In their new single, MGMT begins the shift from their new age hippie, sunny music, to a darker new goth electro. This isn’t a bad thing for them though. In their new video for Little Dark Age, they have fun with the sound and image, parodying The Cure‘s Robert Smith, with a gleeful nonsensical and pretentious tone to the rest of the video. Even though the sound is a little darker (almost kissing She Wants Revenge‘s at times), their melodies are still catchy, and almost gleeful. Enjoy!
What EDM is to Me: Kayla Draper
To some, I may be considered a relative newcomer to the rave and electronic music scene, and I will admit that I don’t have the background to really discuss the “golden age” of raves or how times have changed. However, I still find my years of growth within the community to be a solid basis for comparison as the community continues to develop.
My first memorable interaction with anything EDM was my sophomore year of high school where I became obsessed with Basshunter’s “Now You’re Gone”, followed years later by Bassnectar’s “Lights” remix. The latter I distinctly remember blasting in my car every day for a month straight. As my love for the music grew, I attended my first event at Rich’s Houston when Morgan Page came to play. I was introduced to gloving and the group that would eventually become my rave family. This all led me to experience my first kind of “underground” show- Technicolor 2 at Villains. That night changed everything about my life and I became fully invested in the scene and the music. Through the years since, my preference for genres has changed constantly, but overall my feelings have remained the same: I am absolutely in love with this music.
Today, I am an avid fan of anything hard dance, drum & bass, and future house. My love for this music has combined with my love for travel, taking me to shows across the state, country, and international. My festival experience includes Meltdown Dallas, Identity Festival, Something Wonderful, Coachella, all iterations of Something Wicked, and (my personal favorite) Defqon.1 Amsterdam. I’ve retired from the gloving world, replacing that hobby with contact staff, swag & skank step, and dancing for various clubs and venues in Houston. This music has become an important part of my life and helps me continuously strive to go more places and learn more about the world.
Looking forward, as a writer and correspondent for the Department of Dance I hope to share my love for hard dance, drum & bass, and future bass as well as expand my knowledge of everything dance music. I cannot wait to speak more with those in the industry to learn how this music has influenced and inspired them, and help spread their stories for all to read!
Mix of the Week: Kenny Dope: Anything Goes Radio: RinseFM: November 2, 2017
This week’s Mix of the Week comes from the legendary Kenny Dope. This mix really is a grab bag of tracks, with everything from House to Funk and Soul, but with solid and fun track selection. Enjoy!