It’s about that time to do a musical snapshot of what’s getting a lot of airplay on the radio. I’ve put together a set list (as my alter ego DJ Anubis) to listen to while you watch the March Madness Basketball or do whatever it is that you do! We’ll start with a favorite of mine on the EDM scene with Swedish born DJ, Eric Prydz. Most of us remember him from his huge hit in 2004 “Call on Me” which sampled Steve Winwood’s “Valerie.” His latest EP, Opus was released in February and the first hit off of this CD is “Breathe,” with vocals provided by Rob Swire (of Deadmau5’ “Ghosts N’ Stuff” fame). Neither Prydz nor Swire disappoint in this one.
Major Lazer has hit the Top 40 scene hard with hits like “Lean On” with DJ Snake. Major Lazer is actually an EDM music group consisting of record producers Diplo and Switch. The music combines electronic beats with reggae, dancehall, reggaeton, house and moombahton genres creating a very unique sound. This next hit of theirs on the set list, “Boom,” is a collaboration with Dutch phenom, MOTi and features the voices and lyrics of Ty Dolla $ign, Wizkid, & Kranium. If you aren’t a fan of Moombahton or haven’t heard of it, it’s a good place to start.
Coming up next is an insane collaboration of superstars David Guetta, Sia (the voice that remains faceless to the public), and New Jersey native, Fetty Wap. “Bang My Head” has a beat attached to this radio edit that’s unique in every way thanks to each artist’s contribution.
Belgian brothers Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike were hugely popular last year thanks to their hit “The Hum.” Their sound gets amped with vocals provided by Ne-Yo to give us “Higher Place.”
American DJ Dillon Francis and French Algerian DJ Snake are two big names in the Moombahton scene, and they get together with other huge names to make blockbuster hits. This time they got together to create “Get Low,” with its Arabic style riff, and it got featured on the latest Furious 7 soundtrack. More airtime on Dodge and Taco Bell commercials make them this decade’s Fatboy Slim. They are on tour with Skrillex. I decided to reprise this using Serbian DJ Beast’s remix.
Dutch phenomenon Armin van Buuren is synonymous with Trance music staying one of the busiest DJs in the world alongside Tiesto. He now slings albums on his own label — Armada Music — which also produces his weekly “A State of Trance” set. He enlisted the sound of Dutch rock band Kensington to create a unique sound in “Heading Up High.” I chose the “First State (Sander von Dien) Extended Remix” for this track.
Florian Picasso has been putting out a few hits in the last four years as well as making his mark in the remix scene, putting out versions of songs by Tegan & Sara, Benassi, Christina Perri and even Steve Aoki and R3hab. His 2015 product, “Origami” was an instant hit, he follows that up this year with “Kirigami” and interestingly, he is actually the great grandson of famous artist Pablo (via adoption). He may soon be an artist of the same caliber on a different scene. You can even watch a mini documentary about him over here:
https://youtu.be/VjQNdEWGGOA
Australian DJ tyDi (Tyson Illingworth), a prodigy on the electronic scene, was signed to Armin van Buuren’s Armada label at the age of 17 and his latest top charting hit of 2015 is penned by singer-songwriter Melanie Fontana who has written with, and for, huge artists like Justin Bieber, Christina Milian, Meghan Trainor among others. The title track from his fourth album ReDefined reached number 5 on the US and Australian dance charts on it’s very release day.
Canadians Sultan + Shepard have been on the scene since the early 2000s after meeting at McGill University and have been a force to be reckoned with ever since. In early 2016, they team up with fellow Canadian-Jamaican vocalist Kreesha Turner to produce “Bring Me Back,” and UK’s “Futuristic Polar Bears’ Remix” of this soon to be hit really hits the spot when you’re in the mood for some good Progressive House.
Last but not least, the latest product from EDM/Rock Fusion band Cheat Codes is a follow up to their last hit “Visions.” What sets these 3 guys apart is that they write all their own music in a genre that strengthens itself via collaborations. “Say Goodbye” has the full package, poignant lyrics combined with very catchy music that makes you want to hate it at first, but find yourself listening to it when no one is watching. Their latest hit “Sex” is now rising up the charts quickly, so get familiar with these guys if you haven’t already.
The Setlist:
- Eric Prydz feat. Rob Swire – Breathe (Original Mix) (Amazon)(Beatport)
- Major Lazer & MOTi feat. Ty Dolla $ign, Wizkid & Kranium – Boom (Clean Edit) (Amazon)(Beatport)
- David Guetta feat. Sia & Fetty Wap – Bang My Head (Radio Edit) (Amazon)(Beatport)
- Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike feat. Ne-Yo – Higher Place (Original Mix) (Amazon)(Beatport)
- Dillon Francis & DJ Snake – Get Low (DJ Beast Remix) (Amazon)
- Armin van Buuren feat. Kensington – Heading Up High (First State Extended Remix) (Amazon)(Beatport)
- Florian Picasso – Kirigami (Original Mix) (Beatport)
- TyDi feat. Melanie Fontana & Novaspace – ReDefined (Club Mix) (Amazon)(Beatport)
- Sultan+Shepard feat. Kreesha Turner – Bring Me Back (Futuristic Polar Bears Extended Remix) (Beatport)
- Cheat Codes – Say Goodbye (Original Mix) (Amazon)(Beatport)
You can have a listen to most of the tracks over at Google Play Music in our DJ Anubis – March Madness Mix playlist with a few minor changes: “Boom” isn’t the clean edit so may contain NSFW lyrics, “Get Low” is the original mix, and unfortunately “Kirigami” isn’t on Google Play Music yet.
Let us know what you think of these artists and tracks in the comments below, or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook… and if you will be listening to more from them.
