2016 is shaping up to be the year of reunions indeed. Sasha and John Digweed whipped the world of dance music into a frenzy last week when the former artist joined the latter onstage during his Bedrock Easter performance at Ministry of Sound, and they've followed up the back-to-back set with some curious new branding.
House music DJ/producer Justin Martin has emerged as the Dirtybird Records’ chief export. Much of the ghettotech that the label puts out resonates more with the sensibilities of the electronic music elite, but his productions have succeeded in reaching a wider fan base.
Gareth Emery's third studio album, 100 Reasons To Live, wouldn't ordinarily be that deserving of criticism. Nobody would argue that it's a collection of songs that challenge the electronic music status quo, but nothing in the album is a flat-out assault on the senses, either.
The trance family of Texas has a newfound reason to celebrate - although it looks like the news might have reached them a bit earlier than intended. Insomniac Events announced via the Facebook page for their rapidly growing Dreamstate brand that it will expand to Texas in 2016 before abruptly taking down the post.
It's hard to find anything positive to say about Benny Benassi's Chris Brown collaboration "Paradise." Even if you ignore that it's a prime example of electronic music culture being appropriated for mainstream audiences, its style is dated by a number of years that makes it far from relevant even by those standards.
With lineup announcements from more contemporary festivals rolling in at a breakneck pace, those that cater to the underground are as welcome as ever. Toronto festival Electric Island has released the lineup of its 2016 edition, and as with previous years it looks to be a five-day house and techno haven.
If there's one take home from KSHMR's latest track, it's "If it ain't broke don't fix it." The former member of The Cataracts kicked his solo career off on a favorable note with his 2014 Tiësto collaboration, "Secrets," and after a few less impactful releases he's returned to that sound with "Wildcard."
For an artist whose career trajectory has largely paralleled that of the mainstream EDM explosion, Claude VonStroke boasts his fair share of underground credentials. The Dirtybird Records label head spent much of his youth in Detroit, where he was steeped in the area’s historic rave scene before setting up shop in San Fransisco.
In today's oversaturated festival market, music fans look for outside-the-box alternatives to the the traditional festival format. Shambhala Music Festival has emerged as one of the best candidates for such, as evidenced by the first lineup announcement for its 2016 edition.
Unfortunate news for partygoers in Puerto Rico and California's bay area has surfaced. Insomniac Events founder and CEO Pasquale Rotella has issued a statement on the company's website detailing changes in its operations for the 2016 festival season, and has revealed that EDC Puerto Rico and Beyond Wonderland will no longer take place.
