My meanderings thru the minefield of Camera's, as well as audio and video equipment with a smattering of Photography and a pinch of Quadcopters. We recently returned to Music production and so you’ll be seeing Music making posts as well from now on. Checkout our Music on Spotify , Apple Music or your favorite Music site
The event announcement comes just days after fans were able to preview his upcoming ambient album.
Last week, Diplo teamed up with the mediation app Calm to announce his new ambient album, titled MMXX. Fans with the app are able to preview the album before its official launch this week. The Grammy Award-winning producer stated that sales from the new album will be directed to Beam Collective and The Loveland Foundation's efforts to augment mental health awareness.
This afternoon, Diplo announced that he's partnering with The Smithsonian's AirSpace podcast for a series of limited capacity stargazing shows. Dubbed "Under Ancient Skies: A Night of Ambient Music and Stargazing," fans in two cities across four nights can listen to an ambient set and learn about astronomy from the experts.
Diplo and The Smithsonian's "Under Ancient Skies: A Night of Ambient Music and Stargazing" takes place September 8th to 10th in Pioneertown and Big Sur, California. Tickets are on sale now and you can find more information about the ambient event on Diplo's website here.
The new single is titled "Fire" and is set to release this Friday on STMPD RCRDS.
Martin Garrix has revealed that the next release from his tech house alias Ytram is a collaboration with Elderbrook titled "Fire."
Over the weekend, the Dutch dance music superstar took to Twitter to share a mysterious 7-second video with a few keys and the lyrics, "I can see it coming." While the preview doesn't reveal much, fans identified it as one of his IDs from the virtual edition of Tomorrowland.
Naturally, his fans lost their minds and began speculating what was to come. Fortunately, Garrix didn't make them wait very long. Soon after, he revealed the title of the song, his collaborator Elderbrook, and the track's cover art and release date.
"Fire" by Ytram and Elderbrook is set to release this Friday, September 4th on Garrix's own STMPD RCRDS. Spotify subscribers can pre-save the new single here.
Listen to a preview of a mysterious EP that has surfaced for pre-order, which is linked to the fabled Dutch producer.
The electronic dance music world is abuzz with theories after Nicky Romero teased what appears to be a new alias.
An Instagram profile dedicated to the alias in question, Monocule, was recently created, but it does not contain any posts at the time of this article's publishing. Although it is devoid of content, the profile's bio reads, "the deeper side of [Nicky Romero]," explicitly revealing it to be the Dutch superstar's new moniker. Romero himself took to Instagram to tease the project today, August 31st, according to a screenshot shared by a vigilant Reddit user.
In addition to the social media fodder relating to Monocule, a mysterious EP has surfaced on Beatport, which is available for pre-order now. The record is a three-track EP that is slated for a release this Friday, September 4th via Romero's Protocol Recordings banner. The Beatport page also allows viewers to listen to previews of all three songs, which are in the tech house vein. They are markedly more downtempo and hypnotic than his typically high-energy electro house sound, but no less dynamic.
You can pre-order Monocule - Volume 1here and check out Romero's Instagram post below.
Ariana Grande also took the stage for a performance of their collaborative single "Rain on Me."
Dance music fans were excited to see that Lady Gaga was one of the featured performers at the 2020 MTV VMAs. During her headline performance, she delivered a mash-up of hits from her latest album Chromatica, complete with multiple costume changes, a special guest, festival-grade production, and intricate choreographed dance routines.
Starting off with "Enigma" and "Chromatica II," the pop superstar introduced viewers to the dystopian world she created with her record-breaking sixth studio album. She would then go on to perform a routine soundtracked by her Madeon-produced tune "911." The French electronic producer took to Twitter and shared how he enjoyed playing a role in the show.
Not long after, she transitioned to the album's lead single "Rain On Me" and brought out special guest Ariana Grande to the delight of pop fans everywhere. Finally, she closed out the night with her Tchami-produced house and dance-pop hybrid, "Stupid Love."
In addition to her larger-than-life performance, Mother Monster also did quite well in the competition side of things, taking home five awards on nine nominations. At the 2020 iteration of the ceremony, she won the Moon Person for "Song of the Year," "Artist of the Year," "Best Collaboration," "Best Cinematography," and the first MTV Tricon Award.
The new concept from Paros is being touted as a "multi-sensory sunset ritual in the sky."
Paros, a popular restaurant and nightlife destination located in Dubai's Taj Hotel JLT, is launching a new "island in the sky" party on its rooftop.
According to Gulf News, the leading English language daily newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, Paros will be launching the socially distant event series this Thursday, September 3rd. It will happen every Thursday for the foreseeable future on the venue's Mediterranean-style terrace from 6PM to 3AM. The concept, called Nisi on 46, will feature electronic music and live performances, and it promises a unique nightlife experience ensconced by panoramic views of the city.
In addition to Nisi on 46, the team behind Paros are also be introducing Above, another nightlife concept that is being touted as a "multi-sensory sunset ritual in the sky." Conceptualized by BeMoreThan Events, Above will feature a live violinist to play sultry lounge music before Natalie Brogan, a local house music DJ, takes the decks to transform the evening into a vibrant club night. Above will take place every Friday, starting from September 11th.
The new imprint will host his more underground music while the main label will be home to his "dance smashes."
Armin van Buuren'sArmada Music recently announced that their newest signee is none other than i_o. In addition to the new signing, the mysterious artist has started his own imprint, Label 444. His Armada Music artist profile page explains that the imprint will host his more underground-sounding music while his other works will be on the main label.
"He’s joined the Armada family for 2021, with promises of releasing dance smashes on the label. He will also off the year with his own imprint, Label 444, where his hard underground sound will reside," the page reads.
i_o's first release on Armada Music since signing with the label is titled "IN MY HEAD" and will arrive next month. He shared a preview of the new vocal-driven song via Twitter, giving fans a small taste of what's in store.
"IN MY HEAD" by i_o is set to release on Friday, September 18th on Armada Music. For more information on the new signee, you can connect with him on his socials below.
Big Gigantic's euphoric saxophones meet CloZee's haunting bass in the latter's forthcoming remix.
The blossoming career of bass music star CloZee continues to unfurl before our eyes with each spellbinding release. Following the release of her critically acclaimed sophomore album Neon Jungle, the French prodigy is now on the remix tip with an official rework of Big Gigantic's "You're The One."
CloZee took to Twitter to share a preview of her remix of the electronic jam, which features the seemingly omnipresent Nevve on vocals. The clip is more than enough to get fans excited, as she introduces them to a glimpse into the track's build and soaring drop—and her dog. Keeping Big Gigantic's pristine saxophones in tact, she produces potent saws underneath, imbuing a euphoric sonic boom that moonlights as a shot of adrenaline into the veins of the original. With fluttering arpeggios and exotic synths, her patented "world bass" sound is on full display here.
You can listen to a preview of CloZee's remix below ahead of its official release on Wednesday, September 2nd. For a deep dive into CloZee and her artistry, check out our July 2020 interview with her here.
Pioneer has put forth a more affordable headphone offering that doesn't cut corners on sound quality.
There's a reason Pioneer DJ has become the industry standard for all things DJ-related over the years. The brand is no stranger to impressive craftsmanship, durability, and of course, quality audio. Pioneer DJ has nwo just released its brand new headphone model, the HDJ-CUE1, raising the bar for entry-level headphone models that don't skimp on sound quality.
Pioneer DJ's latest headphone model comes at the most affordable price yet for the brand's headphone models, but that doesn't mean quality is sacrificed. In fact, the HDJ-CUE1's specialist sound tuning is directly adopted from the HDJ-X5, ensuring that users are treated to top-notch sound at a professional level.
Low frequencies come through the dynamic drivers with impeccable clarity, so that thumping kick drums and rattling bass can be heard just as clearly as high-end treble and mid-range sounds. While designed with novice DJs in mind, the HDJ-CUE1 provides pristine sound that's perfect for DJs of any skill level.
Complete with a customization pack that lets users pick the color of the headphone, ear pads, and cable, the HDJ-CUE1 enables users to choose the style that suits their personal taste. Color options include orange, yellow, green, blue, and pink for the cable and ear pads, and the base headphone comes in black, dark silver, red, and white, allowing for countless color combinations to suit individual fashion sense.
For those looking to lose the cable, a Bluetooth-enabled model is also available, allowing users to mix without restraint, or casually listen to their favorite tracks with ease and comfort.
With the HDJ-CUE1, Pioneer DJ has once again proven why it's the leading audio brand for DJs, producers, and casual listeners alike. The affordable and stylish headphone model caters to DJs of all skill levels, delivering professional sound quality at an affordable price.
Jaehn's upcoming album, which will include his new single "No Therapy," was conceptualized around his own journey with wellness.
Holed up in a seaside village in Germany next door to his mom’s house, Felix Jaehn has no complaints. He’s taking walks in the countryside, cooking meals with his family and gardening in his backyard. Last weekend, he celebrated his birthday with a weekend trip to Denmark. It’s almost like he’s a normal 26-year-old, putting a Freaky Friday-like spin on his typical superstar DJ lifestyle.
This change-up surprisingly comes as a relief for Jaehn. In 2015, at just 20 years old, he found himself launched out of his tiny, 100-person village and into a global touring schedule, following the now triple-platinum certified release of his remix of OMI’s “Cheerleader.” Since then it’s been life in the fast lane, releasing his debut album, the two-sided I, in 2018 and playing two—sometimes even three—shows in a single day.
It all came to a grinding halt this past year, when Jaehn started to experience anxiety and panic attacks sparked by the rapid changes contrived by a career in the music industry. He tried therapy, meditation and even hypnosis, and in December, he headed to a Buddhist monastery for a mindfulness retreat. With the right, effective routine and a new perspective on life, Jaehn is now back to writing and releasing music from his home studio on the coast.
"I live more by the perspective that less is more, and most of the joys are in the simple things for me. Truly only life in the present moment can make you happy because it’s all we’ve got,” he told EDM.com. “Right now, I’m just doing what I love and what I feel is beautiful, and what moves me. As long as what I create is honest and real, there’s nothing to lose. It’s all good."
To reflect on his journey toward mental wellness, we caught up with Jaehn to discuss his latest release, “No Therapy,” out August 21st, and how its message folds into an upcoming album conceptualized around his experiences over the last year.
EDM.com: Let’s just get right into it with your latest release, “No Therapy.” What does its message mean to you?
Felix Jaehn: The song is mainly about not needing therapy anymore. I did a lot of hypnosis therapy the last couple of years, which really helped me a lot to work with my inner child and a lot of stuff I had forgotten in the present. I didn’t know it was influencing me that much. So the song is about the time after that.
I’ve found that, at least for me, my suffering was in my own head. It’s my own thoughts. It’s the reality I create in my brain. And I realized that sometimes, all it takes is a good moment with somebody you love to forget about all the shit in your head, and just zoom out and have a nice moment. It’s those kinds of moments, that’s what “No Therapy” is about.
EDM.com: I’ve read that you’re typically very involved in the songwriting process for your recent music. Are there any lines in “No Therapy” that really stick out to you?
Felix Jaehn: I really love the line, “We be who we want to be," which is the most amazing lyric I’ve written, probably, because it’s pretty basic but just the message is so strong.
I feel like this song is so nice because it’s almost conversational. It just goes, “You, me, honestly. We don’t need no therapy.” I think that’s so cool about it, because it’s so direct. It’s two people talking to each other. And when Nea comes in, and it’s suddenly a guy and a girl talking, it makes even more sense. That’s what I like about it most, is the interaction between them singing the same part, and its connection with “You, me, honestly.”
EDM.com: I recently read “No Therapy” is the conclusion of a story you’ve been telling with your last three releases. How does this storyline fit into your upcoming album?
Felix Jaehn: The concept’s going to be told starting with “SICKO,” which is about me being emotionally sick, and then it ends with “No Therapy.” In between, there’s a journey through love of myself with “Close Your Eyes” and “Liita” and obviously some unreleased songs. I cut out a couple of super sad ones just recently. I don’t know if people really need to hear those sad songs. Maybe it was good for me to write them, but I want to focus on the good vibes, so I decided to make an A/B album with the second part being more happy and chill and including love songs. Maybe even a remix, which is more just the DJ vibe, happy part. It’s going to be interesting! We’re currently looking at next year for sure. It’ll be worth the wait.
EDM.com: How do you feel so comfortable talking about your mental health, especially enough to create an album concept around it?
Felix Jaehn: By now, I’ve gotten used to it. In the very beginning, of course it was scary for me. I remember coming out in February 2018 as bixesual, and before the news went out, I already knew when the first article was going to drop. I was so nervous about that day because I was like, “The whole world’s going to judge me now.” But it was so good, and I feel like it helped me so much. It was so freeing and so beautiful for me to just be truly open about everything.
It kind of became a purpose to me, even in the creation of the second album. I wanted the songs to not only entertain people, like of course, I’m a DJ and I want to have crazy parties with everybody and just dance and forget about the world, but I also feel like as an artist with such a huge reach, I want to use my voice to impact people. I feel like mental health is one of the most urgent topics on this planet, and people just need to hear that they’re not alone. There’s light at the end of the tunnel.
EDM.com: Do you have any ideas or thoughts on how musicians in the EDM industry can become more open and candid about discussing their own mental health?
Felix Jaehn: Regardless of the industry, people just need to be open. There’s no advice to give other than you’ve just got to do it. I think it’s got to do a lot with looking into oneself first. For me, meditation is truly a thing that changed my life. I feel like once you reach a level where you’re so aware of yourself and confident about yourself, there’s no more fear to be judged because the opinion of others literally doesn’t matter. I feel like this process is all within ourselves, and just one by one, we need to be self aware and authentic, really.
EDM.com: What made you open to starting that process for yourself?
Felix Jaehn: I think the first person that inspired me was my mom. She started traveling to India and becoming a yoga teacher, and talking about spirituality. She had all these books by Thich Nhat Hahn. This was all when I was still a teenager, so I already had this plant of mindfulness seeded in me from my mom. Then, I kinda knew this could be a nice escape and a tool. I just really got into it when I had to, because I was suffering so much and needed a solution.
EDM.com: What’s it like for music to have been a part of some of your lowest moments, like “SICKO,” and now have it be a positive force in your life again?
Felix Jaehn: It’s back to what it originally was, when I was a teenager and started DJing, or even when I started playing the violin at six years old. It was just music that touched me deeply in my heart, just pure emotions and joy. And then, I turned my passion into my job. It came with a lot of downsides for me, personally and mentally, and I projected those emotions and feelings onto music, and it became a hate-love thing. And now that all the problems are gone, it’s just back to this pure joy and back to the real emotions and feelings.
EDM.com: How do you think this new way of living is going to impact your schedule once the world looks a bit more normal?
Felix Jaehn: I’m definitely hungry already again, and want a bit more. I could do a bit more. I’m missing all the festivals, and meeting all the DJs backstage, and having moments together, rather than everybody just working out of their own bubble. I feel like creativity needs input, and I’m missing that as well. I’m definitely looking forward to being on the road again, but I’ll be more conscious about it this time and just see step by step how far I want to go.
EDM.com: Well, I know you’re not one to talk about the future, but what has you feeling excited today?
Felix Jaehn: I’m super hyped that I actually have a show coming up on the ?? of September in Berlin, with I think 900 people again already. It’s all super safe and everybody can keep a distance, but at the same time, everybody has their own space to dance and party. It’s going to be so cool to see 900 people dancing open air again, all together.
It's the first release from Liquid Stranger's new Wakaan spinoff label, SSKWAN.
Last year, the Wakaan bass label culminated a five year journey from beginning to fruition with Wakaan Music Festival, which hosted 50+ artists and 10,000 fans in Ozark, Arkansas. Rather than relish the success, Liquid Stranger—the label's founder—announced mid-performance at WMF that he would be debuting a new sub-label, SSKWAN.
Now over halfway through 2020, this promise has manifested via a 7-track LP from New Jersey producer Au5, who provided support on the first Wakaan tour with Liquid Stranger five years ago. With his polymorphous production style that features trance, dubstep, ambient, house, and downtempo, Au5 was a perfect choice to debut the new imprint.
ALCHEMY delivers on the hype for SSKWAN’s debut. Fans are christened on the introduction track “Alchemy,” a 7-plus minute song reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here opener, “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” Following the success of Wakaan isn't easy, but like Pink Floyd tackling the follow up to Dark Side of the Moon, the producer opted for something entirely unexpected. The style is genre-fluid—an astral fusion of house, ambient, and downtempo.
“Etheros” is a lofty ambient track that utilizes atmosphere over beats while “Myst” gives Wakaan fans the tangible bass and dub-based production they crave. The downtempo style is further explored on “Neptuna” before the album returns to the wondrous, sublime approach on “Return to Moonland.” ALCHEMY wraps up with the serene “The Cliff” and equally ethereal yet more direct “Vapour,” which acts as a kaleidoscope of sounds to remind fans of the uniqueness of Au5 and the new label.
Wakaan is now a familiar name that demands consistent output, but with SSKWAN returns the magic and mystery this community first thrived on. Welcome to the rise of SSKWAN, where you can experience the awe and wonder all over again.
Oolacile's new record label aims to take riddim into the future.
With a diverse and impressive catalogue under his belt, dubstep producer and DJ Oolacile has now set his sights on the genre's future. With a focus on the emerging subgenre of "future riddim," with its experimental and melodic-yet-heavy sound, Oolacile has teamed up with Bewildered Productions label boss Kyle Mooney to bring his vision to life.
Enter Halcyon, the duo's brainchild and a brand new record label that aims to innovate the dubstep sound and push future riddim into the mainstream. The concept is simple—Halcyon seeks to be an artist-first imprint where artists on its roster have full creative control over their releases, and to give those artists the tools they need to succeed.
Already included on that roster are influential and rising bass music stars Akeos, SVDDEN DEATH, Phonon, Voltra, and more, including Oolacile himself. Halcyon has already released its first showcase of the style these artists will be bringing to the table with its new compilation, Halcyon Sound Vol. 1.
The compilation features eight mind-melting tracks from the aforementioned artists, as well as CRIPPLINGG, 17, Leotrix, and BVSSIC. Forward-thinking sound design is clearly the main focus of the Halcyon sound, and each artist has delivered a distinctive offering that illustrates exactly where that sound is heading, and will leave listeners chomping at the bit to hear what comes next from the budding label.
As a concept, future riddim is fairly new, but Oolacile and Mooney's newest endeavor will undoubtedly put the genre on the radar of any electronic music fan and welcome a new wave of fresh and exciting music to the forefront of the bass music scene.
Halcyon Sound Vol. 1 is out now and available here.
Amid a year of festival cancellations due to the impact of COVID-19, Insomniac is planning to bounce back in 2021.
Amid a year of cancellations due to the impact of COVID-19, Insomniac is planning to bounce back in 2021 with Day Trip, an oceanfront music festival dedicated to house.
Days after Insomniac founder Pasquale Rotella shared the unfortunate news of his company's cancellation of a stable of 2020 events amid of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, he took to Instagram to announce Day Trip. The house music festival is slated for July 3rd, 2021 at Pier 46 at the glittering LA Waterfront.
"Finding new venues in LA is never easy, but for July 3rd we’ve locked in a BEAUTIFUL one— Pier 46 at the LA Waterfront! I’m stoked to announce #DayTripFestival," Rotella wrote. "It’s a place to soak in the sun, breathe in the ocean air & dance together at multiple stages of house music— complete with an epic fireworks display over the Pacific Ocean."
Check out the announcement below. Limited passes are set to go on sale this Thursday, September 3rd.
The young producer has also shared that the track could release sometime next month.
Over the weekend, Louis The Childteased the release of their upcoming Candy 2 mixtape. Through a series of Instagram photos, they shared a look at what will seemingly become a visual companion to the mixtape. Not-so-coincidentally, Whethan took to Twitter around the same time and announced that he "may or may not" have a new track with the duo on the way sometime next month.
While it's not quite an official confirmation, fans have already begun to put two and two together, as the trio dropped a collaboration on the last Candy mixtape. To stoke the flames even further, Whethan followed up the original tweet with candy emojis.
At the time of writing, there is no specific release date or title for the Whethan and Louis The Child collaboration in question. On the bright side, fans can take solace in the fact that Whethan stated it could drop sometime next month.
Days after the release of their collaboration, the duo treated fans to a vibrant new video.
On Friday, Calvin Harris and The Weeknd released their funky new single, "Over Now." Accompanying the song's debut, days later, is the release of the official music video for the single.
The video sees The Weeknd travel through space and time and take on a number of different forms throughout the psychedelic adventure. As he shapeshifts between human, robot, alien, and beyond, viewers are transported to sunsets, synthwave cities, outer space, and more while the collaborative tune guides the way.
The visual spectacle pairs well with the smooth, futuristic sound of "Over Now." While we didn't know it at the time, the duo teased the theme and imagery of the new video in their release date announcement last week.
"Over Now" by Calvin Harris and The Weeknd is out now. You can download or stream the new single here.
The Motor City native joined forces with Ford to help bring the vision behind their upcoming electric car to life.
The multi-talented Matthew Dear has found inspiration from an unexpected source for his latest release. Known for experimenting with his work, the Motor City native used sounds from the Ford Motor Company's all-electric vehicle, the Mustang Mach-E, for a new electronic track titled "New Breed (The Mustang Mach-E Remix)."
He sets the scene immediately with an introduction featuring the sounds of the car traveling down a road. As listeners race towards the checkered flag, he swerves between a steady futuristic beat and robotic vocals to create a soundscape dripping with retro-futurism imagery.
While working with a car company on a track is surprising in and of itself, Dear actually went as far as to say his experience with Ford was one of his favorites and that he appreciated the freedom they allowed. "I don’t usually have a major car manufacturer as the executive producer," Dear told Car and Driver. "Though of all the commercialized projects I’ve done, Ford was the coolest, and the most hands-off of my clients. They really let me do whatever I wanted to do. They really trusted the artistic integrity of the project, which is really rare."
Those looking to see how "New Breed" came to life are in luck. Ford shared a behind-the-scenes video of their collaboration with Dear, which you can watch below.
Matthew Dear's "New Breed (The Mustang Mach-E Remix)" is out now. You can download or stream the latest in electronic car music here.
The Miami duo brought the sound of of their hometown to VenessaMichaels and Kaleena Zanders' summertime single.
Last month,VenessaMichaels and Kaleena Zandersmade waves with their tasty summertime single "Creme Brûlée." In an effort to keep the sun shining as we approach the end of the season, the duo released a remix EP featuring four spins of their signature dish. Included in the collection of tunes is a new tech house remix from Miami duo boiish.
While the original was more suited for a sunny day by the pool, boiish crafted the soundtrack for what happens when the sun goes down. Reminiscent of packed dance-floors lit up by nothing but LED screens and lasers, the bouncing beat brings the sound of their hometown to life.
VenessaMichaels and Kaleena Zanders gave a special shoutout to boiish after their remix was featured at the top of Spotify's Dance Rising playlist—the same playlist that Zanders graces the cover of.
VenessaMichaels and Kaleena Zanders' "Creme Brûlée" remix bundle is out now. In addition to the boiish remix, the record features music from Brooklyn Fade, Desert Disco, and Leemz. You can download or stream the EP here.
She told Zane Lowe the remix came especially natural to her due to feelings of cultural alignment with the pop superstar.
Honey Dijon dropped a statement-making remix of Lady Gaga's "Free Woman" this week and sat down with Zane Lowe to discuss how it all went down in an illuminating, wide-ranging interview.
The Chicago-born house DJ and producer released her remix of Lady Gaga's "Free Woman," a cut from the latter's Chromatica album, playing up the song's natural club elements, adding a thumping foundational kick and layering in supportive rhythmic instrumentation.
While the remix choice feels like a natural fit, the story of how the project ultimately came to fruition was somewhat circuitous. Honey Dijon told Lowe she was originally offered the opportunity to remix Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande's "Rain On Me." Ultimately, she did not feel it was the right lane for her, but was still drawn to the idea of remixing Mother Monster, feeling a cultural kinship with the pop superstar.
"I approach most of the people that I work with more from a cultural perspective than a mainstream priority," Honey Dijon said. "Because I think for me, Gaga has always been about the club and been about the LGTBQI community, and she's been a staunch supporter of that, and most of her music has been influenced by the clubs."
After subsequently sitting with the "Free Woman" vocals, the producer envisioned outfitting the song for a multicultural club atmosphere. The end result manifested so authentically that the process inspired her to title the final product Honey Dijon's "Realness Remix" as a metaphorical head nod in tribute to the diverse club community. She views the remix as a valuable opportunity to advance the fundamental sounds of Chicago house for a mainstream audience.
You can listen to the full interview now on Apple Music's "New Music Daily Radio" with Zane Lowe.
Watch Thesleff turn his hotly anticipated new live show into a cinematic experience for the masses.
Axel Thesleff spent months preparing for his SXSW debut this year, developing a groundbreaking new audiovisual performance to share on the occasion. Despite his relentless preparation, though, history took an unfortunate turn with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent cancellation of live festivals.
The Norwegian producer was down but not out. His plans took a different approach in partnership with event technology company Bright, who sent out a production team to the Helsinki Ice Hall to capture the producer's "set that never happened." Thesleff has since titled the event and resulting film "Arena Live"
With the new idea for "Arena Live" in place, things ultimately came together in very short order. "We had one day for rehearsals and one day for filming, things moved so fast," Thesleff said.
From the intricate keyboard performance to the vibrant enveloping visual landscapes unfolding in the background, no leaf was left unturned in this immersive performance, which was captured by an array of camera angles. Thesleff has effectively formatted his work for the audiovisual medium in the past—notably with the release of his Two Worlds EP in 2018—but "Arena Live" raises the stakes as his biggest undertaking thus far.
You can catch the full hourlong cinematic performance from Axel Thesleff on YouTube.
Catch the broadcast of Antyfest this weekend, featuring a crowd of 8,000 ants.
A consortium of international music festival brands have announced their plans to throw a collaborative live music event for ants.
Yes, ants as in the insect. An audience of scavenging six-legged creatures will be attending the world's first Antyfest, featuring performances from the artists who would have played the festivals live in the absence of the pandemic.
Miniature replicas of festival stages from around the world will be outfitted with a screen, which will stream a mix of both live and taped sets from the performing artists to an estimated 8,000 ants. The horde of insects were attracted to the stages for the taping of the event with the promise of food and subsequently released back into the wild.
Among the festivals participating are Pohoda in Slovakia, Busan Rock Festival in South Korea, Blue Bird out of Austria, and Ural Music Night from Russia. "COVID-19 has forced the world’s music festivals to cancel or postpone until further notice," said Natalia Shmelkova, UMN's director, about the origins of Antyfest. "Ural Music Night was no exception. Despite this, we had the idea to unite people, music and concerts with Antyfest, a macro-festival of festivals."
Performances at Anyfest will include Ofenbach, Noga Erez, and Lola Marsh, among others.
Fans at home can catch the livestream on YouTube this Sunday, August 30th, beginning at 2PM GMT.
A new leak shows Spotify users may soon be able to keep up with the virtual event schedules of their favorite artists.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has forced a rapid switch from in-person to virtually hosted events overnight. While platforms such as YouTube and Twitch have had the infrastructure to host such events for a number of years, it seems the surge in demand for remote events has grabbed Spotify's attention.
Screenshots from Jane Manchun Wong, an engineer with a history of uncovering features from major tech companies before they are rolled out, suggest Spotify is beginning to build out its infrastructure for the livestream event era.
Wong's photos show fans may soon have the opportunity to search for virtual events an artist is playing, just as they would today for in-person concerts and music festivals. A move to expand its footprint in the virtual events arena makes sense for Spotify as many of the ticketing partners they currently work with have wholly embraced the concept in order to keep business afloat during the pandemic.
In the leaked images, the virtual events search feature shows a September 19th virtual concert for BTS, Coldplay, and Kane Brown, which aligns with the lineup and date for the forthcoming iHeartRadio Festival, lending further credibility to the photos.
At the time of writing, Spotify has neither confirmed nor denied the authenticity of Wong's findings.
Robinson stands out from the pack with his energizing house rework.
"Pomegranate" is the gift that keeps giving, with Jay Robinson next to join the impressive lineup of artists chosen to remix the hit from deadmau5 and The Neptunes . Praised as your favorite DJ's favorite producer, Robinson flips the original on its head, delivering a heavy dose of acid bass that stands out from its peers.
The remix diverts the attention away from Pharrell's vocals to focus more on the beat work. The result is a hypnotic production that is bound to light up club floors around the world once they reopen. The steady house four-on-the-floor pace paired with the short vocal chops keep things interesting and energizing. It's no wonder it was chosen to top deadmau5's Spotify x Peloton Power Hour playlist takeover, because it definitely sets the tone to climb a mountain.
This isn't the first time deadmau5 has entrusted Robinson to deliver a bass-heavy rendition for one of his songs. Last year he was commissioned to supply his unique sound for the label head's single "COASTED," which was received with wide praise. He's become a household name over the past few years, dropping singles with Idris Elba and joining the massive cubeV3 tour.
You can stream and download Robinson's "Pomegranate" across all platforms here.
The pop-infused single serves as an ode to those struggling to create during the ongoing pandemic.
Although TyDi has steadily released music throughout 2020, it hasn't been an easy task. His latest single with Bella Renee, "New Normal," discusses the struggles they've faced writing music while the world is seemingly on fire.
"New Normal" is a catchy, pop-infused single that's reminiscent of TyDi's recent releases. Bella Renee makes her debut on this track with lyrics that express confusion and frustration all while encouraging positivity during these unprecedented times. Her fresh vocals blend effortlessly with TyDi's laid-back yet intricate production, creating a relaxing and uplifting atmosphere built upon delicate guitar riffs and floaty synths.
TyDi elaborates that this tune allowed him to vent after hitting some serious writer's block and it resulted in his "best drop this year." "'New Normal'" is a song about itself, from the writer's perspective it's saying 'I've hated every song I've done this year except this one,'" he said.
"Come Over" is the perfect track to close out the summer.
Back in March,Rudimental dropped back-to-back singles, "Easy On Me" with The Martinez Brothers and "Krazy" featuring Afronaut Zu. This quick succession of releases stirred up the conversation around their fourth studio album, which is confirmed but currently has no release date. Five months later, they have returned with their latest single "Come Over" featuring Anne-Marie and Tion Wayne.
"Come Over" cultivates a summertime feel with a magnificently infectious beat and two excellent features. Rudimental dive deep into their roots on this one, cooking up a UK garage track that Anne-Marie's radio-ready vocals and Tion Wayne's immaculate chops fit effortlessly into. The crisp percussion, soulful horns, and wobbling synths included in "Come Over" are a welcome change of pace from their recent releases that longtime fans of Rudimental will certainly gravitate towards.
Stream "Come Over" feat. Anne-Marie & Tion Wayne below.
Acclaimed electronic duo Bob Moses have been consistent with delivering spellbinding, deep, and downright seductive tracks throughout their illustrious career. They continue that GrammyAward-winning formula with their new album Desire. The concept project vows to be a love story for the digital age, touching on the highs and lows of our wants through thematic songwriting and dark, sexy electronic production.
The pair touches on these themes across the six-track collection, beginning with "Love We Found." The beat of the single reflects the yearning touched upon in the lyrics, gently pulling you in as the groove builds. The story continues with the three previously released singles "The Blame," the titular "Desire" featuring ZHU, and "Hold Me Up," each more hypnotizing than the next. "Outlier" serves as a mirror for all those fixated with their "perfect" outward image displayed often in our ever-growing obsession with social media. "Ordinary Day" closes the book as an homage to 90s dance music with lyrics that express self-awareness and the desire for normality.
To commemorate the new album, Bob Moses will be performing a set at Inside Lands, Outside Lands' first venture into the livestreaming space. Tune in to see a portion of their 2019 live performance, which will be followed by a new club set featuring "The Blame" and "Desire."
You can stream and download Desire across all platforms here.
The French export tapped Courtney Drummey for a festival-worthy bass bomb.
When Friday crate-digging, it's easy to get caught up with the releases from the well-known main stage slayers. Dig a little deeper, though, and you'll find some heaters from debuting artists, like ESPER, who has dropped the curtain on "MY MIND" with Courtney Drummey. The debut track from the Frenchman is for all the rail-riders who are aching for that front row bass experience, mixing classical string elements and huge dubstep drops to create sonic ear candy for the most discerning bass-heads.
Leading off with a string section, Drummey's hypnotic vocals quickly take center stage before ESPER kicks the track into high gear. The guitars start to build, ushering in the low end that will have fans of REZZ and NGHTMRE head banging. The production is second to none.
The track highlights ESPER's diverse musical background. Growing up in France, he started DJing at 12-years-old in the nation's premier nightclubs before making a pit stop in Canada on his way to Los Angeles. Along the way, the rising producer has dabbled in hip-hop, house, and dubstep.
Rising vocalist Courtney Drummey contributed a beautiful topline to "MY MIND," which is actually the first of a 5-track EP on Bass Camp Music.
The duo have also dropped a fresh remix of "Faith" exclusively on Amazon Music.
Late last year, Galantis teamed up with legendary singer-songwriter Dolly Parton and Mr. Probz for their collaborative single "Faith." They've now released a mini-documentary that details the creative process behind the tune via Amazon Music.
The mini-documentary discusses the many facets of creating "Faith," such as Saint's inclusion on its production, the 28-piece orchestra, and how they were able to get Parton to collaborate with them. Overall, the mini-documentary is an insightful look at the process of organizing a collaboration. Fans of all artists involved or those simply interested in the music industry will certainly enjoy this short feature.
Alongside the release of the mini-documentary, Galantis have released an exclusive remix of "Faith" from Misha K, out exclusively on Amazon Music, as well as curated a playlist for Amazon Music's ongoing "Summer Sessions"series. You can peruse their new playlist below, which kicks off with Misha K's new remix.
One track for the party and one track for the after-party.
Dirtybird's spirited leader Claude VonStroke is reuniting with longtime friends and collaborators Catz 'n Dogz to offer their brand new EP, RAGGADAGGA. With over 20 years of history under their collective belt, this two-track collection oozes with chemistry, showcasing the perfect singles that will both kickstart your evening and wind you down.
It's not often that a song enters your ears and immediately makes you want to laugh and dance at the same time. The title track "Raggadagga" does just that. It's both playful and unique while delivering a relentless beat that pulsates through the body, bound to get trapped in your head all day long.
If the first track gets the party going, "How I Make You Feel" is the perfect song for after-hours, equipped to bring the energy back down to a chill lull. The intimate deep house anthem channels the energy of being wrapped up in a blanket after a long day at the Dirtybird Campout. These two singles paint the perfect picture of what VonStroke has created with his beloved label—pure feel-good energy for all stages of the day.
VonStroke and the Polish duo Catz 'n Dogz have a long friendship, remixing each others' work since the early 2000s. In 2007, the label head brought the pair on to release their Dirtybird debut with their single "Fixation," spawning 8 remixes and originals under his guidance. In 2018 the duo made their long-awaited return to the label with their Feelings Factory EP. To celebrate today's new release, Catz 'n Dogz will be joining VonStroke on Sunday, August 30th for one of the now famous Dirtybird livestreams.
You can stream and download RAGGADAGGA EP across all platforms here.
Both GRAVEDGR and HEKLER have kept busy in 2020. The former released his debut album 6 FEET UNDER to positive reception, while the latter has dropped a consistent stream of singles. The two have now joined forces with Natalie 2V for "CAME FROM HELL," out via Carnage's Heavyweight Records.
Originally set to debut at Rampage Open Air this year, "CAME FROM HELL" is a genre-bending bop. Natalie 2V's gentle vocals serve as an excellent intro, guiding listeners into two wildly different drops. The first is pure drum & bass goodness, complete with industrial-sounding synths and crisp percussion. The second maintains the energy from the first drop, but distorted kicks take over and transform the tune into a psytrance smash.
While "CAME FROM HELL" is vastly different than what fans have come to expect from GRAVEDGR and HEKLER, it's a welcome and impressive change of pace.
The legendary trance pioneer, who started out mowing lawns as a boy to pay for synthesizers, broke down his five most influential songs.
With a career spanning over 25 years, the mythos of electronic dance music surges through BT. The fabled trance producer's groundbreaking sonic flair gushed through the dance music sphere in the mid-90s like a tributary, pervading it en route to the ushering in of a new electronic epoch.
As BT's pioneering developments in trance music became more ubiquitous through the years, his artistry began to mutate, evolving and expanding into a litany of electronic sub-genres such as IDM, ambient, and even trip hop. As the time passed, he started to resemble a doppelgänger of himself—a completely different person with the same face and mind.
However, his latest album, The Lost Art of Longing, moonlighted as an audial time machine that transported him back to his dance roots. The record, which arrived by way of Black Hole Recordings, is an ode to all things lost, a microcosm of his trailblazing sound that yearns to rekindle the intrinsically nostalgic items of our past.
The album is essentially a collection of vignettes, all of which coalesce into a supercollider of trance, breakbeat, and electro-soul to vicariously reintroduce BT to the EDM zeitgeist. The genesis of those vignettes, though, manifested over a long and illustrious career, and his arc is one of great prestige and patience.
To celebrate the release of The Lost Art of Longing, BT has dissected the five most influential tracks of his storied career.
The time when “Blue Skies” came out is a lot different than what things are like now. This time even predates like the late-90s electronic explosion in some respects. To me, it’s not just that the story of how this track came about is so interesting but it’s understanding this within the context of the music industry, pre-festivals, and the climate of the world at the time—it’s just so different.
I was making IMA in '91 and '92. I was working on that record, and that's quite literally after I'd gone to Berklee School of Music. I went there at 15 and then I moved to Los Angeles for a hot minute, couldn't get a record deal and move back to the Maryland DC area, and was literally living in a bedroom I grew up in, making music and starting Deep Dish with my friends Ali and Sharam.
"Blue Skies" is an interesting piece of music in between the release of my albums IMA and ESCM. After IMA I was traveling to England a lot and I got signed to Warner Brothers by Paul Oakenfold and another gentleman named IanStanley, who's a hero of mine (he was in Tears for Fears). Here I am, a kid, making music in my bedroom at my parent's house and I literally carried that record "Blue Skies" around in a sock because I couldn't afford a proper bag and to hold my DAT tapes. That's how long ago.
IMA had come out and was a massive sensation in England and I was going on Breakfast television and Top of the Pops and all these things and nobody at home knew who I was. Again, pre-Internet, right?! The label I was signed to didn’t have a presence in America, so I did a deal with Paul Oakenfold and he brought in engineer Howie Weinberg, who’s an absolute legend in his own right. What's interesting about this is that Paul and Howie thought the instrumentals were incredible but that we need a song that we can take to the radio and make something of it.
Tori Amos and I had become friends through mutual friends in the mid-90s. And so the way that "Blue Skies" came about is this—I sent her a copy of IMA and at a live soundcheck she put on the song "Divinity," and she sang an improvisation over that song and sent it back to me. The crazy thing is that she never said the word "blue" next to the word "sky," and you know people that read this will know that I'm known for these kinds of crazy editing techniques, most notably stutter-editing and kind of micro-rhythmic editing techniques. And so, I cut that vocal up on a phenomic level... literally made words out of thin air. This became the vocal to "Blue Skies" and I removed "Divinity" entirely, and wrote a piece of music in a totally different key and mode. The song on that level alone represents a tremendous expansion of my personal toolset and is one I love playing with a band. I get to play bass on that one and it’s so much fun.
Fast and Furious Main Theme
First of all, working with Fast and Furious director Rob Cohen over the years has been just absolutely thrilling. I consider him a good friend. He's an amazing director and that score was recorded when there was still a Sony Todd AO Studios, which was a room as highly regarded (and rightfully so) as AIR Lindhurst. They literally did not clean the ceilings of that room for 30 years out of superstition. It was covered with dust on the beams because you know they'd recorded Star Wars there. So they're like, “Don't touch anything! Just leave the mics where they are, put the orchestra in there and let's go."
When we did the Fast and Furious, it was like a passion project for me, for Rob, for the actors, for Vin Diesel, for Paul Walker, et cetera. It was thrilling to visit and hang out on that set, watch them film, sit in the cars, and get inspired in general. It was literally a passion project as the studio and executives did not see any large market or potential high ROI for this “little movie about street racing." We all knew there was a massive underground racing scene happening and that many folks in the community happen to love hip-hop and electronic music. I felt very aligned with this community. The actors, Rob and I were all truly invested in telling the story of this cultural movement. The studio, if we're being honest (and if they're being honest) didn't get it at all. They were like "we'll put up this much money to do this but we're not really gonna market this movie much" or whatever, and all of us were like, "We don't care, whatever, we know how awesome this is."
I remember when we had our first test screening in LA the studio got the cheapest theater they could get which was like deep into Orange County in the middle of nowhere and, you know, they didn't think anyone would show up. Rob was nice enough to send a car for me since we all worked for pretty much nothing. At the same time, the main theme had yet to be written. Okay, so I have recorded a ton of the score, but I haven't cracked that main theme, yet, so it's a very important piece of the story I’m about to tell.
Rob sends me a car I'm freaking out like, you know, go down to the theater, and I get there and I'm not joking you, there were 8,000 people in the parking lot. There were low-riders with UFO lights on them. There were like girls dressed up like Harajuku girls in Tokyo, and the vibe and energy in that parking lot there was literally straight out of every Fast and Furious movie to come. Walking into that movie theater (no way everyone can fit in in the theater, nor did everyone have tickets) was a crazy feeling. There were about 150 people in there, and again there were thousands of people in the parking lot, applauding and freaking out like Rocky Horror Picture Show. It was nuts. And at the end of the whole thing they did the test scoring and the movie screened 100 out of 100. Universal didn't even send any representatives to see the screening, so they didn't really even believe us and they thought like we cooked the books or something. They've never had a movie screen 100. I think the highest screening score they've ever gotten was a 97. They literally tested this thing three times and it screened 100, all three of them, and they were like, “Oh snap maybe we'd better spend some money on this thing, it seems like it's a big deal!”
Anyway, I was so fired up, seeing everyone there at the first screening and the reaction to it, that in the car on the way back, I got an idea for the theme. I was panicked because I didn't have an instrument so I literally took out a piece of paper in my pocket and figured out the theme (it’s in 6/4 which is an odd meter). The next day I called Rob and I said, "I need three of the car wrecks." And he was like, "What in God's name.” “I need three of the cars that you've already wrecked,” I said. And he's like, “This is nuts but, I trust you so okay."
So they sent three of the cars over to the studio. I got pictures somewhere, and I had three friends that are orchestral percussionists come over and I wrote parts notated on the percussion staff for Grand Cassa, piattes, and other traditional orchestral percussion instruments. The difference was that we played them on car parts. That gives that feeling of momentum and motion to that theme, and then we recorded the beautiful orchestra stuff over at Todd AO and that's kind of how that whole thing came to be. It was a really special experience so that's why I wanted to share that one.
I was spending a lot of time in England when I wrote "Flaming June." I was visiting my friend Guy Oldham, who now works for Apple and is a lovely guy who used to DJ back in the 90s. I owe a tremendous amount to Guy because he was the first person who invited me to England and I got my record deal.
So I was visiting Guy in Manchester, and I was recording at a place called Planet Four, which in the 90s became one of my favorite places to work in England—this is before I ever had a nice studio of my own. I had some gear but it was always crammed into a bedroom or something, you know. Humble setup, not a critical listening environment at all. And so getting to go into a recording studio for me in the 90s was, you know, a really big deal and still is. I love going to record live orchestras or drums or whatever is just amazing, bigger things we don't have room to do here.
The coolest thing about Planet Four is that it was owned by Factory Records, so it's where like the Durutti Column, New Order, I mean some of my favorite bands, ever of all time, Happy Mondays, all recorded there. I think it was a commercial studio but you kind of had to be friends with the Factory Records people to record there and they didn't just let everybody do it, and the control room for it was packed with vintage synthesizers. So it was like a mix, kind of like what I've tried to emulate with my room now, which is basically like a central workspace and listening position area. In there they had a mixing board, and then just packed with synthesizers so it's like my dream place to go.
The folks at Warner Brothers, Perfecto, Paul Oakenfold’s label, had paid for me to be there for some time, and I had this melody running around in my head for weeks and weeks and weeks I'd been over in England. It was summertime, and I was playing festivals—Glastonbury-type festivals—and I was sleeping on the couch because Guy's house had no guest bedroom. It's really uncomfortable. I woke up half-crippled, went over to the studio, and did some work. I'm sitting in the cab and the driver hears my American accent and stuff and we're talking, and there's kind of a lull in the conversation and then he said, "'Flaming June' planing June," and I was like, "Huh, that's a cool name." And I'll never forget that and I walked into planning for that morning, and I recorded the melody that I had for, you know, walking around with it for weeks and weeks and starting to sketch together that track. We're recording to tape this time, and the engineer said, "What's the name of the song?" I simply said, "Flaming June."
At the time, I had been working with guys who have been coming out to a bunch of shows. The band was incredible musicians including now Guns N' Roses guitarist Richard Fortus. My tour manager at the time thought it was really funny that JustinTimberlake and JC would take their private plane to come watch my show at the House of Blues in Orlando after they sold out Madison Square Garden. But that's kind of how I got to know these guys as fans. At a point, I became more friends and worked together and hung out. I'm asking my friends, you know, should I do music with these guys, and a lot of my dance music friends are like, "Oh, it's like cheesy boy band music or wherever". And I'm like, "But they're so freaking talented."
At any rate, on my own volition at that time, I decided to do some music with them and Justin came over to the house. I'll never forget this time as it was around when I was working on "Simply Being Loved." Justin was over and took one of my guitars down off the wall, and just started singing and playing guitar, and I'm like, "I could care less what anybody says, I know God-given ability when I see it." These guys are ridiculous. I started working on music with them and they really wanted to do something with these kinds of hyper-edited, micro-rhythmic Stutter Edit type things I’m known for. They would always reference the hip-hop phenomenon. It was like one of their favorite songs. While working on this, I worked on pop with them and it’s known for having this sort of Michael Jackson in a blender, hyper-edited vocal sound.
So "Simply Being Loved" is in a way me saying, “I'm going to top that." I got so excited by and interested in this idea of vocal editing around that time and it's almost like a surreal kind of vocal editing where it's clearly a human voice, but there are so many interesting treatments and edits and changes all the time.
Living in Los Angeles at this time, I had this great sound system in my car. I wrote the demo for "Simply Being Loved" and I went—it was a truck— to my Escalade. And I played it in the car, and I went for a drive and ended up picking up a bunch of friends. And we all listened to it like 10 times in the car and they were like, "This is frickin' crazy, you have to finish this track."
I went back to the studio and I recorded a rough vocal and then I spent a full month just doing vocal edits—all these different treatments from the Roland VP-330 vocoder to software treatments to hand stutter editing, all kinds of crazy and esoteric sound design. Then eventually post-release, Guinness Book of World Records heard about this and they approached me about a vocal editing record. This song ended up in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most ever vocal edits in a recorded piece of music, which is 6,178. The irony of it is, is I've broken that personally probably 100 times since. At any rate, that's a song I'm really proud of compositionally and from a production vantage point, it was really well received.
It's just kind of unbelievable how much music I write, so I'm constantly posting little tidbit ideas, things that I might write in literally 30 seconds or I might sit down at the piano or synth and just play something. And I'll post them to Facebook or Instagram or whatever. I posted this thing of me playing a felt piano, a Spitfire felt grand piano, and posted it to Facebook. And then we got an email from Anthony (Emma Hewitt's manager) and he said, “Oh, my God, Emma's written this crazy vocal idea over top of this Facebook clip of yours," and Lacy and I were like, “Okay, cool. Which one?" They found the date and sent it to my wife Lacy. So, we looked into it and Lace came out to the studio and we went and watched this Facebook post and I'm like, “I threw that out. I literally just played it.”
I do this all the time, so I literally had to remake that idea and send it to Emma so she could work on it. Then of course we fleshed out all the lyrics and the vocals, et cetera, and Emma came out and we recorded together, which was magical.
Another final but cool factoid about that song is it's the first time I really used my Fairlight on a piece of music, which is an instrument I've wanted since I was quite literally a little boy mowing lawns to get synthesizers. I have been fortunate enough over the last couple of years to get a busted one and can fix it up. There aren't many of them still working. Actually less than 25, so it was the first thing that I really got to use my Fairlight on. It's a really special song for sure.
