Where The Heat Rocks. (Texas Heat Music Festival)

StubDog.com :: Event Information And Articles :: Where The Heat Rocks. (Texas Heat Music Festival)

The Texas Heat Music Festival is descending on Jones Plaza (stage one, the centerpiece of Houston’s Theater District, the square-block plaza has long been the site of popular concert series and the venue for many civic events, from tented parties to pep rallies.) and Fish Plaza (stage two, located diagonal and across the street will have full concession facilities, vending and many other attractions) downtown for a weekend residency over the Fourth Of July weekend and is very likely going to be one of the most interesting Houston’s happenings of the summer. And can we be so bold as to say it is, The Houston Summer Concert.

The event, set for July 4 and 5, is a two-day tide of electro, DJs and a handful of Houston's best indie acts. The line-up is headlined by members of New York's The Rapture performing a DJ set, electro-maven RJD2 and Los Angeles hip-hop duo People Under The Stairs.

As per any local dance-related event, expect Houston’s own GRRRL Parts and Ceeplus to be rounding out the festivities. On the indie-rock side THMF has Roky Moon & Bolt, Benjamin Wesley and Spain Colored Orange (Houston Press Music Awards nominees). Roky Moon's other band, American Sharks, will also be playing at the festival. Peekaboo Theory, the winners of the Battle Of The Sam at Sam Houston Race Park is set to perform that weekend, too. Tickets for the festival are set at $15 per day, with a weekend pass running $25. And if you are feeling fancy, a VIP section is available at $50 a day, or $85 for a weekend of pampering away from the general population.

Let’s get to know better few of the featured artist of the festival:

New York quartet The Rapture redefined the tip of the indie iceberg fusing the skronk and chaos of punk with the precision and funk of basement after-party disco beats. They opened the floodgates for many to float through on the wave of this fresh take on some vintage, party-forward sounds at the moment they released the international dancefloor hit “House of Jealous Lovers” in 2002

RJD2 is Ramble John Krohn, a hip-hop producer, formerly a part of the Definitive Jux label. He produced tracks for many of its artists having a solo career at the same time. In 2006, RJ “ditched hip-hop” for the indie-rock label XL. releasing In 2007, RJD2 released The Third Hand which, if nothing else, showcased his ability to evolve beyond the hip-hop genre. Around this same time RJ created a compilation album with fellow underground DJ’s Mick Boogie and DJ Flash for their A.B.B. compadres Little Brother entitled AND JUSTUS FOR ALL.

People Under the Stairs (PUTS) are an underground hip-hop group from Los Angeles, California. The group comprises of two self-proclaimed b-boys, Thes One and Double K. PUTS have released their first album in1998 and have since put out a record every two years, with the exception of 2004. All eyes are now on them from the underground to the masses, what will they do next? Like the open–ended closings of the great television shows of the 70´s, “Or Stay Tuned” takes you on another ride with The P. A twelve–track collection of party rockers, love songs, silly skits and more, all guaranteed to bump you up! Lay back in the cut with “Fly Love Song” or just have a ball with “Yield” and “Plunken Em”…This is the funk for your bottom, the beats for your top, and even the ´green´ for in between.

Drop the Lime is Luca Venezia, one of those people whose identity is intrinsically connected to his hometown – New York City. While many have only just heard of the magic of Drop The Lime, Luca has been honing his craft for years. From humble beginnings as a choirboy to a childhood obsession with 50s rock’n’roll, the 25 year old has been experimenting with sound for years via the underground electronic scene of Kid 606’s TigerBeat6 label, Mad Decent and French label Institubes (under his alter ego “Curses!”). Drop The Lime’s influences range from Brian Eno to rockabilly (he’s well known for his 50s doo wop and soul sets) to Sonic Youth to Wu Tang but things don’t just stop there. He also runs Trouble & Bass, an influential New York club night and label since 2006. The Trouble & Bass crew are the DJs who are defining a new New York sound.

2020Soundsystem, the only foreign guest amongst the featured ones, was started as a new way of playing mixing live instruments with electronics by Ralph Lawson, original DJ at the legendary back to basics club in Leeds (UK), and Danny ‘dubble d’ Ward. Tired of a jaded club scene they sought a different way to entertain and excite. By weaving live instruments into Lawsons DJ set, they transformed the clubbing experience into something new by giving the best of both worlds: the continuity and diversity of a DJ mix with the raw energy and excitement of seeing a live band. The project became four when bass player Fernando Pulichino and Julian Sanza, recent arrivals from Argentina, sent 2020 a demo under their Silver City moniker. Lawson heard the guys ability to play (as well as cook a mean steak), and immediately invited them to join the project. 2020Soundsystem have been busy on the road in 2007-8 with killer performances at Exit festival Serbia, Skolbeats Brazil, Creamfields Argentina, Glastonbury Camp Bisco USA and Groove Parade under their belts. They have also been compiling their second album “Falling” due for release in 2009. The crew now have their US visas in place an plan to hit the states in November and March with a series of shows.