Tag: calvin harris

INTERVIEW: Nicky Romero (2013)

Although he’s been producing tracks for a few years, 2012 has been the breakthrough year for Dutch DJ/Producer Nicky Romero.? His massive Beatport hit “Toulouse” was followed by collaborations with David Guetta, Fedde Le Grand, Calvin Harris, Zedd, and Nervo.? Coming in as the highest new entry on the DJ Mag list at #17 was another major accomplishment.? Chatting with Nicky at Amsterdam Dance Event, it’s easy to see why he is achieving all this success – not only is he musically talented, he is a genuinely friendly and passionate, as well as grateful for all of the support he receives.

DJ Ron Slomowicz: So you have had a good week haven’t you?
Nicky Romero: Yeah it?s been crazy, super crazy.

RS: Let?s retrace it, I first saw you at the Jimmy Woo party when you were back in the VIP area. Everyone attacked you and wanted to take a picture with you.
Nicky Romero: Yeah, it was crazy. I wasn’t expecting so many people to be there awaiting my Q&A. It?s insane and a little unreal that so many people want something.
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SONG OF THE DAY (SUNDAY FUNDAY): Ke$ha – “Die Young” (Seamus Haji Remix)

“Die Young” is a total guilty pleasure. Yes, it sounds like every other Ke$ha song, but with the track at 128 bpm if you strip out the vocals (and the Illuminati/New World Order nonsense) it could easily be a Swedish House Mafia or Calvin Harris pop record. British producer Seamus Haji has been on quite a roll lately, turning in solid club mixes from artists as varied as The Gossip, Elton John vs Pnau, Maroon 5, Ne-Yo, and Rita Ora. In his deft hands, “Die Young” is elevated to primetime commercial club monster- with harder electro buildups, a more dramatic dropout, and even sicker vocal effects. It would be interesting to see what would happen if one of the big-name DJs dropped an instrumental of Seamus’ mix, because I bet if it was circulated without the vocal it would be quite a massive club record on its own.

Image Courtesy of RCA/Kemosabe.

REVIEW: Ellie Goulding – ‘Halcyon’

By: Ben Norman

Who is Ellie Goulding, really? I mean, Wikipedia tells us she’s a 25 year-old soprano from London. That really doesn’t say much, though, it’s just facts. It doesn’t convey a personage, not the way the act of expression that is music can. We also know that Ellie Goulding has been riding the same song, rather successfully, for almost three years now, and for some reason “Lights” never really gets old. That’s one song, however, and can you really establish the identity of a singer from one song? While “Lights” has been introducing Ellie to fans across the globe and sneaking into the pop mainstream like a slow-moving ninja, it wasn’t really a fantastic representation of her 2010 album of the same name, nor is it a calling card to what her new album, Halcyon, contains. “Lights” is what allowed her to create Halcyon though, and it is an influence on what some of the tracks aim to achieve. But at the end of the day, who is Ellie Goulding, really?
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