Tag: skrillex

INTERVIEW: Wolfgang Gartner (2012)

I have to be honest and say that I am a huge fan of Wolfgang Gartner.??His tracks are always fresh and banging, with unique elements that set them apart from the pool of tracks thrown on Beatport each week (and eight Beatport #1s is a testament to that).??Currently on tour with a full-on spaceship stage setup, he brings the energy to his crowd every night.??When I first interviewed him last year, I was blown away by how grounded, real, and down to earth he was. He is one of those rarities in the EDM world who does his own work, entertains crowds, and appreciates the success he achieves while managing to avoid the elitist attitudes so prevalent among a lot of the other big guys.

DJ Ron Slomowicz: The stage setup looks insane – did you design it?
Wolfgang Gartner:??Nope.??It was designed by Steve Lieberman of SJ Designs and built by AG Light and Sound.??They both do a lot of stuff for all the big dance festivals like EDC and Ultra, and clubs as well.

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SONG OF THE DAY (SUNDAY FUNDAY): DJs from Mars – “Phat Ass Drop”

In this world where microwave DJs get gigs with little talent and Al Walser secures a Grammy nomination, the idea of absolutely anyone being able to produce an EDM track is not that far-fetched. Leave it to Italian pranksters DJs from Mars to document the exact process on how to create a formulaic big room electro track (featuring the “Phat Ass Drop”). The robotic voice starts by saying “How to Produce a Club Track Today, Just follow the instructions and you’ll be an electronic music producer in no time.” As you might expect, every cliche of big room club tracks is demonstrated with simple step-by-step directions (military drums, random loop, crash, clap). The only thing left out is the obligatory dubstep breakdown (or rap by Pitbull). For club play, a dub is included which strips out the instructions. I can imagine crafty DJs having a lot of fun with the acappella. As funny as lines like “hit some keys and call it melody” are, the video is simply insane. Inside jokes abound, with stabs at Swedish House Mafia (Super Hit Maker aka SHIT Maker), Chat Roulette (Mars Roulette), and presets (a torrent for downloading “presets like Skrillex”). Respect is also shown to one of my favorite EDM sites, Dancing Astronaut – renamed Dancing Aliens. “Phat Ass Drop” works well as a stomping club track and a humorous meme that producers/DJs will be sending around for at least the next few weeks. For a similar-styled tutorial on how to create disco records, check out “Disco Dick – DIY Disco” which is a more humanized approach to the same idea, one that you can also trace back through Danny Tenaglia’s “Elements” and the Young Person’s Guide to the Twelve Inch Mix of “Rage Hard” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood..


Image Courtesy of Dance Love.

SONG OF THE DAY: Sirah – “Up and Down”

Personal confession- I am a fan of vocalists.? So this current trend of producers/DJs/artists giving “featured” credit to the singers on their tracks is quite nice, letting us find out who they are and track down their other work.? When I first heard “Bangarang” by Skrillex, the chopped-up lyrics from Sirah were just as hooky as the scratched-out party beats.? The name rang a bell so I dug up “Weekends,” another tracks from Skrillex which featured Sirah from 2010. Off her latest mix tape “CULT Too Young To Die,” Sirah leads with “Up and Down,” an aggressive dubstep track that features her edgy rapping about her roots and where she’s going, contrasted with her?emotional vocals in the chorus. This is one of those tracks where the soft, pretty opening bears no resemblance to the remainder of the track.? With the success of “Bangarang” on rock radio and Jay-Z’s support of Sirah’s mixtape, it will be interesting to see how her following of “cult kids” develops.? Now if someone could only tell me why dancers throw flour at each other (as evidenced in the video)…?

Image Courtesy of Atlantic.