Available exclusively on Beatport

Toronto musician/DJ/prodigy Damn Kids just released his second EP ‘Yema’, a three track effort with the maturity of a record by a producer twice his age.

The title track combines tribal drums, complex percussion switchups, lush sub, and clever vocal sampling to create a jump-up house anthem worthy of an artist’s 5th EP.

The second track, a collaborative effort with Caruzo titled ‘Buti’, is the darkest on the EP; it masterfully evokes tension through its use of sparse instrumentation and washing soundscape, and is an impressive display of the artists’ adroitness with reverb.

‘Totem’, while borrowing the same 40hz focus from ‘Yema’, is decidedly more techy and rolling, and subconsciously instructs the listener to put “sunglasses on.”

With just one listen it’s obvious that this is a record that is about the details, and that they have all been attended to.

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As always, you can find the full archive of free Jeffrees releases here.

If you were down at SXSW this year you would have noticed the strong trending towards trap-infused house music, whether you were at a bass music party or the Moombahton Massive.

A label that’s leading that movement right now is called Jeffrees. They’re a sub-label or “extension” of Mad Decent, and as Diplo puts it:

Jeffrees, is the best new music -the most progessive, the most amazing. the deepest underground and subterranean sounds from the Earth’s crust; the best sounds available and it’s free. It’s what Mad Decent was originally made for – new artists thinking outside of the box

Twice a month, they put out a new EP for free on Thursday, with plans to sell a compilation every two months containing higher-quality versions. Cool, right?

But make no mistake, we aren’t talking about a collection of demos here. So far the label has released music by Diplo x Nicky Da B, Zeds Dead, Paper Diamond, and many more artists spanning, bending, and breaking sub-genres.

This week’s release comes courtesy of Baauer, a Brooklyn-native with rap and UK garage influences. Honestly I’m struggling for my own words to better describe him than the release on the Jeffrees blog “Baauer has found himself smack dab in the middle of the electronic renaissance”, because it describes at once his own unique fusion of disparate influences, and the change which, if you’re attentive, is happening in dance music right now.

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Felix Cartal is a Vancouver Producer / DJ and long time SalaciousSound favourite, with a penchant for vocal electro house, and a talent for making popular tracks out of the unexpected. He just released a fantastic full-length effort in March titled ‘Different Faces’ – you can pick that up on iTunes here.

He’s been touring on a hectic 2-4 date per week schedule with another Salacious favourite, Clockwork. It’s my great pleasure to present to you today an exciting new collaboration between the two which features the lovely vocals of Miss Palmer. The track is called Black to White, and is an absolute banger, as you will shortly hear. It will be released as part of the Black To White remixes release coming out May 29th on Dim Mak Records.

Finally, as the title suggests, I was able to sit down with Felix for a half hour to shoot the shit about his tour, the album, and what he’s got to look forward to this summer.

I’m grateful for the opportunity, and can’t wait to catch him at the festivals – look for him at Sasquatch, EDC Vegas, WEMF, and lots more. Full dates and more are available at his official site.

Cal: Hey Felix, thanks for the chat. Where are you right now?

Felix: I’m just at home in Vancouver.

Cal: Do you have a break in the tour?

Felix: Yeah, I’ve kindof been playing Wed/Thu/Fri/Sat, and been home late Sunday til Tuesdays.

Cal: What are you up to in Van between tour dates?

Felix: Well I’m working with a rapper who just got signed to RCA. She’s really talented. I just got introduced to her, and I think we both come from totally different places, and that’s sortof why what we have come up with works. I’ve been doing beats for her. It has been cool to get away from the usual.

Cal: Freshening up the ears huh?

Felix: You know it. It’s nothing that’ll ever come out as Felix Cartal tracks though.

Cal: You have some Canada dates coming up?

Felix: Yep, Victoria, Kelowna, and then Vegas.

Cal: Have you played in Vegas before? Your performance at EDC last year was great, by the way!

Felix: Yep, I’ve done the Hard Rock pool and rain. I’m doing a residency at the Hard Rock pool this summer, three different dates over three months.

Cal: Looking forward to seeing you at EDC and WEMF this year!

Felix: Should be fun!

Cal: So for the Different Faces tour, it sounds like there have been a lot of different production arrangements. What has been the most interesting so far?

Felix: The Avalon show in Los Angeles was really cool – they brought in some additional production, these giant triangles that have a bit of a Daft Punk pyramid vibe, and the stage was really commanding. I have this video loop that I use at the shows, and it looked great.

Cal: So you’ve had Clockwork supporting. How has the vibe been?

Felix: Yeah he’s great. Super chill, and he likes to party, and he’s an awesome DJ. Very flexible, and always plays different every night. It’s great to have someone on tour who pushes things forward. All his productions are on point too. I see big things in his future.

Cal: Any chances to collaborate while on the road?

Felix: Yep, we actually started something before we went on the road, and we just had the chance to finish it. It has a big vocal on it. It’s pretty different, and I’m excited for it!

Cal: On that note, there’s a perception maybe that you just make bangers – how do you think that was addressed by your album?

Felix: For me, records are a good chance to spread your wings in a way that you wouldn’t normally get to do if you did a group of singles. I think the biggest thing is that I had the ability to collaborate with a bunch of different vocalists at one time. That sort of, in one statement, can lay it down, in the fact that ‘Ok I’m not just gonna make thirteen versions of The Joker’ and make that a record because I don’t think that would make any sense.

Cal: So my roommate has really been in to the album, playing it on repeat most nights. He loves Don’t Turn on the Lights.

Felix: I’m glad somebody likes it. That one person out there likes it. I’m happy.. haha

Cal: Yeah it’s been really well received – we ran several pieces on Salacious, and the album review killed it.

Felix: Little songs have surprised me more than other ones which I thought would do well. It’s always like that with a record though. It’s hard to predict which ones will go off the most. It’s made me happy to see that people are willing to try something else.

Cal: I expected the Sebastien Grainger track would do the best, but there was a track last week..

Felix: The sounds?

Cal: Yeah, that had a huge response! I guess that speaks to the flexibility of the album, and like you say, different vocalists will have different effects.

Felix: Oh yeah.

Cal: Back to the tour for a second, you have a date in Vancouver on May 20th. Is that something of a homecoming?

Felix: Well.. it’s the official date for the tour, and I haven’t done one. It’s the long weekend, it’s the Sunday. It’s going to be a great vibe, and it’s a great party weekend for Vancouver. Homecoming? Not particularly, but every time I play in Vancouver it’s absolutely awesome.

Cal: I try to touch on Vancouver as much as I can with artists.. I was talking to, we’ll say a “well-known” producer, and he had nothing to say of the scene. Didn’t feel like he had access, didn’t know anyone, didn’t want to talk about it at all.

Felix: Was it ___________?

Cal: Yeah

Felix: So there’s a promotional company out of here called Blueprint. They’re one of the best that I work with, and I don’t mean that in a biased way. They grow artists. They bring them in when they’re young, and are willing to take gambles, bring them up through the ranks, and I think that’s really important in a promotional company. A lot of promoters just book you, the show happens, and that’s the interaction you get. I think the fact that Blueprint is like that is really positive towards our scene, because most of the DJs I’ve heard who play for them have nothing but positive reviews because of that.

Cal: To what extent is that because of their following, or the fans that they attract?

Felix: The best place to be is where your fans respect the company and know the events they throw is quality, so even if they don’t know a particular artist on a week, if they respect the curation they’ll be willing to take a chance because there’s trust there.

Cal: So on that note, with respect to how artists are earning a living these days, I mean musicians have this sort of relationship with their fans that’s much more personal than it is like they’re a product which is marketed. So if their favourite artist has a show coming up or news they’re excited about, they’ll share it with their friends.

Felix: For sure. Twitter has the ability to humanize people you wouldn’t see in that light. Even the way Deadmau5 wrote his latest song on ustream with people watching, that totally flips everything around. Back in the day, Metallica was in the studio for five weeks at a top-secret location, no connection to the outside world, no reporters. To flip that on its head and do it the opposite way is so cool.

The artist model now, even news, everyone gets it from their peers rather than the ‘official’ news sources. And you can apply that model to the music industry too. The effect is just that you don’t have more freedom to take different paths.

Cal: What’s the most insane thing you’ve ever had in a rider?

Felix: heh. On my own rider?

Cal: Yep.

Felix: I don’t know.. it’s not that crazy. I have a coke slurpee on my rider. So when I played in Taiwan once, they misread it, probably because of the language barrier, and they just bought me a bunch of coke.. and it was reallllly awkward. It’s really sketchy to get that stuff in Taiwan.

Cal: Ok well thanks again Felix. Can’t wait to see you this summer!

Felix: Cheers! You too Cal.

Related posts:

1. Listen to Felix Cartal’s 30,000 LFOs
2. Listen to Felix Cartal feat. Sebastien Grainger – H.U.N.T.
3. Felix Cartal – The Joker EP

The phase two lineup additions were announced by Made/Plexi today, and the additions are large, to say the least.

The biggest announcement is that Diplo will be joining Zeds Dead on headlining duties in the Riverside arena Sunday, and additionally Benga, Bart B More, Paper Diamond, Zedd, Krewella, and Eliot Lipp will also be joining that lineup.

Riverside is also looking very attractive on the Friday now, with several additions to the Fool’s Gold Clubhouse lineup. Joining the tent are three personal favourites, Jack Beats, Kavinsky, and Treasure Fingers.

The other announcement that I’m truly excited about is Z-Trip. This guy is a serious DJ.. we’ve run a ton of articles on him, but there’s one from 2009, his Soundclash of the Titans mix, which I return to quite frequently. Really looking forward to seeing him in person!

List of additions in phase 2:

Alvin Risk
Andrew Bayer
Angger Dimas
Bart B More
Benga
Brass Fergie
Brodinski
DallasK
Diplo
DJ Bl3nd
Eco
Eliot Lipp
EOTO
Jack Beats
Jaytech
Kavinsky
Krewella
Kyau & Albert
Nervo
Norin & Rad
Orjan Nilsen
Paper Diamond
Sleepy & Boo
Treasure Fingers
W&W
Z-Trip
Zedd

Related posts:

1. Electric Zoo 2012 Phase 1 lineup has been announced!
2. WEMF 2012 Phase 1 lineup announced!
3. Saturday Mixcast Special Year End Edition: The Top 24 Most Popular DJ Mixes of 2010

Mat Zo and The M Machine have had a dizzying rise through 2011, and Porter’s touring with Tiesto and Skrillex have seasoned him well beyond his years.

10-Jun Las Vegas EDC
11-Jun Reno Knitting Factory
12-Jun Portland, OR Roseland Theater
13-Jun Seattle Showbox at the Market
14-Jun Vancouver Commodore Ballroom
15-Jun Calgary Flames Central
16-Jun Edmonton Edmonton Events Centre
17-Jun Saskatoon Tequila Nightclub
18-Jun WinnipegThe Garrick Centre
21-Jun London, ON London Music Hall
22-Jun Toronto Sound Academy
23-Jun Montreal New City Gas
24-Jun Philadelphia TLA
25-Jun Silver Spring, MD The Fillmore
26-Jun Charlotte Neighborhood Theater
27-Jun Altanta Masquerade
28-Jun Nashville Marathon Music Works
29-Jun New Orleans The Howlin’ Wolf
30-Jun Houston Stereo Live
1-Jul Dallas Granada Theater **
2-Jul Albuquerque Sunshine Theatre
3-Jul Tempe Marquee Theatre
5-Jul Salt Lake City In the Venue
6-Jul Boulder Boulder Theater
7-Jul Denver Ogden Theatre
8-Jul Tulsa Cain’s Ballroom
9-Jul Lawrence, KS Granada Theater
10-Jul St Louis The Pageant
11-Jul Minneapolis Epic Events Center *
12-Jul Mariaville, NY Camp Bisco *
13-Jul Detroit Elektricity *

*Mat Zo not appearing
**The M Machine not appearing

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Live-remixing trio Keys N Krates sure don’t publish many recordings, but when they do, they’re tight as hell.

Well, they’ve just released a remix of ‘No Prayers’ by fellow Torontonians Zeds Dead and Omar Linx, a track off a free EP released by Mad Decent sub-label Jeffrees a little over a month ago called Victor.

KnK have a big summer ahead of them. They are currently on a US tour, will be hopping over the pond to Barcelona for a set during Sonar (jelly, this is the festival I wanted to go to most this summer), and will return to North America for several more tour dates and festivals, including Osheaga, Shambhala, and WEMF.

Keys N Krates on Facebook

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Out today on T&A Records Calgary’s finest, the Smalltown DJs, have put together a six-track EP today titled Loving the Vibe. The vocals, provided by Toddla T’s live emcee Trigga Nom, give it a jump-up feel very much in the style of the duo’s cross-genre DJ sets.

The original mix is a tropical summer party hit, which borrows from a number of influences like UK Funky and Garage, and the remixes on the package are yet more eclectic.

You can listen to the whole EP below, and cop it on Beatport.

Smalltown DJs on Facebook

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We have a long installment for you this month which is decidedly more mashup-focused. As always, everything that is available for download has the thumbs up from the artist/remixer/bootlegger.

The standout track this month was an easy pick. Although I think it’s actually a couple months old, I heard it for the first time down at SXSW and I have been rinsing it steady since.

The other top four stood so far above the rest of the group that they were easy picks too.

What are your guys’ picks of the month? Share them in the comments below..

Standout Track of the Month

Top four tracks of the month

Arcade Fire – Sprawl II (Soulwax Remix)

Jakwob – Slaves Ft 14th

Electro, House, Progressive

The XX – Infinity (Bruno Be Remix)

Dragonette - Let It Go (Faustix + Imanos Remix)

Fleetwood Mac - Dreams (Dave Edwards Remix)

Housse De Racket - Chateau (Gemini Club Remix)

Hype Jones ft Mario Vazquez - You Are The Only One

James Curd - Guide Me (Gigamesh Remix)

Marina and the Diamonds - Primadonna (Mr. Larsson Remix feat. DANGA)

Mark Morrison - Return Of The Mack (Viceroy Remix)

Midi Matilda - Day Dreams (MyKill Remix)

Of Monsters and Men - King and Lionheart (Dzeko + Torres Streesh Bootleg)

SHM + Laidback Luke - Leave The World Behind (HLM Remix)

Dubstep

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Under The Bridge (Brummer Remix)

Chase + Status - Flashing Lights Ft. Takura (Mac Miller Remix)

Datsik (ft. Snak the Ripper) - Fully Blown (Rekoil Remix)

Datsik - Fully Blown (The Frim Remix)

Florence + The Machine - Cosmic Love (Seven Lions Remix)

Tiesto vs Wolfgang Gartner - We Own The Night (Back From The Future Remix)

Mashups

Breakbot Vs Chromeo - Baby Be Night (Ugly Kids Mash)

Chrizz Luvly x Carly Rae Jepsen x Kanye West x Jessie J - This Is Cray (Basic Physics Bootleg)

Dada Life x Hardwell x Taio Cruz - Aviciis Epic Hangover (Kap Slap Bootleg)

Eric Prydz vs The Wanted - Glad You Came 2Night (Fero vs Dzeko + Torres Edit)

Kap Slap - Sexy Jello

Kaskade vs Sander Van Doorn vs Adrian Lux vs Mindy Gledhill - Eagle Eyes (HOHME Remix)

Kill Paris - Keep Your Secrets in Midnight City

Madeon vs Katy Perry vs Rihanna vs Journey - Dont Stop the One That Got Away (Compson Sound Bootleg)

Porter Robinson vs Coldplay - Every Language is a Waterfall (TeeTs + Henry Fong Mashup)

Pretty Lights vs Avicii vs Flo Rida - Sometimes (Cryptex Reglitch)

R3hab vs 3LAU - Bitch City (3LAU Bootleg)

Thomas Gold x Pendulum x R3HAB x Swanky Tunes - Island of Gold (Basic Physics Bootleg)

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OUT NOW: http://www.beatport.com/release/rolling-stones-t-shirt/896503
http://www.facebook.com/dadalife

A couple weeks ago Dada Life released their single Rolling Stones T-shirt with a remix package which included credits for Cazzette and Chuckie. Now their hilarious official video, directed by Sam Sabawi, is out.

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Buy it on Beatport here.

Northend’s debut EP was released on Beatport today, and is a strong showing to say the least.

A host of world-class producers are rumoured to be playing this number out, including Chris Lake and Michael Woods, whom Northend shared the stage with just last month at LOUD All Night – an event in Toronto that brought together the three aforementioned musicians with AutoErotique, and a host of other local talent.

The video from that night (below) is outstanding, by the way, and is worthy of attention from festival lovers and videography nuts alike.

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Dave Edwards is a New York producer with over 100,000 plays on his remixes of Mike Posner, Ellie Goulding, and Flo-Rida. His M.O. goes “if it sounds good on a guitar, it sounds good anywhere.” He’s starting a big 2012 push which will see him gigging out and touring, and is definitely one to watch.

facebook.com/itsdaveedwards
twitter.com/itsdaveedwards
youtube.com/itsdaveedwards

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What seems like ages ago now, Deadmau5 put up a pretty striking half-finished project (really two half-finished projects) on his Soundcloud channel. It wasn’t much more than some rolling chord progressions, but it was one of the most moving things I think he had produced to-date.

He has followed up with Fn Pig, an adaptation of the original, and built upon it.

Related posts:

1. Listen to Deadmau5′ latest work in progress
2. Deadmau5 LIVE – Toronto Rogers Centre
3. DeadMau5 Comes Home!

ElectriCITY Events is going to be holding a series of Friday night events over the next nine weeks which combine the aesthetic of the Royal Ontario Museum setting with feature installation art, and “a moveable feast of food and drink throughout the ROM’s galleries.” Each week will feature different fare, including Fidel Gastro’s sandwich revolution leader Matt Basile, Micha and Jackson Kennedy of JK Frites, and Local Liege Belgian waffle maven Valerie Bain of Waffle Bar.

The nights will also feature different local performers, including Young Empires, Conor Cutz, and yours truly. The entire program of events is below, or you can visit here for more details.

Related posts:

1. Coleco and Cal to play Riva, Toronto, this Friday [Show Preview]
2. Show Preview: Happy Endings #014 starring Schlachthofbronx, Poirier, Pho Saturday, April 14th, 2012 @ Dim Sum King
3. 3D Projection – The Live Show of 2011

Imanos and Faustix’ latest track was chosen as an official remix for the Let It Go EP, and was debuted by Rollingstone.com.

It’s available on iTunes worldwide and Beatport in the US.

Imanos’ trajectory is steep right now.. keep an eye out for big things.

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Last month Toronto production team Provoke launched a series called Loud All Night, with its first installment starring a collection of talented, young, local producers supporting AutoErotique, Chris Lake, & Michael Woods.

First in the supporting cast was Northend, one of Provoke’s cast of hot up-and-comers, who opened up the main stage. I was especially stoked on his performance because he had several new original tracks to drop that night, and they sounded incredible on that big system. Also supporting were Dzeko & Torres, Jed Harper, Gabe Galluci, Damn Kids, Kurtbradd, Status Brown, and yours truly.

Provoke had a serious production team on hand that night to record the goings-on, and the results (above) are as impressive as the crowd and performances were. The footage really captures the energy and excitement that filled the Sound Academy that night.

You can bet we’ll be following Provoke closely this year. They’re producing world-class shows, supporting amazing local talent, and their attention to the details + forward-looking content creation efforts put them in the highest echelon of quality show producers/curators. It’s content like this video, photo gallery, and the DJ sets that they regularly record and release, in coordination with some of the biggest names in dance music I might add, set them apart from the pack.

Northend is getting ready to release several tracks over the coming months, and also head out on the road. You can listen to his April mix both to get a sense for what to expect from one of his performances, and to get up on the latest electro + progressive house. It’s also the perfect accompaniment to the Loud All Night photo gallery, below.

Click photo + use left/right directional keys to navigate

1234...678►

Related posts:

1. Win two pairs of tickets: LOUD All Night Toronto ft. Chris Lake, Michael Woods, Autoerotique & many more!
2. Deadmau5, Chris Lake, Michael Woods, Calvin Harris, Sebastian Ingrosso, and Rihanna to perform for LA charity concert
3. Listen to Chris Lake live at Maison, Friday December 16 2011 [DJ mix]

During SXSW I had the opportunity to hang out with one of Dim Mak’s latest additions, Clockwork. He had just released his Squad Up EP, which was a big first release both in terms of the production quality and the remixers who were onboard – Dillon Francis, Torro Torro, and Botnek.

The show he was performing at on the night of his arrival in Austin was the Dim Mak showcase, featuring Porter Robinson, Cassian, Clockwork, Riton, and more. After an impressive set by Cassian, Clockwork took to the decks and proceeded to whip the crowd in to a frenzy. I’ve included photos here as evidence, but you really should read our awesome review from that night.

The interview paints a picture of a chill guy, comfortable with his early successes and optimistic for the future. And he has every reason to be, for the many successes of his debut release, and the myriad shows he’ll be performing at this summer. Do check him out if you get the chance – he’s also a great DJ!

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Tensnake has released a remix of Little Boots’ track Every Night I Say a Prayer, which was put together with Andy Butler from Hercules & Love Affair in support of Record Store Day.

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Gigamesh’s latest remix will be out on May 22 via Modular Records.

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Full event details on Facebook, and event flyer below.

The above is a photo of the interior of St. Stephens-in-the-fields Church, which has what looks like 30′ ceilings, and enough room for several hundred ravers.

Behind this incredible concept is Mansion, a noteworthy Toronto production team that has been lauded for their highly-curated Happy Endings nights, held in the top floor of a dim sum restaurant which they have outfitted with a powerful soundsystem.

There’s something about the aesthetic, shape, and character of a room that informs how a performer will sound; suffice it to say, the St. Stephens-in-the-fields Church is going to sound incredible.

And all the more so because of the fantastic performers that will be playing there on April 27th, 2012.

Soundclouds: Addison Groove | Doc Daneeka | Vlsonn

For starters, Vlsonn, one of our most-written about Toronto producers, will be opening the show. If you missed our article on his latest EP ‘The Skinny’, I strongly suggest you give it a listen – he even gave us a few tracks to give away.

The headliners that night are Addison Groove + Doc Daneeka, each from the 50Weapons camp and hot off new releases. Right now they’re on a Surefire Sounds tour – a label whose showcase during SXSW 2012 was one of my favourite events.

To do your homework on Addison Groove I highly suggest you listen to his recent mix for Dazed Digital.

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I’m excited to announce that Provoke and Stealth Records have put together a Toronto showcase, to be held on May 3, 2012 at Footwork in Toronto.

On the lineup will be Prok & Fitch headlining, with locals Sam Haze and our own Mark Hinnen on support.

To get a taste of what to expect from Prok & Fitch, I suggest you listen to their recent performance at London’s Ministry of Sound. It’s an amazing mix of some of the best from the world of tech house right now, and includes a few of their own bootlegs in addition to their own recent productions.

Highlighted in the mix is their latest release on Stealth Records ‘Symphony’ (out now on Beatport).

VIP ticket giveaway details

Two VIP tickets for one contest winner.

Last day to enter giveaway: April 22

To enter: leave a comment on this Facebook announcement

Winner announcement: April 23, on the same Facebook post

Related posts:

1. Saturday Mixcast: Prok & Fitch
2. Saturday Mixcast: Prok & Fitch – Floorplay Podcast May 2011
3. Prok & Fitch Live Performance Mix