VATO GONZALEZ COMMUNITY ARMY OF BASTARDS MIXTAPE 2

Vato Gonzalez is back with the second edition of the Army of Bastards mixtape series. If you missed the first one, the whole concept is to make a mixtape exclusively using original tracks submitted by members of the VatoGonzalez.com online community with a single track from Vato to lead it off. It's a great concept, and a great mixtape. Vato is about as good as DJ's come and shows it off here. The tracks are banging, the mixing is good, and the energy is high. Enjoy! Tracklisting below.


01. Vato Gonzalez - Strength in Numbers (AOB2 Anthem)
02. Volts, Guiseppe Funka & RMCO - Pik
03. Kama Qu ft. Juliette Claire - Moment
04. Olivier Heldens & Ryan Sauvage - The Pagga Song
05. Mystique & AMRO - Sausage (Jonathan Pitch More Sausage Fattener Remix)
06. Sedelic & Backcornerz - Blaster
07. Olivier Heldens & Jasper Dietze - Hot Right Now
08. Emilio G - Alpha
09. Aaron Chase - Stars
10. Crowd Pilots - Human
11. Martin Falkenberg & Ruben Kusters - Psychedelic
12. Backcornerz - Wooow
13. Robby East & Beatbangersz - Just Stupid
14. Aaron Chase - Ventura15. Volts - Motivate
16. Anoosh - Trial & Error
17. Mad Nation - Agora18. Arvana - Bingo
19. D-Velro ft. Mae - Ennoir (RMCO remix)
20. Veni - GTFO!

KOEN GROENEVELD - HOP! (PREVIEW)

Oh man, what a monster. Koen Groeneveld unleashes a furious bit of electro tech on his new track "Hop!", slated for release April 15th on Spinnin Records. The track has a thunderous electro lead, and all the subtle, techy nuiasances that Koen is known for to compliment it. This one is sure to light a fire on the dancefloor at clubs and festivals in the coming months, and it'd be a shame if you missed out on the fun. Check out the preview ripped from "Terminal 7" (still HQ) and grab it on Beatport on April 15th!

JUNGLE BLOOD (ORIGINAL MIX)

Ok so I've been lazy and shitty and haven't posted in over a month. Yeah, I suck but deal with it. Check out this preview for this absolute monster of a track that was just released on 3/19. Big time stuff. Enjoy!

But on Beatport

NEW DAFT PUNK ALBUM COMING THIS YEAR

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Daft Punk has signed with Columbia Records to release a new album of original music slated for release this spring. This is big news in the world of the electronic music, and will be even bigger news if the album is followed up by a tour. Excluding 2010's Tron: Legacy soundtrack, this will be the French duo's first album since 2005's Human After All. Keep your eyes and ears open for more news about this sure to be massive release!

TOP TRACKS OF 2012

Hello everyone! It took me a couple of weeks, but I've finally finished putting together my top tracks of 2012! These are my favorite tracks from last year, and with the exception of my track of the year, they are in no particular order. I did not want to rank them simply because there's so much variety of styles in here that trying to make an objective decision on which is better is just silly. These are simply my 20 favorite tracks of the year. Popularity was not a factor in selections. I considered things like artistry, originality, emotional impact, and just my own personal enjoyment. So without futher delay, here are my top tracks of 2012!! Click on the song titles to listen/download. Enjoy!

Track of the year:
J Nitti feat. Shirley Davis - Deep Down (Luigi Rocca Remix)
If you want to know why I made this my track of the year, just check out my original post from when it first came out. There's not much I can say now that I didn't say then. This song is amazing. Period.

And now for the rest...
Inpetto - Shhhh! (Sander Van Doorn Edit)
Sebastien Leger - Majuro (Nick Dow Remix)
Goldie - Kemistry (Justin Martin Remake)
Shadow Child - So High (Hot Since 82 Remix)
Denzal Park vs. Pendulum - Island of Amarok (Dresden & Arol Mashup)
Florence & The Machine - Spectrum (Calvin Harris Extended Remix)
The Junkies - Werq This (Original Mix)
Finnebassen - Touching Me (Original Mix)
Afrojack - Prutataaa (Dada Life Remix) <<Had to go all the way back to last January for this one.
John Dahlback - Zeus (Original Mix)
Albin Myers - The Beast (Original Mix)
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (E-bonit Bootleg)
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (Wolfgang Lohr Remix)
Schoolboy Q feat. A$AP Rocky - Hands On the Wheel (Nightmare! Nightaton Bootleg)
Nicky Romery & ZROQ - WTF!? (Original Mix)
Adam K & JELO - EMP (Original Mix)
Beltek - Party Voice (Original Mix)
Des McMahon - Albino Ass Slap (Original Mix)
Swedish House Mafia - Don't You Worry Child (Joris Voorn Remix)

MARK POMPEO & KEVIN KOBILINSKI - DAY (ORIGINAL MIX)

Hey guys. I wanted to end the year by finally sharing the full track of my song "Day" with Kevin Kobilinski. You're gonna enjoy it quite a bit. Happy New Year everyone!

SHADOW CHILD - SO HIGH (HOT SINCE 82 REMIX)

Holy shit this is my first post in a long time. I heard this track today and 100% had to share it. This track has groove. It has soul. It makes you wanna move. It's really everything a good house track should be. I know this is pretty short for my first post in so long, but this is one where I really just wanna let the music speak for itself. Buy it on Beatport.

GET LAIDBACK LUKE'S NEW TRACK CAMBODIA FOR FREE!

Laidback Luke has teamed up with the website BeatMyDay.com to bring you his latest track "Cambodia" for free to say thank you to all of his fans and his over 300,000 Twitter followers! Tomorrow, starting at 11am EST head over to Twitter and tweet "”#ThrowUpYourDoubleL @LaidbackLuke" to join the action, and once the tweet count hits 3000, "Cambodia" will be made available to download at no cost. Check out BeatMyDay.com for the original scoop on this story and to hear a preview of the track!

Not following Laidback Luke on Twitter? Go here!

ICE ICE BABY (DJ HAIPA REMIX)

Hey guys. I stumbled across this remix of "Ice Ice Baby" the other day and found myself really surprised at how well it works. DJ Haipa does a really good job of not letting the cheesiness of the original drag this remix down and the results are pretty impressive. He didn't go the really commercial route with it which is what I was expecting before taking a listen. It's got this funky, techy sort of bassline and a subtle but groovy lead. This is all accompanied by some crisp percussive elements and some nice spontaneous flourishes of little blips and beeps that compliment everything really well. All in all, it's a really fun, groovy little track that'll get your head bobbing and butt shaking. And the cherry on top is that DJ Haipa was nice enough to give this away for free. Enjoy!

DEEP DOWN (LUIGI ROCCA REMIX)

It is simply inhuman for anyone not to like this track.  Luigi Rocca delivered an absolutely fantastic remix of "Deep Down" by J Nitti feat. Shirley Davis that's eerily reminiscent of his also fantastic "Keep on Jumpin" remix from last year.  The percussion is tight and crisp.  The bass line grooves and flows in all the right ways.  The vocals glide in and out smoothly and organically forming a perfect weave with music.  Luigi shows us here how a song can be beautiful and moving with soul and subtlety instead of some cheesy, grandiose vocals and a big, obvious melody (e.g. every Swedish house track made by someone not named John Dahlback).  This is house music done right.  This is why we listen.  This is why we dance.  This is the sort of music mastery every producer should aspire to achieve.  Luigi Rocca deserves to see this track at number one on the Beatport charts, and I've already done my part to make that happen.  Now it's your turn.  Check out the FULL RELEASE from Hotfingers to get your copy and take a listen to the other remixes.  Enjoy!

Buy on Beatport

Luigi's social media sites:
Facebook
Twitter
Soundcloud

ONE MORE TIME

What's up everyone?  Got a new remix of the legendary Daft Punk track "One More Time".  Jam Hill Revival put a completely fresh new take on this classic with some straight electro groove.  Enjoy!
Daft Punk - One More Time (Jam Hill Revival Remix)

DAYS AT SEA/LES BAIGNOTS (PREVIEW)

Hey everyone.  Got an email today from Aron Scott with previews for these 2 new tracks of his, and I'm digging them quite a bit.  The first one, "Days At Sea", gives us great little melody in Aron's progressive style, but the main beat, which I love, is distinctly electro-ish.  I really haven't heard something like this from Aron before, and it's great to see him diversifying his style.  The next track is "Les Baignots", and it's style and feel differs greatly from "Days At Sea".  Here, Aron creates a very gentle, almost fragile, progressive house track   .  It's really quite subdued, and I actually find it to be equally as relaxing and soothing and good for just chilling out as it is for banging at a club, which is pretty rare and unique.  These songs will be released on April 16th on Wormland Music's sub-label I LIKE THAT!  Enjoy!

Aron Scott Facebook
Aron Scott Twitter

END OF TIME (DJ MARQUEE REMIX)

Hey everyone.  The Beyonce remix contest has been officially over for about a week now and unfortunately I did not win.  But I still had a strong showing and everyone's support was greatly appreciated.  With the contest done I've now made my remix available for download so get your copy!  Also, I'm doing another remix contest and should have the track completed by the end of the week so be ready.  Thanks again everyone and enjoy the remix.

TORRO

What's up folks?  I just got this new release from Maquina Music by ThreeSixty & Dirty Harris and I'm really digging it.  The track's signature is a huge grooving bassline, and they overlay this with some chopped-up vocals and some nice shuffling percussion.  The break then builds up a progressive style melody that holds true throughout the main beat and drives the song from there.  The whole song is a wonderful blend of tech and progressive house that I think should have really broad appeal across all types of fans.  Big thanks to Maquina Music for the free download, and enjoy!

KONTIKI (PREVIEW)

THIS SOUNDS HUGE!!!  Oh man.  Hardwell just doesn't disappoint.  Like ever.  For starters, serious buildup!!!  And then, huge drop!!  Really awesome.  Just fucking awesome.  Soon to be released on Revealed Recordings.  Keep your eyes peeled!

DRUMMABOY

Hello everyone.  I've got a really great cure for your Monday blues, the track "Drummaboy" from Dutch producer Nizzle.  The tracks features a build that starts off sparse with some blips and choppy vocals before hitting you with a big snare roll and then culminating in a really big drop.  I have to get back to studying for an exam so I'll just leave it at that.  Enjoy!
Nizzle - Drummaboy (Original Mix)

INTERVIEW: DAVID BERRIE

Hey guys.  I've got a nice little interview for you here with David Berrie, known also as just dBerrie.  Dave is a New Jersey native with some great production skills and most definitely a guy quickly rising in dance music community!  I've also got a preview of his upcoming track "Future Bot" so check it out!

1) Let's get the basic stuff out there.  Who are you, where are you from, and how did you get into the music?
Hey my name is David Berrie I'm a dj/producer based out of NYC and I first started getting getting into music by DJing for friends around 14 yrs old.

2) What has been your most memorable moment in music (e.g. DJ gig, performance you've seen, production moment, etc.)?
I'd have to say one of the most memorable moments was first hearing some of my remixes get played on the radio, both satellite and fm.

3) How do you feel about the immense growth in EDM in recent years, most particularly in the U.S.?  Do you have any worries that overexposure may be detrimental?
I think its fair to say that its been great for electronic music on all fronts. There so many sub genres in the scene I think the overexposure will only lead people to dig deeper into the different styles, which is obviously a good thing.

4) Did you have any sort of mentor as you began producing and DJ'ing and what advice would you give for guys and gals who are just starting out?
For DJing my greatest asset was growing up in Jersey 10 mins from the city. Id go out and be able to catch so many different DJs w different styles I pickup up a lot from just watching. As for production I owe all of what I learned to youtube videos and more specifically, Future Music Magazine 'In the studio' DVDs.. Really great.

5) What's your equipment setup like both for DJ'ing and in the studio?  Any particular synths or pieces of hardware that you literally couldn't function without?
For DJing I'm all midi, using 2 X1 Controllers on Traktor 2 with an Audio 8 as my sound card which runs out 4 outputs. And in the studio right now I'm basically 95 percent software, with 'Xfer Nerve' and 'Sylenth1' being some of my most essential tools.

6) For the last two months or so I've been absolutely in love with your track "Change the Light", especially Colin's vocals.  Where did you find such a great talent that most people have never heard of??
Actually funny story my friend from high school just came over with some of his friends from Colgate, Collin being one of them. We just kinda found out we both did music and hit it off from there. Most people I work with i kind of just randomly meet.

7) Now I know most producers have little particular tendencies that make their creative processes unique.  For me, I always like to start with the kick and the bass because I think they're really the foundation for everything else.  What is your creative process like and how do you like to work in the studio?
Depends on the kind of project, but usually ill go for the part thats gonna identify the song the most first. So if its a melody track, ill start with the progression or if its a tech track ill start with the groove, no given formula tho.

8) Name the first things that come to mind for this: 3 most essential items to bring on the road?
Laptop, Sennheiser headphones, 3g Wireless laptop card.

9) I like to ask just about everyone I interview this.  What are your thoughts on the recent trend of guys producing tracks almost exclusively through loops and samples?  How much importance do you place on creating original sounds?
Honestly i don't see that as a trend right now, people have always been doing this and i think its fair game. When it comes down to it, its the end product. But yes if you overuse loops eventually you won't be able to create your own unique style.

10) What upcoming gigs and productions do you have that should we be on the lookout for in 2012?
Month of march will be busy, I have a few dates for spring break in Mexico, doing SXSW in Texas, and of course a bunch of gigs during WMC week in miami. Also I have a lot of new forthcoming singles that will b ready just in time for Miami. You can stay updated ondberrie.com

11) What was your first track ever like and how far do you feel you've progressed since then?
My first track I've ever made was horrible and I probably don't have it anymore. The first track that I posted publicly is actually still on my soundcloud, the kaskade dynasty remix. You can check it out and hear for yourself. soundcloud.com/dberrie

12) Lastly, tell my readers anything at all that you'd like to say.
People that support my music thank you! Lots of new music to come this year so stay tuned!


So that's it's folks.  For those of you going to WMC, definitely be sure to check out Dave's gigs and take a listen below to the preview for his upcoming track "Future Bot".  It's a nice melodic track with a great build and a really great drop so check it out and then head to Facebook or Twitter and show Dave some love!

FUCKING AMAZING

Wooooo!!!  This is groovayyyy!!!  This collaboration between DJ PP and Silversix starts with a nice, funky, chill tech progression that lays the foundation well for what comes after.  And then the trumpet enters, and anyone with the ability to resist that groove is probably in a coma.  It's seriously infectious and incredibly fun.  Take a listen above and then give these guys your support by heading over to Beatport and scooping up a copy for yourself. Enjoy!

Support the artists and buy it!

AFSHEEN MASHUPS

Hey guys.  I recently got a sent a big pack of mash-up bootlegs from producer AFSheen, and they're definitely not too shabby.  I want to highlight my two favorites of the bunch.  The first combines Nero's "Promises" with Michael Woods's "Bullet", and I found myself pretty surprised that these two tracks worked quite well together.  I would've liked to see this mash-up be a bit longer, though, and use the full "Bullet" track, but it's still very good.  The next one can only be described as "awesomely cheesy" lol.  It's a mash-up of Tiesto's "Maximal Crazy" with the 80s rock classic "Final Countdown" by Europe.  He went with the name "Final Maximal" as the official mash-up name though I'm choosing to call it "Maximal Countdown" because I think it sounds better.  Enjoy these two, and if you want to check out the full pack of mash-ups I've provided the link for that as well.
Michael Woods vs. Nero - Promises Bullet (AFSheen Mashup)
Tiesto vs. Europe - Maximal Countdown (AFSheen Mashup)

Full Bootleg Pack

AFSheen's Websites:
Official Site
Facebook
Twitter
Soundcloud

ACTION HERO

I got an email from Yeah!/Dish records with this great EP from Francophilippe.  I'm not a big fan of the remixes, but the two originals on here are absolutely banging!  The title track "Action Hero" is a super funky, disco house smash with a really tight kick, groovy ass bassline, and lots of awesome little stabs and chopped up vocals.  "Monochrome Scanners" is similarly funky and groovy and breaks a bit more from the traditional four-to-the-floor kick pattern.  Bottom line, you will definitely find yourself bobbing your head, dancing in your chain, and enjoying these tunes to the max.  Take a listen in the Soundcloud player and then go grab a free download from Yeah!/Dish's Facebook page!


Free Download