Posted by Scott Willats

The week before a Canada Day long weekend is always such a tease. Nobody wants to be at work, but the promise of an unforgettable holiday keeps us all slugging away.

This weekend, though, isn’t your typical Canada Day. The Digital Dreams Music Festival in Toronto will showcase some of the best EDM artists in the world. Think of it as the unofficial kick-off to Canada’s summer festival season.

As we gear up for this extravaganza (and if you’re one of bpm:tv’s contest winners, congrats!), I thought it would be good to do a quick background check on some of the headliners who will be packing the crowds at Ontario Place. We start with the Dutch giant known as Afrojack!

For many of us, Afrojack (a.k.a. Nick van de Wall) became a household name after he dropped “Take Over Control.” But there’s more to the man than monster hits. Long before this breakthrough single, he’d been putting in his time, playing small clubs, producing quality tracks without the support of a label, and assembling the kind of resume any DJ would be proud of.

Afrojack is the sort of DJ who was born to headline big fests like Digital Dreams. Beyond the stage showmanship and the relationship with Paris Hilton, there’s a gifted artist who produces anthem after anthem — not to mention a shrewd businessman who has built his label Wall Recordings — home to the likes of R3hab (also performing at Digital Dreams) and Sidney Samson — into an industry heavy-hitter.

So how do you go from small-club DJ to pop mogul? Hard work. Let’s take a look at the product of his labours.

It was evident right from the start that Afrojack was going to be several cuts above the average. Sure, this first track, “In Your Face,” has a few bobbles — but it’s still light-years beyond your typical debut release. That ear for the perfect groove, that innate ability to make the listener’s head bob and hips swivel — it’s not a plug-in you add to your track, it’s the soul of the producer.

This is a perfect track to play at your next party. I guarantee: at least half the people there won’t ever have heard it. It’s a tune that evokes a lot of emotion — and one that lays out clearly the template for Afrojack’s future success. (The B-side, “Waho,” is worth a listen as well.

This next track, “Drop Down” (Do My Dance) was his first real taste of success. Collaborating with The Partysquad helped him elevate his game and earn wider recognition. Here’s where Afrojack found the sound he would grab and hold onto — a sound that would be mimicked and copied for years to come: blending a hard drum line, evocative of UK garage, with crazy off-the-wall sonics. I can’t think of any other producer capable of pulling this off and making it sound good.

Was it the beat? Or Eva Simons? Or the remix by Adam F? All of the above? Or something else entirely. Nobody’s every put their finger on it precisely, but one way or another, “Take Over Control” was Afrojack’s statement: a track that made the dance floors go nuts. The combination of Eva’s angelic voice and that screaming synth: it was a sound DJs and ravers just couldn’t get enough of. And it still bangs!

Simply put, “No Beef” is an anthem. For a while last summer, it was every DJ’s go-to climax track. EVERY DJ. If you were in the big room, you were gonna hear this. While the vocals by Miss Palmer certainly didn’t hurt, it was the collision of Afrojack’s synth and Steve Aoki‘s keys that put this song in a class by itself.

So there you have it; four reasons Afrojack is a perennial DJ Mag Top 100 finisher, and one of 30 richest DJs in the world. If you like what you’ve seen and heard here, I recommend getting your ass to Ontario Place this weekend. Seriously, you haven’t heard “No Beef” till you hear Afrojack spin it live.

CLICK HERE FOR DIGITAL DREAMS TIX AND INFO.

 Follow Scott Willats (SAWStruck) on Twitter

Posted by Scott Willats

It’s the week when guys dress in the most hideous or hilarious outfits they can find, while every woman resembles a porn star — and I couldn’t be happier. Halloween is a weekend that many of us cherish. Whether you’re the little kid who gets a night of candy and excitement, the high school and college kids making blurry mistakes at a Halloween kegger or the adult who appreciates the fun of a good night with friends, Halloween is always a joy. So let’s make it a little more fun!

I’ve compiled a playlist of some of the best electro-house tracks to play this weekend. Whether you’re playing at a party, hosting one or just messing with the kids that walk to your door, I’m sure this will fit in nice and perfect. So strap up and keep your children close because … alll work and no play make Johnny a dulllllll boy! REDRUM!

Felix Cartal does a great job of making an eerie melody, Clockwork picks it up and adds the zombies!

Felix Cartal – Skeleton (Clockwork Remix): LISTEN TO IT HERE

Creepy and vicious … Ado gives you a taste of Blood Music with Voids

Ado – Voids: LISTEN TO IT HERE

Not the scariest melody, but dark and deranged!

Gesaffelstein – Glass: LISTEN TO IT HERE

Like I wasn’t gonna get him up here. The master of the dark melody: even for Fake Blood, this one is a little murderous. Makes you feel like the prey being hunted.

Fake Blood – Voices: LISTEN TO IT HERE

Michael Myers on dubstep? Get me out of here! From the king of horrocore, Figure!

Figure – Michael Myers is Dead (Original Mix): LISTEN TO IT HERE

Having gone to school in Ottawa, I know how they get on Devil’s Night out there. Ottawa’s finest lend a vintage sound to the evening.

Boy 8-Bit – Wolfen (Jokers Of The Scene Remix): LISTEN TO IT HERE

And a couple videos to top it all off. First up, from the French Jack Ripper, Gesaffelstein, who shows you what Tour de France you do not want to be a part of (or maybe you do).

Gesaffelstein — Viol: WATCH IT HERE

Meanwhile, Designer Drugs practically party in a graveyard. From 1:55 on I feel like I’m watching a Kubrick flick. Love it!

Designer Drugs – Drop Down: WATCH IT HERE

 Have a Happy Halloween…………xx

Follow Scott Willats (SAWStruck) on Twitter

Designer Drugs @ Mod Club, Toronto: June 10, 2011

Reviewed by Scott Willats

With the spring season in full effect, Toronto has been a hotbed for electro artists of all sorts over the past month. It feels like every other night the amazing people at Embrace are throwing a crazy event featuring some of the world’s best up-and-comers in the new music scene. Friday night was no exception, hosting three very different concerts throughout our mean streets. The one I chose featured a group that is a personal favourite of mine — and in hindsight, I believe I chose the best venue.

For the past year and half the New York duo Designer Drugs have been thumping out sick remixes every two weeks. Along with a debut album Hardcore/Softcore and their insane mixtapes, The Data Mix Collections, these two New York hoodlums have been destroying the North American scene with their pop-banger glamour glitz feel. However they have also been pigeonholed and stuck into the zone our scene struggles with, and that’s our genre ‘snobbiness.”  Many fans they have, yes — but they equal that with critics. Some believe them to be true electro and gifted performers, while others claim they’re a little overhyped. I was able to leave all prejudice behind and see how these two “Goodfellas” were going to treat Toronto.

As I stated before, the weekends are fast and furious lately, with many options of venues to attend. Designer Drugs would, on any other night, be the prime target for almost any electro fan — but the man of the hour, Julio Bashmore (another Embrace event), was only a couple of streets down at Wrongbar, and it left many fans with a tugging decision. So to be quite fair, I must say the turnout for Designer Drugs was a little upsetting. Maybe I hold these two a little higher in my regard that the majority — but I was expecting a lineup of fans sprawling to Christie Street, and instead it was very spacious at the beginning. Still, that wasn’t going to affect the mood: some of the best sets I’ve ever heard have been performed for small crowds, and usually you’ll get a much more intimate feel.

A few drinks later and we’re preparing for them to take the stage, when to my surprise only one of the tag team duo comes out.  Michael Vincent Patrick was the only DJ on the Pioneers.  I never got the story of what had happened, but Theodore Paul Nelson was nowhere to be found.  Music is music, but when you’re attending a show you’ve been looking forward to for a while, it’s natural to feel a little disappointed when only half of the act shows up.  I must admit, I was thinking, “Was Julio Bashmore the better place to be?” My answer would come shortly.

Not a chance in hell! That’s what Designer Drugs do to you when they hit their peak. They put you in a zone where the heat from the speakers is the same flame that blazes in hell. The set was fire. Michael Vincent Patrick, or MVP, never stopped moving once he took over the decks.

Some DJs let the music speak for them, and some DJs act as fans as well — or at least inspire you with their stage presence (eg. Steve Aoki). The music MVP played was some of the best trashy electro I’ve heard in 2011. The theme song being “Drop Down,” which got us in that very dramatic, Goth-like mood. The hard claps and pounding bass kept everyone’s heads bobbing at 128 beat per minute. The IAMX remix came on, and the vocals had everyone screaming out. The Klaxons remix did more of the same. And then, like Lebron James in that zone where he can’t miss, Michael Vincent Patrick just blacked out: 30 minutes of cuts and slices of songs that we (or at least I) have never heard before. He never let a song play more than 1:30, and never let us miss the best part of every track. The crowd rushed the stage, and just when there were more people up there than in the crowd … silence. Designer Drugs killed the show so bad that the music stopped, as someone raving too hard dislodged a cable. It was Epic.

It was a great moment, but it did take away from his momentum, and as candid as it was I think it would have had to upset him.  However, the show went on and the beats continued.  ”Antonio” raised the energy, “Zombies” turned us into zombies, and “Facemelter” melted our faces.  The biggest tune of the night, other than some he bumped during his “blackout,” was a song I need you to take home: “Dead Meat” is easily one of Designer Drugs’ theme songs, and a track instantly recognizable to those who know them — but the Fukkk Offf remix is something special.  The heavy bass wobble at the end, the screaming in the middle … it just sounds so BIG! LISTEN TO IT HERE.

A highlight of the night for me was running into an up-and-coming Toronto producer who goes by the name SposhRock. I’m sure some of you are familiar with the young prodigy, and it was good to get a producer’s opinion of the state of the genre right now. A huge thanks has to go out to the people at Embrace who continue to bring the best acts to the city. The definition of consistency. Sitting beside a 19-year-old who is sure to be performing these venues and listening to some of North America’s best new talents, it’s safe to say: these Designer Drugs don’t leave u sketchy, but like their namesake they keep you craving for more!

Scott Willats can be seen on bpm Spotlight, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:30 pm ET. CHECK OUT HIS TUMBLR!