Talent Discovery: NEXITY!

Inborn, defined, is something that exists from birth. Talent, defined, is natural aptitude or skill. People use these terms together as ‘inborn-talent’ to describe those individuals and/or people who take their breath away with a certain set of skills. Last night I could do nothing but marvel at the inborn talents together known as Nexity!

Made up of a producer duo, (17 & 18 years) originally from the United States and Austria, Nexity began producing tunes together recently, in Austria, and have already garnered over 250,000 views on their youtube page in a span of 8 months. With just 5 productions to their name, Nexity have started started getting noticed by music-lovers across the internet. They believe in quality over quantity and their tunes prove just that.

I was youtubing the new Bassjackers & Jordy Dazz tune: Battle when I came across those usual spam comments about “check out my music. Blah blah” when I saw a couple of guys had replied positively to that. It could’ve easily been their friends commenting to help them out but I decided to have a look at their stuff anyway. No regrets whatsoever.

The first Nexity tune to grace my ears was ‘Jungle’. To be honest, it’s like every big room tune you hear today; a few synth keys followed by the same synth keys on a higher octave level looping over the original keys, which leads to an anticipatory build up followed by a very Dmitri Vegas & Like Mike sort of drop. People enjoy that stuff today, sure, but to me it didn’t feel fresh. That was until I heard the ever gorgeous, ever beautiful tune ‘Vision’.

The bouquet of beautiful notes could only be imagined and executed by innate artists. The subtle kick, bass and clap supporting the melody fit ever so perfectly and the switch between octaves in the melody are seamless. Honestly, ‘Vision’ is a breath of fresh air much needed in the dance music scene to remind music lovers about the roots of dance music, i.e., it’s about the euphonies that give you Goosebumps, it’s about the unknown journey one is about to embark in sync with the melody. Nexity sticks to those roots, but with an added zing to match the abundance of energy our generation possesses.

Their number ‘shine’ is by far one of the most beautiful and emotional songs you will come across this season. It’s the perfect blend of electronic music with opulent piano work, added with beautiful lyrics! ‘Shine’ is guaranteed to take you to the edge of tears and back. Simply put: Nexity has reached back in time to create a stunning composition of the piano (much like a modern electronic Mozart or Beethoven have you) and added a perfect bassline to ensure dance music fans mirror the emotions of Nexity's tunes through dance.

Nexity reminds me a quite a bit of Pryda in that their tunes are heavily influenced by house music. And by house music I mean old school house music that would take you back to the 80s & 90s but with electro synths of our current generation. Tunes like these are slowly, but surely, becoming a rarity today where everyone is focusing on big room stuff to gain commercial success. To finish off, Nexity are set to release their music 1 month at a time and fans like myself cannot wait to hear what Nexity has planned for the future. These guys are definitely one to watch for the future. And for all my fellow house music lovers do NOT miss out on these guys. Trust me!

Their productions:

- Vision

- Shine

- Panther

- Jungle

- Freedom

You can follow them on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/NexityOfficial?fref=ts

You can subscribe to their Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/user/NexityTV?feature=watch

FIREBEATZ 101

There’s a famous saying in the EDM Scene, which goes: “If you’re Dutch; congratulations you’re a DJ.” If I start to list famous Dutch DJs this post is going to be longer than Deaedmau5's rants. But to name a few internationally well-known Dutch DJs, you have:

·      Hardwell

·      Nicky Romero

·      Armin van Buuren

·      Ferry Corsten

·      Dash Berlin

·      Sander van Doorn

·      Richard Durand

·      Martin Garrix

·      W&W

These guys are just the tip of the iceberg in the Dutch dance music scene. The depth of Dutch talents is unfathomable. If you ask which country produces the best DJs, be sure that the answer you get, 7 times out of 10, is: Dutch!

Slipping away from the commercial big guns, I’ve decided to write about one of my favourite DJ-duo: Firebeatz!

Jurre & Tim, aka Firebeatz, started their musical journey by collaborating at the School of Arts in Tilburg, Netherlands. They went a step further in 2008 by releasing some of their productions, which was well received, and oft played, in the Netherlands.

The electronic duo caught my attention when they released this fantastic tune:

What intrigued me most about 'Here We F*cking Go' is the beautiful synth drops. It is subtle yet with a great bass line backing it up. Not too much noise, but the perfect sound to get your head bobbing to the tune of the bass!

‘Here We F*ckin Go’ is enough to tell you about the talents possessed by the Dutch duo, but, as a music lover, I had to dig deeper. The next tune (by far my favourite Firebeatz tune) I heard was:

No pun intended, but this truly is a wonderful tune showcasing the broad variation Firebeatz are capable of pulling off. Straying from an electronic vibe to a more peppy club dance tune 'Wonderful' starts off with a simple bass line and transcends into one of the most melodious synths, with the drop giving a feeling of happiness and upbeat emotions as opposed to just raw power. And in this day and age where DJs focus on powerful, hard-hitting drops, a tune with such grace is a breath of fresh air.

Currently producing tracks on Spinnin' Records, there is no denying that these talented DJs are on the up. With an already loyal fan base (myself included) on the rise, EDM lovers across the globe can soon expect to dance to the tunes of these Dutch marvels in festivals world over!

In fact, Firebeatz are one of the few artists who never fail to surprise me with the variation they bring to their music. It’s easy to see they produce distinctive styles as they see fit, and yet they never fail to impress. In fact, I’m glad to have followed them from their humble beginnings of the subtle, yet bassfilled, Here We F*ckin Go, all the way to their recently released big-room blockbuster Rockin’.

For those to whom these geniuses remain undiscovered, I part with a list of my top 10 Firebeatz tunes (in no particular order). Give them a listen; trust me ;)

·      Dear New York

·      Gangster

·      Wonderful

[See Above]

·      Max Ammo

·      Disque

·      Miniman

·      Here We F*ckin Go

[See Above]

·      Rockin’

·      Sausage Fest

·      Yeahhhh

The future of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) in India

Start time: 8pm. Doors open: 4pm. Opening acts: 2; followed by the main event. Fans begin to appear in hordes, as the clock ticks by, just to get a good spot from where the stage can be seen clearly or to get as close as possible to see their idols tear shit up! This is a very tiny glimpse into how the people of India have grown to accept, and deeply love, the Electronic Dance Music culture. People of all ages gather at one venue to rave together and forget the rest of the world for a small, yet awesome, period of time!

It’s not that hard to trace back the beginnings of dance music culture in India. The first name(s) that comes to mind is Nikhil Chinapa & Sunburn Goa. Conceptualized & started in 2007 by Nikhil Chinapa, Sunburn today has grown into an internationally acclaimed festival, the world over. With attendance going well past the 100,000 mark in recent years, it’s safe to say the ‘EDM’ culture has entered, grown, and established itself in India, and it’s here to stay for the long run!

We are starting to see not only a growing number of festivals (introduction of EVC & VH1 SuperSonic in 2013) but also a growing number of concerts/gigs that feed the appetite of fans nationwide. Even though major gigs take place in Mumbai, Delhi & Bangalore, you wont be surprised to see fans nationwide spend huge amounts of money to travel and stay in 1 of these 3 musical hubs just to experience a 2-3 hour show of their favourite DJs. This just goes to show the behaviour and thought of the earning youth, i.e., earn and save to spend and rave! A huge number of Indians are travelling abroad, too, to attend leading festivals such as Ultra Music Festival, Tomorrowland, Awakening Festival, etc.

The catalyst to this growth in EDM culture is, without a doubt, a certain Mr. Nikhil Chinapa. Nikhil simply followed his heart and introduced, in a big way, a new genre to the people of India. And today, the people of India are reaping the musical benefits! From the inception of Sunburn Goa to regular gigs/concerts around the nation to introducing the new ‘underground’ music scene, it’s safe to say that Nikhil is a musical trendsetter. What he listens to, India listens to. This can be credited to his taste and love for dance music as well as his visionary approach of introducing new concepts that keeps the music culture fresh amongst fans across the nation.

In comparison to recent years it isn’t tough to see a growth in number of Facebook posts, Youtube videos, Soundcloud posts, Tweets, etc., relating to Electronic Dance Music songs, gigs, upcoming shows, news, etc. In fact, in 2013 alone India welcomed the following Internationally acclaimed DJs:

·      Zedd

·      Hardwell

·      Swedish House Mafia

·      Dannic

·      Alesso

·      Tommy Trash

·      Above & Beyond

·      Nicky Romero

·      Dash Berlin

·      NERVO

Just to name a few (that’s right, there were many more twho toured India). These were just for gigs/shows. Then we have the Indian fests, of which the line-up can be found below:

Enchanted Valley Carnival (EVC)

Vh1 SuperSonic

Sunburn Goa 2013

The future of the EDM culture in India is set to grow & improve even further. In my opinion, we’ve barely witnessed the beginning of the EDM culture. In the west (Europe & USA for example) you have a number of DJs touring simultaneously around Europe & USA ever so frequently. You’re just one Google click away to see that there are shows every day somewhere in the USA or Europe. I believe India is still another 2-3 years away till we see the EDM culture grow to such gigantic proportions where we can expect shows in a number of cities happening at least 2-3 times a week. There has even been a growth in the number of event companies that organize gigs/shows to cater to the EDM marker. We’ve even seen the introduction of an underground culture, with DJs such as Neelix, Tube & Berger, Funkagenda, Luciano (set to tour end of Jan ’14), etc. having already toured and loved the dance music culture in India. In fact one of my top 3 DJs, Neelix, has even gone on to say that the next EDM capital is India. Acts such as Deadmau5 & R3hab have already announced their tour dates for 2014. Plus this Tweet from Nikhil further shows my predictions could be on track!

I could go on for pages citing my thoughts on the future of the EDM culture in India, but I’ll leave with one last thought: The youth and younger generations (high school, college going kids) have already embraced the EDM culture by attending shows in large numbers, so just imagine 2-5 years down the line when they become earning members of our society. Just think about the number of shows they will be willing to attend without monetary and parental restrictions then? I leave it to your imagination!

What music is to me

A great man once said "Without music, life would be a mistake". Friedrich Nietzche could not be more on song (no pun intended). We hear music in all forms throughout the day; the gentle chirps of birds serenading each other in the morning, the sound of the morning wind when you open the windows and even the blender you've switched on for your daily glass of OJ!

Music is that element of life which brings expression to those human emotions which cannot be explained in mere words. Every emotion that can be defined in words can be expressed in music; but what's amazing is that music can express a blend of emotions an individual feels in the most beautiful and enigmatic way that words simply cannot justify. Every individual has experienced that moment in their life where they go "Wow... Just WOW!"; music has touched their souls in ways they didn't even know were possible. It remains a perfect symbol of who they are. Music for me is my safe-place. Whether I'm happy, angry, sad, need motivation or just sitting in plain thought, it's music that I can relate to the most. Even though there's nothing said, the emotional interaction you can have with your music is pure bliss. When your favourite song(s) start to play you just want to be taken to that part of space where it's just you and your music and all you want to do is let go of all your emotions and be free. It's something of a beauty, that. The chimerical affect of music is second to none. No matter how many times you listen to a beautiful melody, you're bound to get goosebumps; the feeling that something beautiful is bonding with your soul.

Music is the one thing I've seen that gets people from different backgrounds & different cultures to put aside their differences, issues, stress, and just enjoy in unison with everyones heart beats matching that of each other with the music!

A famous author (John Green) once said "Some people have lives; some people have music". Little did he know that life can be found in music! You just have to let go of all your inhibitions and enjoy the beauty that is MUSIC!