Turkish producer Serhart Durmus has established himself as a trailblazing producer in the bass scene, winning over fans with his genre-pushing approach to production and racking up millions of streams in the process. Having just dropped his debut album, Arres, the buzzing producer has tapped John Dahlbäck to remix the LP’s title track – Arres feat. Melanie Fontana – and the remix certainly does not disappoint.
John Dahlbäck is a Swedish producer who has worked with some legendary artists like Avicii, Benny Benassi and Kaskade. His remix of Arres ups the BPM from the original record, adding some sinister low-end synths, more drawn out builds and a trap drop that will surely send dancefloors wild in any big-room or festival setting. Dahlbäck‘s remix makes the most of Melanie Fontana‘s vocals, a singer-songwriter who’s worked with some big names from BTS to Dua Lipa.
Serhart Durmus dropped Arres, the LP, back in June and it’s since amassed millions of streams in just a few weeks. The album name is a reference to the mythical God of War and is also his wife’s name Serra spelled backwards. He even included his unborn baby’s heartbeat from their first ultrasound in the intro track on the album, thus it’s a deeply personal record for him.
“Making music is my creative way of telling stories and expressing emotions. I believe you can hear my story and where I’m heading when you listen to my music. I’m going to have a baby soon and I can’t tell you how happy I am. It’s difficult to put the emotions around that into words but this album really included my family.”
With several more remixes and reworks slated for release in the coming weeks, Sehart Durmus will continue to ride out the success of his debut album and further establish himself as one of the true innovators in the electronic music scene today.
Italian techno powerhouse Sam Paganini is teasing the release of his new album later in the year with two very different standout singles from it, ‘Bianca’ and ‘One’. They land on Jam on July 30th and give a fine taster of what to expect from the full length.
For nearly 25 years, Paganinihas been leading the underground scene from the front and headlining every major club and festival in the world, from Berghain in Berlin to Output and Cielo in New York and Fabric in London. In that time, the Italian has also released on influential labels like Drumcode, Plus 8 and Cocoon Recordings and is never far from the top 10 of the Beatport techno charts. As well as club-ready EPs, he has always showcased his fine studio craft on immersive full-lengths like 2014’s Satellite, 2017’s Zenith and 2020’s Reflections.
Those albums evolved his famously percussive and harmonic sounds and explored downtempo and breakbeat as well as techno. ‘Rave‘ from the Satellite album became an instant classic that has been viewed more than 43 million times on YouTube and stayed for more than 18 months in the overall Beatport Chart after being number 1 for over two months. Next to making techno, he has toured Italy as a drummer with a rock band and had a UK Club Chart #1 ‘Zoe‘ under his Paganini Traxx alias in 1996.
The sublime ‘Bianca‘ is an emotive track that is dedicated to Sam‘s daughter, who was a newborn baby when it was written and is now seven months old. It has celestial chords reaching up to the heavens and is driven by silky breakbeats with a heart-aching vocal that really brings light and hope. This majestically light and airy track is sure to bring real spine-tingling emotions to any dance floor.
‘One‘ is all about taking you to the heart of an intense party. The pulsing synths and sci-fi chords bring cosmic energy to a rubbery baseline and prodding drums that never get up. It cannot fail to get you locked into the moment and lost in the music.
These are two very different but equally vital new singles from a real techno mainstay.
Water is a beautiful thing. Since the dawn of time, it has been cherished for its cleanliness, for its ability to give life and somehow wash away the hurt. And that’s reason enough for Andrew Rayel and AIDYL to push it center stage in their latest single called ‘River’, bringing to light the healing properties of water in the best possible way.
Overflowing with heartfelt emotion and uplifting intent, ‘River‘ expertly underlines the peerless production prowess of Moldovan mastermind Andrew Rayel. With the disarming vocals of rising songstress AIDYL brushing up against the touching piano tones and euphoria-soaked melodies, this is one of those songs ever Vocal Trance will happily plunge into.
Andrew Rayel: “‘River’ is a record that’s very close to my heart. I’ve been wanting to go back to my Trance roots more, and this song simply has that magical euphoric feeling that gives me goosebumps every time.”
AIDYL: “We wrote ‘River’ after a conversation about how healing water can be, both physically and emotionally. We hope it will be an anthem for people needing to feel the weightlessness and serenity you feel when you float in a river, letting the water wash over you.”
Following a string of globally adored instrumental creations, including ‘Aquatic’, ‘Thermal/Oblivion’ and her ‘Monsoon’ EP, Nora En Pure returns to the release front with a dreamy new vocal creation in collaboration with London-based singer Liz Cass. ‘Won’t Leave Your Side’ is out now on Enormous Tunes.
Tried and tested in Nora En Pure‘s recent sets and radio shows, ‘Won’t Leave Your Side‘ is a touching creation, which expertly pairs Liz‘s emotive vocals with delicate instrumentals. Blending progressive and classical elements, the result is a captivating and timeless production that has already struck a chord with fans all over the world.
Leading listeners into a soothing space, ‘Won’t Leave Your Side‘ is a versatile number that will work its magic on dancefloors and radio alike.
Maintaining a steady release schedule, and reconnecting with fans on tour, Nora En Pure continues to demonstrate her indomitable work ethic. Recently announcing her partnership with non-profit organisation Beneath The Waves, alongside her nature-infused single ‘Aquatic‘, Nora En Pure continues to merge her musical output with her unrelenting passion for nature.
Partnering with Beatport x Microsoft Surface for their Game Changer Series, the Helvetic Nerd performed a stunning stream from the Swiss Alps in Gstaad, paired with an interview about her Purified Radio show and label. With summer shows on the horizon, and new music ready for release, Nora En Pure continues to impress with every move she makes.
Known for her melancholic sultry tones and highly emotive style of writing, Liz Cass cut her teeth on the London Jazz scene over several years and began penning songs in her teens.
In 2012, she crossed over into house music and an array of releases followed on Defected, Get Physical Music and Anjunadeep. 2020 saw her meet many career milestones, receiving heavy support from Annie Mac and Danny Howard on BBC Radio 1 for releases including ‘Someone‘ with Citizenn, ‘Less Ordinary‘ with rising star Jansons and Hot Since 82‘s lead single from his album, ‘Eye Of The Storm‘.
Launching her solo project, co-written and produced by Ali Love, Liz releases continue to make massive waves, as well as lead her to work with some of the scenes most in-demand producers. Follow Liz Cass on her socials below for previous & upcoming releases.
Anjunadeep regulars Braxton and Jon Gurd deliver the fourth & fifth singles off of ‘The Deep Mixes’ compilation.
Braxton is a rising talent from Brighton in the UK. He’s had radio support in over 30 countries with spins on top stations like BBC Radio 1, SiriusXM, and Kiss FM and is responsible for Anjunadeep’s favorites “Chiaroscuro” and “Indigo”. Braxton’s debut EP on Anjunadeep, entitled ‘Indigo’, dropped earlier in 2021.
Braxton has delivered a lush, breakbeat remix of ‘Eternal’, the cinematic closing track from Above & Beyond’s acclaimed 2011 album ‘Group Therapy.’
“The ‘Group Therapy’ album was one of my favorites from Above & Beyond, so I’ve been wanting to do a remix like this for about ten years. ‘Eternal’ is a hugely nostalgic track, so getting the opportunity to remix it was super exciting and something I couldn’t wait to share,” says Braxton.
Veteran DJ and producer Jon Gurd came up in the UK underground in the early 2000s. A resident at Bournemouth’s legendary Slinky, he toured alongside Mauro Picotto and Paul Van Dyk and collaborated with Drumcode’s Alan Fitzpatrick and Reset Robot. His LP ‘Lion’, was released in 2020 on Anjunadeep to critical acclaim, with a proportion of the sales going to a UK charity supporting children with epilepsy.
“Quieter Is Louder” is the emotive opening track from Above & Beyond’s third full-length studio album, ‘We Are All We Need’ (2015).
“It is a great honor to be asked to remix Quieter Is Louder. I felt that my job with this remix was to add some drums and intensity to complement the lovely ambient sounds of the original. I really enjoyed making it,” Jon Gurd says.
Hot on the heels of reworking Signum’s 1998 classic ‘What Ya Got 4 Me’, Joachim Pastor places his unique brand of melodious electronic in the limelight again.
Illustrating the beauty of contrast through a mash of delicate plucks and curled bass tones, ‘Kenger‘ the perfect track to keep the momentum on an upward trajectory in the lead up to the highly anticipated release of the French studio magician first-ever album.
Here’s what Joachim Pastor had to say about the track: “I produced this track a long time ago for a special live with Cercle alongside friend and fellow artist NTO. I really wanted to make something hypnotic with an almost mechanical melody, and ended up contrasting the repetitions with a big lead exploding mid-track.”
Inspired by the works of seminal artists such as Daft Punk, Sonata Arctica and Jean-Michel Jarre, Joachim Pastor‘s melodious brand of electronica offers a sense of sophistication not easily found in today’s music world.
Designed to make listeners feel with every fiber of their being, his music is an expression of emotion with a danceable twist, endorsed by hundreds of thousands of fans on Spotify alone as well as those who witnessed his performances at the likes of Dour, Tomorrowland, Paleo, Olympia, Solidays, DGTL, Pleinvrees and more.
Today is the official release of the long-anticipated “Give Me Your Love”, a powerful track made by Polmoya together with the German Plastik Funk (TOP 85 Dj Mag), the Vietnamese K-ICM (Best New Asian Artist Vietnam 2019) and 9tyslac, eleased on Hardwell’s well-recognized Revealed Records record label.
The birth of “Give Me Your Love” has emerged from the union of talents of Plastik Funk, K-ICM, Polmoya and 9tyslac, who together have created a cheerful Big Room track that is sure to be with us during this summer.
The growth of super-talented DJ and producer, Polmoya, with only 7 months in the industry, continues to be exponential and it seems that it will continue, because it doesn’t look like this guy is slowing down anytime soon!
Listed as one of the most promising Hard Dance artists of the scene according to We Rave You magazine, a finalist in the Remix Contest by Addicting Records with the remix of the song “Maniac” and with releases on world-renowned labels such as the Revealed Records, Polmoya is on fire lately and is attracting a lot of attention, so, you have to follow him closely because it looks like he is here to stay for a long time.
With an 80s streak running through ‘Now Its Time’ (out now on Be Yourself Music) Daniel Bovie, easily and energetically bridges the gap between sunny pop earworm and bubbly house invitation to leave your seats.
Bovie is joined by Nelson and Mitch Crown (Hardwell, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike), knocking the retro vibe out the park with enthusiastic synths and frisky Miami Sound Machine-style horns dancing on top of a zig-zag groove, and putting a cherry on the cake with poster boy vocals.
Before adopting the stage name Daniel Bovie, Danny van Wauwe, (real name) cemented himself in the early days of house music. Bovie has been responsible for dozens of club hits over the last two decades, including various classic records that wear his signature like; Night In Motion (Cubic 22), Fairy Dust (Set Up System) and Blow The Speakers (The Moon), to name a few.
Daniel Bovie Now It’s Time
In 2008 he released ‘Stop Playing With My Mind’ under his Daniel Bovie pseudonym together with Roy Rox. The track charted in several European countries and received worldwide radio support and turned out to be a major club hit.
With over 25 years of experience Daniel Bovie played at major festivals and world-renowned clubs such as; Tomorrowland, Defected in the House, Mysteryland, Bloomingdale, La Rocca Belgium and more.
The voting will be accompanied by the return of the Top 100 DJs Virtual Festival, a ten-week online showcase of the world’s leading DJs from across the planet. The Top 100 DJs Virtual Festival series first launched in 2020, in response to the pandemic and the closure of the global nightlife and event industry. 2020’s showcase was viewed more than 10million times, with all sets raising money for Unicef.
The Top 100 DJs Virtual festival series, which takes place every Saturday and Sunday from 24th July — 19th September, will be broadcast across DJ Mag‘s global YouTube, Facebook and Twitch channels. Saturdays will be dedicated to Top 100 DJs, with Sundays celebrating the Alternative Top 100 DJs.
The Alternative Top 100 DJs uses the same vote data as the Top 100 DJs poll, cross-referenced with Beatport sales data and a genre-filter. In 2021, the genres included in Alternative Top 100 DJs will be widened to include a number of Beatport’s high-selling genres, including house, techno, drum & bass and other derivatives that have recently been underrepresented in the main poll. In addition to the DJ Mag channels, selected Alternative Top 100 DJs sets will be broadcast across Beatport’s Twitch and Facebook channels.
Confirmed Saturday DJs include reigning Top 100 DJs champion David Guetta, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Mariana Bo, Timmy Trumpet, Lokyii, Carta, JVNA Casper Yu, Ummet Ozcan, Nifra, Oliver Heldens, Qrion, Christina Novelli, Steve Aoki, Afrojack, Nifra, ATB, Bassjackers, Vini Vici, Vize, Fedde Le Grand, Miss K8, KSHMR, Ayrue, and many more.
Sundays will be soundtracked by artists including Juliet Fox, Claptone, Dennis Ferrer, DJ Spen, Manda Moor, Space 94, Lauren Flax, Justin Cudmore, Paulette, Anfisa Letyago, Delano Smith, Roger Sanchez, Mike Dunn, and many more TBA.
Now in year five of a long-term partnership, Top 100 DJs has raised more than £80,000 for Unicef, the world’s leading children’s organisation. With this money, Unicef has been able to provide enough life-saving vaccines to protect more than one million children worldwide.
This year, the fundraising focus shifts to Unicef’s Vaccinaid program. With vaccines rolling out, we’re beginning to win the fight against COVID-19. But we can’t stop at our own borders. When one country is at risk, we’re all at risk. DJ Mag are asking DJs, artists and fans to play their part in supporting Unicef’s mission to deliver two billion vaccines, as well as millions of treatments around the world this year.
Viewers of the Top 100 DJs Virtual Festival will be invited to donate whatever they can afford during the broadcasts, or enter a charity prize draw, in partnership with Crowdfunder. This will see one lucky donor and their friend win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Amsterdam to meet 2021’s No.1 DJ backstage, directly after they have collected their award.
Top 100 DJs is a fully open poll, with no nominations or categories. Voters are simply asked to choose their top five DJs. They can include a DJ with five followers to a DJ with five million followers — but voters are reminded that they only get one vote each year! The 100 DJs with the most votes make the final ranking.
Top 100 DJs was born from the 100th edition of DJ Mag back in 1993 and began as an editorially curated list. In later years it was opened to a postal ballot before going online.
In 2020, more than 1.2 million votes came from 232 different countries, including principalities and islands. As an indication of how truly global the poll is, the figures include 50 votes from Greenland, 52 votes from San Marino, 924 from Syria, and one vote from Vatican City! Europe and the United States pulled in the most votes, closely followed by Latin American countries, specifically Brazil and Mexico, but also Argentina, Ecuador, Peru and Guatemala, cementing Top 100 DJs position as the world’s biggest publicly voted music poll.
Last year, David Guetta was crowned as The World’s No.1 DJ, for the second time — almost a decade after he first took the No.1 spot in 2011. Check out the full ranking at djmag.
Musician/producer Eric Hilton is back with “Forming Star,” the second piece of music to be revealed from his forthcoming album, “Ceremony,” out on August 20.
“Forming Star” sounds as if it was minted in the golden age of the downtempo/chill-out era but with a contemporary approach. It’s emblematic of the album as a whole which aims to take listeners on a blunted journey through space with 13 tracks of emotive interstellar psychedelia.
Hilton’s masterful ability to mix disparate musical ingredients was well established during his 25-year tenure as co-founder of the legendary genre-hopping downtempo electronic music act Thievery Corporation. But in his newfound solo work, the artist has crafted a sonic universe uniquely his own.
“Ceremony” is the 3rd solo record Hilton has released during the past year, a period of prolific awakening for the veteran musician and producer, which the album title alludes to.
“Ceremony acknowledges the exercise of sitting alone to draw musical vibrations from the ether, which I do regularly,” says Hilton. “It’s the most centering, grounding thing I do, and I didn’t do it until I became a solo artist. Now I’m hooked. Interpreting life experiences, consciousness, and putting that into a musical form – that’s the ceremony.”
Hilton moved house from D.C. to a more rural setting before making “Ceremony”, and the bucolic surroundings had a definite influence on the writing process for this album. “Being in nature brought more of an “ambient” aspect into this record – I like certain aspects of ambient music.” said the artist. But “Ceremony” grooves far too purposefully to be mistaken for anything like a traditional “ambient record”, so those aspects manifest themselves here as an intelligent spaciousness within which the songs exist.
While “Ceremony” was birthed in the wilds of Maryland, sonically the boundaries of this record seem to exist outside the earth’s atmosphere. With track titles like “Particles”, “Forming Star” (the second single), “Adrift”, and “Fade into Forever”, it’s easy to imagine Hilton as the lone passenger tripping on some giant starship, looking through the viewscreen and jamming along on his bass while stars are born or die.
An acoustic guitar solo brings the album’s title track to an elegant pause before building the song back up again – a moment Hilton calls “pure 1970’s rock”. And on “Who Are You?” (the first single), crystalline melodies intertwine like near misses in an asteroid field. Needle-dropping, the songs work as individual episodes drawn from an epic cosmic journey.
But no matter how deep into space “Ceremony” brings the listener, they will never feel cold or alone in the void. There is warmth and humanity in this music, which can surely be mapped to Hilton’s deeply personal composition process.
“Creativity is always purely personal. I’m a big believer in artists only making art for themselves, I find it dangerous when you start thinking too much about what the listener might like,” said the composer. “You have to start with yourself if you want to affect other people. I remind myself, why am I doing this? Because I love it.”
Having tackled primarily instrumental music on his first three solo records – “Infinite Everywhere“, “The Impossible Silence” and his newest album “Ceremony”, Eric Hilton will next release a collaborative project with guest vocalists and musicians, likely before the end of 2021.
