aimusic.com » Concert

M83 at Disney Hall Los Angeles

Zack Young — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:40:22 +0000

Thanx 2 our good friend DJ Brian (moontribe), I got to check out M83 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic last night at the Disney Hall in downtown Los Angeles. I didn’t have the greatest seats, but at this venue there really are no bad seats.

For those of you who are not familiar with M83 you can check him out here. Nick and I got turned on to his new album “Saturday = Youth” very recently by DJ Brian. My favorite tracks are “We Own The Sky” and “Kim & Jessie”.

Going into this show I had no idea what to expect. Anthony Gonzalez (M83) had his setup in the middle of the orchestra consisting of 3 or 4 keyboards, a laptop and various effect units that I could not make out from where I was seated.

He started out the show on his own tweaking atmospheric electronic sounds and setting the mood for the evening to come. After about 30 minutes of synth mayhem, the LA Philharmonic took to the stage and performed Arvo P?§rt‚Äôs ‚ÄúFratres. This was a very interesting piece that seemed to be the perfect dessert for the electro-synthesis we had just heard.

After intermission the Orchestra showed off their skill with ‚ÄúLa Mer‚Äù by Claude Debussy incorporating the horn section.¬† At the end, Anthony joined them on stage and performed a couple tracks from an older album of his “Before The Dawn Heals Us”.

Overall it was a great show.

If U Haven’t Heard Milen Kirov on the Piano…Tune In!!!

Nick Young — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 20:35:46 +0000

For those of you who have only seen what Milen Kirov is capable of doing with A.i., you need to feast your ears and eyes on some of his original compositions.¬† Here he performs his very own eclectic style of Bulgarian Jazz rooted in odd time signatures and served up on a grand piano dominated by his orgiastic and graceful fingers.¬† He is one of the most incredibly talented artists we know and have had the honor of playing and writing with…we love to make music with him every chance that we get! ¬† I’ve also included an email he sent out to his mailing list with more links to his music…

Milen writes…

“Dear friends, colleagues, and fellow human beings,

I hope this e-mail finds you in good health and strong spirits. I just wanted to share with you some of my new music. I would love it if you drop me a line and let me know how you are doing…

Firstly, I would like to share with you 2 videos from the 31st Los Angeles Composers’ Salon held on Feb. 1st, 2009, where I had the chance to present my music in front of many distinguished artists and fellow composers/performers. I performed my compositions “Back to Bulgaria” and “Take 7″ together with the great percussionist Bryon Holley. Just follow the links below to the videos:
“Back to Bulgaria”

“Take 7″

Last year my composition “VODA” won an award from the Bulgarian National Radio Competition for New Works dedicated to the 250th anniversary of G.F. Handel’s death. The piece is based on a Minuet theme from Handel’s “Water Music” Suite and is written for 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, 2 pianos (+1 harpsichord), and 2 percussionists. It was recorded in Sofia, Bulgaria, by the amazing contemporary ensemble of BNR, conducted by Dragomir Yosifov. You can hear it on my MySpace page. It is the first track on the music player:
www.myspace.com/milenkirov

And lastly, I would like to share with you an older composition (written in 2007) some of you might not know. It is a piece for 2 pianos, 2 small gongs, and multimedia projection. The multimedia part of the piece was created by the very talented Bulgarian artist Bobbyta. The recording is from a live performance where the piano parts are performed by me and the wonderful pianist Neema Pazargad.
“2″ – Act I

Thank you so much for your time and attention. I hope you will enjoy the music. Be well and stay in touch.

Best regards,

Milen Kirov

www.milenkirov.com”

THE BOSS to Rock Super Bowl XLIII

Nick Young — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:21:42 +0000

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will be playing this years Super Bowl halftime show in Tampa, Florida.

I must admit I am not a big football fan, but I will be tuning in to see The Boss perform. I have always been a fan of his music and think he is a great songwriter. Also, his drummer Max Weinberg is one of the best in the biz at holding down the beat.

What songs will they squeeze into their 12 minute set time? Personally I’d like to hear Dancing in the Dark or Human Touch. His new album “Working on a Dream” comes out on Tuesday so maybe he will do a new track from that. Either way it should be a good time.

If you are like me and wondering what teams are playing in the Super Bowl this year it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Arizona Cardinals. The Steelers will be wearing their road white uniforms and the Cardinals will don their red home jerseys. Apparently the Steelers have made six previous appearances at the Super Bowl and have won five titles. This is the Cardinals first time on the big stage. Predictions anyone?

We have been busy rehearsing for our show in Vegas this weekend. For those of you in the Vegas area we will be playing @ the Beauty Bar at 517 Fremont in downtown Vegas on Saturday night. A.i. should hit the stage sometime between 10 and 12pm. We will let you know when our set time is confirmed. For more info check out the shows section.

Who knows, we might just have to bust out a Springsteen cover:)