SONG OF THE DAY: Markus Schulz ft Ana Diaz – “Nothing Without Me”

Another standout track from Marcus Schulz’ incredibly strong release ‘Scream,’ “Nothing Without Me” is a haunting tale of obsessed love gorgeously sung by Ana Diaz.? The track has a progressive-yet-pop feel which is suitably brooding and melodic with a dark beauty which foreshadows the story.? As strong as the song is, the track works just as well as an instrumental with pretty breakdowns crescendoing into powerful, thunderous explosions of energy. The extended mix will work on any mainstream club floor and the Antillas & Dankman, Beat Service, and Coldharbour mixes all go in different directions – electro, big room/stadium, and progressive.? The video translates the song as an obsessed fan moved to mental breakdown as it unwinds.? This is some dark source material, especially considering the video starts with the phrase “based on a true story.”


Image Courtesy of Coldharbour/Armada.

SONG OF THE DAY: Hardwell ft Amba Shepherd – “Apollo”

The big Dutch EDM producers pretty much fall into two categories – trance or dirty.? Hardwell stands out as one who blurs the lines, combining the aggressive electro of the Dirty Dutch with the pretty, melodic feel of the trancers.? Current single “Apollo” is a great example of this as it starts out progressive, pretty, and trancey. ? Ninety seconds in, the dropout builds up to a stop, and then full-on electro banging madness ensues.? The progressive melodic feel floats over the harder beats until the next dropout when the vocals of Amba Shepherd come into focus.? Amba sounds amazing, as always, and this is a great follow-up to her last track with Giuseppe Ottaviani, “Lost For Words.”? With massive singles (“How We Do,” “Cobra,” “Spaceman”), remixes (Example, Knife Party, and Rihanna), and rising to #6 on the DJ Mag list, 2012 has been quite a good year for Hardwell.? Topping the club chart with “Apollo” is a great way to end the year and have us DJs/EDM lovers salivating for what he will “Reveal” in 2013.


Image Courtesy of Revealed.