Ten must see veterans at Ultra Music Festival 2013
Over the course of its two weekends, there are nearly 300 artists performing at Ultra Music Festival this year. In 2013, the festival is celebrating its 15th anniversary as dance music's most celebrated occasion and the season's highly anticipated kick off. In that period of time, the lineup has changed a lot -- not just in scope but also in sound -- but there are names that remain pillars of Miami's greatest electronic music tradition. These are names who've been at it longer than many of us have been walking and they deserve not just a tip of the hat, but also your time and attention at their impending Ultra sets. How will we know where we're going if we don't know where we've been?
Good Morning Mix – Richard Knott’s March 2013 Mix
Richard Knott, the young UK producer responsible for a remix of Unicorn Kid's "Feel So Real" and "Locus Solus" off Pryda Friends, has been of interest in DA land for months now. A Pryda Friends release made me pay attention, but a piece of work like this mix this means Knott is not playing games. Quite simply, this mix is one of the most tightly mixed and well-selected collections of progressive, techno, and tech house I've ever encountered. In the last 24 hours, I've listened to it no fewer than five times.
The Opium Group’s Phase 1 Miami Music Week lineup includes Afrojack, Arty, John Dahlback, and more
Opium Group, the conglomerate representing Miami clubs Mansion, Cameo, Set, and Mokai, has just announced their first phase of Miami Music Week parties for the aforementioned clubs. So far Opium has only shared details about these eight shows at the four clubs for the week of March 19 through March 24th, but there are sure to be many more events dribbling in leading up to Ultra, WMC, and MMW. There's a little something for everyone: Afrojack and his Jacked party, John Digweed and Bedrock, Umek and his 1605 crew, James Zabiela and Born Electric homies, John Dahlback and other Mutants, and Arty, Morgan Page, and Robbie Rivera to boot. Bring it on Miami.
Dancing Astronaut’s Top 25 Underground Artists of 2012: 25-16
The underground had a big year in the US in 2012 and we only felt it appropriate to highlight some of these amazing artists independently from potentially bigger or more commercial artists in the dance music world today. We considered the year these artists have had in terms of production, live sets, and overall influence. We also generally picked artists we love and admire; artists we feel are extremely important to pushing electronic music forward. This list of 25 names includes legends and young guns alike, but we can assure you that every single one of these artists is incredibly talented and is well worth a listen or a trip to a club for a live set.
Guy J – Vaga / We Do It Best
Guy J, an Israeli producer we've seen steamrolling forward in 2012 with the launch of his Lost & Found imprint (under megastar John Digweed's Bedrock label), is out with his second release on the infant imprint. The two tracks "Vaga" and "We Do It Best" show, as always, Guy's genre-spanning and melodic production style that lies somewhere in the midst of pure progressive house, tech house, and trance sensibilities. He's
Guy J – Lost & Found (Original Mix)
Guy J launches his record label with the release of "Lost & Found," a soothing and melodic progressive house offering. After the success of two artist albums on John Digweed’s Bedrock Record, and now the launch of his Lost and Found Records, Guy J has quickly become a stand out act to follow.