Other notable acts include Skrilex, Duck Sauce, 2manydjs, Groove Armada (DJ Set), Flux Pavilion, Carl Cox, Armin Van Buuren, Kaskade, Bassnectar, Chase and Status, The Bloody Beetroots, A-Trak, Laidback Luke, Little Dragon, Neon Indian, SBTRKT, Flying Lotus, Miike Snow, and Pretty Lights.

Also on the bill are Fedde Le Grand, Knife Party, Steve Aoki, Magnetic Man, Zeds Dead, Porter Robinson, Sven Vath, Sander Van Doorn, Borgore, Doctor P, Metronomy, Jack Beats, 12th Planet, Skream! + Benga, Steve Lawler, Joris Voorn, Katy B, and more. Check out the entire first phase, broken down by day, in poster form below. And stay tuned to our Festival Outlook for additional lineup news and updates.

Three-day and VIP passes, priced at $299.95 and $599.95, respectively, are now on sale. Visit the festival’s website for complete ticketing info.

Other notables acts include TV on the Radio, Social Distortion, Mastodon, Band of Horses, Ray Davies, The Original Meters, Dr. John and the Lower 911, OFWGKTA, Major Lazer, X, The Bloody Beetroots, A-Trak, Boots Electric, Cheap Trick, Violent Femmes’ Gordon Gano, and Kreayshawn.

Rounding out the bill are Ani DiFranco with Ivan Neville and Herlin Riley, Portugal. the Man, Mates of States, Keller Williams, Fitz and the Tantrums, The Wombats, The Limousines, Claude VonStroke, Cheeky Blakk, Ozomatli, City and Colour, DJ Z-Trip, Daedelus, MyNameIsJohnMicahael, Lee Burridge, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, and Givers. You can find the day-by-day breakdown here.

Three-day passes are priced at $150.00 and can be purchased via elevate.com. Also available are VIP packages with or without parking. You can find complete ticketing information here.

Danceability seemed like the only factor that connected many of North Coast’s diverse acts. The headliners had lengthy electronic resumes: Thievery Corporation, Bassnectar, Fatboy Slim, and David Guetta. Meanwhile, the undercard was a smorgasbord of styles: the quirky pop of acts like Little Dragon and of Montreal; classic hip-hop from Common; sample-heavy dance beats from Zed’s Dead, Major Lazer, and Wolfgang Gartner; and gypsy punk from Gogol Bordello. North Coast has so far been a case of all the odd kids at school sitting at one lunch table together, finally achieving critical oddball mass. North Coast is so varied, so wild, so different that everything flips and becomes cool again; a fest that many music snobs brush off (“I don’t really like electronica”) becomes the can’t-miss event of summer.

Sold-out on days two and three, North Coast seemed to be by all accounts a wild success. Like last year, superior organization (this is seriously the best-run festival I have ever been to or heard of) and good luck with the weather (it did rain, but the thunderstorm that forced the cancellation of many a football game on Saturday bypassed the fest altogether) contributed to a memorable weekend. They call North Coast “Summer’s Last Stand,” and we’d like to keep standing with it for as long as it’ll have us. Any summer that ends with thousands of people dancing in a field together in the cool night air is alright by us.

-Megan Ritt
Editorial Manager

Friday, September 2nd

The Hood Internet – Red Bull Stage – 4:30 p.m.

Photo by Derek Staples

 The Hood Internet kicked off the afternoon for a lot of festival-goers, and they handled their assignment artfully. The shady Red Bull Stage provided better-than-expected relief from the nearly 100-degree heat, and the crowd cooled off while warming up to The Hood Internet’s eclectic mix of mash-ups. These included cuts from Modest Mouse and Michael Jackson and a sing-along inducing rendition of Cee Lo Green’s “Fuck You”. A dynamic light show and chilled-out dancing fit right along with the chorus of R. Kelly’s “Remix to Ignition”, combined into a dance-heavy mash-up: “It’s the freakin’ weekend baby/ I’m about to have me some fun.” –Megan Ritt

Auto Body – The Named After Groupon Stage – 5:30 p.m.

Photo by Derek Staples

If you’re still a fan of neon headbands, leggings, John Hughes’ flicks, and/or sporting a fanny pack, set Auto Body atop your must listen list. Hailing from sultry Austin, TX, the producer/bass guitar tandem of Thibault Bowman (aka DJ Thibault) and Felix Moreno had no issues with the intense mid-afternoon heat; sending out a cool wave of electro-pop beats. Even up against James Zabiela, the duo utilized an array of synthesizers, samplers, and Bowman’s above average vocals to build a decently sized, dance-happy crowd. Even those in the audience with two left feet would have a hard time not bouncing to the beats of “Closer To The Edge”. -Derek Staples

SBTRKT – North Coast Stage – 6:30 p.m.

Photo by Lilian Cai

Warning: Do not attend a SBTRKT show in hopes of catching multiple tracks off his debut release. The (as-always) masked performance began on a high note with a remix of Radiohead’s “Hole Inside My Head” and only continued to pick up steam, rarely mixing in vocal samples or slowing down the tempo to below 120 BPM, both of which are prevalent on SBTRKT. To the joy of the audience, SBTRKT did stray from the more up-tempo electro-dub DJ set to spin “Wildfire”, but unfortunately Little Dragon wasn’t on-hand for a special guest appearance. -Derek Staples

Lotus – Red Bull Grove Stage – 7:00 p.m.

Photo by Lilian Cai

During a day dominated by solo DJs, Lotus’ performance offered revelers the opportunity to actually watch an act perform tracks. Backed with an amazing light show, the four-piece started the set with “Bellwether”, and then got the Lotus-faithful moving with a spectacular performance of the bass/keyboard driven “Lead Pipe” into “Sunrain”. The set was closed out with a healthy dose of funk administered in the form of “Greet The Mind”. For a festival with such a high population of young hippies and jam fans, the 90-minute performance was deserving of headlining status over Wiz Khalifa and David Guetta. -Derek Staples

Wolfgang Gartner – North Coast Stage – 7:30 p.m.

Photo by Lilian Cai

As the sun set and the stage lights came up, Wolfgang Gartner took the stage in a full-on tribal mask. The sound built up quietly, almost indistinguishable from the canned backing music, until suddenly the bass was booming and the party began in earnest. An explosive, throbbing club beat drew people from all corners of the grounds, and the mass of pulsing humanity resembled nothing so much as a rave. Glow sticks held high, the crowd jumped as one to clever remixes like “Show Me Love” and a line from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. After a long set, the music began to run together, and the crowd began to trickle away to get spots for Wiz Khalifa. –Megan Ritt

David Guetta – North Coast Stage – 8:30 p.m. 

Photo by Lilian Cai

Most artists feel comfortable spending a few minutes backstage prior to a performance, some go out of their way to interact, but David Guetta went to extremes in order to avoid all interactions during his performance Friday night at North Coast. Just moments prior to his set, the French superstar DJ/producer was ushered as near the stage as possible via a black SUV, and then demanded limited access to the backstage area during the entirety of his performance. Sociability issues aside, Guetta has the tracks and experience under his belt to perform a 90-minute long set entirely of massive self-produced radio/club hits.

The set focused on Guetta’s most recent album, Nothing But The Beat, launching with his recent Snoop Dogg collaboration entitled “Sweat”, and continuing with new hits “Where Them Girls At”, “Little Bad Girl”, “I Just Wanna Fuck (feat. Afrokjack”), and “Lunar”. Further Afrojack collaborations popped up, a remix of Guetta’s hit “One Love” over Afrojack’s “Doing it Right”. With a world-class visual production supporting every track, Guetta also spun “Levels”, “Memories”, and “Without You”. -Derek Staples

Wiz Khalifa – Red Bull Stage – 9:00 p.m.

Photo by Lilian Cai

Clad in Taylor Gang shirts and by now thoroughly drunk, the crowd roared when Wiz Khalifa took the stage with “When I’m Gone”. The edge of melancholy to the lyrics was perhaps lost on the partying crowd, but let it never be said the music was not enjoyed. With a monotone delivery and solid flow, Khalifa rapped over a couple guys on backing vocals and a DJ scratching on a pair of turntables.

Khalifa’s lyrics run to women and weed, but then so does the average fest-goer. “Make some noise over there if you’re smoking that good weed!” he shouted to a chorus of cheers. Tracks like “Cabin Fever” and “Gangbang” had the audience singing along. “The Thrill” added a surprising touch of sobriety to the proceedings. The crowd went nuts when they heard the opening bars, and the delivery of the serious lines made Khalifa a great deal more respectable as a performer. “We are always running for the thrill of it/ thrill of it… Never looking down/ I’m just in awe of what’s in front of me,” he spat, and you got the sense that he truly was. –Megan Ritt

Saturday, September 3rd

Rubblebucket – Groupon Stage –  1:30 p.m.

Photo by Lilian Cai

Those who took the trouble to arrive early on Saturday were treated to one of the best sets of the weekend. Rubblebucket, an eight-piece featuring horns and keyboard, dominated the Groupon Stage with an addictive blend of jam-tastic indie dance-pop. A funky bass line and clanging keyboards provided the backing for Kalmia Traver’s deep, rich, alto vocals. In between bewitching the crowd with her throaty growls and tosses of her wild hair, Traver grabbed up her bari sax and laid some fat, booming notes on the proceedings. Regarding the rest of the fest, she asked the crowd, “Are you excited for all the other times after now?” her enthusiasm honest and infectious.

Photo by Lilian Cai

The sort of large, noisy collective that might otherwise be annoying, Rubblebucket avoids this by being enormously, obviously talented. The trumpet and trombone players also whistle and provide a falsetto backing when required; the keyboardist pounds out layers of texture; there’s a second percussionist manning just the bells, spare drums, and cymbals. Songs like “Raining” and “Came Out of a Lady” entranced the crowd with their playful, funky rhythms. For a final touch, Rubblebucket’s horn line ran offstage and joined the crowd on the ground, mobbed by fans, playing upwards toward the clouds with thunderous energy. –Megan Ritt

Zeds Dead – Red Bull Grove Stage – 3:00 p.m.

Photo by Lilian Cai

So what’s the best way to shake off the haze from Friday’s late-late night set? How about a few Red Bulls mixed with the pulsating bass music provided by Toronto’s Zeds Dead. As a slight shower started on Union Park, Coasters were being blasted by the duo’s original productions like the drum-step track “Rudeboy”, and remixes of The Jet’s “Crush On You” and “Blue Skies” originally done by BT. But the duo didn’t just stick to the normal routine of remixing female pop vocals with massive bass drops, surprising old-school trip-hop fans with their take on Massive Attack’s “Paradise Circus”. -Derek Staples

RJD2 with Break Science – Groupon Stage – 3:30 p.m.

RJD2 started just as the rain let up, drawing raucous cheers with his trademark “Commissioner Crotchbuttons” intro before quickly shedding the suit to work his turntables. He led off with his best-known piece, “A Beautiful Mine” (aka the theme from Mad Men), and spun it off into a long, beautiful wander of a song. With the crowd’s attention now in hand, RJ proceeded to literally play for an hour, clearly enjoying himself, mixing a gorgeous, low-key dance set that had all heads bobbing.

Break Science added further texture and interest by echoing the mixes on a live drum set, but the focus remained on RJD2. Watching him DJ is truly entertaining. He flips blindly through a huge stack of records, finding the one he wants seemingly by touch, hand-setting effects and flipping knobs while always nodding his head, grooving out just a little himself, mindful of the fun he’s manufacturing all the while. Tracks like “Ghostwriter” brightened the mood for the damp-but-cheerful crowd. So far, this was the quickest hour of the weekend. –Megan Ritt

Photo by Lilian Cai.

Big Gigantic – Red Bull Grove Stage – 4:30 p.m.

Photo by Derek Staples

Part jazz, part funk, part electronica, and 100% a fun time, there is no other outfit that fits the same mold as Colorado’s two-member Big Gigantic. Other Northwestern electronic outfits have similar production styles, but the power, precision, and emotional qualities that Dominic Lalli plays the saxophone simply cannot be matched by a traditional producer/DJ even with the most authentic horn samples. Paired with the superb drumming of Jeremy Salken, the two create amazing electro-funk jams that you just want to go on for hours. -Derek Staples

Major Lazer – Red Bull Stage – 6:00 p.m.

Photo by Lilian Cai

“It’s time for the Major Lazer!” This time, unfortunately, also coincided with dinnertime and the end of a dance-heavy set by Big Gigante on the same stage. While most people seemed excited to see one of the more famous acts on the undercard, there was also a certain tiredness in the air, and Major Lazer’s repeated calls for “hands in the air!” and “Say, ‘Major!’ Say, ‘Lazer!’” sometimes went unanswered. Unfazed, though, the duo of Diplo and Switch put on a very respectable hour-long set that had people dancing even as they complained (about the rain, the humidity, the relative lack of unique sound in the set—pick your poison).

Popular tracks included a remix of “Like a G6” and samples of “Intergalactic” and “Day-O (the Banana Boat Song)”. Playing with their mixes, Major Lazer had a habit of holding onto the beat—and then not dropping it when the crowd expected, resulting in some moments of lost energy. Despite any of the drawbacks to this set, it was undeniably infectious. The music made it impossible to hold still. –Megan Ritt

Rusko – North Coast Stage – 6:30 p.m.

Photo by Lilian Cai

Back in 2010, Rusko promised to bring dirty, grimey dubstep to the U.S. – mission successful. Now that dubstep is firmly planted on American soil, and nearly every dance tent at major festival is filled with oscillating basslines, Rusko has been forced to step up his game. Rusko’s Saturday performance displayed a more well-rounded artist. The Briton is still a ball of energy on stage, but has added more electro-production to his tracks, no longer relying on “Woo Boost” elements added throughout the set to get the crowd jumping. Rusko still enjoys mixing in high frequency vocals throughout his tracks, which was evident in the remix of his new single “Everyday”. It’s easy to forget the pioneer is still not even 30, and at a festival with legends like David Guetta and Benny Bennassi, one can hear how a producers career can change over a decade. -Derek Staples

Common – Groupon Stage – 7:30 p.m.

Photo by Lilian Cai

TimeOut Chicago referred to Common as the “elder statesman” of North Coast, and a more accurate statement is hard to conceive. Looking very professorial in a full beard and shaved head, Common descended from his ivory tower of hip-hop in order to school the masses on how it’s really done. There was no begging for audience participation, no repeated requests for this or that; Common merely said, “scream,” and they screamed. He said, “Let me see your hands,” and up they went. He ruled his subjects from the Groupon Stage with goodness and might, putting on a masterful show.

A Chicago-centric show from start to finish, Common played up his hometown connection, even being introduced by the 27^th ward alderman. He called out to people from the Southside, Northside, West Side; he called out to the “real people.” In the City of Big Shoulders, of course, that’s all you need to do to win ‘em over. Tracks like “Be”, “Real People”, and “Faithful” saw Common waxing philosophical on life’s real issues to a raving crowd, proving definitively to any doubters that raunch is not a requirement in popular music.

Photo by Lilian Cai

With old-school rhymes over a simple backing beat, Common kept up an astonishing pace. At an electronic-heavy fest, his “light show” was simply the stage lights, the better to focus everyone’s attention on the MC. The crowd responded physically to songs they knew, surging forward, arms in the air, all eyes on the stage. Someone waved the flag of the city of Chicago high above the crowd. “Punch Drunk Love” brought down the house, complete with clever lyrics (“we exchange like students/ cuz I study abroad”) and Common flexing his vocal chops—actually singing—on the chorus. And that’s how you do it, folks. –Megan Ritt

STS9 – North Coast Stage – 8:30 p.m.

Photo by Lilian Cai

After eight straight hours of dancing, the task of grooving to STS9 may seem like a small challenge, but the five-piece’s celestial live-tronica casts a spell over a crowd of nearly any size that just makes any discomfort simply vanish. The set was heavy on newer material, with the band choosing to start the performance with “EHM” off 2009′s Ad Explorata. The set also offered many fans the first opportunity to catch “Scheme” and “When The Dust Settles” from the fresh EP When The Dust Settles. However the highlight of the performance was a 10-minute presentation of 1999′s “Moon Socket”. Even stuck beneath the cityscape of Chicago, the track’s swirling guitar riffs, and driving bottom end transported fans to a place far above the cramped Union Park crowd…or maybe that was just all in our minds? -Derek Staples

Fatboy Slim – Red Bull Stage – 8:45 p.m.

Photo by Lilian Cai

Should anyone really have to follow Common playing to a hometown crowd? That’s a question that bears consideration after Fatboy Slim’s headlining set on the Red Bull Stage. While not technically bad, it was a return to the generic club mixes of earlier in the day, and after watching Common tear things up for an hour, it was frankly disappointing.

Those whose drunkenness still compelled them to dance enjoyed the set a great deal, and there was something charming and Matrix-like to wild lights spiraling up from the dance party and illuminating the trees above. And Fatboy Slim is, after all, a pretty famous guy for a reason (more so in the late ‘90s, perhaps, but alas). His songs featured epic sweeps of guitar and synth, long swathes of electro glitches and dance beats that filled the air, music personified by the movement of the lights.

Photo by Lilian Cai

A number of his samples were not so much sampled but played largely in full. Tracks like 2Pac’s “California Love” and Cee Lo Green’s “Fuck You” ran almost unedited for long stretches. His mixes flowed together into one long, unending song. Finally growing exhausted after a long day of rain, heat, and music, the crowd began to drift away towards the waiting El trains. –Megan Ritt

Sunday, September 4th

The Budos Band – Groupon Stage – 3:30 p.m.

Photo by Lilian Cai

The Budos Band’s brand of noisy, guitar-happy world music was a fine way to warm up on Sunday afternoon. Many folks appeared to sleep in after a long Saturday night, and so the place was just starting to fill up when The Budos Band took the stage. Led by melodic solos on the trumpet and a gorgeous old bari sax, the rangy collective took us through a number of slow-grooving tunes old and new, including “Vertigo” from their forthcoming 4^th album and the aptly selected “Chicago Falcon”, which leads with a scorching horn riff.  –Megan Ritt

Van Ghost – North Coast Stage – 4:30 p.m.

Photo by Lilian Cai

Chicago was at its glory as Van Ghost took the stage: 73 degrees and sunny, with a light breeze and lazy clouds. The beauty of the scene had a good many concertgoers curled up on blankets around the edges of the crowd as Van Ghost entertained them through the dinner hour. Focusing on guitar-driven rock, Van Ghost had one of the more traditional sets of the weekend, although Jennifer Hartswick on vocals livened things up a bit. With a tremendous, powerful alto and a slight tinge of country, Hartswick added texture and flair to the proceedings. “Messenger” and “Domino Effect” went over well with the crowd, as did a cover of La Roux’s “Bulletproof”. –Megan Ritt

Little Dragon – Groupon Stage – 5:30 p.m.

Photo by Lilian Cai

Little Dragon’s indie pop is colored primarily by funky, Napoleon Dynamite-esque atonal keys. At times, the keyboardist evoked a full-on accordion effect from his instrument. Singer Yukimi Nagano swayed about the stage with a large scarf, at times wrapping herself in it, at times draping it over her head. The four-piece played quirky electro-pop driven by relentless bass and drums. “Please Turn” came out especially beautiful live, feedback static melting into a lovely, almost jam-style electronic puddle.– Megan Ritt

of Montreal – North Coast Stage – 6:30 p.m.

Photo by Lilian Cai

If Sunday started off calmly, of Montreal was there to remedy any sense of boredom. The audience was buzzing, pushing closer to the stage, eager to catch a glimpse. And oh, what glimpses there were! As the sun set, of Montreal took the stage in costumes: a pink, sparkly, prom-style dress, a ref’s uniform, something kind of giant boa a la Wayne Coyne. And the theatrics of the rest of the set certainly brought The Flaming Lips to mind again.

Luchadores wrestling onstage, dancers in giant skull masks, a chain of long, thin balloons for the audience to play with, singer Kevin Barnes riding a giant rainbow-colored Chinese dragon made of masked people: The music almost took a backseat to all the antics. Almost. The quality of the music on tracks like “Suffer for Fashion”, “The Party’s Crashing Us”, and “A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger” crept through, a word or a fragment of melody here, impossible to hide even with all the visual distractions. Of Montreal are brilliant lyricists, and the line “What you want? Somebody that will corrupt your heart with too much kindness,” was quite striking on “You Do Mutilate?” Dance rock exploded from the speakers, escaping the guitars, conquering the audience.

Photo by Lilian Cai

The lyrics of “Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and Other Games)”—striking in its bouncy, cheerful melodic sway—sum things up rather nicely: “Let’s have bizarre celebrations…/Now it seems too lovely to be true/ but I know the best things always do.” –Megan Ritt

Benny Bennassi – Red Bull Grove Stage – 7:00 p.m.

Photo by Derek Staples

Even at the age of 44, Benny Bennassi remains a true student of electronic dance music. Unlike dance musicians who stick fairly close to a genre, one never knows what to expect from a Bennassi set, except a ton of smiles from the crowd and the man himself. Best known for his pulse-pounding “House Music”, and more recently as “Electroman”, Bennassi worked Sunday’s crowed into a frenzy by effortlessly transitioning between tempos and genres. The Italian DJ started the set with a track eerily reminiscent of music ripped from a slasher film, moved into his well-known mid-tempo “Cinema”, which had roughly 40% of the audience singing along, and then shocked the crowd by spinning Skrillex’s dubstep remix of the track. The dubstep remixes continued with Bennassi’s grimey edit of James Blake’s “Limit To Your Love”, and then provided the same treatment to 2003′s “Satisfaction”. -Derek Staples

Gogol Bordello – Groupon Stage – 7:30 p.m.

Photo by Lilian Cai

Have you ever seen Gogol Bordello live? If not, spoiler alert: However good you think they might be, they are epically better. It’s hard to imagine, if you haven’t seen it, the rising lava of excitement in the crowd as the accordion player wheezed a greeting, as the violin player bowed out his opening salvo, as finally and forcefully frontman Eugene Hutz barreled onto the stage bearing his acoustic guitar before him like a weapon, exploding straight into “Ultimate”. The crowd dancing, jumping, weaving in a mad circle, fists raised, shouting, “hey!” along with everyone onstage. Hutz ripping his shirt off, swinging the guitar, then playing while hopping about with one leg raised to waist height, next swinging his axe around his head. He threw it to the ground at the end of “Transcontinental Hustle” to a chorus of raging cheers. He changed the lyrics to that song for the hometown crowd: “When death comes I won’t be there/no I will not be found anywhere/Not in Nevada/Not in CHICAGO!”

Single “Immigraniada (We Comin’ Rougher)” raged hard and long, Hutz sloshing wine down on the crowd as he drank straight from the bottle, everyone screaming along now. Mosh pits seem so 1998, but there was what might be described as a friendly pit in the center of the audience. “My Companjera” and “Wonderlust King” both tore down the house. Gogol Bordello barely paused between songs, racing through a breathless hour of almost continuous music. The crowd sang along on “Universes Collide”, shouting the “hey hey hey/ nah nah nah nah” chorus in a lusty echo of the group’s vocals. The guitars on “Break the Spell” ripped deeper and wider than on the album, lacerating the air, drawing fists skyward.

For a closer, Gogol Bordello broke out the marching bass drum. As the first bars of “Start Wearing Purple” rang out, Hutz teased that they had an “old gypsy song” for us. The crowd went nuts, and Hutz started singing “Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)” instead, a giant smile wreathing his contorted face. When after the first verse they circled back to “Start Wearing Purple”, the audience was on the moon. They called and called out for Gogol Bordello at the end– “Play one more!” “Play three more!”– but there was a festival schedule to adhere to. If there wasn’t, we’d all still be there now, watching the sun come up to a beautiful Gypsy punk chorus. –Megan Ritt

Thievery Corporation – Red Bull Stage – 8:30 p.m.

Photo by Lilian Cai

When Gogol Bordello finished, there were essentially two camps: those who still wanted to keep things going hard and fast and those who needed to chill out a bit. The former gravitated to the next stage to watch Bassnectar, while the latter wound their way back to the Red Bull Stage to take in opposite headliner Thievery Corporation.

With a chill, slow-wave dance beat and reggae influences, Thievery Corporation gave the crowd a low-key jam set. Their female vocalist swayed and unleashed her ethereal voice in front of a driving drumbeat that connected the diverse elements of their mix. The sound of steel drums and a fat bossa nova horn lent things an island flavor. The throbbing beats of Bassnectar intruded a bit from the opposite stage, but Thievery Corporation just kicked up their own bass, inducing deep hip swaying among the masses. The beat was funky, and the crowd was drunk enough to dance.

Photo by Lilian Cai

“Radio Retaliation”, from the album of the same name, drew a response of recognition from the audience, with its deep reggae funk. It bled into technical, Arab-style, chromatic beats powered by the relentless rush of the live drummer. He was surrounded by so many iterations of his instrument that it was hard to tell at any given time which drum he was playing, or if the particular sound was coming from the effects panel instead. As the night wore on, Thievery Corporation’s jams smoothed out, a peaceful, gentle release out into the dark, away from the festival, from summer, and back to real life. –Megan Ritt

Bassnectar – North Coast Stage – 9:00 p.m.

Photo by Derek Staples

The progressive bass music of NorCal’s Bassnectar was easily the draw of the weekend. And while many suggest Bassnectar has shifted his production style more toward dubstep to attract the burgeoning market, I like to imagine that a larger music listening community finally respects his talent behind the tables and daunting tour schedule, plus the remixes of pop songs probably don’t hurt. Bassnectar’s closed the festival on a scale like none other, as a fellow Coaster mentioned to walking to Bassnectar, “I can hear Thievery Corporation, but I can feel Bassnectar”.

After remixing “Bass In Your Face” with the instrumental of NIN’s “Closer” at the onset, Bassnectar dug deep to edit DJ Rush’s “Motherfucking Bass”, which asks a fairly straightforward question, “Do you like bass?”. After a resounding yes, Bassnectar continued on with the wobble-intensive set, including the well-received Bassnectar remixes of Ellie Goulding’s “Lights”, Blur’s “Track 2” (which also happened to be remixed by Benny Bennassi and Major Lazer the same weekend), and The Pixies’ “Where is My Mind?”. A suitable question to ask oneself after a Bassnectar experience.

Photo by Derek Staples

Compared to 2010, North Coast went above and beyond with artists’ visuals. As chaotic and fast paced as Bassnectar’s set, the images just always seemed to match, be it city streets, outer space, moving orbs, building blocks, junk food packaging, or hygiene products. And as if a sign by some divine force, the rain waited to break until the final drop of Bassnectar’s encore performance. -Derek Staples

The Culture of North Coast

Gallery by Lilian Cai and Megan Ritt

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Now in its 12th year, Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival (DEMF), which now goes by the title Movement, doesn’t just showcase the various genres, but the city itself. Driving into Detroit is like entering a half-abandoned ghost town; instead of traffic and noise, downtown Detroit is often oddly silent. Remarkable given the pure size and history of the city, plus its many museums, public art installations, and late-night hangouts. But come Memorial Day weekend, crowds of 30,000+ per day ascend on the Michigan city, pumping much needed tourism dollars into the city’s coffers. So even though techno fans had the option to experience all the excitement at home via webcast, there is no substitution to putting on some candies, making a few new friends, and busing out some of your best or most embarrassing moves.

Saturday, May 28th

For an urban setting, Detroit’s Hart Plaza may be the perfect venue for a multi-stage, electronic music festival. Set in the shadows of General Motor’s lavish, if not gaudy, headquarters, and situated just blocks from where the Detroit out-of-towners are warned against, the location symbolizes techno itself – dirty and raw, but with an increasing level of excess. The 14-acre Hart Plaza may not seem large enough to host competing sets by Skrillex, Felix da Housecat, Monolake Sound, and Richie Hawtin, but with three intricately designed levels (the Movement Stage is literally set underground beneath the main walkway) sound overflow is kept to a minimal, and navigation even for non-natives is remarkably easy.

Even with rain in the forecast, Hart Plaza filled quickly as techno fans, both foreign and domestic, anticipated America’s greatest authentic-techno showcase. And aside from a few showers to cool the early evening air, Mother Nature and all the bass kept Detroit’s skies crystal clear.

Matthew Hawtin – Beatport Stage – 12:00 p.m.

On Saturday, Movement’s Beatport Stage was book-ended by the brothers Hawtin. Given the two have worked together in the past, the similarities are quite evident. The younger Hawtin’s three-hour long set opened the festival with the perfect amount of early-afternoon energy, slowly transitioning between minimal-ambient works (ala Richie’s Platikman) and more aggressive Detroit techno.

Electrobounce Presents – Red Bull Stage – 2:00 p.m.

Due to the nature of electronic music, styles change as quickly as technology. So for 2011, Movement served up a three hour set focused on Electrobounce – odd given the sets of DJ X-Change, Croatia’s N-Ter, DJ Godfather, and Coon Daddy have very little similarities. From a pure musical perspective, N-Ter’s live set stole the three-hour exhibition. Working from a Apple laptop and AKAI MPK 49, N-Ter crafted a set of tight electro-breaks, inspiring members of the audience to assemble into an impromptu break-dance exhibition, which would continue for the remainder of the collective’s set. For all electro fans, N-ter has made Croatian underground electro a genre most definitely worth exploring. And for the record, a chick stole totally stole the floor.

Ambivalent – Beatport Stage – 4:00 p.m.

Born Kevin McHugh, Ambivalent literally shook the first few rows of the Beatport stage. With a set built on deep/acid house, and some ultra-bouncy beats, one could feel the the energy pass from the speakers, through theirr body, and out to the rest of Detroit. Ambivalent’s ambivalence to genre boundaries led to an amazing set, both pleasing and testing the limits of the audience’s palpablility of bass.

Hudson Mohawke – Red Bull Stage- 5:00 p.m.

In the world of electronic music, 25-year-old Hudson Mohawke (HudMo) is whats next. Signed to Warp Records, the Scotland native deconstructs multiple genres to create a truly schizophrenic live performance. During the hour and 10 minute performance, HudMo transitioned from remixes of Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody” to metal-infused techno. The kid, who looks like he’s straight out of 10^th grade, not only pleased the crowd, but earned props by both Daedelus (who allowed the set to go longer) and stage headliner Skrillex, who was in attendance for most of the performance.

Daedelus – Red Bull Stage – 6:00 p.m.

Off stage, Daedelus is one of the most personable artists one can ever come across. He loves his music, his monome, the technology, and talking to fans that have an appreciation for the art form. On stage, the dude is an amorphous animal, creating sets that fit a city’s history and fanbase. Speaking to Daedelus prior to his set, he hinted that he would go fairly techno given the festival. And he definitely delivered on the promise. After dropping some furious techno beats, he transitioned into more electro-house, and to give the audience a break, broke into downtempo breakbeat three-quarters into the hour long set. With sweat dripping, and wearing a smile as wide as Lake St. Clair, Daedelus blew the audience with experimental hi-energy to finish up the set.

Tortured Soul (Live) – Vitamin Water Stage – 7:00 p.m.

With so much brain rattling tech music, Brooklyn’s Tortured Soul was a welcome addition to Saturday night’s lineup. Comprised of John Christain Urich on drums and vocals, JKriv on bass, and Ethan White on keys, the trio blend soul, pop, and funk to create energetic live dance music. Some may even say “baby making” music. Urich possesses silky smooth vocals, but when the three-piece starts to jam, fans cannot help but boogie – which was especially the case at Movement, where even a mild downpour couldn’t slow their set. While the act may not have been the typical festival performer, their sound brought back the memories of Motown’s many great soul/R&B artists of the ’60s.

Richard Devine – Movement Stage – 8:30 p.m.

You may not know his name, but you undoubtedly know his sounds. He has designed sound patches for Native Instrument’s Absynth, Reaktor, Battery, and Massive, plus has his own signature sound library available through Sony Creative Software. As such, Richard Devine pushes the limits of his hardware, software, and his audience’s eardrums. Saturday night’s set was a relentless experimental showcase: ultra layered and ultra processed. In other words, the show was the electronic equivalent to Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music – definitely not for the casual listener.

Felix da Housecat – Vitamin Water Stage – 10:00 p.m.

As a Midwest-native, Chicago’s Felix da Housecat still rests near the top of my list of house musicians. Not only does he always put on a stellar performance, but he’s a relentless showman. While some DJs prefer to stay nestled behind their controllers, Felix maintains his old-school charm and creates a dialogue with his audience. Even with eight studio albums and 23 years of experience under his belt, Felix remains fresh, creating a symbiotic relationship with his crowd. Playing against Detroit legend Richie Hawtin, a massive crowd still showed up to hear Felix dish out Chicago-house, and his own brand of electro-clash. To cap off his performance, Felix scored a disc from the audience and created an entirely new track on the fly.

Richie Hawtin – Beatport Stage – 10:00 p.m.

To the joy of tech fans, Richie Hawtin left his minimal Platikman persona at home. Residing in Windsor, Canada, just across the border from Detroit, the stage was littered with old friends and family during Hawtin’s two-hour set. The performance didn’t really bring anything new to the table, but it wasn’t supposed to, really. Instead, it was a celebration of classic Detroit Techno, ranging from thunderous bone-rattlers to more minimal vibes. Even with two other huge names performing (Skrillex and Felix), very few at the muddy Beatport Stage wandered off during the fan-favorite performance.

Skrillex – Red Bull Stage – 11:00 p.m.

Two Words: cluster fuck. As the current electronic-festival whore, the crowd to see Skrillex was approximately three-times too large for the Red Bull Stage. Due to an insane bottleneck, fans already at the Red Bull Stage could not leave to enjoy other stages, and fans trying to hear Skrillex’s bass-music had to find alternate means of watching the stage – like climbing atop a giant pillar (which happened to be my point of access). Unlike what has been described as “bro-step”, Skrillex adds a level of melody and texture to his bass music, creating a divide between his tracks and those other bass music artists. During the set there was ample time for moshing, booty-shaking, and fist pumping, plus an awesome remix of La Roux’s “In For the Kill”. For those that showed up early, the set remains a highlight of the weekend.

Sunday, May 29th

Within the broader Christian dogma, Sunday has been billed as “the day of rest” – not so much at Detroit Electronic Music Festival. While the day did not feature the most popular of names, it did offer a unique blend of diverse international talent – and one monster Detroit legend Carl Craig.

Com Truise (Live) – Red Bull Stage – 1:00 p.m.

Go for the name, stay for the music. In the DJ’s own words, Com Truise‘s sound is “mid-fi synth-wave, slow motion, super textured funk.” You don’t see that bin too often at your local record store. Live, his sound was a blend of bottom heavy atmospheric house and periods of distortion heavy glitch-hop. For a live set, the transitions seemed seamless and unlike many bass musicians, the bass added body and didn’t just serve as the principal part of the arrangements.

Nospectacle – Movement Stage – 2:00 p.m.

Nospectacle‘s set was all about juxtaposition. Set on the basement stage of Hart Plaza, the minimal-tech set was played against visuals of bustling city life. The set seemed completely improvised, the three hours spending considerable time examining one another’s computer prior to an ever so subtle change in the tracks’ textures. With ample time between shifts, the trio found time to sip on Champagne – a nice light Sunday brunch. The set would be a perfect playlist for you next trip or journey down the K-hole.

Pulshar – Beatport Stage – 3:30 p.m.

Comprised of Pablo Bolivar and singer Sergio Sainz, Pulshar‘s reggae and dance hall influences fuse to create a unique form of dub-techno. While Bolivar taps out live drum beats, Sainz serves as lyricist and part-time laptop DJ. The mixture of live production and vocals, turns the mainly electro-outfit into a formidable live show.

Livio & Roby - Beatport Stage – 6:00 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Moog Music, Inc

Livio & Roby run their sets like a tag-team match – the guys against the decks. Working on CDJs, one member would shuffle through their vast CD catalog, while the other manned the decks. The style would seem like an added challenge, but the duo transitioned flawlessly between Caribbean-infused beats. And were even left with enough down-time to make some cocktails up on stage.

Ana Sia – Red Bull Stage – 4:30 p.m.

If the decks are like gym class, the boys got beat down by a chick. The petite Ana Sia controls the crowd like a beast. Kicking off with the with some minimal bass music, Sia constructed a slow build that developed into straight-in-yo-face techno. From there Sia flowed in and out of electronic genres, creating a powerful club banging set. The 90 minute performance featured minor afro-bass, nu-disco, electro-dance, hi-energy, and some beats out of a 1980′s horror film. If you do not know Sia, start now!

Soul Clap – Red Bull Stage – 6:00 p.m.

As their name Soul Clap implies, this pair of DJs create soul heavy sets, with a significant amount of hip/hop and remixes to keep the kids happy. The set started out a bit slow as the duo were just reading the crowd, but the energy picked up tremendously half-way into the performance. Aside from their electro-soul beats, the pair also spun a series of remixes including “I’ve Got The Power”.

Eliot Lipp – Red Bull Stage – 8:00 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Moog Music, Inc

After sustaining an extremely high frequency over bass heavy funk, Eliot Lipp performed one of the biggest drops of the weekend. The drop occurred near the end of the set, but each note from beginning to end kept fans dancing and planted at the lively Red Bull Stage. Due to the amount of bass sustained through the set, and the electro-hop, R&B, and streaking synths, Eliot Lipp’s aesthetic was a crowd favorite but nearly impossible to characterize. Whatever the name, it gave mad props to Detroit’s funk history.

Beardyman – Red Bull Stage – 9:00 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Moog Music, Inc

Consequence of Sound has already mentioned Beardyman in both our Ultra and Coachella reviews, but that’s just how good this beat-boxer-turned-improv-musician has become. No matter the genre, tempo, or melody, Beardyman can replicate it with just one instrument: his voice. And oh yeah, the five Kaos Pads and numerous other digital toys that he line his table. Sunday night’s set featured drum and bass, a little jazz, reggae, dub, and a considerable amount of remixes. After receiving a note from authorities about his profanity, he had a song immediately ready for Detroit’s boys in blue as well.

Loco Dice – Beatport Stage – 10:00 p.m.

Undoubtedly, Loco Dice had the biggest turnout of the night at the Beatport Stage. In a weekend filled with techno, and innumerable repeated measures, even the best DJ began to disperse into the thick Detroit air. To separate himself from other talents, Loco Dice has a very interesting way of juggling beats, not simply transitioning from one phrase to the next (which is super easy on all the new DJ gear).

69 (Carl Craig) – Vitamin Water – 11:00 p.m.

There is something extra fascinating about electronic artists in masks – old-MSTRKRFT, The Bloody Beetroots Deathcrew 77, and, of course, Daft Punk, added a level of mystique by spinning behind their costumes. Performing under the moniker 69, Carl Craig arrived with a mask all his own, but, most importantly, with his legendary Detroit-techno sounds in tow. As soon as Crag plays a single note, fans know who they are listening to. The kick drum echoes through your brain, and he has ability to create an unmatched level of tension and release – the epitome of great tech. Unlike other DJs who reuse and recycle other artists’ beats and sounds, Craig creates sounds with extra texture and depth. Aside from the the standard set of live equipment, Craig used his voice magnificently as an additional tool to his already lethal arsenal, and propped the set atop retina-popping visuals.

Monday, May 30th

The final day of Movement had all the ingredients for an epic Memorial Day celebration: grilled food, ample alcohol, close friends, and body-moving beats. To lift a line from Fatboy Slim’s “Acid 8000”, “If you don’t make your booty move your booty must be dead.”

Paranormal Tek – Made In Detroit Stage – 2:00 p.m.

Born Phil Schlosser, Paranormal Tek started the day with a straight-forward, bouncy Detroit-techno set. Tek’s juggled low end beats and rapid fire techno instigated a beak dance spectacle that turned nearly every eye from the DJ to the fleet feeted break dancers. Much like hip-hop, techno isn’t just about the music, but an entire culture in itself.

Franki Juncaj aka DJ 3000 – Made in Detroit Stage – 3:00 p.m.

The early evening set by DJ 3000 was a much needed change of bass for the local stage. The 90-minute performance contained customary massive drops and dance party mixes, but also exhibited a dynamic range unexpected from Detroit techno. Key work in the upper registry and filtered down tempo highlighted the set which quickly became a hooper-favorite.

District 909 (Live) – Made In Detroit Stage – 5:00 p.m.

District 909, aka Tim Baker and HD Substance, busted out a plethora of analog synths to bring some old-school techno to the growing crowd. The two didn’t just stay stationary at their respective tools, but shifted around the stage continually building upon the other’s beats. In an era where the laptop is king, there is a simple joy in watching the live exploration.

Scuba – Red Bull Stage – 7:00 p.m.

Scuba normally experiments with the deeper side of house and techno, but Monday’s performance was heavy on the electro-clash and multi-break phrases. As the audience was getting into the grooves, Scuba turned things around and introduced some Nu-disco. While some rejoiced, others left to catch Sci-tech sounds of Dubfire.

Dubfire – Vitamin Water Stage – 7:30 p.m.

Dubfire is deep bass. The Iranian-American created a set with so much bass, even the main stage speakers seemed to have trouble controlling all the decibels. As his label Sci-Tech suggests, the set explored the depths of Dubfire’s equipment, including pitched frequency distortion and phazers to the max. With legends Green Velvet and Fatboy Slim up next, Dubfire’s techno primed the sweaty audience for an energetic Memorial Day evening.

Green Velvet – Vitamin Water Stage – 9:00 p.m.

Although Curtis Jones has only released four studio albums under the moniker, Green Velvet, he is undeniably one of the most influential artists in Chicago-house music. Even with an audience averaging in their late-20s, too young to have been a part of Green Velvet’s first rise, the Vitamin Water Stage was packed to witness the live performance. With a voice that has been repeatedly compared to Prince, and a punk edge developed in the 80′s, Jones chose to stay clear of the tables and emcee the set, with support from a pair of Chicago’s FootworKingz. Like the Green Velvet sound, the visuals were kept dark and minimal, with the spotlight rarely shining on Jones. For those in attendance old enough to still remember vinyl, ample opportunities were available to co-deliver classic Green Velvet lyrics.

Flying Lotus – Red Bull Stage – 10:30 p.m.

For anyone not familiar with Flying Lotus during the closing set at the Red Bull Stage, he summed himself as soon as he took out his laptop, “I’m not going to be playing the same beat all-night, I am going to be all over the place.” At a festival based on strung out repetition, FlyLo challenged the crowd with his experimental break-beats. The highlight of the set was a remix of Tyler, the Creator’s “Yonkers”, but the sounds of Fatboy Slim quickly pulled me away.

Fatboy Slim – Vitamin Water Stage – 10:00 p.m.

Fatboy Slim didn’t waste a single minute pumping out the crowd favorites, immediately performing “Praise You”, “Put Your Hands Up in the Air”, and “In Heaven”. But Slim didn’t just rest on his hits; instead, he crafted a raging DJ set. The performance included mashups with pieces of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army”, LMFAO’s “I’m in Miami Bitch” (with a Detroit spin, of course), and The Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up”. Even after 30 hours of face-melting bass, bouncing techno beats, and international electro, the crowd returned every bit of energy that Slim put into his set. To make the hit-heavy electronic set even more captivating, Movement set up an all out light-show, that actually required the approval of the FAA.

The jam band and indie genres already have their own multi-day musical voyages, and now the world of electronica does too. The inaugural and awesomely titled Holy Ship! cruise sets sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on January 6th and will feature electro heavy hitters like Fatboy Slim, Diplo, Rusko, Skrillex, and A-Trak, along with the one and only Tommy Lee, who will be playing with DJ Aero.

The four-day cruise, which is being put on by HARD, will make stops in the Bahamas and an undisclosed private island, the latter of which will host a special Beach Boutique party featuring performances by Fatboy Slim and more. Other accommodations include access to a spa, pool, fitness center, and yoga, as well as Steve Aoki’s poker palace and a ping pong area which promises a match between Tommy Lee and Rusko.

Among the other acts set to perform are Buraka Som Sistema, Steve Aoki, Brodinski, Dillon Francis, Doorly, Jason Bentley, Destructo, Gina Turner, Contra, and Mike Deuce, with even more still to be confirmed.

The price of the cruise is dependent on the type of cabin, but a $250 initial deposit is required for all cruise-goers. Reservations begin June 15th; click here for complete booking information.

Joining the likes of David Guetta, Wiz Khalifa, Thievery Corportation, Common, Lotus, Gogol Bordello, and Neon Indian will be Fat Boy Slim, ATB, Bassnectar, Major Lazer, of Montreal, and The Budos Band. Also included in the second wave of North Coast 2k11 announcements are James Zabiela, Great Divide, and Auto Body.

The additions brings the total number of announced acts to almost 20, and more than 40 artists have yet to be announced. You may have missed out on the festival’s half-price Groupon, but three-day passes are still available for just $95. Single day passes will be available for $45 towards the end of this month, and organizers are still taking inquiries from those interested in volunteering at the festival. Complete details are available at our Festival Outlook page.

Movement: Paxahau Electronic Music Festival, the Detroit-based weekend-long rave which has had as many name changes as acts on its 2011 bill, returns May 28-30 at Hart Plaza. Fatboy Slim, Carl Craig (who will be performing for the first-time ever as his moniker 69), and Felix da Housecat head this year’s bill, while Gaslamp Killer, Martin Buttrich, Green Velvet, Sven Väth, Skrillex, James Zabiela, Goldie, and Beardyman are among the other confirmed heavyweights. Peep the full list of confirmed acts at our Festival Outlook.

Discounted three-day and VIP passes are priced at $60 and $150, respectively, and are now available at the festival’s website.

Set to take place from April 2-3 in Santiago’s Parque O’Higgins, the bill also includes Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Deftones, Fatboy Slim, The Flaming Lips, The National, Empire of the Sun, Cat Power, Cypress Hill, 30 Seconds to Mars, 311, Sublime with Rome, Ben Harper, Cold War Kids, CSS, Devendra Banhart, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes, Ghostland Observatory, Fischerspooner, The Drums, Datarock, Boys Noize, and Bomba Estero.

The festival will also feature a number of Latin American outfits. You can find the complete bill at our Festival Outlook and/or on the poster below.

One-day, two-day, and VIP passes are available via the festival’s website.

Questionable quality aside, I’ll always have a soft spot for Cruel Intentions. For starters, it was one of the first R-rated movies for which I was able to proudly flash my driver’s license at the movie theater and not have to have an upperclassman purchase my ticket for me. (And this, after my mother had told me, “You’re not seeing that! It has lots of bad S-E-X.”) Then there was my freshman year of college, when a number of equally lame floor-mates and I watched the movie on VHS at least once a week. One friend once said that every time she ascended an escalator, she hoped she’d see a blue-shirted Ryan Phillippe waiting at the top.

But let’s forget about all of the movie’s campy-ness and its by-default level of quality for a moment. The soundtrack is pretty stellar, and it’s even managed to avoid sounding entirely dated. Sure, there are a couple tracks that place the movie firmly within the late ’90s – Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You” and The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony”, for example – but the nostalgia is more sweet than bitter in both cases.

The soundtrack leads off with Placebo’s excellent “Every You Every Me”, as do the film’s opening credits. With its fast-building tempo and heavily paired drum beats and guitar strokes, the song signifies the film’s wonderful tension that is present from the beginning.

Blur’s cheerful “Coffee & TV” features a high-pitched, breezy refrain that pairs well with its scene (the kissing scene, which I myself am getting tired of mentioning here already). But still, you can’t picture that line of saliva stretching between Gellar’s and Blair’s lips without recalling that distinctive up-tempo beat in the background.

Blair’s appearances on screen are usually accompanied by some track that suggests her naiveté. Day One’s “Bedroom Dancing”, with its playful sexiness, can be heard when Phillippe has just seduced the virginal Blair, and she’s basically acting as manic as ever. Abra Moore’s “Trip On Love” appears during a scene in which she’s pulling a red hoodie over her head, and, fittingly, the lead singer has the voice of a little girl.

Counting Crow’s piano-heavy but otherwise spare “Colorblind” contains lyrics that match the on-screen situation in some very literal ways. Phillippe’s Sebastian has chased after Reese Witherspoon’s Annette and is attempting to cross her path at the train station. It’s the first shot in which he’s wearing an actual color (the blue shirt), which signifies his emotional transition. The lyrics “I am colorblind/coffee black and egg white/pull me out from inside/I am ready/I am ready” allow for transition into the next scene, in which he of course takes her virginity.

Marcy Playground’s “Comin’ Up From Behind” begins with a strange game-show-esque ping and is probably the heaviest-rocking selection on the album; it plays in the movie when Phillippe is traipsing through the night en route to blackmail a gay classmate.

Then there’s Aimee Mann’s “You Could Make a Killing”, and I will posit that this song is borderline impossible to dislike. If you’ve ever enjoyed the folksy stylings of Aimee Mann, you’ll like this one. It appears later in the film in accompaniment to Sebastian’s realization of his remorse.

Bare Jr.’s “You Blew Me Off” is more dated; it sounds like the type of song that would play during a film sequence in which a group of high school football players runs onto the field. Who knows, maybe it was used during Varsity Blues. As for some of the other album throw-aways, Skunk Anansie’s “Secretly” isn’t a bad track, but it seems out of place with the other mostly pop-heavy selections. Craig Armstrong’s and Elizabeth Fraser’s “This Love” will make you fall asleep, and Faithless’ “Addictive” is a creepy track – the mostly spoken verses contrast with a wailing refrain in which the singer’s gender isn’t identifiable. Also, like “Bittersweet Symphony”, its inclusion is a bit too literal. The track, which contains lyrics such as “change around the words that you say to suit me fine,” plays during a scene in which Gellar attempts to manipulate Blair’s mother.

The soundtrack closes out with “Bittersweet Symphony”, as does Cruel Intentions. The final third of the movie ventures into a sort of a moralistic territory, which seems an odd shift in tone from the rest of the film; either way, “Symphony”’s pairing with the final scene seems a bit too on the nose. Still, the film’s denouement is memorable in its own right, and the sweeping shots of Phillippe’s car being driven into and out of the city serve as bookends to the story. The closing sequence wouldn’t be the same without the haunting “Symphony”. Also, Blair is as haughtily hilarious as always.

Would this movie be nearly so appreciated if it were released today? Not likely. Gellar is well past her Buffy the Vampire Slayer era, and she, along with the rest of the cast save Witherspoon, has ridden out the wave of the late-’90s teen flick. (I haven’t even mentioned that the movie also features Joshua Jackson of Dawson’s Creek and future rehab-queen Tara Reid.) Much of the soundtrack, though, still sounds pretty fresh, and that’s an accomplishment for something that’s been around for 11 years.

Obviously when I thought of this combination, I thought it would be David Byrne spitting philosophical gobbledygook over dance beats worthy of making Christopher Walken fly. This is not the case. Apparently, Here Lies Love is the story of Imelda Marcos, the First Lady of the Philippines and the relationship between her and a servant from her childhood. Nothing but flowers? Nope, nothing but history, told in a romanticized two discs that sound as exotic as the Philippines themselves. Also, don’t expect to hear much from the guy who made us question how we got here, for this album is chocked full of female vocalists to get the story across in an elegant and beautiful fashion.

The title track kicks off the record with fancy strings and horns, only to be the prelude to a soothing female voice singing. That voice is Florence Welch, and the song only gets more upbeat and lively with every minute. When she cries out, “Here lies love” over a triumphant horn line, you know there’s some emotions behind this fiery hot lyricism. Tori Amos joins the fun for the spicy “You’ll be Taken Care Of”, a tune that makes me really wish I knew how to salsa dance. This song features exotic grooves behind Amos’s vocals as well as a percussion section that contains a plethora of unique sound combos. The first male voice on the album is heard on “A Perfect Hand” with Steve Earle. This emotional gem contains a raw guitar riff with lyrics that are delivered so peacefully, yet powerfully. The final track on disc one, “Ladies in Blue”, brings forth a Fatboy Slim phantasm of a beat over crooning lyrics about the world’s imperfections and obviously women in blue clothing (translation might not be literal).

“Dancing Together” kicks off the second disc with a Fatboy Slim-familiar drumbeat accompanied by Sharon Jones hollering out to the people of the world to let music fill your heart and dance in unity. What more could one want from a pop song? “Never So Big”, featuring Sia, contains an island style composition with vocals and lyrics applying a hypothetical paintbrush all over your mind. “American Troglodyte” is the first appearance from Mr. David Byrne, over a very new wave bit of music with Byrne being his usual quirky self. He discusses democracy in action, mailing postcards, and how Americans like technology and blue jeans. As usual, Byrne is right, and that’s what makes him still relevant by today’s standards. “Why Don’t You Love Me”, closes the entire album and features a duet between Tori Amos and the off-screen Goonie, Cyndi Lauper. The two sing over a haunting melody about being denied love that was once there, and as the song fades out, we know love is lying down and is at this point officially dead.

David Byrne and Fatboy Slim have certainly concocted a unique album together. I can honestly say this is a form of high art that is far beyond me. This could be because I’m a shallow twit, but I had a difficult time understanding the complexity of this album. Byrne remains one of the most charismatic and intellectual songwriters of our time, and Fatboy Slim can still produce the coolest beats for people to break-dance to outside of movie theaters. Together, they are a skilled pair of craftsmen who can create albums filled with intellectual glory. They’re just smarter than the rest of us.

As we told you back in October, Cook and David Byrne have once again teamed up for a rather unique project. Following in the footsteps of The Brighton Port Authority’s I Think We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat, the legendary duo hit the studio with a number of other high-profile musicians for a concept album based on the life of former first lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos — you know, the chick with all the shoes.

“Each track is sung by a different singer and there’s some very interesting guests on there,” Cook explained of the album in an interview with NME. He wasn’t kidding.

Featured on two disc, 22-track Here Lies Love are a number of music’s favorite female voices, including Tori Amos, St. Vincent, Santigold, Róisín Murphy, Sharon Jones, Cyndi Lauper, Sia, Martha Wainwright, Nicole Atkins, Florence & the Machine’s Florence Welch, Natalie Merchant, My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden, Alice Russell, The B-52′s Kate Pierson, Allison Moorer, and Nellie McKay. In fact, only two tracks include male vocals — Steve Earle sings on “A Perfect Hand”, while Byrne handles “American Troglodyte”.

And if all that wasn’t enough, the whole thing concludes on track 22, ” Why Don’t You Love Me?”, with what should be a rather unique duet featuring Amos and Lauper.

But wait… there’s more! The album, which will be released on February 23rd via Nonesuch Records, comes packaged with 100-page book detailing the project and a DVD.

Here Lies Love Tracklist:
Disc One:
01. Here Lies Love (feat. Florence Welch)
02. Every Drop of Rain (feat. Candie Payne & St. Vincent)
03. You’ll Be Taken Care Of (feat. Tori Amos)
04. The Rose of Tacloban (feat. Martha Wainwright)
05. How Are You? (feat. Nellie McKay)
06. A Perfect Hand (feat. Steve Earle)
07. Eleven Days (feat. Cyndi Lauper)
08. When She Passed By (feat. Allison Moorer)
09. Walk Like a Woman (feat. Charmaine Clamor)
10. Don’t You Agree? (feat. Róisín Murphy)
11. Pretty Face (feat. Camille)
12. Ladies in Blue (feat. Theresa Andersson)

Disc Two:
01. Dancing Together (feat. Sharon Jones)
02. Men Will Do Anything (feat. Alice Russel
03. The Whole Man (feat. Kate Pierson)
04. Never So Big (feat. Sia)
05. Please Don’t (feat. Santigold)
06. American Troglodyte
07. Solano Avenue (feat. Nicole Atkins)
08. Order 1081 (feat. Natalie Merchant)
09. Seven Years (feat. Shara Worden)
10. Why Don’t You Love Me? (feat. Cyndi Lauper & Tori Amos)

As NME reports and NPR confirms, the album, which is titled Here Lies Love, was first conceived four years ago and was written and recorded in the years that followed. Speaking of recording, the duo tapped the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Martha Wainwright, Santigold, Tori Amos, and Sharon Jones to appear as guests.

“Each track is sung by a different singer and there’s some very interesting guests on there,” Cook told NME. “It’s a story-telling thing, like ‘Evita’, but coming at it from a different angle in that it tells the untold story that people didn’t know about Imelda Marcos. It’s not just about the shoes… Because the story is more about what was going on in [New York club] Studio 54 rather than what went on in the Philippines, we wanted to reflect that, so it’s kind of dance music based.”

Byrne and Cook are currently said to be developing a stage production “along the lines of Evita” in support of the release. Here Lies Love has no official release date yet, but is expected to be available within the next six months, so we’ll find out more soon.

If you remember, Cook, perhaps best known for his work as Fatboy Slim, decided to drop the alter ego last May in favor of a new project, entitled The Brighton Port Authority. As we know by now, work soon began on the aforementioned album over the summer, eventually resulting into a guest-heavy, dance-friendly 12-track effort. In addition to Byrne and Rascal’s appearance on “Toe Jam”, the album’s lead single, I Think We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat‘s also features the talents of Martha Wainwright, Emmy The Great, and Iggy Pop among others.

Ahead of the February 2nd physical release date, the album has been made available as a digital download exclusively via Amazon.com.

While there is no word on whether Cook plans to tour in support of the release, he will make one final live appearance as Fatboy Slim on January 22nd at The End in London.

“Toe Jam” (feat. David Byrne & Dizzee Rascal)

I Think We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat Tracklist:
01. He’s Frank (Slight Return) (feat. Iggy Pop)
02. Dirty Sheets (feat. Pete York)
03. Jumps The Fence (feat. Connan Mockasin)
04. Should I Stay Or Should I Blow (feat. Ashley Beedle)
05. Island (feat. Justin Robertson)
06. Local Town (feat. Jamie T)
07. Seattle (feat. Emmy The Great)
08. Spade (feat. Martha Wainwright)
09. Superman (feat. Simon Thornton)
10. Superlover (feat. Cagedbaby)
11. Toe Jam (feat. David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal)
12. So It Goes (feat. Olly Hite)

And if you’re wondering already “Where on Earth is Latvia?!”, I won’t argue, because if you are around my age, this country appeared on maps just after you ended all your geography stuff in elementary school. But as I landed in Riga at 11.30pm finding a sunset welcoming me (which would’ve stood up technically all night), I had the feeling right away that such a place has been definitely underrated in recent years.

Thankfully, for the second year in a row, Positivus, the biggest music promoter in the Baltic regions, put up the Positivus AB Festival, which  is already the most important one around this side of Europe, and the  headliners of this year, featuring Manic Street Preachers, Travis and Fatboy Slim, were just another confirmation of its establishment.

So how do you start a festival from scratch in Latvia?

Easy enough, you take over a couple of meadows in the neverending forests(which cover up everything ’til the beach), wisely choose a location conveniently around your sister-countries such as Estonia, put up two stages and a tent camp, and there you go! There you have the second edition of the Positivus in Salacgriva.

I was there for the opening of the 2 day festival. Despite the fact that no one had walked those forest-y paths and strolled through yet, I found that, unlike some other European Festivals, Positivus had an incredibly chilled out vibe. It was all so self sufficient, easily described as a little village comprehensive of everything within just walking distance. And the distance was actually walkable in flip-flops. No mud, no imaginary paths in the middle of the wilderness; instead, a little multicoloured, self-sufficient town. I’d like to be a citizen of such music-town actually, anytime.

And Latvian audiences really are great. I loved them in no-time! I could see the excitement of playing there expressed by the bands, and it might’ve been actual this time instead of the usual cliché, “Oh, it’s so great to be here!” Latvians know when to loosen up and when to chill out. And according to Travis’ singer Fran Healy, “They’re the most hand-clap synchronized crowd ever!”

On the Tele2 stage, bands started to play just right after the festival opened at 4pm on Friday , the 18th of July. The honor to open Positivus was granted to Lithuanian singer Živile(above right). I caught most of her set with great pleasure. I don’t know much about the average music culture and tastes in Lithuania -where this young lady comes from- but her sound is mellow and melodic, with most of her songs based around her voice, as she sings along with her acoustic guitar. Her songs’ relate everyday stories (in English, of course) and she knows what it takes to sound nice and recognizable right away. Think Heather Nova or Liz Phair and you’re close. I mean she didn’t discover fire, but hey, she was pleasant to the ears enough to tie me to the Tele2 Stage.

Next up was Astro’n'Out (right), an apparently big  Latvian act (at least in their own country), that owe much of their style to Anouk. Their name  didn’t sound all that new to me, and apparently for a reason, as they were  nominated for last year’s “New Sound of Europe” at the MTV Europe Music Awards (although they were eliminated quite early if I remember correctly, losing to Baltic fellows Bedwetters from Estonia). They seemed to be a nice bunch of guys, although the way the energy was split between the members of the band couldn’t help but remind me of the stage set for The Cranberries, meaning the girl’s the next big thing, the representatives of the  strong sex are merely satellites around her, at least for what concerns stage presence. I wasn’t around for their whole set, though people started to gather around in a much thicker way during their performance.

Back at the main AB stage, things were warming up, soundchecks were running, and the sun of course wasn’t even close to set. So there I was, back in time, to see I’m From Barcelona (below right) starting the party over. Funny thing was, at the beginning, it was more of them on stage than us in front of it. And even before that, my first thought of a 29 piece band was either “Is this the new Kelly Family?” (not in a good way though) or “Do they need to have this many members? Or do they need to know that at least 29 people like them?”. See? I had the worst bent ever towards these Swedish fellas. In my own personal scale, they had to work up from somewhere much lower than zero. The result? They worked up to a 10, with some moments even at a 10+. So much so that, at a certain point, I just had to throw away my press pass and join the screaming and jumping crowd.  Yes, this was the Stockholm syndrome they started at the festival (although actually, they are from Jönköping in Sweden, not Stockholm at all).

Balloons, colors, a purple inflatable boat to surf the crowd with and weird blow-in instruments to have the crowd representatives play for them, skull-shaped maracas and multicoloured confetti’s rain. Got the picture? Well trust me, you should get the feeling they were spreading out! As far as 2 minutes into the show, there were already red balloons everywhere, and everyone in the audience was playing with them, and everyone on stage was throwing more and more.

They even managed to squeeze in a re-imagining of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” in the middle of their song “Rec & Play”, thanks probably to the fact that the two songs share pretty much the same harmony. So you see, as I overcame prejudice it was even too obvious to see why such an expensive , project, comprehensive of 29 elements, were signed to a major like EMI.

The band left such a vibrant energy on the crowd that I saw my friend who was with me (the last die-hard Travis fan) actually wishing herself that the set by I’m From Barcelona wasn’t over yet when they left, even if that was meaning Travis were then up.

I think something went wrong with the light-settings, as in “someone forgot lights were needed, even if at 10pm the sun was still up!” (Sorry to reiterate on the sun fact, but that was most impressive for this Southern-Europe born girl) However, after an hour or so, the Scottish Quartet (below right) came on stage. One thing above all you want to remember about Travis  is that they really are enchanting from the stage. They don’t just play, they seem to live their music. For instance, guitarist Andy Dunlop, after seeing him playing a solo while stage diving over the crowd, becomes possessed by music.

As dusk began, the whole meadow (and it was sort of a football field sized meadow) looked like it was filled with human beings, not a spot was empty. Hand-clapping and singing between songs were enough to make Fran Healy start an improvised beat-box to keep up with the crowd, who kept singing, “Closer, Closer, Lean on me Now, Lean on me Now” much longer than anyone probably expected. I still don’t know how and why, but by the end of the 2 hours set, Healy managed to cut one of his fingers. Despite bleeding,  he didn’t stop at all; instead, he used it as an excuse to make a sort of “blood pact” with Latvians, who having now earned his blood, were then asked to jump without restrain for the last, epic song of Travis’ set, “Why Does it Always Rain on Me”. And given the earthquake feeling during the last chorus, I’d say pretty much everyone there agreed on the pact. When Travis went off the stage it was a little bit later than midnight and one band was still left to play the main stage.

By the time Manic Street Preachers took the stage, it was nearly 1am. Even so, the crowd gathered again, filling up every little spot on the ground. It was so packed for the Welsh band that it was quite a hard thing for me to get close enough to steal some shot of a singing James Dean Bradfield (who happened to be seated next to me on my flight back to London the next day, but let’s not get lost in the gossip here, shall we?). And apparently, 23 years lost, and I had underrated them as well.

They seemed to have incredibly devoted fans, and well worth them. I stumbled across some of them during the afternoon: a bunch of girls all dressed up with tiger-ish patter details (then I realized it was probably due to the fact that the latest Manic’s album was titled Send Away The Tigers) who flew all the way from England just to see them. There was no way even just one of them would have moved from the first row barriers from the moment they got into the festival. During the driving back  to Riga, the radio broadcasting the show live confirmed what I thought when I saw their presence on stage for the first couple of songs: they rocked.

The party apparently kept on up ’til the early morning lights, with DJ sets in the Shark tents. And on the next day, the 19th of July, Latvians experienced a nice line-up with bright stars as Fatboy Slim performed on the AB stage and British Sea Power closed the dances on the Tele2 stage later that night. Good sets apparently, but the opening day just rocked too much for anyone to keep up with that.

So in the end, as a Londoner Groupie got back to Gatwick, still experiencing the sparks of highs and lows (the lack of sleep might’ve been a reason, but the nice idea is that sharing the flight with half of Travis and Manics was a good part of it as well), I can tell you that if the line-up gets anything closer to this year’s for the next one, Positivus AB Festival might become a great excuse in the future to experience an unusual holiday in the very underrated country of Latvia.