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.
When an artist remixes his own track, it’s always a great opportunity to peer inside the mind of a producer daring enough to explore multiple aural avenues. Scuba, under the guise of his techno-drive SCB alias, has taken a second crack as his ever-popular “Hardbody” from last year. The SCB edit strays away from the original’s ’90s house inhibitions in favor for a rework rich with psychedelic synthesis and booming bass lines.
Purchase: Beatport
Scuba‘s “Beam Me Up” collaboration with (the formerly anonymous) Will Saul/Close alias is a fantastic track on its own, but George Fitzgerald‘s remix converts it from a slow-grinding track heavy on the atmosphere to a jumping house groover. Fitzgerald not only alters the structure of the song but also reworks Charlene Soraia’s vocals in just the right way. Close’s full debut LP is set for a release date in June, but this remix is out now on !K7 Records.
Of all of the events I was scheduled to attend this year, the Hotflush Recordings showcase was one I’d probably been looking forward to the most. I’d been closely following Scuba since Personality and George Fitzgerald since his 2012 Child EP. Already in 2013, the pair have popped up for a killer 70 minute Boiler Room set and George has obliterated the Radio 1 airwaves with his January Essential Mix. This same b2b setup in Miami would fill my giddy fangirl tendencies, but it was also WMC’s worst-kept secret that Adam Beyer would be joining Cirez D as two very special guests of the label.
Electronic music wunderkind George FitzGerland makes his return to Scuba’s Hotflush imprint for the first time in over a year with “Thinking of You.” The track was premiered on his Essential Mix during the Future Stars series, and features a dark and repetitive drum sequence over a tasteful vocal segment. The song is crafted immaculately — adding to FitzGerald’s clout as one of the most promising producers of recent time. If you haven’t familiarized yourself with him yet, now is the time to do so.
The underground had a big year in the US in 2012 and we only felt it appropriate to highlight some of these amazing artists independently from potentially bigger or more commercial artists in the dance music world today. We considered the year these artists have had in terms of production, live sets, and overall influence. We also generally picked artists we love and admire; artists we feel are extremely important to pushing electronic music forward. This list of 25 names includes legends and young guns alike, but we can assure you that every single one of these artists is incredibly talented and is well worth a listen or a trip to a club for a live set. Picking up where we left off yesterday, we will continue the countdown with our picks from #15 to the #6 spot.
Paul Rose, known more widely as Berlin-based producer Scuba, has been on a hot streak this year both with the release of his flooring third full length Personality album and more recent “Talk Torque” single on his own Hotflush Recordings. Today he’s back at it again with the release of another one-sided 12″ entitled “Hardbody.” As usual, Radio 1 got the premiere on this several weeks back and this tune, kicks up the drama and drives down the bass line a bit more than some of his other work. No matter what vibe Scuba goes with on his productions, there’s no doubt he’ll deliver a sonically diverse piece of music that’ll keep you guessing every time. Listen below and get yours on Beatport today.
If you have ever questioned if they do it better in the UK, this video will probably clear up any doubt. Pitchfork recently released a mini-documentary on the now prodigious Warehouse Project club in Manchester. These people have been throwing parties in Warehouse Project form since 2006 and have been consistently known for pushing the limits of what is known, accepted, or cool in the dance music industry.
In turn, the producers and DJs lucky enough to perform for these discerning crowds only have multitudes of praise to give about the planning, atmosphere, and originality of the events. Hear what names like Skream, Diplo, Four Tet, Nicolas Jaar, AlunaGeorge, and Scuba have to say about the experience.
