Driven By Beats

For the love of dance music and the DJ's and Producers who make it happen! This blog is dedicated to the advancement of the Electronic Dance Music scene as an industry! Look for information on events, amazing edm artists, and marketing and promotion within this wonderful genre! var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-23967172-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

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I love me some Progressive <3 Techno, House, stand-alone progressive you name it, it always gets me dancing. Los Angeles producer Elvin Ong has managed to satiate my progressive craving. Cruise along his Soundcloud page, and you'll see what I mean. Whether it's the sultry progressive track "All Night with You" Featuring Kevyn Tinoco or his bumpin' progressive techno remix of Claes Rosen "Into the Bloom", Elvin's tracks will keep you engaged with their grooving melodies and danceable beats. I'm very impressed with his level of production and dedication to his craft. From his Facebook posts, he seems to be dedicating a lot of time to his music, so we can look forward to more and more great tracks from Elvin Ong :)

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This to me signifies the commerical bastardazation of dance music. Where the show and the level of bass outweighs the actual quality of the music. Don't be me wrong, to each their own, but the description of these shows seems to me like a concern for more quantity over quality to me. Interesting article. "The electronic music producers Deadmau5 and Skrillex performed sold-out shows in the New York area."

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OCTOBER ARTIST OF THE MONTH: Stereothieves

I first came acquainted with Stereothieves a few months back, and I was immediately struck by how driven and hard working these two young producers were. I've been avidly following them ever since, and I am continually amazed by their talent and growth. I decided to sit down with the duo to find out more about them and what enables them to retain such a strong work ethic in the studio. Taken from their bio: "Formed together in early 2010, the mysterious masked duo known as Stereothieves spent the entire year in complete silence from the public regarding their location or identities focused on creating monsters in their unknown secret studio only to gain spots on rosters with the most prestigious electro-house labels worldwide within a month of their conception. 1 year later & Stereothieves have been unmasked to reveal them as Accent N & Joey Funk residing in Texas with releases on respected labels such as WoNKed, PeakHour, Filthy Bitch & many more with support from high profile artists Sawgood, KickOH, Guido Van Santen, Rico Tubbs, WoNK, Reid Speed & Rossco Brummel to name a few. It's no doubt that Stereothieves have come full force to ignite the electronic music world on fire with their signature bass heavy sound accented with monstrous builds, precise editing, ability to cross over into multi genre production & collaborations with the hottest vocalists. With an arsenal of releases, remixes & bootlegs reaching downloads into massive numbers & support from the largest names in electronic music Stereothieves continue to create only the highest quality in dance music." _______________________________________________________________________ DBB: So I guess I'll start with first things first. How did you guys come to work together? STEREOTHIEVES: We met at a DJ Battle in Summer of 2009 and ended up working together as DJ's under our former management. We would run into each other at parties constantly and started working in the studio around February of 2010. 

DBB: It says in your bio you previously performed with masks on. What was the concept behind that and what made you unmask yourselves? STEREOTHIEVES: We wore them to keep our identities hidden pretty much. We tried to never give out our location, names, all of that. We wanted to have the music speak for itself. We had figured from the start that we would end up taking the masks off, we just wanted to set a fan base out of our own norms regarding music purely.  DBB: Tell us about making music and performing together. What makes you guys work? STEREOTHIEVES: Within EDM we both have pretty similar tastes in what we love & don't care much for. We tend to listen to a lot of the same music so it's easy to agree on what we like & what we don't like. Outside of electronic music though we're very different in what we listen to. This tends to give us tons of ideas to keep our music fresh and unique. When we play live we rely mostly on the crowd, if we're having a good time on stage they're having a good time dancing. DBB: You have achieved a degree of popularity in your hometown of El Paso, Texas. Tell us about that. STEREOTHIEVES: We already had a large following separately, so together it was bound to work. We like to gig around town a lot, throw our own parties regularly & we love to interact heavily with our crowd. We also love to give away free music & mixes. Plus, we happen to be quite fun to party with.  DBB: Describe your style of production. If it were to be an animal, which would it be? STEREOTHIEVES: It's hard to describe our production style because we tend to make music on a large genre scale. The main element, whether we're making; electro, dubstep, moombahton or anything else, is heavy drums and big basslines with a ton of really articulate editing. If we were an animal though, we'd be honey badgers. We just don't give a shit. 

DBB:. As a new, up-and-coming group, what is your opinion of the Electronic Dance Scene? STEREOTHIEVES: There's tons of amazing new music coming out at the moment. It seems that now genre's don't really matter anymore, which makes things a lot more fun in every sub-genre field. The genre became very mainstream in a sense, only thing we wish is that the production for mainstream dance be left to those who have their roots in the EDM scene.  DBB: You guys seem to be cranking out new music all the time. How are you inspired and how do you manage to consistently put out music? STEREOTHIEVES: We choose for the studio & music to be our first priority. It's hard for us to spend time away from the studio. We get inspired quickly so when we hear a sound in our mind we want to try out, it's back to work. When we party or gig over the weekend, we take that inspiration into the studio. It's all hustle. Work hard & proceed or get lazy & left behind. 

DBB: If you were to collaborate with any artists in the future, who would they be? STEREOTHIEVES: Wow, long list of wishes here! Will Bailey, Switch, Filthy Rehab, TJR, Aniki, Hot Mouth, Felguk, Figure & Busta Rhymes (totally serious lol).  DBB: What's in store for the future of Stereothieves? STEREOTHIEVES: We're currently working on a full length album & much more free bootlegs. We are also working with UPG Artist Management, so the future is looking bright! DBB: Anything else you would like to add? STEREOTHIEVES: Thank you for allowing us to do this interview! We hope for bigger & better things to come in the future! Follow us on our social media sites as we are planning another month of free originals/bootlegs & see us live soon!  _______________________________________________________________________ Free Download "The Reward is Cheese" - Deadmau5 & Jelo (Stereothieves Bootleg) - http://soundcloud.com/stereo-thieves/deadmau5-jelo-the-reward-is To book Stereothieves for your event contact info@upgartists. For more information connect with Stereothieves on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/StereothievesOfficial Follow them on Twitter @stereothieves We thank them for the interview, and we look forward to the amazing music these two keep cranking out! Keep and eye out in the future for Stereothieves! You can hear their tracks and mixes on their Soundcloud @ http://soundcloud.com/stereo-thieves.

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From a much respected and very talented dj/producer Carlos Alfonso!!!! We are absolutely in love with this Tech-House track! It manages to keep our attention throughout the whole track, from start to finish, taking us on a journey - and we really liked where we ended up! Nice and punchy, with a killer beat, and all the layers and sonic elements never overlap or drown eachother out! Would love to hear this on a big system I would go nuts dancing to it. We hope to hear more from Carlos Alfonso... Enjoy!!! He writes: 100% made in Logic. Used Nerve for my drum patterns. Used the ES2 for my bassline. Used the ESX24 for percussion. Hit me up if you want a free copy to play out. =) Thanks for listening

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September Artist of the Month: Rocking the Mic with MC TORY D!!!!

Tory D has had a whirlwind 2011 with a total of over 10 tracks charting on both Beatport and Trackitdown.net! One of the most up-and-coming in demand MC's, Tory has just been added to the UPG Artist roster, and is set to release his very own EP in 2012. We caught up with Tory D to discuss this breakthrough year for him, and other things that we can look forward to! _______________________________________________________________________ DBB: So you've done tons of collaborations with different producers. Which have been your most favorite? TORY D: MY FAVORITE COLLBORATION HAS TO BE FLATLAND FUNK FEAT TORY-D “LOSE CONTROL” (LAZY RICH AND ROBB G REMIX) ITS CHARTED THREE DIFFERENT TIMES SO Im VERY PLEASED WITH THAT RELEASE! DBB: The past year has been an amazing time for you with lots of collaborations, and now working with UPG Artists. What do you think has been the recipe for your success? TORY D: CONSISTENCY IS KEY! I STAY WORKING ON COLLABORATIONS AND STAY PICKING UP AS MANY PROJECTS AS POSSIBLE I LOVE WHAT I DO SO IMMA KEEP PUSHING TO KEEP MY NAME OUT THERE. SO IF ANYONE WANTS TO COLLAB HIT MY MANAGEMENT [email protected] .

DBB: When people see the name "Tory D" featured on a track, what should they expect to hear? TORY D: I BRING IT 100% NO HALF STEPPING IM THE TYPE OF MC TO BRING MY ALL ON A RECORD SO WHEN YOU HEAR A TORY-D RECORD YOU KNOW THAT IM GONNA BRING IT NO MATTER IF ITS TECH-HOUSE OR DUBSTEP I REPRESENT. DBB: Let's say you're old and grey, and they decide to make a movie about your life. What would the title be and what would be the climax of the film? TORY D: THE CLIMAX OF THE FILM WOULD BE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE THAT I MAKE TO DO THIS MUSIC THING. THIS IS MY JOB AND I SACRIFICE A LOT TO PUT OUT GREAT MUSIC FOR MY FANS TO LISTEN TO. WHEN IM OLD AND GREY I JUST WANT TO BE APART EDM HISTORY AND ILL BE HAPPY. DBB: If you were to name your one female vocal crush, either in EDM or elsewhere, who would it be? TORY D: LOL…. WELL IM TAKEN BUT I HAVE HAD MY EYE ON….…..  EVA SIMMONS OMG I LOVE HER =)

DBB: Who are you looking to collaborate with in the future? TORY D: MAN I REALLY WANT TO PUT SOMETHING DOWN WITH BENNY BENASSI, LAIDBACK LUKE, NIELS VAN GOGH AND DANIEL STRAUSS, BLATTA AND INESHA, DAVID GUETTA, CARL COX AND MORE! DBB: What are some of your upcoming projects? TORY D: WELL I HAVE A FEW BREAKBEAT RELEASES COMING ON ILLEVEN ELEVEN, ELEKTROACTIVE, ROYAL ONE AND MELONSOUND. BUT I WANT PEOPLE TO KEEP THEIR EYES PEELED ON MY UPCOMING E.P THAT WILL BE DROPPING MID 2012 ON ELEKTRO ACTIVE ITS GONNA BE HUGE I PROMISE THAT! DBB: Anything else you would like to add? TORY D: I WANNA TRULY THANK EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED ME AND THE PRODUCERS THAT I HAVE WORKED WITH I LOVE YOU ALL. BIG UPS TO ALL THE VOCALIST AND MC’S IN THE GAME. IF YOU WANNA SEE TORY-D LIVE IN YOUR CITY CONTACT UPG ARTISTS ROB LUCCHESI: [email protected] FOR COLLABORATIONS AND PRESS PLEASE CONTACT: [email protected] ______________________________________________________________________ For more information on Tory D, visit his Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MCToryD Thank you Tory D for taking the time to talk with us! We know you're going to kill it and we wish you the absolute best! Until next time folks, look for our next artists of the month for October, Stereothieves!!!

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This mix was JUST shared with us and we are loving it! Nice peak hour, non stop dancing ELECTRO HOUSE by Fabyan!!! Check it out:

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Controllerism: A Conversation with DJ Edge

You might remember us featuring one of DJ Edges controllerism mixes a few months back. (Original link here: http://drivenbybeats.tumblr.com/post/8230885549/djedgecontrollerism). We were fascinated with the concept of controllerism, and the possibility of adding another layer of sound manipulation within electronic music. We decided to pick DJ Edge's brain more and dive deeper into the topic: ___________________________________________________________________

DBB: What is controllerism? DJ Edge: Controllerism is the art/practice of manipulating audio in the way the artist desires, usually through the use of a computer, (one or more) MIDI controllers, and sometimes even turntables. Since technology is always changing, controllerism can be seen as a way of paying homage to turntablism. DBB: How do you think it adds to the overall DJing experience? DJ Edge: In my personal opinion, it adds to the experience because the DJ isn't just fading between tracks, he's changing audio in real-time! Plus, it also looks like you're doing something haha. DBB: Who are some prominent artists who practice controllerism? DJ Edge: Some of the most prominent artists would be Ean Golden, DJ Shiftee, and DJ Craze. The latter two combine turntablism with controllerism, which leads to some pretty awesome performances! DBB: How popular is controllerism in EDM? DJ Edge: I don't think controllerism is very popular at the moment, but the scene is growing constantly. I don't think that it's easily implemented in EDM, but rather in other situations, such as DJ battles and extremely short sets ( less than 30 minutes long). In the area where I live (Ventura County, CA), I haven't seen or heard of anyone else doing controllerism routines/sets, so there's a possibility that I'm the first DJ to do so haha.

DBB: How did you get started and what made you decide to start practicing controllerism? DJ Edge: I personally got started DJing in late 2009, but didn't start playing shows until the Summer of 2010. Some people will hate me for this, but I originally started with just my laptop on Virtual DJ, but moved on to Traktor Pro a couple months later after getting my first controller. Since then I've upgraded to Traktor Pro 2, added a few more MIDI controllers to my arsenal, and haven't looked back! When it comes to it, I believe that Virtual DJing is a great way for DJs that are just starting out to learn the basics, but you have to move on to other software eventually. I've used CDJs and vinyl before, but the two seem to hold me back. It's pretty much impossible to do my controllerism routines on CDs or vinyl haha.  I first started getting into controllerism when I discovered Ean Golden and DJ Shiftee, I saw them using Traktor Scratch Pro,  which was what made me switch to Traktor. But when I saw Ean in a YouTube video, I saw him with a controller I've never seen before - the Midi-Fighter. I've been fascinated ever since, and although I do not own one (yet!), I have mapped some of my controllers to do similar functions that the Midi-Fighter has, e.g.: cue-point juggling, effects, looping, etc.  DBB: Anything else you would like people to know? DJ Edge: Two things; -You'll get into any of my shows for free if you bring me pizza, pasta, burritos, or all of them. I'm not joking, I love food haha. - Since I rely heavily on technology, I prefer to call myself a Digital Jockey. _________________________________________________________________________ And there you have it! Connect with DJ Edge via Facebook @ http://facebook.com/dj.edge.official

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Here is a progressive house track from one of our featured producers, Justin Sy , DJ Edge! Stay tuned for an exclusive interview from DJ Edge coming up! ___________________________________________________ My first progressive house track. One track out of the five that will be on my EP. Expect it early 2012!

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Last Night I Dreamt of Monsters - How they captured a "Disco Girl"

Last Night I Dreamt of Monsters' reign of terror began in 2010 when DJ/producer Slade Templeton of Defunct! fame agreed to collaborate with vocalist Mr. M on a new dance music endeavor. Not content to go with the "run of the mill" sounds of normal house music, Mr. M and Slade went to the lab to produce the ultimate musical Frankenstein. By combining the capable production ability of Slade and the talented vocal skills of Mr. M, this duo were able to create something truly unique and fresh sounding, that was sure to catch the attention of even the most jaded of listeners. The duo have since went on to collaborate with the likes of MC Messinian, Alex Mind, and vocalist iRawniq of Flying Without Wings. I caught up with Last Night I Dreamt of Monster to discuss their new EP "Disco Girl", that dropped this past Monday, August 29th on Beatport! Driven By Beats:: Tell me about the album title. Slade: The album title came about from the original take of the tune we did, which originally had full lyrics and vocals laid in on a verse section. I then decided to strip it down to the basic filter type dance structure and push for more of straight organic dance floor approach... disco mayhem type of thing. Mr. M: Originally the album title and artwork were far different. Much darker than what it is now. But Satan's Circus (our label for this release) urged us in a slightly different direction conceptually and, honestly, I couldn't be happier. It's not what I had envisioned. It's so much cooler. Driven By Beats: What was it like putting the album together and how did you get Ryan Riot involved? Slade: Ryan Riot is actually my girlfriend's work partner in a massive party night in Zurich Switzerland called "Discodust", and they throw amazing parties over there. I have been friends with Ryan for a bit now and heard some of his recent stuff through Katinka (my Girlfriend, whose artist name is The Parallax, http://www.facebook.com/TheParallaxMusic), and just really dig his sound. He also has a release already out you should grab on Satan's Circus (the same killer label this EP is on). He fit very well for the release and did a great new take on the original. Mr. M: This album is the best of the best of an armful of songs we had initially put together in the months after our first release with Electric Hype Records/ Dandy Kid Records (The Black EP). We were planning on a longer release, but we were far more interested in putting together the strongest album we could. And I really think we've done that. Disco Girl is a very straight forward EP and it definitely leaves you wanting more. Driven By Beats: What sort of music can people look forward to hearing on this EP? Slade: This EP is disco. It is a nufunk type of electro and disco that crosses up a hybrid of French style filter house, some indie dance qualities all tied in with House. It is very neo, groovy and sexy all at the same time. Something that can work for pretty much any type of House or Dance set. Straight up party vibes! Mr. M: Right off, this EP makes you wanna move. Unlike a lot of Electro groups out there, we try our best to consider the casual listener as well as the club scene. We want everyone to dance. No matter where you are. Driven By Beats: Anything else that people can look forward to with this EP? Slade: It is being put out on a long time friend that put my project Defunct! out a long time ago called Satan's Circus. They are freaking AWESOME and have just an amazing roster of indie dance and more raw type artists that are all original and pave a path of their own. The EP is unique and releasing it with Satans Circus will really put everything in motion for this release. Mr. M: Satan's Circus releasing an album by Last Night I Dreamt of Monsters with a Disco Girl Remix by Ryan Riot? How much more special could you get? __________________________________________________________________________ For more information on Last Night I Dreamt of Monsters, visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/lastnightsmonsters To purchase the "Disco Girl" EP on Beatport: http://www.beatport.com/release/disco-girl-ep/437602

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Hard Dance? SAY WHAT?!?! Going into the DropZone with Erik "Crystallized" Pumphrey

I remember on long drive to Tahoe a couple months ago, a well-known local DJ friend of mine was jokingly referring to an acquaintance of hers saying that "they were going to try to bring Hard Dance back!". We all chuckled about it in the car together, for who could think of Hard Dance making a coming back into the dance scene? That was so 2000, right? Wrong. Hard Dance has still been popular in Europe, and is starting to have a revival back here in the United States, especially in Southern California. A friend of mine that lives out in the midwest recently went to some events around Los Angeles, and was amazed at the popularity of the genre there. Hard Dance Nation, headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, boasts approximately 26,000 fans on Facebook, at the time this article was written.

Intrigued by such an occurrence, I decided to catch up with Erik "Crystallized" Pumphrey, to get the inside scoop on this phenomenon, as well as talk about his released remix of Elvin Ong's "Motion", and his event DropZone, going down in Camarillo, CA at Rock City Studios on August 6th.

Some background on Erik: Erik "Crystallized" Pumphrey came from the metal and punk scene when he was 15 years old, but wasn't quite satisfied with it. "I just wasn't happy", He states. He went to his first rave and found the atmosphere welcoming and friendly. He was also drawn to people coming together to have a good time and DJs on stage playing tracks that rocked the crowd. He was drawn to locals such as [DJ] Toxic Rainbow, who spun Euro Pop at the time, and Joey Mojo who played hard hitting Drum n' Bass. He soon started buying electronic music, and eventually got into DJing and producing himself.

He moved to Ventura County, CA, and started working with B Entertained throwing events, one of which was Camarillo's first "legit" underground, featuring Thee-O. He then went on to join Hard Dance Nation as a DJ and promoter, and now works with them as well as assisting other crews. He now has started his own crew, Secondary Senses, and is working on playing some upcoming gigs and getting some more of this tracks signed. _____________________________________________________________________ Driven By Beats: Tell us about the Hard Dance Scene in SoCal, and your overall take of the Hard Dance Scene in the US compared to Europe Crystallized: Oh man, the Hard Dance scene is just kicking back up again in Socal! We are having artists like Isaac, Headhunterz, Showtek, Zany, MC DV8, and other Hardstyle artists coming down a lot more often. I'm just waiting for BK, Organ Donors, A.S.Y.S., Phil York, Fausto, Wragg & Log:One, etc. to start showing their names around here. US compared to Europe? I'm not sure about the entire country, since I haven't traveled enough to see what it's like in other states, but from a general perspective, Europe is always going to own the floor in any genre. When it comes to Hard Dance, most definately, you have Black Festival and Defqon.1, two of the biggest celebrations on the planet, (and) both are all Hard Dance. Driven By Beats: Who are some of the dominate players in Hard Dance? Crystallized: When it comes to fan base, Headhunterz, Noisecontrollers, Showtek, Zany, D-Block & S-Te-Fan prettymuch Scantraxx Artists. When it comes to sales, I'm on beatport every single day in the Hard Dance Section. A few artists I've seen go to top 10 almost every month is Organ Donors, BK, Leon B, A.S.Y.S. Noisecontrollers, D-Block & S-Te-Fan, BRK3, Klubfiller, etc. Every single Song that Organ Donors has released in the past 8 months has reached number 1, their new blend of Hard Dance is insane, completely original and has changed how artists make music forever. Driven By Beats: Tell us about collaborating on your remix of "Motion" by Elvin Ong? Crystallized: Motion was extremely fun to remix, I've known Elvin Ong for almost a year now. I met him last year at the Second Annual Midsummer Nights Dream in Bakersfield by Stereo Type Productions. Elvin makes awesome progressive music, and he's one of the funniest people I've met. Me and him were talking one day and he asked me if I wanted to remix "Motion" and have a chance of getting it released. I was all for it. He sent it over and I worked on it for hours on end, (and) I sat on my computer whenever I wasn't at work... Then on days I had off, I worked on it from the minute I woke up until I slept. This is my first released track too. So I was very excited about it.

Driven By Beats: What is the mission of Secondary Senses and tell us a little bit about what people have to look forward to at Dropzone! Crystallized: My mission with Secondary Senses is to gain enough of a following to throw big cheap parties. I have some artists on the backline that I want to bring out, but this shit costs a fortune to do! So I'm just taking my time with it. I want this crew to focus more on the music. Most crews have their local DJs spin and huge artists that will always pull a crowd. I'm not like that and never have been. My plan is to bring artists that usually never play out here and taking risks. I really don't care about making money. I just want to have fun and share that fun with everyone. I won't book artists twice in a row, its going to be a different feel every time. I mean if you look at DropZone, half the artists have never played in Ventura County before, and aren't very well known here. Even though they know that its a small venue, they are just stoked to be playing for a new crowd. Which is the fun of it. I'm picky about DJ's, if your an arrogant asshole, don't ever think you will ever play for one of my shows. I don't put up with shitheads and neither should anyone else. It's about having fun, not making money. Although with this mindframe, I may go broke, hahaha. So I have to have some median in there. For you guys going to DropZone, look forward to DJ's who know what the fuck they are doing, have been playing for years, have tracks you probably have never heard of before. Know how to change a track without you knowing until 2 minutes into the song. Don't get hyped on decorations and such, I'm not big on decorations, although we'll have some up, (it's) not a priority. It's about the fucking music, so I focused on that. Ventura, California: Welcome, To Dropzone. _________________________________________________________________ For more information on DropZone, and to purchase a ticket, please visit: https://www.purplepass.com/#357/Secondary_Senses-Secondary_Senses_Presents_Dropzone-Rock_City_Studios-August-06-2011.html Check out the DropZone video teaser here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrmaDm4NgKA Check out Crystallized remix of Elvin Ong's "Motion" out on Beatport! http://www.beatport.com/track/motion-crystallized-remix/1968732 And check out Crystallized with Zany & MC DV8 at the Ventura Theater: 10/7/11 Thank you Erik "Crystallized" Pumphrey, for giving us the opportunity to learn more about the revival of Hard Dance! Best wishes, and we hope to see you at DropZone this weekend!

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BeginnerDJ.com released their list of the 10 best rave movies, in no particular order. The usual suspects of Groove, Human Traffic, and 24 Hour Party People made the list... but what about Party Monster? What do you guys think? What are some of your favorite rave movies?

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Controllerism Mix by DJ Edge. Only 15 minutes long, but manages to rock it consistently throughout! Give it a listen!!! __________________________________________________________________ This was inspired by Ean Golden. Over 30 failed attempts later, and several messy complete attempts, I finally finished my controllerism mix. It was for a contest that required the mix to be 15-20 minutes long, and include a minimum of 3 different genres - I chose House/Electro/Rock. This is my most technical, and is also the shortest mix I've ever done. Please enjoy, and download it! Please note that I did this live in Traktor 2 with no auto-sync, haha. Here's my setlist: 1) Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (deadmau5 Remix) 2) Muse - Knights of Cydonia 3) A.D.O.R. - Renegade Master (Disco Villains Remix) 4) The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army 5) I'm not telling >:D 6) Daft Punk - Aerodynamic 7) Armand van Helden - The Funk Phenomenon

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Kaskade released the following statement this morning: "I'm incredibly disappointed that last night ended the way it did. It's unfortunate that a few disrespectful people turned what was supposed to be a celebration of music into a regrettable event. This is not what EDM is about." While this is certainly true, I'm not sure what kind of crowd he expected when he tweeted out his impromptu block party. While I'm not excusing the behavior of the crowd, I don't think it's entirely their fault. The whole reason the show was cancelled in the first place was because the crowds got too big to control. Had proper crowd control an safety considerations been followed beforehand, this probably would not have been an issue. If the rave scene is to get more visibility in the mainstream, we need to start "dotting our i's and crossing our t's" so to speak. Had more organization and crowd consideration been put into place beforehand, this event would have run smoothly, bringing some nice publicity and press to a movie that aims to profile a popular dance festival. Just sayin'... this isn't the first time an event related to Insomniac has goofed in the realm of crowd control....

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Rioting Ravers, sold out Burningman tickets and Skrillex... OH MY!!!

Photo Cred: Nick Walsh Dubstep is "mainstreaming". Burningman has sold out for the first time ever. There was a riot in Hollywood at the premiere of "Electric Daisy Concert Experience" when an impromptu block party called by DJ Kaskade on Twitter backfired into crowd mayhem. Is the electronic dance scene entering the mainstream? I think we have to be very careful with how we approach this. Obviously, it doesn't look good on the rave scene if "ravers" are rioting in Hollywood. I saw a quote today somewhere, that said "this is what happens when you let the outside in". I think there is truth in this statement, and it was exemplified with what happened in Hollywood yesterday. The electronic dance/rave scene has evolved over the past 25 years or so since it has come into existence, with it's heyday said to have occurred in the 90's. I for one, missed the boat, but I get the impression from friends whom were fortunate enough to be around in those days, that this was the time when the scene was most "pure". It was about community, the raving experience, and most importantly the music. When I entered the scene in San Francisco myself in 2002, I was fortunate to hook up with Moksha Tribe, a group of people who took that same attitude and put it into the events we produced. I consider myself lucky to have been educated in the scene by such a great group of people, and fortunate that I was able to experience a glimpse into what raving was like in it's purest form - making people happy by coming together to produce quality events that combine music and experience to make a memorable night. Today, I go to events, and for the most part, with some exceptions, I do not see the same care put into the production. While I miss the experience, the question begs to be asked, "Does that even matter anymore?" Is this just how the dance scene has evolved? And... is the next evolution of the rave scene heading towards the mainstreaming of the scene as a whole in the United States? What would this mean for the dance industry as a whole? I welcome any and all comments. This is great stuff to ponder, and I hope this post generates a discussion. Let the games begin!

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This is all a symptom of poor crowd control and planning considerations. If any other music celebrity has showed up in the same place, the very same thing would have happened. Read the article from Gawker below ___________________________________________________________________ The premiere of rave documentary Electric Daisy Carnival Experience at the famous Grauman's Chinese Theater has reportedly been cancelled after a larger-than-expected crowd showed up to see DJ Kaskade and ended up shutting down part of Hollywood Blvd. When will Los Angeles be free of its raver...

[drivenbybeats-blog]

Lust... L-U-S-T Such a tiny word and yet it holds such a powerful meaning. This is exactly the message vocalist Maya Songbird has set about to convey in her new single and video simply entitled "Lust". Have you ever felt true lust? That all-consuming powerful emotion, that involves thinking non-stop of that one person, whose mere touch can set you on fire? Maya Songbird's confession of lust engendered through her compelling lyricism in unison with her young, lilting, and melodic voice, lends a naked honesty to to her sensual declarations of desire. This gifted vocalist is now crossing over into the dance community. With remixes of "Lust" done by well known producers such as Jaswho? and Soulspin, of Temple Music Group fame, and DJ Cecil of "The People Party", it is guaranteed to feel right at home on the dance floor. Her soulful vocals add a melodic, sultry element to the tracks that combine with the house groove to add to the rhythmic element of the whole piece, making you want to move and sway to the beat. You can check out all the remixes of the track on Maya Songbird's Soundcloud http://soundcloud.com/mayasongbird/tracks Taken from her official press release: Maya Songbird’s full length album, “Castro Kid” is scheduled for release in January of 2012. It pays homage to San Francisco’s historical gay community and long established dance scene—it is a story about revolution. Check out the single "Lust", available on iTunes here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/maya-songbird/id451063253?ign-mpt=uo%3D4 Stay tuned for more beautiful, engaging vocals and lyrics from this talented up-and-coming house music diva. For media inquiries and bookings please contact Alicia Johnson, Phase II Management, at [email protected].

[flatlandfunk-blog]

Massive release forthcoming on “Funkk Sound Recordings” * July 18 * Flatland Funk delivers a unforgettable and timeless “Original” followed by some incredibly amazing peak time epic lighter raising remixes!!

FLATLAND FUNK - ELL EFF OH! ( FTAMPA REMIX )

http://soundcloud.com/funkk-sound-recordings/flatland-funk-ell-eff-oh

FLATLAND FUNK - ELL EFF OH! ( DJ EXODUS & LEEWISE REMIX )

http://soundcloud.com/djexodusnyc/flatland-funk-ell-eff-oh-dj

FLATLAND FUNK - ELL EFF OH! ( ALEX MIND REMIX )

http://soundcloud.com/alex-mind/fatland-funk-ell-eff-oh-alex

FLATLAND FUNK - ELL EFF OH! ( ORIGINAL MIX )

http://soundcloud.com/flatland_funk/flatland-funk-ell-eff-oh-1

There is a Michael Froh remix aswell, he hasn’t uploaded a soundcloud clip yet. So stay tuned for that.