Skrillex talks 12-year-old haters, illegal downloads and more.
Skrillex talks 12-year-old haters, illegal downloads and more.
At the IMS Engage conference in Hollywood last week, Skrillex happily invited a budding producer in the room to throw his USB of music up to the stage. It’s as good an indication as any of how the 25-year-old superstar goes about his business. With a seemingly endless reserve of enthusiasm, his conversation with Summit Series co-founder Jeff Rosenthal freely bounced around topics for close to an hour.
Early in the chat, Skrillex revealed his plans for a studio compound in Los Angeles where laptop producers can come together to make music. “I recently purchased a building in Chinatown where I’m building studios for ‘in the box’ producers – when I say ‘in the box’ I mean producers that use computers,” he said. “There’s nothing like that in Hollywood right now. I like the fact that we share music and we share ideas.”
During questions from the floor, Skrillex was asked about “the kickback” from an older generation of DJs and artists against his brand of dance music. “I think there’s so much criticism that’s great,” he told the room. “People love it, or they hate it. If you look at a painting in an art gallery, even if you hate it, at least it makes you feel something.
“You’ve got this new, loud, bombastic punk rock energy that’s coming in with electronic music, then you have the old-school techno, which comes from a different place and energy, even though it’s all electronic music. We’re all coming together – there wasn’t a Yuma tent [where underground house and techno names played] last year at Coachella, and now there is.”
“A lot of it is internet hype,” he added of the firestorm that follows him around. “Something that’s negative can seem a lot louder than positivity. When you click on the Facebook profile of someone who’s hating, it’s a 12-year-old kid talking crap.”
The producer also pointed out that he’s never cared if people get his music for free. “I guess essentially what the blogs are doing is illegal, but I’ve always been cool with that,” he said. “Any time I have a release, I want all the blogs to post it and I want people to download that stuff. There’s a certain group of people who download the stuff who don’t buy records anyway, and other people do. I’m not trying to fight the way it’s going.
“A lot of people think there was this giant machine behind the Bangarang record, but we did no advertising or radio campaigns,” he added. “It 100-percent came from my Facebook, then the blogs started to pick it up. So social media is everything.”
Posted by Jack Tegoning (via In The Mix)
A word with Hakkasan’s Neil Moffitt.
A word with Hakkasan’s Neil Moffitt.
Photo Credit: Isaac Brekken
Over the last few years the center of the electronic dance world in the United States has shifted to Las Vegas, where top D.J.’s now earn some of their biggest paychecks from casino megaclubs.
The latest arrival to this scene is Hakkasan Las Vegas, part of an international chain of high-end Cantonese restaurants, which has its grand opening this week.
Developed at the MGM Grand at a reported cost of $100 million, the club is 80,000 square feet of Vegas-style chinoiserie, and is the city’s biggest nightclub, according to Neil Moffitt, chief executive of the Angel Management Group, which will manage the club with the Hakkasan company. Along with another new space, Light, it represents the next stage in Las Vegas’s evolution as a luxury mecca for electronic dance music, or E.D.M.
Mr. Moffitt, 46, a veteran of the British dance business, has been the driving force behind the club. He spoke recently about Hakkasan, dance music’s role in the Las Vegas hospitality industry and the comparative economics of dance and rock. Here are edited excerpts from that conversation.
Q. How did the nightclubs of Las Vegas reach their current level of competition for the big names in dance music?
A. My first foray into the electronic-music market in Las Vegas was Paul Oakenfold at Ice in 2004. At that time there was the odd stand-alone room that might have a D.J. on Wednesday night. D.J.’s going from L.A. or Chicago would stop off here, get a suntan, a nice dinner and a check. It was never a serious market.
Then in 2007 there was the decline in the gaming market, and all of a sudden casinos are scrambling for revenue. Pure became the market leader. There were rumors about $1 million nights, Paris Hilton here, another celebrity there. And they all looked at it and said, “Wow, this business can generate a lot of money.”
So nightclub after nightclub started to get built, and over the last six years Las Vegas has invested in bringing a new demographic to this market, which is primarily food and beverage and hospitality driven.
Q. How does Hakkasan fit into this?
A. It’s sort of the first of its kind, and it has been built with change in mind. The nearer you are to the restaurant, the more of the DNA of the restaurant is in it. Farther away, whilst it will contain some of the restaurant, it will take on a feel of its own. It doesn’t ooze rave; it oozes class.
Downstairs we have the Ling Ling Club, a 10,000-square-foot experience, and a separate, more intimate and V.I.P. environment known as the Ling Ling Lounge, which offers a more relaxed atmosphere with top-notch mixology. Upstairs is the main room, which I could call a gladiatorial, high-energy room with a very intense sound-and-light show. To the right, the Pavilion can act as part of the main room, or independently.
Q. Gladiatorial?
A. If someone were to shoot “Fight Club 2,” they could film it in that room. A very intense experience. It reminds me of when we had Tiësto at Godskitchen, my nightclub in Birmingham. I remember getting in the D.J. booth, and the energy in that room.
Q. These days people talk about an “arms race” in the E.D.M. business, and no place seems to symbolize that better than Las Vegas and these elaborate new clubs.
A. It’s an evolution. For years people have been charged a ton of money to go into mediocre buildings with poor facilities and can’t believe they paid that much money to sit next to the toilet. And they leave disenchanted.
Las Vegas itself has evolved. We’ve been through the financial crisis, and people are selective about where they spend their money. They don’t want to go to poor venues and eat poor food. Customers expect a certain level of service and environment. Maybe we still haven’t reached the peak.
Hakkasan Las Vegas is a Michelin-star restaurant that has evolved into a nightclub. That’s where we are. If some people see that as an arms race, maybe it’s just sour grapes.
Q. How do the economics of running these clubs and putting on big dance events compare to the other side of the live-music business?
A. E.D.M. today is what hip-hop was to the MTV generation. We have D.J.’s capable of producing enough ticket sales to compete with Grammy-winning live artists.
If you think about a rock ’n’ roll concert, you’re lucky if these guys will come onstage and do an hour and 20 minutes. We are getting three to four hours of value out of our D.J.’s. We can get 6,000 or 7,000 people through the doors who are willing to pay to see them, probably at an average ticket price higher than I could get for a live act. And it’s a show!
Tiësto was booked to play for me on New Year’s Eve at a casino in Atlantic City, in a room that held 5,000 people. I had absolutely no problem selling that out, and no problem making money. Six weeks prior to that I had a date with a live artist who had terrible problems selling out, and no problem losing money. And yet people think this guy is a superstar.
Q. Another big concern is that this is an economic bubble, with D.J. fees rising and $100 million deals being done. Do you agree with that?
A. A lot of people out there are saying that D.J.’s are getting paid too much. It’s correct that the fees are escalating. But that’s because of demand — demand from competitors and also demand from consumers. These guys are very sophisticated, with sophisticated management.
No, I don’t think the bubble is going to burst in the foreseeable future. But I do think that for people who jump into this world with limited understanding, whether you’re promoting a rock act or an E.D.M. act, there will be casualties.
Posted by Ben Sisario (via The New York Times)
Tiësto unveils “Take Me”, first solo production of 2013.
Calvin Harris breaks Michael Jackson’s UK chart record.
Calvin Harris breaks Michael Jackson’s UK chart record.
Calvin Harris has become the first artist ever to get eight Top Ten hits from the same album.
The DJ and producer entered the record books this weekend (April 21) when his track with Ellie Goulding rose from Number 11 to Number Seven. ‘I Need Your Love’ followed seven previous hit singles including to chart-toppers in the shape of ‘We Found Love’ featuring Rihanna and the Florence Welch collaboration ‘Sweet Nothing’. Harris takes the title from Michael Jackson, whose 1987 album ‘Bad’ spawned seven Top Ten efforts. Jackson’s next album ‘Dangerous’ matched the same feat four years later.
Martin Talbot, from the Official Charts Company, said in a statement: “Many artists only achieve a handful of hits in their entire careers. So for any act to secure three or four from one album is an excellent achievement. In turn, eight top 10s from one album is not just impressive, it is absolutely remarkable. And, of course, record breaking. Congratulations to Calvin Harris, the modern day hitmaker.”
Tweeting about the record, Harris wrote: “8 top 10s from my album 18 Months now! So happy!!!” Before adding, tongue in cheek:
Posted by David Miller (Via NME)
Can you scratch better than SHAQ???
Diplo sparks fist fight over DJ Bl3nd comment.
Diplo sparks fist fight over DJ Bl3nd comment.
A fistfight broke out at the IMS Engage conference between representatives of Hashtag Management and Diplo manager Kevin Kusatsu, after a panel pairing Instagram founder Kevin Systrom and Diplo.
During the panel, Diplo hinted that DJ BL3ND — a social media phenom with over 133K Twitter followers and three million Facebook fans — might have purchased some of those fans, claiming that “he only plays shows in the OC.”
During the Q&A period after the panel, Hashtag Management founder and DJ BL3ND manager Steven Haddad addressed Diplo from the audience, saying that BL3ND had sold out events in New York and “hadn’t even played in the OC” in awhile. From the back of the room, Kusatsu shouted “Shut up,” seemingly unprovoked and out of context. But Diplo backtracked graciously, and gave BL3ND props for some of his early YouTube videos.
After the panel was over, Haddad and Kusatsu seemed to be having a civil conversation at the side of the room before an aggressive fight began very quickly. It was unclear who threw the first punch, but Satien Mehta of Haddad’s Hashtag Management — who was standing next to Haddad — was hit during the altercation. The two men had to be forcibly separated and continued to go at each other after IMS officials intervened.
Haddad returned to the hall after the fight and was seen speaking with security. Kusatsu did not reappear.
Both DJs shared their thoughts over twitter.
The IMS [International Music Summit] Engage conference is held at the beginning of the Ibiza season and is presented by Pete Tong.
Posted by Kerri Mason (via Billboard)
Will.I.Am rips off Arty and Mat Zo for new single?!?!
Will.I.Am rips off Arty and Mat Zo for new single?!?!
Will.i.am’s fourth studio album, #willpower, indicates strong electro-pop influences with lead singles including the Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello produced “This Is Love” and the Basto written “Scream & Shout.” Other than these collaborators, Will.I.Am had no other EDM producers come to his aid — at least to their knowledge. Today, Will’s VEVO uploaded the fifth track from the album, “Let’s Go” alongside Chris Brown, and the preview has the dance music community up in arms. ”Let’s Go” appears to be a blatant ripoff of Arty and Mat Zo‘s Anjunabeats release, “Rebound,” and not just a sample, the entire track. Listen for yourself after the break…
Will.i.am ft. Chris Brown – Let’s Go
Arty & Mat Zo – Rebound
House of Dreamz returns to The Yost Theater in OC!
House of Dreamz returns to The Yost Theater in OC!
This Saturday we proudly present the return of Southern California’s #1 club night “House Of Dreamz” taking place at Yost Theater in the artist district of Downtown Santa Ana.
XS Nightclub (Las Vegas) resident DJ Dave Fogg returns to headline the night once again. For those who experienced our first “Lost Galaxy” party last year you know this event will not be anything short of a spectacle. For those in the Southern California area who have yet to experience a House of Dreamz we highly suggest you cancel whatever you’re doing this Saturday night and meet us at the Yost Theater! Dream, but don’t sleep!
Here are a couple pics from our last event in February inside the Yost Theater.
Photo credit: Taylor Layne
Photo credit: Taylor Layne
Photo Credit: Taylor Layne
Photo credit: Taylor Layne
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Why Hardwell’s Ultra set was the unanimous festival favorite?
Why Hardwell’s Ultra set was the unanimous festival favorite?
Photo Credit: Dancing Astronaut
From the beach to the sandwich shop, from the hotel to the pool, and all the way to the airport, everyone was talking about Hardwell during Miami Music Week. The acclaimed number six DJ in the world was fresh off his weekend one Ultra Music Festival set turned phenomenon and was the instant favorite of all three days. Fans didn’t even have to be at Bayfront Park to experience what the commotion was all about. His entire set was streamed live from UMFTV and 80,000 viewers tuned in to share Ultra’s highlight outing with those in attendance and those on Twitter who contributed to the hashtag trends of #Hardwell and #UltraLive.
After delivering music from 7pm to 8pm, a speechless and sweat-drenched Robbert van de Corput walked off stage and referred to his set as “the best gig [he’s] done so far.” That’s exactly what he said last year on the same stage, but he didn’t hesitate for a second to acknowledge that he’s topped himself in 2013. The magic was felt on his side of the booth, but what made Hardwell’s set so illustrious for fans worldwide? Hint: It wasn’t Lil’ Jon.
Quick mixing, diverse selections, quicker mixing
Opening with the gracefully anthemic introduction edit of “Spaceman,” Hardwell was greeted by the main stage crowd with a warm welcome. He moved into its Above & Beyond bootleg, an upcoming collaboration with MakJ, the vocal mix of “Calling,” and “Apollo” with two of its brand new remixes. It may appear like half of a set list, but for Hardwell it was only the first ten minutes.
Before fans could even situate themselves within the body-to-body crowd, Hardwell brought a multitude of styles and touched upon sounds from orchestral to trance to big room to progressive to melodic to dubstep. That’s right, he covered almost every electronic genre in ten minutes to craft his signature unrelenting energy. Hardwell’s quick mixing through a variety of sounds had fans itching for more after mere seconds, anticipating the next drop before they’ve finished jumping to the previous one, curious to know what’s coming next and thrilled when it does. Where most DJs play out their records in their entirety and allow an audience to lose their spark, Hardwell doesn’t let a single fan out of his grips — not for a second, and surely not for the first ten minutes.
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