The Worst Trends in EDM Right Now

Thirsty remixes of new tracks

Do you remember when 50 Cent would drop freestyles and remixes of the hottest songs in hip-hop and R&B, back before he dropped Get Rich Or Die Tryin'? He started a new trend of rappers showcasing how dope they were by murdering "industry" tracks. Or, for the most part, attempting to murder. See, while you could count on a Kanye West or Jay Z to properly capitalize on a known instrumental, the availability of these songs on the Internet had every MC Tom, Dick, and Harry coming from behind their computer screens and attempting to make themselves known by flipping a "modern classic." In 2013, you're seeing the same thing happen with the EDM scene.
You'll see a huge song receive the trap treatment, then the moombahton rework, or a huge dubstep remix. Then it'll keep happening. It's cool to hear a song that allows you the ability to interpret it a number of ways without totally looking like a douche, ala Ciara's "Body Party." There was no reason for the amount of "LRAD" remixes we've heard, or how quickly people started remixing Yeezus after it leaked. You can smell the "let me get MY remix out there first" when you get the spam emails. We're not saying they aren't good, but please, channel some of that thirst into making better original material.

Touting SoundCloud / Beatport numbers

A few years ago, we probably would've been more ecstatic over producers who seemingly come out of nowhere with five-digit SoundCloud plays in a short window of time. Then we heard about how easy it is to buy plays. And the only thing easier than spotting a legit "rising star" is seeing the failure of an artist trying to manufacture buzz. And with the closed-door talk about how many copies it takes to chart on Beatport, we can't say that those stats impress us, either. We live in a Web 2.0 word; word of mouth still matters.

Aftermovies

How many "aftermovies" do we need to see for each event? We can understand a festival or rave wanting to make their own; they have to justify not allowing most publications to bring in video cameras. But does each DJ truly need their own "Ultra Music Festival" recap film? You guys don't truly expect all of these to be posted, do you? And at the very least, if you're going to make an aftermovie, make it worth out viewing. Cut the slow-motion, hands-in-the-air shots (leave them for some documentary or something) and talk to us. Let us know your thoughts and feelings. Or just Instagram some footage.

Overpriced festivals

$500 to attend a festival? Unless Miles Davis going to crawl out of the grave live to spin a special jazz fusion set, we don't see how this can be a necessary price. We get the idea of stacked lineups and amazing light shows needing to be paid for. Does that mean that ravers need to decide between rent, eating, or Ultra tickets? The sad part is, this trend won't end until ravers take a stand and speak with their wallets. Ultra, Insomniac, and any other promotion company will feel justified in asking for these high fees. Why? Because people will pay them.

EPs being touted as albums

For the last two years, Skrillex has swept the "Best Album" categories at the Grammys, and he's not put out an official album. While we don't discount the quality of the releases, there are more than enough proper albums being released in the electronic music scene every year. Why are we calling anything with more than two tracks an album? What's the science behind that? Why discredit talented artists putting out quality longplayers to be showed up by releases that are touted from the rip as EPs?

Uneducated bloggers

We're not sure how this happens, and we don't want to flog many of our peers. There is definitely a disconnect between blogs that know what they're talking about in EDM and spots who just want to be "first!" When a guy like Carnage can get so fed up with anything he's making being called "trap" because he was well-known for trap plays into a larger picture of, well, bloggers just not having the proper education on the scene they're covering. It's one thing to not be up on EVERY genre out there - we get it. You can't know EVERYTHING. But you should also be able to pick out genres or sounds based on BPMs or what the tracks sound similar to. Don't make yourself look silly by trying to classify material as something it isn't. Maybe your readers don't care, but your peers do.

Trying to invent new genre names

This plays into the uneducated bloggerati out there, but nothing says "I'm trying to hard" like constantly trying to create new genres. Sometimes the music you're hearing is just being influenced by something out of the norm. Until you have a reason to classify a group of songs or producers into a certain pot, don't fly off the handle every time you think something is different.

Molly talk

Molly this, Molly that, it seems no one ever wants to put this one to bed. We get it. There's stigma and electronic dance music might forever be intertwined with ecstasy use in the same way 1970's psychedlic rock is with LSD. But do we have to keep bringing it up? Do we have to make it so blatant? I'm all for free speech, and freedom of expression, but it's tiresome to head to shows and festivals and see "America Rolls On Molly" for the umpteenth time. You're not funny, you're not creative, and in light of recent events, you're making it worse for the rest of us.

Hating on producers because they're famous

Hate can spread like the plague, and when you're solely hating on a producer because they are popular, you look like one of the most bandwagon-riding individuals out there. A DJ or producer is winning, so your immediate thought is to spit on everything they're doing? How childish is that? You don't have to like their music, but if they aren't doing their job in a disrespectful or shady manner, why throw unwarranted hate at them?

Horrible artwork

Now's the time, artists. You can't be dropping your debut single with cover art that you created in MS Paint. Gone are days of whitelabel vinyl singles; your visual representation can be just as vital to your progression as an artists as your music. You need to have high quality images painting the picture for your music.

Lots of subliminals and jabs in this post...wow!

Credit : Do Androids Dance

Rides : Hot Or Not? Is The NEXT Trend Bright-Colored Wheels?

In the ever evolving world of automotive tuners, there is always something new and "hot.

" But I am confident that our job is to separate the wheat from the chaff, if you catch my drift.

That's why we've devised our AWESOME or AWFUL segment. Instead of us calling it how we see it always, we flipped the table around so you can weigh in. That's the great thing about social media -- it's like King Arthur's round table, everyone has an equal say as long as they participate.

This neatly brings me to tonight's question that I, frankly, don't have the answer to. I just can't seem to figure this out; however, in my ventures to local car meets big and small, I've noticed that A LOT of tuners are beginning to do something...odd.

Their painting the wheels on their rides BRIGHT colors. Not a simple hue either. We're talking like HOT pink or HOT green or any other HOT color you can think of.

Now being that I am an objective third party, I usually can see the benefits in any treatment or decision.

In this case I am just not getting it.

So, since I am "out of the loop" on this one can someone clue me in?

Fashion Trend : Built Brooklyn Tuff Tee Via The Underground Clown

 The Built Brooklyn Tuff Shirt brings back the nostalgic era of Brooklyn. If you look at the detail of the shirt you will see the clown nicely etched into the pole of the sign.  100% pre-shrunk cotton t-shirt.

People Use the Internet to Check Symptoms, Making Doctors Mad

Today in Things You Didn't Already Know: turns out, you cannot actually treat disease with the Internet! Not even large doses of it!

Despite that fact that almost everyone consumes massives quantities of Internet on a daily basis, it is not necessarily good for your health. Fox News even talked to some upside-down doctors in Australia, and they confirmed that the World Wide Web is no substitute for an actual hospital. "You can't make a diagnosis using the Internet," the Australian Medical Association's vice-president Steve Hambleton said.

Some doctors fear the all of this Internet is turning us into "cyberchondriacs." According to Fox, "Over the past 12 months most health-related Google searches in Australia were for information related to 'symptoms,' 'blood' and 'cancer.'" (The most "health-related" searches include health-related terms like "symptoms"? Wow.) Apparently a handful of people are coming into doctors' offices and complaining Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease when they really just have a hangnail. Blame the trend piece Internet.

Not everyone's a cyberchondriac, though. Researchers at Pew recently found that women are the most frequent searchers for health information, especially if they care for children or the elderly, so they probably have a good reason to check. The people least likely to search were people with disabilities, people without a college degree, African Americans and Latinos.

Of course, the likelihood that someone is searching for health information may also have something to do with their quality of health care coverage. The 28-percent of 18- to 29-year-olds who use their cell phones to use an online symptom checker are probably less likely to have insurance than the baby boomers who were also less likely to use their phones to search for health info. Good thing we just struck down that health care bill so that Google and Verizon can be our doctors, instead.

Rides - The Top 15 Fastest Exotic and Modified Supercars of 2011

With a fresh world record set about half a year ago, and a stable of fast, unforgiving and powerful automobiles set to launch this year, 2011 should be a great year for lovers of tire-burning acceleration and unbridled velocity. Here are the cars that promise to make 2011 the year of speed.

Li-Ion Inizio

170 mph is super-tame by this list’s standards, but when you remember that the Inizio from North Carolina-based Li-Ion Motors does it (along with a 3.4-second 0 to 60 mph) on all-electric motivation, it looks a lot more impressive. Especially when you consider that the world’s main contemporary electric supercar—the Tesla Roadster—only powers up to 125 mph. Li-Ion detailed plans to start production this year in an announcement at the Detroit Auto Show this month.

Ferrari FF Concept

Ferrari’s four-wheel-drive 'shooting brake' styled FF debuted just last week and will make its first public appearance in Geneva. The 612-replacing hatch’s 208-mph top speed and 3.7-second to 62 mph time aren’t that impressive when compared with most of the cars on this list. But how many of those cars do what they do with enough room for a family of four?

Gumpert Tornante by Touring

Recent reports indicate that German supercar-maker Gumpert plans on introducing a fast tourer at the Geneva Motor Show. The car, which was developed with the help of Italian firm Touring Superleggera, will be Gumpert’s second model, joining the muscular Apollo. While details are limited, the Tornante is expected to get a refined version of the Apollo’s 650-hp 4.2-liter V8 engine. That engine powers the Apollo to 62 mph in a flat 3 seconds and to a top speed of 224 mph.

2012 Nissan GT-R

As much car as it gives for the money, the Nissan GT-R still can’t quite compete with the big boys in terms of top speed. That’s okay, though, because while the other cars cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions, the 2012 GT-R bases for under $100K. And it can actually beat many of these more expensive, bigger-engined beauties to 60 mph. Newly leaked information indicates that the 525-hp 2012 GT-R will bring back launch control, allowing it to hit 62 mph in around 3 seconds (and 60 mph in under 3).

2011 Gillet Vertigo .5 Spirit

Lately, it’s not just the usual suspects like the Italians, Brits and Germans building supercars; it’s pretty much all of Europe. The cat-like Gillet Vertigo .5 Spirit was born in Belgium. Its 420-hp 4.2-liter Maserati V8 may seem entirely underwhelming in a group of cars like this, but when the car itself weighs just 2,182 lbs., it’s plenty potent. The original Vertigo had a smaller 350-hp 3.0-liter Alfa Romeo V6, but was still able to hit 62 mph in 3.3 seconds. With its bigger engine, the Vertigo .5 Spirit should hover near (maybe below) the 3-second mark.

Pagani Huayra

Freshly leaked, the Pagani Huayra is the model that will replace the Zonda, a car that was known, in some road-legal versions, to hit 62 mph in 3.4 seconds on its way up to 217 mph. With an all-new, bespoke V12 engine from Mercedes AMG, the Huayra should offer similar—if not better—numbers.

Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

Combining Lamborghini’s newly focused composite research with its decades of engine prowess, the new range-topping Aventador LP700-4 will be among the fastest, most powerful Lamborghinis ever. It’s expected to break the 3-second to 62 mph barrier with a 2.9 second time and will top out around 217 mph. Lamborghini confirmed this week that the new model will debut in Geneva.

G-Power M5 Hurricane RR

With a pair of superchargers, German tuner G-Power added some 300 horses to the BMW M5’s 5.0-liter V10 engine. In the process, it created what it calls the “world’s fastest sedan.” With 800-hp on tap, the Hurricane delivers you and three others to your destination at up to 231.2 mph.

Brabus E V12 Coupe

Prefer a Mercedes to a Bimmer, but still want 800 horses, balls-to-the-wall speed and enough room for the fam? Enter Brabus to grant your wish. Adding its Biturbo V12 engine, Brabus gives the E-Class 2 + 2 800 screeching ponies. At the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Brabus called it the “world’s fastest Gran Tourismo,” and while its top speed is electronically “limited” to around 217 mph, Brabus claims it is capable of 230 mph.

Zenvo ST1

Last fall, Danish supercar firm Zenvo announced that each of the ST1s that make it to North America will run a cool $1.225 million. Buyers able to cough up that bankroll will be treated to a 1,100-hp 7.0-liter V8-powered car that hits 62 mph in 3 seconds. Top speed is 233 mph. And that’s electronically limited.

Keating ZKRs

Back in late 2009, Keating made a small stir when it hit 260 mph in its TKRs. At the time, that was enough to take the world record. But Keating’s news was only as big as its press release, because the speed hadn’t been independently verified and wouldn’t become an official world record. The ZKRs is a more powerful, 2,200-hp version of the TKRs that could put Keating back in the world-record hunt. Maybe they’ll even invite some Guiness officials this time. Unlike all the Geneva debuts, the Keating is expected to debut at the Top Marques Monaco in April.

Hennessey Venom GT

The Hennessey Venom GT is the Frankenstein of the car world: a small, 2,700-lb., two-seat Lotus Elise overflowing with a 1,200-hp, twin-turbo 6.2-liter LS9 V8 engine. It’s a tuner car so tuned that it’s an entirely new animal. And it promises record-breathing numbers: 2.5-seconds to 62 mph and a top speed somewhere between 262 mph and 272 mph.

SSC Ultimate Aero II

The SSC Ultimate Aero II is the first car on this list to have world-record credentials. And that’s because its predecessor actually held the world record for nearly three years with a 256 mph time. The new Ultimate Aero has gotten slippier, lighter, more powerful (1,350-hp twin-turbo V8 worth of more powerful) and much better looking. And all those factors (save for the last) are aimed at one thing: speed, speed and more speed. With projected top speeds that run as high as 275 mph, the SSC looks like the surest bet to set the next world record. SSC detailed the car in Top Gear magazine last fall, but we’re expecting (or at least hoping) to see it in person sometime before it launches this year.

TranStar Racing Dagger GT

Despite having publicly shown nothing more than renderings, American firm TranStar Racing plans to get its Dagger GT out this year. A purpose-built road rocket set to knock off a laundry list of speed records, the Dagger GT is powered by up to 2,500 horses worth of V8 engine and projects such numbers as a 314 mph top speed and 1.5-second to 60 mph time. It’s a little hard to believe all the hype TranStar is trying to sell without seeing an actual car, but our interest is certainly piqued.

Bugatti Veyron SuperSport

Conversations about fast cars begin and end with the Bugatti Veyron. Last July, Bugatti took the world record with a 268 mph time, adding more than 11 mph to the world record. And while it’s clear that Bugatti will have a huge target on its back until someone like SSC beats that record, the 1,200-hp, W16-powered Veyron Super Sport opens 2011 with full bragging rights.

The 10 most and least wanted things in dating for men and women [INFOGRAPHICS]

Not content to let OKCupid and it’s delightful OKTrends blog steal all the spotlight, eHarmony released these two infographics today taking a look at what men and women really want from their relationships.

According to an eHarmony spokesperson, the study was put together using the personality profiles the site builds upon users signing up. Though they couldn’t provide an exact number, the number of people whose data was being cataloged is said to be “huge”. It’s said to be one of the first times eHarmony has delved into its massive user database to cull information of this kind.

Take a look at the findings below, followed by our analysis.

Clearly, eHarmony needs to make “Boobs” and “Likely to Drink Enough Vodka and Sodas That She’ll Be Likely to Put Out But Not Be So Drunk That It Could Be a Legal Situation” as qualifiers. Until then, I consider this data set to be incomplete.

Trends - Mary Jane - Marijuana Based Drink

I know what you’re thinking, but it’s all true. Clay Butler, a California entrepreneur, has now introduced the idea of marijuana-infused soft drinks. Combing regular soda flavors with THC, a psychoactive marijuana ingredient, Butler has produced an innovative line of refreshments that’s bound to be a ‘hit.’ Though Butler himself claims to be straightedge, he’s very dedicated to producing and marketing his drinks.

Just in case you’re curious…there are a bunch of flavors to choose from including: Sour Diesel, Grape Ape, Orange Kush, and Doc Weed – something for everyone! And for you traditional Coca Cola lovers, there’s Canna Cola. Though each bottle is going to be around $10 to $15, there’s no doubt this drink will be ‘high’ on everyone’s grocery lists…for medicinal purposes, of course!

With this new breakthrough, who knows what other products might hit the shelves? Pot-sicles? Marijuana marinara sauce? Pot-tarts?

The sky’s the limit!

Gadgets, Apps and Tech That Made Our 2010

2010 has been a pretty packed year for tech. Streaming video came into its own with radically improved content choices and affordable living room hardware devices, Android and Apple's iOS dominated the cell phone market, the mobile app markets show no sign of slowing down and the iPad revealed a huge demand for tablets. We here at Switched have taken a look back over the past 12 months and each picked our favorite new device, app or technology. Share your can't-live-without tech from 2010 in the comments.

Simplenote

While I developed an unhealthy addiction to 'Solipskier' and ignored friends and family to watch all four seasons of 'Battlestar Galatica' in an embarrassingly short amount of time, a bare-bones service is my top find of the year. Simplenote does one thing -- text syncing -- exceedingly well. I've jumped from Office and Google Docs to Evernote and Yojimbo and countless other apps over the years for organizing my work and personal writing, ideas and lists, but most require at least one too many steps to keep things synced. For years, e-mailing myself notes and ideas was usually the best option. While making coffee, I can use the iPhone app to enter a thought to one of several long-running lists that will be synced automatically to the cloud. When I sit down to work, it'll already be synced and accessible on my computer (via the website or Notational Velocity app). Everything can be tagged and is fully searchable, and it's been a huge relief to finally have most of my important text documents reachable from any device without the need to plug, sync, download or upload anything.

Music Experimentation

Kanye West launched G.O.O.D Friday, Robyn released 'Body Talk' on the go, and even Gorillaz created an album on the iPad before unleashing it on world for free. Three or four years ago, the music industry was atrophying and anemic, getting walloped by piracy and Pandora both. But now artists (along with creative, interactive marketing plans) are breathing new life into an industry that was forced, violently, to reinvent itself. People are beginning to pay money for experiences, but are also (rightfully) expecting something free. RCRD LBL encourages album hype by letting listeners download singles without pay. Call me idealistic, but it seems like musicians realized that they are artists and were lucky to be commanding the attention of the world, which led to experimentation (like Robyn producing an album on tour, or Girl Talk crashing his own servers by offering a free record). G.O.O.D Friday, which was West's way of releasing a set of songs each Friday to his devoted Twitter followers, stirred the hype of his blockbuster 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.' Is the music industry perfect? Hell no. But visionaries are finding ways to make money and garner acclaim -- and consumers are glad to pay, as long as they are paying for something worthwhile.

iPad

Fine, I'll say it: the iPad is the best tech of 2010. Listen, the Internet is going to kill the printed page no matter what -- as we said exactly one year ago, the death knell for physical books has already been rung. And yes, Kindles and NOOKs and Sony e-readers will help to keep people literate, but the iPad has that multi-functional appeal without which our newly digital-ADD-addled brains can't live. And, when the robots start their attacks a little over a year from now, we'll be able to light our way through the safety of the darkened sewers by the glow of our tablets, frozen on a digitized page of T.S. Eliot or 'Twilight,' towards a new home.

Streaming Video

Technically, I suppose, it all started in 2009. In November of last year, I gave up on cable. I moved into a new apartment and left the shackles of subscription-based television behind -- and I couldn't have picked a better year. In 2010, streaming media finally went mainstream. Hulu and Netflix were offering premium, Web-based, HD streaming services; Apple brought streaming TV show rentals to iTunes; Google finally got into the set-top box game. While some of the software and hardware like the Boxee Box, Apple TV, Google TV and Roku have some maturing to do, the content is there. With just a few exceptions, most popular shows on network TV and basic cable are available online, often for free and in HD. 2010 wasn't the year that the Internet killed cable, but it's certainly proved subscription TV is purely optional, even for frequent viewers.

Downloadable Games

The "downloadable games revolution" that has for so long been promised finally arrived for real in 2010. The absolute flood of quality titles ran across all platforms: From gems like 'Solipskier' on iPhone and Android, to the spectacular 'LIMBO' on Xbox Live Arcade, to PC games big ('Mass Effect 2') and small ('Super Meat Boy') on the Steam download service, there's been simply more instantly-accessible gaming available in 2010 than could be played by a single pair of hands. The wild success of games like 'Angry Birds' has served to drive the point home: Even big publishers like EA and Activision have redoubled their investments in the downloadable games space, and such high-profile titles as 'Rage' and 'Infinity Blade' (from top PC developers iD and Epic) have upped the ante on mobiles. Expect big things in 2011.

Rise of Apps

Among the magical buzzwords that regularly pollute our conversations and sully communications, "app" is certainly at the top of the list. And yet, to my mind, that hype is only going to increase in the coming years -- and rightly so, as others fully discover (like I did this year) that there really is an app for everything. My morning ritual of checking e-mail, calendar appointments, industry news, general news, gossip sites, whatever -- it's all quickly, cleanly and neatly done via apps. Sure, they've been around a few years already (and many years in the form of desktop widgets), but the App Revolution is for real. Along with touch-based interfaces, it represents one of the most exciting user interface paradigm switches (buzzzz!) for computing since the introduction of the mouse. Finally, the Web works the way I want it to, and I'm not looking back.

Android

I was really buying into those Verizon iPhone rumors around March when I decided to hold out on renewing with Verizon, in hopes I could snatch a new iPhone when I re-upped with the carrier. With no iPhone in sight, though, I skipped waiting, stayed on Verizon and chose Android instead. With my trusty Droid Incredible in hand, I was ready to do everything that a person bestowed with an iPhone could do -- buy apps, launch angry birds, check e-mail and tweet. But I had one huge advantage: the operating system running on my phone was open source. In 2010, it is this reason alone that Android phones have grown to hold 25-percent of the worldwide market share of smartphones. The flexibility of Android opened up a huge market for hardware manufacturers, such as HTC, allowing them to build a solid fleet of phones that individually have worked better for certain groups of people. If 2010 was a growth year for Android, expect 2011 to only be more full of little green robots and sweet-inspired (Gingerbread, anyone?) OS updates.

Video : Ed Lover's C'Mon Son Favorite Moments From The Year 2010! (Brian Pumper, Pinky, Kat Stacks, 50 Tyson, Lebron James, T.I, Antoine Dodson & More

Top Ten Boneheaded Things of 2010

The end of the year is a traditional time for doing best of/worst of lists. In keeping with the spirit of the times, I give you: Top Ten Boneheaded Things of 2010 (I know we still have a couple more days, but I don't think anything is going to top these! Most of them I could have written back in September!)

10. Ellie Light: Astroturf and Sockpuppets for Obama

9. Threat to burn Koran: Fourteen and a half minutes of fame too much for FL pastor

8. Sharing the "Alec Baldwin Voicemail Award": Mel Gibson and Eleanor Holmes Norton for their outstanding performances on voicemails they wish they'd never left.

7. Obama bows to everybody in sight

6. Avatar released on DVD on Earth Day: Because nothing says "Save the Planet" like tons of non-biodegradable plastic designed to entice people to suck power off the grid to watch again and again and again.

5. Obama blows off Boy Scout Centennial to appear on "The View"

4. Turning NASA from Space Exploration to Self Esteem Agency

3. Obama takes advice from children: "Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?" He should have asked Carter how Amy's opinion on nuclear weapons went. Tied with Obama's refusal to accept help from Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations to clean up the Gulf oil spill.


2. Having Steven Colbert "testify" before a House committee on immigration

And the number one boneheaded thing of 2010?

1. Tiger Woods cheated on Elin Nordegren

Fitteds : Acapulco Gold New Era 59FIFTY “Triple Clips” Fitted Cap

Acapulco Gold New Era 59FIFTY “Triple Clips” Fitted Cap

New York-based brand Acapulco Gold’s 2010 fall and winter releases feature some new fitted cap. Made by New Era and based on the iconic 59FIFTY, the cap utilizes a wool body with the “Triple Clips” embroidery seen on the front. The cap also uses a colorful logo on the back. Check anyconline for new arrivals.

Kicks : Lacoste Legends 12.12 Collection

The Power of 12.

Lacoste is celebrating its founder Rene Lacoste by collaborating with 12 influencers from the music, fashion, retail and media world. The project is also an effort to modernize the brand’s sneaker collection. Bodega, Sneaker Freaker, and Collette are just a few key sneaker names in the mix. Check out where you can buy them at 24teeth.com.