A scant eight days after Zedd released the song’s acapella to the public, Aylen has given “Clarity” the remix treatment. The prolific New Jersey producer checked in from his tour with 3LAU to tell Dancing Astronaut he hoped his remix would complement Foxes’ “amazing” singing. He’s succeeded there; the track’s plucky introduction gives way to an upbeat lovestep beat and pleasant synth progressions that leave the limelight for the vocals. We’ve seen Aylen opt for unbridled electro house before, so his reinterpretation of this melodic anthem represents some well-advised restraint on his part. Head to Aylen’s Facebook for the free download.
The title track off Zedd’sdebut album is a microcosm of the perfect storm of qualities that made Clarity so memorable. At 23, the German wunderkind has already mastered the delicate balancing act between technicality and musicality in his production, infusing “Clarity” with both the structural handicraft to move dance floors and the melodic sensibility to induce chills. Foxes’ gorgeous vocals are as accessible as they are emotive, soaring over the more hackneyed lyrics of Zedd’s proglectro contemporaries. About the only thing this track was missing was a DJ-friendly extended mix. Expect to hear plenty more of this track now, and head to Beatport to grab your copy today.
Zedd ft. Foxes – Clarity (Extended Mix)
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Last month, Zedd released his impressive debut album Clarity, and has been riding his hot streak ever since it’s initial success. With a helping hand from Interscope Records, Zedd has since revealed extended mixes for “Stache,” “Shave It Up,” “Fall Into The Sky,” and “Lost At Sea.”
This week, he’s back with an extra special elongated edit of “Codec,” which we’ve previously dubbed the most Zedd-like offering from Clarity. Fast paced, well strung, and backed by a signature bassline, the final product makes a statement for Zedd’s developing sound. Head to Beatport for the extended mix of “Codec” and be sure to check out the rest of the album’s mastered cuts.
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Zedd pleased music fans worldwide when he finally released his highly anticipated album, Clarity. The production — a carefully crafted and finely tuned piece of work — reminded us that producers don’t have to follow the same formula in order to see mainstream success. He’s taken one of my favorite cuts from the album, “Lost at Sea,” and expanded it. The new version includes a more dance floor-ready intro and outro.
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“Stache” was one of our favorite tracks on Zedd’s Clarity album, and the extended mix is finally here. If you’re a fan of the electro sounds of the album cut, you will love the extended version — which features a perfectly placed sample from the Mac operating system that will encourage you to turn up your speakers to dangerously high levels. We don’t have much else to say about this track that hasn’t already been said, but be sure to check out the official music video if you haven’t done so yet. We’ve embedded it below for your convenience.
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Lady Gaga has publicly expressed her admiration for Interscope label-mate Zedd — or her “major musical boner,” as she described it herself. She’s even referred to “Spectrum” as “pure EDM fantasy,” and along with asking Anton to remix tracks like “Born This Way” and “Marry The Night,” Gaga brought him on tour with her this past April.
The next chapter of this unique partnership has hit the web in the form of a preview of Lady Gaga’s vocal contribution to “Stache,” one of the premier tracks on Zedd’s Clarity. The addition of Gaga’s vocal turns the dance production into a song of its own, but does not jeopardize its electro appeal. We’ve asked around and found out that she simply really liked the song, and wanted to put her own spin on it. As of now there’s no word on whether it’ll be released officially, but something tells us that with these two big names involved, this one will be out on iTunes sooner rather than later.
Along with the release of his full album Clarity, Zedd is out with a new music video for “Stache.” One of our favorite tracks on the album, the video feels more like a mini-movie than a music video. The plot centers around an unidentified scientist experimenting with something called the “Clandon Particle,” — a bomb-like device we can’t find any real information on — all the while being pursued by a swat team trying to take him down. A very unhappy-looking Head of National Security named Howard Cunningham is seen cut in throughout the video, addressing whatever country this is taking place in (most likely Zimbabwe, from the ZW.gov branding). You’ll have to watch the video for yourself to see how things end up, but the video is timed perfectly to the track itself so be sure to check it out and see if the world ends or not. (Hint: it doesn’t.)
One of the most highly anticipated albums of the recent dance music explosion, Clarity is Anton Zaslavski’s magnum opus — a beautifully composed concept album that marks a defining moment in the young producer’s career. Spending time in the studio with the legendary Jimmy Iovine has certainly paid off for Zedd. His sound has matured, developing far beyond the type of music that is suitable for a DJ set. There is much more to Clarity than a simple selection of tracks; there is an undeniable feeling of intent, an intangible sense that Anton has poured himself into every production on the album.
With each successive listen it becomes more apparent; every single note has a purpose, every snare hit and synth squeal was methodically placed and painstakingly produced. Zedd’s attention to detail is stunningly thorough, every single beat has been toiled over, worked and re-worked, ad infinitum, until what is left is nothing short of perfection. At first it was hard to define, but then I realized that Clarity has one thing that so many of today’s dance music productions do not — it has a soul.
Best of the Rest is a daily feature from Dancing Astronaut that recaps the most important posts of the day as well as the stuff we didn’t get to. With the rapidity that dance music news and releases come out it’s difficult for us to hit everything — we hope BOTR serves as a catch-all. Make sure to check it out at the end of each day to ensure you don’t miss anything!
