Some week it’s been for hip-hop huh? On Sunday Jay-Z announced a partnership with Samsung to release his next studio effort Magna Carta Holy Grail, today we received new albums from the likes of Kanye West, J. Cole, Mac Miller, and Statik Selekah, and now Eminem drops this bomb on us out of nowhere. Em had hinted at some some new music recently, but we now have a sample of what to expect from him on his next project. Although the track is only 90 seconds in length, it serves as a nice appetizer for what we hope will shape up to be a spectacular seventh studio album. Check out “Symphony In H” above, and look out DJ Tony Touch‘s new mixtape Piecemaker 3: The Return Of The 50 MCs dropping July 9th, which will feature this song along with new cuts from artists like Raekwon, Action Bronson, Black Thought and more.
“Strawberry Bubblegum” was easily one of our favorite tracks off of Justin Timberlake‘s eclectic album, The 20/20 Experience. Starting as a soft and seductive bedroom anthem, French producer Allure recently put his spin on it to provide us with a fresh take on the sultry number. Speeding things up with some thumping bass and adding in some synth flair for good measure, Allure is able to elevate the track to a whole new level of smooth. As you listen to the electronic masterpiece, there’s no doubt you’ll be tempted to instantly jump out of your seat and start grooving to the beat on your nearest table, desk, or (insert any other flat surface). Check out the tune above, and make sure to head to Allure’s Facebook page to treat yourself to a FREE download.
The summertime is made for those songs that you can play loud in the sun, and Sourface has dropped another smooth remix for the season. This time around, the UK-born producer provides a silky instrumental to Little Brother's "Welcome To Durham". In typical Sourface fashion, he's flipped the sample of Tony Wilson's "Lay Next To You" and created a whole new style and vibe for this track. Currently residing in Toronto, Sourface continues to make dope instrumentals and remixes to add to his previous ones of artists such as Jay Z and Nas that have seen him gain major underground recognition. Keep your eyes and ears locked onto Earmilk for any new music from Sourface.
Tiësto is a superstar whose taste we have watched ebb and flow throughout his career. Currently at the crossroads of club hits, festival jumpers and mainstream radio, the Dutch producer has come a long way from his start in the early heyday of trance. Those who follow Tij have looked forward to his hand-picked annual compilation series CLUB LIFE, which unlike many dance music albums is an unmixed assortment that features a combination of greatest hits from the past year and new exclusive tracks. This year’s edition, CLUB LIFE Vol 3: Stockholm, seeks to embody the city it represents (as Miami and Vegas did), and serve as a marker of the trends we’ve seen and the anthems will see for the rest of the year. Like Tiësto’s current style and the dance music community as a whole, this album feels like it’s standing at an intersection deciding which direction to take: Mainstream? Electro? Trance? CLUB LIFE Vol 3: Stockholm offers us them all, leaving the listener to decide what route to take.
Tiësto unveiled multiple singles ahead of schedule. While many of his tracks on the compilation may be familiar to fans, including remixes of mega-hits “Clarity,” “Sweet Nothing,” and “I Love It,” these new releases are all original collaborations. Now the productions are out today on multiple platforms as both singles and on the album.
As the leadoff track from the compilation, “Paradise” teams up with Revealed Recordings whiz kid Dyro. With surging electro arpeggios, the track breaks down into a lyricless guitar riff that eventually evolves into a tried and tested Tiësto formula of big-room happy melodies.
The first single off the compilation entitled "Take Me" features the vocals of indie electronic singer-songwriter Kyler England, and is probably the most reminiscent of what was successful on the previous edition of Club Life Miami. England's vocals on "Take Me" have the most depth on the album and also have the most seamless pairing with the instrumental breaks, allowing this to really sound like one full well-done composition.
One of the impressive qualities about the CLUB LIFE series is the faith it gives to new talent. Any compilation with such great exposure could potentially catapult a young artist into stardom, and serves as a place where greats like Tiesto can put their support behind artists. One of the standout tracks on Stockholm is a collaboration between Tij and a young Colombian producer named Moska. Using his seemingly innate sense for trance and electro house, Moska helped to remix an absolute classic with its original producer which is a huge honor. The new take on "Century" is different, and doesn't go too far to take away the good elements from the original.
On “Shocker” with DJ Punish, listeners are given an original that fits the vibe to many of Tiësto’s 2013 finales: an anthemic build that drops into a flurry of electro bleeps, with a synth melody reminiscent of Quintino's still relevant 2011 hit “Epic”.
On “Back To The Acid”, Tiësto teams up with fellow Dutch producer MOTI, dropping an acid-influenced bassline groove. The track spirals downward before a repeating vocal sample eventually pulls back the bouncy rhythm – a nice experiment from a seasoned vet.
Compilation records are always an interesting artist study. Whether you enjoy this album or not, it's safe to say this is a snapshot of musical history with Tiësto's signature on it.
Full Tracklisting:
Looking ahead to our Lightning in a Bottle pre-party in San Francisco on Friday June 21st, we interviewed one of our headliners and previous LIB artists, VibeSquaD. Check out the full interview below, and join us in SF on Friday. If you live closer to Los Angeles, we are also having a LA LIB pre-party the day after, on Saturday!
SF LIB Pre-party: 
LA LIB Pre-party:
The Do LaB: Thanks for taking the time to do this short interview with us. Are there plans for new Vibesquad material in the works?
VibeSquaD: “Yes. I am about to release a bunch of stuff starting with numerous singles over the next few months that are the result of collaborations w/ various artists and producer friends of mine. A new full length VibeSquaD album is in the final stretches, probably August release. I have been playing guitar and bass and experimenting a good amount. I’m really excited about the new material.”
The Do LaB: Who is your favorite artist to collaborate with?
VibeSquaD: “There have been a bunch ill Gates, Dirty MF, Izza Kizza, Project Aspect. I’m currently working on tracks w/ Love & Light, Michal Menert, and some others. I really enjoy collaborating these days. For years I’ve exclusively worked by myself.”
Check out VibeSquaD’s latest collab track with Project Aspect below.
The Do LaB: If you had the chance to see one act live in concert that you never had the chance to see , who would it be and why?
VibeSquaD: “Thats a hard hypothetical question to single out 1 artist. Bob Marley. For acts that i still might be able to see live, Radiohead, i’m really late to the party on that but last year had “in Rainbows” on repeat.”
The Do LaB: Outside of music, what are you most passionate about?
VibeSquaD: “I spend a lot of time with my family doing fun things like camping, hiking, mountain biking. I recently got into road biking and I have been riding a lot!”
The Do LaB: How has becoming a father influenced your work as an artist?
VibeSquaD: “I love being a dad. I spend lots of time w/ my sons and it has a positive effect on all of my other work.”
There you have it loyal readers… a little insight into one of our favorite artists, who’s also been a part of LIB for years.
We hope you’ll join us in San Francisco and Los Angeles for our two Lightning in a Bottle pre-parties this weekend!
After releasing his second LP, Reunion, two months ago, Allure a.k.a. Lorris Piasco comes back to enliven this summer by launching an unofficial remix of Justin Timberlake's "Strawberry Bubblegum". Whereas Justin Timberlake just launched his new album, The 20/20 Experience, it's nice to discover the way Lorris transports us through this remix of one title of Timberlake's new opus.
The "Little Prince" of French electro brilliantly revisits the song with his own funky electro touch, keeping the funky-pop soul of the original. According to Lorris, "Strawberry Bubblegum", one of his favorite tracks from Timberlake album, gives him the opportunity to reconnect more with summer ambiance, and he will take inspiration of that ambiance for his future music productions.
Stream and download Allure's "Strawberry Bubblegum" remix:
And only for you dear EARMILK fans, here is an exclusive download of "Insomnia", an original track by Allure extracted from his second album Reunion!
Upcoming Allure Gigs:
After delivering on emotional pop ballads like “Stay” and “Pull Me Down,” Nashville native Mikky Ekko aims for a much more uplifting tone with his latest single. Produced by Benny Blanco and John Hill, “Kids” is a grand affair, with pop sensibilities that instantly bring to mind Colorado band, OneRepublic. The track revolves around the stubbornness of adolescence and how kids will jump into things without any regard for the consequences. Basically, it’s all about having pure, unadulterated fun. It’s the type of song that we could easily see catching on with the general public to help catapult Ekko towards further stardom, which means we’ll finally have a song we like on the radio. Check out the “sweet harmony” of “Kids” above and make sure to pick up the single when it finally releases on August 13th.
For nearly a year now the talented young Irish producer, known as Bear//Face, has been creating stunning electronic music fabricated between the sounds of downtempo and trap music. Every song seems to flow vibrantly in and out of itself. There is no question why he's creating a swift following on soundcloud already.
After mass praise for his original track "Taste My Sad," as well as a plethora of remixes from massive artists including Justin Timberlake, Jeremih, and A$AP Rocky; Bear//Face again takes a stab at one already majestically produced track "The Duo" by Atu that features Sango. Bear//Face remixes "The Duo" into what can only be described as a hip hop producer's 5AM dreamscape. This is deep, night music with a heavy hip hop vibe that'll keep you pressing play over and over.
I'm not usually one for the more "poppy" side of music—I mean, yes I like Hot Chip, and CHVRCHES or MSMR, and I do have a sweet spot for Katy Perry (although that may be for reasons other than her music), but...
I guess long story short I'm not a fan of Pop music. It makes me cringe more often than not, if I'm allowed to be bluntly honest, and perhaps it's this disposition that makes it so impressive to me that I enjoyed ILIA DARLIN's song "We Do What We Like" so much. As with any "poppy" song, I'm not in it for the lyrics, and as with any song of this ilk, there aren't many lyrics to pull from. But I am in it for the subtle joy I get in dancing stupidly to music, and this song is perfect for that.
It's the type of music that grabs you with it's catchiness and rewards your attention with crisp vocals that sound like an odd combo of Pat Benatar, Madonna and Ke$ha, which is refreshing considering how well that vocal cocktail nestles in with the song's theatrics. It's a jolly tune, all in all, and the video is odd enough for me to respect its DIY aesthetic. Keep an eye on this chick in the future.