The big news, if you haven’t heard already, is, DJ Magazine’s annual poll was released last Friday. As has been the trend over the past few years, Armin Van Buuren is No. 1 and Tiesto holds strong at No. 2. Avicii moved up to No. 3, surpassing Deadmau5 (No. 5) and David Guetta (No. 4). Rounding out the top 10 are Hardwell, Dash Berlin, Above & Beyond, Afrojack, and Skrillex. Read the full results here.
Beatport and iTunes, with previews through Soundcloud, have been the typical mode of releasing EDM as of recent. Certain artists are changing that by simply offering new music for free. Rusko, purveyor of brostep, is the latest to do so with four-track EP KAPOW. Available on his website, KAPOW comes out November 4 and will be followed by a North American tour that starts on October 26 in Chicago. As to why he’s taking this route with his music, the producer said: “The natural thing for me to do is release ‘KAPOW’ myself. How I want. The way I want and at the speed I want. It’s about promotion and not profit – I want to give the fans the music in real time. If they can help me promote it too then it’s essentially what a label does anyway but just without copyright restrictions.”
Curious about Dada Life? In support of their latest release The Rules of Dada, the duo are holding a live question and answer session today. Fans can submit questions through the group’s Facebook page. The live chat is being held at 3 p.m. EST.
The U.S. debut of Sensation “Innerspace” is this weekend. Tickets, on the other hand, sold out quickly over the summer, and curious EDM fans now have an opportunity to watch without being present. The Friday performance at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn is being streamed through YouTube and will feature Mr. White, Dennis Ferrer, Fedde Le Grand, and Nic Fanciulli. The live stream can be seen here.
Last week, for a future live show, Afrojack was rumored to be doing a New Year’s Eve performance as part of his upcoming Jacked tour. Now, with a new website, that seems to be a reality. Watch the trailer for the event here and more details are expected to follow soon.
For a mega-tour next year, Depeche Mode, who have sold 100 million records worldwide during their 30-plus year career, are preparing for an extensive trek of Europe in summer 2013, with North American dates following. The tour is in support of a new album, still untitled, expected to drop in the spring.
Justice, too, are doing a live North American tour, which kicked off over the past week.
Aside from tours and new releases, Electrospective, a collaboration between EMI Music, Mute, and Virgin Records, surfaced last week. The goal is to give fans history of electronic music from the 1950s to the present.
Also for those wanting to do more than feel the beat, NYU is offering an EDM business class, announced this week. While music schools have offered business classes in the past, this course covers the history and market for the genre. For those who are more established, the EDM Network launched this week, featuring a series of sites geared toward each subgenre.
