November Mixtape : Craig Mills - Eargasm Sessions EP 21 (2 Hour Set)

November Mixtape. Eargasm Sessions EP 21 featuring my newest track Techno Festival plus a bunch of goodies from Marco Carola, Nicole Moudaber, Richie Santana and many more(tracklisting below) . For the love of house, for the love of the underground, afterhours. Download, turn it up and enjoy!
Techno Festival - Craig Mills
Bloody Cash - Marco Carola
Alberto Tolo - Orange Skin
Chriss Vargas, Mike Techh - Perceptions (Chriss Vargas Mix)
Octagon - Coyu
Hobo - Arjun Vagale
Tokio Groove - Oscar L
I Am Somebody - Technasia
Moovin - Richie Santana
Give Me Body ft. ME - Nicole Moudaber
The Robbery - Coyu
Hour 2 (Deep House)
I Get Droned - Armand Pena, Harry Romero & Roland Clark
Can You Feel It - CLS (Prok & Fitch Remix)
Jazzistan - Horatio & Hector Moralez
Sax Trax - Fauvrelle
Close To You - Mario Ochoa
The Light - Guti & Mark Fanciulli
No Doubt - Cuebar ft. Marissa Guzman
I Can See (Konstantin Sibold Remix) Jazzanova ft. Ben Westbeech
Sacrifice - Copyright ft. Jody Finley
Let Me Give You - Sebb Aston
Ed Ed - Mulackritze
Who Is He (Henrik Schwarz Edit) - Bill Withers
Don't Walk Around (Alvaro Smart Remix) - David Devilla, Elisabeth Aivar
facebook.com/CraigMillsEargasmSessions
Twitter.com/CraigMills1
@Soundcloud.com/craig-mills
itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/earga…id583564499?mt=2
'Whatever You Are, Be A Good One'
- Abraham Lincoln

Out with the Lights and in with the Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival!

Brooklyn was the go-to spot last weekend, as there were many great line-ups for the Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival.  It was a pleasure being present twice at this amazing festival at Output!  Each of the different DJs had their own voice and style to share with the crowds, making it an experience I will never forget.  The nights were full of creative sets spun by John Digweed, Mario Basanov, Mathias Kaden, and many more.  I’ve never been able to experience the sound system and building layout at Output, so it was fate when both nights happened to be there.  At Output, the DJ sets are held in two rooms at the same time with the rooftop area open for any resting festivalgoers.  The choices of  music and atmospheres from these nights kept my weekend captivating and exciting!

The first night started on Friday November 8th where Naveen G opened his set in Output’s main dance room.  His set was infused with exotic tunes and lengthy pauses of the beat.  This kept the crowd suspended for a timing as much as 2-3 minutes which created better drops for the crowd. The end of his set was a mix of house beats and middle-eastern melodies that swirled and entranced me by its beauty.  The transition into John Digweeds anticipated 6 hour set was smooth and well mixed.  The air had a smoky aura and laser lights became a smudge of colors compared to the usual electric streaks.   As the crowd increased in size, dancing room was limited and I could only sway as one with the audience.  John Digweed took over the scene around 12am and had a warm welcome, as his audience was excited to see him.  The house was full by now as people gathered around the bars, balcony, lounges, and dance floor.  His set flourished with an underlying techno beat topped with constant entrances of new sound frequencies and colors.  He did a flawless job experimenting with the synthesizers in his productions, making it sound out of the ordinary and awe-inspiring.  For me, his music was very artistic in the way he created a visual image.  His clear structure, layout, sound choice, and compelling dance pulses created phenomenal electronic soundscapes.

Moving away from the main dance room I entered the Panther Room, an intimate sized room with a ravishing chandelier of disco balls touring above.  The room had a warm feel with its deep red color schemes, lounge sofas, and a fireplace that burned behind the corner of the room.  The room’s impression well matched Nicolas Matars set as he gave the crowd some dark groovy sounds.  I listened to Matar for about an hour until Mario Basanov took over at 3am.  Mario Basanov, or Marijus Adomaitis, is a Lithuanian producer, musician, and world renowned DJ.  He is known for weaving together the specified genres of broken beat, house, new jazz, and disco.  He also has the amazing ability to place a pop-infused vocal in a techno/house style.  Since 2009, Mario Basanov focused his sets with the disco groove, creating top hits such as “Do you Remember?” and “Caribbean Girl”.  London’s Needwant label released his album “Journey” which became a big hit.  I highly recommend checking out his album for some of his great productions.  I was so happy to finally see him perform live after following his music online.  Mario Basanov’s set at Output had the crowd dancing hard at 3am.  The beats he produced were earthy and easy to dance to.  His set lasted well into 6am on Saturday, wrapping up my first night on a very good demeanor.

Lenny Posso opened with his set on the second night, Saturday November 9th.  He was born and raised in NYC and has been in the electronic music scene for about 20 years.  Lenny Posso started the night off with a warm and welcoming atmosphere as the festivalgoers gathered in Output’s main room.  At the same time, another well-known DJ from New York, Justin Miller was spinning in the Panther Room.  I could hear how he brought together the old and new styles of techno within a deep house manner.  His knowledge of music came from his long time employment at DFA Records.  He now owns his own label, HAKT recordings, and remains growing and performing with his career.  I loved hearing his set and watching him connect with the crowd.  At about 1am, I came back to the main room to find the crowd going hard with Mathias Kaden’s techno dance party.  The combination of funk and techno were brought together making it a lively and energetic set to dance to.  In the meantime, DJ/producer from Denmark, Kasper Bjorke, kept the party going in the Panther Room from 1-4am until Justin Miller came back to close the early morning.  After Kadens set, the folks in Output’s main room got a taste of fervent techno by Netherlands own, Steve Rachmad.  There is a sense of power and maturity in his set, which was not surprising since he is a major part of the Europe’s developing electro underground scene.  Steve Rachmad is most identified with Detroit’s techno scene along with stimulating layers and a soft base.  Overall it was a dynamic ending at 6am, leaving the audience elated and appeased.

As a constant listener and follower of electronic music, the Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival opened many levels of inspiration and knowledge for me.  I look forward to the arrival of many artists to come in the techno scene and hope this review will inspire you to go into the world of underground deep house.  For now, open your ears to new sounds and rhythms with a mix from one of the artists of this weekend’s Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival, Mathias Kaden.

November Mixtape : Craig Mills - Eargasm Sessions Ep 21

November Mixtape. Eargasm Sessions EP 21 featuring my newest track Techno Festival plus a bunch of goodies from Marco Carola, Nicole Moudaber, Richie Santana and many more(tracklisting below) . For the love of house, for the love of the undewrground, afterhours. For the full 2 Hour set please subscribe to my podcast via iTunes. Download, turn it up and enjoy!
Techno Festival - Craig Mills
Bloody Cash - Marco Carola
Alberto Tolo - Orange Skin
Chriss Vargas, Mike Techh - Perceptions (Chriss Vargas Mix)
Octagon - Coyu
Hobo - Arjun Vagale
Tokio Groove - Oscar L
I Am Somebody - Technasia
Moovin - Richie Santana
Give Me Body ft. ME - Nicole Moudaber
The Robbery - Coyu
Hour 2 (Deep House)
I Get Droned - Armand Pena, Harry Romero & Roland Clark
Can You Feel It - CLS (Prok & Fitch Remix)
Jazzistan - Horatio & Hector Moralez
Sax Trax - Fauvrelle
Close To You - Mario Ochoa
The Light - Guti & Mark Fanciulli
No Doubt - Cuebar ft. Marissa Guzman
I Can See (Konstantin Sibold Remix) Jazzanova ft. Ben Westbeech
Sacrifice - Copyright ft. Jody Finley
Let Me Give You - Sebb Aston
Ed Ed - Mulackritze
Who Is He (Henrik Schwarz Edit) - Bill Withers
Don't Walk Around (Alvaro Smart Remix) - David Devilla, Elisabeth Aivar
facebook.com/CraigMillsEargasmSessions
Twitter.com/CraigMills1
@Soundcloud.com/craig-mills
itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/earga…id583564499?mt=2
'Whatever You Are, Be A Good One'
- Abraham Lincoln

Want a Job in the Music Business? These Are the Cities You Should Live In

Big cities like New York and Los Angeles have more music industry jobs, but you're more likely to have a neighbor in the biz in Nashville.
In today's DIY music business, people can perform their jobs from just about anywhere. But as economist Richard Florida pointed out in 2009, the trend in music industry jobs has been increased concentration in a small number of cities. From 1970 to 2006, Nashville was the only city in the country with positive growth in music industry jobs using a location quotient, a measure of a particular industry's share of the total employment in a given location. "In effect, it sucked up all the growth in the music industry," Florida wrote.
Nashville's 27,000 music industry jobs are vital to the city. The jobs earn an income of nearly $1.7 billion and contribute $5.5 billion to the local economy. The multiplier effect means one job can help support additional jobs. In all, the local music industry supports 57,000 jobs and creates a total economic output of $9.7 billion.
None of this has gone unnoticed by the City of Nashville. A report by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Music City Music Council, a group of professionals assembled by Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, boasts of music's great impact on Nashville and the resources available in the modestly sized metropolitan area of 1.7 million. Using economic data compiled by Economic Modeling Specialty International, the report shows how Nashville stacks up to other music hubs.
In terms of concentration of music industry jobs, Nashville is tops with 7.8 per 1,000 residents, according to EMSI data in the report. Los Angeles is a distant second with 2.8. Austin is third with 2.6. At 2.0, New York actually falls beneath the 2.1 of Charlotte, N.C.
It should come as no surprise that the cities with the three highest concentrations of music industry jobs also have the best-paying ones. Los Angeles tops all markets in average music job earnings with 175% of the country's average salary. Nashville is second at 156%, and New York is third at 147%. Music jobs pay less than the national average in Charlotte (99%), Austin (94%), Atlanta (85%), Memphis (79%) and New Orleans (73%).
Those good salaries go far in Nashville. The city's cost of living is 11.1% lower than the national average, according to the ACCRA Cost of Living Index. New York is 125% of the national average. Los Angeles is 31% above it.

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Video : Markus Schulz - Remember This

Rolling Stone Calls EDM ‘Fake Music’ And A ‘Bubble’ In New Shocking Video

With the explosion of the electronic music industry, particularly in the United States, the debates over EDM [Electronic Dance Music] being ‘real’ music are only getting more heated.
Rolling Stone Magazine decided to launch a salvo at the EDM scene with a new video ad categorizing EDM as clearly inferior to Rock n’ Roll. Their reasoning is two-fold; first, because EDM composers rarely play an instrument in the classical sense and second, because vocals are not a prominent component of EDM.
EDM is a money-making industry on the rise, there is no question about that. The ‘house’ genre has become the distant cousin of the ‘pop’ genre. In light of this, one can’t help but acknowledge that parts of Rolling Stone’s critique ring true.
Musical software has become so advanced that the task of creating harmonious music does not take nearly as many man-hours of hard work mastering a musical device as it did years ago. Therefore, some talentless composers of EDM slip through the cracks, relying heavily on leading-edge musical composition software — and the sheep follow suit because most American teenagers must be told what it is that they like.
Regardless of whether you’re a fan of bands and artists who play traditional instruments, or technologically advanced musical composers and DJs – we should all respect one another’s musical tastes. It seems Rolling Stone is due its fair share of criticism as well for claiming that Rock n’ Roll will reign supreme – as I see no need for one type of music to dominate the industry.

"Ghost-Producing" Is EDM's Dirty Little Secret

You've heard of rap music ghostwriters, right? The guys who pen the words someone else performs, and get no credit for it?

A similar phenomenon is taking place in electronic dance music. In fact, a significant number of famous DJs aren't responsible for the music released under their names.

Those culpable usually have arrangements with an underling or an associate, ranging from commissioned edits and tweaks to outright purchases of entirely finished works. In fact, a whole industry of "ghost-producers" and engineers prop up the careers of a few brand name DJs who fistpump their way to fame and make millions.

Though speculation is rampant, those in the industry are hesitant to explicitly out any of their peers. Superstar DJ David Guetta is most frequently mentioned as someone who's likely using ghost-producers. On his first three albums, almost every track credit lists French house pioneer Joachim Garraud as co-writer and producer. A notable DJ in his own right, Garraud wasn't even mentioned in the marketing, which was odd.

Garraud himself was quoted as saying Guetta is "not a musician"and didn't know how to use a computer before they met, though he has since denied saying as much.

In any case, though the ghost-producing practice has been rumored for decades, recent revelations -- and subsequent outrage -- have brought it into the spotlight.

London-based DJ and writer Ben Gomori noted that the practice was rampant in an article last year for Mixmag.

"I think it's pathetic," he tells us. "It's the apex of the materialistic, charlatan, ostentatious desire of certain types to become a 'superstar DJ' for the love of status rather than for the love of music."

Meanwhile, EDM duo PeaceTreaty told OC Weekly earlier this year: "When you get more involved and you start working with bigger people, having ghostwriters is just the way it is. Everyone that's big doesn't write their own music."

Naturally, then, there are those who make an honest living off of writing for big name DJs. Kenny Hanlon (not his real name) is the silent writing partner for a marquee name DJ -- you've heard of his boss.

Hanlon is your typical music nerd, a bookish 32-year-old technician with a nimble ear and a relentless stamina. He handles the vast majority of his employer's studio work from his bedroom in Pasadena.

"Most big DJs have a stable of writers, beats guys," he says. "For the most part these are young kids. Generally their payment is 5% of publishing...but 5% of a few million dollars is better than 50% of nothing." 

Despite making a healthy income as a ghostwriter, Hanlon acknowledges the pitfalls of the process. "A lot of ghostwriters sign agreements where they're not allowed to work for anyone else or do their own thing. They're getting locked into signing non-disclosure agreements. It's predatory because a lot the kids have no understanding of the music industry."

The reality is that the business of music has been in a state of flux for the majority of electronic music's existence. "In the early 2000's, you could still just be a DJ and make your name by mixing records," Gomori said. "Now you have to produce to succeed." While the top DJs can make six figures in an evening, most everyone else will make four figures a night if they're lucky.

With so much money at stake, the big DJs tour constantly on the festival circuits and try to stay relevant via branding partnerships and a feverish release schedule. Many don't have the time or mindset to tinker their way to perfection in the studio, or even to keep up with current trends.

When faced with the choice of spending 350 consecutive hours at a desk fine-tuning the details of a track or paying some teenager to do it while they instead hose down women with champagne at Vegas nightclubs, many choose the latter. Ghostwriters fill the void and keep business running smoothly.

"Ghosting isn't unique to dance music at all," says Hanlon, "Andy Warhol made that famous. He didn't do shit. He had a factory."

But what constitutes authenticity in the performance of electronic music? It's long been known that many of these guys are doing less work on stage than fans assume.

It has never been easier to make professional-quality music, yet more and more performers farm out their creative workload. Some of the most successful have removed themselves so far from the creative process that they're more akin to CEOs of advertising agencies than artists.

Let's face it: Purists who care about who is actually writing the music probably aren't listening to mainstream crossover acts anyway. Aging ravers may feel a loss of ownership when it comes to electronic music's capitalistic pursuits, but art becoming business is a road well traveled. Perhaps Tocadisco, another rumored Guetta ghost-producer, put it best: "Nobody cares if it's your track or other people's track as long as the party is good."

Credit : LA Weekly

STOP THE TECH-HOUSE TAKEOVER

Much like Japanese Knotweed, the invasive garden plant that spreads quickly and is an absolute bastard to get rid of, tech-house has taken over underground dance music with a death-like grip and is refusing to let go.
From the grime producers frantically re-editing classic tracks to fit the tech-house template to the chart-topping electronic songstresses using the sound on their comeback singles, it’s clear the infection has spread far and wide.
And it’s not only niche snobs who are getting pissed off, but respectable, BBC-approved tastemakers, too. The other day, Annie Mac tweeted: “Aahhh jeez, everyone’s making droney house.” By that, we’re assuming she means the drab, uber formulaic four-to-the-floor built from over-polished percussion, mind-numbingly simple chord progressions and sappy basslines. It’s paint-by-numbers dance music and it’s coming for you.
Clubs in London are currently flooded with these monochrome beats but it’s not just the UK capital that’s in trouble. From Miami to Berlin to Sao Paulo to Ibiza, tech-house has swept through like a dense iron curtain that blocks sunlight and crushes all living sonic cultures in its path.
Imagine a bland new world over which tech-house rules. Dancefloors are awash with soulless, globular tunes that, pitched at 123bpm, turn formerly hype party kids into vacant rave zombies; high street shops stock nothing but cheap aviator shades and V-neck T-shirts; shuffling becomes a recognised sport, replacing football on school curriculums; tribes of suburban lads overturn the local authority and police the streets, enforcing their own brand of steroid-ridden martial law; ketamine consumption quadruples and hospitals struggle to cope with the increase in burst bladders. Things get very, very bleak.
But why the obsession with tech-house? Producers seem seduced by its lowest common denominator template and its sleek, chrome edges. But most of all they seem infatuated with its accessibility and the way it hypnotises people in the club. Tech-house works during the warm up, the peak time and the come down because it literally never changes; it’s aural crack for people who only seem to want a dull, thudding beat. Or something inoffensive they can talk over easily and which sounds half decent after necking a mega pill.
As the tech-house blob bounces into the future of dance music, flattening genres in its wake and pulling hapless beat makers into its sticky slipstream, it’s worth taking stock of what’s actually going on. While visions of a dystopian techy future might be a bit far fetched, this wretched genre is actually homogenising underground dance music. Everyone’s making it and everyone’s trying to make money off it, sucking creativity out of an area of electronic music that should be fervent and forward thinking.
It's not that tech-house is inherently bad or evil; millions of people genuinely do like it. It's just that the march towards homogeneity, towards standardisation with once-experimental producers starting to make slick, vacuous music. Dance music should thrive on difference - anything else is worse than evil - it's boring.
It won’t be easy to get rid of and it’ll be around for a while yet, tentacles climbing up the iTunes/Beatport/Top 40 charts with ease. But there’s ways of combating it. Next time you see your favourite producer start to waver and reach for the tech-house sample pack, go grab them and let them know how you feel. Snap them out of the trance by pledging allegiance to their originality. Because there’s more to dance music, way more, than tech-house.

Credit : MixMag

New York City Got Gore Stepped, Wakad all Over, Williams Wasted and Dim Smaked!

Everyone must, at some point in their lives, ask themselves four essential questions: Do I like people rafting? Do I like getting caked? Do I like Champagne showers? And finally, do I like dancing so hard that my legs will beg to be broken off to spare them the hours of pain and suffering I’ll be putting them through? If you’ve answered yes to all these questions, then, my friends, it’s high time you get Aokified.
Pier 94, a lesser used venue of New York, was transformed from a ghost town of a pier in to The Pier Of Fear by the RPM marketing and management group for Halloween weekend. Krewella, Gareth Emery, Seven Lions and Candyland kicked it off Thursday night and The Aokify America Tour closed it out Friday and Saturday nights,  totaling three epic nights of dance your heart out goodness.

Borgore opened the Saturday night show with what can only be described as one of the hardest hitting opening sets I have ever witnessed. He hails all the way from the Holy Land, Tel Aviv, Israel home of the Torah, Jesus, the Matzo Ball, hummus and now Gorestep. What is Gorestep you ask? It’s a fusion of Heavy Metal Rock, Dubstep and Rap. The term, coined by none other than Boregore himself. He masterfully played and remixed many of his crowd favorites: ‘Decisions’, Awolnation’s ‘Sail’ (Boregore remix) which made the crowd wile out, ‘Incredible’, Samples of ‘Ice Cream’ and many more. Had Martin Garrix been in the crowd he would have cried: Boregore played by far the best remix of ‘Animals’ I and, judging by their response, the crowd have ever heard. I especially liked his rendition of Nympho rapping to it live while mixing; now that takes talent. I know there are other acts that have live vocals and a DJ but to have one DJ mixing and singing at the same time is a whole other level of awesomeness.

Next Came Waka Flocka and his Brick Squad from the ATL. This performance was the wild card in the group, for it’s not every day that us EDMaholics get to see a rapper perform live. His set started off with Waka walking through the crowd to “Wild Boy”, getting the twerk fest on and popping. A few songs and some Champagne showers later Waka called up Boregore to the stage to beat on the drums, which, after all, are his forte. Before becoming Boregore, Asaf Borger was the drummer for the death metal band Shabira. Boregore beat the beat while Waka spit some flames, ending the set.

With the anticipation rising in the building, the New York natives cheered for special guest Pharrell Williams to the bass line from The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army,” which has become a staple at larger New York events. Pharell, a true wolf in sheep’s clothing, brought a brief but impactful set, the highlight of which was his collaboration with the French DJ duo legend, Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.”

After a brief lull between sets, the man of the night entered the DJ booth. All mayhem broke loose. There were two, story high robots dancing on stage, cakes being thrown every which way, champagne raining down from the heavens and boats being set a sail through the crowd. The set was nothing short of epic. Steve remixed “y’all ready for this” like only he can, getting the crowd to jump around in the air and explode like they just didn’t care. His epic remix of “Pursuit of Happiness,” featured in Project X, was a climax of the show, clearly another crowd pleaser. I don’t know what the future holds for Steve Aoki, but I know that whatever he does next will push the limits of live entertainment via fun lunacy!