We attended night two of Cosmic Opera, which was billed as one of the most unique electronic music events of the year, promising state-of-the-art lighting, 3-D projection mapping, a story line and live performers. The event was hosted at New York’s legendary Hammerstein Ballroom.

The second and final night of this “Act 1″ debut brought DJs Axwell, Thomas Gold, and No ID. (The first night had Deniz Koyu joining Axwell and No ID.) They were joined by performers including acrobats, dancers, and others, and stunning light shows. All the while, a beautiful centerpiece/chandelier hung from the center of the room, punctuated by a disco ball and its blue illumination.

Ivan Gough & Feenixpawl feat. Georgi Kay – In My Mind (Axwell Remix)

DJ duo No ID opened the night as the room continued to fill in. The duo provided a solid opening set, getting the crowd ready for what was to come.

continue reading "Cosmic Opera Closes Act 1 with Axwell, Thomas Gold, No ID: Review, Photos, Video"

TheMusic.FM sat down last night with Thomas Gold, one of the DJs who is part of the supporting cast of tonight’s second and final Cosmic Opera debut in New York.

Dan Price: Tell me about Cosmic Opera. We are all so curious to experience this event. Do you have a DJ set planned, per se, and how much input did you and the other artists have in terms of how the event works?

Thomas Gold: Actually I did not have that much impact on planning. But as you said, it’s going to be a special show. It’s not just DJs playing one after the other — it’s more like they combine the classic stuff and the artistic stuff with the music. My part is to do an intro. That’s a transition between the artistic performance before my set and I will take over the music from the girl or the dancer. That’s my part. After my set I will pass it on to Axwell who comes on after me.

I prepared a special intro track, which starts with classical orchestral instruments; like strings, and violins and woods. It turns into one of my own tracks, I don’t want to say which one — you’ll have to see. I am very excited too; I never heard this track in this way. It’s funny because I tried to translate one of the lead melodies of the track into a classic melody and you will recognize it. Same goes for the end of my set, I prepared a special track that is unreleased and ends with some orchestra drums.

The whole thing should be a journey. That’s what we talked about when we were planning the event. It will take the audience through a journey through the night by combining these styles.

Read more of the interview after the jump
continue reading "Interview with Thomas Gold: Cosmic Opera, Producing on the Road, and More"

Earlier this month, HARD announced a series of free secret shows called Mouth Taped Shut in promotion of the film The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. After leaving the public to speculate as to who the artists would be, HARD finally announced a packed lineup for the New York show that would feature DJ sets from The Bloody Beetroots, James Murphy, Proxy and Eye.

Photos by Roslyn Johns
continue reading "HARD Brought Beetroots, James Murphy, and More to NYC for Surprise ‘Mouth Taped Shut’ Stop"

As one of the larger shows going on during CMJ last week here in New York, Portugal. The Man played Terminal 5, along with Givers and Alberta Cross.

Alberta Cross kicked things off as the room, already half full, continued to fill in. As one of their first orders of business, the band dedicated their song “Rise From The Shadows” to their hosts, Portugal. The Man.

Money For The Weekend by Alberta Cross

continue reading "Portugal. The Man, Givers, Aberta Cross Play Terminal 5 NYC (Review, Photos)"

The Creators Project last weekend offered their second annual music and art festival in New York. The Intel and Vice collaboration brought big names like Florence and the Machine and Justice to a few venues across Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighborhood for many New Yorkers who were lucky enough to secure tickets to the free event.

continue reading "The Creators Project Brought Justice, Florence, and More to NYC"