Polish DJ/producer Tom Swoon teams up with vocalist Amba Shepherd to deliver this thrilling slice of progressive house goodness. Shepherd’s alluring, trance-like vocals mesh exquisitely with the rhythm on a track that’s custom-designed to drive the crowds absolutely wild at outdoor festivals. Which, by the way, is it summer yet? This one put me in an ecstatic daze, and I’m willing to bet it does the same for you.
This track gets a whole “Arabian nights” vibe going, and the rhythm is an obsession for me. The buildups and drops had my heart dancing in unison with the insistent drumbeat. This is one I can see creating chaos at clubs and a full-on frenzy at festivals. While the original track is more than satisfactory, it’s the Leroy Styles remix that really has me hooked. The music video (below) is a bit questionable. I was fairly mind-boggled — at least until the twist ending.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
Just in case you weren’t already stoked for the return of the DIGITAL DREAMS Music Festival this coming Canada Day weekend, the folks at Electronic Nation are going to be releasing one of the names on their lineup every day for the next 13 days.
Just confirmed: one of the brightest young lights on the EDM scene today! Yes, ladies and gents, I am referring to Chapel Hill, North Carolina’s own electro house wunderkind, PORTER ROBINSON! Woot! Seriously, when I heard this news I got goosebumps. And if you’ve listened to his debut EP Spitfire or last year’s smash hit single “Language,” or if you caught his monster of a show at Toronto’s Kool Haus a couple of weeks ago, then you’ll know why.
One suggestion you, gentle reader: GET YOUR TICKETS forthwith. This is gonna be one event you will never forget! If you’re not dreaming in digital come June 29, you’ll be trapped in the nightmare they call reality!
Oh, and while we’re on the subject of Mister Porter Robinson, here’s his brand new thang: a collab with fellow up-and-comer Mat Zo:
“Easy” is a joint release from Anjunabeats and Ministry of Sound, dropping April 14
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
Released in December on Skrillex‘s OWSLA imprint, this electro house track starts out mellow but builds steadily to an intriguing transition. Barely a minute in, I was hooked — and so was my entire body. Everything around me vanished, and no distraction was strong enough to pull me out of the spell and back onto boringly solid ground. Yes, it’s that hypnotizing. A stellar showcase for UK producer and DJ Alex Metric‘s unique, alluring production style.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
Sidney Samson teams up here with fellow Dutchman Martin Garrix to deliver a serious electro house banger! “Torrent” starts alluringly, with a nice kick providing the foreplay. Then the passion kicks in, as body and soul alike are swept away in the musical flood. The build-ups are satisfying, and the drops go beyond all expectations. The latest triumph in what is already shaping up to be a banner year for EDM, “Torrent” is one track I can guarantee you’ll be hearing a lot at clubs and festivals in the months ahead.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
“OK ROLL THE DRUMS” … and boom! An orgy of sounds! I love love love this track by Toronto’s Autoerotique, and that goes double for this remix courtesy of Clockwork. The union of Marissa Jack‘s vocals and the blistering “Roll The Drum” rhythm absolutely blows me away. Her sweet, euphoric voice is such a perfectly harmonious compliment to the hard, grimy beat, I couldn’t help but press repeat several times.
If you like this, kids, you’ll want to check out Felix Cartal‘s remix of the same track. GET IT HERE.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
Little surprise that this superb production served as the official anthem for this year’s Electric Daisy Carnival Orlando. I caught R3hab at Digital Dreams in Toronto this past summer and was hooked. An incredible live performer, he is equally masterful in the studio, as this track clearly attests. If you haven’t been lucky enough to witness this Dutch DJ in performance, I recommend keeping an eye on his tour schedule and marking it in your calendar when he’s next in your vicinity. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
“Destroy dance music and have fun. Don’t look back in the past. Always go forward. Don’t think too much. Always follow the money. Do the Dada.”
Eccentric Swedish electro house duo Dada Life (a.k.a. Olle Corneer and Stefan Engblom) have quite the philosophy. Posted to Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #THERULESOFDADA, these maxims to live by include:
* Never bring your brain to a rave.
* Doing the “airpiano” on stage while looking up in the air? Never. The “heart sign” with both your hands? F**K NO.
* Tickle-punch-tickle-combo. Happy Violence!
* Cheating is winning.
* If you’re stuck, there’s only one solution: go harder.
* If you only need one word to describe a song in the studio…then it’s done!
* No bananas on the rider? Then we do our two hour deep/tech house set. Everything under 118 BPM.
* PLUR = Potassium Lust Unity Rage
* Arriving beautiful – leaving ugly.
* Beautiful music = boring music. At least today.
* Never BBQ before a gig.
* If you don’t want to get wet, you don’t want to have fun.
* Bass don’t cry.
* Changing underwear at the club is cheating. Even for the members of Dada Life.
* Never bring your brain into the club.
* Art should be loud as fuck.
* Always kick out the epic motherfucker. Always.
Their new album The Rules of Dada, released October 22 on their label So Much Dada is pretty much the illustrated guide to this philosophy. So let’s break it down, shall we?
1. “Kick Out The Epic Motherfu**er” – I first heard this track during the summer at The Guvernment, and was just blown away. It sent my body into an absolute frenzy — and everyone on the dancefloor was right there with me. Definitely a club banger. The video is pretty entertaining, too. It gives you a good idea of just how crazy and random these guys are. There’s lots of champagne, lots of bananas (get your mind our of the gutter, now) and some HARD PARTYING. And bananas.
2. “Feed The Dada” – I’d call this the anthem of the Dada Life philosophy. The lyrics are intriguing, the music video frankly jaw-dropping. If you want to know why the Dada movement is destined to continue growing, this is the pick to click. Feed the Dada.
3. “Arrive Beautiful Leave Ugly” – Gotta admit, I’ve had this track on repeat. Quite the title: I’d describe the image it conjures in my mind, but not while there are children or pets around. (Gotta bite my tongue sometimes.) I can see this one moving the floor, for sure.
4. “So Young So High” – Well, they can’t all be epic. Not a huge fan of this track: can’t see it filling the floor at the club, though it might move the less-demanding fans at an outdoor festival. With repeat plays it started to grow on me a little bit, but it won’t be making the personal playlist any time soon.
5. “You Will Do What We Will Do” – A 129-bpm electro house banger that held me from first note to last beat and left me yearning for more. Surprising, too: I was expecting a hard electro drop at the 0:29 mark, and instead got a pause and then another mellow build-up. Tricky! Definitely one of the tracks I favour from this album.
6. “Happy Violence” – I remember hearing this track for the first time while watching a Burning Man recap video: appropriate! All it took was the first 10 seconds, and I knew I was hooked. Another great track title, too — puzzling and inriguing, like all of their titles.
7. “Rolling Stones T-Shirt” – Entertaining tune. And that music video! Pretty typical stuff: girls in bikinis, pool parties, the beach … until the 2:18. I made the mistake of drinking some water while watching this, and almost choked! Couldn’t stop laughing. I won’t try describe it — just watch for yourself. All I will say is this: you see a whole new side to the boys from Dada Life here.
8. “Bass Don’t Cry” – Give me bass and I’ll give you my heart. It’s as simple as that. I’m a bass addict. A bassaholic. This track strikes the kind of perfect balance between bass and rhythm that will set a musical orgy in motion on any dancefloor.
9. “Everything Is Free” – Without the vocals I am a fan of this one, but The vocals at the start of this track almost deterred me from listening to the rest. Which is too bad: vocals aside, I’m a fan of this one. Not the best track on the album, but hardly the worst either.
10. “Boing Clash Boom” – See “Everything Is Free.” Actually, I’m not sure if it’s the vocals that ruin this one for me, or something else. Frankly, the track is a bit all over the place. If I had to sum it up in one word, that word would be: confusion.
11. “Don’t Stop” – After the last couple of tracks, they had me doubting — but album finishes strong. A bit mellow, but with enough kick to move the listener, and vocals that mesh comfortably with the beat. Do the Dada!
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
My name is Gosia and I’m an addict. My addiction: ELECTRO! And this track by Digital Freq & Pyramyth fed my addiction so euphorically. From their new EP The Astronaut, released on BugEyed Records October 1, this funky electro house track kept me on the edge of my seat while listening, changing up and leaving me wanting more. The other three tracks from their The Astronaut are equally impressive — definitely go check them out!!
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
In brief: an impressive electro house track that will drive any listener into an absolute frenzy. The rhythm and the bass really go right into your bones and move you. It’s a track that will keep you on your toes from start till finish and leave you eager for more.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
