Exclusive, Featured, Interviews | Andrew Bayer talks past and future with “If It Were You, We’d Never Leave”, producing with Above & Beyond, future works and more
Posted by Middy on April 15, 2013
American producer (we can’t even try to put him in one genre), Andrew Bayer may seem like a new name to many of you, but this veteran has been in the dance music industry for 10 years now and finally getting the credit he deserves. Starting back in 2003 when he was just a teen in the now on hiatus group, the Signalrunners with Alan Nimmo, before striking out on his own in 2008. An alum on Berklee College Of Music in Boston, Massachusetts (we are all pulling for you guys), he is one of the few DJ / producers with a professional music degree, an experience he calls “amazing for my growth as a producer”.
Andrew Bayer’s music crosses genres and styles. His 2011 artist album, “It’s Artificial” made waves with its wide variety of styles, from glitch-hop to silky smooth techno to eclectic electronica and progressive, that made the whole experience very cerebral. The experimental 8 track debut artist album signaled his arrival as a solo artist and put the world on notice that he was to be reckoned with. His upcoming album “If It Were You, We’d Never Leave” is a beautiful piece of work. Set to release April 22nd, it may be my favorite album since “Group Therapy”, I am willing to go that far. The subtle layers and samples that create the soothing emotions and sounds are unparalleled to what other producers are putting out right now. You can download “It’s Going To Be Fine” for free here on XLR8R, but to be honest it would be a disservice to the track because this album needs to be heard as one contiguous piece of music, just as it was originally constructed, and each single by themselves will not make as much sense without the context of the album.
We had the chance to get him on the phone today, to talk everything from, working and producing with Above & Beyond, the Signalrunners, the album and more. Pre-order and preview the album below and then click the jump to read the interview.
Interviews | Ferry Corsten and Markus Schulz (AKA the New World Punx) At A State of Trance 600 NYC
Posted by Spice on April 7, 2013
Last weekend, we sat down with trance legends (and noted bromance) Ferry Corsten and Markus Schulz before their massive set as the New World Punx at A State of Trance 600 NYC. On the dockett? EDM, bank robberies, and the story behind those hilarious New World Punx comics. The Expedition tour had its explosive finale last night in Den Bosch, and while we’re sad that it’s come to an end, we’re very excited to see what Ferry and Markus have in store for us in 2013. From what we gathered in New York, these two definitely have some serious tricks up their sleeve.
Dubstep, Featured, Interviews | xKore – Entropy (Masq Remix) [FNT Exclusive]
Posted by Sev on March 28, 2013
It already goes without saying that xKore has been taking the scene by storm these past few months, but thats not what this post is about. Masq is a new artist I was introduced to when the Getter – Fallout remix competition arose. I still think he holds one of the best remixes in the competition, but that decision is up to Getter. After scavenging through his Soundcloud I ran into this amazing bootleg remix that wasn’t released and I knew needed to be. Masq carries his own unique sound and creates tracks in all areas of the BPM spectrum, from neruohop, to dnb, to dubstep, with even a little free form piano here and there. This track was one of xKore’s older pieces that was never completed/released as far as I know, but Masq took the melody and threw his flavor all over this track to create this more aggressive sounding bootleg remix. Of course we were able to get it as a free download for you guys which you can find below, along with a little background about Masq in the interview we had with him; also below.
DOWNLOAD: xKore – Entropy (Masq Remix)
(Interview Below)
READ ON >>
Exclusive, Featured, Interviews | Jaytech talks opening vs headlining, upcoming productions & more in an exclusive interview with FNT
Posted by Middy on March 14, 2013
Anjunadeep man turned Anjunabeats Dj and producer James Cayzer better known as Jaytech is coming off of a year that saw him release his sophomore album “Multiverse” and cement his position as one of the better members of the Anjunabeats family. 2012 saw him grace the stages like EDC Las Vegas, Electric Zoo and Tomorrowland, while touring the world in destinations like North America, Japan, Europe and his native Australia. He most recently released his track “Inception” on Anjunabeats Volume 10, one of the darker tracks on the compilation. After moving to Berlin 3 years ago, a move that has been “really great”, from his 2 year stint in London to be closer to the Anjunabeats family, he feels right at home making music that feels right.
We got him on the phone at his place in Berlin in between shows last weekend in New York and Slovakia and then back to the US this week for the all important WMC. You can find info on his gigs down in Miami and beyond here. We had the chance to chat about the mistakes openers make and how to stand out as an opener, upcoming material, how business is changing dance music and much more.
Interviews | Norin & Rad Interview (FNT Exclusive)
Posted by Middy on March 1, 2013
Bruce Karlsson (Norin) & Nick Sember (Rad) better known as Norin & Rad to most of you have become one of the brightest stars in the American trance scene. The two Northern California natives met several years back through mutual friends and since their first single “The Gift”, their career trajectory has only been upward. After releases on Tritonal’s Air Up There label, Enhanced and Coldharbour, they were taken under the guise of Above & Beyond and signed to Anjunabeats. Their single “Bloom” announced their arrival to the trance community that they were a name that needed to be watched.
They have a unique and varied sound that is the archetype of the new blend of trance and house that pervades the trance genre now. The duo have gone from being college students to playing festivals like Tomorrowland, Electric Zoo and EDC in a few short years. Coming off of a strong 2012 with a slew of releases on Anjunabeats, they are set for an even bigger year in 2013 with an album in the works that they say has some “really interesting material” and a single “Aldo” coming this Monday on the Anjunabeats Volume 10. We had the chance to ask them about being a part of the Anjunabeats family, their album and their working relationship. Check out their recent free track “Snap” below and the interview after the jump.
Free Download: Norin & Rad – Aldo
Exclusive, Featured, Interviews | Dzeko & Torres Talk Food, Beginnings, Dance Music in Canada & more in an Interview with FNT
Posted by Middy on December 29, 2012
Canadian duo, Julian Dzeko & Luis Torres, better known as Dzeko & Torres have come a very long way since their single “Confronted” was released on Chuckie’s Dirty Dutch Digital Vol. 4 just a year and a half ago. The long time friends quickly found that working with each other would be the ideal working situation and from there it was only a matter of time before it took off. They were able to grow their profile with free remixes of Monsters and Men “King and Lionheart” and Animal Kingdom “Strange Attractor” that promptly spread like wildfire. They had a track signed to Michael Woods’ Diffused Records, a remix of Trey Songz “Heart Attack” on Atlantic Records, their collab with ANSOL, “Yeah” on Mixmash, and their most recent release, their “Hey EP” on Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak imprint.
However, their biggest success was with their remix of Chuckie’s “Who Is Ready To Jump” that even as they said half jokingly “literally I think Afrojack’s mom dropped it”. They were able to get gigs on both sides of the Atlantic, expanding their growing influence outside of the confines of Toronto into London, Miami and elsewhere. Having just signed to AM Only and with consistent support from some of the biggest names in the game like Tiesto, Steve Aoki, Chuckie and others, the sky is the limit for these guys. Start the interview below and check out the rest after the jump as we discuss advise they were given from another DJ, future plans and their love for food. I was talking to both of them at the same time, but it is mainly Luis Torres who was communicating during the interview.
FNT: When did you guys decide that you wanted to work together and make this official?
D&T: It actually started pretty soon after we met. We used to promote and frequent all ages club events in Toronto and we both had a love for house music (i guess people call it EDM now) and then i remember Julian went to a Tiesto show and pretty much as soon as he got home, he was convincing his parents to help him buy some CDJs. I had already been fooling around in FL Studio for a year or 2 and so we decided to start working with eachother and learn off eachother. Took about 2 years of goofing around for us to finally take it seriously though.
FNT: When, if at all did it hit you that doing this could really work?
D&T: I think originally we were just having fun, just doing it because we truly enjoyed it. I never really felt like my goofing around in FL would ever take me anywhere and im sure that Julian didnt think that buying CDJs would get him anywhere either. It took a while, but i think the breakthough point for us was when we started talking to Chuckie and he gave us a release on Dirty Dutch, which at the time was one of our favourite labels and we felt like it was massive for us.
Hip-Hop, Interviews, Videos | Music Talks Presents: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Interview
Posted by Grubeats on December 6, 2012
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For the newest installment of the Music Talks interview series, the team connects with Macklemore & Ryan Gosling Lewis during their sold out stop in Boston, MA. Touching on everything from releasing “Same Love” to their appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show to their career goals, the Seattle 1-2 punch give us great responses and even question each other at times. In addition, Mack shares his greatest thrift store purchase while Ryan voices his despairing regret on a small, flashy item he once passed up on. For a full review of their stop in Boston, head over to my concert review. For more from the Music Talks series, check out their past interviews with Mac Miller, Avicii, & Schoolboy Q.
Watch The Heist World Tour, Episode 3 after the jump!