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When you think of electronic dance music, you mind likely doesn’t sway toward the Middle East or Saudi Arabia, but MDLBEAST in the region is hoping to change that. With a successful 2019 festival under their belt and another on the way next month, plus an international music conference, Saudi Arabia could become a hub of electronic music in the region.

MDLBEAST PRESENTS announced today the upcoming unprecedented residency of global DJ sensation David Guetta in Riyadh. The series of exclusive and public events will kick off next week to mark the launch of ‘MDLBEAST PRESENTS’, the company’s arm which aims to amplify the regional music scene through concerts, events and experiences.

The international DJ, who retained his #1 ranking by DJ Mag in 2021, will kick off his residency with exclusive events to be held in various locations around Riyadh on the 12th, 19th and 26th of November, with a very limited number of tickets. The French superstar DJ will then conclude his stay in the Kingdom with performances at Formula 1 and SOUNDSTORM in December.

“Building the music scene in the Kingdom is central to our plans at MDLBEAST and we aim to bring over the world’s best music icons to deliver genuine world class entertainment. With the launch of MDLBEAST PRESENTS, we are renewing our commitment to produce incredible events and truly memorable experiences for music fans in Saudi Arabia and the region,” said Talal Albahiti, COO and head of talent booking and events at MDLBEAST.

“David Guetta is just as popular in Saudi Arabia as he is anywhere else in the world, as he’s such a global sensation! His events in Riyadh will be much anticipated by electronic dance music enthusiasts and all music lovers,” he added.

Get your tickets to watch David Guetta perform at the biggest and loudest music festival in the region, SOUNDSTORM December 16-19. Tickets are available at tickets.mdlbeast.com.

 

Photo via MNO Photo for MDL Beast

This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: David Guetta announces residency in Riyadh with ‘MDLBEAST PRESENTS’

Oliver Heldens is back with another heavy tune from his Hi-Lo alias, “Hypnos.” While Oliver may be known for his infectious house-driven sounds, he’s been repping the underground for a while now with his Hi-Lo alias. “Hypnos” is just the latest addition to his catalog featuring that trademark heavy bass, massive kick drum, and rumbling melody.

Marking his debut on Adam Beyer’s Drumcode label, “Hypnos” is an enthralling song, that will have you grooving to the beat, while also yearning for a dark warehouse at the same time. The track opens with the trademark Hi-Lo kick drum. After that some synth notes echo in the distance, however, the groovy bassline starts to take the forefront. The bassline continues to build over the beat, before the bass becomes synths. The drop features the same melodic bassline accompanied by the massive Hi-Lo kick drum. It continues to build from there as the synths become more frenetic, before finally tapering off to allow the kick drum and bass to come to the forefront again.

Check out the latest from Hi-Lo, “Hypnos.” Out now on Drumcode. Check out this video of Oliver playing the Circuit Grounds at EDC Las Vegas last month too!



This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Oliver Heldens Makes His Debut on Drumcode as Hi-Lo with dual release Hypnos/Hera

They say that the eyes are the window to the soul; that appears to be the premise behind ARTY’s latest single “Those Eyes” featuring Griff Clawson. “Those Eyes” is yet another song that sees ARTY experimenting with acoustic instrumentation, while at the same time, pushing sonic boundaries, all while in a radio-friendly format. “Those Eyes” is, at the same time, a forlorn love song, but, also an uplifting anthem with some strong indie vibes to boot.

The track opens up with some vibey acoustic guitar chords. Griff Clawson’s perfect vocals come in as he wonders “Where have you been? Why did you go back so soon? You said we had more time, when I look in those eyes.” The verse and buildup are super vibey and emotional, however, the drop offers the perfect contrast to that. The drop pitches up the vocals, introduces some handclaps and sounds much more electronic than the verse, even though it still features acoustic guitar. It kind of reminds me of a chorus to a Walk the Moon song, it’s perfect for handclaps and singalongs. It also sounds great on top of that. “Those Eyes” marks the third time that ARTY and Griff Clawson have collaborated. Even so, as ARTY explains, this was a very exciting song to make.

“‘Those Eyes’ was so much fun to produce. The entire time I spent working on it was nothing but natural fun and pure joy. Everything started with me listening to the demo for the first time and I couldn’t even recognize Griff’s voice even though we did so many tracks together in the past. And I think that’s what makes this song so unique and catchy. The blend of acoustic instruments and heavily processed vocals creates this strange, almost alienated vibe that immediately catches your ear because of its nature. But it’s not just a fun track to listen to; there is deeper meaning to it if you listen to the lyrics very closely. All in all, I’m very excited about this record to finally come out and I hope people will enjoy it the same way as I do!”

Check out the latest from ARTY, “Those Eyes” featuring Griff Clawson. Out now on Armada.

This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: ARTY Drops Another Impressive Crossover Single, “Those Eyes”

The one and only Afrojack is back with his latest club banger. This time, he teams up with Miami-based duo Black V Neck for “To The Floor,” a re-imagined tech house update of Waka Flocka Flame’s 2010 smash, “No Hands.” Outside of the vocal refrain “Drop it to the floor, I love the way your booty go…” there aren’t any similarities to the original track. This is a modern tech-house update that is sure to light up dance floors and festivals alike.

The track is pretty minimally produced. It opens with four-four drums and the vocal refrain. There’s that kind-of looping sound that builds up, but the beat doesn’t change much after the intro. There’s some cool echo-y synth work in the background, but, otherwise, the beat kind of speaks for itself. There’s an even heavier buildup after the second verse section, which results in an absolutely cathartic drop with some more echo-y synth work. If you’re the tech and house that’s out now, “To the Floor” is the track for you!

Check out the latest from Afrojack and Black V Neck, “To the Floor.” Out now on MDLBEAST Records.

This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Afrojack and Black V Neck Team Up for House Banger “To the Floor”

Nicky Romero is back with another new single, and this one is sure to light up the dancefloor and scintillate fans at the same time. “Acid Is My DNA” is Nicky’s latest track, and as you can imagine from the title, it’s an homage to early 2010s acid house. While maintaining it’s old school sensibility, it’s still got a modern production flair, and it absolutely goes off for after-hours!

The track wastes no time as it opens up with the vocal sample repeating the word acid over a four-four beat and the traditional acid synth-notes in the background. As the track builds up, we get the full vocal refrain, “Acid is my DNA.” From there the drop is pure house bliss, with lasers and the kind-of deflating horn synth firing off in the background. Nothing too complex, just some sick bass, a good beat, and, of course, a little bit of acid.

Check out the latest from Nicky Romero, “Acid Is My DNA.” Out now on Protocol. Check out this video of Nick crushing the main stage at last month’s EDC Las Vegas as well.



This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Nicky Romero Drops New Throwback Single “Acid Is My DNA”

It’s been five years since Armin van Buuren and Vini Vici teamed up for their first massive hit single, “Great Spirit.” However, the chemistry is as strong as ever and it’s on clear display on their latest single, “Yama.” Whereas “Great Spirit” channeled a Native American chant as its basis, “Yama” sees the two artists draw their inspiration from African chants and melodies. Featuring Tribal Dance and Natalie Wamba, “Yama” is an uplifting tune, as well as a psy-trance banger.

The track opens with the aforementioned, uplifting vocal chants. There’s also some nice African percussion to set the mood in the background. After that, the track builds to the massive psy-trance drop that’s interspersed with some sick tribal drums. The drop is definitely Vini Vici’s signature sound. After the first drop, the chants come back amidst some drums and synths that have Armin’s fingerprints all over it. Here’s what Armin and Vini Vici each had to say about making “Yama.”

“I had a blast working with Vini Vici on ‘Great Spirit’ and ‘United’ back in 2016 and 2018, and although a few years had passed since, I always felt that it’d be great to do a third collab. So we all jumped at the opportunity when it finally arose and ‘Yama’ is the outcome. Our trademark sounds are especially compatible and I’m positive ‘Yama’ will be ruling dance floors for a long time to come.” – Armin van Buuren

“Dropping this tune b2b with Armin van Buuren during last week’s ASOT event was an amazing experience, and we’re super excited about our third collaboration! It took us a while to produce this song and we did it during the crux of the pandemic. Needless to say, it took a lot of hard work to get this final result.” – Vini Vici

Check out the accompanying music video for Armin van Buuren & Vini Vici’s latest, “Yama.” Out now on Armada.

This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Armin van Buuren and Vini Vici Team Up for Uplifting New Collab “Yama”

Two years ago, Conrank’s album What’s a FKNG Conrank just narrowly missed inclusion in our Top Albums of 2019 list, only due to serious competition that year. Now, he returns with his next evolution, This Simulation’s Breached.

More than a collection of songs, this is a manifesto. Two years ago, when the dust had settled on What’s a FKNG Conrank, it was time to tell the world just what that is. The answer: a musician, a performer, a singer, a songwriter and a producer who has delivered a body of work that few would dare to dream of. The time had come for Conrank to grab the microphone and step out from behind the decks, spread his wings and take his music to the stratosphere. Writing and performing his own music and vocals, this is an exposé of Conrank the artist.

Like his debut, he has brought in a melting pot of talent. Long-term friend and fellow producer Buku joins in on the forward-thinking “Chasing Devils.” The dubstep doesn’t stop there, the legend that is Figure appearing for the powerful ‘Karma Restored’ and Pendulum affiliate KJ Sawka drumming up a storm on “Sound Burial.”

Supplementing Conrank’s own vocal action, Wreckno and Gardella demonstrate why they’re causing so much excitement, “Reddit” is a force of nature. To complete the story with one more contrast, dancehall legends Ward 21 step up to the plate for “21 Madness.” The drumstep-jungle hybrid is the perfect vehicle for one of the most distinctive acts from Kingston.

Check out the complete This Simulation’s Breached project below, out now on Circus Records.

 

Photo by Logan The Modifier

This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Conrank Breaches His Own Simulation With New Album Out Now On Circus Records

When Martin Garrix and U2 teamed up for “We Are The People” for the EURO 2020 earlier this year, the experience must have been a good one because the Irish rock band called upon the Dutch producer once again to co-produce, mix, and master their new single “Your Song Saved My Life” from the movie Sing 2.

Super stoked to share that I co-produced, mixed and mastered the new @u2 single ‘Your Song Saved My Life’ for the movie Sing 2. enjoy!! @singmovie pic.twitter.com/TCv7XrGxBR

— MARTIN GARRIX (@MartinGarrix) November 5, 2021

The song sounds impeccably crisp and clear, owing to Garrix’s near-decade producing his own hit music. Listen below!

This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Martin Garrix Co-Produced, Mixed, & Mastered New U2 Single ‘Your Song Saved My Life’ from Sing 2 Movie

Marc-E’s style has certainly changed since his first drop in 2015, a track he created with hip hop group The X Presidents called “One Soul.” After that largely acoustic track, Marc-E started adding production and sound design into his early work, and six years later he’s released his third full-length and fully psybient album, titled “Catharsis.” From his discography, it seems to have been quite a journey.

As soon as his first album Here Again released on Bandcamp, Marc-E started injecting ambient electronic elements into his work. His epic, 17-minute “Freedom Forest,” which is so ambient and natural it could easily have been on a spa or massage playlist. The very next track, “Wo! 6EQUJ5,” however, shows that Marc-E was still experimenting as it’s more techno-forward. Clearly a nod to Kraftwerk and other techno pioneers, by this time it’s also clear from this track that a move to EDM was starting to happen.

Marc-E’s second album, Sub Ek, is back to being very ambient and here we also see his spiritual side coming through on tracks like “Totem,” “Rite of Passage”…the whole album really. This is where Marc-E really goes psybient: all the elements of psytrance but instead of trance, there’s lots of ambient sounds and varied beat structures. Lots of organic and acoustic instrumentation is used here as well: Indian tabla drums, echoey, Chant-style vocals, et al. Done as one continuous piece of music that extends through all the tracks, Sub Ek seems to have defined Marc-E’s style, at least for the forseeable future.

After releasing a cheeky and more dancey mix of “Nataraja” off of Sub Ek and a tease release of “Brahman” in 2019, Catharsis released last month. It’s a culmination of all Marc-E’s style over the years, blending acoustic instrumentation and drums, ambient production, EDM sensibility and even a little jazz to make a style all his own. Also done as sort of one continuous or contiguous work, Catharsis was just that for Marc-E. A contemplation of the times from the deepest possible perspective, track names like “Acceptance,” “Virtues of Isolation” and “Shadow Work” tap into the reality of what most of humankind was feeling between 2019 and now. Rather than getting angry or political, Catharsis advises that one take a journey behind one’s bellybutton and process those feelings. Whether by listening to trippy, psybient meditative music or by other means, this album reminds us that the inner work is often more important than whatever mess we’ve gotten ourselves into in the physical realm.

While it seems Marc-E has found his style with Catharsis, fans would be on warning to expect the unexpected with the Vancouver artist’s future offerings. This album is clearly an experimentation and, as stylized as it is, it’s still lose enough in said style to portend more experimentation and growth for Marc-E, both musically and personally. Here’s hoping all musicians do the same, after the pando and beyond.

Catharsis is out now and can be streamed on Spotify or purchased on Bandcamp, along with the rest of his storied discography. Check out some live studio performances on Marc-E’s YouTube channel.

 

 

This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: New Artist Spotlight: Marc-E Delivers a True Psychedelic ‘Catharsis’ on His Third LP

At least eight people are dead, including, reportedly, a 10 year old boy, 23 hospitalized, and hundreds more treated for injuries after Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival in Houston last night at NRG Park.

According to photo and video accounts on social media, the festival had been experiencing lapses in security and safety throughout the day, beginning with a stampede through entrance security less than an hour after the festival began.

XXL shared a video from the entrance where a massive bottleneck caused people to be trampled upon entry, while Mycah Hatfield from local ABC 13 shared a video from the following security checkpoint where there were only three staff present to, presumably, check credentials from incoming attendees.

Fans just broke through the fence to get into #AstroWorldpic.twitter.com/mpi70ZzTOs

— XXL Magazine (@XXL) November 5, 2021

As we were arriving to the Astroworld Festival at NRG Park right at 2:00, a stampede burst through the gates. Hundreds of people destroyed the VIP security entrance, bypassing the checkpoint. People were trampled. Some were detained.

(Excuse any language you may hear) pic.twitter.com/d0m2rjqAAk

— Mycah Hatfield (@MycahABC13) November 5, 2021

According to KHOU 11 news, during Scott’s set, which began at 8:45, “the crowd began to compress toward the front of the stage and that caused panic and people were getting injured. HFD transported 17 people to hospitals. 11 of those transported were in cardiac arrest.”

HFD Chief Sam Pena: At around 9 or 9:15, the crowd began to compress toward the front of the stage and that caused panic and people were getting injured. HFD transported 17 people to hospitals. 11 of those transported were in cardiac arrest.

— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) November 6, 2021

One account from an ICU nurse who was in attendance describes the pandemonium as she fell unconscious during the concert due to all the people pushing forward. She was crowdsurfed toward the front where she was taken “to a little section behind GA” where others were being treated for injuries.

According to her account, multiple people were unconscious and receiving CPR, some who didn’t require it as she describes no one was checking pulses. Medical equipment was also allegedly sparse and those who were put in charge were un- or under-trained to handle the situation.

After all of this, Astroworld released a statement at around 6am local time offering the equivalent of thoughts and prayers, and announced that the second day of the festival would be cancelled. Replies were turned off.

pic.twitter.com/ucljeOiMRn

— ASTROWORLD FEST (@astroworldfest) November 6, 2021

Scott shared his own statement this morning, literally offering his prayers. “Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.”

pic.twitter.com/ijXKslw7E2

— TRAVIS SCOTT (@trvisXX) November 6, 2021

 

Photo via Rukes.com

This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Astroworld Offers “Thoughts & Prayers” Then Turns Off Replies Following At Least 8 Deaths