We’ve had our eye on Atlanta trapstep/soulstep crew WATCH THE DUCK since they dropped the single “Poppin’ Off” last fall. The video gives you a real feel for their blend of muscular musicality and raw showmanship.
Given the astonishing array of massive musical talents that Atlanta has produced in the recent past — OutKast, Cee-Lo and Goodie Mob, Danger Mouse, Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Waka Flocka Flama and, of course, Crunkmeister-in-chief Lil Jon — we’re inclined to lend an ear to just about anything beatwise that comes out the ATL. And Watch The Duck (better known to their mothers as Eddie Smith III, Jesse Rankins and Jonathan Wells) have definitely got the skillz to pay the billz. All three members play live instruments as well as DJing. If you want to get familiar with their soulful take on bass music, the Rub-A-Dub mixtape is the place to start:
You’ve also gotta love the touch of P-Funk flamboyance they bring to their act. Watch ‘em rock the tube socks in the new video for “Lost In It (Anatidaephobia Part 2)”
Besides which: dudes have a duck mascot, man. How hardcore is that?
Eddie, on the origin of the band’s name: “Everybody sees the duck traveling smoothly on top of the water. But nobody sees it kicking hard as hell under it, struggling to stay afloat. We would always say ‘Watch The Duck’ whenever we were in certain industry scenarios, when everyone’s your friend and is trying to be of importance. We say it to each other to kind of lighten each other’s mood.”
Download Watch The Duck’s “Girlfriend??” single for free:
English dubstep producer and DJ Joshua Steele (known professionally as Flux Pavilion) is one artist who — if you’ll pardon the play on the track title — really knows how to “Blow The Roof.” He’s best known for his 2011 single “Bass Cannon,” which I used as my alarm clock for quite some time. And I suspect this latest offering is going to become my new start to the day. It’s one of those tracks that will definitely “Blow The Roof” — sorry, had to go there again — off just about any club. Young Joshua’s career is in, you could say, a state of “Flux” — OK, I’ll stop now — and I am officially a fan!
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
I’ve been lost, but now I’m found. This is the track that woke me up from my dread-of-winter semi-hibernation. EDM NEVER SLEEPS AND NEITHER SHALL WE. This Dirty South collaboration with Michael Brun keeps the mind-blowing summer of 2012 alive and well! No winter blues for the EDM scene: the vibes of summer will be with us all year ’round. A well-deserved round of applause for the team that produced this euphonious progressive house track. You’ll be pressing repeat on this one as much as I did!
Do you feel it? I definitely feel it. It’s the sound of summer coming to an end.
Ok ok ok ok! Hold on! Quit throwing rotten vegetables! I didn’t mean to say that it’s over — only that this wonderful, busy, record-breaking summer of ours seems to be winding down. But it’s not all doom and gloom: after all, autumn is when producers head back in to the studio, study what they’ve hearing on tour all summer, and get down to creating some next-level shit.
Consider this a quick snapshot of what’s going down as the summer draws to a close.
Collaborations in music today are so commonplace that almost nothing comes as a surprise anymore. If Garth Brooks teamed up with Wolfgang Gartner, I’m not sure I’d even even bat an eyelash. And to me, anyway, that’s a positive. Bringing together vastly different sounds and genres in unlikely combinations can leading to something unique. The results may be awful, interesting, strange, enticing or immaculate — and sometimes all of the above.
EDM really seems to lead the way when it comes to collaborations. Maybe it’s the big role that festivals play in the genre. These gatherings are about more than just celebrating the music: they give artists a chance for artists to catch up, listen and share their new sounds.
All of which brings us to the mysterious new duo known as Dog Blood.
Rumour has it that Dog Blood is actually a collaboration between heavy hitters Skrillex and Boys Noize. I’m inclined to believe it. Why? Well, their debut release “Next Order” comes to us via OWSLA and Boysnoize Records — so that’s, you know, a little bit of a hint. Many of my industry friends and fellow bloggers are certainly convinced it’s them. And frankly, this teaser sounds exactly the way you’d expect a Skrillex/Boys Noizes superhero team-up to sound.
Now, say what you want about Skrillex (and many people do). But the superiority of Boys Noize is not up for debate. He reinvents himself, disappears, and then reinvents himself again — the perfect artist’s template, in my mind. This project sounds tight, so let’s hope we hear more. Lots more.
The three amigos are back at it again — but this time around, it’s to deliver their swan song.
We still don’t know exactly why Swedish House Mafia have decided to call it quits, but the fact that all three members are gearing up to pursue their solo careers suggests it may be a while before we see the Scandinavian dons together again. For now, they’re embarking on their “break-up tour,” and dropping a few new tracks that you can count on hearing again in a few years time, when they play the inevitable reunion shows.
Whether you think this split is a promotional stunt or the real deal, you can’t deny that these guys have been as important to EDM as any DJ in the history of the genre. They helped put EDM at the front and centre of the public consciousness, and established themselves as international icons. They were one of the first acts to make me feel truly starstruck when I encountered them in Ibiza. There has always been a special aura around this trio, and it will be sad to see them go their separate ways.
Still, you knew they wouldn’t part without some proper goodbye gifts. Their latest release, “Don’t You Worry Child” is as reassuring as the title promises. It’s the sound that’s synonymous with their name, with those enrapturing vocals the whole world loves to hear. This is only a radio rip, but it’s well worth the listen until the official release comes along.
As good as these guys are as individual performers (Axwell, for me, standing head and shoulders above Ingrosso and Angello), I can’t help but wonder if they’ve taken for granted the special quality they share as a trio. Granted, their image and profile have taken a bit of a dip with the emergence of North America’s new wave of superstar DJs — but make no mistake, you still want to be at a SHM concert.
OK, so it’s not like The Beatles are breaking up, but it does draw a little tear. This is the end of an era.
Something brand new for you and your crew. But first and foremost, a quick word on last weekend’s VELD extravaganza.
Naturally, it was a massive success. However, the fact that French electro kings Justice — one of the reasons that massive EDM events like this even exist — were playing at HARD, a completely different festival taking place at the same time on the other side of the city … well, missing that made the whole thing a bit bittersweet for me.
Now, judging by the reported turnout at both VELD and HARD, there were plenty of EDM fans to go around. But still — if we’re going to have festivals like this, why force fans to choose between competing events on the same weekend? Why not do as Rogers and Bell have done with Olympics coverage: establish a consortium and have a single event that the world will envy?
Just my opinion. Anyway, enough politics; more music. We got something brand new-ish today from Dillon Francis and Jack Beats. Dillon and the Jack duo have both established their own signature sound over these past two years, winning followers one track at a time. This new offering is a little different, but just as sick. I don’t know how to explain it except to say: it sounds like a perfect blending of both artists. Wicked.
And here we go. Y’all getting sick of me talking about festivals? Well sorry, but tuff f***ing luck. Because this weekend Toronto the place in the world to be for EDM. Or any kind of music, actually.
Sure, Montreal has Osheaga happening, which promises to be nuts in its own right But Toronto is bringing the heavy, what with VELD and HARDboth going down this weekend.
What’s HARD, you ask? Just a little gathering featuring the likes of M83, Buraka Som Sistema, Austra … oh, and Justice. Sorry, let me rephrase that: JUSTICE!!!! The French icons make their looooooooooooooong-awaited return to Canada in style. Fort York is a special place to be this weekend.
And then there’s VELD, the brainchild of Canada’s own EMD titan, Deadmau5. Check out this lineup: Avicii, Kill the Noise, Mord Fustang, Bassnectar, Cosmic Gate and soooooo many others are busy tearing Toronto’s Downsview Park a new one. Rain is in the forecast for Sunday, but it’s gonna get real messy long before that. Canada, this is our weekend!
And with that, it’s on to …. THE SWEETS!
This will get your weekend going just right. A free download that hits the spot.
The second installment of Fools Gold‘s Clubhouse compilation series is just as heavy as the first. No point trying to pick a favourite: here’s the whole thing, amigos. Did I mention it’s FREE?!?
How can you not love Montreal’s Adventure Club? OK, maybe the sound is becoming just a tad predictable. But that in no way means it’s played out. And the fact that it’s free is an added attraction.
Continuing with a look at some new videos, I have a treat for the trance addicts: a new one from Dennis Sheperd. This talented German has been busy these past five years establishing himself as a headliner, and his newest track — featuring vocals from Molly Bancroft — shows exactly what he’s capable of: a satisfyingly rhythmic collection of keys, melodies and just enough bass to keep that smile on your face.
The video starts off a little awkward (check out the dancers in the background!), but the strength of the song really makes this one worth putting on repeat. You’ll be able to buy it on Beatport on August 13.
Another week, another amazing show. If you’re in Ontario’s capital today, I urge you to head over to Yonge and Dundas Square, where the Mad Decent Block Party is raging even as we speak. Local heroes Zeds Dead will be wrapping things up later tonight, and I predict they’ll be shaking the concrete in such a manner as to have the walls of the nearby Eaton Center clinging on for dear life. It’s an extravaganza, amigos – and it’s FREE!!! Say no more.
Speaking of Zeds Dead, we start this week’s Sweets with the brand new EP the duo dropped earlier this week — a collaboration with Omar LinX and, as you’d expect, a classic. Elsewhere, Montreal duo Botnek have a heavy-duty remix on their hands and Alvin Risk takes Fun.‘s “We are Young,” plus a few other goodies. Onward!
