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The Breakdown 019

April 12, 2012

Welcome back everyone! I hope everyone’s doing great … I’ve just finished my first exam a couple days ago! WOO! One more to go and then hopefully we’ll get The Breakdown going back to twice a week! We’ll have to wait and see!

Thanks to everyone who has reached out to me! The number of submissions have increased dramatically over the past little while! I’m doing my best to respond to you all! With that being said, today I’m bringing you three tunes … all from The Breakdown’s inbox!

Up first, we have a progressive electro tune from Toronto, Ont. native Markus Cole. Markus teamed up with Mikal Minhas, who resides in Miami, and together they have made something special. This track truly is progressive electro in it’s finest form. You can expect more big things from these two youngsters very soon! Markus is only 17 and Mikal is 19! There isn’t much on Markus’ history, but on SoundCloud he says that he begun DJing and quickly transitioned into producing as he was feeling limited and a little bored. Keep your eye out for this kid, because he is determined and with the talents he has at such a young age – he will go far. He’s currently finishing high school, with plans to be an audio engineer afterwards.

Pump It Up is a work of art. Synth bleeps and stabs paired with a steady kick lead you into the first break where you’re met with big room synths among an unreal combination of other sounds. The layering in this track is quite spectacular. If you listen closely, you can hear how many different elements truly make up this track. They included a vocal sample, but only before the drop, which is my only complaint about this track. I would have loved to see it utilized more – vocals get people going … it’s science. The drop on this track brings to mind the kind of tunes that have been coming out on Hardwell’s label lately, with a minor Daft Punk influence.  The second break starts out very ambient and spacey, but quickly you’re back on track and headed for madness once more. Pump It Up really does progress until the very end … finishing with a quick and strong build – which makes me think how fun it would be to mix out from it. Check it out below! It received 2000+ plays in just over a day. No word of a release date yet, but it has been sent out to a number of labels. I have been told that a free download of the track may be available in the near future, so you’ll have to keep your eye on his SoundCloud and Facebook pages!

Follow Markus Cole on Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud!

Next we’ve got an excellent house tune from another Toronto, Ont. resident, Chris Ramos. Chris is a 21-year-old classically-trained pianist turned producer. His extensive knowledge in music and background in piano give him an outstanding hand up in his productions, which is clearly evident. With a trained ear for music, Chris has begun to make a name for himself in Canada and around the world. Chris began releasing music at the extremely young age of 16, which seems to be some what of a theme so far in today’s post. It makes me wish that I had been more into music at a younger age instead of sports, but I digress. He has landed tracks on compilations such as Z103.5‘s Summer Rush, alongside Tiësto and Kaskade and recently he has been very active in the clubs, playing key support slots for the likes of Porter Robinson, Madeon, Edward Maya and Deniz Koyu.

Personally, I’m a huge fan of this tune and can’t stop playing it. Even better … you can fall in love for yourself because this is a free download. I don’t know much about the original, but Gabrielle Aplin has an extremely beautiful voice, and Chris has done perfectly with the vocals on this track. Focusing strongly on the melody, opening with a guitar chord and soft synth in the background sets me into an extremely happy mood with Gabrielle’s voice quickly becoming the focus. With some minor elements of Dutch house first teased during the break … I love the sound of this track. It reminds me a little bit of Feel So Close by Calvin Harris, which is quite an outstanding compliment in my opinion. Grab a copy of it for yourself and decide! For those wanting it, he has also made an extended version, also available for free download here.

Follow Chris Ramos on Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud!

To finish up today’s post … here is an upcoming release from Adam K and JELO. I highly doubt anyone is unfamiliar with these two … each making a massive impression on the electro-house world right now. EMP is set to be released exclusively to Beatport on April 17th via Adam K‘s label, Hotbox Digital. This track is pure energy and I wouldn’t expect anything less from them. JELO is well-known for being a headbanging party animal and Adam K has yet to see a body he can make bounce. Opening with a pounding kick drum and low rumbling bass, it quickly builds into the first break where hypnotic chords progress until all out electro madness. Reminding me of Feed Me, this is guaranteed to blow people out of the water. This track has all the ingredients for a dirty electro bomb … a low rolling synth, high pitched stabs, strong drums and a humongous build right smack in the middle – there is never a dull moment with this one.

Follow Adam K on Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud!
Follow JELO on Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud!

KEEP THOSE SUBMISSIONS COMING IN … if you know some Canadian talent that you think deserves to be featured on The Breakdown, LET US KNOW by contacting thebreakdown(at)djmag(dot)ca! Let your friends know!

Contact me on Twitter, Facebook or e-mail, thebreakdown(at)djmag(dot)ca!

See you next time!
– MAKE SMILES