You’ve seen photographs online after parties that were absolutely bananas. Most likely, you’ve also seen the ones taking those photos, or you’ve seen the flash, and the one responsible has vanished. Camera in hand, I’m one of the many dark figures running through nightclubs, squeezing through groups of people packed in like sardines, trying constantly to find the best spot to capture that one moment when the pyrotechnics erupt and the crowd goes wild. Often times, these seemingly endless treks across clubs are fruitless, and we feel compelled to move again…and again…to chase the perfect shot. It’s always a challenge; every venue is different in its own unique ways. Having just wrapped up photographing some incredible shows during Miami Music Week 2013, here are some of the ways I’ve learned to navigate the insanity that has become EDM photography on the ground and on assignment.
Back when MTV was primarily a music channel, music videos were almost as important as the songs themselves. The changing musical climate, however, has rendered music videos just a few notches above obsolete. Still, although no one is clamoring for them anymore, they’re still being released with some frequency. Almost a year after Otto Knows released “Million Voices,” or as I affectionately call it, the “E, E, E, E, E, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah” song, the Refune artist has uploaded a music video. It’s just a series moving mouth images, which is fitting for the tune.
Like any native of New Jersey, much of my younger 20s were spent stumbling through the neon lit and awkwardly carpeted atriums of Atlantic City’s dated casinos. In terms of luxury and elegance there wasn’t much to look forward to along the Jersey coastline. Debauchery? yes, luxury? hell no. When news of Revel’s development began, our eyes once again looked towards the Jersey coast. Their mission was bold – make Atlantic City a destination for more than just geriatrics on slot machines. It’s aim was to bring all of the luxury and grandeur of Vegas’s preeminent hotels to the North East, giving the residents of New Jersey and New York a Vegas of their own. The second we set foot inside the world class establishment last summer for Avicii’s performance at Ovation Hall, there was no question — they had succeeded.
It’s inevitable that countdowns will always spark controversy, that’s just the nature of the beast. Some tracks will be snubbed, some overlooked, and some ranked higher than you may have expected. We’ve already gone over our ranking criteria at length but despite our own self-imposed guidelines, 2012 proved to be more difficult to rank than years past. With the EDM explosion officially in full swing throughout the year, the sheer number of releases was mind numbing, and — consequently — nearly impossible to rank. There has been no greater challenge for the editors at Dancing Astronaut than creating the list of the Biggest Tracks of 2012.
You have already heard the picks for the biggest tracks of 2012; 50-41, 40-31, and 30-21 now check out which tracks made 20-11 below the break.
Mixmag got the opportunity to sit down with Alesso and Otto Knows for the magazine’s live Thursday night hangout series. Topics of discussion include career projectiles, nerves, how the two refune artists became acquainted with one another, and more. If you’ve been dying to hear Alesso’s new single “Clash,” then look no further because he gave Mixmag an exclusive first listen. Tune in at 10:10 to check it out.
Fun Fact: Alesso, Otto Knows, and Avicii all went to the same school in Sweden.
As if Kaskade and Tiesto back to back nights wasn’t enough to solidify HQ Nightclub’s dominance of the Northeast’s EDM explosion, the brand new nightclub has just added Sebastian Ingrosso, Axwell, Alesso and Otto Knows to the days leading up to the ball drop. Thursday, December 27th will feature Sebastian Ingrosso kicking off the weekend festivities, followed by Axwell on Friday, December 28th and Alesso and Otto Knows on Saturday.
Boasting an unprecedented lineup for the days leading up to 2013, HQ and Revel have continued to establish themselves as the premiere hotspot for dance music in Atlantic City.
Tickets go on sale Tuesday, December 4 at 10 a.m. EST, grab them here.
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!
In the large pool of talented dance music rookies, Otto Jettman – known internationally as Otto Knows – is perhaps the most promising young Swede of the crop. You’ve heard his music, but you probably haven’t heard from the man himself. In a recent interview with DMC World Magazine, Otto discusses his break through track, “Million Voices,” his Swedish Support system of Sebastian Ingrosso, Alesso, and Avicii, a new single on the way, and more on the life behind his rising success.
This week, Pete Tong invited his front-running rookies to invade his weekly Essential Selection for a special ‘Young Stars Takeover’ broadcast. Guests included Madeon, Otto Knows, Disclosure, and Porter Robinson — each whom dropped a minimix followed by their own essential new tune. Madeon played some of his own material like “Pop Culture” and “Finale,” Otto Knows dropped Alesso’s “Clash” as his essential new tune while revealing a December release date, Disclosure played their remix of Jessie Ware’s “Running,” and Porter Robinson chose his upcoming Mat Zo collaboration, “Easy,” as his essential new tune.
Pete Tong described these artists as the ‘youngest and most exciting young stars on the planet,’ so see for yourself and listen to this week’s Essential Selection – tracklist below the break.
Otto Knows forced his way into music libraries everywhere with his anthemic Refune release “Million Voices.” In the same vein, the young Swede returns to form with a remix of Burns’ “Lies.” A signature melody along with a soothing build wrapped up with an infectious vocal, make for a captivating remix that we are due to hear at future Otto Knows events. If you took interest in his remix of “KOTEMF,” this latest remix will exceed expectations. Before Beatport becomes swamped with music on Monday, grab the official release of “Lies” along with its remixes today.
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