And so the last day of the RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest in Ottawa arrived. And after Saturday’s epic blowout, Sunday felt like it might be a slower day. But what should have been a bittersweet coda turned into quite the party. After these two weekends of EDM, and almost two full weeks of rock, pop, hip hop, blues and dubstep, the fest went out with a bang.
Ottawa’s BKRK (a.k.a. Paul Burke) got the late-afternoon crowd warmed up with punchy beats. Seemed as though a lot of people were still riding the high from the previous night’s Skrillex show.
Next up: Vancouver’s Felix Cartal. Did I mention what an amazing job DNA did programming the Electro Stage with a great mix of local, Canadian and international artists?
Cartal got the crowd jumping with remixes of Fedde Le Grand, Autoerotique and Laidback Luke.
Over on the Claridge Stage (the second main stage), Toronto’s The Weeknd performed. You couldn’t fail to be impressed by the number of fans who turned out, and who clearly knew the music by heart.
Considering rarely he performs, and his widely-reported reluctance to sign with a major label, it was interesting to observe his fan base: teenage girls, with a load of twentysomething guys. Curious, but it all worked.
Back to the Electro Stage for the final night — and it ended with Ultra Records star Wolfgang Gartner (a.k.a. Joey Youngman) delivering a crazy electro house set. Massive bangers and hit after hot hit. Here’s our boy Felix Cartal taking in the mayhem.
So the two Sunday nights at Bluesfest ended up being among the craziest and busiest of the festival. The tunes were the largest on these two nights: first with Chromeo on the opening weekend, and then Gartner wrapping it up on the final night. Kids losing their shit until the bitter end, until the last song was played out,
So long, Ottawa. I’ll miss the way you guys gave it your all for every act !
Last week Vegas got to me. There was no time to get to my computer, let alone sleep. But with great privilege comes great responsibility. The good news about my adventure last week is that I got to see some sick DJs play brand new tunez. And therein lies my responsibility: to relay these hot tracks to you while they’re still poppin’ fresh. Let the baton passing begin.
SWEETS
This week brought a double dose from Montreal hit men Adventure Club. One track takes the vocals from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs‘ “Maps” and chops it up quite nice, while the other is the background sound for the new Krewella track. Both go hard. Both are free.
The next comes from Ado. Part of the Blood Music stable, he has switched teams to Twin Turbo for the release of Pressure. This new EP is full of raunchy electro techno that will keep you up all night — but it’s the track “Right On” that has me on the edge of my seat. Worth the purchase all on its own. You can get it on Beatport HERE.
The latest Boysnoize Records release is exactly what you’d expect from BNR: innovative, different and completely mental. Les Petits Pilous always seem to find a sound nobody is messing with. You might not like it at first, but like a fine wine…
And speaking of Boys Noize, I have an absolute gem from him right hurrrr. He has created a four-minute tribute to Donna Summer, in a style I could only describe as: washy flossy techno. I think it’s absolute fire. Perfect for your next party!
Shook, possibly the coolest cat in the game, has released a track that lives up to his reputation as one smooth hustler. If you got the one you’re crushing on in the car, this is the tune your mojo is dying for you to play.
Sticking with that sexy vibe, we got something here from two of the most soulful artists in the game. Ellie Goulding takes on The Weeknd‘s humungous banger “High for This” and puts her own adorable touch on it, while Xaphoon Jones from Chiddy Bang gives her a different beat to play with. Together, they come up with something simply breathtaking.
Get used to this one. Avicii gives away a brand new track as a thank you to his fans for hitting 2 million likes. Hate if you want, but there’s a good reason Avicii is maybe the second or third biggest name in EDM — and this song is living proof.
Speaking of big name DJs: Afrojack has taken on a classic and given it his trademark electro touch. I’m always a little hesitant when I hear a Michael Jackson track remixed, and to be honest I’m not 100 percent on board with this one. But decide on your own — you may well find yourself giving it more than one listen.
This song has been remixed, like … what? A million times? Hip-hop, rock, dance — it doesn’t matter, the strings in Phantom of the Opera have been tried and tested. Many times the result have been indifferent, but this time it’s done right. It feels like Ryan Enzed makes music every second of his existence. And why not, right?
Aaaaaaaand … I’ll stop there. Be sure to check in next week. In honor of UEFA EURO 2012 kicking off in Ukraine and Poland on June 8, I’ll be breaking down group by group, country by country. Soccer, you say?!? No, amigo … we’re going EDM with this. We’re going to take a look not at the footballing ability of the competing countries, but their music-making ability. Sweden, Spain, Italy, England, France, Germany, Netherlands — all home to heavy-hitting, world renowned DJs. To say nothing of Ireland, Portugal, Croatia, Denmark, Russia, Greece, Czech Rep, and Poland — all with hidden gems of their own, all capable of competing with the big boys.
So grab your flag and lift it high — cuz bpm:tv presents The real Euro 2012!
One of the things that I noticed a good month ago at Labour of Love is the undeniable star status of one Benny Benassi. I can remember early 2004-2005 coming across those extremely bass-filled electro tracks from the Italian. His tracks always sounded so raunchy back then: almost forbidden, yet seductive like all good sins. The fruit was too tempting back then — and it’s even more so today.
Electroman was more than an album, it was International. It’s too bad we missed out on the bpm:tv interview we had planned with him back in August: he flew in on a private jet for his set, and flew out right after because he had a set at Electric Zoo a mere six hours (!) or so later.
That is an international superstar. That is Benny Benassi.
It’s good to hear something new from him, because once most artists release an album all we get for the next while is some tracks that didn’t make the album, or some one-off collaborations. Mr. Benassi, however, has chosen to remix a gem of a track from the new Florence + The Machine record. The track is heat from the beginning and never lets up. Florence Welch’s vocals are absolutely magical on the chords as well. Download immediately. Get the original as well.
Florence + The Machine – Shake It Out (Benny Benassi Remix)
By the way, it’s not exactly the genre we’re known for but there’s a remix of the same track by The Weeknd that I think is pretty tight.
Florence + The Machine – Shake it Out (The Weeknd Remix)
I also have a braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand new track from Spencer & Hill. Love these Germans. Do you like to tan and fist-pump? Then THIS is your tune!
