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.
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The title track off Zedd’s debut album is a microcosm of the perfect storm of qualities that made Clarity so memorable. At 23, the German wunderkind has already mastered the delicate balancing act between technicality and musicality in his production, infusing “Clarity” with both the structural handicraft to move dance floors and the melodic sensibility to induce chills. Foxes’ gorgeous vocals are as accessible as they are emotive, soaring over the more hackneyed lyrics of Zedd’s proglectro contemporaries. About the only thing this track was missing was a DJ-friendly extended mix. Expect to hear plenty more of this track now, and head to Beatport to grab your copy today.
Zedd ft. Foxes – Clarity (Extended Mix)
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Purchase: Beatport
If you thought Zedd’s “Spectrum” was a storybook type of love song, think again. With Shreddie Mercury’s electrifying touch, it’s anything but. Released officially this week on Interscope Records, Shreddie’s version won the Spectrum Remix Contest earlier this year. The track begins unassumingly, prepping us with Matthew Koma’s familiar crooning. Before long, it progresses into a melange of hard-hitting sounds, not least of which is a heavy, grinding bass line that ceases only for a moment, a brief respite from the relentless low end. This is typical Shreddie Mercury, and if you like what you hear, hop over to Beatport and pick up the remix!
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Purchase: Beatport
Last month, Zedd released his impressive debut album Clarity, and has been riding his hot streak ever since it’s initial success. With a helping hand from Interscope Records, Zedd has since revealed extended mixes for “Stache,” “Shave It Up,” “Fall Into The Sky,” and “Lost At Sea.”
This week, he’s back with an extra special elongated edit of “Codec,” which we’ve previously dubbed the most Zedd-like offering from Clarity. Fast paced, well strung, and backed by a signature bassline, the final product makes a statement for Zedd’s developing sound. Head to Beatport for the extended mix of “Codec” and be sure to check out the rest of the album’s mastered cuts.
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Purchase: Beatport
Best of Instagram is a feature from Dancing Astronaut that showcases our favorite pictures from our favorite DJs on Instragram each week. This week, we’ve got gems from Deadmau5, Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso and more.
Do you want to have your photos included in our Best of Instagram feature? All you have to do to be eligible is use the hashtag “#astrogram” in your photo entry on Instagram. Keep your photos DA or dance music-related, and we’ll choose one user-submitted photo to include each week. Click past the break to see this week’s #astrogram contest winner.
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Sunday Morning Medicine is a feature from Dancing Astronaut dedicated to the mellower side of electronic music. We bring you our favorite therapeutic selections — old and new — in an attempt to alleviate the agonizing effects of a long weekend of partying.
This week features a brand new remix of Zedd’s “Follow You Down” from the talented trio Keys N Krates, as well as older productions from Monitor 66, Amtrac, Quiet Entertainer, and Jacques Greene. If you missed any of DA‘s more mellow posts from the week, make sure to check out the fifth installment of Eric Prydz’s Epic Radio, Above & Beyond’s free giveaway of “Tokyo,” Jelly for the Babies’ deep house gem “Tomorrow Never Comes,” and Griz’s free remix of “Du Du Doo.” Click past the break for five chilled-out tracks to remedy your weekend hangover.
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Swedish House Mafia’s anthem “Save the World” has seen an endless list of remixes by dance music authorities. The track has been reworked by the likes of Cazzette, Zedd, and Alesso, but none have twisted it quite like Bare. Unlike the rest of the remixes, Bare’s version lets his dubstep foundation take hold of the track to turn it into a massive bass plunging rework. Starting off slow, he adds only a couple extra bass blasts to the intro before hitting listeners in the face with his typical rattling sub-bass and squealing synths. Bare’s remix of “Save the World” was first heard early this summer and today he lets it go as a free download. Click below the break to grab your fee copy.
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Zedd pleased music fans worldwide when he finally released his highly anticipated album, Clarity. The production — a carefully crafted and finely tuned piece of work — reminded us that producers don’t have to follow the same formula in order to see mainstream success. He’s taken one of my favorite cuts from the album, “Lost at Sea,” and expanded it. The new version includes a more dance floor-ready intro and outro.
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Purchase: Beatport
It’s mid-October and that means that New Year’s Eve lineups are starting to trickle in. Continuing the trend started by Kaskade with his massive Staples Center show (and Tiesto’s upcoming one there), Nicky Romero and Zedd will be headlining the evening at Club Nokia in Downtown LA. While Los Angeles is used to hosting music festivals and club gigs, large-scale venue electronic shows are still a fairly new attraction for the city.
Nicky Romero posted the event flyer on his Facebook page earlier this week, evoking a slew of excited fan comments. Both producers have had a busy year: Nicky Romero released “Iron” with Calvin Harris and “Sparks” with FLG while also putting out a killer set at Electric Zoo; Zedd’s clearly been busy with Clarity while also making the festival rounds at Electric Zoo and Hard Summer. These guys should definitely be ready to close out a successful 2012 and ring in a stellar 2013 in style. You can join them too. Tickets go on sale today.
Purchase tickets
“Stache” was one of our favorite tracks on Zedd’s Clarity album, and the extended mix is finally here. If you’re a fan of the electro sounds of the album cut, you will love the extended version — which features a perfectly placed sample from the Mac operating system that will encourage you to turn up your speakers to dangerously high levels. We don’t have much else to say about this track that hasn’t already been said, but be sure to check out the official music video if you haven’t done so yet. We’ve embedded it below for your convenience.
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Purchase: Beatport
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