#defep

                Electronic music from noon till midnight and beyond, sounds crazy right? Well not quite, though that’s not the point of this article. Out of the legions of Bands and DJs, four gave me hope that the bigger names earning the “Pop” status won’t kill the genre and electronic music will continue to push the envelope well into the future. I touch on both the music and briefly what was going on.

                I started in Tampa on the other side of the bridge. I had to pick up my assistant in Pinellas Park (just North of where the concert was) within 30 minutes; I bolted down the expressway to downtown Tampa, only to get caught in traffic. This was strange, the only thing in downtown Tampa is offices and they are closed on Saturdays, no time to question, just get to St. Pete. After being cut off by a large truck I finally got onto I-275, weaved through traffic at great speed accompanied by music (Kraftwerk – Tour de France). I scanned for open lanes and crown vics (police). I had told my assistant that I would pick him up at 10:30 I was running 20 minutes late, I could not get caught speeding, I had racked up some points on my license a few months prior in some hell hole called Garden City. I got over the bay, and off the interstate, I picked up my assistant and headed south to the venue (Jannus Live).

                We arrived during sound check for something, we waited for our passes got them and walked in, there was no one there. My assistant and I left and returned for Patysupplies, and Boombox. Party Supplies is this guy from Brooklyn that loves nothing more than to connect with the crowd, shows what he has sampled from Jefferson Airplane to Bruce Springsteen’s voice, then shows you what it sounds like all thrown together. After him it was Boombox, a two man set up that’s synths and guitar, good sound, good vibes, all it needs is live percussion.

                I remember going into the bathroom to put in my contacts. I turned and looked and there is a guy with a plastic bag open selling what I thought was molly, acid, or pot. He is discussing pricing with a patron, another person walks in, ask what he’s selling. “Oh they’re Boombox pins, my girlfriend designed them.”. I was confused, society had morphed my perception to be “okay” with witnessing the buying and selling of drugs, but to be confused by the trade of non-illicit items in bathrooms.

                Varien took the stage with a fist full of sound, bringing an end to the bands and setting the tone for the rest of the evening. I think that most dubstep tends to be repetitive and follows a formula much like any kind of pop music, but this is different. It is apparent that Nick Pittsinger (Varien) puts together these tracks as masterpieces, not just four minute “press play” songs, they have to be absorbed. If you don’t like it, you can’t say it’s not good, because all the evidence of the genius and effort is in the audio and cannot be disputed. I would like to hear a real orchestra in the tracks, the current orchestra synth tracks sound too clean, however the cost to hire an orchestra versus software (you do the math). I look forward to hearing more in the future from Varien, Pittsinger is very talented and holds lots of promise.              

                Following Varien was Blood Eagle from Orlando, after typing “Blood Eagle” into Google I found out that it is a Nordic method of torture (look it up, it’s interesting), I did enjoy the set though. They go hard and have fun. The sound is hard, forces you to move, attention is demanded. As far as sampling I think I heard a blaster from Star Wars, instantly putting a smile on my face. Another Orlando based group came out, Defep. The sound was obviously different, but just as savory as the last. Some of you may have heard Defep and didn’t even know it, that mashup of Adele’s and Afrojack Rolling it Right was fantastic, as well as the set.

                Amtrac went on around 9 pm, I had heard Amtrac previously before, but not live. Live it’s something else, almost like an explosion of the great simplicity that is Amtrac. It followed the rules of trance, but it wasn’t trance, it was far too fresh; a familiar taste with a kick unlike anything that I have heard really. Towards the end of Amtrac’s set I found myself compelled to dance, my assistant Joe and I went into the crowd and danced into Sonic C’s set. We were surrounded by people feeling it and not feeling it all. Sonic C () laid down some very impressive stuff, during one track I heard “Do you know where I can get Molly?”, I could only giggle, I had lost track how many times I was asked that prior to hearing this. While moving about the area I spotted Reuben from Ladytron, I could only think about something I read earlier in the week how ten years ago last week the album 604 was being finished. It was strange to think about. I watched Reuben for a bit after he went on, sound was so different, still enjoyable. Though by this time Joe and I were beat, we stayed for a few more tracks and left. To attempt to cover this with just one person was impossible, would have needed an army of press to do, none the less we covered the main stage. There were three other venues, but the cream of the crop was where I was, and that’s all that mattered.

Hardwell vs. Calvin Harris vs. Red Carpet - Alright Cobrawooga (DEFEP Festival Bootleg) 

"306" (Original Mix) by Alex Alecio

"Here is my first production track. this track is dedicated to my nephew jeremaih that came to this earth a day ago. title stand for the time he was born 3:06pm . this is the unmastered version. feedback welcome thx :)" 

Beat-boosters, meet Alex Alecio [UNSIGNED]. I was so blown away by his SoundCloud that I had to share his music with all of you. His mashups are absolutely flawless. The transitions are so clean, I'll backtrack just to listen to them over again. This producer has the potential to be HUGE. Check out his SoundCloud for more progressive goodness.

BONUS! Alex Alecio's podcast series, Stranger to Stability:

"September Progressive House Demo Mix"

September Progressive House Demo Mix by Alex Alecio

TRACKLIST:

1. Calvin Harris vs Promise Land vs Miami 305 -Flashback To Heaven (DEFEP Bootleg/Alex Alecio Edit) 2. Adele - Set Fire To The Rain (Thomas Gold Remix) 3. David Tort vs Madonna - Jack The Music Up (Alex Alecio R3Mash) 4. Michael Woods - Bullet (Original Mix) 5. Kaskade & Tiesto vs Green Velvet - Only You Flash (Kaskade Mash Up) 6. Mat Zo- Frequency Flyer (Original Mix/Alex Alecio Edit) 7. Dirty South & Thomas Gold Ft Kate Elsworth - Alive (Tommy Trash Remix) 8. Florence & The Machine - You Got The Love (Mark Knight Remix) 9. Sebastian Ingrosso vs Avicii - Calling Levels (Alex Alecio R3Mash) 10. Marcel Woods vs Avicii - Sweet Dreams Inside Me (Alex Alecio R3Mash) 11. Junior Sanchez vs Swanky Tunes & Hard Rock Sofa - United I Belive In! (Alex Alecio R3Mash). 12. Peace Treaty vs Empire Of The Sun- Heard Us Walking On A Dream (MAKJ Bootleg) 13. Sander Van Doorn vs Afrojack & R3hab - Koko Prutata (First State Bashup) 14. Markus Binapfi aka BIG WORLD - Saga (Original Mix)

"SUMMER OF LOVE" - TRANCE/PROGRESSIVE

Summer of Love Mix by Alex Alecio

TRACKLIST:

1. DNS Project Ft. Medelin Zero - Another Day (Khoma Remix) 2. Cosmic Gate - The Theme (Original Mix) 3. Filo & Peri - StabSound (Original Mix) 4. Ferry Corsten- Check It Out (Original Mix) 5. Heatbeat - Ask The Cat (Original Mix) 6. Kyau & Albert - Always A Fool (2011 Rework) 7. Oliver Smith - Butterfly Effect (Original Mix) 8. Maor Levi & Raul Siberdi - Infatuation (Original Mix) 9. Mr. Pit - Avion (Original Mix) 10. 3rd Planet - UFO Here (Original Mix) 11. Genix - Sun City (Original Mix) 12. Markus Schulz Pres. Dakota - Saints (Original Mix) 13. Marcel Woods - Sunrise (Shy Brothers Remix) 14. Mike Kogliin Vs.Genix - Helion (Norin & Rad Remix) 15. M.I.K.E & Ben Nicky - Spring Brake (MIKE Progressive ReTake) 16. Signum Ft Julie Thompson - Never Be The Same (Myon & Shane 54 Monster Mix) 17. Xtigma - Upward Spiral (Original Mix)

HELP SPREAD THE WORD!  

Enjoy!

Peace,