Shilo Urban has been giving me a crash course on the meaning of Decibel Festival. With her daily inspirational rants such as “dude! you gotta go see Jahcoozi at Neumos!” and “are you going to the after party?” I quickly became the converted.

Here’s what went down tonight:

Picked up an all access press pass at Grey Gallery Lounge

Walked into Neumos and walked downstairs to the Green Room where I ran into the guys from Bands.tv (Sanchay, Bob and Matt).

Heard Tujiko Noriko and loved her!

Watched Barbara Morgenstern and danced.

Watched Jahcoozi and partied my ass off!

Waited till about 2:45 am and Bands.tv interviewed me and culturemob for about 2 minutes.

Then they had Shilo Urban from Culturemob interview Jahcoozi. The interview was streamed live from Bands.tv.

Everyone went to the after party and held a birthday party for Decibel founding member Sean Horton. Something about wearing fake mustaches too…

Now I’m home and I don’t think I’m going to get to work early as planned! Take it from me. Decibel Festival is super fun and this is only the first night.

I returned to Seattle Sunday night around 8PM from three days of camping, dancing, partying in tents and jamming out to sick electronic music like next week was Armageddon, going on about three hours of sleep with a car and a face full of sand, sunburned shoulders, river hair, a pack full of wet clothes and muddy shoes. There was only one thing I was up for-

Sunset Seattle: the Decibel Festival prefunk by Innerflight at Golden Gardens, of course!

Why? Because Innerflight can party, and I KNOW THIS.

So I raced out to my favorite Seattle park just in time for the beginning of Novatron’s set as well as for the onslaught of pouring rain, which in fact seemed to be having precious little effect on the dancing crowd who had obviously been living it up all day long. Nova was laying it down fat and bassy like the people like it and having quite a bit of fun himself, and dancers were straight getting down in the downpour, rocking it hard right out in front of the sound master. Dancing in the rain on a beach to Novatron was the perfect cap to an excellent weekend, especially as the experience included recognizing friend after friend in the darkness next to me smiling, grooving, shaking the wet right from them and reveling in the warm cozy feeling that is the Seattle electronic music community.

And we are a community, which today is no longer defined by tradition or geography or family but by interest- and we love the beats, baby. Whether you are a househead, a techno freak, a drum and bass fanatic, a wonky dubstep lover, a breaks ninja, electro warrior, a spirit dancer or just a total bass slut like me, we all share a great passion for electronic music and the community created around it, and we should not take it for granted. We understand how very important creative expression is to human beings. Dancing is my religion, and it is all the promoters, DJs, dancers, producers, party-throwers and guys who haul heavy-ass speakers that enable me to indulge in the most important thing in life, having fun. Thank you.

And you can thank them by showing up at the Decibel Festival, not only for the big names like Deadmau5 and Carl Craig but for all the locals involved in the festival as well. Go to the free DJ lounges going on each night at Grey Gallery, indulge in a little more of the freaky beat goodness that is Novatron at the Sensory Effect Showcase, and check out all the other local performances including the Innerflight Showcase taking place Sunday night at Sole Repair. Get a pass so you can hop around the whole weekend to all the venues and not miss anything, and let’s show ‘em how we roll in the 206. And tell the musicians who make your life better just that; your words feed their souls and you know those starving artists need a burger now and then.

If Innerflight’s prefunk was any indication of what will ensue at Decibel, get ready and load up on the morning-after Emergen-C, because all those freaks were going wild in the rain, and I was proud to be one of them.

For more information including the full lineup and artist information for the 2008 Decibel Festival of Electronic Music Performance, Visual Art and New Media taking place THIS WEEK in Seattle, click here.

To read my guide and showcase picks for the Decibel Festival, click here.

To visit the official Decibel Festival website with all the juicy goods, click here.

See you on the dance floor.

Seattle Weekly’s annual local music festival REVERBFest hits Ballard like a guitar smashing down on stage, scattering its glistening goodness to all around. From the Bit Saloon to Mr. Spot’s Chai House you will find Seattle’s hottest artists as well as up-and-coming musicians pouring their souls out all over the neighborhood, and you can get in on the action for less than $10!

It all goes down Saturday, October 4 but wristbands are on sale now for $8 advance/$10 at the door ($5 advance/$7 at the door for minors) and for the cost of two lattes you get access to nine stages and over 65 local bands. Ballard was built for pub crawls, so grab your friends, get a wristband and keep the Seattle music scene blazin’!

Find out more about REVERBFest here or check out the lineup below for the full run-down; click on the artist name for performance and venue information. My top pick? Truckasauras.

REVERBFest 2008 Lineup:

Elder Mason
Ripynt
C-Leb & A-Bro
Kim Virant
Thee Sgt Major III
Hazelwood Motel
Blood Red Dancers
The Monday Mornings
Sweet Potatoes
Zach Harjo
Kublakai
Sage
Panda & Angel
Herman Jolly
The Crying Shame
Kate Tucker & the Sons of Sweden
Arbitron
The Knox Family
Bob Wayne and the Outlaw Carnies
Husbands, lover your wives
Ian Moore
Keg
KEXP Audioasis Live
The Braille Tapes
The Lonely Forest
Michael Vermillion
Canary Sing
Brothers of the Sonic Cloth
Pufferfish
Bacchus
Lonesome Rhodes & the Good Company
The Rainieros
Wizdom
Black Whales
Little Penguins
Onry Ozzborn & the Gigantics
Boat
Emeralds
See Me River
Gatling Gees
Man Plus
Police Teeth
Truckasauras
Guns and Rosetti
Mono in VCF
Piece
Red Jacket Mine
17th Chapter
Team Gina
Trombone Cake
Orbitron
Massy Ferguson
The Curious Mystery
The Valkyries
Aqueduct
Madraso
North Twin
Neon Nights
Diminished Men
The Quit
Grayskul Feat Candidt & XP
Shim
At The Spine
Dragstrip Riot
The Moondoggies

Everyone I know is getting really excited about the upcoming 2008 Decibel Festival taking place on Capitol Hill from September 25-28 which brings pure electronic arts mayhem to Seattle with over one hundred artists performing in twenty-four showcases at almost a dozen venues.

So how do you figure out where to go and when? Ideally you could make duplicates of yourself and see every single performance; alas, I wish for this every freaking weekend and the technology isn’t quite there yet. Short of cloning yourself, make a plan or just take my recommendations!

Keep in mind that I love anything riddled with bass, particularly breaks, glitch-hop, crunked-out hyphyness and anything hip hop-infused; I am in an extended techno phase and really love to dance and to support my locals. I know my showcase picks will leave a lot of talented performers out but sometimes in life you just have to choose.

So with that in mind, here is my plan of attack for Decibel Festival 2008. True, to keep up with me on any night much less during a festival you need a supernatural amount of energy; my secret is plenty of hard living: drinking, smoking, dancing, and of course hella double espressos, straight up.

Your comments are more than appreciated below, please leave one and let me know what you think.

1. BUY A PASS. This is a festival by city kids for city kids, proper-like. With a festival pass you will be able to bounce around from venue to venue with your friends, checking out all the artists you are interested in and catching all the headliners who will be staggered throughout the night, just like outdoor festies. But you’re in the city, not BFE, so you can enjoy the beats all night long and then grab some Jack in the Crack and go home, take a sweet hot shower and curl up in your bed before doing all again the next day.

2. EXPOSE YOURSELF. To new artists, that is. The list of performers looks daunting and there are no doubt quite a few that you haven’t heard of yet. Decibel is the perfect opportunity to stick your ears in on some performances you normally wouldn’t, and since you bought a pass, why not?

3. BRING YOUR FRIENDS. Electronic music changed your life and it is your duty as a human being to share your love of this art with some of your friends who don’t quite get it yet. Are all your friends are already obsessed with the electronic music like you? Party parade down Broadway.

4. DON’T BE STOOPID and get wasted; festivals require party planning. You don’t want to be going on two hours of sleep when your favorite DJ hits the stage. Drinking water, eating, and sleeping do wonders for human beings. You should try it sometime.

5. WEAR EARPLUGS. Custom sound systems will be brought in to all the venues to make them louder and more ribcage-rattling. Life is good. But even speakerfreakers like me want to be able to hear past the age of 40.

SHILO’S SHOWCASE PICKS:

Please click on the showcase name for a description, venue information, and full artist listing. Each showcase has several performers and I am just listing the ones I am really interested in seeing. My number one choice for each day of the festival gets a ***.

THURSDAY

dB DJ Lounge with Oi Vay: D’Jeronimo, Struggle, & Eddie (Grey Gallery) - These friends keep the Seattle scene sweaty and thriving.

Peloton Release Party: [a]pendics shuffle, Stewart Walker, and INCITE! aka Nordic Soul (Sole Repair) - Dance-centric CD release party for those with the Fever5000. Wear comfy shoes.

***Deconstructing Pop Showcase: Jahcoozi (Neumos) - JAHCOOZI IS THE SHIT. Everyone from the Glitch Mob to Modeselektor samples this Berlin trio with the outspoken frontwoman du jour. Their live shows are insane and this is Jahcoozi’s first time on the West Coast. Heaps of people are looking forward to this performance as the highlight of the festival. 

FRIDAY:

Dirty Dancing Showcase: Deadmau5 and Let’s Go Outside (Neumos) -Deadmau5 is only the hottest producer in the universe right now, and I met Let’s Go Outside a few weeks ago at Hengst where he really tore it up and then actually did go outside.

Sensory Effect Showcase: novaTRON (Lo-Fi) - Hello! novaTRON kills it, always, and repeatedly. 

***Native State Label Showcase: KiloWatts, Welder, Nalepa, Shen (Baltic) - All four performers at this showcase have mad skills; Native State is Bluetech’s label and this is the big show for bass sluts who will have the best night ever because right after this showcase is the…

dB Afterhours Subsequence: Eskmo, Phidelity, Kris Moon, Rob Noble, Skoi Sirius (Church of Bass) - Starborne is putting on this afterhours which will shake and destroy you from your dancing toes to your mind melting out of your ears. And we all know the Church of Bass is the perfect spot for 4AM dancing!

SATURDAY

***dB in the PARK: Noisemaker, Manahan, Jacob London, Truckasauras, and edIT and Boreta of the Glitch Mob (Volunteer Park) - If you go to one performance the whole week of Decibel, this should be it. It is FREE, it is OUTSIDE, there will be lots of FREAKS, and it features artists who are pushing forward the leading edge of the sounds of electronic music. I wish I could make every single person I know experience this event, and I truly want to see all of your faces and bodies on the dance floor beside me going nuts.

dB DJ Lounge with Sweatbox and Knight Riders: Ctrl_Alt_Del, pantycontrol, Dr. Mr. M. and Travis Baron (Grey Gallery) - These cats will be slinging techno or “techno sex” as we like to call it on the dance floor, when the words come out right, anyway.

Detroit Techno: Past, Present, and Future: Carl Craig (Neumos) - The Legend! And by Detroit Techno, I mean Real Techno, of course. 

db Afterhours Saturday: Cheap Sunglasses (Church of Bass) - Over on nwtekno.org, people are straight freaking out about this showcase; I am not familiar with all the performers but it sounds like one hell of a party and I will be there.

SUNDAY:

dB BBQ: Jeremy Ellis, Kid Hops, SunTzu Sound (Havana’s) - We all know Kid Hops’ sweet reggae does wonders for the body and soul on Saturday morning after a long Friday night; come chill and relax or even chillax with friends, good music, and brisket. If you don’t know what brisket is, then you really need to be at this BBQ stuffing your face beside me. Hint: They are flying it in from Texas. 

Innerflight Showcase: m.0, Kadeejah Streets, J-Sun (Sole Repair) - So Innerflight took a big plane to Burning Man, but do they have big plans? What is next for the collective? I don’t know but I really love these guys.

***Decibel Finale: Supermayer, The Bug feat. Warrior Queen, and Flying Lotus (Neumos) - OMFG. For real? Can we handle this? I am going to LOVE finding out.

These are the showcases I am going to try to hit at the Decibel Festival. I will probably miss a couple and wind up seeing a few others, somehow get lost on Capitol Hill at least once, find several unofficial afterparties, drink a lot of orange juice and gang up with to a roving band of marauders in the city seeking our next transcendent dance floor experience, find it, and continue on in quest of more.

I love electronic music. 

If you have any questions about the 2008 Decibel Festival, visit the festival’s website here or hit me up at shilo@culturemob.com or the next time you see me out, which will always be tonight.

Tina Turner is to tour North America this fall beginning October 1 in Kansas City, wrapping up 36 days later with a double show in Toronto December 12-13. This is her first tour since 2000 and she will be promoting the release of “Tina!”, a compilation album featuring 16 hits and 2 new songs.

The 8 new cities announced are Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Detroit, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City.

Deadmau5 is the reigning monarch of the Land of Electronic Music and his kingdom is the international dance floor of Right Now. In less than a year a certain young Canadian by the name of Joel Zimmerman has gone from a relatively unknown music nerd to a music nerd who is the most lauded and in-demand producer in the world. If you haven’t heard the music of Deadmau5, you’re wrong- you have heard it, and you just didn’t know it because at the time you were dancing too hard to ask somebody who made the music that was rocking your world.

Deadmau5 produces almost everything and he does it all very, very well. He dabbles in techno, winks at minimal, dips his toes in trance, plays footsie with progressive, makes overtly amorous glances at electro, and screws house’s brains out. Versatility and quality are rare bed partners in the music world, but Deadmau5 proves the stereotypes wrong like a good artist should- and he does it while wearing an enormous strobing red and white mau5 head with LED eyes and a goofy, open smile. Somebody fax Berlin.

The diversity and depth of the talent of the Mau5 King is confirmed by the ridiculously long list of awards he has received in the last year. From Beatport he claimed Producer of the Year, Best Electro House Artist, Best Progressive House Artist, Best Single (“Not Exactly”), 3rd Place for Best Remix (“Burufunk’ Carbon Community ‘Community Funk”), as well as earning the kick-ass title of Most “Influential, Forward-Thinking, and Relevant” Person of the Year. Deadmau5 was also nominated this past May for two Juno awards (akin to the Canadian Grammies), was included on no less than fifteen compilation albums, and had more downloads, number one hits, and held the number one spot longer than any other artist on Beatport. Ever.

And it was ever since Pete Tong played the track “Faxing Berlin” on BBC’s Radio One that the music of the shy, 28 year-old Torontonian who sleeps on a futon has spread across the world like a colony of rabid mice, taking up residence in the brains of beat-freaks from Seattle to Sydney. His collaborations with Steve Duda (BSOD) and Kaskade have received widespread acclaim as has his work with Tommy Lee, resulting in a musical WTF? (Google it). Deadmau5 is rearranging the very idea of what a live electronic music performance should be, raising the standard and setting higher expectations of visual engagement. His inventive approach is welcomed by his subjects as are the driving melodies and powerful rhythms that characterize his productions. Deadmau5 headlined almost every major electronic music festival in 2008 from DEMF to Ultra Music Festival and began a fifty-city world tour September 1, with plans to destroy every giant dance floor along the way, including one at the upcoming 2008 Decibel Festival in Seattle.

But Deadmau5 is more than sweet beats with a fun delivery- his party music is set beyond the boundaries of easy name tags and is tinged with the dark breath of the absurd. His theatrical approach and even his rise to fame symbolize Right Now; Deadmau5 and his music exist on the very edge of the modern world, the place where the electronic arts community dances and pushes forward innovations in technology and creative expression. The high BPM at which Deadmau5 came to prominence in the international club scene is indicative of nature of the community behind the electronic arts, a group whose very existence owes itself to communication via computers. Creative expression has always been dependent on technology, ever since a Neanderthal picked up a stick to enhance the ooh-factor of her cave paintings. Our uber-modern community is a contemporary collective not defined by the traditional elements of geography or family, but by a shared interest in artistic production through electronic media. We share stories not around a campfire but through a monitor; we tell of our heroes not with sweeping gestures but in kilobytes per second. We create an ongoing wild frenzy of information trade that can result in the near insta-fame that Deadmau5 has enjoyed, impossible in any other time in human history.

Deadmau5 reminds us that Right Now is also the Age of the Nerd. Boys and girls alone in front of their computers pressing buttons are conquering the planet, and mad computer skills are trumping social skills as the go-to characteristics to possess in order to succeed in the world. Thankfully for the extroverts, Deadmau5 takes his magic OUT of the home studio and leaves the realm of the socially awkward. Armed only with a laptop, a Lemur touchpad, and a custom-made mau5 costume, he delivers a unique and forceful sound in a way that no one else is doing, convincing every soul on his dance floor that this isn’t just some rat fink shtick.

With so many awards, accolades, booty-moving hits and jam-packed dance floors around the world, the only thing that any one even to say against Mr. Mau5 is that his music is pure party music for fun times; his productions do not invoke any series of serious emotions. Damn straight. It seems that many people, artists in particular, give more value to the expression of negative emotions that positive ones; a movie or song that takes you on a head-trip through your last life-destroying experience always ranks higher with the critics than a happy ha-ha story. This is why you always see poets on the back of their book jackets looking so serious, hand to chin, furrowed brow. Well, this is 2008 and all bets are off. It is a post-post-post-everything life and bliss, euphoria, ecstasy, and joy are the most valuable emotions around. When you share them with another human being, whether beside you on the bed or the dance floor, you transcend together. Bliss inspires us; joy changes lives. And no one creates dance floor euphoria right now better than Deadmau5. Nothing says screw your somber brooding shit better than a twitchy music-maker wearing a big red mau5 head and clapping and jumping and laying down twisted beats.

Just below the surface of Deadmau5’ party music is, however, the slightest ribbon of black; underneath the stomping beats lays an almost imperceptible razor-sharp edge of disillusion. But the nihilism is there, and the uncertain tenor of the modern world slaps you in the face as you recall the absurdity of our present tenuous situation on this planet. Deadmau5 is party to the absurd, and like any good existentialist he laughs at it with a macabre smile. From behind the strobing eyes Deadmau5 is commanding you to live it up, to put on your happy fun-time hats and party because this could be it; in fact this is it. His music is a soundtrack to this liminal era and his beats bounce up and down on the thresholds of music genres, resisting all categorization. Deamau5 produces the music for Right Now, for a time when human beings are on the threshold too, up in the air between there and here, both on the brink of destruction and salvation. Nothing fits easily into categories anymore including us; the labels have all been used up and we exist now as random players in an unsorted world. There is only one thing left to do. Dance.

There is a time and place for evoking a serious series of emotions, and there is a time and place to get down, party, revel in the absurdity of modern life, and dance to the hottest producer in the world who performs dressed like a raver who went on the Magic Mountain roller coaster at Disneyworld with one too many glow sticks. Guess which time and place is in the realm of the Mau5 King?

Find the kingdom for yourself on Friday September 26 at the Dirty Dancing Showcase on the dance floor of Neumos, when the influential musician headlines yet another electronic arts extravaganza: the 2008 Decibel Festival in Seattle. His new album, Random Album Title, drops today (September 2), look for it online or find it old-school style in record stores on September 4. Enjoy a slice of the absurd with your life, and come celebrate the bliss of Right Now in the Age of the Nerds with your Mau5 King.

Formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics, the now super-lame “OKC Thunder” have unveiled their new name and colors of blue, red, and orange. The title is fitting for a state known for dust storms and tornadoes. Just like Tatum Bell stole Rudi Johnson’s luggage while claiming “I Ain’t No Thief,” Clay Bennett straight up stole the Seattle Supersonics.

Bennett should take a cue and learn by heart Tatum Bell’s eloquent “I Ain’t No Thief”- it will come in handy. The real loser here though is not the city of Seattle but anyone who was forced by this thievery to relocate from Seattle to Oklahoma City. I am so, so sorry. Oklahoma City Thunder? Well at least we still have the Seattle Storm. I will take the rain any day.

Someday near the end of the world the white-hairs will speak with stars in their eyes the legend of a dance party that took place on a simple Saturday afternoon at Volunteer Park in the heart of Seattle. The storytellers will drool and twitch just a bit as they describe the funky dance mania, the spontaneous combustion that erupted one pleasant day as a thousand dancing freaks jumped and spun and yelled and disrobed and had the dirtiest, filthiest fun of their lives with performers who were creating not only for the dance floor but also with it, for the magic moment of Now and the community who lives for it. They will speak of the inaugural live music showcase in the great outdoors of the city; they will speak of Decibel in the Park.

Currently the Glitch Mob is straight conquering the known and unknown world with their celebration of distorted, sample-heavy, bass-ridden sounds and bizarre noises from other planets cut in with intelligent hip hop lyrics, unexpected beat switches, and the distinct flavor of music history in the making. A fun ferocity and love of the outdoor aesthetic unites the artists performing at Decibel in the Park and the crowd will concur ecstatically with no choice but to worship at the altar of dance. With fellow bass fanatics and bold risk-takers Noisemaker, Michael Manahan, Jacob London and local crunk-band sensation Truckasauras, the lineup for Decibel in the Park is so sick, it’s practically dying. The obese bass beats will no doubt crazy-make the crowd into a scene of wild, unabashed debauchery; it doesn’t matter if you come in stilts or khakis because your mind will be blown. You WILL dance like you have five-thousand fevers, you will foam at the mouth and will crawl out of there soaking wet with your brain coming out of your ears. Join the freaks and immerse yourself in the future of electronic music and filthify your life – because one day, they’ll tell stories.

THIS EVENT IS FREE!

Country music fans will boot-scoot a little slower today knowing that their beloved Jerry Reed has passed away due to complications of emphysema. The 71 year-old was born in Atlanta and started his musical career at age 18, and the singer-turned-actor charmed fans all over the world with his humor and songwriting skills, performing with such greats as Joan Baez and Ringo Starr. Jerry Reed also delighted on the silver screen, appearng in all three Smokey and the Bandit movies and many more. The great entertainer will be missed by many.

Good thing that country music is made for wallowing in grief- get out to your local honky tonk tonight and have a cold beer for the Guitar Man. In many places there are no doubt many watering holes fit for a twangy wake, but in Seattle there is only one spot to go: The Little Red Hen.

Way better, actually- why would you want to see hot pictures of Sarah Palin anyway? Step away from the newstainment circus surrounding the GOP’s nominee for Vice President, forget Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter with the sketchy boyfriend, lay down your copy of the Republican National Convention schedule for a second and direct your thoughts towards something that really matters- FOOTBALL!

It’s opening week for the NFL, and CultureMob has compiled every single piece of data on the web, the odds, the spreads, the lines, the picks, and the power rankings to give your our top NFL picks this week! Time to bet the farm and start plans for that underground swimming pool, all to the cruchy jingle of chips and dip and pigs in a blanket- FOOTBALL SEASON HAS ARRIVED! Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines and place your bets! CultureMob’s expert NFL picks are in BOLD.

Washington Redskins @ New York Giants

Kansas City Chiefs @ New England Patriots

Seattle Seahawks @ Buffalo Bills

Houston Texans @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Dallas Cowboys @ Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions @ Atlanta Falcons

New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints

Saint Louis Rams @ Philadelphia Eagles

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans

Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers @ San Diego Chargers

Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers

Chicago Bears @ Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers

Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders

GOOD LUCK with those bets and remember: Even losing is better than Sarah Palin’s bikini photos.