Gesaffelstein has a way of taking dark songs and plunging them deeper into the shadows. On his latest remix release, the French producer strips Depeche Mode‘s latest single of its bluesy instrumentation and replaces it with a plodding industrial beat and minimal atmospheric flourishes. Gesaffelstein leaves his trademark in the thoughtful phased synthesizers that accentuate the impact of key vocal phrases. The overall effect transforms the track from a straightforward lament by singer Dave Gahan into something significantly more desperate and ominous in tone, perfectly complementing the desolate candor of the lyrics.
If musical terrorists existed, Grand Central would have been swarming with Secret Service agents last Thursday.
It’s not often that the bosses of arguably the three most forward-thinking dance music labels on the planet convene under one roof. With surprise special guest Boys Noize joining an already loaded lineup of Bromance buddies Brodinski and Gesaffelstein and Dirtybird owners Claude VonStroke and Justin Martin, Hard Miami’s second night was akin to a diplomatic summit between techno, electro and tech funk pioneers. At least throw Kavinsky in a bomb shelter or something so dance music can soldier on in case of catastrophe.
While Oliver and Destructo did a fine job warming up the room before a surprise disco-house set from Skream, the energy understandably escalated as Brodinski took the stage against a flickering blue LED backdrop. The Bromance label head really has a way of moving with his music, twisting his frame and gyrating with each audible effect. With quick cuts to filtered-up fake-outs, the artist thrilled the sellout crowd with his unpredictable energy. On his deliciously dark single “Let the Beat Control Your Body,” Brodinski delighted the audience by looping the vocals of Louisahhh!!! and pitch-shifting them down and up, building slowly into a shrill wall of sound before letting the twisted synth drop take over. His set careened through a staggering number of tracks, including label-mate Jacques Lu Cont’s electro-laden “In the Night,” before the ambulance siren and raspy whisper of “Nobody Rules the Streets” announced its end.
This morning we have for you a treat from the Bromance Boys. Brodinski and Gesaffelstein laid hands on Laurent Garnier‘s trippy techno track “Jacques In The Box” from April of last year, and as always, the results are quite striking. It’s Garnier in slow motion — keeping the heart of the song intact but highlighting up the spookier side of French techno. It is not as easy to appreciate the remix without listening to how they altered the original, so make sure you get a chance to do both. The full remix package is out on April 1st on Ed Banger.
“Where My Head’s At” is a feature from Dancing Astronaut that gives readers a quick glimpse into an editor’s personal music tastes and how they developed. Subject matter will be all over the map, but we want to let you get a feel for individual editors, and where their heads are at.
This dance music empire is built on pre-packaged euphoria. Every break, build, and drop is carefully calculated to appeal to your ears and legs. There’s nothing wrong with that. If you’re looking for someone to sneer at the break up of Swedish House Mafia or to downplay Avicii’s brand of buoyant pop, there’s no shortage of music critics reveling in newfound electronic hipsterdom. But dance music was made to be enjoyed. It was made to be enjoyed with the friends, family, and fellow festival-goers that infuse dance events with a collective energy that transcends the individual men and women behind the mixer. Last year, I found that while I still enjoyed these experiences, the polished chord progressions and radio-ready hooks were beginning to ring hollow in my ears.
Gesaffelstein. The name emanates obscurity and mystique — causing his overall appeal to be somewhat of an enigma. As a techno virtuoso, his outputs are wickedly blunt, yet delightfully arcane. Sharp piercing punches on tracks like “Depravity” and bouncy rhythmic progression on hits like “Control Movement” have made Gesaffelstein an electronic music bonanza. Today’s Good Morning Mix is from his recent Boiler Room set from Berlin’s infamous House of Vans — where the Parisian star showcases ninety minutes of his signature techno brand. Click past the break for full stream and tracklist. (more…)
It can go without saying that dance music producers have an undeniable love affair with the sultry vocals of the newly dubbed pop princess Lana Del Rey. Whether it is her subtle soothing soul or her lyrical flow, it is clear that producers can’t get enough of her slew of top 10 hits. Throughout 2012, dance music enthusiasts received remixes of Del Rey’s tracks, turning her sweet sound into dance-worthy beats with the help of Gesaffelstein, RAC and AlunaGeorge to name a few.
Dancing Astronaut staffers took note of Gemini‘s rhythmic dubstep version of “Born to Die” as well as LA Riots & GTA‘s joint venture on “Video Games“–strengthening the romance even more. Now Monsieur Adi is here to bring us the latest and possibly best Del Rey revamp to-date — a remix of “Summertime Sadness.” The Frenchman transforms the poppy melody into a noteworthy dance production, skipping between the genres of trap, electro, house and hip-hop. Monsieur Adi fluidly transitions between genres giving listeners an almost five-minute mini mix highlighting the sensual sounds of Lana’s voice before unloading a pumping house beat and finishing with lingering drum kicks.
2012 has been an exciting year for dance music, the scene has grown beyond any of our comprehensions, supplanting itself in popular culture, fueling the soundtrack of commercials, sitcoms, and even a Disney movie, and shaking the foundation popular culture by establishing a new wave of music consumer. At the forefront of everything have been the artists, the true pioneers of the electronic dance music wave. With a scene as large and expansive as EDM, it was hard to honor only 50 – for every David Guetta or Calvin Harris there are droves of aspiring bedroom producers all doing their fair share of pushing the movement — simply by creating and sharing their art. With the EDM explosion officially in full swing in 2012, we saw countless new artists emerge, seasoned producers experiment with new sounds, and massive collaborations form that made crowning the “best” artist a nearly impossible task.
We have run through the Biggest Tracks of 2012 and now we are ready to unveil our picks for the most influential artists of the year. From massive songs to record labels to phenomenal performances, producers have become the new rock stars of the music industry. Click below the break to see who we’ve chosen as the biggest artists over year — let’s start with rankings 50-41.
Holy smokes — Gesaffelstein has done it again! If there’s one person who hasn’t succumbed to any type of EDM standard, it’s this guy. With each and every one of his releases, he continues to defy all odds with his brooding and unforgiving breed of techno. His remix to Justice’s “Helix” has been on our radar since it popped up on live videos throughout YouTube — and today, we are finally treated to a decent quality preview ripped from French radio. (more…)
Today is Thanksgiving. It’s a time to give thanks for good health, good friends, good family, and, of course, good music. We thought we’d take the time to pay tribute to our favorite parts of dance music culture on this day of thanks, not only for the guys who slave over turntables while we get to party, but for the dance music scene in general and its constantly expanding fanbase. This one’s for the EDM acts that put their heart and soul into it, the clubs that go all out every night of the week, and the people who live and breathe house music. It’s the least we can do.
In addition to being the poster children for France’s new breed of future techno, Bromance label-mates Brodinski and Gesaffelstein are well-known for their eclectic tastes in music. Trending toward the deep and dark, the two have featured no shortage of obscure cuts in their mixes, spanning genres from Latin dance to hip hop. The latter is well-represented early in this mix, which was billed as a glimpse into what the producers are listening to at home, as Evil Nine and Danny Brown’s trap-inspired “The Black Brad Pitt” precedes Lil Keke’s plodding “Southside.”
The musical journey continues through the dissonant ambiance of Zomby’s “Witch Hunt” and the glitchy simplicity of Dopplereffekt’s Kraftwerk-esque “Pornoactress.” Bromance signee The Hacker’s “Satori” finds its way on the mix, before Lil Gin’s brooding “Smooth Getaway” closes it out and leaves one wondering why all hip hop can’t be so techno-inspired and twisted. (more…)
