Wah wah wah wawawawawaw. The dubstep generation has been blessed today with a gift from one of its favourite sons. 12th Planet dropped some new visuals for us from his latest EP, The End is Near!, which we blogged last week. The video is dope as f*** — and you would expect nothing less from this maniac.
Feel as though you need to unleash some steam? No problemo, amigo! 12th Planet’s The End Is Near! North American Tour is coming soon to a city near you. Do yourself a favour: get tix, call your friends and rage the f*** out!
Do yourself another favour and grab a copy of The End Is Near! EP as soon as possible. Did I mention it’s free? GET IT HERE!
Clockwise from top left: Dada Life, Jokers of the Scene, Gesaffelstein, Brodinski
The slow weekends are over and it’s time to hit the concert scene running. Some heavy shows going down. First up: Dada Life was in Toronto last night, and the Swedish duo put the Hoxton to the test. Next in line: Jokers of the Scene tonight at Wrongbar. The Ottawa duo always puts on a show you want to catch, managing to lay down some grimey-Trent-Reznor-soundtracky-dark-tunez, but still keeping the party hot and the audience on their toes. If you’re in the Toronto area and aren’t familiar wit the Jokers, I really suggest you stop by and check out what two of this country’s most underrated producers are up to. Check in at Embrace Presents to cop an early-bird ticket.
In honour of the monster truck show going down at the Rogers Centre this weekend, I will now point my attention to the main event – Saturday Saturday , SATURDAY!!! (in a booming monster truck show voice). Tomorrow we get to see two of the hottest artists in EDM … scratch that: two of the hottest artists in music. Industry favourite Brodinski is in town to kill the Wrongbar and turn that sum-a-bitch sidewayz, ya dig? This time he brings with him an artist I’ve been going on about nonstop for the past year: Gesaffelstein. Don’t let the German-sounding name fool you, this guy is French techno at its purest. You like Justice? you like Ed Banger Records? you like black leather, dark hair and claps and kicks that rattle your veins and turn your face pale? Wrongbar Saturday. You’re welcome!
SWEETS
First, let’s hear some bangers from the the above mentioned. Dada Life must of been two of the loudest kids on the block growing up. Nothing is soft with them, and that’s why we like them.
Brand new EP from Jokers of the Scene, and the JOTS have some seriously emotional tracks on this. Big! If you like, check out also We Plants Are Happy Plants.
A fresh new EP just dropped by this man can only be summed up one way: it bangs! Some serious tunez on this joint. If you’re thinking 12th Planet is just another one of those Skrillex clones, you are dead wrong. This kid has an ear for what’s next, not what’s now, and this EP could spell the beginning of Skrillex opening shows for him. All right, I’ll calm it down — but you get the point: cop this!!!
Finalllllllly! A remix to this track that you can actually hang your hat on. This track is genre-less. You could rap on it, sing on it, speed it up to hardstyle, slow it down to whine to, and on and on. A little bit of everything, which is what we love. Good looking Flosstradamus!
Want to piss off your parents in a hurry? Easy — take Sawgood‘s newest release, lock yourself in the room right next to your folks, and BUUUUUUUUMP THIS! This track has your energy levels covered from every angle. Heavy bass, an up-tempo anticipation and a higher-tempo climax! Everybody just clap your hands!!!!!!!!!!! Even a little DnB thrown in for you creatures!
Attention, attention! This is a new track from Adventure Club – it’s not a remix and it sounds fantastic. (Boys: with tunez like this, when’s the EP dropping!!!!?!?!?) And the best part? it’s free! I love these Montrealers. (But go Leafs!)
Friday Friday Friday! 11-11-11 is todays date, and a numeric coincidence this special needs to be an occasion. Carl Cox is playing tonight at Downsview Park, Studio 3. If you happen to be around, I would definitely advise you to take that in — Cox never disappoints. This Saturday, meanwhile, Toronto will get its first look at a man I’ve spoken highly of before: Porter Robinson. Porter the Prodigy is going to be playing at The Hoxton tomorrow, and I expect him to serenade the Big Smoke. Once again Embrace Presents is the machine making this possible, so if you’re in the Toronto area be sure to grab some tix and head down to Bathurst and King!
On to the rich stuff. I got a couple of bangers for you and your crew that should fill your craving. A brand new track from a brand new artist on Fake Blood’s cult symbol and ever addictive Blood Music label. I also have remixes by some pretty influential DJ’s and a mini-mix of epic proportions. A quick warning, however: too many sweets will leave you only craving our beats! Straight heat!
SWEETS
First comes from a man who is touring with Skrillex and almost stealing the show. 12th Planet released his new singles this week and they scratch that dark-dub-itch perfectly.
Next up is a track that will sound very familiar if you’ve checked my mini-mix already. Kaskade takes Zedd’s “Shave It” and makes it his own. Honestly, I don’t even think this should be called a remix — so polished!
Next up, on Fake Blood‘s Blood Music label is a young man named LeBreton. I have no idea who this guy is, but he sounds like the perfect fit for the label. His EP Glass was released on Tuesday but it’s “Ghoul” that had me wearing red all week. (Makes me wonder if this is a Fake Blood alias — and that’s a compliment.)
Who is GRiZ?!?! This mid-Michigan kid is an absolute beast on the boards. I’ve never heard a young producer drop so many soulful tracks. I guess that’s the Motown in him. This track is a therapeutic experience.
Adam Björnberg is a Swede who was born in … 1994! This is getting ridiculous. The Swedes are like the Detroit Red Wings of the EDM world: they just keep inventing new talent and staying at the top of the charts. Try this big room banger!
Round one of this week’s concert series came to an end last night, with Wolfgang Gartner going innnnn. Tonight, New York producer Luca Venezia, a.k.a. Drop The Lime, will be making a quick stop at The Mod Club to show off some of his new stuff. This man is talent in the purest form, and if you’re in the mood for a lot of jumping around and beats that hit you with precision and accuracy, The Mod Club is your spot tonight. Yet another beauty brought to you by Embrace Presents!
Since I don’t think I’ll be able to get a post up in time tomorrow, I should talk a little about the raveaggedon that is on tap at Kool Haus. The four-eyed assassin, Skrillex, is coming to town with a very special guest: 12th Planet! This show is for the all-ages type of crowd. Everyone is invited and everyone should come out to really appreciate what Skrillex has accomplished. I think this makes his fourth trip to Toronto in the past year, so it seems pretty obvious that we’ve become a favourite in his eyes.
12th Planet, meanwhile, is the artist I am truly excited to see tomorrow. Not only is this the first time I get to see him live, I will also be doing a web exclusive interview with him as well. So if you’ve got any questions for me to shoot his way, feel free to leave them in the comments.
Which leads me to my sweets. I’m gonna keep them simple this week because I suspect most have you have already clicked off the page to get your tickets. And can I blame you? Not in the slightest.
First one is for all the Ferry Corsten fans out there. A lot of my posts have the dubstep feel, so it’ll be refreshing to hear some big room form. Bassjackers, who are in another zone of late, have absolutely worked their magic on Ferry’s track. It’s heavy and exactly what you want to hear 30 minutes into your fav DJ’s set. This one can’t be listened to sitting down.
And of course, the mandatory new Justice track. Though I must say, this one is top quality. I think it’s so far my fav of the tracks I’ve heard. Smooth feel.
It feels like the long weekend just finished with a bang and already it’s Wednesday! What does Wednesday mean? Easy: time to get ready for another weekend! I’ll run down the three massive shows that take place tomorrow and Friday. But first lets get some of the bangers out of the way.
Number one is the dub guru known as Flux Pavilion (above), with a heater of the simplest form. It feels like we haven’t heard anything new from Britain’s Beast in awhile. So when I saw this track posted it was immediately the first I went to. Flux takes Example‘s “Midnight Run” and adds a heavier, upbeat feel to it. It works perfectly, leaving me to wonder why so many artists are having major success remixing Example’s tracks.
Continuing with another favourite pair, Crookers (above) are back, and they have dropped off their Dr. Gonzo album teaser. Now, when “Springer” came out back in early spring, I was hooked and absolutely loved the new direction they were taking their sound. Then came the release of the Dr. Gonzo Anthem EP, which left much to be desired from my perspective. But I now understand where they were going, and after seeing them perform at Labour of Love in August I can also see what they are trying to accomplish. And for a live show it works perrrrrrrrrrrrrrfectly. Enjoy this teaser.
Finally, a huge uptempo track from Modek. This Belgian DJ has taken Melente & Zero Cash’s “I’ll Be There” and laced it with grease and fat so thick you can feel your cholesterol levels growing as the tune bumps through your Bose speakers. The perfect song to play before you head out to the concerts this weekend.
And speaking of concerts: we’ve got Wolfgang Gartner in Toronto at The Hoxton tomorrow, Drop The Lime at the Mod Club on Friday, and Skrillex plus 12th Planet at Kool Haus on Saturday. Embrace Presents? They are truly gods amongst men. Pick up your tickets HERE.
Weekend’s here! Unfortunately for a Caribbean-blooded soul like myself, the fall brings with it the beginning of the end. I know there are many — and since I’m talking to Canada — millions of people who anticipate the season of winter. And while there are many things to love about winter, it just isn’t the same as those summer nights that I adore. So in order to heat you up, I have some fire that will have you gathered around the iPod dock, leaving the campfire in the distance.
Jennifer Lopez: Papi (R3hab Remix) First track is a tune that sounds like it actually should have been released closer to the beginning of summer. It’s from the recently single (oh, US Weekly, how you clutter my brain with useless info) Jennifer Lopez. I must be honest, I haven’t heard the original — but this remix leads me to believe I will never need to hear the original. R3hab is an absolute remix machine lately, always taking it upon himself to remix hot top 40 tracks. Play this when the party is about to hit its peak. LISTEN ON SOUNDCLOUD.
Market Price x Jay-Z x Kanye West: Mark The Throne This one is a biggy. A duo of dustup DJs from LA known as Market Price did something everyone was thinking in a matter of weeks: remix the Watch The Throne album by Jay-Z and Kanye West and wickedly call it Mark the Throne. This was always going to be tricky, and an album of this quality rarely needs any improving, but we’re the dub generation — everything needs to be remixed, right? My fave track is “Why I Love You,” but give the whole album a listen. By the way, the whole album is free … what!?!?! Play this throughout the night. LISTEN ON SOUNDCLOUD
Toddla T: Take It Back (Dillon Francis Remix) + Echo Park: Fibreoptic (12th Planet & Flinch Remix) I’m going to send you two tracks to get the party going wherever you might be. Both are remixes, and both go hard. Dillon Francis, of course, giving us some moombahton flavor, though I wouldn’t exactly limit this track to that genre. 12th Planet gives you dubstep at its finest. Both remixes taken from Toddla T and Echo Park respectively. This might leave your party guests with soiled undergarments. Play this when everyone is, um, feeling nice.
Justice: Helix + DJ Mehdi – Signatune (T. Bangalter Edit) Lastly we have a brand new track from Justice. This track is really funky and has a strong disco feel and will grow on you rather than immediately resonate with you. Unfortunately any new release from the Ed Banger Records camp this week was going to be very much overshadowed by the untimely death of DJ Mehdi. I’m sure you have already heard that he died from falling from a roof and all that can be said is that the world lost a great smile. Let’s remember him for his talent and his style, because just like everyone else at Ed Banger, Mehdi was a trendsetter. “Signatune” was always my favorite of his tracks.
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