Just when we thought things might be cooling down after an intense two weekends of Ultra Music Festival, some of our favorite DJs hit the ground running with tours and some are even dropping new tracks. Those lucky enough to attend this year’s festival may have caught a glimpse of one of the soon-to-be most epic collaborations.
Imagine this: Laidback Luke and Hardwell, teaming up together to drop one of the dirtiest tracks seen of these two DJs. ‘Dynamo’ is full of heart throbbing bass, vibrant synth riffs, and percussion that is sure to leave us wanting more. The preview of the track has received a phenomenal response, no surprise, in the weeks it has been released. Just a few days ago however, Hardwell released an exclusive preview which gives us more insight into how big this track is going to be. I wouldn’t be shocked if ‘Dynamo’ turns out to be this summer’s hottest mix. If the collaboration is a sign of what’s to come, we all better brace ourselves for the havoc about to be unleashed.
Joey Anderson has been called one of the hardest working DJs in New York, and maybe that’s no exaggeration. The longtime friend of DJ Qu has three upcoming gigs in a row, and if you’re in the city this weekend, you might as well attend all of them.
Lots of praise has been given lately to the New Jersey resident’s live sets of hauntingly abstract symphonic funk. Check out "Walk With Akasha" on his SoundCloud:
DJ AquaBeat is one such selector. Check the latest episode of his podcast series, Dig Real Deep:
On this mix, AquaBeat's selection wizardry shines, throwing open the portal between tech house and Caribbean dance. A highlight comes at 6:45 with the dark and funky tones of "Tswana Dub," a track so deep—maybe 10,000 miles deep—it literally shook the ceiling of the cafe below, at which point the patrons dropped their coffee and bagels and a spontaneous dance party broke out. Share the love y'all—and set your bass on high so the neighbors can get down too!
Passion Pit - "I'll Be Alright"
Well, the Pit are back with another indie-pop anthem this summer. "I'll Be Alright" follows closely in the path set so strongly by their previous efforts. Maximalist production serves as the foundation of Angelakos's sweet vocals, serious pop hooks dance around pseudo electronic breakdowns. All in all, another great offering; definitely worth a listen.
Frank Ocean - "Pyramids"
Frank Ocean, after months of mystery and intrigue, came out with a slew of announcements earlier this week: a new album, tour dates and the first new single from said album, "Pyramids." A ten minute R&B journey that takes us from the Pharoah's court to the club. Ocean's smooth as silk vocals really bring it all together. Check it out and get excited for the album!
The Barclays Center is the brand new sports and entertainment complex in Brooklyn that will be the home of the Brooklyn Nets come next season. In a recent press release, Jay Z announced that he was adding his club, 40/40, to the list of venues in the complex.
Ben Gold is still young, but the London based producer has the skill and catalogue of someone much older. One of the premier up and coming voices in the world trance scene, Gold puts the technical prowess amassed from his work as a sound engineer to good use delving into the crazy melodic soundscapes of modern trance. With a keen ear for both production quality, melody and some serious bass, Gold is a producer we will be hearing a lot more of very soon.
He has quite the pedigree as well, with his tracks being played all over the world by the likes of Armin Van Buuren, Tiesto and Paul Oakenfold. With support like that, it's no wonder that Gold is becoming one of the most popular DJ's in the UK trance scene. Check out a few of his songs below. Feel the vibe, get transported.
M83 has the tendency to sell out their shows. Quickly. Earlier this month they sold out Terminal 5 and they already sold out their Summerstage performance in August.
For some reason, however, their show on October 2 at the Hammerstein Ballroom has yet to sell out. While this is good news for those who still want tickets for that date, they must be running out quickly, as M83 just announced they would be playing another date, 10/3, at the ballroom.
Rejoice! But if things go like they usually do, snatch up those tickets soon. Check this out for more information!
EMM Group, the nightlife company behind NYC clubs Catch, Abe & Arthur's, Tenjune and SL, has decided to expand into Atlantic City. Where? Well, none other than the newest big ticket hotel/casino/club in AC, Revel. This is major news, as EMM is one of the fastest expanding nightlife companies in the US. This would mark their first foray outside of NYC.
Luckily, they will have some help in that respect. EMM are pairing up with Angel Management Group, the Las Vegas big guns, to oversee and run the HQ nightclubs at Revel. The two companies seem very excited to work together. Their respective experience will lend well to the running of a nightclub in Atlantic City. AMG has the big ticket Las Vegas casino experience, while EMM will bring in their knowledge of the NY crowd.
One is the queen of pop, the other named after a hedonistic Roman emperor. Seems like a perfect metaphorical pairing for one of the biggest tours the world has ever seen. The MDNA tour, to promote Madonna's latest album of the same name, will be in North America from August until November, promising much spectacle and grandeur.
Where this metaphor falls apart, however, is when we consider that pop music, in fact, isn't meant for royalty, but is a populist musical genre, accessible by anyone and everyone. Also, MDNA is Madonna's attempt to appeal to the EDM crowd, making club-forward pop tracks. The whole album has a "I'm down here on the dancefloor with you guys! Seriously!" vibe that it can not shake. Whether or not she succeeded in bridging this gap is a debate for another day. However, this tour is set to be one of the most expensive, yet profitable, in history --another relationship that just doesn't really make sense, but we're going with it.
A native of Vancouver on Canada's west coast, ImanoS has been steadily gaining notoriety with his fun and energetic brand of electro and progressive house.
'Backing' and 'support' are two words you see a lot when reading about newcomers to the EDM scene, and ImanoS has quite a list: Tiesto, Avicii, Laidback Luke, Hardwell... The names goes on for a while, but should give you an idea of what we're dealing with here. With such high class talent behind him, ImanoS is sure to make it big in 2012.
Often working with collaborator Faustix, ImanoS releases a monthly show called "Decked Out," where he and another DJ play a set. Highly popular, and gaining steam, this is but one example of how this young DJ is revolutionizing the EDM scene.