DJ Sneak Vs Swedish House Mafia HOUSE MUSIC WARS!

added - You can read the full interview w/ Sneak on DJ Mags website >>HERE<<

ATTENTION BEFORE YOU READ THIS - I DONT DISAGREE WITH WHAT'S AT THE CORE OF DJ SNEAKS COMMENT, WHAT I DISAGREE WITH IS HOW HE WENT ABOUT IT.. (thats for the idiots who seem to think I am biased in my opinion, I would have said the same thing had ANY respected DJ or producer did this shit)

I log into Twitter today to see a huge amount of Tweets about DJ Sneak, coming from a lot of International DJs and producers like Steve Angello, Ingrosso etc... I look into and find out that Sneak has said some snarky comments about their success in the world of EDM.




His comment "It's a sad thing when the Swedish House Mafia is being paid BIG money to come to the US to play house, for the record, they DO NOT play house music". Although I commend him for speaking his mind I do have sort of conflicting feelings about this.

First and foremost, I think this was to be expected. Lots of people on the fringe of breaking the mold of EDM, house music or any other dance genre is going to come under fire. I don't always agree with or like some of the things SHM does when it comes to business, but that's not really an issue for me. When you have some like DJ Sneak who has a very good reputation with the house community come out and say something like this, it sort of makes you wonder "Why?". I did some research and found out that he was a huge part of the WMC this past year, bumping elbows with lots of those guys he seems to dislike. It's also interesting the way he worded his opinion (insult), he says "paid BIG money" now, why would someone of his caliber bring that up? If he was truly worried about the state of house music and the passion of it, then why would he bring up money? That's the part that bothers me, he didn't say they were putting out shit music, he also didn't bring up the commercialization factor, just the amount of money they are being paid for playing NOT house music. Also he sounds ignorant, considering that he is labeled under 3 different genre of house music on Beatport. House music is an umbrella term for lots of different types of dance music, he should know that considering all the links he drops are for deep house or minimal. What it sounds like he (Sneak) is more upset with the success of these other DJs, he is pointing out things that internet trolls do. Linking to pictures of lulz in regards to some of the bigger DJs in the world of EDM.

Check out some of his tweets about this, and how he takes the opportunity to drop his soundcloud link and more into the advantage of gaining new followers and fans on the backs of the DJs he is criticizing.






Look at this insult, but its about the music, right???


Then he goes on to insult OTHER DJs not even part of Swedish House Mafia


Then finally after he has created a big enough buzz over this bullshit drama..



The way I feel about it is no matter what intentions he tries to sell here it comes off as jealousy. I don't always agree with what the bigger EDM producers/DJs do but I'll be damned if I try to bump my hustle off by smack talking them personally. Yes its true, maybe they aren't as big as the hype that surrounds them but you have to take responsibility for what you say, especially on Twitter or Facebook. If you go read his Twitter feed (@dj_sneak) you will see how he was living in the moment when all this drama happened. He didn't just say his piece and let it go, he was practically baiting people to argue with him. This was more like an internet troll than a well respected DJ. I think Sneak is very talented and paid his dues, but seriously, this isn't thug life 2pac VS Biggie shit. At the end of the day there is more than enough room in the world for EDM/House music producers and DJs, you have to pick your battles where they matter, THIS didn't matter. Will this do anything for his career? Make his paychecks any bigger? Get him booked in more clubs and for more events? Most likely, no. This comes across as an out of touch jealous DJ who had nothing better to do than personally insult other people in his field and expose how he wishes HE could make the money they make.

Sorry Sneak, no matter the support here, you lost. Should have said this differently or not at all.


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Podcast - House Of Fur 17

House Of Fur 17
Minimal/Tribal/Latin

ENJOY!

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Whitney Houston VS Rihanna & Calvin Harris - How Will I Know We Found Love MASHUP

I stayed away from dropping a bunch of Whitney stuff while everyone else was now I found something cleverly fun I want to share. Here is a cool little mashup of Rihanna & Calvin Harris VS Whitney - How Will I Know We Found Love!

Its not perfect but its very fun and certainly worth a listen. If you're a fan of Whitney this is something you might want to download and bump to in your car or on your mp3 player/phone. Enjoy!



How Will I Know We Found Love by Joshu Ra

Adam Lambert - Better Than I Know Myself (Dave Aude Remix)

Some people love him, some people hate him, doesn't matter which camp you fall into he has a huge following and has become one of the most controversial American Idols of all time. Recently he has been teasing us about his sophomore album and the first single is "Better Than I Know Myself" which because it was a ballad originally I hadn't discussed it much. Well Dave Aude has reworked and remixed the track and made it not only dance radio friendly but has the workings of being a pretty big club hit. I will link the mix from Soundcloud below so you guys can check it out, and under that I will "linky" up you guys with the original song/video. This isnt a peak hour song but a nice filler and good for those radio friendly crowds, I like it! Dave Aude is hit or miss for me, this time he nailed it.








BONUS DUBSTEP Remix by Robert Martin for you wobble wobble dub dub fans
Better Than I Know Myself (Robert Marvin Remix) by adamofficial

Pride Mix Volume 15 - Stream/Download mixed by DJ Airrick

Here is one of my monthly podcasts, Pride Mix 15. This is a mix of big room house music for those that love to dance and sweat around midnight on a packed dancefloor! Lots of great beats and stuff you can sing along to as well as newer stuff to get you moving! Enjoy!

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Track listing:

1 - Dont Give Up 2012 - Chicane ft Bryan Adams
2 - I Who Have Nothing - Gladys Knight
3 - If It Wasnt For Love - Deborah Cox
4 - Someone To Hold - Veronica
5 - Turn Me Out (Turn To Sugar) - Praxis ft Kathy Brown
6 - Push The Feeling - The Nightcrawlers
7 - Everybodys Free - Rozalla
8 - Rapture - Nadia Ali
9 - Hide U - Kosheen
10- Judas - Lady Gaga
11- Finally - Kings Of Tomorrow ft Julie McKnight

Madonna - MDNA Review

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Afrojack - Fatility (Hoodie Bootleg Mix) +Soundcloud Included+

Its been a while since we had a release from Afrojack with the amount of support behind it that we have with his latest "Fatility". I have been very critical of Afrojack as of late because I felt he hasn't emerged victorious past his sound over the last 3 years. He tried a few things but none of them were very exciting in my opinion, so it was good to hear something a little fresh from him. I have also included a bootleg remix from Hoodie that I think is pretty interesting, its hosted on Soundcloud so a download link may be available. Enjoy and let me know what you think of this latest Afrojack effort.





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Fire & Ice - LIVE EVENT PODCAST INCLUDED here in Hampton Roads! SUCCESS! VICTORY!

(skip to the red if you just want to hear about the event hehe)

I am very critical about my area when it comes to EDM, house music specifically. This is because of the 20 some years of being involved in the club scene in this area I have seen the trend come and go to varying degrees, most recently and oddly enough with the pick up of dance music on mainstream radio it seems the concept of playing NEW music that isn't on the top 40 playlist is still very foreign to this area. If it doesnt have Pitbull, Flo Rida, Usher or Britney on the track chances are, people will resist it. The few and rare songs here and there that do well outside of the mainstream generally SOUND like something mainstream or sample mainstream music. I sometimes catch a lot of shit for playing mainstream with mostly unknown dance music but hey, at the end of the day I just want people to enjoy themselves while staying true to who I am as a DJ and creator of music. I feel the best way to introduce a mainstream crowd to music they aren't familiar with is to give it to them in doses and help them digest the tracks that way, at least in this area. With that being said, I am a house music guy at heart, and it will always been what I love the most when I spin from my heart. This is exactly what I wanted to do a music show where the DJs got to set the mood without any worry of requests or pressure from the crowd, to let the DJs take everyone on a very personal journey of the music they love and want to spin.

I got the chance to talk with my friend DJ Bulldog (Ray) about my desire to do something like this. An event where we could custom create it the way we wanted and deliver it to the area to give them a chance to hear us out, a night where they could come and dance, hang out, sit and drink and just enjoy alternative music to mainstream. DJ Bulldog came up with the idea for a Tidewater Music Festival event to umbrella any parties or promotions we wanted to create. I tossed out the idea for "Fire & Ice" sort of a theme that has been used in the past and most recently by Kaskade. I felt as if the idea of mixing fire and ice, hot and cold etc sort of embodied what this first event would be, bridging the community back to the music of years ago. Bringing house music back to the area in a way that hasn't been showcased, in my opinion, properly in over a decade. Yes there are lots of great dance clubs in the area, I know I am biased but the Cactus offers one of the best spots to come dance and party on a weekend, and there isn't anything wrong with mixing mainstream music and traditional house, but the music is sort of an afterthought to the drag shows and I feel like that has become a crutch and sort of a thing that this area has been trained into believing. If there isn't a drag show somewhere then there is nothing going on, with that being said when ISN'T there a drag show somewhere now? No shade but its hard to find. So I wanted to take a bit of the power back for the dance music enthusiasts in this area, those that don't "get it" say to me "Are DJ's really entertainment?" My response to that is, Ultra Music Festival in Miami this past weekend offered a lineup of 20 DJs and had over 200,000 in attendance, so my answer would be YES. That doesn't even cover the clubs, afterparties and off site events that happened. Bottom line, we are entertainers, we don't just push buttons and play music from an iPod. There is a skill to not only moving the crowd and controlling the atmosphere but being able to predict if a song will work or not and having the ability to keep the energy at the right level throughout a night.

I take what I do seriously because I have a lot of passion for music and DJing. I think the DJs, however they mix, for a living, a hobby, in their bedroom, on the internet, the same thing remains we LOVE the music. So next time you are out at a club and you may not enjoy every song you hear remember the DJ selected that song for you to listen to because they felt it had something to say. We aren't just a jukebox, some of us are selected because of our talent and skill. I know some DJs don't take requests and others love requests but at the end of the day we all love playing for the people.


This is the most important part of my diatribe LOL! I want to thank everyone that came out to support this event. I saw a lot of my good friends in the house as well as faces I hadn't seen before. It was good to know that on a Monday in Va Beach, Va we could pull off an EDM event and get over 150 people to come through the doors and have a good time. I want to personally thank Alan, Krisha, Kathy and Garrett at my residency The Rainbow Cactus for working hard and allowing us to present this event. I want to thank the staff from the Cactus who came out to party with us on their night off, it meant a lot. I want to thank Nozz & Jimmy for the great posters and artwork that was done for the event & Art for running around and helping me get them posted up! I have to give a huge shout out to my partner in crime and the mastermind DJ Bulldog for being so supportive of this idea and putting so much work into making it happen, I could list all he did but it would require an entire blog dedicated to him!!! All the DJs who dedicated time to this event DJ Silver, DJ Nozz & DJ Nathan Patrick, they all had some very diverse music to bring and offered a wide variety!

So here is to a successful event, victory for all passionate about EDM. Thanks to the support of everyone we are going to start planning the second party hosted by TMF and the lineup for that event! Expect to hear more of this in the future! Below I have included the entire 6 hour set from the event so if you want to stream or download it feel free! I will list my start and stop times above the podcast. The lineup was done in blocks and a rotation of 2, DJ Nathan Patrick, DJ Airrick, DJ Nozz, DJ Bulldog & DJ Silver. Enjoy the podcast and hope to see you at the next Tidewater Music Fest event!

My portion of the set starts at (55mins) & ends at (1:32mins)
My second set starts at (4:07mins) & ends at (4:35mins)

I DONT LIKE YOU! - Eva Simons w/ Zedd on the track!

Unless you were living under a rock in the EDM world last year you could have not missed "Take Over Control" from Afrojack ft Eva Simons. She has returned for a "solo" effort, and I use that loosely because this track is produced from the hot up and coming electro producer Zedd. Oddly enough he is know for his hard hitting electro tracks with very limited to no vocals BUT the production on this track is probably just as surprising as the work with Afrojack on "Take Over Control" could it be that Eva brings out the best in these producers???? Only time will tell. This track has all the makings of a hand raising floor anthem, everything from the beat patterns to the melodies included during the uplifting chorus. The playfulness of this track is the electro drop that pops up right after the catchy chorus that Eva deliveries in such a believable and raw tone. I loved this song from the moment I heard it and my mouth was watering at the chance of hearing the full version un-edited for radio and the mountain of remixes just begging to be put together over the relentless vocals laid down by Eva. Will the circuit boys love this song? Is this going to be the track that finally blends the world of electro with the tribal fans? I guess it really depends on the remixes and who puts all their cards on the table and takes a chance with remixing this track. I look forward to playing this for everyone this year! GO GO GO Zedd & Eva!

ps - this track is going to be released on Mon March 26th so get your money ready!

via soundcloud






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Jean Elan ft Cosmo Klein - Feel Alive FINALLY RELEASED IN NORTH AMERICA!

I have been waiting over a year for an official North American release for this track. "Feel Alive" is a progressive house masterpiece blending the vocals of Cosmo Klein with a floorfilling peak hour progressive house track provided by the fantastic Jean Elan. If youre not familiar with his work he is best known for his remixes and unique versions of Basement Jaxx "Wheres Your Head At" & his solo release "Killer". He hails from Germany but doesnt fall into the category of what most would consider traditional German Techno music. Cosmo Klein provides the vocals on this which have a rock n roll/soul feel to them which gives this track a more human element to go along with the euphoric melody provided by Elan. This track sports an interesting array of remixes and I am sure that with the official North American release we will see more remixes from more well recognized producers and DJs, I will update you guys when that happens. This track was one of my personal favorites last year and with the push here in the states now I will probably put this into more rotation during my sets. Expect for me to update you guys when the remixes become available for download! I know Jean Elan is in Miami right now for the big week ahead I hope he uploads his set for us to hear and download! If there is a streaming version I will try to upload it here!


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Laidback Luke & Wynter Gordon Give Us Sexy & Bold! "Speak Up"

Wynter is one of the hardest working vocalists in EDM right now, she is all over the place and I'm not complaining. Every since Luke remixed "Dirty Talk" I was hoping for a collaboration from these 2 and I got my wish granted! "Speak Up" is an ultra sexy track with LBL's signature rise and fall drops as a backdrop to Wynters amazing ability to turn a pop lyric into dance music gold. The remix package for this song is pretty impressive as well, Chris Lake, Mark Knight & Oliver Twizt are the stand outs. LBL offers a dub version of this track as well for those DJs who prefer less vocals and more beat drama. I love these kinds of dance tracks where you could totally hear them crossing over and topping the charts. Had this song featured Rihanna, Katy Perry or Jessie J it would be all over pop radio. Wynter is one of the most reliable and consistent vocalists in the game today and with LBL weaving the melody you cant go wrong. Expect to hear a lot of this track in my sets during the Spring and into the Summer!

Below is a soundcloud link with samples of all the remixes so you can figure out which one you wanna dance to or put in your sets!

Ima Read - Mad Decent Gives Us Zebra Katz

Mad Decent has long been a label taking risks with EDM in its various forms. One of the many underground forms of house music is Baltimore Club (blending breakbeat, hip hop & house). Zebra Katz & Njena Reddd Foxxx lay gay cultural lyrics over this minimal Baltimore club beat to bring us "Ima Read" an anthem for how to handle shady bitches. I fell in love with this song when I first heard it, not only does it resonate with me because of the use of specific lingo heard on a daily basis in the gay community but the track itself speaks volumes in such a minimal way. I can say faithfully that while the production itself doesnt offer much variation from what we have heard in the b-more club world, the lyrics and patterns of repeated verbal decimation over the beat more than makes up for it. This track is currently in rotation in my sets and the crowd really gets into it, of course I will include a link to the remix I am playing during my sets. Are you a fan of b-more club? Do you love or hate this song? Some people have told me that they find it a bit irritating outside of a club setting but I find myself listening to it a few times a day :) give me your feedback!

Here is a soundcloud link to the remix I am dropping right now!

Swedish House Mafia - "Greyhound" -The Bad Boys Of EDM?

Its 2012 & if you didnt realize EDM is taking over the world you should probably ask the attendant at your old folks home to bring you an iPod filled with the latest crossover acts in the dance market.

Right now Swedish House Mafia is the EDM worlds closest thing to a rock band. 3 very talented djs/producers working together to create songs that translate into a crossover market breaking barriers each time and pushing the limits of what pop music is. SHM along with artists like Calvin Harris, Afrojack, Skrillex etc. have done things in the last 2 years that dance music hasn't been able to do since the mid-90's.

"Greyhound" was a track many fans knew of from various set rips and radio broadcasts, the finished version is slightly different from the version many of us had been exposed to. With a driving electro hook and acid style progressive chord placement this track does make one wonder, "is this what we expected after Save The World?" The single "Save The World" was the electronic equivalent to a current day rock anthem with a dance music soundtrack. "Greyhound" is far more what the traditional EDM audience would expect, but to me, had this song been produced by anyone else, it would have most likely been overlooked as a middle of the road song. I dont think it lives up to the talents of the individual producers in SHM. Many are saying that SHM is a hype machine, nothing more than a lot of buzz with not as much substance to date. I could talk about my likes and dislikes of each producer individually but thats not really fair since I don't personally know each contribution to the "Greyhound" track, so I just have to be critical of the group as a whole.

I like the track, I think its very current and very much on target with what EDM fans expect. I don't think its as good as previous crossover productions however, I think that its more in line with what EDM fans would want to hear from these guys. I think the mainstream fans may be left wondering, "what's this?". To talk about the video is an entirely different monster altogether. Its obvious to be one big commercial for Absolut, and that's unfortunate. Being in the same industry I know you want to take a paycheck where you can get it, but does this detract from what the song is about? Is the song more than we want it to be or is it simply and instrumental track only worthy of being a background song for a commercial? I guess time will tell.

Regardless, "Greyhound" will be heard in sets for many months to come but the true test of its viability will be what other DJs do with it and how flexible the song will become with its remix package.

Airrick


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Calvin Harris ft. Ne-Yo - Let's Go - Review

I am extremely excited about this collaboration between Calvin Harris & Ne-Yo. The track is called "Let's Go" and its from Calvin's upcoming album due out this Summer. Following the huge success of his work with Rihanna he is continuing to move forward in a progressive/radio direction and this is going to be fantastic for EDM fans who like the continued crossover of dance music. I know a lot of people have been critical over David Guetta and his work with mainstream artists but I can't hate on them for giving us great music, even if some people dont like the crossover aspect.

People ask me why I feel that way after so many EDM producers have been burned with mainstream artists stealing their music? The reason for that is because of giving credit where credit is due, I never had a problem with the crossover aspect just the way it was handled. So here is the preview for the track "Let's Go" with Calvin & Ne-Yo, enjoy and let me know what you think. I LOVE IT!



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Madonna - Girl Gone Wild - My Review

There was a lot of criticism over Madonnas first single from MDNA "Gimme All Your Luv", I was very critical because I felt it wasnt really original enough for someone of Madonnas caliber. When I go back and listen to the progression of Madonna from the 80s and beyond one thing she never did was play it safe, she was very much like Rihanna is now, fearless and avant garde. Over the last decade she has had hits and misses with her music, some of them critically acclaimed, some fan acclaimed, others dismissed by both, some praised by everyone. I was a huge fan of "Confessions" and was on the fence with "Hard Candy".. I hated "American Life" just want to forget that altogether LOL. I do however feel that this second single from MDNA is very strong and actually shows a bit more of her pushing into a direction that is not as safe but very familiar.

The second single, "Girl Gone Wild" was produced by Benny Benassi and I think this shows the true difference in the level of EDM quality when it comes to artist pairing. I really felt that Martin Solveig was the wrong producer for Madonna. His music to me is campy and fun but predictable, almost too easily recognizable. It almost felt as if Madonna was the guest artist on one of his songs instead of vice versa, that stirred my lack of interest in that track, I didnt need a "Hello" part 2 vs "Hollaback Girl". However "Girl Gone Wild" is a true blend of artist and producer, although you can clearly hear Benny's influence Madonna and her influence and energy come through on this track full force. Its a fun, dance/pop record with heavy electro elements that I think work well with todays crossover market. This is very similar to the work with Calvin Harris and Rihanna, where the producer and the artist blend and combine to push out some of their best work as a collaboration and celebration of the individual instead of fighting against each other.

Take a listen and see what you think, I will start putting this record into rotation in the coming weeks and testing some remixes, bootlegs, mashups and maybe one of my own versions. Catch you on the dancefloor!





-dj Airrick
-voted by DJ in Hampton Roads 2011-12
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