Sonic Bloom 2019 – Get Ready!
Sonic Bloom 2019 June 20th - June 23rd
is fast approaching!

Sonic Bloom's 2019 Linup Finalized... Who is going?
SONIC BLOOM, Colorado’s premiere electronic music festival, is celebrating its 14th edition this year with a bold nod to the thoughtful and diverse musical curation that has catapulted this boutique festival into worldwide recognition.
Sonic Bloom is not to be missed for those who love electronic music! This festival is the gold standard in the USA featuring some of the worlds top electronic artists and raises the bar year after year. The festival is held during the summer solstice and happens to start on my birthday!-).
Here is what you need to know about Phase-3 Lineup Announcements:
Um..
Adam Deitch
Seied
Adam Apollo
With Tweener sets by:
Melody Lines
ELCTRX
LowPro
CatParty
Patrick Skyler
AVRY
PhLo
Bruce Chillis
Andrew Rothschild
NotLo
Featured Yoga, Sound Healing & Movement Classes in the Yoga D'Om with Live Music by:
Of The Trees
HÄANA
TOR
Drishti Beats
Miraja
Moon Frog
Blossomn
Adam Apollo
Joey Burton
Treaphort
Boulder Vibrational Healing
Seraiah
Sanj
Artisan Jones
Chachi Mendoza
Emily Rainflower & Mike Redhawk
Honey Pocket
Lunar Playboy
Jiiniikwe Medicine Bird
Check out the Sonic Bloom Orchestra lineup which has been an amazing, long-standing tradition to close out our stellar festival:
Sonic Bloom Orchestra feat. Members of SCI, TBA, Russ Liquid Test, HÄANA and Zilla with Opiuo, Sasha Rose, Jordan Polovina plus surprise guests!
Bloom is an ideal festival for those looking for something different, SONIC BLOOM is a unique foray into an intelligent co-creative experience. With short lines, respectful community and plenty of room to dance, camp and be, this weekend in paradise steps away from the day-to-day. Thought provoking workshops hosted by internationally acclaimed speakers, a diverse range of yoga and movement workshops, overflowing visual art and unique vendors provide a little something for everyone.
Hosted once again on the stunning Hummingbird Ranch, riverside camping is easily available, children and families are welcomed end encouraged and a hand is always outstretched to join in, contribute and participate.
SONIC BLOOM remains an event for the true individual; a welcoming, creative community encouraging the exploration human potential, the next wave of art and music and the possibility of a more beautiful and just world. We come together June 20-23 to celebrate a global community that believes in the power of art, music and innovation to inspire a future worth believing in.
For more information on SONIC BLOOM, please visit the official website: sonicbloomfestival.com
SONIC BLOOM'S Network Links:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sonic_bloom
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/
Promo Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
SONIC BLOOM Tickets:
Ticket Link: https://ticketf.ly/2OllcOa
FB Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/
Enchanted Forest Gathering
OK so the weekend is fast approaching and you still don’t know what you’re going to do. Here is an 💡:
What about having a blast in California? An enchanted forest with some of the best electronic music acts in the nation. Of course, no festival can lay claim to owing music but it can be said that this festival has some great taste in artists. From Ozomatli to Beats Antique, this festival embraces a diversity of genres and styles while still cultivating each in their own form. The early morning yoga and health classes are a bonus and a welcome refresh after a long night of dancing. This festival has it all. Just a few hours north of San Francisco this event is set in, you guessed it, an Enchanted Forest with natural beauty all around.
Look no further than Northern California. You can still grab your tickets before its too late here: http://bit.ly/2JvK2N6
Info & Links
Enchanted Forest will take place at the beautiful Black Oak Ranch in Laytonville, California from June 8-10. Featuring performances from Beats Antique, Keys n Krates, Graves, Ozomatli, Dumpstaphunk and Del the Funky Homosapien w/ Amp Live, Lyrics Born, Truth, Mark Farina, Antennae, Sticky Buds, Phutureprimitive and over 100 nationally renowned acts in only three days! Get excited. Get your tickets. Get your groove on. See you there!
Links:
Important Enchanted Forest Gathering Links
Buy Tickets link: http://enchantedforestmendo.com/get-tickets/
Website: http://www.enchantedforestmendo.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/EnchantedForestGathering/
2018 Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/398780250544889/
ProJect Aspect – FMP 002
The Freio Music Podcast
Episode 02 - ProJect Aspect
Start out by introducing yourself
Thanks for having me, man. It is good to see you. My name is Jay Jaramillo, I go by Project Aspect. I am twenty-nine years old and started playing guitar when I was about ten years old. My dad gave me a guitar with a built-in amplifier on it. Previous to that I had never thought about being a musician or even playing music. He kinda shoved me in that direction and the rest is kinda history. I just kinda picked it up and played by ear. I started joining bands and putting together my own bands. I made t-shirts when I was like 10 years old. That kinda progressed and snowballed into producing music, which is what I got into at the end of HighSchool. After high school, I took it to the next level. Me and my friend, Zach Karuza, aka Kruza Kid, one of my best friends, we went to high school together. We started the mile-high-sound movement which is a collective of artists and promotional record label that we have kind of like grown into what it is today. It is becoming bigger and better. It is developing into what we want it to be. Instead of throwing together random shows, we put time into it and we curate events. We make sure that our friends have a chance to vend their jewelry and their merchandise. We like to bring everything to the table, as much as we can.
A full-service event.
Ya, for sure. So that has kinda been the focus for a while, other than pursuing trying to be a full time touring musician. So that is where we are at now.
Now tell me your vision a little bit more with Mile High Sound Movement… How many artists are involved currently and where do you see it going in the future?
Our roster right now includes about eight artists that we are fully committed to. But it is always open for interpretation. If you are in the Colorado Music scene, don't hesitate to reach out. We are always open. It is an open invitation. We are always down to expand the family. The vision at first was to just kina help hungry musicians who had a product that they are passionate about. Give them a chance to showcase that on a bigger level rather than a local cafe show. When me and my friend Zach were starting out we had so much trouble getting shows. It was such a struggle and we really didn't have that much help. We were doing a lot of show at Herman’s Hideaway on south Broadway because we had a hip-hop band at that point. We wanted to bring something together that helped people. [Like us] when we were in that situation that we wished we had. We just want to put people on, and get people in front of crowds and enable them to do their thing.
Kinda help them get to the next level.
Exactly. It has transformed into a record label which has always been the vision. For about a year now it has been an official record label. So we are really excited about that. We want to keep that going and make it as big as possible.
Clearly, it sounds you are sharing what you have learned along your path with the next generation, or at least with your friends and the artists around you. So you have mentioned your dad already who was an influence on you early musically. Are there any other artists that kind of helped you on the path?
Not really, man. Just kinda my peers and the people who I went to school with and started these early bands with. Other than that, I was just heavily influenced by Punk Rock and Classic Rock. My dad raised me on Classic Rock. I eventually got into alternative music and punk rock. That was a major influence to me and molded me in the early years. I did a lot of power chords on the guitar. But it was all self-taught. I just kinda played by ear.
Picking up tabs online?
Ya, Picking up tabs online. Honestly, I can just listen to something and replicate it by ear. Obviously, I wish I had a little more classical training. This way it is fun. I like to let my mind do the work for me. Do the work for my hands. And just freestyle. That played a huge role in the beginning too. Then When I started producing music I just took that knowledge and put it into arranging and making sections of a sound.
Can you remember your first musical memory as far as performing? So not just hearing a song but the first time you either jumped up on the table in front of your family and started singing or the first time you played for your school...
One memory sticks out vividly. I played at this coffee shop and it was just an acoustic performance with me singing. I was probably 11 or 12 years old or something. I told my whole family and all of my friends. My whole family came out and we packed out this cafe. It was just this little coffee shop. I did a couple covers but it was mostly original. I have always just written music and performed it. But I remember covering a Staind song. Remember that song ‘Outside’? [singing] “I'm on the outside. I'm looking in”. I played that song and a bunch of other songs. That was just the beginning. That was the first musical memory. It was pretty well received but I was just a kid. That was the very first time I had showcased what I was working on. It was gratifying. It was tight.
That's awesome. It is also… I think very telling, that you had a family their that really packed the venue. You had a sold-out crowd on the first show.
Right. Ya, my family has always been a huge support. Huge support. My mom, my dad, my brother, my siblings. Everyone has had my back from day one and believes in my dream. It really helps me and influences me to keep going.
So guitar was your first instrument? Is that correct?
Correct.
What about artist have influenced you by ear or meeting them in person, touring. I know you are very active in the music scene, and you get exposure to lots of different artists.
Like I said I was really into punk-rock back in the day. We were talking earlier about my Offspring remix. Offspring was big early… Just kina listening music influence for me. I liked Blink 182 a lot. Blink 182 was the first concert that I went to that I vividly remember. Apparently, I was at Michael Jackson when I was a year old… but yeah seeing Blink 182 when I was around 10 years old, just after I started playing the guitar. Bad Religion opened for them. A lot of people back then thought that that was kind of strange because Bad Religion was a huge Punk-Rock band and Blink-182 surpassed them playing pop-punk music. That was a sweet experience. I really didn't start being inspired until, by music, until I started joining bands in high school. My peers were huge influences for me. I had a band called “Street Light Symphony”. It was an Emo band. The members in that band were a huge influence for me. But I ended up going to a show at Red Rocks in 2005. That was what really opened my eyes to a whole new world of music.
What show was that?
That was 'Big Summer Classic' a two-dayay event. String Cheese Incident headlined both nights. They had a stacked lineup, both nights with Umphrey's McGee, Keller Williams, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Yonder Mountain String Band. That two day event was a major turning point for me. I went from liking alternative music, hip-hop, and rap music to this hippy jam-band happy go lucky scene that I had never imagined participating in but it opened my eyes. It turned my brain around and made me want to explore that more.
Great. So we were talking earlier, and I found it interesting, somehow it came up in conversation that you went to an atypical school and it really impacted your life or trajectory. If you could go into that a little bit and talk about why the change of school was such an impactful event for you. And how old were you roughly or what grade?
So, I left traditional school in 6th grade… Actually ya I think it was 6th grade. It was the transition from 5th to 6th grade. I was going to Green Mountain Elementary School. I had transferred over to Jefferson County Open School, which is an alternative school in Lakewood Colorado, that my sister had been going to because she was a “Problem Child”. These schools were meant for kids who weren't excelling in traditional schools. It kind of helped them find more meaning in their life and pave their road for the future. Which was huge for me. This school, they made you create your own curriculum. So you did six passages; Adventure, Global Awareness, Creativity and so on and so forth. Each one was a different challenge for you to research and make a paper and do hands on work. For instance, my creativity passage was making an album.
That’s Awesome
My plan was to make a full album and I only got to three tracks. Just doing multi-track recording. It was a huge learning experience for me because I learned that recording doesn't come easy. You can't just knock something out, just like that. It takes time. It takes so much time. Yeah, it takes so much time. It really opened my eyes to what the world of music had in front of me for the rest of my life. For my adventure passage, I became a vegetarian, for two months. I learned a lot about the facts about meat and healthy living. And how it made me feel. I got a little irritable.
With meat or without it?
Without it. I made me kind of learn that I do like meat. I like it in my life but I am still open to trying it out…
That’s great that you are open-minded enough to totally radically change your diet.
Ya, it was a great experience for me.
And that was part of your school! That is so interesting... Coming from a western mind, an American Mind, thinking about diet in school is very far down the list of topics.
The school was more so getting you ready for the life ahead of you rather than more school if that makes sense. Instead of molding you to get ready for college. They mold you to get ready for the rest of your life. And it changed my life. It made me realize I wanted to be a musician for the rest of my life. If it wasn't for that school and my advisor Daina, I wouldn't be the man I am today. So I am thankful every day that I made that transition.
That is great! Out of curiosity, do you think that this school is great for everybody or is this kinda a creative outlier school that's...
I think the school is good for anyone who applies themself and really uses their tools to take on what you want to do. I think if you are really passionate about something. I think that if you want to get out of the traditional learning situation and focus on your life, I think that’s a good move.
Ok, moving on from that. You collaborate frequently. There are many different vocalists on your tracks. You mentioned Kruza Kid [earlier]. Tell me about collaboration why you choose to do it and if it is important to you, why?
I think the most fun thing about collaborating is that you are not limited to your own ideas. So when I collaborate with someone, it’s fun because you can take a pallet that someone else laid out and manipulate it. You kinda already have something to work with. When you are doing something by yourself you have to start from scratch. It's all you. You are kinda limited to that. When you are working with someone else it sparks off so many more light bulbs. It makes you… It brings more influence to the table. For instance, when I collaborate for Unlimited Gravity, we feed off each other. We bounce back and forth. We do what we call the “Hot Seat”, and that's when we are in the mode, and one of us is going to be producing and the other one will be kinda chillin in the background. When we are the one producing we call it the “hot seat”. We just go until we feel that we did something substantial then we switch it out. You know, we eventually we come up with this orchestration of sound that we would have never been able to accomplish on our own. That's the beautiful thing about collaboration, is that you can use both minds to create something bigger.
That’s great! You said a lot of awesome points that I hope young musicians hear and really take to heart. As you said, when you are working with yourself, you are limited to yourself. And you've got to recognize that you everyone is finite and we are all limited. I love the “hot seat” idea. Both the fact that when you are feeling the flow you have got to be in the driver’s seat, in the control center, in the cockpit, or behind the mixer, but at the same time you have got to yield way to the other, for their turn in the hot seat and kinda sit back and listen.
Yah
Sometimes you have got to let… I assume you guys are working with loops and you have got to let the sound kind of soak in.
Exactly
And eventually, maybe an idea comes out. From not the hot seat but the dude chillin in the back who has been there with his eyes closed.
Exactly. There are two important roles for sure. It’s fun to sit back and listen to what you have been working on and listen to what they are working on.
Truth. Because one person is actively trying to slay the dragon and the other person is just kinda being more passive and being more reflective.
Yah. I like that. I like that. Yah, that is definitely the approach for sure.
But I think it actually takes a lot of discipline to sit back and let someone else do some work.
That's true too. But you would be surprised at how anxious we can get too.
Yah, sometimes you have to speak up.
Haha, sometimes we are like you've got to let me in there [the hot seat], I've got this idea. Like I said collaboration is like another level of creation.
Tell me about your album.
I am working on a full-length concept album called “Sync About It”. This is kind of my baby right now. This is what I have been working towards and putting all my energy towards right now. Did you want to talk about “all we dream”?
No, let’s talk about your new album.
So this new album is called “Sync About It”. It is a full-length concept album which means that it flows from beginning to end and there are no breaks in the tacks.
So it is meant to be listened to in order?
Correct. So it is just one long story. I have always wanted to create something like this ever since I was a kid listening to Pink Floyd albums and stuff. So this is a really important project for me. This is actually breaking me outside of my comfort zone. When I was a kid and I was in and out of bands playing guitar and singing, I did a lot of singing and I did a lot of writing. I wanted to get back to that. I am not the greatest singer in the world but I like to sing. I did a little singing on this album and I did a lot of guitar work. I wanted it to be something that lasts forever. The Idea behind this is to make something that has substance and holds true for generations to come. I just want something that’s going to stick around. That people will be listening for a long time.
Are you collaborating with other artists on this album?
Ah, I do have Kruza Kid featured on a track.
Is it fair to say that this album is, in a way, a different path than your others in the sense that you are getting back to your singing and writing?
In a way, yes, but it also stays pretty true to the traditional Project Aspect sound. I don't want to do something completely different that it is unrecognizable. I just want to expand on what I have already got. So it is more complex I would say. It just has more substance to it. I want to branch out my sound. I don't want to limit myself to just making dubstep, or bass music, or electronic music. I want it to be real music that anyone could listen to. So I would like to head in that direction. But I'll never stop making heavy bass music because I love playing that at shows. It is always be something that is important to me. So I just wanted to branch out on this album and kinda create something that has a lot to it and I would like to reach different demographics.
So it is going to be a wide-ranging album?
Yah, definitely, There are going to be some rock-n-roll inspired tracks in there. And I do a lot of intricate guitar soloing and harmonizing my guitar. You will find some hip-hop sounding tracks like the one that Kruza Kid is featured on. There are ones that follow the traditional Project Aspect sound that I have always stapled into my music. I am always going to love to make the glitch-hop kind of grimy bass music. So there will always be parts of that scattered throughout the whole record. I am excited for it man. This is something that I have been working on for almost two years. I haven't released a full-length album since 2016. So this is a big one for me and I hope it breaks some barriers.
Ya, I believe it will. I'm excited to hear it and we are all going to have to stay tuned. Where will the new album be released, just for our listeners? Where can they find it when it comes out?
You know we are still in the early stages of it. I have a lot of promo work that I am trying to work on. But I am shooting for the end of spring.
Ok. When it comes out… ProjectAspectMusic.com?
We are also working on launching the Project Aspect website. So stay tuned for that. So it is going to be a process of things leading up to the album. First, we are going to launch the website. Then we are going to launch the videos for the singles. Then the album is going to drop. Then we are going to do a whole album release party in Denver. So it will be one thing after another leading up to the album.
Nice, that is a good campaign. So some of the people listening [to this podcast episode] will likely be listening in years to come. So in a way, we will be in the past when they are listening. Am I correct with the URL ProjectAspectMusic.com?
Right, ya.
Ok I just wanted to make sure because when it is launched, someone will be new to it and it will be already out there.
That will 90% likely be the URL.
When you decide to market your music... First of all, how do you balance your time between creating new music, performing your creations, and at the same time hustling, for lack of a better term. You have got to get the next venue to call you, you have got to get on the next bill, you have got to collaborate with these artists… not only that but you have got to launch your website, you have got to get your music videos, you have got to get your apparel. So how do you balance those demands and do you have a team working with you?
Um, really it is just deciding what to do next. It is just one day at a time. We try to not look too far into the future because you only know what is going to happen today. So we are steadily game planning, me and my manager Chris Bockman(spelling?) and Ronny, Unlimited Gravity. We are really just scheming towards what we are going to do next. We are going to be releasing a new Unlimited Aspect album “Bass Ass Volume II” which will be coming out in the next few months. So that will be the beginning of that route because me and Ronny love making music together and doing the Unlimited Aspect thing. So we want to do that as much as possible. But as far as finding balance, man, its like I said. It is just taking on one thing at a time and not overwhelming yourself. We do everything in-house, we are not working with an agency right now. We are doing everything ourselves. It makes it that much harder but at the same time, the reward is that much sweeter. We are trying to organically create this snowball, this tidal wave that is going to eventually crash, and its going reach everybody. It's going to be something special, man, because we are working on something unique. It's going to be something that I hope people are going to be behind for a long time.
When you release an album, let’s say you and Ronny are making a collaboration… Do you then finalize it, stamp it, bounce it and you are done or do you send it to a mixing / mastering engineer? Can you walk me through the workflow after you have produced a song?
So when me and Ronny produce solo tracks we usually do our own mastering. It is kind of an unorthodox method we just use plugins and do it our way. Sometimes we send it to into mastering. Sometimes we create mixdowns that are at a lower volume and send them to someone to master. But for the Unlimited Aspect album, this was kind of a unique situation because we tracked drums for this album because Unlimited Aspect has become a live band. So our drummer Steven Kuzma is going to be featured on the entire album. So that was another challenge because we had to track all the drums. And our engineer who ended up moving away and we were not able to finish it with him. So we kinda had to take it on with what he had and finish it ourselves. So that is where we are at right now. Just kinda putting on the final touches to it and finishing it ourselves. We like to do a lot of it hands on. It is not the most professional method but it sounds good in my opinion. We like to have it completely our own.
And you get the final say. You get control over it. No one is going to send it in a different direction that you didn't foresee.
Ya. I have sent my own masters to some pretty good labels and they have accepted it, which felt pretty good. So I think we are on a good track.
So if you don't mind, can we jump into some the equipment that you use, either on stage or in the studio. What types of software, plugins, mics, guitar, whatever you want…
I produce in Ableton. We perform all original tracks. So I break down all of my songs into stems. That’s like pieces of the song that I play simultaneously. So I can affect every piece differently. So we have highs, bass, drums, vocals. So we play all of that simultaneously and we use APC 40’s by Akai. When we are using the APC 40’s we can literally manipulate pieces of the song and mix in different pieces of the song. We can jam out and toggle back and forth with anything we make. All the songs that we make are split up so that we can do this crazy interactive hands-on DJ technique that not a lot of people do. I think that it is really unique. A lot of people use stems but the way we use it is unmatchable in my opinion.
You are talking about the live performance, right?
Ya
So if I am not mistaken, we are talking about a beat pad that has translucent buttons.
Ya, its a midi controller.
And that hooks up into Ableton.
Correct
So you are slicing and dicing your song on the fly.
Right. We produce them. We export them all into pieces [stems] and we put them all into the live set and we put it all into the live set and we slice and dice on the fly… correct.
Beyond the computer and how you are interacting with your tracks [APC40], I have seen you perform and you frequently have a guitar and everybody has an instrument on stage with you.
Ya
How are you mixing that in? And tell me about what instruments you play and what is on stage.
Like I said. I started out playing the guitar when I was a kid. Then I went into the producing game and I kind of put down the guitar for a while, for about three years. Eventually, I realized I wanted to bring it all back into the music. And have it all together, the electronic and the analog. So for the past three or four years, I have really been hitting the guitar hard. Bringing it back into the live sets and recordings. So when I do the live set guitar, I do live looping. So I have the guitar plugged into another computer, which is also on Ableton, and I sync the two computers together via ethernet. That enables the second computer to slave to the first computer so I can quantize and loop my guitar on another controller. I can manipulate the guitar record on the fly [live] with the controller. So that’s been a really fun adventure to bring that in and also have it be part of the live set. Where I can still manipulate it like the other tracks. It can be all like one huge live workstation. It is really fun. It is fun to improvise and bring it in now and again and just rock out. For Unlimited Aspect, I play guitar, Ronny plays keys, and we have our drummer Steven Kuzma, and Ronny does live looping with the keys too. Eventually, he is going to bring his vocals again. Which we were doing for a while. He was doing live vocals and looping live vocals. He is working on a new album as well, which is showcasing his vocals because he was in choir pretty much his whole life. So he wants to go back to his roots and showcase that. So I imagine as we start doing more Unlimited Aspect shows he will start singing too. So that is exciting. Sometimes we bring up a saxophone. Sometimes we have other sit-ins. I dabble with pretty much any instrument, except for brass. I have never really messed with Brass. Anything I touch I can play a little bit. Not great but I can dabble.
Enough to be quantized, spliced, and put into place.
Ya, the guitar is the main instrument that I feel like I can handle.
I appreciate you revealing how you have two computers running and one is a slave to the other
Ya, I feel like people don't get to know that or see that during the live set.
As an audience member, I am always thinking how are they doing this!? Trying to decode what is going on onstage. As a sound engineer, myself, I am always thinking about monitor mixes and I see people with in-ear monitors and someone has a click track somewhere. It is a complex signal path. So I appreciate you demystifying what is going on on stage.
Ya it’s a pleasure for sure.
It is certainly interesting and I think it will help people get to the next level. A few more questions… One regarding your music and distribution. Your music is out there. I can stream you on Spotify, on Apple Music… I can find you on SoundCloud. You are doing a great job getting your music out there. So first of all, how did you decide where to put your music and how to get it there?
Oh, man that is a really good question. Basically, with music that I have come to the conclusion of, you just have got to get it out there, regardless of how you do it. Whether you are pedaling burnt CDs or putting it on SoundCloud, or you are doing a professional label release. In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter because it is going to be out there and word of mouth is going to circulate. That is what I am coming to the conclusion of… If I have music to release I need to get it out there regardless of how it happens. One of the first Sonic Blooms that I attended… Shout out Sonic Bloom by the way. That is my hometown festy right there. I burnt a bunch of CDs. Me and my homie Ronny actually, Unlimited Gravity. We burnt a bunch of CDs and handed them out to people. And to this day people will come up to me, and that was about 8 years ago, and say “hey, I've still got that CD you gave to me at Sonic Bloom”. That is crazy to me because that was such early on music that we made.
And you were there as a fan. An attendee, non-performer.
Correct
So you really just showed up to where the music is and hustled your music. And give it a few years...
It was the dopest campaign too! We would be like “do you guys like free music?” People would be like “ya”. Ok, “Here, take this”. It was easy to get into people’s hands. I might start doing that again, you never know.
What is amazing to me is that a few years later, a few cycles around the sun, you are playing at Sonic Bloom. That’s awesome.
Ya. It really came full circle with that one.
That is interesting and I appreciate you sharing the hustle. You have got to be Guerilla Marketing…
That’s true man. You have just gotta think outside the box. I mean people have been hustling CDs out of their trunks forever. When you are giving out free music it is kinda hard to say “no”, you know? That was definitely the early hustle.
Ok, a few more quick ones [questions]... First of all, describe your music in one sentence… or a word. A rough sentence, it could flow into a few.
All original, high energy, high octane, electronic bass music with guitar.
Booya! This one is kinda far out, big, philosophical question. I went to school for Philosophy so you have got to forgive me. But… What is music?
Music is what feelings sound like.
Very nice.
It is the best I could come up with right now.
That's great. Do you have any odd or interesting pre-performance rituals before you get out on stage?
We like to get down on the spliff game, me and my bro Cam. I love smoking spliffs so that's always been something I like to do before a show. Other than that, man… I get anxious before shows honestly.
Is it just nerves coming up?
It is nerves but also just wanting to get up there. And being backstage and having to wait to go on. It’s something that I have always… Not an issue with… but it always kinda happens, regardless of the situation. I am excited. I want to get up there. I want to play. I don't want to hang around and talk about nothing. I want to do my thing. But I love connecting with the people. That is one of the biggest parts of this scene is the people. It’s all about making those connections. So that is a big part of the pre-ritual is having your family there. Having your friends come backstage and hang out and just kick it. That really calms the nerves for me too. Just hanging out with the homies too is a big thing.
What advice would you give to a musician starting out today?
Go with your heart. Make music that you want to hear. Make music that makes you feel things inside. Don't do it for somebody else, do it for yourself.
Moving towards the end. Some label questions if you don't mind?
Sure
You are on 1320 Records, GruntWorthy Music, and Adapted Records. Can you tell me about how you made those connections and how you got signed to a record label? There are lots of aspiring artists out there who think that “I just need a record label and the doors would open for me”. I just want to hear your experience with the different record labels that you have worked with and why you chose to collaborate with them.
As I mentioned before, It is not a huge impactful thing regardless of how you release your music. But it is an honor and always a privilege to release your music under an established record label. It is just another form of collaborating. As I also mentioned before, collaboration is one of the most beautiful creations we have. It's fun to work with other people on your music and work on distributing it and getting it out there. 1320 was a huge one for me because it's Sound Tribe’s record label. Sound Tribe was a huge early influence for me. They were the first band I saw using Ableton. That was before I even knew what Ableton was. They made me research what Ableton was. Eventuall,y I got signed to their label and I got to open for them. That was another full circle thing. Shout out Sound Tribe for everything they have done for me. 1320 Records was a huge step for me. It was cool just to be under… not only under such a huge touring act and someone that I looked up to but also being alongside of other people who have released music under that label. That is another cool thing. When you release music under different labels you are alongside all these amazing artists. There are so many artists out there, and most of them I have never even heard of but they make the dopest music. It's an honor to be alongside people with similar interests. The Adapted thing was cool because it is an Australian label. It was cool to get my music internationally released. That was kind of the fun part about that. Like I said, it is just fun to work with other people.
So how did you get to Australia?
Man, we just submitted it and they liked it and they released it.
Walk through a young artist… What do you mean you submitted it? You found something on their website and obviously you had some tracks that were fire and ready to be released.
Ya, so most record labels have a demo submission page on their website. If you make music you can always send it to labels it's not an issue. Whether or not they will listen to it or like it, that’s up in the air. But must labels have a demo submission page. Even the biggest record labels in the world have mailing addresses that you can send it to. Ya, it’s just submitting your demo and hoping that the right person hears it and likes it. It helps having word of mouth and having friends on the inside too who have worked with the record label also. That is a slightly more helpful way but if you have the right music and you submit it, there is no reason that it won't be picked up.
But you chose them out of a group. There are thousands of record labels. I would imagine that you targeted some and I guess that you did not send your record out to every label. So how do you choose and what do you look for when you are working with a label?
Just look for professionalism. That is the one thing that you try to find in anyone that you work with in the Music Industry. Just professionalism because there are a lot of shady people out there and it is important to find people who are doing it for the right reasons. People who are in it for the music and willing to work to help you get your brand out there. Being on top of dates and royalty checks. Just being communicative. Communication between the artist and the label is really important.
Reflecting back on your younger self… What would you tell yourself then that you know now?
Get ready for a hell of a ride buddy! You are about to meet a lot of people and see a lot of things. I don't know, man. I think that I was prepared for what I am doing today. I think that the school that I went to and my dad and going to shows has molded me into the person I am today. I think I knew what I was in for but not quite the fashion that it’s in right now. So I think I would just tell myself to “get ready for a good ride”.
Well Jay, aka Project Aspect, thank you so much for being on the show! Is there any last parting words of wisdom that you would like to share and or links / plugs for your upcoming album or social handles that you would like to share.
Ya, keep on touch on the Facebook man. Facebook and the Instagram are the number one resources to find what I am doing next. So Facebook.com/ProjectAspect Facebook.com/ProJectAspect Like I said, I will be launching my website soon so keep an eye out for that, along with starting my promotion for my new album. Keep an eye out for the new music videos coming in the next few months. Just keep in touch and don't be afraid to reach out. I love to connect.
And Fans can learn of your new tour dates and upcoming shows on your facebook page?
Yes.
Great. Well thank you so much for coming on the FreioMusic Podcast.
Thanks Mike, Much Love!
Other Podcast Episodes
Shambhala Festival – BC, Canada
Shambhala Music Festival’s Headliners are Released!
Shambhala Music Festival announces The Glitch Mob And REZZ as headliners for the 21st annual festival. If you are at all considering making the trek to BC (British Columbia, Canada) for this fest, this video will certainly sell you on the adventure.
Watch and Enjoy!
What you need to know:
The Festival Website
How to buy a ticket
More info about the festival
After celebrating the historic two decade mark last year, Shambhala Music Festival is excited to return to the immaculate Salmo River Ranch in British Columbia, Canada on August 10-13, 2018 for the 21st annual edition. Taking place on a breathtaking family-run farm, festival-goers will have the chance to experience the best of what nature has to offer throughout four blissful days while witnessing hundreds of artists across six unique stages that are individually curated and run by their own stage directors.
To kick things off on the music front, the Shambhala family is pleased to announce their first confirmed headliners for the 2018 edition: Canadian DJ and record producer REZZ and pioneering bass music trio The Glitch Mob. This is just a small taste of what’s to come with the full lineup to be announced soon, which will bring performers from around the world in genres like dubstep, drum and bass, glitch-hop, house, hip-hop, trap, future bass and much more to Salmo River Ranch.
REZZ, affectionately known by her fans as “Space Mom,” started DJing at 16 and soon after developed the confidence to begin producing her own originals. It wasn’t long until she caught the attention of Skrillex and soon after released a project on his OWSLA imprint. From there, her rise in the EDM industry was meteoric as she released several projects on deadmau5’s label mau5trap, including her debut album. The Shambhala veteran recently announced that her second album is also in the works.
The Glitch Mob—comprised of ediT, Ooah, and Boreta—have been pushing the limits of electronic music since their inception in 2006. Meeting at an underground Burning Man party in Los Angeles, the three instantly kindled a creative chemistry that has led to an illustrious career with multiple albums and one of the most beloved live shows in dance music. The trio has announced their third album will be dropping on May 4th, and also recently released the first single entitled “How Could This Be Wrong.”
Shambhala began in 1998 as a grassroots gathering of 500 people on founder Jimmy Bundschuh’s family farm in an evergreen forest beneath breathtaking mountains, and has since grown overtime primarily by word-of-mouth thanks to past patrons and artists. Shambhala’s home has continued to evolve over the past two decades with a focus on infrastructure that ensures a healthy and sustainable environment.
The Shambhala team is currently working hard to prepare for the upcoming festival, carefully curating every aspect of the festival to maximize the attendee experience. Paired with their double-headliner announcement, Shambhala has also released is a stunning festival trailer to get attendees hyped. The video can be viewed here and will give viewers a taste of the unique Shambhala experience.
That’s not the only thing to get excited about though, as the festival has also launched “The Ultimate Shambhala Music Festival Experience Contest.” This will include flights, accommodations, tickets, merch, food vouchers, a stay at the Savoy Hotel in Nelson and much more. The contest is now live on their Facebook, and two lucky winners will be chosen to win this exciting contest.
General admission tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased here. High-end camping packages are offered in addition to some other accommodation packages for those traveling from afar. Carpool options and additional travel information is available on the Shambhala website.
STAY CONNECTED:
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Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
The Volcanic Pub Theater-February 12th, 2017
Wildly entertaining, eccentric and funk-nasty. The words that come to mind after last nights show at The Volcanic Theater in Bend, Oregon. I knew to expect some funk with an East Coast jam band influence. What I didn’t expect was a roller coaster of spacey interludes, mambo break-beats, and jazz waltz noodling. And yes, of course there was always a sneaky funk breakdown to tie it all together. On point transitions and tight coordination amongst the group allowed for fresh switch ups and genre blending. It’s hard to explain exactly how I would classify their style, but just take my word for it, you don’t want to miss them live. Its beautiful, musical madness at its finest. With a packed house on a Sunday night, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong definitely have a following and were a perfect fit for the wacky Bend crowd, looking to get the most out of their Sunday night.
It’s rare that you come across such an animated front-man as lead singer and guitarist Greg Ormont. Sporting pajama pants and a frizzy Afro, I’m pretty sure he never blinked. His wide array of facial expressions were both engrossing and humorous. My initial hesitation slowly grew into captivation and it became hard to look away. Incredibly skilled guitarist Jeremy Schon really took it to the next level. It was clear that this type of seasoned musicianship demanded a bigger stage. With a calm, natural presence on stage, Ben Carrey laid down filthy, funk bass lines to back the group. Drummer, Alex Petropulos playfully transitioned between different tempos, genres and moods with ease. All together, this group was a tight knit team. Their raw and playful energy on stage really reflected their confidence to push their music to new boundaries.
This group is big news and word is spreading fast. They had so much support that they were able to fund their new studio album “Pizazz” through contributions from their followers. It should be releasing sometime this Fall. Also, make sure and check out their new live album “The Great Outdoors Jam” coming out February 17th!! For those of you out in Colorado, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong will be playing at Red Rocks, August 13th with Moe and Twiddle!
Written by Greg Powell
Photography by Molly Buckiewicz
For more info on upcoming tour schedule, music and the band check out the links below!!
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Sonic Bloom Lineup Pt 1
The 12th Annual SONIC BLOOM Announces First Wave of Artists
SONIC BLOOM, the nation’s premier boutique electronic music festival returning to Hummingbird Ranch in Spanish Peaks Country, CO, announces the first wave of the 2017 lineup.
This year’s headliners include: Gigantic Cheese Biscuit, a unique lineup never before assembled featuring members of 3 pioneering live electronic bands coming together for a one-time very special set of music: Dominic Lalli, Jeremy Salken (Big Gigantic), Michael Kang, Michael Travis, Jason Hann (The String Cheese Incident / EOTO), Marc Brownstein, Aron Magner (The Disco Biscuits), along with The Polish Ambassador, The Floozies, Claude VonStroke, Ott, Haywyre, Minnesota, Random Rab,The Funk Hunters with Chali 2na and many more.
Melding the world’s most talented musicians, performers, visionaries and artists, SONIC BLOOM, is an inspiring showcase of the best of Colorado’s vibrant live and electronic music scene and is at the forefront of the transformative festival movement. SONIC BLOOM is known for booking and discovering fresh, progressive electronic acts with styles that span the musical spectrum; from the highly celebrated to the relatively unknown.
The music isn’t all there is to be excited about. SONIC BLOOM also engages with participants by offering world class artists and a full art gallery, active workshops, visual arts, learning experiences and yoga with much attention paid to the stunning environment that is created to indulge all the senses of the festival attendees. And with the addition of the SONIC BLOOM Academy last year, people now have the chance to enhance their educational experience leading into the 4-day festival with a 3-day deep dive into several intensive full-day workshops making for an incredible full-week experience.
4-Day General Passes include entry into the festival on Thursday, free on-site camping and free drinking water. VIP 4-Day Passes, parking passes, limited car camping passes and RV passes are also now on sale. For more information on SONIC BLOOM, please visit the official website: sonicbloomfestival.com
SONIC BLOOM’S Network:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sonicbloom
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sonic_bloom
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/sonicbloomfestival
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/sonicbloomfestival
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonic_bloom_
Ticket Link: http://ticketf.ly/1O7NtSa
Sonic Bloom 2016
Sonic Bloom 2016 has a stacked lineup producing incredible performances too numerous to describe here. It is safe to say, “SonicBloom has become one of the best electronic music festivals in North America!” It is worth noting the international talent attracted to the base of the Colorado Rockies to share their vision, talent and art. To see the full lineup click here.
The mindfulness and vision to attract the top talent from across the globe, must be recognized and commended. The three official stages vibrated with historic house music. This festival is the nexus of the Colorado electronic music scene. The location is perched atop a beautiful space of land with the foothills of the Rockies to the west and windmill filled fields that go on to meet the eastern horizon. The festival has succeeded at curating a fertile ground for the world-wide cutting edge of musical maneuvering.
The sound systems are tuned to the valley and can bump through the entire festival grounds. The security is appropriately staffed and energetically aligned. The friendly faces can be found throughout the campgrounds, stages, in swinging hammocks, in high fiveing security guards, or the dancing chefs who happily serve nourishing food at reasonable prices. The ice, in high demand in the hot sun is the only noticeably overpriced product at $1/lb. The showers run at full capacity as people line up for their chance to clean off that layer of accumulated dust and dirt that is kicked up from all of the movement. The sunny and beautiful weather also brings with it the dryness enabling the dirt to turn to dust. The wind is welcome and the stream is an oasis for people looking to take a dip and cool off.
The unofficial or ‘renegade’ stages include tipis and camp sites stacked with speakers and subs. The colorful crowd and the apex of art have arrived to create an immersive experience that people are willing to dedicate four days to. Some of the crowd has traveled from across the continent to enjoy the this dreamed up reality.
This festival has become a small close nit group of people who are looking out for one another to form a utopic village for just under a week. The production continues after the last set as everything needs to return to its original order; stages must come down, lasers, lights, projectors, sound & lighting boards, 1,000’s of yards of electric wiring, speakers, microphones, instruments, and framework to name a few. The thankless work of setting up all of the stages and hauling in the gear was executed with time to spare and enough technology to entertain even the most avid of festival goers.
People in their ‘A-Game’ costumes come energetically into the festival entrance in groups. Everyone has made 10+ new friends and friendly neighbors. The exchange of ideas, paints, music and visual art permeate the mind of every attendee. One cannot help but be inspired by something of unique beauty.
Day in the Life; at Sonic Bloom:
Winds whip down the hills and across the plains. Dust moves in a hurried Eastwood direction. Every walk of electronic culture strolls through the grounds interacting with experiences, sonic vibrations and frequencies across the perceptible spectrum. Cars have been rolling in for over 12 hours at a steady pace filling up the campgrounds. The lucky and wise are nestled among the 6′ shrubbery whose neighbors are bushes and trees. My neighbors on the other hand-made the pilgrimage to SonicBloom from Louisiana. A tightly packed vehicle of four young energetic and enthusiastic beautiful artistic human beings. As a group, it does not seem possible to gather so many like-minded humans in a place to enjoy and thrive in a collaborative environment.
Friendly staff greet the goers. The hippy chicks and the electric glowers.
From the lighting to the sound, from the stages to the camp ground, there are smiles to go around. With the hammocks from Yammocks, and the beats from the peeps the festi is full of fun-loving music geeks.
Three stages of stacked sets featuring some of the top electronic acts from around the world. American electronic music lovers treat this event as an annual pilgrimage to discover and reunite with the music, people and source of creative energy that is the foundation of a festival. Creativity flows from the ornately decorated stages and sublimely composed tracks that suddenly take hold of the listeners and create a simultaneous bodily expression of enjoyment including but not limited to twerking, spinning, jumping, dropping, exploding or floating.
The breeze kicked up into a howl for Nightmares on Wax’s last song featuring one of the most recognizable guitar riffs around. The high energy Bonobo set was filled with masterfully woven bass lines pulsing through the night. The crowd can be heard cheering for miles.
The late night stages rage like there is no finality to human diurnality. The artists continue to stoke the flaming crowd into the next adventure and from one set to the next. The solitude of night embraced with the warmth of bass and faces.With the evolution of the performances, the pulse of the festival was amplified and magnified by the exemplified beat technique. The audible entertainment abruptly ended, with a slow retreating high pass filter that faded out for 15 min or more notifying the audience that the silent disco was starting. With headphones on, the party rolls on…
The nexus of Colorado electronic music counter-culture is here; at Sonic Bloom, on the beautiful property at Humming Bird Ranch.
Gem and Jam Festival 2016
Gem and Jam Festival 2016
Tucson celebrated their 10th anniversary of Gem & Jam Festival over the Valentine’s Day weekend with a star studded lineup accompanying a plethora of beautiful art, rocks, and performers. Every musical act performed flawlessly as if they each could have easily been the main act of the night. Nearly every show had performers across the three intricately designed stages whether they were flipping fire or moving to the groove. For the first time, Gem & Jam added onsite camping to allow attendees to make the venue their temporary home. Every single soul Freio Music met over the weekend was extremely kind and loving, making it easy to feel welcome outside of our home state.
The festival was held over the perfectly weathered weekend as it saw temperatures reaching to almost 90° during the day and dropping to cool summer-like desert nights just in time for the music. Entry into the venue and will call was seamless as there were never burdening lines despite attracting the largest amount of attendees in their history. The venue, located at “The Slaughterhouse,” was a perfect size, allowing minimal walking from one stage to the next. After the music was over for the night, Gem & Jam kept the music going almost until sunrise with three afterparties each night. Two were in downtown, and one inside the venue at the Onyx Stage.
Stunning art was spread throughout the entire venue with a constant crowd watching their creation. Artists were constantly tending to their paintings and putting out some of the most spectacular pieces of art ever seen. There were artists beside each and every stage as well as their entire surroundings, providing their own show of creativity.
It was overwhelming to see so many amazing musical acts under one bill. One could bounce from one stage to the next and see a nationally or internationally renowned act throughout the entire day! The Quartz Stage was beautifully hand decorated with laser cut wooden sculptures and plenty of artsy structures providing both shade and something to gaze at. Pretty Lights Music’s Michal Menert and Eliot Lipp each brought their own uplifting beats and Tycho’s downtempo set took over the main stage Friday night closing out with Minnesota’s heavy bangers. The Jade Stage housed Colorado’s very own Magic Beans who jammed heavily until the festival’s close.
On Saturday, the great music started with Dirtwire’s “swamptronic” music and didn’t stop until Beats Antique and their extremely well choreographed performers who closed out the second night. The night also saw many headline-worthy acts like the always entertaining dance moves of Polish Ambassador, the pulsing beats of Desert Dwellers, and UK’s OTT who definitely got the most people dancing during the whole festival. Once Arizona locals, Brothers Gow are always a pleasure to see as their jammy takes on old songs as well as their own can really get the crowd involved with their awesomely funny dance moves.
On its final day, Gem & Jam certainly did not slow down in terms of musical acts as many quickly-rising electronic acts took over the Jade Stage while legendary DJ’s and numerous live acts shook the main stage. Mark Farina brought his smooth “mushroom jazz” that laid backbeat to some very chill hip hop like A Tribe Called Quest. Marvel Years performed before going back-to-back with Manic Focus who brought the electro-funk to Tucson. Lyrics Born was the biggest hip hop act and gained many new fans with their lively show. Closing out the night, Lettuce’s funk music brought Gem & Jam to a bittersweet end. But before Lettuce, was our favorite of the weekend, Break Science with the Shady Horns. The horn section from Lettuce collaborated with Adam Deitch and Borahm Lee and provided a wonderful addition to Break Science’s electronic sound. Manic Focus even joined the party to put on quite the fun show.
Tucson, Arizona treated us well with open arms and Gem & Jam held a beautiful gathering of thousands of kind-hearted people. Everything from the extremely kind security (thank you), to the savory foods, to the great music provided us with an unforgettable Valentine’s Day weekend. The experience was top-notch and certainly stands out from the other festivals of this time and we are beyond excited to see what they have in store for us next year.
Further Future Festival Preview
Introducing Further Future Festival
The first ever Further Festival is scheduled for 2016 and is poised to kick off with a bang! The Further Future crew have teamed up with The Confluence Group and artists around the nation to create a cutting edge festival immersed in technology and the arid desert of Nevada. This could become an avant-garde festival with the likes of Burning Man as inspirational groundwork. Stay tuned for the lineup and more info to come.
Listen to their musical preview below:
To learn more visit: Further Future Website