The Hawt

Happy Holidays and What Not

2011-12-28T10:28:00.000-08:00

It’s been a real, real long time since my last post but I guess that just means I have a lot of music to share. There have been a lot of awesome albums released during that time, I’m thinking mainly of Armin’s Universal Religion and Gareth’s Sound of Garuda compilations, W&W’s Impact and Camo and Krooked’s Cross the Line. If you haven’t checked them out yet, I highly recommend them especially if you’ve got some extra time over the holidays.

I’ll start it off with an awesome Red Hot Chilli Peppers remix that was probably one of my favourite tracks from Electric Zoo this summer and finally got released this past month. This song has been remixed so many times but I think this is the only one that does it justice really. It’s definitely a huge crowd pleaser and anywhere it gets played the crowd always gets in and starts singing.

So both Arty and Mat Zo have had monster years and so to cap it off they released a new single together in December called Mozart. I personally love it but it seems to have divided fans since many just wanted Rebound pt. II and it wasn’t necessarily as trancey as they wanted. Well fuck it, haters gonna hate, the track is crazy (although the video is utterly horrible).

Alright, so if you like drum & bass, you’ve probably already listened to the Camo & Krooked album (I’m REALLY late on this one but it’s so good I had to talk about it) and if not you’re missing out. I didn’t know much about them before, other than their Sweet Shop Remix, so the album was a great surprise. My favourite track is, without a doubt, Run Riot which just pumped me up every morning and probably caused the nice people at St-Hyacinthe to think I was crazy.

This second track started off as a great remix to Deadmau5’ Raise Your Weapon before he vetoed the release because he didn’t like it. Oh well, since they had just sampled the vocals, they pretty much said “Fuck that Shit!”, put new vocals and released it as its own track.Camo

Finally, I just had a few mashups to share with you guys. They are a lot more “poppy” then what I usually listen to but I am a huge sucker for good mashups. I recommend you check out these two guys’ site since they put up all their tracks for free downloads and they have quite a few gems.

E.T. Feels Starry Eyed (3LAU Remash) by 3LAU
Kap Slap - AA - One Rolling Love (Club Mix) by Kap Slap

I can’t say I like every part of the tracks (especially not that 3 second Flo Rida interlude), but they managed to use many songs I didn’t really like to make one I did so I believe that deserves some respect. So anyways, you can check out their soundclouds with the description of their tracks here: 3LAU & Kap Slap.

There is a Great Future for Trance

2011-11-18T18:50:00.001-08:00

Last week, Ellis and I went to Circus Afterhours to hear Shogun and Joop play live (there were other DJs, but we missed them). We were very pleased by their performances and I think it it safe to say that the future of trance seems pretty bright, with all these newly popular DJs/producers that are working hard to bring us the best music possible! Like some of you know, Cosmic Gate was playing at Redlite the same night, so the Circus wasn’t exactly what I’d call "full”, but the atmosphere was still great and the music was still amazing! We arrived there when Joop had just started his set. Joop is a Dutch DJ/producer that plays some very tech-trance tracks and that brings a lot of energy to the crowd. Check his Facebook page HERE for more info on him! The first half of his set brought the people to his room and then he “unleashed the beast” in the second half. Ellis and I both think he was on “f***ing fire” during the last hour, playing tracks that made the people there go crazy, like his new track that he made in collaboration with Raneem and that is getting released on the 21st, Plur. Here is a little preview of it to convince you to buy it in a few days. Trust me, listening to it is worth your time and you will understand why people go crazy when it’s played live.

The next artist playing was Andrew Chen, also know as Shogun. He is an American born Taiwanese DJ/producer that has seen his popularity rise a lot lately, with the release of his track called Skyfire. We can give the credit to Armin Van Buuren’s influence in the trance scene and Shogun’s hard work for his popularity, since Armin played Skyfire a lot in his sets during the last few months and since it is featured in A State of Trance 2011 compilation. If you want more information on Shogun, check his page on Armada HERE or go read the interview answers we got from him below!

Shogun started his set with one of the hottest tracks right now, Tomahawk, from BT and Adam K. He kept this insane energy during his whole set by playing great tracks and mixing very, very well. He played some Stoneface & Terminal, some Gareth Emery, some Ferry Corsten, Above and Beyond, Armin Van Buuren and, of course, his own track, Skyfire, that you can hear right under this paragraph!

And since Tomahawk from BT and Adam K is so great as well, here it is:

It is always awesome to be able to ask questions directly to artists; it helps us learn a lot from them. We sent some interview questions to Shogun and here are the answers. Hope you enjoy!

What are your primary inspirations? my family, good trance music, and movie scores

What do you think sets you apart from other trance producers? I like to produce tracks that are based on a personal level, and try to evoke different emotions with my remixes and productions.

What did you do before being a full time EDM Producer and DJ? I used to be a resident DJ at clubs

What do you like the most from being an EDM Producer and DJ? Gigs, traveling, meeting people who are as passionate as I am about the music

What do you think of the DJMag Poll in general? this year? I think DJ Mag Poll is important for DJ's, clubs and promoters worldwide. Also, its something the fans can follow and keep track of their favorite DJs which is a great thing. This year I ended up at #122

What is your favorite drink when you DJ? Vodka Redbull, or just Redbull

Do you have any "rituals" you do before starting a set? I listen to chillout music before starting a set, it helps gets my mind ready for a big gig.

What tip(s) would you give out to new DJs/producers? For DJ's, start producing if you haven't already and try to find your own style. For producers, focus on mastering one synthesizer and one sequencer. You can do a lot more by really knowing a synth inside out, rather than slightly knowing 50 synths.

You've travelled a faire amount, where would you say the girls are the most attractive? Girls in LA and Vancouver, there's something about the West Coast

Which song(s) has gotten you the best crowd reaction so far in 2011? Definitely Skyfire, every time I drop it the crowd goes off!

Is there anyone you'd really like to work with next year? I'd like to work with Orjan Nilsen, I think his productions are top notch at the moment

Any plans on returning to Montreal after your set at Circus Afterhours? Of course, I love this city and can't wait to come back

What do you think of the crowd in Montreal? I think the crowd here is one of the best, so much energy and everyone shows their love for trance music.. can't ask for more.

Do you often go to see other DJs play? And which ones are your favorite? I'm either on the road or in the studio working on tracks, so I don't get to catch other DJs play too often. Armin van Buuren is my favorite DJ, he always puts on an unbelievable show.

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?music blogs are great, and help the artists in many ways. Will definitely read The Hawt.

That is all for now, take care and make sure to buy your tickets for Resolution 2012 if you want to see Avicii, Axwell, Gareth Emery and Dash Berlin to celebrate the New Year! The event is on January 1st and is happening at the Bell Center in Montreal. There is also an event in Quebec City and it may be your chance to see Deadmau5 if you missed him last time he came here!

Bad Things Can Indeed Become Worse!

2011-10-23T16:58:00.001-07:00

I’m not talking about herpes, or the time interval between posts here at The Hawt, or the difficulty of my midterms, or … whatever. I’m talking about the DJMag top100 DJs of this year. I was astonished to see how bad this year’s poll is (it’s worse than last year’s!).

I have to admit a few artists deserve their newly acquired spot in the top100 and I congratulate them (I’m talking about Tritonal, Skrillex, Hardwell, Orjan Nilsen, Alesso, AN21, Felguk, Porter Robinson and Sidney Samson), but if you take a look at the top20, you will (most likely) throw up. You will notice that David Guetta is first, beating Armin Van Buuren for the first time. This “tragedy” shows us how the poll is now a huge farce and how getting good rankings just depends on how many Facebook Likes or Twitter Followers you have. I’m sorry David Guetta, but making pop music doesn’t mean you’re a good DJ. I remember hearing him at Bal en Blanc 16 and it was the worst set I’ve heard in my life coming from one of the “greatest DJs in the world”. He may have become better, but from what I know, I still don’t think he deserves his spot.

Also, Deadmau5 keeping his 4th spot helps proving how bad the poll now is. He told DJMag himself that he’s not entirely sure why he’s 4th in that poll, since he never touched a CDJ in his life and doesn’t consider himself a DJ.

To conclude my “raging”, let’s just say that the poll has become too popular and that most people voting don’t really know many DJs and vote for the ones they hear on the radio, like Guetta, Tiesto and Deadmau5 (don’t get me wrong though, I think Tiesto deserves his spot). Check out this video of Sexy chick, definitely the best remix/edit I’ve heard! Hahaha.

On to other things…

Justice just released their newest album Audio, Video, Disco and I’ll be honest with you guys, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the album. It’s a lot less “in yer face” and more of an “old school electro” record. It’s very good music by itself and I love it, but I think their last album was a little bit better when it comes to electro (and their singles/remixes). Justice didn’t bring their style to their album as much as they usually do in their other tracks and I don’t really see their album being played live without being remixed at all, it’s not electro enough. Of course there are a few tracks that are more Justice-y, like Civilization, but there are too many soft tracks in my opinion. It’s a good album, but not what I was expecting from the French duo… but hey, at least they will probably go back on tour! (It’s been 3 years since their last visit to Montreal) I’m sure their live performance is still amazing and I can’t wait for their return. While waiting for their tour, check out their video for the song Audio, Video, Disco(which is kinda awesome to be honest):

In my last post I talked about Tritonal and how they were really good and impressed me at their set. Two weeks ago, they released a club remix of a song I loved called Still With Me (featuring the amazing Cristina Soto). I think you guys should check it out if you didn’t already do so, since it’s really great!

I’ve been listening to dubstep again in the last few weeks, hoping their would be new records that were worth listening to since the last time I really checked into it (like 1 year ago). The style really evolved and is now a lot more “complicated” than it used to be. Let me explain: if you remember, the first time most of us heard about dubstep was when Rusko released his remix of Take Me to the Hospital and at that time, most songs were simply a bass line with simple wobbles, a few random sounds here and there and one or two drops (it was also always at 70 bpm). Now, if you listen to a song from Skrillex or Nero for example, there are a lot of different synths being used, mixed with a lot more samples and it’s not always 70 bpm. Also, moombahton is exploding right now and emos that used to listen to hardcore emo and such (now listening to dubstep) are all changing to half moombah, half dubstep. I like moombahton to be honnest, but it feels really weird to see a girl (non-emo girl) that used to listen to Usher and David Guetta ask me if I know Borgore or Skrillex or even if I know about moombahton. I guess the world is evolving! (Yeah right)

Here are a few links to youtube you should definitely check out if you enjoy dubstep.

Nero – Promises (Skrillex Remix)

Excision and Downlink – The Underground

Josh Money – Let Go With You

Robyn – Call Your Girlfriend (Feed Me Remix)

That’s it for now! Have a great week and may your midterms not suck as much as mine.

Who Said American Trance Producers Were Bad?

2011-09-06T17:39:00.001-07:00

While Ellis was at Electric Zoo with Jon from Circuit 12 and while Justin has gone MIA, I went to Circus Afterhours to listen to Arty and Tritonal’s sets. I have to say, I’m not as jealous anymore for missing Electric Zoo again this year!

Before I start talking about new releases and the show at Circus, let me remind you to check out Circuit 12’s great podcast HERE. It’s a great source of new music and they have great guest mixes! Go check it out, I think they deserve A LOT more fans.

I don’t know when was the last time we didn’t talk about stuff related to Garuda, but the winning streak is not over yet. The compilation The Sound of Garuda: Chapter 2 is finally out and is great! The full versions of the songs Flash (from Ben Gold and Gareth Emery) and Mansion (from Ashley Wallbridge and Gareth Emery) are on the album and I must say, they are great! There are a lot of other tracks from other Garuda artists that are on the album and that are worth listening to, so if you like the genre of tracks Garuda releases, I’d buy the full album either on Beatport or on Itunes ASAP.

On to the show review! You guys will be happy, because after my review of the show, you will find an interview with Chad and Dave from the american duo, Tritonal, who really rocked the place at Circus on Sunday night. Like Gareth Emery would say: it cannot get any fresher than this!

The night started at 2:30 am for us when we actually woke up from a nap and drove all the way to Circus Afterhours. We got there just in time for Arty’s set, which was very good! Arty is known for his unique style, mixing tech and electro sounds with Trance. He played most of his popular tracks like Superman, Around the World and Rebound. He surprised the crowd when he played some bootlegs/mashups/remixes of tracks that we did not expect, like a mix of Nero’s Me & You with Tiesto and Diplo’s C’mon. Ravers do not know how to “dance” to dubstep (dance is a very strong word), but it was still a very good surprise! The energy of the crowd was good and I think everyone enjoyed Arty’s set.

At 5:30am, Tritonal took Arty’s place and started with force, giving a lot of energy to the people there. They played a lot of their own songs, most of them coming from their album Piercing the Quiet, which, by the way, is amazing. The duo kept the crowd dancing through their whole set and beat my expectations by a lot. As much as I was expecting a great set, I was not expecting a set that was this good and it is definitely one of my favourite set of the year until now! I was blown away! Their performance at Circus changed my vision of Dave and Chad from Tritonal, which are now, in my opinion, the DJs to follow through 2012; they release a lot of amazing tracks and are great live and I think they will keep getting better with time! Check their website HERE.

Like I said earlier, I sent them a few questions and here are the answers!

What are your primary inspirations?

Chad - We listen to a lot of alternative music, classical compositions, movie scores and even pop tracks on the radio. We're also carefully tuned to what’s going on in the industry at the moment.

Dave - We're also paying attention to what's out there music wise in video gaming as well. It can reflect what kids are listening to overall because it's such a young community.

What sets you apart from other trance producers?

Chad - Tritonal has a unique sound, catchy melodies and has been known to write some pretty cool vocal tunes. Our bass lines, in combination with vocalists like Cristina Soto have definitely given us our own vibe.

Dave - We also are pretty energetic on stage, I must say. We go all out into our performance as we do our productions; we want to make it about a night to remember instead of just "two dj/producers playing music"

What did both of you do before being full time EDM Producers and DJs?

Dave - Well I was always into computers since I can remember, so I did get into technical support for a bit for my family's company. I was also a student in college at the time as well and really had no day job other than working on my own productions... doing homework as much as I could :P

Chad - I was a student at the University of Texas, graduated with a degree in Business / Economics and minored in Audio Engineering.

What do you like the most from being EDM Producers and DJs?

Chad - The ability to constantly be creative. I love writing tracks early in the morning, with a good cup of coffee and a Logic Pro session.

Dave - You're your own creative boss - you can do whatever the hell you want, the sky is the limit and nobody is there knocking you down saying "no you can't." This isn't a 9 to 5 desk job; I love having a job where I can say "I want to try that" and do it!

You guys had amazing releases this year and we think that they will bring you a lot higher in the DJMag charts. Where do you think you will be this year?

Chad - I honestly don't know, we hope to crack the DJ Poll so just getting in would be amazing!

Dave - haha as Chad said... I don't know either. Last year, we did better than we had expected, but judging from that I can only watch and wait ;)

What are you best known for?

Piercing Quiet & Lifted are probably are biggest tunes as of yet.

Track of the year?

Lifted feat Cristina Soto

Gig of 2011?

Electric Daisy Carnival - Las Vegas (Gig of the Century?!!)

Best end of the night tune?

Still With Me feat Cristina Soto!

Best new club visited this year?

Beta Nightclub - Denver Colorado

Favourite non-dance album of 2011?

Not out yet, but guarantee it will be Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay!

You've travelled a faire amount, where would you say the girls are the most attractive?

Las Vegas, Nevada (and Montreal, of course)

Is there anyone you'd really like to work with in 2012?

Arty / Kyau & Albert

Any plans on returning to Montreal after your set at Circus Afterhours?

Indeed - let’s lock in a date asap!! \o/

What do you think of the Montreal Nightlife?

Amazing, never seen so many people go for it till 7:30am!

What do you think of the crowd in Montreal?

Incredible, can't wait to get back guys, we loved it!

Do you often go to see other DJs play? And which ones are your favourite?

We do watch other DJ's at festivals - Beyond Wonderland, Ultra Music Festival, Electric Zoo, Nocturnal and Electric Daisy are always cool places!

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? :)

They are cool sources of information, interviews, track releases and insights. We follow a few, will definitely subscribe to The Hawt!

Thank you to Dave and Chad from Tritonal and their publicist, Erin, for the great Interview! If you didn’t already vote for the DJmag top100, well, it’s that time of the year again! Go HERE to vote. And if you don’t know who to vote for, check Tritonal’s promotional video, it should help you fill one spot!

Also, check out their newly released remix of Lose Yourself from Emery & Kirsch, it’s very good!

If you still want more (like me), check out their amazing podcast, Air Up in Here, on itunes! For the tracklists go on their website, HERE.

Have a great week and come again in a few days for a new post!

Pay Homage to the Mustache

2011-08-23T14:57:00.001-07:00

POST BY JUSTIN (yes, again. his computer is not working properly for some reason.)

If you live in Canada, you’ve surely heard about the death of New Democratic Party leader, Jack Layton. Good ol’ Jack valiantly fought the nasty cancerous cells which had been plaguing him since early 2010 and surrendered early in the morning of August 22nd. He will be remembered by many as the man who brought the NDP to prominence. However, for those of you who don’t exactly know who he is or are far too immature to care about politics, like me, he will be remembered for the glorious ferret he kept on his upper lip. RIP, Jack. Now back to the music.

Since the end of the Ibiza season crosses paths with the opening of the DJ Mag top 100 poll, lots of DJs/producers are hard-pressed to spit out new tracks and leave a lasting impression before the general public goes back to work/school. I’m relatively certain that’s what Alesso and Sebastian Ingrosso had in mind when collaborating on their new track, “Calling.” Set for release on Ingrosso’s Refune Records on August 31st, this Progressive House bomb perfectly melds the distinct styles of both the veteran and his young protégé. A beautiful loop of chopped up vocals gets the tune underway, flowing into the short breakdown and introducing the simple, yet catchy melody. Then comes a vital part of the tune, the bassline. It oscillates in and out of audible volume and slowly rises from low to high pitch. It somewhat resembles the cuts in Alesso’s remix of Pressure, making me think the loop comes from him. It adds a magnificent contrast to the lead synth and truly makes “Calling” what it is. The only drawback I have to this collaboration is the way the volume of the different layers is distributed. All previous previews of this track came from live performances with loud bass, completely overshadowing the bassline and diminishing my enjoyment. I’d have to hear it live myself to properly judge, but still a great song to have on your iPod.

Sebastian Ingrosso & Alesso – Calling (Original Mix)

Released on August 31st on Refune Records

Alesso & Sebastian Ingrosso - Calling [Pete Tong Radio 1 Preview] by Alesso

In lieu of recent events, I find it hard to believe that computer software and an idiotic arsonist come before British producing partners when you search “Nero” on Google. The duo of Daniel Stephens and Joe Ray has got to be the hottest act in the Dubstep and Drum ‘N Bass worlds right now. With the emerging popularity of Nero’s collaborative remix with Skrillex of their own “Promises” and last week’s massive release of their debut artist album, “Welcome Reality,” it seems like the group has set a nearly insurmountable bar for any of the subgenres’ other artists. Their productions have reached the far corners of the EDM universe, turning Trance, House and Techno enthusiasts, as well as far too many critics, into huge fans. Needless to say, I’m a big supporter and their latest remix of Calvin Harris’ “Feel So Close” does nothing but strengthen my love for these two geniuses. In this reworking, they keep the vocals intact and precisely incorporate quick stabbing drum sounds that go great with the inevitable wobbles of Dubstep. To top it all off, the remix is outfitted with a brilliant, fast-paced melody that, combined with the lyrics, give the song a satirical feeling of sinister comfort. Give it a listen, there’s an open spot next to me on the Nero bandwagon.

Calvin Harris – Feel So Close (Nero Remix)

Released on August 22nd on Ultra Records

Beatport – iTunes

As if listening to their music wasn’t fun enough, Nero designed their very own Facebook-integrated arcade game, in which you can sample 6 tracks from “Welcome Reality.” Take control of Daniel, Joe or Alana (vocalist on most of their tracks, although not technically a part of the group) and go postal as street thugs attack from all sides. The more points you have, the more tracks you unlock. Play the game here or check out the whole album here.

Diplo’s history as a collaborator leaves little doubt that he is more than just your average DJ/producer. Unbeknownst to the majority of the public, the Philadelphia native is partly responsible for massive chart topping hits, such as M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes,” Beyonce’s “Rule The World (Girls),” Snoop Dogg and Kid Cudi’s “That Tree,” Chris Brown, Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne’s “Look At Me Now” and an immeasurable quantity of other wildly popular tracks. His latest team effort, a Dubstep/Electronica track with Datsik and vocalist Kay, surpasses almost all of his previous work, as far as the dance floor is concerned. The track starts with a comical manipulation of Kay’s voice, making her sound like a husky rapper with throat cancer. This paves the way for the breakdown, which is characterized by scattered kick drums, a nagging wind sound, bits of vocals and an awkward melody, all building up to a veritable “calm before the storm” moment. Where Stoneface & Terminal succeed in Trance, Diplo and Datsik do in Dubstep; the drop is the offspring of Hurricane Katrina and Mount Vesuvius. It’s jumping off the Empire State Building and having God turn up the effects of gravity tenfold. The drop is so hard, it makes diamonds feel like sponge cake. Strong, heavy synths and Datsik’s signature “Transformers” sound crowd the meaty part as the title of the track, “Pick Your Poison,” is repeated amidst the bass-heavy and undeniably massive sound. This song is a must-have for all Dubstep fans and will surely be played for a long time.

Diplo & Datsik – Pick Your Poison (Original Mix)

Released on August 2nd on Mad Decent

Beatport – iTunes

It’s been over a year since the first Sound of Garuda album was released. The 2-disc compilation brought us tracks like Ben Gold’s “Sunstroke” and was also the platform for the original release of Gareth Emery’s incredible re-edit of “Lethal Stadium Four.” This time around, Garuda is going with a single-disc, 12 track compilation with all exclusive tunes. Taking tracks and artist from a multitude of labels, Emery seems to have chosen songs that best reflect and hone the Garuda sound, hence the name of the compilation series. The Sound of Garuda: Chapter 2 will feature exclusive tracks and mixes from Garuda veterans, such as M.I.K.E. and Mark Eteson, as well as newcomers Craig Connelly and Michael Jay Parker, Triarchy’s first original production and of course, two tracks from the leader of the label himself.

The Sound of Garuda: Chapter 2

Released on Garuda on September 5th

The Sound of Garuda: Chapter 2 by garethemery

(If the soundcloud doesn’t work go HERE or HERE if the first option doesn’t work either)

Now a quick event update. If you won’t be going to New York for Electric Zoo or Toronto for Labour of Love, then its no sweat off your back. That’s right, Montreal finally decided to plan a few big events for labour day weekend. Fei-Fei gets the weekend started on Friday at Circus Afterhours, with a big chunk of that night’s proceeds going to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. On Saturday, September 3rd, Sebastian Ingrosso makes an appearance at Metropolis for a solo show. If you leave as soon as it’s over, you might be able to scurry over to Circus in time for the start of John Digweed’s set. If you read this blog, you probably aren’t a Techno fan, but you still might want to get your ticket for the legendary Carl Cox at Stereo. Physically and musically, the man is a tank. He’ll have some tough competition with Umek, Arty and Tritonal all playing at Circus on the same night. My pick: Circus with the superstar trio. It’s half the price of Carl Cox’s show and features 3 artist instead of one. Have a great Labour Day weekend!

Oh Please.

2011-08-06T09:33:00.001-07:00

Summer is a great season; plenty of quality shows, new releases, sundresses, great weather and… more sundresses. Obviously if this was the Playboy website I would be talking exclusively of sundresses (on or off), but this is an EDM blog so I’ll be talking more about the latest shows and releases we’ve got to see and listen.

First of all, we went to see Gareth Emery at Telus Theater AND Circus Afterhours on July 22nd and I must say, it was great. There’s something that Gareth has that other DJs don’t and I can’t really tell what it is, but one thing I know is that he makes people go crazy (me included).

Telus Theater (Northern Lights Concert): As expected, he played a similar set to the one he played at ASOT500 last April. He obviously played the so-called “ASOT 500 Remix” of Into the Light and the KNAS Insomnia mashup on top of other great tracks. There was also a few live performance with Mark Frisch, Roxanne Emery and Lucy Saunders. Something worth mentioning: Gareth played the piano while his sister sang Too Dark Tonight and he was great. Mark Frisch was the best live performance in my opinion, but all of them were good. The only “bad” thing we’ve noticed was that Lucy Saunders cannot dance, at all. She would clap her hands and not move at all, but hey, she still sang really well. Overall, it was an incredible set and my favourite from Gareth until now. The atmosphere was great, the sound was almost perfect (not too loud and good quality) and the lighting was crazy (especially the laser). It was a little bit hot in there and the fact you can’t refill water bottles kind of sucks, but it was only from 12 to 3, so we weren’t really tired yet and could endure the lack of water.

Circus Afterhours (Regular Set): The afterparty was at Circus Afterhours and Gareth played a 2 hour set that finished around 7-7:30 (I can’t remember exactly). Since he played all of his best tracks at Telus, it wasn’t as good (in my opinion) as the concert before, but it was still above average in term of quality. It really felt like an afterhour instead of a normal set: there was less energy in the crowd and such, but I still enjoyed my time there as well. We caught Blake Jarell’s last 45 minutes and I think he was really good. My favourite track from him was his mashup of Heart Is King vs. Losing My Religion, even though I really don’t like the original of Heart is King (the vocals make it that much better, yes).

I don’t remember if Gareth played his new collaboration with Ben Gold at Telus Theater (or Circus), but one thing I know is that it’s awesome and that I have a 128kbps version for you guys! Make sure you buy it on September 5th when it gets released; I’ve set an alarm on my phone to make sure I don’t forget. I’m not kidding. I really like the mix of Gareth’s “way of doing songs” with Ben Gold’s synths and personal touch. Hear the awesomeness for yourself:

Gareth Emery & Ben Gold – Flash

Let’s change of music genre a little (a lot) and talk about Moombahton/Moombahcore. This genre is a mix of reggaeton and dubstep/weird car engine noises. I thought it would be horrible at first, but after giving it a listen, I must admit that it’s really good and innovative. Here is a song (harder moombahcore than usual) and a mix from Diplo that’s really great and that is not 100% moombahcore, but it’s really worth listening too.

Datsik – Firepower (Munchi Moombahcore Remix)

MDWWR #67 Diplo's Moombahton 2k11 Mix by diplomaddecent

That is all for now! Don’t forget to buy your tickets for Michael Woods, Mat Zo and Jochen Miller that are going to play at Beachclub on the 13th and Jochen Miller and Heatbeat at Circus Afterhours (right after Beachclub).

Québécois Guidettes Are Called Douchebags, Episode 3: When Push Comes To Shove, Embrace The Silicone

2011-07-18T19:08:00.001-07:00

POST BY JUSTIN (He wasn't able to post it from his account for some reason).

My couple of months away from EDM blogging saw 3 artists call off their Montreal appearances, free tickets thrown away, multiple trips to BeachClub and an unfortunate bout of food poisoning, ultimately leading to a 4th and 5th cancellation. Although the end of May/beginning of June was supposed to be rife with international DJs, Andy Moor, Axwell and Ferry Corsten were unable to grace us with their talents. Regardless, we had other events to focus on, like the 100th episode of Tytanium Sessions. On the 1-year anniversary of the 105th edition of Gareth Emery’s podcast, Sean Tyas set camp at Circus Afterhours for the 100th episode of his. Even though none of us are big fans of his weekly show, there was no way we were going to pass up a St-Jean-Baptiste celebration with Raneem, Arnej, Simon Patterson and Sean himself.

Raneem got the show started with a set full of IDs. The live Afterhours.FM broadcast only began one hour into his performance, so he naturally kept most of his own productions for the last 2 hours. He played his popular remix of Emvy’s “Strut,” as well as “Out of Nowhere” and his mashup of CIrez D’s “On Off” and Darude’s “Sandstorm,” which is always a crowd pleaser. After re-listening to his set, it has become clear how much Raneem’s grown this year. Nobody at The Hawt had ever heard of him until Gareth Emery’s February show and our respect for his musical prowess hasn’t stopped gaining since. Here’s the last 2 hours of his set from the night.

Filesonic – Megaupload

Arnej followed our favorite Circus resident with the best 90 minutes of the night. His darker take on Trance was ever so present as he entertained the crowd with tracks by Dakota, Jacob van Hage and a few from Coldharbour Recordings. The highlight of the night came when he played his new 8 Wonders tune, “X.” The song features a somewhat elaborate melody, all the while keeping the bass-heavy dark presence which he holds dear. As if that wasn’t enough, he followed his original with Chris Schweizer’s bootleg mix of “Zombie Nation.” When he turned down the music, only to hear the entire club singing along, it was obvious that he had stolen the show. Here’s “X,” along with his set.

Arnej pres. 8 Wonders – X (Original Mix)

Released on July 18th on Arnej Music

Filesonic – Megaupload

Arnej was followed by the evening’s headliner, Sean Tyas. I’d seen him at Circus before and I recall having had an absolute blast. True to his form, Tyas turned the bass up as high as possible and consequently, no one could quite hear the melody or any other parts of any of the songs he played. I’m not sure what it sounded like in the DJ booth, but we were only able to recognize the tunes we actually knew. Amongst the incomprehension, we were able to make out Funkagenda’s “What The Fuck,” Eric Prydz’s remix of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus” and Tyas’ “Banshee.” Only after listening to the recording afterwards was I able to properly appreciate it. And even then, it wasn’t anything special. All together, it was a somewhat disappointing performance by Tyas, as he was easily overshadowed by the impressive squad he invited to play alongside him. Here’s his set from the night.

Filesonic – Megaupload

Simon Patterson was the next to play. He nearly employed the same tactic as Tyas, but cleverly turned down the bass ever so slightly. His set was characterized by unpredictable drops, lengthy breakdowns and lots of his own tracks. I was disappointed to see him neglect his label’s latest release, Nick Callaghan and Will Atkinson’s 2011 remix of his classic, “F16.” In fact, he played Night Vision’s only other 2 releases in Des McMahon’s remix of Wayde Rafnel and Dave Correa’s “Derailed” and Patterson’s own “Latika.” He ended his solo time with “For The Most Part,” his collaboration with Sean Tyas which fit nicely in what was to come. Here’s his entire set from Circus.

Filesonic – Megaupload

In the final moments of the Afterhours.FM live braodcast, Patterson and Tyas played back to back, as in one song after the other. This is when they played their more recognizable tracks, like Dogzilla’s “Without Me” and Tyas’ remixes of Tiësto’s “Suburban Train” and Gareth Emery’s “Sanctuary." Here’s their back to back set.

Filesonic – Megaupload

Thanks to our buddy Samson at montreal-nightclubs.com for the download links. Check his website for all the tracklists from Tytanium Sessions 100.

The holiday weekend continued on Sunday at BeachClub. Pointe-Calumet hosted Sander van Doorn and hundreds of Montrealers eager for a taste of the amazement he displayed at Bal en Blanc. Playground had built a special stage for Armin during his recent visit, but for some reason, Sander was not given the same luxury. Albeit a little crowded, the dancefloor was nonetheless spacious and easily encompassed the horde of day ravers. Here’s what the scene looked like from the DJ booth:

As you can imagine, the area was laden with more than a few over-makeuped, silicone engineered “hotties” grinding their shirtless He-Men and the HGH/steroid abuse problems that came with them, shades of La Folie. I can only speak for myself, but while I’m not a fan of the fake tit, I don’t mind having a few graze my body while I dance. I might be split on the whole Guido culture, but I’m definitely not on Sander van Doorn.

The Dutch producer settled in just as we arrived and opened with the obvious track of summer 2011, Alesso’s remix of “Pressure.” The next hours were spent bobbing and weaving in between genres, going from House to Trance, Electro to the rare Techno track and so on. Sander took the opportunity to drop many tracks from the newest in his Dusk Till Doorn compilation series, which contains lots of new material from Spinnin’s sub-labels. From Wall Recordings, he played Afrojack’s “Doing It RIght” and “Prutataaa,” a collaboration with DJ R3hab, Erick Strong’s “Italian” from Reset Records and Ummet Ozcan’s “Transcend” from Liquid Recordings. However good “Transcend” may be, it was greatly overshadowed by his latest dubbed “Reboot.” The tune reveals a different, more tech-trance side to Ozcan, a variety he’d been lacking for a long time. It’s on the Dusk Till Doorn compilation, but will get a proper release on the 1st of August.

Ummet Ozcan – Reboot (Original Mix)

Released on August 1st on Doorn Records

Since he was so brilliant at Bal en Blanc, his set at BeachClub may have been slightly disappointing to some, considering he also chose to play a variety of genres instead of sticking to the strict Trance makeup his performances used to employ. He ended his show with Eric Prydz’s fantastic remix of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus,” a tune made for live performances currently being played out by loads of DJs, the original mix of “Daddyrock,” even though the Arty remix had just been released, and Sander’s remix of The Killers’ “Spaceman.” He also managed to squeak in his new tune, “Timezone,” which features the vocals of Frederick, but it lacks the power and energy needed for a song to be played live. Regardless, although Sander’s performance paled in comparison to the white party’s, it was a memorable one that displayed his love for all genres of EDM and his willingness to open the minds of the numerous House enthusiasts.

Raneem was on closing duties and since we had missed most of his opening set at Circus on Thursday, we decided to stick around to check out our favorite resident DJ. There’s a few things we learned: first off, looks like Raneem shaves his pits. Just sayin’. Second, Raneem is as popular, maybe even more so, than Sander van Doorn is in Montreal. If you’re a member of the Montreal Trance Scene group on Facebook, you know exactly what I’m talking about. There was a ridiculous amount of praise for him with lots of people saying that he had ousted the Dutchman. Thirdly, his new track, which he happened to premier at the event, is absolutely genius. It’s called “Free Fall,” its just been signed to Leon Bolier’s Streamlined and it might be even better than “Out Of Nowhere.” Here’s a video of Raneem at BeachClub mixing Mark Sherry’s “Phantasmic” into his own “Free Fall.”

Raneem – Free Fall (Original Mix)

Released on ??? on Streamlined

Check out Ramy Bargz’s YouTube channel for nearly all of Raneem’s set from BeachClub.

Technorati Tags: Raneem,Sander van Doorn,Sean Tyas,Simon Patterson,Arnej,8 Wonders

Summer of Love “Normal-er” Music

2011-06-20T16:03:00.001-07:00

So it seems as though Ferry Corsten at La Folie is cancelled, but we do still have Sean Tyas at Circus on Thursday and Sander van Doorn at Beach Club on Sunday to look forward to. I must say I’m disappointed in La Folie since they already cancelled Axwell earlier this month and now Ferry isn’t looking good.

There has been a ton of great releases in the past months and the one that stands out is without a doubt Kiss From the Past by Allure (a.k.a. Tiësto). Upon seeing the album title, I was hoping for some old school Tiësto from the days of Elements of Life but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this album. One of my favourite tracks is Show Me The Way that features the vocals of JES but I must also recommend the track On the Wire in which he rekindles with vocalist Christian Burns.

Show Me The Way (feat. JES) - Allure

This next song also has a great vocalist in Susana (probably one of the best all time where it comes to trance in my opinion) and Alexander Popov really delivers on the remix. I heard it first on Myon & Shane54’s podcast and fell in love with it almost immediately. For some reason, this song got me wondering if there were any trance songs with more than one vocalist. Imagine how epic a collaboration between Justine Suissa and Susana could be! If you have any good ones, please share them in the comments below, I’m a complete sucker for some vocal trance (or house, whatever you’ve got).

Fall in Deep (feat. Julian Vincent) [Alexander Popov Remix] - Susana

Alesso has really exploded onto the scene this summer and at 18 years old you can really expect him to keep on getting better. His remix of Nadia Ali has been dominating the charts and is my favourite house track of the summer so far. He does go a bit overboard with the chopping sound but I don’t mind it that much.

Pressure (Alesso Remix) – Nadia Ali, Starkillers & Alex Kenji

I’m usually not that big of a fan of the dubstep songs Gareth Emery plays to end his podcast but last week’s was very decent and here’s a great remix of it that holds its own alongside the original.

Louder (feat. Sian Evans) [Drumsound & Bassline Smith Remix] – Dj Fresh

This next track cannot be released fast enough, although bootlegs often don’t get that privilege. It played on TATW a few episodes back and its simplicity struck me. Hopefully not another brilliant track that never sees the light of day.

On The Move (Bart Claessen Bootleg) - Barthezz

If you like mashups, chances are you’ll like this next track. Heatbeat (who will be playing at Circus in August alongside Jochen Miller) samples no less then 7 tracks for this monster bootleg. Check out the description of the video for the listing.

Megabootleg 500 - Heatbeat

So, in light of Gareth Emery’s massive upcoming Northern Lights Concert at Theatre Telus, here is my favourite remix of Into the Light by none other than remixer extraordinaire Alex M.O.R.P.H.

Into the Light (feat. Mark Frisch) [Alex M.O.R.P.H. Remix] – Gareth Emery

And finally, probably one of the tunes of the summer. It has been remixed by a so many artists so far from Soundprank to born again duo Gabriel & Dresden (Josh Gabriel is actually part of Andain). However, none of them seem to come close to Myon & Shane54’s Summer of Love mix. While I’m on the subject, I would like to recommend their podcasts to you guys. It’s a weekly, one hour episode that features a lot of exclusives including many of their signature mashups that you will not find anywhere else.

Promises (Myon & Shane54’s Summer of Love Mix) - Andain

New Music n’ shit.

2011-06-14T18:25:00.001-07:00

I know, I’m such a slacker and like every time I post, I have news and then music! But this time I don’t need a wall of text to explain.

I’ve decided that it was time for Hawtmusik to sell t-shirts, because, let’s face it, we’re awesome. The plan for the first t-shirt is to write HAWTMUSIK DOT COM in the back, but we didn’t make our choice yet for what will be written in the front. We have a few ideas, but it’d be great if you guys sent us ideas by email to thehawt@hotmail.com or simply in the comments section beee-lowww. Also, I’m still unsure if we’ll go for the cheap-ass t-shirts that would be around 16$ or for the reasonable ones that would be around 25$. Obviously this doesn’t include shipping or any other fee, but I won’t be charging more than what it actually costs. Also, the cheap ass t-shirt can only be white, while the other one can be any color, but it will most likely be black. Whatever, tell me what you think.

Music time! Do you remember the Chris Lake interview we got last December? We were super busy with all kinds of things and we just had enough time to post the interview and go back to whatever we were busy with, but while that happened, I was still receiving emails from great producers that deserve to be blogged about.

I was very interested with this new-ish label based in Salmo, British Columbia, that releases very uncommon music (and that has an awesome website with sick images!). It’s called King Deluxe (http://kingdeluxe.ca). But before I go on, I must say something: these days, we only hear about 3 types of music in the EDM scene. If you’re a normal hipster (by normal I mean poser as fuck), you’ll probably be hearing about dubstep a lot, if you’re someone that just began listening to EDM, you’ll probably be hearing about House music all the time and if you’re someone like us at the hawt (awesome), you’ll be hearing about Trance as well as the other genres mentioned above. This label does not release any common derivatives of any of them and that’s what makes it awesome.

The first artists I listened to in the label was Fancy Mike. It’s reallyyyy hard to describe his style, because I don’t hear stuff like this very often, but I think the label did a great job explaining what you’ll hear if you click the play button: “His sound consists of lo-fi, synth-based instrumental music, backed by analog-driven technology and tape hiss. He likes to maintain a style that is heavily reminiscent of filmic scores, French electro, 70s disco music, 80s synth-pop and current-day keygen music.”

What I really like about Fancy Mike is the fact it’s different from the rest of my music library and when I’m sick of hearing the same tracks over and over again, I play his album and relax. Sound explains this feeling better than words, so here we go (downloads below):

Lazer Opera by fancymike Hipster Crack by fancymike

Check out the full album here and buy it for 5$ here. If you really enjoy his stuff, go listen to his newest release (that I didn’t have time to listen to that much though) right HERE. Here are two of his tracks for free, I hope it’s okay with the label!

Fancy Mike – Lazer Opera

Fancy Mike – Hipster Crack

If you want more of that type of music, go check the label’s website HERE and go check Aleph, that is also very good, HERE. Aleph’s music sounds a little like Fancy Mike’s, but it seems quicker and less “insanely-chill”. There are other artists signed with the label too, but I didn’t have time to listen enough to them to criticize their music!

Egyptians invented acid, in my opinion. (Photo by me @ Le Louvre, Paris, France)

Ellis is supposed to be posting some “normal-er” music soon, so I’ll let him take care of that, but before I finish my post, here is some new dubstep n’ shit from my boys in Chicago, Keith Kabz and DJ Solo. They always release nice stuff, so you guys should check their soundclouds by clicking on their name (especially if you like dubstep)! Their new stuff is really nice and innovative!

This songs makes you want to buy a sub for your car, but it aint dubstep, it’s the whitest rap you can find on the web! But it’s good, so… respect.

Gittin It - DJ SOLO by DJ SOLO

Seriously, what the fuck, this is good!

The Office (DJ SOLO Remix) by DJ SOLO

Dirty shit is dirty.

How To Chop Up Dubstep VOL. 1 (KABZ MASH-EDIT) by DJ KABZ

Here’s a mix by Kabz, legendary as usual!

KABZ Kinetic Masquerade MIX 4-11 by DJ KABZ

And one of DnB! What?!

KABZ JUMP-UP DnB SET!!! NASTY BASSS!!! 2-22-11 by DJ KABZ

Enjoy your week people! And don’t forget to come to Ferry Corsten on the 23rd @ La Folie and to Sander Van Doorn @ Beachclub on the 26th! And also, comment on the t-shirts! Thanks!

Trance, trance and some more trance

2011-05-15T20:56:00.001-07:00

Aight, so I think it’s about time to get over Bal en Blanc, no matter how amazing it was. Even more so if you stayed until the end and got to see Ben Gold who delivered a ridiculously good set. Well anyways, on with the music.

So I guess my title is a bit deceiving, it’s my first song and it’s not trance but it’s one of my favourites of the past few weeks, heard it first on TGP and it just keeps growing on me. Just gotta love what Arno Cost is doing.

Arias & Arno Cost – Days to Come (feat. Michael Feiner)

Next track is a sick collaboration from Markus Schulz and Jochen Miller (who’s at Circus in August!!!!). I feel it kind of sounds like a morph between Gareth and Ummet Ozcan’s sound. If you get lucky, like Justin you get to hear it at a club and text me at 2am telling me the Dj is playing it…

Markus Schulz & Jochen Miller – Rotunda

Well, I guess I would feel pretty bad if I didn’t post some Stoneface and Terminal since they’re here on Sunday, at least their latest release is absolutely killing it for me, oh wait they all do… (did i ever mention that they have the best name also?)

Stoneface & Terminal – Time to Wait

2:08 of the video, super awesome…

Before I go on with the next song, I just want to recommend that you guys check out Tiësto’s new compilation Club Life, Vol. 1 Las Vegas. Got to hand it to him, he morphed his style and I really did not think I’d appreciate it but this CD is really fucking awesome and his recent productions under the alias Allure are decent as well. Unfortunately, there’s just too much music for me to put everything I like up but if you are like me and you’ve got the time, you should really check it out.

Oh well I guess one last video before I get to the awesome upcoming weekend. Here’s a beautiful song for you guys, vocal trance how it should be.

Max Graham – So Caught Up (feat. Neev Kennedy)

So, as I usually end my posts, here are some upcoming events.

Chris Lake, Funkagenda, Dirty South – May 20th @ La Folie M.I.K.E & Mr. Pit - May 20th @ Circus Afterhours

ARMIN VAN BUUREN – May 22nd @ Beach Club Laidback Luke – May 22nd @ SAT

Ben Gold – May 22nd @ Red-Lite Stoneface and Terminal & Wezz Devall – May 22nd @ Circus Afterhours

So…yeah, holy shit the 22nd is a crazy ass day, depending on the set times, it would be possible to see maybe 3 out of the 4 (conflict between Ben Gold & Stoneface but i haven’t seen S&T yet). A bit of lameness though, Andy Moor was originally scheduled to play at Circus but got dropped for some reason, which sucks cause he’s been on fire lately.

Andy Moor & M.I.K.E – Spirit’s Pulse

Vangelis – Rachel’s Song (Andy Moor Remix)

BAL EN BLANC 17 (2011)

2011-04-25T18:26:00.001-07:00

FOR THE PICTURES: GO HERE FOR THEHAWT’S FACEBOOK PAGE AND HERE FOR THE PICTURES.

We went to Bal en Blanc 17 and it was amazing! Here are the live sets recorded from AH.FM, sadly Sander Van Doorn and Above and Beyond requested to not be broadcasted, so we couldn’t get their sets. We will have a pretty in-depth review of the event in a few days.

If you post the sets on your website, please refer hawtmusik.com, we work really hard to bring you guys great content and it takes a lot of time to do all this stuff! Thanks!

Bal En Blanc 17 (scroll down for tracklists):

DJ Malek: Mediafire - Megaupload

Raneem: Mediafire - Megaupload

Cosmic Gate: Mediafire - Megaupload

Markus Schulz: Megaupload

Ben Gold: Mediafire - Megaupload

This post will be edited often in the next few days, so check back every now and then! The review is coming!

Picture by me, from my iphone. IMPORTANT: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL THEHAWT PICTURE AND THAT IS WHY THERE ISN’T ANY BAL EN BLANC LOGO.

TRACKLISTS (Thanks to montreal-nightclubs.com for these):

DJ Malek

1. Fefo and Dario Arcas – Take Me Away (Hernan Cattaneo and Soundexile Remix)
2. Third Party – Release
3. Jordy Lishious – Radiator (Funkagenda & Jordy Lishious Re-Edit)
4. Parker & Hanson – Alquimia (Andrew Bayer Remix)
5. Cirez D – Full Stop
6. Erick Strong – The Monster
7. Gareth Emery – Stars (Hardwell Remix)
8. Moguai – Oyster (Michael Woods Remix)
9. Mike Foyle pres. Statica – Headrush
10. Jochen Miller – U & Eye
11. Mat Zo – Back In Time
12. Arty – Hope
13. PPK – Ressurection (DJ Kharma Remix)
14. Jochen Miller & Rank 1 vs Yuri Kane – The Right Escape (Andy Moor Mashup)
14. Miguel Bose – Jurame (AvB Remix)
15. Jeremy Sky & DJ Malek – White Dream
16. Gareth Emery – Into The Light

Raneem

01. Michael Woods – Dynamik
02. Save The Robot – Big Ben
03. Solaris Heights – No Trace (Popof Remix)
04. Cliff Coenraad – Distorted Reality (Re-Shizzled)
05. Raneem – ID
06. JOOP – Choices (Raneem Remix)
07. Raneem & ID – ID
08. Emvy – Strut (Raneem Remix)
09. Raneem – Out of Nowhere (Original Mix)
10. Super8 & Tab vs MEM – Invictus Scorchin` (Raneem Mashup)
11. Cliff Coenraad – Oh!Mega (Bootyshakin` Mix)
12. Darude vs. Cirez D – On Off Sandstorm (Raneem Mashup)
13. Jean Claude Ades vs. Tomcraft – My Loneliness (Raneem Mashup)
14. Andrew Bennett – Adagio for Strings

Cosmic Gate

01. Gareth Emery – Arrival (Ashley Wallbridge Remix)
02. Kyau & Albert – Kiksu 2011
03. Cosmic Gate – Barra
04. Mat Zo & Arty - Rebound
05. ID
06. Gareth Emery ft. Jerome Isma-Ae – Stars (Hardwell Remix)
07. ID
08. Axwell – Heart Is King
09. Cosmic Gate – Back To Earth (Arty Remix)
10. Cosmic Gate feat. Jan Johnston – Raging (Alexander Popov Dub Mix)
11. Above & Beyond Feat. Richard Bedford – Sun And Moon (Club Mix)
12. Jurgen Vries – The Theme (ID Remix)
13. Ferry Corsten – Punk (Cosmic Gate Essential Rework)
14. Cosmic Gate – Fire Wire (Cosmic Gate’s Back 2 The Future Remix)
15. ID
16. Randy Katana – In Silence (Setrise Remix)
17. Ferry Corsten – Feel It
18. Cosmic Gate – Exploration Of Space (Back 2 The Future Remix)
19. ID
20. ID
21. John O’Callaghan feat. Sarah Howells – Find Yourself (Cosmic Gate Remix)
22. Nic Chagall Feat. Jonathan Mendelson – This Moment (Prog Mix)

Markus Schulz

01. Faithless vs. ID – Not Going Home vs. ID (Markus Schulz Mashup)
02. Wippenberg – U R (Markus Schulz Big Room Remix)
03. Markus Schulz Presents Dakota – Sinners (Aerofoil Remix)
04. Aerofoil – Caress 2 Impress (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
05. Tiesto – Lethal Industry (Remix)
06. Fedde Le Grand – Control Room
07. Rank 1 & Jochen Miller vs. Yuri Kane – The Right Escape (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
08. John Dahlback – Back 2 the Dancefloor (Khomha Presents Halbro Remix)
09. Marc Simz vs. Aerofoil – Xplode 2011
10. Beat Service – Outsider
11. Mr. Pit – Sky Traffic
12. ID
13. Markus Schulz Presents Dakota – Sleepwalkers
14. ID
15. Markus Schulz – 65.4Hz (Mr. Pit Remix)
16. Orjan Nilsen – Go Fast! (Markus Schulz Edit)
17. Aerofoil – Vortex (Markus Schulz Edit)
18. Push – Universal Nation (Remix)
19. Hard Rock Sofa & St. Brothers – Blow Up (Thomas Gold vs. Axwell Remix)
20. ID (Track 17 from ASOT 500 Buenos Aires Set)
21. Ferry Corsten – Punk (Cosmic Gate’s Essential Rework vs. MaRLo Remix / Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
22. Khomha – Rainy in the Night (Markus Schulz Edit)
23. Koen Groneveld – Slides
24. Artento Divini – Who’s Next (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
25. Klauss Goulart – Turbulence
26. Wippenberg – Earth
27. Traumer – Cobraphobie (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
28. Randy Katana – In Silence (Setrise Remix)
29. Markus Schulz Featuring Sir Adrian – Away (Cosmic Gate Remix)
30. Markus Schulz & Justine Suissa vs. Tomcraft & Jerome Isma-Ae – Perception in the Redlight District (Markus Schulz Mashup)
31. Steve Aries Featuring Lavoie – Dressed in White (Markus Schulz Coldharbour Remix)
32. Markus Schulz – The New World (Markus Schulz ASOT 500 Big Room Reconstruction)
33. ID
34. Rex Mundi – Interstate of Lightning
35. Artento Divini Presents DTC vs. Delerium – Lift Off Silence (Markus Schulz Mashup)
36. Art of Trance – Madagascar (Richard Durand Remix)
37. Markus Schulz & Jochen Miller – Rotunda

Ben Gold

01. Nenes & Pascal Feliz – Platinum (Ben Gold Intro Mix)
02. Ben Gold – Pandemic
03. W&W – Arena (Ben Gold remix)
04. Ferry Corsten – Feel It!
05. ID
06. Sean Tyas – Solo (Organ Donors Remix)
07. Deadmau5 – Raise Your Weapon (Lee Osborne Remix)
08. W&W – AK 47
09. Ben Gold – Sapphire (Trance Mix)
10. ID
11. First State Featuring Sarah Howells – Reverie (Dash Berlin Remix)
12. Gareth Emery Featuring Lucy Saunders – Sanctuary (Ben Gold Remix)
13. Andy Moor & Ashley Wallbridge Featuring Meighan Nealon – Faces (Ben Gold 2010 Remix)
14. tyDi Featuring Tania Zygar – Vanilla (Ben Gold Remix)
15. Be:Gold – Sunstroke
16. Lange, Andy Moor, Komytea & Tiesto – Lethal Stadium Four (Gareth Emery Re-Edit)
17. Gareth Emery – Exposure
18. Artento Divini vs. Prodigy – Who’s Next Bitch (Artento Divini Mashup)
19. Marcel Woods – BPM (Kristof van den Berghe Remix)
20. ID
21. Super8 & Tab Featuring Julie Thompson – My Enemy (Rank 1 Remix)
22. Marcel Woods – The Bottle
23. Gareth Emery – Global
24. Rank 1 vs. Jochen Miller – And Then…
25. W&W & Wezz Devall – Phantom
26. Sied van Riel & Radion 6 – Radiator
27. Tiesto Featuring BT – Love Comes Again (Bart Claessen Remix)

Preview: Bal en BLanc 17

2011-04-20T12:19:00.003-07:00

For 364 days every year, fellow Montrealers alike aimlessly gawk at the myriad of EDM spectacles offered hundreds and thousands of kilometers away. For the past 16 years, Easter weekend has given them an opportunity to give the same treatment to the rest of the world. Heralded as one of Canada’s most prestigious events, Bal en Blanc is the child of Playground Productions, the Montreal-based event company responsible for organizing most of the big happenings on the somber island. The affair takes place downtown, at the Palais des Congrès, where the stages are split amongst 2 rooms: House and Trance. Attendees are required to dress in white, as per the title, and include people of all creeds, ages (18+) and sexual orientations. From youthful producers like Avicii and Ben Gold, to tried and tested veterans such as Armand van Helden and Cosmic Gate, Bal en Blanc holds something for everyone.

We have prepared a special post for this momentous event:

For a preview of the MAIN ROOM, click here.

For a preview of the TRANCE ROOM, click here.

The Hawt’s writers have been given the privilege to fully cover the event. We will be wearing press passes, scurrying backstage, talking to DJs, capturing phenomenal photographs and reporting this event to the best of our ability. In addition, we will be giving you high quality recordings of the sets from the Trance room. Check back with The Hawt on the days following the event for a full low-down on what went on. We hope to see you there and wish you a happy Bal en Blanc!

MAIN ROOM: Bal en Blanc 17

2011-04-20T12:19:00.001-07:00

For a preview of the TRANCE ROOM, click here.

To return to the preview post, click here.

Main Room

The main room welcomes the House side of EDM. This year’s line-up holds some lesser known talents, a home grown Montrealer, a few rising stars and possibly the best DJ in the world.

21.00 – 23.00 DJ Uppercut

Image courtesy REDLITE

Uppercut is not new to Bal en Blanc. In fact, this will be the fourth straight year he performs at the event. He has earned his spot after many years DJing in and around Montreal. As a resident of both the Complexe Millenium and Red-Lite, DJ Uppercut is known throughout the city as one of the island’s best. He’s displayed his skills at many other Playground events, including Resolution, Sensation 2008 and Tiësto’s show at Beach Club last year. As far as producing goes, Uppercut is an important part of KULT Records, heavily contributing with some originals, as well as their remix series of “Gotta Be Me” by Steve Sas, a celebrated song in the underground House community. Below is his latest on the label, a track called “Sensation” that he’ll surely play come Sunday.

Uppercut – Sensation: Beatport

Uppercut - Sensation (Original mix) by Uppercut

djuppercut.ca – Twitter

23.00 – 0.00 Manufactured Superstars

Image courtesy BSK Photo

The Manufactured Superstars are a special pair very important to EDM. Based out of Denver, Colorado, Brad Roulier and Shawn Sabo make music that attempts to conjoin mainstream with electronic. These innovators revolutionized the world of dance music in 2004, when they co-created Beatport with a few of their buddies. It was through this stroke of genius that Shawn and Brad hooked up at first. Giving and taking what they liked from each others’ styles, the guys decided to team up for good. They are extremely big on mashups, easily going through 100 tracks in a span of 2 hours. They are mostly popular in the US, thanks to their weekly radio show on 94.7 FM in Las Vegas. They are no spring chickens, as they have played for crowds alongside massive DJs such as Paul Oakenfold. Below is an popular track of theirs called “Come With Me.”

Manufactured Superstars, Trent Catrelle & Jeziel Quintela - Come With Me: Beatport

Manufactured Superstars, Trent Cantrelle, and Jezel Quintela - COME WITH ME - Blu Music by Manufactured Superstars

manufacturedsuperstars.com – Facebook - Twitter

0.00 – 1.00 Hardwell

Image courtesy Gerald Henninger

Hardwell got started in EDM extremely young. He grew up in music and starting gaining knowledge about DJing at the age of 13. Learning on his own, he slowly discovered every aspect of the craft, making sure to completely grasp each part before moving on. He suddenly emerged onto the scene in 2009 with his bootleg of Steve Angello and Laidback Luke’s tracks “Show Me Love vs. Be,” which became one of the biggest hits of the summer. He began 2010 by releasing some decently successful tracks which were supported by a few big names. He caught the eye of Dutch producer Chuckie, who suggested they do a song together. They created “Guess What, “ a huge hit in the underground House community which continued to advance his burgeoning career. His 2010 summer was spent introducing himself to sold-out crowds in Ibiza which furthered his cause even more. The highlight of his journey so far is definitely one of his most recent projects. Hardwell collaborated with Tiësto on the monster hit, “Zero 76,” which has been played all around the world and is featured on Tiësto’s new compilation. Below is Hardwell’s new track which was released on his own Revealed Recordings on April 18th.

Hardwell – Encoded: Beatport

djhardwell.com – Facebook - Twitter

1.00 – 4.30 Tiësto

Headlining this year’s House room is one of the most popular and versatile DJs in the world. The first half of his career was dedicated to conquering the world of Trance and now, Tiësto is beginning to do the same with House. Arguably the best DJ in the world, the Dutchman’s achievements include a Grammy nomination, a multitude of MTV awards, one of the longest streaks of sold-out shows and an insanely popular radio show that reaches to all corners of the earth. In addition, after DJ Mag placed him in 24th in 2000, he’s consistently been in the top 10 of the poll, with only 1 year outside the top 3. From star-studded collaborations, numerous trips to the top of music charts and classics like “Lethal Industry” to playing at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympics in Athens, sharing decks with the world’s greatest and serving as a headliner for the biggest festivals, he has truly become a global phenomenon. Below is a video preview of his new compilation series, “Club Life Vol. One: Las Vegas.”

tiesto.com – Facebook – Twitter

4.30 – 6.00 Avicii

Image courtesy Danilo Lewis

Avicii’s rise to fame was as fast as they come. After only a few months of producing, he got to work on a remix of the theme song to a video game named “Lazy Jones.” His big break came came later in 2008, when he won Pete Tong’s fast trax, receiving a whopping 70% of the votes. “Manman” was released on Bedroom Bedlam a short time later, an action which turned heads all over the world. Signing on with with Vicious Grooves, Joia Records and Ministry of Sound gave him lots of inspiration, which propelled his next track “Ryù.” It was named “Essential New Tune” on Pete Tong’s radio show and was the track of the week on Tiësto’s Club Life in the weeks following its arrival. The next part of his story is the present, with the explosion of “Bromance,” its lyricized version and multiple appearances at the most exclusive stages in the world. It’s no secret that Avicii is popular in Montreal, as he has been in the area twice in the past few months, doing a show at Club Muzique and headlining alongside Cosmic Gate for Resolution 2011. His fresh, youthful take on EDM is a wonder and makes it abundantly clear that this young man is the future of House music. Below is “Swede Dreams,” a remix of the 1995 Marilyn Manson classic.

avicii.com – Facebook - Twitter

6.00 – 8.00 Armand van Helden

Armand van Helden is one of the 2 members of Duck Sauce, a group consisting of himself and A-Trak. The duo’s latest piece of work, “Barbara Streisand,” has quickly become a huge commercial hit, playing in clubs all over the world. But this isn’t the first big track Armand has produced in the world of EDM. In fact, he’s one the most experienced DJ/producers at this year’s event. His musical career began when he started DJing at the age of 15. A few years later, he started to spin in Boston clubs, which prompted him to quit his job and focus solely on music. After a few moderately successful releases, he got the opportunity to remix for Tori Amos and what would be the track that put him on the map, “Professional Widow.” In 1999, he released his third studio album, “2 Future 4 U,” which included what is his best known track, “U Don’t Know Me.” The song peaked at #1 on the UK charts and #2 on Billboards’ and is today considered a classic of the genre. On his way to superstardom, Armand produced another 4 artist albums, played what is said to be the best mashup DJ set of all-time, worked with Dizzee Rascal and finally decided to team up A-Trak. Below is his 1999 classic, “U Don’t Know Me.”

armandvanhelden.com – Facebook

8.00 – 9.30 Freemasons

When you name yourself after a bar, chances are you like to party. That’s the case for British duo James Wiltshire and Russell Small. The two have been collaborating together for years and are known under many different aliases such as BN3, The Alibi, Walken and Funk Fanatico. Their main moniker, Freemasons, is the name under which they have produced most of their huge club hits. Although, this team doesn’t fit 2011’s House profile, it was the talk of the town just a few years back, beginning with its chart-topping remix of Tina Turner’s “When the Heartache is Over.” Freemasons’ follow-up remix was of Beyoncé’s “Déjà Vu,” a tune that got them a Grammy nomination for best remix. James and Russell continued in the same vein of the previous successes and continued to put an electronic spin on popular pop tracks, trying to bring the sound to mainstream audiences. They’ve been doing so for about 6 years ago now and show no signs of stopping. Although they have vast skills in remixing, the Freemasons can also create from scratch. In late 2010, they released a track called “Believer, “ which featured vocal from Wynter Gordon. Below is their latest work, a remix for Yasmin’s “Finish Line,” due for release in May on Ministry of Sound/Levels Recordings.

freemasons.net – Facebook – Twitter

9.30 – 10.30 Yinon Yahel

Yinon Yahel, originally from Israël, discovered his musical talent at a very young age. When he was only 15 years of age, he started playing keyboard for the well-known Israeli rock band, “Enam,” a group that showed him electronic sampling, which ultimately leveraged his DJ career. In early 2000, after a few unsuccessful attempts at breaking through the EDM scene, Yinon teamed up with fellow DJ Offer Nissim and signer/songwriter Maya Simantov, both past performers at Bal en Blanc. Together, they co-produced an album by the name of “First Time,” of which 3 tracks quickly found themself near the top of Billboards’ Dance/Club Chart. This first important imprint on dance music launched Yinon’s career, sending him to all corners of the world to perform. More recently, he has produced and written for multi-platinum artists such as Ashanti and P. Diddy and is finishing his debut artist album. Below is his latest, a track called “Tonight,” which features vocals by Emmi.

yinonyahel.com

10.30 – 12.00 Sultan & Ned Shepard

Being a relatively new union, the EDM world was shocked when Sultan & Ned Shepard began banging out hits from the start of their merger. House fans have welcomed this pair with open arms, as their combined experience from years as solo artists culminate in a unique and quite pleasant sound. Both are gifted instrumentalists and have much talent as DJs and producers. In their short time as a single act, they’ve released tracks on Size Matters, Harem Records (owned by Sultan), Funk Farm, collaborated with Nadia Ali on the smash-hit “Call My Name” and remixed for artists such as Kaskade, Thoams Sagstad and Tiësto. Needless to say, these guys will have lots of fans partying until the very end. Besides, how awesome are those dreads? Below is the music video for their recent collaboration with Fedde Le Grand, called “Running,” which features vocals from Mitch Crown. The track will be released through Flamingo Recordings exclusively on Beatport on April 25th.

nedshepard.com – Facebook - Twitter

To finish, here are a few tracks that you should brush up on, because you are definitely going to hear them play more than once on Sunday:

Tim Mason – The Moment (Steve Angello Re-Edit)

Axwell – Heart is King (Original Mix)

Mark Knight & Tiesto ft. Dino – Beautiful World (Original Mix)

Funkagenda – Splinter (Original Mix)

Benny Benassi – Cinema (Skrillex Remix)

Marcel Woods & Tiesto – Don’t Ditch (Original Mix)

Hook ‘N’ Sling & TV Rock ft. Rudy – Diamonds in the Sky (Original Mix)

TRANCE ROOM: Bal en Blanc 17

2011-04-20T12:18:00.001-07:00

For a preview of the MAIN ROOM, click here.

To return to the preview post, click here.

Trance Room

Times have changed, and the space formerly reserved for Techno has now been overthrown by Trance. A “who’s who” of DJ Mag’s top 100 DJs, this year’s line-up is sure to impress.

21.00 – 23.00 Malek

Image coutesy djmalek.net

Relatively new to the Trance scene, DJing-wise, Malek is an important figment of Montreal’s Trance and Progressive community. Influenced by none other than Armin van Buuren, Malek has performed for crowds at the island’s finest establishments, including Beach Club, Circus Afterhours, Warehouse and Opera alongside big names such as Glenn Morrison, Richard Durand and Leon Bolier. He recently joined forces with Jeremy Sky to create his first ever production. He appropriately named it “White Sky,” coinciding sublimely with the arrival of the festival. Take a listen below.

Jeremy Sky & Malek - White Dream (Radio Edit) - Ora Recordings by DJ Malek

djmalek.net – Facebook – Twitter

23.00 – 0.00 Raneem

Image courtesy Circus Afterhours

Raneem is easily Montreal’s best kept secret. The Lebanese DJ/producer has been active in the Trance scene since 2008 and has grown substantially since his original contribution. Recently signed onto High Contrast Recordings and Streamlined, Raneem often garnishes support from Ferry Corsten, W&W and Bobina. He is a resident at Circus Afterhours and has shared decks with Gareth Emery, Dash Berlin and Simon Patterson, to name a few. His radio show, “Beirut On Fire,” can be heard on Afterhours.FM on the 2^nd Friday of each month. Below is his most recent release on High Contrast, dubbed “Out of Nowhere,” which is currently holding firm at 14 on Trackitdown.

Raneem – Out of Nowhere: Beatport - Trackitdown

djraneem.com – Facebook – Twitter

0.00 – 2.00 Cosmic Gate

Image courtesy David Giral Photo

Cosmic Gate is one of the most respected musical acts in the world. The German duo of Bossi and Nic Chagall has been entertaining crowds for a little over 11 years and shows no signs of stopping. With solid careers already under their belts, the pair first collaborated in 1998 and joined forces for good in 2000, en route to creating timeless classics like “Fire Wire” and “Exploration of Space.” They’ve produced countless chart-toppers, remixed for the best in the business and played at the most prestigious festivals worldwide. They were recently asked to mix the fourth CD on Armin van Buuren’s ASOT 500 compilation. Below is their remix of “Exploration of Space,” a song from their latest compilation album, dubbed “Back 2 The Future,” which is comprised of their greatest hits remixed by some of Trance’s most promising young stars.

Cosmic Gate - Back 2 The Future: Beatport – iTunes – Trackitdown

cosmic-gate.de – Facebook - Twitter

2.00 – 4.30 Sander van Doorn

You can tell by his infectious smile that Sander van Doorn loves what he does. The Dutch born DJ is one of the biggest and most unique names in Trance. As head honcho of Doorn Records, Sander has the privilege of employing hot youngsters and test driving tracks that range all subgenres. His inimitable style is unlike any other. Although he is known as a Trance producer, Sander ignores trends and tendencies, creating tracks that are influenced by hard beats and deep melodies. His DJ sets are as diverse as his original tunes. Once again fending off the Trance marker he is given, he plays anything he likes, whether that may be House, Dubstep or even Reggaeton. Below is his newest track, “Koko,” set for release on Doorn Records on April 26th.

sandervandoorn.com – Facebook - Twitter

4.30 – 7.30 Above & Beyond

Image courtesy Sebatian Caesar and AnjunaGallery

Above & Beyond needs no introduction. Since banding in 2000, Paavo, Tony and Jono have taken the world by storm and have forever cemented their place amongst EDM legends. It all began in 1999, with Paavo and Jono teaming up to create a record label called “Anjunabeats.” Taking immediate notice of their brilliant first release, Tony called the duo to help him finish a remix of Chakra’s “Home.” The rework was extremely well-received, getting multiple plays from Pete Tong on BBC Radio 1. Due to the enormous success of the track, the guys decided to stick together and thus, Above & Beyond was born. The trio rapidly gained notoriety, remixing tracks for Madonna and collaborating with Trance moguls like Andy Moor. In 2006, they released their debut artist album, “Tri-State,” which is regarded as one of the greatest, if not the best dance music album of all-time. Their DJing career is as impressive as their producing one. In December of 2007, the guys catered to an estimated 1 million Brazilian fans in what is unofficially the biggest dance music show in history. In 2008, Above & Beyond collaborated with Justine Suissa to unveil “Sirens of the Sea” under the alias Oceanlab as a follow-up to “Tri-State.” With one of the biggest Trance labels around and a radio show that satisfies 30 million listeners weekly, Above & Beyond has solidified their status as EDM royalty. Below is the trio’s Burning Bridges mix of their next single, “Thing Called Love,” in a rip from ASOT 500. The original tune first appeared on Anjunabeats Vol. 8, but will be re-released on May 29th along with the mix. It will be part of Above & Beyond’s forthcoming artist album, “Group Therapy.”

aboveandbeyond.nu – Facebook – Twitter

7.30 – 10.00 Markus Schulz

Image courtesy DJMag.com

If there’s one German DJ that can rival the powerhouse that is Cosmic Gate, it’s definitely Markus Schulz. One of the most humble men in the business, he has been entered in the top 10 of DJ Mag’s rankings for the past 3 years and has been at the forefront of Trance music for even longer. His ever so popular radio show, “Global DJ Broadcast,” or GDJB for short, is an interesting cut between ASOT and TATW, as it includes the most uplifting and hardcore strands of Trance. The only common ground seems to be quality, an attribute that he imposes onto his own creations. His last album, “Do You Dream?,” released in June 2010, is a masterful balance between all sorts of Trance. It was extremely well-received by the community, as DJs all around the world would play renditions of “Rain” or “Perception” in nearly all of their sets. In addition to his producing career, Markus also has the task of surveying others’. As the makeshift behind Coldharbour Recordings, he has aided in launching the careers of Markus Schössow, Mr. Pit, Skytech and Rex Mundi by releasing tracks such as “Sky Traffic,” “Valley of Dreams” and “Comet.” He has also recently been asked to mix the third CD on Armin van Buuren’s ASOT 500 compilation. Markus is clearly a fan of Bal en Blanc, as this edition will mark his third consecutive appearance at the festival. Below is his latest track, a collaboration with Dutch superstar Jochen Miller called “Rotunda,” which will be released on Coldharbour sometime in the future.

markusschulz.com – Facebook – Twitter

10.00 – 12.00 Ben Gold

Image courtesy BenGoldOnline

Check out The Hawt’s pre-Bal en Blanc interview with Ben Gold here!

One of the most underrated DJs in Trance, Ben Gold is a force to be reckoned with. As a huge part of Gareth Emery’s Garuda label, Ben is behind tracks that can seemingly do it all: pump up a crowd, send people into a euphoric state and calm audiences with sheer sonic beauty. Between his tunes being featured on ASOT, TATW and TGEP, his collaborations with W&W and his numerous gigs with the biggest names, it’s more than clear that Ben is on his way up. His monthly radio show, “LiFE,” which features on Afterhours.FM, displays his exquisite taste in music. This reflects onto his live DJ sets, as Ben plays nothing but the best and his passion for the decks translates into a superb night for all who attend. Below is his latest, a remix of W&W’s “Arena,” in form of a rip from ASOT 500 in Den Bosch.

bengoldonline.com – Facebook – Twitter

To finish, here are a few tracks that you should brush up on, because you are definitely going to hear them play more than once on Sunday:

Sander van Doorn – Koko (Original Mix)

Arty & Mat Zo – Rebound (Original Mix)

Above & Beyond – Sun & Moon (Club Mix)

Ferry Corsten – Feel It (Original Mix)

Ferry Corsten – Punk (Arty Rock ‘n’ Rolla Mix)

Wippenberg – U R (Original Mix)

John O’Callaghan & Betsie Larkin – Save This Moment (Gareth Emery Remix)

To Get Through Exams

2011-04-04T20:26:00.001-07:00

So it seems like I haven’t posted anything in a while. My bad. This is my first post since going legal so I haven’t acquired super embedding skills yet but hopefully they will come. Let us begin with the music.

Been holding onto this song since TATW 350 and it’s just beautiful. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been released yet but patience, the date seems to be set at May 2nd. Hopefully this rip will satisfy you till then.

Superman – Mat Zo

Funny story, playing Xbox a few weeks back when Justin, Wei and I came across a team composed of Matan Zohar, Artem Soloviev and Synapse Dynamics, aka Mat Zo, Arty and some other dude who named himself after a track. There’s no telling if it was really them, the only guy talking was the third guy. We beat them the first time… then they took to kicking the living shit out of us. My piece of advice: Do not fuck with them.

Up next is a brand new track from Axwell who’s back in Montreal on June 3rd. Here’s hoping we get a taste of this live.

Heart is King – Axwell

You probably heard of Above & Beyond’s great single Sun & Moon that was released recently. Well, some geniuses had the awesome idea to make a dubstep remix of it, a badass remix.

Sun & Moon (The Others Remix) – Above & Beyond feat. Richard Bedford

Next, here’s something I picked up at Paul van Dyk a few weeks back. He actually mixed the shit out of it but it isn’t an official remix. But still, here’s a pretty decent mix of the track.

Sunday (Seamus Haji Club Mix) – The Hurts

And finally, here’s something absolutely massive that was introduced to us via Gareth Emery’s Podcast and that I’ve had the pleasure of hearing twice live in concert.

Craig Connelly - Absolute Electric by CraigConnelly

So, I usually end my posts with upcoming shows but Justin did a good job of listing them out, so I thought I’d mention Taco Bell is having a free taco week from April 7th to 13. HELLZ YEAH!

Québécois Guidos Are Called Douchebags, Episode 2: If the Lady Parts Are Clean, The Bags Are Full Of It

2011-03-30T20:14:00.001-07:00

Thanks to social networking, Miami Music Week can be experienced, up to a certain extent, all around the world. Past years have seen the biggest names in Electronic music put on a show for tens of thousands at the Ultra Music Festival and side shows in and around Miami. The week is designed to regroup the cream of the crop and give DJs a chance to roadtest their new tracks. This is also the case for the last few shows leading up to Miami, as Fred, Ellis and I learned 2 Fridays ago, on the 19th of March.

Life is good if you’re Nick van de Wall. In addition to winning a Grammy for his remix of Madonna’s “Revolver” with David Guetta, the 23-year old, better known as Afrojack, also pocketed 2 of this year’s IDMAs for “Best Remixer” and “Breakthrough DJ.” The Dutch House prodigy, co-producer of Chris Brown’s latest track, currently in first place on Billboard’s R&B chart, has recently hashed out a tune with Pitbull & Nayer which is getting loads of airtime on the radio. To top it all off, he released a massive tune yesterday (see below) that is sure to climb the Beatport charts in a hurry. You can understand our excitement when we learned that he would be coming to Montreal. Unfortunately, Afrojack spun his set at La Folie. At the risk of reiterating the Dash Berlin show, La Folie is the crab apple in the beautiful orchard that is Montreal. Since euphoria can make you forget about your surroundings, we decided to go anyways.

Afrojack’s set was exactly as we had prophesized: high energy, wildly entertaining, heavy on the bass and eclectic. Amidst the amazing manipulations of “Bangduck”, “Pacha On Acid” and “Replica” were lots of new unknown tracks. Some were tailored to his usual style, but others had more of a techy, artistic-feel to them. Although not very rave-oriented, these songs were a clear sign of the Dutchman’s musical range that he failed to show in the past. They were also the first look at his new alias, Shermanology. Unlike other DJs who smile into the masses with a blank stare, Mr. van de Wall often had his head thrown back and looked to be entranced by his own sound, a true testament to his passion for House music. The rest of the night was devoted to destroying the club and sending the crowd home satisfied by using remixes of “Hide and Seek,” “Louder Than Words” and a special mashup of Steve Angello & Laidback Luke’s “Be” and Afrojack’s “Pacha On Acid.”

Afrojack vs Steve Angello & Laidback Luke – Be Pacha (Andrew Dee & Joker Inc Bootleg)

Afrojack Vs S. Angello & LBL-Be Pacha (0202 Prime Bootleg - Andrew Dee & Joker Inc) by Dj Andrew Dee

Yesterday, Afrojack released the first of his post-Miami tunes. This song is a true beauty, something we have all come to expect from him. The Dutch influence, ever so present, appears in the form of Electronic wailing and is isolated near the first drop. Sub bass leaves a deep imprint in this tune and hints towards big room allure. The melody comprises most of the build-ups and lingers throughout the track, only to join the Dutch sound in a climactic ending which creates a dazzling hybrid between commercial interest, club appeal and artistic integrity.

Afrojack – Doing It Right (Original Mix) Beatport

“Doing It Right” wasn’t the only release on Spinnin’ Records yesterday. Swedish duo Olle Corneer and Stefan Engblom, better known as Dada Life, presented a track of their own called “Fight Club Is Closed (It’s Time For Rock ‘N’ Roll).” This is a typical Dada Life tune, relying heavily on the Electro tendencies and perfect for playing out. The calmer portions of the song seem rather boring and sometimes annoying as the vocals feel displaced and are repeated a little too often. However, the drop is completely worth the wait. As Stefan explains, “[…] other producers’ plugins go to 10. Ours go to 11.” This is yet another hard-hitting, quality tune from Dada Life which is certain to induce a party atmosphere.

Dada Life – Fight Club Is Closed (It’s Time For Rock ‘N’ Roll) Beatport

Onto the Trance side of things.

This past Sunday, Ultra gave Armin van Buuren his very own stage to perform the second leg of his podcast’s 500th milestone anniversary. The massive show was conducted by some of the biggest members of the Trance family: Markus Schossow, Alex M.O.R.P.H., Cosmic Gate, Gareth Emery, Ferry Corsten, Armin himself, ATB and Sander van Doorn joined forces in that precise order to deliver 12 straight hours of pleasure. The show was available for live streaming on the internet and Fred, his brother, and I were tuned in for the marathon radio show. It became quite clear that the entire world was listening when MORPHgasms and Gareth Emery both momentarily became trending topics on Twitter. Some of the highlights were M.O.R.P.H.’s remix of Triple A’s “Winter Stayed,” an ID remix of Gareth Emery and Mark Frisch’s “Into The Light” and when Ferry played Maarten de Jong’s bootleg of Coldplay’s “The Scientist.” Above all these was a track played by Andre Tanneberger, a.k.a. ATB, who wowed the crowd with another unknown marvel. Dash Berlin revealed the song’s identity today. The track, dubbed “Apollo Road,” is a collaboration between the two men. Using ATB’s wealth of experience and Dash’s fresh take on today’s Trance, the guys have managed to create a unique piece which seems to gather from trends old and new.

Here are a few dates to look forward to:

Friday April 1st – Size Matters w/ Steve Angello, Max Vangeli & AN21 @ Metropolis

Friday April 8th – Umek, tyDi and Ali Wilson @ Circus Afterhours

Saturday April 9th – Felix Da Housecat @ Circus Afterhours

Friday April 15th – Blake Jarrell @ Circus Afterhours [UPDATE]

Sunday April 17th – Sander Kleinenberg @ Imperial Room

Friday April 22nd – Myon & Shane 54 @ Imperial Room, Marcel Woods and John Askew @ Circus Afterhours [UPDATE]

Saturday April 23rd – Wolfgang Gartner @ Club Soda, Kaskade @ La Mouche [UPDATE]

Sunday April 24th – Rusko @ Metropolis [UPDATE]

Sunday April 24th – Bal En Blanc 17 @ Palais des Congrès

Friday May 20th M.I.K.E. and Mr.Pit @ Circus Afterhours

Saturday May 21st – Andy Moor and Stoneface & Terminal @ Circus Afterhours

Sunday May 22nd – Armin van Buuren @ Beachclub

Friday June 3rd – Axwell @ La Folie [UPDATE]

Friday June 10th – Leon Bolier @ Circus Afterhours

Thursday June 23rd – Tytanium Sessions 100 with Sean Tyas, Arnej, Simon Patterson & Raneem @ Circus Afterhours [UPDATE]

To finish, I promise that my post will include the Super 8 & Tab interview. Our technical advisor has been hard at work and has delivered a great looking video. All we’re waiting for is the ok from Anjunabeats!

Your 2011 ULTRAfest Guide!

2011-03-24T23:49:00.001-07:00

So as many of you know, ULTRA starts tomorrow. This post is going to be dedicated to sharing some of the people who I consider must-see acts at the festival. Descriptions will be short since I'll be listing many artists. Let's get to it, since I'm writing this in biology class... ahh, alveoli..

FRIDAY MUST SEES:

-Avicii

-Sidney Samson

-Carl Cox

-Designer Drugs

-Tinie Tempah (perhaps a BareNoize appearance?)

-Fedde La Grand

-Pendulum

-Tiesto

SATURDAY MUST SEES:

-Avicii (2 showings, go to both, he's that good!)

-Excision and Datsik (dirtiest dubstep show in the south, guaranteed!)

-Feed Me

-Rusko

-Nero

-Skream + Benga

-Afrojack

-Moby

-Boys Noize

-Armin Van Buuren

-Deadmau5

-Kaskade

SUNDAY MUST SEES:

-Umek (awsome progressive house)

-Lazy Rich

-Will Bailey

-Dada Life

-John Dahlback

-Glitch Mob

-Skrillex

-12th Planet

-Dieselboy

-Cosmic Gate

-Sub Focus

-Steve Aoki

-MSTRKRFT

-David Guetta

-Laidback Luke

-Wolfgang Gartner

-Will.I.AM (for all you cheeseheads)

Now let's make some highlights.

-Porter Robinson

Now this guy really knows what he's doing, some kind of mix between the steady house rhythms and dirty electro basses, accompanied by the classic dubstep yelps. Also worth checking out Lazy Rich as they seem to produce similar sounding tracks and often work together.

Lesssgooooo!!!!!!

Must see at ULTRA for the dirty bassline and constant energy.

-Datsik and Excision

My personal favorite, Datsik, if you haven't heard, comes up with some of the dirtiest, heaviest, in your face dubstep ever. And hes with his wingman Excision!He puts on an amazing show live, really knows how to get the crowd working, and no doubt, will be a huge act to catch at this year's ULTRA.

-Skrillex
Ah, good ol' Skrillex, who seemingly has blown up overnight, is playing on the Tower of Ultra stage this Sunday. Might be a little gimmicky, but he really knows how to throw down some bangers, check out one of his newer songs, a Rob Zombie cover, Sick Bubblegum.

-Avicii
Avicii is probably my favorite house producer right now. After following him for a while, I've started to notice a trend in his music..... none of it's boring! Doesn't surprise me this guy is playing two or three times at Ultra this year, you HAVE to check him out!

-Feed Me
Another guy who seems to have blown up under Deadmau5' label is Feed Me. Former D&b producer, Spor, is up there with Porter Robinson with the danceable, yet dirtyyyy bass.

-John Dahlback

So I recently found this guy in his new song with my buddy Avicii. Haven't heard too much from him, but from what I have heard, this guy is killer. I could only imagine dancing to his music with the Miami Skyline in my peripherals.

The Bloody Beetroots Exclusive (Updated)

2011-03-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

Few artists have as distinct a sound as The Bloody Beetroots. Their stage name, pluralized, may cause confusion. Although the live shows sport more than one member, the production side of things is undertaken solely by Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo. After emerging onto the scene in 2007, he has managed to vault The Bloody Beetroots to the height of EDM in a mere 3 years. Gathering influences from Electro, Indie, Punk, Acid and a multitude of other sources, Bob has been able to create a unique style which escapes categorization. Characterized by an overwhelming energy, a thirst for audible exhaustion and a sonic representation of chaos, his tunes have been accepted across the world as soundtracks to numerous lavish parties, as shown in the music video for his song “Cornelius.”

The pair included in the video is comprised of Sir Bob, along with his partner in crime, DJ Tommy Tea. The live shows are unlike any other. Electronic music duos usually imply two people behind the decks, with one DJing and the other pumping up the crowd. The Bloody Beetroots’ are similar to Pendulum’s: they incorporate real instruments and vocals, which ties a closer bond to the audience. With Bob’s unorthodox style in the studio, his partnership with Tommy onstage and the sinister Venom masks they both wear, it wasn't long before the rest of the world took notice. Steve Aoki, owner of Dim Mak Records, welcomed Sir Bob to his prestigious label in 2008 with the release of Rombo EP. Being such a diverse production, Beatport was unable to qualify the songs and simply put it in the Indie/Nu Disco category, the spot where all of the indefinable tracks are put. In fact, nearly all of his releases are qualified as such, thus strengthening their uniqueness. Then came Warp.

The success of the track alone would probably have been enough to launch The Bloody Beetroots into stardom. The song was a monster hit the instant it was heard, garnishing support from DJs across the globe. Featuring a newly acquired friend, none other than Steve Aoki, the song was accepted by an unimaginable number of fans ranging through all popular genres. It is a perfect choice to do exactly what Bob’s intends his sets to do: connect with his audience through an artistic experiment with chaos. Still today, nearly 3 years after its release, crowds go insane at the sound of it. The tune blends Electro trends with those of Punk, creating a hardcore and digitized atmosphere. Like his previous work, Warp adds to the distance Bob tries to put between himself and mainstream trends.

In an attempt to demystify The Bloody Beetroots’ persona, The Hawt reached out to Sir Bob, who was kind enough to provide a short interview:

“What are some of your earliest inspirations?

- Punk 77, Classical Music, Old School Electro

What sets you apart from other Electro House producers? (Was trying to figure out the genre. Took a shot.)

- Schizophrenia

We’ve come up with 2 theories: either you’ve got a Spiderman fetish or you’re terribly ugly. Why the masks?

- I have a postmodern conception of the commedia dell'arte

What are some of your favourite producers and what makes their releases so great?

- Rick Rubin – it’s his touch

To which track would you attribute your breakthrough onto the EDM scene?

- The Whip “Muzzle No.1” Bloody Beetroots Rmx

Which song(s) has gotten you the best crowd reaction so far in 2011?

- No songs, I bet on the strength of chaos

You've traveled a fair amount. In which part of the world are the hottest girls?

- Iceland

We know you love coming to Montreal. How would you describe our city’s nightlife?

- Alcoholic

New tracks, remixes, world tours, collaborations; what can we expect from The Bloody Beetroots in 2011?

- Chaos theory becomes reality

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?

- I can't generalize. They help and they don’t; freedom of information often becomes misinformation. Everyone should be able to discern. Yes, I read The Hawt.”

Evidently, Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo is a man of very few words. Although not all of Bob’s interviews are as short and sweet, they are straight to the point and this exchange still tells lots about him. Behind the well thought out speech and the onstage binge drinking is a man who is very comfortable with his inability to be read.

During the most recent tours, the usual name was dropped for Death Crew 77, a group consisting of Bob, Tommy and a drummer named Edward Grinch. With the added dimension of rhythmic prowess, it’s safe to say that The Bloody Beetroots offer one of the most complete live EDM experiences.

Apart from trying to realize chaos theory, Sir Bob started 2011 with the release of a compilation containing his most popular remixes. This one is also under Beatport’s Indie/Nu Disco spell and carries the very simplistic name: “Best of…Remixes.” Feel free to sample the tracks through the link below.

The Bloody Beetroots – Best Of…Remixes Released on Beatport on January 15th

Beatport

Have a great week and stay tuned to The Hawt for the Super8 & Tab interview which should be up anytime soon.

Photos courtesy of Nacho Alvarez Nabscab

Legal and Still Giving Out Free 320 kbps’

2011-03-10T17:20:00.001-08:00

In regards to Beatport, a wise man once asked: “Is this an EDM website or a Deadmau5 blog?” This question came with obvious reason; the horde of albums and EPs released by mau5trap had monopolized the top downloads list for a substantial amount of time. Ironically, this so-called wise man is none other than Mark Knight, who’s own Toolroom Records is currently at the helm of another dominating performance. Fuelled by its latest compilation album, Toolroom Records Miami 2011, the label occupies 9 of the top 10 spots. The release comes in anticipation of this year’s Ultra Music Festival and features new music from the likes of Michael Woods & Mark Knight, Afrojack, Fedde Le Grand and Thomas Gold, to name a few. Check it out here.

In addition to his tune with Michael Woods, Knight has been hard at work in the studio, including a track of his own on the compilation and producing another collaboration with Tiësto. The star-studded partnership has unveiled the official video, as well as the magnificent tune that accompanies it. Knight’s signature drums, Tiësto’s bassline and vocals by Dino go well with the soft synths and rugged melody. The track seems to be on the progressive side, yet still offers a strong beat which gives it obvious nightclub appeal. Both Techno and House influences combine to offer this marvel. The video is interesting, as the beginning closely resembles Justice’s “Stress.”

Tiësto & Mark Knight ft. Dino – Beautiful World (Original Mix) Released on Beatport on March 21st

There is a limited number of EDM fans who can assertively say that they enjoy all of its subgenres. Artists often attempt to mix these styles and create something different, but again, only a small number can successfully do this. One of these select few is Funkagenda, a Techno/House artist, who has released songs on big labels such as Toolroom Records and Funk Farm. One of the tracks from his most recent release rounds up Beatport’s top 10 and is a perfect example of crossover between musical subgenres. The track dubbed “Budgie” is half Techno, half House and although Beatport qualifies it as Tech House, it should not be confused with the latter. A close listen confirms either an amazing concoction of the two, or some wildly innovative Tech House. This songs sports an intricate set of beats, a wealth of sound bite layers and a dark, yet enchanting melody that completes the plethora of styles that is “Budgie.”

Funkagenda – Budgie (Original Club Mix) Beatport

Funkagenda - Budgie by toolroomrecords

In other Funkagenda news, the Englishman is giving away one of his tracks, free of charge. As a “thank you” to all his Facebook followers for finally hitting the 50 000 ‘likes’ milestone, he has posted a high quality download link for a new tune of his called “Shinjuku.” The distant and imposing bass coupled with the recurring hints of cymbals gives this song an impressive background layout. In addition, the isolation given to the seamlessly quaint electro sound gives the tune a sizeable amount of character. The infectious riffs in this one will surely have many holding the repeat button. Follow this link and select the tracks tab on his Facebook page to download “Shinjuku.”

Funkagenda – Shinjuku (Original Club Mix)

Shinjuku [Free Giveaway] by Funkagenda

In staying with the subject of free high quality tracks, Spinnin’ Records, home to Wall Recordings (Afrojack), Doorn Records (Sander van Doorn), Tone Diary (Markus Schossow), Streamlined (Leon Bolier) and other popular sub-labels, is giving away some of their classic tracks in exchange for a ‘like’ on Facebook. This is not a one-time deal, as the classics are updated bi-weekly. Follow this link, ‘like’ the page, choose the “Tracks to Like” tab and check back every 2 weeks for new offerings.

This post’s last track is from Sied van Riel. The Dutchman has been spending ample amounts of time cooped-up in his home studio with the sole purpose of finishing up his artist album. “Telephone Junkies,” the upcoming single from said album, is a progressive track that holds influences new to Sied. In comparison to his previous releases, this tune is much softer, deeper and if not for strong big room undertones, could probably be put in a category with tunes from Anjunadeep. It is a calming and soothing track which displays the artists’ limitless musical versatility. It is a song heavy on melody which is sure to please the pickiest of Trance lovers.

Sied van Riel – Telephone Junkies (Original Mix) Released on Beatport on March 15th

Have a great week and be sure to stay tuned to The Hawt for an exclusive interview with Super8 & Tab!

Super8 & Tab Show + Exclusive Interview + Gareth Emery Show = Great Night

2011-03-05T23:37:00.001-08:00

Pardon my tardiness, but our take of Gareth’s Emery 3-hour set at Circus in Montreal has finally arrived.

Because of the exclusive interview we conducted with Finnish superstars Super8 & Tab, we showed up late to the party. Late enough to piss off Ellis, to miss the first 10 minutes of the show and to miss Ashley Wallbridge’s remix of “Arrival.” It seemed like word of Gareth’s mixing prowess had spread like wildfire as the main room was jam-packed with lots more party-goers than his last trip to our fair city. Since the contrast in temperature between the club and the frigid Montreal outdoors was literally like summer and winter, large parts of the crowd had abandoned their clothes. I regret having worn a long-sleeved shirt. In essence, the night was a microcosm of the past 7 or 8 episodes of the Gareth Emery Podcast. Nearly all of the songs the crowd was graced with had previously appeared on his weekly 1-hour installment of new fresh tracks. These tunes included Gareth’s classics, many future releases on Garuda, recent monster hits from the likes of Sander van Doorn, Ummet Ozcan, Wippenberg, Mat Zo and lots from the long awaited Northern Lights Re-Lit album. As soon as I had gotten a Red Bull into my system and made my way to the head of the mass of Montrealers, the acoustical energy sent me into a trance and time passed by so quickly that I almost missed the half-naked girls dancing on the table tops lining the DJ booth. My brain told my legs: “Fuck it, it’s Gareth.” So they went numb and followed the beat until the break of dawn.

Here’s a tracklist, in no particular order, courtesy of Garuda Nation’s Samson:

Gareth Emery - Sanctuary (Paul Thomas & Myke Smith Remix)
Gareth Emery - Full Tilt (Beltek Remix)
Gareth Emery feat. Jerome Isma-ae - Stars (Hardwell Remix)
Nadia Ali, Starkillers & Alex Kenji - Pressure
Gareth Emery - Citadel (Super8 & Tab Remix)
Gareth Emery ft. Roxanne Emery - Too Dark Tonight (John O'Callaghan Remix)
Gareth Emery ft. Mark Frisch - Into The Light (Lange Remix)
Gareth Emery ft. Brute Force - Arrival (Ashley Wallbridge Remix)
Gareth Emery ft. Activa - All Is Now (Jorn van Deynhoven Remix)
Wippenberg – Phoenix (Original Mix)
Yves-V vs. Fred Baker - Start Again
Tritonal ft. Cristina Soto - Lifted (Mat Zo Remix)
Craig Connelly - Absolute Electric
Sander van Doorn ft. Carol Lee - Love Is Darkness
Nadia Ali - Rapture (Gareth Emery Remix)
Solid Globe - North Pole (Giuseppe Ottaviani Remix)
Gareth Emery ft. Lucy Saunders - Fight The Sunrise (Daniel Kandi Remix)
Above & Beyond pres. Oceanlab - Lonely Girl (Gareth Emery Remix)
Lange, Andy Moor, Komytea & Tiesto - Lethal Stadium Four (Gareth Emery Re-Edit)
Above & Beyond & Gareth Emery pres. Oceanlab - On A Good Day (Metropolis)
Gareth Emery vs. Markus Schulz ft. Jennifer Rene - Not The Same Citadel (Armin van Buuren Mashup)
Super8 & Tab - Helektra
Gareth Emery vs. Delerium - This Is Silence (Myon & Shane 54 Mashup)
Pendulum Vs. Rank 1 Vs. Nic Chagall Vs. Wippenberg - The 100 Islands (Triarchy Edit)
Dustin Zahn vs. Mark Simz - Forbidden Stranger (Gareth Emery Edit)
GTR - Mistral
Tiësto vs. Diplo – C’mon
Tritonal & Sibicky – Suzu (Original Mix)
Gareth Emery - Global (Jordan Suckley Remix)
Mark Eteson - Blackboard (Jon O'Bir Remix)
MEM - Invictus (Original Mix)
Gareth Emery vs. Motorcycle - As The Exposure Comes (Gareth Emery Mashup)
Lange pres. LNG - Brandalism (Lange Mix)
Ummet Ozcan – Indigo (Original Mix)

One of the night’s best highlights came when Gareth proceeded to put on a Habs jersey. His name was written on the back and the captain sign was replaced by a subtle D-J.

Here are a few of our favorites from the night:

Ummet Ozcan - Indigo (Original Mix)

Beatport

Tritonal ft. Cristina Soto – Lifted (Mat Zo Remix)

iTunes – Beatport

Tritonal & Sibicky – Suzu (Original Mix)

Sander van Doorn ft. Carol Lee – Love is Darkness

iTunes – Beatport

Sidenote: Sander van Doorn, co-author of Love is Darkness, received the prestigious Silver Harp yesterday. The award is handed out at the yearly Harpengala and is meant as an incentive for emerging Dutch DJs. The prize was handed to him by last year’s winner, Armin van Buuren.

Gareth is a special DJ. I’m guessing it gets incredibly annoying to replay the same songs over and over and over again, yet he somehow manages to keep a smile on his face and dance along with the rest of his followers. I’ve been to a decent amount of shows and I realize that nearly all DJs do the same, but our beloved Englishman adds a little extra. Although I hate to sound cheesy, it’s as if he connects with the music, thus plugging himself into the CDJs, making sure that every carefully selected song gets its due praise. The guy is such a good producer that the number of hits that he is “required” to play (i.e.: “On A Good Day (Metropolis)”) outweighs his set time. Therefore, his of DJing equipment and his knowledge of every rise, fall, drop and build-up of each track that he mixes combine to offer an orgiastic feast for the senses. His productions are aptly qualified as Trance, because that is the exact state you are in when you listen to his tunes. Finally, the adoration he delivers onto the crowd makes his sets such an enjoyable and memorable experience for all. I think I speak for all when I say: “I LOVE YOU GARETH!”

The Super8 & Tab interview is nearly completed and will be posted sometime in the close future. Our technical advisor is hard at work trying to finish the editing process as quickly as possible. Keep posted and have a great week.

I’m still alive, don’t worry.

2011-02-28T16:29:00.001-08:00

After 2 months without any time to write (school and such), I finally have my march break, giving me time to explain a few things, like what’s going to happen with the blog, what we’ve been up to @ Thehawt lately and when is everything going to happen (you’ll see what I mean).

Don’t forget to check our new writer’s post bellow and also, the Gareth Emery post will be posted in a few days, but the main thing you should know is that it was awesome.

The first thing I need to mention is about our interview with Super8 and Tab (yes, we’re that awesome). Wei (some asian guy working “backstage”) is presently working on video editing the interview we filmed (a first here!). I don’t have ETA on that, but it’ll be soon enough. The interview was super cool, even though we had a few problems with timing and organization (that were NOT our fault). Let me explain.

So we got to Imperial Room where Super8 and Tab played around 11:30, which was the time their manager told us to be there at. The DJs weren’t there yet and there was a massive line-up with bouncers that were losing their mind because of idiots pushing and drunk girls thinking they could get in without waiting because they have boobs. We talked to the main bouncer and he told us that their “backstage” was really small and that we need to do the interview somewhere else, so he gave us his car keys so we could do the interview in there (it was the Circus Afterhours car, WHAT UP). Guess what? We missed the DJs arrival, so we didn’t get to do an interview in the Circus car! Damn.

I talked to the bouncer again and he told us that they were already inside the club, so he gave us passes and told another bouncer to make us skip lines.

You know that telephone game that we all used to play when we were kids? You know when everyone was in a circle and one person would whisper to the next guy some word and that same guy would then do the same and so on. Well if the word was Passive Menis, it will “transform” into Massive Penis pretty fast. And it’s even worse when there’s a lot of noise and that the word(s) are “They have an interview to do with the DJs, bring them there”. It will probably change to “words words words words words words” and the guy will say “NOOO YOUUU”.

You guessed right… we got inside “faster” than anyone else (we skipped like 5 lines), but it wasn’t fast enough to catch the DJs before their set. They were already playing. I must say, they were amazing. I loved all of the songs they played and all their transitions were neat. They played the “always played song”, On a Metropolis Day, and I like that. Hah.

After a few eargasms, they were done with their set and were heading outside, so we caught them and asked them to do the interview. They looked like they REALLY didn’t want to do it, but they finally told us that we could do the interview in their hotel (Saint-Martin). We told them we would get there when we would get our jackets, but since the club was REALLY unorganized, our friends that were getting our jackets told us that it would take wayyy too long, since girls (fucking idiots.) with boobies were cutting in the fucking line. We decided to take a cab and freeze our balls (it was freezing outside). Blah Blah Blah we got to the Hotel and did the interview. They are super cool guys and they talked a good amount.

After the 15-20 minute interview, we then started debating on the legality of sharing music and how it ruins the scene. We were already thinking about going 90% legal (lol), but they certainly convinced us to make the move now.

A few reasons why I decided to stop sharing music that I don’t own and some explanation will follow after the tracks that were played by Super8 and Tab!My favourite song of the night was Sun 2011 (4 Strings Remix), by Slusnik Luna. An amazing build up and an amazing drop makes this song… amazing.

Slusnik Luna – Sun 2011 (4 Strings Remix) -- iTunes – Beatport

The first song Super8 and Tab played (I think), was a remix they did of the song Citadel from Gareth Emery, that will be in his upcoming album “Northen Lights – Re-lit”. I can’t wait for it to be out. Great song, too bad it’s a short preview (almost 3 minutes).

Gareth Emery – Citadel (Super8 and Tab Remix) – Out on March 18th

The song that is always played… On a Metropolis Day. Still awesome.

Above & Beyond & Gareth Emery - On a Good Day (Metropolis) – iTunes - Beatport

Explanation of “what the hell” is happening with the blog:

1- When I first created my blog, I wanted to talk about music I liked, music I wanted to promote, shows, random stuff, etc. etc. It doesn’t make sense to promote artists and then steal their music and give it to everyone. I know sharing is caring, but honestly, fuck that.

2- I receive a few emails a week from underground (or not that underground sometimes) producers about their new records and such. I have the right to share their music (download links), and I will. By going legal, I personally think I will get more emails, since I’ll really be promoting artists instead of simply doing piracy.

3- We will still post songs. That doesn’t mean download links to them, that means Youtube or Soundcloud links for example. I PLAN ON BUYING STORAGE SPACE to be able to put STREAMS to songs VERY SOON. That means you will be able to hear the FULL LENGTH high quality track before going on iTunes or Beatport to buy it (We will give links to these as well). Or if you’re a douche, you can just google it and download it, but I hope you die in hell… or you know… somewhere less fun that paradise, because it has angels (girls with boobs) and angels are hot.

4- We talked to a lot of Record Labels and they all said that we could get a lot more interviews if we stopped sharing music in an illegal way. That means a lot of “real content”, like interviews and exclusive news, etc.

5- We’re starting to get more and more Press Passes and free tickets, meaning we’ll be able to cover more events.

6- We don’t plan on removing a lot of the tracks we already posted, because it would take a lot of time to switch all of them to streams, but we will quickly remove ANY SONG that gets a request for removal.

7- While posting tracks are illegal, Podcasts and Live Sets are not. We will be posting more of that.

8- All of this is happening now.

If I forgot something I’ll just add it later.

I hope most of you guys will still be reading our blog and will keep posting comments. I also hope that you guys understand why this is happening; we were at a point where we had to change, because if we didn’t, labels would just stop talking to us and stop giving us interviews and such. Also, our traffic significantly increased in the past months and our “little community” that was downloading has now grown enough to make us “pirates” instead of “people sharing songs we like”. A few songs have over 8000 downloads, and that’s just plain bad. My mediafire account alone has almost 30 000 downloads at the moment, and I don’t post that often.

I must apologize to every artist that’s losing money because of us, and we will make up for it in the upcoming months with more promotion and such. If you think we’re meanies and want us to promote you, just send me an email at thehawt@hotmail.com .

To the people that send me their stuff lately (from november up to now):

It WILL get posted after I sort all of this out. That means that it will be in my next post. Sorry for the delay… Again.

First post on the Team!

2011-02-28T08:14:00.001-08:00

skXch here, saying hey to everyone and a big thanks to the Hawt for making me the newest member of the blog team!

As for quick about me, I'm a 19 year old college student from New Orleans, LA. I am a dj and aspiring producer. I'm big into the electro-house, dubstep, dance scene down here and this will be mainly what my posts consist of.

I'll start it off with a song that I absolutely CAN NOT get out of my head. Bare Noize has recently blown my mind! They have been putting out some of the filthiest, yet surprisingly melodic songs that I've heard in a while

Here's "Wonderman"- listen to the whole thing, you'll be glad you did!

Torqux and Twist are another sick dubstep duo I've heard recently.

This one is called "Master Debater."

Ah... the good ol' times- I remember in fourth grade where my teacher caught this kid in the corner......

Pretty sure these guys are playing at ULTRA along with Bare Noize, and EVERYONE else in the EDM genre. By the way guys, Ultra 2011 tickets are officially SOLD OUT. It's going to be a wild ride!!!

Also, for maximum excitement, play this song in your car with the subwoofer booming.

It reminds me of some trip hop like Opiou's Robo booty. hahah

GLITCH HOP! The funkiest dubstep I've ever heard. Wazzapnin!

So I just heard this song today! It's a Frost Raven remix of Builder's Panda style!

Lets just say, when I first heard it, my face looked a little something like this...

Enjoy :)

Panda, signing out..

Québécois Guidos are Called Douchebags

2011-02-24T21:37:00.001-08:00

If you listen to Trance music, being picky about which Montreal clubs you like is a given. Circus Afterhours and Stereo are at the top of the pyramid since they welcome nothing but the best on a regular basis. The next tier consists of Red Lite, La Mouche, 1234 (despite all the children) and Muzique (despite the Avicii incident) who also sometimes host big DJs. The final group is awful. These clubs are the places where you’ll most likely be hearing David Guetta and Pitbull collaborations for the next 10 years. La Folie, the club I went to last Friday, February 18th, is beneath all of these. Apart from the absolutely gorgeous coat-check girl, this place is Montreal’s douchebag central. Allow me to explain: for starters, it’s in St-Leonard. This establishment is one of a kind; it houses Montreal’s Jersey Shore community, lots of 40 year-olds in the middle of their mid-life crises and probably the worst interior layout I’ve ever seen. There is a VIP section right in front of the DJ booth with an enormous bodyguard preventing anyone from entering and incidentally, from being able to see what the DJ is doing. Instead, you’re looking straight at a large group of aunts and uncles who are trying to relive the glory days by trading their Centrum Silver and Rogaine for Ed Hardy clothes. The venue neighbors what looks to be an abandoned mattress store and a Zellers, which is probably a better place to have a party. You must be asking yourself, what was I doing in such a sickening place on a Friday night?

Dash Berlin, author of hits such as “Waiting” and “Till The Sky Falls Down,” played a 3-hour set. The reason I had to put down La Folie so much is to show how good Dash Berlin is live. Even with all these nauseating factors in play, I had a terrific night. He started the evening with a sure fire way to get the crowd going, playing his newest hit, “Disarm Yourself".” He played track after track of lyrical Trance, making sure to include his 2 other 2011 releases; his remix of First State’s “Reverie” and of Filo & Peri’s “This Night".” He continued to mix in dance floor hits like Diplo and Tiesto’s “Cmon”, Alexander Popov’s remix of Cosmic Gate’s “Raging” and Gareth Emery’s “Sanctuary.” Needles to say, the man is a master of vocal Trance. One of the highlights of the night was when he displayed his musical versatility by playing an Electro/Dubstep mix of “We are Your Friends".” He ended the night with his classic “Waiting” and the crowd erupted with screams of bliss. Here are his 3 newest tracks along with a video I shot of his remix of “This Night.” Apologies for not being smart enough to turn my iPhone sideways. Am I the only one who thinks he looks like Rick Nash?

First State ft. Sarah Howells – Reverie (Dash Berlin Remix)

Filo & Peri ft. Audrey Gallagher – This Night (Dash Berlin Remix)

Dash Berlin ft. Emma Hewitt – Disarm Yourself (Club Mix)

Ok, so I know everyone trashed Deamau5’s new album, but the guy still used to be a very good producer. As Ellis was telling me a couple of days ago, it's hard to forget about track like "Strobe." Play Records has come out with a new compilation called Dirt Hott Vol.2, which features 2 of his older tracks. I knew about “Dr. Funkenstein”, but I had never heard “Vanishing Point” until just today. The track was originally released 3 years ago and includes a lot of the old Deadmau5 style we all knew and loved. Past tense is a bitch.

Deadmau5 – Vanishing Point (Original Mix)

This next track is an original kind of Dubstep. Since all the genre’s music has sounded the same for the past little while, I’ve tried to find others that are attempting to take it in a another direction. Gemini is an artist who is doing just that, leaning away from the generic filth that we keep hearing. It’s not chill Dubstep, I call this clean.

Hadouken! – Oxygen (Gemini Remix)

Porter Robinson temporarily fell off my radar after his smash-hit “Say My Name.” His amazing remix of “Seek Bromance” went by unnoticed and I hadn’t heard his name in months before his newest piece of work. He seems to have such an intricate grasp of Electro and the patented Dubstep wobble which he melds together beautifully with every release. Here is the aforementioned remix and “The Wildcat.”

Porter Robinson – The Wildcat (Original Mix)

Tim Berg – Seek Bromance (Porter Robinson Remix)

This next track is featured on Gareth Emery’s most recent podcast. I was never a big Fedde Le Grand fan, but this tune has made me take notice of the Dutchman. This guy is good. I’m not so sure about his buddy though. In my opinion, Patric La Funk is a ridiculous DJ name.

Fedde Le Grand & Patric La Funk – Autosave (Original Mix)

I already have a regret in 2011. I did not go see Sied van Riel when he was in Montreal. I was listening to some of his older stuff today and I could only come to a single conclusion: this guy is amazing. Right now, he is one of my favorite producers. His first release of 2011 hit #1 on Beatport’s Trance chart and his most recent track, a collaboration with Nicole McKenna, is an absolute masterpiece. He warmed up for Cosmic Gate at my first ever Trance show and I clearly remember thinking, during the first half of the German duo’s set, that he was far better than them. It’s unpractical that I write for this blog, because words cannot describe how much I adore these songs, ESPECIALLY “Stealing Time.” There is only one item on my 2011 to-do list: see Sied van Riel live.

Sied van Riel – Mentalism (Original Mix)

Sied van Riel ft. Nicole McKenna – Stealing Time (Original Mix) (very fawking hawt)

Finally, Anjunadeep 03 came out on Monday and the compilation is a formidable one. Although it is much more progressive than regular Anjunabeats releases (hence the “deep”), the tracks are to die for. Check it out here and buy it if you please.

Fuck Treble

2011-02-17T15:29:00.001-08:00

Aight so last Saturday my buddy convinced me to go to see Mt. Eden with him at Theatre Telus and its a good thing I didn’t refuse. First off, opening was sick with Elo!i & Heights followed by Vilify (who’s pretty much at every big dubstep event in Montreal). Mt. Eden turned out to be completely different than I expected, from what I knew of them, they played cool-relaxed dubstep, but they were pumping some sick Chase and Status and some Bare Noize all night, it was crazy. Some good moshing every now in then is good for your system. One thing though is that one of Mt Eden’s members was obsessed with giving the crowd the finger and putting his Jagermeister in the air…

Mt. Eden – Sierra Leone

Chase and Status – Blind Faith (feat. Liam Bailey) They played a sick remix I couldn’t find but I still love the original

Miss Jane – It’s a Fine Day (Levitating Elephants Dubstep Remix) The trance version is sick but when I heard this mix I dropped dead.

Also a lot of tracks I couldn’t find such as a sick remix of Bowie’s “Space Oddity”, a new Starry Eyed Remix (yeah another one) and a remix of Basement Jaxx’s “Where’s Your Head At” that I’ll try and find in a near future.

Aight, now on to some more tunes I’ve been blasting recently (however my beloved earphones broke so I’m currently eBaying the shit out of a few pairs, to no avail so far).

Chase and Status- Fool Yourself (feat. Plan B & Rage)

Muse – Resistance (Spor Remix)

Now for a bit of trance, heard the Stoneface track on TATW I think and the 4 Strings remix has just been played non-stop by pretty much everyone.

Stoneface & Terminal – Here to Stay

~~Slusnik Luna – Sun (4 Strings Remix)~~ (Link Removed)

Aight so closing note, Avicii is bringing his badass self to Bal en Blanc and it seems pretty much all set now, unless they got one more surprise for us.

100 Posts Woot-Woot!

2011-02-15T14:34:00.001-08:00

Aight so today’s post is a very special one: Not only are we writing while playing Xbox with some Cheetos & rum at 3 am, it’s also the 100th post on the HAWT (EDIT: we started writing this then, and then got too into owning Justin). So we decided it was a good time to look back on some classic tunes, all of the following are reposts.

Starry Eyed Surprise (Jakwob Remix) – Ellie Goulding Still one of my favourites after all this time

Pro Nails (Rusko Remix) – Kid Sister Pretty much a song that got many of us started on dubstep.

Exposure – Gareth Emery This song is so good, it made Justin love trance, even Will admitted it “isn’t bad”. That’s Right!

A Juicy Intro (Ha-Yes! Mashup) – Notorious B.I.G. vs. The XX Already with the epic sound of Intro, Biggie’s lyrics just made it the shit.

One – Swedish House Mafia I mean, come on…

Pacha On Acid – Afrojack Started to hear this song everywhere after it was posted. I think the Hawt deserves all the credit really…

Pon de Floor (Diplo Rap Remix) – Diplo

Love – Borogre A track with lyrics we can all enjoy and chant out loud

Dynamik – Michael Woods

Ferry Corsten Set at Bal en Blanc. Possibly one of the best sets any of us has heard. Period.

Aight so we’ve had a lot of good times, you know laughing at Justin and all, but it pretty much pales in comparison to Fred “fight” with Ultra Records which basically ended with this. GTFO!

Oh and like no post is complete without a picture, here’s a classic:

I Can’t Think of a Title so Imagine a Cool One and Credit Me With It

2011-02-04T14:31:00.001-08:00

In the spirit of being cool, I’ve decided to start off the post the way Gareth started his podcast a few weeks back with a crushing track by Dada Life.

White Noise Red Meat – Dada Life

I Will be the Same (feat. Emma Hewitt ) – Gareth Emery

Snapping Alligator Turtle is without a doubt the badass animal of the day, i mean, look at him, it’s like if the Hulk, Batman and a tank fused into one being then got turned into an animal.

Next remix is from John O’Callaghan and, for what he lacks in hair, he makes up for in skill. Check out the original to, it’s massive.

Melt to the Ocean (John O’Callaghan Remix) – Cosmic Gate How fucking wonderful it is to see a big ball of fire… melt to the ocean

Gotta love all these Cosmic Gate remixes being released with their Back 2 the Future album release. Speaking of Cosmic Gate, they recently announced their presence at Bal en Blanc in April. I could hardly be more excited for this event (except if Afrojack and/or Ferry got announced obviously). We are currently looking at Above & Beyond, Tiësto, Ben Gold, Cosmic Gate.. oh and did I forget Markus Schulz? That’s right! Markus Schulz! Missing a couple of people in the Main room (house room), my bet is on Deadmau5 being booked.

Alright so next main event is lining up to be Paul van Dyk in a couple of weeks. However, I understand that he isn’t super well known to most of you so I’ll try to post a couple of his songs in the near future. For now, this is something i found on the Armada list that kept me from listening in class today.

10 in 01 (Paul van Dyk Club Mix) – Members of Mayday

Few remixes including a really chill one of a trance classic by Mt. Eden, only reason that i found it is because of some hater on YouTube that referenced it as being shit… Thank you closed minded trance fans that say that trance isn’t good anymore and nothing is good nowadays anyways! But let us not get carried away, there’s also a great Schossow remix and a Oliver Smith remix that eclipses the original (that’s right, the original was NOT that good).

Zara (Oliver Smith Remix) - Arty

The Greater Good (Marcus Schossow Remix) – Judge Jules

Saltwater (Mt. Eden Remix) – Chicane

One last thing, although we hate the place with a passion (see Justin’s past epic rant) we are going to try and go see Ingrosso on February 6th at Muzique as a Superbowl afterparty if anyone is interested. Also we wouldn’t want to miss Muzique getting “fucked in the pussy”…

Bal en Blanc Exclusive: Ben Gold

2011-01-31T20:22:00.001-08:00

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 24^th 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

2011-01-30T15:48:00.001-08:00

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

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

2011-01-21T20:16:00.001-08:00

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.

~~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.

Deadspin is my homeboy.

Montreal Gigs 2011 (Updated)

2011-01-13T18:37:00.001-08:00

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

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

2011-01-12T22:36:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-07T12:52:00.001-08:00

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!

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)

I Can’t Get No Sleep

2011-01-04T00:03:00.001-08:00

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

(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).

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.

End of the Year Wrap-Up

2010-12-27T10:08:00.001-08:00

This year was a great year for many artists and for the blog as well. The team decided to do a top10 of our favourite music in 2010. Here is a few things on 2010 from a few writers that had time to write.

Cosmic Gate @ Redlite (picture by Fred)

Fred’s thoughts on 2010

For me, 2010 was a great year (besides, of course, my lack of posts since uni started this September).

Thoughts on the Blog itself:

I have to say that even if I’m not posting, I’m still working on the website pretty often. I receive quite a few emails about new artists (that I will post about in a few weeks) and I need to make sure everything on the website runs great. I fix the coding of the webpage from time to time to optimize it and make sure there aren’t any bugs that slow down the loadtime or anything. Also, as some of you may have seen, I’ve removed the ads, centered the layout and added the “Recent Comments” widget to the website not too long ago. I’m planning to make the website independent (no blogspot anymore!) and to do a brand new template for the website, you know, Maddecent style. This will allow me to put DIRECT LINKS TO TRACKS, to make PREVIEWING OF TRACKS POSSIBLE, to have a unique layout, to get a NEW LOGO (and/or make this one better) and many more things. We are also planning on making t-shirts at one point. Of course this won’t happen instantly, but it’s the plan for next year.

General thoughts on music:

I really think this year was a great year for music. I personally discovered A LOT of new music and artists and I discovered new styles. I got to go to some awesome shows with members of the team and got to listen to a lot of new genres.

I need to say though that some electronic music is getting fucking boring and repetitive. I didn’t find a lot of new “good” dutch lately (although, I must admit there was a lot early this summer), I didn’t find that much dubstep (I used to find a lot of new things, but now, even Rusko went mainstream), etc.

I must congratulate trance for always coming out with new stuff and I must slap Deadmau5 for releasing a HORRIBLE album this month. Comon man… try harder… and fucking murder Sofi please. Oh, and stop playing Minecraft.

Who I want to give a High Five to (I’m sure I missed someone):

Classixx, Ferry Corsten, Armin Van Buuren, Tiësto, Markus Schulz, Rusko, Noisia, Afrojack, Laidback Luke, Calvin Harris, Diplo, Major Lazer, Datsik and Excision, Doctor P, Sidney Samson, Jochen Miller, GARETH EMERY, Yuri Kane, Chris Lake, Kabz and SOLO (for bringing us flithy bass), Chuckie, W&W, Pendulum, Above and Beyond, Cosmic Gate, Skrillex, A-Trak, Armen Van Helden, Congorock, Dada Life, Michael Woods, Marcel Woods, Wolfgang Gartner, Avicii, Ben Gold, Pryda, Steve Angello, Flux Pavilion, Swedish House Mafia, Adam K, Classixx, Jakwob, Bassnectar.

Who I want to slap pretty hard in the face (I’m sure I missed someone too):

CROOKERS (fuck man that album was bad), Deadmau5 (wtf), Rusko (eh!), David Guetta (you don’t deserve your fucking spot), DJ MAG, Skrillex, Sofi.

ONE more thing before my top10:

One (swedish house mafia) is a great track, but could people stop overfuckingabusingitintheasssofuckinghard that much? That is all. (Same thing happened with Day N’ Nite and We No Speak Americano)

Note: The top10 is not meant to bring new music or to give download links to everything, it is there to share the music we liked the most this year and that we really enjoyed. The top10 can include an album or an artist instead of a track name.

Fred’s TOP10 OF THE YEAR

1- Mason - You Are Not Alone (I simply love this track)

2- Ferry Corsten and his Once Upon a Night Vol. 1 (Greaaat trance, I listened to it A LOT this year)

3- Gareth Emery (For releasing an great album and great tracks)

4- Arno Cost – Cyan (This song is super original, I love it)

5- Tim Berg – Bromance (Avicii’s Arena Remix) (Obviously, this is a killer)

6- Doctor P, Flux Pavillion and Datsik & Excision (For bringing NEW dubstep to the scene)

7- Classixx - I'll Get You feat. Jeppe (Royal Rumble Edit) (Great oldschool track, my favourite of this year)

8- Afrojack – Pacha On Acid (It brought some epic moments to shows this summer)

9- Jochen Miller - Brace Yourself (Extended Mix) (This is an AMAZING track)

10- Doctor P – Big Boss (Wow that shit is harrrd, really love it)

Before my part is over, I wanted to say thanks to the team here @thehawt for everything they did this year and I wanted to wish everyone a happy new year with a lot of new music! Thanks for your support and your comments, we really enjoy getting feedback! I hope 2011 will be a great year for the blog like this year was. Cheers!

Justin’s TOP10s

Justin's top 10

1. Electric Zoo 2010

2. Swedish House Mafia (Everything)

3. Tim Berg - Bromance (Avicii's Arena Mix)

4. Pendulum - The Island Pt.1 (Dawn)

5. Favorite albums: Northern Lights, Mirage, Do You Dream?

6. Arty

7. Michael Woods - Dynamik (Original Mix)

8. TATW

9. Garuda

10. Adrian Lux - Teenage Crime (Axwell & Henrik B Remode)

Justin's not top 10

1. Club Muzique (FUCK YOU)

2. Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (The album)

3. DJMag

4. Michael Cassette guest mix on TATW

5. Hotfile (Makes us wait 30 minutes before another download)

6. "- I like electronic dance music.

- Who do you listen do? - David Guetta." (STFU)

7. Paul van Dyk (Canceled on Electric Zoo last minute and, to my knowledge, only produced 1 track)

8. 4x4=12

9. Kyau & Albert's crowd at 1234

10. The douchebag who threw the beachball onto Tony's face at Electric Zoo

Ellis’s TOP10s

House

1. One – Swedish House Mafia

2. Bromance (Avicii’s Arena Mix) – Tim Berg

3. Teenage Crime (Axwell & Henrick B Remode) – Adrian Lux

4. Hide and Seek (Afrojack Remix)- Imogen Heap

5. You Are Not Alone - Mason

6. Pacha On Acid - Afrojack

7. Miami 2 Ibiza – Swedish House Mafia

8. Hello (Michael Woods Remix) – Martin Solveig & Dragonette

9. Stranger to Stability (Len Faki Podium Mix) – Dustin Zahn

Trance

1. On a Metropolis Day – Gareth Emery vs. OceanLab

2. Empire – Super8 & Tab

3. 100 – Wippenberg vs. Rank 1 vs. Nic Chagall

4. Harmonic Motion Lange

5. Don’t Give a Fuck – Stoneface & Terminal

6. The Great Escape – Rank 1 vs. Jochen Miller

7. Anphonic - Above & Beyond vs. Kyau & Albert

8. The Emrgency (Marcus Schossow Remix) – BT & Andrew Bayer

9. Forza – MEM

10. Intro (Sander Van Doorn Booty Mix) – The XX

Dubstep

1. Sweet Shop – Doctor P

2. Where is My Mind (Basenectar Remix) – The Pixies

3. Come Ere and Say That - Ruskooooooooooo

4. Sick Tonight (Doctor P Remix) – Scorbius Pip vs. Dans le Sac

5.Got 2 Know – Flux Pavilion

Drum and Bass

1. The Island (Part I) - Pendulum

2. Sweet Shop (Krooked & Camo Remix) – Doctor P

Live Sets

1. Above & Beyond (Electric Zoo)

2. Gareth Emery (Black and Blue – Circus - Electric Zoo respectively)

3. Ferry Corsten (Bal en Blanc)

4. Cosmic Gate (Electric Zoo – Divers Cités)

5.Paul van Dyk (Resolution)

Honorable Mention : Marcus Schossow (On January 2^nd so not officially 2010)

Top 5 Djs to Hopefully see in 2011

1. Jochen Miller

2. Marcel Woods

3. Paul van Dyk

4. Afrojack

5. Ben Gold

Slaps in the face

1. Muzique

2. Red-Lite / Laval Douchebags

3. David Guetta

4. Playground Productions

Message from the team

Thank you for reading our blog and happy new year! Hope to see you all in 2011! Cheers!

Never Judge a Book by its Cover

2010-12-24T22:57:00.001-08:00

Every time I think that I’m completely up to date with the current happenings of the electronic music world, a new artist re-ignites my flair for new tunes. Thomas Gold is the one to blame on this occasion. I honestly do not know how this DJ was able to escape my field of vision, as he has been an important contributor to the house scene for some time now. I first heard about him through “AGORa”, one of the tracks featured on Size Matters, a compilation of dancefloor hits mixed by Steve Angello and his younger brother, AN21. I don’t like the song, so his name swiftly flew out the other ear and I did not hear it again until his remix of Moguai’s “We Want Your Soul” recently became one of Beatport’s featured tunes. I had to give it a listen: Size Records only releases the best. As I’m sure you’ve guessed, the track was deemed to be Hawt-worthy. The moral of the story is: never judge an artist by the first track you hear, improvement is implied. Of course there are some exceptions (Deadmau5’s math sucks as bad as the new album). Here is the aforementioned remix as well as an older track riddled with percussions straight from a marching band. It goes great with the title (Marsch is German for March).

Moguai – We Want Your Soul (Thomas Gold Remix)

Thomas Gold – Marsch Marsch (Original Club Mix)

“Nitro” and “Midnight Run” took a backseat to Michael Woods’ previous hit release “Dynamik”. However, the Englishman is a testament to improvement, as the once mau5trap benchwarmer seems to be one of its current frontrunners. His latest track dubbed “No Access”, ironically not released on mau5trap, is a feast for the ears as Woods continues to blur the lines between house and progressive.

Michael Woods – No Access (Original Mix)

As a personal resolution including the blog, I pledge to post more dubstep in 2011. For now, you’ll have to settle for this one lonely track. Truthfully, I think it makes up for the lack of wobble on The Hawt. Doctor P seems to be one of the genre’s innovators, continuously attempting to further it. Listen for the electro-like build-up before the drop.

Blame ft. Camilla Marie – Star (Doctor P No Rap Remix)

Not much to say about this track. The title reads like the sounds my cat makes when I give him a bath. I found this track the same way I did the Thomas Gold remix. I’ve also never heard of the artist. Great first impression though.

EDX – Szeplo (Original Mix)

This track is currently one of my favourites. It just knocked Gareth Emery’s “Arrival” off my iPod’s top 25 most played songs. The tune comes from Anjunadeep golden boy Michael Cassette’s debut artist album, “Temporarity”. I fell in love with it the second I heard it on TATW and hopefully, you will too.

Michael Cassette – Memories (90’s Piano Mix)

This final track is my favourite remix of Aruna & Mark Eteson’s “Let Go”. Like “Memories”, the song was also featured on TATW, receiving heavy support from Above & Beyond. Although the Nic Chagall remix seems to be the most popular, I prefer the more melodic take delivered by Who.Is.

Aruna with Mark Eteson – Let Go (Who.Is Remix)

Just to let you guys know, I finished a runner-up in Above & Beyond’s TATW 350 competition, winning a t-shirt in the process. Speaking of the trio, their prestigious label is turning 10 in the new year. To celebrate the milestone, a special album called “10 Years of Anjunabeats” will be released on January 17th. If you haven’t already, check out its promotional video here.

As promised, the Chris Lake interview is on its way and should be in any day now. We have also contacted Ben Gold’s manager who has kindly granted us a short interview with his client. Be sure to continue checking The Hawt for our picks for the songs of the year, as well as a full calendar for the first few months of Montreal’s 2011 gigs.

Finally, The Hawt would like to wish all of its readers a very happy holiday season.

If only my Christian upbringing would allow me to give gifts like these…

Trance, Dubstep & other mau5's

2010-12-17T16:33:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody. We are Circuit 12 and we will be new writers for The Hawt. We really hope to be able to bring you, the readers, the best music out there and to keep you up to date with Electronic Music.

Both of us will be blogging independently as well as collaboratively. This is me, Rob, one half of Circuit 12 and the 2nd half, Jon, will also be blogging.

We hope to stay quite active in our writing and we will always be able to answer any form of question you may have. You can email us at circuit12@overtonerecordings.com

To kick things off, I would love to discuss TATW 350, the milestone episode of Trance Around The World. Just in case you are not familiar with this podcast, it is a 2 hour show hosted by Above & Beyond that you can download free on iTunes. It also is broadcast live on DI.FM every Friday at 2PM EST.

So this past Friday, the 10th, Above & Beyond celebrated their 350th edition of the show. An amazing achievement. I hear the party lived up to the achievement. From what I hear, the party (held at the L.A. Palladium) was beyond electric, with a godly line-up that included the likes of Super8 & Tab, Boom Jinx, Jaytech, Cosmic Gate as well as A&B themselves. The show started off with Boom Jinx, who true to his style, delivered an awesome progressive set which warmed up the crowd substantially. It was then Jaytech's turn who did exactly what Jaytech does, and it was brilliant.

Then, it was time for Cosmic Gate. Like the gods that they are, they delivered one of the best sets of their career, and had the LA Palladium bowing down to them, and loving the tunes. And as soon as the crowd was at its climax, Above & Beyond stepped on stage to the sound of Aruna and Mark Eteson. It was magical. They killed it, track after track.

To finish off the night, Super8 & Tab played a great set which added the cherry on top of the cake.

I went to go check the tracklists and was happily surprised to see the genre of songs all artists played. I was hoping A&B would not celebrate their 350th episode with a masquerade of dream trance, and they did not. Above & Beyond played a very deep melodic set compared to what they usually play. The highlight of the set, in my opinion, was Jerome Isma-ae & Daniel Portman's remix of Reflect by Maor Levi (Youtube link below). For fans of deep house, you will surely adore this tune.

Maor Levi - Reflect (Jerome Isma-Ae & Daniel Portman Remix)

Not only was the party incredible, but the guys at TATW did such a good job at getting faraway fans involved. There was a special TATW site where you could see where in the world people were listening. They even managed to reach the #1 Trending Topic on Twitter that day, an amazing achievement.

I think they deserve all the buzz they get, because they are amazing producers as well as amazing DJ's, and they are definitely some of my favorites in Trance.

Also, the 351st episode of TATW was broadcast today with a guest-mix from Armin van Buuren. It was an awesome follow-up to 350 and it was awesome to be able to experience a little ASOTATW, if you know what I mean ;)

On to other things.

I was listening to Episode 113 of the Gareth Emery Podcast, and came across a masterful dubstep/electro song. It is signed to deadmau5's label mau5trap, and is a collaboration between filthy-electro expert Feed Me and LA based Kill The Noise. I really, really liked this tune, and I thought I would share it with you. I unfortunately could not find a DL link, but I will link you to Youtube.

Feed Me & Kill The Noise - Muscle Rollers

And in other dubstep news, Skrillex is going on a "mini-tour" with Nero, the dubstep king. If ever this show comes to Montreal, it is something you should not miss. If you like dubstep that is.

The new deadmau5 album was released not that long ago, and I have listened to it fully. I must admit I was not totally impressed by most of the songs, but there are still a few brilliant ones (Raise Your Weapon, Some Chords, Cthulu Sleeps). I really think deadmau5 has fallen a little behind in producing since his Strobe/Arguru/Brazil days. He seems to have very similar repetitive songs being released one after the other, and I am just not satisfied. And I also must admit that it is really the vocals in Raise Your Weapon that give it such power. I mean the dubstep part is good, but the power of the song is from the vocals, which are brilliant. The new deadmau5 album is what i was expecting, but now what I was hoping.

Blake Jarell is in town tonight, at Circus Afterhours. He is performing a 5-hour set. I must say I do not know much about Blake Jarell, but I definitely know he is a skilled producer who will surely play a good set.

I have been talking to producer Matt Lange for a little while now, and hopefully I will be able to interview in the coming weeks, make sure to stay tuned for that.

To end this off, here are a few good Trance songs I have been hearing over the last little while. One of them is a great remix by Cressida of Jericho. The other one is a brilliant remix of Pocket Damage by Ferry Corsten. It's Rafael Frost on the remix, so you know it will be good.

Alan Morris - Jericho (Cressida Remix)
Ferry Corsten pres. Eon - Pocket Damage (Rafael Frost Remix)

Thanks for reading The Hawt.

Circuit 12 (Rob)

Way to Take One for the Team

2010-12-10T22:42:00.001-08:00

School’s out for a month. So here’s my chance to publicly apologize to Ellis for his beastly undertaking of the blog for the last 3 weeks or so with a few posts of my own. While the rest of the guys are currently still incapacitated by the demands of finals, allow me to lay down my thoughts on some interesting happenings around our city, as well as some awesome tracks.

A while back, I talked to you guys about a Swedish House Mafia documentary called “Take One”. I just finished watching the movie and it has got me so pumped for dancing, drinking and flat-out house peppered with some dominating basslines. The film is just awesome. I may be speaking with some heavy bias, but it basically tells the story of Axwell, Ingrosso and Angello from the Winter Music Festival in 2009 to the one in 2010 and their ascension to the throne of house supremacy. What’s not to love? It gives the audience a more personal look at the three, and clearly shows that Axwell is the most successful, Ingrosso is a lot more talented than you would think and Steve Angello is a badass. And a f***ing asshole. He owns a Ferrari, Range Rovers, Audis, Porsches (yes, those are all plural) and most likely lots of other gadgets and he did not choose to show in the flick. He uses the Swedish language barrier to talk behind people’s backs, insulting them constantly. Although this is somewhat entertaining, it gives him the flair of a closet douchebag.

Speaking of Steve Angello, as Ellis mentioned in one of his previous posts, the Swede was in Montreal on November 19th. Idiot that I am, I had not bought my fellow writer a ticket to the show, like he so often does for me, and this caused some confusion. To make a long story short, scalpers were scarce and consequently, so was Ellis, who headed to 1234 to see Ashley Wallbridge. Pretty good trade-off, wouldn't you say? In fact, there were 4 elite DJs in Montreal on that night: Angello, Wallbridge, Sean Tyas and tech master Richie Hawtin.

The Telus Theater was, needless to say, filled to the brim with hungry, party-starved Montrealers looking to let loose. And they didn’t waste any time. Within the first minutes of screams and fist-pumps, a few girls had already climbed onto their friends shoulders and taken their shirts off. This fleshy gesture was ignored by most, as all eyes were locked on Angello as he proceeded to mix “One” with “Destination Unknown” and “We Are Your Friends” with his newest track, “Rave N’ Roll”. The show hit a climax when he unleashed a mix of “Bromance” and “Dynamik”. That’s when I lost it. If you’ve ever been to a live show, I’m sure you’ve experienced the following: you’re jumping up and down in a sea of strangers and your ears realize that what they hear is perfect. That solitary bead of sweat runs down your face, you close your eyes, a chill travels through your entire body, you become unaware of your fellow partisans stepping on your footwear, your extremities tremble uncontrollably, your arms shoot into the air, the room slows down and the only thing audible is the sound of the DJ. You don’t hear the music, you experience, feel it. Angello followed with the songs you expect to hear at his shows, such as “KNAS”, “Leave the World Behind”, “Tivoli”, etc. The show was great, more than worth the 30$. Here’s his latest along with my favorite from the night and an older one that I can guarantee was the motivation behind Afrojack’s “Pacha on Acid”.

Steve Angello – Rave 'n’ Roll (Original Mix)

Tim Berg & Michael Woods – Bromance Dynamik (Axwell Mashup)

Steve Angello – Teasing Mr Charlie (Original Mix)

The night did not end there. I met up with Ellis and we headed over to Circus Afterhours to see Sean Tyas. I had not heard much from him other than his “Sanctuary” remix. I was expecting some calm, melodic trance and was surprised when he started. He pumped out track after track of powerful, rugged bass coupled with enchanting melodies. Saying it was the most energetic trance I've ever experienced is an understatement. The harmony of high BPMs, loud bass, and swift melody made for an excellent close to an excellent night. Here’s a remix of a Tiësto classic that was a highlight of his set.

Tiësto – Suburban Train (Sean Tyas Dirty Mix)

Time for an anecdote. Anyone listen to Trance Around the World? Above & Beyond are podcast masters and the 350th edition of their prestigious radio show took place at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California. The trio ran a contest for the special occasion in which participants had to share their interesting ways of listening to the show. I entered the competition, saying I would attach a souped up megaphone to the roof of my car and drive around downtown while blaring the music for all to hear. I was chosen as one of the finalists. Problem is, at the time of this post, I was sitting at home listening to the podcast while writing. Yup, I lied to Above & Beyond. The winner receives some professional audio gear and and gets to meet the DJs. I wonder what I’ll say if I win… The set list for their Palladium show was Boom Jinx, Jaytech, Cosmic Gate, Above & Beyond and Super8 & Tab; if you haven’t yet, this is as good a time as ever to subscribe to the podcast.

Lets end with some more tracks. This first song is by a duo I have never heard of, which boggles my mind since this tune is so good.

Matisse & Sadko – Hi Scandinavia! (Original Mix)

Next, here are 2 more mashups from Armin. The first one was shown to me by Ellis and only furthers proof of his great taste in music. You might recognize both songs from the second tune. “The Great Escape” was featured in a Gareth Emery mashup that was previously posted on the blog and “Right Back” is the second track in Ferry Corsten’s Bal en Blanc set that Fred posted a while back.

Armin van Buuren vs. Jochen Miller – In & Out of Connection (Armin van Buuren Mashup)

Rank 1 & Jochen Miller vs. Yuri Kane – The Right Escape (Armin van Buuren Mashup)

Afrojack has been sustaining Wall Recordings on his own. The Dutch house prodigy has released track after track that all have been received by the public with open arms. His tunes have completely overshadowed those of his label mates. Here is his latest.

Afrojack – Replica (Original Mix)

I posted Noisia’s “Alpha Centauri” a while back and I am proud to say that it is one of my most downloaded songs. Recently, Datsik and Excision released a great remix of the tune, replacing the drum & bass with a genuine dubstep feel.

Noisia – Alpha Centauri (Excision & Datsik Remix)

Some things to look forward to:

- Fred has been in touch with Chris Lake and The Hawt will soon get an exclusive interview with the English DJ as well as a detailed review of his great set at La Mouche.

- The writers will be teaming up to browse the full scope of 2010’s releases to decide which tracks stand atop as the best of this past year.

- A well-deserved Ellis rest.

Where is My Mind?

2010-11-30T19:32:00.001-08:00

It seems like every time I write, I’m apologizing for the long delays between posts. I would personally blame Justin for that. But then again I blame Justin for pretty much anything. Speaking of him, his boy Skrillex is the man of the hour and is tearing Beatport apart, but don’t tell Justin that or he’ll go on this long rant on how he sucks now. Gotta admit, I’m kinda disappointed with his new album myself but at least, for every track he releases, there seems to be a sick remix. My personal favourite is with no doubts this next one that just gets so pumped and makes me want to fight. Wonder why…

Kill Everybody (Bare Noize Remix) - Skrillex

Big Boss – Doctor P

Alright so you’ve got the new Doctor P track and all the good dubstep I’ve been hearing lately has gotten me so hyped up for Igloofest. But with exams and all coming there’s few things better than some good chill dubstep for you to sit back and relax to and there’s few better at it than Jakwob.

Daydreaming (Jakwob Remix) – Kid Sister

A Life Worth Living (Jakwob Remix) – Alan Pownall (Very fawking hawt)

I can’t describe how god the second track is, (very fawking hawt is an understatement) and I’m kicking myself for not knowing it before. I’m sorry, here’s the the best end of movie song ever remixed in apology.

Where Is My Mind (Bassnectar Remix) – The Pixies

Just learned today that Michael Woods is in Montreal next week December 9th at Theatro Montreal. Not a huge fan but it promises to be sick. Also for those of you like me who have nothing planned on New Year’s Eve, there’s two ridiculous shows at Red-Lite and Circus. The lineup is Avicii and Cosmic Gate compared to W&W, Ummet Ozcan and Adam K at Red-Lite and Circus respectively. It was heart breaking decision and although I’ve already seen Cosmic Gate and Avicii and none of the others, I just had to chose them, just had to.

Before I go, here’s a track that still blows my mind after more than a year from Ashley Wallbridge (Gareth 2.0) and Andy Moor. I’ll leave the honour to Fred an Justin to cover Chris Lake and all the awesomeness that comes with him.

Faces (feat. Meighan Nealon) – Ashley Wallbridge & Andy Moor

I Need More Painkillers!

2010-11-16T18:19:00.001-08:00

What’s up ladies and gents? We haven’t posted anything for a while so here’s a little music to brighten your week. And, especially for Will, there’s gonna be a bit of everything, not just trance.

Before we get to the music though, I think this picture on the right is pretty self explanatory. Steve Angello is coming Friday at the Telus Theatre. Tickets are 30 bucks and totally worth it in my opinion. Also, according to Justin, there should be a guest appearance by Axwell which would be insane. But you didn’t really think that the night would end there I hope? The same night (or morning, whatever you fancy really), Sean Tyas is playing at Circus Afterhours and its only a few blocks away and 15$ entry. So basically, you get to see two of the worlds top 50 Djs in one night, you’d have to be crazy or Wei to miss it.

So this first track is a new release and I just can’t stop listening to it. I think it might have something to do with the fact that I like almost everything that Mysto & Pizzi do. If you haven’t heard of them yet, go check’em out on Youtube, they’re hilarious.

Malo (Mysto & Pizzi Remix) – Avicii

Let’s face it, it just wouldn’t be one of my posts if I didn’t have any trance in it.

Painkillers (Stoneface & Terminal Remix) – Kyau & Albert

Good Dreams (Barnes & Heatcliff Remix) – tyDi

Hands to Hold Me (feat. Cristina Soto) – Tritonal

By the way, Armin is having a vote on his website for the song of the year. If you’re like me and you look for any reason not to study, there’s a huge list of great tracks you can check out. Oh and if Stoneface isn’t the best Dj name I just don’t know what is.

This next track I did not like at first, I found it kinda boring but I just could not get it out of my head.

I Can’t Stop – Flux Pavilion

And finally, this final track is getting kind of mixed reviews. It’s a weird mix between trance and d&b. Mostly, if you liked the original trance version you might not like it but I still find it sick. There cannot be enough mixes of this song.

On a Good Day (Metropolis) (J Majik & Wickaman Remix) – OceanLab vs. Gareth Emery

Zaboomafo ain’t got shit on me

2010-11-03T20:28:00.001-07:00

Aight so I don’t feel like ranting on Dj Mag since Justin took care off that in brilliant fashion so here’s a picture of the wisest most badasses lemur there is.

I’m really in a trance mood so here’s a little something something. Since life is awesome, here’s some awesome music to compliment it.

Martin Solveig & Dragonette – Hello (Michael Woods Remix)

Jochen Miller – uPad

Both tracks featured on Gareth’s podcast, although Jochen Miller’s is a bit unconventional for him, it’s still baller. Oh an I’m not a usually a big Michael Woods fan but this is a massive, massive track. Just massive.

I really looked a long time for this next Myon & Shane54 track because although it was featured on A State Of Trance a while ago, I couldn’t seem to track it down so i had to settle with a rip. Very good nonetheless.

Myon & Shane54 – International Departures (Classic Anthem Mix)

Soundlift – Empty Streets (Daniel Kandi Remix)

And finally, if you’ve been to any kind of raves/concerts this summer, for sure you’ve heard at least one of these tracks.

Mr. Pit – Sky Traffic (Personal favourite, no doubts homeboi)

Marc Marberg vs. Kyau & Albert – Megashira

Piece of advice, don’t fuck with ninja lemur…

A City of Wonder, a Vote for Disaster

2010-10-28T20:56:00.001-07:00

During the past few weeks, The Hawt has become a forum for previewing, reviewing and critiquing electronic music events in Montreal. In the spirit of consistency, this post begins with more proof towards the thrilling aspects of the city’s nightlife.

Sunday, October 17th was a special night for both Ellis and myself. Having to choose between Rusko and Laidback Luke is never an easy task. There is a reason why the Superbowl and Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals are not on the same night. We decided to go our separate ways and focus and two different genres. For the purpose of this post, Ellis was kind enough to provide me with his take on the night:

“Put’Em Up Put’Em Up Put’Em Up Put’Em Up

Aight so on the same night Justin went to Laidback Luke, some friends and I went to the Just For Laughs Studio to see Rusko and, needless to say, it was insane! People fighting, hitting, pushing, swearing; everything a good dubstep concert should have. For those who haven’t seen him live, what really makes him special is that every now and then, he grabs the mic and starts either singing, shouting or whatever he feels like doing. So anyways, back to the event, Vilify (think that’s how you write it, my bad if it aint) opened for him and on top of being hot and pretty good, she’s supposedly the one that takes care of almost everything dubstep in Montreal. Rusko came on at around 1ish and by that time, my friends had already ditched me and I was all alone, but that did not make it any less awesome! He played a lot of his older tracks mixed in with a few from his new album and obviously, some crazy reworks that you’re never able to find anywhere, which just pisses you off.

Rusko – Hammertime

Doctor P – Sweet Shop (Friction vs Camo & Krooked Drumstep Remix)

The second track was a total crowd killer, literally. When you expect the Sweet Shop drop, but get this d&b style craziness instead, there is no choice but to jump around and hit people. Oh, and just as a complementary track to one I’m sure Justin will post, here’s a Wolfgang Gartner and Justice mashup.

Justice vs. Wolfgang Gartner - Illmerica Is Your Friends (Steve Camp Mashup) ”

The tone of his guest post communicates the intensity and superb entertainment of the night, two things that have become synonymous with a live Rusko concert. Coincidentally, I would use the same attributes to qualify the show I attended. Although Laidback Luke performed at Electric Zoo, we were only able to watch him from the line for the Above & Beyond signing. Owning a t-shirt signed by two of the members of one of the greatest DJ trios is a privilege, but as I would soon learn, it cannot be compared to watching a true master of house music.

The event was held at club Muzique, a relatively new addition to the Montreal scenery. Even though it was meant to be 21+, I was able to enter with my name on the guest list (more on this later). The crowd erupted when Luke made his entrance and the cheering did not stop until 3 a.m. As I am sure that most of you have noticed, electronic music has undergone a slight metamorphosis lately. The lines between genres are being blurred and it is becoming much more difficult to classify tracks. Laidback is an exception to this rule. Every mix he played was pure house, something that became very evident when considering his song choices. Two of my favorite moments of the night were when he played the Congorock remix of “One” and when he mixed Till’ Tonight with Miami to Ibiza. Another fantastic moment occured near the end of the night, when he payed his respects to his music’s ancestor, disco. He gave Axel F the moans from Pon de Floor and quickly transitioned to MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This”. As far as his own tracks are concerned, Laidback Luke also played his popular remix of Robbie Rivera’s “Rock the Disco”. Here are two tunes from the soiree, as well as his newest bootleg.

Jay-Z ft. Swizz Beats - On To The Next One (Laidback Luke Bootleg)

Swedish House Mafia - One (Congorock Remix)

Robbie Rivera - Rock The Disco (Laidback Luke Edit)

Lets fast forward to this past Tuesday, October the 26th. The stage was set for another evening at Muzique, this one to celebrate the club’s one-year anniversary. The owners invited all of their resident DJs to open for Avicii, the night’s main act. Just like Laidback Luke, the event was meant to be 21+, so I called Muzique and asked to add Ellis, as well as myself to the guest list. Please explain to me how the following makes any sense: I was allowed to enter for Laidback Luke, but we were denied access for Avicii. As far as I know, the rules for both nights are identical; 21+, but 19+ with guest list. Even Ellis’ skills in the art of persuasion could not convince the bouncer to let us is, although he did not try long enough to get any results. The look he gave us let us know it was time to go. I can only hope the young Swede comes back to Montreal some time in the near future. Here is a remix of his from Tiësto’s “Kaleidoscope Remixed”.

Tiësto ft. CC Sheffield - Escape Me (Avicii Remix)

Enough with the events, here are a few new tracks that I have been dying to share with you for a while.

As Ellis correctly predicted in his guest post, the mashup he posted is an excellent complement to this next song. Ever since this artist was first discussed on The Hawt, he has been in constant rise, touring around the world while collaborating with huge producers and putting his own spin on the popular Electro House subgenre. We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of him at the Electric Zoo festival, where he put on an absolute beast of a performance. This tune has garnered lots of attention, earning the support of Laidback Luke and Gareth Emery. Here is the newest release from Wolfgang Gartner, a song that will certainly be featured on his upcoming artist album, due sometime early in 2011.

Wolfgang Gartner - Illmerica (Extended Mix)

As Fred pointed out in his previous post, we’ve been slacking when it comes to dubstep. Although pickings have been slim, I do have a brand new one that will surely make you crave more deep synths and the overall dirty sound most of you have come to love. This is latest Borgore track. I’ve got to give a shout out to Gotta Dance Dirty; they have an amazing blog, go check it out if you haven’t already.

Borgore - Sex Instructions Dub

This next one has been sitting in Beatport’s Electro House top 10 for quite some time. When I posted about Hey Today!’s “Toasted” back in early June, I honestly believed they were a lower-tier, underground German duo. However, their latest remix of Tiga’s “You Gonna Want Me” has shot them into the spotlight and displayed the innovation they impose onto their music. I really enjoy listening to this track, especially from the 3:40 mark, where they divert from the tune’s core beat. Instead, they put an electro sound onto Tiga’s techno beat. Its different, but it sounds really good.

Tiga - You Gonna Want Me (Hey Today! Remix)

Last Thursday, the new Gareth Emery podcast finally appeared on iTunes, an arrival that had been overdue for a long time. The songs played were great, but two caught my ear as being better than the rest. The first is from MEM, who came along with a very impressive trance track. It is called Forza and as Gareth later explained, the tune had been killing it for him in his recent sets. The second is from fellow Canadian Adam K, a progressive DJ from Toronto. Remember how I wrote that the lines between genres were being blurred? This song is a perfect example. Its slow tempo and relaxing melody give it a few trance aspects, but do not be fooled; this is progressive house.

MEM - Forza

Adam K ft. Naan - Wake Up (Club Mix)

Do not think that I’m strictly posting songs from the podcast. With the exception of the Adam K track, I’ve had these tunes in my library for a while. Gareth and I must have the same taste in music.

To finish off this large post, lets take a look at DJ Mag’s rankings of the top 100 DJs.

To start off, congratulations to Armin van Buuren for his fourth consecutive year as the world’s #1 DJ. I really was not expecting this, I rather thought that Above & Beyond, Markus Schulz or Ferry Corsten would take the crown. To be frank, very little of the top ten made any sense to me. I respect David Guetta as a DJ and I think he produces great music, but there is no way that he should be ranked higher than any of the previously mentioned. Most of you already know about the true producers behind some of his biggest hits like “When Love Takes Over”. He acts as a cheap ad campaign, giving them credit in the fine print at the bottom of the screen. According to Fred and Ellis, who attended his set at last year’s Bal en Blanc, he is awful live and the radio-like music he emits makes him sound like an amateur.

Placing immediately after Guetta were Tiësto, Deadmau5 and Above & Beyond, who respectively grabbed the 3, 4 and 5 positions. Deadmau5’s jump up 2 spots was also a surprise. His album was great, be he somehow seemed to disappear during the rest of the year. His single with Chris Lake, “I Said”, was and still is awful. “Some Chords” and “Animal Rights” do not warrant a number 4 spot. The Canadian is due for a new album release in December of 2010, one he will call 4x4=12. Here is the tracklist.

1. "Some Chords"
2. "Sofi Needs a Ladder" (You Need A Ladder with vocals)
3. "City In Florida"
4. "Bad Selection"
5. "Animal Rights"
6. "I Said (Michael Woods Remix)"
7. "Cthulhu Sleeps"
8. "Right This Second"
9. "Raise Your Weapon"
10. "One Trick Pony"
11. "Everything Before"

One thing I am happy to see is that Axwell wraps up the top 10. In fact, all members of the Swedish House Mafia are in the top 20 and the trio itself places at #23. The DJ Mag vote is supposed to be an attempt to represent each DJ’s success during the course of the year. In this capacity, Swedish House Mafia should, without a doubt, be the #1 DJ. Their incredible summer took them to the Brixton Academy on more than one occasion and they also earned themselves a residency at Motel Masquerade in Ibiza, the party capital of the world. The film documenting their tumultuous 2010 will be coming out in the next month, so keep posted as it will surely be very entertaining. Check out the trailer here.

Unfortunately, DJ Mag’s voting method is highly flawed. Simply telling the magazine which DJs you like is not a valid measure of skill, hard work or innovation. Inside the method itself lies the biases of evaluation without numerical values. It is no longer a judgement on who is the best, but merely a popularity contest, a vote for class president, if you will. This year’s vote saw a large crowd of North Americans and therefore, whoever spent the most time on the radio waves or on their North American tour received an automatic bid. It is a shame to see the poll be reduced to such an infantile compilation of voices from uneducated, stubborn fans who want to see the one artist they know in the rankings. Notable additions were those of Afrojack, Avicii, Arty and Dada Life while unacceptable descents were those of Above & Beyond, Sander van Doorn, Cosmic Gate and Lange. Regardless of the results, go check out the bios from your favourite artists, some of which are quite funny. For example, Sebastian Ingrosso claims that he is best known for “fucking clubs in the pussy”.

This IS A SCION EVENT!

2010-10-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

(Pictures taken by Fred… which means… TheHawt copyright.)

Me and Fred went to a Scion promo that consisted of 3 different Scions (that we played around with a little: popped the hood, shifted gears, etc.), a small dancefloor, some extremely expensive booze (For all you alcoholics out there, don't worry! There is a Couche-Tard just up the street where you can find some cheap beer. We quickly ended up there.) and a couple of couches upstairs. In other words, Suco wasn't exactly a perfect location for this kind of event and the crowd wasn't spectacular but thankfully, the musik was f@cking awesome.

We got there around 10ish, when Duvall was on the mini half stage. He wasn't bad but we left about ten minutes later (as previously noted to get some more alcohol in our systems). When we returned, after a certain encounter with a young woman trying to con us into going to another party and a quick observation as to how bad women are at parking, Classixx started playing. Now I dont want to understate how good they were, but holy sh!t did they blow my mind! Their Electro/Indie/Oldschool was exactly what I needed on a Thursday night. I even enjoyed myself more then when my imaginary girlfriend comes over and gives me a BJ. WOOT WOOT!

Dial 1 - Classixx

Cold Act Ill - Classixx

I'll Get You - Classixx (Ft. Jeppe)

Now we had to leave around 1 due to a multiple of reasons, but if any of you get to see these guys live, I suggest you stay till the end. You won't regret it.

Now as I was looking into my old files for Classixx songs, I ran into a couple of songs that sounded very similar by a group previously known as the Young Americans. Well it turns out they are actually the same people! SAY WAHT?!? The Young Americans had to change their name to Clasixx a little while ago due to legal problems. Well guess what? I still have some of these songs for you to enjoy!

Starts with One - Shiny Toy Guns (Young Americans Remix)

Turning Inside Out - Young Americans

And to top off this oldschool mood, lets introduce you to Chromeo's new album. This awesome, Montreal based group is bringin on some intense competition to their previous album (Fancy Footwork) with their new one: Business Casual. It's sweeeeet! Buy it!

I'm not contagious - Chromeo

Night by Night - Chromeo

Emma Hewitt is Fucking Hot…

2010-10-11T06:43:00.001-07:00

… and Gareth Emery is the world’s best Dj, these are just facts of life. I could theoretically write an essay explaining and proving these statements to be true but instead here’s a picture a crazy good setlist. (For some dubstep don’t forget to check out Fred’s Post.)

(okay, the picture does not do here extreme live hotness any justice but there are seriously no pictures of her almost, its a tyranny)

Gareth Emery at Black and Blue 2010

Tiësto vs. Diplo – C’mon

Gareth Emery – Full Tilt

Gareth Emery – Arrival (feat. Brute Force)

Pendulum – The Island Part 1

OceanLab – Lonely Girl (Gareth Emery Remix)

Super8 & Tab feat. Jan Burton – Empire (Some Remix I don’t know) (by the way a decent dubstep remix to this song was made by Kidnap & Ransom)

Gareth Emery – All is Now

Gareth Emery - Global

tyDi vs. Ben Gold – Vanilla Profile (Mashup…)

Rank 1 vs Jochen Miller vs John O’Callaghan – The Great Find (Gareth Emery Re-edit).

Tiësto vs. Lange vs. Andy Moor vs. Komytea – Lethal Stadium Four (Gareth Emery Edit)

Gareth Emery – Sanctuary (Club Mix)

Ben Gold – Starstruck

Ummet Ozcan – TimeWave Zero

Gareth Emery – Stars (feat. Jerome Isma-Ae)

Gareth Emery – Into the Light (feat. Mark Frisch)

Paul van Dyk – We Are One (Giuseppe Ottaviani Remix)

Gareth Emery vs. Motorcycle – As the Exposure Comes (Gareth Emery Mashup)

Gareth Emery – Citadel

Gareth Emery – Fight the Sunrise (feat. Lucy Saunders)

OceanLab vs. Gareth Emery – On a Metropolis Day (Myon & Shane54 Mashup)

Super8 & Tab – Helsinki Scorching (A Classic)

Dj Orkidea – Metaverse (Gareth Emery Remix)

Gareth Emery vs. Delerium – This is Silence (Black Army Mashup)

John O’Callaghan – Big Sky (feat. Audrey Gallagher)

This should sum up his set at Black and Blue pretty well. This is super unofficial though, its just out of memory and I did my best to get them all in order, I might also be missing a few since his set was 3 hours long and I’m deprived of sleep at the moment. Most songs have already been posted so if you look back in older posts you’ll probably find them.

So like I mentioned, I happened to go to Black and Blue at Palais des Congrès last night and it was insane. It was the first time that I went to a rave alone, but it was chill. Notable Djs were Marco V, tyDi, Ali and Fila and obviously Gareth Emery. Vocalists Emma Hewitt (terribly gorgeous) and Audrey Gallagher (looks like a house mom) made guests appearances. The set up was ok but nothing compared to Bal en Blanc. Like usual, some very odd people, highlight is no doubt a girl who had the same haircut as Rusko. Like almost at all his shows Gareth had to fight through technical difficulties when the speakers on one side of the room just stopped working but he’s a trooper and he powered through it. One inconvenience is that I had to leave relatively early so i only caught a glimpse of Ali & Fila.

Here are a couple beast tracks:

tyDi – You Walk Away (feat. Audrey Gallagher)

Dash Berlin – Waiting (feat. Emma Hewitt) (A must have in my opinion)

Marco V – Reaver

Oh and I guess for Fred…

Flux Pavillion – Night Goes On

Calvin Harris vs. Steve Angello – You Used To Hold Me vs. KNAS (S.Co & D'arrigo Bootleg) (Props to Gotta Dance Dirty for this one)

Once again, please excuse errors and omissions cause I’m crazy tired and my ears are ringing at the moment.

NEED MORE DUBSTEPPPP.

2010-10-10T09:34:00.001-07:00

If you follow The Hawt on Facebook or Twitter, you probably read the “new posts after midterms bla bla bla”". I’ve been super busy with school, studying a lot and failing exams anyways. I had 4 midterms this week. It kinda blew. Anywayyys… that’s my excuse for not posting. Thanks to the others for posting enough while I couldn’t.

lol

What I noticed on the blog was the lack of dubstep lately. After Electric Zoo, Justin and Ellis were mad on Trance and House. I’m not complaining because what they posted was amazinnnng, but I’m just stating a fact.

So… I’ll start with some “new” Major Lazer. By “new” I mean new in my music library, because I had a hard time keeping up with new releases since school started and this “new” Major Lazer I’m talking about was released 2 months ago. I’m obviously talking about their new EP “Lazers Never Die”. It is short, but very nice (that’s what she said am I right). It’s basically 2 new tracks with 3 remixes of their previous album. In the 2 new tracks, there is one that was released like a year ago and the other wasn’t released before the EP, but was in a Major Lazer Essential Mix (Diplo’s half) from a whiiileeeeeeeee back. The remixes are decent and are basically electronic versions of some reggae tracks. Check them out, I’ll only post the 2 new tracks that are pure reggae/dancehall/potsmoking music. I swear to god, when you listen to the tracks you become black for a few minutes.

Major Lazer - Sound Of Siren Feat. M.I.A. & Busy Signal

Major Lazer - Good Enuff (Cash Flow Dub) Feat. Collie Buddz & Lindi Ortega

On with some (needed to survive) dubstep…

So I talked to an old friend l used to play computer games with (he’s a dubstep addict) and he gave me a few tracks that are worth posting. I wish he would post on the blog though! Haha. Here is some Don Diablo, Excision and Datsik, Bob Marley, Flux Pavilion and some DJ Fresh.

Sick mashup.
Don Diablo vs Excision & Datsik – Blow The Calypso

Sounds like old school Rusko! (This is where you hear Bob Marley)
Flux Pavilion – Excuse me

Here is more Flux Pavilion. The main synth sounds like some Doctor P.
Dj Fresh - Gold Dust (Flux Pavilion Remix)

You remember the Brostep mix #2 from Kabz months back right? You know the one where you guys learned what was filthy dubstep? Ya’ know… da real thang. Well Kabz released 2 new mixes since(there’s one that I already posted and that was pretty good, but it doesn’t come close to brostep#2 or the new mix I’m posting today). His newest one is really filthy with some tracks reminding me of brostep. I LOVE IT. He also plays some Noisia! Check it out, it’s worth it (download it!). Oh and don’t forget to ask Ellis to play it in his car. Hah!

KABZ - SUMMER FILTH MIX!!! by DJ KABZ

TRACKLIST:

1. Richard Pryor Intro
2. Cutting Crew - Died In Your Ams (Monster! Monster! RMX)
3. Wizard Sleeve - FuntCase & Southbound Hangers
4. Clap Your Hands (Dubstep Version) - Drumsound & Bassline Smith
5. Typhoon - Foreign Beggars ft. Chasing Shadows
6. Brock Out - FuntCase & DatsiK
7. Split The Atom (Bar 9 RMX) - Noisia
8. You've Failed - Robzords
9. Medibot Remix - Metaphase
10. Jabba 2 - Kane
11. It's All Gone Down The Toilet - Narky
12. Teflon ft Kemist (DatsiK & Excision RMX) - Kelly Dean & Steady
13. Piano Tune - Bar 9
14. Bliss - Cookie Monsta
15. Dune - Minnesota
16. Slow Down - Trolley Snatcha
17. Born Free (12th Planet Remix) - M.I.A.
18. Dirty Jersey (ReFix) - Mike Honcho
19. Geisha - J. Nitrous
20. Haunted House - The S.K.
21. Gargoyle - Doctor P
22. Mugatu - DZ
23. Sumurfin Be Runnin - Laney
24. Interruption 4 (Cardopusher RMX) - Enduser
25. Ill As FUCK - Section 8
26. In Memory - SPL
27. Knock Knock - UltraBlack
28. Firewater - Jason C & Metaphase
29. Collabz - KzA
30. Pump It - Plater
31. Wonderland (hd4000 RMX) - BTrippin
32. Bound To Drizown - 40z N 9z

On with some ooooold school mixed with some trance.

The first song I want to post is the one that Tiesto has been spamming lately on Sirius XMs (Tiesto’s Club Life thing). Here is what he said after playing it: “This track always makes me smile” (add his amazing weird accent that we all love). What he said is true by the way. It’s an old school track that got remixed by Fred Falke. The result is a disco-ish song that has a nice groove and that is mixable with Trance! AMAZING!

Sia - Clap Your Hands (Fred Falke Remix)

Here are some songs from Gareth Emery’s sets that are really sick and that he played at Circus. (The two first songs of the set). The first one was just mystic/cool; it’s just a really nice intro. Annddd the second one is just a really garrethemeryish trance song: neat! Enjoy.

Arno Cost - Cyan (Original Mix)

Mason - You Are Not Alone (Original Mix) <—Personal Favourite

Have a nice week and check Cyan’s official video HERE, it’s really cool.

BONUS (BAL EN BLANC REPRESENT!):

Sander Van Doorn - Daddyrock (Original Mix)

I’m a terrible person.

$H!T S0N

2010-09-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it has a been a f*%king long time since I posted anything so I'm gonna change things around a little by talking as little as possible and getting you the most musik I can. Here are some sweet remixes I found on a new favorite site of mine (respekt to http://funkyremixes.com) We got rap, hip hop, blues and rock:

Ashwan - Summer (Bootleg Remix)

Chino - Chino's Chucks

Deutscheunschuld - Material Girl (DU Remix)

MC Jack in the Box - Brad and Chuck

MC Jack in the Box - Bring the Music Back

MC Jack in the Box - Crazy Love

Mickey Jello - Paparazzi

Rythm Scholar - Funk Hustler

Tengiz - No Meaning No

Wade - Gold Teeth

Also, to top it all off, let's get a little more mainstream. Here's a song that's been playing a lot on the radio that I found hilarious (you've probably already heard it.. Asians rapping to a club beat.... its actually not that bad.

Far East Movement - Like A G6 ft. The Cataracs

Man I want a Gulfstream! GRRRrrr!

Enjoy it, i will!

Remnants of the Zoo

2010-09-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

Loud music always sounds better, that is why live shows are so popular. If you are someone who failed to attend Electric Zoo 2010, here is a chance to redeem yourself. On October the 10th, Montreal will welcome many popular DJs for the 20th anniversary of the Black & Blue festival. To name a few, Mark Anthony, Chus & Ceballos, Aly & Fila and Gareth Emery will be in attendance. This event is sure to attract a large crowd, so buy your tickets ASAP. Click here for more info on Black & Blue 2010.

The Saturday following this massive event will take place at the Telus Theater on St-Denis. With a new name and new member, this year's Bloody Beetroots have somewhat revamped their music as they attempt to recover from a quiet 2010. In my opinion, the trio has become too mainstream and my appeal for them has steadily decreased ever since "Romborama" was leaked weeks before its planned release. And besides, 35$ for a 2 hour set? Nevertheless, this track is pretty decent. For the purpose of this tour, they have named themselves Death Crew 77 and have welcomed a drummer, Edward Grinch.

The Bloody Beetroots - Death Crew 77 - Domino

Montreal will also receive a visit from Laidback Luke on the very next night. Performing at club Muzique on St-Laurent for the modest sum of 10$, attendees are certain to hear some of his latest and most popular house tracks like his remix of Wynter Gordon's "Dirty Talk" and "Till Tonight", his collaboration with vocalist Jonathan Mendelsohn. Apparently, Laidback and Mendelsohn developed quite a rapport while producing this tune. In fact, during Luke's set at Electric Zoo, Mendelsohn made a surprise appearance and added some live vocals to their track. More info about the show here.Wynter Gordon - Dirty Talk (Laidback Luke Remix)
Laidback Luke ft. Jonathan Mendelsohn - Till Tonight (Original Mix)

Shortly after, on October the 22nd, the Swedish House Mafia will be releasing an album named "Until One." This work will also serve as the soundtrack to their upcoming film which carries the same name and documents the trio's biggest moments as producers. The featured tracks range from old to new, aggressive to soothing, yet all stick to the distinct SHM sound. Here is the track listing.
1. Swedish House Mafia vs Tinie Tempah - Miami 2 Ibiza (Album Version)
2. Swedish House Mafia - Miami 2 Ibiza (Instrumental)
3. Sander van Doorn - Reach Out
The Source ft. Candi Staton - You Got the Love (Acapella)
4. Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, Steve Angello & Laidback Luke ft. Deborah Cox - Leave the World Behind
5. Axwell - Nothing But Love (Remode)
6. Steve Angello & AN21 - Valedja
7. TV Rock - In the Air (Axwell Remix)
8. Sebastian Ingrosso - Kidsos
Justice vs Simian - We Are Your Friends (Acapella)
9. Prok & Fitch pres. Nanchang Nancy (Axwell & Daddy's Groove Remix)
10. Steve Angello - Tivoli
Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream
11. Benny Benassi pres. The Biz - Satisfaction
12. Steve Angello & Laidback Luke ft. Robin S - Show Me Love
13. Steve Angello - KNAS
14. Sebastian Ingrosso & Dirty South - Meich
Coldplay - Clocks
15. David Guetta ft. Sebastian Ingrosso, Dirty South & Julie McKnight - How Soon is Now (Main Mix)
16. AN 21 & Max Vangeli - Swedish Beauty
Louie Vega & Jay 'Sinister' Sealee staring Julie McKnight - Diamond Life (Acapella)
17. Supermode - Tell Me Why
18. Adrian Lux - Teenage Crime (Axwell & Henrik B Remode)
19. Steve Angello - Monday
20. Miike Snow - Silvia (Sebastian Ingrosso & Dirty South Remix)
21. Axwell - I Found You (Remode)
22. Daft Punk - One More Time
23. Swedish House Mafia - One
24. Swedish House Mafia ft. Pharell - One (Your Name)

Here is Swedish House Mafia's newest track with vocals from Tinie Tempah.

Swedish House Mafia vs Tinie Tempah - Miami 2 Ibiza

Just a small side-note before I continue; all the most played tracks at Electric Zoo, "One" (I heard 8 times), "Conscindo" (5), "KNAS" (4) and "Empire (Kyau & Albert Remix)" (4) have all been posted on The Hawt, before or shortly after their release dates. I don't mean to brag, but I actually predicted One's success in a post towards the start of summer (Proof). Just goes to show you that we, the writers, are very reliable in providing you with the best new tracks from the electronic music world. So spread the word, tell your friends about The Hawt!

Next up, I've got the latest track from Michael Woods. Unlike the Bloody Beetroots, his tunes have been getting progressively better. This song is great, my favorite from him so far. Enjoy.

Michael Woods - Dynamik (Original Mix)

So there was this song, played towards the beginning of Above & Beyond's Electric Zoo set, that I vividly remember as being one of my favorites of the festival. I asked many people surrounding me if they knew the name of the tune, some guy told me it was a Kaskade remix, another told me it was a new Deadmau5 track. Upon our return to Canada, this track drove me crazy. I searched, raided the blogs, conversed on forums and sifted through many episodes of TATW. Enter Ellis, connoisseur of the trance music, locker of the hotel room, who correctly identified the masked marvel. The artists responsible are all great and have never produced a bad song. I LOVE this track, it is absolutely amazing.

Rank 1, Nic Chagall & Wippenberg - 100 (Original Mix)

This next guy is relatively unknown. Porter Robinson is an 18 year old from North Carolina who went from nobody to somebody overnight. His first ever release, "Say My Name", hit the top of the Beatport ElectroHouse chart. The song is really great, pulling trends from Electro, Progressive House, Trance and Dubstep. Check out his interview with Gotta Dance Dirty here.

Porter Robinson - Say My Name (Original Mix)

Last, but not least, check out this rip-off of Some Chords. I'm not posting this song because I think its good, but solely because it truly sounds like it was stolen from Deadmau5.

Spencer & Hill - Sunbeam (Original Mix)