It’s no surprise that in lead up to the release of Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories that Radio 1 would invite one of its many collaborators to take the deck for their own two hours of soulful house music. The lucky first nominee was Todd Edwards, and his very exciting Essential Mix premiered on the air last Friday. Todd Edwards is first and foremost a very legendary New Jersey garage and house DJ and sample-driven producer, but more recently he’s stepped into the limelight as one of Daft Punk’s collaborators both on Discovery for “Face to Face” and Random Access Memories’ “Fragments in Time.” He was inspired by Todd Terry, MK, and worked very closely with New York’s Nervous Records, remixing for St. Germain, Justice, Klaxons, and Dimitri from Paris.
With immeasurable amounts of hype finally drawing to a peak this week after Random Access Memories became available to stream on iTunes, Daft Punk continue to leak secrets and stories including Part 2 of their Pete Tong interview during Coachella. In endearing French accents, the pair give a background look into the inspiration of praised single “Giorgio By Moroder,” their rooted love for classic disco and rock music, how they ultimately picked their collaborators and why they’ve chosen an anonymous lifestyle. Read what Dancing Astronaut editors thought of the album here and don’t forget to join in on the discussion.
Presenting us with the hottest in new music from around the globe, Pete Tong showered us in delicacies last night during his weekly BBC Radio 1 dance music marathon. Kicking the show off with the world premiere of Kaskade’s autonomously sung and produced new single “Atmosphere,” moving on into Sander van Doorn’s electrifying “Neon,” and the bouncy, big room Hardwell remix of Krewella’s “Alive,” followed by other progressive anthems.
Pete’s coveted “Essential New Tune” went to none other than ex-SHM member Axwell for the remode his new single “Centre of The Universe,” replacing Francesco Rossi’s enigmatic tune “Paper Aeroplane” from last week. Daft Punk continued the discussion with Tong in Part 2 of their Coachella interview while immersing in new tracks off RAM “Giorgio By Moroder,” “Loose Yourself to Dance” and “Instant Crush.”
London-based techno producer Scuba ran through his picks for week’s “Goodie Goodies” including Locked Groove’s “Do It Anyway” and favorite tune of the year Dusky’s “Vanishing Point,” while house legend Kerri Chandler was knighted into Tong’s “Hall of Fame” while explaining the compelling story behind “Bar A Thym.” Tong pins Blond:ish as his future star, ending of with a hot mix from Israeli tech-house sensation Guy Gerber.
Before Pete Tong dropped Axwell’s anticipated new premiere and Daft Punk’s long awaited interview on BBC Radio 1′s dance music marathon last night, Annie Mac shared the new dub mix collaboration between talented Brits Alex Metric and Jacques Lu Cont “Safe With You.” Featuring the vocals of Malin from Niki & The Dove, the track boasts pure energy with a big room flare in a perfectly mastered 80s dance feel. Jacques Lu Cont spoke of the inspiration of the release with Annie:
“What I really love is working on music where the objective isn’t about how commercially successful it has to be. Within dance music it’s totally liberating and you do what makes you feel good. The other thing that’s good with DJing is no matter what you’ve made, you know within five seconds of putting that record on in the club whether it’s any good or not, and you don’t get that anywhere else. It’s so immediate and magical like that. I’m enjoying every second of it.”
Release date on Ministry of Sound is still to be determined.
This past Friday, Maya Jane Coles returned to the Radio 1 decks for her second appearance on the legendary show. MJC is one of my very favorite producer/DJs, so I was thrilled to learn I’d be able to digest another mix of hers less than two years after her debut in July of 2011. Her production style has that certain je ne sais quoi – quirky instrumentation, major grooves, and an undeniable sex appeal. In live sets, her DJing has always struck this perfect balance of emotional and danceable, introducing me to new material while playing the deep stuff she knows her fans want to hear. On top of her jaw-dropping number of accomplishments at the tender age of 25, she also emanates this air of effortless cool, DJing her way around the world with her stylishly cropped coiffure and docile demeanor.
There is no doubt Will Saul knows good music. He’s a producer, DJ, label owner, A&R whiz, and has worked with a staggering number of impressive artists in his almost two decades in dance music. Will got his start as nothing more than a passionate record collector (like most of us), and in the years that followed grew from a job at Sony, to his own label Simple Records, and more recently Aus Music.
With summer in sight, it’s time liven up your playlist with sizzling sounds including Two Door Cinema Club’s take on Is Tropical’s single “Dancing Anymore.” By stringing the vocal and adding a buoyant bop, TDCC unleash a sunshine-laden indie-viber first heard on BBC Radio 1. The single is the first being unveiled from the London trio Is Tropical’s upcoming album I’m Leaving, which will be released on May 20th via French electronic music label Kitsuné.
Ten years ago, Greg and Voitek of Catz ‘N Dogz began playing together in their Polish hometown. Fast forward to 2013, through club nights, residencies, and radio shows, and the pair have landed themselves their first Essential Mix on the Radio 1. Both in this mix and more generally, their musical taste is difficult to categorize -it’s house, disco, tech, tech house, and bass. Like many of the otherEssential Mixes that Dancing Astronaut highlighted so far in 2013, Catz ‘N Dogz use their 120 minutes on air to share their favorites in dance music, whether or not it fits into any particular categorical field or subgenre.
If there is, however, a bit of a theme associated with each artist’s mix, Catz ‘N Dogz’s is that of a overview of their time DJing and producing together. They ripped 12 inches of yesteryear, edited down tracks, and collected exclusives from friends at their own Pets Recordings, dirtybird, and Get Physical. You could dismiss this mix as simple, but that’d be too easy. More careful consideration reveals a deep and rich understanding of the history of house music and a discerning eye towards the future.
Last weekend, the legendary Thom Yorke appeared on Pete Tong‘sEssential Mixalongside Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich delivering to listeners a unique Atoms For Peace set. The duo represented the five man supergroup with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Beck/ R.E.M drummer Joey Waronker, and Brazilian instrumentalist Mauro Refosco. Named after Eisenhower’s 1953 speech, the electronic rock band transforms Radiohead’s peaceful emotion into something dance music can digest. The band released their debut album Amok only weeks ago and now they are on album promotion tour after visiting Radio 1′s decks.
Early next week, BBC Radio 1 will be exploring the history and importance of the 808, 303, and 909 drum machines for their Stories program. The show will highlight the instrumental role these tools played in the development of hip-hop, house, techno, and their many accompanying subgenres. DJ Premier, Richie Hawtin, Seth Troxler, The 2 Bears, Flosstradamus and Pete Tong among others will join host Kutski for this edition of Stories. BBC Radio 1 has shared some snippets from the show, which is set to air on March 11th at 9PM. Check out the previews below and be sure to tune in for what will likely be an important history lesson.
