Tag: Noga Erez

Portola 2025: In Words and Pictures

Additional Reporting and Photos by Matthew Meyer and Dakin Hardwick

Portola has figured out how to live in the impossible: a perfect balance between a giant warehouse rave, an art-party fever dream, and a legacy showcase built around titans like The Chemical Brothers and LCD Soundsystem. The festival grounds themselves were half the trip, stages stretched across a working port, tucked between hulking cranes and an airplane-hangar-sized warehouse. One side of the grounds was dominated by a massive ship; the other opened out onto the Bay, where the breeze mercifully cut through the heat.

Scantily clad post-Burning Man pilgrims roamed like the playa had drifted into San Francisco, fur and neon armor still glowing. Unlike so many other festivals, Portola spared us the dreaded sound bleed; every stage claimed its own sonic territory without stepping on another’s toes. Continue reading “Portola 2025: In Words and Pictures”

The Electronic Music Averse Guide To Portola Music Festival

For those who follow this site closely, I recently posted a podcast where I said, “I work all day on a laptop. I don’t want to dance to one at night, too.” It may seem a little odd to you, my loyal reader, that I am attending the Portola Music Festival this year. Not only am I attending, but I am deeply excited about this. Indeed, there is plenty of laptop action happening on this bill, and numerous websites are highlighting it. Tickets are available here. Full schedule here. See you September 20th-21st! 

This is who I’m excited about: Continue reading “The Electronic Music Averse Guide To Portola Music Festival”

How Did Noga Erez Get Here?

Noga Erez is a brilliant MC who, after years generating buzz in the underground, is putting out her major label debut, The Vandalist on September 20th. We had a great discussion about influences, working with Missy Elliott, her epic KIDS livestream, and even managed to discuss the complexities of promoting a record while living in a politically volatile country.

Single of the Week: “AYAYAY” by Noga Erez featuring Dillom

Some weeks the Single Of The Week can be a really easy decision. And other weeks, I’m digging through tracks, waiting for the thing that pulls me in. This week was actually a bit of the latter. Then I stumbled over a name that I’d seen a lot and ignored: Noga Erez. I guess it was finally my time because “AYAYAY” was the thing that I needed to re-energize my day. It’s a blend of Reggaeton, Cumbia, and Middle Eastern beats combined with Erez’s impressive mic Spanglish mic skills, with the Dillom cameo coming in tastefully, just adding some color to the song without overwhelming it. I get how she landed the Missy Elliott seal of approval. 

“AYAYAY” is available in all the usual places. Her next album, The Vandalist, is ready to pick up your Fall doldrums on September 20th. Preorders and presaves are happening now! 

Outside Lands Daily Lineups & Single Day Tickets

I’m forever grateful that the good folks of Another Planet and Superfly are working hard to make Outside Lands happen this year. And I know many of you loyal readers are sad that they missed out on buying 3-Day passes. Or didn’t buy them because they were waiting for the daily lineups to see if they can cancel their usual Halloween plans for this. 

Well, cancel those Halloween plans because Outside Lands announced their single-day lineups, and, well, Tame Impala, Brittany Howard, Kehlani, and freaking Nelly are playing on Halloween! Also, whoever decided to book Neal Francis and Neil Frances for the same day deserves a prize. The rest are below the jump. Single Day Tickets are on sale Thursday, April 29th at 10 am! Continue reading “Outside Lands Daily Lineups & Single Day Tickets”