Archive for January 2011

Bal en Blanc Exclusive: Ben Gold

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I hope you guys are surprised. You should be. When is the last time The Hawt posted twice in 2 days? My apologies to Ellis for moving his insightful writing down to second, but this snippet is too valuable to be ignored. Check out his newest post for a review of Wolfgang's show at Club Soda and some new electro house.

So as I said in my previous post, the Ben Gold interview is in. Although he may not be as well known as the big name artists we usually write about, this rising star is a force to be reckoned with. His solo tracks released on Garuda have been extremely well-received and have destroyed dance floors all across the world. The thought of his tunes being played live send shivers down my spine as I remember Gareth mixing "Profile" into his set at Circus last year. Enough talk: without further a due, here is Ben Gold.

What are your primary inspirations?

- Since I have been making music, I’ve been inspired by range of different artists/bands, from Armin to The Prodigy, The Killers to Guns N’ Roses, Gareth Emery to Daft Punk. I think taking a bit of inspiration from a handful of artists and combining them together with your own twist allows you to create something which other artists aren’t doing. If you know how to use a sequencer, then either copying or recreating a track is pretty straight forward. Too many people are doing this in my eyes. Having the outlook to always develop is important, and vital.

What sets you apart from other trance producers?

- I have always written, produced and engineered all my music. Being able to use a studio has allowed me to develop my sound my own way, over time, and without rushing it. Although I’m far from being the only trance producer to do this, I think it plays a big part in an artist’s progress. Having your own style sets you apart from the rest. I think I have this, and I’m continuing to develop it.

According to DJMag.com, you came in 256th position among the world's DJs. Where do you think you should be placed? Who is your #1?

- I wasn’t expecting to feature high in this poll in 2010. Although I had a good year with productions and gigs, 2010 was still a year of building, as this year will be also. I think it’s important to have content/experience under your belt before getting into the top 100, as entering, then dropping out of it the next year, could do more damage than not featuring in it. Saying all that, I am really looking forward to feature in it!

- I think Armin well and truly deserves his position at Number 1. He is consistent with a huge weekly radio show which is listened to by millions. He is the people's DJ.

What was the best song of 2010?

- From crowd reactions, it was either Armin’s remix of Faithless – Not Going Home or Sied Van Riel and Radion 6’s Radiator. Sapphire always got a huge reaction too. Personally, I thought Gaia – Aisha was superb!

What was your favourite gig of 2010?

- Good question. There were a few really good gigs last year; including NYE at Twisted in Vancouver & The Sunrise Festival in Poland. It was my first festival gig, so the size of the crowd was over-whelming, as was the size of the stage and production. I had a great time though. My favourite club show was both the Garuda parties at Sankeys, in the UK.

You've travelled a fair amount. Where would you say the girls are the most attractive?

- Haha! Poland, definitely. Or Canada :P

Yeah, she's Polish. Can you blame him? Next month's Playboy. The Heff still knows what he's doing. (Image/Story Deadpsin)

We've got 2 massive W&W fans on staff. How did you enjoy working with them?

- It was a lot of fun, as what making music should be! We wrote ‘’Break The Rules’’ at my studio and ‘’Nexgen’’ at theirs. All the sessions we did together were all really positive, including some of the ideas that we didn’t end up using. I think we just clicked really well, and knew what the other was thinking. Really looking forward to working on the follow up in February.

You've released records on Garuda, Armada and Anjunabeats. If you could only choose one, which label would you choose to continue working with?

- Garuda is where I release all my Ben Gold records & Captivating Sounds (Armada) is where we release the collaboration between W&W & I. I’m happy with working these 2 labels. All the records that have been released have received support on radio & podcasts, featured on many track lists, and had high positions in download charts. Garuda is what I’m focussing on right now. We have some great records to release this year, starting with ‘’Pandemic’’ which will be released in March!

Any plans on coming to Montreal?

- Yes, and I can’t wait! You can see me live at ‘’The Bal En Blanc’’ on April 24th at ‘Palais des Congrès de Montréal’. So excited about this show. I have seen footage from previous years, and it looks insane! I have played in Vancouver a couple of times, and both shows were awesome. You have a great scene over there.

What do you think about music blogs? In your opinion, are they helping or hurting artists? Do you follow any blogs? Will you read The Hawt?

- Being able to have an insight into a DJ/Producers life/travels, by readings their blogs, are a good thing. Twitter has really taken off, so that shows how interested people are in following their artists etc. However, music/file sharing blogs are obviously hurting artists in a financial way, but depending on how many people are subscribed, it also promotes them. But when the cost of an MP3 is an average of £1.50, it’s a shame people feel they don’t need to pay for it!

Have you checked the Playground Productions Facebook page recently? No sign of a Ben Gold confirmation for Bal en Blanc. Well, according to the private interview he gave us, he’s coming to Montreal this April. That’s right, EXCLUSIVE TO THE HAWT. This means that right now, the only people who know about this are Ben Gold and his posse, Playground Productions executives and us. Now please, If you haven’t already, go pick up your tickets. NOW.

Gareth Emery played Ben's new single, "Pandemic", in last week's podcast, saying that the track "absolutely took the roof off" of the Ministry of Sound last Friday. We heard it. And we agree. TGEP 118, check it out. Or just watch the video.

Finally, he also mentioned there would be a follow-up to his massive releases with W&W in February. With more amazing tracks to look forward to, 2011 seems to be shining bright on Ben. Keep it up, and you've got one of my DJMag votes.

For those of you who somehow haven't heard of this musical genius, here are a few of our favorite tracks of his.

Ben Gold - Profile (Original Mix)[ALL REPOSTS]

Ben Gold - Sapphire (Trance Mix)

Be:Gold - Sunstroke (Original Mix)

Bringin’ Back Da Funk

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Alright so last Saturday was I went to see Wolfgang Gartner and, like it seems to have become a common occurrence in the past couple of months, I was alone for most of the night. Didn’t really matter because it was awesome. Felt kinda stupid though, it completely slipped my mind that it was a White Party, so like a retard, I’m dressed in yellow and grey… For once, the opening Djs were really good, playing crazy dubstep and electro all night. For some reason, I couldn’t find out who they were and no one seemed to know really, I even went to ask the lighting technician and he had no clue either. Damn shame, also didn't know most of the songs they played but here’s a couple of songs in that same style.

Cracks (Flux Pavilion Remix) - Freestylers

Bring Back Boogie – Alex Mind vs Far Too Loud

And obviously when Wolfgang came on, he brought it to a new level.   You might remember that back in 2009, Fred called that he was going to be big and damn he was right!

Space Junk – Wolfgang Gartner

Music Sounds Better With You – Stardust                                            Track like this always makes a set that much better

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Aight so I’ve been listening to a lot of electro recently and Dirtyloud are definitely one of my favourites at the moment.

Breakdown (Dirtyloud Remix) – Cold Blank

Let You Go (Nero Remix) – Chase & Status

And lastly, here are a couple of badass tracks from Tiësto’s Clublife who’s really been on fire recently with his podcast in my opinion.

Across the Light – Swanky Tunes

One Hot Pleasure (Sultan & Ned Sheppard Remix) – Erika Jayne      Dirtyloud also has a nice remix of this.

Think About the Way 2010 (Instrumental) – Virtual Vault feat. Ice MC

And there you go, I believe this goes down as my first trance-less post. Enjoy.

Bedridden: At Least I Have Pills

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Ok hi, its Justin. Not many words, lots of tracks, kind of a Will-style post. Ok, ok, ok, go.

So everyone’s either at Igloofest or at Club Soda for Wolfgang Gartner tonight. I’m at home, nauseous, diarrheous and spewing mucus with my good friend pneumonia.

10 years of Anjunabeats, 20 track compilation of old and new, released on Monday, January 17th. Remixes are great, here are my favourites.

00-va-10_years_of_anjunabeats__mixed_by_above_and_beyond-cover-2011


Nitrous Oxide - North Pole (Sunny Lax Remix)

Smith & Pledger - Northern Lights (Breakfast Remix)

Mat Zo - Synapse Dynamics (Arty Remix)

Signalrunners ft. Julie Thompson - These Shoulders (Andy Moor Remix)

Bart Claessen & Dave Schiemann - Madness (Nitrous Oxide Remix)

Removed by request


New Avicii. House in a purer form than his usual style.

Avicii – Street Dancer (Original Mix)

Big dose of drum & bass. BBC Radio 1. Essential mixes of Pendulum and Nero from last year. Perfect for road trips.

Pendulum Essential Mix 2010

Nero Essential Mix 2010

Short and sweet. Ben Gold interview is in, look for it in my next post. Until next time, Lady Gaga on the ATP.

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Deadspin is my homeboy.

Montreal Gigs 2011 (Updated)

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In case you missed it, check out Will’s ‘Favourite Artists of the 2010’

So I finally got my computer fixed and now it stopped making a horrible sound every time i use it so that means i can now listen to music in peace without necessarily having my headphones on. It also means I’ve been listening to more music. Let’s start with none other than Gareth Emery.

Rapture (Gareth Emery Remix) – Nadia Ali

Profilla (Gareth Emery Bootleg) – Ben Gold vs. tyDi

Heard the second one at Black and Blue and couldn’t find his mashup until recently. Some of these songs I’ve been wanting to post for a while but never really found the time but believe me, they are worth the wait.

Under Pressure – D-Mad

Gregory’s Theme – Basto!

Complicated (Vocal Mix) – Adam K

Pacha On Acid (Sean Tyas Rework) – Afrojack [rip]

And finally, some trance classics that make me want to build a time machine.

Saltwater – Chicane

Lost (feat. Zara) [Club Mix] – Sunlounger

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Aight so this is what’s happening in Montreal in the next couple of months so far. If I forgot anything be sure to let me know. Did not include anything of Igloofest, I heard the 21st there’s someone good I think, but it can’t be as good as Wolfgang. Not much in line of dubstep that I know of, stupid Rusko lied to us when he said he’d be back in January. Bastard.

January 21st Wolfgang Gartner @ Club Soda                                            January 21st Chromeo @ Metropolis                                              January 22nd Ronski Speed @ Circus Afterhours                             January 28th Sied Van Riel @ Red-Lite                                               January 29th Wippenberg & Glenn Morrison @ Circus Afterhours                                       

February 6th Sebastian Ingrosso @ Muzique…                               February 7th Pendulum @ Bell Centre                                           February 11th Benny Benassi @ Circus Afterhours                                    February 18th Dash Berlin @ La Folie  [UPDATE]                                        February 18th Paul Van Dyk @ Theatre Telus                                       February 18th Mark Knight @ Circus Afterhours                            February 19th Martin Solveig @ La Mouche                                         February 25th Super8 & Tab @ 1234 [UPDATE]                                          February 25th Gareth Emery @ Circus Afterhours     

March 18th Marco V @ Circus Afterhours                                        

April 18th Umek @ Circus Afterhours                                                  April 24th Above & Beyond & Tiësto @ Bal en Blanc

Fuck my expensive lifestyle. Actually, no, its awesome.

Will's Favorite Artists of 2010

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Here are (by domain) my favorite of 2010

Favorite "Featuring" Artist

Ok, so I have been insanely busy lately but it seems that as occupied as I may be, there is a group that keeps on showing up everywhere I go. I was on my way home from a new year's party downtown last night when I realized: "Damn, Foreign Beggars are awesome!" They have been remixed and used in so many genres of electro lately that you can rarely go to a good party where they aren't played. They've not only helped Noisia in their meteoric rise to fame but have also contributed to Flux Pavilion, Skrillex and many more. This post is a tribute to them and all they've done to the dubstep, breakbeat and D & B scene this year. Here are my top three.

1- Contact - Noisia (ft. Foreign Beggars)

2- Typhoon - Foreign Beggars (ft.Chasing Shadows)

3- Lines in Wax - Flux Pavilion (ft. Foreign Beggars)


Favorite Remixed Artist

Contrary to the Foreign Beggars, the next group is a lot lighter. The Two Door Cinema club is an alternative rock band from Northen Ireland. Their album "Tourist History" is just awesome. They are so upbeat and energetic that a large amount of artists use their music to get the crowd moving. This is why they are my favorite remixed artists of the year. Top three!

1- Something Good Can Work - Two Door Cinema Club (The Twelves Remix)

2- I Can Talk - Two Door Cinema Club (I know this is no remix but...)

3- A Cholo You Know - Down AKA Kilo vs. Two Door Cinema Club (The White Panda Mash-Up)


Favorite Artist Period!

What can I say? Drum and Bass is just awesome. I can not go a day without it and this year, Pendulum stepped up to the plate. Their album "Immersion" was huge and produced some of the best tracks I have ever heard. "Tarantula" remains as my ringtone to this day which can actually be pretty bothersome because when someone calls me (even if I am in class and I forgot to turn off my phone) I don't want to pick up. Many of their tracks reached high levels in the UK singles chart and they recently let out their new single "Crush". They are currently on tour going from India, to England and then to North America. I am really sad to say that not only am I missing them in Vancouver (I arrive 4 days too late) but I am also missing Gareth Emery on the 25th because my flight leaves that day. The travel gods hate me! Oh well, at least I have "Immersion" to make me feel better. My top 3 tracks

1- The Vulture - Pendulum

Still 1- Witchcraft - Pendulum

Will always be 1- Immunize - Pendulum (ft. Liam H)

Lets hope 2011 will be as awesome!

Interview with Chris Lake + Tracks

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The people following us on Facebook or Twitter probably know this already, but we went to Lamouche in late November to see Chris Lake perform and we all really enjoyed our time there. He played a great set.

Before Lamouche, we didn’t really know that much about Chris Lake. I mean… we knew some of his popular tracks, but we didn’t take the time to search for more that much. This has changed. I have 4 great tracks from Chris Lake (remixes and originals) and… the interview we’ve been waiting for since November! I really like Chris’ answers and I must thank him (and his super friendly manager) for making the interview possible!

chrislake

Here is what he had to say in response to our questions:

Red is me and Blue is him.

Thank you Chris for taking the time to answer our questions and by the way great set at Lamouche on Saturday, I'm pretty sure everyone really enjoyed it!

First of all, I think we'd all like to know what was written on the girl's blackberry Saturday night that made you laugh that much?

Hahahaha, basically, she said that if I played a record by stimming, that she'd find someone to 'blow me'. I found it rather amusing

What's your favorite drink? And what did you drink at Lamouche? WATER??!!

Well yeah you maybe noticed I was on the water. I gave up alcohol completely after the last WMC, as I went a bit overboard, and put myself off drink for life! I honestly much prefer drinking water at shows now. I do so many during a year, and I find it easier to sleep after the show

How do you respond to Deadmau5 claiming you have a big head?

Well I can't deny it, I do! It's physically gigantic, but hey, at least I'm not pale and gaunt, whilst looking like I've experienced 3 weeks of bodily decomposition........... :)

Tell me a little about you. What's your background and what artists inspired you the most? How did you get where you are now?

Well, I'm an English guy who somehow ended up living in Scotland and discovering 'the synthesiser', and making beats and DJing as a hobby, but it all got a bit serious and now it's my career! I mean musically, I listen to all sorts, and so many different artists from various genres excite me. I LOVE downtempo music, which might surprise people who hear my music, but I love listening to blissed out sounds. Air, to me, are the perfect artists. Every record is gold. Singers, I love Sia, Erykah Badu, I blame coco, Lauren Hill, Bush etc. Quite across the board. I think I got where I am now through dedication and persistence. I've been making music for a long time now, and I got lucky to be noticed along the way for what I do, which has led to more people following me. I'm grateful for it all every day

How much better is it to be a DJ than a mailman?

Both jobs have positives I think! I loved being a postie as it allowed me time to do what I love, and it gave me a routine, but yeah, DJing rocks. I love working up a crowd, and getting to listen to music that I love all the time. The only thing I hate is the travelling, but it's something you just have to get used to really.

What do you think of the Montreal nightlife?

It's fun huh! I like Montreal. It's a beautiful city, and the vibe is fantastic, and I've always enjoyed playing here. La Mouche seemed to be going off at least!

Did you enjoy it on Saturday? Is there anything that you found cool/horrible/different/etc?

It was great! Fun vibe, receptive crowd, unexpected text messages. What more could an artist want.........?

According to DJMag.com, you came in 212th position among the world's DJs. Where do you think you should be placed? (We all know this year's DJMag is terriiibleeee)

Lets face it, that whole poll has become a farce, and I want nothing to do with that poll this year. It's not really what this scene is about for me

Let's do a DJMag interview! We need to make sure you're prepared for next year. Haha.

1. What are you best known for?

Electro with pianos I guess as they're my most popular tracks. Oh, and being the butt of all Deadmau5 jokes!

2. Track of the year?

FLG - Back and Forth (Future Funk dub)

3. Gig of 2010?

Voyeur, San Diego in September. awesome!

4. Best end of the night tune?

I liked dropping Felix Da Housecat - Anthem this year. Sick tune

5. Best new club visited this year?

Voyeur, San Diego!

Will you be back in Montreal anytime soon?

Of course, I can't wait to return

What can we foresee from Chris Lake? And is there any specific artist(s) you'd like to work with?

I'm just working on new vocal tracks at the moment. Not done a vocal track for about 18 months now, but I feel refreshed and inspired to write more. I have about 5 strong tracks I need to finish up, so I can't wait to get back to the studio and wrap them up asap

We're almost done don't worry.

I'd like to ask you what do you think about the blogosphere? Is it helping artists or not in your opinion? Do you read music blogs? Which ones are your favorites?

I think blogs have their place of course. I'm a bit of a new tech lover, so I follow crunchgear, macrumors, and sometimes check out some blogs about renewable energy etc. I don't use blogs to find new music though. I don't find it intuitive enough for me

Will you read our blog? It has been said that reading TheHawt makes you happier and healthier. (http://hawtmusik.com)

Well it that's the case, I'll read it while on the throne each morning...........

Thank you again for your time and is there anything that you'd like to say before sending this email? Any unreleased information? Any mom joke?

Don't eat yellow snow.........

Keep the good stuff coming!

Cheers

The Team. (@TheHawt)

And here is 4 tracks I personally really like from him! They’re all house tunes and all pretty chill (no extremely dirty sounds here).

Nalin & Kane - Beachball (Chris Lake Remix)

Chris Lake - Only One (Original Mix)

Chris Lake & Marco Lys - Cross The Line (Main Club Mix)

Chris Lake & Michael Woods - Dominos (Original Mix)

That is all! Cheers.

Chris Lake @ LaMouche (Picture by Fred @TheHawt)

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I Can’t Get No Sleep

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image After two intense nights of raving and completely screwing with my biological clock,  I gotta say I’m kind of happy i got two  very relaxed days. It allowed me to try and catch up on all the songs i heard over the weekend. Turns out I’m probably gonna need over a week.  Aight so as you know on NYE Fred and I went to Red-Lite to see Cosmic Gate & Avicii. Problem is we, or anyone else for that matter had no clue that Avicii’s set started at 5am, so we got there at 11 and got to see all the resident djs play, mostly, they sucked. At least we got it better then Toronto, cops cancelled Avicii’s set, suckers. Anyways once Avicii showed up it was sick, living up to my expectations from Electric Zoo. It’s incredible to think that he hasn’t been djing for very long and he’s this good. I mean come on, even i look older than this guy, ok maybe not but its close… Here are some highlights of his set:

Swede Dreams – Avicii (I tried to find this song after hearing at Electric Zoo and gave up shortly after, then it got released or something)

Drowning (Avicii’s Unnamed Mix) – Armin Van Buuren

…loved the original, love the remix.

Jailbait Insomnia (Avicii Mashup) – Avicii vs. Faithless

Ah, the cryptic Maxi Jazz lyrics are classic, just classic. And finally my favourite Avicii song of all time:

My Feelings For You – Avicii & Sebastian Drums

Hopefully Fred will be able to put in a video he took of the best 8mins or so of the set.

Aight, so when he was done, Cosmic Gate came on but unfortunately the crowded sucked some serious balls (stupid Laval), and Fred forced me to leave early. Their set was sick but I think people were too tired to enjoy. Funny side story: The next night at Circus, Nic Chagall (1/2 of Cosmic Gate) was hanging out at Circus with all the other world superstar djs there and at some point, Jon (from Circuit 12) crossed him in the bathroom and cam to get me. So obviously, as anyone else would have done i  presume, i started running towards where he was, totally bowling over some girl in the process. In my defence, she should not have been between me and Nic Chagall.  Anyways so we get to him and wait awkwardly while he finishes his conversation with some other dude and then we start talking and I apologized for Red-Lite sucking balls and he agreed with me. Anyways, we talked a bit more and it turns out he’s fucking nice and he’s now my new idol. But back to the music now here are  some tracks they played:

Back to Earth (Arty Remix) – Cosmic Gate

(Really sick track, I love the Jochen Miller Remix as well)

This Light Between Us (Dabruck & Klein Remix) – Armin Van Buuren

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(This picture really does not do him justice… he usually wears a hat.)

Alright so that was just night number one. On the second night we were blessed to see Marcus Schossow and Simon Patterson (and meet Nic Chagall, aka Jesus).

image Schossow was not at all what I expected, in a good way. He actually gave the best set of the weekend. He’s a bit chubby for a dj (see picture here), I found that pretty funny too. When he came on i actually thought he was a sound technician or something, shame on me really.

 

The Emergency (Marcus Schossow Remix) – Bt & Andrew Bayer

Love Comes Again (Bart Claessen Remix) – Tiësto feat. BT

You’re Not Alone (ATB Remix) – Olive (this track has the most majestic vocals)

Simon Patterson came on later, and just like Schossow it was complete energy the whole time. I mean, when you open your set with some Marcel Woods, it’s a good sign of things to come.

Tomorrow – Marcel Woods (one of my favourite tracks at the moment)

Without You – Dogzilla

So before I end this incredibly long post by my standards, fairly short by Justin’s though, I would just like to share with everyone that GARETH EMERY IS BACK IN MONTREAL FEBRUARY 25TH AT CICRUS AFTERHOURS!!! Thats right mofos (20$)!!!

We also have a crazy January/ February with Ronski Speed, Wippenberg, Benni Benassi and Gareth at Circus and Paul Van Dyk at Theatre Telus. In March we got Marco V at Circus also. Man i love that place. And don’t forget Bal en Blanc in April with Tiësto and Above and Beyond already confirmed.

For those of you in University, good luck going back to school and for those of you in Cegep, fuck you.