INTERVIEWS
How Eli Brown Channels the Underground Music Scene With Factory 93
Growing up in Bristol, Eli Brown was exposed to a proper underground dance music scene. These experiential days sparked an appreciation for music production, so much so that he decided to start a career of his own. Entranced by drum & bass, Brown began his music career under a different alias, creating songs in the genre for 15 years. Due to the frenetic nature of drum & bass, “There are limitations in what you can and cannot do,” Brown told EDM.com, which left him feeling uninspired. He ultimately decided to pivot and began experimenting with new sounds, discovering a love for house and techno. “With house and techno you can do more as there is less of a constraint within a tempo and genre,” he explained. Producing music in a new domain...
Sam Feldt on the Launch of Fangage 2.0, Collaborating With Kesha, and More
Known for his signature uplifting sound, dance music beatsmith and music entrepreneur Sam Feldt has developed a remarkable global fan base. Feldt, who registered his first company with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce at the tender age of 13, developed early passions for entrepreneurship and music and eventually launched extremely successful career as a touring artist. Prior to the pandemic, he would sometimes even perform with a live band at the nation’s largest music festivals, such as Coachella, Ultra Music Festival, and Life is Beautiful. All the while, Feldt never lost his sight of his passion for entrepreneurship. In 2016, when his career truly began taking off following his successful remake of Robin S’ iconic dance anthem “Show Me Love,” he founded F...
Easter: Abuja airport records high traffic
The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Friday witnessed increased traffic due to huge number of passengers travelling to different parts of the country to celebrate Easter. According to NAN reports, flights from Abuja to other routes were fully booked before Thursday. Also, booking and check-in counters of many airlines were crowded with travelers rushing to board their flights. Many of the airline officials who spoke with NAN in separate interviews said there was upsurge in traffic, but ticket fare still remained same. The Max Air Station Manager, Kehinde Ogunyale, said that more people had chosen to fly home for the Easter celebration than the previous years. Ogunyele further said that Max Air also possibly experienced unique increase in passengers due to reduction in flight...
EDM.com Presents “Quarantini Chats” Episode #16: Haywyre
Whether they’re bedazzling eggs with rhinestones, baking their own sourdough from scratch, or concocting absurd cocktails, those in the social media community at large have embraced their creativity during their time in quarantine. Harnessing that creativity and manifesting it into the dance music community, EDM.com’s Instagram Live interview series “Quarantini Chats” invites the brightest music producers and DJs in the game to join our platform and craft a custom cocktail as they sip and dive into a wide range of topics with our special guest hosts, The Hotel Lobby. Hot on the heels of his first-ever Grammy Award nomination, renowned electronic music artist Haywyre is joining EDM.com for the 16th episode of “Quarantini Chats.” To celebrate his momentous...
Oil and Water: How ArtGrails.com is Changing the NFT Space Through Unusual Collaborations
In the business world they say “you can mine either mine for gold or you can sell pickaxes.” In brothers Avery Andon and Alec Monopoly‘s case, they’ve got both bases covered and then some. Andon, a veteran art consultant and founder of ArtLife Gallery, and Alec, a prolific visual artist and pop culture phenomenon, are the latest to join the NFT arena, and they’re tackling the space thoughtfully, from all angles. The duo recently launched ArtGrails.com, an NFT platform bringing a uniquely collaborative vision to the flourishing blockchain-powered digital art space. The launch also saw the minting of several new pieces from Alec Monopoly himself, a renowned street artist who is taking the opportunity to explore new artistic avenues. ArtGrails.com launched with a...
“Like a Journey Back In Time”: Claptone on Reimagining a Unidisc Classic to Celebrate the Evolution of Dance Music
Established in 1977, Unidisc Music has grown exponentially over the years to become one of Canada’s largest independent record labels. With a lifespan over four decades long, their extensive catalog has been immersed in pop culture through the years, even appearing in iconic television shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Sex and the City, and Grey’s Anatomy, among others. To celebrate the evolution of dance music, Unidisc has enlisted some of the world’s most renowned electronic music artists to produce exceptional remixes of the label’s music. This endeavor, called the “Reimagining Campaign,” was created by Francis Cucuzzella—son of founder George Cucuzzella—as a way to modernize some of the imprint’s timeless classics. Francis’...
Heavy Culture: Moonspell’s Fernando Ribeiro Talks Hermitage, Pandemic, Growing Up in Portugal, and More
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 music. The latest installment of this column features an interview with Moonspell frontman Fernando Ribeiro. The year 2020 made most of us embrace our hermit-like ways. Little did Moonspell singer Fernando Ribeiro know that the word Hermitage that he came across in 2017 would be an apt title for the band’s brand new album. The new release Hermitage is the veteran Portuguese gothic metal band’s 12th full-length studio album. The LP focuses on topics such as solitude and isolation, but also on community. Heavy Consequence caught up with Ribeiro via Skype in mid-M...
How Motez’s Experiences as a Refugee in Iraq Have Shaped His Music
Refugees are some of the strongest, most resilient people. They’re tough, determined, and not afraid to chase their dreams. Since Motez began making dance music almost a decade ago, he has consistently explored new sounds and has not held back from diving into deeply philosophical topics about the human condition. Perhaps it’s because he has already overcome some extremely adverse circumstances. Motez was born in Baghdad, where he survived Saddam Hussein’s rule in Iraq and lived through the Gulf War. He eventually moved to Australia in 2006, where he’s lived ever since. Since then, he has emerged as one of Australia’s most inventive music producers, amassing millions of streams and performing at various festivals across the globe. However, despite all the wins, he has never forgotten...
Michael Mann’s Thief: James Caan and James Belushi Return to Chicago 40 Years Later
Neon lights across Wabash. Coffee and donuts by the Adler. Midnight blues on Lincoln Ave. Car light chats in the West Loop. The streets are wet. The night is blue. The men are dangerous. This is the world of Michael Mann’s Thief. Inspired by Frank Hohimer’s 1975 true crime book The Home Invaders: Confessions of a Cat Burglar, the feature film debut of the Chicago veteran is a bridge between two times: a boiling point for ’70s crime thrillers and a fever dream of the ’80s to come. In 1980, Mann knew exactly where he was going when he set out to play in his hometown. From the prescient use of Tangerine Dream to the lone wolf archetype he gave to James Caan, Thief serves as a blueprint for everything that defines his CV. A CV, mind you, that would not only go on to define the ’80s but recalib...
Pillows Opens Up About Industry Hurdles, Female Empowerment and New Music
Just six years ago, electronic musician Pillows was bouncing from couch to couch with nothing but a dream. Today, she’s penning official covers of globally celebrated tracks like Travis Scott‘s “Goosebumps” and TLC‘s “No Scrubs.” It’s a glow-up story in the truest sense, with a pathway that was anything but roses. Born in Hungary, Pillows cut her teeth as a singer and songwriter on electronic instrumentals. But after immigrating the the States in 2014, she decided to take her career into her own hands, exhausted by the complex relationships between topliners and producers. What followed was an intense curriculum of professional training, including a sound engineering and vocal production degree from UCLA and virtual and in-per...
Joe Strummer and George Harrison Meet in the Afterlife With Strummer’s Assembly
In The Future Is Unwritten, Julian Temple’s 2007 documentary on the late Joe Strummer, there are scenes in which the former Clash frontman’s friends gather around a campfire to reflect on the rock ‘n’ roll legend born John Mellor. When news arrived that George Harrison’s reactivated Dark Horse Records was releasing the new Joe Strummer compilation, Assembly, on March 26, a question arose: why? Did the Clash frontman and the late former Beatle also once gather around a campfire, acoustic guitars in hands, and jam on “Rock the Casbah” and “What Is Life”? <!– // Brid Player Singles. var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ “div”: “Brid_10143537”, “obj”: {“id”:”25115″,”width”:”480″,”height”:R...
Artist of the Month serpentwithfeet on Black Gay Love, Relationship Advice, and Creative Honesty
Artist of the Month is an accolade we award to an up-and-coming artist who we believe is about to break out. We turn our attention in March to serpentwithfeet, an R&B singer-songwriter presently creating out of Los Angeles. When asked about any especially impactful messages from fans about his music, serpentwithfeet immediately recalls a tweet, regarding his Apparition EP, released last year. He quotes, “This project sounds like what happens in a dollhouse when the humans aren’t looking,” which he follows up with a hearty chuckle. “That is such a great appraisal. And I thought it was a great compliment,” he says. It’s also a more-than-accurate assessment, one that couldn’t be placed on just any artist’s work. Originally hailing from Baltimore — before moving to New York City and now, L...
