Albums | The Kount and Kaelin Ellis drop “END OF AN ERA” Ahead of New Album
Posted by VMan on September 28, 2022
“END OF AN ERA” is the second song off of the long awaited collaborative LP between Florida based beatsmith Kaelin Ellis and Toronto based producer The Kount. The forthcoming 13-track-project VIGNETTE is coming soon and my guess is it will be making real waves in the beat scene. One of the cooler things about “END OF AN ERA” is that it started off as a beat video on the guys twitter accounts, and it’s safe to assume some of the other tracks on this project will also be some of the duo’s older collaborations. Tap in above now!
Albums | Shoffy Releases new Album, …Onward & Announces Tour
Posted by VMan on September 22, 2022
Shoffy’s new album …Onward came out a few weeks ago and I am a massive fan of the full thing front to back. The electronic infused pop record is filled with catchy music that is on the cusp of commercial but in the best way. Working on the LP over the past year, Shoffy has been focused on uber focused on creation as of late and is now gearing up for a national tour that starts at this month. A few of my personal favorite songs off of this one are easily “Fade” “Nightmares In NYC” and “Sad Man” but there a ton of great music on it. If you are on the look out for a new album to run through, tune in to …Onward by Shoffy above now.
Albums | juuku & Ryan Nealon connect on “save u”
Posted by VMan on September 22, 2022
Electronic music producer and DJ juuku is joining forces with singer-songwriter Ryan Nealon on their new collaboration “save u,” a heart-shattering single pulled from the official ‘Lost In Dreams 2022’ festival compilation, that is out now on Lost in Dreams Records. Partially emotional but also incredibly hard hitting, these two are the perfect yin and yang to each other’s sounds. The vocals are mellow, calming, and melancholy and the production is bold, fiery and in your face. The single arrives one week before juuku descends upon Downtown Las Vegas for the second annual Lost In Dreams festival. In celebration of the upcoming two-day lucid experience, the label has assembled the official ‘Lost In Dreams 2022’ compilation, a 22-track album showcasing essential tunes from artists slated to perform at the festival at the end of September, including juuku himself. If you’re in Vegas this weekend be sure to swing by the festival, and tune in to “save u” above now!
Albums | Joe Smooth presents ‘Hush Money’ with Irene Michaels
Posted by VMan on September 20, 2022
Chicago’s house music icon Joe Smooth and Irene Michaels pair up for “Hush Money” out now on legendary house label Trax Records.
In the words of Joe Smooth ‘When Rachel Cain of Trax Records approached me to work with Irene Michaels of “I On The Scene” and one of Chicago’s first ladies, I was intrigued as to her plan for Irene. In steps Arny Granat, Irene’s husband, top event promoter and theatrical producer, with the fun song “Hush Money” by The Heels. I thought, with Irene’s classic voice, style and the song’s rock vibe, I would give it a “Chicago House” treatment reminiscent of the underground classic “Black Betty” by Ramjet. Ramp up the dance vibe with a rock edge, add Irene’s classic vocals and it’s a party!!! Keep “House” Rockin’
Streams this soulful and propulsive funky house concoction below, written by buzzworthy Canadian country trio The Heels, and co-produced by Screamin Rachael, who was dubbed ‘the queen of house music’ by Billboard Magazine, this release also contains an alternate mix by acclaimed soundtrack composer Michael A. Levine
Albums | Boxteles return with their heaviest offering yet, in stinging rock single “Relevant”
Posted by VMan on September 15, 2022
UK based 4-piece-band Boxteles hail specifically from Huddersfield in West Yorkshire and is comprised of Tom Bedford (vocals and guitar), Alex ‘Rex’ Richardson (bass), Ollie Harrison (guitar) and Oliver Perry (drums). Filled with a heavy and powerful vibe, the band returns with their first release of 2022 with arguably their heaviest track yet to date via “Relevant.” Immediately hitting you with rip-roaring guitars and a singalong chorus line that will surely be a fan favorite at live shows. “Relevant” is a great introduction track for new listeners, so check it out above now and keep Boxteles on your radar moving forward!
Albums | Check out “Sunshine” by Australian producer, Fonteray
Posted by VMan on September 15, 2022
Fonteray is a bubbling new project out of Australia by rising artist, Drew McCarty. His sound is a hybrid concoction of sounds blending together psychedelic indie-dance and chill-wave music that can be likened to a mix between Toro Y Moi, Jungle and Washed Out. His new single “Fonteray” is a feel good track that is a great introduction to the up-and-coming project. Tune into the track above now and read a quote from the artist on his release below now!
“The rough idea of ‘Sunshine’ has actually been around for a while now. There’s a video on my Instagramof me improvising a variation of the bassline over the chords from 2018, which was long before Fonteray even existed. It wasn’t until earlier this year that I found a super early demo of it that I had completely forgotten about. I was vibing with the bassline of it and was sort of hit by this melody idea for the chorus. I immediately demo’d it out again and essentially wrote out the whole song in one sitting. Lyrically, I tend to lean on hazy, dreamlike imagery because that’s the vibe I want the song to evoke overall. Where I can, I like to leave it somewhat vague, to leave space for the listener to insert whoever comes to mind when they hear the song. Particularly with a song like Sunshine which is ultimately about a relationship that didn’t work out butcan still be reflected upon fondly.Although I had a complete demo when it came time to record the song, I opted to essentially start from scratch once in the studio. Working with long-time collaborator Michael Belsar (Hayden James, Hunting Grounds) in his Abbotsford studio, we wanted to make sure the song had freedom to grow naturally, and that we weren’t constraining it with pre-existing ideas of what it should sound like. Leaning into this ‘serve the song’ mentality, meant we added a bunch of things that we normally wouldn’t, like acoustic guitar, and live upright piano because of the character it added to thesong.For me this song feels like an evolution stylistically towards what I am trying to achieve sonically when I write music. A sound which marries vintage and modern sounds, something that is just as evocative as it is danceable. With tight grooves, a sprinkle of psychedelia and a slight nod to my funk/soul influences.” ~ Fonteray
Albums | Ultra Worldwide unveils Asia Tour 2022 and announces return of ULTRA Beach Bali
Posted by VMan on September 12, 2022
Celebrated for producing top-tier festivals on all six inhabited continents, Ultra Worldwide will return to Asia this month for a multi-country tour.
The ULTRA Asia Tour 2022 will kick off with ULTRA Japan as the festival returns for its seventh edition at Odaiba Ultra Park II on Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18 . Festival headliners include Afrojack, KSHMR, Martin Garrix, Nicky Romero, Oliver Heldens, Timmy Trumpet, and Zedd with support from a range of bubbling regional acts. Tickets are on sale now for ULTRA Japan at https://ultrajapan.com/
Ultra’s award-winning techno and house music concept RESISTANCE will once again take over Womb Tokyo for another impressive edition of RESISTANCE Tokyo on Saturday, September 17. The world-class, four-floor nightclub will host the world debut of ‘POPOF B2B Space 92 present: Turbulences, who will be co-headlining with Beatport chart-topping regular Julian Jeweil. Tickets are on-sale now for RESISTANCE Tokyo at https://resistancemusic.com/tokyo/
Following ULTRA Japan, ULTRA Korea will make its highly-anticipated return for the festival’s ninth edition at the iconic Olympic Stadium in Seoul. The event will span two days from Saturday, September 24 and Sunday, September 25 across three stages including Main Stage, RESISTANCE, and UMF Radio. A bevy of headliners will be making their ULTRA Korea debuts, including Marshmello, Oliver Heldens and Timmy Trumpet. Returning fan-favorite Main Stage headliners include Martin Garrix, KSHMR, and Nicky Romero.
RESISTANCE Seoul will feature the likes of Adam Beyer, Ilario Alicante, Lee Foss, Nicole Moudaber, Pan-Pot, Sasha, and the second performance of POPOFb2b Space 92 present: Turbulences. Tickets are on-sale now for ULTRA Korea at http://ultrakorea.com/tickets
After nearly five years since the last edition, ULTRA Beach Bali will make its return on Thursday, September 29 – Friday, September 30 for the festival’s fourth edition. To mark this highly-anticipated comeback, the festival will take place at a brand new venue this year at the picturesque oceanfront Discovery Kartika Plaza Hotel Kuta in Kuta, Bali,located on the Indian Ocean. Tickets are on-sale now for ULTRA Beach Bali at https://ultrabali.com/tickets/2022/
Since its inaugural event in 2015, ULTRA Beach Bali has presented some of the leading acts in electronic music, such as Skrillex, Kygo,Alesso, Hardwell, Martin Garrix, Zedd, Afrojack, deadmau5 and Dubfire. The forthcoming ULTRA Beach Bali lineup promises to continue the tradition of welcoming distinguished artists from around the world.
ULTRA Beach is an oceanfront boutique festival that has welcomed tens of thousands of fans to events in exotic coastal locations around the world, from Europe to Asia. Ahead of the Bali edition, ULTRA Beach hosted two widely-successful events in the Mediterranean on the Island of Hvar in Croatia and on Costa Del Sol in Spain earlier this summer.
RESISTANCE will also return to Bali to deliver hard-hitting underground sounds for a closing party on Saturday, October 1 at Savaya Bali on Uluwatu Beach. Previous RESISTANCE Bali editions have welcomed prestigious underground stalwarts like Carl Cox, Joseph Capriati, Sasha & John Digweed, and Dubfire. Stay tuned for lineup and ticketing announcements at https://resistancemusic.com/bali.
Asia Tour 2022 media applications can be found at https://umfworldwide.com/media-application/