DEW TOUR: Boards, Beats, and Beyond at Pantech Beach Championships

Over 93,000 people descended on Ocean City, MD between August 16-19 to catch the Pantech Beach Championships leg of the Dew Tour. The Dew Tour consists of three marquee events in distinct beach, city and mountain locales, featuring summer sports of skateboarding and BMX (with additional competitions of surf and freestyle motocross). The Dew Tour continues on for its City stop in San Francisco October 18-21 with the final stop in December in Breckenridge, CO for the Mountain stop of the 2012 season.

In addition to the beach competitions, the Dew Tour featured several great music acts over the weekend in OCMD (some from Mountain Dew’s own Green Label Sound). On Friday night, Theophilus London and Lupe Fiasco were the main attractions.

Saturday featured several big names in the EDM scene including DallasK, Two Fresh, and Wolfgang Gartner. Fans, both young and old, packed onto the beach in droves to catch the stage-on-sand performance from some of their favorite DJs.

The Championships concluded on Sunday with some very close races. You can view the results below:

BMX Mega 2.0 Final Results

1. Zackery Warden, Mo., 91.63.  2. Chad Kagy Calif., 91.63.  3. Vince Byron, Australia, 90.38.  4. Colton Satterfield, Utah, 90.00.  5. Austin Coleman, Calif., 88.25.  6. James Foster, Calif.,88.13.  7. Steve McCann, Australia, 87.50.  8. Kevin Robinson, RI, 87.38.  9. Morgan Wade, Texas, 86.50.  10. Anthony Napolitan, Ohio, 86.00.

BMX Park Final Results

1. Brett Banasiewicz, Ind., 92.75.  2. Kyle Baldock, Australia, 92.25.  3. Scotty Cranmer, NJ, 91.75.  4. Ryan Nyquist, Calif., 91.63.  5. Daniel Sandoval, Calif., 88.75.  6. Harry Main, Great Britain, 88.38.

Skate Bowl Final Results

1.Pedro Barros, Brazil, 85.76.  2. Bucky Lasek, Md., 84.13.  3. Ben Hatchell, Va., 83.38.  4. Sandro Dias, Brazil, 82.88.  5. Tom Schaar, Calif., 82.01.  6. Alex Sorgente, Fla., 81.25.  7. Andy Macdonald, Mass., 79.63. 8. Joshua Rodriguez, Calif., 78.88.  9. Kalani David, Hawaii, 78.13.  10. Zach Miller, Calif., 75.01.

Skate Mega 2.0 Final Results

1. Tom Schaar, Calif., 89.00.  2. Elliot Sloan, NY, 87.00.  3. Bob Burnquist, Brazil, 86.75.  4. Mitchie Brusco, Calif., 86.50.  5. Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Canada, 85.75.  6. Adam Taylor, Fla., 79.50.  7. Ronaldo Gomes, Brazil, 78.50.  8. Andy Macdonald, Mass., 78.25.  9. Jagger Eaton, Ariz., 77.25. 10. Edgar Pereira, Brazil, 42.00.

You can view an expanded photo gallery of DallasK, Two Fresh, and Wolfgang Gartner on Saturday night below:

Global Dance Festival 2012: A Decade in the Making

The Global Dance Festival celebrated its 10 year anniversary in July 2012 with three nights of shows (July 20th-22nd) in Morrison, Colorado at Red Rocks Amphitheater.

Upon arriving at Red Rock, parking, and walking towards the amphitheater, sounds echo from all around, hiding from inside the mountains. The venue itself has been carved out of the mountains, with two large, red colored rocks protruding high into the sky on either side of the amphitheater.

We’ll break each night of the event down below with a massive photo gallery at the end.

FRIDAY:

When the doors opened on Friday there were no long lines of people waiting to get inside. Those who were on-hand however were enthusiastic and dressed in minimal clothing.

The event featured three stages: Main Stage, Global Bass Stage, and Project Aspect Stage.

Things really began to pick up on the first evening at 830pm when Ecotek took the stage and the crowd really started to go wild.

The Red Rocks staff was great at keeping people moving, without being overly pushy. The venue staff seemed to really dig the show, some had colored mo-hawks, while other older staff members wore Katy Perry like colored wigs and ferry princess wings.  The fact that it was not packed to the brim made it easy to walk around from stage to stage, helped groups stay together, and made it possible to not have to rub up on sweaty people constantly (a big plus).

At 830pm, a moment of silence was held for the victims of the Colorado shooting in the Batman movie. Fifteen minutes later, the bottom half of the amphitheater was filled.

At 930pm, Krewella took to the Global Bass Stage. This was the most packed that the Global Dance Stage got all night… and for good reason. Krewella threw down an amazing set that had the crowd go absolutely nuts.

While Krewella was on the Global Bass Stage, Hardwell was playing on the Main Stage. As expected, he rocked a great set, but the prize of the hour had to go to Krewella, who managed to get the majority of attendees to walk all the way up the theater steps to the top platform to reach the Global Bass Stage (5 minute uphill walk which is no easy task).

Krewella ended at 10:30, and Harvard Bass took over. He did a great job of following up Krewella, however, the majority of the audience left the area immediately following Krewella to either catch the end of Hardwell’s set or to get a good seat for the next act, the much talked about Knife Party.

Knife Party came on the Main Stage at 11pm forcing a lot of fans to miss a great set by Harvard Bass…but its hard competing with Knife Party. Knife Party did not disappoint, dropping a forceful set on the crowd.

At 1130pm, 3Lau took over on the Global Bass Stage, and did an admirable job. The crowd at the top of the hill started to regain strength following the exodus to the main stage for Knife party. Felix Cartel was up next and kept things going with a great set of his own.

The night ended on the main stage with Steve Angello from the one and only Swedish House Mafia who actually introduced himself as “Steve Angello from The Swedish House Mafia”. He then went right into playing music with his signature backwards hat and European swag.  His set featured several of his own tracks as wells as many offerings from SHM. The crowd was treated to loads of confetti shot from the stage throughout his act.

At the end of Steve Angello’s set, the crowd cheered “Encore! Encore!” and “One More Song!” but it was no to avail, Steve Angello left the crowd begging for more, and did not reappear. The host of the festival then made his way out to the stage, and said that day one had just wrapped up, but “who is ready for 2 more days??!!”

We were left a little puzzled by the machine like planning of the end of the evening. With fans chanting for one more song, why not give them what they want?

SATURDAY:

Saturday was the only sold out day of Global Dance Festival. Fans could buy 3 day pass or individual days. Saturday was certainly the most crowded (and sold out from the start).

Since the venue is in a national forest/park, there was plenty of space in adjoining parking lots for people to park and pre-game before entering the amphitheater, which they did in droves.

Security was very strict on Saturday, fans were not permitted to bring open packs of gum or cigarettes inside.

From the start of Day 2, Red Rocks was more crowded than the previous day. The weather was colder and more windy than on Friday, especially at the 2nd stage which was located at the top level of the amphitheater.

Triad Dragons played on the Main stage and went over their time slot. Because of this, the Main stage shifted straight into Nadia Ali, skipping Mord Fustang’s set which was supposed to occur between her and Triad Dragons.

Triad Dragons were good, and had a much bigger crowd than the artists that performed at the same time the day before.

When Nadia Ali walked out onto the Main stage, she had a surreal moment. She took a look at the jam packed crowd (830pm at this point) and said into the microphone, “Oh my god!”.  Ali and two dancers then performed for only 30 minutes (but kept everyone in the crowd energized).

After Ali, Manufactured Superstars took over Main stage wearing their signature NASA astronaut jumpsuits (with dancers in matching astronaut outfits). Manufactured Superstars absolutely rocked the festival! They handed out about 300 blow-up astronaut dolls to the crowd. Both members of the group were equipped with cryo guns that they systematically shot into the air and the crowd during their set. By the end of their set the crowd was left begging for more.

Despite their pleas, the crowd heard no more from Manufactured Superstars. However, they were spoiled with the rest of the lineup: Morgan Page, followed by Wolfgang Gartner, and last but not least, trance kings Above & Beyond.

Morgan Page and Wolfgang Gartner both had longer set times than Manufactured Superstars, with Above & Beyond having the longest set time of the day.

There was nothing that really set Morgan page and Wolfgang Gartner’s sets out from any set that We’d heard from them before.  Not to say that they were not absolutely great sets, they were, it’s just they did not engage the crowd the way that Manufactured Superstars did (and the way the Above & Beyond did at the end). Manufactured Superstars stepped out of the DJ booth and shot their guns into crowd, also gave out toys that people threw into air during their set. Above & Beyond had their signature text behind them on digital screens saying things like “This is group therapy Red Rocks“ to catch crowd’s attention.

Once again on Day 2, there was a moment of silence for the victims of the Batman movie shootings.

In our opinion the final three acts were built up nicely. Morgan page was great, Wolfgang Gartner was better, and Above & Beyond was the best.

SUNDAY:

Sunday, the 3rd and final day, was not as crowded as the sold out second day. There was certainly no drop off in the talent level on the decks however.

The opening two acts on Main stage, Fury + MC Dozha and Ishe, did not have the same luxury as the artists the day before (playing to an almost sold out arena from the start of the show) but they did a great job at getting the crowd ready for the night.

The third Main stage act, Figure, had an awesome set that was even infused with a song or two from the nightmare before Christmas.

 

By 8pm the arena was packed. This was due in part to Kill the Noise and 12th Planet getting ready to perform back to back sets on the Global Bass stage.

 

Kill the Noise had an absolutely amazing set. It was so good that it brought a large amount of people from the Main stage over to the Global Bass stage. This vibe continued when 12th Planet came on stage. 12th Planet did an awesome job too, and even managed to pull out a massive joint from his pocket on stage, light it up, take a few puffs, run down to the audience, hand it to someone in front row, and then rush back up to the DJ booth to switch the song before the beat dropped. And they say pot-heads are lazy…

Both 12th Planet and Kill the Noise dropped a Fresh Prince of Bel Air remix, which was awesome to hear (as we hail from Philly).

 

The Main stage was not to be outdone at this time. While Kill the Noise and 12th Planet played on the Global Bass stage, Adventure Club and Dillon Francis played on main stage. Adventure club was great and Dillon Francis was even better. When Francis came out on stage, he apologized for not having his hair slicked back because the T.S.A. had confiscated his hair gel at the airport. He then started the chant “FUCK TSA! FUCK TSA!”

 

After Dillon Francis, Zeds Dead with Omar Linx took over on the Main stage. Sadly, this was the last act we would see at Global Dance Festival because we had a flight to catch. Zeds Dead put on a stellar set. It was a shame we were unable to stay for the grand finale with Excision because he always manages to throw down.

Sadly, due to a technical error, our Day 3 photos were lost.

[photo credit: Steve Garfinkel]

You can view a full photo gallery below:

Starscape Festival: Garden of Eden Discovered in Baltimore, MD

Independent Philly traveled down I-95 on Saturday, June 9th for the 14th annual Starscape Festival in Baltimore. Located in scenic Ft. Armistead Park, the festival (presented by Steez Promo) featured 16 hours of continuous music on five stages.

The weather was beautiful when the gates opened at 2pm and stayed that way until the party came to an end at 6am on Sunday morning.

The theme of this year’s Starscape was “The Garden of Eden” and many of the stages, VIP areas, and beyond were adorned accordingly with stunning visuals. Aside from the decorations, the backdrop of the park itself provided gorgeous views of the water, trees, and the stark contrast of the graffiti on the ruins of Ft. Armistead (which held the Fort Stage).

Thousands of fans, decked out in crazy outfits (and a surprising number of people nobbling on crutches) packed into the park, occupying every square inch of decent real estate from the water to the front gates.

We spoke to many party goers that had nothing but good things to say about Starscape. One girl (we assume her name was Kelly because she had it painted on her chest) told  us she would find a way to buy a ticket every single weekend if they held 52 Starscapes a year. That seemed a little excessive, but we liked her enthusiasm.

We were also interested in what the DJs thought of the event so we had a chat with two guys who have been staples of EDM for decades. Up first is DJ Dan (who played the Dance Stage at Starscape). Dan has been at the forefront of House Music for over 20 years. He has released countless House gems, played all over the world, and in 2006, he was named as one of the top 5 DJ’s on the planet by DJ Magazine. He’s definitely one of our favorite DJ/Producers year in and year out.

Independent Philly: What did you think of this year’s Starscape Festival (the music and overall experience)?

DJ Dan: I had a great time, I was very impressed to see the big numbers this year. There were some technical issues with power outages during mine and Kill The Noise sets but it was great to see the crowd totally cool and understanding the fact that it was out of our control. Overall I thought the event was a big success and look forward to seeing it grow bigger next year.

IP: If you had the chance to check out some other sets, whose did you most enjoy?

DJD: I absolutely loved Beats Antique. They put on an amazing show and I was really impressed with their vibe and the way they took many musical influences and made it their own. They really had the crowd mesmerized!

IP: You learned the DJ basics from Donald Glaude, do you guys still have a good relationship today?

DJD: Yes we are still great friends. As busy as things get we still catch up with each other regularly if we’re not playing together.

IP: You’ve been working as a DJ for over 20 years now. DJs have moved from the DJ booths at clubs to huge stage productions in the past few years. Do you think the quality of music is being sacrificed for bigger production value?

DJD: I think production quality has improved over the years on the bigger events. I do see DJ’s playing cheesier stuff because they feel like they need to do the obvious thing for instant crowd gratification and I think it comes off cheap because it’s the easy and most obvious thing to do. I believe that people come out because they want to be inspired, not patronized. Sure, there are many who love the familiar tune here and there but to throw the whole candy bowl at them is just offensive on all levels. There’s a lot of cool music out there, the crowd deserves to hear the best of the best!

IP: Overall, what do you think of the state of EDM in 2012?

DJD: Numbers wise, it’s great. Commercially it’s crossed over and it’s a good thing that we are getting more support from the mainstream. However, now it’s time to educate. If you have the audience in front of you, play some underground shit along with some dope classics….then throw a familiar tune in. That’s my feeling on it.

IP: What current projects are you working on for the second half of 2012?

DJD: I have had an amazing year of releases so far. I have had 8 tracks in the House Top 100 and I am almost finished with my new artist album for Guesthouse Recordings. Many of the previous releases will be on it as well as a bunch of new tunes. I am also working on a new track with my good friend TJR, as well as a new project with DJ Sneak.

IP: What other big festivals can fans catch you playing this year?

DJD: Burning Man is the one I am really looking forward to but I really wouldn’t call it a festival. There are many club dates coming up as well so just check my tour schedule on my Facebook page.

IP: Are there any up and coming DJs or producers that (perhaps) we haven’t heard of that deserve some attention?

DJD: Check out J Paul Getto, Dj Mes, David Glass, and Dimitri Max. These guys are all making tracks I really love right now.

IP: Would you like to give a shout-out to your fans?

DJD: Thank you guys for hangin’ with me on Saturday with power outage issues and all. I was really impressed with how passionate and supportive everyone was. The coolest thing was seeing how many people stayed in the tent patiently waiting for Kill The Noise to come on while the sound was getting sorted. Very cool to see the loyalty from the crowd. Respect!

IP: Tell us something that would surprise, or even shock our readers…

DJD: My studio is in the basement of my house and it was an old speakeasy during the 20’s. Then an Italian family bought the house and turned it into a pasta production room and sold the pasta to the first Trader Joe’s here in L.A. Now it’s my studio and the vibe is still hearty. Gotta love the Italians!

We also had the opportunity to throw some questions out to Drum & Bass legend Dieselboy (who played a B2B set with Bare on the Beach Stage at Starscape). Damian Higgin’s music has been featured in video games, television shows, and charted on Billboard. He helped champion some of the biggest Drum & Bass nights and tours in history.

Independent Philly: What was your overall impression of this year’s Starscape Festival (music, overall experience, crowd, etc)?

Dieselboy: It was packed to the gills. Crazy high energy. Lots of friendly faces. I had a blast!

IP: If you managed to catch any of the other performers sets, which ones did you most enjoy?

DB: I showed up fairly late because I was at a friend’s wedding in Philadelphia earlier in the night. but I did see half of Noisia and all of Zomboy. Musically they both were quite entertaining.

IP: You have a strong connection to the city of Philadelphia, what are some of your fondest memories of your time here? What do you miss the most about not living in Philly?

DB: My fondest memory is for my 6.5 year drum and bass weekly PLATINUM that was held at Fluid nightclub. I had some of the best shows of my career there. It felt very family-like with the owner, the security, bartenders, staff, regulars, etc. I miss not having that around anymore. Also, I miss my friends that are still living there.

IP: You’ve ventured out from Drum & Bass (recently) to include forays into Electro and Dubstep. Is that based on your own personal musical preferences or do you see EDM trending more towards these genres these days?

DB: A combination of both. I like all kinds of music but always felt like I could just play Drum & Bass and that was fine. As I saw EDM trending towards more diverse sets, I felt this opened the door for me to get a little more experimental and try to diversify my own (sets).

IP: EDM culture has exploded in the last few years. In many cases DJ’s have gone from the DJ booth to giant stage set-ups. Do you think that the music overall is suffering as DJ skills are being overlooked in many cases for production value?

DB: Absolutely. A lot of it has become style over substance. It is starting to feel like kids care more about seeing a crazy light and stage show then whether or not the guy on stage is actually doing anything live at all. I feel like it is getting to the point where promoters are going to put a Chuck E. Cheese style animatronic “DJ” on stage with a huge visual setup and then just hit play on a pre-recorded mix. I am joking…but seeing how things are now it is not impossible to imagine this could happen. I like knowing that an artist on stage is sweating a little bit and working for his paycheck, not trying to use anything and everything possible to make sure he never fucks up his “DJing”.

IP: We couldn’t agree more. What is your take on the current state of EDM culture?

DB: It is mainstream at this point and there is a lot of focus on it. I am curious to see how it rides it out and weathers the storm. I feel that the huge influx of new kids who don’t have roots in the EDM scene is unfortunately helping to dumb down what I just discussed with regards to performing. Hopefully things change.

IP: What projects are you currently working on?

DB: I have two singles ready to be released and two more on the way. I am currently running two record labels (Human Imprint and Subhuman) and we are on a release schedule of about every 2 weeks. I am also working on fleshing out our merch line into something more like a “lifestyle brand” of cool clothing; something beyond having a record label logo t-shirt.

IP: We had a chance to catch you recently at both EDC NYC and Starscape (both great sets by the way). What other festivals will you be taking part in this year?

DB: I just did EDC Vegas this past weekend. I know I have the GNARNIA Festival later this summer. I am doing some international stuff over the next few months including Belgium, Holland, Russia, Taiwan and Japan. I am also currently on tour with my Subhuman label artists and that is continuing through until July.

IP: Is there another DJ or producer that you’re dying to collaborate with?

DB: I would love to sit in the studio with Original Sin and bang out some hard ass jump-up. Also would be nice to do some work with the Rottun Crew (Excision/Datsik/Downlink).

IP: Tell us something that would surprise, or even shock our readers…

DB: When I am not at a club I never listen to electronic music. I listen to obscure/sad indie rock stuff or metal. Also, I am as obsessed with food and cooking about as much as I am obsessed with drum and bass.

We loved the insight from both DJ Dan and Dieselboy about Starscape, the state of the EDM scene, and their own lives.

From House to Drum & Bass, Dubstep to Trance, and several live acts, there was something for every EDM lover at Starscape. There was food, alcohol, and a slew of vendors selling their wares.

Once the sun set, out came the glow hoops, the lasers, and a silly amount of glow-sticks and light up toys. Eat your heart out Duracell.

With the moon hanging over the water, the party raged on all night long. Things came to an end shortly after sunrise, and then it was time for some well deserved sleep for those who had run the 16 hour gauntlet of EDM. Starscape 14 is in the books. We can wait to see what Starscape 15 has in store for us.

While we heard many excellent sets at this year’s Starscape (and missed others that we heard we’re amazing), the following ones really stuck out in our minds as some of the best of the festival: Dillon Francis, Zedd, Beats Antique, Dada Life, Bro Safari, TwoFresh, Dieselboy & Bare, DJ Dan, Donald Glaude, Alex English, Papadosio, J Rabbit, and Shpongle.

You can view a full photo gallery of the event below:

Philly’s Festival Pier Gets Loaded

The weather was gorgeous on Saturday, May 12th in Philadelphia: 80 degrees with abundant sunshine. For EDM fans, it was the perfect day to flock to the Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing to get Loaded.

Loaded Festival, presented by Steez Promo and Live Nation, was a nine-hour auditory onslaught, chock full of local and international talent spread across two stages.

The gates opened at 2pm with locals Suga Shay kicking things off on the Pier Stage and LoveCityDJs in the Tent Stage. It didn’t take long for small, excited crowds to build at both stages.

From there it was two more locals, Dubsef on the Pier Stage, and Rob Paine in the Tent Stage, that kept the vibe going.

Fans continued to file into the venue, buying up beers and getting their day-load on as event MC Khadafi Dub kept the hype building.

Dressed in everything from skimpy outfits to full costumes, they danced, hula-hooped, and even moshed along to the sick beats provided by the DJs.

The afternoon progressed on the Main Stage with sets by KDrew and School Boy, and in the Tent with AK1200 and Brown & Gammon.

Although the energy level and vibe of the event was already quite high, things were taken to another level at 530pm when Mt. Eden hit the Main Stage. Their infectious energy and live MCing whipped the crowd into a frenzy.

J Rabbit took over an hour later and kept things rocking as he was joined on stage by go-go dancers.

Meanwhile, the Tent was a hot mess but that didn’t stop fans from getting down to the likes of Pierce Fulton and Lucky Date.

Downlink was scheduled up next on the Main Stage but a double dose of bad luck (a missed flight and a fried laptop) prevented him from filling his slot. His fans weren’t completely left hanging as he was squeezed into the Tent a little later and played some tunes from a laptop he borrowed from Lucky Date (who played the third to last set in the Tent).

Dirtyloud, who were supposed to play the Tent, took Downlink’s spot on the Main Stage and played until 830pm.

At that point, things on the Main Stage got downright LOUD. Flux Pavilion took to the decks and unloaded some insane eardrum blowing Dubstep on the crowd just after sunset.

The evening concluded with two more heavy hitters, Wolfgang Gartner in the Tent, and Rusko on the Main Stage.

Despite the red hot temperature in the Tent, Wolfgang Gartner killed it. His set was easily one of the best (if not the best) of Loaded Festival.

In typical Rusko fashion, the UK Dubstep DJ danced around like a man possessed as he unleashed bass-drop after dirty bass-drop on the crowd.

When the event ended around 11pm, many fans headed to the Theater of the Living Arts on South Street for the official after party that featured a second set from Mt. Eden.

You can view several videos and a full photo gallery below:

Dancegiving with Wolfgang Gartner Gives Electronica Fans Plenty to Be Thankful For

After spending Thursday eating turkey, and the next day shopping at one crazy sale after the next, many people in Philadelphia simply chose to take it easy on Friday night.

For fans of electronic music however, it was time for the real holiday feast. The Electric Factory was stuffed with fans who packed the venue to experience Dancegiving (presented by Committee Entertainment and Art of Electronica), an event that featured DJ’s Dubsef, Michael Myers, David Solano, Porter Robinson, and headliner Wolfgang Gartner.

The night kicked off around 8pm with musical appetizers served up by Dubsef and Michael Myers. It was the first taste of what was to come over the next several hours and wet everyone’s palate.

The first course was then dished out by David Solano, who is no stranger to Philadelphiaha after playing several of the Dayglow events here in 2011. His set featured a savory track selection that left those in attendance hungry for more.

Next up was Porter Robinson who laid out a delectable spread of tasty beats which he mixed together with precision. The ravenous crowd ate it up! Not even a tryptophan infused cocktail could keep you from sitting this set out. The energy in the place was through the roof.

Around 12:15am it was finally time for everyone’s favorite part of the meal, dessert. Wolfgang Gartner wasted no time in satisfying the Electric Factory’s collective sweet-tooth with a divine sampling as confetti rained down on the ecstatic crowd. It was truly the icing on the cake.

Those who attended Dancegiving left feeling thankful to have been treated to a night of great music. For anyone who sat this one out, consider yourself a turkey.

**To view an expanded photo gallery and video of Dancegiving, CLICK HERE**