It doesn't seem like the novelty of attending a music festival on a cruise ship is about to wear off anytime soon, because the lineup announcements for next year's Holy Ship! sailings are making next year's installments out to be as unforgettable as ever. It's only been a matter of weeks since HARD Events put out the recap video for last year's sailings, and they've clearly chosen to capitalize on the momentum by timing these announcements so soon after.
Eric Prydz has found himself in the favor of dance music's more discerning fans over the past couple of years. In a movement away from the main stage appeal of his earlier discography, the progressive house favorite has traded big drops and hard kicks for contemplative arpeggios and long, seemingly eternal grooves, cementing himself as one of the genre's greats in the process.
It's been several months since Diplo and Skrillex's Jack Ü project debuted their Justin Bieber collaboration, "Where Are Ü Now," with a surprise appearance from the latter artist at Ultra Music Festival in Miami, and somehow it hasn't run its course just yet. Concurrent with the release of the track's official music video last week, the track just reached its peak position on the Billboard Hot 100 at 15, despite having received decidedly negative feedback from tastemakers like Zedd and deadmau5.
Much like the UK adopted house music from the US and ran with it in the late '80s, techno owes much of its contemporary identity to what German innovators have done with the genre. Perhaps none of them have made as lasting an impression on the world of techno as Sven Väth has, which makes him a fitting guest for the latest installment of BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix Masters series.
In an apparent effort to prove that slow reveals are still the best way to stay relevant, Oliver Heldens has revealed that he is the mastermind behind bass house outfit HI-LO (perhaps so named because HI-LO backwards and spaced differently is "OLI H"). Last month's "Crank It Up" drew plenty of exposure to the project already, and in conjunction with the announcement of Heldens' own Heldeep record label the teaser for a new HI-LO hit comes in the form of "Renegade Mastah."
We're glad Knife Party's back to making the kind of headlines we actually enjoy reading. The Australian electro house duo had been relatively quiet since the release of their debut album, Abandon Ship, last year, and broke the silence only to reveal that member Rob Swire suffered hearing loss from the use of a vape pen. The EDM community was relieved to learn that Swire's hearing was restored, and is now overjoyed to hear the first preview from their upcoming EP.
If you're not familiar with Ruby Rose from the Netflix original series Orange Is The New Black (OITNB), you might have some kind of serious problem and should probably get checked out. Rose has been the subject of countless news stories after her debut on the show's third season, as her gender-bending style has resonated with a youth culture more sexually fluid than those which preceded it. It recently surfaced that she's also a decent electronic music DJ, and she recently made headlines for an eventful performance at Pacha NYC.
Music fans have learned a lot more about Martin Garrix in recent months than they did during the time that "Animals" made its rounds on the festival circuit, but it looks like they still want more. The young DJ/producer recently linked up with Playboy to talk about his likes, dislikes and dreams, revealing some interesting tidbits of his personality in the process.
Skrillex and Diplo's Jack Ü project hasn't exactly been in our good graces, but we're always willing to let them change that. Parisian trap/future bass artist Tomsize has garnered support from some of bass music's giants over the past few years, and it looks as though he'll soon release his most high-profile joint effort yet.
Techno fans rejoice - Maceo Plex has just announced a new album. The Barcelona, Spain-based U.S. transplant has not released a full-length studio album since 2011, but revealed that Solar, an effort of his newborn son's namesake, will be out in October.
