Music moves in cycles. When the waves collide they tend to form something spectacular. This installment of Latest and Greatest features remixes and collaborations whose parts influenced a greater whole. What better way to end a fabulous year of music than by reflecting back on those who helped create it? And perhaps these new friendships and methods will help spur an ever better year of music in 2015.

Porter Robinson – Years of War (Golden Features Remix)

Worlds was one of the best albums of 2014, hands down. Golden Features was one of Australia’s blow out acts; his self-titled EP was an eerily awesome trip. His remix of ‘Years of War’ retains the emotive vocalizations but replaces the instrumentals with his signature industrial darkness.

Porter Robinson – Years of War (Golden Features Remix)

Corbin – Worn

Corbin, formerly Spooky Black, and thestand4rd came together with the fellas at Wedidit to release this melancholic winter burnout. Both collectives had, to say the least, an extremely productive year pushing the limits of hip-hop. Here’s to hoping for more from this powerhouse team up.

Corbin – Worn

Luca Lush x Josh Pan – Get It On

Luca Lush and Josh Pan took Marvin Gaye’s classic ‘Let’s Get it On’ and added some future style to this baby-maker staple. The two have been coming in hot all year on their own to much success. This collab sees lush bass met with dancefloor excitability and makes for one really cool flip.

Luca Lush x Josh Pan – Get It On

Ryan Hemsworth ft. Dawn Golden – Snow in Newark (XXYYXX Remix)

Ryan’s journey into ‘sad boy’ reached a pinnacle when he teamed up with Dawn Golden for ‘Snow in Newark’. Hearing it float on the breeze at TIMF was a highlight of the year. The video is a breathtaking exploration in being alone. XXYYXX took it one step deeper by drowning it in slow-moving beats and fleeting pianos.

Ryan Hemsworth ft. Dawn Golden – Snow in Newark (XXYYXX Remix)

ZHU – Paradise Awaits pt.2 ft. Goldlink

Everyone already knows ZHU was this year’s “#1 must-hear”. Nowhere near finished, he paired the sultry ‘Paradise Awaits’ with GoldLink and some added lyricism with a special shout to Usher. It doesn’t look like the faceless mob is slowing down anytime soon.

SnowGlobe • Lineup • Tickets • Set Times

2014 has been a breakout year for TeamSupreme’s Djemba Djemba. He threw one of the hardest sets we saw at HARD Summer. If you’re looking for a high energy, sporadic, and all-around ridiculously fun party, then we suggest you share his energy on Tuesday night.

He sticks mostly to an 808 foundation of heavy trap, high-hats, jersey club, and jungle. As a precursor, you should expect a mosh here and there. Or you can come join the one we’ll be starting.

Banks – Fall Over (Djemba Djemba Remix)

RL Grime – Core (Djemba Djemba Remix)

Destructo – Dare You 2 Move (Djemba Djemba Remix)

••••
SnowGlobe Spotlight brings attention to special artists that will be featured at SnowGlobe Fest 2014.
Some we love. Some we just discovered. All essential.
Click here for more from this series.
20 Days

SnowGlobe • Lineup • Tickets • Set Times

Tahoe’s annual NYE festival SnowGlobe sees its return this year with their best lineup yet. Yes, I said it…the BEST. I know it’s a young festival, but just look. From top to bottom, the bill is filled with forward thinking newcomers and established pioneers of future sounds.

Of the upcoming talent, I’m probably most excited to see New York’s BRANCHEZ. With influences in Jersey Club, Hip Hop, and Future Beats, this dude has made a name for himself with his thoughtful, feel-good remixes. My favorites are below. Click all three and they’ll pop up in our playlist for easy listening.

He plays Saturday at 6PM in the Sierra Tent. Come bounce with us.

What So Not – High You Are (Branchez Remix)

Branchez – Truth

Rihanna – Stay (Branchez Bootleg)

••••
SnowGlobe Spotlight brings attention to special artists that will be featured at SnowGlobe Fest 2014.
Some we love. Some we just discovered. All essential.
Click here for more from this series.
28 Days

PXLX [pronounced poh-loh] hails from New Zealand. He supplies heavy beats and keeps them lofty with picturesque progressions. The result is a dreamy chill perfect for sunset sessions.

Check his bandcamp to support; join the $ecret Club for more awesome sounds.

PXLX – after time

PXLX – love lockdown

PXLX – rdy2go

PXLX – my love

Free the Robots • StaRro • TICKETS

Our bi-monthly series with Modern Disco Ambassadors continues this Friday! Those of you at last week’s show can attest to how fun it was. Free billiards. Great beer selection. Awesome people. Lucky for you, this week’s show promises to be just as, if not more, bouncy.

Jazzy and glitchy beats from Free the Robots, sultry and soulful rhythms from StarRo, and MDA’s current listings from Torosbros means this’ll be a night of heavy grooving and swaying.

Free the Robots – Soul Control

Free the Robots – The Truth

Chet Faker – Talk is Cheap (StarRo Remix)

Disclosure – Latch (StarRo Remix)

HOW TO ENTER

The contest is below after the jump. Standard procedure: The contest ends at 12PM Friday November 21st! The more ways you enter below, the better your chance is to win. Be sure to be ready to check your e-mail/twitter, because we’ll be giving it to the first person who responds when the contest is over. See you guys there!

(more…)

Sweater Beats | Download Cloud City FREE

Sweater Beats’ [Antonio Cuna] forthcoming EP, Cloud City, is full of high-energy R&B beats we’ve come to love from him. In this EP, he sends us soaring by lifting the dreamy beats with aerated synths and piano riffs. The added vocals from soulstress allie on ‘Dark Matter’ are a welcome bonus. Here’s to hoping this beat-maker’s future reaches new heights as well.

The Free EP comes out via HW&W tomorrow [10|28]. Get it, and then be sure to catch him at Day of the Dead this weekend!

Sweater Beats – Cloud City EP

Boys Noize | Baauer

A week prior to this event, our hearts were in somber spirits when it was announced that RunX had been cancelled. We had high hopes for the trap and hip-hop heavy sounds of Nadus, Lido, Spank Rock, Baauer, and, of course, Boys Noize. While his festival presence consists mostly of electro, Boys Noize’s intimate sets are a whole different animal that we haven’t experienced since NYE2014.

Boys Noize – 60 Min Triple J DJ Set

Baauer – Soulja

Much to our delight, the LA show at Club Nokia was preserved [sans Lido]. We stepped into the spacious theatre as Baauer was taking over the decks; and boy did he start his set off right. There was a minute of cinematic and triumphant sounds as he appeared on stage underneath a yellow spotlight. And then a heavy dosing of trap and hip-hop took over just as we expected [check the vid we got below!]. The lighting was provided via a pillar of spotlights: reds, yellows, whites, greens, and blues were the night’s colors. It wasn’t on the level of the Tower of Baauer, but much of the show was focused on the music anyway. As it should be.

The transition to Boys Noize was seamless. And the vibes just kept rolling. More rap, trap, hip-hop to sate our ‘all-black-everything’ souls. The occasional dark electro found its way into the set, which garnered audible appreciation from the crowd. The energy from the DJ’s was contagious and the excitement was definitely noticed in the audience. It’s unfortunate that only LA got to experience this coming together. But the tour was cancelled for the purposes of new music. So, we can only hope RunX 2.0 comes around sooner rather than later. And with some new fire to boot.