As 2018 comes to a close it’s time to start reviewing the year and looking at how much of a great year it has been for EDM. So, to start this off I will be sharing my album of the year, an album that I fell in love with as soon as I heard it and has stood out more to me than any other album this year.

My album of the year was actually released towards the very end of the year, 14th December to be exact, and is by none other than Norwegian DJ Alan Walker. That’s right, my album of the year is Alan Walkers debut album ‘Different Worlds’. This album shows everything that Alan Walker is about, spreading the message that no matter what we can all be equal and can all strive alongside each other. On top of this it also has the amazing title song ‘Different World’ featuring Sofia Carson, K-391 and CORSAK, as well as popular songs ‘Faded’, ‘Alone’ and ‘Sing Me To Sleep’ and newer songs ‘Darkside’, ‘Diamond Heart’ and ‘All Falls Down’.

So there you have it, my album of the year, if you haven’t heard it yet then I would strongly suggest listening to it as it is a banger. To anyone reading this I would hugely appreciate any of your suggestions for album of the year, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this.

In 2018 Electronic Music is more popular than it ever has been before, making it a whole lot easier for DJ’s to earn a lot more money from their songs. With some DJ’s being worth over £30 million, it is definitely clear to see that it is a good time to be involved in the EDM industry.

Click the following link to have a look at who the top 10 highest earning DJ’s of 2018 are:

http://wke.lt/w/s/wEYDl

A topic that seems quite controversial in the EDM scene is how ‘mainstream’ some DJ’s tend to go with their music. As soon as the words “EDM” and “mainstream” are put together there are some artists that spring to mind instantly, with many of them being some of the top rated DJ’s in the world.

The biggest example of this being The Chainsmokers, a duo from America that have probably one of the worst reputations among a lot of EDM fans for there switch to ‘mainstream’ music. More known for their Electropop style of music, The Chainsmokers rose to fame in 2014 with there song ‘#Selfie’ and since then have pretty much stayed in the ‘mainstream’ genre which has caused controversy among a lot of EDM with many claiming they are not ‘real DJ’s’ and are more of a Pop act than an Electronic Music act.

Another artist that has fallen subject to this criticism is Martin Garrix. One of the most well known names in EDM is responsible for making some of the best Big Room House and Progressive House songs to have ever been released (in my opinion), yet despite this he still receives certain ‘mainstream criticism’.  Taking a slightly different approach to music by releasing music with ‘mainstream’ artists such as Bebe Rexha, Dua Lipa and Khalid has come with both major success and some criticism, mainly from the hardcore EDM fans who believe ‘mainstream’ is not the right way for DJ’s to go.

In my opinion, these DJ’s such as The Chainsmokers and Martin Garrix are still brilliant DJ’s and should be recognized for their talent rather than brought down for making music that appeals to a larger audience. DJ’s like this are not only smart, but also make EDM a more recognized style of music, they are the headliners for the genre, opening more people up to the idea of listening to different sub genres of EDM.

Who is KLOUD? What is KLOUD? What will KLOUD do next?

These are just a few of the questions I’ve found myself asking after discovering KLOUD, who has quickly become one of my favourite artists right now.

Having released a series of videos to accompany the tracks, we can see a story that may have only just begun. Starting with the first video for the song ‘Promises’, we see the lyrics being written in a code like style suggesting that process of something being made is only just starting, leaving us to wonder what that could be. The actual song as well is an absolutely brilliant song, using the lyrics from Nero’s song ‘Promises’ along with a catchy beat, we are able to see that great things will come from KLOUD.

Moving on to the second video for the song ‘Dark Down Below’, we are introduced to the city in which this story is taking place. As well as this we also find out that the coding is taking place at the KLOUD HQ, possibly suggesting that something is being built up leaving us more interested to see whats in store from the artist. Again, the actual track is another masterpiece, with an amazing drop accompanied by some amazing lyrics it’s definitely a song worth listening to.

The third video in the series of videos is for the song ‘In For The Kill’. In this video we are able to take a more in depth look at KLOUD HQ as we see something being created, which by the looks of things is AI type designs showing that the whole city may potentially be populated by AI created at the KLOUD HQ. Continuing with the stormy weather and the dark look of the HQ and the city, it gives off the vibe that something dark may be happening at the HQ. As with the other tracks, this one is also an amazing track, using the lyrics from the song ‘In For The Kill’ by La Roux along with a bouncy beat this track really demonstrates what an amazing artist KLOUD is already is.

The penultimate video in the series is the video to the track ‘Satisfied’.  Although there isn’t much to this video, only seeing the camera travelling down a very futuristic path, it shows that whatever is being made at the KLOUD HQ may possibly be finished and is ready to be released, definitely leaving us wondering what it is that is being done. Another amazing track to accompany the video, this is definitely a song that is easy to recognise, with the softer build up leading to a harder drop, again showing how much talent KLOUD has.

The final video for this series comes with the video for the track ‘Burn Me’. Everything happens in this video, absolutely everything, and it is definitely a masterpiece worth watching. This is the video in which we see what is being created at the HQ, we see all the coding being put into a robot that has been the project at the HQ in the course of this mini series. However, not all is going to plan as the thunderstorm that we are constantly seeing in previous videos finally strikes in full force, setting fire to the KLOUD HQ as well as the city, stopping some of the coding being completed. Although the coding isn’t fully complete we actually get to see this robot at the end of the video, with the final thing in the video being the robot saying “Hello, My name is KLOUD”. Without a doubt this is my favourite song and video of the series, with the song being energetic with great vocals being accompanied by a video full of detail and lots of things going on to keep you interested, KLOUD is full of talent.

Having recently released the amazing remix of Illenium’s song ‘Crawl Outta Love’, and having revealed the robot made at the KLOUD HQ, we are yet to find out who is actually behind this great music and these amazing visuals, something that a lot of people will be wanting to find out. In my personal opinion, KLOUD is quite simply amazing, the darkness of the videos, the anonymous identity and the brilliant music are all which make this artist such a talent and the artist definitely gets a 10/10 from me.

Great Britain is responsible for producing some amazing DJ’s covering a varied range of genres. Of course being British myself it may seem as though my opinion may be slightly bias, so for that reason I have attached an infographic listing my top 5 British DJ’s to prove my point that Britain really does have some amazing DJ’s.

Hi, welcome back to another blog. The topic of this blog is simple, listing a few of my favourite DJ’s to listen to. I listen to a varied range of genres within the EDM genre so the list of my favourite DJ’s is going to be pretty long which is why I have decided to name my list in a series of blog posts which I hope will be enjoyable to read. Anyway, I would like to share the first installment of my list.

1. Darkzy – The Nottingham based 22 year old is well known for his Drum and Bass music and has gained a big following among UK Drum and Bass fans. He gained recognition with his remix of Drake’s song ‘One Dance’ which was an awesome remix but that doesn’t take away the fact that he also has some great original songs aswell.
2. Marshmello – This masked DJ definitely makes it onto my list after being the man behind some of my favorite songs. Most recognised for his songs ‘Alone’, ‘Silence’ featuring Khalid and most recently ‘Happier’ featuring Bastille, Marshmello is known for making fairly up beat songs that can just make the listener feel happy. On top of this he is also known for his amazing attitude away from music and is pretty much just an all round entertainer which is what makes him great in my eyes.
3. KURA – The Portuguese DJ has released some amazing songs with his most recent song ‘Like A Boss’ being a particular favourite of mine. KURA is best known for being behind some great Electro House music however he is even more well known for his very creative music videos as he can often be seen making videos using mini action figures to create some interesting videos. The mixture of great music and amazing videos is what really grabs my attention and is the reason I love this DJ.
4. Noisestorm – Representing Ireland, Noisestorm makes it onto my list as he is responsible for one of my favourite songs of 2018 ‘Crab Rave’. After hearing that awesome track I had to listen to more songs from the DJ and it was then that I discovered how much of a great artist he is.
5. Fox Stevenson – The Leeds born singer-songwriter and producer known for his Liquid Drum and Bass and Glitch Hop is one of my all time favourites. Currently with the awesome record label Disciple, Fox Stevenson has a different style to a lot of other DJ’s as he uses his own vocals on a lot of his tracks such as ‘Take You Down’, ‘Better Now’ and ‘Miss You’ and it really showcases his talent.

Top EDM Festivals of 2018 – Story Map

I have recently made a story map which shows the festivals which I believe are some of the top EDM festivals of 2018. There are some absolutely amazing festivals in there such as Creamfields, EDC Las Vegas and Tomorrowland, and a few that you may not of heard of before.

Believe me, this is well worth checking out, and if you feel as though you want to comment with any of your own suggestions then please feel free to.

 

When any EDM fan is asked about who the most influential DJ’s of all time are, there are many different names that can come to mind. These names will differ for any EDM fan, mainly based on the genre of EDM they are in to, for example fans of Dubstep will have a completely different list of names to a fan of House music who will have a different list of names to a fan of Drum and Bass and so on.

So, seeing as this is a great topic to debate, I thought I’d share my thoughts on who my most influential DJ’s of all time are in hopes to start up a great conversation and gain the thoughts of others on this topic.

1. Daft Punk – There is no better way to kick of the list than to begin with the incredible French duo. The duo, formed in 1993, have made a massive impact in the world of electronic music with their debut album ‘Homework’ becoming one of the most influential albums of all time. Although released in 1997, it is still one of the most iconic albums among many electronic music fans and really kick started the duos career. In addition, they probably have one of the coolest looks in the scene, with their robotic masks making their look really match their style of music and simply making them one of the coolest duos the scene has ever known.
2. Deadmau5 –  Next on the list is Canadian DJ Deadmau5, again another DJ who has made an incredible image for himself with his amazing LED mouse style mask. Mainly known for his Progressive House style of music, Deadmau5 is responsible for some of the most well known and most played songs in the scene having released spectacular songs such as ‘Ghosts N Stuff’, ‘I Remember’, ‘Strobe’, ‘Raise Your Weapon’ and many more. On top of this he has also had a big influence on other DJ’s, he signed Skrillex to his own label Mau5trap in 2010 and released his second EP ‘Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites’, arguably really kick starting Skrillex’s success, and most recently signing fellow Canadian DJ Rezz to the label gaining her a lot of attention and making her a rising star in the scene.
3. Fatboy Slim – One of the most popular DJ’s to have come out of England, Fatboy Slim has had a lot of success in his career. Known for his Big Beat and Acid House style of music, Fatboy Slim had a big influence in making Big Beat music more popular in the 90’s leading the way for fellow Big Beat artists such as The Chemical Brothers, Basement Jaxx and Groove Armada to become more widely recognised. On top of this, Fatboy Slim is also responsible for producing some of the most well known songs in the scene with songs such as ‘Praise You’, ‘Right Here, Right Now’ and ‘Eat Sleep Rave Repeat’ all gaining major success.
4. Swedish House Mafia – In my opinion, this Swedish House trio are very influential in the electronic music world, making a name as one of the most popular super groups in the world. First off, the group is made up of Sebastian Ingrosso, Axwell and Steve Angello who individually are awesome DJ’s so obviously the trio are going to be making awesome music together. Secondly, they have produced some of the best songs of all time with some of my personal favourites being ‘Greyhound’, ‘Don’t You Worry Child’, ‘One’ and ‘Miami 2 Ibiza’ to name a few. Recently the trio have sent EDM fans into overload announcing they are coming back after splitting in 2013, uploading a countdown timer onto their website for their long awaited return with the hype truly showing how influential and respected the trio are.
5. Martin Garrix – The most up to date DJ to feature on this list, I believe the Dutch DJ is currently having a massive influence on the modern electronic music scene. Having shot to fame at just 17 years old with his 2013 song ‘Animals’, Martin Garrix has become a household name in the electronic music world, releasing many songs that do extremely well in the charts as well as collaborating with many popular artists such as Dua Lipa, Bebe Rexha and Khalid. It really shows how great of an artist Martin Garrix having gained so much success at the age of 22 and after being called ‘the new Avicii’ by many fans, a title which is so great, it is clear to see that his future will be just as successful and he will carry on being an influential artist.

Anyway, that concludes my list of who I consider to be some of the most influential DJ’s of all time. Obviously there are many more DJ’s I could name on this list but I feel as though these are definitely my top choices.

I hope you have enjoyed reading, be sure to look out for more updates and posts and feel free to leave any comments and share any opinions you have.