If you are a fan of EDM, then your weekend starts on Thursday night.  Thanks to the folks at SIM Shows, you have back-to-back nights of great music right here in Minneapolis.


22-year old wunderkid, Henry Steinway aka RL Grime, has made one of the most unique impacts on the EDM scene over the last 2 years.  Since the release of his debut EP "Grapes" back in 2012, Grime's genre-blending style has made fans of EDM lovers and non-believers alike.  With some of the most recognizable remixes of the last year, he has proven that his style is universally dig-able.  He, along with LUNICE and BRANCHEZ are set to take over Mill City Nights this coming Thursday night...

Two of the most storied DJs in the game have teamed up to pay tribute to Hip-Hop legend and Universal Zulu Nation founder, Afrika Bambaataa.  Bambaataa is credited with being the father of electro-funk and influenced the development of Hip Hop as a whole.

DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist have been given special access to Bambaataa's historic 40,000+ record collection, which is now housed Cornell University.  They are spinning HIS records, not the same records, THE records that helped birth the art of DJing.  I think DJ Shadow said it best...  “This has never been done before, definitely not on this scale. They’re HIS records, with his blessings. This isn’t just ANY copy of ‘X’ breakbeat, it’s THE copy, THE copy that started everything. Not just any records, the MASTER OF RECORDS’ records.” – DJ Shadow.

With the tour already underway, opportunities to check out this amazing show are disappearing fast.  They will be making a Minneapolis stop on Wednesday September 24th at the Skyway Theatre.  Grab your tickets now, because they are going to be gone before you know it.

Good weather once again blessed the pristine valley of Somerset WI this past weekend. Summer Set Music festival is one of the highlights of the entire year not just the summer, and it has failed to disappoint in any of it's three iterations. Lorin aka Bassnectar said it best " When festivals give the opportunity to play without noise interference it opens up so many magical doors of possibilities".  The magic of a festival tucked away in the woods, devoid of the hustle of the city is something you simply need to experience.


Somerset Amphitheater is the setting for the Summer Set Music Festival which promised many upgrades from last year and delivered on many fronts. The Grove Stage was the biggest improvement of all. No more breathing in dust and melting from the heat of 10,000 human beings crammed into a giant tent. Rather, it was nearly impossible not to enjoy the music and scenery on a permanent stage down in a secluded valley. Home to the greatest after parties imaginable, it didn't disappoint. With ample water stations at your disposal (a historically significant problem) it was a massive upgrade.


With a lineup full of big name acts and only an hour from the twin cities this is something you can't pass up. This being our third time at the festival we knew what to expect and what are agenda was. Making our way to the main stage watching the people filling in is always fun. The people watching may be as entertaining as the music itself, there is no lack of unique spirits wandering the festival grounds. We were there for the music, but much of the fun is just hanging out with like-minded people and taking the opportunity to see how people express themselves when unencumbered by their daily life.


Break Science was the first "can't miss" act on our agenda and they blew everything we expected out of the water. After they threw down we made our way to the Grove Stage for The Disco Biscuits, another highly anticipated performance we mid-westerners don't get often enough. Kaskade closed out Friday night on the main stage with a massive set. The fireworks were a huge surprise and definitely put a cap on the evening. Summerset's after parties are possibly the musical highlight of the entire festival.  Collaborations and performances with a variety of "special guests" are what make them so special.  With the world premiere of ManicScience, a collaboration between Break Science and ManicFocus and a full set by Gramatik, if you had anything left in the tank at 2:30 in the morning, you are a better man than I am.

Saturday had a huge lineup with most people vowing not to miss to Cherub at six. As you can imagine, the early part of the day was less busy as people recovered from the night before. We stopped by Wu-Tang Clan, which had a large crowd and good energy. The crowd was bumping to the beats they were throwing down. Our musical tastes lie in a different direction, so we headed for Flux Pavilion at the Grove stage. He exceeded everyone's expectations as well, epic laser show and heavy beats made for one hell of a show. Our most anticipated show of the entire weekend was the three time Summer Set veterans Big Gigantic. They closed out the main stage on Saturday night and were the group we were looking forward to most. Big G always brings their "A" game when they come to the Midwest and this time was no different. We tend not to be front and center in the thick of the crowd, rather we hang back and take in the surroundings as a whole. Big G had Cherub on stage for their single "The Night is Young" which was a welcome surprise. Next Flux Pavilion took the stage with them and threw down an epic jam. The show took on a whole new aspect after that, Big G ramped it up. Another epic fireworks display made for an unforgettable experience.


Saturday night's after-party may have been the most anticipated 2 hours of the weekend. We meandered down the wood chip trail pumped for Savoy, but it was the Emancipator Ensemble that was a genuine surprise. We have heard of them before but was never able to partake in the enchantment that is their live performance. Big ups to those four, it was perfect to start the after party.  Savoy

Just found a young DJ that is just 18 years-old and a freshman at the University of Iowa...  Brandon Stogsdill, aka DJ Stogs, is dropping tracks well beyond his years.  Check out his collection of electro/house mashups and original productions.  I'm betting we'll see more from this kid in the near future...  Really diggin' "I'm Boneless and Famous", killer track...
 

Local EDM concert promoters and event organizers Sound in Motion, aka SIM Shows, has put together an epic calendar from now until the end of the year.  With a laundry list of great shows throughout 2013 including, Calvin Harris, Hardwell, Infected Mushroom and many others as well as playing a huge role in the second annual Summer Set Music and Camping Festival, which was 3 days of brain melting fun in the sun just over the border in Summerset, WI.   Well, the line-up from now until the middle of November is nothing short of awesome...


One week later (9/26), Will Sparks takes the stage at Marquee...


Kicking off October Morgan Page plays Epic nightclub - (Here is his full set from Electric Daisy Carnival)


October 8th Wolfgang Gartner shares the stage with SIMShows founder Jack Trash at Epic


The weekend of October 17th, 18th, and 19th is loaded...  Don't plan to sleep from Thursday to Sunday.  Thursday night is Laidback Luke at Epic, Friday gets Kill Paris at Muse and Saturday there's the Life in Color Paint Party at Epic, featuring 3LAU...


10/23 Epic hosts Griz: The Rebel Era Tour, which has gotten nothing but incredible reviews thus far.


The Mill City Nights venue is booked for the 25th to be set up for Figure & Crizzly for what could be a Halloween Extravaganza...


Rolling into November, Steve Aoki and the Aokify World Tour take over Epic on the 9th...
(Complete set from Tomorrowland 2013)


As if all of that wasn't enough, Pretty Lights is slated to blow the roof off of Myth on the 15th...  It is going to be a fight around the office here to see who gets to cover that show...

See you at the shows...

In what has been called the song of the Summer, Daft Punk's "Lose Yourself to Dance" has seen an amazing amount of radio airtime.  Well, today we get to see their video interpretation of this hit song...  Let us know what you think.

As we draw closer and closer to August 9th, I find myself YouTubing random artists off of the list of performers from this years Summerset Music Festival. Some I know and love, others are new to me, either way you can't help but find something you'll dig. Here is a taste of what's in-store...

Big Gigantic


Girl Talk


Passion Pit


Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9)


Diplo


Beats Antique


Zedd



Plus several great local acts like...

Polica


The 4 on the Floor


Pert Near Sandstone


Dessa


Doomtree

After an incredibly good time last year, the Summer Set Music and Camping Festival returns again this year with an equally awesome line-up...  Mark your calendars for August 9th - 11th.  We'll be there!

This review was originally posted to the electronic music blog Dancing Astronaut by Michael Sundius, borrowed for your listening pleasure...