This past week, the American Music Awards added its first electronic dance music category. Predictably, David Guetta, Calvin Harris, and Skrillex were nominated, with the “Titanium” producer winning. None of the three were present at the ceremony.
If you missed out on Ibiza’s latest summer, there’s a chance to experience the heat as the weather, over here, turns cold. UltraTV started a new video series on its YouTube channel, covering the latest club season. Above & Beyond are the first artists featured.
For putting EDM to a good cause, there’s Tiesto’s collaboration with (RED) to engage fans to fight against AIDS. While we touched on this last week, a compilation album by the DJ, called DANCE (RED), SAVES LIVES, was announced this week, as was a global live stream of the Stereosonic Festival in Australia. The compilation, featuring Calvin Harris, Avicii, Diplo, Laidback Luke, Martin Solveig, and a collaboration with Bono, is being released on November 27. The streaming concert is scheduled for December 1 and 2 and can be watched here.
This compilation from Tiesto is not the first release announced this week. Appearing on November 19 was “Robot Heart,” a collaboration of Art Department, Blud, and Shawn Reeves, featuring Damian Lazarus, out on No. 19. Following the single’s release, Art Department started a tour that lasts from November 21 until January 4, when they play The BPM Festival.
Also out this week was Midnight Conspiracy and CENOB1TE’s collaboration “Sentinel,” on Ultra Records. Shogun’s remix of BT, Arty, and Nadia Ali’s collaboration “Must Be The Love” additionally appeared on November 19.
For future releases, Starkillers and BL3ND previewed their upcoming collaboration “Xception” right before Thanksgiving. The track is scheduled to drop on December 3 on Spinnin’ Records. Marcus Schossow previewed upcoming track “Helvete.” Another oeuvre in the growing sub-subgenre of dub-house, “Helvete” is scheduled for December 10 on Garuda.
For a track no one will remember, Lil Wayne and Paris Hilton dabbled in EDM with “Last Night.” If you thought “Drunk Text” was vile, “Last Night” is yet another indication Paris Hilton needs to stay far, far away from EDM.
But, for music that’s worth listening to, BT is the latest DJ to produce a soundtrack for a children’s movie. This time, the trance DJ did a Toy Story short film, called Partysaurus Rex. The track, called “Partysaurus Overflow,” has been released as a soundtrack single.
For those looking for the latest trend, there’s two new this week. Pete Tong, in talking about his new iHeartRadio show, discussed EDM without rules. Is this another push for a fluid, melting pot of a genre, in which house and trance blend seamlessly into dubstep? The other sounds to watch out for are a disco revival. And, no, it’s not nu-disco. But, based on the New York Times’ trend piece, this form might as well be called hipster-disco. What do you think?
