Esthetic Evolution #6- Twin Springs, ID

Ever wanted to party with a 1000 of your closest friends? Ok ok... maybe not all of them are your best friends, but there's likely only a couple of degrees of separation between them. That's how it works out here in the Northwest and that applies to Seattle, Portland, Boise and beyond. That closeness and cohesive network is one of the reasons our corner of the country has been gaining such a positive reputation for having an incredibly rich and creative music community. The folks at Esthetic Evolution in beautiful Twin Springs, ID have done a wonderful job building up their annual music and arts festival. So much so that they've almost sold ALL 1000 of their available tickets! As of this blog post there are less than 50 tickets available and they're only located at record stores in Boise.

But fret not. Shameless has one ticket available as a giveaway for some lucky reader. Email Shamelessinseattle2@gmail.com with "EE Loves Me" in the subject heading and the first person to write gets the ticket. (EDITED TO ADD... Congratulations to AshleyZ who was quick to respond and won the EE ticket giveaway!)

By the way, we've written about Esthetic Evolution before. Click the links below to check out past pictures.

2007
2008
2009

Also, check out the video from last year...


Lots of great content and more information about Esthetic Evolution here.

Hope to see you on the Potato Playa!

Shameless speaks with The Naturebot! [Bonkers! / Pleasure Boat Records]

Recently Shameless met up with The Naturebot inside a computer. There they chit chatted about space time and the smell of burning circuits. We also talked about the second installment of the Shameless Social with Ghostly International's Solvent and Lusine and The whole gang from Pleasure Boat Records/Bonkers!.

You have so many great producers in PBR. Where did you gather these misfits from?

Well, we all are interested in the same angle of the music as far as I can tell- we enjoy electronic tools because of their limitless possibilities for expression and we create music out of angst about an ideal- I believe that we all express our frustration with the limits and prisons of the modern physical world but taking ownership and control back over the machines that placed us in the predicament of working endlessly in a vacuum and a lack of true and meaningful adventure on a personal level.

Anyhow, after I met a couple people (Erictronic and Rave On It) that I believe shared a portion of that angst and channeled it creatively, we started throwing shows. Its pretty apparent when you find someone that is compatible with or shares a creative vision and through the shows (Bonkers!) we threw we all met artists from which mutual respect and admiration grew.

Seeing that those involved with ‘shaping’ the electronic scene in Seattle seem to have little interest in putting music FROM Seattle on the map (that isn’t represented already), it was a natural decision to do it ourselves. We’re not the only ones out there doing this, but its downright absurd how many fans of ‘independent music’ look for the same feelings, benchmarks, and marketing schemes as each other. I don’t think Pleasure Boat aims to please crowds, just comfort those with the same fears and frustrations as us that there is others like them out in the world. And, seeing as I met and continue to meet individuals that share these feelings outside of the scene as it exists, I think that the world of electronic music is a far more widespread and multi-faceted force than ever before. At some point that will become apparent to the general public, and it seems more plausible that it will with every day.

What kinds of sound are you seeking for your label?

When I listen to music I enjoy, it always feels as if it was created in its own world- that, instead of building the regular Frankenstein of influences, there’s an intention and urge served by the music. I’m guessing the average person doesn’t associate that with electronic music or dance music, but the medium is so open-ended and fast-moving these days that its hard to not be creative. There’s an amazing amount of creative music being made right now, but so much of it strives for a communal mindset.

I hope to hear stubbornly individualistic music that exists outside of the backwards idea of being at the ‘forefront of modern music’, and I hope that the fetishization of ‘new movements’ dies off quickly as it blocks the potential for electronic music to be the new form of folk art- a way for people to tell others about their lives and experiences, and create truly unique musical worlds, using tools readily available in the modern era. Anyone with a computer can make an album and has access to tools that engineers a few decades ago wouldn’t have dreamed of.

Tell us why you are bringing the Ghostly International Showcase here to Seattle?

I got into Solvent when I started throwing shows in 2007 and was actively going to record shops and trying to find music I’d never heard. Solvent City (Solvent’s 2001 album) was in a bin and the cover was ridiculous so I listened to it and felt like I’d made a new friend. The music was so warm and dry that I listened to that album almost every day for a whole winter while stuck in a tiny shit-hole apartment. I contacted Solvent about playing in Seattle if he was available and he got back to me with a US and Canadian tour looking to get booked. That Lusine was touring with Solvent was huge, these are two artists that have been putting out records from their own fantastic worlds for years and that are both something of heroes to me. I like the physical aspect of music, but much more than watching someone shred on a guitar I enjoy hearing amazing movement and physics in the sound itself, that’s what makes my brain go crazy. Both of these artists represent that ideal and both of them are focused on melody and beauty. Throwing this night is a chance to show people a very, very different side of the dance music coin. Ghostly International is all about that, just as Pleasure Boat Records is. I’m thrilled about the showcase and know that there will be many people at the show that will walk away feeling like they found a new ideal in music. Yes, I am that excited about the show.

Are ghosts capable of faster than light travel?

It’d be nice to look forward to that, wouldn’t it?

What's next for Bonkers!?

Who knows, I’ve been attempting to return to the emptier and odder parts of the country for awhile now. Wherever I end up, the culture I live in will be represented. Albuquerque might become an electronic music juggernaut, or I might just spin acid tracks in the garage all summer long with the doors open. Music is not the most important thing in my life (I have a dog, a fiancé, and dearly miss the non-human world at large), so if my life is so full that I don’t feel that the music I love is worth spreading, I’m alright with that.

The Naturebot and Friends can all be heard Friday June 25th at the Electric Tea Garden. Check out pbrecs.com for more info on Pleasure Boat Records.

SHAMELESS SOCIAL #2

June 25th from 9pm- LATE late!!

Starring...

Solvent (Ghostly Int'l- Toronto) - Live

http://solventcity.com/

Lusine (Ghostly Int'l- Seattle) - Live

http://lusineweb.com/

Relcad (Album release party; Pleasure Boat Records) - Live

http://Relcad.com/

Potatofinger (Pleasure Boat Records) - Live

http://soundcloud.com/potatofinger

Ya No Mas (Pleasure Boat Records) - Live

http://www.myspace.com/beetseeka

The Algebra of Need (Pleasure Boat Records) - Live

http://soundcloud.com/the-algebra-of-need

Mr. Zillion (Eccentric Bliss/Pleasure Boat Records) - Live

http://www.MrZillion.com/

Naturebot (Pleasure Boat Records) - DJ set

http://www.soundcloud.com/naturebot

Menami (Shameless) - DJ set

http://www.simplyshameless.com/

Say What?! - May's Pics!

The Last Say What'? WHAT?!

Too cute. Too much good music. Too much fun... and too sad it may be the last show for now. After a fantastic, but short four month run, Say What may be on hold indefinitely. It's future uncertain. And yet, the pictures remind us of how important it can be to never miss an opportunity to dance. To always seize the moments we have while they are still in front of us. Shameless has it's plate full this summer and will continue to be very active in the local music scene. Unfortunately this is one of the reasons why we have to take a step back from Say What. We're incredibly grateful to so many of you that supported and believed in this night. We hope it will resurface again sometime soon. But in the meantime, there are always these great pictures for us to remember the night...

Thanks to Dave Matthews for coming down last minute to take these incredible photos.

Click here to view them all

Shameless Social this Friday! Featured artist: 214!

SHAMELESS SOCIAL is this Friday night at Electric Tea Garden! The inaugural edition features a rich array of talent from around the Northwest, headlined in part by:

214 live (Touchin' Bass, Pyramid Transmissions)



To sit at a table set with the sounds of 214 (TwoFourteen) is to be served hungry-man portions of honey-buttered electro beats, side dishes of synth-line treats, and dollops of IDM-get-down. Like most musicians, Chris Roman's path is rooted in a veritable melting pot of sounds. Some of the influences are obvious. Others not so much so.
His Puerto Rican birthright and Miami upbringing ring apparent when he's pumping out sci-fi roller disco sounds, but when his vibe turns to the cold dark comfort of Detroit-esque minimal mind funk, it would seem this man forgets from whence he came. It's a memory lapse that sounds like a lapdance in the side room of a space ship. More importantly, it's a memory lapse that works. It's not so much a lapse then as a love of diversity, a creative finesse with a variety of good tastes.

214 effortlessly blends lush Latin roots with robo-transformer trips, always maintaining a skillful balance between the nasty, the not-right, the cold, hard, and just-right - all at the same time. He's got plenty of tricks up his proverbial record sleeve. And he's been pulling them out for years now.

Wherever you can find it, count on 214 for premium blend electro and assorted savory flavors from the future.

Soundcloud
www.touchinbass.com
www.pyramidtranmissions.com

ALONG WITH DJS:

Ben Tactic (Dress 2 Sweat, Think 2wice, PDX)
(MySpace)

Scratchmaster Joe

File Jerks
(MySpace)

Rolo Tamasi

Verse & Barbarella

Electric Tea Garden
21+ 9pm to Late

J.Phlip @ Electric Tea Garden this Saturday w/Shameless!

On Saturday May 22nd, Seattle is in for one more Dirtybird treat! J Phlip!!

She'll be returning to Seattle one last time before she flies off to Berlin for awhile (and so the story goes...the West Coast loses another one of our finest to the clutches of Germany!). For those of you that caught her at the Decibel boat party, My Bloody Valentine is Shameless or the afterhours, you know she's the real deal and delivers some of most fun tech house booty shakin' business out there! Claude VonStroke wrote a note and says it best...

(Letter from Claude VonStroke)
“It is not that often that i get to hear someone play who i think is amazing. It is even more rare for me to hear a person that understands what the real “dirtybird” sound is all about. Jessica (J Phlip) is one of those rare gifted DJs who I love to listen to. I can fully attest to her skills on the decks as I have travelled on tour with her from the UK to Spain to Germany and beyond. I promise she can hold her own with anyone I have ever heard play on any stage. If you are thinking about booking someone fresh from dirtybird I really think this is the DJ who can deliver the goods as they were meant to be delivered. Straight from San Francisco with dirty basslines, bootylicious funk, and cute as hell - J. Phlip is the total package. She is moving to Europe for the summer, so this is a chance to hear someone really cool from the original San Francisco dirtybird crew who doesn’t sound like everyone else.”
– Claude VonStroke

We had a chance to catch up with J.Phlip this week about her upcoming European visit - here's what she had to say:

"Well I'm planting my home base... or maybe we should call it "HOME BASSSS!!!!" lol ... in Berlin from June to October. This is going to allow me to infiltrate the European market with some J.Phlip and all things Dirtybird! Although I wont be touring quite as much as I do over here, the gigs that I do have are mostly all "staple" parties and clubs in Europe. So the gigs should be dope and that will also leave me wayyyyy more time to write music... more originals and remixes!"

If you're planning to be in Europe this summer and/or want to keep tabs on what J.Phlip is up to during her European adventure, visit her MySpace often. Expect to see her perform at Watergate in Berlin and Fabric in London! Also, she adds that "the Red Bull Music Academy has a sick studio space in London and they have invited me and Worthy to spend a few days playing around on their gear and making some tunes there" Lucky!

Here's a new bangin' original track from J.Phlip!

Here's a preview of the type of tracks J.Phlip brings to the decks:
J.Phlip - TICK TICK BOOM mix


Come join Shameless this Saturday as we party and bid farewell to J.Phlip!



Lots of love and support from the Shameless crew...

Recess
Menami
Levi Clark
Adlib

Saturday May 22nd: 9pm-late
21+
Electric Tea Garden