Tell us, did you grow up always knowing you wanted to produce? What made you want to start?
No actually, I grew up always thinking that I’d be a banker. Music production, for the first few years at least, was always a hobby for me – it only started getting serious for me when I was around 14, which was about the time when I began piano lessons, to learn how chords and scales worked.

Is there a song that you can say – this made me love electronic music?
Put Your Hands Up – Fedde Le Grand… I had heard of a couple of other house tracks before, but this was the one that turned me around from Happy Hardcore into the lovely genre of house!

How was your music discovered?
Well my music was discovered around 2-3 years ago. Around then, I had created a music profile on Reverbnation.com. Two weeks later, one of the interns from Atlantic emailed me, telling me that they were very interested in my music and would like to get in contact. Since then, I have been working with Big Beat Records (sub-label of Atlantic) and also Neon Records here in Australia.

Walden’s Brightness Sessions May 2012

Lots more from Walden after the jump!

Tell us about the influences on your music production.
I listen to all kinds of music, so I guess you could say that my sound is influenced by most genres. As far as the EDM scene goes though, I would say that the people who inspire me most would have to be, Axwell, Dirty South, Avicii, Fedde Le Grand, Alesso and Thomas Gold… just to name a few!

How has your music evolved over your production process?
When I first got into composing music, I was mostly using loops and samples, so the kind of music I produced varied a lot! Like, I might be making jazz using rhode samples in one project, but then in the next project I could be making something completely different. I only really got into dance music when I was 14, which was about the time when I started taking piano lessons, and learning how to produce my own sounds and chord progressions. The first proper club track that I had heard that truly inspired me was Fedde Le Grand’s ‘Put Your Hands Up For Detroit.’ I mean sure I had heard a lot of Daft Punk’s music (which by the way I still LOVE until this very day) before hand, along with some of the older Ministry Of Sound compilations, but for some reason, Fedde le Grand’s track was the one that really got me into producing house!

Since then, I’ve been jumping from genre to genre, ranging from tech house, to gritty electro, to big room piano house… I even went through a phase where I was making some really chill down tempo stuff. Recently however, my sound has been leaning more towards the progressive house sound, as you can tell from my most recent tracks (Brightness and my Marina & The Diamonds ‘Primadonna’ remix) though I do enjoy making the odd Electro track here and there.

What has been the most exciting thing to happen in your career thus far?
Being contacted by Atlantic/Big Beat records for sure! If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have had the exposure to the industry that I have right now.

Tell us about your future plans for your music? Any releases you are excited about?
Well I have a couple of new releases coming up soon that I am very excited about! finished up on a remix for Marina & The Diamonds (you can find a preview on my Soundcloud), which is due for a release on the 8th of May. Also recently finished a remix for Pete Tongs latest signing, Paper Crows – this mix, for me has a very different sound compared to what I normally produce, so I’m really looking forward to seeing peoples feedback on it (will put up preview soon). Also hoping to put out an original soon, not sure when but will keep you all posted!

For gigs, I am playing down in Melbourne this month on the 19th at Seven Nightclub, so very excited about that – apart from this though there are no other gigs planned as for the moment, I am concentrating mostly on my productions!

Tell us what’s on repeat on your iPod right now.
At the moment I’ve been listening a lot to records from Axtone and some of the new Avicii tracks (I find a lot of inspiration from these, as a house producer). Have also been enjoying some oldies from the 90′s and early 2000′s… Daft Punk in particular :)

If you weren’t a music producer you would be….
If I weren’t a DJ/music producer, I would probably be working somewhere really boring like finance, or maybe marketing (preferably marketing). To be honest when I was younger, the music industry was the last place I expected myself to end up!

The music video is a mash of 3D animation along with the ‘Spaceman’ from the original artwork released with the track. Spliced in with the animation is live footage from Hardwell’s uplifting shows. Let’s hope for a release of the vocal version soon? Thanks!

And here we go!

The Electric Daisy Carnival is finally upon us and about to take NYC by storm. In this extra special bonus sized weekend playlist we highlight several of the artists and tracks that will be the foundation of the festivals sound.

Pop on a pair of rave shades and crank up the volume…this is going to be one hell of a weekend!

The Weekend Playlist 5/17/12

1) Martin Solveig – The Night Out (Madeon Remix)
2) Porter Robinson – Language
3) Jochen Miller – Zodiac
4) Miike Snow – Devil’s Work (Dirty South Remix)
5) Markus Schulz & Denis Shepard – Go!
6) Afrojack & Shermanology – Can’t Stop Me
7) Funkagenda, Adam K – Drift
8) Cosmic Gate – Over the Rainbow
9) Markus Schulz & Jochen Miller – Rotunda
10) Ben Gold, Tritonal – Apex
11) Mark Knight, Tiesto, Dino – Beautiful World (Michael Woods Remix)
12) Nari & Milani – Atom
13) Sebastian Ingrosso, Alesso – Calling (Lose My Mind)
14) Hard Rock Sofa, Swanky Tunes – Apogee
15) Rank 1 & Jochen Miller – Wild & Perfect Day
16) Emma Hewitt – Colours (Armin van Buuren Remix)
17) Gareth Emery – Tokyo
18) Fedde Le Grand – Back & Forth
19) Phonat – Set Me Free (Avicii Remix)
20) John O’Callaghan – Find Yourself
21) Quintino – We Gonna Rock
22) Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano – Lethal Industry

The Weekend Playlist #56

Download: Click Here!

What better way to highlight this weekend’s “carnival” than with one of its headliners. This Friday the legendary Fatboy Slim will be taking the stage (KineticField) where he will probably play one of the stronger sets of the evening.

‘The Rockafeller Skank’ has stood the test of time since 1998, the year it first hit the airwaves. It’s pretty unbelievable when you think about it, as this track is nearly 15 years old! What makes this particular tune so unique is that the whole song is a collaboration of samples. The vocals are from ‘Vinyl Dog Vibe‘ by Vinyl Dogs and the song includes four other samples including ‘Sliced Tomatoes‘ by Northern Soul and ‘Beat Girl‘ by John Barry. This throwback is somewhat of a learning experience, right about now, the funk soul brother.

Fatboy Slim – The Rockafella Skank

Gossip – Perfect World (dBerrie Remix)

With the NY edition of Electric Daisy Carnival only one day away, the schedule is FINALLY here and you can start planning out your epic weekend.

Side note: Lavo will ALSO be holding some parties this weekend, namely Nicky Romero tonight and Calvin Harris Saturday evening. Be sure to check out the official EDC after parties as well.

Don’t forget to check out our EDC guides to EVERY SINGLE stage:
- EDC overview and all day Friday
- Saturday’s kinecticFIELD line-up
- Sunday’s kinecticFIELD line-up
- Saturday’s circuitGROUNDS (ASOT) line-up
- Sunday’s circuitGROUNDS (Jacked) line-up
- Saturday’s cosmicMEADOW (Size Matters) line-up
- Sunday’s cosmicMEADOW (Bassrush) line-up
- Saturday’s neonGARDEN (Carl Cox + Friends) line-up – COMING SOON
- Sunday’s neonGARDEN (Enter M_nus)

EDC is right around the corner, and chances are you still need that perfect outfit. Well you can stop right there, HOUS has all of the EDM apparel you need.

This new clothing line is the perfect resource for rage wear, and a rare brand that is truly dedicated to electronic dance music. But it’s not only about the clothes, share your passion for fashion and beats with others to let it truly become “your HOUS!”

We teamed up with HOUS to give away some shirts. Simply Enter Here and fill out the form and we will announce the winner tomorrow!

Tonight SexyTime, the east-meets-west collaborative project between California purple producer MiMosa and Brooklyn-based Sleepyhead, are holding their official album release party for their debut EP ‘Naked Poetry’. The EP was released on False Idol Musik on April 20 and has been gaining a lot of support. It covers an incredibly wide spectrum of EDM as a whole, featuring dubstep, glitch hop, hip hop, purple, and more.
If you’ve ever been to either artists’ live shows, you already know you’re in for a treat tonight. They have an inexplicable energy during performance, not to mention an epic light show.

It’s all going down at W.I.P. from 10pm-4am and is $10 with RSVP (girlsnboysnyc@gmail.com). Rounding out the bill are Monikkr and Girls & Boys resident DJ Alex English. Don’t forget to support SexyTime and buy their EP!

Just looking at the names above should send chills down the spine of anyone familiar with minimal and deep house. 5 label heads (Richie Hawtin’s M_Nus, Loco Dice’s Desolat, Dubfire’s SCI+TEC, Jamie Jones’ Hot Creations, and Seth Troxler’s Visionquest) will be playing in the same tent on the same day. 5! A remarkable booking for Insomniac Events. Before we delve further into the artists, don’t forget to check out some of our other EDC coverage, which has caused a decent pre-festival buzz…

- Sunday’s cosmicMEADOW line-up
- EDC overview and all day Friday
- Saturday’s kinecticFIELD line-up
- Sunday’s kinecticFIELD line-up
- Saturday’s circuitGROUNDS (ASOT) line-up
- Sunday’s circuitGROUNDS (Jacked) line-up

Get the full preview after the jump!

Who You Can’t Miss

Richie Hawtin – This may seem like the safe choice, considering his label is sponsoring the area and he will likely close the tent, but no one plays Richie’s breed of outrageous minimal techno. He is a pioneer of the scene and his sets are world-renowned. He is never disappointing…ever. He will likely be throwing out a bunch of unreleased tunes from his two newest signings, Hobo and Matador, who both absolutely demolished Miami during WMC.

Richie Hawtin – The Tunnel

Dubfire – One half of the grammy award winning duo Deep Dish, Dubfire has made his name by producing chrome black techno and putting on some of the longest and most intricate DJ sets around. He is a resident at New York’s District 36, and arguably the best techno producer in the game. Mentoring heavy hitters like Carlo Lio, Dubfire is who the entire EO crew is most excited to see at neonGarden. Any discerning house head will be able to hear Dubfire’s brand of techno from 2 tents away. It is unmistakable, and we mean that in the best sense of the word.

Radio Slave – Grindhouse (Dubfire Terror Planet Mix)

Under The Radar Performer

Magda- The queen of the underground, Magda has been an integral part of the scene for a very long time. Once signed to Richie Hawtin’s Minus label, Magda got her start as a teenager in Detroit and has been highly influenced by the Detroit techno sound. She is now based in Berlin and rarely appears stateside, unless it is a massive festival gig like Ultra Music Festival or Electric Daisy Carnival. A small woman who packs a massive punch, many festival goers might not be familiar with her name. But trust us…if you are lucky enough to hear her set, you will be running to catch her at every major EDM festival for the remainder of your days!

Magda – 48 Hour Crack In Your Bass

Who You Can Pass On

Victor Calderone- The easy answer is no one, but if we had to choose one act to pass on, it would be Victor Calderone. He seems way more fitted for the Friday Pacha tent along with the other residents. Although his tribal house is known far and wide, Victor is a New York inhabitant and anyone can see him anytime. He plays on average more than twice a month in the city. So skip out on Victor this time around and soak up some of the acts you do not get to see as often. After all, the #1 rated DJ/Producer in the world (as rated by Resident Advisor) is playing…aka Jamie Jones. So come to neonGarden for him under his Hot Natured alias.

What We Want to Hear

Loco Dice – La Bicicleta 

Hot Natured – Forward Motion

Dinky – Acid In My Fridge (Visionquest Remix)

Be sure to check back tomorrow for our last EDC guide post!

We are no longer surprised by the brilliance coming from the Dada factory, everything they touch turns to slimey, meaty gold in the best way. Even Bieber’s teen friendly sugar coated candy beats come out the end of the fattener encased in Dada magic. They can do no evil.

Justin Bieber – Boyfriend (Dada Life Remix)

Here’s the latest from Wolfgang Gartner.

While everyone seems to be copying the Nicky Romero ‘Toulouse‘ sound (including Romero,) Gartner looks to be sticking to a much stricter electro sound. Not the glitchy, fidget sound that got him popular, but a Deadmau5-inspired electro hybrid.

Kind of hard to explain. It’s just not ‘Toulouse!’

No release information available yet.

PREVIEW: Wolfgang Gartner – Flexx

Earlier today, Avicii announced a lineup of supporting DJ’s to join his Levels tour this summer. Gareth Emery, Chuckie, Arty, Morgan Page, CAZZETTE, Pleasurekraft and Swanky Tunes will all be joining the tour.

Tickets for the tour are currently on sale at Ticketmaster and AviciiLive.com.

Tour Dates with the supporting DJ lineup after the jump!

AVICII LE7ELS 2012 TOUR DATES
June 7 / Tampa, FL @ Tampa Bay Times Forum w/ Gareth Emery & Cazzette
June 8 / Miami, FL @ AmericanAirlines Arena w/ Chuckie & Pleasurekraft
June 14 / Pittsburgh, PA @ CONSOL Energy Center w/ Arty & Pleasurekraft
June 15 / Boston, MA @ TD Garden w/ Morgan Page & Pleasurekraft
June 16 / Atlantic City, NJ @ Revel – Ovation Hall w/ Cazzette & Pleasurekraft
June 20 / Buffalo, NY @ First Niagara Center w/ Arty & Cazzette
June 21 / Quebec City, QB @ Colisee Pepsi w/ Arty & Cazzette
June 22 / Montreal, QB @ Bell Centre w/ Arty & Cazzette
June 26 / Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre w/ Chuckie & Cazzette
June 28 / San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium w/ Cazzette
July 3 / Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome w/ Chuckie & Swanky Tunes
July 4 / Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Centre w/ Chuckie & Swanky Tunes
July 6 / Vancouver, BC @ PNE’s Pacific Coliseum w/ Chuckie & Swanky Tunes