We began to delve into the technical side of DJing with our DJing Made Easy feature, and we plan to expand our coverage of the production side of this business. In that technical spirit, we attended the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show in Anaheim, CA earlier this month, which crams over 1,441 exhibitors into the West coast’s largest convention center. While there was no shortage of new kit on display from companies like Numark, Pioneer, Avid, and Novation, one of the biggest trends from the show was the multitude of DJ solutions for the iPad. Think this device is just for media consumption? Think again.
London’s Michael Woods has released a new preview on his own label, Diffused Music. “Airborne” delivers a melodic lead that develops into an almost spooky breakdown. The drum- and heavy bass-laden drop make the song easily transferrable from intimate settings to massive festivals. “Airborne” accurately embodies Michael Woods’ style much like the release of “Shinjuku.” If you’re a fan of his previous releases you will likely be a fan of this one as well.
On Thursday, March 22nd, Above & Beyond will be joined by Arty, Mat Zo, Jaytech and Boom Jinx for an Anjunabeats trancetravaganza that’s guaranteed to melt your heart and stir your soul. If you’ve never seen the phenomenon that we know as A&B perform, we’re begging you to buy a ticket. This is the party of Miami for trance fans. 22 year-old Arty and 21 year-old Mat Zo are perhaps the most exciting young names in the genre, while Jaytech and Boom Jinx will bring the polished class we expect of established veterans. It’s a night that promises many smiles, a few tears, and some very, very good vibes. And for 35 bucks, it’s one hell of a deal.
Four to the floor beats be damned, sometimes high energy builds, monumental drops, and squealing synths are no match for simply great music – that’s what we have here.
Loui Rose Allen, or Foxes as she prefers to be called, is a London-based singer who is following in the footsteps of equally beautiful Brit songbird, Ellie Goulding. Her dazzling vocals beg to be remixed and, while infectiously poppy, never sacrifice their emotion or honesty. Remember her name, because we think we are going to be seeing a lot more of her in the future.
The first remix is an electro-pop gem from French producer Pyramid who lends a refreshingly fun disco-house feel to the original track.
Foxes – Youth (Pyramid Remix)
The second remix from the little known Adventure Club, is a subtle dubstep track that opts for peaceful melodies rather than guttural wobbles.
David Dann adds to his growing repertoire with a new remix of Gotye’s “Somebody I Used to Know.” The track is markedly different from Dann’s previous effort, a remix of Angus & Julia Stone’s “Big Jet Plane.” “Somebody I Used to Know” couples sharp, spooky synths with husky vocals for an unsettling but oddly cathartic track. Technically speaking, this is progressive house, but “Somebody I Used to Know”‘s minor chord progression creates a very different effect to the euphoric major chord patterns favored by the likes of Avicii and Alesso. Props to the young Angeleno for his commitment to creativity.
Slowly but surely the pieces of Cosmic Opera are falling into place. First we learned about Axwell’s involvement, then a second show was added, and now we can tell you that Deniz Koyu, Thomas Gold, and NO ID will also be part of the festivities. Alongside the Swedish Mafia member, NO ID and Deniz Koyu will be playing on Thursday February 23rd, while Thomas Gold and NO ID will be joining on Friday the 24th. Tickets were believed to be sold out for both events, but there will be one final release taking place this coming Tuesday, February 7th, at 10AM. These are sure to go as fast as the previous rounds, so make sure to be near your computer early!
Nero’s “Must Be the Feeling” received remixes from both Funkagenda and Delta Heavy. One is very tech oriented, while the other is a mesh between electro and dubstep (we’ll let you guess which one is which). This free download has a serene feel to it and chops up the lyrics in an enjoyable fashion. Is it just us or does the beginning of this track sound eerily like Mark Knight’s remix of “You’ve Got The Love?” As you progress through the track, the high kicking synths add a little flavor to this uptempo creation.
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Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano finally release “Markuzza” along with “Zweepstok” on Steve Angello’s Size Records. We’ve been waiting for this track for a little over a year now, ever since it aired on Pete Tong’s BBC Radio 1 show in January 2011. Let’s get into the action below.
Is it weird that SJ and RM’s signature track has been one that wasn’t even released till yesterday? This high energy tech house track is sure to get the crowd swaying in unison with the beat. “Markuzza” rides the fine line between soothing and crazy — we hope Steve Angello promotes the hell out of this release, because it deserves a large amount of attention.
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To be honest with you, “Zweepstok” is going to end up being the red headed step child of this package (“Markuzza” is just so damn good). However, if you are into eclectic sounds you will be a fan of this tune. “Zweepstok” is a little Deadmau5-esque, where the collection of noises is more important than the actual melody itself.
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NOTE: Be sure to check out our Behind The Booth with Sunnery and Ryan here.
David Guetta will be headlining a special show at New York’s Roseland Ballroom this February. Set to take place during Fashion Week, the show promises “grandiose decor” and entertainers, which will apparently turn Roseland Ballroom into an “interactive playground.” Both Kaskade and Swedish House Mafia showed us that a few good lasers and some CO2 is enough to make Roseland Ballroom rave-worthy, but maybe Cathy and David know something we don’t. Tickets are on sale now for the February 9th show, which will run from 9PM – 4AM.
Aba & Simonsen’s “Soul Bossa Nova” gets a heavy dose of ‘jungle’ injected into the bass line courtesy of Chuckie and Mastiksoul. The creator of original, Quincy Jones, made this unique and groovy track way back in the 60s.
“Soul Bossa Nova” caught fire in the US when it became the theme song for the popular Austin Powers movie series. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard a Chuckie and Mastiksoul collaboration, they’ve worked together before on the track “Body Move,” which was released on the popular Dirty Dutch compilation. With releases such as “Together” and “F U Betta” gaining traction, it looks like Chuckie is about to create some serious waves this year as we get into the thick of things in February. Those of you that reside in San Francisco should check out Chuckie’s performance at Ruby Skye on the 11th.
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