Now that Daft Punk have introduced him to a new generation of electronic music fans, Giorgio Moroder has decided to stay awhile. The legendary Italian producer today unveiled the first track he produced in partnership with Google’s Racer mobile experiment, immediately validating the faith that everyone’s favorite French robots showed in essentially dedicating a Random Access Memories track to him.
“Racer” conveys an immediate sense of movement by layering an instant classic analog synth line over a stomping throwback bass, navigating through a distant vocoded interlude to an infectiously melodic main progression. Perhaps most compelling is Moroder’s ability to immediately achieve a timeless feel on a track that could have no less than four different generations bobbing their heads to its energetic beat. This exemplary track sounds like the kind of well-seasoned but viscerally validating driving music that Kavinsky might make in a few decades’ time, which is no wonder as the undead Frenchman is a known Moroder adherent. Buy the ticket, take the ride with a free download courtesy of Google.
Alix Perez hit the Radio 1 decks last week with his debut Essential Mix, a careful alliance of tracks representing the core of his preferred sound. Perez is first and foremost a drum-and-bass producer, but in his 120 minutes with Radio 1, it’d be easy to not really know that. He’s experimental and “nu skool,” often associated with the more “liquid” side of drum and bass. With fewer samples and more layers, liquid is often defined as a calmer, more appropriate cousin to the breakneck 160-180 bpm pace of a traditional, rave-friendly drum-and-bass.
Frequent collaborators Jus Jack and Oza have taken a break from their acid-tinged tracks for something a little sweeter. The duo took the vocal stems and piano intro from Blessid Union of Souls’ 1995 melancholy hit “I Believe” and spun it into an uplifting progressive house ballad with a sweeping melody. The track marks the duo’s debut on Tiesto’s Musical Freedom Records, and the label head himself gave the tune a mix, putting his own stadium spin on the sound. A big room collision of nineties meets nu teens, both tracks will be available May 20th on Beatport.
It has been twelve years since Moguai first launched his label Punx, and almost 4 years since the label has released any tracks. The reason he starting it up again now? Andre Tegeler thinks that “right now dance music is getting to the point where more and more tracks are sounding the same, so to me it is the perfect time to revisit the original thinking and go against the grain.” The first release, “PunkOMat” incorporates a wobbling bassline with a hint of electro that definitely differs from the normal four to the floor rhythm. “PunkOMat” will be released on June 24th with the relaunch of Punx Records.
After being donned “the world’s biggest upcoming DJ” by Hardwell, Dyro and his Revealed counterparts are letting fans in on their on-the-road fun with his latest music video. Providing videos for his recent hit “Leprechauns & Unicorns,” there comes a lack of mystical creatures and an abundance of footage featuring Hardwell, Dannic, and Dyro himself behind the scenes, showcasing the touring experience from an artist’s vantage point. The music coming from Revealed Recordings has proved some of the best of today’s progressive house, and they’re revealing their civilian side before summer dominance begins.
If one were to capture the feeling of club hopping through Stockholm’s renowned Stureplan district during the sunny spring months, it would sound exactly like CLMD’s peppy new single “Stockholm Syndrome.” Carl Louis and Martin Danielle hail from Norway but resonate with their Swedish neighbors by adding an airy progressive melody with the band Kish featuring the unique vocals of Fröder. The single was released on their UpNorth Records imprint in collaboration with Sony Music following up recent release “Black Eyes & Blue” notably found as the opening track for the Ultra Music Festival 2012 After Movie. Pete Tong has already praised the new single in what will be the first of many supporters across the board.
And now for his next trick, Moon Boots has released French Express’s 34th addition to the catalog, a treasured slice of the sound of 2013 entitled “Love Strong.” Supported by its mischievous melody, heavily filtered mid-ranges, and a jubilant series of piano riffs and claps, Moon Boots creates a song that is literally impossible not to enjoy. This one’s for the books.
Her “Summertime Sadness” hit took on new life with its Cedric Gervais remix, and now Lana Del Rey is crashing the dance party with her latest single. Providing The Great Gatsby’s soundtrack with its lead single, Lana’s “Young & Beautiful” is the next record to keep an eye out for. Marcus Schossow is the first to offer his rendition, or in this case, his “Summer Remix.” The euphoric progression matches the emotion of the looming season of sun and heat, and Schossow will be giving away his remix for free as summer approaches.
Diplo isn’t Major Lazer‘s only solo trooper. Walshy Fire has branched out to represent his band independently with an all new “Workout Mix” premiered by Potato. Dishing out reggae, quick-paced electro, and a frenetic fusion of both, Walshy doesn’t distance himself far from Major Lazer, but supplies fans with what they loved about Free The Universe. Take this 45-minute workout mix on the go and express yourself while working on your summertime fitness.
Since going their separate ways and ending with a bang at Ultra Music Festival, the former members of Swedish House Mafia have found their success in their born-again solo careers. It is now appearing that we will see the trio together once more, in a project aptly titled “Leave The World Behind” by Lune. The teaser website says “Leave The World Behind” will be “starring” Swedish House Mafia, and has so far previewed videos for Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso, with a third mini-trailer from Steve Angello expected to be on the way. The project is rumored to be a new documentary, mini-documentary, or a similar video feature.
