You’ll be kicking yourself if you miss this episode of DanceNode Radio as we have three banging sets from our resident DJ’s. Gabriel Setis will lay down some solid trance, followed by DJ Syke with a tasty preview of his upcoming work and last but not least Chris Allen will get you moving and make you feel all fuzzy on the inside.
Reason has reached the next level. Stronger, swifter and smoother to work with, Reason 4 will alter the way you create your music. Reason’s new devices and features will not only inspire you to produce great tracks, they will provide you with new ways of doing so.
If you’re already a Reason user, trying out Reason 4 will most likely stun you like you haven’t been stunned since your first Reason encounter. If you’ve never used Reason, there has never been a better time to start.
Thor
Thor sounds like no synthesizer you’ve ever heard before - and every single one of them. Where other synths use one specific form of synthesis and one single filter, the Thor polysonic synthesizer features six different oscillator types and four unique filters. What does this give you? Simply the most powerful synth ever created; an unstoppable monster of a sound generator that utilises synthesizer technology from the last 40 years.
Six open filter and oscillator slots let you load up three different synth filters and three separate oscillators simultaneously, allowing you to dial in synth sounds that are completely…new. An all-powerful modulation matrix gives you complete control over your signal flow, letting you modulate anything within Thor with anything within Thor. Sound deep enough for you? It gets deeper.
At the bottom of this synth sits an analog style step sequencer with more than one twist. Being every bit as modular as the rest of Thor’s components, this step sequencer does more than just play melodies - use it as a modulation tool, trigger phrases from specific keys, create intense arpeggios, generate piercing percussion lines. With its unique selection of oscillator types and synth filters, the Thor polysonic synthesizer is a veritable synth museum. But believe it, there’s nothing dusty about this instrument; Thor may have one foot in history, but its sound is pure future. Take the Thor tour to find out more.
RPG-8
Reason 4 ships with RPG-8, a brand new unit dedicated to the art of arpeggiation. Some arpeggiators are quite content with simply transforming chords into wandering rhythmic melody lines. The RPG-8 monophonic arpeggiator is not. With a wide range of on-panel controls and mode selectors, a pattern section for muting selected notes in an arpeggio and a large display showing values and positions, this device gives you full creative control over your arpeggios.
Although very hands-on and user friendly, the RPG-8 boasts some very advanced features under the surface. Features that will change how you play Reason’s instruments. The ‘Single Note Repeat’ function engages the arpeggiator only when two or more simultaneous notes are held down - letting you add sudden bursts of arpeggio to your melody lines. The ‘Manual’ mode will arpeggiate notes strictly in the order they were input, for realtime arpeggio control. The RPG-8 monophonic arpeggiator is a creative workhorse that can - and should - be used with all of Reason’s sound sources; try arpeggiating your breakbeats, your orchestra samples, or your ReCycled vocals. Only in Reason 4.
ReGroove Mixer
Want your music to sound less rigid, less programmed? Need your drums to move and groove as if played live by actual musicians? If you want your tracks to flow with that loose, yet tight feel, a regular shuffle control just doesn’t cut it. That’s why we created the ReGroove mixer, Reason’s own realtime groove management device.
The ReGroove mixer in Reason 4 gives you more than just a set of sequencer swing parameters - this is a unique device dedicated to one thing: the groove.
The ReGroove Mixer applies its timing magic non-destructively and in realtime, giving you freedom to adjust its settings - and fine-tune your groove - as your music is playing.
You can lock all your tracks together into one unified feel. Or you can apply different settings to up to 32 musical elements in your song, for ultimate control. Each of the groove channels feature controls for groove amount, slide and shuffle plus more detailed settings. The Reason soundbank comes with a great selection of groove patches, many of them created from analyzed recordings of real musicians as well as classic groovy tracks.
Sequencer
With a whole new look, a ton of fresh features and a completely new way of handling sequencer data, the Reason sequencer has matured. Dedicated to turning your ideas into great music, the new sequencer is swifter, stronger and more intuitive than ever. The key word here is workflow. A sequencer device or instrument now gets its own dedicated track, with separate lanes for note, performance and automation data, opting for a better overview and less clutter. All sequencer data - notes, automation, the works - is now housed in clips, musical building blocks that can be opened, sliced or moved. When a clip is moved to a new location, all its internal data follows right along with it, always ending up exactly where you intended it to. For safe, speedy sequencing.
The new features and functions added to the Reason 4 sequencer all strive toward making your Reason experience smoother and snappier. Like the new Tool window, an ever present floating window that provides lightning fast access to those detailed editing functions you use all the time; quantize, transpose, note velocity, note length and legato. Always in sync with your flow, forever adapting to you and your working methods, Reason’s new sequencer simply gets you there faster
References: http://www.propellerheads.se/
Lollapalooza serves up 130 bands including Pearl Jam, Daft Punk, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Iggy and the Stooges, Muse, Modest Mouse, Interpol, Satellite Party, and 120 more line up for Lollapalooza. Bands converge on nine stages in Chicago’s Grant Park. Tickets are now officially on sale for Lollapalooza 2007, August 3-5 in Chicago’s Grant Park.
Among the 120-plus artists are behemoths Pearl Jam”in their sole U.S. show this year”as ell as Daft Punk, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Muse, Iggy and the Stooges, Interpol, Kings of Leon, Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Perry Farrell’s Satellite Party, Snow Patrol, The Roots, Paulo Nutini, Femi Kuti and The Positive Force, and many more.
The 2006 edition of Lollapalooza filled Grant Park with more than 166,000 attendees of every stripe”figuratively and literally”with a healthy diet of favorites and a diverse array of new discoveries. Esquire Magazine said, “The best festival lineup of the summer? Lollapalooza, hands down.” Delivering a melange of pop, indie, funk, avant-garde, garage, and solo
performers, it’s a show with few boundaries. A distinctive and essential element of Lollapalooza is its location: Grant Park in downtown Chicago. The show embeds itself into the fabric of the city’s most vibrant public space, in the shadow of the skyline and alongside Lake Michigan, making it a part of the city”not to mention the ease of travel to and from the site, hotels, restaurants, and downtown life. One happy fan glowed, “Watching the bands perform as night fell…with the skyline lighting up the backdrop is incredible.”
“I wonder if the music fans know that their attendance helps fund neighborhood park projects?” said Laura Barnett, president of Parkways Foundation. The local beneficiary is the fundraising partner of the Chicago Park District, and Lollapalooza raised more than $928,000 in 2006 for Parkways. “Lollapalooza accelerates our ability to fund new developments, youth programs, and greening initiatives throughout Chicago”, said Barnett. Founder, creator, and cultural architect Perry Farrell continues to push a creative agenda of exploration and multidimensional lifestyle. Farrell explains; “We’re readying to entertain, enlighten, and soul-satisfy. We want people to expand their limits using music as a vehicle;
Grant Park as their spectacular environment.”
In addition to the obvious headliners, the 2007 bill is packed with meteors and indie stalwart stars like The Black Keys, Regina Spektor, Spoon, Lupe Fiasco, G. Love & Special Sauce, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Yo La Tengo, The Hold Steady, Jack’s Mannequin, Amy Winehouse, Stephen Marley, Blonde Redhead, Sparklehorse, Sean Lennon, Son Volt, Peter Bjorn and John, Roky Erickson & the Explosions, Tapes ‘n Tapes, Heartless Bastards, and more.
Music is the main attraction, but Lollapalooza is bulging with sights, sounds, and activity. A few of these distinctly-Lolla elements are: Kidzapalooza. The wildly popular area for young Paloozas and their adult guests features music, break dance classes, a drum circle, a rock & roll petting zoo, cool interaction and gaming with sponsor PlayStation, and a recording studio. In 2006, kids painted more than 700 tiles to beautify nearby Washington Park and designed 700 t-shirts by sponsor Small Paul, as well as mini-moshed to the hottest talent for kids and by kids.
Green Initiative. Lollapalooza’s green initiative will be in practice across the park. Highlights include a repeat of the hugely popular recycling program, which offers incentives to patrons to participate; souvenir beer cups can be taken home by patrons or recycled on site. Festival merchandise will include environmentally sustainable options, and purchases will be placed in “plastic bags” made from corn. All food vendors, backstage and front of house, will be serving on compostable or biodegradable plates. Styrofoam is strictly banned across the board. Lollapalooza will use biodiesel in generators and purchase renewable energy credits to offset the impact of the show. At the close of the show, every attempt will be made to reduce waste: leftover food items will go to a local food pantry and construction materials will be reused or recycled. New for 2007 is Green Street that includes dynamic eco-demos, modern & fashionable sustainable goods for home and human, and eco-interaction on the solar stage.
Lollapalooza offers a rare opportunity to reach out to thousands of patrons to educate, to influence, and perhaps even to inspire to a greener way of life. Mindfield. A brainchild of Perry Farrell, this element is part guerilla theatre, part technology, and part game show. The concept mixes improv from Chicago’s legendary Second City troupe, a short film festival, PlayStation SingStar competition, scavenger hunting, and mobile messaging to create a chaotic, surreal, and interactive demonstration of technology and live gaming. Mindfield participants receive text message clues that lure them into a Mindfield prank, all caught on film. In 2006, almost 30% of attendees interacted with Mindfield.
Last Band Standing. An online battle of the bands, the 2006 LBS received more than 2,000 submissions, streamed 420,000 songs, and generated more than 800,000 votes. Bands from around the country participate and advance to a culmination gig in Chicago. The winner gets a spot on a Lollapalooza stage. Yippee!
Service Charge-Free Ticketing. Although not an actual show feature, it is a customer-pleaser nonetheless”and a first in the concert industry. Organizers have done away with additional service charges traditionally attached to ticket prices at the cash register. In addition, buyers will have the option of printing tickets themselves to avoid shipping fees.
Lollapalooza 2007 sponsors include AT&T, Bud Light, adidas, PlayStation, Citi, BMI, Blackstone Winery, Virgin Megastore, Gibson, Glaceau, Small Paul, Sweet Leaf Tea, mp3.com, and Southern Comfort.
Artists scheduled to appear:
References: http://www.lollapalooza.com
Native Instruments presents the brand new “Artist Collection” T-Shirts. Inspired by the vibrant music scene of Berlin, each of the four designs represent a different musical genre. The limited edition of exclusive T-Shirts have been designed by Berlin-based illustrator Mig75, who has previously worked for skateboard and lifestyle publications as well as various record and fashion labels.
References: http://www.native-instruments.com/
In a time where it seems clubs release their own branded compilation CDs with seemingly little concern for the quality of the tunes Cream Ibiza 2007 stands out from the crowd. Eddie Halliwell has proven himself a master behind the decks many times over, able to create a level of energy matched by few and now you can take this talent where ever you go.
CD1’s Altern8ive Mix features the biggest electro, house, techno and mash up releases from artists including MANDY, Xpress 2, Sebastian Leger, Dave Spoon, Coburn, UMEK, Chris Lake, DJ Mehdi and Angello & Ingrosso Vs Laidback Luke with many of the tracks featuring Eddie’s own reworking.
CD2 sees Eddie pick up the pace for a full on Main Room Mix reflecting Eddie’s Cream Amnesia peak time sets, featuring killer cuts from artists including Bedrock, John O’Callaghan, 4 Strings, Jon Askew, Greg Downey, Thomas Bronzwaer, Guiseppe Ottovani, Ignition Technician and Tiësto.
Eddie has just scored himself a residency at Cream in Ibiza and this mix CD gives you a great preview to what you can expect. This has to be my favourite album of the year so far and I find it hard to imagine anyone being disappointed, after all no other DJ has been voted Mixmag’s DJ of the Year twice!
Here’s where you can get a piece:
July 5th Cream Ibiza 2007 Album Tour, Amnesia, Ibiza
July 7th Cream Ibiza 2007 Album Tour, Creamfields, Worclaw, Poland
July 14th Cream Ibiza 2007 Album Tour, Forsage Club, Kiev, Ukraine
July 14th Cream Ibiza 2007 Album Tour, Beach Club, Marmaris, Turkey
July 21st Cream Ibiza 2007 Album Tour, Sunrise Festival, Poland
