What are the chances that I would write an Artist Spotlight on Andrew Rayel and then a few days later find out he is playing in a city near me? It’s fate I’m telling you. Considering this is the first time in over a year that I’ve seen a live EDM act (I’ve been living under a rock OK?), I was pretty much jumping out of my skin the second he took the stage. I attended the event at Club Cubic in Macau, China; what an amazing venue and crowd I must say. Everything he did was perfection and I found that his set was actually quite moving and emotional. He paid homage to all the great trance tunes of this decade as well as some of the newer soon-to-be classics. Every aspect of his set was so heartfelt that I was glued to my spot in the front row from the second he got on the decks to the second he got off. Being so young himself, I felt that he easily was able to connect with the crowd and share this experience with us rather than just pose as an entertainer. He most definitely had a memorable set, and you would be out of your mind to miss him. I loved that I felt like I was at a true trance show and didn’t have to listen to any of the mainstream BS I feel that I so often hear. Even though he is still fairly new to the trance scene, I can already tell he is going to be a great staple and he’s on his way to becoming a trance legend.
Artist Review: Andrew Rayel
Artist Spotlight: Andrew Rayel
For some time, I have been meaning to write this raving review about how much I love Andrew Rayel. But just like everything else of mere importance in my life, I had said I would do it “tomorrow”. Before I knew it, “tomorrow” became eternal and 6 months later I still find myself justifying “tomorrow”. Well “tomorrow” is today and I finally have a new review. Andrew Rayel has long been on my list of djs to watch and he has quickly made a name for himself with Armada music and even taking part in the big ASOT festivals (650 and 600). His trance is exactly what I need in my life; exactly what we ALL need in life. Not many of his original tracks are vocal but he tends to remix a lot of vocal tracks (beautifully, I might add). What I love most about his music is I feel that it truly speaks to the heart. As much as I love a song that you can sing along to, his music sings directly to you without the distraction of having to pay attention to lyrics. I can feel the emotion in all of his music and rather than happy, upbeat trance, I like that its a little dark and sometimes sad (but in a beautiful way of course). On top of that, his dark tunes will definitely make you dance your ass off if you are listening to one of his sets. Because of the rise in popularity of all EDM genres and the influx of new DJs and producers, its hard to find originality these days. For the most part, a lot of the stuff sounds the same. All the producers make music that sounds the same and all the DJs seem to use to same songs (I’m basing this off of all the Ultra sets I listened to). However, I feel like Andrew Rayel has stayed original and is truly a legendary trance producer. He doesn’t produce mindless party tunes, he really digs deep and elicits an emotional response with his music. Below are my 3 favorite tracks by him. I hope you enjoy and love hims just as much as I do:
Due to my rising yet still pretty irrelevant blogging “fame” (or infamy), I have decided to revisit an old topic I touched upon because so many people had their panties up in a bunch about my opinion on the Arizona rave scene. The reality of the situation here is that said article was written two years ago. Even more, I haven’t been to Arizona, or the United States, for a year now. Does all this sudden hate make me rethink what I said about Arizona? For about 2.5 seconds, yes. Does the Arizona rave scene still suck? Probably. Sorry I’m not old enough to be considered an old-school raver. In my eyes I am, and since this is my writing and thoughts, I could give a shit who thinks I know tons or know absolutely nothing about the rave scene. “Rave scene” is just something that should cease to be in everybody’s vocabulary, seeing as it is now open to the public and there is no underground, word-of-mouth aspect that used to make it so exciting for me when I was in high school. Everything that I once knew about this culture has died and has been reborn in order to appeal to mass audiences and bring in an insurmountable cash flow. I would like to point out that the production value as well as the talent is out of this world once you venture into the mainstream events that now qualify as “raves”. I mean no disrespect to promoters or production companies that throw these events. I fully understand the amount of money it takes to break even for one of these events, let alone make a sizable profit. I just think that its unfortunate the types of people that attend these events. The vibe and the crowd is totally different than it was when I was just a wee raver. The new crowd and “scene” makes me feel uncomfortable (or at least that’s what I remember from years ago when I began noticing the changes). When I used to go to raves when I was younger, it was in order to escape the high school bullshit I had to go through with a caste system that was designed by teenagers. A caste system is shit, but a caste system designed by teenagers?? Get me the fuck out ASAP. I could finally go to a place where there was no system like that and it felt that I just fit in with everyone. One thing I’ve noticed about life in general, is that all good things truly do come to an end. What I got to experience in my life at underground raves with no headliners was better than anything I could ask for. I think raves in Arizona are shit. Raves in general are not what they used to be and I think being stuck in a venue with drugged up high school kids sucks. So what, big deal. No amount of people telling me I’m stupid, uneducated, or just plain wrong is going to get me to change my mind. If I feel like bitching about something I’ll do it, this is my ‘blog’ and I didn’t ask you to read this. If you wanna read my writing, great. If you want to comment on my writing, even better. If you disagree with me, think I’m the dumbest twat to walk this earth, and I just absolutely repulse you, that’s wonderful, thanks for the feedback. My heart truly aches for what my once treasured scene has turned into. I will never get the same feelings I did from the small more intimate events and in my opinion that has what has made me feel like the scene sucks. Anybody want to take a jab at me? Take your best shot……………..
Artist Spotlight: Omnia
The amount of lazy I am is almost too much to bare. This has driven me to spend hours trolling on the internet instead of getting down to this so-called work thing and actually writing something worth reading for you guys. FEAR NOT. I have gotten enough motivation and momentum to blast out yet another artist spotlight of pure gold. If you haven’t heard of Omnia, you have now. For a while, he has been under my trance radar but I really hadn’t heard enough of him to make me passionate enough to write. Now I have. Audience, meet Omnia. The Ukrainian sensation is barely 26 years old and he has already signed with the biggest trance record label in the world, Armada Music. I first became aware of him after his hit with IRA, “The Fusion”. After that, his melodic tunes took me to a different world. Rather than having vocals take the spotlight in his tracks, I love his focus on the beat and melody of his tunes. His music is so euphoric, I almost feel swept away when I listen to him. He is young and fresh talent and doesn’t seem like he would be influenced like most other EDM artists to head towards the direction of mainstream EDM. I like his unique sound because it reminds me of what trance should sound like, not the bullshit trouse that they throw down in order to please the crowds. The songs are actually very well put together and each song of his is like taking a journey through a trancey wonderland. Have I convinced you enough to go check him out? Good, I thought so. Now run along and get some Omnia into your life.
Artist Spotlight: Diplo
Before Diplo started making moombahton (basically before 2012), I wasn’t really into him as a dj or a producer because I thought he was unoriginal and his music was bland. However, with the rising popularity of moombahton, trap, dubstep, and other hip-hop inspired EDM genres, Diplo has done a complete 360 and is now amongst one of my favorite producers. With his music, each song just feels like gold after gold after gold. He has progressed so much as an artist that he is now blazing trails for this new wave of music that is hitting the EDM scene. His remixes are just incredible, the way he manages to break down popular hip-hop songs and add some EDM and moombah flavor to it is genius! I am so impressed by what he has done that I literally have just been listening to him non-stop. Originally, from LA, he now routinely travels the globe and has a worldwide following. He runs the label “Mad Decent” which has also become quite influential on the EDM scene and its really great to watch someone with so much talent and innovation make in impact on music. I was lucky enough to see him in concert a few months ago and he is quite the entertainer and crowd-pleaser. At one point he called up as many fans as were able to fit on stage to just uncontrollably twerk to the song “Express Yourself”. If that isn’t fucking original, then I don’t know what is. Diplo is the man and I’m just so excited to see what he has in store for EDM fans everywhere and who his next collaborations are going to be with. As a favor to all of you, I have posted some of his newest and my personal favorite tunes of his, enjoy:
Artist Spotlight: GTA
GTA is a duo that has recently come under my radar as producers with actual talent. Their “death to genres” attitude has helped them to produce some great music with influences from the hip-hop, salsa, moombahton, trap, and big room genres. Everything that I’ve heard from them so far is so incredibly dynamic that there is no way to categorize them. They are literally genre-free and dabble beautifully in everything. The Miami-based duo consists of Matthew Van Toth and Julio Mejia and they have been blowing the rooftops off venues around America for the past year. They have managed to get in contact with some of the most popular producers currently in EDM and have produced some wonderful hits. I love them because they will literally work with all producers and djs and the fact they are so open-minded about creating music has just been a huge turn on for me. They have such a different sound, that its refreshing for once to finally get a taste of some talent that doesn’t play by the rules and hasn’t been jaded by critics or EDM snobs. Here are my top 3 favorite tracks from them at the moment:
How the “Harlem Shake” Sensation Helped EDM
The Harlem Shake Youtube video trend is finally beginning to fade out, and I’m sure everybody is thanking the heavens that the most overplayed song of 2013 is finally diving back into the depths from which it came from. However, in today’s social media society, once something goes viral, it is simply never the same. Rather than your typical David Guetta, Swedish House Mafia, Avicii, even Skrillex-type music that is often associated with rave culture, the world got to see a subgenre, trap music, and it became a sensation that literally took the world by storm. I swear, never in my life have I seen a Youtube trend so big, and it just makes me realize that I think the world is ready for the next step in music, which is to shy away from all the typical bullshit you hear on the radio. Drum’ n ’bass exists, gabber exists, liquid dubstep exists, epic trance exists, but sometimes I feel like its all lost in translation because the bigger artists making the more popular genres of music hog the spotlight. “Harlem Shake” proved that trap music, which is seriously such an overlooked and underplayed subgenre, can make it big. People who are passionate about EDM get sick of the same genres getting played out. Our world is more than the famous artists I have listed. Its about experimentation with sound and having fun. Many artists put together tracks and corresponding Youtube videos that are all supposed to be in good humor, just a little something I’ve noticed about EDM culture. A lot of people think raving is “bad” or “all about drugs”, but I think that this Harlem Shake takeover just showed the world that as “ravers” we’re just trying to listen to/ make good music, try new things, and have a fun time doing it. Who knows, maybe another obscure subgenre of EDM will make it viral. EDM is here to stay, and I think the more knowledgeable the world is about our culture and what we’re about, the better this not so little EDM world is gonna get.
Artist Spotlight: Deorro, aka TON!C
Recently Deorro, aka Ton!c, has been coming up on my radar as a fresh new producer displaying some of the best in electro house and indie dance music. As a producer, I’ve noticed the last thing he does is color inside the lines. The reason I have been so drawn to him as an artist is the unique sounds and the diversity of each of his productions. I feel like he has almost created his own subgenre, it sounds like gangster meets electro house. No two of his songs sound the same (which I find is a bit typical with electro house producers) and everything he produces makes you want to get up off your ass and dance. Everything about what he does is just straight funky. Half the time I feel like his music doesn’t even fall into a genre because he just does what feels good, which in turn, provides an orgasmic experience for the ears. For me, his music is the total party experience. This is definitely not easy listening, if you’re going to switch on some Deorro, make sure the volume is on full blast and get ready for a dance because I really don’t see any possible way to sit still while listening to him. Enjoy some of my favorite songs by him!
Artist Review: Norin & Rad
I can’t say that I have a long standing history with Norin & Rad, because
I really don’t, but on this particular night I was in the mood to see what this trouse duo could do on the decks. I’m surprised to say, that it really wasn’t anything a nerd with a laptop couldn’t do. Norin & Rad overall gave a very confusing and disappointing performance, completely lacking of any genre and personality, and was very unmemorable to say the least. Seeing as they are really only getting started in their music career, I wasn’t expecting a big crowd. It was nice to finally be in a nightclub where drunk morons weren’t spilling 70% of their drinks onto my clothing and I thought it would be a more intimate experience with a smaller crowd. I was wrong. Norin & Rad almost seemed like first time DJs, they had no experience with building any type of vibe in the crowd, and the songs they played seemed like a clusterfuck of monotony. They seriously played the worst songs, and on top of that, skipped out on picking anything with vocals. Their set was honestly so boring, that I left before their performance was over. Rather than playing trance, trouse, progressive house, or even electro house, it really just felt like I was listening to boring transition music and there was really no point to their set. A dj that has his shit together can tell a story in two hours through their set. Norin & Rad just made me feel like I was listening to a hastily put together playlist of songs that could possibly bore you to death rather than a performance. I wouldn’t recommend seeing them live. They’re nothing special at all, didn’t build a vibe with the crowd, and definitely didn’t play any good music. A bit disappointing for sure. They’ve made a couple of good songs and remixes, but as DJs you can skip them and know that you didn’t miss anything truly legendary.
Artist Interview: Dj Buddah
What is your name ?
My name is Phil but I go by “Buddah” (yes it’s spelled wrong on purpose)
When did you first here dance music?
The first time I was introduced to it , I think when many children of the 80s were exposed to it , about the mid 80s when bands like Depeche Mode, and Kraftwerk , and other synth pop bands were just exploding onto the mainstream, kind of pushing traditional rock and pop to the side and making a real name for itself. I was never a Michael Jackson or Madonna kind of kid. I gravitated toward the dark synth pop and the synth driven stuff. The first time I think I put a face to the sound was Flock of Seagulls “I ran” and “Cars” by Gary Nuwman, I finally witnessed “what was making that sound”
Later in the 90s I think for many kids it became Nine Inch Nails , The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, The Crystal Method groups like that.
Why did you want to become a dj?
For me it was personal, I finally got to experience the place where the music I loved played, and I didn’t feel alone anymore, but I wanted to be more involved in it, it was just a natural progression for me, although I was terrible in the beginning, no one showed me how to do anything or what things worked, because where I was there were maybe 2 or 3 party kids, and they were more interested in glowsticking than DJing.
What was It like then?
Well in the late 90s early 2000s you could only go to a few record stores to get flyers n such. My home base was SWELL records and Clothing, and sometimes we would go to PLASTIK records, where then unknown Marcus Schulz and crew had a smaller but similar store. Really the only way you heard about parties was at these places, flyers by the door, only a phone number for the map point later. Lots and lots of records for everything. I bought a lil of everything too. You felt very much apart of a bigger family at these places, because everyone met there. I did stay steady at a place called “Pompeii” aka “Club Freedom” in Tempe, I started attending said club the day of my 18th birthday and made sure I was front and center every Friday for Markus Shultz on “the edge factor” , he had a live broadcast then on a local alternative staion, and it was amazing , 3 hour sets of dark proggy trance, and sometimes a headliner or two, Saturday nights were for touring djs. I got my education on the second floor right above the dj booth watching every move every dj that came through that place made.
What were parties like then?
Very big, but very simple. You had on a bad night 1000 kids, on a good night, well, you were outside waiting to get in, 3 or 4 thousand kids at a spot was not unusual . It was a cool vibe because everyone was nice (at least that I remember) and the music was awesome, usually 3 or 4 areas always, with all kinds of stuff each time slot. You were never ever bored ever.
What do you mean by simple?
The lighting was kept to a minimal, the props were there but not over bearing, you could tell all the money was in the sound and stage, all the “cabs” that were there. I can remember that people were really into their locals then , really into the quality of the sound. People really supported their local djs, they were the gravy to the headliner, if your locals were not as good as the headliner or better the party was “off” . Back then the locals were often as good or better than the headliner, I can remember a few times I was disappointed in the headliner and blown away by the local talent.
Why was that?
The playing field was level then, no one used cds or computers, it was all vinyl and you could do it or you couldn’t, and it was the difference in being that good or that bad, record selection second, if you didn’t know how to build a vibe , you were sunk. I think the fact that you got an hour and a half to 2 hours helped too, it allowed you to build a flavor, a real journey that doesn’t exists now in the “45 minute but we have 100 of them” time slots now.
What made you stop?
About 2007 I took a break from that world , got married, started a family. I kept up with the music, I just stopped playing out as much.
Do you think things have changed?
Oh gosh yes, it’s a whole other planet now, lol.
Like how?
Well the biggest difference I noticed is the music. Dubstep was a sub sub sub genre when I decided to step away a while , now its just as loved as it is hated. Electro house is pretty big now do , although much of it sounds the same, feels like that genre is rubbing up against a creative wall , they all do they , it promotes growth within itself so we will see. Trance and progressive house are very different now , not as popular as they used to be around here but have some good things going. Many of the parties now seem to be very similar in the line ups save for the headliners, that used to be true for the most part back when , however the locals were given way more time to play. I notice much of the same music is played via those locals as well or the styles are similar, I ‘d like to see more variety in genres and styles.
What else do you think has changed?
The media output is way different, now its ultra advanced cd players and computers, which I don’t mind, however I think there should be more creativity in their use, just playing end to end track to track doesn’t work anymore, it did when it was in vinyl because there was a physical skill involved in mixing , which has been taken away by technology , either for ease of use or more room to be creative.
Do you feel there is a lack of creativity in music now? Specifically in EDM?
I love that term , EDM, I used to just call it dance music lol, but yes and no. The producers I think do a great job in creating music and doing what they do, but the people that have given us this technology to present it in such a way that has made some people lazy or given some an outlet to be very creative, traditionally djs are there to provide music and an atmosphere , but now with the software you can see the song, literally mix it just by looking at it, the software will then beat match it and its your job to just mess with the levels and blend the next one. Which again I think is good and bad, leaves less room for error , but more room to be creative, so when I see someone on a $2000 lap top and a $900 controller , just mixing songs together I am bored, same thing with cd players with screens and an overly accurate BPM counter put there by software you loaded the song to before you got there , that’s great, but now I want to see you take it further. Its like good food, a hamburger is great, its what you put on it and the way you cook it that is gonna make me wanna eat it. I am super picky though, if I think someone sounds the same as the last guy I usually don’t stick around, even if you wear a mask and jump around like an idiot.
Some people like that though . .
They do, and it makes me really really sad, partly because I think kids now get cheated out of that authentic experience, one which is hard to define, one which is just as mainstream now as the syth pop bands of the 80s and early 90s, the music is side by side with Maroon 5 , and Katy Perry, shoot , they even use it in their own songs. If we are strictly speaking raves though, much of that has changed, tickets are delivered to you, venues have clean bathrooms and air conditioning , a wide variety of toys, beverages, and niches. Some of that I like and I cant complain about too much, it makes me sound like a old “when I partied I had to walk 15 miles into the desert to hear a broken record play one loop all night!”
However collectively I think the ‘scene’ as its called was a different place, music wasn’t everywhere, mixes where not online by the millions, the shows there was no way you were gonna see in your lifetime, are on youtube, the lighting is more important that what you are hearing (so it seems) , it was a college like party atmosphere it has now, it was more, “you cant hear, do, or talk about this anywhere else in your life but for these 6 hours you are here standing in it”
Do you think its too popular?
I do and I say that with caution because you cant really say it was unpopular then with 5000 kids standing shoulder to shoulder listening to it 15 years ago, however I feel that now that’s its mainstream (when you hear dub step in a JC Pennies back to school commercial, its mainstream) parties are treated more like a business, the party goers like customers, the party like an “event” , I miss it just being about, going to hear your favorite local or dj play the music you cant hear anywhere else. I miss being hand picked by a promoter because of what I played, not who I knew and how many tickets I could sell, or how many people were guaranteed to be there because of me. We even have local djs here that have played huge festivals in Europe that cannot get paying gigs here. Guys that have traveled to Japan and back selling thousands of records, that no one gets to here, the ‘oldschool’ talent as it is now, is immense here, but it often gets swept aside, not all the time, but for the most part it does I miss it really being about the music , but times have changed, and the mainstream music industry has really seeped into this counter cutler. For the most part I get it, that there is lots of money tied up in it , and financially there are risks , there has always been that, but when it becomes all about that I think then it becomes something else. I am waiting for Budlight and Monster to start sponsoring local events lol.
When is the next time you play out and what is it that you are playing?
The next place I am at is a party called bubble bobble , its an annual foam party in Mesa, very fun , lots of people go (last year was over 2k this year is expected to be bigger) and I will be playing . . it’s a surprise but I will tear the roof off as always!
Mixcloud: http://www.mixcloud.com/Dj_Buddah/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AZdjbuddah
The Ranting Raver 