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In the ever-evolving realm of electronic music, few acts have left as indelible a mark as Crystal Castles. This Canadian duo, comprised of producer Ethan Kath and a rotating roster of vocalists, emerged in the mid-2000s and quickly became known for their unique fusion of chaotic, glitchy beats with hauntingly ethereal melodies. Their music has transcended traditional electronic genres, creating an atmospheric and often visceral experience that resonates with a diverse audience. In this article, we delve into the captivating journey of Crystal Castles, exploring their groundbreaking sound, enigmatic presence, and enduring impact on the landscape of popular electronic music.

A Collision of Chaos and Beauty

Crystal Castles burst onto the scene in 2006 with their self-titled debut album, a release that would prove to be a seismic shift in the electronic music landscape. Their signature sound is a paradoxical blend of chaos and beauty, characterized by abrasive synths, distorted vocals, and glitchy, lo-fi beats. Tracks like “Untrust Us” and “Alice Practice” showcased this dissonance, drawing listeners into a realm that felt simultaneously aggressive and alluring.

Their music often conjures a sense of urgency and unease, akin to a sonic rollercoaster that takes unexpected twists and turns. Crystal Castles’ ability to create an emotional whirlwind through their music is a testament to their ingenuity in pushing electronic music beyond its boundaries.

The Enigmatic Vocalists

One of the defining features of Crystal Castles’ discography is the ever-changing roster of vocalists who have lent their voices to the duo’s productions. Alice Glass, the group’s original vocalist, brought an ethereal yet frenetic energy to their early work. Her vocals, often drenched in reverb and distortion, added a haunting quality that complemented the chaotic instrumentals.

After Glass’s departure in 2014, the duo continued to collaborate with various vocalists, including Edith Frances. This evolution allowed Crystal Castles to experiment with new vocal styles while maintaining their distinctive sound.

Live Shows: A Whirlwind of Energy

Crystal Castles’ live performances are nothing short of legendary. Known for their frenetic energy and visceral connection with the audience, their shows have often blurred the line between music and performance art. Ethan Kath’s presence behind the synths and Alice Glass’s wild stage antics created an atmosphere that was equal parts exhilarating and enigmatic.

Audiences were treated to an immersive experience where the music transcended the confines of the speakers, engulfing them in a sensory overload of sound and visuals. This unique live experience endeared Crystal Castles to fans and solidified their status as trailblazers in electronic music performance.

Influence on Contemporary Electronic Music

Crystal Castles’ impact on contemporary electronic music cannot be overstated. Their willingness to experiment with unconventional sounds and structures paved the way for a new generation of electronic musicians unafraid to challenge norms. Artists like Grimes, Purity Ring, and SOPHIE have cited Crystal Castles as an influence, further propagating their innovative approach to electronic production.

Their music has also left an indelible mark on the gaming world, with tracks featured in popular video games like “Grand Theft Auto IV” and “FIFA 12,” introducing their sound to an even wider audience.

A Legacy that Endures

As Crystal Castles continues to evolve, their music remains a testament to the boundless possibilities within electronic music. Their discography, spanning albums like “II” and “III,” offers a diverse array of sonic landscapes that invite listeners to explore the dark and mysterious corners of electronic soundscapes.

While their journey has seen its share of turbulence, including controversies and lineup changes, the enduring legacy of Crystal Castles is their fearless commitment to pushing the boundaries of popular electronic music. They have inspired a generation of artists and listeners to embrace the unexpected, to revel in the chaos, and to find beauty in the discordant, ensuring that their name remains synonymous with innovation in the world of electronic music.

The post Crystal Castles: Forging an Electrifying Path in Popular Electronic Music appeared first on VolSliv.

One of the few musical genres that is still popular in today’s culture is electronica. Electronic music is enjoyed by people of all ages, from considerably elderly to younger generations. In the current generation, teens and young adults should pay particular attention to it.

It may not be justified, but dancing music does have an impact. It contributes to the rise in musical productions we see today. Simply denying its rising popularity among this generation would be absurd.

Beginning as a means of artistic expression for composers and musicians, electronic music. People desired alternative means of self-expression that dance music could facilitate. Yes, young children express themselves in different ways, but keep in mind that they are exposed to this type of music from an early age, which makes this generation seem more “exotic.”

When everything began

Since the first decade of the 1980s, there has been electronic music. It was a period when synthesisers and drum machines were used extensively by bands like Depeche Mode, New Order, The Cure, and many others to dominate the music landscape. Over time, dance music has undergone a significant evolution. It is now among the most well-liked musical genres among the current generation.

Dance music is widely available in today’s culture, which is one of the key causes of this. The internet offers a wide variety of electronic music.

Hip-hop, house, techno, dubstep, and many more genres fall under this. Electronic music comes in a huge range, and it’s all free on iTunes or any other streaming site!

Younger folks searching for entertaining music to listen to while studying or working out at home have also grown to love electronic music. When compared to other genres like hip-hop or rock ‘n’ roll music, this type of genre gives them a platform where they can express themselves creatively without worrying about getting sucked into the mainstream pop culture scene!

Electronic music not only serves as a medium for amusement and expression, but it also has a significant impact on other genres. These days, pop songs also include aspects of electronic music, particularly in the rhythm.

Due to the global appeal of electronic music, festivals like Tomorrowland are held all over the globe, giving musicians from all nations the chance to perform for a large audience.

Today’s generation values electronic music

Electronic music is a popular genre of music in the modern world. music’s because listening to music has an impact on our bodies. Why then do so many teenagers like dance music? Here are a few explanations:

• When heard, electronic music promotes stress relief and relaxation.
• People get delighted when they hear it because it makes them happy.
• Electronic music features many beats that may drive listeners to move their bodies in time with the music’s rhythm, which causes people to dance.
• One of the most popular musical genres in general nowadays is electronic music. The genre has always been more of a party music than a daytime listen.

What makes electronic music appealing?

However, you should take a listen to some dance music. Why? Since electronic dance music is created by humans using complex machines like computers and synthesisers, it is created by humans.

When it’s claimed that dance music is “heavy machinery,” it’s referring to the talent and labor-intensive process that goes into creating a tune.

Anyone who wants to can create dance music. How imaginative a song is is entirely up to the artist. They may begin producing as soon as they have an idea of how they want their music to sound.

If someone wants to write an emotional song, they can use instruments like pianos and strings to help the song express their feelings. Use sounds that sound really happy if you want to create a song that is truly upbeat, like bells and plucks.

Because it can express very intricate and fascinating ideas solely through sound, electronic dance music has a lot to offer. There are many sounds that may be produced in the music that would otherwise be impractical since it is entirely synthesised and does not use any instruments.

Why is electronic music so popular?

Because the rhythm in electronic music is so straightforward, more people can learn to match it up with it. Certain rhythms in the brain help us match up with the rhythms in music. Your brain finds it more challenging to understand complicated rhythms. This may be the reason why ambient and techno music are so well-liked.

Conclusion

This generation, as we all know, is increasingly interested in cutting-edge technology and the expanding capabilities of our devices and software. Rap and hip hop are the most popular genres of music among today’s youth, but why?

The next great thing in our time might be electronic music. Why hasn’t dance music taken off as a popular form of entertainment for young adults? Why are people finding this genre so difficult to accept?

The post Electronic Music’s Value to Today’s Generation appeared first on VolSliv.

Phases – Jax Jones With Sinead Harnett

Phases, a song by Jax Jones and Sinead Harnett from the Pokemon 25: The Album, has a fantastic music video to go with its catchy tune. The music video expands to include many gigantic Pikachus and a choreographed dance around a gigantic Pokeball after beginning with Jax Jones playing Pokemon on his DS and creepily being sneaked up on by a large Pikachu.

You can go from city to city, battling through dense grass, and travelling with your Pokemon companion if you pay attention to this.

Post Malone, “Only Wanna Be With You,”

A digital Post Malone performs this song from the Pokemon 25th anniversary, surrounded by various Pokemon. Post Malone sang the Hootie & the Blowfish song since it was also the band’s 25th anniversary as part of an extended internet performance. It’s a delight to see Post Malone go through various ecosystems in his virtual bubble while accompanied by a variety of Pokemon.

Believing – Lil Yachty

The ideal track to listen to while driving along Route 1 on your trip to Viridian City is this relaxing tune by Lil Yachty. Lil Yachty creates the mood for a fantastic voyage with your Pokemon companion with an ethereal atmosphere and dreamy visuals.

Charmander, Jigglypuff, and Pikachu are included in a terrific couple of lines in this song from the Pokemon 25th anniversary album.

Celestial by Ed Sheeran

With his ethereal song Celestial, Ed Sheeran awakens to a Pokemon fantasy. Ed Sheeran sings about getting through the day with the aid of his Pokemon pals along with his GameBoy and very amusing animation transitions.

Celestial is a heartfelt, joyful tune that will appeal to Pokemon lovers of all ages. There’s also a fun animated scene where Sheeran steps in for Ash during the pivotal fight between Mew and Mewtwo in Pokemon: The First Movie.

Mabel’s Take It Home

The song Take It Home by Mabel, which can be found on both the Pokemon 25: The Red EP and the Pokemon 25: The Blue EP, was included on the Pokemon 25 Album.

As Mabel pursues a Jigglypuff through a hotel, she encounters a Pikachu and what appears to be a beautiful dream. Jigglypuff doesn’t even attempt to outdo Mable during the whole music video since this catchy tune is so wonderful.

Reconnect – Yaffle Feat. Daichi Yamamoto & AAAMYYY

Pokemon enthusiasts will love the plethora of incredibly unique allusions and throwbacks in Reconnect by Yaffle starring Daichi Yamamoto & AAAMYYY. Retro sound effects can be heard throughout the song, which begins with the iconic Pokemon Red and Blue battle soundtrack.

Even dancing Pikachu is featured in the music video, along with Snorlax, Cubone, Charmander, Squirtle, and Clefairy.

Game Girl – Louane

Louane’s Game Girl, a fun spin on the traditional Game Boy controller, is a fantastic song about community. French and English are used in the song’s lyrics, while Game Girl’s clothes and the music video’s set design give off a distinct ’90s atmosphere. The charming song by Louane is a terrific addition to the Pokemon 25 Album, which has a lot of Pokemon imagery and enormous sculptures of Pikachu in shadowy passageways.

Rita Ora and Kygo’s “Carry On”

Rita Ora, a singer and actress, sings and appears in the music video for Kygo’s original song for the Detective Pikachu movie. In the movie, Ora also portrayed Dr. Ann Laurent. Carry On is a terrific addition to the movie and any Pokemon fan’s music library with lyrics about overcoming loss and moving on. The song video includes actual footage of Ora in Ryme City as well as snippets from Detective Pikachu.

Katy Perry, “Electric”

The relevant and appealing song Electric by Katy Perry is about development and venturing into the unknown. Together with her devoted Pikachu, Katy performs a stirring pop ballad about finding strength within oneself while reflecting on her very first performance. In the song video, a young Katy Perry is shown doing her first small-scale guitar gigs with a young Pichu. With her outfits that conceal her from view during her younger self’s performance, Katy strongly resembles Jessie.

Pokemon Gotcha! – Bump Of Chicken

To commemorate the debut of the Crown Tundra DLC for Pokemon Sword and Shield, the Japanese rock band Bump of Chicken made this really stunning music video for their song Acacia. Gotcha, an animated film by Bones, takes the audience on a trip through the development of the Pokemon franchise by showcasing several Pokemon and their trainers engaging in combat, exploration, and educational activities.

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If you buy a synthesizer for home creation, you are unlikely to buy an expensive model with lots of extra features and complicated navigation. But even among the budget “synths” there is a good choice, and you only have to decide what type your new instrument will be.

Electronic synthesizers come in monophonic, paraphonic and polyphonic, the instruments of the first kind are single-voice, mono-processed. Paraphonic synthesizer implies simultaneous sound of two voices, but can also work in mono-mode, polyphonic “synth” supports multi-voice polyphony (3-note and above), is the most common among such instruments.

According to the method of sound processing synthesizers are divided into digital, analog and hybrid, and they do not always have a keyboard, and even more so acoustic system.

The model without a keyboard is also called a synthesizer module, such a device has a very compact size and light weight, is able to work with a variety of midi-keyboards, easily controlled by a computer.

The most popular synthesizers for electronic music are produced under the brands Roland, Arturia, Dave Smith, Korg, Clavia Nord, Moog, equipped with a step-by-step multitrack sequencer, arpeggiator, many models are supplemented by special software, with which the work becomes convenient and comfortable, especially if you use a computer.

Rack synthesizers and modules are made in a housing that allows you to install the musical instrument in a rack, such devices are popular among professional musicians.

Synthesizers for electronic music are quite specific and cannot be used as an arranging station, a synthesizer with auto accompaniment or a digital piano.

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For example, my home studio is equipped with the Universal Audio Apollo audio interface, which has a built-in mono button. Regardless of what DAW or program I’m listening to, the hardware will put my mix into mono.

However, if you don’t have an interface with a mono button, you have to resort to a DAW. For example, if you want to go to mono in Pro Tools, you can hold down the “alt” key and press the master fader pan knobs.

Each DAW has a different method of stacking mixes in mono, so be sure to check your user manual. Once you figure out how to stack your mix in mono, you can start working on it.

Balancing the levels of your mix in mono

Long before processing plug-ins were invented, and even before hardware equalizers and compressors were integrated into music studios, mix engineers were “balance” engineers. Their main goal was to make sure that every element in the track was heard, and that the most important elements were heard better than the least important. To this day, volume balancing remains the most important factor in a good mix, but many young mix engineers overlook it.

There are many different ways to achieve good volume balance.
For example, some engineers like to arrange volumes in order of importance.
With this method, you switch all faders down and start by raising the fader of the most important instrument. The most important instrument depends on the track, but in many cases it is the vocals. The idea here is that you bring the vocal to a good place, leaving a lot of headspace on the master bus, and slowly raise the other instruments around it in order of importance until each element is clear and defined.

Although this technique works for some people, it never worked for me

I have become a big fan of what I call the “bottom up” technique.

To get the volume balance, I will start with basic instruments such as drums and bass. I will continue my way up, balancing rhythm guitars, keyboards, synths and effects, knowing that at the end I leave room for the main elements (leads and vocals).

If you’re crazy like some engineers, you can turn all the faders on at once and slowly adjust until you find the right balance between all the elements.

The way you do this is up to you, although the ultimate goal is to make sure that each element has its own space and a clearly defined role in the mix.

EQing your mix in mono

Monophonic fun isn’t limited to volume balance! I often like to do EQ and compression while I’m at it. When listening in stereo, it can often be hard to tell if two instruments are competing with each other or not, especially when listening to low-pitched instruments such as drums and bass. Similarly, it can be difficult to determine whether midrange instruments such as guitar, keyboards or vocals are absorbing low-frequency instruments because they themselves have too many low frequencies.

With monophonic mixing, we can adjust the EQ across the entire frequency spectrum to avoid fighting for space. Many engineers use panning to compensate for EQ masking, but this is just a band-aid for problems that become apparent when listening on monophonic systems. You can even listen to dynamic problems when mixing in monaural.

For example, when listening in stereo, the background vocals may seem quite balanced. However, when mixing tomes, you will notice several dynamic inconsistencies in the background vocals, causing them to overshadow the lead. To make the dynamics more consistent, you can use compression.

When should you switch to stereo?

There’s no reason why you can’t do about 80-90% of your mix in mono. It can end up being quite useful. As I said before, my philosophy is that if you can get your mix to sound great in mono, it will sound absolutely incredible when you listen to it in stereo. That said, at some point it’s important to recognize that stereo systems are just as common as mono systems. From headphones to cars to large concert venues, having width can add a whole new level of excitement to your mix for different audiences.

So, when should I go back to stereo in the mixing process?

The most obvious answer is when you do any stereo processing, including adding stereo reverb, stereo delay, stereo amplification, etc.

You’ll want to see how your stereo processing solutions will respond to stereo systems in the real world, and it’s impossible to listen truthfully when mixing in mono.

Use Mono to check for phase disturbances

One of the most common culprits of phase problems is sounds scattered across the stereo spectrum. Mixing engineers make certain processing decisions with panning, EQ or effects that sound great in stereo, but when mixed in mono they find that they destroy certain parts of the mix.

Phase problems can not only give a weird, hollow and metallic character to the timbre of your instruments, but also make certain parts of your mix disappear completely. This often happens with paired vocals that are scattered all over the stereo field.

When you mix in mono, you get a hollow, chorus-like tone that sounds unnatural. Avoiding this is very easy by making the right EQ choice to separate the two sounds when mixing in mono.

The main point here, however, is to constantly check for mono compatibility in your mix. Whenever you take a stereo solution, press the mono switch and listen to see if anything sounds weird or unnatural.
Always double check your stereo decisions

When you’re nearing the end of your mono mix, be sure to double check all of your stereo mix solutions to see how they sound.
For example, you may have made some volume adjustments early on that now feel like they need a little adjustment when panning.

Not only are you balancing your mix by making compromises for every element in it, but you’re also making compromises in your mono and stereo mixing decisions so that the whole track sounds equally good in both cases.

Do you need to use plug-ins to extend stereo

With so much talk about mono compatibility, many engineers worry about using stereo width plug-ins, which are some of the most notorious culprits of phase problems. Few things in life sound as good as a soft Rhodes keyboard laid out on the sides of your speakers with a chorus plug-in.

But will it destroy your mix?

I can’t give you a definite answer, although I can advise you to check in mono if you decide to use this type of processing. In some cases it won’t have any negative effect, and in others it can cause a huge amount of phase problems. However, if there are phase problems, that doesn’t mean you should back out of your creative solution. You might think, “I’d rather have that gorgeous, ultra-wide Rhodes keyboard in my mix than have to worry about whether people listening to mono can hear it as clearly.”

That’s perfectly fine!

Compatibility with Mono is not a cause for fear. It’s just something to consider. However, there are some stereo extension plug-ins that are better compatible with mono than others. One of my favorites is the iZotope Imager, which is a simple tool for extending mono signals over the stereo field or narrowing down wide stereo tracks.

Final thoughts – incorporating mixing in mono into your music production process

Working on your mix in mono is a great way to make sure your stereo mix will make sense to listeners in the real world. Try mono mixing yourself and see what you think! Remember, though, that you want to mix your track the way YOU want it to sound. Even if you don’t want to do the whole mix in mono, check it often in mono to see if you hear phase issues or if your EQ balance is good.

If you’re mixing a song with tons of stereo sound that you want people to listen to on headphones, make the mix with that in mind. On the other hand, if you’re mixing a track that you plan to hear in a club, your mono mix is crucial.

Ultimately, listening to your mix in mono is a great way to get a clean sound out of your mix. Without the distraction of a stereo image, you can better balance your mix and thoroughly analyze the different frequency ranges.

Mixing in mono can save you a lot of time and headaches.

The post How do I Mix in Mono? appeared first on VolSliv.

Tomorrowland

Still number one after more than a decade in the game, Tomorrowland is the leading benchmark for electronic music festivals in Europe. Known for its impressive production, stage design, lighting, visual effects and all-encompassing mythology, it has become something of a pilgrimage for dance music fans all over the world.

Glastonbury

The Glastonbury Festival is one of the world’s most famous music and performing arts festivals. Covering every genre across the spectrum, from rock and pop to minimal house, techno and drum ‘n’ bass, all music lovers flock to Somerset County’s spiritual fields.

Ultra Music Festival

Probably the most recognizable global brand in electronic dance music, first organized in 1999 and named after the Depeche Mode album, Ultra Music Festival is one of North America’s biggest festivals. UMF is known for two things: a very tight lineup and a crazy atmosphere. Every year hundreds of thousands of people gather at Bayfront Park to hear the biggest names in electronic music and hip-hop.

Awakenings

Awakenings is a techno festival in Spaarnwood, which is located near Amsterdam. The annual Awakenings event sounds from its legendary home in Gashouder, and can claim to be the biggest outdoor techno festival in the world. With laser shows, non-stop music, the festival hosts some of the biggest names and stars of the rising scene.

Sónar

Sónar-festival of electronic and alternative music in Barcelona, Spain. One of the most famous and widely respected festivals of its kind in the world. Sónar has built its reputation as a center for experimental and underground culture. This manifests itself not only through an extensive music program that welcomes big names along with new talents, but also through a series of art installations, workshops, talks. In this way, the festival attracts not only music lovers, but also industry professionals united by a common desire to explore the musical and artistic avant-garde.

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Why send your release to someone

First and foremost, an artist is driven by the desire to be heard. We send music when we want to get some feedback from professionals and understand our level, make conclusions not only about the quality of our own ideas and music production, but also to make useful contacts and build new relationships. In the music business, as in any other, connections decide a lot: often, not the strongest music with properly built up contacts takes higher positions than the result of the work of talented, but invisible in the industry authors.

In addition, working with other channels to promote their release allows the artist to reach the maximum number of listeners from their target audience through all available tools – promos from labels, playlist curators, various communities and others.

How to prepare to send a release

Make sure you’re ready to communicate and won’t abruptly interrupt the communication

The artist should have no illusions: as you prepare to send your release to a label or playlist curator, make a sober assessment of your desire to communicate. Don’t think that you have to overcome yourself and turn from an introvert into a communicative person in one moment. We are all individuals and we shouldn’t consider this a disadvantage, but if you take on the task of sending music and engaging in dialogue, make sure in advance that you will be able to complete it when you receive any feedback.

The electronic music community is a small circle of people, every act can affect your reputation because almost all of the big managers, promoters, label and venue representatives communicate with each other. So remember, if you correspond with a label or publisher for a long time and then suddenly disappear, it’s bound to affect your reputation.

Be clear about what you want and why you’re starting the dialogue

When mentally preparing yourself for correspondence with a representative of the industry, make sure that you have at least a rough idea of the whole chain of events from the first contact to the appearance of your work in streaming, advertising, movies and related areas of monetization. Assess the frequency with which the label you’re writing to releases, how often the curator updates their playlist that you want to get on: when you understand the busyness of the person you’re writing to, negotiating promotions and waiting your turn is much easier.

Prepare for feedback

If you’re not prepared to hear rejection or an inadequate response, delay sending the release. It’s not uncommon for a musician’s request for a promotional release to result in an email recipient demanding that they remove their address from all mailing lists and never send anything ever again. If you’re potentially hurt by such reactions, it’s really best to postpone the communication until you’re in a more prepared state of mind.

Make sure that all the contacts you provide are working and that you check them systematically

Keep in mind that when you provide contact information, you should be aware that it can be used, which means you commit to checking the email, messengers, and social media you’ve provided. You can abstract away from excessive communication so as not to be distracted, but make it a rule to check all incoming messages and respond to them at least once a day.

Clean up your information about yourself and your releases

Start with a nickname in working messengers – it should be simple and clear, related to your last name or nickname for easy retrieval. Prepare in advance all the actual information about yourself and place it in the cloud storage: when you have such a link at hand, it’s easier to respond promptly to emergency requests from promoters and labels, which means your chances of getting additional promo increases. Make sure that all the tracks in your folder are named and numbered correctly, that the information about your project is in an understandable presentation, and that you can really be contacted by the contacts given.

What details are important to consider when sending a release to a label

Be responsible for the text of your cover letter

When you begin communicating with a label, prepare a cover letter. The recipient should understand that this is not a “carpet bombing” of everything at once, but a personalized request. Write about yourself in two words – you don’t need to describe your biography in detail, focus on the main facts and stories, list the labels you’ve been published on, tell about the tracks you’re sending. A label manager doesn’t always have his headphones at hand – your letter should make the right impression even before you start listening to it, make a person interested just by the text description, so that they change the priority of your letter or close it as unread and come back to it later.

Write only on the merits – what you worked on, why it would interest the label. And, of course, don’t forget about the correct and full name of the files: note, for example, that not everyone reads Cyrillic. Do not overload the name with unnecessary technical details in order to impress the listener, do not forget to specify the author, so that the file was easier to find after downloading.

Another important element of the promotional letter is a description of your immediate plans. Tell us what genre and style area your search is in at the moment, indicate that you intend to record an album or EP, perform a live show in an unusual venue, or come up with a collaboration with someone from a completely different genre. In other words, make it clear that your creative life extends beyond this letter, so you’ll give the impression of a coherent, independent person to work with.

Send only completed, finished tracks

First, don’t comment on your work in a negative way. If you send a release, you automatically think it’s a finished work and you’re not ashamed of it. If a label employee appreciates the idea, he’ll hear it through all the technical imperfections.

Secondly, don’t admit that you outsource the mixing and mastering. Many musicians are rather inconsiderate when sending in a release to say that it was mixed and mastered at some famous studio working with the stars of the genre. Such information looks strange to the label recipient of your letter: a competent publisher probably has its own team of engineers, who comb the entire catalog to their standard anyway. Also, the label manager has a reasonable question: why did you spend this money if you haven’t signed this release yet? It either shows that you are so confident that it will be signed, or that you are very unsure of your mixing and mastering skills.

Follow the rules for submitting files

Keep in mind that the more comfortable the process of listening to your tracks is for the label manager, the easier your life is. If you know that the label manager you’re communicating with is not listening to tracks online, there’s no point in sending them a link to SoundCloud. Instead, upload the files to a convenient file-sharing service with an interface that’s available in the language of the recipient.

What to watch out for when sending a release to music streaming editors

Use release pitching tools. If your track wasn’t picked up for the showcase or playlist the first time, don’t despair – keep filling out the pitching form with each new release. If editors see an artist pitching their tracks every month or every two weeks, sooner or later they’ll pay attention to the release. It might work on the tenth, fifteenth time, it’s important to get noticed.

If your music is released on a label and the pitching is handled by its representatives, consider that not all publishers thoroughly approach the working out of each single. Therefore, it is very important that you fill out pitching forms in your own name and put all the necessary information to attract an editor.

How to communicate with radio music editors

Electronic artists have some sort of advantage when it comes to promotion on radio. Often non-priority hours on the air – before and after shows, nighttime and earlier – are filled with an automatic playlist. You can offer your track at an unpopular time and, if your accounts and listens start to grow after that, show that dynamic to the station by offering to move your music to a higher rating time.

What’s important to consider when dealing with DJs

Collaborating with DJs can benefit the electronic musician in several ways at once. Firstly, you can ask to test a track in public and see the response after his set. Secondly, get feedback from the DJ – he’ll tell you what’s wrong with the technical part of the track, whether your release rocked or not. This feedback is worth a lot: the DJ who takes your track for testing runs a great risk of being the first to get a negative reaction from the dance floor. In addition, DJs are good networking assistants. DJs can be called the evangelists of your creativity: if they like something and your musical ways haven’t gone in diametrically opposite directions for several years, you can be sure that they will support you by inertia.

When submitting material, it is important to pay attention to some nuances. First, you need to be clear about your intentions. No need to say that it will definitely “blow up the dance floor,” will be “the high-light of your set” – the DJ himself knows how to do it, even with a dozen regular tracks. Use a personal approach, accentuate the fact that the DJ plays music close to your spirit in your friendly establishments, emphasizing the fact that you do not create him competition in these clubs, but only hope for cooperation.

Don’t be shy to ask for feedback if you’ve sent something: a DJ should always remember that other people’s music has a certain value, time and emotional resources are invested in it.

Remember that DJs appreciate novelty, and it’s important to send only fresh releases. That said, if a DJ is interested in your new work, he’ll run through your back catalog as well, and maybe play old tracks in a club set as well.

What to watch out for when working with playlist curators

Playlist curators do not monetize for their own benefit the music they compile, while investing effort and communicative effort in assembling and promoting compilations. Obviously, then, they make their money primarily from paid placements paid for by musicians. Many curators also compile playlists for various services, brands, and public spaces because their taste and their speed are trusted. Often over time, curators create their own label, and then they already share auditions in shares with the auditioning musician. So, working with curators is first and foremost a long-playing story.

When sending music to curators, check the contents of your files – your track should fit the genre and mood of the playlist you want to get on, listen to it beforehand, and pick the right material. When posting, it makes sense to include your listening figures and experience with other playlists in the text. Be prepared that in most cases you may be offered a paid placement: no need to enter into an ethical discussion – if you categorically reject this format, limit yourself to a brief thank-you or try to discuss additional terms of cooperation.

It’s important to keep in mind that most curators are only interested in new music: based on the date of your release, they may decide not to post it at all or publish it on a playlist on less favorable terms for you.

How to offer your track to admins of large resources

In general, admins of large online resources are similar to playlist curators in their functions, but they are less subject to restrictions on all kinds of commercial activity. That’s why many publishers and channels openly post information about the cost of posting tracks. When deciding on a paid placement, keep in mind that administrators can show you nice statistics, behind which there will be no real listeners among your target audience.

Before sending your material to the publisher or channel administrator, study the posts on the page, the background of its creators and your audience, and also check who your colleagues appeared in the posts and whether they were paid publications or were noticed by yourself. Assess the genre relevance of recent posts to your music, remember that audiences in most cases can easily tell the difference between a native posting and a promotional purchase that is not worth responding to. Always start with a “suggestion”-format the post in the style of the publicity and wait for a response-and don’t send music in private messages to the admin without accompanying information.

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The first synth appeared in the 1920s. The principle of its work was based on the fact that at certain positions of the device in space, a special sensor with the help of electromagnetic waves issued different in purity and volume sound signals. And yet more or less mass distribution of electronic music came much later. Around the sixties of last century. It was then that first appeared world-famous groups, performing their compositions using rhythmic repetition of a sound. A striking representative of this movement is the Parody on the song Aqua – Barbie Girl.

In the seventies, thanks to people like Giorgio Morder, electronic music begins to conquer many dancefloors of the planet. It was then that the first styles of electronic music such as Funk, Disco and Soul were born. In 1971 was formed the first group, whose creativity is based entirely on electronic music. This band was the legendary Kraftwerk. Thanks to the efforts of its musicians, electronic music gets its fully formed image, based on the use of drum machines, synthesizers and other electronic instruments. These events are the main starting point. After that, electronic music spread with great speed through all the discotheques of America and Europe. It receives universal acclaim, and is used in many new manifestations. Today, for example, it is impossible to imagine computer games without this kind of music. It sounds everything! Even programs that provide codes to the games have their own melodies. Clicking buttons, opening programs and sites, all accompanied by electronic sounds.

Nowadays all recordings are processed in digital audio studios, voices and instruments are recorded and whole orchestras are put together. Only digital versions are used as carriers of music. It is almost impossible to find analog recordings of decent quality. The struggle between analog and digital music is going on all the time. New currents are appearing, balancing one position or the other. The evolution of music, in whatever form, will never end. There will always be new sounds, opportunities and ideas that will fill our world with new and fresh sound.

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Delia Derbyshire “Dr Who Theme” (1963)

The first electronic hit created before the era of industrial synthesizers. The young BBC Radiophonic Workshop employee recorded the title theme for the new series using white noise generators and tone oscillators – instruments designed to check the acoustics of a room, not to create music. What followed were hours of film splicing, speeding up and slowing down loops, overdubs, and other manual work. The result was one of the most recognizable themes in cinema, linking electronic music and science fiction for a long time. Despite the success of the series, the Decca label initially didn’t even want to release it on vinyl, because it sounded too unusual for the standards of the sixties. It was only a year later that “Dr Who Theme” was finally released officially.

Morton Subotnick “Silver Apples of the Moon” (1967)

If Delia Derbyshire showed that it was perfectly possible to create hits with electronic instruments, American composer Morton Subotnick set another basic vector for the electronic music space. The release of the record by the label Nonesuch (where only classical music had been released before) was a kind of recognition of electronics as a high art. And for good reason – with the modular Buchla 100 system (in the creation of which Subotnick himself helped engineer Don Buchla) Morton shows that the synthesizer is not just another instrument in the big family, but an avant-garde tool that allows you to get rid of the intrusive limitations of musical tradition. Without this record, there would be no Glitch, no late Autechre, and no current renaissance of modular synths.

Neu! “Hallogallo” (1972)

Krautrock is a classic example of music ahead of its time. In the seventies, trend-hungry publishers (especially in Britain) tried unsuccessfully to make German rioters into stars, and this music became really appreciated already in the nineties, when books began to be written about Krautrock and its influence was discussed by all kinds of musicians from Radiohead to Seefeel and Mouse on Mars. Düsseldorf’s Neu! founded by Michael Roter and Klaus Dinger after they had left Kraftwerk, seemed to be the main symbol of the Krautrock renaissance. In the nineties they were sampled by Stereolab and System7, and covers were recorded by Download and Autechre. In the noughties Neu! started to be massively re-released, and in the 2010s neo-crout based primarily on the percussion pattern of Klaus Dinger became music, if not mass, then extremely fashionable.

Kraftwerk “Autobahn” (1974)

It’s hard to find an electronic genre in which the Germans Kraftwerk haven’t left a vivid mark. It’s timelessly topical krautrock, majestic space electronics, synth-pop, electro and even techno. The thing that perhaps most unites their talents is the single from the album of the same name, which was a big breakthrough for the band. The band from Dusseldorf, previously known only in a rather narrow krautrock community, suddenly makes a quantum leap into the pop space and breaks through even to the American charts. And if “Autobahn” hadn’t been played on every radio station in the mid-seventies, music history might have been very different.

Tangerine Dream “Rubycon pt 1” (1974)

Edgar Frese and his alternating lineup formation started out with dark, almost noisy music, but discovered sequencers in 1973, and after that the world was no longer the same. The formula “pulsating bass, looped sequences of notes, slightly changing the shape of the sound, and sublime string machines in the background” would define not only space-electronics of all possible waves and generations, but also synth disco – what would Giorgio Moroder, say, do without this stuff? – and then trance. And the title theme from the series “Very Strange Things” is, in fact, an homage to Tangerine Dream.

Donna Summer “I Feel Love” (1977)

We are used to thinking that the future is not made to order, but as if it arises by itself (“the future happens to us while we are busy doing other things,” as Karl Bartos of Kraftwerk sang). In the case of “I Feel Love,” that was not the case. The producer of the track, Giorgio Moroder, was asked by Donna Summer “to make something that would sound like the music of the future”. And the track was meant to be just the cherry on top of a colorful retro album cake, where Donna takes turns trying on musical outfits from different eras. The result is not just one of the biggest disco hits on the planet, but a track without which there would be no club electronica.

Human League “Being Boiled” (1978)

The Sheffield band’s debut single is the perfect balance between somber and cold, but still pop music and experimental, innovative sound design. Soon that balance would collapse, vocalist Phil Oakey would take over, and Human League would become one of Britain’s premier purveyors of dance-pop hits for a long time to come. But their biggest contribution to history is this early piece. Without it there would be no Depeche Mode, no EBM genre, and perhaps even no techno and hip-hop (the single is still often played by Grandmaster Flash in their sets). Well, the formula “the best things happen when a pop singer and an experimentalist take part in a band on equal terms” is still true. But it is still difficult to keep this balance.

Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force “Planet Rock” (1982)

A system-forming record for hip-hop and electro grows directly out of Kraftwerk roots. The trio of rappers, producer Arthur Baker, and New York DJ Africa Bambata (one of the godfathers of hip-hop) who led the whole process, decided to recreate on tape what was going on in the streets of the Bronx. The street poets read their rhymes to a mix of electronic records from the late 1970s, so Baker and his comrades used several quotes from Kraftwerk for the instrument. Except that they didn’t sample the broken beat from “Nummern” and the melody from “Trans-Europe Express” (they wouldn’t have enough memory for such tricks anyway), but recreated it from scratch. Fortunately John Roby, the keyboard player, was not only a virtuoso, but also a real synthesizer nerve. The output was a break-dance anthem that influenced everything from the electro genre with its almost forty-year history to Aphex Twin and Herbie Hancock.

New Order “Blue Monday” (1983)

Bernard Sumner and his cohorts were into electronica while still playing in Joy Division, but it wasn’t until they visited New York that they really took to the club rhythms. “The best-selling 12-inch single in history” (a status which, however, can be neither confirmed nor denied for lack of data) not only became the cornerstone of the alternative dance music genre and the foundation of the future unity of rock and rave (the Hacienda club, which became the home of New Order, will become the world center of dance music only in five years), but also the source of many quotations. The keyboard melody from there, for example, will be used in their hits by MIA and Rihanna.

Brian Eno’s “An Ending (Ascent)” (1983)

Eno didn’t so much invent ambient (records falling under this genre tag were released back in the 1960s) as formulate the concept. This turned out to be much more important for creating the scene. And if the record “Ambient 1: Music for Airports” (for which the idea was formulated) sounded more like academic minimalism than electronica, then the track “An Ending (Ascent)” from the album “Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks” is that sublime epic sound, which we associate with the Ino-musician and Ino-producer (listen at least to the beginning of the U2 album “The Joshua Tree”). This piece influenced roughly the entire ambient scene of the nineties, when the genre was recalled by the youth, as well as half a dozen times appeared in movies and TV, from the movies “Drive” and “28 Days Later” to the opening ceremony of the London Olympics and commercials for the British Cancer Research Center.

Phuture “Acid Tracks” (1987)

House emerged in Chicago in the mid-eighties, but it was Herbert Jackson and Earl Smith who made the real breakthrough in the genre. Before “Acid Tracks” came along, house was a kind of “pumped up disco”, after that it became the alien music of the future. The 13-minute psychedelic improvisation was spun by Chicago musicians on literally a couple of instruments in one evening. Before this thing appeared, the Roland TB-303 bass player was a useless piece of metal and plastic (the unit crashed on the market and was sold for next to nothing, so it ended up in the hands of Chicago poor guys), but after it became a cult object.

The Orb “Little Fluffy Clouds” (1991)

This patchwork-like collage based on samples from Steve Reich, Ennio Morricone and Harri Nielson, as well as an interview with singer and actress Ricki Lee Jones (used without permission, of course) is the anthem not only of the ambient house, but of the chillout scene and the whole “sampledelika” in general. It was Alex Patterson who became the hero of those who started going to clubs not only for dancing to frenzy, but also to lie on mattresses, listen to strange music and sometimes move their heads to the beat.

Massive Attack “Unfinished Sympathy” (1991)

To tell the truth, in 1991 there was no feeling at all that thirty years later Massive Attack would grow into one of the most influential bands on the planet. But even at that time there was something absolutely fascinating in the song “Unfinished Sympathy”. The trio of Bristol guys (there were three of them at the time) and the guest singer Shara Nelson showed very convincingly that electronic music is not necessarily “machine music” and fuel for rave euphoria. It’s also about the person, about emotion, about the soul and about sweet sadness. This thing not only paved the way for the whole trip-hop wave, but also laid the foundation for the new soul that took off much later.

The Prodigy “Everybody in the Place (Fairground Mix)” (1992)

The Prodigy is a rare example of a band that achieved mass success not by “standing on the shoulders of giants,” that is, by adapting someone else’s ideas to the needs of a wider audience, but by being true innovators. Liam Howlett and comrades were some of those who were at the origins of British breakbeat, and by trial and error they came up with the formula “torn sampled rhythm, accelerated voices and melodies, which were attached to naivety”. The first version of the track, released a year earlier, turned out to be a false start, but the second, “Fairground Mix,” turned out to be a one hundred percent rave-beat that still lifts the dead on the dance floor. If some aliens come to you and ask you what rave is, play “Everybody in a Place”.

Aphex Twin “On” (1993)

Richard D. James is a rare electronic artist who made history with more than one discovery. He is the coryphaeus of ambient house and the forerunner of deconstructed club, but first of all Richard is the father of a genre with the controversial name IDM (intelligent dance music), the first nerd and subculture music in the electronic continuum, which appeared in the early nineties in the emerging Internet. “On”, which remained a non-album single in the end, probably best embodies the thesis of “struggle of rhythm and melody”, when the transparent and light and naive keyboards are opposed by torn and heavy, generously spiced with overdrive, almost industrial beat. The video for this piece, by the way, was shot by Jarvis Cocker.

Jeff Mills “Bells” (1996)

Everybody knows that techno was born in Detroit, but not everybody knows, that up to the time it sounded quite different. Techno in its current form – fast, hard and repetitive music designed strictly for clubs, was formed in the first half of the 1990s, when techno clubs took root in Europe, especially in Berlin. And perhaps the most striking thing in the modern techno canon was created by a man who unites two worlds – a native of Detroit, who managed not only to become a radio legend under the name of The Wizard (that is, “The Wizard”) and to play in the Underground Resistance group, but also to be a resident of the famous Berlin club Tresor.

Daft Punk “Da Funk” (1997)

Tom Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Omem-Cristo were among the first to realize that the future of modern electronics is to be a melting pot in which all of humanity’s musical heritage is brewed. Disco groove, techno beats, quavering overloaded rock riffs, funky keyboards, and later soul vocals, vocoders, teary-eyed slow tunes and bombastic art-rock arrangements – all are nothing more than the cubes the French put together the tower of modern sound.

System F “Out of the Blue” (1998)

It so happens that the most influential track is not the one that lays the foundation of the genre and sets the direction of the movement, but the one that sort of sums it up. By 1998, trance seemed to be on its way out of the fair. The Frankfurt wave of the first half of the 1990s had died off, the Goan psychedelic underground had separated, Robert Miles had conquered the charts, and British progressive had taken off. Ferry Corsten came to make trance the domain of the masses, the music of the stadiums. The track, which many people remember from the movie “Breakaway”, paved the way for Tiesto and Armin van Buuren, and, it seems, the crazy success of Avicii with David Guetta and Calvin Harris would not have happened without it.

Benny Benassi “Satisfaction” (2003)

This track, along with the slightly lesser-known Alter Ego track “Rocker”, in fact, set the dance mainstream matrix of the early 21st century – EDM, dubstep and even hip-hop were created after these models. Absolute minimalism in the arrangements, catchy hook (and not even melodic, but vocal), and most importantly – the most powerful, wall-spreading bass line.

Burial “Archangel” (2007)

The loner musician from south London, who avoided publicity (they saw Four Tet and Robert Del Nye from Massive Attack behind Burial, but in the end they agreed that William Bevan is a real person) is the main star of the bass scene, the main achievement of electronica of the noughties. He is also the first voice of music with the prefix “post” and the herald of a new musical philosophy. Technically his sad and sometimes even gloomy-mystical music is based on British rave (he has referred to himself many times as an heir to the “hardcore continuum”), but, in his own words, if the Nineties were a time of euphoria, today we all drive a night bus and suffer heavy withdrawals. Well, you can’t argue with that.

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