There’s the regular way to release a remix package, and then there’s the OWSLA way. The team over at the Nest has just released Birdy Nam Nam’sDefiant Order Remixes Project Vol. 1, where the French quartet’s own DJ Pone hand selected what made the cut. Featuring remixes of seven of the album’s 11 tracks, a G.Vump remix of “Written In The Sand” proved one of the most interesting.
G. Vump, or Gucci Vump, is Guillaume of The Shoes and Louis of Brodinski, and the pair took an already otherworldly track even further from Earth. The duo shot the original’s guided relaxation vocals into the stratosphere, leaving them wafting through a lofty melody anchored by a solid percussive line. According to DJ Pone the mix is “Gucci Vump at his best” and if cinematic chords are your thing you’ll have to agree. Click below the break for the EP’s full tracklist and head to The Nest to get in on their exclusive releases.
You may remember Destructo’s “Higher” from HARD Summer’s lineup announcement back in April, but as always, a Tommy Trash remix has elevated the record to an even more deleterious status. It’s gritty and industrial, and Tommy’s remix wipes away much of Gary Richard’s synth pad work in favor of an explosive electro breakdown. Rolling Stone posted the track yesterday as a free download, so go grab your hard copy here.
Italian minimal glitch artist Phonat continues to demonstrate why Skrillex declared him the most underrated producer in the world. With his Identity Theft EP slated for a June 4th release on OWSLA, the eclectic producer elected to give the world a preview of what’s in store.
“Ride the Prejudice” is about as clean as it gets production-wise, opening with a flurry of divergent samples while a warm synth throbs its way through a glitchy stuttered backbeat. The tracks kicks into another gear as a pitched up vocal sample appears alongside restrained video game bloops and schizophrenic hi-hats. If this track is any indication, Phonat’s laudable attention to sonic detail should elevate his forthcoming EP into rarified air.
As OWSLA boss Skrillex preps to perform as Jack U with Diplo for this summer’s Mad Decent Block Party, his label continues prepping for summer releases. The hip-hop rooted, dub based David Heartbreak is next in the lineup, poised for a mid-month release of “Raindrops,” a collaboration with The Netherlands’ The Party Squad and EDM’s go-to vocalist Skylar Grey. Though Heartbreak uses a hip-hop bassline and hard hi-hats, Grey’s vocals seem to stop the track short of trap, and the synth string melody keeps the tune more chill than trill. With the official release date set at May 15th, “Raindrops” will be released with Heartbreak’s The Foundation EP.
Jon Gooch has returned, and he’s done so in excellent fashion. His latest production may be under the guise of Feed Me, but it’s brimming with conspicuous Spor influence. While Dirty South unveiled his big room remix of ”Messiah“ last week, Feed Me’s dubstep and breaks rendition has just been aired, and it’s phenomenal. Alvin Risk may have gotten the first stab at a dubstep remix, but Feed Me’s production is arguably stronger, making wonderful use of the vocals and layering diverse drum patterns. Dubstep at times, breakbeat at others, Feed Me’s brilliant take on the empowering single will be released May 7th on OWSLA.
Brother’s Wouter & Sjoerd Janssen are piled in the back of a car enroute to Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. Today, the duo has unveiled their latest single “Get Loose,” a significant milestone in the footsteps of a duo whose street-credibility has been overtaken only by their festival-proofed sound of late. As a mainstay of the European hard dance circuit reborn as one of the globe’s more consistent peak time connoisseurs, their butterfly like movement from the days of “Analogue Players in a Digital World” to the gold-record racking “Cannonball” for Spinnin Records has never felt anything short of a genuine leap from two passionate club protagonists. They’ve sealed two albums, traded hard dance festivals to WMC, taken WMC by storm, even remixed Carly Ray Jespen. But as Dancing Astronaut learned in an exclusive interview, this is not a test: Showtek is here to elevate the peak time skyline like never before.
The latest project from OWSLA arbiter Alvin Risk is a boisterous dubstep collaboration alongside New York duo Designer Drugs. “Empty Hearted” begins with a quick four-on-the-floor beat bolstered by transposed lyrics and clicking 8-bit synths. The drop that ensues is a bit rambunctious, but balanced out nicely by an overriding big room melody. Along the same lines as his previous release ”Skyclad,“ Alvin Risk has lent his own voice to the production, warping and tuning it into a robotic and melancholic vocal track.
For those in the know, the Red Bull Guest House (aka the Dream South Beach Hotel on every other week of the year) was a WMC hot spot this year for catching marquee talents in an intimate setting populated by sunbathing models and A-list onlookers. With eye-opening lineups featuring the likes and labels of Skrillex, A-Trak, and Boys Noize, the poolside performance spot mostly catered to more new-school genres like electro, dubstep and trap over the course of the past week.
After releasing their first EP back in October, OWSLA’sMonsta reemerged this week with an unexpected free download. Moombahton-based but running all over the aural landscape, “Tudo Se Foi/Gone” combines synth scratches of turntablism with the huge bass the UK trio have built their sound on, throwing in some reggae rap and high-pitched vocals to round things out. A heavy track held together by a stabbing beat, “Tudo Se Foi/Gone” proves that production-wise, the Monsta boys have been busy.
This year’s lineup for Ultra Music Festival is arguably its most impressive selection in its 15 year history. With genres as diverse as psytrance to hip-hop represented, it is potentially the most eclectic lineup the festival has ever hosted. While mega acts such as Swedish House Mafia, Deadmau5, and Tiësto will be a staple in most people’s weekends, we’d like to take the time to highlight the best acts and stages from prominent genres outside of mainstream EDM. Click past the break to see which dubstep, deep house, downtempo and techno acts you can’t miss at Ultra Weekend 1.
