Knife Party and Tom Morello Step It Up on Battle Sirens

There's kicking ass and then there's this. I'll put it this way, if you wanted to write the book on Tom Morello's career, you should probably hold up for a few minutes as he continues his branching out into every conceivable genre of music. Recently, he's been putting in work with Hip Hop/Rock super group Prophets of Rage and now he's moved onto making music with Knife Party out of all groups. In hindsight, the collaboration isn't a huge surprise given how deep into rock music the Knife Party guys were with Pendulum, but hearing a sick drop after a Tom Morello lead guitar build up is next level.

When you're listening to Battle Sirens, it'll sound like it's 100% alt rock at first. Then, around the minute and a half mark, you'll get that Knife Party kick in the pants drop. It's rawkus, it's tumbling, it's heavy, it's what we all like most about what the duo brings to the table. I can't over-sell the amount of novelty I felt when listening to the track. Whoever made this track possible, thank you very much, we're all benefitting greatly from it's existence...#BattleSirens

"Come on Parliament Funk"

There are few acts in electronic music that can create loud, controlled chaos. Some can do the loud, others can deliver a nice drop, but few can do it in an organized way like Knife Party. Case in point Parliament Funk off their new four song Trigger Warning EP. There's a hint of guitar riffs, bouncy chords, bright synths and soft piano all in one four minute and twenty second period. I'd liken it to Nero's ability to effortlessly inject heavy dubstep elements into hard driving electronic rhythms. There's an organized intensity that allows it to be listenable despite punching you square in the face. With this song, Knife Party has reached new funky heights on their way to paving a unique path through the monotony of mediocre EDM...#TriggerWarning

Knife Party - Parliament Funk

Concert Review of Knife Party at Mezzanine

It's been entirely too long since I've posted a concert review, nearly two years for those of you keeping track at home. In an effort to start 2015 on the right foot, below is my review of Knife Party's concert at Mezzanine in San Francisco this week.

First off, it's not every week that an electronic duo who headlines festivals decides to play at a club a few blocks away from your apartment. The phrase "no-brainer" purchase comes to mind when I think about how long it took for me to consider buying tickets. Having never been to Mezzanine before for a show, I was doubly intrigued because I had heard a lot of good things about the club.

When I entered the club, my first reaction centered around how small it was and how nice the sound quality was. Sam F was the opening act and he did his job in getting the growing crowd hype and ready for the main act. I thought there was a really solid turn out for the opening set, which speaks to the palpable excitement that was building as time passed. The biggest thing I appreciated during the concert was the quick shift between the opening act and the headliner. You could equate it to changing drivers on the highway without stopping, which was a nice surprise.

When 11 PM hit, the mood went from anticipation to completely turnt up. Off top, the duo of Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen sucked us all in with the Abandon Ship intro Reconnect, which bled into one of their most recent singles, Resistance. In hindsight, the first hour of their set was focused on cuts off their new album and recent remixes. The second hour of their set is what made the price of admission well worth it for me. Over the sixty minutes they weaved in an out of favorites like Internet Friends, Centipede, Begin Again, and their Save the World Tonight remix. It was a blur, but an awesome one at that.

As the set was gradually reaching an energy apex, I started silently hoping they would find a way to incorporate my favorite cut off Abandon Ship in their encore. It's as if they heard me because sure enough, they queued up the reggae flavored track, Give It Up as I went nuts. The concert didn't need icing, but I got it anyways and it perfectly capped off an enjoyable night where I danced myself clean in under the cozy roof of Mezzanine...#AbandonShip

Abandon Ship is Coming, Go Boss Mode

With every new leak the hype for Knife Party's Abandon Ship keeps building. Their new one, Boss Mode, grows in intensity as the track progresses. I'd call the track organized, but increasingly loud and hard hitting. It won't melt your face or anything, but you'll find yourself nodding your head more and more with each bass hit.

To this point Knife Party has showcased a few different styles. They have skewed slightly Indie Pop with Begin Again and kept it real with their quirky synth led Resistance. Between the three songs, it's tough to get a consistent bead on what Abandon Ship will sound like. As a fan of both variety and just about everything Knife Party puts out, I hope they keep dabbling and pushing the limits of what we know they are capable of doing...#BossMode

Knife Party - Boss Mode

Knife Party Press the Reset Button and Begin Again

Up until this point, I've closely associated Knife Party with hard driving, almost haunting drum and bass combinations that are 80% rage and 20% harmony. Unless we're all being thrown for a loop, their second single off their upcoming album is a stark contrast to their previous releases. It's as if Rob Swire decided to channel Pendulum's sound and mesh it with the sound he and Gareth have created so far with Knife Party. I'll be honest, the 80s style synthesizers throughout definitely threw me for a loop, but the energy level of the song was very Knife Party-esque.

Before you get all "WTF this isn't Knife Party", you might want to do a bit of research on how they evolved into Knife Party. I applaud them for creating a funk driven track with vocals that goes directly against their usual style. Abandon Ship will be here in just over a month (Oct 27) and if you're like me, your excitement levels are appreciating by the day...#AbandonShip

Knife Party - Begin Again

Knife Party Are Getting Ready to Abandon Ship

Oh how I have missed Knife Party. Hearing that they have a new album coming out at the end of October called Abandon Ship is just about as good as it gets for a Monday. Better yet, they gave us a piece of that upcoming delicious pie for free today in the form of Resistance.

I'd characterize their new one as high speed chase music. The high-pitched synths go balls to the wall, reminding us all once again why their brand of music is uniquely awesome. Between the build ups and drops, it's got a great mix energy and anticipation throughout. If this is any indication of what's to come in about two months, color me excited as hell...#AbandonShip

Knife Party - Resistance

Knife Party Just Dropped a New EP

There are a few EDM acts that I'm steady pressing F5 on the internet in hopes that they announce a tour date near my current location. Near the top of that list is Knife Party who released a new Haunted House EP to iTunes yesterday. The four song EP includes their massive hit Power Glove and their new hit LRAD.

The track isn't as fast, creepy or in-your-face as the majority of their tracks, but that doesn't mean it isn't still awesome. It has more of a traditional progressive house sound to it with the usual build ups leading to epic drops. If you're really impatient, fast forward to the 4:08 mark and don't be afraid to get all tribal with it...#HauntedHouse

Knife Party - LRAD (Original Mix)

"Now You're Playing With Power!"

There isn't anyone in EDM right now that has a bigger sound than @knifepartyinc. Sure, @skrillex and @nero_uk come close to matching the grandeur of electro madness of Knife Party, but with tracks like Internet Friends and Centipede, they win. Their trademark jumpy synths consistently create emotion evoking experiences (at times nightmarish) through listening, which is unique.

I'll put it this way, if you thought they normally did it way big, give Power Glove a listen. Be cognizant of the volume level though because the energy emitted from my laptop speakers are giving me an ultimatum right now - either stand up and dance or turn me down before noise complaints ensue. Choose your own adventure, just choose wisely...#ChooseYourOwnAdventure

Its So mad to get so much love for power glove and it's only a 16 bar demo , thanks guise

— Knife Party (@knifepartyinc) January 26, 2013

Knife Party - Power Glove

Knife Party's Dubstep Cenitpede

The track below may be the first time an artist or group has ever imaginatively crafted an onomatopoeia through dubstep. At first I thought the intro to the track was a little National Geographic style dull and didn't really do much for the track, but after a a few listens, I can appreciate how it kicks the door open to your imagination. The fan made video below was very necessary since it provided the visuals that we all pictured while listening to the intro...

The way I see it, if somebody doesn't make a 3D horror movie based on the track below, then Hollywood doesn't like electronic music as much as I thought.

The track recently surfaced on @knifepartyinc's new four song Rage Valley EP that dropped last week on Beatport. If the whole genre of EDM has anything to do with it, Beatport will continue to grow in popularity as an alternative to iTunes. No, I'm not saying they'll ever be anywhere close, but when I do a search for EDM tracks and they don't show up on iTunes and they're posted on Beatport, that means something.

Key takeaway from this post is that when it comes to high octane dubstep, Knife Party should be one of the groups you think of first. Oh an if you don't like creepy insects, this song and general post probably isn't for you...#ProblyShouldHaveSaidThatFirst

Knife Party - Centipede
|Beatport

Skrillex and Knife Party Like Animals

Now that I'm learning the who's who in Dubstep, I'm starting to fully grasp it's appeal. It's a style that's not as fast as techno or house, but the high powered electro-synth rhythms as every bit as high energy and dance-worthy than it's predecessors. The track below, Zoology, is an unreleased collaboration between two of the genre's most recognizable names in @skrillex and @knifepartyinc.

This is now the second Knife Party track I've posted in the last two weeks and you could I've been busy of late trying to catch up on their music. I was never a fan of Pendulum, even though I understood that they had a pretty devoted following, but I can't help but wonder what fans of the rock group think of @rob_swire and Co.'s decision to drift away from drum/bass rock into electo-synth craziness. Between the characteristically quirky synths and the animal noises, there's a whole lot going on in the track below. I'll applaud the fact that the track succeeds in taking the listener to the jungle, Dubstep style, which fits the description. I wouldn't hesitate to put this one on if the party has any inclination of getting out of hand. When I say out of hand, I mean like Project X out of hand. Still not sure what to think of that preview or the mauling it's taken in the press lately, but the presumed craziness and Todd Phillips presence has piqued my interest...#AmericanPieHumor

Knife Party feat Skrillex - Zoology

"You Blocked Me on Facebook, And Now You're Going to Die"

As I'm starting to immerse myself into the electronic/dubstep revolution that is starting to infiltrate popular music, I'm finding it interesting how some groups are setting themselves apart from others. In other words, it's has to be hard to stand out when the music your genre is known for is characterized by high octane electronically synthesized noise. Maybe I'm missing the mark on that since I'm sort of new to the in-your-face rhythms that have become the norm these days, but when everyone is working with synthesizers and bass, how do you come off as unique?

Well...the answer in the case of @knifepartyinc, modernize your message by including a dramatized, computer generated Facebook down-spiral. I can't say I've heard heard the phrase "You blocked me on Facebook and now you're going to die" before in any form of music. That's the type of subtly humorous edge that got me listening to Knife Party's new track Internet Friends. If you haven't heard of them, the group consists of Australian rock band Pendulum's band members @rob_swire and @garethpendulum. Their brand of electronic dance music is heavy on the jumpy, high pitched synths sort of like @deadmau5. Speaking of which you may remember hearing Ghosts n Stuff featuring none other than the aforementioned Rob Swire...#FullCircle

What's even more kick ass about Knife Party is that they take the liberty of remixing other awesome tracks like @swedishousemfia's Save the World Tonight, @nerouk's Crush on You and most recently, @labrinthda1st's track Last Time. You can expect the remix below to surface on iTunes March 11th, but feel free to preview below or check out their new-ish unreleased track with @skrillex titled Zoology.

Labrinth - Last Time (Knife Party Remix)

I feel like I've learned a lot in researching Knife Party and, in the process, gained a lot of upbeat new music to listen to. Hopefully you are in the same boat and if you're not and would like to buy a ticket to that boat, feel free to cop their new 100% No Modern Talking EP on iTunes for starters.

Knife Party - Internet Friends

|iTunes