bpm:tv
- HOME
-
SHOWS
The Stafford Brothers
Current Shows
- SCHEDULE
- bpm:tv blog
- MUSIC & PHOTOS
- REVIEWS
- FORUMS
- STREET TEAM
From Dragonette to Deadmau5, Carl Cox to K-OS, there’s just one show on Canadian TV that brings you up close and personal every week with the biggest names in dance and electronic music.
He may fill stadiums in Europe, but Parisian house DJ and producer MARTIN SOLVEIG was, until recently, an unknown commodity in North America. All that changed last year, with the success of his breakthrough single “Hello,” featuring Canada’s own Dragonette. Much of the credit for that belongs to the video, a whimsical, Wes Anderson-inspired affair co-starring Solveig’s longtime friend Gregory Darsa as his flamboyant manager “Lafaille.” Filmed at the French Open tennis tournament before a crowd of 12,000, the witty seven-minute short garnered more than 35 million views on YouTube. (He’s one-upped himself with the clip for his newest single, “Ready 2 Go,” which was filmed in front of 50,000 fans during a sold-out international football match at the Stade de France.) With his fourth studio album SMASH topping a million copies, his touring schedule packed with major festival dates, and a producing gig with Madonna in the works, this self-deprecating Gallic charmer looks to become France’s most successful export since The Laughing Cow.
Every year, in the depths of winter, the whole world of electronic music gathers beneath the palm trees of sunny Miami. In this edition, bpm:tv goes behind the scenes at MIAMI MUSIC WEEK, one of the premier events on this planet for DJs and dance music movers and shakers. Our bpm Spotlight team is on hand for a series of exclusive parties and live performances featuring such heavy hitters as Skrillex, Carl Cox, Josh Wink, Robbie Rivera, Robbie Sanchez and Bob Sinclar (pictured below).
The enormous success of his recent single “Illmerica” — and its brilliant animated vide0 – has earned WOLFGANG GARTNER (a.k.a. Joey Youngman) the status of “breakthrough artist.” (Canadian fans saw him on tour with Tiësto earlier this year.) But the Los Angeles-based electro house producer is no overnight sensation; he was working behind the decks in nightclubs by the age of 16. His resumé to date includes: eight Beatport number ones, appearances at Coachella and the Ultra Music Festival, a Grammy nomination, remixes for the likes of Timbaland, Britney Spears, Mika and The Black Eyed Peas, and (whew!) a collaboration with will.i.am on the single “Forever,” released this past April. With his debut album Weekend In America hitting the streets at this very moment (courtesy of dance music behemoth Ultra Records), world domination would certainly appear to be in the cards.
WATCH: Wolfgang Gartner, “Illmerica”
Led by Melbourne native Benjamin Plant, the Aussie electronic outfit MIAMI HORROR has earned buzz band status on the strength of their 2009 hit single “Sometimes,” last year’s debut long-player Illumination, and opening act slots for the likes of Lily Allen, La Roux and Phoenix. Inspired by a love of “Roland keyboards and French house,” Plant and his bandmates have crafted a dancefloor-friendly synthpop sound that channels such Eighties icons as New Order and Prince, disco pioneers like Giorgio Moroder, and prog-rock legends from Supertramp to ELO. Currently wrapping up the Illumination tour, the band has relocated to Los Angeles to work on their sophomore album, which Plant promises will feature more synths, more guitar and “more rhythm than ever.”
FOLLOW MIAMI HORROR ON TWITTER
LISTEN TO MIAMI HORROR ON SOUNDCLOUD
Innovative Colorado-based beatmakerPRETTY LIGHTS (a.k.a. Derek Vincent Smith) is one of 2011′s breakout artists. Drawing heavily on funk and R&B samples and hip-hop beats to fashion his distinctive sound, he has built a fast-growing following by making most of his music available for free download on his Web site, and by mounting a dazzling, high-tech stage show that rivals the spectacle offered by any of the A-list Euro-DJs. In this edition of bpm Spotlight, he takes time out from his triumphant tour of the festival circuit to talk about his influences, his musical evolution, and the making of his latest album, produced using old-school hardware to create the “electro/hip-hop/soul sound of the future.”
FIND PRETTY LIGHTS ON FACEBOOK
FOLLOW PRETTY LIGHTS ON TWITTER
LISTEN TO PRETTY LIGHTS ON SOUNDCLOUD
Founded in 2006, L.A. electronic three-piece THE GLITCH MOB have established a growing reputation with their galvanizing stage shows and remixes for the likes of Daft Punk, The White Stripes, Linkin Park and TV On The Radio. Fusing hip-hop and heavy duty bass with a touch of hard rock swagger, they have one long-player, Drink The Sea, already under the belts, and follow-up album in the works. For a taste of what they’re about, grab a free download of “Warrior Concerto” from their recent EP, We Can Make The World Stop.
FIND THE GLITCH MOB ON FACEBOOK
FOLLOW THE GLITCH MOB ON TWITTER
LISTEN TO THE GLITCH MOB ON SOUNDCLOUD
In this edition: go behind the scenes at WEMF, Canada’s premier electronic music festival, which this year featured stellar performances by the likes of Rusko, Skrillex, Calvin Harris, Pendulum, Infected Mushroom, Zeds Dead and The Killabits (pictured above).
The WEMF 2011 Official Recap on YouTube: WATCH IT HERE
Along with their colleagues The Killabits, Toronto duo ZEDS DEAD (a.k.a. DC and Hooks) have helped to establish a thriving dubstep scene in the city, co-founding the weekly bass music showcase Bassmentality. Known for their stellar live sets, they have succeeded in building a wide-reaching reputation by unleashing a slew of free downloads, some of which have caught the attention of EDM’s biggest movers and shakers. They hooked up with Diplo‘s Mad Decent imprint in 2010, and generated a massive response at the label’s 2011 New York Block Party showcase. And they’ve inked a deal with Steve Aoki‘s Dim Mak Records, releasing the acclaimed Ruckus The Jam EP this past December. With 70-plus dates, their “Graveyard Tour” in the fall of 2011 was the duo’s most ambitious undertaking yet, and the spring of 2012 finds them criss-crossing North American once again, this time in the company of Omar LinX on “The Living Dead Tour.”
Listen to Zeds Dead on SOUNDCLOUD
Zeds Dead – Guest Mix For MistaJam: LISTEN TO IT HERE
With 13 years of experience and five acclaimed albums under their belts — not to mention remixes for the likes of Tiësto, Ferry Corsten, Armin van Buuren and Deadmau5 – veteran German progressive trance duo COSMIC GATE (a.k.a. DJ Bossi and Nic Chagall) have managed to achieve the rare combination of longevity, consistency and continued relevance. Meeting up with bpm Spotlight on their latest swing through North America, they look back at the last decade-plus in dance music, and share an inside look at their newest long-player Wake Your Mind, which includes the Hot 20 Dance Chart single “Be Your Sound,” featuring Emma Hewitt.
Listen to Cosmic Gate on SOUNDCLOUD
Emma Hewitt – Colours (Cosmic Gate Remix): LISTEN TO IT HERE
If you’re part of the dance music world, there’s really only one place to be in March: the Winter Music Conference in Miami. This massive annual gathering — the grand finale of which is the three-day Ultra Music Festival — brings together all of EDM’s global elite, from superstar DJs and producers, to promoters and label honchos, to the hardest of the hardcore fans. bpm Spotlight made the trek down to the Sunshine State last month to check out all the action, taking in blistering live performances from the likes of Skrillex, Calvin Harris, Steve Aoki, Porter Robinson, Boyz Noise and R3hab.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW bpm:tv’s WMC 2012 Photo Gallery
While the upper ranks of the international DJ elite are still dominated by Europeans and Brits, Miami-born/L.A.-bred STEVE AOKI has (along with Kaskade and Skrillex) made impressive strides on behalf Team U.S.A. Currently ranked number 42 on the prestigious DJ Mag Top 100, Aoki — a former high school badminton star and son of Benihana restaurant founder Rocky Aoki — has established the self-launched indie label Dim Mak as an industry powerhouse (home to Datsik, Bloody Beetroots, Infected Mushroom and Toronto’s own Zeds Dead, among others), while building up his own reputation as an electrifying live performer. After a fabulously productive 2011 that saw him score two massive hit singles (“Turbulence,” with Laidback Luke and Lil Jon, and “No Beef” with Afrojack), Aoki kicked off the new year by releasing his three-years-in-the-making debut album Wonderland, featuring collaborations with the likes of LMFAO, Kid Cudi, will.i.am, Wynter Gordon and Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo. Keep your eye on his new single “Heartbreaker,” featuring Lovefoxxx, which has just cracked the bpm:tv Hot 20 Dance Chart.
Listen to Steve Aoki on SOUNDCLOUD
Steve Aoki – Cudi The Kid (Remixes): LISTEN HERE