What happens when something that rises gets to a peak? It can either go down or stay at a plateau. That sums up 2013 for electronic dance music – some trends went forward, some backwards, some business deals that once looked auspicious went sour, and European crossover festivals that seemed [...]
When my set was over, a young, aspiring DJ pulled me aside intent on educating me. He claimed that only as an established “insider” was I permitted to mix and match between genres as I pleased. Clearly, I hadn’t got the memo. Despite ten-plus years of DJing under my belt, [...]
Although with a visible underground or bubbling-under-the-surface niche, women remain out of the top ranks of EDM – unless Nervo or Krewella’s two singers get another interview about just how hard it is being a woman in the dance music world. Occasionally, a major magazine or blog throws a bone [...]
Prime Loops claims all the big producers use its products, and that might be a fairly accurate statement, since its samples packages tend to offer decent quality and clarity. Its EDM Essentials series, with sample packs focusing on individual genres, just rolled out a Minimal option in November, but with [...]
After a long weekend behind the decks I came home with mixture of pride and defeat. In the span of two separate 6 hour gigs I had discovered music in my library I had forgotten, laughed with friends, pulled off some clever mixes, marinated my liver, lost sleep, tore up [...]
Internet radio has come a long way since the early 2000s. Back then, services would let you select up to five artists to create a playlist and then pull a bunch of related songs. Sometimes, it would work; other times, you’d add some classic electronic artists and then end up [...]
Tiesto got some attention this past month for his latest In The Booth series. The music itself wasn’t particularly remarkable, but rather, a statement he made was: Getting signed to a major label is the next step his career needs. “I wanted to work with the biggest player in the [...]
For EDM, entering the “mainstream” music sphere officially over the last two years has come with a few exhilarating peaks, like earning a top Billboard 200 hit, and seemingly perilous lows, such as sales and accolades heaped on David Guetta, Calvin Harris, and other producers who put out half-assed pop [...]
It's rare to see a DJ work his/her magic using vinyl turntables. And now that the beloved Technics 1200 are no longer being built, DJ's are searching for the next best solution. With that said, Crossfadr has put together a list of turntables, in no particular order, to consider.
It’s easy to dismiss James Murphy, formerly of LCD Soundsystem and now a solo act, producer, and DJ, as a hipster who never grew up. But despite ties to Brooklyn and producing Arcade Fire’s latest album, Murphy has some cogent observations about dance music and DJing that all performers – [...]