(VIA ULTRA)
Dash Berlin is an incredible showman. In every set he gives it his all behind the decks and has become on of the most consistently good DJs in the business today. His style is not quite trance or big room, but a blend of it all with more vocals and melody. It's a Dash style that let's you go crazy on the dancefloor, yet giving enough vocal breaks that let's you feel the music.
Produktworld is a 4 day festival that happens at New City Gas in Montreal. From Thursday, September 3rd until Sunday, September 6th, New City Gas will be hosting some of the biggest DJs in the scene, making it one of the hottest tickets for this long weekend. New City Gas will be making the area extra special thanks to live performers, and various art installations that can be found everywhere you go.
If you've never been to Produktworld at New City Gas, check out their 2013 recap video:
This year's Produktworld kicks off as they host the Safe In Sound stage on Thursday with Bro Safari, Datsik, Figure, Zomboy and Terravita. It will be a night that bass heads in Montreal won't soon forget.
On Friday, Dash Berlin will be bringing his usual boisterous energy to the main stage, while local favourite Botnek will be showcasing his increasingly solid discography as he's a name that's coming up within the scene.
This Saturday will be a spot where big room fans will converge to check out the hot Dutch duo Bassjackers. Klingande is also on the bill, who will be playing a lot of the deeper and chiller tracks to properly warm up the crowd.
The final night of Produktworld will feature the rage ready beats of Dyro, while long time veteran and label head Mark Knight will be heading back to New City Gas for yet another memorable night.
This weekend will be extra special in Montreal, and make sure you don't miss any of the action by picking up your tickets asap.
Dash Berlin gave the Croatian crowd something very special last weekend for Ultra Europe: a real trance set. The performance was dubbed as a "classic set", but in reality its a return to a style that trance lovers remember fondly of Dash Berlin.
There are many feel good moments in this hour plus set as it is filled with emotional vocal tracks that helped launch Dash Berlin's career. If you want to hear a side of Dash Berlin that you haven't from in a long time, then you need to see this set right now:
Easter Sunday is an important date to mark for all EDM fans in the Montreal area. The reason is Bal en Blanc, the epic all night party that has been going strong for the past 21 years. This year marked a big change for the event as they moved venues to the Bell Centre, which united the entire crowd onto one massive stage instead of the multiple stages at Palais Des Congres. Easter is usually a time for religious contemplation, but on Sunday in Montreal it has become a pilgrimage to the Bell Centre for thousands of fans.
This year's Bal En Blanc theme was the love boat and apart from the throngs of attendees wearing all white, there were a fair number of people adorned in sailor outfits that added a fun diversity within the crowd. Security was tight at the Bell Centre, which was reminiscent of the Resolution event that happened at the same venue a few years ago. With that said, the lines were quick and efficient and soon enough everyone was in the building to enjoy the show.
Alesso was the first headliner to take the stage at midnight and played many of his productions that gained him such fame in such a short time. He previewed his latest release "Cool", and even threw in Ultra favourites like "Deep Down Low" by Valentino Khan.
David Guetta was next and he hit his set out of the park. Between speaking French and English interchangeably with the crowd, a lot of interaction from the big stage, and overall flow of the set brought the Bell Centre to a frenzy. While the floor area was rammed with fans, it was in the stands that people had room to dance, and there were plenty on their feet for the duration of David Guetta's set. Highlights of the set included Vinai's remix of "What I Did For Love", and when Guetta played "Titanium", he had the entire Bell Centre singing Sia's vocals.
Dash Berlin always brings out an energetic performance wherever he plays and at the Bal en Blanc he brought it once again. His set is filled with specialized visuals and voice overs for the Montreal crowd, a nice touch that gets the crowd going. Playing a mix of his new stuff and old, Dash gave fans a taste of his new style. But at the end of his set, he played his 4 am mix of "Till The Sky Falls Down", a classic track that never gets old.
W&W was next up at 4:30 am and they managed to inject fresh energy into the crowd thanks to their killer introduction tied to their hit "Big Foot". The duo were animated behind the decks, always looking to get the crowd involved any chance they could. Known for their innovative mashups, W&W weren't shy to show them off in front of the Montreal crowd.
Bal en Blanc (BeB) was well attended this year as attendees packed the dancefloor while there was plenty of dancing happening in the stands. This year's move to the Bell Centre and uniting the party to one big stage had its risks, but Playground pulled it off successfully by bringing together a lineup that kept the essence of BeB alive. Look out for Bal en Blanc to return to Montreal in 2016 as they have already announced the next date for the 22nd edition. Are you going?
Source: RUDGR's FB Page
Like most of you, I was transfixed to the live Ultra stream all last weekend. Intently watching who's hot, who's not, is something of a hobby of mine as I'm always on the lookout to see who's moving music forward. In search of the new and unexpected is what Ultra is all about. Now is an important time in the electronic dance music world as each DJ set is a window into what you'll expect to hear from them for the rest of the year.
This year's Ultra Music Festival was a real treat to watch thanks to a few surprises. Here are a few of them:
1. Axwell /\ Ingrosso playing "Deep Down Low" by Valentino Khan
Did Axwell /\ Ingrosso actually play an OWSLA track at their headlining set at Ultra? You bet they did. It was an unexpected moment that set up a very strong second half of their performance.
Starts at the 19:19 mark:
2. D-Jastic - "Up to No Good" (MAKJ Booty Remix) mashup with Wiwek & Gregor Salto - "On Your Mark" played by Alesso
Wiwek & Gregor Salto's "On Your Mark" has been a popular track to mashup, seeing play in recent sets by Major Lazer and DJ Snake. Alesso used this track to great effect at Ultra by combining it with MAKJ's Booty Remix of "Up To No Good". Even though "On Your Mark" was released a year ago, it's still got a lot of life left.
Starts at the 16 minute mark:
3. The new Martin Garrix x Ed Sheeran track will be a future hit
Martin Garrix premiered a ton of tracks at Ultra this year including new collabs with Avicii, David Guetta, and more. But nothing compared to the brand new track with Ed Sheeran called "Rewind Repeat It". DJs working with pop vocalists is not always a recipe for instant success, and sometimes the results can fall flat. Fortunately for Martin Garrix, 'Rewind Repeat It" sounds light and fresh, just in time for the summer season.
Starts around the 13 minute mark:
4. Darude's "Sandstorm" gets love by Dash Berlin and W&W.
This year's Ultra Music Festival was streamed exclusively on Twitch for the first time. Twitch is known as a stream service for gaming, and within that world Darude's classic track "Sandstorm" is worshipped. Someone must have told W&W and Dash Berlin because when they each played that classic track, the Twitch chat went nuts.
Starts at the 49:50 mark:
5. No overlap!
The final point may not be an individual track but rather a positive commentary on all the DJs I watched this weekend. As opposed to other major festivals, this year's Ultra had a surprising lack of overplayed tracks. We all know that last summer the temptation to play "Animals" and "Bounce Generation" was too high and as a result many sets sounded very similar. But throughout the 3 day live stream, it was a relief to hear mostly brand new tracks without DJs stepping on each other to play the latest Beatport #1.
