The Bailen Brothers

Okay so check this out - my friend showed me this band. Although it has no correlation to house music or any other posts, I believe it is worthy of posting on this site. The band is made up of the duo David and Daniel Bailen, they both attended NYU and Juilliard School of Music and have been playing all around New York City since 2007. These guys have traveled the world playing their music and therefore there music has a very international influence.


This is a great band to post to take a break from all the heavy bass drops and housey-sounds. Its the best album for the summer and they are available on iTunes so take a listen, download and watch out for them. I really believe these guys will become a big deal within the next couple years. They remind me of Foster the People and The Strokes...both these bands came out of nowhere and became a HUGE hit around the world.


If you have been following my blog for a while you are already being cultured in music that will become big in the future. When my friend showed me The Bailen Brothers I was a bit skeptical because it was not the usual genre of music that I listened to but after I had heard them I was automatically hooked and I have been listening to them since.


Take a listen to this band and take a break from the crazy bangin' music. Attached is the entire album to listen to. If you enjoy their sounds, comment on the track and spread the word!!


- Yoshii

I Can't Believe I'm Posting This....

When it comes to music it is important not to be bias; but lets not kid ourselves...we are all bias one time or another. I am happy that I was not bias for this particular remix though because it is beautiful. I won't expand on Usher because we all know who he is and his successes are too long to list. But this particular song "Climax (Flosstradamus Remix)" is beautifully structured.


Flosstradamus is incredible. Flosstradamus is the collaborative group between DJ's J2K (Josh Young) and Autobot (Curt Cameruci) based out of Chicago. For the music lovers and current blog followers they are most well known for their remix of "Original Don" by Major Lazer. Flosstradamus took this popular girl-loving track, gutted out certain parts and created flawless instrumentals with great high-hats into the song. In my opinion, they changed the song enough to reach a wider range of audience. Furthermore, the instrumentals Flosstradamus uses works perfectly with Usher's high-pitched vocals.


Take a listen to this remix and consider searching more Flosstradamus remixes. Enjoy.


Yoshii

2 Million Ways

For those of you who already know this track - congratulations. I decided to post this on my blog after my friend brought it back to me from the past. This song was absolutely killer when it came out in 2004. Now of course 2004 was the period when nightclubs and DJ's were popping off and when this track hit the scene you could not walk around New York City without hearing it. I wanted to re-post this blog because it deserves recognition even at its old age.


"2 Million Ways" (Axwell Remix) by C-Mos is not particularly a banger but it is enough to make people scream and shout. Although C-Mos is not the most popular producer Axwell's remix luckily brought immense fame to this track. For those of you who don't know Axwell, he is one of the three members in the world-reknown group Swedish House Mafia. Now, I would hope that you know who Swedish House Mafia is but if you don't know them they created the legendary track "One (Radio Edit)" - Swedish House Mafia, I will post the song along with 2 Million ways to refresh your memory.


Anyway lets get back on the topic of Axwell and this track. The song has a very unique and catchy riff that once you hear it you will never forget. I would say the best way to experience this track is to close your eyes and imagine being surrounded by thousands of people raging to this song.


In house music especially, songs tend to be overplayed as DJ's from around the world flock towards the best tracks. This was one such track, many times people would tell me to shut the song off because they heard it to many time it made them sick (even I grew a bit tired of it too!). Yet, it was an exhilarating feeling listening to this song when my friend showed it to me again. It made me reminisce about the past when this song was off the charts.


Enjoy! and remember don't overplay it but if you do...play it around people and watch their reaction to the song.






-Yoshii

Fire!

I came across this hot track over the weekend and I was shocked. Major Lazer, a group mentioned in an earlier post is collaboration between producers Diplo and Switch and they have come out with so many incredible tracks. I am sure that many of you have heard "Pon De Floor" by Major Lazer; every time Major Lazer comes out with a track its popularity goes out the door. "Get Free feat Amber"(What So Not Remix) is no different, although it is only trending on blogs which reduces its popularity to people who search music blogs on the daily, I have no doubt in my mind that this track will explode within the next couple of weeks. In my view this will be song people listen to over the summer.


The instrumentals in this song are incredible to say the least. The beginning of the track is mellow and has a tribal-tech feel to it with high pitched vocals. It may seem hard to believe that this track actually has one of the most unique and WET bass drops because of the beginning of the song Major Lazer and What So Not - as always - pulls it off impeccably.


I found this track on Hype Machine (hypem.com) under the popular tracks tab. Under this tab Hype Machine compiles tracks from thousands of blogs on the Internet and the most popular are posted under this section. As of the last time I checked on the song it is ranked #3 for this weeks most popular. The most compelling part of this website is that it allows users to "love" songs and further increase its popularity. In this way, the site serves as a sort of public sphere where people can judge for themselves whether a blog is good or not. In one of Barlow's readings the idea that the internet and blogs allow people to respond and input their opinions no matter what their background or experience is was mentioned. In this regard, Hype Machine allows this to happen as visitors and members are allowed to judge with their own taste whether they like the song or not.


I will give this track 3 weeks before it explodes so those who are following this blog take advantage of the fact that you have this track and others don't! Turn up the volume and blast this crowd-pleaser!!




Enjoy,
Yoshii

David Guetta & Nicky Romero - Metropolis

Let's get back to my favorite genre of music: house. A track that has been making a lot of noise recently on blogs is David Guetta and Nicky Romero's dual-production, "Metropolis". I am sure that all of you know who David Guetta (pronounced 'getta') is, some consider him to be the king and the premier DJ who brought house music to where it is now. He has produced world-known tracks such as "One Love"(2010) and "When Love Takes Over"(2010) among many others as well as remixes of his own. Nicky Romero has also made himself known and has become quite popular rather recently; this Dutchman has made a lot of noise on blogs and have gained the attention of many big name DJ's. So much so that as of recently he signed with David Guetta; this partnership will give him a bonding opportunity with David Guetta and lift his career to new heights.


Take a gander at this brand new house track - no vocals just the sweet sound of bass and instrumentals. Watch as Guetta and Romero transform this track over the course of the song and generate a huge raving drop. Guetta never fails to impress.





- Yoshii

Ray Charles?!

Who doesn't like a classic song with a twist of modern electronic? Well, I'm sure that there are many who despise remixes of classics but I believe it takes a tremendous amount of talent. Here is one such song which is making its way up on trending charts on HypeMachine - a site I mentioned earlier on the Soundcloud post...


This hot track, originally a song by Ray Charles named "Let the Good Times Roll" is remixed by Opiou. Opiou is a Melbourne based producer and electronic musician who specializes in a unique blend of original, funky, hoppo hop, and glitchy beats. Take a listen to this remix - it makes me think about the correlation between the old-timers dancing to the original Ray Charles and modern society enjoying this resurrected song with a little twist.




Enjoy,
- Yoshii

Justin Martin & Ardalan - Mr. Spock

Here is a track that has been a treasure of mine for a couple of months. When I first found this underground track I was PUMPed. For a DJ there is nothing better than a track that makes people go loco. This track, "Mr. Spock" by Justin Martin & Ardalan is just that kind of track. Although I have not heard much about these guys this track is definitely worthy of appraisal. I don't really get the correlation between Mr. Spock and this song but don't let it get you down if you were hoping for some Star Trek beats - it is still unreal.


I don't really like to hand out songs that are my treasures for the sole reason that I keep my music secretive but this song is worthy of more popularity. Let me know what you think and if you can....name where you have heard the drop from.



Good luck and good listen!
- Yoshii

Soundcloud

Lets take a quick detour as I discuss Soundcloud (soundcloud.com). This website allows musicians and music-lovers around the world to connect and bridge/bond through music. Similar to Facebook, this website allows users to create profiles and 'post' their creations and the music they love. I thought that this website would be a great example to discuss the topic of a "public sphere"- a topic which we discussed in class. In Aaron Barlow's article Blogging In America, he discusses the importance of the public sphere relevant in todays society. He believes that "public spheres weakness is it is only protected by the will of the public, not institutional structures. In this regard, Soundcloud is operated by millions of artists and music fanatics; artists are able to grow and expand their popularity through the will of the people who support their music. Nowadays, children, teens and adults use Facebook on the regular and the question, "do you have Facebook" is not a popular question. Similarly, Soundcloud is the same as Facebook but for people in the music community.


As a DJ, I am fully engulfed in the public sphere of the music world. To me it is both a hobby and a job to find up-and-coming music and watch their trend in popularity. For anyone who visits music blogs often, you will realize that at times when you download a song you will see it become popular to the rest of the public about 3 weeks later. The reason for this is because music labels, agents, and producers watch their growth through popularity in blogs to predict its success. Big music blogs like HypeMachine (hypem.com) generate songs through thousands of music blogs on the Internet and the public is able to favorite songs they like to generate popularity.


Although it is unfortunate that the music industry is declining at a rapid rate through dilemmas such as illegal downloading websites such as Soundcloud are important because it allows music lovers to have a source to connect with others and keep the love of music alive.


Below is an example of a new exclusive preview track by Hardwell - a world renown house DJ. If you play the song you will see comments pop up below the sound-wave. These comments are crucial for the artist because they can receive useful feedback from comments made by the general public.



Enjoy,
Yoshii

Moombahton?!?!

Lets talk about Dillon Francis; don't be alarmed if you don't know who he is. Dillon is an avid producer in the sub-genre of Moombahton and has been making it big in the electronic arena. Before I continue talking about this killer producer let me expand on the sub-genre of music called Moombahton.


It is surprising to see how many people don't know this sub-genre of music. Unlike Hip-Hop, Rap, R&B, House and other genres of music that are well known and popular Moombahton is still in its early stage. Moombahton which is a sub-genre of electronic dance music was created by a DJ and producer by the name of Dave Nada in 2009. How was this sub-genre created? Dave Nada took a Dutch House track created by Afrojack and reduced its beat per minute (BPM) from 128 to 108. Usually Moombahton tracks stay around the 110BPM area because it allows for an electronic and reggae ton combination. Typically, Moombahton tracks have bigger build ups and heavier drops, sometimes as heavy as dubstep just not as sped up. Currently, producers such as Dillon Francis, Munchi, Nadastrom, :DFace, gLAdiator, and others  are pushing for the recognition and popularity of Moombahton.


Returning back to Dillon Francis, check out this track called "Hit's Me Like A Rock" (Dillon Francis Remix) by CSS. I am sure that many of you know CSS but Dillon is able to turn a rock-esque song into a Moombahton monster. Take a listen, if you have never heard a Moombahton track before prepare to have your minds blown.



Let me blow your mind one more time and introduce to you gLAdiator. If you are like me and attend Skidmore College then most likely you have hear of Danl Goodman. Although he graduated last semester he taught me many important and key points in regards to being a DJ. gLAdiator is a DJ/Production duo of Danl Goodman and Ian Johnson and they are fu***** sick! This track that I am about to show you is one that I was fortunate enough to hear during its creation, I even helped Danl create the album cover for this track! Anyway, take a listen and put on your dancing shoes, this track is about to make you cry.


Shout out to Danl Goodman and Ian Johnson, keep killin' it in LA. Keep an eye out for this duo, they are going H.A.M!



- Yoshii

Major Lazer - Original Don (Flosstradamus Remix)

Lets discuss "Original Don (FLOSSTRADAMUS REMIX)" by Major Lazer. For those of you who do not know what Major Lazer is, here is a short summary. Two DJ/Producer's Diplo and Switch are the masterminds behind this collaborative project and have earned global respect through legendary tracks like "Pon de Floor" and "Hold the Line". Their combination of tribal and hous-ey music allows them to produce bangin' tracks that are unique and catchy. When "Original Don" came out in 2011 it was respected amongst the music lovers and the music blog followers, but it did not explode as quickly as "Pon de Floor"(2009). Yet recently, as more and more DJ's and Producer's hear the hype behind this track the popularity has started to grow. The funky rhythm and truck horn bass drops are sure to make you bop your head.

As some of you may know, nowadays when a track is produced it will be remixed and edited by many DJ's and Producers. Being a DJ it is important for me to find the best remix and drop it for people to hear. This Original Don remix by FLOSSTRADAMUS is unique, and is worthy of everyones attention. The editors are able to keep the basic structure and form of the original track and add incredible instrumentals that elevate and define the track. For those who don't particularly have an interest in house music, you will make an exception for this remix; for those who love house music you will enjoy this flossy remix even more.

- Yoshii