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

Coming up this Saturday Night is the 10,000 Sounds Music Festival in the heart of downtown Minneapolis.  The second iteration of the annual festival featuring Poliça, Sylvan Esso, Allan Kingdom, Carroll, Frankie Teardrop, Tree Blood and hosted by Barb Abney of the Current!

The single stage event welcomes several genres of music, local food options from both restaurants and food trucks (the O'Cheese truck will be there, one of our favorites), as well as beverages of all kinds.  Running from 4:00 to 10:00, you'll have plenty of other entertainment options available once the festival ends, being just one block south of the Orpheum Theater.


Buy Tickets until noon on Saturday for $25, or at the door for $30

Don't want to pay for tickets?  Enter to win a pair over on our Facebook Page.

The Cedar was an ideal venue for this show.  A small crowd by TBT standards and the amazing sound quality at The Cedar only highlighted the skills on display even more.  It felt a bit odd to look around the audience of a Trampled show to see almost no one dancing.  Instead, 300+ people stood like statues transfixed on the down-tempo sounds emanating from the stage.  

Canal Park Lift Bridge shrouded in fog

Cargo ship passes behind the stage as Doomtree gets started

Low's set was an obvious hit with the Duluth crowd.  Native to the lakefront town and playing shows since 1993, it was clear that the fans in the audience knew what to expect and were soaking up every song.  Their set seemed to go by incredibly fast and everyone was sad to see it end.  They finished things us with a soulful and moving cover of Rihanna's Stay, which seemed to capture the basis sentiment of the moment.  I missed the chance to film it, but I was able to locate a version online.  It's worth a listen...



Doomtree took the stage and the winds literally changed. Reversing direction from North off the lake it changed to coming from the South and was warmer and felt heavy with humidity.  The clouds in the sky were dark and swirling.  Things were about to get even more sketchy.  Doomtree's set was action packed and their immensely talented front-woman Dessa brought her brand of soulful vocals to Duluth for the evening.


Even as the rains came, the Doomtree fans stood strong. (A quick side note on Outdoor Concert Etiquette; go ahead and bring an umbrella if rain is in the forecast, just don't stand at the front of the stage if you plan to use it.  There is nothing quite as annoying as standing in the rain to try and enjoy a show but only getting a view of the umbrella in front of you.  You need to make a choice, be up front OR use the umbrella, not both!)  Wrapping up their full set to a huge crowd dancing in the rain was more than a little fun and the sound from the Bayfront stage was amazing.

The sky gets ugly while Doomtree performs

For many of those in attendance, Trampled by Turtles was the reason they came.  Duluth's golden boys took the stage in the pouring rain and thanked the devoted audience for their willingness to tolerate the less than ideal conditions.  In a well timed nod to another MN legend they kicked off their set with Bob Dylan's "Shelter from the Storm".


Unfortunatley, Mother Nature wasn't wiling to play nice and after just a handful of songs TBT was forced to leave the stage due to lightning strikes.  Check out Heady Trade Co's video of mid song lightning HERE, pretty cool stuff.  After just a few short minutes they returned telling the crowd that for the safety of their crew they would keep playing but if lightning struck again they'd have to leave again.  Cheers of appreciation filled the air.  Just a few cords into the next song and the sky was once again filled with bolts of lightning and that marked the end.  As TBT left the stage their tour manager came out telling people to head over to Amsoil Arena, just a few hundred yards away.  There we could wait out the storm and that they would eventually continue.  After nearly an hour of killing time and witnessing several more lightning strikes, we decided to head out.  This turned out to be a major fail on our part as eventually TBT did return to the stage to play for a tiny crowd of about 1000.  I'm not sure how long they played, but even one more song would have been worth the wait.

Until next year, Bayfront.  We're hoping to see this show happen again.