It started with 15 second clips. From a shortened radio edit of “Get Lucky” to listening party phone recordings, we remained unsatisfied and impatient. After rubbernecking at every “leak” like it was a Final Destination collision, Daft Punk fanatics (like myself) can finally rest those stiff shoulders and enjoy the sensual massage of Random Access Memories. Ahead of iTunes’ pre-order free stream, savvy computer jocks have ripped the individual symphonies and publicized the 192 kbps arrangement.
You don’t need RapGenius annotations for this one, folks. Exhuming an Obama-approved Young Hov’ relic, Brillz appropriately brushes the the dust off and breathes new life into Timbaland’s tour de force with new age twonk. Fresh off his latest LP, Brillz teams up with the legendary Z Trip for the prized rework. Quick facts on Z Trip: DJ Hero avatar, only producer to have an approved Nirvana remix (“Lounge Act”), has performed in front of 450,000 people, and voted America’s Best DJ by DJ Times (2009). Non-ironically, their “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” remix is premiering with Jay-Z’s own blog, Life + Times, as part of Imanos’s Trap Nation mixtape. Download the mix after the break.
The third track from Random Access Memories has been leaked. Recorded live during a private listening party, ”Giorgio by Moroder,” features an opening voice-over from Giorgio Moroder before dropping into a signature Daft Punk synth. While the source remains anonymous, there is no doubt this is authentic. The opening narration uses direct quotes mentioned in track by track reviews from credible sources that have already reviewed the album. This recording may be subpar quality, but still offers an exciting unveiling of what many reviewers are identifying as one of album’s strongest productions.
Will.i.am’s fourth studio album, #willpower, indicates strong electro-pop influences with lead singles including the Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello produced “This Is Love” and the Basto written “Scream & Shout.” Other than these collaborators, Will.I.Am had no other EDM producers come to his aid — at least to their knowledge. Today, Will’s VEVO uploaded the fifth track from the album, “Let’s Go” alongside Chris Brown, and the preview has the dance music community up in arms. ”Let’s Go” appears to be a blatant ripoff of Arty and Mat Zo‘s Anjunabeats release, “Rebound,” and not just a sample, the entire track. Listen for yourself after the break.
Dick Clark Productions, the entertainment production company behind the American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, and Golden Globes, is officially jumping on the EDM bandwagon. Since acquired last year by investment firm Guggenheim partners, DCP has seen its televised awards ceremonies hit record ratings. The production company is now looking to capitalize on the booming DJ/producer-led genre and keep the streak going. New York Postreports the DCP is currently shopping for a TV network to pick up the broadcast of their own EDM awards.
In a world of DVR and Pirate Bay, live programming, like awards shows and sporting events, have become more lucrative investments for advertisers, especially with their flourishing viewership. DCP’s CEO, Allen Shapiro claims, “[Advertisers] want to be associated with live events, with a young audience and that interests us as well.” With EDM quickly becoming the influential Generation Y’s zeitgeist, a DJ-centric awards show would be a big brand marketer’s dream. I wouldn’t get apprehensive just yet; DCP will need to get the right people involved to win the favor of a scrupulous dance music industry. That is to say, the awards ceremony would need to emphasize familiarity and awareness in favor of ignorance and mockery, or no one would show up. If DCP plays their hand right, an internationally televised EDM awards show would thrust our thriving culture further into the limelight – forcing mass media to take notice. I don’t know about you ‘EDM Bubble’ enthusiasts but this news gives credence to an industry that shows no signs of slowing down.
When he’s not safeguarding the Sorcerer’s Stone or ensnaring the Golden Snitch, this young British wizard turns to synthesizers to perform his alchemy. At a meager 16 years, Muramasa has already fostered the creative command to turn his productions into gold. The stand out track from his inaugural EP, aptly named “Midas Touch” is the best showcase of his sonic sorcery. Hinged on minimalist percussion merged with a sharp bassline, Muramasa demonstrates an unexampled experimental style comparable only to Hudson Mohawke. Download his EP in full below.
The Creators Project, a coalition between Intel and Vice, has released the first episode in a video series that will feature The Collaborators behind Daft Punk‘s forthcoming album, “Random Access Memories.” First featured is legendary disco producer, Giorgio Moroder, who we reported last May had been sought ought by the French twosome for aid on the album. In this short interview, Moroder discusses his long history with dance music, and confirms his voice-overs on the new album required the use of three microphones, one that replicated the sound of the 60s, one of the 70s, and the third of today. To close the interview, Giorgio left us with all the more reason to look forward to the highly anticipated album:
“It’s kind of overwhelmingly [with] a lot of stuff coming out, so Daft Punk wanted to do something and do it in a way that’s not done by just pushing a note or a chord. You hear that it’s nice and full and the drums and the bass have that warm, full sound. It’s time to have something new in the dance world. I love disco dance anyway, but this is like a step forward. They had to do something which is different, still dance, still electronic, but give that human touch back.”
Stay tuned for more episodes in The Collaborators series; we suspect you’ll be seeing names like Nile Rodgers, Paul Williams, Chilly Gonzales, and more.
I can almost hear Dillon Francis‘s personality toot, hoot, and blare through his latest remix for Passion Pit. A whimsical self-parody, Francis is a metaphorical Hawaiian shirt amongst polos. Still, his unwavering sense of humor avoids mitigating the concentrated force of his music. Instead, Dillon’s productions personify his own individuality, and in this case, through an amalgamation of lovestep, acid, and moombahton. Blissful chopped vocals float over the original chord progression before dropping into an avant garde acid-infused 112 bpm soiree, to wit, Dillon Francis in a nutshell. Acknowledging the production as one of his favorites to date, check past the break to see Dillon discuss the creative process in remixing Passion Pit.
With the Nomads EP, Flosstradmus and DJ Sliink’s sample-laden big room trap style provides theme music for an 808 generation. “Can you count, suckers? I say the future is ours, if you can count!” Paying homage to cult-classic in cinema, “CROWD CTRL” excerpts the opening sequence to The Warriors. The 1979 Sol Yurick adaptation follows the misadventures of lost youth in the neon underground of New York City. If that doesn’t embody Flosstradamus’s contra-branded verboten temperament, I don’t know what does. Floss and Sliink further placate rowdy ruffians of the Millennial Generation with “Test Me” and UZ’s own cradle-rocking rendition. Can you dig it?
With the first weekend of Ultra Music Festival at a close, we count down some of its best moments. From Major Lazer stripping the crowd of their shirts to Zedd bearing some skin, there was no shortage of entertainment.
