Silent Disco Blog
Thanks for taking interest in our blog. Here we write about news, events and other interesting information related to silent disco and Silent Storm.
Silent Storm Featured on NBC’s 1st Look 0
The last episode of NBC’s 1st Look, which aired after Saturday Night Live over the weekend, was entitled Dance Phenomenon. One of the segments dove into the silent disco concept and featured Silent Storm Sound System. NBC dropped by our latest event at Palihouse in West Hollywood to get an inside look at Silent Storm’s silent disco experience. Check it out!
Video not playing? Watch it on NBC.
DJs Domonique Porter and Jason Game brought the dance floor energy with electro / techno / house on the Blue and Red channels, while classics by Frank Sinatra and Django Reindhardt slowed it down on the Green channel for those who preferred to go back in time and ballroom dance in the beautiful Palihouse lobby — all while maintaining a volume suitable for conversation and relaxation for the hotel guests.
Watch the other segments of 1st Look’s Dance Phenomenon episode.
Charlotte’s Silent Disco Fridays Are Back 0
June is upon us which means our Charlotte Partners, Full House Productions, are kicking off their Silent Disco Fridays Series at Pavilion at EpiCentre!
Tony Arzadon
Friday, June 7
DJ Tony Arzadon
Tony Arzadon knows dance music. Whether it’s infusing listeners with his sexy house – electronic beats , or stimulating the masses with his never-before-heard live DJ sets; Tony delivers an experience that dares comparison.
Since entering the game at age 16, Tony has shaped his reputation from countless hours behind the decks, behind the keyboards, and in front of the studio monitor. His commanding sounds receive regular airplay on SiriusXM satellite radio and other radio stations, while his energetic DJ performances cement residencies throughout the country and appearances across the globe.
Tony’s overwhelming dedication to repeatedly challenge his creative boundaries has made waves within the industry—and with the people who support it. He has released an arsenal of tracks that has hit the Top 10 charts on Beatport. His most recent, ” Moments ” Feat Nikki Kay and “Rip It Up” Courtesy of Juicy Music and a few remixes on Blackhole Recordings /Magik Muzik . With his residencies in Vegas at XS , Encore Beachclub , Surrender ,Wet Republic and Playhouse in LA , Tony partnered up with Redbull North America that help expand a new audience in extreme sports and events. He has become a growing catalyst towards reshaping the dance music scene into something unparalleled, and more electrifying than ever before. Source: Skamartist.com
Tina T
Friday, June 14
DJ Tina T
Voted Las Vegas’s “Best Female DJ” 2010, 2011 & 2012.
Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, DJ Tina T headed out to Los Angeles after graduating from Washington State University, she made her first impression in Los Angeles becoming a finalist in the DJ battle hosted by the #1 hip-hop radio station POWER 106 FM, and the world famous Big Boy in the Morning Show. But it was her victory as LA Weekly’s first ever DJ Spin Off battle that Tina T took home the gold. After moving to Las Vegas in 2008, Tina quickly gained recognition in some of the most high profile clubs in the country.
With over 15 years of dues paid, Tina T has been able to seamlessly merge her underground hip hop and turntablist background with the fast pace of mainstream pop, and the forward movement of the EDM scene. Her versatility and open format style of mixing top 40, hip hop, 80’s Rock, house, and electro has allowed Tina’s musical style to be defined simply by the audience she is playing for. This would explain why she has rocked crowds in some of the hottest night clubs all over the world including the Bahamas, Philippines, Canada, Singapore and Mexico. She has toured all over the United States with such companies as Red Bull, Etnies, DC Shoes, Reebok, Skull Candy, Starbucks, Activision, Teen Vogue and The Dew Action Sports. Tina T has held down residencies at some of the most famous Las Vegas night clubs including Prive, Tao, Voodoo and Tao Beach, with headlining performances at Lavo, Pure, Rain, and Tabu. She’s also DJ’d exclusive VIP private parties for the likes of Jessica Simpson, Rachel Roy, Rob Dyrdek, Lil Jon, and has shared the stage with artists: Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Ludacris, Run DMC, Billy Idol, Lady GaGa, Too Short, Black Eyed Peas, Sir Mix A Lot, Will I Am, DJ AM and Steve Aoki.
Tina has been featured in commercials for Red Bull, Verizon, DJ Hero and Seagate. She has appeared on MTV’s The Hills, E! News, The Travel Channel, Fuel TV and is currently a top 12 finalist in season 3 of Master Of The Mix on VH1. Along with her image and brand being plastered all over, the pairing of Tina’s skill behind the turntables, her flawless music programming, along with her overall persona, has proved her success thus far.
Currently, DJ Tina T is holding down her Friday night residency at Marquee Nightclub in The Cosmopolitan Of Las Vegas. She is also preparing for the fourth year of her passion project called “Camp Spin-Off”. Founded by Tina in 2010, it is the only sleep away summer camp for teens that teaches them how to DJ and produce music: www.campspinoff.com. Source: djtinat.com
DJ DREX
Friday, June 21
(More info coming soon)
Kyle Biddy vs. Boy Beats World
Friday, June 28
DJ Kyle Biddy
Channel A: Kyle Biddy
Kyle Biddy went from intimate bar settings to playing some of the Charlotte’s largest live music and nightlife venues such as Phoenix, Halo, Neighborhood Theatre and The Fillmore Charlotte. He represents both class and energetic artistry. Kyle first started developing music by making mixed CD’s and experimental mash ups that soon led to his passion for electronic dance music. In 2011, Kyle began circulating in the Charlotte music scene, where he met his future brother-in-arms and fellow DJ, Boy Beats World. Working hard to evolve his career, he landed a local monthly in the Charlotte seen but the pieces finally came together once Kyle was introduced to management and entertainment group, Kidnice Entertainment. Kidnice quickly moved forward with Kyle and developed Gets F*cking Weird in partnership. This event is known as one of North Carolina’s most creative electronic parties. The highly innovative and weird event put Kyle on the appropriate platform to be a competitive name in the regional electronic market. Kyle has now opened for notable names including Kenneth Thomas, Bro Safari, Alvin Risk and Two Fresh. All of these openings in under a year.
Kyle’s influences are Laidback Luke, Chuckie, and Knife Party and he defines his sound as Electro House with a sprinkle of Progressive. Source: KidniceEntertainment.com
DJ Boy Beats World
Channel B: Boy Beats World
The energetic sounds and creative performances of Raleigh native, Boy Beats World, are distinctive within the booming genre of EDM. Ryan Hart, began his music career as an indie-artist within the live music realm. 11 years past and his approach to music took a turn when the 27 year old found electronic music. Now his potent productions and intense on-stage aura have become the perfect formula to building his name as an electronic DJ since moving to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2011. After landing a popular local monthly, he linked up with Giovani Gonzalez, founder of Kidnice Entertainment. Together they now throw one of North Carolina’s most creative regional EDM parties – Gets F*cking Weird. This large party quickly led to opening for the likes of Alvin Risk, Bro Safari, and Two Fresh in major venues such as Neighborhood Theatre and The Fillmore. GF*W also landed BBW a spot on the Kidnice management roster.
Ryan’s influences are Dillon Francis, Alvin Risk, Girl Talk, The Flaming Lips, The Mars Volta, and Radiohead and he defines his sound as wtfpwnedpewwpewwownageomgbbqsauce. Source: KidniceEntertainment.com
Compliments through HUGE Headphones. Need We Say More? 0
Okay, maybe just a little more: We love this concept by Soul Pancake (you know, the guys behind the hilariously cute Kid President). Need a refresher? Here’s Mr. Kid President himself:
We can CRY about it or we can DANCE about it.
(Note: this video starts at 1:53. Rewind to beginning to watch the full Kid President Pep Talk)
Now that you’ve been pep-talked, without further adieu, here are the awesomely heart-warming Street Compliments through some incredibly HUGE headphones:
Since we already found our little cat headphones, we’re off to go find us some HUGE headphones so we can keep giving the world a reason to DANCE.
Caption contest in the comments below. Go!
Daft Punk Alive Fan DVD Full Version 0
With Daft Punk’s new album infusing immense excitement and running the rumor mill amuck, we’d like to share one of our absolute favorite Daft Punk videos. The most intriguing part about this Daft Punk film is that Daft Punk actually had little to do with it’s production, with the exception of performing an incredible, otherworldly performance in Paris, France, of course.
Quick background about this video:
On June 14th 2007, French Electro Music duo Daft Punk made a one night only live show appearance at the “Palais Omnisports de Bercy” in Paris, 10 years after the last one in the city. 20,000 fans were there for this historic show, with almost 20,000 digital cameras and cell phones recording live. This artwork is a result of the combination of the 200 best videos created by more than 40 digital cameras selected from the crowd.
Turn up your headphones, hit full screen and brace yourself for the full version of the Daft Punk Alive Tour Fan DVD.
We continue to anxiously await Daft Punk’s new album and, moreover, their highly anticipated U.S. tour. Neither of which can come soon enough.
BONUS
Daft Punk gets the New Orleans treatment by Madd Wikkid: Brasst Funk!
Please note: for some reason the player below starts at 1:49. Click on the beginning of the green audio waveform in the player to start at the beginning. To get the full tracks, click the ‘buy tracks’ button.
Silent Disco New Orleans 0
Our New Orleans-based partners, Silent Disco PluggediN, was recently featured on the local news. Below is the full video as well as the transcript.
Silent Disco
Originally posted on 2/1/13 on Fox 8 WVUE New Orleans (www.fox8live.com) | by Nicondra Norwood
FOX 8 WVUE New Orleans News, Weather, Sports
New Orleans, La. -
Since the Walkman hit the streets we have all seen private dance parties at bus stops or in the grocery store, but some New Orleanians are taking that experience to another level. Fox 8 looked at what it looks like when the whole party is dancing to the music in their own silent disco. Record spinning, Pop-locking, head bobbing and hip shaking are everything you expect to see at a dance party, but the biggest thing you hear appears to be missing, but it isn’t really missing at all.
Al “Go-DJ Dat Boi” Mitchell said, “When they get here it’s like wow. That’s their first words.” Mathew Lacey said, “It’s different. It’s an experience.” Naomi Galatas said, “I’m really having a good time. It’s a little chilly, but it’s good fresh air and it’s good music so it’s fun.” Under a moonlit sky, the courtyard of a Marigny club became a Silent Disco. So it’s not exactly “silent,” but if you want to know what people are dancing to you have to either rely on some relayed performances or rent the wireless headphones that will allow you to switch between the two DJ sources and control the volume.
Then it’s off to the dance floor. The night we visit the selections are Hip Hop and Reggae followed by top 40. DJ Dat Boi CEO of Silent Disco Plugged-In explains, “It’s two DJs, two mc’s, 4 DJs if you want. The Silent Disco ends up being like three parties in one. You can listen to two different kinds of music or just take the headphones off and talk. First timer, Galatas, thinks that is one of the best features. She said, “It’s totally different because it’s not as loud. You can actually speak to someone. Take your headphones off and communicate with another person. In clubs, downtown and all those areas you can’t really talk.”
Matthew Lacey has attended before. Lacey said, “They are all playing, all at the same time you know and whoever you’re digging at the moment you can listen to.” He does miss some things about a traditional speaker system. He said, “The vibrations from the bass, everyone feeling the same thing at the same time.” He still thinks it’s fun. “It’s good every now and then. Change is good,” He said.
Galatas heard about the headphone parties, “They had been telling me that they were going to be doing a silent disco in New Orleans and I was like yeah right, but they did.” These types of parties started popping up a few years ago in different spots around the globe. Investor Terrence Magee helped bring the technology to New Orleans. Magee said, “We saw a party. It was on you tube. I was just browsing.”
That sparked an idea with DJ Dat Boi, “It started from me doing a lot of events and you could get called out 10:30 (p.m.) probably about an hour after the event started from noise pollution sound ordinance.” So there is a practical side. DJ Dat Boi said, “I’ve been DJ-ing the Dragon’s Den and a few other spots around this area for about six or seven years now and the biggest problem was noise ordinance. This is a business area, but you know we still have residential that stay around here and it presents a problem anything after 12 o’clock.” With the music corralled in headphones DJ Dat Boi said, “You can go all night and you’re not disturbing nobody.”
Magee said once they saw the You Tube events, “We decided to call the company and see if we could represent the company for the south region and it was a go.” There are several other companies that will come into the area and set up the experience for private parties, but Silent Disco Plugged-In hosts this monthly event in addition to that service.
One more advantage to the headsets, “If you look at the diversity in the crowd you have a little bit of everybody,” said DJ Dat Boi. Unlike a club with multiple rooms or levels, everyone can be in the same space. He said, “You have Reggae fans, you have Hip-Hop fans, you have Techno, you have Dub Step all in one room appreciating different types of genres of music. This (the headphones) allows you to incorporate all in one.” If nothing else, it makes for great people watching. DJ Dat Boi said, “When you take the headphones off, you actually see how everybody takes in the music. That’s what I love the most, taking the headphones off,” a priceless experience. It cost about five dollars to rent the headphones. If you want to check out future events, you can find Silent Disco Plugged-In on Facebook and Twitter.
Sephora’s Silent Disco Holiday Party 0
In 2012, Sephora invited Silent Storm to bring silent disco to their company holiday party in San Francisco. The silent disco featured Dave Bailey (aka DJ Sol). We were lucky enough to have his entire live set recorded that night. The night featured quite a diverse soundtrack, which has been split into 3 parts below for your listening pleasure.
DJ Sol got the party started with some house and breaks:
Then phased into some Electronica and Dubstep in the 2nd hour:
Towards the end of the night, guests were feeling Hip-hop and other Top 40 club hits:
DJ Sol has been DJing for over 15 years professionally spinning clubs, private parties and weddings locally and across the globe. He’s been a resident DJ at many clubs in San Francisco over the years and is currently a resident at both Mighty and Chambers Eat + Drink. He also DJs with the Space Cowboys at all their biggest events.
Here are links to some of his mixes (mostly within the electronic/house/funk/breaks genre):
- http://soundcloud.com/solsound
- http://soundcloud.com/spacecowboys/sol-gsa
- http://www.solsoundmusic.com/djsolmixes.html
Big thanks to Sephora for sharing their holiday celebration with us!
Goldfish – Woman’s A Devil Music Video | Headphone Fish 0
We would like to introduce you to Goldfish.
Goldfish is comprised of two gents from Cape Town, Dominic Peters and David Poole, who’ve mastered their genre-defying jazzy and housey sound over the years. Goldfish continues to embed themselves within the local and growing-global dance scene through their one-of-a-kind uplifting & super-bouncy beats (which tend to resonate at the utmost melodic corner of your brain). Beats? Of course; horns? Hell yeah there are! And if that wasn’t enough, Goldfish possesses a refreshing and playful taste in animation for their videos. Through a brilliant collaboration, our favorite Goldfish music videos feature a wicked, dance-ridden HEADPHONE-WEARING GOLDFISH! Check it (and just try not to bounce with this):
Yessir… now that I’ve got you your attention, let me treat you with a couple of other Goldfish music video gems:
Washing Over Me by Goldfish (Live) // another Goldfish music video featuring the infamous goldfish with headphones:
Fort Knox by Goldfish (Live)
And last but certainly not least, (in my opinion, Goldfish’s best track + music video power-combo is the Get Busy Living music video, featuring, undoubtedly, the coolest piece of baggage on this side of the Mississippi:
Check these boys out on Facebook
BONUS // Briefly get acquainted to how South Africa gets down:
Silent Disco Commercials Around the Globe 0
We love seeing the silent disco concept incorporated into TV commercials the world over. Here are some silent disco commercials we’ve discovered to date.
KIA Soul
From the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards.
The Kia Soul DJs an underground Silent Disco.
Here’s the Kia Silent Disco Commercial from the show:
And some behind the scenes footage from the making of the Kia Soul Silent Disco Commercial:
Sony Walkman
Sony says, “The Silent Party Walkman from Sony means you can party where and whenever you want. Celebrate life in unexpected places and situations.” Check out these Sony silent disco commercials:
In the following video, a German blurb in the beginning translates into, “Last weekend we pulled off a silent party in a cinema. We filmed everything for you, even with my homemade eyeglasses camera.”
Bonus: Philips
And here’s one for Philips wireless headsets, albeit its a silent disco of 1:
Have you seen a silent disco commercial that we’re missing here? Share in the comments below.
Silent Disco at The Zoo for Party Animals 0
For These Party Animals, It’s All Happening at the Zoo
Originally posted on September 9, 2012 in The Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com) | by Shirley S. Wang
LONDON—At the zoo, there is a new beast: the party animal, dancing to a beat only he can hear.
Behold the “silent disco,” an event where people rock out to music on wireless headphones that give them choice over the music they are listening to and, more important, don’t disturb their neighbors.
A concept that became popular at music festivals in the U.K.—where everyone listens to the band, just without the blasting speakers—silent disco is spreading across the world, particularly in densely inhabited areas where noise is an issue. That makes them an option for zoos, which are increasingly looking to organize events to raise funds and draw more adult visitors.
Evening concerts and parties might disturb the animals, but a silent disco lets partiers blast “Eye of the Tiger” without waking the tiger.
“Why wouldn’t you?” said Sian Clarke, 26 years old, a London resident who attended one recently. “You can see animals, you can dance and you can drink.”
At the London Zoo, which is believed to be the first zoo to hold such an event three years ago, the silent discos have been a huge draw and now bring in 6,000 additional adults a week during June and July, according to Owen Craft, the zoo’s marketing manager.
At £10 to £25, or about $16 to $40, a ticket, it also serves as an important revenue stream for the zoo’s conservation work. “It’s a good solution to enhance the entertainment but also to respect animal welfare,” Mr. Craft said.
The dance parties have quietly joined other types of events zoos use to bring in crowds, such as sleepovers, Valentine’s Day tours and “Brew at the Zoo” festivals. The Denver Zoo held a silent disco for the first time last summer, and the San Francisco Zoo held its inaugural quiet event in August.
It isn’t always a peaceful jungle. One challenge is keeping people from singing along to the music. Tony Comerford, the on-the-ground organizer for the event at the London Zoo, said that dancers inevitably burst into song and the zoo has to announce multiple times, via the headphones: “The animals have gone to bed. Please keep your singing voices in your head.” “Love Train” typically prompts a trainlike dancing procession, he said.
At a silent disco at the London Zoo recently, some people got very into character. A number of people walked around decked out in animal costumes or masks, and the line for grown-up animal face paint was at times 20 people deep.
Milly Glaister, a 28-year-old online marketer, came dressed in a giraffe jumpsuit. When asked where she was from, she replied, “Here, can’t you tell?”
Before their 9:30 p.m. bedtime, the zoo animals—which are another big draw of the evening—garnered most of the attention. Adult spectators laughed at the penguins and gawked in fascination and disgust as a crocodile ate his evening meal, a large bird.
As shut eye called for the zoo’s principal residents, more people headed toward the silent disco, a roped-off clearing outside a section of animal enclosures, eventually leading to the formation of a line like at a club.
Upon entering, each reveler was handed a black headset with a device inside the earpiece that provided a choice of two channels: one that played mostly ’70s-based Motown music or another that had newer dance music.
There was an elevated platform for those who really wanted to show off their moves, but most dancers milled about on the grassy area below it.
Some looked less than graceful, trying to dance with others dialed into different music channels. Several bobbed around with their eyes closed, as if in their own world. But the lions and tigers nearby were unperturbed and unlikely to judge.
Not everyone could get into the mood. Michelle Tofi, who came with two friends to check out the event, said she had been looking forward to the silent disco but couldn’t dance there because of the staged feel. “But I’d definitely do it again, in more of a flash mob spontaneous setting,” she said.
Avinash Naga, a London-based dentist, had no qualms. He had never been to the London Zoo before but said his friends liked dressing in costume and have held animal-themed birthday pub crawls.
“We came to be amongst animals for once instead of being animals,” said Dr. Naga, 30, who was wearing a huge, stuffed cartoon bear head that barely showed his face. After having sauntered around the zoo with beers—food and alcohol were sold—he and his five friends joined the boogying crowd and picked up their headphones.
“To start with, you listen to your own stuff,” said Dr. Naga, who said he didn’t feel self-conscious about dancing to one tune while his friends were dancing to music on the other channel.
He tried to get his friends to listen to the same channel but soon gave up and focused on his own dancing. “Just listening to [the music] you might be in your in own world, but what in fact you’re sharing is the experience of being in the same place for the same reason.”
Dr. Naga, who had been to one other silent disco but not at a zoo, was a bit worried about the animals, especially the nearby gorillas. “I wasn’t quite sure if the animals appreciated it or not,” he said. But, taking off the headphones to test the noise, he said the level was low enough to hear a conversation—until there was a burst of singing.
“When everyone started singing along at the end I was very nicely surprised by how tuneful we were,” said Ms. Glaister, who wore the giraffe outfit.
What was the loudest noise of the evening? The boos at the end of the night when the disco shut down.
Silent Disco Charlottesville – Mind The Gap 0
Light House Studio, Live Arts Theater, and Second Street Gallery host the first building-wide fundraiser, Mind The Gap, at the City Center for Contemporary Arts on Saturday, June 30th, 2012. There was entertainment happening on all levels of the building, with something for everyone. The event featured a silent disco powered by Silent Storm where guests were provided wireless headphone sets, through which local DJ XSV’s music was broadcast. Here’s a clip from the event:
Here’s the latest sounds from DJ XSV:
Headphones for Cats by SOL Republic 1
Cat Headphones by SOL Republic
Looks like the newest headphones on the market today are not for you and I; they’re for our little feline friends. And believe it or not, this is a world’s first! Wow — FINALLY!
Who cares if cats strive to avoid loud noises at all costs and hate when anything touches their ears or clamps around their heads?
SOL Republic has taken the lead in cross-specie headphone production and co-created cat headphones with a little help from their world-renowned cat, Professor Meowingtons pHd, “previously known for his work with music producer deadmau5″. SOL Republic is ”on a mission to create incredible music experiences for humans and felines alike”. Designer, Joshua Davis, famed digital artist, frequent collaborator of deadmau5 and fan of Professor Meowingtons goes on to explain that “these headphones look good on the ears or even around the neck”.
With a limited number of these exclusive cat headphones created (10 to be exact), your cat can enjoy music while blocking out the annoying sound of dogs and humans — all while being, undoubtedly, the most stylish fur ball on the streets. Why wait? Cop your cat a pair of these bumpin headphones for just $999! You won’t regret it… but don’t take our word for it:
Gotta give a nod to SOL Republic for this hilarious campaign, particularly because all proceeds are donated to the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). We love this viral campaign and selecting funny-man Gavin McInnes to star as the manic infomercial salesman? Brilliant! Now, back to planning the world’s first silent disco for cats!
