Almost Familiar

20/08/2024

Red Rocks is an iconic venue to see music in, and it is especially meaningful for the evolution of the Pretty Lights project and its impact on Colorado’s electronic music scene. 2024 was no exception, as the band and crew continued to elevate the Pretty Lights experience to New Heights once again.

The PL team pulled out all the stops for their massively triumphant return to the venue, six years in the making. The two-night run was highlighted by memorable bust-outs and iconic sit-ins that showcased the music’s range: a string quartet’s classical interpretations of contemporary tracks, Dominic Lalli’s signature jazz flair added to fan favorites, and a monumental, unprecedented cameo from a contemporary of equally significant influence on the road to retirement, Dave Tipper

Listen to the Red Rocks recap now from the link in the comments ⬇️

On the heels of this memorable weekend, the Check Your Vector tour heads to the hallowed grounds of Bethel, NY, home of the legendary Woodstock Music and Art Fair of 1969 for what is shaping up to be the destination event of the tour.

We’ll see you at Swirlstock 🌀

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30/05/2024

Hampton, we have lift off. This weekend Pretty Lights returns to the iconic Hampton Coliseum for the first time in nearly a decade to kick off the Check Your Vector tour ✅🚀

Wes and Elizabeth reflect on the last time the Pretty Lights project was in the building as we look forward to the start of a new tour!

Listen now via the link in our comments or wherever you listen to podcasts 🎧

02/02/2024

Get familiar with TF Marz, Co-founder and Creative Director of all:Lo music collective, whose Colorado and Pacific Northwest roots heavily influence his refreshing and distinct take on electronic music that is healthily infused with hip hop and RnB sensibilities.

We dive into the music scene in the PNW, including his iconic sunrise set at the renowned Grove Stage at Shambhala Music Festival, the current state of the electronic music scene, the continuous evolution of all:Lo, and the future of TF Marz
Listen now from the link in our bio!

Listen now from the link in the comments below ⬇️

18/01/2024

Get familiar once again with Greg “thelazershark” Ellis, a highly revered, industry-respected, ruthlessly sarcastic lighting designer who has been responsible for nearly 15 years of breathtaking and dazzling visual displays as innovative as the music it backs. Best known for his work with Pretty Lights, Greg is no stranger to the spotlight, having worked with global names like Banks, 30 Seconds to Mars, Mr. Beast, and even a few major music award shows to boot. Through and through, Greg Ellis remains an artist. Having added a new medium into his arsenal, we talk about his artistic journey and how his works influence one another.

Check out our latest interview with the Lazershark now from the link in the comments below ⬇️

Greg is currently hosting a raffle for the first installment of his “Thank You” series, including original paintings based on the Denver, Dillon, Atlanta, Philly, Brooklyn shows (including custom Lazershark stickers).

The raffles ends on January 20th but you can enter now at: https://www.thephoebuscartel.com/shop

The drawings will be held live on IG on the 21st, then the print drop on the 22nd. Good luck to everyone that plays!

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05/01/2024

Like the city of New Orleans and “the tangled veins of cypress roots that meander this way and that in the swamp” the final sets of the Pretty Lights tour were “interrelated, wrapped around itself in ways that aren’t always obvious.”

Channeling the spirit of Dr. John and New Orleans itself, the Pretty Lights team threw a party befitting for the end of such a historic tour; once again paying massive respects to regional musical legends by swirling the likes of Louis Armstrong, Lil Wayne, and The Meters while also integrating live horns (provided by The Soul Rebels) with the band for the first time since the days of the Analog Future Band.

While we are saddened that the tour has finally ended, we can’t help but look towards the future full of optimism as Pretty Lights continues to appear on prominent music festival lineups. The renaissance tour is over, but the future of Pretty Lights is just about to begin. We’ll see you there!

Listen to the final Passenger Log from the link in our comments ⬇️

📸: Raymond Angelo

30/11/2023

Even the sky is not the limit for the Soundship Spacesystem crew. Using it as their palette, the Pretty Lights crew engaged Skylites to coordinate a light show with 75 drones, on top of having special guests in the VJ booth. This was just one of many unique elements that passengers on the Soundship Spacesystem were treated to during the crew’s mission at The Caverns in Pelham, Tennessee.

The Caverns felt reminiscent of episodic festival runs at Telluride and The Gorge between its remote location, a secret set, and special guests both on stage (Adam Deitch) and in the VJ booth (Glass Crane & Psybernautics), creating a truly unique live music experience with a country flair that stands entirely apart from any other stops on tour that left us all saying, “Let's go back to Tennessee”

A link to the Caverns Passenger Log is in the comments below.

Music provided by Pretty Lights Live

Photos provided by Raymond Angelo

22/11/2023

Almost Familiar has officially been swirled 🌀Our Caverns recap will follow San Francisco as we wanted to take advantage of recording San Francisco’s Passenger Log with a very special guest who will likely feel more than almost familiar for those who have followed the pod since the beginning.

Famous San Francisco promoter Bill Graham’s marquee on The Warfield theater for The Grateful Dead’s concert on September 25, 1980 said it all: “THEY’RE NOT THE BEST AT WHAT THEY DO, THEY’RE THE ONLY ONES THAT DO WHAT THEY DO”

Almost Familiar invites prolific live music journalist, Upful Life Podcast host, and friend, B.Getz, to return to the show to muse on whether the same can be said of this iteration of Pretty Lights. We reflect specifically on Derek & Company’s three-night run at The House that Garcia built in San Francisco. We can think of no better guest to help us draw parallels between the Grateful Dead’s legacy, playing, culture and experience, to what is currently happening with Pretty Lights as we continue to explore our podcast’s foundational hypothesis: Is Pretty Lights “almost familiar” to The Grateful Dead?

We are beyond grateful to have collaborated with B on this episode and his SENSATIONAL article that came out recently on Live For Live Music ⚡️🌹

Listen to the SF Passenger Log/read the L4LM piece from the link in the comments below

📸: Marlene Sanchez

07/11/2023

The best Pretty Lights show of all time? The echo chamber was swirling in the aftermath of the Soundship Spacesystem’s leveling of one of its most-visited destinations, Chicago.

Almost Familiar welcomes PLF Chicago representatives, Charlie Charles Char and Kris Wilhelmsen to reflect on the three-night tear celebrating the influential legacies of House music and Pretty Lights’ inaugural album.

In addition to the band constantly outdoing themselves, the visual production took immeasurable strides forward as thelazershark tested the waters with brand new lazers, feasting on all those in their wake 🦈

Listen now: https://linktr.ee/almostfamiliarpod

📸: Teuber Media

18/10/2023

Not even biblical flooding could stop the Soundship Spacesystem tour from docking for an iconic three-day run at the infamous Brooklyn Mirage, whose larger than life production showcased the tantalizing abilities of the entire Pretty Lights team as both band and crew continue to fire on all cylinders: delivering new bust outs, continuously reinterpreting fan-favorites, and inspiring the masses in the city that never sleeps.

While the Pretty Lights renaissance tour has been solid all the way through, it can be argued that nothing’s equivalent, to the New York state of mind 🗽

Link to our Brooklyn recap is in the comments below

📸: Raymond Angelo

29/09/2023

Pretty Lights may be postponed in Brooklyn tonight, but Almost Familiar is fashionably late with our recap of the Philadelphia shows if you're seeking some related content to fill the void.

The Soundship Spacesystem touched down in Philadelphia for three nights of swirling samples from different eras and tasteful tributes to the city of brotherly love. With the successful ex*****on of the band’s first “set sandwich,” the menu is full of limitless potential with a secret sauce that continues to be refined for a one-of-a-kind sensory experience.

Link to the episode in the comments!

11/09/2023

The Swirl Bridge made its way down to the South East as Pretty Lights and the Soundship Spacesystem tour touched down for three awe-inspiring nights in Atlanta’s The Eastern as the band picked up right where they left off in Colorado.

While Atlanta experienced bust-outs, re-imaginations of repeated songs, several new songs that were debuted, the same unmistakable swagger and unstoppable tenacity were fully present as members of the band on stage and production crew off-stage continue to impress after nine remarkable shows.

Listen to the Atlanta Passenger Log now from the link the comments

Photo courtesy of Fabeaux

21/08/2023

The electronic music scene has been in a constant state of reflection and reinvention since its inception, yet one of its most influential pioneers of the new millenia has been dormant over the last five years. Earlier this month, balance was restored as Pretty Lights made a triumphant return across six unforgettable shows as the Soundship Spacesystem tour took flight in Colorado.

Elizabeth and Wesley recall several standout moments from the Mission Ballroom and Dillon Amphitheater runs, which included the debut of new music, spell-binding reinterpretations of fan favorites and first looks of the newly-imagined and highly-immersive Swirl Bridge 🌀🌉

Listen now: https://linktr.ee/almostfamiliarpod

**All music from this episode along with the rest of the Mission and Dillon shows is available for listening at prettylightslive.com

📸 Shannon Shumaker Photography

08/04/2023

Get familiar with Borahm Lee, a pianist and key member of Denver’s music community, known mostly as a member of the formerly Brooklyn-based duo, Break Science and multiple live iterations of the Pretty Lights project. He could have been a doctor or a lawyer, but his love for the piano and jazz derailed those plans at an early age and sent him on the course of becoming a masterful musician who has since performed with the likes of Kanye West, The Fugees, reggae/dub pioneer Lee Scratch Perry (official), members of Lettuce, The Disco Biscuits, Big Gigantic, Manic Focus, and many more.

We chat with Borahm about his life long love affair with music and how it has evolved throughout his career including the recent release of his first solo studio album, Echoic Memory. We reflect on the last decade of electronic music and how some of his collaborative projects have pushed the genre beyond the limitations of one-dimensional performances and where it can be experienced.

We also look towards the future in a mutual excitement with the upcoming Soundship Space System Tour where Borahm will take his rightful place in the Swirl Bridge alongside longtime friend and collaborator, Derek Vincent Smith and his band of vibrational architects, including the return of the Pretty Lights project’s original collaborator, Michal Menert

Link to the episode is in the comments below ⬇️⬇️

03/04/2023

Get familiar with parkbreezy: producer, instrumentalist and co-founder of Denver’s beloved all:Lo Collective, whose compositions are a soulful and melodic exploration of the future with nostalgic glimpses of his past inspirations.

Parker underscores the relationship between sampling and interpretation, its relationship to memory and nostalgia, and how that creates a moment in time that can feel almost familiar.

We talk about the growth of the all:Lo label including his blossoming solo project and his collaborative projects Groovsauce and Morning Coffee alongside label mates and best friends, Thought Process and pheel.

The all:Lo label is a truly a familiar affair, a community love story set in Denver’s iconic Black Box where friends lift each other up while continuing to push the musical envelope. Parkbreezy and the label are playing shows across the nation and curating takeovers this summer at the second annual Secret Dreams and SONIC BLOOM.

This episode is dedicated to the lives and memories of Chuck Morris of Lotus, his son Charley and all those who are no longer with us

31/12/2022

Get familiar with highlights of the 2022 festival season and beyond. Wes and Elizabeth share their own highlights and also conducted a community census to get a sense of what stood out between festivals, events, musicians, mixes, albums, and personal milestones. Trending submissions include Submersion Festival, Daily Bread's latest Bread & Breakfast mix and Mishawaka shows, and newly on some radars are Piri & Tommy Villiers, Cool Customer, and Eliptek, along with unwavering hope for a Pretty Lights return. We’re so grateful to the community members who participated in our inaugural Almost Familiar Unwrapped, and we hope to see you on the dance floor in 2023.

A link to the episode and playlists with listener submissions is in the comments!

18/12/2022

💡2022 Unwrapped with Almost Familiar💡

For our last episode of the 2022, Almost Familiar wants to hear about some of your favorite music experiences of the year. Answer any or all of the following questions on Slide 3 (or below) by 5 pm on 12/21, and you'll be featured on 2022 Unwrapped with Almost Familiar!

Swipe for instructions on how to submit your responses!

1. Tell us your name and where you're from (or you can be anonymous)

2. Favorite set (festival and/or non-festival)

3. Favorite festival and/or event

4. Favorite mix

5. Favorite album

6. Favorite new artist discovered

7. Tell us something you're proud of

8. What are you looking forward to most next year (music or otherwise)

Thank you for participating!

06/12/2022

Get familiar with ZONE Drums aka Aaron Harel, whom you have likely seen on the drums bringing abstract electronic music to life with The 5AM Trio, Thought Process, CloZee, Daily Bread, and more. Aaron has a knack for recognizing potential in both music and materials - from cutting his teeth by promoting dubstep shows in a church to upcycling drum kits to making diffusion panels that “bridge the world of art, music, and fabrication.” Inspired in part by Envision Festival’s infrastructure, Aaron’s passion for sustainability extends far beyond his panels and into a general lifestyle that inspires Wes and Elizabeth to consider pragmatic ways to integrate sustainability into theirs.

The 5AM Trio will be playing in Denver on December 9th at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom where you can see Aaron bring his ideas to life. You can check out our conversation today, wherever you listen to podcasts. Link in the comments below.

25/11/2022

Get Familiar with Wessanders, a Connecticut-based producer and staple member of The Rust Music, whose music is as eclectic as his life experiences. A traveler and student of the world, Wessanders has immersed himself in many cultures outside of the US and embeds them into his ever-evolving sound including his recently released EP, El Gr**go Hace Cumbia (The white boy makes Cumbia)

Wessanders sharpened his skills at Berklee College of Music allowing him to merge his influences in the creation of a truly distinct and highly refined brand of bass music. His live shows are energetic, diverse, and guaranteed to get you moving to the global rhythms he commands

Listen now via the link in the comments below ⬇️

04/10/2022

Get familiar with Cnopes, a producer whose electronic music style is influenced heavily by jazz, blues, hip hop and soul, creating sensational soundscapes that have caught the attention of lineup curators for festivals like SONIC BLOOM and Sound Haven. Connor shares how he shifted his approach depending on the time slot and stage to match the vibe and what it means for smaller artists to be able to perform on stages with such high quality production.

While his exposure to music culture and community started with his father’s love of The Grateful Dead, Connor’s gateway drug into electronic music’s neo-hippie subculture was Pretty Lights. We also talk about where artists can draw inspiration from outside of music and why electronic music will continue to be prevalent due to its constantly evolving nature, especially if its lot culture can evolve to be on par with the jam scene.

You can listen to the episode now from the link in the comments!

16/07/2022

Get familiar with how the pandemic has impacted the experiences and infrastructure of two of the scene’s most beloved and influential festivals: Lightning in a Bottle and SONIC BLOOM. After allowing some time for the dust to settle (and there was lots of dust), Wes and Elizabeth reflect on the highs and lows of returning to their favorite long-standing festivals after a two year hiatus.

You can listen to the episode now from the link in the comments

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2nd photo -
3rd photo - Jacob Avanzato Photography

06/06/2022

Get familiar with pheel., a Denver-based producer and co-founder of the increasingly popular All:Lo record label who specializes in all things low end. Known for his signature Morning Coffee series in collaboration with parkbreezy, Phil shares how these mixes evolved from beats to drink coffee to as requested by The Black Box’s talent buyer to opening up for Dave Tipper himself at the most recent Tipper&Friends Events

Almost Familiar kicks off Gemini and festival season through pheel.’s upcoming lineup of festivals that he’ll be performing at and attending for the first time, along with Elizabeth and Wes’ anticipation of their familiar favorites Lightning in a Bottle and SONIC BLOOM

Episode is linked in the comments!

16/02/2022

Get familiar with Jack Hurley, better known as Anti-alias, whose career as a multimedia designer has taken him from working a corporate job to performing with Dave Tipper at his most recent return to Red Rocks in 2021. Jack talks about his experience collaborating with Datagrama Visuals for the second night of the run, appropriately titled Bangers Night.

Jack reflects on how the emphasis on VJ culture has evolved since he was first hooked at Basslights, and the challenge of crafting a narrative given the abstract and experimental nature of the music it represents. We explore the future of shows in the VR space, the extent to which Jack’s work is improvisational and how this work fits into the emerging NFT world.

Jack was kind enough to make us custom episode art, but we love it so much that we decided that The Time Has Come to upgrade our logo!

Let us know what you think of the new episode and logo in the comments

18/01/2022

Get familiar with Phyphr, whose project is as much of a product of Nick’s experiences with the scene as our podcast. After being inspired by the hybrid electronic/instrumental acts he witnessed at Suwannee Hulaween, Nick began his journey in creating music which has transplanted him from North Carolina to Denver’s hub of creativity and collaboration. Nick shares how he drew inspiration from artists not only with regards to music, but also building an authentic brand. We reflect on the evolution and success of the intimate “family” fanbases and mission statements of artists like GRiZ and Daily Bread as Phyphr seeks to cultivate his own with the mission of “doing love for a living.”

Phyphr shares our love of getting to know musicians outside of their project to give more context to their sound as a platform of true self expression. We’re looking forward to sharing more of these authentic conversations with artists from the community as our version of doing love for a living.

Listen now via the link in comments

27/10/2021

Welcome back to season two of Almost Familiar! Sharing space with harmony, rhythm and eternity, Wes and Elizabeth had the opportunity to record in-person for the first time after attending their first concert together since the last Pretty Lights performance at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre in 2018. Sound Tribe, San Francisco, and S*x & The City. Need we say more?

Link to the episode in the comments!

📸: Lisa Miller from STS9 Lounge captured Tiberius & Phipps going off during Presence of Light.

STS9 Emancipator Tycho

27/10/2021

30/07/2021

Get familiar with The Rust Music, a collective that curates some of our favorite gatherings on the East Coast. From the events, to the artists they represent, to their blog, the crew at The Rust Music does everything with the intent of authenticity to push the boundaries of how we experience electronic music.

We chatted with Talent Buyer/Manager/Event Curator Jezze Boya and Editor of The Rust publication, Squalpat Guy. We get into the origins of The Rust, how they curated a community defined by collaboration in New York’s capricious nightlife scene, and how their intention and dedication evolved into throwing events at Manhattan’s legendary Playstation Theater with artists like Jade Cicada, Detox Unit, Mickman, and 5AM.

Link to episode is in the comments!

24/06/2021

Get familiar with Stacey Forrester’s Sanctuary Radio, a weekly podcast about safer nightlife with a focus on consent and harm reduction. Stacey runs the harm reduction program at British Columbia’s boutique Bass Coast Festival, co-founded the Vancouver chapter of Good Night Out Campaign, and creates beautiful harm reduction graphics that you may recognize from G Jones and CharlestheFirst events.

On this swap cast, Stacey challenges Wes and Elizabeth to consider whether it’s possible to separate the art from the artist and how this factors into the larger conversation about sexual violence. We discuss how we can do a better job of supporting and centering survivors when allegations surface and the importance of holding space for people to change their mind and evolve their perspective once they learn new information. Stacey is a wonderful resource, and we highly recommend that you engage with her content to make our scene safer. Everybody deserves to feel safe at shows.

Link to the episode is in the comments

06/06/2021

Get familiar with DB Montana who used social media via to create a safe space for the victims and survivors of Bassnectar’s disturbing and pathological abuse to anonymously share their stories that shattered his public image built on meticulous manipulation.

Montana tells this story from the beginning, taking us back to the controversial reputation he developed for his criticism of Bassnectar as an admin of the irreverent Weird Drunken Uncle Facebook group. We reflect on the dangers of idolatry, toxic positivity, and unhealthy relationships with the scene.

Montana’s relentless pursuit of the truth is a labor of love for a community that we hope can use this unfortunate circumstance as an opportunity for transformation and to actively define standards of behavior and accountability.

Link to the episode in the comments

14/05/2021

Get Familiar with Father Figure, an East Coast-based producer and fellow Mudson Project survivor with whom we exchange horror stories from the trial-by-fire that was Camp Bisco. From a profound Amon Tobin ISAM set, to playing the renegade stage, Matt’s seasoned perspective allows him to reflect on why some of the staples of today’s scene such as the Philos Records crew and CloZee feel more intimate than its pioneers. Matt shares the complex familial origins behind his stage name and how his infectious Prodigal Son LP symbolizes coming full circle with those relationships.

Listen now: https://linktr.ee/almostfamiliarpod

23/04/2021

Get Familiar with MIDIcinal(Scott Rhatigan), a Denver-based producer with roots in Arizona whose music is imbued with themes of travel - pulling from his own experiences of moving frequently. As his name suggests, Scott fully understands music’s healing properties and shares his experiences of both performing and internalizing “midicinal” music. Scott shares the epic story behind his memorable SONIC BLOOM set where he brought out the dancing lobsters, resulting in an unforgettable synchronicity the following weekend at Electric Forest.

Listen now: https://linktr.ee/almostfamiliarpod