Above & Beyond - 'Alchemy':
Up to this point there was no competition for video of the year as Alesso 'Years' dominated the field. But this latest Above & Beyond video is astoundingly good thanks to the amazing acting of Mackenzie Firgens. If there were ever an Oscar category for music videos then Mackenzie would win it hands down.
Quoted from an Avicii interview by News.com.au (Via Mixmag):
But Avicii worries about the corporate overtones of EDM, and commerce interfering with art. "It's up to the artist to make sure EDM doesn't become too corporate, " he says. "Obviously, people will want to get involved when there is a chance to make a lot of money. "Corporations and media want a part of it and people will try to exploit it. That's what happens when things go mainstream. "But it's up to artist and promoters not to get greedy. Everybody needs to remember where they came from."
He's right of course but it's little funny hearing it from Avicii, who is known as being one of the faces of Ralph Lauren, has one of the highest booking fees in EDM, and has appeared in a Super Bowl commercial.
Quoted from the Fuse (Via Mixmag) interview with Steve Aoki:
"The great thing about the dance/EDM world is it's not like you need an album every year. You just have to release few songs that translate to a global audience. And that’s why some of the best, most popular DJs don’t even have an album out. Avicii doesn't have an album out but his music translates across cultures and languages to people all over the world."
This statement above applies to only a handful of DJs/Producers like Steve Aoki. The reason why Steve Aoki is able to pull it off is because he's one of the only bona fide DJ rock stars in the business.
Avicii managed to rocket to the top because Levels was such a monster hit that allowed him to have such a huge first half of 2012. Whether he maintains his status in 2013 still remains to be seen.
It's very rare when an artist stays at the top of the EDM world for an extended period amount of time. Just look at the DJ Mag top 100 poll results from a decade back and you'll see what I mean.
Read the rest of the interview if you're interested in his thoughts on the power of social media in EDM.
From RA's interview (VIA Fact Mag):
"Because Japan right now is the only place in the world that appreciates the music. There's a lot of places in the world where people like to go to the music... But there is nowhere in the world right now where people are actually being consumers. In Japan, you can still sell 10,000-15,000 records, be it vinyl, CD, whatever the format you can sell product. It's one of the last markets in the world where people are paying attention, and all of the world has turned their backs not just on dance music but on any format of music."
Sad reality of the music business in the 21st century.
You should check out the rest of the interview at RA just so you can read the crazy story about one of the artists off the compilation and how Derrick May convinced him to get back into making music.
Quoted from NME:
"Taylor said: "I want to do... something funny and sarcastic, and I'm not talking '70s dance (and) not that tired fucking dubstep bullshit. I want to make it something that's got that old school feel to it but with a modern twinge. Just get ridiculous with it. I've already got a name for myself - the Boogie Knight. And I want to call the first album 'The Boogie Knight Rises'."
A dance album with an "old school feel but with a modern twinge"...So it will be a techno/house album with Trap elements added in? Taylor should just sit down and work with Bassnectar if he's serious about this project.
