Check out The Bloody Beetroots’ new track here.

Check out Major Lazer’s new collaboration here.

Check out The Chainsmokers’ new remix here.

Get an inside look into Pretty Lights’ new album here.

Preview Yuksek’s show in Montreal here.

Aaron Berecz / aberecz@djmag.ca

Although their new album is only a few months old and they just remixed Dada Life’s Boing Clash Boom, Major Lazer is back with a remix of Jack Beats’ Knock You Down. Teaming up with the duo to remix their original production from their Somebody to Love LP, the group of producers craft a drum heavy remix that showcases their production prowess. Stream the remix below and we’ll keep you updated when a release date is announced.

Aaron Berecz / aberecz@djmag.ca

In three short years, Angger Dimas has officially remixed the likes of Avicii, Afrojack, R3hab, Tommy Trash, and Kaskade and has collaborated with Tiesto and Steve Aoki. His debut EP, out now on Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak Records, showcases the young star’s production prowess with three extremely different and unique tracks. Among all the collaborations and remixes, the young producer is set to take another step towards stardom with his debut EP and a full length album coming in August. Stream the EP below and grab it from Beatport here.

Aaron Berecz / aberecz@djmag.ca

If you like good music and an amazing party, make sure you head to Velvet Speakeasy in Montreal on Friday, June 21st. After 10 years of pleasing our ears with some of the best electronic music around, French producer extraordinaire Yuksek recently launched his very own label Partyfine into the ether.

Beyond all, Partyfine was born to gather a family of talented musicians who could collaborate together around a defined concept using their own backgrounds and desires and put out great music along with some serious parties. They certainly achieved the first goal with the release of Yuksek presents Partyfine #1 featuring Oh Land & Juveniles. The EP gained global support from the likes of Annie Mac, Aeroplane, Fake Blood, and Tensnake. With the label’s music well underway and a second EP about to drop from Peter, also known as Yuksek, it is time for the party side of things to get started.

From the end of June 2013, Partyfine will be moving their party from the studio and onto the road. They will be visiting some of the best venues and events around the world including Velvet Speakeasy in Montreal, New York’s Full Moon Festival, Calvi On The Rocks, Razzamatazz in Barcelona, Emmaboda Festival in the Netherlands, XOYO in London, and a mammoth Australian tour in-between. Not ones to pigeon-hole themselves, expect the music policy to mirror its releases with an eclectic selection of disco, indie, and electro all played by Yuksek and an array of Partyfine guests along the way.

Conceived by globally renowned, likeminded musical pragmatists, the Partyfine message is self-evident: a good party is paramount! And that is certainly what you’re going to get.

Learn more about Yuksek:

Weston Hebert / whebert@ihmmusic.com

Festival Fever:  ESCAPADE, Ottawa 

WIN 2 tickets to Escapade HERE (coming soon)!

For the citizens of the nation’s capital, the summer months are a time that everyone seems to look forward to and enjoy; but for electronic music enthusiasts in this city, these months are more than just a mere blend of hot whether and pool parties. Summer time for ravers is nothing short of a modern day utopia for the sole reason that it is ‘festival season’. This year will mark the fourth year in which Ottawa has been home to one of the biggest electronic music festivals within the country and it has continued to grow and gain praise with each passing year. The festival in question is of course ‘Escapade’ and the anticipation for this year’s event has been building up since last Canada day when Afrojack closed out the festivities with an absolutely monster set. To say that this year’s lineup is stacked would be an understatement as organizers DNA Presents have gone to a new level to ensure that everyone’s personal preferences are catered to. The festival will showcase some of the biggest names in a vast variety of different electronic music genres that will include: house, electro, trance, dubstep, trap, drum & bass, techno and tech-house. In the spirit of anticipation, we have decided to highlight the top 5 sets that we feel you cannot afford to miss at this year’s festival.  While last year’s event was highly centered around big room progressive and electro-house, DNA has widened their vision of the Escapade experience this year to include everything from slow and bumpy 110 moombahton to bangin high speed 138 trance and everything in between.  These are the acts you cannot miss.

Ariyan @ DNA Presents: Pulse – photo by Nick Ghattas / retroseason.com

June 29 - Ryan Labelle & Ariyan // June 30 - Mister Parker & JC Boom // July 1 - Ariyan

5) The Local Boys:  Within the past year Ottawa has earned its spot on the map as a city that big name DJs and producers must include as a stop on their Canadian and North American tours, by consistently providing sold out shows packed with energetic and educated fans for DJs to perform in front of. The stream of Internationally renowned touring DJs that have come through the city have opened doors for some of our very own local talents. Aryian, Ryan Labelle, Mister Parker and JC Boom are four Ottawa residents that have all served as very professional openers for the big names that have been visiting the city. For the past several months DNA Presents has hosted events every Saturday night at Prive nightclub showcasing big DJs in a small club atmosphere.  All three of these boys have served as opening DJs for the Prive series, and Ariyan headlined one of the recent editions with authority. His set left people talking about it long after it was over as he successfully kept the crowd in an upbeat and energetic mood the entire evening. Ryan Labelle is said to be one of the hardest working DJs in the city. Known to be an excellent crowd reader, Labelle is always able to offer an element of surprise in his sets that keeps his audiences guessing and always moving. Last but most certainly not least, Mister Parker has been known to put on a clinic when performing in front of big crowds. He most recently opened for Showtek and delivered a very strategic set that saw him play a collection of tech-house tracks that kept the crowd buzzing but also properly energized for the two-hour big room set that was to follow. His opening sets have garnered the attention of many people within the business and he has earned himself the right to be labeled as one of Ottawa’s uprising talents.  JC Boom is the head of Capital Boom Records, and called upon to open for a diverse range of bass and house acts, mixing an eclectic selection of dubstep and electro-house into his performances.  While these gents have put together flawlessly executed warm up sets, it will be a real treat to see them playing in a festival setting with no constraints to follow.  It will give these artists a chance to show a bit more of their personal flavor without having to keep things building towards the headline slot.  This is why we’re excited to see the local boys at Escapade, where they will have free reign to make the crowd move with everything they have in the crate.  Here’s a recent deep and tech-house mix from Ryan Labelle to get you in the groove for Escapade.

DJ Alvaro – photo by Jonas Wellecan

4) Alvaro (July 1):  Dutch prodigy DJ Alvaro took the scene by storm in 2012 and hasn’t looked back since. He has gained support from the biggest names in the industry such as David Guetta, Afrojack, Tiesto, and Laidback Luke just to name a few, and his unique style of big room house is one that cannot be contested. Alvaro started to gain more recognition following the release of his track titled ‘Make The Crowd Go’ which instantly began getting played at major festivals around the globe. His latest collaboration with Quintino who is also scheduled to play at Escapade, is titled ‘World In Our Hands’ and includes some very uplifting synth work that accompanies a big room progressive drop and truly showcases some of the skillsets that this young producer embodies. This will be Alvaro’s first ever time playing in Ottawa so not only will he be deserving of our attention, but we the audience should also be inclined to show him what this city is capable of!  Here is Alvaro’s live set from Ultra Music Festival.

Rusko – photo by lostinconcert.com

3) Rusko (June 30):  This British dub-head is the pride of Leeds, England and is without a doubt one of the most recognized faces in the bass scene. The sometimes controversial but always direct artist has stressed to his audiences over and over again that his sets do not emulate that of a modern day dubstep show what so ever. Instead, Rusko delivers the elements of happiness and energy within his sets in a rave style fashion, which separates him from the generic face melting basslines and mosh pits that have appeared to become ubiquitous in most rock style dubstep shows today. Rusko has always believed that the term ‘dubstep’ is meant to describe the action of ‘dancing in a groove’ and his latest album highlights how he intends on preserving that meaning through his music. He is never shy in announcing to his audiences before his sets what kind of condition he is in and always makes a strong attempt to connect with his listeners as much as possible. If you are looking for something that is going to be completely different than any other set as this year’s festival, then Rusko is most definitely an artist that you are not going to want to miss.  Check out Rusko’s two-house Stir-Fry radio show, showcasing new music from around the world.

Mark Knight – photo by dancetrppin.tv

2) Mark Knight (June 29):  He is the boss of Toolroom records and is without a doubt one of the most experienced producers and DJs on the Escapade card this year. He is thought to be a pioneer within the industry and his credentials speak for themselves as he has had three of the biggest selling records on Beatport’s ‘Best Sellers List’ with ‘Music Matters,’ ‘Flauta Magica’ and ‘Good Times’ as well as a prestigious Beatport award for his single ‘Good Times.’ His most recent single called ‘Your Love’ is a textbook Mark Knight production that encompasses soulful vocals overtop of a very groovy bassline. His epic Toolroom Knights party brand has already completed two successful seasons of residencies at the world-renowned club Space in Ibiza, and his label is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down with the recent signings of some massive tracks such as ‘Speaking Grove’ by Adrian Hour and ‘Let The Bass Kick’ by Phunk Investigation. His weekly radio show presents some of the best new upfront and underground house tracks and has remained one of the most popular weekly dance podcasts for over two years now. While this year’s festival lineup is stacked with plenty of very young and talented producers/DJs, Mark Knight will be delivering a level of experience and praise that will be difficult to outperform hence why he is an artist that you must catch at this year’s festival.  Here is Mark’s set from his very own Toolroom Knights stage at Ultra this year.

1) Steve Angello (June 30):  If you were at last year’s Electrik Tulipe event at the CE Centre then it will come as no surprise to you that we are picking Steve Angello as the number one artist that you will have to see at this year’s festival. Coming fresh off of Swedish House Mafia’s ‘One Last Tour’ which saw the group close out the final day of Ultra Music Festival, Angello wasted no time getting back to work as just days after he released a two-hour long essential mix which included an assortment of underground house tracks along with a handful of chart topping progressive house and big room records. His latest project comes in the form of a second record label that he has started up called  ‘X’ which he will be using to introduce more tech-house and beat driven tracks. The initial release on the label is Trent Cantrelle’s Nice & Close EP, which was strategically the opening track of Angello’s latest essential mix.  Angello is also in the middle of recording his first post-mafia artist album so he will be testing out tracks in Ottawa, giving us a sneak peek at Steve’s new solo direction, which hopefully will contain some Mescal-esque tracks alongside his big room weapons.  With all of the different projects that Angello currently has going on, it is evident that he is more determined than ever to climb the ranks as an artist in the electronic music scene which helps ensure that this aspiring talent will deliver a headlining set for the ages come June 30^th.  Here is Steve’s recent set from EDC NYC, showing his versatility by switching between driving tech-house ID’s and big progressive bombs, enjoy!

Buy tickets for Escapade HERE!

Words by Chris Telford

As the July 2nd release date approaches, Pretty Lights is giving fans an inside look into the making of his new album. The film is made from footage shot over the last two years as Pretty Lights traveled to New Orleans and New York to record musicians and vocalists. He spent a year creating, playing, and recording music and vocals that emulated genres and time periods that span the last hundred years. The resulting album is analog electronica. It’s soulful, electro hip-hop that showcases music’s immense power. Watch the documentary below.

“The most important thing to me is that I made a record that I am incredibly proud of. When it’s all said and done it’s about the music, obviously, but with this record, the process was so unique I really wanted people to be able to get a glimpse of how it was made.” - Pretty Lights.

Pre-order the album here.

Aaron Berecz / aberecz@djmag.ca

After taking on Phoenix’s Trying To Be Cool and Say Lou Lou’s Julian, New York duo The Chainsmokers are back with another free download. Quickly becoming two of dance music’s best remixers, The Chainsmokers take on ASTR and infuse Operate with their trademark indie-progressive tones. In the overcrowded and sometimes monotonous world of progressive house, The Chainsmokers always manage to create remixes that stand out and prove that they are two of dance music’s most promising talents. Stream the remix below and grab it for free here.

Aaron Berecz / aberecz@djmag.ca

WIN 4 x VIP BOOTH + BOTTLE FOR TYLER SHERRITT @ CIELO

Check out the Event Article to see why we are so stoked for this night! 

YOU CAN WIN:  4 tickets + VIP booth + bottle for CIELO this Saturday!

Step 1) Click like for DJ Mag.

ENTER TO WIN FOUR FREE TICKETS + VIP EXPERIENCE! 

A month after his debut on the EDC New York Kinetic Field, Tyler Sherritt is getting ready to kick off the 2013 summer season with an epic show presented by Set List Agency with DJ Mag Canada coming on as the official media sponsor. On Saturday, June 22nd, Sherritt will be making his way back to the Cielo NYC DJ booth to blast his tunes over the # 1 rated sound system in the US. In 2013, Cielo landed at #79 on DJ Mag’s Top 100 Club poll.

Accompanying Sherritt is New England DJ/Producer Jake Shanahan who has been a collaborating partner on several of Sherritt’s original tracks including, On the Otherside, Brooklyn, and fan favorite, Wonders. Also making their NYC debut and closing out the night is Baker & Atkinson. This young duo has been gaining a lot of support from Tiesto and they are definitely two to follow.

Although EDC weekend will be simultaneously happening in Las Vegas, Sherritt plans to give his fans none other than the, massive, high intensity set all have become accustomed to from the rising upcoming artist.  Expect several original and live edits, as well as original tracks including unreleased Petrichord and Spring. 

WIN FREE TICKETS + BOOTH & BOTTLE HERE!

Next up for Enhanced Recordings is Italian producer 7 Skies. A producer with a vast discography and releases on Anjunabeats, Supercombs, Ride Recordings, and Enhanced Recordings, his newest track is a perfect example of modern trance. Displaying funky rhythms and an almighty bounce that get paired together with warm pads and lush chord sequences, this infectious track has it all. Stream Vice below and grab it from Beatport here.

Aaron Berecz / aberecz@djmag.ca