You're looking and sounding amazing, Ben.

These old sounds bring me such comforting nastalgia 🙏💜

Modmotif Artist Mix 037

(MAM037) Brian Busto -  Chain Reaction
This summer gets hot with American artist/promoter Brian Busto (https://soundcloud.com/brianbusto) out of Tampa  providing the heat with some cool electro, house and acid tunes. Get the party started poolside, beachside or anywhere outside with this groovy, thumping set!

For more artist and upcoming album/gig information:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/djbrianbusto
IG: serioussoul813

Modmotif
Website - www.modmotif.com
Email - info@modmotif.com
Booking - booking@modmotif.com

An electronic music label exploring the conceptual frameworks that lead to persuasive, emotionally-laden music, from absorption to feedback.

Lisbon | London | Los Angeles | NYC | Paris | Sarasota | Seoul | Prague | Austin

(MAM037) Brian Busto -  Chain Reaction

Tropical is thrilled to release our sixth set from Oregon Summer Campout 3 weeks ago!

Please enjoy Harlequin's set from Saturday afternon 12:30-2:00pm!

Pictures from Tropical Oregon Summer Campout:
www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanit…5758588450822614

Tropical on FB: Facebook.com/tropicalevents
Tropical on IG: Instagram.com/tropicalsince98

Follow Harlequin here on Soundcloud @harlequinokikai

Photo by Anthony Svendsen
IG: @anthonysvendsen

Harlequin - TOSC 006 - Live at Tropical Oregon Summer Campout June 25, 2022

Here is part one of the infamous Moontribe 29-year kimono set that I previously may have made some waves about - this part is on the house side but trippy for the desert...

This set had many challenges. I made a great playlist for it from my entire collection, did everything except export to usb, and then my logic board failed the next day.  Bye bye playlist!

So I rebuilt, as we do.  But with limited time my rebuild was limited to the last year of music, as well as some brand new music.  On top of that, I had convinced myself that my sets at Teleport and Moontribe were at exactly the same time - 10pm to midnight.  I think I told like 30 people this too :)  And of course I made my playlists - even the old one that disappeared - based on the 10-12 time frame

Sunday morning I look at the directions email and my set is listed at 6:00-8:30pm.  I thought it had maybe been changed on me then checked my message thread and I’ve just totally made up the 10-12 thing :) 

Point is that close to summer solstice 6:00-8:30 is a daytime set into sunrise while 10-12 is night-time ascending energy - they are drastically different energetically.  

So I made another new fricken 29-Year playlist based on my music of the past year, daytime into sunset.  I decided both ahead of time, and on the dance floor, that this Moontribe needed some trippy desert house music so that was the first hour.  

You can find the second part of this set - which is more minimal/trippy/breakbeat - one track down or at this link: 

https://soundcloud.com/ben-annand/ben-annand-moontribe-29-year-june-2022-part-2

Thank you Rithers for the lovely mastering job!  

I was back at Full Moon in August last week!  Waiting for that recording :)

Coming up this week

August 19/20 United Undivided, Denver, CO
August 22 Space Taco Tuesdays, Pomona, CA 
August 26/27 Utopia Festival, Salem, OR

Ben Annand - Moontribe 29-Year - June 2022 Part 1

Audio Angel x GriffinGrrl welcome you to The Unveiling – a multidimensional experience of heartbreak, upheaval and awakening. Step forward with us as this story continues to evolve…  

Gratitude to these artists & labels -- and big love to our crews & collaborators who have traveled by our side over the years.

1~ Subwave, Bop - Take It Off - Hospital 
2~ Skeptical - Desire feat. Collette Warren - Soul:R
3~ Technimatic - True Believer - Shogun Audio
4~ Marcus Intalex - Step Forward - Soul:R
5~ Break - Excuses - Outlook
6~ Netsky - Iron Heart (Nu:Logic Remix) - Hospital
7~ Nu:Logic - Strut feat. Other Echoes (S.P.Y Remix) - Hospital
8~ Alibi - Catalyst - V
9~ Black Barrel, Ill Truth - Make It Funky - Dispatch
10~ Total Science - Nosher (The Sauce Remix) - CIA
11~ Urbandawn - Come Together feat. Tyson Kelly - Hospital
12~ Jimmy, Taurus Riley - Pull Up Selector (Nu:Logic Remix) - Hospital
13~ Bou - Wine Ya B - Critical Music
14~ Traimatize - Stereo Yout - Biological Beats
15~ MA2 - Hearing is Believing (Serum Remix) - Formation
16~ DJ Die, Dismantle - Harder They Come feat. Reddders - Gutterfunk
17~ Dapz & Papa G - Give A Little - Serial Killaz
18~ Blu Mar Ten, Anile - Lyssakses - Medschool
19~ Serum, Paul T & Edward Oberon - Moon In Your Eyes - V

Cover art by Seth Grym
Master by Gene Lee

GriffinGrrl x Audio Angel - The Unveiling

PLEASE JOIN US FOR LIB 20 YEAR ON SALE NOW at libestival.com.
Many thanks to @Rithma for the beautiful mastering job! 

Lightning in a Botttle 2022 was my first big festival after the pandemic and it was HUGE - more than 30,000 people.  I played Thursday night and there were only 3 stages going and already 18,000 people there.  This set was played on the Junkyard stage to I don't know maybe 1500-2000 people - a secondary stage became pretty main, and the mains of course were nuts at this fest.

I knew exactly where was going with this set, coming out of the pandemic with pure unbridled euphoric house vibe on the edge of underground and mainstream.  People were freaking out, it was so so so lovely there I can't even tell ya ♡♡♡  

Incredible experience and before I go any further let me thank Jesse and Dede Flemming for throwing the whole shebang, and Patricio for curating the Junkyard stage formerly known as Favela Bar.

DJing is an art, or it should be.  I'm not just transitioning tracks, I am almost always playing with tracks together with very short gaps in between. I spend far more time in the mix of two tracks than out.  

DJing is also a performance, particularly at a festival, and to be honest I'm way more natural musically than as a performer.  I think the most important thing is how a mix sounds listening back - lots of the more 'showy' sets I can't get through live let alone listen to later.

BUT PERFORMANCE IS STILL IMPORTANT!  People want to see the DJ having fun, and that's not always natural for me.  

LIB has been a great confidence builder for me, my sets have steadily improved and my DJ energy even more :)  It's become home for me and I have a really nice following there after 5 years straight.

Much credit to the amazing sounding DJ booth provided by Todd Anisman of ChinoSound - who became Tropical's sound guru right after the first tome I played in 2016 - I felt my groove and put on at least a decent show along with a really nice house set.  

MUCH LOVE TO THE ARTISTS FOR THE TRACKS I WOVE TOGETHER - I hope you also listen and enjoy my art ♡♡♡  
Credit where credit's due, and bite my style all you want, it's super flattering and more importantly gives exposure to artists who likely get less than they deserve.  

Special shout out to Kevin McKay who I've been following since 90s Glasgow Underground - always one if my fave vinyl labels - for the peak moment in the middle of this set when the crowd absolutely exploded for 'Move Your Body'.  

And another to Christian Burkhardt for appearing the most in my track list - I guess you know who my favorite producer is lately :).
 
But really, really, all these tracks and artists are super great, please look up and support  

Track List LIB 2022:   Artist - Track (remixer)

1 - Mosta - Paeonia (Lauhaus Remix) 

2 - Milos Pesovic - Don’t Scream

3 - Lauhaus, Maria Franca - Physical

4 - Giorgio Moroder - Our Love (Christian Burkhardt Rmx)

5 - James Dexter, Artslaves - Play On

6 - Chris Wood, Meat, Christian Burkhardt, BMW - Music

7 - Jorjick Croes, Kenny Kelly - Alma & Cuerpo (Shawn Jackson Rmx)

8 - Chris Wood, Meat, Christian Burkhardt, BMW - Super Sync

9 - Christian Burkhardt - In Today’s World

10 - LouLou Players - She Calls (Extended Mix)

11 - Chris Di Perri - For You Homie

12 - Milos Pesovic, Greck B - Head (Saul Antolín Remix)

13 - Alan Fitzpatrick, Reset Robot - Phantom

14 - Adelphi Music Factory -  My People (Love Can Live Forever - (Mark Broom 4am Dub (Extended))

15 - Kevin McKay - Move Your Body (Elevation) (Kevin's Extended ViP)

16 - Christian Burkhardt - Enough

17 - Gerd - 12 Minutes She Danced With an Alien (Jaris Voorn Ruff Mix)

18 - Cristian Merino - Peace, Freedom

19 - Dennis Quin - Are Fundamental

20 - MANT - Subconscious (James Dexter Rmx)

21 - Rob Pearson - Better (Rob Pearson Rmx)

22 - Riggs - Sleight of Hand

Ben Annand Live at LIB 2022 Junkyard Stage

Here's to new beginnings!  This mix - titled 'Strength" is part 1 of a 12-part monthly themed studio mix series that I've committed to releasing this year. 

I mixed this set in October 2022, when I began feeling my strength again, in my amazing DJ Lounge in Eugene, Oregon.
The picture was taken on January 1st, 2023 at Bucerias beach near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

2022 was a huge challenge for me.  The best things about it were my DJ career thriving post-pandemic, my daughter of course, and other than those, just getting through it.

The hardest things were that it was the first year devoid of hope for my marriage yet still living in the same apartment together the entire year, and that it was the year my mother passed - and those things were HEAVY.  

Hence the need for strength.  Dating for the first time after 15 years was a shitshow, and by summer what I already knew started to sink in hard - focusing on my daughter was a way better idea.  When my mom became very ill, it drove this point home further.

Just as I was starting to feel some strength, my mom lost the last bit she had left.  At first I relapsed badly into bad habits. She passed suddenly while I was preparing to come out to Connecticut, and I felt tremendous guilt when I didn't make it out to be with her at the end.

Although I took my mom's passing really hard, it was the catalyst for change I needed. 

I went from mid-September through the end of the year alcohol-free. I've had a few drinks in January but don't think I'll ever have a drinking habit like I did before.  I gave up herb early November and haven't looked back.  

I gave up these 'vices' without judgement but in the name of health, clarity, and productivity.  I wanted to stop getting in the way of myself and achieve my true potential.  I wanted to feel my strength again.

2023 will be a crazy year for me.  It's the 25th year of my party, Tropical, and the last one.  No one wants me to end it, and so this also takes strength.  I've given a lot through this event - in many ways too much.  

Of course I'm going a little nuts with it to the finale but I'm also showing restraint.  I want to respect the party and give it the finish it deserves, but I have much else to do and know all too well it gets it the way of really being able to focus on other things.

My DJ career is a constant hustle, and is back to being my main source of income.  That's not actually my vision but you also have to respect what's working. My venue booking business is growing slowly, largely because I'm limited by the other things. but I know it's my most sustainable future.

This is the last year I will work this hard.  It's the end of a decade I knew I would work really hard, and I want to respect the deadline I set to take a chill pill and be focused on other things including self-care, and my daughter. I'm still going to work real hard after 2023, but more efficiently and with more help.  And without the burden and risk of organizing events.

I started a bit early last Fall with increased self-care, sleep, and focus on Cerise - but with the onset of 2023 I'm also feeling the crunch of so many projects and goals.  Still I feel more balance than I used to. And that is also strength.

Well I can go on forever but I'm going to cut myself off.  I haven't said a word about the music on this mix this time, but that's ok, it speaks for itself.

I hope you enjoy the mix, and find strength in yourself this year and beyond!

Track list coming soon <3

Ben Annand 2023 Studio Mix 1 - January - Strength

If you don't like house with vocals swipe left lol.  This set for House Music Fridays so my musical direction was clear.  So again, if you don't like my vocals you can kiss my *ss-  just kidding you can check back for my Studio Mix at the end of March which will be minimal techno with a side of breaks :)

Big thanks to Matthew Brian for having me at House Music Fridays which was a super vibing night.   

A note on technique.  Vocal tracks are tricky and often have a lot of melody on top of the vocals so not the easiest to mix together.  For that reason, and others I made two playlists and alternated between more vocal, melodic tracks, and are stripped-down mixing tracks (some of these also have vocals). This creates the effect of coming out of vocals kind of bumping, then back into vocals which I personally love. 

I hope you enjoy this mix!  Next up for me, this weekend on the beach in El Salvador for Playa Mizata, next weekend in Northern CA (Humboldt County)for Electric Jungle at the Jam Arcata, and end of the month at Bug Out Campout 4 in Southern CA (Mojave Desert)

Just updated my schedule in my Soundcloud Bio, and will add a track listing crediting the artists her very soon <3

Ben Annand Live in San Diego March 10 2023 at House Music Fridays

GRIZZWILD STARRING IN TACO FLEX

This edition of the Innerflight mix series features a blast from Seattle's past, Kristina Childs. If you remember the legendary Krakt techno parties and Decibel Festival, you'll find Kristina's influence on the Seattle electronic music scene. She has relocated to Egypt for a number of years but is hitting the PNW this summer for a visit and a number of DJ appearances. The mix is a tight blend of early summer grooves touching on some tribal, afro house and tech and is just what the doctor ordered.

🚨🔥👀🔥🚨
! Peep Game !

https://soundcloud.com/kristinachilds

DJ Mixes

Innerflight Broadcast 163: Kristina Childs

Excited to release my set from LIB 20-Year Anniversary!  Every LIB experience for me seems to top the last.  

This year was special as I hosted Camp Tropical for the first time and had my daughter, Cerise, there for the first time since 2019.  And it was LIB's 20th year, and a brilliant one!

Huge thank you to the Flemming Brothers - Jesse, Dede and Josh and team for producing the Fest, to Patricio Motta for producing the Junkyard Stage I played on, and to Todd Anisman for the ChinoSound!

I always put a lot of effort into my LIB sets, and this year no exception but with the extra challenge of extra responsibility x 2 - organizing a Tropical group camp, and caring for my daughter, who made a few visits to the DJ booth during this set as well.

Honestly I did feel a little less focused that normal up there and wasn't sure how I was going to feel about my set when I got the recording.  I'm a harsh self-critic but I actually love this mix as much as any of the 6 others I've played at this lovely fest :)

Many thanks to the brilliantly talented producers whose tracks I mixed - here is the complete listing, tagged, so you can check their work <3

1. @Undo	 - Aliens Go Home
	
2. @Matthias-tanzmann, @francisco-allendes - Disco Mike
	
3. @Ddigglerofficial - Sunset

4. @Le_bigz (Big Al) - Smiling in the Sand (@tim-barnett-5 [Tim Tonal] Remix)
	
5  @A_los_martires (Cienfuegos) - Around You (@col-lawton-d90 Dub Remix)

6. @Okain - Locked

7. @Mihai-popoviciu-1 - Emotion

8. @Dinyadalonzo - Can't You See (@jameshopkinsuk Remix)

9. @kevinmckay, Notelle, Eppers - On My Own (@Joe-vanditti & Kevin McKay Extended Remix)

10  @Tuccillo - It's Not Over
 
11. @Francisdesimone - Efdies (@Kevinmckay Extended Remix)

12. @Djqmusic, @Finnmccorry - Speedy Gs

13  @Ralphsession  - Rize (@homeroespinosa Remix)

14. @Petebandit-f2f - Computer's Creativity

15. @Milos-pesovic - Pam Pam (@Juan-dragster-viveros Remix)

16. @Format-b-2, @Royrosenfeld - Human Dynamo 

17. @Paulcpaolomartini (Paul C, Paolo Martini) - Modulator

I definitely play with a certain aesthetic at LIB, which is to honor the crossing of the underground and mainstream in my own way.  I describe this set as banging and uplifting, with carefully chosen vocals.  I mean a festival is a celebration, and this just year 2 out of the pandemic I'm definitely favoring uplifting over dark.  

Ok, I do favor that generally, but same time I am processing some darkness over the past 2 years as I've experienced huge losses.  Last year's LIB I was processing the recent demise of my marriage, while this year I was processing the loss of my mom last September.

Recently in our West Coast underground music community we have lost some very special people and there's been a lot of sadness over that, especially this past week.  

One of the very best tools for processing loss is of course music and dance - I hope this set brings you light and joy in these challenging times <3

Please give this set a listen, a like, and a repost if the spirit moves you. Your comments are always welcomed, and usually answered <3

Ben Annand Live at LIB Festival 20-Year - May 26, 2023

Was honored to set the vibe and tone on the dancefloor for two of our House music Legends, Doc Martin and Mark Farina.  It was a special night in Portland, that none of us wished would end.  It was a reunion of so many friends and a night that will fondly be remembered by many!

Ménage Live @ 45 East - Opening Set For Doc Martin & Mark Farina - 5.19.18

I hope you enjoy my music and how I mix it.
For bookings contact benannand@gmail.com // gunita@listedbookings.com

Upcoming Confirmed Dates

Oct 7 - Infinite Energy (Tesla Coil Show and Dance Party) San Diego at 
Encore
Oct 20 Gorg-O-Mish Afterhours, Vancouver BC Canada
Oct 21 - Spooky Forest, Darrington, WA
Oct 27 - Howl 20-Year Anniversary, Portland, OR
Nov 3 - Tropical Tour Sacramento, CA
Nov 12 - Secret Sauce Sundays, Eugene, OR
Nov 25 - Tropical 25 Year Anniversary, LA, CA
Dec 31 - Tropical NYE 2024 - Elevated House Party in the Hills of LA
Biography:

In his zone from deep house to techno, Ben Annand pairs impeccably smooth mixing skills with a dynamic style that keeps the music moving, artfully playing with breakdowns and spending most of his time in the mix.

“For me, a great mix is the interplay of 2 unique pieces of music, creating something greater than the sum of the parts - and a great set weaves those mixes into a musical flow you can’t help but lose yourself in on the dance floor.”

Ben fell in love with dancing and rave culture in 1995, and learned to mix in 1996. Just 2 years later he became resident dj at the famed Moontribe Gathering, and started his own production company, Tropical. The first half of his career was mostly focused on DJing abroad, with 13 trips to Moscow’s Propaganda club, travel across Russia, Spain, and Mexico, an appearance at Wiggle at Fabric in London and two at the Labyrinth Festival in Japan.  

In more recent years, Ben Annand became a top West Coast festival DJ, and recently played a standout set at his 5th consecutive Lightning in a Bottle (CA). He has also appeared at Sunset Campout and Desert Hearts (CA), Oregon Eclipse (OR), Photosynthesis and Cascadia (WA), Shambhala and Motion Notion (BC, Canada).

As organizer of Tropical, he's donated over $32,000 to charity, hosted zero-waste events in Hawaii, and presented gender-balanced dj lineups.

Whatever his project,, Ben Annand is always contributing, and always thinking outside the box.

Ben Annand 2023 Studio Mix 1 - January - Strength

Ben Annand

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