January is generally a big month for new releases, as DJs are eager to start the year with a bang – or a banger – and prove they’re worth watching in the months to come. “Momentum,” Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike’s first release of 2012, ably accomplishes the task. The sound is bigger and more multi-layered than their past work, with a buildup of massive proportions and a sweeping, stadium-ready synth melody. While it may lack in the lower registers, “Momentum” is just a feel-good song with endless festival potential. The track drops February 14th on Smash The House – the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for those who truly love EDM.
Senior citizens have been making their fair share of appearances in dubstep music videos lately and keep the trend going with Rusko’s newest single. The video for “Somebody To Love” is set at what appears to be a fairly typical Rusko show with the exception of the presence of an elderly man and woman who both turn out to be huge dubstep ravers. Not exactly what you would expect at a Rusko show, but it does embody the theme of the lyrics. “Somebody To Love” is Rusko’s first single off his upcoming album Songs (Out March 27th). The single is available to purchase starting January 24th.
Dave Aude is king of the radio-friendly dance remix: his tracks appear on Sirius XM’s BPM all the time, and up the tempo of generic Top 40 tracks. In the case of Neon Hitch’s “Fuck U Betta,” however, Aude takes a relatively unknown song and helps it realize its full potential. This is not revolutionary music by any means, but it’s a fun, catchy dance-pop confection that will do well among less seasoned EDM listeners… and that group of drunk girls dancing in a circle in the middle of the club. Plus, its sing-song chorus will be stuck in your head for days. We speak from experience.
What is the world coming to? Not only is Paris Hilton now dating Afrojack (and hitting up gigs with him), the two are officially collaborating in the studio. Hopefully “collaborating” means that Afrojack will be laying down his usual impressive beats, and Hilton won’t completely ruin them with terrible, cheesy vocals. In addition to revealing the news at the Golden Globes red carpet, she also told MTV that she worked with Redfoo of LMFAO on another track for the release — which could be oddly intriguing if it works out right. The album will be out this summer (we know you can’t wait), but we’ll probably start hearing previews pop up before then. Are you ready for Afrojack to drop Paris Hilton tracks at the UMF main stage?
Moguai released his newest single “Mpire” on Mau5trap this week, and this time the German DJ/producer has really outdone himself.
“Mpire” is a huge track that’s riddled with layers of big room chords, crispy bass lines, and twinkling arps that come together to create a dark, yet melodic piece. It seems to straddle the line between progressive and electro house, which definitely makes for a captivating listen.
With its driving energy and two different, yet equally engaging breakdowns, this track is undoubtedly one of Moguai’s best productions to date.
This is the first single off of Moguai’s upcoming album — also titled “Mpire” — and although you’ll have to wait until January 30th for the full LP, we’re pretty sure that this track will satisfy you until then.
Moguai — Mpire (Original Mix)
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On February 6th, Swedish house dynamo John Dahlbäck will unveil his “Toolroom Knights” compilation, an album that has been dubbed “a journey through the world’s finest house music.”
The compilation is made up of 38 tracks from artists such as Mark Knight & Wolfgang Gartner, Danny Daze, and Bart B More, and also features three new songs from John Dahlbäck — “Feel It,” “Heroes,” and “Escape.”
Along with its impressive tracklisting, “Toolroom Knights” includes two, full-length DJ mixes recorded by Dahlbäck himself. From percussive tech grooves to melodic, big-room anthems, both mixes highlight Dahlbäck’s versatility as a DJ and showcase some of the best house music around.
With such an impeccable song selection, plus two exceptional DJ mixes, there is no doubt that “Toolroom Knights” will be one of the best albums of the year, and we can’t wait to hear it.
Funkagenda’s “Shinjuku” is a spooky, complex deep house thumper that probably won’t get you fist-pumping because it isn’t meant to. The intricate original mix is eerily reminiscent of Deadmau5′s “Aural Psynapse” – not because of the track’s technical elements, but rather because of the surreal feeling it evokes. With staccato synths, yawning lower-end frequencies, sufficiently ethereal chanting, and an oddly comforting bassline, “Shinjuku’s” second break shouldn’t be missed. If tech-trance-deep-progressive was a genre, this would be it.
Funkagenda – Shinjuku (Original Mix)
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Michael Woods takes the schizophrenic melody and adds classic progressive house chords, a brief trip-hop drum sample, and a huge big-room break followed by a wobble that sounds a little like Deadmau5′s “ Cthulhu Sleeps.” (We apologize for all the mau5 references. No prizes for guessing what we were listening to last night).
Progressive-house giant and recent DA Radio contributorMorgan Page creates ethereal, sweeping productions that are excellent on their own – but the real magic happens when his tracks get remixes. Case in point: Lazy Rich’s take on the Tegan & Sara-assisted “Body Work.” Lazy Rich transforms a deluge of proggy synths into a simple five-note electro melody that adds a moody feel to the song. We can see his reworking of the song getting significant play in both electro and more straightforward house sets this year; it straddles that progressive/electro line perfectly.
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22 year-old LA native David Dann continues to impress with his remix of Angus & Julia Stone’s “Big Jet Plane,” an atmospheric, beautifully structured blend of indie sentimentality and deep house rumble. Dann effortlessly weaves melancholy guitars, graceful strings, and an oh-so-gradual progressive break together for a track that defies genre categorization.
“Big Jet Plane” is an emotional journey that reflects Dann’s commitment to thoughtful, intelligent tracks. In a scene overflowing with copycats and sound-a-likes, the young Angeleno’s commitment to finding his own sonic identity is a refreshing change of pace. Songs like this work equally well on a dancefloor as they do on the drive home from work. If this one doesn’t make you feel something, you’re dead inside.
If you’re anything like us, you have a highly varied music diet, with everything from big-room progressive house to hard-hitting complextro and dubstep tracks. And, if you’ve been craving some classic house/nu-disco sounds lately, we have the perfect dish: Oliver Twizt’s feel-good retro groove “Love Trip.” The track is in the vein of Bingo Players’ “Cry (Just A Little),” as it modernizes a throwback original (in this case, “Love Trippin’” by the Spinners) without sacrificing instrumentation or soulful vocals. Have a listen to Oliver Twizt’s original mix below, and click past the break to hear the David Jones and Olav Basoski remixes.
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