Progressive House | Axwell & Sebastian Ingrosso – Roar
Posted by Middy on June 5, 2013
The much anticipated sequel to Pixar’s huge hit movie “Monster’s Inc”, “Monster’s University” has decided to throw its hat into the edm ring. With BT scoring Toy Story, this is not new for Pixar, but this is new for the Swedish stars as they attempt to bridge their sound with the movie. Axwell & Sebastian Ingrosso have left behind their Swedish House Mafia past with Steve Angello quite quickly and formed a strong bond in the months since then, starting a residency at Ushuaia in Ibiza called “Departures” and creating this track.
“Roar” is different from what we have heard in the past from these two, with a grittier bass line and a cinematic appeal, taking bits and pieces from what I presume is the movie score and incorporating them seamlessly into their track. This is a rather unlikely marriage of partners, but from the sounds of it, I am enthused they did it. The Style of Eye remix goes for a grungier approach, while the the Yogi remix adds a trapped out flavor to it. The original reigns supreme in my book. The movie, set to release June 21st, should be interesting to see not only if it lives up to quality of the first, but also how this tracks fits into the storyline.
iTunes: Axwell & Sebastian Ingrosso – Roar
House | Depeche Mode – Soothe My Soul (Steve Angello and Jacques Lu Cont Remix)
Posted by Middy on May 6, 2013
After his subpar free release a few weeks ago with Wayne & Woods for the Mio Energy Facebook campaign (try the stuff, it gets you WIRED), Steve Angello gives his first real glimspe at life behind the production curtain post Swedish House Mafia. Stuart Price dons his Jacques Lu Cont moniker for this remix as the two dance music icons link up to put their spin on the first single from Depeche Mode’s 13th studio album.
The remix keeps much of the sound and style of the original, while allowing for experimentation and nuanced additions by Jacques Lu Cont and Steve Angello, slowly building a synth laden climax over the course of the entire song. This track leans more towards Jacques Lu Cont’s current productions and you probably won’t be hearing this in a Steve Angello set, but it is nice to see him show off the variety he possesses in production. Maybe when he puts his Mescal Kid hat on, he would bring out this one.
Beatport: Depeche Mode – Soothe My Soul (Steve Angello and Jacques Lu Cont Remix)
Preview, Progressive House | Sebjak & Marcus Schossow – Liceu (Preview)
Posted by Middy on April 12, 2013
First premiered by Thomas Gold on his Fanfare radio show, the widely anticipated 102nd Size Records release “Liceu” is officially previewed, as the label continues its 1 to 100 celebration. Marcus Schossow has caught the eye of 2 members of the Swedish House Mafia, having inked a deal with Axwell’s Axtone label, with a release forthcoming, and also through this collaboration with fellow Swede, Sebjak. which received the approval of Steve Angello, and earned them a release on Size Records. Sebjak has also been putting his name out there with a string of high profile remixes for the likes of CLMD and Tritonal. With prominent booming horns and a bouncy drum line, the track is a unique breath of fresh air in a climate where many minimal festival cuts seem to be relying on the same formula. “Liceu” has already been making its way into many DJs sets, and with its release fast approaching on April 29th, you can only expect the number to grow.
Events | EDC New York Lineup Phase 1
Posted by Middy on April 3, 2013
After releasing the trailer yesterday, Insomniac has finally shed light on some of the artists who will be gracing the stages here in New York on May 17th & 18th. Some may be wondering why there are so few compared to other festival announcements — remember it was shortened to two days, so 1/3 less DJs required. Some of the notable names on the list include Carl Cox, Steve Angello, Dirty South, Arty, Porter Robinson, Eric Prydz, Nicky Romero, Dash Berlin and Cosmic Gate. The lineup also sets itself up for at least 4 artist lead stages, Carl Cox & Friends, Steve Angello’s Size Matters with Thomas Gold, AN21 & Max Vengeli already on the bill, a trance stage of some sort, possibly led by Cosmic Gate if Armin does not show up in the second wave of artists, and another repeat of last year with Afrojack’s Jacked Stage with Quintino, Bassjackers and R3hab all on the bill. The lineup is very promising and seems to have plenty for all tastes. It will be interesting to see what comes out of the second wave of artists and judgment should be withheld until then. Get your tickets here.
DJ-Set | Steve Angello Essential Mix 3/30/13
Posted by Middy on April 1, 2013
Steve Angello is currently sitting on the sunny beaches of Bora Bora sans computer, phone or any electronic devices, totally disconnected from the world as he decompresses from the 6 year whirlwind run he had with Swedish House Mafia that came to a close two Sundays ago at Ultra Music Festival. Before his vacation he took the time to drop off an essential mix into the offices of BBC’s Radio One. The mix puts in the rearview the SHM era and puts on full display the outrageous riches in the Size HQ hard drive that are just begging to be released.
Electro-House, Progressive House | Henrix, GTA & Digital Lab – Hit It (Preview) + Henrix – Miami Rising
Posted by Middy on February 7, 2013
The track has been in circulation for months now, getting support from every big Dj under the sun like Steve Angello (obviously), Kaskade, Otto Knows, Diplo, Tiesto, Laidback Luke, Wolfgang Gartner, Hardwell and many more. We now know that the minimalist festival track will be released February 25th, making it a prime time cut for WMC and Ultra and will round out a great month for Size with “Swoon” coming on Monday. To celebrate the news, Henrix is giving out a free track “Miami Rising” that is a departure from his hard hitting percussion laden beats for a more melodic piano driven track, showing the diversity of his productions. Also after the jump the preview for a new track “All That”, which was premiered on Tiesto’s Club Life last week.
Free Download: Henrix – Miami Rising
Compilation, Electro-House, Featured, Progressive House | FNT’s Top 25 Big Room & Electro Tracks of 2012
Posted by Middy on January 9, 2013
2012 was a year of explosive growth for dance music worldwide. We have seen increasing influence from the United States in dance culture, with the “bigger is better” ethos evident in everything from sound and visual production to the massive convergence of electronic music with pop music (a charge led by top-40 radio stars like Rihanna, Chris Brown, Usher, and even Taylor Swift, who made a brief but notable foray into dubstep this year). In other words, dance music has literally and figuratively blown up. Of course, with the “mainstream-ization” of dance music comes the inevitable backlash from traditionalists who’d prefer it to remain as it was in the 80s and 90s — confined to small clubs and warehouses with little attention from the general public. This rift is notably present in the trance community, where purists who prefer the higher BPMs of the 90s and early 2000s often look down upon newer listeners who have quickly latched on to what Above & Beyond famously described as “trance 2.0.”
While there are valid arguments to be made for both sides of this growing dance music debate, at the end of the day we think you should listen to what you like, and that producers should be free to evolve artistically without fear of being branded sellouts. Of course, it is important to acknowledge and respect the long (and occasionally troubled) road that electronic music has taken to get to where it is today, just as it is undeniable that 2013 has very exciting things in store for the genre — regardless of whether you’ve been a fan for twenty years or twenty minutes.
In keeping with this theme, we bring you this list in addition to our own personal lists — a list which we think sums up the year in dance music, from the clubs to the festivals to what you played on your car speakers. We all have our own tastes, but we still must pay our respects to the EDM anthems that dominated the year. So without further adieu, a few words on how this list was decided. First and foremost, this is our list, not the definitive list from the dance music gods, so no matter how hard we try to be objective we’re sure there will be some debate. Secondly, we are talking about the biggest and best tracks of the year — so tracks that were absolutely dynamite but which failed to garner support and playtime from other DJs will not make the cut. Third, remember the genres we’re covering. No hard feelings to Sasha’s remixes of “Flutes” and “Benediction” — both crushed 2012 — but this isn’t the time or the place. We also must note that we are American, so our list will mainly represent the tracks we heard at US festivals and clubs (even though some of us spent substantial time in Europe). Finally, we must give a quick nod to all of the amazing songs that were released just before 2012 but which still had an enormous impact on the year — like Nicky Romero’s “Toulouse“, Knife Party’s “Internet Friends”, Bingo Players’ “Rattle”, Swedish House Mafia & Knife Party’s “Antidote” and the ever-enduring “Epic”. At the end of 2013, we’ll give the same acknowledgment to tracks released in December 2012, like “Easy“, “I Could Be The One“, “Like Home“, “Clash” and possibly “Rift“.
Whew. Now that we’re done with that, let’s get on to The Top 25 Big Room & Electro Tracks of 2012.