SONG OF THE DAY: Nervo – “Hold On”?

These Aussie twins have had quite a busy year touring and producing.? It seems they’ve found the magical secret of collaboration – working with someone and melding their sound with their own to create something unique, and often even more magical as a result.? For example, “You’re Gonna Love Again” blended Avicii’s signature stadium sound with their upliftingly, pretty, and inspirational Oprah-esque lyrics.? Working with R3hab must have been a challenge.? R3hab is so well-known (and loved) for his signature aggressive “chainsaw” electro sound that you can usually trainspot his work within two measures.? “Hold On” is a masterful combination of the hard and the pretty, perfectly blended together.? It isn’t one of those tracks where you can say – “Oh this is the R3hab part and this is the Nervo part” – you can really sense that they were all in sync and were aiming to experiment to make something true to their influences/sounds that was also unique and different.? The results are so strong that I have a feeling that “Hold On” might be the track that crosses them over to the mainstream.

Image Courtesy of Astralwerks.

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.
Continue reading INTERVIEW: Nicky Romero (2013)

SONG OF THE DAY: NERVO & Hook N Sling – “Reason”

Aussie EDM producers/DJs/artists/sisters Nervo have had an amazing year thanks to some incredible collaborations – “You’re Gonna Love Again” with Avicii, and “Something to Believe In” with Norman Doray.? Since “Reason,” their track with Hook N Sling, was released back in September on Spinnin Records – it has been gaining quite a buzz.? The big room stadium house track is the perfect mix of progressive-sounding club beats and aggressive electro noises, with a measured dose of meaningful pop lyrics.? The breakdown in the middle is quite gorgeous with the gradual keyboard build into the drum fill leading to an explosion of energy. It’s also quite refreshing to see the focus of the song is on the strong original remix, rather than a large set of remixes which have little to do with the original song.? The only negative is the video treatment which showcases three random girls on a crime and party spree.? Yeah, there is probably some allusion to the song’s meaning in there somewhere, but the emotional nature of the lyrics would be much better translated via a performance by Olivia and Mim.? I mean, come on, when you are gorgeous Covergirl models, why waste video time on unrelated girls?

Image Courtesy of Big Beat/Spinnin.