Just over a year after he teased us with “Levels” (originally misnamed “ID”) in his Essential Mix, Avicii has decided to (finally) release the signature track of 2011. We’ve gushed at the teaser video and we’ve told you how good we think he is, so let’s acknowledge that he is great and move onto other topics. If you haven’t noticed – this track is being released by Universal Music. Why is this important for the EDM world? Universal is the largest out of the ‘big four’ record companies, which also includes EMI, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment.
Escape from Wonderland 2011 is officially a wrap, but you can re-live the music forever by downloading some of the live sets from the event. Thanks to SiriusXM broadcasting, we’re graced with sets from Steve Angello, Thomas Gold, AN21 and Max Vangeli, R3hab, Markus Schulz, and many many more. It’s going to take us a few days to comb through these ourselves, but feel free to get started on the daunting task by hitting the link below.
PS: R3hab was kind enough to post his directly to his SoundCloud, and you can listen to it embedded after the break.
How’s that for a Halloween treat?
Update: Thomas Gold has posted his set to SoundCloud too. Find it below!
Want an easy way to make sure you are up to date on all the latest, best music? Dancing Astronaut takes a look at the top 10 tracks of October based on a combination of reader feedback, quality of the track, editorial preference & critical reception.
October saw some phenomenal tracks released. This month’s list includes entries from Avicii, Fedde Le Grand, Dada Life & Dirty South. Click after the break to see which tracks we thought deserved to be included in the top 10 as well as who snagged the October #1.
If you haven’t heard the Dirty South remix of “Coming Home,” you’ve either been living under a rock or living in Utah. Fresh off his latest remix of “Runaway,” Sidney Samson offered up this bootleg of Diddy Dirty Money’s “Coming Home.” Sidney’s dirty dutch drop really differentiates this track from Dirty South’s progressive version. Download it for free and play it loud.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
R3hab only picks the biggest songs to remix. There is a positive and negative side to doing this (see below).
Positives
1) the remix will get some serious exposure no matter what the circumstances.
2) you can put your twists and turns on the track and potentially make it better than the original.
Negatives
1) usually the ‘bigger’ the song the better it is – making a remix that is better than the original mix is usually tough.
2) when only selecting big tracks to remix, you put a lot of pressure on yourself in order to make a quality remix.
3) due to the exposure people tend to be close minded about changes within the track.
R3hab takes this upon himself night in and night out. To be honest, we think he has done an incredibly great job of taking ‘big’ original mixes and turning them into dirty club stomping anthems. Check out “Without You,” “Champagne Showers,” “Bounce,” and “Give Me Everything” if you don’t believe us. After listening, tell us what you think about his latest remix!
Listening to the some of livesets from ADE has us near tears that we missed it, but Fedde Le Grand’s official aftermovie from Escape Amsterdam makes it seem like true paradise. If you haven’t downloaded the sets for yourself yet, make sure to do so, and you can feel free to watch this video on repeat until they’re finished downloading or read our take from his appearance at Sensation Barcelona. We won’t judge.
PS: Deniz Koyu posted a video to his Facebook from the same event. This would be a great opportunity for us to remind you that this is a guy to keep a very close eye on.
Our favorite UK fidget producers are back with another killer track. After premiering “End of Love” at their Creamfields set, there has been a lot of anticipation for it to finally drop. Lately, it has been getting a lot of playtime on Annie Mac and Mistajam’s BBC radio 1 shows. Imbued with Jack Beats‘ trademark wobble, “End of Love” blurs the line between fidget house and dubstep. The “End of Love” EP drops on December 5th complete with remixes but luckily for us, Jack Beats have uploaded the full track to youtube. Check it out.
Michael Woods is one of the biggest snubs of this years DJ Mag list, bar none. He comes alive with his edit of NO_ID’s “How R U Feeling Right Now,” which blends a few vocals distortions with some progressive wobble. The drop is unique because it features a little bit of a disco vibe that is pleasant to groove to. Michael is the king of subtleties – you can notice a faint chainsaw like sound during the build up that represents the wide variety of notes that he expertly places within his productions. He is truly a master of his craft. Click play – now.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Michael Woods will be bringing his talents to Pacha New York on Saturday, November 3: get your tickets here!
The Amsterdam Dance Event took place this past week, and consisted of four days of nothing but dance music in one of the world’s greatest cities. BBC Radio 1 did a tribute to the event last night, starting off with a special Pete Tong Essential Selection to help R1 “Go Dutch,” and then aired pieces of four of the event’s livesets. Afrojack, Sidney Samson, R3hab, and Ferry Corsten are just some of the sets available, and there’s even a video of Nervo from Be-@ TV. That’s just a few of the many sets available from the week, so head over to House4DJ and stock up on your livesets.
When I first heard news about Skrillex teaming up with Korn (or is it KoRn?) to produce a new track, I shuddered at the thought. Then I heard the name: “Narcissistic Cannibal.” You’ve got to be kidding me, what does that even mean? It’s dark for the sake of being dark, it’s so kitsch it makes my skin crawl. I was in high school when nu-metal reigned king, when Jonathan Davis and Fred Durst were infecting popular culture with backwards red baseball caps and teenage angst. Their disappearance into obscurity was welcome, needed, and celebrated. Like the shitty hair metal bands that had come before them, their shtick had worn off; their fans grew up and they stopped voting on Total Request Live. Fast forward to 2011 and Korn seems to have risen from the dead, resurrected by none other than Sonny Moore. You know that imbecile at the beginning of every horror movie? The one who causes all the trouble for everyone? You sit there, wide-eyed and gawking at your television set, “Don’t open the coffin kid, you are going to wake the mummy, DON’T OPEN THE COFFIN!” but what does he do? HE OPENS THE FUCKING COFFIN! Skrillex is that kid.
