One Last Set: Swedish House Mafia Live at Ultra Music Festival 2013

Well for better or worse, the came, they raved, they loved… and they left. Perhaps the most hyped set of our time, the final act at Ultra Music Festival this year was the final farewell for the Swedish House Mafia. As fans climbed porta-pottys and jumped barb wired fences, the three Swedes kicked off the set with “Greyhound” to no one’s surprise. The pyrotechnics didn’t stop as they crushed through songs like “Calling,” “One” and “From Miami 2 Ibiza.” The set was standard SHM, but did you really want anything else. Yes, you could probably predict that they would close with ”Save the World” and “Don’t You Worry Child,” but it really didn’t matter. It is what you come to expect, and when you experience it first hand you really wouldn’t want it any other way.

I will enjoy this set as I think back to when I saw them for the first time, first screaming out the beat to “One” fully experiencing dance music and all that it can offer. Hopefully, in the end, they do stay retired. Allowing all of us to hold onto those memories of where we were and who we were with when we saw the legendary Swedish House Mafia.

Swedish House Mafia – Ultra Music Festival 2013 Weekend 2

Selected Tracks from Hardwell On Air #087 Bringing You into the Weekend

To be included in the DJ Mag Top 100 means you are one of the few thousands of DJs and Producers in the world whose work has gained you recognition among millions of people all over the globe. Although this list is to be taken with a grain of salt, it means you’re doing something right. To crack the Top-10 means you are doing many things right. Hardwell, at just 24 years of age, is no exception to this pattern. He is a phenomenal producer who is always able to put on amazing shows for his fans. Coupling his productions and live sets with his “Hardwell On Air” podcast made him a true force in the dance music world. His most recent podcast (episode #087, released on 10.25.12) was full of bangers and I wanted to share a couple stand-out tracks with you in honor of the weekend.

“Flare”, the new single by Dannic, is a highlight of the hour long set. Following up his recently successful collaboration with Jordy Dazz on “Fuego” (which was featured on a recent Wednesday Weather Report), Dannic turned the bass up and threw the beat down.

Purchase “Flare” on Beatport

Hardwell showed his own handy work this week as well. “Sun Is Shining Out of My Mind” is not your average mash-up where songs are just simply blended together. Hardwell made this Bingo Players/Bob Marley mashup his own, making sure this will not sound like something White Panda threw together based on BPMs and key. He wanted this track to turn into a club banger and in my opinion that’s exactly what he did.

Bingo Players vs Bob Marley – Sun Is Shining Out Of My Mind (Hardwell Mashup)

Speaking of club bangers, another featured track on Hardwell’s podcast was “Lights” by Steve Angello & Third Party. These DJs know how to get a party started. Look no further than any Swedish House Mafia song or any remix Third Party has done. Lights may be the biggest thing either of them have done this year. That may exclude “Dont You Worry Child” (check out the Promise Land Remix) but this song will still be heard blasting from speakers around the world for months to come.

Steve Angello & Third Party – Lights

Swedish House Mafia Has Said Their Farewells, ‘Until Now’

Swedish House Mafia, composed of three titans in the big room house music scene, had mentioned that they would be breaking apart and that the group would be no more weeks ago. Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso have just recently announced their tour dates before they depart, with nearly all the shows selling out in mere minutes. As a tribute to all they have accomplished in their short time together, they have composed the album ‘Until Now’ as not only a soundtrack to their final tour, but also as a soundtrack to the past few years in which EDM has had an explosion of popularity, especially in the US. The album was released earlier this week, but for those that haven’t gotten your hands on it, or are skeptical about picking it up, I’ll be breaking the album down for you guys here. Below is the full tracklisting:

01. Swedish House Mafia – Greyhound
02. Hard Rock Sofa & Swanky Tunes – Here We Go
03. Ivan Gough & Feenixpawl ft. Georgi Kay – In My Mind (Axwell Remix)
04. Sebastian Ingrosso & Alesso ft. Ryan Tedder – Calling (Lose My Mind)
05. Nari & Milani – Atom w/ Axwell, Ingrosso, Angello & Laidback Luke – Leave The World Behind
06. Swedish House Mafia vs. Knife Party – Antidote
07. Dirty South & Those Usual Suspects ft. Erik Hecht – Walking Alone w/ Swedish House Mafia vs. Tinie Tempah – Miami 2 Ibiza
08. Michael Calfan – Resurrection (Axwell Mix) w/ Coldplay – Paradise
09. Miike Snow – The Wave (Thomas Gold Remix)
10. Steve Aoki ft. Wynter Gordon – Ladi Dadi (Tommy Trash Remix) w/ Thomas Gold – Sing 2 Me w/ Red Carpet – Alright
11. Pendulum – The Island (Steve Angello, AN21 & Max Vangeli remix)
12. Steve Angello & Third Party – Lights
13. Alesso – Raise Your Head w/ Sandro Silva & Quintino – Epic
14. Hardwell – Three Triangles w/ Arty, Matisse & Sadko – Trio w/ Adrian Lux – Teenage Crime
15. Sebastian Ingrosso & Tommy Trash – Reload
16. Usher – Euphoria (Swedish House Mafia Extended Dub)
17. Swedish House Mafia ft. John Martin – Don’t You Worry Child
18. M-3ox ft. Heidrun – Beating Of My Heart (Matisse & Sadko Remix) w/ The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition
19. Coldplay vs. Swedish House Mafia – Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall
20. Florence & The Machine – You Got The Love (Mark Knight Remix) / Swedish House Mafia – One
21. Axwell – Heart Is King / Swedish House Mafia – Save The World (Knife Party Remix)
22. Swedish House Mafia ft. John Martin – Save The World w/ Ferry Corsten – Punk (Arty Remix)

Sebastian Ingrosso & Tommy Trash – Reload

It’s not really in my nature to post such mainstream tunes as this one, mostly because I (humbly) acknowledge that most readers of this blog don’t get all their music exclusively from us. And I know every other blog in their fucking right mind is going to want to post about the release of this massive tune. But as far as epic house anthems go, this is it. I’m sure you’ve already heard it at least once or twice this summer. I know personally I’ve heard Tommy Trash play it a few times and, most recently, Steve Angello to his sold-out (and extremely wet) Size In The Park audience.

It truly in inspiring to see how far Tommy Trash has come in the past few years. It’s even more exciting for me as I pretty much followed his path to success from the start; from the time I first heard a track from him back in 2010, I knew he was going to big. It’s hard to picture what his role was on this track as the sound seems to bear much more influence from the Swede than the electro-minded Trash. Perhaps it’s him breaking out of his normal style, exploring creative boundaries. Perhaps its purpose is to make him more of a household name (after all, Seb teaming up with Alesso on “Calling” seemed to be a power play for the up-and-comer). Whatever the reason, there’s no projects I can think of that Tommy Trash shouldn’t be proud of and “Reload” is no exception.

Sebastian Ingrosso & Tommy Trash – Reload (Original Mix) | Purchase on Beatport

Bonus: This is the first piece of work I ever heard from Tommy Trash, originally released some time in mid-to-late 2010. Still sounds just as good today as ever.

Tom Piper & Tommy Trash ft. Mr. Wilson- All My Friends (Club Mix) | Purchase on Beatport

Swedish House Mafia To Return To New York City

The much celebrated EDM group that has undergone much criticism lately, Swedish House Mafia, announces their last tour before they end their journey as a group. Steve Angello, Axwell, and Sebastian Ingrosso have announced their last 26 stop world tour before they call it quits (dates after the jump). While venturing into the U.S. they will be stopping in San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, and makes two stops in New York, Once at the world famous Madison Square Garden and once at the brand new Barclays Arena in Brooklyn. Last December, Swedish House Mafia became the first EDM act to headline the Garden, as well as selling it out in a few hours.

I went to the last event and was amazed at the production that went into it. It’s something that you knew was going to be special as soon as you walked into the building, it was epic. Lately the group has almost lost some popularity due to criticism involving pre recording some of their sets in order to have a perfect production with the lights and pyrotechnics. What do you guys think? Are you over the super group or are you excited for this last tour?

Tickets go on sale, in most places, at 12pm local time, September 28th. Check out their Facebook and Twitter regarding more news and information about the tour and upcoming tour dates. Click through for links to more info about each tour date.

Counterpoint Festival: EDM Lands On The Home of Southern Hip-Hop

Counterpoint may be the most ambitious yet exciting festival project to emerge this year. It’s literally groundbreaking, if just for the sacred soil it tramples on, once (and perhaps still, by many) thought to be only reserved for traditional Southern Hip-Hop. Such legendary hip-hop acts as Outkast, T.I. and Ludacris have emerged from the Georgian capitol and established strong roots among the city’s predominantly urban population as an epicenter for the affected and characteristic styles of Crunk and Southern Hip-Hop. The musical influences of the population span further and farther back in time, into the R&B, gospel, blues, and jazz realms, for example, but still haven’t come close to to touching the relatively new phenomenon of EDM.

While the new wave of trap music might have you believe that the lines between EDM culture and urban culture are being blurred, let me assure you that day is far away. Will Atlanta be receptive to the almost exclusively white crowd that this festival promises to bring in attendance? Only time will tell but, who knows, maybe Atlanta will become the next Chicago? After all, with C3 Presents, the production company behind Chi-town’s Lollapalooza, helping here, they should know precisely what to do. But moving in on new territory is not the only way in which this festival breaks ground.

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