FEATURES
Celebrate Porter Robinson’s Birthday With 5 of His Most Memorable Moments
Few artists have garnered the diehard loyalty Porter Robinson has in his career. The multi-genre producer has helped to usher in a new era of dance music in that time, and we share greater appreciation for his impactful contributions with each passing year. To celebrate Porter Robinson’s birthday, we are turning back the clock to some of his biggest career moments thus far. Porter Releases Breakout Spitfire EP Porter Robinson’s Spitfire EP was not the rising complextro producer’s first work, but it was his first long-form project, which poised the star for a breakout. The EP, which became the first release on Skrillex‘s OWSLA imprint, included six originals and a handful of remixes. The cover, featuring a Titan II GLV rocket lifting off, was predict...
Manager of Lady Gaga Producer BloodPop®: Women “Will Usher in a New Revolution” of Dance Music
Following the release of her sixth studio album Chromatica, Lady Gaga is going to need a forklift to haul the hardware coming her way. According to a report by Bloomberg, Gaga has dethroned Bad Bunny as the world’s biggest pop star thanks to the EDM-inspired Chromatica, which features production from Madeon, Skrillex, Tchami, Axwell, and Boys Noize, among others. Following the album’s ballyhooed release, it skyrocketed up the charts to rapidly emerge as the best-selling album in the US this past month. According to Bloomberg, Mother Monster sold over 400,000 copies over the course of the month while no other artist even eclipsed 300,000. The record’s lead singles, “Stupid Love” and “Rain on Me,” the latter of which we predicted as an...
2021 Ford Bronco: How the Wrangler Fighter Went From Foam Concept to Reality
When Jim Hackett took over as chief executive officer of Ford in 2017, he brought with him a design approach he calls “minimum viable prototypes. ” In short, Hackett’s mentality is that an automaker ought to avoid sinking too much money into expensive prototype vehicles, which oftentimes results in a company feeling financially compelled to see a potentially sub-par project to completion. Ford used this approach to create the 2021 Mustang Mach-E electric crossover, as well as the 2021 Bronco SUV. In the case of the latter, Hackett’s method allowed the team to play around with items such as the vehicle’s removable doors and roof, as well as the placement of the Bronco’s body panels and side mirrors, while affording them the ability to skirt the fine ...
Happy Birthday, Benny Benassi: Celebrate with his Exclusive EDM.com Playlist
Some say that birthdays past a certain age aren’t worth celebrating, but when a dance music icon like Benny Benassi celebrates a birthday, each one is a milestone. To commemorate his 53rd birthday, the legendary Grammy Award-winning DJ and producer has curated a dazzling playlist exclusively for EDM.com. Ahead of the release of his forthcoming single “I’ll Be Your Friend,” a highly anticipated collaboration with fellow house music luminary Cece Rogers, Benassi concocted his EDM.com playlist to offer up a serendipitous taste of honey to those who can’t wait for the hive. You can pre-save the single here ahead of its July 17th, 2020 release. Honing in on his pioneering sound and tried-and-tested selection abilities, Benass...
Here is a Website that Generates a Random 90s Festival Lineup and Plays Vintage Concert Footage
Music lovers who are bored in quarantine have hit the jackpot thanks to the “90s Festival Generator,” a website that formulates random festival lineups swelled with nostalgic acts of the 90s. The serendipitous site was created by Twitter user “rico monkeon,” who wrote that it features “wonky VHS footage of all your indie favourites.” To create your own lineup and dive into a rabbit hole of nostalgia, simply navigate to the site. A random lineup will populate, and if it’s not to your liking, you can click on the “Generate Another Festival” button to make another. A multitude of iconic bands and artists are stitched into the site, including Limp Bizkit, Aphex Twin, Public Enemy, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer, The...
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Get Into the Summer Groove With June’s New Releases [Playlist]
Still stuck in quarantine for the foreseeable future, DJs and producers are using the free time to churn out new releases. Last month Armin van Buuren had not one, but three new releases. That includes his most recent melodic house track, “Hollow,” and two festival-ready big room tracks, “Boom Boom” and “Tarzan” with Blasterjaxx. After releasing his London Sessions album in May, Tiësto is still dropping new music too. This time he went with a more bouncy house sound in “Tomorrow.” Nora En Pure also has been busy making new songs while she’s stuck at home. According to a press release for her first release of the year, “All I Need,” fans can expect “a steady stream of new music over the rest of the year.”&nbs...
Leather Pants and Chicken Wings: The Real Stories Behind Live Aid
Take it from Rob Halford: It is difficult pulling leather chaps over sweaty legs. The Judas Priest frontman would learn that lesson anew when his band arrived at the since-demolished John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia to perform as part of Live Aid, which unfolded on two continents 35 years ago today. “It was an absolutely boiling, scorching, muggy day — I remember that,” Halford recalls of the ambitious, 16-hour-long benefit concert experienced globally by more than a billion people in over 140 countries. “As I was putting my leathers on, I was going, ‘Oh, here we go again … mad dogs and Englishmen going out in the midday sun.’” As Live Aid was happening, Halford — like all of the big-name musicians and actors who’d brave the Philly summer heat that sweltering day — knew that the fir...
This Nomadic Cowboy Creates EDM from Tumbleweed, Rattlesnakes, and Red Rock Canyons
For producer and multimedia artist Tone Ranger, the dance floor is a connection point between awe-inspiring landscapes and human expression. Drawing soundscapes from red rock canyons, open roads, ghost towns, and ancient archeological sites, his hybrid practice is somewhere between an archeologist, entomologist, and astrologer, amplifying the songs of the land. Working from his “Rolling Studio”—an old camper van—this semi-nomadic maker traverses high altitude deserts, salt flats, and valleys, using EDM as a vehicle to encompass vast sound palettes, ritual, isolated journeying, and community action. With a background in classical music theory and film scoring and a love of orchestral work, Tone Ranger is as influenced by an expansive global music history (from Aaron Copland...
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Founders of “In My Elements” Share Goals, Safety Measures, Challenges Ahead of COVID-19 Compliant Event [Interview]
With the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the economy, the music industry has been particularly hard-hit. Since mid-March, live music events have been canceling left, right, and center in response to the pandemic. While the electronic music community has found its new normal through livestreams ranging from free-form, laid-back DJ sets and intimate production walkthroughs to full-blown virtual festivals, safe resumption of in-person events in the US has appeared implausible outside of drive-in concerts. However, even as US festivals postpone or cancel outright, an independently organized electronic music retreat in Pennsylvania hopes to pave the way for safely hosting in-person music gatherings. Taking place this weekend from July 10th to July 12th, In My Elements will host house and techno heav...
![Camo & Krooked on Their Revolutionary Red Bull Symphonic Performance and Album [Interview]](https://www.wazupnaija.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/camo-krooked-on-their-revolutionary-red-bull-symphonic-performance-and-album-interview-1050x600.jpg)
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Camo & Krooked on Their Revolutionary Red Bull Symphonic Performance and Album [Interview]
Red Bull constantly pushes the envelope with everything the brand has its hands in. Music is no different in that regard, and this year Red Bull teamed up with legendary drum & bass duo Camo & Krooked to create an entirely new concert experience. Pairing drum & bass with a live orchestra, Camo & Krooked enlisted world-renowned composer and conductor Christian Kolonovits and the Max Steiner Orchestra to rework their music into a live symphonic performance in the duo’s hometown of Vienna, Austria. Needless to say, the performance was stunning. Camo & Krooked took some time to chat with EDM.com about the experience and the work leading up to the instantly iconic performance. EDM.com: First and foremost, what was the inspiration behind turni...
Here are the Early Frontrunners for the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
With no ostensible light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel and the 63rd annual Grammy Awards on the horizon, the music industry is abuzz with speculation about what the 2021 ceremony may look like. However, while there are many question marks surrounding the ceremony itself, the music that forms the bedrock of the event is ironclad. As the tentative August 31st eligibility deadline looms, we put together a list of the early frontrunners for the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. Check out the leading contenders below, in no specific order of probability. Duke Dumont – “Therapy” British super-producer Duke Dumont stunned with the release of his debut album Duality in April 2020 after the record’s scintillating lead sin...
Playlisting Tips for a Time When the Dance Party Has Moved Indoors
EDM is simultaneously one of the most popular genres of our time and one of the most difficult genres to gain recognition on playlists. It has partially become synonymous with the wider genre of pop—but why do green and mid-level EDM artists have trouble getting their music placed on these lists? The pandemic hasn’t had a significant impact on the streaming aspect of EDM music positively or negatively. But what can rising EDM artists be doing during this unique, prolonged moment? Song Structure It all starts with a song. You want to make sure your track is DJ-friendly and therefore, dance-floor-friendly. Enticing your listeners early on is crucial, and while it’s smart to stick to the formula of intro, breakdown, build, and drop, your song might stand out if you mix these sections up in a ...
