Track of the Weekend #36: Empire of the Sun - “Alive”

2013 has already proven itself to be an epic year for music, with major new releases from The Strokes, Daft Punk (maybe next week’s track of the weekend?) and of course the Australian electro duo Empire of the Sun whose new single “Alive” is just that: a pulsating tempo of light and love that is beauty audiolized. Rarely does music achieve such a weightlessness of being, floating us all away. Thanks to Julien Pelletier for snapping it up and providing us with this superb Track of the Weekend! 


Never stop jamming! 

19th April 2013

#AperoMusicTech #2 Recap

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Last night saw the second #AperoMusicTech, this time on the banks of the Canal St. Martin at the Point Éphémère and what an evening it was! Perfect temperatures and weather actually saw people arriving early to grab a beer and a place to sit down! Co-hosted by the creative minds at Beware! Magazine, hundreds of interesting people including bloggers, journalists, DJs, musicians, entrepreneurs, music biz professionals, geeks, and music lovers all came down to meet and mingle. 

It was a good night for the Whyd faithful too, with heavy-hitters like Aline, Julien, Le Coup de Lapin, Alix, Marwan, Tusbar, ptilu, and Vimare  stopping by to spend some time with everyone. As always we appreciate their support and especially the awesome music that they add every single day on Whyd. 

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Speaking of awesome music, the line up of DJs on display last night was impressive too. Nu Ma from Sweet Electronic Music Lovers, Birol from Paradoxe Animalier, Tis, SSCK, and of course the swag-drenched Loïck M (pictured above) blasting out the evening. A gigantic thank you to these guys for sharing their talent and musical selections with us!

Now here is a gem shared for us last night by our man Tis: 

18th April 2013

Interview with SoUnD WaVeS: Audio Surfing

1. Hey SoUnD WaVeS, what are the different sides to your personality and how do they show up in your projects?

Creativity and Uniqueness is a side of me that definitely likes to be expressed, and I don’t consider myself a follower, so my sense of style from clothing to music, is always kept as original and unique as possible. And I express it in many ways, first one being:

1. Every single album cover I use for my songs is unique.

2. Also SoUnD WaVeS- accessories and apparel are made to stylishly make you stand out with high quality !  Available on Bandcamp

And was also expressed on: “Breakdancing to my Heartbeat ::: Official Music Video :::” on YouTube: 

I do have an “extrovert” way of being, I consider myself outgoing, daring (not afraid of taking chances), and I definitely like the fun side of life (music & dancing)!  I am the type of person that likes to have his feelings, thoughts and emotions heard, through my SoUnD WaVeS, with the goal to bring out the party animal hidden inside you, and with that said a “sense of humor” is big to me and in my music, and personal life. No one wants to ride a musical roller coaster that doesn’t break the speed of light, so I like to take it to that point, with my songs!

2. How does where you come from influence the music you make?

I would say that coming from the big city of Los Angeles, I was exposed to various cultures, a wide array of music, having unique people as friends, which meant “a lot” of cool experiences growing up, the metropolitan style of life are what made me the EDM lover & producer I am today ! In the culture I come from, parties always revolve around dancing, which means I appreciate and listen to many genres of music. It’s always been known that a lot of awesome electronic music artists are from Europe, the example that comes to mind is “Daft Punk” who I consider to be a very talented group, that shaped my style of acquired electronic music taste. And they also stand out in uniqueness (in a league of their own) which keeps them separated and distinct from others, a quality I admire and strive to live by. 

3. What does “straight ahead electro” mean? Who listens to your music?

What it means to me is something that you produce, and dedicate hours to, and the reason you do it is because of the love you have for it.

I have my music in rotation by various online radio stations, and I have found that most of my fans are women, online and in my personal life, and being a male producer, I will say, I am pretty proud of that, lol.  But none the less, I aim my music to target crowds that simply love EDM & dancing to it!  

4. Tell us about your new single “Esta es mi ciudad (C’est ma ville/This is my city)”

On my last single: ”Esta es mi ciudad (C’est ma ville/This is my city)“ available on Bandpage & Soundcloud,  I really wanted to express my love for the many cultures that I feel have complemented and contributed to my personal taste in life in music and food. A lot of EDM artist from my era that I like are from different parts of the world. And with this single, I wanted to demonstrate that music has the power to bring many cultures together, and provide unforgettable memories on the dance floor!

Make sure you subscribe to SoUnD WaVeS on Whyd, and follow him on Twitter too! 

16th April 2013

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#AperoMusicTech #2: DJ Line Up

Wednesday is quickly approaching and with it the second #AperoMusicTech organized by Whyd with special guests Beware! Magazine. We have provided some of the details in the official Facebook event page, but we have been hard at work getting a cool line up of fresh DJs to spin Whyd’s characteristic blend of funky, unusual, electro, and pulsating jams. 

Here is a rough timetable of what to expect, music-wise, on Wednesday night! Check the links to get more info:

19hr30: Anaïs Ngbanzo @anaisjulia

20hr30: Tis — from Enlarge Your Playlist 

21hr30: Birol — from Paradoxe Animalier

22hr30: Loïck M

Midnight: SSCK

15th April 2013

Track of the Weekend #35: Girls in Hawaii - “Misses”

Someone is going to have to stop Mademoiselle Laurène Sturm from slipping such delicious music drugs into our Whyd water. Normally we would disqualify her from being eligible for the Track of the Weekend, since she has already been responsible for frequent musical coups de coeur. But, it’s her birthday, and the Whyd community has been celebrating all week with the dreamy waves of her added track “Misses” by the Belgian indie group Girls in Hawaii. A rather disappointing Google image search (we must say) for the name of the group, but there is nothing disappointing about the quality of this track, and a special vinyl EP goes on sale exclusively for Record Store Day (April 20)! 

Happy Birthday Laurène! Looking forward to celebrating with you tonight! 

12th April 2013

Playlist of the Week: L.A. Beat Scene by Tristan H

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Photo by Marco Kusumawijaya 

If you like the down tempo beats and vibes coming from the deeper side of L.A — the endless acres of warehouses and bent homes, ringed by rusted barbed wire and fed by urban grunge — this tracklist will keep you low sniffing the ground. Presented in all its purity by Tristan H, L.A. Beat Scene grows like grass through the cracks of broken pavement and crumbled foundations. 

Subscribe to Tristan H on Whyd, and never stop jamming!

 

11th April 2013

#AperoMusicTech #2 is Wednesday, April 17 at Point Éphémère

Details for the official Facebook event for the second #AperoMusicTech are online. You can click the above link and confirm your presence among the trendiest, hippest, and chillest cats this side of the Seine. 

The evening kicks off at 7pm, and will feature a packed line up of DJs throughout the night at Point Éphémère, one of Paris’s most unique concert venue/cultural spaces. By 11:30pm or so the other half of Point FMR will open to accommodate the ensuing dance party. 

And we are pleased to announce that Parisian trendsetters Beware! are co-hosting the event with us, to help and bring more people to mingle and meet across the ever-widening breadth of interests and creativity pulsing through this city of light. 

If you have any specific questions about the event, don’t hesitate to leave a comment on the event page on Facebook. 

Nevers stop jamming! 

10th April 2013

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Interview with Electronic Producer Oh Morice

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1. Hey Patrick! Can you tell us your story? Where do you come from?

Hello! I have a mostly classical background at the base. As a child I wanted to play piano, so I learned how to play piano. But above all I am passionate about electronic instruments: the 80’s, the new wave, the beginning of digital, samplers of electronic music. I like Kraftwerk, Laurie Anderson, Depeche Mode, that cold sound, rhythmic, repetitive. 

Going back a bit: I went to music school, then I really wanted to play music. I’ve played in French groups, as a pianist, released a few albums, gave numerous concerts, but I’ve always just loved playing my music. It was in 2005 that I made my first appearance under the pseudonym Aliplays. 

The German record label Eleganz took me under their wing, my first album was supposed to come out with them, but the music crisis forced them to close shop. Fortunately, radio Nova liked what I had done, and they played my songs. A French label heard me, and they released my album (Todotesoroslsand). Then in 2010 I released my second album (Happy-ours) on a different label. At the same time, I worked with numerous artists, as a performing musician, arranger, and composer.

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2. What style of music do you produce?

I ask myself the same thing! It is certainly music inspired by electronic as much as pop. I have a pronounced taste for the piano. It is always there, some tracks are very classical in their form and harmony. 

I compose according to what I hear. I am very influenceable. I love to compose music in the style of… Not to copy, but to treat a musical style in my own way. I have more of a producer process than an interpretive artist does. What interests me is the finished product. I give a lot of attention to the production, the sound, the sound qualities. On my albums, I’ve always called on multiple singers. I don’t see an album as a whole, but as a compilation of universes that are not connected to each other, independent, something that can disorient the listener sometimes. 

It is therefore really more of electronic music, with its strong classical influences in the sound and harmonies, more cold like the Germans know how to do it.  

3. What are the influences of your creativity?

Everything. A sound in a pub, the timbre of a voice, a photo of LA, a movie. I love building things. The accidental sounds are often very inspiring, because they surprise, they take me out of the routine of composition, and they derail my train of thought. They take me away. I’ve done a few concerts with toy instruments, it was very inspiring, because of their weaknesses, it forces creativity. On a level of artistic influences, that is really wide. I don’t really have a privileged style, not really into celtic music much, however. 

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4. You’ve got a new EP: “The Shapes.” Who should listen to it?

My new EP hasn’t been officially released yet. I am still looking for a serious label. I have some interesting propositions, but I want to make the right choice. 

Who should listen to it? Chuck Norris.

Thanks Patrick! Make sure you like the Oh Morice Facebook page, and subscribe to him on Whyd! Here is the new EP for your listening pleasure!

9th April 2013

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(Belated) Track of the Weekend #34: Daft Punk - “Random Access Memories” Vanderway Edit

Last week was crazy. So crazy that we didn’t put anything up on the blog all week, and we even neglected to put up the Track of the Weekend. Now that might not seem like a big deal to you, but if that’s the case, then you don’t understand the importance of the Track of the Weekend. 

The Track of the Weekend has been around since the beginning of Whyd itself. It represents not just the most popular track on Whyd but the one that best captures our diverse community, the ever-shifting sands of musical taste, and instills emotion like a sunset over a calm sea at the beginning of a starry night. 

And more importantly, the person who posts it deserves to be commended, and in the case of last week, praised for her steady commitment to sharing amazing music all day everyday. Generous, charming, and always putting us to shame with her musical selections, Aline has given the Whyd community a snappy edit of Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories” by Vanderway. It’s still on top of the Hot Tracks today, and you will immediately see why. 

8th April 2013

Track of the Weekend #33: Johnny Cash - “Hurt”

We have written much about how wide-ranging the styles of music added to Whyd are, in fact it’s part of the reason why our platform is named the way it is. Yet it might still seem bizarre that from a community of music lovers that produces tracks of the weekend from artists like Ryan Hemsworth and Yuksek comes this Track of the Weekend. It topped the Hot Tracks all week, and represents some of the most emotional music we’ve heard so far, digging deep into hidden skeletons buried in the recesses of all of our hearts. Few voices can penetrate further than Johnny Cash’s, that instantly recognized timbre which tames even the most-hardened soul, no matter what the lyrics express. “Hurt” is a pinnacle of sorrow, yet at the same time so beautiful that the sadness withers away. 

We have Basile Petit to thank for adding it first, and if you are one of the many metal heads on Whyd, this is a dude that you definitely need to subscribe to. 

29th March 2013

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