The Chainsmokers – Friendzone Tour

The Chainsmokers Friendzone Tour
The Chainsmokers
Friendzone Tour

Like many, we were introduced to The Chainsmokers by their hit single “Selfie”. We remember walking the grounds of Ultra ’14 as they hit the main stage and since then been huge fans! Always making sure we catch their sets if we find ourselves in the same festival, writing about their latest single and (the coolest part of all) chatting – via email – about their latest work and upcoming shows. So, after missing them at TomorrowWorld and finding out they were coming to Indy, we arranged for a killer night. We brought our intern Juan Carlos Paredes to snap pix and review the show! Check out what his impression of the show:

HALFWAY THROUH THE FRIENDZONE!! INDY WAS 🔥 LAST NIGHT! SO PUMPED FOR ST LOUIS TONIGHT!!

A photo posted by The Chainsmokers (@thechainsmokers) on

Since we showed up a little we got to see what the crowd was like. So far it’s exactly what I was thinking it would be, a lot of Indy folk looking to have a good time. A lot of pretty girls, hyped dudes, and everything in between. My favorite part was seeing all the pacers jerseys.

Alex Paredes & Juan Carlos Paredes at The Chainsmokers - Friendzone tour
Alex Paredes & Juan Carlos Paredes at The Chainsmokers – Friendzone tour

Super Duper were on stage when we arrived. A group I’ve never heard of before. Their style is a mixture of chill house and upbeat. They have a live drummer on stage which I thought is petty cool. They threw in some random bangers that got the crowd vibing to their mellow mix. Shaun Frank came next. First song, Banger! Also, his first time in Indy. Shaun threw killer beats from the beginning and I made me fall in love for his style. During his set we had the opportunity to interview Matoma, which was an awesome experience. But from what I remember (I was sober the whole time) it was exactly what the crowd needed to keep hype for the next two sets.

Boom! Keep an eye on raannt.com for our interview with @matomaofficial!!!!! A video posted by Raannt (@raannt) on

Matoma was amazing! I’m not just saying that to brown nose either. I will admit I was not familiar with his music beforehand but my immediate impression of him was nothing but positive. His blend of tropical house and popular music was incredible. The crowd, and myself, would loose their minds whenever the build up came to a popular song followed by an intense drop. On top of all that, I really enjoyed whenever he, and the other performers, would throw on another dope song from another dj. I heard some Kaskade, Skrillex, Steve Aoki, The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, and the list goes on. Not only was Matoma good but we had the pleasure of seeing him perform from backstage.

the chainsmokers friendzone tour murat old national theater indianapolis indiana show edm raannt
The Chainsmokers: Holy. Shit. I knew they were good but they were on a whole other level. Right before they started we were upfront trying to get a good angle for pictures and next thing I know the bass drops (right after the intro) as I’m standing next to the speakers and I nearly lost my balance! They started with a lot of their popular songs and transitioned into a laundry list of songs I’ve never heard of. I didn’t realize that they had trap songs which lead to my pleasant surprise. Not only were they amazing but their set lasted for a respectable amount of time. They had a blend of their own songs, some mixes, and some bangers all blended smoothly. Overall, it was an amazing concert, full of energy and unreal beats!.

Love The Chainsmokers? Ream more about them here
instagram button

Kaskade Automatic Tour Recap

CID
CID

The Automatic tour is more than just a tour, it’s more than a show, it’s more than music… It’s an emotion, it’s a series of feelings wrapped in an incredible sequence of beats and lights that penetrate your mind and cover your body in goosebumps. That was our experience and we’re pretty confident that everyone else can say they felt it too. Kaskade brought a long some great talent along with him so for your treat… here’s an insight of our night:

Opening: Ravell
– Deep house
– Sexy

Kaskade #Automatic squad: K- Monica Dan  A-Mandy Sim S- Courtney Tan K- Rikki Vicaldo A- Bororth Tim D- John Nou E- James Borja
Kaskade #Automatic squad:
K- Monica Dan
A-Mandy Sim
S- Courtney Tan
K- Rikki Vicaldo
A- Bororth Tim
D- John Nou
E- James Borja

2nd: Louis the Child

Chicago Natives Louis The Child
Chicago Natives
Louis The Child

– Chicago locals
– ALL types of house
– Perfect blend of R&B/Hip-Hop (90s – today), electro and “pop” energy.
– Did not stop dancing behind their decks, kept up with the crowd
3rd: CID
– quality house

CID
CID

– great energy
– closed with new single
KASKADE

Kaskade
Kaskade

– Coachella stage, that’s what we’re call it, it’s incredible in person! You have GOT to see it it!
– Opened with ‘Disarm You’
– The show is emotional… Like the beginning of a story everyone needs to live
– Closes with ‘We Don’t Stop’

Love Kaskade as much as we do? Check out our Interview with him and more
instagram button

Out Now: Disco Killerz & Sarah Charness – ‘Grip’ feat. Jem Cooke

Disco Killerz & Sarah Charness - Grip feat. Jem Cooke (Original Mix)
Disco Killerz & Sarah Charness – Grip feat. Jem Cooke (Original Mix)

Disco Killerz & Sarah Charness have collaborated on a killer new track and it’s literally a body shaker. ‘Grip’ featuring Jem Cooke has what we like to call ’emotional musicality’… meaning that this song is perfect for every occasion. Hit play for an intense cardio workout or for the occasional study break. Disco Killerz infused the track with high energy while Sarah Charness provided one-of-a-kind elctro-violin notes that created the perfect canvas for Jem Cooke to lay down her uplifting vocals. Check out the track bellow and click on the Itunes button to purchase!

itunes-button

For more DJs and EDM beats check out more of our music reviews

instagram button

 

Disclosure Live At Chicago’s Navy Pier

DISCLOSURE at Chicago's NAVY PIER on Thursday, October 15th, which will also feature support from special guests including Dirtybird's head honcho, CLAUDE VONSTROKE along with multi-instrumentalist and nu-disco producer, POMO.
DISCLOSURE at Chicago’s NAVY PIER on Thursday, October 15th, which will also feature support from special guests including Dirtybird’s head honcho, CLAUDE VONSTROKE along with multi-instrumentalist and nu-disco producer, POMO.

Yep… and that’s a slow yeeeeppp, like the one you whisper to yourself when the beat drops and each and every single house beat enters your body and as you connect with what the DJ is dropping and you become one with the crowd… yep! Disclosure is infamous for creating, over and over, that experience. Their shows, to us, are dark in the best of ways and now the brother duo, is finally arriving to Chicago!

Buy Caracal here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/caracal-deluxe/id1001770867?linkId=15905091&app=itunes
Buy Caracal by clicking on the picture

Caratal is their sophomore album and this their biggest production to date, so get ready for that ‘yep’ feeling we talked about! Tickets and more info for the Chicago show is available here.

Don’t know Disclosure? Shame on you! But, you can learn more about them here: www.disclosureofficial.com/

For more DJs and EDM beats check out more of our music reviews

instagram button

A Taste of KASKADE – Chicago Saturday Oct. 17th At Chicago’s NAVY PIER

React and Live Nation are thrilled to present KASKADE'S AUTOMATIC TOUR at Chicago's NAVY PIER on Saturday, October 17th
React and Live Nation are thrilled to present KASKADE’S AUTOMATIC TOUR at Chicago’s NAVY PIER on Saturday, October 17th

By now you can call us Kaskade junkies, literally we follow every single social profile of the international DJ, we’ve seen him 3 times this year and can’t wait for this Saturday. Over the course of the last couple of weeks, his posts gives us fans a glimpse of what the Automatic experience is and… well if you’re missing out, you’re really missing out!

⚡️FOMO ALERT⚡️#AUTOMATIC SDhttps://youtu.be/AcOYQiLOa_IOnly watch if you went or if you are going soon. Otherwise there will be tears. Tix for upcoming shows: KaskadeMusic.com

Posted by Kaskade on Monday, October 12, 2015

Kaskade is back in Chicago’s legendary Navy Pier where once again he’ll be shaking the waters of Lake Michigan. Don’t worry Milwakee, you’ll be just fine! The good news is that tickets are still available for Saturdays show, The Navy Pier is a huge venue and has allowed plenty of room for the Kaskade magic to fully come alive! And of course, you can’t forget to thank the peeps of react presents & Live Nation for bringing the multi-Grammy nominated producer/DJ/singer/songwriter back! For tickets or show information you can click here.

See you all Saturday night!!!!!

For more DJs and EDM beats check out more of our music reviews

instagram button

TomorrowWorld 2015 – The Key To Happiness, Day 3

Photo taken by TomorrowWorld
Photo taken by TomorrowWorld

Yep, we all know the stories by now… not to mention that Kaskade put them on blast on his twitter this morning…

But come on… We can’t over look the fact that TomorrowWorld was a good time. Look, remember when you were jumping to the thump of your favorite DJ? When you and your friends were snapping your favorite song, or when you were meeting new people? Or what about the excitement you felt all throughout your TomorrowWorld adventure… There was a lot of good there.

This is your life, make every second legendary!
This is your life, make every second legendary!

Saturday night was horrible for many people. For thousands of people, but the entire weekend was incredible for all… really. TomorrowWorld has apologized & outlined its refund policy for everyone affected:

TomorrowWorld Apology Refund Policy raannt
Official TomorrowWorld Apology and Refund Policy

We were going to write about the injustice and the lack of organization and even highlight the craziness that was Saturday, 9/27, night; but then, we got the notes from our intern, Juan Carlos Paredes, and realized that TomorrowWorld isn’t about what they didn’t give us, it’s not about what we missed out on, or how the negative took over… It’s about happiness, it’s about togetherness, it’s about music, love… TomorrowWorld gave us the key to happiness and it is up to us to use it and make sure that we make it fit in every situation, good or bad.

Alex and our college intern Juan at TomorrowWorld 2015
Alex and Juan at TomorrowWorld 2015

Thank you Juan for reminding us what TomororwWorld really is about and Thank you TomorrowWorld for providing an experience we will never forget!

Want more TomorrowWorld? Check out our DJ interviews and Festival Reviews here

instagram button

A Wet TomorrowWorld 2015 – Day 2 Recap

TomorrowWorld Day 2
TomorrowWorld Day 2

Rain & mud everywhere! This is going to be interesting!
3:45pm: after much needed rest we head to TomorrowWorld for our interview with MaRLo.
4:50pm: NO! BIG! DEAL! Ansolo, aka: Ansel Elgort aka: they guy from The Fault in Our Stars hanging out in the press area!

Ansolo - Angel Elgort
Ansolo – Angel Elgort

5pm: Interview with MaRLo.
5:45pm: New ATL killed the ATL stage. They bring an incredible blend of hard core hip hop and electro beats with the right amount of microphone talk.
6:15pm: Kidnap Kip rocked the Pete Tong Stage with some deep techno and high energy.
6:35pm: Shiba San… O!M!G! Literally one of our favorites. Incredible! His ability to get the crowed hipped (I mean on top of the TomorrowWorld hype) makes you wish you had the energy to never stop. Literally! Awesome! Off to the Artist Mansion to chat with Seven Lions.
7:45pm: interview with Seven Lions
8:15pm: Ran into New ATL at the artists mansion. Great cats and they’re ready to go oh your! Check them out:
9:15pm: Pete Tong at the Pete Tong Stage. Man this guys is not only an original to the monumental Electronic Music movement, he is also able to stay current with every bit of classic sounds! The beats are sexy and the atmosphere is euphoric.
9:45pm: This year we made it a point to try new music and DJs, check out day one – it’s full of people we’ve never heard of or check out before – so We parked our butts at the Mythical Frames Stage for some new music! Starting with Gramatik! This cat really knows how to throw some sick beats! He blends current hard sounds with classic tracks and creates unbelievable music! We’re totally hooked!
10-11:15pm: We sat for a while. Two days of straight dancing and raging on top of walking and working really beats your body! So we took this time to watch, talk, hang, and really take in the experience of what TomorrowWorld meant to us… Not to mention that it was an awesome bonding experience!
11:35pm: Bassnectar! Many, many, many of you have seen him before and love his music. Me? Not so much… until Saturday night. His stage presences is magnetic and man on man can he put on a show!!! The crowd goes crazy. The Mythical Frames area is crazy packed and people are intuned with anything he drops! Small glow sticks fly in the air every time a killer beat drops.
12:15am: We make our way back to the main stage, figure to catch a bit of Hardwell before we head to our tent to catch the last bus of the night…. Oh Hardwell… You’re literally a force to be reckoned with! I wanted to show Juan the power of Hardwell and thought it might be a hard sale after Bassnectar… but nope! He loved him! Maybe not as much as I do, but it was a killer show!

Hardwell Closing Saturday Night at TomorrowWorld
Hardwell Closing Saturday Night at TomorrowWorld

12:50am: This is where things start to go south for TomorrowWorld. We walk back our normal way to our tent and we feel the “hurry-up” energy from the security team. So we moved quickly, mainly because we don’t want to keep anyone waiting. Our experience has been that everything moves on time and smoothly. We gather our things and make our way to the shuttle. As we drive down chaos starts to brew… literally people running everywhere, wondering which shuttle to take, TomorrowWorld staff screaming at each other because they’re being told different things from different people, traffic directors screaming at festival goers, press, and artist companions to not move or to get out of the way with no form of understanding where to send them or where they should be at. Luckily, we get on our shuttle and got back to our hotel by 3am… That wasn’t the story for many tonight…

Juan Carlos Paredes’s, our college intern, day 2 perspective:

“It’s 1:54 and Alex and I are at a local diner fueling up for today. Last night was pretty wild. Tiesto closed TW and I was so exhausted that I could barely summon the energy to move around. I still had a good time but a valuable lesson was learned. Don’t go hard af during the day so we can rage at night. Rookie mistake. At one point we sat on the wet ass ground for about an hour cuz of how exhausted we were. But a couple beers later lifted the spirits back to raging mode. Today we’re showing up a little later and I’m not upset about it. Leaving the hotel I’m amazed to see how many TW-ers are in full costume. Especially the ladies. Let’s see what today has in store.
8:46 pm and we’re currently at the artist mansion waiting on the last interview. Today has been more work than anything. I don’t mind tho because it gives my body and soul a chance to recover. However, I wish I was still out there since it is my first music festival and who knows when I’m gonna come back. I definitely want to continue making this kinds of trips, hopefully I’ll have a job that pays me well enough to make that happen.

This is your life, make every second legendary!
This is your life, make every second legendary!

I also found a new dj that I fucking loved. Their name is New ATL and they were incredible. They literally had everything I love about in music all into one incredible performance. Not only that but I had a chance to meet them and get there picture. Their cool ass dudes.

Juan Carlos Paredes & New ATL at TomorrowWorld 2015
Juan Carlos Paredes & New ATL at TomorrowWorld 2015

It’s Saturday and I can easily say that there was the most amount of people in one place I’ve ever seen in my life. A literal sea of people. And I wish I was a part if it currently. But I can’t really complain because I was fortunate enough to get a ticket. Beggars can’t be choosers but I’d prefer to choose to be out there loosing my mind. I’ve also met some pretty cool people while helping out Alex with the PR and press for raannt. Bassnectar performs tonight and I’ll be upset with myself if I didn’t get a chance to see him perform. Alejandro, Stringfield and Trev have been the only one of my friends to ask me how this experience has been which is no big deal because I understand human nature and the apathy to ask a simple question like that but it’d be nice to hear from more people about how I’m doing. Maybe that should be a learning lesson for me. Anyways we just found out that the dj won’t be able to make so we’re about to make the best of the rest of tonight!!!!”

Want more TomorrowWorld? Check out our DJ interviews and Festival Reviews here

instagram button

The 2015 TomorrowWorld Experience – Day 1 Recap

TomorrowWorld 2015, in Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia.
TomorrowWorld 2015, in Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia.

Here we go! This year we’re doing it a bit different. We’ve brought along our new college intern, Juan Carlos Paredes, who happens to be  a virgin at the music festival life style-experience. That’s right PLUR girls, this young buck is ready to learn anything you have to teach him! So, we’re blending our professional opinion with the one of a first timer. So… here we go:

1:15pm: Gates open! Dreamvillers patiently, tho incredibly excited, wait for their full madness access to all the stages! Word of advice, if you want to buy merchandise… Make that your first stop!

Dreamvillers make their way into the TomorrowWorld grounds
Dreamvillers make their way into the TomorrowWorld grounds

1:45pm: The beautiful ladies of Duelle killed the It’s A Trap stage!
2pm: Stages start to fill up. The energy is crazy and the people are in full race character!
3pm: Jacob van Hage closes the 1st hour of the Full On tent with the best energy.
3:25pm: Arches kills the Potion boat with some incredible deep house!!!
4:03pm: We have got to become friends with Mattn… She’s is our definition of sexy!!!!!!!
4:10pm: the traveling limbo squad hits the mystical frames. How long can you go?

They literally were at every stage limboing with the crowed! so much fun!
They literally were at every stage limboing with the crowed! so much fun!

4:21pm: Colombia took over the TomorroWorld groups!!! You guys were everywhere!!!! Is it because everyone is watching Narcos on Netflix?
4:26: The It’s A Trap stage… Best day stage! Killer beats and packed.

It's A Trap Stage
It’s A Trap Stage

8:08: Main stage time! Showtek, Steve Angello, Kaskade & Tiësto!
9:15: Steve Angelo killed TomorrowWorld! Honestly, we think he should of closed day 1!
10:35: Kaskade. There is no beat this man can turn into magic. Every original, any remix, every deep soul sound and every stage production is an emotional ride! So, NEVER miss Kaskade while at a festival… It’s an emotional experience.
2:15 am: finally back in our hotel, ready to decompress and rest for day 2!

Now, this is what TomorrowWorld looks like to someone that’s never been:

“As soon as we got to TomorrowWorld, the feeling of uneasiness immediately hit me. I was so unsure about the things that were going to happen and how they would happen. We were among the first to get there and we had the opportunity to check out the whole grounds before anyone. The way that TomorrowWorld decorated the grounds was incredible. Life size mushrooms everywhere, lights on anything you could see, stages forty feet tall, an abundance of convenience stores, lasers flashing constantly, and colorful decal sprinkled around made it seem as if you were walking into a dream. As if you were exiting through the rabbit hole. Since everywhere was basically empty, I almost felt disappointed and unimpressed. That quickly changed. As soon as the first wave of people came thru, and they came thru hard, I was star struck. The outfits everyone had one were incredible. It was like a blend of a Halloween party and a college homecoming tailgate mixed together. The DJ’s started doing their thing and the crowd went all out right off the whistle. I couldn’t help but feel like a kid in a candy store. After several hours of traversing the land and dancing like a high school cheerleader we had to make our way back to the media tent and work. After that was said and done we had the rest of the day to do whatever. Being media had a lot of perks, a lot. Food, drinks, wifi, and access to certain VIP areas. Of course we took advantage and capture as much of TomorrowWorld as possible.

TomorrowWorld 2015 Main Stage During Steve Angello
TomorrowWorld 2015 Main Stage During Steve Angello

Once the sun went down the real fun happened. TomorrowWorld transformed from music festival to a dream world. It felt as if the darkness amplified the music, brightened the light show, and got people to go more wild. Watching the DJ’s perform while having the lights synced with their music and the stage showing off its visual prowess was impressive. The stage dwarfed the DJ’s but made them seem God-like. In the elevated VIP areas there  were people that just stood around and bumped their heads to the beat nonchalantly but there were others, like us, that jumped, danced, and raged just as hard as the crowd down in the pits and main areas. They were the best, their energy was contagious. The main stage stole the show at night. It was so large and loud that it was hard to leave. That’s why we wended up staying there for the last three DJ’s. Also, I’ve never seen so many beautiful girls wearing skimpy outfits in my life. If heaven is real then all the girls would look and dress that way… well hopefully not but you get what I mean.

Want more TomorrowWorld? Check out our DJ interviews and Festival Reviews here

instagram button

Lady Gaga Joins ‘American Horror Story – Hotel’

Lady Gaga on American Horror Story - Hotel
Lady Gaga on American Horror Story – Hotel

Mother monster has join the ultimate monster house. Today Lady Gaga announced that she will be joining the cast of the iconic American Horror Story. ‘American Horror Story – Hotel’ starts production in July and premiers in October… and that’s all we know so far folks! Except:

We’re. So. Ready!

American Horror Story - Hotel October 2015
American Horror Story – Hotel
October 2015

Check out all of our other celebrity interviews, including Angela Bassett, in our Interview section!

Follow us for all kinds of entertainment stuff!

instagram button

The Alexander Hotel Indianapolis

the alexander

Over the last couple of years Indianapolis has been working hard at becoming more chic, elegant and  refined, striving to become a city people will want to live and play. After the incredible attention Indianapolis received  from last year’s Super Bowl, it’s no wonder we’re stepping up our game and coming into our own as a city prepared for world travelers. The Alexander Hotel is the latest edition in a trend to making Indianapolis a world class city.

alexanderalexander2

Last weekend, we had the privilege of attending the grand opening of The Alexander; A Dolce Hotel, in Indianapolis.  The event was crazy beautiful, filled with amazing food, a collection of Indianapolis’ most interesting people and performances by William and The Earth Harp.

alexander 2

The Alexander is a boutique hotel crawling with contemporary art powered by the likes of the Indianapolis Museum of Art and Buckingham Companies. The gallery hotel concept isn’t anythign new to us, but a great new concept to have in Indianapolis.  Louisville, Cincinnati and Bentonville  have the incredible 21c Museum Hotels literally an art gallery with a 5 star restaruant and loft like rooms.  The 21c Museum Hotel in Louisville is literally one of all time favorite hotels!

Chicago has the Public hotel, which previously was The Ambassador East, but was redesigned but hotel legend and creator of the “boutique hotel” concept, Ian Schrager.  Public is an interwining mix of old school charm and modern sophistication with a sprawling lounge bar, fixed with resident DJ’s and a restaurant with uncompared cuisine.  Public is easily one of our favorite hotels in Chicago!

Although  Las Vegas has an incredible amount of hotels, our favorite is the hotel which would be surmised as an oversized boutique hotel;  The Cosmopolitan.  We are a little partial, being that we got married there, but the art, ambiance and charm of every minute detail make The Cosmopolitan one of the greatest hotels on the planet.  It houses several bars including the interior Chandelier bar, which actually sits inside of an enormous chandelier, as well as the loungy Bond bar and the massive Marquee Nightclub which also houses the Marquee Day Club.  The rooms at The Cosmopolitan are beyond compare, most with balconies overlooking either the Marquee Day Club or The Bellagio, with better views of the fountains than The Bellagio itself.  While most would not include it in the category of a boutique hotel, it meets the needs of every individual traveler, making it by far, our favorite hotel.

alexander6alexander7

The Alexander in Indianapolis truly compares to these other world class boutique hotels and we are so excited to have it here!  Summer nights will now be filled with specialty drinks from the bar  Plat 99 on a deck overlooking the city.  Dinner dates with friends will now be experienced in a complex of loungy restaurants and sexy bars that will enhance converasation and create lasting memories. And of course anniversaries and other special occasions will be homed in the comfortable and attractive rooms The Alexander has to offer.  We’ll be staying soon and giving a full review of the rooms, restaurants and all The Alexander has to offer!

It’s quite a groovy joint!

Stay tuned for more hotel and restaurant reviews in our Places section including our next review of our recent trip to Louisville and the 21c Museum hotel!

Please Follow Us!