Let's start with Gladkill's website. I think he may be one of the many innovators that will usher the industry into new and profitable options. Gladkill is not the first artist to give music away but in doing so, especially in the environment of a visually beautiful while being well laid out site definitely plants seeds to grow his base. People come to the site and want to stick around. They can click on songs in the Soundcloud widget then go read a great bio, look at tour schedules or compose an email. There is a merch link but the store is not open yet. It's just a very pleasant experience. Feeling good about an artist just from their web presence already entices people to pay for a ticket to a show or buy merch and other recordings that are for sale.
As for music? Fantastic in the fantasy sense. It feels like a quest through a storybook from the future. Castles, heroes and villains from some far away planet. The compositions are "pretty". I'd want to dress up for Boris's performances in something flowy and maybe put on a pair of wings of some sort. Then dance the tale being created by the music. I really like it and will try to experience it in July.
Goldroom or Josh Legg is a Los Angelan who has physically toured the world already. He has had successful singles that charted and got mentions in major music medium. He has collaborated with yesterday's heavy hitter, Gigamesh. His website contains a lot of audio/visual treasures. The homepage is filled with videos to feast your eyes and ears on. Before going off on his own as Goldroom, Josh was part of the synth-pop trio, NightWaves.
This music has a soul full of pop. Besides wicked electronic and instrumental hooks there are sweet vocals that people can surely sing along to, especially cruising down the highway. This is was I classify as summer music. I imagine a lot of group and couples dancing going on to these tracks. If its spirit is pop, its heart has an island/beachy beat, one that is most definitely one that requires heads bobbing and bare or sandaled feet doing that little moving around about a 5' circle in the grass or on the sand. This is pop without apologies. It is original, well written and performed. Too bad radio doesn't spin good music like this.
GRiZ is just a babe. Only 21 years old and hailing from the Motor City, this guy is currently in the midst of a U.S. tour before doing the summer festival circuit. According to his Facebook this is his first time at LIB and he is stoked to come. Grant Kwiecinski is another artist building his rep by giving away his recordings. If you visit his site you can download his current record, "Mad Liberation". Make sure to read Grant's explanation of the album and note the fact that he is humble enough to thank you for listening. I am impressed when he admits to not having a fancy studio. The other thing I liked was his statement that he is a "vinyl lover and a people hugger" . Leads me to believe there is a great stripe of humbleness that runs through him.
His music really is, as GRiZ describes, a collection of noise. But there are melodies and a solid beat working as the bread to hold these sound sandwiches together. Grant likes to play with all the new buttons and knobs on the deck or in his computer while also throwing in some cool vocal elements that act as flavor enhancing condiments. His songs are really fun. I even came across little humorous add ins to make sure you are smiling or even laughing while listening. I think I'd love some of these tracks as replacements for the ones in Mario Kart. Especially "Yesterday's Dream" is music to game by.
To all my fellow nerds and geeks, weirdos and freaks doin' the Coachella, don't forget to boogie it at the Woogie with the DoLab crew. Everyone, if you haven't already, get your tix for LIB and support all the really great arts and artists out there. Peace.
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