In the wake of Hurricane Sandy’s aftermath, we have seen countless artists band together to raise money and awareness for those affected by the storm. The Swedish House Mafia’s Black Tie Rave on February 28th plans to continue this trend, donating 100% of the net proceeds to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City and the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund.
Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster’s auctioning system and which will continue until December 16th. The show, scheduled to take place at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom, is a strict black tie and ball gowns affair – with an age limit of 21+. I guess it’s time to rent a tuxedo.
The softspoken, electronic-rock gods, Justice, stopped by the Sirius XM studios this past Friday to spin an exclusive set for a studio packed with die-hard fans. In a brief pre-set interview, Gaspard Augé remained quiet while Xavier de Rosnay explained the origins of Justice, including their “accidental” jump into music production, their first remix of Simian Mobile Disco, and the classic rock inspiration behind Audio, Video, Disco. In anticipation for the start of their North American tour, the French duo spun an eclectic set of originals and techno-heavy tracks from some of the premiere French acts in the scene today. Leading off with ZZT’s “Partys Over Los Angeles” the duo featured cuts from Gesaffelstein, Destructo, Surkin, SebastiAn, Jacques Lu Cont and more, before finally closing out with Michael Sembello’s 80′s classic, “Maniac,” which took us by surprise — but, as one fan put it, “That’s what legends fucking do.”
Our first experience at the Cosmic Opera was less than stellar; despite having all the elements of an amazing show, it simply didn’t come together as it should have. The venue, the music, and the production were all there, but the lack of a real story line and its awkward progression left most people unsatisfied. From the moment I walked into Hammerstein Ballroom for Act II — “Imbroglio” — however, I got the sense that the event had definitely stepped its game up. A green laser hanging from the ceiling of the space displayed beams of light in all directions, a gigantic claw chandelier hung right next to it, and the bass was thumping: it was time to see if Cosmic Opera had finally figured itself out.
The first go-around of Cosmic Opera last month left us wanting more, so we’ve been anxious to see what would happen when the “extrasensory dance event” returned to NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom. And, thanks to a new YouTube trailer from the Cosmic Opera team, we have some new info about “Act II: Imbroglio.” Taking place on April 5 and 6, both shows will feature Fedde Le Grand and Zedd, along Funkagenda and dBerrie on the first night, and Felix Cartal and Matt Goldman on the second. Tickets will be available tomorrow at 10 AM on Ticketmaster… and, in case you’re wondering, an “imbroglio” is a “a misunderstanding, disagreement, etc., of a complicated or bitter nature; an intricate and perplexing state of affairs.” What does this mean for the show? We truly have no idea.
From the beginning, Cosmic Opera branded itself as something more than the traditional rave. Promises of acrobatics, 3D imagery, and a complete “extrasensory experience,” had enough people interested: the first date sold out nearly instantly and a second show was promptly added. Deniz Koyu opened for Axwell on night one, which didn’t leave the best taste in many people’s mouths. (Our own Andrew Spada described it as “paying to see a dress rehearsal.”) Thankfully, we went on night two, when Thomas Gold joined Axwell to give Hammerstein Ballroom a second go. Yes, Cosmic Opera was supposed to be the fairy tale EDM show that everyone wanted to fall in love with — and it did succeed on many accounts. But there are also some serious flaws with the first go around, and we hope they can fix them for round two.
Our full review of Cosmic Opera will be ready for tomorrow, but we thought we’d share the photos as an early weekend treat just to whet your appetite. The chandelier erected in Hammerstein Ballroom was one of the most beautiful production elements we’ve ever seen in an EDM show, but you’ll have to wait for our thoughts on everything from the opera singers to the acrobats to the lasers until toorrow. In the meantime, make sure to follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook so you know as soon as our review hits the web.
