FORT KNOX RECORDINGS, QUID PROMO & DCMJ PRESENT
“THE BIG BOOM”
THURSDAY JULY 3RD, 2014
Washington, DC – JUNE 19TH, 2014: For the fourth year in a row, The Big Boom event on the Fourth of July eve will host a ground breaking headliner atop a solid line-up. Fort Knox Recordings, Quid Promo and DCMJ team up to bring two out of town guests, Gigamesh from Minneapolis and DJ Stickybuds from British Columbia. DC’s own Fort Knox Five, All Good Funk Alliance and Qdup round out the talent, providing an all night dance party with the finest in disco, funk, breaks, house and soul.
In the past few years, Gigamesh has made a huge impact on global dance music, through his numerous remixes, singles and EPs. With dozens of remixes to his name, including Foster The People’s Pumped Up Kicks, Gigamesh has become a household name with a heavy worldwide tour schedule. URB Magazine has even called him “One of today’s most-influential dance-floor tastemakers.”
Coming straight from Kelowna in British Columbia, Canada is crowd favorite DJ Stickybuds, also known for his excellent remixes and production work. Stickybuds remixes have appeared regularly on Fort Knox Recordings, helping to define his signature funk sound.
U Street Music Hall will have extended hours from 9pm until 4am, the next day is a holiday so there is no work or school. This event is 18 and up to enter, with $10 limited advance tickets and $15 at the door.
Gigamesh
Gigamesh is the stage name of Matt Masurka, an American multi-platinum selling music producer and DJ. His numerous remixes and two EPs have earned him a swiftly building reputation as one of the most versatile and consistent names in indie-dance music.
Hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota, it’s no surprise Gigamesh has developed a keen taste for funk, disco and pop. The sound is immediately recognizable in much of his music, however he maintains a flexible aesthetic. Gigamesh is an ardent fan of minimalist concert music, film scores, classic rock, italo disco, French house, Miami bass, and genre-bending electronic music. These elements have all combined to forge his all-inclusive approach to music appreciation and creation.
Gigamesh first gained exposure on music blogs for bootleg reworks of pop hits from Michael Jackson, New Order, The Clash, Stardust and dozens more. He went on to produce a #6 Billboard Single (also iTunes 2010 Pop Single Of The Year) and very well-received remixes for Foster The People, Katy B, Theophilus London, Citizens, Grouplove and more. Now a multi-platinum selling producer and frequent member of The Hype Machine’s popular chart #1 spot, Gigamesh has firmly established himself as a respected trendsetter in modern dance music.
In October 2011, Gigamesh released his debut self-titled EP on Our Label International, which received wide acclaim in the disco and indie-dance community. Following his debut, Gigamesh began to develop a close relationship with French record label Kitsuné resulting in an invitation to perform on several dates of their highly-anticipated U.S. Club Night tour and the “All My Life” EP released by Kitsuné in May of 2012.
Fort Knox Five
The FORT KNOX FIVE have spent the last decade as a leading force in the international funk and breaks scene. Having released an arsenal of floor rocking original music and remixes, the FORT KNOX FIVE has the midas touch for producing heavy hitting records.
The FORT KNOX FIVE consists of Steve Raskin, Rob Myers, Jon Horvath, and Sid Barcelona. They established Fort Knox Recordings in 2003 to release party-rocking music that crosses tempos and defies genres. Their world renowned ‘Fort Knox Sound’ has overtaken dance-floors with its distinct interweaving of live instrumentation with funky electronic breakbeats.
FK5’s talent for organic hooks has made them highly sought after producer/remixers, and landed them in the prestigious URB Next 100. They have dozens of remixes to their credit, including monster remixes for the legendary Tito Puente, Louis Armstrong, and Bob Marley. Further cementing the FORT KNOX FIVE’S production reputation, Afrika Bambaataa—the godfather of hip-hop—has recruited them numerous times to produce tracks. Their video for the song Shift featuring Afrika Bambaataa & Mustafa Akbar was called “groundbreaking” by Spinner. Their songs have consistently broken the Itunes & Beatport Top 10 Charts in multiple genres, Including reaching #1 positions in Breaks, Reggae, and Chillout on Beatport.
The FORT KNOX FIVE’S music has been featured predominately in numerous high profile films, television shows, ad campaigns, and video games. FK5 music can be found in hit TV shows like Fox’s Fringe, and the Oscar Winning Documentary The Cove. They are also no strangers to the world of video game music. There music has been featured in dozens of monster video games like EA Sports NBA Live, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, and Need For Speed. Recently they completed a new original Fort Knox Five music composition called ‘Stand Up’ for the feature film, Stand Up Guys, staring Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Alan Arkin.
As DJs, Jon H & Steve ‘Raskal’ know how to rock parties with infectious grooves that effortlessly move from funk, reggae, and hip-hop to prime time 4/4 beats & breaks. Their unique 4 Turntable DJ sets have proven irresistible to clubgoers worldwide. They have performed on 5 continents, and in over 30 different countries, playing some of the largest festivals and club nights around the globe. The Fort Knox Five have toured and performed alongside major artists like The Beastie Boys, Snoop Dogg, Public Enemy, James Brown, Jurassic 5, Z Trip, Diplo, A Trak, Craze, A Skillz, Krafty Kuts, Stanton Warriors, Bassnectar, Skrillex, and London Electricity to name a few. Forget about tempos and genres – let the Fort Knox Five take you back to the roots and unite all music from the funk, soul, jazz, dub, hip hop, reggae, and electronic generations.
Stickybuds
From the funkafied west coast of Canada, Stickybuds has been making his mark on music all over the globe. In the last few years he’s found himself performing in 19 different countries, captivating fans wherever he goes. His work ethic and passion have also earned him a residency at Canada’s Shambhala music festival (2005 – 2013), as well as performances at Glastonbury (UK), Splore Festival (NZ), Burning Man (USA) and the legendary Space club in Ibiza (ES).
With 23 releases on multiple labels, Sticky loves to create and play dance floor friendly music of many different tempo’s. His sets are filled with Funk, DNB, Glitch Hop, Reggae and Breaks all intricately woven through countless hours in the studio.
Free Download
All Good Funk Alliance
When it comes to All Good Funk Alliance, always expect the unexpected. This spring AGFA is set to drop a new album with Fort Knox Recordings—a genre-spanning release featuring go-go drums, spaced-out synths and funky bass-lines. It marks a new direction for All Good Funk Alliance, and is somewhat of a departure from their signature sound, but fans needn’t stress—this is one duo that never leaves the funk behind.
Made up of Frank Cueto and Rusty Belicek, All Good Funk Alliance has opened up for the legendary James Brown, written songs for Coca-Cola and appeared on the Breakspoll Top 50 list. In other words, these guys are no strangers to the funk. And while their musical tastes range the gamut, when Frank and Rusty join forces the end result is always the same: they deliver a sound that is funky, fun and fresh.
All Good Funk Alliance has long been lauded by critics and fans alike, and DJs looking to inject flavor into their sets invariably seek out that unmistakable AGFA sound. Their remix of big band legend Woody Herman’s track, “Mambo Herd,” was met with critical acclaim, and the boys recently signed a major remix deal to put their indelible, funk-infused spin on Kraak and Smaak’s hit album “Plastic People.” When AGFA’s release, “REC,” dropped in 2007, Properly Chilled described it as “modern funk mixing the best of hip hop and funk [with] lots of percussion breakdowns.” Turntable Lab has also raved about the duo’s sound, summing it up as: “continually hitting the head-nodding nape.”
Since 1999, All Good Funk Alliance has released music on a host of labels, including its own heavyweights: Funk Weapons, Super Hi-Fi Recordings and Baffin Island Beat Brigade. Frank and Rusty have played at clubs and festivals around the globe—from Canada to Australia—and the pair has even opened up for the iconic godfather of soul himself, James Brown.
Recognized as influential pioneers of the Nu-Funk and mid-tempo breaks sounds, AGFA’s innovation and originality has earned them universal respect across the music industry. They are constantly dropping new remixes, originals and reworks brimming with hype music that encompasses multiple genres, the All Good Funk Alliance are keeping it fresh while keeping true to their roots musically.
Free Download
Qdup
Qdup has been making dance floors groove and butts move worldwide since late 2006. Over the years, Qdup has released top selling tunes and remixes on many well received labels including Bombstrikes, Fort Knox Recordings, Bombastic Jam, Goodgroove, Air, ESL Music, Royal Soul, MustBeat and his own Qdup Records imprint.
Having remixed the likes of Fort Knox Five, DJ Love, Thunderball, Basement Freaks, All Good Funk Alliance and Ursula1000 to name a few, Qdup has garnered a spot as one of the most in demand artists for remixing friends of funk and breaks. Also known for his party mashing exclusive edits and re-rubs, he has gained a following via some of the webs hottest blogs, dropping secret weapon DJ tunes.
As an established tastemaker, Qdup has been a contributor to the UK based Ghetto Funk blog since it’s inception and has produced several tracks on their Icons series remix albums. 2013 saw Qdup break out on the summer festival scene in North America including Shambhala (Salmo, BC), BassCoast (Merritt, BC), Firefly Fest (DE, USA), Art Outside (TX, USA) and P.E.X. (MD, USA). With additional releases upcoming on Fort Knox Recordings, new collaborations, remixes, free downloads and DJ mixes in the works, 2014 is lining up to be a busy year for Qdup.