The Cosmic Opera

Lucky Fan Receives Baton from Cosmic Opera Act I

admin — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:50:15 +0000

Cosmic Opera Act 1 was a night to remember for all that attended, but it became the best night of one lucky fan’s life with a simple act. Cosmic Opera attendees may remember seeing a glowing blue baton that was handed off from DJ to DJ after every artists’ set. After NO_ID, Thomas Gold and Axwell signed the baton, Cosmic Opera headliner Axwell passed off the one-of-a-kind item to the clamoring crowd. EDM super fan Vanessa Barulich reached out and got the baton from her hero Axwell.

“Cosmic Opera was literally the best experience of my life. I’m so lucky to have received this & to have Axwell be the one to hand it to me was a little more than I could probably handle! I’m just a 20-year-old college student who happens to love EDM and above all, Axwell. His music can instantly put a smile on my face & bring me up, it’s kind of like a high on life- but more like a high on Axwell. It was definitely an amazing feeling to have him hand ME the baton out of a crowd of people, just an out of this world experience & I definitely look forward to Act 2!” -Vanessa Barulich

Fedde Le Grand Announced as Headliner for Cosmic Opera Act II

admin — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:06:15 +0000

Cosmic Opera Act II: Imbroglio at Hammerstein Ballroom, April 5 and 6
With Support From Zedd, Funkagenda, Felix Cartal, David Berrie and Matt Goldman

A few weeks ago, Act I of Cosmic Opera introduced an extraordinary new dance experience, combining the incredible talent of Swedish House Mafia’s Axwell, with the beauty and mystery of the opera, all set against the backdrop of the magnificent Hammerstein Ballroom. Act I was the Overture, and now Cosmic Opera presents the first taste of Act II: Imbroglio, which will bring intensity, conflict, and charged emotion. Act I, which sold out in minutes unveiled the 35 foot tall chandelier with over 5,000 crystal beeds which hung above head to the sold out room of ecentric and eclectic party goers, not to mention the 40 actors and aparatic dancers roaming through the crowd. “As it would be for a true Italian opera, our first Act was an overture. It was the initial combination of opera, theater and EDM. In Act II we will continue to build the event series and go deeper to explore the possibilities of Cosmic Opera with Imbroglio.- Justin Cohen, Cosmic Opera Founder

Act II: Imbroglio represents the evolution of Act I, taking the phenomenon and expanding, transitioning, and unfolding it to new heights, new depths, and everything in between. As Newsweek’s Daily Beast said, “The show has become a full-blown llaser spectacular to the point where one feels like they’re in the movie Tron. Cosmic Opera is where the music is the story, the action and theatrics developed from the music brings it to life in ways you’ve never experienced before. “Manhattan Center’s Hammerstein Ballroom cannot wait to show off Cosmic Opera Imbroglio; the sequel to its sold out Act 1, and the first open-house show since May 1994.” Sarah Jane Bennison, Talent Booker Manhattan Center.

The mystery continues, the journey continues… what will happen this time around?

FEDDE LE GRAND

admin — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:00:26 +0000

Whether he’s demolishing legendary State-side festival Coachella on his debut appearance; racking up a straight hat-trick of Beatport #1’s in the overall charts with Autosave, Control Room and his massive remix of EBTG’s Missing, completing the year with So Much Love and the massive remix of Coldplay’s Paradise; or touring most of the known world devastating clubland as he goes – Fedde Le Grand is the name on everyone’s lips. Rare breeds like Fedde Le Grand are few and far between, and so when someone like this comes along it’s right that the world sits up and listens. He’s a Dutchman blessed with such talent that keeping up to speed with what he does is a task in itself.

It could be said Fedde came out of nowhere, riding off the success of a hit record. Well, to set the record straight; this couldn’t be further from the truth. Le Grand has spent the majority of his earlier youth grafting, spinning records in his Native country and cutting tracks until the inevitable happened. Put your hands up for Detroit was produced in the bedroom, released by one of the biggest labels in dance, and it enabled Fedde to step out into the world of Electronic Dance.

His abilities in the studio are endless. Together with his good friend and production partner Funkerman, they’ve churned out some immaculate material that has slotted into an absolute cross section of fellow DJS. The Flamingo Recordings imprint now stands as one of the most forward-thinking and exciting labels in EDM, with top flight acts eagerly hanging on for news of new releases and remix work.

Fedde’s production talents have been called upon by the great and the good over the past few years. 2008 saw him work with two major music acts, Grammy Award-winning Black Eyed Peas front man Will.i.am, and Madonna – the name says it all. Famed for picking up the hottest talent, Madonna mixed Put your hands up for Detroit with Music for her recent promotional tour, to rapturous response, but the queen of pop didn’t stop there. Next came an invitation for Fedde to remix Give it 2 Me, the second single from the album Hard Candy. Fedde now joins a select group of producers to work with the Queen of Pop, including Mirwais, William Orbit and Stuart Price aka Jacques Lu Cont. The ultimate seal of approval if ever one were needed and straight from the queen of pop!

Fedde’s constant traveling and hard work more than paid off in October 2011 when he soared seven places up the influential DJ Mag Top 100 DJs Chart from 21 to 14. With fans everywhere clamoring for more and more of le Grand, it would not be an unwise bet that the Flying Dutchman rises even further up the Chart come the 2011 results.

Add to all the above Fedde’s rammed DJ diary, including his residency at world-famous Pacha Ibiza, countless festivals and headline gigs around the world, and it’s clear that this is man who has conquered his game, plans to stay there for a long time to come. His passion for music is evident; the quality of his sound is undisputed. Fedde Le Grand might just be looking for a name change; perhaps Fedde Le Tres Grand is on the horizon?

http://www.feddelegrand.com/

ZEDD

admin — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:58:28 +0000

Zedd (aka Anton Zaslavski), being born into a family of musicians, began playing the piano at the age of four. After several years of learning to master the piano, Anton began playing the drums in a band, and composed and produced numerous rock songs in his band’s own studio.

In 2009 he began producing electronic club music, to much and quick acclaim. After a peroid of only a few months he attained a remarkable level and went on to win two Beatport remix contests, the “Armand Van Helden / Strictly Rhythm Remix Contest”, and the “Fatboy Slim / Skint Remix Contest”! This was the foundation for Zedd to release several official remixes for artists such as Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, P. Diddy, Skrillex and Swedish House Mafia on labels including mau5trap, Interscope, Atlantic and EMI. His hit single “Dovregubben” held the #1 position on Beatport’s Electro House charts for four weeks.

One of the reasons for this rapid development is undoubtedly Zedd’s unique and highly recognizable style of composition. It stands out as very detailed and carefully produced Electro House, very playful and at the same time remarkably catchy. Zedd is definitely an artist to look out for in the future…

Soundcloud.com/Zedd

FUNKAGENDA

admin — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:56:31 +0000

Starting his career at the age of just 13, helping to program backing tracks for his fathers club act, he quickly got a taste for music and life on the road. He formed his own bands at high school and became a multi instrumentalist, locking himself away in his home 4-Track studio for days at a time. Then as he hit his late teens, amidst fronting a soft rock band, he was lured into the charms of dance music by the legendary VOODOO RAY. From this point on it was a love affair, and whilst he continued to learn the more conventional side of music at college, with his A levels etc, he was burning the midnight oil in his home studio crafting Drum + Bass and Techno works.

In the late 90s during the house explosion it was here that he found his home.
The hypnotic rhythms of ROGER SANCHEZ, DAVID MORALES and MAW were a perfect fusion of musicality + dance floor sophistication, and institutions such as WOBBLE and the mighty GODSKITCHEN were a Mecca for clubbers across the UK. He began to learn the delicate art of DJing, although after years of manually timing beats on bargain basement samplers, this was not as difficult as he thought and soon he was picking up bar and small club residencies. But his true love was production and at this point, with the price of a Dub Plate being about £50 it was not cost efficient to play your own material.

Enter the CDJ! Thanks to the wizards at PIONEER, many a bedroom producer now had the ability to play their own works out, and Funkagenda became a regular user. Always re-editing and remixing tracks into his own style, his sets had a unique sound, and began to catch the ears of many promoters around him. Soon gigs were a plenty, and his tracks were the flavour of the moment.

And so this brings us to the present. Currently producing with the likes of MARK KNIGHT, ATFC, TROPHY TWINS and DJ EXACTA to name but a few, and with two very healthy record labels [GROOVEDIGITAL + POP POP] under his belt, Funkagendas name is a driving force in house music today…

Look out for Funkagenda’s own record label Funk Farm hitting the streets soon.

http://www.myspace.com/Funkagenda

FELIX CARTAL

admin — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:55:00 +0000

2012 marks an important year for Felix Cartal, as the first single off his sophomore album has demonstrated, his sound has matured into simply put: memorable music. This single, titled, “Don’t Turn On The Lights”, featuring a vocal from Ultra Music topliner Polina, has already garnered support from MTV, BPM (Sirius XM) and Muchmusic, who have all added the video and song into heavy rotation.

Not wanting to slow down, Cartal maintains an aggressive release schedule leading up to the drop date of his sophomore LP “DIFFERENT FACES” on Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak Records in late March 2012. The 2nd single, DOMO (out Feb7th), taps into aggressive sounds and Japanese pop culture, whereas the 3rd single BLACK TO WHITE (out March6th and featuring Miss Palmer), falls back onto the pop influences of the first single. Branded with cute girls, b&w photography and red balloons, the concept for the album is strong, consistent, memorable.

Growing up in Vancouver, Felix’s initial mark on the dance scene was with his debut EP in 2009 titled ‘Skeleton.’ Steve Aoki and MSTRKRFT were some of the earliest supporters of Cartal’s sound, and he released his debut LP ‘POPULAR MUSIC’ on Aoki’s label, Dim Mak Records. The record featured several big tunes such as, ‘LOVE’ which was featured on the I LOVE TECHNO 2010 compilation, ‘WORLD CLASS DRIVER,’ which startled the internet with the video’s shocking take on seniors amongst the drug scene, and ‘VOLCANO’ which featured vocals from an unlikely collab of Johnny Whitney from post-hardcore stars The Blood Brothers.

In 2011 Felix progressed his sound with a surprise hit ‘THE JOKER,’ which found its way into the sets of anyone from Benny Benassi to Diplo to Laidback Luke. Transcending across all scenes of dance music, this tune was remixed by the likes of John Dahlback and Clouds (TURBO), and helped push Felix into both the American and European festival circuit, seeing him on stages at EDC, Tomorrowland and the mainstage of Electric Zoo.

After that full year of relentless touring, Cartal returns to what he loves to do, which is create full albums, and DIFFERENT FACES does not disappoint. A balance of instrumental and vocal tracks keeps the record interesting and energetic. Enlisting the vocals of Sebastien Grainger of DFA1979 and Maja Ivarsson of The Sounds, Cartal continues his trend of collaborating with unpredictable vocalists in the dance scene. The product sounds effortless though, a mix of different ideas, made for different ears on different faces.

http://felixcartal.com/

dBERRIE

admin — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:51:01 +0000

From Diddy to the underground, David Berrie’s musical career has evolved in unique fashion. The one-time deejay to the stars, twenty-four year old Berrie now looks to carry dance music in New York into the next decade.

With a distinctive deejaying and production style, Berrie draws heavily on both tech and progressive house influences. His recent debut release, “Underslang”, reached #25 on the Beatport Top 100 and #3 on Beatport’s Tech House chart.
Upcoming releases on Ultra Records, Nervous Records, and Starter Records look to add to the considerable buzz Berrie has generated on house blogs around the globe. Remixes of Chris Brown’s “Yeah 3X”, released by Jive Records, and Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep”, both produced under the moniker dBerrie, have become staples of deejays’ sets worldwide.

Berrie continues to tour globally, holding residencies at Pacha (New York), Liv (Miami), Glow (DC), and Playhouse (Los Angeles). He has performed at a bevy of international festivals including Planetlove WKD Festival (Ireland) and Umagination (Croatia) and has headlined Dayglow throughout the United States.

http://www.davidberrie.com

MATT GOLDMAN

admin — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:50:48 +0000

Matt Goldman is climbing the ladder to success, escalator style. From the moment he began, it was clear he had a natural affinity for spinning records. In only a year and a half, he has gone from complete unknown to routinely playing along side superstar DJ’s such as Deadmau5, Carl Cox, Axwell, Dirty South, Afrojack, and Kaskade.

Five months after winning a global competition to open for Tiesto at the DC Armory in front of a sold out 10,000 person audience, Matt was again at the forefront of another Tiesto competition; Tiesto’s “Work Hard, Play Hard” remix contest. Out of over 10,000 entrants, Matt’s track was hand picked by Tiesto as a finalist and went on to finish fourth out of fifteen finalists.

Due in part to his budding relationship with Avicii, Matt has gained mass recognition in the EDM world, performing alongside the Swedish sensation at six sold out shows. To go along with regular bookings at famed New York City clubs such as Pacha NYC, GLO, Santos Party House, and Neptune Beach Club, Matt holds residency at the world renowned Club Glow in Washington, DC, as well as Whisper in Philadelphia, PA, which have helped him become a household name amongst EDM Fans on the East Coast. Matt’s sound, a combination of uplifting house with dark and heavy underground beats, has won over discerning house music lovers and newcomers to the scene alike.

http://www.soundcloud.com/matt-goldman

Win a VIP Package & Accommodations to Act II

admin — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:29:50 +0000

Can’t wait for Act II? Tweet #COSMICOPERA2 for a chance to win a VIP package and Accommodations in NYC*

*By tweeting #CosmicOpera2, you are entering yourself in a lottery to win a one night stay at a Morgan’s Group hotel in NYC and a VIP Package for you and a friend for Act 2 of Cosmic Opera. The lucky winner will be selected at random and will be contacted after the completion of this countdown. NOTE: ONLY ONE TWEET ENTRY PER TWITTER HANDLE PER DAY WILL BE COUNTED. Please do not try to game the system by entering with different Twitter handles, email addresses, or other multiple accounts. Cosmic Opera reserves the right to discard and/or disqualify duplicate entries.

Introducing Cosmic Opera Act II: Imbroglio

admin — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:22:49 +0000

Act I was the Overture, and now Cosmic Opera presents the first taste of Act II: Imbroglio, which will bring intensity, conflict, and charged emotion.

Act II: Imbroglio represents the evolution of Act I, taking the phenomenon and expanding, transitioning, and unfolding it to new heights, new depths, and everything in between.

The mystery continues… what will happen this time around?

WATCH THE NEW TEASER VIDEO NOW