Minimal Mayhem

After hearing some of my favorite instrumentals, I think that today we'll move the tempo back up to house music, although I'm staying with the instrumental vibe.  Today's taste of techno features some of the latest and greatest in tech-house and minimal.  Rollin' with the feel, the lifted thoughts of the day come from Berlin-based Evol, an outfit who transforms ordinary surfaces into miniature versions of grandiose buildings.  Incorporating natural defects like rust and wear makes these creations look almost real.

Avicii & Philgood - Record Breaker (Original Mix)
This minimal head-knocker from the massive Swedish DJ & producer Avicii is a perfect transition track between two mainstream heavy-hitters.  This one will be working its way into every headliner's set right quick. 


Format B - Dog Tag (Remix)
One of my favorite tech-house tracks from German duo Format B, this song is going to be the opening track on my upcoming minimal tape.  It has a longer intro, and it fits the track perfectly.  I think that creating an epic intro that flows can sometimes be harder than creating a melody, because of the fewer elements allowed.


Bart B More & Tommie Sunshine - Drop Acid
Bart B More is quickly becoming one of my favorite producers, with a seemingly endless flow of bangers, and his collab with Brooklyn-based Tommie Sunshine is the latest in this flood of tracks.  Drop Acid is a super-minimal track with a catchy melody that can easily envelop one if you allow it.  I'm a particular fan of the dutch crescendo synth about halfway through.


Benny Knox - Something Happened
Canadian DJ Benny Knox's mix between minimal & tech-house has a low-key wash sample that really gets inside your mind and takes you away.  It's the samples that you don't necessarily pay attention to that hit the hardest, and they are some of the hardest to create.

 
Koen Groeneveld - Rudder (Original Mix)
Koen is one of the biggest names in Techno, with his first single "Wake Turbulence" debuting at number one on Beatport.  Download his mixes for free over at his soundcloud.


Bonus:

Dance Nation vs Drake vs Birdman - Money To Divide (White Panda Mashup)
The original hip-hop version is way-overplayed as is A-Trak's well-known remix, but this White Panda mashup takes it away from hard-hitting electro-house and instead transforms the track into a chord-heavy remix worthy of Deadmau5.  I'll def be throwing this into the later half of my sets, it's one the crowd will always rock with.

Thoughtecture

Ayre here, and today I want to take a look at the frozen poetry that is Architecture.  Thomas Heatherwick, one of Flight School's graduate students founded Heatherwick Studios in 1994.  In 2006 Thomas Heatherwick became the youngest practitioner to be appointed a Royal Designer for Industry, as well as being named a Honorary Fellow of the RIBA and a Senior Fellow at the Royal College of Art.

Heatherwick Studios' work is breathtaking in its ability to provoke thought, and has been heralded as "Thoughtecture."

Today's musical selection is also architecture, of a sort.  I want to highlight one of the more under-appreciated, but vital, elements of creating any mainstream track; the instrumental.  Producers like Kane Beatz, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, & Just Blaze have been gaining attention recently (finally), but they're still a long way from receiving the credit they deserve (Kanye West excluded, he gets enough attention as it is).  


Superslikuzi - Lonely Nights
Dallas based Super-Slik-Uzi of the Dream Team has made dozens of quality instrumentals, but has yet to hit it big.  Make no mistake though, this cat has passion for the art of producing, and it shows in each one of his beautifully layered tracks.  Be sure to check out his website and come up on the hottest beats around before they get swooped on.  Lonely Nights is probably my favorite instrumental of SSU, with an ambient-soundscape vibe.  Leaving Aston-Martins behind, this beat is Aerion music.  The Aerion, for those of you still hunting after archaic g6 jets, is the world's first $80,000,000 private Supersonic Jet.  The first unit was just purchased by Sheikh Rashid, the ruler of Dubai.


Tha Bizness - Every Girl
I can't think of anyone who hasn't heard Young Money's smash hit "Every Girl (In the World)."  Talk about exposure.  Tha Bizness, comprised of Henny & Dow Jones, makes tasteful beats that can only be described as Baroque, nearing on symphonic. Utilizing various instruments, the duo achieve a depth and emotional complexity rarely seen anymore in mainstream hip-hop.


Soundtrakk - Hip-Hop Saved My Life (W/Hook from Nikki Jean)
Lupe Fiasco's in-house producer Soundtrakk has composed hits like Superstar and Kick Push, and earned himself a few Grammy nominations in the process.  While this instrumental isn't your typical dance beat, it has so much heart that it moves the soul.  I'm including the hook on this instrumental, because Nikki Jean's beautiful voice completes the instrumental in a way that even the hardest cats can rock with.


Bonus:
Superslikuzi - Key to the City


Superslikuzi - The Martian

V-Necks & Electro-Hop

Ayre here, today I got a track sent in from one of the homies from Flight School, Von hisself. Von is a budding hip-hop artist just hittin' LA. To keep the vibe, today I'm including some fresh new hip-hop, including some of my own Intro-edits for the DJs out there. And of course, when playing rap, I gotta include a track from the Sultan of Smoke, Wiz Khalifa.

Von - V-Necks & Cigarettes
Up and coming artist from the City of Angels, track hits hard with an old school beat. Add this to your collection of Aston Martin music.


Rick Ross - Aston Martin Music (Remix Feat. Drake & Chrisette Michele)
Speaking of Aston Martins, here's a remix Officer Ricky's silky banger featuring the best female vocals since Empire State of Mind. Chrisette Michele steals the show on this track, despite hard verses from Drake and Rick Ross. This is my favorite hip-hop instrumental right now (mad ups to beat giants J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League)


Wiz Khalifa - Ink My Whole Body (DJ Ayre Intro)
Reppin' Pittsburgh hard, Wiz is one of the most under-appreciated artists of the moment. I've been following him since his breakout anthem Say Yeah (which is late I know, but I'm making it up now). Ink My Whole Body is one of the hardest tracks to rock with now, and just as catchy as Cee-Lo's most recent summer smash. The Taylor Gang's aptly titled mixtape "Everything Taylored" is fire, be sure to peep it on Khalifa's site.


Audio Push - Up & Down (DJ Ayre Intro)
Here's one of my personal intro edits to a grown and sexy track from Jerk All-stars Audio Push. It's got smooth vocals and a killer beat, this one is made for the radios and late night VIP-room.


Chiddy Bang - Breakfast (Issac Jordan Edit)
The East Coast's next big duo, and current Space Cadets up at Flight School, Chiddy Bang first caught our attention with Opposite of Adults, the huge track that samples MGMT's Kids. This is the latest of their funky electro-hop instrumentals, featuring some beautiful Alt-pop-esque female vocals from the U.K.'s Kate Nash. Keep an eye on these two fellahs, I suspect we'll be hearing a lot more from these stellar students.


Kanye West - Christian Dior Denim Flow (Feat. Kid Cudi, Pusha T, John Legend, Lloyd Banks, & Ryan Leslie)
My personal favorite from a spree of new tracks from the King of Chi-town, this heater features some of the illest names in the game, and several illustrious alums from Flight School. Foremost is Pusha T with a doctorate in hustle, from the Clipse & The Re-up Gang. Pusha T kills it on the track, but graduated Space Cadets Kid Cudi & John Legend throw it down hard too.


Bassnectar - Bass Head (King Fantastic Remix)
King Fantastic has one of the most creative aliases I've heard in a while, and he delivers on the Fantastic. Rapping over one of the sicker beats from Flight School friend Bassnectar, the King kills it. A necessity for any forward-looking DJ.


Bonus:

Bassnectar - Bass Head (Sam Adams Remix)
Another rapper spittin' on Bassnectar's heater, Sam Adam lays it down well, but I gotta say, King Fantastic's rhymes blow it away. Enjoy both and decide for yourself.

Sneak Peek of Daft Punk's score for Tron Legacy

Two alumni of Flight School sent us a sneak peak of their upcoming project with Disney. The Grammy winning duo Daft Punk is working on the new Tron Legacy movie and designing both the score and the soundtrack (the soundtrack, not the score, is set for release on Nov. 23, 2010, a full month before the film comes out in December). There have been several youtube videos recently claiming to be tracks from Tron, but all were proven false, until now. The Daft duo personally sent six tracks over from the score of the film, so we know that they are the real deal. Plus, the tracks are on Tron's official website.

Daft Punk - Track 1


Daft Punk - Track 2


Daft Punk - Track 3


Daft Punk - Track 4


Daft Punk - Track 5


Daft Punk - Track 6

Swedish House Mafia - The Documentary

This is the preview for a documentary that one of the senior cadets at Flight School is preparing for release Nov. 22 this year.  It's a film about the boy band of Electronica, the Swedish House Mafia.  SHM is comprised of the illest Swedes in the game; Axwell, Steve Angelo, and Sebastian Ingrosso.  Be sure to check out the documentary, which the preview fluffs pretty hard. The movie is going to be a raw look into the world of headline djing direct from one of the most-in-demand acts of the moment.



I'm stoked for the release of the video (and the soundtrack that comes out a month before), and to go along with the preview, I'm including four of SHM's biggest hits, and some bonus remixes.

Laidback Luke vs. Benny Benassi - Be Satisfaction (Swedish House Mafia Bootleg)
This track is proof positive that anything SHM touches turns to gold.  This bootleg mashup of two iconic house songs will send any crowd over the top, and is a must-have for any DJ's house crate.


Swedish House Mafia - Leave The World Behind (Original Mix)
After "One," Leave the World Behind has to be the biggest track that SHM has produced thus far.  Every club and festival you go to, you'll be hearing this song (and some fresh remixes/blends I hope), which is a great thing in this case.  The beautiful vocals of this track make it a peakhour powerhouse, and one that will be on the scene for a long time to come.


Swedish House Mafia - Miami 2 Ibiza (Feat. Tinie Tempah)
One of SHM's newer releases, this track has some wicked synth samples and the complex drums that could only have come from the drum-o-phile (yes that's a word, as of... right now) that is Axwell.


Swedish House Mafia - One (Original Mix)
The success of this track is worthy of a post of its own.  I remember when this was first released, and the entire Electro lineup at the May Imagination festival (myself included) dropped this heater.  "One" became the quintessential house anthem overnight, and hasn't slowed down at all.


Bonus:

Swedish House Mafia - One (Congorock Remix)
Probably the most well-known remix of One, this track was played by almost every single performer at EDC 2010, or at least it seemed like it.  Dim Mak's Congorock tears it up with a fat muted bass guitar that gets the crowd super hyped every time.


Swedish House Mafia - One (Kid Kaio & D-Rashid Go Dutch Remix)
This remix is less popular, at the moment, but it is my personal favorite.  Kid Kaio is a huge act from the UK and hasn't picked up as much steam in the US as he deserves, which is why I'm shamelessly plugging him now!  This dutch remix is way harder than the original, and has some clever vocal samples from America's favorite fatass tossed in for effect.

Imagination

Ayre here. Today I want to explore the human imagination, beginning with one of the most creative photograph series I've ever seen. Janet Waters uses liquids of different density and consistency to create one-of-a-kind encounters. In her own words, "I love capturing one-offs that depend upon the element of chance. Using liquids as a kind of photographic paint allows me to do that."

Speaking of Imagination, go to Groovetickets now and get tickets to the electronic festival I'm spinning at in November 6, Fall Into Imagination.  I'll be playing alongside Morgan Page, Soha, Calvertron, the Thrillseekers, DJ Fixion, and more.

Now, back to the tunes.  Today I'm posting some more electro fire, some of which comes from Calvertron, the U.K. based artist I'm playing with in November.

Calvertron - Funky Jam (Cold Blank's La Cucaracha Ya No Puede Caminar Mix)
Personally, I love almost everything Cold Blank touches, and this remix is no different.  This diamond comes from the furnace of two colliding heavy Electro styles with super heavy basslines.


Dem Slackers - Let's Go (Bart B More 'Lesssgo' Remix)
Bart B More has come a long way since his original Bmore style debuted a few years back.  This remix features some grinding synths that force their way into your subconscious.  The one that gets me the most is the flat computer clip, you'll know it when you feel it.


Fedde Le Grande vs. Nirvana - Back and Forth Spirit (Alex Gaudino and Jason Rooney Bootleg)
This bootleg is beautiful, and not just your typical mashup with two tracks layered on top of each other.  Alex and Jason really put a lot of effort into making this remix sound like its own superb track.


Dani L Mebius & Billy The Kit - Work This Pussy (Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Remix)
Dmititri Vegas & Like Mike recreate this track with some of their heavy drumlines that refuses to follow the usual four to the floor kickdrum pattern.  It works amazingly in this remix that has been used as the opener for groups like Swedish House Mafia.


Calvertron - Keep This Fire Raw to the Floor (Triple Stax Bootleg)
This rework of Calvertron's wobble banger adds some nice vocals that really add some fire and get the crowd hyped for the heavy drop.


Bonus:

DJ Ayre ThizzAyre Vol. 3 : Venus
My newest live recording featuring thizzin remixes of mainstream artists.



ThizzAyre Vol. 3 : Venus by Ayre

Hardwired Moombahton

DJ Ayre here, back fresh from a mini-tour on the East Coast. Today we’re featuring some new moombahton tracks I picked up from the Eastside, which is essentially dutch house slowed to roughly 105-110 bpm (think “Tell Me When to Go” by one of my favorite baydestrians, E-40). The movement is just now picking up steam, particularly in Da Bay, but I suspect that Moombahton will soon be a mainstay in the club scene. Follow the link below to hear how it all started.

I'm also including a video that I found especially thought-provoking. Srikumar S. Rao, Ph.D. and professor of Creativity and Personal Mastery at Columbia Business School, gives a riveting talk about humans are inherently wired to be happy, but that external stimuli (Especially from the current culture of envy, hedonism, and perpetual advertising) trains our mind to be unhappy through the "if only x, then I'd be happy" train of thought. My favorite line: "Think about 10 years ago, and what you wanted. Chances are you probably got a lot of those things. Are you happy? No, because you replaced your desire in 'If I only had x, then I'd be happy,' and have so conditioned yourself to be unhappy." Powerful.



Sidney Samson - Riverside (Dave Nada's Moombahton Edit)
It is inevitable that whenever there's a new spin on dutch house, Sidney Samson's breakout banger Riverside will be at the head of the list of tracks to be remixed. Dave Nada, the Founder of Moombahton, faithfully reproduces Riverside to huge effect. Peep his interview about the founding of Moombahton Here


Afrojack vs. Major Lazer vs. E-40 - Pon De Streets (Audio1 Moombahton Edit)
A perfect transition track from house down to Moombahton tempo, this edit from The Bay's Audio1 is super clean with a funky hip-hop cut tossed in. Audio1 is making a name for himself within the rapidly expanding Moombahton scene, check him out.


Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Audio1 Moombahton Extended Edit)
However you may feel about her mainstream attitude, you gotta respect the Lady's avante-garde persona and how she pushes the envelope constantly in every direction. I won't lie, I'm always curious to see what she'll get away with next (like her recent attempt to get political and campaign for the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"), up until she shaves her head in a massive breakdown. This edit from Audio1 gives the track a whole new feel that's perfect for some peakhour grindhouse.


Bonus:

DJ Yoda - Toot It Up (Nick Thayer Moombahton Remix)