These days, it's difficult to have a conversation about techno without the name Nicole Moudaber coming up a time or two. The Nigerian selector and MOOD Records founder has become so ubiquitous a part of the music landscape that even more mainstream dance music fans have familiarized themselves with her work, and her upcoming EP will likely serve to expand her presence further.
Nobody holds down the market for tropical house remixes of classic songs quite like Kygo. The Norwegian DJ/producer's particular brand of feelgood summer music has lent itself quite well to the work of artists like Marvin Gaye and Blackstreet, and his remix of A-Ha's '80s hit "Take On Me" further proves the versatility of his style.
In a New York Times video interview that's making its rounds for all the wrong reasons, Justin Bieber as well as Jack Ü's Skrillex and Diplo divulge the creative process behind their manufactured festival hit "Where Are Ü Now." While Skrillex and Diplo almost could have succeeded in convincing us that the track was some kind of musical opus, Bieber's own dialogue cut it back down to size by giving the song's critics (like us, for instance) even more firepower.
Half the fun of hitting any major festival is seeing the surrounding area transform into an EDM hotspot for a number of days. New York City already boasts several decades of electronic music history, but the list of official afterparties for Electric Zoo prove Labor Day Weekend an ideal time to be an EDM fan in the city that never sleeps.
Australian electronic music producer Chet Faker wowed us a couple months ago with "Bend," which he released alongside the announcement of a few final tour dates. His latest work, "Killswitch," accompanies the unveiling of another series of Australian dates - but nobody's suggesting that it doesn't stand up on its own merit.
SoundCloud's made its fair share of headlines as of late for controversies that don't exactly bolster its street cred. Following the deal the streaming platform struck with Warner Music Group last year, it's implemented policies that dealt a considerable blow to the same remix/bootleg culture it served to propagate - so perhaps it stands to reason that they would put out a list like this to remind people that they're still the cool kid on the block.
It seems like I'm always writing about Diplo's off-base collaborations these days. The bass music icon has been particularly outspoken about his disdain for formulaic EDM, which makes it ever more surprising to see him team up with Mad Decent signee Sleepy Tom on a future house track like "Be Right There."
Just when you think EDM couldn't get kitschier, word of a collaboration that makes Jack Ü's "Where Are Ü Now" look like Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" has surfaced. Diplo had already cast away his last shred of street cred by teaming up with Justin Bieber on the aforementioned track, but he looks to be dealing an even deadlier blow to his rep by throwing none other than gimmick rapper Riff Raff into the mix on his next track.
House hero Amtrac has released a quality new tune in the form of "Hold On," a soulful slice of four-four heaven fit for a proper after-hours endeavor. During the up-and-comer's steady rise into mainstream awareness, he's hinted off and on an album in the works - but hasn't explicitly stated whether or not this track will be part of the effort.
With festival season drawing to a close, it's often easy to forget about the shows taking place well into the cold months - but if Insomniac Events has anything to say about it, there will still be at least one occasion to remember. The organizers of EDC Orlando have announced the event's official lineup, and it promises to be one for the books.
