Thus far in its bustling wave of musical resurgence, trap music has been defined by fast-paced singles and digestible EPs. LA’s Brillz, however, has gone against the grain — releasing a 10-track LP on Slow Roast Records. The LA producer has been a leading force in trap music since its recent revival and has even completed official remix duties for Zedd. In the same vein as Butch Clancy, who brought us his A Beautiful Mind LP, Brillz delves into the nuances of trap music with his Twonk album, exploring a variety of tempos and moods with standout tracks like “Smashi Tup” and “WTF.” The album is ripe with stirring collaborations from (DJ) Craze, ETC!ETC!, Willy Joy, Cory Enemy and more. If you’re fan of that booty-popping bump ‘n’ grind trap, look no further than Brillz’s new Twonk LP. Click past the break for the full stream.
Uploaded by none other than Jay-Z as part of the rapper’s “The Blueprint” series, Life + Times gives an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look into renowned French duo Justice’s live setup. Just what goes into the making of Justice’s live, electronic-rock opera is explained in engrossing detail by everyone from their audio engineers and lighting technicians, to Xavier and Gaspard themselves. From taking their Marshall amps and lighting rigs on tour, to the precise coordination between the entire Justice team during live shows, the nine minute video is a must-watch for anybody with the slightest sense of admiration for the legendary duo.
San Francisco producer Kastle does not get as much credit as he deserves, yet something tells me that’s all about to change. Though the dubstep/garage producer has been putting out forward-thinking bass music for over two years now, his latest productions have an air of legitimacy that can’t be ignored. “Red Light” is the first single off of Kastle’s forthcoming album, and it’s one of his best productions yet. Aided by the vocal assistance of London’s Ayah Marar, “Red Light” is an engrossing house track swirling with delectable future garage vibes. If “Red Light” is any indication of the quality of his LP, then big things are on the way from Kastle.
Though having just been previewed by BBC a few days ago, Sub Focus’s newest single has already inspired waves of debate as many fans harken for a return to his drum ‘n’ bass roots. “Endorphins,” the Londoner’s follow-up to the successful “Tidal Wave,” follows a similar vibe to the mellow drumstep tune.
With vocal accompaniment from Alex Clare of “Too Close” fame, “Endorphins” works off clean, unbroken kicks and a groovy melody. While certainly more radio friendly than tracks like “Falling Down” or “Out the Blue,” Sub Focus’s forthcoming single is still a fantastic production that should not be overlooked. Look out for its official release on May 26th.
Already in heavy rotation on Swedish House Mafia’s ’One Last Tour,’ Deniz Koyu’s latest single has been cooking up a storm in the past few months. “Rage,” as it’s been aptly titled, has finally gotten its official preview. Although Refune Records has only given us a a quick build up, drop and outro, from the sound of it (as well as its tested live appeal), “Rage” is going to be a impressive release. The preview ends with an exaggerated tempo change which is certainly enticing in a genre of static, singular tempo productions. Will “Rage” live up to the warm reception of “Bong,” Koyu’s previous anthem? Find out when it’s released on March 25th.
While Ultra Weekend 1 live sets have been trickling out left and right, only a handful of artists have taken the time to upload their sets themselves. Following Kaskade’s giveaway of his Main Stage set, Porter Robinson,Hardwell, and Nicky Romero, have uploaded their own hour long performances from the behemoth stage. While Kaskade’s was notable for its inclusion of original music and seamless mashups, Porter Robinson’s mix excels in its breakneck pace, Hardwell delivers one of the best sets of Weekend 1, and Nicky Romero pulls out a few IDs to keep us guessing. You can listen to the Porter & Nicky Romero below and rewatch Hardwell and Nicky on UMFTV past the break.
If you thought “Incredible,” the house collaboration between Borgore and Carnage, was a surprising output, today’s release of “Deception” on Spinnin’ Records may shock you even further. Dubstep’s raunchiest proponent Borgore has teamed up with progressive house talent Cedric Gervais for a glitchy big room production. The build up is a somewhat standard chord progression, but the drop of “Deception” quickly descends into spastic and sporadic electro. It’s not the first time the two names have been linked, as Gervais remixed Borgore’s “Decisions” last summer while Borgore consequently remixed the frenchman’s breakout hit, “Molly.”
It feels as though we’re following a trail of bread crumbs left by two of the music world’s greatest engineers. Every few weeks more information surrounding Daft Punk‘s latest project surfaces, serving to only build upon its already colossal hype. What started back in January with an article from Le Parisiensoon led to an update on Daft Punk’s website and an ad containing new Daft Punk music. Though today’s news may not be as groundbreaking, it may be the most official.
Ultra Music Festival is now live from UMF TV! Although we can’t all be in Miami for the festival’s first weekend, we can still relish in some high definition live sets from many of the festival’s top acts, courtesy of Ultra Music’s YouTube stream. (more…)
Swanky Tunes are teaming up with fellow Russian producer Eitro and Toronto duo DVBBS for their latest progressive house anthem, “We Know.” Introducing itself with some electric strings, the track works off a catchy vocal hook and a torrent of tugging, pulsating synths. The rolling drop is an adequate peak to the energy of the build up, and is sure to be further supplemented by the vocals in the complete version. Even in its preview stage, “We Know” is sounding quite engaging. The collaborative Russian-Canadian production will be officially released on April 15th on Spinnin’ Records.
