Two signs of a mature band hitting their stride and performing at their best in front of a live audience are versatility and crowd-control. Both were on display as Papadosio brought it hard at the House of Blues this past Saturday. This group has carved out a place amongst the best within their genre through years of tireless touring and continual refinement. In doing so, they’ve amassed a die-hard fanbase that always shows up. Exhibiting an original sound and tons of breadth within their talents, Papadosio wins crowds over by playing it both slow and fast. Shows like theirs are a breath of fresh air in this day and age, and as far as I’m concerned there can never be enough good jam and dance music breezing through the Windy City.
Dosio, no stranger to performing in Chicago, hails from Asheville, North Carolina and is currently in the midst of a nationwide tour. A self-proclaimed mixture of progressive rock, psychedelia, folk, electronica, dance, and jam, this quintet is multifaceted. Where some other groups may lose their focus trying out too many things, Papadosio uses this as a strength.  A beautiful autumn day preceded by a tranquil night set the mood for Dosio’s effervescent vibe and I arrived feeling positive and ready to get loose on the dance floor. The ideal mindset one needs to harness and inject this type of music into their soul and let it make its purposed impact.

The show initiated with Papadosio playing it slow. When they ease you into their music the sound seemingly wraps around you and you float into another dimension. With eyes closed, you’ll undoubtedly find yourself rocking back and forth envisioning being cradled in a hammock on another planet amidst ethereal beauty and love. Tunes such as “Find Your Cloud,” “New Love,” and “The Bionic Man Meets His Past,” are textbook examples of the fluttery transformative musical expressions that Papadosio has masterfully taken ownership of. The intricacies in each individual performance intertwined with the energy of the crowd in a synergy that only happens when the band and spectators are all on the same wavelength. While this experience is subjective to each individual, it certainly felt harmonious
From this point on, Papadosio’s live show starts to feel more like a road trip through the mountains. The scenery is nice and you’re cruising in a Rolls Royce Phantom (not that I ever have), but this is how I’d imagine it to feel. You’re on the highway doing 65, it’s comfortable, you’re safe, and the ride is pillowy soft and luxurious. However, when you switch gears and punch the throttle your head is thrown back and your ass is glued to the seat. You’re hanging on for dear life and smiling like an idiot watching the speedometer accelerate to over 160 mph, everything is whipping past you at an alarming rate. What impresses me about Papadosio is their ability to do just that, switch gears without missing a beat to take you from the slow melodies that tip-toe around your senses to the fast beats which grip your soul and takes you on a thrill ride. When they dropped, “Method of Control” the crowd was jumping and jiving. It says a lot about Papadosio’s crowd control and pacing being at a professional level. As I was jamming out and dancing, I glanced to my left and to my right and noticed that every single person was bouncing. The camaraderie and connection was there.
Dosio’s show was complimented by a tight video board display and sharp lighting, never intrusive, but always adding to the music. The atmosphere was on point and The House of Blues deserves  it’s praise of being a well-run venue in Chicago that caters to even the most die-hard music fan’s needs.

Overall I left this show feeling elated; so much so that I stayed around and mingled with strangers for a while outside of the venue and even managed to snap a great pic of some cool people still enjoying their night. Shows such as this are the reason why this genre of music and this culture can be deeply impactful; it’s really about connecting with others, enjoying some great music, and re-discovering our indigenous roots with the help of modern technology, instruments, and production. The jamtronica funky groove masters Papadosio are just the final piece of the puzzle to an inspiring evening. I hope I can catch them again next time they are in town.

Check out all of Papadosio’s sounds on Soundcloud here

 

 
Manic Focus, a TSIS favorite artist we’ve supported since day one is building up hype amongst his long awaited follow up album, which is set to easily be his biggest release to date. The album will be coming out through GRiZ’s Liberated Music label, and today we hear the album’s lead single “Bumpin’ In The Voodoo”, a collaboration with Dominic Lalli of Big Gigantic.The song fueled with a catchy vocal sample is a match made in heaven as both producers styles meld perfectly with Dom’s signature sax setting things off just right. Listen below and look out for a free download coming. Enjoy!
Manic Focus is also on the road with a mixture of headline dates and support plays, see all the dates below the player.

Manic Focus – Bumpin’ In The Voodoo (Ft. Dominic Lalli)

 

Upcoming Manic Focus tour dates.

10/08/14 – House Of Blues w/ Big Gigantic – Cleveland, OH
10/09/14 – The Intersection w/ Big Gigantic – Grand Rapids, MI
10/10/14 – The Pageant w/ Big Gigantic – St Louis, MO
10/11/14 – CrossroadsKC w/ Big Gigantic – Kansas City, MO
10/12/14 – The Canopy Club w/ Big Gigantic – Urbana, IL
10/15/14 – Revolution Music Room w/ Big Gigantic – Little Rock, AR
10/16/14 – Minglewood Hall w/ Big Gigantic – Memphis, TN
10/17/14 – Iron City w/ Big Gigantic – Birmingham, AL
10/18/14 – Track 29 w/ Big Gigantic – Chattanooga, TN
10/24/14 – Tower Theatre w/ Big Gigantic – Philadelphia, PA
10/25/14 – Freaky Deaky @ Masonic Temple w/ Big Gigantic – Detroit, MI
10/28/14 – Lincoln Theater w/ Big Gigantic – Raleigh, NC
10/29/14 – The NorVa w/ Big Gigantic – Norfolk, VA
10/30/14 – The Music Farm w/ Big Gigantic – Columbia, SC
10/31/14 – Eagles Ballroom w/ Grizmatik – Milwaukee, WI
11/02/14 – Voodoo Music Festival – New Orleans, LA
11/12/14 – Culture Room w/ Break Science – Fort Lauderdale, FL
11/13/14 – Orpheum w/ Break Science – Tampa, FL
 
 
Sources – http://thissongissick.com

React Presents continues the tradition of bringing some of the most innovative and forward thinking artists through Chicago to celebrate the inaugural REACTion New Year’s Eve. With critically acclaimed acts Zedd and Porter Robinson the past two years performing to over a combined 18,000 fans, React Presents is thrilled to welcome bass-heavy innovators ZEDS DEAD back to Chicago for a two night New Year’s Eve Run at the Aragon Ballroom.
Tickets go on sale Friday, October 3rd, at 12 PM CST at www.ReactionNYE.com.

The place is Toronto, Canada. Teenagers Zack Rapp-Rovan and Dylan Mamid are introduced – they hit it off immediately over a shared love of classic hip-hop, music production, and digging through crates. It’s 2009 and hip-hop is in a coma. Hooks and DC are about to have an epiphany that will change everything. They want to make people move to their sounds and not just bob their heads, but to grind, heave, shiver, stomp, and dance to their music. They want to capture the camaraderie of house, the heart pummelling thrill of Drum and Bass, the beauty of ambient music, and the heaviness of electro – all in one sound. They want to push boundaries.
In 2013, Zeds Dead have an enormous catalogue that includes remixes for some of the biggest artists out there, and releases with the most credible labels in the game. They’ve accumulated hundreds of millions of views online. They play tours of over 70 dates to hundreds of thousands of people. Fans love their shows, critics love their creativity, and heads love their production. They’re big. Really big.
After a strong string of EPs, singles and mixtapes, Zeds Dead released their Somewhere Else EP July 1st,2014 on Mad Decent. Having already established themselves as one of the most versatile and ambitious acts around, DC and Hooks broke new sonic territory with eight tracks that that cover a wide spectrum of electronic music. Joining the Toronto duo on the record isTwin Shadow for the house anthem “Lost You” which features vocals from D’Angelo Lacy. Jane’s Addiction singer Perry Ferrell made an appearance on closing track “Blink.” Also on the EP are Colorado group Big Gigantic & fellow CanadianOmar LinX for the smooth hip-hop cut “Stoned Capone,” producer and vocalist Bright Lights, New York rapper Sean Price and French DJ/Producer DIrtyphonics. Somewhere Else is their first proper release since l2013’s Hot Sauce EP, which received praise from The New York Times and Billboard among many others, and is another showcase to the diverse yet cohesive sounds that they are capable of producing.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/42069243″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]