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Sofi and Skrillex Collab 'Bring Out The Devil' Nearly Wiped Out on Locked & Loaded EP

Posted 11/23/11 10:42 am EST by in dance, Video

By Nick Philippou

Sofi is climbing the ladder yet again on her new two-part EP Locked & Loaded, which hit the online charts on production pal and mega-producer Deadmau5’s Mau5trap label just a few weeks ago. Part one of the two-installment EP includes "Broken Souvenirs' and "Joyride" both collaborations with dubstep collective and fellow Mau5trap signee Millions Like Us. But while part one is making the rounds in due fashion, buzz is building around the second installment of Locked & Loaded, "Bring Out the Devil" and a collaboration with Skrillex and Kill the Noise, which almost disappeared from the album entirely.

“The tragic story is that we recorded the track about a year ago and his hard drive was stolen, his computer, everything he had was stolen in Italy. He called up Kill the Noise and was like, 'Hey, can you save the day and reproduce the track?' And he did," Sofi told MTV News. "And it was amazing!"

Once the first drafts of "Bring Out the Devil" were lost, Skrillex's demanding touring schedules and Sofi’s tour dates on Deadmau5’s "Meowington's Hax" tour prevented the song from being the first release on the album. So the song took on a new life and a new sound, pairing Sofi’s soft voice with Skrillex’s finishing touches with Kill the Noise smashing out a hard track, combining it all into something musically unique.

Originally slated as the debut track on the first installment of the EP, "Bring Out The Devil" will be released instead on part two of Locked & Loaded, available on iTunes and Beatport on December 5.

"It has that rawness to it," Sofi said. "I feel like it’s such a mash up of things at this point and it’s so hard to pin point just a genre. It's electronic dubstep. I don't know where it’s going. For me personally, I'm just having a good time with it. I'm not really stuck on, ‘Oh my gosh is this dubstep?’ I love this kind of music and I enjoy making it right now." Read More...

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Steve Aoki Introduces His Brit Rock Band New Ivory

Posted 11/17/11 5:13 pm EST by in dance, Video

By Akshay Bhansali

Think the bustling energy of The Klaxons, Bloc Party and The Kills – so says electronic DJ producer Steve Aoki when describing the latest addition to his Dim Mak record label family, New Ivory. The band features three gents – Alessandro, Mickey and Andy – all hailing from London, England, and according to Aoki their sound is an explosion of British rock that he’s super-pyched for fans to hear. The band’s first video for “Something You Should Know” is out online, but Steve Aoki wants to know what YOU think of New Ivory!

Check out the video below!

“New Ivory is a young band,” Aoki told MTV News. “Actually, their first album is not coming out until next year, 2012. ‘Something You Should Know’ is their first single off the album. When I heard the band first it was about a year and half ago. I go their demo, 'The Night,' which we put out six months ago as a soft launch for the band.”

“It’s that same instantaneous energy that made me want to sign them," he continued, "that I got when I heard Block Party in ‘03, or The Kills in ’02, or when I heard the Klaxons for the first time. There's something amazing about the songwriting and the vocals and all that. Like a juvenile oasis. The music is pure British rock." Read More...

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Exclusive Sneak Peek: Felix Cartal's 'Don't Turn On The Lights' Video

Posted 11/17/11 4:23 pm EST by in dance, Video

By Akshay Bhansali

We agree with Steve Aoki (as he mentioned on his recent "Aoki’s House" satellite show): Felix Cartal has a HUGE song on his hands! The song is called “Don’t Turn On The Lights,” and much like when Afrojack hit American radio with “Take Over Control,” Felix’s “Lights” is a bit more mainstream than his fans might be used to. The song features Polina, a vocalist who’s collab’ed with Aoki and Kaskade to name a few, and in advance of the single dropping December 13, MTV got an exclusive teaser of the music video. Check it out!

“Don’t Turn On The Lights,” is the first single off the electronic DJ-producer’s upcoming album Different Faces, a project meant to show a departure in the artist's sound.

“The first single 'Don't Turn On The Lights' is a chance for me to try some more memorable melodies," Cartal told MTV News. “I really wanted to create something that people could hum along to, something that they would recognize instantly, but still with powerful, hard-hitting production behind it. Polina's vocals really helped bring this song together to make it one of the catchiest songs I feel that I've ever produced.” Read More...

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R3hab Chainsaws Katy Perry's 'The One That Got Away'

Posted 11/16/11 11:16 am EST by in dance, Katy Perry, Music

By Akshay Bhansali

Well not literally, of course.

For those not in the know, R3hab is an explosive new Dutch electro house DJ-producer on the EDM scene who is known in the dance world for a "chainsaw" sound. His remix for Katy Perry's hit “The One That Got Away,” puts her in great company: Rihanna, David Guetta, Tiësto and Alesso & Sebastian Ingrosso have all recently had big tunes R3hab’ed. He was kind enough to share a preview of the song with his buddies at MTV News. Take a listen…

When MTV News caught up with R3hab, born Fadil El Ghoul, he was pretty psyched about the way the banger came out.

“I tried to give it a full ‘R3hab.’ It was a very cool job to do because the original had a faster bpm. Like 134 bpm. So I had to slow it down a little. The original record has a little bit of a country feel to it. Drummy. Rocky. Not sounding big, but very beautiful," he says. "And I tried to make it sound more big. I think it worked out great. Took me a long time to get there, but it was worth it.”

No word yet on when the song will be available for purchase, but you can stream the entire track over at R3hab’s soundcloud.

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Skylar Grey Says Her Song With Kaskade Is 'One Of Her Best'

Posted 10/21/11 4:53 pm EST by in dance, Music

By Nick Philippou

It’s fair to say that like virtually every fan of EDM this year, Kaskade, dance music’s King of Cool, was moved by Eminem and Diddy-Dirty Money collaborator Skylar Grey. Dirty South’s remix of "I’m Coming Home" is easily one of the most popular house anthems of 2011, so we were delighted to hear Grey featured on Kaskade’s new track, “Room for Happiness,” one the songs on the famed DJ-producer’s highly anticipated double album, Fire and Ice, which drops October 25.

“I’m a huge fan of her voice,” Kaskade recently said. “I just said, 'You know what, I think your voice will work really well with dance music.'”

And guess what, Kaskade fans? When he first reached out to Grey, he was pleasantly surprised to hear that Grey was already a fan of his music!

“I’m really excited about the release of the song because I think that it’s one of the best songs I’ve ever been a part of,” Grey says. Coming from someone that’s been nominated for a Grammy for Eminem & Rihanna’s "Love The Way You Lie" and worked with Dr. Dre, that’s not too shabby an accolade.

So what is the song about? Read on for more. Read More...

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Boris Is BACK! NYC's King Of Underground Set To Release 'Believe In The Music II' Compilation

Posted 10/7/11 10:34 am EST by in dance, Music

Boris

By Adam Stewart (@AdamMTVNews)

Here ye, here ye, come hither all thee Underground House Music Faithful. One of the monarchs of the New York underground scene is coming back at you hard and heavy with his latest compilation album, Believe In the Music II. It's been nearly five years since the first installment in the series, and iconic DJ and producer Boris is poised to take his loyal subjects on a journey into the wee hours of the morning over a two-disc set, which is out Tuesday, Oct. 11.

“I feel like in order to really make a good compilation, you can’t just do a single CD because it’s really difficult to really show your set on one disc,” Boris tells MTV News. “Plus, I like for you to feel like you’re at one of my events.”

Believe In the Music II does just that, having the magical ability to transform seemingly any car, living room or college dorm into Pacha New York or Space Miami. Garnished with some of tribal and tech house’s best and boldest, Believe In the Music II is a journey through one of Boris’s unforgettable live sets that his rabid following can never seem to get enough of. Highlights of the "3 AM" disc include Boris’ summer smash “The Change,” the DJ PP Remix of Mark Knight & Funkagenda’s “Shogun” and the Boris Edit of John Acquaviva & Olivier Giacamotto’s “Bunga Bunga,” featuring the classic Barry Harris “Dive in the Pool” sample. Read More...

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Wolfgang Gartner Breaks Down New Single With Eve

Posted 9/23/11 4:36 pm EST by in dance

By Akshay Bhansali

Dance music fans have been waiting for DJ/producer Wolfgang Gartner and Eve to put out their collab, "Get Em," since the twosome premiered the new single for the first time live at Las Vegas’ Electric Daisy Carnival earlier this summer.

This week, WG put out his latest album, an 11-track set called Weekend in America, which adds Jim Jones & Cam’ron, Omarion and will.i.am to his list of hip-hop collaborators. “Get Em” with Eve is the album’s latest single, and WG and Ultra are currently working on video concepts. To tide you over until then, Gartner was kind enough to invite MTV News over to his studio recently and gave us a production breakdown of the joint: drums, synths, vocals. Everything. Take a look!

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Wolfgang Gartner Gives MTV News A Tour Of His New Studio

Posted 9/20/11 4:59 pm EST by in dance

By Akshay Bhansali

While its possibly clichéd to reference a Diddy-Dirty Money’s dance music hit by Dirty South at the top of this post, Wolfgang Gartner has “Come Home” to California after a jaunt in Texas. New home. New album. (Out today called Weekend in America.) New Studio.

Seldom do folks get a peep into the creative lair where dance music’s biggest stars make their magic, but Gartner – whose new album Weekend features will.i.am, Eve and Dipset’s Cam’ron and Jim Jones – was kind enough to invite MTV News into his new Los Angeles home and share his creative space with his fans. Production techie’s keep your eyes and ears open – no doubt, you will recognize some of the tools of the trade – and some of the older gems that have helped generate that Wolfgang Gartner sound. Enjoy!

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EDM Elite Take Randall's Island By Storm At 3rd Annual Electric Zoo

Posted 9/6/11 4:30 pm EST by in Concerts, dance, Festivals, Music

<em>Photo Credit: BSKphoto.com for Electric Zoo</em>

Photo Credit: BSKphoto.com for Electric Zoo

By Nick Philippou

This past weekend, Randall’s Island again played host to an eclectic fusion of electronic dance music at one of New York’s fastest growing music festivals – Electric Zoo. Headlined by the likes of Tiësto, David Guetta and Armin van Buuren, dance music’s elite conducted their own brand of symphony to a melting pot of an estimated 85,000 fans over three days and nights at summer’s last official hoorah. With international artists spanning multiple stages across the massive concert grounds, killer sets were by no means hard to come by, but we have narrowed it down to five of the most noteworthy acts that graced the main stage and put their mark on NYC’s dance music monster.

Armin van Buuren
Sunday’s finale featured Armin van Buuren, the reigning king of trance, directing a triumphant, crowd-pleasing closing set to the weekend. AVB fired off a barrage of his international smash-hit tracks like ”Full Focus” and ”Silent Hearts,” featuring BT mixed against Simon Patterson’s “Latika” before powering through Eric Prydz’s remix of Dépêche Mode’s “Personal Jesus.”

He teased an early ending at 10:50 PM, leaving the stage after “In and Out of Love” seemingly closed his set. Then moments later, an echoing chant of “we want more” was answered by a red and white firework-filled spectacle, choreographed to the beats of AVB’s “This Light Between Us,” to close the weekend.

<em>Photo Credit: BSKphoto.com for Electric Zoo</em>

Photo Credit: BSKphoto.com for Electric Zoo

Read More...

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Exclusive Video: Steve Angello At Governors Island, NY

Posted 8/22/11 3:30 pm EST by in Concerts, dance

By Akshay Bhansali

A few thousand dance music enthusiasts ferried out to New York’s Governors Island this perfectly sunny Saturday to take in a special collection of house music sets courtesy of Pacha NY and Size Records. And at the finale of the eight-hour party, a familiar conclusion was reaffirmed – when Steve Angello comes to New York, he doesn’t do it quietly.

Carl Louis & Martin Danielle, hometown hero Junior Sanchez, and rising star Thomas Gold took on opening duties for the sold-out crowd of close to 5,000 fans. The night’s headliner, Swedish House Mafia's Angello, took the stage around 9PM and fired off over a blazing two-and-a-half hour set with full-on LED lighting and pyrotechnics. MTV News was given an exclusive look from the stage. Take a Look!

Angello got a tremendous rise early in his set with Swedish House Mafia’s possible next single (which has a working title, but we aren't at liberty to reveal just yet). Read More...

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