#AperoMusicTech #3: The Afro-Electro Waves of Mawimbi
One week to go until the Fête de la Rentrée #AperoMusicTech #3 happening on September 4th at the venerable Point Éphémère. As usual, music is the focus, and we are very excited about the collective of DJs that will be playing for all of us.
You all know SSCK, the artist collaborating with Whyd buddies Sweet Electronic Music Lovers, since it was his track “Eyelids" that served as the music for our introductory video. You all also know ALT, the winner of the One One Six playlist contest, and music editor of good friends Beware! They’ve recently partnered with a third duo - Pouvoir Magique - to create the Mawimbi Collective, a tribal afro-electro movement based here in Paris.
The three of them will be spinning all night, starting at 19:30. Judging from how they brought down the house at their last performance at Wanderlust, we cant wait to listen to their sea of waves. And we’re working on something fun to go along with it that we will announce tomorrow.
Take a listen to some of the music on the Mawimbi Whyd stream including their two “Round-ups” in a series that they just started.
Looking forward to seeing everyone there!
Interview with damn nyc: Outsiders Looking Out
1. Tell us about the team behind damn nyc. How did you start working together?
We started our project in November 2011 with the idea of documenting and gathering everything that we thought was fun, different, and what we thought deserved the limelight. Most of the artists we chose were emerging artists, mainly because they either didn’t know that they were totally awesome so we wanted to show them that they were, or that they were bringing something new to the public, and it wasn’t getting as many hits as it should. There were a few exceptions, ones that definitely made us think “damn!” However their fame didn’t always translate across international borders, which was what we hoped to accomplish then. We were traveling for a year from New York, Hamburg, Moscow, Philadelphia, and London, and wanted to bring a special taste to our webzine that screamed originality and personality. We like to stay up to date, and move from one topic to another with common themes.
2. How have your respective backgrounds influenced the things you write about today?
Jan is German, who grew up in Franve. Inna is Russian, who grew up in the states. We’re both outsiders, so we like to look inside everything from a different perspective. We’re also completely different in our approaches but we find ways to spread out and then later come back together with new information - so it works pretty damn well.
3. Who should read damn nyc?
People that read, listen, get inspired, think, dance, and smile? Anything else in the news is already out there. I don’t think that we have anything in our webzine that is reported on a standard basis - so it’s a window to new, emerging trends that will make you say “damn.” Oh, and if you don’t like the news, create your own news… we’ll probably find you!
4. What are your future plans for the site? Are you looking for contributors?
Yeah! We’re all about collaborations. It’s about expansion, and we look out, not it.
Make sure you Like the damn nyc Facebook page, follow them on Twitter, and as always subscribe to them on Whyd!
Rock en Seine: Recap [PHOTOS]
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY: MAGALI GAUDRON
This past weekend is always one of the coolest times to be in Paris, when the world of music descends for three days on the banks of the Seine to rock out across four stages. The Rock en Seine Music Festival is one of the biggest congregations of music lovers in Europe, and for once we don’t have to travel that far to get to it (even if the journey home at the end of the night might feel like it…).
But the festival is about a lot more than music. There is original artwork inspired by the bands on display, and cool chilling areas, activities, and games put on by fashion, food, and tech brands. It makes for an eclectic and exciting atmosphere where you might fall in love with every new thing you see, touch, or taste.
Speaking of tasting, the festival is loaded with almost every type of food in the world. From trendy food trucks serving up organic, classic french fare to an entire area dedicated to international food from Thailand, Mexico, Senegal, Ethiopia, Israel, and more. We had to try the camembert and honey with homemade fries.
And of course save a little cash by sneaking in some booze…
But obviously, the music is what matters in the scheme of things. And fortunately, it was the best part.
The first major discovery was In The Valley Below, whose track “Peaches" has shot up the Hot Tracks. Their catchy sound is highlighted by the contrasting male and female vocals which constructively reverberate through choruses and across melodies.
Another surprise was Laura Mvula, an English singer whose track “Green Garden" you might have heard. And finally a folky reggae singer from Germany called Patrice, who kept the audience dancing nonstop for a full hour with rising beats, humor, and a ton of energy.
The headliner on Saturday was French favorites Phoenix, for whom no introduction is needed. They did not disappoint. Merely a few kilometers from their home town of Versailles, Phoenix rocked the festival until the heavens poured, but that didn’t stop singer Thomas Mars from running to the back of the massive audience, and crowd-surfing his way back to the stage.
Already looking forward to next year!
Track of the Weeknd #51: “Royals”
We’ve been doing the Track of the Weekend for a long time now, having racked up an impressive 50 previous selections that lit up Whyd and rested atop the hot tracks. Yet there is one artist that has been ridiculously popular on Whyd that has never held that honor, and it is in a way ironic, since that artist is called The Weeknd.
It is even more ironic since The Weeknd broke onto the world stage in 2011 after uploading some tracks to YouTube and disseminating mixtapes online: the exact type of thing that Whyd was designed to help with, taking new talent to new areas of the world. Well, now one of the tracks of The Weeknd is a Whyd Track of the Weekend.
“Royals" is a multipart harmony sung by a mesmerizing female voice that trashes the expectations set by songs of wealth and dreams of Cadillacs and tigers on gold chains by stating "We don’t care, we aren’t caught up in your love affair…we crave a different kind of buzz." And it was our very own designer Loïck that hooked it up for Whyd. Thanks dude!
What Summer Blues?
With the Whyd team scattered around Europe and the Middle East, from partying in Ibiza to surfing in southwest France to exploring islands in Croatia, this year’s vacation season has been pretty good to us. But surprisingly, even as most web services see dips in traffic and activity, we have actually seen a flurry of new music lovers and our power faithful adding increasing numbers of tracks and sharing some excellent summer jams. We have to admit, it’s a great time to be using Whyd to discover new music — really, this is what we were trying to do when we created Whyd and built it with your help. There is no better feeling than coming back from a relaxing vacation and seeing the community thriving. You guys are seriously awesome.
So as you soak up the last sunny rays of your vacations, as you pack up your beach towels until next year, as you lazily load up the car or head to the airport to return to reality, take a quick stop to check out what’s happening on Whyd, it’ll cheer you up, we guarantee it.
And to help everyone get back in the swing of things, don’t forget about #AperoMusicTech #3 Fête de la Rentrée, happening at Point FMR on Wednesday, September 4th. If you’re back in Paris, we will see you there!
Burning House Remix Competition
Those of you who spend your time on Whyd have probably already heard some of the music from Burning House, a new musical partnership with Chief Xcel and General Elektriks on the label Naïve. You probably already read the interview which explains their backstory and how they came to work together. But what you might not have heard yet are the remixes that artists are creating and sending in to Naïve.
To celebrate their music “Turn Off The Robot,” Burning House has opened a remix competition (through the end of August) for their track “PPSD” or “Post-Party Stress Disorder.” If you’re an artist or DJ and think you can really kick up this jam, post a remix on Soundcloud and send it over to us or Burning House to get on this playlist. A jury will pick the favorite one, and it could be you!
For all you music lovers, remix competitions are one of the coolest phenomenon online today. Whereas before we consumed music, now almost anyone can use music as a medium of expression, to build upon the awesome foundations laid out by talented artists and make your mark. And maybe, just maybe, the world gets to hear it, and everyone wins!
Make sure you subscribe to Burning House on Whyd and like their Facebook page to keep up to date with the details of the contest!
DJ Ecarat Exclusive Summer Mix for Whyd: Attention Deep House Lovers
DJ Ecarat drops his summer mix exclusively for Whyd, learn about who he is and what he’s up to while you enjoy the dark deep house of “Gloomy Boy.”
1. You are one of the resident DJs at Nouveau Casino in Paris, spinning fat tunes. How long have you been a DJ?
I’ve been DJing since 1997, I’ve been influenced by the first wave of English sound systems such as Spiral Tribe who were kicked out of England by the government in 1992 and then French sound systems such as Teknokrates, Corrosive, or Heretik. Actually the level of the French emerging underground scene was quite high although the scene was pretty young, the Spiral Tribe legacy was there… I started by playing some Acid Techno, Acid House, and Drum & Bass vinyls, then I went over to the Nu Break wave from the UK with a slower tempo. I bought Final Scratch in 2003 and I gave up my couple of turntables in 2007 for good. Now I play on a CDJ player, there is some kind of war between vinyls and numeric, regardless if you play on numeric or on vinyl, just do what the crowd wants, rock the dancefloor!
I’ve launched my new project Gloomy Boy nine months ago so as to separate my musical identity in two parts: Gloomy Boy spins only Deep and Housy tunes and Ecarat maintains Electro, Glitch Hop, and Ghetto Funk tunes. But to be honest the new House/Gangsta House scene has seriously caught my heart, tunes dropped by Amine Edge & DANCE, Lucas Arr, or Kolombo are exactly what I love to play at the moment, never boring, funky, and that works out like crazy on the dancefloor.
I got my first residency at Nouveau Casino in 2009, our first parties were dedicated to the Fidget House scene with some headlines such as Calvertron and Dopefish, now our parties with the crew that I founded with my friend Nix The Jockey are Deep House and Techno. I’m giving up Paris in October, so the last party at Nouveau Casino will be held on Friday the 16th of August with Elmute from ODN Records (entrace is only 5 euro, free before 1 AM). And one last thing, my favorite DJ, Elite Force, boss of his own label Used & Abused, has been releasing and spinning fat tracks in every style for more than 16 years, always on top, will be there and when he takes the decks he turns into a devil…be there!
2. You’re dropping your new summer mix right now! Who should listen to it?
It is addressed to all Deep House lovers, the ambiance is quite dark for a summer mix but as my two previous mixtapes were really “housy” I wanted to do something different, darker and deeper, also a little bit more Techno. I think the best moment to listen to it will be after a party when your mind got twisted… You will find great artists such as Tapesh, Max Chapman, Matt Fear, Solee, Vitor Munhoz and many more!
3. What are your plans for the future?
My future is no longer in Europe, I’m tired of our system for the next centuries. Our occidental society is sick like anything, we are losing the meaning of life, where are we going?? Straight into the wall. Of course there are still some paradises such as Barcelona or Berlin with great people but I decided to move to Asia. I’m flying to Thailand in October for good, more precisely to the island of Koh Phangan. After spending more than six months over there I really enjoyed the island and the Thai lifestyle, less stress, better food, great people from everywhere, a lot of parties, and located in the middle of Asia. I want to build my own club over there and many other projects. My future is now in Asia, and I look forward to playing in Brazil. Europe will be for holidays.
Make sure you subscribe to DJ Ecarat on Whyd, and look him up if you head to Thailand!
Apero Music Tech #3: Fête de la Rentrée
Are you busy tanning yourself in the sunshine? Enjoying the outdoors and the smell of the world that is not chokingly polluted? Or are you stuck behind a desk, working away while half of your office is not there? Either way, there is something we can all agree on: nothing is worse than the end of the summer time.
But it’s OK, seriously it’s OK. Because just as everyone starts to get back, we’re getting everyone together for a big party at the worldly Pointe Éphémère on the banks of the Canal Saint-Martin. The last Apero Music Tech was held here at the end of April, and what a party it was.
The next one is Wednesday, September 4th, starting after work and going until we get kicked out. There will be DJs, there will be beer, there will be fun, it will be just the thing to kick those end of summer blues.
Looking forward to seeing everyone there! Here is the link to the Facebook event too.
Track of the Weekend #50: Mumford & Sons - “Hopeless Wanderer”
Wow! Can you believe it? No really! Can you believe it? We’ve been doing this for almost a year and a half and we’re only at 50 tracks of the weekend! I didn’t realize that we missed so many weeks… This is literally the only thing that I have to do…
Ah well, nothing can diminish the importance of this milestone. The Track of the Weekend has been a career-making stepping stone for artists in their rise to fame. Who could forget when “Thrift Shop" was the Track of the Weekend when the video only have 5,000 views? Or the legendary single of French post rock group Man Is Not A Bird? What about Get Lucky? Face it, no one would’ve heard it if it hadn’t been for Whyd.
Yes, the Whyd community really are the tastemakers of tomorrow. We look forward to another 50 Tracks of the Weekend — no matter how many weeks it takes — and we celebrate our 50th with an excellent track and hilarious video thanks to Green Room Session. No one is a stranger to Mumford & Sons, easily the world’s most popular group to feature a banjo, whose southern style and liberal syllable use is immediately recognizable. “Hopeless Wanderer" could be anyone of us, but instead it’s the comedy quad-fecta of Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Ed Helms, and Will Forte taking the roll of the Mumford family. Over-the-top? Of course, but that’s why it’s so fun.
So unclip your suspenders, ruffle your beard, raise a metal beer mug: here’s to the future!
Make Your Own Playlist Contest On Whyd
If you’ve been with us for a while, you know that we have had a number of different playlist contests, from the end of the year 2012 contest to the One One Six contest to the most recent Do You Like That Song? contest. Playlist contests are a great way to engage the Whyd community, introducing your musical project to 25,000 strong music lovers and getting them excited about sharing the music that is connected to you.
Playlist contests are free to create and organize, and provides your current audience a new level of communication, while snagging more page views from the Whyd faithful who are constantly seeking out awesome new places to discovery their next favorite tracks.
So if you are a DJ, blogger, artist, curator, magazine, concert venue, festival, or just a plain old music lover, check out the Playlist Contest page to see how it works, and then get in touch with us to get it set up (tony@whyd.com) If you know someone who might like to do something like this, please share this with them too!
Never stop jamming!