Category: Blog

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Weekly Charts

WKNC 88.1 FM Loud Rock/ Chainsaw Charts 5/24/16

1 MEGADETH Rust In Peace- EMI-Capitol
2 GAMA BOMB Untouchable Glory- AFM
3 HATEBREED The Concrete Confessional- Nuclear Blast
4 DEATH ANGEL The Evil Divide- Nuclear Blast
5 FALLUJAH “The Void Alone” [Single]- Nuclear Blast
6 KATATONIA The Fall Of Hearts- Peaceville
7 SEAS OF WAKE Depth Of The Marrow- Sorrow
8 AVATAR Feathers And Flesh- Entertainment One
9 KATAKLYSM Hate Spirit
10 GRAVEWORM Ascending Hate

Top 5 Adds

1 MISERY SIGNALS Absent Light- New Damage
2 MORBID VOMIT Return To The Crypts
3 MORBID VOMIT Doctrine Of Violence
4 CEPHEUS Internal/Eternal

Categories
Festival Coverage

Moogfest Day Three Photos 

All photos by Matt Brown

Categories
Weekly Charts

WKNC 88.1 FM Radio 200/Indie Rock Charts 5/24/16

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1 MODERN BASEBALL Holy Ghost- Run For Cover
2 A GIANT DOG Pile- Merge
3 FREE CAKE FOR EVERY CREATURE Talking Quietly Of Anything With You -Double Double Whammy
4 ESKIMEAUX Year Of The Rabbit- Double Double Whammy
5 PITY SEX White Hot Moon Run- For Cover
6 KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD Nonagon Infinity- ATO
7 FRANKIE COSMOS Next Thing -Bayonet
8 PARQUET COURTS Human Performance- Rough Trade
9 LITTLE SCREAM Cult Following- Merge
10 TWIN PEAKS Down In Heaven- Grand Jury
11 MOTHERS When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired- Grand Jury
12 TEEN SUICIDE It’s The Big Joyous Celebration, Let’s Stir The Honeypot- Run For Cover
13 MUSEUM MOUTH Popcorn Fish Guinea Pig -Equal Vision-Rory
14 HAMMOCK Everything And Nothing- Self-Released
15 JESSY LANZA Oh No- Hyperdub
16 B BOYS No Worry No Mind- Captured Tracks
17 WOODS City Sun Eater In The River Of Light- Woodsist
18 YAK Alas Salvation- Kobalt
19 EAGULLS Ullages- Partisan
20 TOMEMITSU Loaf Eye- Chill Mega Chill
21 SLINGSHOT DAKOTA Break- Topshelf
22 OSCAR Cut And Paste- Wichita
23 JAMES BLAKE The Colour In Anything- Republic
24 LUH Spiritual Songs For Lovers To Sing- Mute
25 AND THE KIDS Friends Share Lovers- Signature Sounds
26 NOTHING Tired Of Tomorrow- Relapse
27 SUMMER TWINS Limbo- Burger
28 TACOCAT Lost Time- Hardly Art
29 HIGHER AUTHORITIES Neptune- Domino
30 SORORITY NOISE It Kindly Stopped For Me- Topshelf

Top 5 Adds 

1 CAR SEAT HEADREST “Vincent” [Single]
2 YOUNG MAGIC Still Life- Carpark
3 SONNY AND THE SUNSETS Moods Baby Moods- Polyvinyl
4 THE VELVETEINS A Hot Second With The Velveteins- Self-Released
5 BRODKA Clashes- Pias

Categories
Concert Review

Wild Nothing at Kings Review

Wild Nothing, a dream-pop band out of Virginia, played Kings Barcade on Friday, May 13th at 9pm. The group has been releasing consistently great records for the past 6 years with Nocturne, Gemini, and equally great EP’s.  Their newest album, Life of Pause, was full of energy and translated extremely well to a live setting. Playing both new tracks and old classics, every song sounded even better and vibrant in King’s intimate setting, The concert blew my expectations out of the water made me an even bigger fan of the group than I already was. 

Categories
Festival Coverage

Moogfest 2016 Coverage 

Categories
Festival Coverage

Moogfest Day 2 Preview

So you survived day 1 of Moogfest 2016?! So did we and we can’t be more ecstatic for Day, which is sure to bring as many joyous experiences as day 1.

Today is arguably the most chock filled day with cool programs throughout the duration of the day and then when evening hits, artist after artist of immense talent will be taking the stages of many of Durham’s top venues.

Be sure to start your morning out right with a good breakfast at many of the local Durham eateries, such as Dame’s Chicken and Waffles, because what’s a better way to start out any day than chicken and waffles. After filling your belly, you should probably check out the Neil Harbisson led panel “The Future of Our Species”, a discussion in which Harbisson, a government recognized cyborg, explores questions pertaining to how the human species can mold with technology. This event takes place at 10 AM in the Carolina Theater, Cinema 1.

Going on all weekend, is Realiti- Inside the Music of Grimes, an installation that allows for fans to remix Grimes’ track “Realiti” throughout the weekend. This event will be held at the DCC Plaza, room 301.

At 1:00 PM, in Cinema 1 of the Carolina Theater, be sure to check out the live recording of the Song Exploder Podcast with festival headliner ODESZA. Here the audience can watch ODEZSA take apart their song bit by bit for host,  Hrishikesh Hirway.

As part of the Afrofuturism program, Wu-Tang Clan co-founder GZA and Duke professor Mark Anthony Neal will be giving a talk in the Fletcher Hall of the Carolina Theater at 4:30 PM. The talk, entitled “Time Travelling with Hip-Hop” focuses on Hip-hop’s role in challenging our ideas of the future.

After this speech be sure to find yourself another good Durham meal at either Bull City Burger or Toast for a good quick bite.

Once the delightful supper is over, it’ll be time to get your evening started out with some good music. Local hip-hop artist Professor Toon will be taking the Motorco Music Hall stage at 7:00 PM and he’s definitely not an act to miss after his stellar Double Barrel Benefit show this past February. Stick around afterwards for another NC hip-hop mainstay, Well$, who is sure to keep the energy going with an electrifying set. Might as well stick around for experimental Atlanta hip-hop artist Daye Jack at 8:30, but then make your way over to the Motorco Park stage to see festival highlight Grimes, taking the stage at 8:50. Afterwards is another festival highlight in ODESZA, the electronic act who is sure to make the Motorco Park stage one big dance affair. If hip-hop is more your thing, just stay in Motorco all night as Denzel Curry will perform at 9:15, bringing his hard-hitting street anthems to Durham. Then Lunice, half of Hudson Mohawke, will bring just as dance-y of a set as ODEZSA outside, preparing your ears for the Canadian hip-hop artist Tory Lanez who performs at  11:45 in the Motorco Hall. Last, but definitely not least, is the hip-hop legend GZA, who will be performing his most intimate set of the weekend (as the other one will be held outside at the Motorco Park Stage, Saturday night) in the 430 cap venue. For fans of hip-hop, this is a can’t miss.

No matter what your schedule, Moogfest is sure to be quite the splendid time. Safe travels to all and have a great time!

-Jamie Halla, Social Media Director (aka English Soccer)

Categories
Festival Coverage

My Schedule for Moogfest

Join me at Moogfest as I cover the many films, Installations, WorkShops, and Performances. My schedule isn’t set in stone and I’ll probably need a bicycle to hop along to all the different events, but I’m super excited to see the talent. 

Thursday, my most anticipated set is Julia Holter, which is why I have her on my schedule for Saturday as well, just in case I miss her. She played Moogfest 2012 and her 2015 album, Have You In My Wilderness, was a top add at WKNC. “Sea Calls Me Home” was one of my favorites off the album. 

For Friday, my must see is GZA, the legendary Wu-Tang Clan cofounder. GZA, the Genius, is known as the spiritual leader of Wu-Tang Clan, thus making him one of the forebears of 90’s hip-hop. He is a definite must see for any fans of the genre. He was a major part of seminal albums such as Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) or his solo album Liquid Swords. GZA was known to have the second largest vocabulary in all hip hop. He will release his new album, Dark Matter, sometime later this year. 

Saturday, I’d have to say I’m split between Reggie Watts and Empress Of. Reggie Watts is musician, singer, beatboxer, actor, and comedian. He improvises his musical sets with the goal of disorienting his audience with only his voice, a keyboard, and a looping machine. Check out Watts’ song “Social Construct” for a good taste of what is to come. Lorely Rodriguez’ solo project, Empress Of released her first full-length album Me in 2015. Rodriguez, ethnically Spanish and Honduran, performs her songs in Spanish and English, creating fantastic tracks like “Tristeza”. Everything released by Empress Of has been top notch, ranging from her 2016 single “Woman is a Word” to her 2012 single “Champagne”. Both acts are sure to be great. 

In addition to the music, I plan to attend many workshops including Afrofuturism, Radio & the Radiophonic, STEAM, Technoshamanism, The Future of Creativity, and Transhumanism.

Make you sure follow us on Instagram, Twitter and now Snapchat at wknc881 to see where WKNC goes during Moogfest. 

– Ian Grice, WKNC Co-Public Affairs Director

Categories
Festival Coverage

Films at Moogfest

While most people know Moogfest for its performances, workshops, and installations, they also host a surprisingly diverse amount of films. The genres span from surrealist horror to documentaries and even futuristic sci-fi. Although you will not find many romance films here, I am sure you will fall in love with the beauty of the cinematography and creativity. These films exhibit why film is such unique medium of art. They combine visual and auditory elements so that each works to its strengths and creates something truly special.  

One of the main film programs is titled FUTURE PROJECTIONS. This is a 9-part screening program of short films and videos that present futuristic audiovisual concepts and put on display the sheer amount of creativity from the creators.  These films highlight some of North Carolina’s very best filmmakers and musicians including Brendan and Jeremy Smyth, Edward Rankus, Bill Brown and Sabine Gruffat. Each film takes you through a separate journey, with some being guided by occasional live soundtracks from artists at Moogfest.

Many of the films featured at Moogfest are very exclusive. One such film is “The Three Grace’s Triptych”. It was created by Detroit electronic duo ADULT and focuses on the aesthetic of Midwestern horror. I am not quite sure what to expect from this film, but the fact that this film has only been presented in very few locations and will be accompanied by a live score makes it one of my most anticipated moments of Moogfest.

If exclusivity doesn’t float your boat and you would rather take your chances with a safer film, then perhaps you should check out It Follows, one of my personal favorites of last year. This lo-fi horror movie, is scored by Rich Vreeland (Disasterpeace), who has experience scoring TV shows, videogames, most notably Fez, and other films. The soundtrack to It Follows sounds straight out of a retro 80’s film where the horror genre was not dominated by jump scares. Following the screening there will be a discussion with Disasterpeace about the background and inner working of the score.

Other notable Films include “Lunar Orbit” a documentary about one of the pioneers of ambient house music, The Orb, and their unique creative process and the story of their music.  This will be a North American premiere screening with a conversation from the artists following the screening.

For more information on Films at Moogfest check out the lineup at http://sched.moogfest.com/

Written by DJ Kevin Cossio 

Categories
Festival Coverage

Moogfest: A Technological Obsession and the Music That Drives It

Written by DJ Michael Polzin

With festival season in full swing,
Moogfest – based in downtown Durham, NC – promises to be a treat for enthusiasts
of all sorts.  No matter if you’re a
synthesizer tech head, a visual art connoisseur, an aspiring musician, or just
an average Joe – there will be something amazing for everyone to experience at
Moogfest this year.  Let’s start with the
music.

 Over the course of this four day
extravaganza, dozens of live performances and DJ sets will be hosted across
multiple venues in Durham.  This festival
is not strictly limited to electronic music though.  Hip Hop and Reggae have also found their way
into Moogfest this year, thanks to local artist Professor Toon (Double Barrel
Benefit headliner), Blazer Soundsystem, and other cross-genre
experimentalists.  Even though most
performances will depend on a DJ set in some way, live performing artists such
as Floating Points, Bicep, and ODESZA will bridge the gap between modern,
digitalized DJ software and the organic, creative human touch.  Many of these artists will be basking in the
limelight this weekend, but there is more to Moogfest than just big name
musicians

 Let’s not forget that Moogfest is an
annual tribute to the late and great Robert “Bob” Moog: sonic pioneer and
creator of the Moog synthesizer.  As a
result, many tech scientists and musical innovators will be sharing their ideas
with the world this weekend.  One event
on Saturday that seems particularly fascinating is titled “Sensory Percussion
and The Future of Drumming,” hosted by co-founder of the music tech start-up
Sunhouse, Tlacael Esparza.  This workshop
will exhibit Sunhouse’s “Sensory Percussion” project, which is a platform that
utilizes the acoustic control of digital sound.
There will also be lectures on the future of technology, build-your-own
synth classes, other showcases of musical inventions, and much more.

 Overall, Moogfest this year is
shaping up to be another honest tribute to Robert Moog, who understood that the
technology that creates music is just as important as the music itself.  As long as technology continues to grow and
musical innovators continue to innovate, Moogfest will further extend the
legacy and life work of the man who changed the world.  

Categories
Festival Coverage

Moogfest Raps

DJ Iron Mic gives us the run down on hip-hop at Moogfest 2016. 

This year, Moogfest’s lineup flexes some serious hip hop muscle with contributions from local favorites like Professor Toon and Well$, nationally known emerging artists like Denzel Curry and Torey Lanez, and a two-night residency from the legendary Wu-Tang cofounder GZA, mostly performing at Motorco Music Hall on Friday night. It’s going to be a crazy night for hip hop heads, and Motorco’s perfect size is going to make it intimate and hype. Get there early for Professor Toon at 7, stick around for ODESZA, and stay until 1am to watch GZA do his thing. In the mean time, listen to these tracks from Moogfest’s hip hop lineup, and get yourself ready to wild out.

Here is a Spotify playlist for all the hip-hop artists to look out for at Moogfest