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HIPSTER OVERKILL EDITOR / DJ / PRODUCER, d.painter, breaks down his top picks for 2K11
BIGGEST DANCE TUNES
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BREAK OUT ARTIST OF 2011 |
AVICII
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Avicii came out of nowhere in 2K11 and packed venues worldwide. What separates him from my runner up pics is that his 2 major hits, the filter disco remake “Feelings For You” and Progressive monster hit “Le7els” (which was sampled for Flo Rida’s “Good Feeling”), were heard at raves, indie parties, and bottle service clubs everywhere. He has the ability to gain acceptance by a wide range of DJ’s and, ultimately, crowds. 2012 should see him as one of the top ten draws and headliners in the world.
RUNNER UPS: Skrillex, Dada Life, Porter Robinson, Alvin Risk, Knife Party, Jamie XX, R3hab, Bare, SBTRKT, Mord Fustang, Dillon Francis
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BEST ALBUM |
NERO
WELCOME REALITY
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Nero transcends genre and are sometimes pigeon holed by their “Dubstep” categorization. Want proof, simply listen to Welcome Reality, a triumph of a debut album that was launched by the success of the single “Promises” which reached #1 on the UK charts (an amazing feet for a non commercial song). Futuristic in style, going far beyond the title, the songs feel as cinematic as they are dancefloor driven. Down tempo Electronica, Drum N Bass, Dubstep, and Indie Electro are merged seamlessly and don’t derail even when vocal samples from The Jets and Hall & Oates are thrown in the mix. Albums typically expose the achillies heal of Electronic producers but Nero pass with flying colors.
Runner Up: Kid Cudi - Man In The Moon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager
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MOST SURPRISING CROSSOVER |
CALVIN HARRIS
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How did this happen?!? While LMFAO had a lock on commercial Dance, Calvin entered the year with the female friendly club fav “Bounce” featuring Kelis. He just ended the year by producing Rihanna’s pop banger “We Found Love”, making him an unlikely candidate for 2012 chart topper.
Runner Up: Afrojack (Pitbull “Give Me Everything”, Chris Brown “Look At Me Now”). No surprise here, who didn’t see this coming after “Take Over Control” last year.
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BIGGEST LEAP |
STEVE AOKI
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After years as a respected DJ and tastemaker, the LA legend earned his ranking as a producer and chart climber. A string of releases including “Turbulance”, “Wake Up Call”, “No Beef”, “Earthquakey People”, “Tornado”, and “Ladi Dadi pt. 2” have put him in that rare class of selectors who only have to play their own music.
Runner Up: Bart B More
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LIVEST DJ(S) |
EC TWINS
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I see A LOT of shows and nobody gives the crowd more energy than the EC Twins. The LA based by way of the U.K. brothers took off in Hollywood last year and conquered residencies in Vegas, NY, LA, and Miami throughout 2K11 thanks to their over the top performances that coerce you to try to jump and sweat as much as they are. Check out their song releases on Beatport.com
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BEST MIX CD [not made by me] |
REID SPEED
BLAST OFF
[DOWNLOAD HERE] |
Pure rave bliss. A DJ's love letter to D-N-B and the new generation of Bass. |
BEST HOT STREAK
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FEDDE LE GRAND
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Fedde LeGrand seemed doomed to have peaked with his 2008 smash “Puth Your Hands Up For Detroit” but this year he shattered that assumption 3 times! He may not have been hyped like Skrillex and Afrojack but the producer topped Beatport with songs including the Techno banger “Metrum”, Housey “So Much Love”, and was tapped to do the official remix for Coldplay’s lead single “Paradise” from their latest album, never once falling back on the overdone styles of his Dutch homeland.
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BEST BOOTY CALL SOUNDTRACK |
THE WEEKEND
any of his 3 albums in 2011
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If Michael Jackson's crotch grabs could sing they would sound like this. [does that make sense?] What I mean is if the sexuality expressed through MJ's performances was represented in his lyrics he probably would have recorded Echos Of Silence. Toronto's R&B newcomer inherited Michael's signature verge of tears trembling falsetto which drips hyper sexual lyrics (akin to The Dream) over sexy digital soul tracks so good they would make Stuart Matthewman (Sade) and Noah 40 (Drake) check their hard drives for missing beats. He's an underground sensation but he is in league with mainstreamers like Drake and Jeremih. Hard enough for a thug but deep enough for a hipster.
Download his 3 albums of 2011, House of Baloons, Thursday, and Echos Of Silence on his website The-Weekend.com |
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER |
SKRILLEX
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People have been very curious as to how Skrillex reached such high heights in the span of this past year. Being the inquisitive person I am I have pondered and put together my own theory detailing the elements that produced such a huge name in 2K11, proving that he is the perfect example of preparation meets timing. Anatomy of an EDM Posterboy Talent – Let’s not ignore the obvious, he’s talented. First and foremost he broke throughwith a clean, aggressive and identifiable style that crosses Dubstep, Electroand Progressive enabling him to appeal to Dance fans, Headbangers, men andwomen alike. Friends – Deadmau5 put him on. This can only be likened to Dre’s unveiling of Eminem or Eminem’s endorsement of a young 50 Cent. Not to mention, the LA Dubstep royalty had his back 100%. Politics – Skrillex had one thing that virtually no otherDance artists had: the backing of a major label (Atlantic Records). Most Dance producers are typically freelance, releasing through small indie labels with the occasional big release through UltraRecords. Outside of 90’s acts such as Moby and Massive Attack, none of the new generation can boast a direct link to a major. This connection is what surely gained him the clout and votes to be nominated beyond the dance category in this year’s Grammy awards. Musician – Let’s not forget that he was previously known for work as a vocalist and guitarist with the band From First To Last as well as several solo projects. This background has given him credibility in mainstream media which has historically been prejudice towards electronic producers, whom they typically refuse to hold in the same esteem as Rock, Urban, or Pop artists. Nationality – EDM has been traditionally a European artform. Best believe Rolling Stone and MTV realize this. Even most North American acts that break huge have typically come from Canada (i.e. Deadmau5, MSTRKRFT, Chromeo, etc.). Skrillex’s U.S. roots have made him the perfect artist for American media to grab hold of in the year EDM broke through. Timing – Indie Dance began buzzing in the mid 2000’s. Electro broke the mainstream in 2009, Dubstep infiltrated Middle America in 2010 making the next gen rave army complete! In 2011 Dance ruled with Electric Daisy becoming the largest music fest in the States and acts likeSwedish House Mafia and Tiesto single handedly headlining arenas typically reserved for major Rock bands. Mainstream media was finally forced to bow down to the movement and pay respect in the form full artist profiles, airing videos, and dedicating coverstories (see Spin magazine’s September issue). With prominent American based acts like Kaskade having been around for 10+ years already they needed a new face for the movement. Enter Skrillex. Timing is everything!
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BEST REMIXER |
JAMIE XX
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The XX band member gained solo fame when he began releasing downtempo style remixes at the end of 2010, most notably for the late Gil Scott Heron's remix album We’re New Here. He won every blog and DJ over with his Hip-Hop style flip of the biggest song of the year, Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep”, then kept the momentum going with work for Radiohead and even an original track on Drake’s new album.
Runners Up: Alvin Risk, SBTRKT
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MORE BEST OF...
MOST UBIQUITOUS SONG - LMFAO "PARTY ROCK ANTHEM"
BEST DUBSTEP TRACK - FLUX PAVILION "BASS CANNON"
BEST NEW SOUND - MOOMBAHTON, DRUMSTEP
BEST MOOMBAHTON TRACK - DILLON FRANCIS "I.D.G.A.F.O.S."
SOUNDS COMING BACK IN 2012 - HIP-HOP, TECHNO, DOWNTEMPO
BEST MUSICAL TREND - ADELE REMIXES
BEST WEBSITE - PROJECT FREE TV (www.free-tv-video-online.me/)
BEST MEDIA BLITZ - CHARLIE SHEEN MELTDOWN
BEST CLUB BANGER - ANY VERSION OF JAY-Z & KANYE WEST'S "NIGGAS IN PARIS"
MY PERSONAL FAVORITE PROGRESSIVE TRACK - ADRIAN LUX "TEENAGE CRIME" *all 3 versions
BEST TV SHOWS - LOUIE, AMERICAN HORROR STORY, THE BORGIAS
BEST PARTIES - THE DO OVER (LA), FACE OFF (DC), DIM MAK TUESDAYS (LA)
BEST MOVIES - DRIVE, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, BRIDESMAIDS
CHECK OUT d.painter's OFFICIAL SITE AND TWITTER
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BEST OF 2011 :: ALL-STAR EDITION
HipsterOverkill brings you an Insiders look back on 2011featuring lists by 12th Planet, EC Twins, Bare, Skeet Skeet, Tittsworth, Munchi, Reid Speed, Vaski, and some of the top players in the Dance and Indie music scene.
[READ HERE] |
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