Measuring the San Francisco Bay Area's Pulse in Bars & Beats. Your home for all things related to Electronic Music. Member of the @TranceFamilySF and @Trance_Mafia
Well, you knew this post was coming… DJMag’s Top 100 DJs
poll has been released and the reactions all across the world have been
interesting, to say the absolute least.
Many are happy, many are pissed, and some (like me) are left scratching
their heads at some of the results. Let
me just start off by saying I am very disappointed to see that Armin van Buuren
has been dethroned from his #1 spot to land at #2. Sure, a 4 year reign as the king of DJs and
electronic dance music as a whole is pretty much unheard of (the previous
streak was Tiesto with 3 years at #1), but many in the trance community
believed he was due for a 5th go around as the top dog. I certainly did. Who wouldn’t?
Some could argue this year was as big as last year if not bigger. With the release of his Mirage Remixes album,
Armin Only dates, continued world tour, and let’s not forget: ASOT 500! I can’t stress this one enough. ASOT 500 alone was a worldwide event that
alone should have had the power to catapult any DJ to the #1 spot. The whole world was tuned in during all 5 dates
in 5 different continents. It was such a
massive event with so much hype, even twitter couldn’t handle the #ASOT500
tweets that were flooding the twitter servers; resulting in a ban of the
hashtag. In my humble opinion, no other
DJ has the capability of connecting the world like that through music and
technology. I’m sure he was somewhat
disappointed as well, but in a way expected.
Can’t be the top guy forever (just ask Tiesto). Music is changing, tastes are changing, and
new names are coming into the ranks.
Which brings me to our new #1 winner…
Passing of the torch
David Guetta. Say
that name in any group of EDM enthusiasts and you will have a polarized debate
with lots of opinions. You either love
him or hate him (with a small margin in there indifferent to his fame). He’s THAT controversial. Not to say that those who “hate” him actually
HATE the man, but he represents something different in dance music that we are
not used to: mainstream attention. He’s
brought house music to the masses with his cross breeding of hip hop with
house. He’s become the go to guy for
rappers and R&B singers who want a club friendly record to get the dance
floors jumping. Just look at his track
record. He’s done tracks with or for
Akon, Black Eyed Peas, Snoop Dogg, LMFAO, Usher, and Madonna, just to name a
few. A pretty big selling point if you
ask me, and that’s exactly what I think has attributed to his #1 status. EDM sells.
The industry has figured that much out, and David Guetta has become
their dealer. I guess one could argue
this dilutes the genre. What’s been the
result? Regular producers are trying to
make house records, hardcore rappers are trying to make club records, and everyone who used to shun
“rave music” has dance friendly tracks somewhere in their iTunes playlist. It was inevitable.
Now let’s look at some notable spots on the rest of the list
since this was the main concern coming into this DJ poll result. Guetta won, Armin couldn’t 5-peat, end of
story. Let’s get over it. Moving on:
-Why is Deadmau5 still on this list? Better yet, why is he still in the top
10? Even better yet, why are people
still voting for him? Don’t his “fans”
know that he doesn’t give a damn about this list. He never did.
He never promotes it and never well since he doesn’t consider himself a
“DJ”. Go figure.
-I’m happy to see Avicii climbed the ranks. He even made it a notch above Afrojack! I was very surprised to see that. I know he’s had a big year, but I don’t think
he’s had one as big as Afrojack’s. Good
for him. Way to keep a fanbase happy and
growing. That’s how it’s done ladies and
gentlemen.
-Speaking of Afrojack, don’t be surprised to see him in the
top 5 in the next couple of years. His
fanbase is increasing at a David Guetta rate.
-How did Tiesto not decrease in rank? He’s still a big household name; let’s not
get that confused. However, he’s had no
album, no major releases that became chart topping hits, and he’s pretty much
alienated his former trance loving fanbase by playing only house records in his
sets and compilations. Guess loyalty
knows no bounds.
-Sander van Doorn! He
actually decreased a few spots?! How the
hell did this happen? He had every
reason to appear in the top 10 (in my opinion again). Huge compilation with Dusk Till Doorn 2011,
huge album (Eleve11) that got great reviews, lots of DJ support, big releases
on his label, and bigger fanbase by making more house friendly hits. I don’t know, I really couldn’t figure this
one out.
-Markus Schulz decreased 1 spot? Well, at least he moved this time
around. And he’s still top 10 despite
everyone loving house music these days.
We couldn’t really ask for much more.
-How did Dash Berlin not only maintain his status, but
gain? Even above Swedish House Mafia and Markus? Explanation please…
-Ferry Corsten had a notable decrease, but that was almost
expected. He didn’t put much out this
year. Next year I anticipate to see some
gains with the release of his new artist album and tour that I’m sure will
follow. Same goes for Paul van Dyk.
-Skrillex is in the top 20.
Yes, sign of the times people.
Dubstep/glitch/whatever the hell you want to call it is here to stay
because the kids love it.
-I knew Arty would come in big and strong. Way to make an impact!
-Glad to see Dada Life has climbed up the ranks quite a bit. They still deserve higher though.
-SteveAoki actually made it this year. Good for him.
For as big of a name as he is, I was surprised to see his lack of
presence in this list. Like him or not,
he belongs.
-Wolfgang Gartner is only at 56? wow.
-Tritonal made it!
Their hard work and campaigning paid off! After being snubbed last year, they got their
wish and made it into the top 100. I’m
happy for them.
-Porter Robinson had a huge year, and I’m surprised to see
him in at 96. I would have predicted a
little higher, but I’m sure he’s happy he made it. He’s only 19 after all.
-Noticeable omission: Michael Woods! I thought the man had a killer year! Killer past couple of years actually. Really shocked about this one.
-Overall, trance as a whole went down and the house genre continues their rising popularity. It seems like most of the trance artists had to work harder just to even maintain their ballpark spot.
Well there you have it everyone. Maybe one of the more opinionated columns
I’ve ever written. Agree or disagree,
that what makes EDM so great. It’s so
big and diverse, we can have an infinite amount of opinions but still come together
for the love of music. Whether or not
your favorite DJ made it where you wanted him/her to or not, take solace in the
fact that they appreciated your vote and most likely won’t stop what they’re
doing anytime soon. A chat I had with
Tritonal earlier this year showed me that in the mind of a DJ, falling short of
any expectation is more motivation to push boundaries and work harder to
achieve greater things. They will work
harder and continue to do what they do best; entertain us with their
music. Like baseball; there’s always
next year.
On the day of September 24th, 2011, things will look a little different around the Oakland (O.co & Oracle) Coliseum grounds. As the sun rises over the city, instead of sports buses there will be floats. Instead of tailgating there will be dancing. Instead of jerseys there will be lights. And instead of the raider nation there will be the EDM nation. This day marks the historic return of the Bay Area's premier event for electronic music: LovEvolution. It's been a pretty bleak year for dance music since Love has graced us last. A lot has changed since October 2009. We have experienced a detrimental series of unfortunate events at key events in California, resulting in the reputation of EDM events being put in the crosshairs of politicians and local media. Support has stepped back, other scenes have stepped up, and the Bay Area has been limping on ever since as far as putting on world class events like we are so used to. However, 2011 is a year of hope. This year we've seen unity like never before manifested in the Save The Rave movement. We are also seeing the resurgence with our crown jewels in LovEvolution and the announcement of ETD POP's return in 2012. The vibe has once again become optimistic and it's a great feeling going into Saturday's event. This IS the showcase of the Bay Area for EDM and all eyes are on the pretty lights and pretty people that will be dancing into the twilight this weekend. That being said, it is important for us to show all the naysayers and politicians that we value our community, we value our music, but most importantly, we value ourselves. Let's do our best to keep this event as safe, friendly, and loving as possible. Let's not forget why we became part of not just a group of music enthusiasts; but a family. Let's have fun everyone :).
-The TranceFamily SF Team
Now, a word from our team members about LovEvolution:
Kendra and Sony, TranceFamily SF Co-Founders
Love is in the Air! We are ready to immerse ourselves in love, music, colors, and dance, surrounded by beautiful people. As the co-founders of TranceFamily SF, we have the responsibility of representing all the SF Trance music fans at the event & spreading our message of love, "In Every Beat, We Are Closer". We are looking forward to the priceless smiles we get when we giveaway the bracelets, followed by those special warm hugs. There is nothing more satisfying to us than the feeling of being loved. We are going to LovEvolution to find love, feel love, & give out all the love we got <3
Mark
Our statement above pretty much states it all. It is a big key for this event to go off without a hitch as this is probably the most important Love yet. I'm excited about the potential that the new venue has. While it will be quite a shift for me (having attended Lovefest since 2007), The grounds around the Oracle arena and the stadium itself have some definite potential for a massive event. In all honestly, I'm surprised there hasn't been an EDM event here yet (if I'm not mistaken). I have all the faith in Skills that they will put on a successful and safe event in the spirit of the previous ones before. Having experienced 3 years of Love in the Civic Center of SF and the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, this event is very special to myself as I'm sure it is for hundreds of others in the Bay. 2007 converted me into a full blown electronic music lover and Lovefest was the reason for that. I haven't looked back ever since. I personally know several others that have experienced that same discovery. It's a great event for people to get introduced to what our scene is so it should be a goal to protect the integrity of that. All mush aside, the lineup couldn't be any better for the new event. The after party lineup is stellar and the day party's floats look awesome as well. In short, I'm very excited! Slay 'em Markus!
It’s almost 12 midnight on the night of Thursday August 25th, and the critically acclaimed and steady rising trance duo Tritonal is minutes from hitting the stage. The crowd has gathered by the masses, perhaps greater than the traditional Thursday night, and local DJ John Beaver is doing what he does best by getting the audience’s energy levels up. There’s much anticipation heading into the night, as it marks the famed act’s return to legendary nightclub Ruby Skye in over a year. The difference this time however, is what has been accomplished by the duo since their last appearance. Since 2010, Tritonal has seen a massive world tour, the creation of their record label Air Up There Recordings, incredible support by world class DJ’s for their single and remix releases, and the much anticipated release of their debut artist album “Piercing The Quiet”. Indeed their fans, the Tritonians, have rallied together in 2011 unlike any other year and I was very interested to see how much the duo had grown as a musical act and as performers from their set on this particular night.
As soon as the lights dimmed, the Tritonal graphics appeared on the background screens, and the first track of their set hit the speakers of Ruby Skye’s elite sound system, it created an explosion in the crowd; one that would not let up for about 2 and a half hours. They ripped through their time with many of their singles, cuts from the album, club remixes, and other tracks from some of their favorite artists (the likes of BT, Above & Beyond, Markus Schulz, and Gareth Emery). What really garnered my interest was the fact that they did not lose crowd command for even one moment. From beginning to end, the audience was engaged singing lyrics to all the songs played (Tritonal classics in particular) and jumping with excitement at every beat drop. It was definitely remarkable stuff seeing the ocean of Tritonians not missing a beat throughout the entire set. A big part of that was the duo’s interaction with their loving fans. I’ve always stated that the DJ’s greatest tool during livesets is to have a connection with their audience, and Tritonal pulled this off to a T, having just as much (if not more at times) energy as the spectating crowd. Through making very important eye contact, sing alongs of favorite tunes, messages to the crowd on their iPad, and dancing on stage like they never have before, Tritonal proved why they have gained so much ground with the fans since their start a few years ago. It’s just simple; they are that damn good.
Having had the chance to interview the guys right before their set, I was able to gain somewhat of a unique perspective on their music, their goals, and on them as professionals. What really stuck out about them to me was despite their enormously successful career in the past few years alone, they have maintained very humble and down to earth. It was a breath of fresh air to meet two guys such as these who have kept true to themselves, true to their fans, and keeping positive as they make and play the music they love. What I saw on stage that night was two individuals having fun with what they do, all while giving their adoring Tritonians everything they came for and more. The best part? We had just as much fun with them; loving every minute. Lots of great things await the guys of Tritonal in the coming years. You need not look farther; the future of trance is now.
-Mark
Post show comments:
Big ups to Torq SF and Ruby Skye for together another great show. Also big thanks to Chad, Dave, and Erin at Theory X for taking the time to chat with us!
Be sure to keep checking back for our full length exclusive interview with the guys as it will be posted soon!
Also big thank you to Ryan Russell of Torq SF for the great pics he took this night.
Questions? Feedback? Comments? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter at @MarkyMark925!
Well in case you didn't hear the big news, the Bay Area's premier edm festival LovEvolution is back! Noteworthy for its infamous cancellation last year due to lack of cooperation from the city of San Francisco, this year its back with a facelift and new venue: the Oracle coliseum grounds in Oakland. Now while I am happy for Skills getting their premiere event back and the edm enthusiasts of the Bay Area having something to be happy about (without having to drive to LA or Vegas for an event like this), this still presents a problem. That problem is one little word: Oakland. Good that the artist formerly known as Lovefest is back; Bad that its in the worst city to put together an event like this. Its no secret that Oakland has a problem with crime, theft, and drugs. With the edm scene having a bad enough image problem as it does in California (last year's POP and EDC deaths), having it the bay area's crime capitol will not help our rallying cry of "saving the rave". Don't get me wrong, in all the years Lovefest was in SF, 100% of the population were not angels. I know there was plenty of drugs, crime, vandalism, and property destruction to go around, but for the most part SFPD kept things under control and the city had the civic center spotless by the next morning as if an event had never happened. Oakland presents a problem in the sense that they hold one of the poorest police departments. Layoffs and budget cuts to this PD have been pretty drastic, which only bodes poorly for those looking to have a good time in Oakland. Add into the fold that for the type of event that Skills is planning to organize at the coliseum grounds, considering the location and lack of police, you would probably need some EDC worthy security; something I'm not sure can be provided given the past incidents at past events. Having LovEvolution in Oakland has the potential to harm the edm/dance/rave image even worse than it already is. Imagine if we have even more deaths and/or overdoses? Let's not even mention drug dealers looking to make big scores, cars being broken into, pick pocketing, and other things that could happen in the surrounding areas. This would be pretty much catastrophic to the "Save The Rave" movement. I don't mean to be a negative Nancy, but I'm sure if you put together the statistics of drug use, drug sales, theft, rape, and other crimes of edm events thrown in Oakland vs edm events thrown in San Francisco....the numbers would speak for themselves. I am very excited to read about Dash Berlin, Laidback Luke, and most of all Gareth Emery being added to the bill. Good for Skills for their clout. I just hope they put this together the right way. Edm in the Bay Area needs some big time help and this event has the potential to make our break our case. I, like many, love electronic music and hope to see our issues in the Bay Area rectified.
Who? ...I find myself asking that same question. The mystery man Erick Strong is pretty much a John Doe in the edm world, yet we all know his name due to the release of recent singles that have gotten a lot of rotation from the big name producers in the business. The first track I heard was "Orchids" on Corsten's Countdown. After that was "Hopeless" on Gareth Emery's podcast, and I was sold. The latter track has such a haunting melody that I could see being played at Halloween festivals this year. A unique producer with a knack for catchy melodies and captivating drops. I'm hooked. So for having such high profile podcast spins, tracks on Sander van Doorn's latest compilation, and so many youtube hits...how has he remained such a mystery? Come out of the shadows Erick! We need to see this mastermind. Below are some of the mentioned tracks, and I'm sure you'll dig them too:
Well...another EDC is over and in the history books, and once again I've been left speechless. Insomniac has outdone themselves again. For anyone that was in attendance, holy crap this event was the most insane thing I've ever been to. Forget a rave or edm festival or whatever you want to call it...this was nothing short of a spectacle for the ages. Anyway, today is involving much rest and relaxation to tackle the work week (today was already happily survived) and as I am going to import all the pics and video I took over the weekend, a review is in order. However, I can say a few things now (keep in mind I only attended Friday & Saturday, flew back home to SF Sunday)...
1) I love Las Vegas for embracing this event and EDM as a whole. Really love the fact that the Vegas clubs like Marquee, XS, and Tryst held their beach parties and day events in conjunction with EDC with the DJ's here. Really set the tone for the entire city that EDM is here and is taking over.
2) The big headliners were outdone. I'm sorry, but in my opinion, most of the music to see was not at Kinetic Field. Matter of fact, Kinetic Field was way too small of an area for the size of stage that was created; but that's another issue. You let me down Tiesto! He's far from the man who created big room anthems and commanded the crowd. As he's abandoned his trance roots and fully embraced house, his set felt like a beatport top 40 playlist. No bueno! There's plenty more people who do house and do it better....like Porter Robinson! Young dude on the come up and he was one of the greatest (if not the greatest) sets during the entire event! Amazing stuff, and his mixing & cutting skills on the decks (no laptop in sight) were unbelievable. Keep an eye out for that man. Some of my other favs during the event:
Dada Life on Saturday: goes without saying but who brings marching bands & giant bananas on stage? These crazy swedes do. And guess what, we got RICK ROLLED! Lol you'll have to watch it on youtube to understand. You might as well youtube their entire set from Saturday. Yes, do it.
Wolfgang Gartner on Friday: sadly I missed a big portion, but from what I heard, he did pretty damn good.
I know I already mentioned Porter Robinson, but I can't speak enough on how much he impressed me and the entire crowd. I'm pretty sure a lot of the people at this stage hadn't heard of him yet, but once he hit it, everyone flocked as soon as they heard the beats and remixes he was dropping. Talk about commanding the crowd.
Roger Sanchez can pump the crowd up. I was actually there in waiting for Cosmic Gate to hit the decks and stumbled upon the last part of his set. He got me going no doubt.
Cosmic Gate...ahh how I am saddened to have missed a big chunk of your set :(. We shall be reunited later in time. Always a treat these two.
Calvin Harris: nice! Always a treat. Really like that "Awooga" jam.
The veteran Curtis Jones aka Green Velvet was awesome. It was certainly more of a vintage style and I really dig it. I like vintage. Need to download more and see what I've been missing out on.
I managed to catch Bloody Beetroorts Death Crew 77 for about 10 minutes as I was buying more beer. Luckily in that 10 minute span it included the smash "Warp 1.9". Woop woop!
Skrillex is here to stay. Make no mistake about it. His following has gotten pretty insane. While not the biggest dubstep fan, I got into it pretty fierce.
Afrojack on Saturday was a rallying cry for the masses getting them nice and erect for Benny Benassi and David Guetta (did I just say erect?). The man can certainly cut it up and proved why in such a short span of time has rocketed to the top in the house music scene. He has a unique style and has earned some points with me I must say.
3) It was freakin HOT! I think that speaks for itself for anyone else who was there. Thank goodness for those water stations
4) The production was out of this world. Skydivers with sparkling streamers, marching bands in tron suits, costumed people on stilts, costumed people in general, artsy attractions burning man style, lit up rides, BUMPER CARS, and every single massive stage (even the Bass Pod was huge)...speechless. The motor speedway felt like it could have had its own zipcode. I had no idea such a thing was possible to organize.
5) I loved the fact that it was 18+. Thank you Insomniac for finally making this possibility a reality. Felt like a much more responsible crowd and less 14 year olds there for the drugs and not the music. Aww, EDC has grown up ;). Bigger and better things people!
6) .....im tired *yawn*.
In closing...what else can I say? I had a blast...the time of my life. I've never been to such a fun event (I said this last year EDC too) in my life and already I can't wait for next year. This has become the corner stone for dance music (and possibly its saving grace) this side of the world. Viva Las Vegas indeed.
~Mark
P.S. Remember... I need to upload all the pics and video I took on my possibly water damaged camera (water proof? suuure).
ahhh the calm before the storm. I'm sure right now all is quiet in the desert of Las Vegas, as it's the night before the madness that is the Electric Daisy Carnival. Being the first time that this massive has hit Vegas, It's really great to see the city has welcome the event and the culture with open arms. The city has even gone so far as to declare this past week "EDC Week". Check out the press release. It's no secret that electronic dance music is the rage in pop culture right now, and certainly a big ticket for any city to attract tourism. The kick, however, is what kind of tourism. The rest of the country has pretty much deemed this event an abomination of drugs and dangerous behavior. Don't believe me? Check this out. EDC is feared to be a "dangerous drug fest" by most of the nation, as so aptly put by that news article from Colorado. The sad truth is, not much changed about this year to make them change their opinion as detox centers were pretty busy. LA couldn't handle it, Colorado feared it, and now we most recently lost another ally in Dallas. Dallas embraced it last year, only to be marred with the same kind of bad press the Los Angeles event last year suffered with a death and over a dozen hospitalized: read it here. Yet through it all, the general feeling about this weekend in Las Vegas is a good one.
City of Sin is now City of EDM
What makes this particular city so different to embrace the event even with such bad press? Even after all the negative banter about EDC and dance music as a whole, the general vibe looking into this weekend's festivities is a good one. The promoter Insomniac is excited, the DJ's are excited, the fans are especially excited, and the city is expecting a huge turn out of EDM enthusiasts from around the country ready to relish in the good times. Well for one thing, Las Vegas embraces all forms of tourism. EDM is hot right now, which means EDM is money. Vegas likes money; Vegas wants money; Vegas wants ALL your money. That's just how it is. Thousands of young adults ready to dance the night away means hotels make money, restaurants make money, stores make money, casinos make money (for those over 21), and clubs make money. Clubs like Marquee, Tryst, XS, and Rain have centered all their events this weekend around EDC. They know what's happening this weekend. Is it a coincidence that the most popular clubs in Vegas these days have EDM DJ's spinning on the regular? I don't think so. It has become the new capitol for dance music, with several credible magazines calling it "the new Ibiza". It all makes sense. And all bad press aside, this will be a huge money maker for the city and a positive thing for us (especially if nobody dies). This festival is the last chance we have to improve the image of the scene. Be happy for the good news: Las Vegas has embraced dance music, and we should embrace them back accordingly.
Now, all sentimental mumbo jumbo aside, whose excited?? I know I sure as hell am. I will be touching down into LAS at 7:30 am tomorrow morning (early as hell in layman's terms). Hope to check in, relax a bit, soak some sun poolside, rest some more, and be ready for a looong night because this is going to be one hell of a ride. If you haven't seen the construction and the pictures of the fairgrounds, don't be a fool and go check out the pictures right now at http://www.electricdaisycarnival.com. Also make sure to check this out:
If you aren't excited after seeing that....something must be wrong with you. For organization of the event, I really have to praise everything that Insomniac has done differently with the west coast chapter of EDC this year's go around. Free water stations, free parking, shuttle service from the strip, and lockers....all key events for a successfully safe night.
The Talent
Remember that little piece I wrote about the acts that I wanted to be there? I was 4 for 5! Markus Schulz, Benny Benassi, Dada Life, and Tiesto will all be there! Daft Punk...let's be honest, I know it was a nearly impossible request, but I'm sure Insomniac did the right thing by at least reaching out to them.
I'd have to say I'm most excited about seeing Tiesto. The man is a legend, and no other word can do justice when describing who he is, what he's done for dance music, and his body of work. Nothing short of legendary. I haven't seen him perform since 2008 in San Francisco during the now infamous weekend of the new defunct ETD POP. For those that live in the Bay Area, the "power went out" 1 hour into the set only to find out it was most likely due to police intervention that the event was shut down. Fast forward to the 8:30 mark:
Anybody that went to Ruby Skye afterward saw a rarity: a Gouryella reunion as Ferry Corsten let Tiesto hit the decks with him side by side; taking turns with tracks. What a night.... oh yeah I'm getting sidetracked. Anyway that was about the time of the Elements of Life album, and his style has certainly changed since then. He is the definition of a big room DJ and I'm sure he still knocks it out of the park every time. I can't wait to see what his live show looks like right now. Although he's pretty much abandoned his trance roots entirely and has embraced house music to the fullest, it is refreshing to see he has reinvented himself. Which brings me to another point....
EDC is all about house music! Let me repeat....EDC is all about house music. While the lineup has a broad range, look at 90% of the main stage acts (aka the money makers). They know the music trends. Look at least year's insane pop culture popularity with Lil Jon and Black Eyed Peas joining Benny Benassi. Look at the circuit grounds on Sunday (the Trance day). All of those top draw trance DJ's (Ferry, Markus, ATB, JOC) would be on the main stage at any other festival around the world. That's just the nature of the business in the United States. It's nice to see that they haven't forgotten about the minorities though. Trance (the whole Sunday at circuit grounds), Dubstep (Skrillex), and Techno (Umek), and DnB (i honestly haven't checked for it) are all represented.
In closing, let me just say that I hope everybody has a great weekend and I wish you all a safe and incredible journey through this electronic music odyssey. This will certainly be one for the history books and as the feeling was least year, we are all part of something incredible being brought together for our love for electronic music. Oh and to my good friends in the TranceMafia and TranceFamilySF, please believe I'll be wearing my bracelet ;). Ciao and Cheers!
Have you paid a visit to http://www.electricdaisycarnival.com lately? If not, take a look. EDC is starting to take full form and really becoming official. So official in fact, that the lineup of the Colorado show has been announced. Among the names:
Ferry Corsten Axwell Kaskade Sander van Doorn Bart B More LA Riots Feed Me
...and others (click here to see the full lineup)
The Colorado is always a good indication of the names that are due on the far West Coast event (usually including most or all of the lineup). So far so good. However, I'd be lying if I said I'd be completely content with the headliners of this show being the biggest names that the Las Vegas show had to offer. Nothing against the mentioned DJ's are they are the best in the world and deserve every bit of praise, however certain things need to be taken into account:
1. The Venue: with how much capacity the LV Motor Speedway can hold, there is much more possibility and buying power to bring headliners that can truly have a crowd of that magnitude up in arms.
2. The change: with the west coast EDC show being in Las Vegas, this put many traditional goers at a huge disadvantage as far as transportation goes. I think I speak for everyone when I say I hope Insomniac has some sort of surprise planned.
3. The schedule: if you've missed it, EDC is now THREE FREAKIN DAYS!!! I definitely feel that this is unusual and unnecessary, as two days was more than enough for the pandemonium that ensued last year in Los Angeles. Do I think that Insomniac is biting off more than they can chew with this one? Absolutely. This means they will have much more pressure to sell out all of those days to be able to afford enough talent to fill 3 entire days worth of performances. Sidenote: I also feel that the 3 day schedule is inconvenient and unfortunate to those such as myself who work on fulltime schedules. Hard enough to get Friday off, but even harder to get Thursday AND Friday off. Traveling to Vegas isn't your regular drive to LA. 3 days most likely won't happen for the majority of visitors, and will mean that one big headliner will be missed.
There is still much to be announced and much work to be done on Insomniac's part, but it looms ever so close to have the lineup announced for our Las Vegas Electric Daisy Carnival 2011. Let's get ready!
...because this is going to be one hell of a ride:
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
That sight right there ladies and gentlemen, is the home of Electric Daisy Carnival 2011, the Motor Speedway of the great city of Las Vegas. If this massive venue doesn't shock you on sight alone, take into account its capability to seat 142,000....that's almost DOUBLE the capacity of what the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum could provide. HO.LY.S#*T! So my previous theory of Sam Boyd Stadium got shot down hardcore; but this news makes me glad I was wrong. If we thought EDC could get out of hand in LA, imagine what could happen at this humongous venue. Get your dancing shoes ready...
What does this mean for us?
It means that what seemed like a dismal end of an era for EDC in LA has only spawned the beginning of something that has the possibility of being far greater than its previous predecessors ever could be. The extensive capacity, the Las Vegas 24 hour party schedule (that is actually legal), and Insomniac's aggressive tactics to book top notch DJ's for the new EDC (I'm readily assuming), we have the recipe for a weekend we will never forget.
However, this also means transportation complicates things a bit. Sam Boyd Stadium of UNLV was only 9 miles away from the strip. The motor speedway is now roughly 17 miles away from the strip (where I'm assuming a big chunk of the visiting population will stay). This makes for a pricey cab ride, a pricey limo ride, or a risky inebriated drive at the end of the night (be sure to have a DD!). I can only hope that shuttles are arranged from landmark areas around the city of Las Vegas. Insomniac still has quite a bit of work today.
In short, I can tell this EDC will be one for the books. And if done right, has the potential to be the greatest electronic music event this side of the world. Viva Las Vegas!
If you guys haven't already read my previous posts about the shocking news of EDC now being in Las Vegas, not only have you been completely sleeping on the SF Tremor, but then you just have not been in the loop about all things EDC at all. However, fear not, because the link is here. Now that you've read that...let's get down to business shall we.
Where in the hell could they host an event of this gargantuan magnitude in Las Vegas? There is no amphitheater or convention center big enough at any of the famous casinos that could possibly host this. Let's just forget about the strip completely...because it won't happen, and can't. So now that we move outside, the possibilities grow.
My prediction? Well all I gotta say about that is one key word...Vegoose. Vegoose you say? Yes Vegoose: the attempted yet failed music festival from the producers of Bonnaroo Outside Lands Festival in SF. It had a lot of promise and even had Daft Punk perform there for the last run that took place in 2007, but for whatever reason it failed. Ticket sales winded down and eventually Outside Lands took the importance. The venue they used provide much opportunity:
Sam Boyd Stadium!
Home of the University of Nevada Las Vegas Rebels and probably the best chance we have to an organized event. For a few reasons:
1. Capacity: sure the stadium itself doesn't hold nearly as much with 36,800 max capacity vs. LA Memorial Coliseum's 93,607, but we know the power that parking lots have; and it appears that it has plenty of it. It will be a slightly smaller scale, but I'm sure Insomniac could make it work.
2. Distance: 9 miles is relatively close to the strip where most EDC goers will most likely stay. Considering that in the past many EDC goers stayed in hotels all over the LA county region, 9 miles is not too big of a distance to travel. You can even hit a round of blackjack on the way back!
3. Residency: Depending and organization that Insomniac provides at the venue and the overall experience of the new EDC, we could have a new candidate for a permanent resident of the festival. I'm sure that they will still lobby to once again take of the LA Memorial Coliseum, but after 1 year was lost, the 2nd year will be even more of a battle since the politicians will know the show goes on anyway. Unless they pull some serious strings, I don't see EDC happening in LA anymore. I hope I'm wrong. But in the event that I'm not...the city of Las Vegas is all about business and bringing tourism. They won't turn away a big money maker like EDC if it wants to come back and nobody dies.
Of course this is all speculation, but I think it is the wisest and most sound choice. Now, let's see what Insomniac Events has to say!
The man with the masterplan Kaskade had some comments about the movement of EDC today. Here's what he posted on twitter....
I can see where he's coming from. He's been a big part of Electric Daisy Carnival from the beginning; and this truly is the end of an era. He's more or less been THE staple of the festival and I'm sure will continue to be. Can't help but agree with him that politicians have been breathing some serious fire down the throats of EDM lovers as of late. Gotta move with the times though buddy.
This is earth shattering news and honestly, I'm still not really so sure how I feel about it. The initial reaction is nothing but unbridled euphoria because Las Vegas is Sin City. Everytime I go back to the magical city of Vegas I get reminded why it makes some people lose their minds. However, Los Angeles has always been the home of the legendary EDC since its creation. Kinda sad to change tradition since it's such a wonderful experience, but as time goes on, so must the show. And now...this show might just get that much crazier. A weekend of the best electronic music around the world and being the place that it's in...we are guaranteed to have our worlds rocked people. Let's get ready to PARTY!
So now it begs the question....where could the venue possibly be? No major casinos in this fair city have the capacity to host an event so monumental as Electric Daisy Carnival. University of Nevada Las Vegas? I doubt the university would want an event like this on their campus. Our vote is out to the DESERT! Let's do it burning man style and make it out in the middle of sand so we aren't disturbed and the mayhem can go on as long as it needs to. Either that or a convention center that's big enough to hold enough as the LA memorial coliseum could. Very excited about this though. It will be another year for the books!
After the rumor mill has been ABLAZE about Daft Punk making their grand return to the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, CA this spring, everyone had their hopes and dreams crushed with the announcement today of the official lineup. Any electronic music enthusiast (including myself) was shocked to see the omission of the legendary French house duo on the final bill. Was it just speculation then? Was all this news a false concoction of sheer hope and excitement that we might actually see Daft Punk live again since their disappearing act after the 2007 Alive tour? Most likely. The possibility still exists that they could be one of the later additions to the lineup and they don't feel like announcing it now. However, I find it highly unlikely considering the caliber of performers that they are and how huge their name is. Especially ever since they are back in the spotlight with the release of Tron: Legacy and their smash single "Derezzed", I doubt they could keep something so secret until the end. The point always remains tho...I could be wrong! So what's on the menu for Daft Punk then? Are they even going to tour at all in 2011? Are they going to do anything for their groundbreaking film score? At this point, it seems like they almost enjoy not touring or being in the spotlight at all. In a sick way however, I'm slightly intrigued that they aren't going to be at Coachella. Why? Because it gives all the more opportunity for them to perform at the premier electronic event on the west coast: Electric Daisy Carnival! A VERY long shot I know, but if I had to pick a show for them to be part of, it would certainly be that. A guy can dream you know....
...Anyway, back to Coachella. Some interesting acts on the lineup, no doubt. For all the EDM heads in the Sahara tent, we got: The Chemical Brothers, Sasha, Afrojack, Crystal Castles, Boys Noize, Skrillex, Steve Angello, Paul van Dyk, Fedde Le Grand, Laidback Luke, Chuckie, Axwell, Bloody Beetroots, Duck Sauce, and Jack Beats (forgive me if I forgot any important ones). Holy moly! That's as huge a lineup as you could ever get at one particular music festival. Definitely exciting to see these big names on the rise in such a high profile music festival. Coachella has always appreciated electronic music, and we can certainly thank them for that. Who else can I thank at the moment? Shout out to Laidback Luke who responded to my twitter plug when I found out the final Coachella lineup. Check out the big homie below!
Isn't that just cool? No? It's just me? Oh well...lol. Anyway, Coachella looks dope. I'm sure it will be another one for the books.
As 2011 looms, and I'm sitting here writing this blog on the eve of New Years, I realize 2010 has been a great year for electronic dance music. This year has graced us with some amazing events, huge festivals, and stellar tracks from our favorite artists. As the year comes to a close and I reflect on the great times and experiences of the year, I realize we could not ask for much better. However, as 2011 looms, the outlook is not entirely positive. While 2010 was memorable, it was also infamous for many tragedies that have happened at EDM events. The tragedies that stick out in my mind are the well publicized local deaths that occurred during POP in San Francisco and Electric Daisy Carnival in Los Angeles. POP in SF resulted with 2 deaths and 5 hospitalizations, while EDC in LA resulted in dozens of hospitalizations and the death of a 15 year old teenage girl. I was present at these events and I had a feeling at the time that these unfortunate occurrences would not go without action from state committees...and I was right.
I'm sure all of you who read this from California are aware of the infamous proposed bill AB 74 by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma from San Francisco, which harbors the potential to prohibit electronic dance events to occur on public property if passed. It also would ban such events to occur on private property unless a business owner provided a license. To be specific, the details mentioned in the bill targets unlicensed nighttime events that "include prerecorded music and last more than three and a half hours". In Assemblywoman Ma's own words: ""Raves foster an environment that threatens the health and safety of our youth. [This] is the first step toward eliminating these dangerous events."
As hard as it is for me to admit, Fiona Ma's opinion on electronic dance events does not come entirely without foundation. Long has the culture of the "rave" been associated with underground assemblies of teenagers and young adults doing drugs and dancing from the early hours of the night into the early hours of the morning. She has cited a study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse that teenagers who attend raves use club drugs like ecstasy, ghb, methamphetamine, and LSD. Let's not kid ourselves here...this study is not inaccurate. A big culprit of this is the fact that most raves do not harbor an age
limit on attendance. Younger generations are always searching for
methods of self identity, rebellion, and feeling like part of
something. Raves can offer this. While any teenager under the age of 18 cannot drink or smoke legally, they could still attend a rave and any drug dealer could exploit this. This is part of the reason why I don't like the term "rave" and never really have. I think if you ask any stranger in the United States who is not familiar with the music or culture of the electronic dance scene, a "rave" to them means going to a club, warehouse, or underground location to dance the night away to light shows doing drugs to "techno music". I know this, because I admit this was my opinion of the rave scene years ago before I really became involved. This particular demographic, including Fiona Ma, create their opinions based on poor generalization of the community, out-dated principles, and have not taken a look at the bigger picture of what electronic dance music really represents and what it has become.
If you take a look around at the trends in music on a global scale (or even just here in the United States), it is undeniable that electronic dance music is on the rise both in popularity and acceptance. Mainstream artists such as Lady Gaga, Pitbull, Black Eyed Peas, Three 6 Mafia, Kesha, and Deadmau5, for better or worse, are spreading the taste of "rave" music to the masses. Huge events like LA's Electric Daisy Carnival that push attendance numbers to the 200,000 mark and have the capability of filling out huge venues like the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum would not be possible without this upsurge in dance music enthusiasm. It is not strange to hear a name like "Deadmau5", "Kaskade", or "Tiesto"
in any conversation about music from any regular household anymore. MTV in the USA now covers events like EDC and interviews artists like Armin van Buuren and Swedish House Mafia. The music is out of the shadows and no longer limited to just "ravers" and this is why I believe the old opinions on what it is to be a "raver" should be a thing of the past. While you could still find your typical underground rave in any major city, the music has moved on to bigger sanctioned events and has begun to attract a wider audience. While Fiona Ma has gone on to call these bigger events "simply unmanageable," I do not believe that this is the truth. While management of bigger events could use a few fine tweaks, I believe the solution lies in further education to the masses as to what electronic dance music is and what it truly represents.
If one digs deeper into the world of electronic dance music and the culture involved, an educated mind on the matter could see that the positives that world brings greatly trump the negatives:
Cultural Acceptance: Electronic dance music has been popular on a global scale for decades. The byproduct of such a wide audience of this music is that producers and DJ's from all over the world are creating their own brand of the music. They are also touring all over the world. French DJ's touring in America, German DJ's touring in Russia, British DJ's touring in India, etc etc. all while building loyal fanbases. The walls of prejudice and judgment have been broken down within the dance community and could prove to be a great stepping stone for the rest of the world to follow in hopes to settle disputes and conflicts. There are no disputes over religion, race, and culture within dance music.
Global Networking: The internet and social networking have made it possible to communicate and network with people all over the world within the blink of an eye, and electronic artists have mastered this more than most. Whether it be a business conversation, sharing of music, or simply connecting with fans, electronic artists have become highly efficient at communication on a global scale to other fellow artists and their fanbase. This global networking yields infinite possibilities. An aspiring producer from Australia or any other isolated region of the world is no longer facing such an uphill battle.
Musical Expansion: As I mentioned before, the musical influences of electronic dance music can be heard in the mainstream now. This means genres have begun to cross and more musical exploration is a result. Electro-pop, Synth Pop, Synth Rock, Indie-electro, Trip-Hop, you name it....new music has only begun to scratch the surface of its possibilities with embracing the concepts and tools that electronic dance music has provided.
Mutual Respect: In my years of attending electronic music events (or "raves" if you will), I have not seen one single fight or conflict that was not easily settled with a small conversation. People do not attend these events with the intent to start conflict. On the contrary, they are there to appreciate the music they know and love with other like-minded individuals. You can always make a new friend at a dance event, and it is all because of mutual respect for one another.
Unity through the Community: Unity happens through one common goal or common appreciation for something. In our case, the music brings us together. This has happened so well in fact, that "families" have been created within genres of electronic music. Ever heard of the #TranceFamily or #HouseNation? That's called unity right there. Feeling like part of something, no matter how far away members live away from each other. Great things have happened through this unity. Some things that stick out in my mind just within my own local community is the San Francisco #TranceFamily (#TranceFamilySF) creating drives to donate clothes for the homeless and a small foundation for donations for a family member who suffered a horrible event. People are reaching out to one another to help each other....these kind of things leave me speechless. This is not seen within any other style of music (that I know of). Not only are these group of relative strangers helping each other like trusted friends, they truly care about their communities as well.
Technological Advancement: DJ's and Producers constantly push the envelope of computer hardware and software in search of new ideas and tools to identify their music and shape their craft more uniquely. The searching of this endless frontier drives the development of new software programs, hardware technology, and DJ tools that are infinitely useful not only within the electronic dance community, but music producers of any genre.
If the proposed bill AB 74 were to pass, it would mark a huge loss for the electronic dance community, and would create much more of a negative result than it would hope to create. As Jason "Dyloot" Sperling of Deep Voices (respected Producer/DJ from San Francisco and promoter of Skills DJ Workshop) mentioned in a statement to the LA Times: "If electronic
music is criminalized, our government will succeed in alienating a
generation of Californians and simply drive dance parties underground — a
less regulated, less safe, less sane situation than we have today." This could not be more true. The alienation is as clear as black and white: "The bill is not intended to impact traditional music concerts and
sporting events," said Fiona Ma in her statement. "AB 74 is about cracking down on raves that
harbor drug use and lead to teenage deaths." Not only is this isolation and targeting a violation of the 1st Amendment (particularly Freedom of Expression), I believe it sends a bad message to the youth that have recently discovered the forward direction that electronic dance music is heading into. This would, as Dyloot so eloquently put, send dance parties in California to a more unsafe and miseducated direction. I feel like the passing of this bill would single handedly succeed in the creation of more "raves" that are not regulated and encourage drug use among younger generations (harmful to their own cause) instead of encouraging sanctioned, accepted "electronic music events" that promote all the positive aspects that electronic music represents with the involvement of the law. Poor involvement from the law can create horrible tragedies like the events of Love Parade 2010 in Duisburg, Germany which resulted in the deaths of almost two dozen people. The music we know and love so much is heading in a great direction all over the world, it would be such a shame for California to be robbed of this form of expression in a time where the world needs all the positivity it can get.
I'll close this out with saying one simple thing: Get Involved! Reach out to the movements at SaveTheRave.org and TranceFamilySF.com to help try and save our form of expression and the electronic dance music culture here in our great state of California. We can only do this together, and we certainly need each other to accomplish the goals that we want. The main goal that I hope to achieve through our own local networking is educating California residents and California lawmakers on what electronic music really is and what it represents around the world (so we can allow it do the same thing in California). I'd like to wash away the negative image that the term "rave" used to mean in the past and move forward in the future with a new generation of electronic music enthusiasts and a new image that we are indeed a family and we want equality for all. Let us write Fiona Ma at
San Francisco District Offices:
455 Golden Gate Ave.,
Suite 14600
San Francisco, CA 94102
and educate her on the great things that electronic dance music has done globally and within our community. Let her know the positive experiences you've had at dance events and how it has changed things for the better. This is also a call to action to promote a drug-free environment at electronic dance events, because after all, it was always about the music and not about the drugs.
Thanks everyone for reading....I hope for a happy 2011 for all and Happy New Years Eve. Please be safe. Long live electronic music.
What's up everyone? I haven't written a column that has required some thought in quite some time since I've just been bombarding you with new tunes that have caught my attention or just plain old hot tracks that have been in my rotation. Apologies, as I've been holding back. Anyways, time for me to get to a subject that I have been wanting to write about for quite some time. So here it goes...
This year in electronic music has been amazing! Trance, house, DnB, Dubstep, Techno, you name it...all have had some groundbreaking tracks that will change the landscape of new music to come in 2011. That being said, this year also brought along some collaborations that have been classic: Above & Beyond vs. Kyau & Albert, Above & Beyond w/ Gareth Emery, Tiesto & Diplo, Paul van Dyk & Armin van Buuren & Paul Oakenfold, Deadmau5 & Wolfgang Gartner, etc. On the flip side, some collaborations have left us scratching our heads: Tiesto & Kaskade "Only You", Armin van Buuren w/ Ferry Corsten "Minack", etc.
Collaborations can be a hit or miss. Depending on the artists, how well their styles come together, their work ethic, their humility (collaborations are an equal opportunity playing field), their knowledge of the other's work, and their respect of each other all play important factors as to whether the collaboration will turn out successful or not.
I'll go on a bold statement here (so don't kill me if you disagree) to say there are really two kinds of collaborations that I can see in the electronic music world. The peas & carrots collabo and the ketchup & mustard collabo. Now before you think I've lost my mind because of my food references, let me explain:
The peas & carrots collaboration (insert two other foods of similar origin that go good together if you hate vegetables) in a nutshell describes two artists coming together from similar backgrounds and similar styles (or tastes lol...get it?) to make a collaboration track that harmonizes and blends so well you would think it came from just one producer on a workaholic studio binge. Just like peas and carrots are both vegetables and don't necessarily taste too different (but go well together), many times the artists are so similar the track just makes perfect audible sense. The ideal example that comes into mind for me is Deadmau5 & Wolfgang Gartner's recent collabo with "Animal Rights". These two electro house heads are both synthesizer geeky computer nerds at heart and love experimenting with obscure synth sounds and notes that don't quantize too well all while keeping in perfect groove with the backbeat which usually incorporates some raw thumping bass. If you take a listen to that track even with a close ear, it's pretty hard to tell apart each producer's contribution to the track. I really can't tell, and that's what makes it work so well. It all comes together like peas and carrots.
Check it out:
Now the ketchup & mustard collaboration to me describes a collaboration that on paper makes no sense due to the completely opposing nature of the artists and their styles, however ends up creating a concoction that tastes so well to our ears. Much like ketchup is relatively sweet and mustard is awfully sour, opposite un-related artists can be very capable of coming together to create a track that comes together surprisingly well. Much like a yin-yang relationship, different style artists can fill each others' voids on a track. While one could be good at creating obscure synths & sounds that usually don't keep a rhythm, the other could bring the beat and organization that will keep it on tempo and create the proper groove for a structured song. Example: think of Tiesto & Diplo's "C'Mon", easily one of the biggest summer anthems this year. It was played at 90% of electronic events around the world I'm sure. Tiesto is known for being one of (if not the biggest) names in trance music and a pioneer in his genre. Trance is structured and follows an arrangement. You have your intro DJ friendly part, your buildup, your breakdown, another buildup, the climax, a calming, and an outro. Tiesto has become a master at this. Diplo on the other hand, doesn't necessarily follow rules or guidelines. Much like he doesn't necessarily have one style you could confine him to, his songs don't necessarily need follow a pattern or arrangement. However, he's been able to create some insanely unique sounds that would sound great with a structured home. Cue in Tiesto. How did these two come together? Who knows. All we know is the bi-product of this yin and yang relationship is a track that will ring in our heads for years to come. Opposite tasting ketchup and mustard coming together well on the hot dog that is a sequencer.
Take a listen:
Now this brings me to what I've been wanting to write about all along: my dream collaborations! We had some great ones in 2010 like I talked about, now these are the ones I would love to see happen in 2011. Will they happen? Probably not. But hey a dance head can dream right? This is my wish list:
TOP 10 COLLABORATIONS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THE FUTURE
10. Paul Oakenfold & The Prodigy
Now I know this one is far fetched, but imagine what kind of beautiful insanity this track would provide? Well, really...you couldn't. And that's what makes the premise of it seem so great. Nobody could have predicted the Tiesto & Diplo (ketchup & mustard style) collaboration to work so perfectly, so whose to say this one wouldn't work. I'm a huge fan of both these legends and my prediction is that their differing styles could compliment one another. Prodigy brings the ruckus while Oakenfold brings the atmosphere. The combining efforts of the two would most likely yield a journey into sound that our sensitive ears probably wouldn't be able to handle. It is however, a shot in the dark, as most of these type of collaborations usually are. I would have faith in it though. Brits seem to understand one another pretty good. They're both veterans of their own style. So it begs the question...why not?
What you could expect: I have absolutely no clue. A beautiful melodic mess perhaps?
9. Mr. Pit & Phynn
The boys of Coldharbour...why hasn't this happened? Mr. Pit should need no introduction. 2009 and 2010 were huge for him. He has produced some of the biggest anthems I've heard recently. It is no wonder why Markus Schulz uses him as the right hand man for his DJ sets. Listen to "Sky Traffic"...wowww! It is an absolute trance roller coaster. There is so much going on, and that's kind of become a staple for his sound. Phynn (a name that hasn't really reached my attention until this year) reminds me a lot of Mr. Pit. Not only are they in the same label family, but Phynn has gained the trust of Mr. Schulz himself by completely owning the remixes of his tunes. Much like Mr. Pit, his songs can go all over the place. His remix of Markus' "Rain" completely won me over. Yes Mr. Pit has remixed one of Phynn's tracks recently, but it's not enough! Come on Markus, you're their boss, make it happen!
What you could expect: A fast paced, high octane, trance roller coaster.
8. Sander van Doorn & Marco V
These tech trance geniuses both create anthems that sometimes leave me scratching my head when it comes to being able to classify them. Can I even call it tech trance? I'm not sure, because it's housey too. What am I trying to say? Honestly, I have no idea (and that's a good thing). That's how success is measured with artists such as these. They are generally revered within the trance community, but it has the ability to be appreciated by all. Their productions are so intricate and incorporate such different production elements that sometimes go unnoticed. Take a listen to any song by these two with a good set of studio headphones, otherwise you don't get the full effect. They are both so unique masters of their craft. It is no wonder that they are so highly respected. Why did I choose these two? Listen to SvD's "Daddyrock" in conjunction with Marco V's "Reaver". Sounds kinda similar no? Two totally different producers, but both have the potential to work and sound very well together. I would love to hear what these two could come up with together!
What you could expect: A crazy catchy dance-able tune that would be almost impossible to classify.
7. Avicii & EDX
The older generation meets the new. Although EDX is in no way old, the Swedish progressive house prodigy Avicii (aka Tim Berg aka Timothy Bergling) has been completely taking off this year with leaps and bounds and he's only 21 years old?!? Unbelievable! The big room anthems that this young man creates has the ring of a veteran. Once again...unbelievable. Since he's one of my new favorites of progressive house, I thought he could naturally work well with one of my all time favorites of progressive house: EDX. EDX is without a doubt the progressive house juggernaut. Everyone realizes this; even the trance heads. EDX tracks can be heard all over the place in everyone's sets. We got a taste of their power with Avicii's remix of EDX's "Shy Shy". It gives me chills to think about the big room sound that these two could produce together. It could even make the most loyal trance fan join the house side.
What you could expect: An amazing progressive tune as intricate and emotionally moving as any huge trance anthem.
6. Arty & D-Mad
Exploding onto the scene in the past couple of years, these two have worked very hard to cement their names into the trance world. Remix after remix, production after production, both of these guys have created a body of work that has been appreciated by all the big names and veterans in the scene. Without a doubt, Russian trance is coming up BIG in the world and these two are at the forefront of it (along with Bobina). The elements that these two put into their songs actually create a distinct brand of trance that can actually be recognized quite easily, especially Arty. Russian brand trance...who would have thought? I'm a big fan of these two and they are clearly no strangers to each other (Arty has remixed D-Mad's "She Gave Happiness"). I'm a huge fan of that track and is definitely a sign of the future of things to come in regards to trance music. I would be very interested to see what these two would put down in the studio working jointly.
What you could expect: A trance track unlike anything you've ever heard. Vodka for your ears.
5. Dada Life & Wolfgang Gartner
Anyone that knows me well understands my love for Dada Life. Simply put, their brand of electro house is what I think is the perfect embodiment of the genre: PURE ENERGY! If you have ever seen Dada Life live then you know what I'm talking about. You could be tired as hell from the night before but they would be able to get you PUMPED! Their productions are raw and dirty, as electro house should be. Listen to their new single "Unleash the F**king Dada!". The bass and synthesizers are so deep and obnoxious that they demand a dance floor. Much like the style of Wolfgang Gartner as of late; a man that has won me over in 2010. Like Dada Life, his production style is based around odd (and almost random) synthesizer effects. His songs can almost be called controlled chaos, only controlled by staying on tempo. His collaboration with Deadmau5 left me hungry for more. I also know that they are huge fans of each other. Both's style of electro house is raw, dirty, loud, and in your face. Make this happen!!
What you could expect: One of the dirtiest, filthiest electro house beats produced by any group of human beings (or aliens for that matter).
4. Paul van Dyk & Cosmic Gate
This is one of those dream collabos you think about and wonder why it hasn't happened because it almost seems like a no brainer. We heard a taste of what they are capable of with Cosmic Gate's remix of PvD's "Home", but I'm sure them actually working together would produce a track all too hypnotic. Both have a penchant appreciation for techno which always rings prominent in their productions. As for PvD, while much of his uplifting tunes have a trancy ring to them, they are hardly ever full on trance. There is much more to them than that. His blend is all too complex. Listening to the incredible In Between album is a testament to that. And while the trance flavor is subtle, it rings true when spun during a set that is full trance. Cue, Cosmic Gate. I think they could enhance the trance elements of what PvD would bring to the production and supplement each other very nicely. It would still be techy, but Cosmic Gate would certainly turn up the trance volume. It would feel like Berlin on any dance floor. Sidenote: to date my favorite trance song is Paul van Dyk's "Crush".
What you could expect: A very complex trance tune with some techy flavor that could hypnotize you on the dance floor.
3. Deadmau5 & Kaskade
I know what you may be thinking: "Haven't we heard this already?? On TWO tracks??". Well yes...and no. Everyone remembers the collaborations from these house giants. The singles "I Remember" and "Move For Me" were the house anthems of 2008 that were played on everyone's ipods, car stereos, computer speakers, and rave events until you couldn't bear to play them again. Classic songs, no doubt. However, the reason I say "no" is because these two producers have grown quite a bit since 2008. 2010 saw the release of Kaskade's monster album Dynasty and will soon see the release of Deadmau5's 4x4=12. Their productions have certainly evolved and they have become more opposite than ever. Kaskade has taken more of a turn for the pop side while Deadmau5 has gradually taken steps more to the full blown electro side of things. We haven't heard that much progressive style from the mau5 lately. Then again we haven't heard much from the mau5 lately. However the point stands, they are very different two years later. I think it would be really interesting to see what they could come up with now. They are a good embodiment of the ketchup & mustard style collaboration and they compliment each other well.
What you could expect: Another summer anthem for 2011? I would surely hope so.
2. Gareth Emery & Ashley Wallbridge
These two have so much in common, that a collaboration only seems natural and necessary. Both are Brits, both are trance heads that yearn for bigger classification, both have huge support from the bigger DJ's (friends in high places), and both have had monster take offs in the last two years. Every single that Ashley Wallbridge drops ceases to disappoint. It almost seems like the man is incapable of failure. The same could be said about Gareth Emery, whose album Northern Lights completely blew my mind. I think their style of trance is actually very similar if you look at some of the elements. Listen to "Walk On Water" by Wallbridge and then "Sanctuary (Club Mix)" by Gareth. Very melodic, very euphoric, incredible build up, lots of reverb, no synth is too stand out or obnoxious, both use a lot of piano, and both have a HUGE thing for gated vocals (especially Wallbridge who does it on almost every track. Kind of becoming his signature). They are almost too similar that they could be cousins (maybe we should track down their family lineage). Both of them easily were 2 of my absolute favorite producers of 2009 and 2010 and deserve incredibly huge props in my book. Get the proper vocalist, and this track would be an absolute showstopper!
What you could expect: One of the most euphoric vocal trance anthems you would ever hear.
1. Tiesto & Armin van Buuren & Ferry Corsten
The original Dutch master trio of trance...these three are who I'd most like to see collaborate on one track. It is likely? Probably not. BUT...these three are no strangers to each other. Tiesto is a huge reason why Armin and Ferry have enjoyed such success this past decade. They have all 3 helped and supported each other in the early years of their career and heave learned much from each other. We hardly see them together on the same bill anymore due to career and business politics, which is sad, but understandable when each of them are trying to build their own brand and earn respect in their own right. Each one is an absolute master of their craft and have catapulted themselves into the fold so well that each could fill any stadium around the world on their own. Neither need any introduction. Anyways, what made me think of this one was the successful collaboration between Armin van Buuren, Paul van Dyk, and Paul Oakenfold on "Remember Love". It is rare to see a 3-way collaboration. Seeing these three names on paper at first filled me with doubt since each have differing styles and egos could come into play. However they didn't, and created an amazing tune. I also think of the collaboration between Rank 1, Nic Chagall, and Wippenberg on "100" this past year. Definitely confirms to me that if business could be set aside and the right cause called for it, a Tiesto, AvB, and Ferry collaboration would sound absolutely positively A-MAZING. I don't even think there would be a word in the dictionary to describe what it would sound like. Please guys...do it for the #TranceFamily. (Or in our case #TranceFamilySF).
What you could expect: ...I have no idea. I would be speechless. It would probably melt your headphones.
So there it is. Did I dream big enough for you? I think I could probably come up with some outlandish ideas but within reason (somewhat), this is my dream list. If any of these are possible and should happen within the next few years, my musical appreciation would know no bounds. I think that's what makes our precious electronic music so great: the power of collaborating ideas for the greater good of musical exploration. Even though some of these seem completely far fetched, I believe the right motivating parties would raise eyebrows for the artists. As long as respect and appreciation is in place, anything is possible in the world of electronic music. The connection between fans and artists surpasses any other musical demographic in the world.
What do you guys think? Did I miss any essentials you would like to see happen? What would your ideal collaborations include? Or more so....have any of these already happened that I don't know about? Thoughts please! Let me know what you think! Post a comment in the comments section and let me know if you liked this read or if I have gone completely crazy. As always, one love to the electronic music community!
