After remaining relatively quiet regarding Will.i.am’s blatant plagiarism of Arty and Mat Zo’s “Rebound,” Anjunabeats has just released an official statement on the matter. While it is true that Will.i.am. credited Arty in the sleeve notes (but not Mat Zo), Anjunabeats attests that he did not receive permission to use the track. As of writing, there has been no official paperwork filed by either party for the use of the track, further implicating Will.i.am in this ongoing case of copyright infringement. It seems you actually can’t take someone’s work without them knowing and then thank them for it later. Who knew? See Anjunabeats statement after the break. (more…)
Incase you were living somewhere other than the internet over the past couple of weeks, the electronic dance music community has not taken lightly to the recent reports of prolific pop producer Will.i.am and his unwarranted use of Arty & Mat Zo’s “Rebound.” But with serial accusations behind him and a burgeoning call for justice in the face of creative integrity, dance music’s popular outreach looks to be called into question once again. The accused has pleaded his excuses, but with calls to formal action and a long list of alleged victims mounting, Dancing Astronaut explores the legal qualms closer to home for electronic dance music.
In an interview with Associated Press, Will.i.am speaks out about the accusations that have been thrown his way regarding the use of “Rebound” in his latest track “Let’s Go,” claiming “you can’t steal if you credited somebody.” Heavily on the defensive, Will.i.am defers blame to both his legal team and Arty himself.
“What do I know, I give it to legal. I’m not an attorney, I did my piece. I gave credit to the person who did it. It’s not my fault he didn’t tell me about the other guy. So who’s to blame? I don’t know I wasn’t in the room when you made it. You should have told me you had a collaborator.”
Will continues to defend himself by claiming that this issue is something that commonly happens in music due to red tape and bureaucracy. “That happens a bunch of times. Where legal takes so long but creative is instantaneous.”
Will.i.am’s fourth studio album, #willpower, indicates strong electro-pop influences with lead singles including the Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello produced “This Is Love” and the Basto written “Scream & Shout.” Other than these collaborators, Will.I.Am had no other EDM producers come to his aid — at least to their knowledge. Today, Will’s VEVO uploaded the fifth track from the album, “Let’s Go” alongside Chris Brown, and the preview has the dance music community up in arms. ”Let’s Go” appears to be a blatant ripoff of Arty and Mat Zo‘s Anjunabeats release, “Rebound,” and not just a sample, the entire track. Listen for yourself after the break.
BillboardMagazine has officially debuted its new Dance/Electronic songs chart, which will be the first song ranking system that will track the nation’s top dance songs based on digital download sales, radio airplay, streaming data, and reported club play according to a hand-selected panel of 140 American DJs.
According to Billboard.com, the Dance/Electronic songs chart will follow the same methodology of its other ranking systems, such as Billboard Top 100. Though the chart will not allow remix crossovers:
Dance remixes of titles categorized as pop, rock, R&B, rap or another genre would not make a song eligible for Dance/Electronic Songs, even if the title appears on the Dance Club Songs or Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart.
The magazine implemented a Dance/Electronic digital sales chart in 2010 and will be following the same determination when declaring a song dance or electronic. Currently topping the chart is the will.i.am produced Britney Spears‘ track “Scream and Shout” followed by Swedish House Mafia‘s “Don’t You Worry Child.”
Billboard also expanded its charts adding a Streaming Songs ranking, which will rank tracks based off radio streams and on-demand audio from leading services including Spotify, Muve, Slacker, Rhapsody, Rdio, MySpace, Xbox Music and Guvera.
Felix Da Housecat‘s “Burn The Disco,” has been a grade-A party starter as an original mix with vocals from Will.I.am, and has been taken to the next level with its remix package. The premier rendition comes from Fareoh, who injects a heavy fix of acid house to juxtapose the pop basis. First picking up the tempo and the pace of the bassline, Fareoh lets the catchy hook ride until the drop, where he plunges into dance floor contagion with splashes of 303-resemblant synth warps. Available on Beatport via Ultra Records, Fareoh’s remix of “Burn The Disco” is packaged with takes from David Heartbreak and Bro Safari.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Sidney Samson makes his pop crossover with a superstar who isn’t new to the electronic music world, Will.I.Am. Following “Dutchland,” Sidney comes back with an original mix for the clubs, an absolute party starter and energy booster, “Better Than Yesterday.” With Black Eyed Peas frontman on the vocal, this track can go either way — straight to the radio or deep into the night life scene. The beat comes with deeper progression and less bleeps than we are used to from Samson, but is packaged for infectious dance action. Head to Beatport for the release of “Better Than Yesterday” before it lands on Will.I.Am’s forthcoming album.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Afrojack takes on another pop hit for the remixing, this time of Will.I.Am’s Steve Angello-produced and Eva Simmons-assisted “This Is Love.” Making its way through air waves and DJ sets, The Black Eyed Peas’ front man edges further into the world of electronic music with an EP full of remixes. Afrojack’s rendition features heavier dutch bleeps and a deep, distorted drop, making for one of his darker productions. This Is Love Remixes EP also sees remixes from Sidney Samson, Damien Le Roy, James Egbert, and Richard Vission Solmatic; all available on Beatport today.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
We honestly wish that Mondays were a little more mellow because we have a hard time fitting in all the news. There was a TON of music released today from Digitalism & Tommy Trash, 4 strings, Eva Simons, Stefan Dabruck & Tocadisco, and even remixes of an Usher track. SHM discussed their new single with MTV, Arty released a video from Alesso’s 21st birthday party and even more. If you’re having a hard time keeping up, don’t worry because there is even more past the break.
Will.i.am is generally regarded as one of the first to bridge the gap between mainstream pop and dance music with the help of David Guetta. “This is Love” is the second single off his upcoming album, #willpower, and it was co-produced by will.i.am, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso. Sidney Samson is one of the first DJs to be remixing the track, and his take allows the upbeat lyrics and piano melodies to build the song up until culminating in a drop so heavy it will catch you off guard. The full EP will be released on August 7th and will feature remixes from the other DJs including Afrojack. Until then we might just have this banger on repeat.
