Kygo @ Navy Pier 1-23-16 [Recap]

Kygo_CloudNine_FinalOn Saturday January 23 Kygo made his final Cloud Nine Tour stop for his North American leg of the tour. Unfortunately I’ll have to report that his show did not put me on cloud nine, in fact this could have been the worst show I have been to in a long time. Fortunately for Kygo this isn’t a review about the actual music he plays.

***DISCLAIMER: I am not a Kygo hater, in fact I do enjoy his music and tropical house as a whole, though it’s not my first choice of EDM sub-genre of choice. This is my opinion of the show which can differ from yours and that’s fine.***

 

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Snowstorm Fest 2015 [Recap]

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By living in Chicago you can expect a snowstorm to hit at least once a year during the winter months. This year was no different, but on March 7 we were hit with a different type of snowstorm, The Snowstorm Music and Arts Festival.  The cold temperatures were still there but instead of snow plows, we had a lineup of high energy and soulful artists, and instead of snow we had a sea of thousands of people dressed in white from head to toe.

DSC00788Since Congress Theater closed down, the Chicago EDM scene has been limited to using two venues for shows that are not 21+, The Aragon Ballroom and Concord Music Hall. When Above and Beyond used Navy Pier’s Grand Ballroom for their tour stop it seemed to have opened the doors of opportunity for this to become a regularly used venue. Just two weeks later, The Gathering Group (Snowstorm Fest Organizers) turned this iconic venue into something it’s never been before. With two levels of attractions, two stages, 11 artists, several bars and VIP “Igloos” (pictured on the left); Snowstorm Fest was something unseen before by Chicago.

The festival didn’t start off well since guests were not allowed in till a little after 6:30 PM (30 minutes late), causing a few artists to play to a small crowd or empty room. Figgy, who opened things up in the Chill Lounge on the second floor, played to a mostly empty room. Even when his set was over at 7 PM and ASTR started things up on the Main Stage, ASTR played for only a few dozen people. This was unfortunate as Figgy had a very soulful RnB infused set that would get people moving. ASTR’s front woman Zoe has a great voice, with great range, it’s a shame more people didn’t get a chance to see her and Adam perform.DSC00841

>>>Read our interview with Figgy HERE<<<

A few hours in Snowstorm Fest came to life. As festival patrons filled both stage areas and the VIP balcony you can see things come together.  People stood in line to take pictures in a photo booth, walked between both stages to check local and out of town artists. Performers from the Redmoon Theater showed up around the festival to give Confetti Gun Salutes, Pour Champagne from elaborate contraptions (pictured below) and to take pictures with festival attendees.

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The Chill Lounge played as a host to local talent throughout most of the night. Win & Woo definitely turned it up a notch after Kody Madro finished up. Their set filled with original tracks and remixes which showcased their unique sound very well. Not to mention that it’s always refreshing to see artist enjoy themselves when they’re performing. If you haven’t checked them out yet you definitely should. The night continued with Louis the Child, who’s energy was infections and unmatched by anyone all night.  These high-schoolers brought the ruckus and a nice following of fans.DSC00925

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>>> Read our interview with Win&Woo HERE<<<

Moby closed out the festival to an almost entirely packed main room. As expected, he brought some heavy hitting tunes as well as some classic hits.  Seeing Moby several times over the last few years, I expected nothing less. He continues to be one of my favorites, as he never ceases to dominate each stage he performs on. To be honest I was very surprised he was named headliner of the first year festival, but I’m so glad he was.

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Snowstorm Fest was not perfect from an organizational point of view, as to be expected by a first time event of this size. But with its great vision, perfectly selected artists, a very responsive crowd and room to grow in the venue it’s definitely something to look forward to next year. For the price ($25-$100) this festival was a steal, Moby alone could sell out the main room. Adding the open bar for VIP ticket holders was a great plus and a great value. That being said, Festival season in Chicago kicks off officially in March now, and that makes it easy to get through our harsh winters. Here’s to a bigger and better Snowstorm Fest in 2016. Hope to see all of you there!!

>>>>View the Full Snowstorm Music and Arts Festival Gallery HERE<<<<

Post SnowStorm Music Fest: Win & Woo [Interview]

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WSC: How did it feel to Play at Snowstorm music Festival?

Nick: It’s cool, we had an idea in mind to change the way we DJ to play more of the stuff we make, the style we make; and tonight was probably the first time we went all out THAT way, playing whatever we wanted in the style were going for.

Austin: Yea, because we used to be the “Drezzos” of the DJ world because we played heavy dark stuff. We don’t make that music, so playing here was our first opportunity to shift our DJ skills towards our brand.

WSC: How long have you guys been Djing/Performing in Chicago?

Nick: We’ve been playing here for about 3/4 years, we started in 2010. Our very first show was at Max Bar.

Austin: Our very first “big” club show was The Mid.

WSC: Oh cool, who did you guys open up for?

Nick: I think it was a local night on a Thursday. We just killed it. ISU homies came out in support, and actually an ISU homie hooked it up. He was like “Hey I can get you in the MiD on a Thursday” And were like “Cool”. We brought a ton of people.

WSC: What’s your favorite club in the city?

Austin: Honestly it’s the mid, between the main room and the century room, they always take care of us.

Nick: Its home. It’s always going to be home. They bring the best DJs.

WSC: That’s not the first time we heard that. But It’s the crowd too right?

Austin: The crowd is always responsive, it’s always packed. No matter what show were opening up at the mid at this stage in our career it’s always packed.

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WSC: When did you guys first start thinking about doing this?

Nick: Its crazy because I’ve been around music my whole life but I dropped it all when I started college. I stopped playing guitar (I used to be in bands and stuff) and started partying. And then I picked up DJing… But its weird because we lived 20 minutes away from each other never knew each other. He (Austin) lived in a small 20 person town. We played beer pong..

Austin: I’m from Danforth,IL. Literally, the middle of nowhere.

Nick: So we met and I’ve started djing on a mini controller at parties.

Austin: good ol’ virtual DJ

Nick: Austin wanted to learn so I taught him. He played at some frat parties I played at, I was in the frat. We did our first event together at a sorority barn dance. ISU barn dance. We played all country songs and popular songs, but the last song we played was the country edit of “Where’s Your head At” . at the time no one heard that shit, it was before Bassnectar came to ISU and if eel that shit changed everything. Bassnectar at ISU enlightened the whole campus. He did that everywhere.

Austin: We started around then 2010 doing sorority gigs to make some money. Then we decided to take it to the next level and came back to Chicago.

WSC: What are your musical influences?

Austin: Crazy as it sounds we’ve always followed the Chainsmokers really closely. They’re like a brand and musicians that we idolize because we see each other like that.

Nick: They’re always pushing the boundaries. You can tell when someone is trying out different styles. Even though ChainSmokers came out with something super commercial (“Selfie”). We have been following them since before that. They developed a brand and did it right.

Austin: They kept true to themselves. Haven’t changed since they started.

Nick: But there are more people as well. I couldn’t just say one name.

Austin: We have our homies Doctor Fresh, Bentley-Dean. We all hang out and make music together.

WSC: Who are your favorite local DJs?

Austin: Tsunami, Inphinity & Kalendr, Trentino, Freak Island, Zebo, Phenom

Nick: They’re just really cool dudes that know how to work a room and have been doing it forever. Everyone in the Chicago Industry is pretty nice.

Austin: This is a big city, but a small community. We all try to help each other out.

WSC: What keeps you going every day? What motivates you?

Nick: It took us a long time for us to get to where we are now. There was a big learning curve. There is so much to keep up with. Even though we knew we could do it, it was hard to get up every day and start doing it. We didn’t have a studio. We just got one a year ago and it has been life changing. Now we just go there every day.

Austin: It is a make it or break it kind of thing.

Nick: It has been a dream to travel the world.

Austin: Our collective dream was to travel the world even before we started DJing. This is the way we can do it and express our talents at the same time.

WSC: Dream artists to work with?

Nick: EDX is our favorite right now. His music helped us understand what were making and what we are DJing, and how to do them both.

Austin: We make happy stuff and clubby darker stuff. And he is in between that. He is not a huge name but he is very well known.

WSC: Deep dish or thin crust?

Nick: Thin crust

Austin: Thin crust. Shout out to Monacle’s Pizza! It’s a local chain in central Illinois. The sickest thing crust.

WSC: Cubs or Sox?

Nick & Austin: Sox

WSC: Win or Woo?

Nick: Win!

Austin: Woo!

WSC: Anything you would like to tell your fans?

Austin: Honestly, thank you!

Nick: Especially in the past year. We shifted and we rebranded. Our music was so well received. It is all about confidence. Knowing that you can make whatever you like and everyone will like it, THAT is what keeps us going. Everyone giving us this support, is what makes us.

WSC: Anything we need to keep an eye out?

Austin: First initial remix coming out in March with Pompeya. They are a large rock band in Russia. They are really good. Their initial remixes had some big artists on them.

Nick: There are some other things we are currently working on that we can’t talk about yet.

Austin: We’re sitting on like 3-4 remixes.

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Check them out!!

Twitter: @WinandWoo

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/winandwoo

Facebook: www.facebook.com/winandwoo

Instagram: @WinandWoo