Lights All Night Festival Review

Jan 14, 2018 | ktru

Written by: Rachel Bui

Since there was a lot to cover during the 2-day festival, this concert review will be split into 3 parts:

the nature of edm concerts

• Like most EDM concerts, Lights All Night (LAN) is an event for ravers. The audience mostly falls in two categories: those who keep up with the EDM scene and know their artists, and those who are there to escape reality through raving. Fair warning to people attending their first EDM concert: the standing floor is not a place to stay if you’re claustrophobic, and ear plugs are a must if you value your hearing.

the atmosphere

• Held at the Dallas Market Hall, LAN had plenty of room to host the 40,000+ attendees, though as the night went on I noticed that people got antsy wanting to push their way to the front. With a thrilling atmosphere saturated in adrenaline, the overall friendly vibe makes the experience even more fun. Mostly everyone you meet is super friendly, and there is a sense of unity between attendees and between the artist and audience. With how accepting everyone is, it’s not hard to see why people are attracted to this kind of scene.
• To fit all of the artists in during the 2-day event, there are two rooms adjacent to each other simultaneously running. The rooms catered to two atmospheres: if you want to party, go to room 2; if you’re just there to vibe, go to room 1 (the main room).

music aspect

• For Day 1 of the festival, Ookay revived the floor after a slow start. While he created a great, fun vibe, the seizure-inducing graphics were a tad too intense. Illenium was a high anticipated act by man festival goers, but due to some technical difficulties with the equipment, his set was quite a bumpy trip from start to finish. Despite experiencing several buildups that led to nothing (5 times total), it was a surprise how understanding the audience was and how patient they were with situation. I will note that every other artist I was able to watch during the festival didn’t have any technical difficulties as bad as Illenium’s.

Porter Robinson followed up, and right after his first song you can see why he was chosen as the headliner. Out of all the DJs from Day 1, he spoke the least on the mic – he mostly let his music do the talking for him. After the rough ride with Illenium, Porter helped smooth out the slight anxiety in the crowd with his set, gifting the audience with a versatile set. While “Shelter”’s impression might be of one of a laid-back guy, the rest of his set packed quite a punch. The graphics were definitely my favorite of the night – the graphics infused anime-styled characters and video-game-esque backgrounds created a whimsical impression that complimented Porter’s dreamy sound.

• Day 2’s started out a lot stronger than Day 1. Niko the Kid as the starter for the main stage evoked a clubbing vibe, putting the “dance” in Electronic Dance Music. In the next room over on the second stage, Brothel and Essex DJed back to back. If you’re a hip hop fan, they’re great DJs to get into if you want to explore the EDM genre. The atmosphere was more aggressive, but then again, the room was smaller and more intimate.

  While Holly, Sayer, Black Gummy, Vincent, and NGHTMRE had fun sets and were enjoyable, I’d have to say that TOKiMONSTA was the highlight of the night, and the crowd’s reaction would agree to that sentiment. With a very clean and simple light set to contrast (or compliment, depending on your perspective) bombastic bass beats, TOKi’s set was by far the most enjoyable. Besides Porter Robinson, she was probably the only DJ who could touch your soul – literally. Each of her mixes were so heavy on bass, you could feel the sound waves blasting your body. She was one of very few female DJs performing at this festival, but I would say she was one of best, if not the best, DJs of the whole festival.

final words:

If I had to recommend only one day and room to attend, without hesitation I would pick Day 2 in Room 2. With such a more diverse lineup in that room and the more intimate feel (something similar to a visit to your local music venue), this is where you’d get the most bang out of your buck (plus, TOKiMONSTA really killed it). If there’s anything I learned from my time at the festival, it’s this: those who let the music talk for them had a lot more impressive sets.

ktru’s Best of the Year

Dec 31, 2017 | ktru

DJ Picks:

open mike eagle – brick body kids still daydream – mello music group

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Mike’s new album is understated, contemplative, progressive, and beautiful. It manages to be comforting, while sounding like nothing you’ve heard before. It is an ode to housing projects, Chicago, childhood, the black American experience, and carrying on in the face of Trumpism. – GeorgeB

the charlatans – different days – bmg

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Bouncy indie evoking some of their best work since creative high-point “Tellin’ Stories” (1997) interwoven with ambitious, thoroughly enjoyable, new stuff featuring the likes of Paul Weller, Johnny Marr, and even author Ian Rankin(!) – SteveB

dan salvato – doki doki literature club ost – s/r

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jk64f3HMXI&w=560&h=315]

A dating sim/visual novel soundtrack. Simple and sweet tunes. You hear a few primary musical themes with character-specific variations. The differences give a powerful emotional effect within the game, and the music stays evocative and memorable on its own. – GennadyG

japanese breakfast – soft sounds from another planet – dead oceans

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Last year’s “Psychopomp” could have either gone down as the first, and perhaps the best, in a career of pretty good albums, or a showcase of potential which would later be fulfilled with with truly fantastic albums. Thank God it was the latter. “SSfAP” is weird and familiar in just the right ways, using great canvases of melody to seduce and entrance you while sudden bursts of emotion jump out. It works a great ebb and flow, highlighting especially energetic songs (“Machinist,” “12 Steps”) as well as the gradual buildup of slow-burn heart-breakers (“Boyish,” “This House”). The topics of relationships and empowerment it tackles are not so much solved or commented on as remembered with a hazy sadness and confusion, giving the album a great humanity which I felt stronger than in any other album this year. – GabrielT

yung lean – stranger – year0001

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Yung Lean is an Swedish rapper who has been influential to the cloud rap genre. Stranger brings dark, ethereal, and melodic production with Leandoer’s autotune heavy vocals infused into the instrumentals. Leandoer’s hooks are catchy, and the spacey production is beautiful. I recommend listening to this album, not for the lyrics or the meaning, but to enjoy the rich sounds and its aesthetics. – ShotaroA

mashrou’ leila – ibn el leil (deluxe edition) – shoop! shoop! records

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF__cpsDmZk&w=560&h=315]

Ok, so technically this album came out in 2015, but I didn’t discover it until now, and this year’s deluxe re-issue has some stellar new content. Mashrou’ Leila are a Lebanese rock band who emerged out of post-war Beirut—a city marred by war but humming with intellectual vitality and a vibrant night life. On this album their sound evolves into dark synth textures, silky string arrangements, and infectious dance grooves. In both wispy falsetto and powerful roar, vocalist Hamed Sinno rails against corruption, gun violence, and restrictive gender norms. This year’s new single “Roman” is both a club banger and a feminist anthem. – BenJ

dollie barnes – caught in a phase – s/r

Backed by a cast of all-star Houston musicians, Haley Barnes delivers one of this year’s best local releases. -Tex

el lago – colors – miss champagne

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I saw this Galveston band open for Laetitia Sadier, and they blew me away – they’re a classic-sounding shoegaze band, but fronted by a woman whose voice often brings to mind Kate Bush. What’s not to love? – MikeH

moses sumney – aromanticism – jagjaguwar

[bandcamp width=350 height=470 album=4118357594 size=large bgcol=333333 linkcol=0f91ff tracklist=false]

It is tempting to praise individual aspects of Aromanticism. After all, Moses Sumney can incite full-body shivers with his voice alone. But really, the Los Angeles musician’s nearly-perfect debut works as a comprehensive statement on the experience of lovelessness in a society that tells us that the highest form of meaning and purpose comes from romantic relationships, the experience of seeing through the bullshit but feeling the longing nonetheless. It’s an album that suspends you in emotional spaces that invite both introspection and social criticism. By the way, there are a ton of outstanding guests and collaborators here, including Thundercat, master arranger Rob Moose, and Son Lux drummer Ian Chang. – EthanH

sam turner and the cactus cats – wanna be your man – roofus & friends

Part country crooner, part 50s rock n’ roll, this local band’s debut album showcases young talent with an old-fashioned flair. Songs on “Wanna Be Your Man” are filled with the most vicious emotion of them all: unrequited love. – NicoleB

sampha – process – young turks

I really enjoyed listening to this album. It has so many emotions and surprises rolled in. If you haven’t listened I highly recommend you do! – ArlenS

sufjan stevens, nico muhly, bryce dessner, james mcalister – planetarium – 4ad

The most awesome thing since The Planets by Holst. – AndyM

ariel pink – dedicated to bobby jameson – mexican summer

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Beautiful nostalgic pop from one of LA’s most prolific weirdos. -JacqueiC

ununinform – tricky – false idols

[bandcamp width=350 height=470 album=2114823217 size=large bgcol=333333 linkcol=0f91ff tracklist=false]

“Ununinform” is one of the most under appreciated albums of the year. Tricky dives deeper than ever in exploring what truly is important in life. Especially on tracks “Blood of My Blood” and “New Stole”. For those looking for reflection and introspection on this year and beyond, give this a spin. Nurse’s orders. – StevenP

neo wax bloom – iglooghost – brainfeeder

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A very colorful and mind blowing electronic record that overstimulates the ears. Frenzied, kaleidoscopic, and very well detailed soundtrack to these unique worlds Iglooghost himself has created a backstory for. According to him, this album “follows the events surrounding two giant eyeballs crashing into the mysterious world of Mamu” and how it disrupts the lives of the creatures living in this realm. Purely insane shit. Check it out. – ArmandG

Top of the Charts

Here are the albums that led our weekly charts in 2017. Shout out to Shabazz Palaces, whose double LP topped our airways for nine straight weeks.

1. shabazz palaces – quazarz vs the jealous machines – sub pop
2. night drive – s/t – roll call
3. slowdive – s/t – dead oceans
4. king krule – the ooz – true panther
5. kishi bashi – sonderlust – joyful noise
6. saba – bucket list project – saba pivot, llc
7. lady wray – queen alone – big crown
8. bonobo – migration – ninja tune
9. laurel canyon animal company – songs to make dogs happy – s/r
10. a tribe called quest – we got it from here… thank you 4 your service – epic records
11. sylvan esso – what now – loma vista
12. grieves – running wild – rhymesayers
13. warpaint – heads up – rough trade
14. jambinai – hermitage – bella union
15. the olympians – s/t – daptone
16. jacuzzi boys – ping pong – mag mag
17. thundercat – drunk – brainfeeder
18. tuxedo – tuxedo ii – stones throw
19. future islands – the far field – 4ad
20. washington, kamasi – harmony of difference – young turks
21. torres – three futures – 4ad