Want an easy way to make sure you are up to date on all the latest, best music? Dancing Astronaut takes a look at the top 10 tracks officially released in April and ranks them based on a combination of reader feedback, track quality, editorial preference & critical reception.
Dancing Astronaut wraps up April for you with another edition of our top 10 tracks of the month. April’s list features massive tracks from reader favorites Daft Punk, Showtek, Pryda and more. Not to be missed are also fantastic efforts from Sebjak, Marcus Schossow, Alesso, Dirty South, and more. Click past the break for our top 10 tracks of April!
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Eric Prydz is back in the studio — releasing his latest Pryda track “Power Drive” on Pryda Recordings today. “Power Drive” is a somewhat of a slow burner, employing many of Prydz’s usual lush production tricks to build and break through dramatic and sinister melodies. Pryda may be taking a page out of Cirez D’s book on this one, but it’s another clear win for the Pryda camp. Whether you’re tastes fall in the realms of progressive house, big room, or tech, “Power Drive” will satisfy your senses.
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Purchase: Beatport
After trending globally on Twitter for what will likely stand as the best Essential Mix of 2013, Eric Prydz returns to production duties with a brand new original. From its cryptic opening to blistering breakdown, “Power Drive” is quintessential Pryda: multi-layered, multi-faceted and daringly robust. While most progressive producers have turned their sights on pop-appeal, Pryda continues to deliver classic and true-to-form progressive house. Shrill synthesizers hiss and pop as “Power Drive” builds to its grinding climax, one that is delivered by monolithic chord progressions, chirping sirens and a percussion section that can’t be ignored.
“Power Drive” will be released on April 1st. Listen to the track after the break. (more…)
It’s quite evident that Pryda-protégé Fehrplay is gearing up for a big year. After the successful release of “I Can’t Stop It,” the Norwegian-born producer is already teasing his next big release. Premiered yesterday on Fehrplay’s guest mix for Above & Beyond’s Group Therapy 011, “Phantom” is a charming progressive house production more than a year in the making. Raining chord stabs are immediately reminiscent of Pryda, as the masterful Swede’s influence is present throughout the production. “Phantom” has potential to be Fehrplay’s best work yet, but we’ll wait for the final, mastered version to make that call. No info on the release date yet.
After the releases of “Incognito” and “Nightride,” it’s safe to say we’ve become quite enamored with Fehrplay. The Norwegian recently made his American debut by opening up for none other than Eric Prydz at New York City’s Roseland Ballroom — and Dancing Astronaut was there to capture that magic. While his remix of “Everyday” made waves, Fehrplay has returned with a new original entitled “I Can’t Stop It,” released today on Pryda Friends. Boasting haunting chords and a hypnotic vocal sample, “I Can’t Stop It” is blissful progressive house with conspicuous Prydz influence. With a mentor like Pryda, you can be sure that big things are on the horizon for Fehrplay.
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Purchase: Beatport
We’re big fans of Eric Prydz; you know this. So naturally, Eric’s serial Epic Radio podcast is always a treat. Aside from witnessing a Pryda live set firsthand, Epic Radio is the best way to catch a glimpse of unreleased Pryda material with a bit of Prydz commentary thrown in on top. Epic Radio is also the medium for Eric to debut upcoming Pryda Friends’ releases, with this episode putting the spotlight on Eric’s forthcoming remix of Jeremy Olander’s “Let Me Feel” and his upcoming original “Power Drive.” More than anything though, Epic Radio is a glimpse into the musical mind of one of Sweden’s greatest talents.
We’re really enjoying the seventh installment of Epic Radio, and we think you will too. Click past the break for a full tracklist, and download the podcast for free from iTunes.
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We’ve gone over the biggest artists, albums, and tracks of 2012, but our end of the year roundup really wouldn’t be complete unless we talked about our own favorites from this year. These are the songs that made us feel, gave us chills, made us party, and made us cry. You’d probably find these tracks with high play counts in our music libraries and dripping with nostalgia if you make us talk about them further.
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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.
So here we are, standing on the brink, about to list the Top 10 Tracks of 2012. We’ve already covered 50-41, 40-31, 30-21, and 20-11. So without further ado, here are Dancing Astronaut’s picks, 10-1.
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First premiered on Eric Prydz’s Epic Radio, “I Can’t Stop It” is Fehrplay’s follow up to his massive remix of “Everyday.” The Pryda understudy is moving up in the world of EDM quickly, having already made his American debut by opening at the Roseland Ballroom in support of Prydz. While his previous originals “Incognito” and “Nightride” first caught our attention, Fehrplay’s forthcoming “I Can’t Stop It” is sustaining our belief in the Norwegian newcomer. With an addictive vocal hook, an engrossing, chord-laden breakdown, and a clean, sparkling drop, “I Can’t Stop It” is shaping up to be a huge release. “I Can’t Stop It” is due out on Pryda Friends in January.
In an era dominated by singles and two-track EPs, the album often seems like an antiquated format. So many producers are caught up in a formulaic rinse and repeat methodology of singles that it’s easy to forget our origins as an LP-centric community. In an attempt to give credit to the producers who’ve put their time, heart, and soul into the extended release format, we’ve ranked our biggest albums and EPs of 2012.
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