Although the highlight of the Billboard Music Awards may have been Miguel’s leg drop on an unsuspecting fan, dance music mainstays David Guetta, Skrillex and Baauer all took home awards for Best EDM Artist, Best EDM Album, Best EDM Song and Best Dance Song before the night was over. Not suprisingly David Guetta took home the Best EDM Artist award, acknowledging in his speech that;
“When they put me on the cover four years ago and said EDM would be big, I thought ‘these guys are crazy – this will never happen.’ Imagine how I feel today.”
Skrillex took home the award for Best EDM Album while viral-sensation Baauer won both Best EDM Song and Best Dance Song – bringing the “Harlem Shake” legacy full circle with two awards.
Trap hero Baauer has uploaded the Disclosure remake that we heard at Coachella to his Soundcloud page. Eliza Doolittle’s vocals on ”You & Me” gets the Chippendale’s treatment as Bauuer ups the tempo while doing his best to maintain the song’s original elements. The dance-focus vibe remains intact, offering a refreshingly different side of Baauer. One thing’s for sure: the energy in this remix is primed for the dance floor, so don’t be surprised if this gem gets heavy rotation throughout the summer season.
No one could have expected the “Harlem Shake” to blow up to the prodigious scale it did — from YouTube virility to the top of the charts. The success of Baauer’s ubiquitous single not only spawned a thousand internet spinoffs, it also incurred a lawsuit for copyrighted samples against Mad Decent. Both Hector Delgado and Jayson Musson pressed the label for compensation over the track’s use of unlicensed samples. Diplo, as the head of Mad Decent, has come to aid of the label’s blossoming trap star, settling the legal dispute with Delgado and Musson and clearing the “Harlem Shake” samples.
Baauer’s ”Harlem Shake” has not quite run its course — anyone who went to Coachella and saw Baauer or Major Lazer can confirm this, judging by the track’s seismic response. In light of its undeniable appeal, Cazzette have released their sprawling dubstep bootleg to the ubiquitous trap anthem, layering massive, maniacal synths over the original sample. Cazzette’s penchant for the proliferating genre has become increasingly more evident with this heavy rendition of the “Harlem Shake” out today and their trap remix to Avicii’s “Alcoholic” dropping in two days.
Has the “Harlem Shake” worn out its welcome? Probably… but that doesn’t stop Cazzette from running it through their patented remix machine, a mass of cogs and grinding gears so diabolically dark that it would make Jigsaw proud and Skrillex shudder. Turning Baauer‘s trapsterpiece into a full on dubstep assault the duo breathe new life into the mix, replacing its chirpy sirens with good, old-fashioned dubstep wobbles and a hefty helping of greyscale grit.
After securing a spot in the internet hall of fame and a cover story on Billboard magazine, the young Brooklyn-based producer, Harry Bauer Rodrigues, better known as Baauer, has come under fire for the sample used in his breakthrough hit “Harlem Shake.” Hector Delgado, a former reggaeton artist known as Hector El Father, is responsible for the “Con los terroristas” (“With the terrorists”) sample while Jayson Musson, formerly of Philadelphia-based rap group Plastic Little, is credited with the “Do the Harlem Shake” vocal cut that triggers the track’s infectious break. Neither artist gave permission for their samples to be used and are both seeking compensation from Mad Decent and Baauer in light of the track’s explosive success.
Oddly enough, Hector Delgado’s sample was also used in a remix of Gregor Salto’s “Con Alegria” by two lesser known DJs back in 2010 but Mr. Delgado did not seek compensation from that incident – most likely because the remix in question did not achieve the level of success that Baauer’s original has.
Machete Music, a Universal Music Group label, is currently negotiating payment from Mad Decent.
Ultra Music Festival stands alone, distant from the EDCs of the world, as the landmark event for every DJ that graces the decks of its stages. Much like how football fans have the instinctual ability to recall the stars and game changing plays of Superbowls past, electronic fans will, naturally, always remember their favorite artists, the corresponding set list and major moments from any given year at Ultra.
Headliners of the annual festival share the same glory as Superbowl MVPs, but it’s also the opportunity for dance music rookies to find their breakthrough with one everlasting set, to be remembered in the same vein as the Superbowl rookie who becomes immortalized with one historic catch. With hundreds of DJs slated to perform at Ultra this year, we take a narrow look at the members of the freshman class who are due to establish themselves under the South Beach sun this March.
We’re sure you’re all tired of seeing the latest and greatest “Harlem Shake” videos by now, but we couldn’t resist sharing this one. Our friends at Ultra decided to get in on the action with their own version of the viral dance. The video is pretty true to form: 30ish seconds, spastic dance moves, and appearances from people in nonsensical costumes. There are ballerinas, donkeys, clowns, and zombies but unlike the other versions this one has a very special dance music guest, Carl Cox. Press play and watch him wave a towel around in pure bliss.
Dropping four Harlem Shakes on a mobbed Webster Hall, Baauer was crowned king of the moment in the city that never sleeps on a meme.
Rewind three weeks. The Brooklyn native was toiling in relative trap obscurity, completely unaware that a YouTube user named Filthy Frank was poised to make him the site’s latest poster child for viral video stardom. Don’t get me wrong, Baauer has been one of his subgenre’s brightest talents for some time and his success is well-deserved. But until four men donned strange latex suits and even stranger dance moves to a clip from his year-old single, trap had not quite arrived on the mainstream radar. One thing led to another… tens of thousands of times. Nearly two hundred million views and thousands of truly bizarre 31-second snippets later, Baauer seemed at home with his newfound fame last Friday.
The annual Camp Bisco Festival has revealed its 2013 lineup. The event will return to Indian Lookout Country Club in upstate New York and for its 12th year taking place from July 11 through 13th. The lineup includes the festival’s founders and organizers The Disco Biscuts, alongside Bassnectar, Wolfgang Gartner, Boys Noize, and plenty more.
Camp Bisco has become one of the East Coast’s premiere camping festivals with its eclectic mixture of acts, amazing vibes, and great people. Look forward to nu-disco grooves from Areoplane, trap mosh pits with Baauer and RL Grime, long jam sessions with Lotus and STS9, and even big room electro from Tommy Trash.
Check back on our take from last year’s festival here, grab some tickets and start planning your camping trip.
