DallasK’s Alienz Leaves Me Wanting A Bit More

I’ve been following DallasK since pretty much the beginning of his career. Although he’s in his early 20s, he began producing in his teens. His sound was always hard-hitting and grimy Electro-House (true Electro-House, not Big Room House that many people are calling Electro-House these days). Songs like “Front/Back”, “Hyphy”, “Crush”, and his remix of Nas & Damian Marley’s “As We Enter” were always in heavy rotation for me when I really wanted to crank things up a notch. More recently, however, I’ve been a bit surprised by DallasK. His previous release “Vice” is an excellent track and very-well produced, but it’s a little softer (relatively speaking) than I’m used to. Yesterday’s release of “Alienz” (on Wolfgang Gartner’s Kindergarten Recordings), showed me that DallasK may truly be moving in a different direction, and in my opinion it’s for the worse. “Alienz” is a melodic Progressive House tune with extremely high production value, but it lacks that edge I’m looking for out of the Florida native. I actually like the intro the best, before the beat drops out. Don’t get me wrong, this has the workings of a festival anthem this summer, but it leaves me wanting a bit more. Of course, this is the same reaction I had when Wolfgang’s “Redline” first came out, but I’m a big fan now, so maybe my opinion will change. What do you think of “Alienz”?

DallasK – Alienz | Purchase at Beatport

Follow @MMIBTY

The Spring Chicken Mix!

Recorded April 2013 | Album art created by Glenn Rachlin: glennrachlin.com

It’s been a long Winter up here in Boston. My last mix, “Finding Nemo”, was recorded during one of the biggest blizzards New England has ever seen. Now the weather is getting warmer and I’m feeling like a Spring Chicken so I thought it was the perfect time to make a brand new mix, featuring tracks both old and new, that I’m really in to right now. Many of the songs I have featured here on MMIBTY.

I ask that you give the entire 90 minutes a listen, as it goes through different sounds – starting off Deep and Techy, moving through some upbeat House and Electro-House, and finishing off with a couple Trance tracks.

I’m listing the songs so you can go out and support the artists if you like what you hear. As always your feedback is much appreciated in my pursuits to make your head bob. Tracklist after the jump!

Wolfgang Gartner’s Latest: Anaconda + DallasK’s Vice

Is this the funkiest track Wolfgang Gartner has ever produced? It’s very possible that yes, it is – and that’s including all his old school stuff. You can almost always expect perfection from a Wolfgang Gartner track, whether it’s a huge Electro-Banger like “Nuke” or a Big Room singalong like “Redline“, he’s probably one of the hardest-working and most talented producers in the dance music game. We sing his praises every time he releases a new track and that is no exception with yesterday’s unveiling of “Anaconda” which came out on Ultra Records. Wolfgang always manages to produce unique sounds with a stomping four-on-the-floor beat, sometimes with vocals and sometimes without. “Anaconda” features an obscure sample of a dude repeating “get up and let yourself go” and that’s certainly what I did when I first heard the track. I don’t think I need to say much more here, pump up the tune and go out and support Wolfgang whenever you can because he deserves it.

Wolfgang Gartner – Anaconda | Purchase on Beatport

Bonus material today comes from Electro-House sensation DallasK, who is just 21-years-old and grew up in Orlando. He’s been on our radar for a while now and we ran an artist spotlight on him back in 2011 when songs like “Hyphy” and his remix of “As We Enter” by Nas & Damian Marley were in heavy rotation for us. Well, he’s been on Wolfgang’s radar too as the veteran Electro producer/DJ has watched the rookie Electro producer/DJ mature as an artist. Wolfgang had DallasK on to his Kindergarten Radio show to do a guest mix and DallasK’s “Vice”, released last week, came out on Kindergarten Recordings (yes, that’s Wolfgang’s label). The production value and overall quality of “Vice” is stellar and really shows me that DallasK has come a far way in just a couple years. Go out and show him some love!

DallasK – Vice | Purchase on Beatport

2012 In Review: Electro-House

If I had to pick one category of dance music to listen to for the rest of my life it would probably be Electro-House. Nothing gets me ready to party quite like some hard-hitting bass, deep four-on-the-floor kick drums, wobbles, chain saw buzz attacks, and if there’s still time maybe some female vocals or melodic synths layered on top. But let’s stick with those first four to begin with. Our list for this year’s best of Electro-House speaks for itself. We chose songs that we both enjoyed, but that were also popular among fans of the heavier side of House music. I think you’ll recognize a majority of the songs, but with any list there may be a few surprises. We were treated to gems by juggernauts in Wolfgang Gartner, Sander van Doorn, and Tommy Trash, but we also had the pleasure of witnessing some break-out action by guys like Torro Torro, Firebeatz, and John Dahlback. Check the list and let us know what you think! In no particular order…

**GET THE FULL ZIP PACKAGE HERE!**

And here are all 10 songs mixed together for your listening pleasure!

F#CKING Awesome Sets From Wolfgang Gartner & Dillon Francis

So got some special treats for you guys this week. First off, we have a live set from Wolfgang Gartner. The set was recorded at the Palladium in California for HARD LA. Wolfgang is one of, if not, my favorite producers and DJs, and these days it is a true rarity to find one that excels in both. Many of you guys that enjoy EDM are familiar with his productions, from his infamous ‘Space Junk’ to the recent ‘Love & War’ and ‘Nuke’. For those that have yet to hear him live, this is exactly what you should expect if you plan to do so. He mixes in his own production with tunes from other genres he’s influenced by (and not just EDM, because yes, that is Pink Floyd and Beastie Boys in the track list), while also tossing in some new material from artists off his label Kindergarten Recordings.

….you ready for it?

HARD NYC Tomorrow ft. Wolfgang Garner, Proxy, Popeska and More

Wolfgang Gartner is, at this point, an absolute legend in dance music. He’s one of the elite who has been around long enough to have seen the comings and goings of many different trends and fads in electronic music – and one who was smart enough to never partake in any of them. His sound, often labeled “overproduced,” which in dance music is very much a term of endearment, is the culmination of countless hours in the studio pouring over minute details until the finished product is nothing short of legendary. His release from earlier this year Back Story, a 13-track remastered collection of all of his greatest hits from the past several years, is a journey into how his sound has evolved, yet remained relevant throughout and will likely continue to far into the future (I recommend you listen to the whole thing on Spotify here). His Love & War EP from a few months back is further proof that his productions get better and better with age. Top that off with the fact that he is a world-class DJ who still uses CDJ’s religiously and tours constantly and you have one of my favorite players in this game.

Tomorrow night, Wolfgang, fresh off his Love & War tour, has teamed up with LA-based event production team HARD for a back-to-back two night run in NYC and LA. Tomorrow, he jumps into the mix at Hell’s Kitchen’s premiere warehouse venue Terminal 5 alongside Love & War tourmate Popeska, Russian techno/experimental producer Proxy and Night Slugs‘ L-Vis 1990. Quite a diverse lineup indeed. The people behind HARD always put on amazing shows and this one is no exception. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to come outside after Sandy and Athena have thoroughly raped your city, this is it. Tickets are still available through TicketMaster.

Wolfgang Gartner – Love & War

Wolfgang Gartner – Montezuma

1 2 3 … 7 previous posts