According to the Rolling Stone and Pitchfork websites (via @edentates) it looks like Diplo along with Koan Sound and other acts including Pretty Lights and Tokimonsta will be the openers for Skrillex's Bluesfest event on July 14th! The Full Flex Exrpess Tour featuring Skrillex will tour around Canada through most of July with a private train that stop in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Vancouver.
We still await official confirmation from the Bluesfest organizers.
Mat Zo has caused quite a stir on Twitter this morning when he made a few disparaging comments about the Trance genre:
Even thinking the word trance makes my brain melt and drip out my nose
Mat Zo and Cosmic Gate will be opening for Above & Beyond on their Group Therapy Tour when it stops in Chicago on May 12th. The possibility of a few awkward conversations arising backstage are quite high.
What even is Brostep? The only time ive ever seen what I thought were 'Bros' was in Miami and it was spring break.. I see people from all walks of life at shows, its actually quite surprising sometimes, seeing a full on goth and a pilled up raver and a hippie stoner all dancing within a few inches of each.
2528 comments were posted in the thread, impressive.
Madeon, the young EDM phenom from France will be dropping some happy electro beats at the Mansion Nightclub during the Victoria Day Weekend! I'm completely floored by this announcement because Madeon is in my shortlist of top EDM acts to see this summer and being able to see him live in my hometown of Ottawa is an unbelievable feeling.
Hugo Leclercq, aka Madeon, was introduced to the wider world for the first time when he released his epic mashup track of 39 songs that featured samples from Daft Punk, Madonna, Deadmau5, Kylie Minogue and many others. The video was released 10 months ago and so far has garnered close to 11 million views:
Besides being a great tune I believe there are a few reasons why the video became so popular: it's sheer originality and Madeon's combination of technical skill and memory to pull off such a flawless live recording. To see Madeon create a track live by managing 39 samples on his Novation Launchpad is inspiring and also incredibly refreshing. Someone on Twitter (@KLandry09) stated that 'trance music cures any type of depression and anger', well if Madeon's 'Pop Culture' mashup doesn't put a smile on your face then there's just no hope for you.
Madeon has recently proven that he's not a flash in the pan by releasing some monster tracks so far in 2012. His first EP release titled 'Icarus' shot up through the beatport charts and wound up being featured in many top EDM podcasts including 'The Gareth Emery Podcast':
Icarus has a lot of wicked happy vibes with catchy electro styled hooks that should get anyone moving. Madeon's latest release is a remix of Martin Solveig's 'The Night Out' which is currently residing in the #8 spot in the Beatport top 100 charts:
It's really exciting to observe such a young talent develop his own distinct style and sound into something that I like to call 'happy electro'. Here's what Madeon had to say when asked about his style last year:
The main goal of my style was to implement the detailed glitchy aspect of electro in a more melodic pop context. I like the idea of having a continuous melody that is played subsequently by various, sometimes unrelated instruments.
You can find the rest of the interview from the Worst Guy site here.
Madeon has the potential of being an absolutely huge EDM star over the next few years and I consider myself lucky of getting to see him live for the first time in a few weeks. This summer you can also catch Madeon as he tours with the Identity Festival in North America (which includes a stop in Toronto), the Osheaga Festival in Montreal, and the Milton Keynes Bowl in the UK where he will open for the Swedish House Mafia infront of 65,000 fans (!!!). For a list of his entire tour schedule please check Madeon's facebook page.
Here are the key details for the Ottawa May 20th event:
Location: Mansion Nightclub, 400A Dalhousie, Ottawa, ON
Time: 10:00 pm - 2:30 am
Tickets: $15.00 + $2.50 Service Charge at Want Tickets.
I'll leave you with a fun clip from Martin Solveig's 'The Night Out' - Smash Episode #4 which guest stars such EDM stars as Laidback Luke, A-Trak, Zedd, Dillon Francis, Porter Robinson, Sidney Samson, and of course Madeon:
Arnej - True Lies (Original Mix) - I don't get all of the hate for this song on YT but I believe this is tune is a real killer on the dance floor. This is the best tune I've heard for this type of trance style since 'Me' by Leon Bolier. FYI - Wait for the drop at around 3:35, so worth it.
Greg Downey Pres. R.I.C.O - Afraid of the Dark (Original Mix)
Norin & Rad - Pistol Whip
Snatt & Vix - So Far Away (Leon Bolier Remix)
Setrise - Odysseus (Raneem Remix)
Markus Schulz Pays Tribute to Danny Tenaglia - I only got to see you once at Electric Zoo and I hope to see you back behind the decks soon!
In honour of a few key dubstep events coming to Ottawa (Zomboy this weekend and Going Quantum on May 11th) I'm going to post some tracks that I've been jamming to tonight:
Lana Del Rey - Born to Die (Gemini Remix)
Nero - Must be the feeling (Kill the Noise Remix)
Sam Obernik & The Str8jackets - Love & Oxygen (Xilent Remix)
The M Machine - Shadow in the Rose Garden (Original Mix)
