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Icona Pop

My First Time Encounter At The Electric Zoo Festival

by Ryan Shea

James Teal, Ryan Shea, Manhattan Digest, Electric Zoo Festival

Guest contributor- James Teal

My first encounter with the Electric Zoo Festival was on opening night of the three day electronic music festival- Friday, September 4, 2015. The theme of this year’s zoo was “Transformation” and they really did need a transformation after the backlash the festival received from the last two years after reports of multiple drug overdoses, including one death, and last year’s shut down on day 3 because, contrary to popular belief, the cause was lightning storms, not drug use.   This year saw an increase in overall security- in the crowds, by the bars, by the portable toilets, and especially at the front gate.

James Teal, Manhattan Digest, Electric Zoo Festival
Credit to: Jay Johnson

I was greeted by friendly people wearing their best smiles and their bright pink T-mobile shirts, one of this year’s festival sponsors.  Immediately after the friendly T-Mobile smiles came the search dogs and the legion of security guards at 2 checkpoints.   We stood in line for a good 15 minutes while dogs were forced to walk around us. After the awkward drug sniffing police dogs, came the harassing TSA–like pat-downs. A security guard asked if I had drugs and I responded “Nope, no drugs on me.” Then again with his finger in the air, security said “I’ll give you 1 last chance. Do you have any drugs?” This time I was more annoyed and said in a pointed tone “Do I look like I have any drugs on me!?”  He gave a half frown and rolled his eyes while he patted me down and let me go.  From that point on, the “Transformation” began.

We walked to the MasterCard hut (another sponsor of this year’s Electric Zoo) picked up VIP wristbands, and went straight into the hilltop arena where MasterCard holders had a VIP stage overlooking the entire arena with our own bar.  The MasterCard Hilltop Arena provided the best performances I saw the entire festival.

James Teal, Ryan Shea, Manhattan Digest, Electric Zoo Festival
Credit to: Jay Johnson

We started with Snails, a DJ from the Skrillex label OWSLA.  Snails’ set placed the performance level bar so high that the rest of the day we were looking for someone with even more energy to beat his performance.  One highlight from the Snails set was when the crowd exploded into fist-pumping cheers at his Backstreet Boys remix of “Everybody”. Snails manipulated the bass hook in the original song into a 2015 dance-floor ready dubstep anthem, unquestionably one of his specialties.

After the high energy of Snails, we were ready for a drink. The Electric Zoo Festival creators were smart to make wrist bands with RFID chips that hold money which you load at specific huts marked in the festival.  This year’s festival saw even more food vendors, including taco trucks and Jamaican patties (yum!).  However, to buy anything you MUST exchange your US Dollars for EZ Bucks (EZB) at an exchange rate of $2.22 USD for 1 EZB.  At that rate a 16 ounce can of beer costs 4.5 EZB (or $10 USD), and the tacos cost 2.5 EZB ($5.50 each). The high cost of food and drinks at music festivals is not anything new, but to the average drunk-twenty-something a taco worth 2.5 EZB looks more pleasing to the eye than a small taco for $5.5.  A very tricky, and very smart way of making us spend more money at the festival, not to mention it was fun to wave my wrist in front of the machine to pay for my food and drinks.  I might have to invest in one of those Apple Watches soon…

James Teal, Ryan Shea, Manhattan Digest, Electric Zoo Festival
Credit to: Jay Johnson

Festival highlights from the main stage included eclectic afternoon sets from Don Diablo, Slander, Audien, and the hyper-exciting high-energy 3LAU. These DJs mixed and mangled, twisted and re-tuned familiar popular music with new electronic drops, including original songs, which literally made all of our hearts jump with excitement and obviously faces melted.

Back in the Hilltop Arena, Keys N Krates left people in awe after their jaw dropping live trap music performance on stage with drums and synth/keyboard.  Keys N Krates is definitely a band worth catching live if you ever have the chance.  The Galantis set came right after Keys N Krates.

The one and only performance which stood out from the rest on opening night was the popular Swedish production duo Galantis.  The group, famous for their hit singles Runaway (U & I), You, and Peanut Butter Jelly, is comprised of Christian “Bloodshy” Karlsson and Linus Eklow aka Style of Eye.  Bloodshy is famous for his Grammy winning hits with artists like Britney Spears, JLo, Katy Perry, Kylie Minogue and Madonna. And his partner, Style of Eye, co-wrote Icona Pop’s “I Love It” ft. Charlie XCX. We stood under the hot sun, in the 80 degree tent, with crowds overflowing outside of the tent (a venue too small for the duo), when the lights went down and Galantis came out to the biggest crowd the MasterCard Hilltop Arena saw all weekend. We were lucky enough to beat the crowds to get on the VIP deck and watch the action unfold before our eyes.  Thirty minutes into the performance we were all dripping with sweat, and soaked!  The thousands of people under the tent jumped around, danced, and watched as the Swedish duo’s performance included a pair of drum high-hats for each of them to bang on while they themselves jumped up and down and off of their turn tables.  Their music transitions were less seamless and more like a pre-selected playlist strung together with awkward modulations between the sets. The awkward modulations weren’t too obvious, but enough for me to mention and for a group who will probably make even bigger hits in the future, I’m curious to see how their live sets transform after this small and intimate performance at Electric Zoo.

James Teal, Manhattan Digest, Electric Zoo Festival
Credit to: James Teal

Most people will argue that EDM festivals are all the same and won’t matter who is on stage (because they all play the same music), but I am here to say those people are all wrong.  If they’ve been to the Electric Zoo Festival – Transformed they would have seen that not all DJs are one in the same.  Big-name, multi-day festivals around the world offer bigger stages and bigger crowds, while Electric Zoo focused on the smaller names, which allowed smaller stages, and in turn brought out smaller crowds. At the end of the day what every single festival does right is bring the right audience. Everyone shows excitement, dresses to impress, and shows the utmost respect for each other. The morning after opening night the intense sense of FOMO kicks in, and you absolutely must go back and experience day 2, and 3 just so you can say you saw it all. I can’t wait for the next festival.

For more info on Electric Zoo Festival, check out the official site.

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC Tagged With: 3LAU, Audien, Backstreet Boys, britney spears, Charlie XCX, Don Diablo, edm, Electric Zoo Festival, FOMO, Galantis, Icona Pop, James Teal, JLO, Katy Perry, Keys N Krates, Kylie Minogue, madonna, manhattan digest, ryan shea, Slander, Snails

Summer 2013- Best gym songs

by Ryan Shea

robin-thicke-blurred-lines-video

As summer is already here, and the winter days are gone for now, we all have a lot to look forward to while basking in the glory of the sun and being with our friends and family.  It also gives us initiative to get our fat asses to the gym and make sure we look good at the beach, walking in the city, and just being more in public as the winter time can force us to get under the covers and watch “True Blood” repeats.  I have come up with 10 essentials that will keep you jamming throughout the gym session and make the overall experience there more fun and satisfying! Take a look.

 

La Bouche- “Be My Lover”

If you were a GIGANTIC fan of the Jock Jams movement in the late 90’s, there was no denying this chart topping hit by this EDM duo.  With a fast paced rhythm to go along with what i like to call “melodic rapping”, this song is designed for the avid cardio-lover and help you get to that next mile.

Robin Thicke Featuring Pharell Williams- “Blurred Lines”

Thicke, more notably known for his slow paced songs like his chart-topper “Lost Without You”, has the number one song in the country with this funky dance anthem that is sure to be one of the biggest songs of the summer.

Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams- “Get Lucky”

Daft Punk have sort of become synonymous with creating insanely great dance music and the adoration of fans worldwide.  “Get Lucky” is the first track off of their new album which easily debuted at number one on The Billboard 200.

Icona Pop- “I Don’t Care”

This song has been out for a couple of months now and has been heard everywhere, even in “Shoedazzle” commercials.  It is another great cardio anthem to jam out to when sweating it out on the elliptical.

Papa Roach- “Last Resort”

Are you mad? Want to get that aggression out when you are at the gym? Blast this hit from 1999 and keep it on repeat and the aggression will be released in the masses.

Bauuer- “Harlem Shake”

This year’s “Gangham Style” became quite the internet sensation back in February with its endless parody videos of mainly the first 30 seconds of the song, yet the entire song itself is pretty dope and definitely a gym jam.

Chris Brown- “Beautiful People”

I hate Chris Brown as a person, but I love this song.  Enough said.

Kanye West- “Stronger”

This was ranked a couple of years ago as the best song to listen to at the gym, and I agree to a certain extent.  Kanye could have a couple of records on this list (Monster, Mercy) but this one suits the bill. Daft Punk on this track as well.  Yeezus.

LL Cool J- “Mama Said Knock You Out”

At a boxing gym? This will have you covered.

Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz- “Get Low”

Inescapable in 2003, and the song that quite frankly put Lil Jon on the music map, “Get Low” is hands down a beat spectacle and one that will be sure to get your heart racing when working out.

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, HEALTH, LIFESTYLE Tagged With: Bauuer, cardio, Chris Brown, daft punk, gym, harlem shake, Icona Pop, kanye west, la bouche, lil jon, LL Cool J, papa roach, pharrell, robin thicke, summer, summer 2013, workout

UEFA Champions Viewing Party Yesterday- Cheers and Beers

by Ryan Shea

Credit to: Askmen.com
Credit to: Askmen.com

One sport that is celebrated on a global scale yet not as much on a local scale here in the United States is Futbol, otherwise known as Soccer.  Yesterday, that couldn’t have been far from the truth.  Heineken and Remezcla, who focus on providing a local guide to the best in Latin culture, brought together thousands of die hard soccer fans for the “UEFA Champions League Final Viewing Party” yesterday at Pier 36 on South Street in Basketball City, right outside Brooklyn.

The look and feel of the venue made you feel like you were walking into the arena.  There was one section sort of designed like an airport terminal, with crisp white couches at your every convenience as well as multiple televisions screens and several bartenders at hand passing out free Heinekens for the viewers.  It was heavily designed in green to coincide with Heineken’s signature colors and featured several hostesses dressed in color patters that echo Heineken as well.

That was one side of the event.  While walking through to the other side, they then designed it to make you feel like you were walking into freaking Wembley itself and that you were apart of the game.  As I was walking in I could hear the roar of the crowd at hand as the game had gotten underway about fifteen minutes into it.  That aspect of the venue was gigantic as the game played on one of the largest television screens I had ever seen and witnessing people root for either team or just there to have a good time.  They had a fantastic local German bakery that served us some of the most delicious Bratwurst I have ever tasted which went down really well with the endless Heineken at hand.

The two teams playing at hand in the UEFA finals were rivals Bayer Munich and Borussia Dortmund in a thrilling ninety four minute spectacle of a game that in the last two minutes saw Munich pull ahead 2-1 due to it’s star player Arjen Robben making a last minute goal.
It was a moment of long-awaited deliverance for both Bayern and Robben, after defeats for the Bavarians in the final of the competition in 2010 and again in 2012, when they lost a cruel penalty shoot-out to Chelsea on home soil. Robben had set Bayern on the way to victory after an hour of the first all-German final when he teed up Mario Mandzukic for the opener, only for Ilkay Gundogan to equalise from the penalty spot in the 68th minute.

Before, during and after the game they had a sick DJ perform some current club bangers such as “I Don’t Care” by Icona Pop and everyone’s favorite “Harlem Shake” by Brooklyn’s very own Bauuer.  The festivities went on from about 1 in the afternoon to about 7:30 at night, and from the looks of it everyone seemed to have a really great time including me and my friend.

Want to know more about the sponsors and the great organizers of this event and how they could help yours out in the future? Go onto Remezcla‘s website to learn more about what they are all about and for all things Heineken and UEFA check out their sites as well.

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, SPORTS Tagged With: Basketball City, Bauuer, bayer munich, Borussia, bratwurst, Brooklyn, futbol, german, harlem shake, heineken, Icona Pop, pier 16, remezcla, soccer, uefa

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