An unfortunate side effect of dance music exploding popularity in the early 2010s is that so much of the genre’s history has been somewhat lost to the new festival sounds of the main stage. But dance music, in its purest form, dates back to the 70s in disco and perhaps even the 60s, when the Moog debuted in 1964.
Yesterday, it was shared that pioneering LGBTQ+ artist Ari Gold had died after a long battle with leukemia. Wrote Rolling Stone, he “sang with Diana Ross and Cyndi Lauper, collaborated with Boy George, and opened for Chaka Khan.”
His music never made a huge impact on streaming services, but he was firmly in the house/disco realm and many of his tracks feel timeless even to this day. Gold released seven albums during his career, including the bombastic “Where The Music Takes You” in 2007 off his album, Transport Systems.
RuPaul, John Cameron Mitchell, Laverne Cox, and more have posted tributes to Gold on social media since the news of his death broke yesterday. Check out “Where The Music Takes You” below.
Vindata has announced they’re targeting an early summer release date for their long-awaited forthcoming debut album. To celebrate, the duo isn’t wasting any time showing fans what’s in store as they’ve dropped two accompanying singles, “Good 4 Me” and “Union.”
Chatter around the duo’s album started in late 2018, but while fans have had to wait a little longer than expected for the release of …With Opened Eyes, the first taste of Vindata’s forthcoming project certainly does not disappoint.
Vindata’s brand of R&B influenced electronic music is alive and well in “Good 4 Me,” an upbeat single characterized by breezy synths and playful vocals, and carried by a powerful rhythm and funky bassline. The follow-up track “Union” is vastly more instrumental in nature, but embodies a level of mystique as leads of varying textures take turns in the spotlight before fading into the background. The track makes for an engaging listen and highlights Vindata’s versatility in sound design, a quality we hope to hear more as their album comes into greater focus.
Vindata’s debut full-length effort …With Opened Eyes is slated for release in June 2021 on Monstercat. Fans will soon additionally be able to hear the duo’s first two singles on Rocket League as part of the label’s partnership with the popular video game title.
Triller has responded to accusations that it has been inflating its data on the number of monthly active users who access their app.
Billboard has cited a source who has come forward to claim that the LA-based video sharing app has been reporting higher numbers of users to the public that it reports to rights holders.
READ MORE: What makes an old song go viral on TikTok?
Triller previously claimed in a press release that it had over 26.5 million active monthly users in December 2019, but Billboard‘s source claims that it was actually around half of that figure in January 2020.
A subsequent press release issued in July claimed that Triller’s user base had grown to a total of 50 million monthly users. Billboard reports that it has learned from “a source with direct knowledge of the situation” that Triller’s user base was actually closer to 25 million.
The company is hoping to go public this year and will likely be required to disclose a number of details about its business, including user numbers, as part of the process.
Triller (Picture: Getty)
After Triller’s CEO Mike Lu initially responded to Billboard‘s report with a statement that claimed that “there is no legal definition of MAU/DAU [monthly average users/daily average users]”, a second separate statement has now been released by Lu denying that the company has been inflating its user numbers.
“We have never inflated any user numbers,” Lu said in the latest statement (via Engadget). “The only ‘rights holders’ Triller has ever had are the labels who don’t receive the information in question and, if anything, have just accused us of understating our numbers.”
Earlier this month, Universal pulled its entire music catalogue from Triller after the app was accused of withholding royalty payments to Universal artists for the music which its users can select when creating videos. Triller did not respond to the accusations.
What’s next after you dominate an industry in a previously untapped market? Start a record label, of course.
Middle East entertainment brand MDLBEAST is continuing to develop as it launches a brand new record label that will become the exciting new home for musical talent across the Arab region. The first release is a carefully curated showcase album of forward thinking music from global superstars named Soundstorm Volume 1 as a nod to the brand’s own game changing festival, Soundstorm. The first single from it, ‘Ringtone’ by R3HAB, comes with its own unique video and will be released on February 26 while the full album arrives in April with tracks by superstars like Salvatore Ganacci, BUTCH and Afrojack and local rising talents like Cosmicat.
Talal Albahiti, Chief Operating Officer of MDLBEAST says – “MDLBEAST is all about amplifying the unseen, building a platform for Arab Artists to showcase their talent to the world & bring international artists closer to Arab audiences. Launching our label MDLBEAST Records is another big milestone on our journey to create cultural exchange through music. We are especially proud that our good friend and collaborator R3HAB will be the first artist to officially launch his single ‘Ringtone’ on MDLBEAST Records.”
Further volumes will follow later in the year, with plans for a radio show, playlists, ‘Ringtone’ remix challenge and much more. But for now excitement is already building for this bold, new game changing project from the MDLBEAST team.
In a perhaps a not so surprising new scientific finding, techno has been found to be the least relaxing form of music.
Vera Clinic, a Turkish cosmetics company specializing in hair transplant procedures, conducted a scientific study that revealed techno is the least effective genre for curbing anxiety.
The sample of 1,540 individuals was subjected to various genres of music via a series of pre-selected Spotify playlists. As the adults listened, ECG monitors tracked their changes in blood pressure, allowing experimenters to glean insights on their respective anxiety levels.
A vast majority of participants, 78% in fact, experienced a spike in blood pressure when listening to techno. A handful of genres yielding similar effects include dubstep, 70s rock, jazz, and the blues. On the flip side, 80s synth-pop generated the greatest feelings of calmness among participants. Given the sample age range of 18 to 54, experimenters believe they have an explanation for this.
“The results may seem surprising on first inspection — but medically they make a lot of sense, said Vera Clinic’s Dr. Ömer Avlanmış. “1980’s pop hits could have positive nostalgia attached to them for many people, and their upbeat, party-like sounds can induce the release of endorphins and serotonin in the brain, both increasing feelings of happiness and calm.”
In late January, Brooks cleared up any confusion surrounding his in-and-out absence in 2020 by disclosing a prior health complication due to his taxing touring regimen, but reassured fans that he’s returned to full strength as the year powers forth. After previously dipping in future bass waters for a makeover of Illenium and Tom DeLonge’s “Paper Thin,” the Dutch talent is now applying his touch to Lost Frequencies and Mathieu Koss’ “Don’t Leave Me Now.”
The three-minute reprise is Brooks in his purest state, swearing back in his unwavering calling toward future bounce and meeting it in the middle with the forenamed dyad’s toned-down tie-up. Championing an airtight Brooks cadence, the spin stacks up within his far-reaching remix trophy case, which includes the likes of “Scared To Be Lonely,” “Feel Good,” and “Dreamer.”
The Music Venue Trust has backed Boris Johnson‘s suggestion that rapid coronavirus testing could be the key to reopening music venues, and says the necessary plans are in place for it to be rolled out nationwide.
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference on Monday (February 15), the Prime Minister said “rapid” lateral flow tests could be used by “those parts of the economy” that were unable to reopen their doors last year.
READ MORE: Restarting live music in 2021: Gig and festival bosses on what to expect
The lateral flow tests can provide results within half an hour, which could potentially allow music fans and clubbers to flock back to venues once they can provide a negative result.
Speaking after the new development, MVT CEO Mark Davyd said that the organisation is ready for a rapid testing system to be rolled out.
Venues in the UK have been affected by coronavirus (Picture: Gary Calton / Alamy Stock Photo)
“Music Venue Trust has already created the possibility of two pilot sites to host events featuring rapid testing and a range of other mitigation measures intended to deliver live music in a safe setting,” he said, per MusicWeek.
“How rapid testing might work to deliver such events safely needs to be tested, and we look forward to working with the government to undertake that work as soon as possible.
“Rapid testing and other forms of health passporting, including vaccination certification, represent one of a range of opportunities to deliver events safely, which we have been discussing with the government since July 2020.
“A vital element of that work, for our sector, is ensuring that it recognises everyone’s right to privacy in balance with music venues’ need and duty to protect our staff and customers.
“Any plan for a health passport must contain rigorous safeguards against excluding people unable to be vaccinated or take part in rapid testing.”
The latest suggestion comes after it was confirmed that UK music venues are set to trial a new system of digital “health passports” in a bid to reopen live gigs safely.
Start-up company You Check will be trialling a new digital health passport app in collaboration with the Music Venue Trust, allowing music fans to prove that they do not have the virus to secure entry.
Elsewhere, Primavera Sound festival’s recent trial for the return of gigs with no social distancing but same-day antigen testing found no infection rate, while a study in Germany last year found a “low to very low risk” or coronavirus spreading at indoor gigs – concluding that “good ventilation and social distancing are key”.
The Music Venue Trust has said that gigs could potentially return in the spring, while London’s The 100 Club has trialled a new system to combat airborne pathogens.
We’ve been following the releases from Ian Urbina’s Outlaw Ocean Music Project since we reported on last year and the music has been incredible. The core of this project stems from the fact that musicians and journalists are both storytellers. One uses sounds, the other leverages words.
The Outlaw Ocean Music Project is a first-of-its-kind collaboration of such creators. In combining their mediums, these narrators have conveyed emotion and a sense of place in an enthralling new way. On the simplest level though this is simply a captivating collection of inspired songs, which range from electronic and ambient to classical and hip hop.
Over 100 artists have joined the project including Louis Futon, Herzeloyde, Tinlicker, Solarstone, and now, PIERCE with his ‘Deep Blue‘ EP. The EP features two stellar tracks, “Distress Signal” and “Phantom“, both which incorporate a deeper, eerier vibe meshed wonderfully with PIERCE’s signature style. He’s a genius when it comes to sound design and arrangement. Listening to his EP makes it feel as if you’re on this journey with him in some sort of suspenseful underwater world that is utterly hypnotic.
The Dutch government has allocated a €300 million fund allowing organizers of large scale events, including music festivals, to seek access to financial reimbursement in case their events are forcibly cancelled.
Events eligible for such government support will need to be taking place between July 1st and the end of 2021, a timeframe that is already creating a strong incentive for organizers to reschedule their events to Q3 or Q4 of 2021. A slew of festivals including Awakenings, DGTL, Dauwpop, Paaspop, Utrecht Central Park Festival, and Zwarte Cross have already taken the leap, announcing new dates for September of this year.
Despite the shuffle, ticket holders are standing by as 85% of tickets for the 2021 edition of Utrecht Central Park Festival were sold last year. Meanwhile, the newly announced A State Of Trance ASOT1000 celebration in Utrecht—scheduled for September—sold 55,000 tickets in four hours.
Business fairs, music festivals, and sporting events of 3,000 attendees or more will be eligible under the Dutch insurance program to seek up to 80% of their capital losses in the event regulators force them to reschedule. Recent statements from Ingrid Van Engelshoven, the Minister of Education, Culture, and Science, have added to the optimism as she expects mass gatherings will be able to safely take place prior to July.
Dave Grohl has reflected on Kurt Cobain‘s seismic musical impact, as well as discussing the emotional toll of Nirvana‘s untimely split.
Speaking on Apple Music’s Medicine At Midnight Radio, Grohl also reflected on how the band were initially surprised by their rise to global fame in the early 1990s.
READ MORE: Foo Fighters: “Our connection is beyond music”
“We were still in our van and we were just watching this happen in front of us,” he said.
“The shows were getting bigger,” he explains. “The crowds were getting bigger. The crowds outside of the shows were bigger than the crowds inside the shows. We could see that something was happening, but we really never expected that it would turn out to be as big as it was. I don’t think any of us expected that.”
Reflecting on the band’s split after Kurt Cobain took his own life in 1994, Grohl said their untimely break-up was one of his “life’s greatest heartbreaks”.
Dave Grohl,Kurt Cobain and Kirst Novoselic of Nirvana in 1992 (Picture: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc)
“Of course, it was an incredibly challenging experience and ultimately one of the greatest heartbreaks of my life that Nirvana isn’t still here today making music,” he said.
“Whether it would be called Nirvana or something else. It is one of my life’s greatest heartbreaks that Kurt isn’t still here to write more amazing songs because it’s pretty clear that he was blessed with a gift.
I think it’s safe to say that he was the greatest songwriter of our generation. I’m very proud to say that I got to be his drummer and play those songs every night.”
His latest comments come after he recently told NME how he formed Foo Fighters from the ashes of Nirvana.
“It’s funny because I kept this little project a secret for so long before it became a band, and one of the reasons was for fear that people would judge it,” he said.
“That’s all of the weird little demo tapes I’d done, I just didn’t feel comfortable sharing because they were mine,” Grohl said.
“There was some safety and security in just keeping them to myself, so one of the reasons I started this band was to move on from the past. The band truly represents this continuation of life because I didn’t want to remain in that place forever and I just couldn’t. I would have suffocated.”
Meanwhile, Grohl and Pat Smear recently revealed that they get together with Krist Novoselic from time to time and privately perform Nirvana songs.
Smear – a touring guitarist with the grunge icons – was asked by Howard Stern if he ever missed playing with the band.
“Every once in a while, me and Krist and Dave get together and we do play as if we’re Nirvana,” Smear replied. “So I don’t have to miss it — we do it. If we’re in the same town together, or whatever, we’ll get together and jam.”
He then revealed that the last time the three of them got together was at the house where the Foo Fighters recorded their new album.
Last month, Dave Grohl also revealed that he still has dreams that see him back in Nirvana.
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