Exclusive, Featured, Interviews | Hard Rock Sofa On Album “Most Important Thing For Us At Moment”
Posted by Middy on May 6, 2014
Hard Rock Sofa need little introduction. Though their rise to prominence has only been in the past 3-4 years, coinciding with the dance music boom Stateside, they have been making music since 2005. Approaching a decade of making music and it appears that they are hitting their stride (take notes kids, this does not happen overnight, unless you buy it), making tunes in a wide variety of sounds and styles.
We were supposed to sit down and chat with them the third day of E Zoo, but well I think we all know what happened. But we got the chance after “Arms Around Me” released to chat with them, so of course we did. We got to chat about their latest single “Arms Around Me” that was just released on Axtone, the impact of Sergey (the former third member of the group) leaving, their upcoming artist album and much more.
Progressive House | Hard Rock Sofa & Skidka – Arms Around Me
Posted by Middy on April 19, 2014
This tune is huge. It is powerful and funky, relying heavily on a sample from KC & The Sunshine Band “Wrap Your Arms Around Me“. The tune was originally rumored to be something from NEW_ID or Prok & Fitch as Axwell & Sebastian Ingrosso have been playing this out intermittently for close to a year, but now we know it is Hard Rock Sofa with their protégé, fellow Russian producer, Skidka. This is about as fresh as it gets, so make sure you cop it now. Next up for Axtone, “Tokyo By Night”. Prepare your bodies.
Beatport: Hard Rock Sofa & Skidka – Arms Around Me
Progressive House | Hard Rock Sofa – Rasputin
Posted by Middy on March 11, 2013
Making their return to Axwell’s Axtone Records, Russian duo Hard Rock Sofa dole out another hard hitting festival cut sure to make waves in Miami. “Rapsutin” is centered around a slow building churching low end with rapid fire percussion and an ominous interlude, leading into the percussive drop. “Rasputin” is the latest in the recent trend of hard hitting, minimal percussive tracks like “Wakanda“, “Hit It” and going back to “Epic”. It is interesting to see the direction Axtone has taken with their first two releases of the year and it will be something to watch throughout the rest of the year with Axwell striking it solo as the official SHM breakup looms in just 2 weeks.
Beatport: Hard Rock Sofa – Rasputin
House | Mimada’s Top 12 for 2012
Posted by mimada on January 5, 2013
With the renaissance of music festivals and growing popularity of electronic music, it’s safe to say my attendance to live shows grew exponentially in 2012 (not that I had that many years under my belt to begin with). However, this really changed my perception of music and how I listened to it. Before, I would see an artist based on my familiarity with them and listen to their songs on repeat in the parking lot until moments leading up to the show. Now, it’s more so that I attend a concert based on the artist’s live talent and/or how much fun the performance will be. When I hear their songs in the future, I get sentiments of that first time I heard it sitting outside in a grassy field surrounded by flag holders or squished up against girls in moonboots rather than it’s premier on SiriXM radio. For me, music in 2012 was not about what would get me out of bed in the morning or play in the background at the gym while I worked out: it was what I could dive into and take me away from any known reality. I guess it’s always kind of been that way, but once you get a peek at my top 12, I think you’ll understand what I mean.
Electro-House, Progressive House | Norman Doray and NERVO ft. Cookie – Something To Believe In (Remixes)
Posted by Middy on November 5, 2012
Carl Louis & Martin Danielle add the house flavor of the late 2000s to this track, playing off of the piano melody and soulful vocals and adding their own nuanced progressive twist to the track. You have been hearing the Hard Rock Sofa remix of Norman Doray & Nervo’s new single “Something To Believe In” for the past couple weeks on Dimitri Vangelis & Wyman’s radio show, so it is nothing new to you. Hard Rock Sofa take a much more direct approach to this one, largely eliminating the existing piano melody and replacing it with their own big room synths and a grungy electro drop. Of the two, I prefer the nuanced approach of CLMD, but the Hard Rock Sofa remix is a great energetic alternative.
Beatport: Norman Doray and NERVO ft. Cookie – Something To Believe In (Remixes)
Electro-House | Hard Rock Sofa, Matisse & Sadko, Swanky Tunes – Chemistry (Turn The Flame Higher)
Posted by Middy on November 5, 2012
Yes you read that right, Hard Rock Sofa, Matisse & Sadko AND Swanky Tunes have all combined to make a track. That is 7 producers for one track. All that is left is to add Arty to the mix and we have a real party. I wonder who had a big enough studio / enough vodka for all of the them… Anyway, the track combines the big room tendencies of Matisse & Sadko with the grungy electro dispositions that we have seen in recent tracks from Hard Rock Sofa & Swanky Tunes — all balanced with a quick alternating bass line.
Beatport: Hard Rock Sofa, Matisse & Sadko, Swanky Tunes – Chemistry (Turn The Flame Higher)
Progressive House | Calvin Harris feat. Ne-Yo – Let’s Go (Swanky Tunes & Hard Rock Sofa Remix)
Posted by Middy on November 4, 2012
To be honest I am quite tired of remixes of this track especially since it had a high profile beatport remix competition, but since its unveiling at Tomorrowland, the Hard Rock Sofa & Swanky Tunes remix has been one I have been eagerly awaiting. It draws on elements of past productions like the saws in “Here We Go” and a similar bass line to “Quasar“, while adding its own unique combination of electro stabs and grinding synths. This high energy take on “Let’s Go” manages to stand tall in a very crowded remix field as the Russians prove once again their production prowess.
Amazon: Calvin Harris feat. Ne-Yo – Let’s Go (Swanky Tunes & Hard Rock Sofa Remix)