On the football pitch, Group 4 is not the most formidable of the UEFA EURO 2012 tournament.  Behind the decks, however, this is by far the most talented foursome in bpm:tv’s Euro Cup of EDM. England, the birthplace of so many A-list DJs, is the true capital of the EDM world. France has long been the place you go to find fresh new sounds, while Sweden has emerged in recent years as a contender for global dance music domination. Ukraine may be the underdog of this group, whether we’re talking soccer or music, they are definitely in the fight. Allons-y!

GROUP 4

Ukraine – DJ Marika Rossa

She might not yet be a household name, but Marika Rossa is well supported throughout the world. Drawing on the deep roots of techno and blending it with most popular contemporary sounds, she has a knack staying ahead of the curve. For those of you who looooove techno (and speak Ukrainian), her podcasts are definitely worth checking out HERE.

Here’s a prime example of Marika going haaaaaaaaaard!

Tracks by Marika Rossa on SoundCloud: LISTEN HERE

France – Madeon

With so many big name talents to choose from — David Guetta, Daft Punk, Brodinski, Busy P, Mehdi, SebastiAn, Martin Solveig, Bob Sinclar, Laurent Wolf, Justice (whew!) — it may come as a surprise that I’m nominating Madeon to rep France. But when you look at the facts, this really is a no-brainer. Hugo Leclercq was only 11 years old when he started producing music. Not learning music, producing music. He broke into the scene when he won a competition for remixing Pendulum‘s “The Island,” and the rest, comme on dit, is history. Madeon is quickly becoming a favourite worldwide. When he drops a new track you’ll quickly find it being bumped on BBC Radio 1 and circulating around the blogs. The kid has what it takes — will he take what he has?

Madeon – Icarus: LISTEN TO IT HERE

England – Erol Alkan

You thought I was gonna pick Fake Blood, didn’t you? Psych! He was, admittedly, a close finisher, along with such big-name UK dubstep producers as Flux Pavilion, Rusko, Benga and Skream. Likewise such pillars of the scene as veterans Pete Tong and Judge Jules. But in the end I had to go with Erol Alkan. A pioneer and an influencer, Alkan is a G. He’s been pumping out records for close to 20 years, and never seems to tire or grow stale. He just keeps reinventing himself. And then there’s his Web site, an absolutely definitive resource when it comes to the music we like; if you don’t already have it bookmarked, go there now. I’ll wait right here.

Way too many great tracks to choose a favourite; I’ll just give you this.

Erol Alkan’s Extended Reworks: LISTEN HERE

Sweden – Alesso

Which came first: the chicken or the egg? Which came first: Swedish House Mafia or Sweden’s dominance in EDM? A valid question. Sure, Eric Prydz and Axwell have been mainstays for a decade or more — but in the last three to five years the Swedish scene has hit some kind of critical mass, with its DJs turning out banger after banger after banger. Look at Otto Knows. A little known figure, until suddenly his track “Million Voices” goes massive, grabbing all the headlines and all the good spots in your set — until, I dunno, a new Dada Life track surfaces. It’s pretty incredible.

Just at the roster: SHM of course. AN21, Avicii, Cazzette, The Knife, Style of Eye, Albin Meyers and so many many more. But once again, I go with the young gunner. Alesso embodies everything that comes to mind when you think Swedish house. Big room, attention to detail, tunes that make your mom go “Ooooh, I like this one.” Of course you do, mom. Of course you do. Not just insanely talented — the kid is nice, nuff said. And just like Sweden’s star striker, Ibrahimovic, he doesn’t look like your “typical” Swede.

Keane – Silenced By The Night (Alesso Remix): LISTEN TO IT HERE

Alesso @ Electric Daisy Carnival, NY – LISTEN TO IT HERE

And that wraps up our EDM Euro Cup 2012. Hope you enjoyed it — and I hope you enjoy the tournament as well. Even people who hate soccer tend to come around start liking these games. Just hope I gave you the perfect soundtrack for those post-match victory parties!

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Posted by Scott Willats

For EDM junkies, March is kind of a wet dream. All of our favorite artists seem to be leaking new tracks that you can expect to hear during their sets at Ultra Music Festival and throughout the Winter Music Conference. Every day seems to offer up enough new material to fill a “Sweets of the Week” post. From Deadmau5 to Dillon Francis to an entire mixtape from Skrillex‘s OWSLA label, it’s like being a sugar fiend with a fresh bag of Gummi Worms.

I won’t go into detail about all of these tracks; we’ll save that for Friday. But I do want to highlight one specific track — ’cause Boys Noize and Erol Alkan are at it again! The twin kings of techno are back on their combination game, and haven’t lost a step. Based on the preview, their two new tracks, “Roland Rat” and “Brain Storm,” may actually be even better than “Lemonade” or “Avalanche,” if that’s possible. These two acts have some sort of telepathic connection, and it works so so well. Another treat from the mad geniuses at BNR.

Roland Rat & Brain Storm (Preview): LISTEN TO IT HERE

Here’s Deadmau5 experimenting with a new DAW.

Deadmau5 – Yay Cubase: LISTEN TO IT HERE

And here’s Dillon making us all jump — just in time for South Beach!

Sinden – Pull Up Wheel Up (Dillon Francis Remix): LISTEN TO IT HERE

And finally: 19 tracks — all free! Your speakers are gonna be so mad at you for downloading this.

OWSLA Presents Free Treats Vol 2: DOWNLOAD IT HERE

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Posted by Scott Willats

So what happened? Did Skrillex win a Grammy? No, please don’t answer that. The biggest sign of the EDM takeover isn’t the awards these artists are winning — it’s the sheer volume of buzz that gets uncorked when these awards go down. My Facebook and Twitter feeds were a veritable orgy of Skrillex and Deadmau5 praise on Sunday night, and that will always elicit a wry smile. But of course, congrats to Sonny for bagging three awards –and  to all the other winners, too.

Let’s jump back into it, shall we? On Friday I was bemoaning what a slow week it had been for new releases, and the production gods must’ve heard, because on the weekend I came across an abundance of new tracks — enough material to be talking about for days. But It’s only Tuesday. Let’s just check ‘em out and discuss later. Highlights include Jacques Lu Cont, who is worth the price of admission to Coachella alone!

Today is the eve of Dillon Francis Day, which we’ll be celebrating by checking out his brand new EP. In the meantime, Dillon has a nice fresh remix for us. So sick!

Clockwork – Hulk (Dillon Francis Remix): LISTEN TO IT HERE

Felix Cartal is a beast — always has been, always will be. Whenever there’s anything new from him, it’s instantly news. Cop this on Beatport asap.

Felix Cartal – Domo: LISTEN TO IT HERE

After his huge night on Sunday, Skrillex served up a brand new joint with vocals. Seems about right. However this song is a litttttttle too emo for me.

Skrillex – My Good Bye: LISTEN TO IT HERE

Came across this thanks to Toddla T. It’s wibbly-wobbly-funky … catch-up?  Naw, ketchup! Very tasty!

Justice – Canon (Erol Alkan Remix): LISTEN TO IT HERE

… and I have plenty more. But you neeeeeed to really hear these two tracks. Here we go!

Anthem status!!!

Jacques Lu Cont – Church: LISTEN TO IT HERE

Miike Snow – Paddling Out (Jacques Lu Cont Remix): LISTEN TO IT HERE

Jacques Lu Cont also put out a pretty crazy mini-mix on Annie Mac‘s show last Friday. CHECK IT OUT if you have a chance.

And a visual, mais bien sur.

Should have clips of my encounter with Dennis Ferrer up sometime this week.

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