Browsing Tag

Avicii

Ed Roberts became the guiding light in the EDM scene with Northern Star featuring Amy Wyatt and Roi Aknin

Posted on 22 February 2024

Ed Roberts’ latest single, ‘Northern Star’, featuring Amy Wyatt and Roi Aknin, is a luminous beacon in the EDM universe. This track, infused with metaphorical depth, stands as a testament to Roberts’ burgeoning prowess in a genre often overshadowed by the towering legacy of icons like Avicii.

Roberts, a UK-based producer, draws inspiration from EDM stalwarts such as David Guetta and Armin Van Buuren. His journey, which took a definitive turn at the Amsterdam Dance Event in 2019, has seen him evolve from a vocal producer to a creator of his own distinctive soundscapes. His previous works have already made waves on platforms like Spotify, but ‘Northern Star’ marks a zenith in his artistic trajectory.

The track opens with a subtle, yet captivating melody that sets the stage for the soul-stirring vocals. The production, bathed in the twilight of dreamy synths, allows the emotional resonance of the lyrics to shine through. Each beat, each note, is meticulously crafted to carry the weight of the song’s heartfelt message.

As the song progresses, Roberts demonstrates his mastery of the genre, blending powerful, energetic drops with a sense of emotional depth that is often elusive in EDM. The reverb, far from being just an auditory effect, acts as a vessel for the song’s affective power, drawing the listener deeper into its narrative.

Northern Star was officially released on February 18^th; stream the single on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Oscar Hoset serenaded the twilight in his progressive house pop hit, Evening People (A Midnight Rhapsody)

Posted on 31 January 2024

After making a name for himself as a cover artist, the Norwegian luminary, Oscar Hoset, has illuminated the night with his debut single Evening People (A Midnight Rhapsody). If you want to hear the liberation of hedonism reflected through luscious progressive house pop hooks, hit play and brace yourself for the infectious momentum of the polished production that strides far past the cusp of contemporary dance-pop.

Oscar Hoset didn’t just stay in own lane with Evening People (A Midnight Rhapsody), he entered a completely new stratosphere while appealing to fans of Avicii, Kygo, and Martin Garrix with his debut which could easily be the most promising new entry in the dance-pop arena in 2024. At just 22 years old, he’s already perfected the art of infusing visceral rapture into his productions. We can’t wait to hear what comes next.

Evening People (A Midnight Rhapsody) was officially released on January 19^th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: AMRIX has launched his EDM track that will follow you into the dark, ‘Don’t Be Afraid’

Posted on 14 August 2023

The Perth-hailing EDM artist & producer AMRIX gave a Grammy-worthy performance in his debut single, Don’t Be Afraid, which carries all the intimately compassionate soul of I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Death Cab for Cutie on the smoothed-out-with-reverb synth lines which build into one of the most heartfelt crescendos you’re likely to ever to hear.

The tenderly mid-tempo hit amasses evocative visceralism around the builds and breaks in a similar vein to Avicii’s emotion-driven singles; AMRIX has what it takes to leave as much of a mark on the industry with his songwriting stripes that can drive you to the brink of tears while constructing a sanctuary to slip into when dark clouds permeate your perspective.

Collaborating with lyricist Matt Miller, a guest vocalist, and Ruben Castro, who mixed and mastered the self-produced release, the genre fusionist achieved his goal of creating timelessly impactful music that resonates with listeners on a deep emotional level.

While other EDM artists are busying themselves releasing trite high-vibe summer hits that do little more than contribute to unrealistic expectations of a utopic season, AMRIX is cutting right to the core of sincerity with his elevated discography; I know which kind of artist I will be putting on my radar for future installations of resonant euphonic compassion.

In his own words, here’s what AMRIX had to say on his first installation of electro RnB-Pop:

“Don’t Be Afraid is inspired by personal experiences and the universal struggle of developing trust in relationships. It explores the vulnerability and strength required to open up to another person fully.”

Don’t Be Afraid hit the airwaves on July 28; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Avicii meets Depeche Mode in Policy’s latest genre-mash, I’d Wait for You ft Sergi Yaro

Posted on 23 May 2023

The award-winning genre-melding producer, Policy, is back on the airwaves following the successful launch of his debut LP, Echo Chambers, in 2020 and the sophomore album, The Abby Rose, in 2022. This time, the Ohio-based beat master collaborated with the Ukrainian singer-songwriter Sergi Yaro to awaken sentimental senses with I’d Wait for You.

The falsetto vocal lines against the dark, droning and dancey synths and harbingering percussive beats, which slam to sonically attest to how dark the waters of a loveless reality can be, is an alchemic combination, which won’t fail to drag you into the murky core of this experimental hit which could win over mainstream electronica fans and alt-electro heads alike. Instrumentally, if you found the middle ground between Depeche Mode and Avicii, you’d find I’d Wait for You resoundfully residing there.

I’d Wait for You is due for official release on May 23; hear it on the artist’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tree Giants bring unity in trend with their dreamy evocative firestorm, Better Together

Posted on 26 May 2022

The electronica duo Tree Giants, consisting of Oklahoma City’s Daniel Chrisman and Israel Lee, have released another compassionately synthy-sweet dream-pop hit, Better Together. As blissful as Beach House, as momentous as the euphonic hits left behind in Avicii’s wake, it’s a triumph in genre-defying euphoria.

The message of unity behind the spacey sonic elements may be simple but through the honeyed indie RnB vocal lines, reverb-swathed synths and oscillating basslines that surge through enrapturing the progressions, it’s as profound as anything Shakespeare had to say in his time. It’s a stunningly sincere reminder that connection is a fundamental part of the human experience and in dark days, those olive branches can bring us to a new plateau of existence.

Hear Better Together for yourselves here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kate Gala has released her sticky sweet summer EDM pop earworm, Summer in October

Posted on 19 April 2022

Since making her 2019 debut, the EDM pop artist, Kate Gala, hasn’t failed to pick up traction with her progressively momentous instrumentals, consolingly sugared vocals and innocently candid lyrics. After garnering over 97k streams with her seminal single, Hold on Tight, she’s here with her sun-bleached earworm, Summer in October.

If Taylor Swift poured her endlessly bright vocal timbre over Avicii’s beats, the end result wouldn’t be far from the Virginia Beach singer-songwriter’s epically blissful hit that deserves to dominate the electronica charts. It shares plenty of the hallmarks of your average summer love song, but with Gala’s soul-deep vocal performance, few hit as euphonically as this.

Summer in October is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Min The Universe and Mina Grace want to show us ‘A Million Fireflies’

Posted on 23 April 2021

Thrumming, pulsing, rising and rolling electronic bass over electronic beats and rushing chords, all topped off with Nina Grace’s powerful vocal – that’s ‘A Million Fireflies’ by New York’s Min The Universe.

A true ‘citizen of the world’ Min (or should that be Mr. Universe?) has travelled from Shanghai to Liverpool to Boston to Atlanta, spending his formative years as a lead guitarist and keyboardist, rocking out in progressive metal bands before finding his love of electronic dance music in his early 20’s. There’s a mix of Calvin Harris and Deadmau5, Avicii and Eric Prydz, a trancy, progressive house style backbeat and swelling keyboard parts, Grace’s vocal carrying the track in between the ebb and flow of electronic verse and chorus.

It’s a top dance track, clubby and uptempo with some quality guest vocal work from Nina Grace.

You can listen to ‘A Million Fireflies’ on Spotify; Follow Min The Universe on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

Sable_Neon captures the 2020 mood with their Alt Indie Future Pop single “Behind Bars”

Posted on 18 November 2020

Electronic artist and producer Sable_Neon has released their latest euphoria-laced single “Behind Bars”, which captures the global mood in 2020 by alluding to the scarcity of safety and security through lyrics which resound over expansive Trancey beats.

Any fans of James Bay, Gotye, The Lumineers, Avicii and Hozier will definitely want to delve into the compelling release which was orchestrated to soothe the soul while simultaneously charging you with adrenaline through entrancing Future Pop beats.

Sable_Neon may share similarities with the aforementioned artists, but there’s a magnetic sense of pioneering authority on offer in Behind Bars. Considering that each of Sable_Neon’s releases is created by transforming thought into emotion and then feeding it into music that’s produced to heal, that comes as no surprise.

Behind Bars is available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Prepare Your Summer Prog House Playlists for The Small Things’ Single “Wake Up Alone”

Posted on 13 April 2020

What happens when two artists with multi-platinum music careers get together and set their minds on creating a fiery Prog House Pop hit? Hit play on The Small Things Summer 2020 anthem Wake Up Alone featuring vocals from IINES and embrace the waves of euphoria yourselves.

It’s danceable, it’s accessible, and you’ll need to prepare for the high-vibe perfectly polished melodies in Wake Up Alone to stick with you for quite a while after the energetic hit has faded to a close.

The Small Things may be relatively fresh from inception, but between them, Mats Melbye and Alex Eriksson have a wealth experience and their talent has seen them working alongside the likes of Avicii and David Guetta.

You can check out Wake Up Alone for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast