Audiotistic 2010 Preview

Well folks, here we go with a little preview of some of the music and performers that will be featured at Audiotistic 2010, on July 24th. Just to get the formalities out of the way, this event, like all other Insomniac events from here on out, will be 18 and over and may be paid a visit by the Rave Task Force. Also Insomniac seems to have hired a security company to help it deal with the concerns from EDC. As far as the 18 and over part, that is just what I was asking for after EDC; kudos to Insomniac. And sorry for all those who have to get refunds, but in my opinion and EDC recap, I must say that you should just wait your turn for now.

So now that we’re all on the same page, which is of course the “let’s have a good time with some awesome electronic music page” (page 12 if you’re wondering), let’s see what’s going to happen at Audiotistic this year.

How Does Audiotistic Stand Out?

I must say, I have never been, but judging by this year and past line-ups, Audiotistic differs in that it includes a hip-hop flavor to it. Last year had a full-blown hip hop stage, with Talib Kweli, Far East Movement (a total wtf), and The Roots all taking stage. The other stages were similar to other recent Insomniac events: a drum and bass stage, an electro stage, and a “progressive” stage with house and trance. Last year Above and Beyond were the big headliner, as well as the roots.

The location is the NOS events center in San Bernardino, were Nocturnal and other Insomniac events are held. I would expect a more ravey crowd mixed in with hip-hop heads. Also expect smog and a long drive if you’re coming from LA.

This Year

NOTE: Since there are no stage names this year, I’m using last year’s stage themes. I will also be linking to the MySpace pages of the lesser known artists. A simple “[artist name] + myspace” search on google will yield you the rest.

Hip Hop

So the hip-hop stage is back… but with a twist. That twist is the dub-step bass heavy Bassnectar, who has been making the rounds in California lately. There was certainly a lot of dub step being thrown around at EDC and that trend will surely continue. I personally don’t like music that relies on a deafening bass line to keep people moving but others seem to dig it. My advice: bring ear plugs. Tip: His music is featured in the trailer above.

The headliner for this stage is Kid Cudi. He has definitely caught the ear of hipsters and indie-rockers as a standout hip-hop artist. He will certainly perform his hit tracks Day N Night (which is pretty damn depressing… it would be weird to hear that at a festival and sing along. But I would do it.), Soundtrack to My Life, and Pursuit of Happiness. There is a possibility he will raise the roof a bit by playing some of his dance collaborations – She Came Along (with Sharam, who is playing at Avalon this weekend) and Memories with David Guetta. Cudi’s also got some new tracks with Kanye and Snoop that he will probably want to debut. A good crossover act to headline the main stage.

Also on the bill are Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek. I have seen Talib perform live a couple of times, and I must say every time is another reminder why hip hop usually just doesn’t deliver as well live. On records he has that soft preachy voice that makes you want to listen to his clever lyrics and poignant stories. Live… it’s more shouting and less rhythmic. However Talib does have a few catchy sing-along tracks such as Get By and Eternal that are really fun to join in with, so that is certainly a plus.

Adding to that are The Cool Kids, which seems to be a very rap-heavy group, and Flosstradamus which is some sort of indie-punk R&B group that sounds interesting. Lastly, there is Deadelus, an LA artist, who plays very eclectic and interesting, sample heavy, melodic music that I would love to hear live. However I am still pretty danced out after EDC and it’s getting kinda hot so I won’t be coming out for his performance.

Progressive

Well here we have a nice mix of house and trance to fill the “progressive” side of things. I suppose progressive means there are more buildups than other genres? I never did get what progressive means… but anyway.

The big players here are Marco V and Cosmic Gate. Yet another Dutchman, Marco V has been a veteran in the game for quite some time and has constantly developed his sound. His latest musical direction seems to be that of techy trance, which I love dearly. Expect to hear stuff from his last couple of albums, especially his two big tracks “Unprepared” and “When the Night Falls”, which were dropped by all the big names last year. Cosmic Gate, from Germany, are even more trance based and will be playing their latest remixes as well, including their excellent remix of “I See You”, the Avatar theme, and Paul van Dyk’s “Home”. Those should get some hands in the air for sure. Cosmic Gate have been getting a lot of love from California in the past couple years, and that is because their live sets deliver a nice progression (is that where it comes from?!) from melodic slow tracks to really intense instrumental trance.

Also on this stage will be another German – Wippenberg, who is responsible for crossover tracks such as “Chakalaka” and “Pong”, which were played repeatedly by trance and house DJs alike. Expect lots of buildups and intensity from this guy, who is surely hoping to make his mark on the west coast. Most likely more of a house sound, especially since he comes after Sonic C (who has an old school housey vibe) and before Donald Glaude, who is definitely all house all the way. Donald Glaude seems to be a consistent and reliable dancefloor filler at a majority of the side stages at the big dance events in Northern and Southern California, and will attract the house crowd at the festival with his intense, almost tribal, ravey music.

Electro/Whatever

My knowledge runs a bit thin here but I certainly see some familiar names. A Trak is back from his epic double Travis + Duck Sauce performance at EDC (still weird to see him on electro line-ups seeing as how he used to be an international scratch champion in the turntablist realm) with some more pounding beats, and he is joined by Riva Starr. To me this seems like a weird stage because Riva Starr certainly isn’t electro – he plays minimal and club house tracks that are very popular in Europe, especially Ibiza. But what the hey, let’s have it anyway. And let’s throw a little Treasure Fingers in there, who plays some sort of weird disco-house music from Brooklyn hipster clubs, mixed in with Harvard Bass, who plays …. bassy minimal ravey house music. That should be perfect. But wait, might as well throw an artist in there named Dances with White Girls, just for good measure and have him play some urban/hip-hop infused house.

Sounds like a nice cauldron for insanity which only the extreme music lover could appreciate. Sobriety not allowed.

Drum and Bass

Still too scared to go to this stage. Someday… a man can only dream.

The usuals are all there – Craze, Ed Rush, Nero, etc. and the headliner is Rusko who will surely try to out dub-step Bassnectar. Of course it’s hard to compete in bass with someone who has it in his name. Best of luck to you gentlemen, and best of luck to everyone’s ears. Again, bring ear plugs!!! Please!

Final Word

Looks like a solid line-up with some interesting acts. Allows for a lot of meandering between stages to see all sorts of different music, ranging from hip hop to dubstep to trance. BPM differences could be as much as 60 at any given time! Hope your brains can handle it, Audiotistic goers.

If this tickles your fancy, go buy your tickets! Link here.

© 2010, M Silin. All rights reserved.