“So you produce music on your computer… so you’re a DJ, right?” NO. This is something that is commonly misinterpreted in the EDM world, especially for new listeners. While a DJ can be a producer, and a producer can be a DJ, there are often times where someone specializes in [...]
For those that don’t know, March is informally the season for dance music awards. Newcomer the Beatport Awards ended its poll at the end of February and announced its winners earlier in the month, and the long-standing International Dance Music Awards (IDMAs) revealed its lineup on March 27 during the [...]
As EDM becomes more of a fixture in the American musical landscape, one subgenre ascends to novelty status each year. Often, the sounds lasted close to a decade in some other context. Dubstep became 2012’s “it” attraction, while a year later, fickle fans turned toward trap – a style originating [...]
Out of the quintessential electronic dance subgenres to emerge from the 1980s, house and techno frequently make it to the top of the list. Then, synthpop and electro, considering their limited staying power, follow. But an oft-forgotten sound that was equally prominent during the time, especially in American urban areas, [...]
We’ve all been on both ends of music elitism – and not just in the electronic dance music community. For those of us interested in electronic music and have been at least a casual fan, there likely has been at least one instance in which you likely witnessed someone tell [...]
If you had already thought EDM got as corporate as it could possibly get, from festival sponsors to Live Nation buying up Insomniac, guess again. Early in March, Forbes writer Jesse Lawrence recommended investing in EDM stock, specifically SFX Entertainment, which went public last year. Lawrence lists multiple reasons investors [...]
Finding that source of euphoric frequency that vibrates your soul, is my quest...
As much as dance music claims to go forward, trends sporadically look toward the past. In 2008 through 2010, a handful of acts explored ‘80s synthpop sounds, but with a safer, slicker sound that might have been appropriate for Alphaville but too tame for a Depeche Mode album. Out of [...]
The most important mainstream dance music album is likely one you’re not listening to – Basshunter’s Calling Time. Yes, Basshunter has never been taken seriously in the dance music sphere. He’s a Eurodance artist that survived and produced hits far past the prime of “Dota” and “Boten Anna” (and their [...]
When you think of deep house, you think of Chicago and, to a lesser extent these days, Las Vegas, but Richmond, Va.? In a sense, this makes DJ Aakmael one of deep house’s best-kept secrets. Aakmael comes from a musical background going across hip-hop, R&B, house, reggae, classical, opera, and [...]