If there’s any aspect of electronic music that’s consistent, it’s the ebb and flow of genres, some reaching the apex of visibility and others falling onto the backburner. Sounds evolve and spawn other genres or subgenres, and certain styles become passé, even dormant for years, only to emerge in a [...]
Sometimes, reluctance fabricates a relationship – one not of mutual appreciation but rather of tolerance and muted, strained acknowledgement. Over the past two years, the rest of the U.S. top 40 genres have embraced electronic dance music in such a fashion. Instead of the synthesizer and repetition oddity it was [...]
Now that summer’s pretty much over, we’re hearing about the latest records EDM festivals set. On a smaller, but nonetheless significant, scale was the third Sound Wave Music Festival. With Calvin Harris as the headliner, this event at the Big Surf Water Park in Tempe, AZ drew in 10,000. On [...]
Even with all of their visibility on the charts and at festivals, mainstream DJs and producers somewhat have it harder than the independent performer. They’re at a convergence of three forces, expected to appease and satisfy each: The promoter, such as Live Nation, that is expecting some degree of consistency; [...]
You bypass iTunes for Beatport to get the latest EDM tracks, so why settle for YouTube for music videos? Online music channels, either through YouTube, another platform, or existing on their own, have a growing presence on the internet, but when it comes to replicating that old MTV (or VH1) [...]
Just as EDM is being treated like a valid genre, its music videos are beginning to experience recognition. Deadmau5, in his cover story for Rolling Stone, spoke about his just-released music video “Professional Griefers.” Reportedly, “Professional Griefers” is the most expensive EDM video ever, with Joel Zimmerman contributing seven figures [...]
Some DJs build their sound and sets around anthems – that distinct vocal line or synth melody anyone can hum and have it immediately recognized. Others are symphonic. Sounds, from soaring synths to thudding deep bass, saturate the venue’s air, vibrating the walls and pulsating through every individual. Avicii, the [...]
This past week featured announcements of multiple festivals and tours, from Richie Hawtin’s CNTRL to Jesse Saunders’ Pure House Music Festival, along with new releases. In addition to that, Skrillex was thought to be dead, but this internet hoax shows that, once again, you can’t trust everything you read online. [...]
In modern pop culture memory, EDM is so new that today’s Beatport Chart-topping talent could either seemingly rise even further or flame out. What many in the U.S. forget is, EDM’s profile gained greater visibility in the 1990s, through acts like Paul Oakenfold, The Chemical Brothers, John Digweed, and Sasha, [...]
Considering Steve Angello’s work with Swedish House Mafia and recently emphasizing his traditional DJing background, Saturday’s Size in the Park concert, at the Rumsey Playfield in Central Park, could have gone in one of two ways: an effort to prove his DJing roots or a long string of hits. Angello [...]