The Chainsmokers tried to hit on my wife last summer. Well, one of them did. Do I blame him? No, not really. After all, I did the same thing a few years ago. She politely rejected him, of course, but now I'm afraid it's affected him a little more than we realized, because The Chainsmokers are calling their fall tour "Friendzone." Coincidence? I think not.
The Chainsmokers "Friendzone" fall tour has officially begun, and with it they've released their first official EP Bouquet featuring guest artists ROZES, Tritonal, Waterbed, and more. The overarching vibe throughout the EP is one of refreshing tranquility with soothing female vocals and gentle, relaxing beats, closer to "Kanye" in style than their famous "#Selfie." Listen to the whole thing below!
"Roses," featuring emotive 22-year-old singer ROZES, sets the tone for the EP with its crisp, low-tempo beat and dreamy vocals. Similarly, "New York City" features wistful female vocals over a moderate electro beat. "Waterbed" is sure to pick up your mood with the cheerful vocals of singer Waterbed and gentle, bouncy rhythms. "Until You Were Gone ft. Emily Warren," co-produced by Tritonal, brings the most energy of the 5 tracks, and their contribution is obvious with the upbeat, synth chord drop. The last song, "Good Intentions," is the only one featuring male vocals, provided by Bullysongs. With a backdrop of piano chords and The Chainsmokers' signature house drop, it's a perfect anthem to close the EP.
Boquet is available for purchase now on Itunes for $4.99.
YouTube has announced a major overhaul of its business model today, re-branding as YouTube Red and adding new, highly sought-after services. YouTube Red, available starting next week, aims to serve as an amalgamation of Netflix, Hulu, and Spotify as it will offer streaming music (yes, finally it will be able to play in the background like the rest of your music apps), full-length movies and TV episodes, and even YouTube original series. Videos will also be available to download for offline viewing. Don't get too excited, though, because this all comes at a price. You'll be paying $10 a month, just a bit more than Netflix, to enjoy these enhanced, ad-free features. All things considered, this sounds like a pretty fair deal for the consumers who've grown aggravated by the unskippable ads and limited functionality. Consumers get what they want, and the company still makes money. Everybody wins!
If $10 is too steep for your budget, worry not. You don't have to subscribe if you don't want to, and the website will continue to function the way it does right now. Content creators who've been banking on ad revenue have all but unanimously agreed to the new terms of service, but those who haven't will not be able to have their content displayed for YouTube users, paying or non-paying.
Skrillex fans have been swept up in a whirlwind of revelations and releases over the last 7 days, and it shows no signs of stopping. Moments ago Justin Bieber dropped Skrillex-assisted track "Sorry," one of seven tracks on Bieber's upcoming album Purpose on which the EDM demigod is credited. But that's not the only Skrillex collaboration dropped today; this morning his collaboration with Zhu and THEY titled "Working For It" premiered on Proximity's YouTube channel. Earlier this week Skrillex posted this tweet suggesting we may finally see the official release of Red Lips very soon, along with its official music video. And on the subject of teasers, a brand new teaser clip of a collaboration with PNC 1 full year in the making has surfaced. AND SPEAKING of new things that have surfaced, Skrillex dropped a half dozen new ID tracks during his set at OWSLA's ADE event last Thursday, most notably including a never-before-heard collab with Knife Party. Phew! That's a lot to cover right now, but if Skrillex can make it all happen in one week, I can write about it in one post.
Justin Bieber ft. Skrillex & Blood - Sorry
Pop icon Justin Bieber's public image has radically improved after his gracious appearance on Comedy Central's The Roast of Justin Bieber. Once seen as the obnoxious, irresponsible teenager gallivanting through nightclubs, abandoning pet monkeys and relieving himself in buckets, Bieber has cleaned up his act and teamed up with Skrillex to produce a series of formidable hits. An unlikely duo though they may be, the first joint effort between the two (along with Diplo), "Where Are U Now," peaked at #8 on Billboard's Hot 100. Skrillex's level of involvement is unclear in Bieber's first #1 hit "What Do You Mean," but it's clear their partnership is a recipe for levels of success never before seen by either of them. Today's release "Sorry" is a heartfelt apology (rumored to be directed at Selena Gomez) co-produced by Skrillex and Blood, and it's sure to be another chart topper. With its pop/tropical sound and Bieber's vocals, Skrillex's role in production may just be accenting rather than the powerhouse this time, but his presence is unmistakable.
Skrillex x Zhu x THEY - Working For It
Zhu, whom you may know from last year's summer hit "Faded," has been unveiling tracks from his latest project, Genesis Series EP, one by one over the last few weeks. The latest of these tracks, released just this morning, features none other than Skrillex and fellow labelmates THEY, and it's a perfect mesh of their distinct styles; beautiful vocals, powerful bass accented with light piano chords, and a few notes of electric guitar make this a must-hear.
Skrillex x PNC - ID
This one's gonna have you excited, even if you don't know who PNC is. I didn't know either, but now I know he's a rapper from New Zealand who's made quite a name for himself in his country, and now he's got the attention of Skrillex. What's interesting about this, besides the sick beat and heavy, exotic brostep drop, is the fact that this video is just now surfacing when Skrillex hasn't been to New Zealand in a year. That means it's been kept under wraps for a year without so much as a hint to its existence. What else could he be working on that we have no idea about? Funny you should ask...
Skrillex x Knife Party - ID (Halo)
At OWSLA's ADE event in Amsterdam last Thursday, Skrillex and labelmates Wiwek, Vindata, and What So Not talked business, took fans' questions, then performed back to back for a lucky crowd inside a giant tower crane. During his set, a generous Skrillex decided to play some of his fans' most coveted unreleased/unfinished tracks (referred to as IDs), most of which appear in my previous post. What no one saw coming though, not even Skrillex himself, was a never-before-heard ID collab with Knife party... from 2012! As the drop approached, he shouted "I don't even know what this sounds like, it's a mystery!" Both artists' sounds have evolved significantly since this project was abandoned, and hearing it is a nice throwback to their earlier styles. Sadly, this track is highly unlikely to ever be finished since Knife Party has since expressed contempt for contemporary releases. The rest of Skrillex's ADE set can be found here on Soundcloud. Eat it up!
Now more than ever, Skrillex is the king of collaborations. He's been all over the place working with hip-hop, reggae, metal, pop, and other EDM artists, and that's just this year. It seems the only genre he hasn't dabbled in yet is country, but if and when he does, it's sure to be solid gold. However, for all the work he puts in, Skrillex's notorious perfectionism has left a hefty number of tracks in limbo awaiting completion. For now, they float around YouTube as set rips or fanmade remakes with no official release in sight. These sick beats may not be up to Skrillex's standards yet, but they deserve to be heard, and here are my top 5:
Skrillex x What So Not: Goh
This may be my favorite of all of Skrill's unreleased collabs with its energetic female vocals and groovy, traplike drop. If you liked "Stranger" from Recess, you'll love this. I can't play this loud enough.
Skrillex x DJ Snake: Pizza Crew
DJ Snake became a household name with his top 40 hit last year featuring Lil John, "Turn Down For What." Infinitely more exciting for him was the chance to create this sick collaboration with Skrillex, which sounds exactly like what you'd expect from a combination of their two signature styles.
Skrillex: Baby Boy
This one's all Skrillex, baby. It's got a great combination of his own vocals and his early style as an EDM artist, minus the growls. I'll warn you now, though, it unfortunately ends just two minutes in.
Skrillex x GTA: Red Lips
Skrillex and his affiliates have confirmed that his colossal remix of GTA's "Red Lips" will eventually see an official release, but there's no telling when that will be. I like to start out my daily run with this track since it's impossible not to go ham while it's playing. You can catch it live if you can make it to one of his shows, but if not, here's what you're missing.
Skrillex x Knife Party: Zoology
Remember when moombahton was the hottest thing to be doing in EDM? So does Skrillex, and if I didn't know better I'd think this was a collaboration with Steve Aoki. If you liked"Love In Motion: Skrillex's Funkd Out Remix" you'll definitely appreciate this. Like "Baby Boy," this one is over too quickly, but don't let that take away from your enjoyment. Put it on loop and you might not even notice.
As you know from my previous post, brostep artist Kill The Noise officially released his latest LP Occult Classic yesterday. Now that I've had 36 hours to listen to all 10 songs on repeat nonstop since then, I can tell you this music is written on my soul. No doubt you've been doing the same, but in case you've been too busy working overtime to support your coke addiction to give it a listen, here's my review: it's insane. Kill The Noise's sound design is better, more polished, and more confident than ever, and it still delivers that same KTN flavor we've come to know and love. Featuring collaborations with the likes of AWOLNATION, Dillon Francis, Feed Me, and more, Occult Classic delivers an eclectic collection of tunes ranging from silly to melancholy, introspective to edgy, alt-rock to reggae. The trained ear can even pick up nods to Zomboy, Jauz, and Mt. Eden. Now what are you waiting for? Listen to it now!
In addition to today's official release of his new anxiously-anticipated album Occult Classic, Jake Stanczak AKA Kill The Noise chatted candidly with Reddit users today in an Ask Me Anything. Adoring fans got a peek behind the curtain as he discussed his inspiration, his rise to fame, and past and future projects. Like an older brother to aspiring producers, Kill The Noise talked openly about the creative process behind his music:
Making music shouldn't be a formula. Making a synth patch or mixing a song shouldn't be like putting together a[n] ikea table. Or completing a video game. Watching tutorials is awesome but they should always be a starting point. All of the cool stuff comes from stepping outside of the boundaries and discovering ideas that may be unconventional, stuff that people might consider wrong. I've been in the studio with lots of amazing producers and have seen them do things and I've said "hey why are you doing that?" "that seems WRONG to me". Over time I've learned to be quiet and watch when I'm working with someone cause some of the crazy stuff they've discovered is so bizarre. Its just stuff you wouldn't think of doing if you are following the rules!
Jake Stanczak has been producing EDM since 2004, joining Skrillex's massive label OWSLA in 2011. He's also co-owner of Slow Roast Records with DJ Craze. Listen to his new release Occult Classic on YouTubehere!
Selena Gomez just teased 16 seconds of "Outta My Head (Loco)" from her latest album Revival and it's about to be stuck in your head for the next three years. This bouncy, infectious new track with a familiar electronic buildup is one of 2 exclusive bonus tracks available only at Target starting Friday, October 9th. Is this a collaboration with her producer boyfriend Zedd? We'll find out soon enough.
