Exclusive, Featured, Interviews | Andrew Rayel Exclusive Interview + Cielo Show Review

Posted by on April 17, 2014

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The Mozart of Moldova, the prince of trance, whatever you wish to call Andrei Rata, known professionally as, Andrew Rayel, it is abundantly clear the talent that is possessed by the 21 year old phenom. He has become the hottest up and coming talent in trance right now, with his tunes consistently being supported by your usual suspects of top DJs, culminating in a spectacular collab “Eiforya” alongside the trance Jesus himself, Armin van Buuren.

We were lucky enough to catch Andrew Rayel before his debut set here in NYC last Thursday and chat about being a college student, the upcoming album and much more. His set was a thing of beauty. 3 hours of nonstop action from start to finish, Rayel had a packed house all the way until the end of his set a little before 4am. His set included the fast paced styled mixing and loads of exclusive mashups that he is always making fresh, including one between “Bigfoot” and “Ping Pong” that really set the tone early on. He has become known for his gigantic melodies in the trance realm and has translated that to unofficial remixes for big time prog tracks like “In My Mind”, “Reload” and a new one “Under Control”.

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His artist album that you can see the teaser art below is set to hit stores near you at the very of May. Get ready because it is going to be something very special and not your standard club fanfare you see elsewhere. This will be different. Also can anyone figure out the last word? I have “Find Your H_ _ _ O _ _” and can’t figure out the last word.

andrew rayel find your harmony

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Interviews, Progressive House | Exclusive: Don Diablo’s Top 5 Startlight Moments

Posted by on March 21, 2014

Don Diablo has been a vet of the game for some time now, but only now getting his due. He is a testament that overnight success take 5-10 years. His single with Matt Nash “Starlight (Could You Be Mine) from the summer was a big hit across the festival circuit and is getting a re-release. To celebrate, Don Diablo has told us his top 5 “Starlight” moments that include moments from Ibiza and the feeling of being accepted by “Axtone”. “Starlight” has been re-released on Ultra this week, so if you never picked it up go and do so now. Read those “Starlight” moments after the jump.

Beatport | iTunes

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Interviews | [Exclusive] The Rise Of Collin McLoughlin

Posted by on March 18, 2014

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We remember when we first received an e-mail from Collin McLoughlin. It was 2010, and he contacted us with a single submission. We were instantly impressed. In fact, we can still remember where we were when we heard his voice. We knew then that Collin McLoughlin was destined for greatness. While the Collin’s road to success has taken him to places like NBC’s “The Voice”, he’s on a new mission. Since July of 2013, Collin has been releasing a slew of impressive remixes and originals that have gained support from just about everyone in the blogosphere. Collin’s profile is quickly rising, so we decided to check in with him to talk about how a Youtube cover singer from New York became one of the most talked about names in the melodic bass world.

1. Forgive me for asking, but how did a guy that was knocked out in the second round of NBC’s “The Voice” become a successful melodic dubstep producer and DJ, essentially out of nowhere?

It took an incredible amount of dedication and hard work. I’ve learned everything I know about production from various online tutorials, Youtube, and trial and error. I also have had some good friends like Carlos Cid who have given me tremendous advice. That said, the majority of my DJ and production knowledge has come from an insane amount of hard hours spent teaching myself.

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Hip-Hop, Interviews | Drop City Yacht Club (Interview & New Single)

Posted by on February 26, 2014

Enjoy the below interview and hit play on Drop City Yacht Club’s new single “No Better” featuring Jonn Hart!

By Annie Dineen

Somewhere at the intersection of T-birds and subway cars, sand and flannel, and palm trees and boom boxes is Drop City Yacht Club. The California-based group’s hooks are uptempo pop while verses draw you in lyrically. Their breakout hit “Crickets,” for instance, regales the plight of being rejected. “ I got turned down 7 times tonight,” DCYC’s A. Wolf says at DC’s 9:30 Club on the opening night of their tour with Goodie Mob. They tell me their breakout track “Crickets” is not only about being dissed by a girl but also the frustrations with rejection they had all experienced as solo artists in the music industry.

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Exclusive, Interviews | Matt Fax Talks Future Plans, Labels and more in Exclusive Interview

Posted by on February 20, 2014

matt fax17 year old French progressive / trance producer Matt Fax has been making a name for himself with his soothing, progressive trance sound that has labels and artists clamoring for him to remix their tunes. At the tender age of 16 he was the youngest ever guest mixer on Above & Beyond’s syndicated radio show “Group Therapy” that reaches 20 million people a week worldwide.

I think age is too often used as a marketing strategy for DJs and artists when they are young, but in the case of Matt Fax it is relevant to dwell on for a moment because he has already accomplished so much for his age, having started his career at 13. His tunes have been supported by the likes of Armin, Above & Beyond, Paul van Dyk, Ferry Corsten and many others. His tracks have been released by all of the labels he could ask for like Anjunabeats, Armada, Black Hole and more. His career is only going to get bigger and better as time goes on and we got to chat with the Frenchman about his time as a label head, future plans and much more. Read on for the interview.

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Interviews | Creating The SoundTrack For The Winter Olympics : An Interview with Sochi’s PSX Resident DJ

Posted by on February 13, 2014

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Earlier today the United States swept the Men’s skiing slopestyle event and thanks to the sounds provided by Mike Nakagawa, the mountain’s vibe was described more like spring break than the Winter Olympics. Mike, who goes by DJ Naka G,  creates the soundtrack  to the extreme course where riders life-long dreams are either made or broken… no pressure. We were lucky enough to catch up DJ Naka G earlier today:

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Exclusive, Featured, Interviews | Oliver Heldens Talks Evolution, Beard Care, Upcoming Productions and More (FNT Exclusive)

Posted by on February 12, 2014

oliver heldens

Holland made its way onto the global dance music scene with dutch house and then trance. It soon, alongside Sweden, became one of the powerhouse nations for dance music. In 2014 there is a new sound emanating from its cloudy, flat and rainy populace, something deeper and more groove driven, the sound that Oliver Heldens is bringing to the world.

The 18 year old had an abrupt change in sound at the end of 2013, going from a harder, electro sound to the current, “big room deep house” style that adds energy and style to a genre that can be flat and monotonous at times (yes some deep house can be boring). His career has exploded since then with the release of “Gecko” on Musical Freedom, first unveiled as an “ID” tune, an idea he loves, and has landed him the high-profile remix for Martin Garrix’s “Animals” and acclaim and support from DJs across all genres. He is set to blow up this year and we were able to ask him a few questions about his change in style, ghost producing, labels marketing songs as “IDs” and much more. Read on for the interview.

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