INTERVIEWS
SALADIN on His New House Banger “Hit The Floor”
Rising electronic music producer SALADIN has dropped his latest house banger, the rumbling “Hit The Floor.” With a slew of releases on a number of prominent dance music labels, SALADIN is steadily emerging as one to watch in the scene. He’s been on a rampage in 2021, releasing over 10 tracks. His club-driven sound is marked by the many sub-genres of house music, employing a kinetic blend of tech, bass, and G-house serenaded by carefully curated vocal samples. To celebrate his new single, SALADIN chatted with EDM.com about its origins and what he has cooking in the future. [INSERT SPOTIFY EMBED HERE] EDM.com: Can you describe the production process of “Hit The Floor”? SALADIN: When I started the project I focused mainly on the percussio...
“She Had a Dark Side of Her”: How Sharlitz Web Developed Her Artistry After Losing Her Sister
Fueled by the pain and beauty of her own journey, blossoming electronic music producer Sharlitz Web entangles listeners into her web of liquid basses and dark melodies. Growing up playing the flute and having a musical background in sound design, the “young Black Widow” started experimenting with flow art and making her own bass mixes to dance to. The natural high of self-expression through movement and music allowed her to progress and unlock more of her creative potential. But it wasn’t until her sister’s tragic death that she truly started developing as an artist. Sharlitz Web. Alex Varsa “My sister truly was my best friend and most important person in my life. Carrying this pain is what molded me into the artist I am today,” Sharlitz told EDM.com. “Spiders ...
Declaime and Madlib Break Down New Album In the Beginning (Vol. 1) Track by Track: Exclusive
For our Track by Track feature, artists break down the meaning behind each song on their latest project. Today, Declaime gives insight into his joint album with Madlib, In the Beginning (Vol. 1). Today, prolific producer Madlib and Oxnard rapper Declaime have released their collaborative album, In the Beginning (Vol. 1). Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify, and read a complete Track by Track breakdown of the effort from Declaime. In the Beginning (Vol. 1) compiles 13 previously unreleased tracks recorded from 1993 to 1996, during which Declaime, aka Dudley Perkins, and Madlib lived across the street from each other. The two became fast friends outside of the studio, eventually leading them to enter the booth together. For Declaime, releasing the project is his way of paying tr...
“I Felt Alone, Especially As a Woman”: Javiera Mena on Being a Trailblazer in the LGBTQ+ Latin Community
Recently releasing her latest EP I. Entusiasmo and the new music video for its single “Diva,” Latin Grammy-nominated Javiera Mena has continued to impress over the last 15 years as a powerhouse vocalist, producer, and DJ. A highly introspective body of work, Mena shares some of her deepest and innermost thoughts on I.Entusiasmo. The record seemingly draw its sonic influences from electronica, disco, pop, and Latin music, examining the various feelings often associated with the gamut of euphoria to heartbreak. Highlights include “Diva,” “Flashback,” and “Dos,” the latter of which tells the story of a convoluted love triangle. After unveiling a cinematic, retrofuturistic music video for “Diva” back in May, Mena has now shared an exclusive live v...
Beyond the Boys’ Club: Kris Esfandiari of King Woman
Beyond the Boys’ Club is a monthly column from journalist and radio host Anne Erickson, focusing on women in the heavy music genres, as they offer their perspectives on the music industry and discuss their personal experiences. Erickson is also a music artist herself, recently releasing the song “Eternal Way” under the moniker Upon Wings. This month’s piece features an interview with Kris Esfandiari of King Woman. King Woman’s new album, Celestial Blues, delves into heavy themes of suffering, spirituality and, ultimately, triumph. The ethereal doom band, led by Kris Esfandiari, releases its sophomore set July 30th via Relapse Records, following up the 2017 debut, Created in the Image of Suffering. Esfandiari grew up in a cult-like religious environment filled with stories of demons and exo...
Bruno Martini on How He’ll Offer a “Unique Experience” With Electric Zoo 2021 Performance
The festival scene is one of the most mercurial ecosystems in the music industry, which will forever be maddeningly unpredictable. And if the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that a lot can change in a year. Despite past performances at Tomorrowland, Creamfields, EDC Las Vegas, and other illustrious music festivals, Bruno Martini has butterflies in his stomach as he prepares for his return to the stage after a lost year. The Platinum-certified dance music producer is now primed to touch down in New York for the Electric Zoo music festival, an annual three-day dance music spectacular held over Labor Day Weekend. Ahead of what promises to be a monster performance, Martini chatted with EDM.com about his post-pandemic mindset and what fans can expect at t...
2021 UTME results: Candidates, parents decry low scores
File Photo Reactions have continued to follow the recently released results of the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculations Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). Some candidates and parents who spoke in separate interviews with newsmen on Monday in Bwari, Abuja, expressed their displeasure. NAN recalls that the board on Friday, June 25, released the first batch of results of candidates who sat for the examination between Saturday, June 19, and Tuesday, June 22. While some candidates expressed satisfaction with their scores, others expressed disappointment on the results. Oluwakemi Moses, a candidate, who said that she wanted to study medicine, said she scored 167, a score she explained, was not only too low but also below her first attempt of t...
Faye Webster Breaks Down New Album I Know I’m Funny haha Track by Track: Exclusive
For our Track by Track feature, artists share the stories and meanings behind each song on their latest effort. Today, Faye Webster breaks down her new album, I Know I’m Funny haha. Faye Webster has today released her latest album, I Know I’m Funny haha. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify, and read a complete Track by Track breakdown of the new LP from our former Artist of the Month. I Know I’m Funny haha follows the Atlanta singer’s breakout 2019 album, Atlanta Millionaires Club, and spans 11 tracks. While recording the project, Webster collaborated with producer/mixer Drew Vandenberg (Deerhunter) and recruited a band consisting of Harold Brown (drums), Bryan Howard (bass), Nic Rosen (keys), and Matt “Pistol” Stoessel (pedal steel). Related Video In an interview with Consequ...
How an All-Pro NFL Punter Is Following His Electronic Music Dreams
When former NFL All-Pro punter Marquette King would blast one of his signature booming kicks, one question came to mind for the millions of fans watching at home: “What is he going to do next?” It’s not a question that punters hear often. Punting has never been a sexy position in football. Punters appear only a handful of times per game and when they do, they are largely absent from the breakneck plays and ferocious hits that make the NFL so popular. Once the pigskin leaves the foot, the camera pans as it follows the ball’s flight through the air, leaving its launcher to fade into the rearview. But King forced it to refocus with his signature celebratory post-punt dances, which made punting exciting. During his six years with the Oakland Raiders from 2012 ...
Robert Randolph’s Unityfest Amps Up the Party and Importance of Juneteenth
It’s taken generations for Juneteenth to become the kind of holiday that Black Americans feel comfortable getting loud about. For pedal steel guitar prophet Robert Randolph, it wasn’t until his mid-30s that he learned the history behind the holiday commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865. But his passion to amplify the celebration in the wake of an explosive year of Black protests, pride and unity couldn’t have come at a better time. This Saturday, The Robert Randolph Foundation launches the inaugural Juneteenth Unityfest, a multi-city livestreamed event featuring a swath of iconic and influential Black artists, activists and guest speakers of all backgrounds to celebrate the historic holiday in style. “What drove me to put together Juneteenth Unityf...
Composer Dan Romer on How a ’90s Weezer Song Inspired His Emotional Score For Pixar’s Luca
At its heart, Pixar’s latest, Luca, is a film about adventure: the fear and thrill of stepping outside of your comfort zone, throwing caution to the wind, and experiencing the world outside your door. In the case of the film’s titular sea creature (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) that adventure comes from an unforgettable summer spent with a rambunctious fellow sea monster named Alberto (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer) in the sleepy Italian seaside town of Portorosso. Together, the two trade their fins for legs, learn to fit in with the rest of the island’s colorful characters, and dream of freedom and possibility — and owning a Vespa. Fitting, then, that director Enrico Cosarosa would tap one of contemporary film music’s most adventurous composers, Dan Romer, to provide the score for Luc...
Heavy Culture: Palaceburn Singer Meredith Bell and Hyro the Hero on Juneteenth and Being Black in America
Heavy Culture is a monthly column from journalist Liz Ramanand, focusing on artists of different cultural backgrounds in heavy music, as they offer their perspectives on race, society, and more as it intersects with and affects their craft. The latest installment of this column features Palaceburn singer Meredith Bell and Hyro the Hero and focuses on Juneteenth and other topics. Juneteenth has just been declared a federal holiday in the United States by the Biden administration. The day, marked on June 19th, commemorates the end of slavery as the date the last remaining slaves in Texas learned of their freedom in 1865, two years after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Philadelphia-based Palaceburn began their music journey with their EPs The Awakening in 2013 and Curs...
