After weeks of back and forth emails trying to schedule an interview, I finally caught up with the jet setting DJ Antoine on Skype right after he arrived from Italy and before he set off that same evening for Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Such a hectic schedule is nothing new for the Swiss house and electro DJ and producer who is a mega star in Europe. When he is not performing in front of gyrating neon-clothed crowds in exotic locations such as Moscow, Bangkok, Cairo and Dubai, he is working with everyone from Cyndi Lauper, to Snoop Dogg to Pitbull to produce veritable dance anthems.
In fact his album output is positively prolific. To date, DJ Antoine has released 51 albums with his newest album Sky is the Limit scheduled for its North American release on May 14.
“I worked on this album 15 months in my studio with Mad Mark. For me it was important to work with different writers and different singers. Every day some new ideas were born,” he says.
While his personal favourite song off the album is “Crazy World,” because “when I play it in the club you get goose bumps, it goes really under your skin,” other tracks such as Bella Vita and Sky is the Limit deliver the kind of catchy, clean, pump up house that differentiates DJ Antoine from the dirty dubstep sound that’s been popularized by scores of Dutch DJs in North America.
At 19-years-old, Walden is not only a talented DJ, but very down to earth. He’s up for anything, evidenced by the fact that he tried dog sledding while on holiday in Sweden (“It was about -35, but it was fun”). Evan Ross chatted with him over the phone while he was in Chicago to get a sense of dance music’s bright young thing.
WHO HE IS: Let’s get the superficial stuff out of the way: Walden is adorable. His face, his demeanor, everything. He’s just an all around pleasant person, which should take him far. John Walden aka. Walden is an Australian producer/DJ who is just starting to gain speed on the EDM/house circuit. This is a big time for electronic music and Walden seems excited to be a part of it all: “House music has always appealed to me…it’s such a varied genre, that it allows you to put anything in it. It’s really fresh and new.”
WHY HE’S ON OUR RADAR: He’s young and talented, and it really doesn’t get any more exciting than that. Walden is only 19 and is already slated to play at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami. He says his age can be both beneficial and a hindrance; “a young age generates attention, which is good, but I do lack experience.” He also joked that, being 19, he can’t drink in most places. Hopefully he took advantage of the drinking age on his Canadian tour stops in Toronto and Montreal this January.
FILE NEXT TO: Walden is signed to the same label as some of the biggest names in dance music today. He knows how to let a track climb and give it an epic release a la Skrillex, and his songs have the earworm tendency of Martin Solveig, both of whom are fellow Big Beat Records signings.
HIGHLIGHTS: He was recently signed to Big Beat Records, home to some of the top dance artists like Chromeo and Icona Pop (as well as massive hits Skrillex and Martin Solveig, mentioned above). He’s worked with acts like Tiesto and David Guetta which has helped to build his sound. He says “I’ve learned how to read crowd reactions and give a track build up to keep them moving.” His music is awesome, Brightness being a particular favourite. It’s a great track and you can tell it’s going to be massive in clubs (also be sure to check out his YouTube and Soundcloud pages to hear the rest of his work)
Victoria Abraham defines one up and coming artist each week so you can impress your friends with your musical brilliance. This week, she tackles Purity Ring, an electro duo from Canada.
Purity rings, also known as abstinence rings, took off in the US in the 1990s and are worn as a sign of chastity by Christians who are saving themselves for marriage. I am not sure what this has to do with this Canadian hipster-chic electro duo, but I don’t really care because they make my ears happy, and they’ll do the same for you. Plus they have a killer live show, and they’ve already won the hearts of fans at music festivals all around the world.
Origins: Edmonton, Alberta
Band members: Megan James (vocals), Corin Roddick (instrumentals)
Known for: Corin’s carefully chopped beats and Megan’s ethereal beats
Used in a sentence: Dream pop, 90s R&B and modern day hip-hop are all combined to make Purity Ring’s unique sound.
File next to: Niki and the Dove, Adult
Download now: “Lofticries”
Five fun facts:
1. Megan is trained in piano and Corin plays the drums
2. During live shows Corin uses a custom made tree-shaped instrument for sound and lighting that he built himself
Passion Pit is an example of why this whole “Internet” thing may actually work. The guys first exploded on the blogosphere, developing a huge a following. With the Internet crowd dominated, they are now trying to make the leap to Top 40 music. Jordan spoke with Michael and Nate about the transition.
Korey and Jordan step away from organic instrumentation to explore the world of digital music and figure out how it became such a massive phenomenon.
One of the unfortunate pitfalls that plagues electronic music enthusiasts is the false perception that they’re druggies or “e-tards.” Although, many reinforce this stigma when outsiders frequent a bar to see 5000 people drinking only water. What is it about electronic music that lends itself so well to uppers and narcotics? We investigated the topic with the french electro duo, Make The Girl Dance!
HPNTZ – the Rihanna/Biggie pseudo-mashup – may have garnered a lot of attention for Dan Black, but it is his album Un that won me over. Dan has an incredible talent for crafting catchy yet credible pop songs,and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to discuss his music with him.
