’s “Work” track has been doing since it was dropped earlier this year. Anyone with working hearing knows you can’t go to a club, turn on a radio, or search the net without hearing at least the original version, let alone the plethora of remixes.

Can’t stop, won’t stop also seems to be the motto of long collaboration duo, Aabo and Lafa Taylor. The two recently released the a Feel EP earlier this year, along with a 3 hour freestyle on Aabo’s Soundcloud, last month.

Today, the team dropped their own remix of “Work,” although “cover” might be a better label. Not only does it feature Lafa Taylor on vocals, but Aabo’s version takes a grinding club beat and lightens it up to an atmospheric level. Much more ambient than the original, Aabo shakes things up by ending the track with a soft, jazzy guitar that sounds more like baby-making music than a corporate radio hit.

If all that isn’t enough, Taylor is getting ready to play Northern Nights in roughly 3 weeks, but only after he does the FREE EUPHORIC show at the Catalyst–in Santa Cruz, Ca–on July 2. With Aabo only 70 miles away, fans just might be in for a collaborating treat.

Just make sure you get the night off and don’t have to work, work, work.

DRUGS OF THE FUTURE – “SOLSTICE”

June 21, 2016 thematweird

Here at Euphoric, we try to bring to you the hottest artists with the freshest material. And it doesn’t get much fresher than this!

Out of nowhere comes Drugs of the Future. Their latest–and so far, only–track on Soundcloud is barely two hours old but it’s one of the chillest ambient tracks we’ve heard in a while. “Solstice” puts the listener in a mellow mood while stimulating the senses with enough excitement so you won’t fall asleep.

With a song and account so new (after all, they currently only have six followers), it begs the question–Who is/are the Drugs of the Future? Intuition suggests some fresh up-and-comers, but with production and quality music like “Solstice,” we might discover a familiar name when more information comes out.

Stay tuned, Euphoric fans, and blast “Solstice” to pre-game for tonight’s Strawberry Moon.

OLIVER TREE – SOULMOTHER, I LOVE YOU (FEAT. GETTER)

June 9, 2016 thematweird

H-O-L-Y SHIT. Oliver Tree–the Santa Cruz artist formerly known just as Tree– is K-I-L-L-I-N-G it!!!! A homegrown musician who expanded his creativity on darkly dreamy lyrics and odd sounds found in the strangest of places is fresh off a song collaboration and video–“Forget It”–with Bay Area DJ, Getter. Then, two days ago, the college-age, now Los Angelino, artist drops another introspective and banging track. “Soulmother, I Love You,” of course, featuring Getter.

The track features familiar Tree sounds–distant voices, introspective lyrics–combined with faster beats and more layers than he has stacked in the past. It’s a return to his electronic roots with the age and experience of someone who knows what their doing. Don’t believe me? Give it a couple of plays and try picking out all the different sounds. At under 3 minutes, Tree keeps the punk ethic while growing within his art.

We can’t wait to see what he does next.

MAYA PAYNE – SELF DEFINED

May 1, 2016 thematweird

Music knows no boundaries or boarders and New Zealand artist, Maya Payne, proves it. The 19 year old artist hit the scene last year with the singles “If Only,” “Fragile” and “Falling.” The talented prodigy began her singing career at only six and started composing her own songs at 11, when most of us were still discovering the internet.

She recently finishing her latest EP, The Lucky Ones. The first single, “Self Defined” is an upbeat number as beautiful as it is empowering. After all, what’s more powerful than a strong, talented woman enchanting the listener over a strong, electronic beat?

Maya Payne says she is currently working on her full-length, but we all know art takes time. So for now, define yourself with this euphoric debut and keep your ear to the internet.

https://soundcloud.com/maya-payne/self-defined-maya

BUOY–“Clouds & Rain”

May 1, 2016 thematweird

As we quickly approach the half-way mark of 2016, there have been several artists to watch for and Buoy is one of them. Born Charmian Kingston, this Aussie singer has been brewing in the underground with two singles from earlier this year. Last week she released her debut EP, Immersion, and it has already gained momentum for his dark, ambient tones set to odd, yet catchy beats.

On “Clouds & Rain” we find Buoy exemplifying this. A strange, house-like background sets the scene as Buoy lyrically explores the space between the sounds. Strikingly haunting and undeniably infectious, she builds upon the beat in ways many of today’s artists only dream. Keep your ear to the ground in the next several months and it’s a guarantee her name will pop up again, probably more than once.

DARREN ASHLEY – QUESTION

April 30, 2016 thematweird

Malaysian beat-maker, Darren Ashley, gracefully blends beats and sounds together into the quickly budding Future Bass scene. Every Monday he has been releasing new, unique singles–via Soundcloud–for his “Monday Juice” project.

Last week he dropped “Question” a futuristic dance tune with plenty of bleeps and bloops somehow concocted into a tasty tune. Incredibly underground, undeniably different and continuously proficient, Darren Ashley might just become your favorite beat chef nobody’s heard of.

THE PIRATE – BASS TRIBE’S SPRING BLING MIX SERIES 17

April 18, 2016 thematweird

It’s April, the sun’s out and that means it’s time to work on the beach tan during the day and pop bottles in the sweat-filled clubs at night. No party gets cracking without the right beats and Santa Cruz’s own The Pirate has just the mix to get those asses shaking.

Whether it’s spinning tracks at Emissions or setting up shows with Raindance Productions at clubs throughout San Francisco and Santa Cruz, The Pirate has worked ’round-the-clock in the Bay Area and Northern California EDM scene for a better part of the last decade. With a wide range of musical taste, the Pirate perfectly blends reggae, trap, hip hop, dub and even calypso into hard-hitting, one-of-a-kind tracks.

His latest mix is 29 minutes of slammin’ beats and intoxicating rhythms for the Bass Tribe’s “Spring Bling” series. From start to finish, Pirate pulls the fun and obscure together in a blend you can’t help but play over and over. One glance at that tracklist and it’s easy to see how he managed to gain over 1300 plays in under a week.

Chef Red ft No Tv No Radio – King

Channels – OD (Original Mix/

Cavest – one to the two

Luude – Raichu

DZZ – Build Me

mac – skype

Thook – P P F

wize – the code (prod by ghosttown)

Suma – Matter (Final)

obei – Ruby

EVERLAKE – Turiyah

thefaded. – IXTLI

LOST CITY – LOST CITY x BUNNY GENERAL – SOUNDWAR [LIONDUB]

Popcaan – Where We Come From (The Heatwave Remix)

Busy Signal – Bad Longtime

miss bolivia – bien warrior (djcaution remix)

Chico Navarro – MIRA MIRA (Ghetto Vanessa Edit)

Busta Rhymes – I Love MY Bitch (NICK BIKE 1V EDIT)

FORM ASCROSANTI FESTIVAL–DAY 2 BY JORDAN FICKEL

June 1, 2015June 2, 2015 thematweirdLeave a comment

This is a continuation from PART ONE: https://weirdjournalism.com/2015/05/28/form-ascrosanti-festival-day-1/

Portrait of the author as a young artist.

The big question on day 1 was about the “Very Special Guest” headlining the first night, with a longer set time than anyone else for the entire weekend. The festival t-shirt I got 30 minutes after entering said “Skrillex”on it. Oh boy.

Seriously? Skrillex? At least it was a good conversation starter. Most everyone I spoke to was initially turned off by seeing one of the highest paid DJs in the country for free. I was too. What the hell was the prince of brostep doing at our weird magical desert music festival? I guess that’s what people at Burning Man were asking last year too, when he was allegedly boo’d off the stage for playing “Turn Down For What”.

I came to the festival with what I thought was an open mind, ready to appreciate the experience for what it was, but this was a greater test than I was expecting.

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Spazzkid started the day off with a vaporwave set (maybe? I’m still figuring out that genre); banging away on his ableton controller and singing into a microphone on occasion. His style sort of a funky, hous3y, 80s pop thing, with a shout out to Saint Pepsi halfway through his set. He was actually my favorite performance of the day.

The next DJ was just running iTunes, no crowd. I found out later that The Range couldn’t make it for whatever reason.

I wandered the grounds most of the day, the stark beauty of the Arizona desert surrounding the experience. Paolo Soleri, the architect behind Arcosanti, had incredible vision, but as my boyfriend who works in construction pointed out, not as much of an engineer. The place was weathered and sturdy.

I missed most of the Kodak to Graph set, the first set in the ampitheater and not the vaults. A resident of Arcosanti told me how happy they were to host such a wonderful event. I thought the vibe might be of resentment for interrupting their peaceful desert town.
Jacques Greene played after that, a dj whose work I’m actually a really big fan of. It’s like glitchy brainy house music, so I was surprised that I didn’t enjoy it that much. Music always sounds different at home in your headphones than it does in a ‘live’ context.

Tokimonsta played in the ampitheater as the sun set, her smile and head nodding seemingly plastered on but genuine at the same time. My second favorite set of the night. Machinedrum right afterwards, playing in the dark with little illumination, just a projector running abstract computerized human shapes. The two most talented musicians of the night. Those glitchy drum n bass drumbeats were performed by a live drummer. The name suddenly made sense. One guy on the machine, a small synth and what looked like an MPC or something, and a drummer with a full kit and a drum pad triggering abstract noises.

The next act spent most of his time bobbing along to a mostly disinterested crowd waiting for the main event. I went to the merch booth and asked who it was, because no one really knew. The guy told me that Skrillex was late but The Range had finally shown up, so he was taking over for now. We went back and found a place to sit.

It was loud, it was stupid, it was intense and immediately accessible. I managed to enjoy it. He played a lot of songs I didn’t like, but he mixed out of songs usually in less than a minute, sometimes in less than 15 seconds. Huge build-up, then drop, creative transition to the next track, repeat. He had command of his mixer, was really creative and talented. Most of the crowd filtered out during his set, leaving a dedicated 50-100 people in the auditorium. Security was so lax that the stage ended up full of his fans, crowding around him and his mixer as he tried his best to hype an experimental ambient festival in the middle of the desert, stuff like “what’s up arcosanti let’s scream to the stars yeeeeaahhh”

FORM ASCROSANTI FESTIVAL DAY 1 BY JORDAN FICKEL

May 28, 2015June 2, 2015 thematweird1 Comment

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!

Well, kind of.

After a long delay, Weird Journalism is back and the blogging will commence so bend over and read!!!!

Kicking off our return is a very EXCLUSIVE piece on last weekend’s rare and elusive, FORM ASCROSANTI festival in Arizona. With an application process for tickets and only a few hundred given away, guest writer Jordan Fickel (DJ Bear Hugs) wasn’t sure what to expect. Here is part one from his strange time in the desert…

“Remember? That exclusive music festival in Arizona I applied for?”

“Oh, you mean Hipster Summer Camp. You have to call it that. That’s what it is now,” my usually stoic roommate said, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

It’s true. I had been calling it Hipster Summer Camp. That was before I was accepted, anyway. However, now that FORM Arcosanti gave me the golden ticket, my sour grapes attitude had dissipated and I honestly felt kind of bad for calling it that for so long.

FORM is an invite only music festival in a strange small town in the middle of the Arizona desert. The town is so small that it can only host a few hundred people at a time. So, the festival curators have an application process that asks vague, artsy questions like “What inspires you?” and “What will you bring to FORM if accepted?” and bizarrely “Animal, Vegetable or Mineral?” The answers deemed creative enough get an invite to this exclusive festival. Seems pretty pretentious and inclusive, right? Those were my thoughts, initially. But imagine this: a music festival with no screaming woo girls in culturally appropriated fashion, no blackout bros trying molly for the first time, no one vomiting on your shoes… just a small number of laid back, creative adults trying to appreciate the experience. That’s what was so appealing to me. I only recognized two of the bands, and there was only one that really excited me, but the experience seemed so unusual and magical… I had to at least apply. I filled out the application honestly, which is a little unusual for me. Normally, I try to game the system.

Chris and the author en route and looking good.

I told my friends and my boyfriend all about it and was shocked at the lack of interest. I truly believed this is going to be a once in a lifetime type event, but I was unable to convince anyone else of it. I told my boyfriend Chris that if I got an invite I was going, but it probably wasn’t going to happen. Not only is this a bizarre magical event in a strange town in the desert, it is also completely free to get in if they pick you.

“Making it expensive would mean only wealthy people can come. not down” festival curators Hundred Waters said in a facebook post regarding FORM. I was the only one who wanted to go to Hipster Summer Camp. That is, until I got an email saying I could go.

Chris was miserable and kind of angry. We had been to a bunch of weird, magical shows since we’ve been dating, and he was pissed I got to go to this one without him. I told him I’d see what I could do. I got in from work at 3 am, Chris already passed out. I sent an email to the info email on the FORM webpage, outlining our situation. Again, I didn’t embellish anything. I truly believed Chris deserved to go. I asked in the email if they would consider a late application if any slots opened, and I went to sleep. When I woke up they had sent a response.

“Jordan, Send us your partner’s full name and email and we’ll send him an invite. :)”

I was thrilled, but surprised too. This was bizarrely personal for a music festival, which is a trend I hope continues over the course of this weekend.

And then I was a convert. I stopped calling it Hipster Summer Camp, though the name still stuck. I had preacehd it to the world and it no longer belonged to me.

There are two types of tickets, people who camp on site and day passes. Chris and I got day passes. We’re in a hotel in Prescott, Arizona (pronounced “press-cut”, I found out last night) 30 miles north of Arcosanti. It’s pretty much the closest hotel; Arcosanti really is out in the middle of nowhere. There are bell-castings, there’s a pool, and there’s a Moog synthesizer lab, in addition to the music. Holy shit I haven’t mentioned anything about the music yet.

Chris in AZ. kicking ass and taking names

One reason the name Hipster Summer Camp is appropriate is most of the bands have albums that reviewed well on Pitchfork. If you need some genres here are some appropriate ones: ambient, drone, house, indie, experimental, noise, downtempo. Here are some band names: Hundred Waters, How To Dress Well, Pharmakon, The Antlers, Moses Sumney.

The big question is who is headlining tonight. The lineup just says “very special guest”, and this guest gets the longest set out of anyone for the entire weekend.

I’m obviously not worried too much about the music, which I guess is odd for a music festival. My opinion is that music festivals are one of the worse ways to see a band live, to be honest. It’s like going to a bar to find a date. I’m going to have an amazing bizarre experience. I hope the bands are good! I’ll have fun either way.