Beatportal Content Feed

written by Terry Church

Electronic dance music is enjoying its most successful period ever, whether you measure it in terms of commercial success, cultural credibility, or simply the diversity of music available across the spectrum from pop crossover to underground niche. Now, this Sunday, there’s a chance that EDM will make history once again. For the first time, an artist from electronic dance music’s ranks has been nominated for the Grammys’ Best New Artist award.

We’re talking about Skrillex, of course, who faces off against Bon Iver, J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, and The Band Perry in vying for the honor. The Best New Artist nomination is just one of Skrillex’s five nominations—the others include Best Dance Recording, Best Dance/Electronica Album, Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical, and Best Short-Form Music Video—but it’s undoubtedly the one with the highest stakes, not just for his own career, but for the mainstream profile of electronic dance music in general.

Whatever the outcome, the Recording Academy has clearly decided that electronic dance music’s time has arrived. As part of the ceremonies this Sunday, there’ll be a dance tent set up outside the Staples Center, where the awards are being held, featuring performances from Deadmau5, David Guetta, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, and, bizarrely, the Foo Fighters.

Tune in Sunday, February 12 at 8:30pm Pacific time (11:30pm ET) to watch the festivities; see grammy.com for more information.

written by Beatportal

Commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the death of Fad Gadget founder Frank Tovey, Mute, NP Contemporary Art Center, and Envoy Enterprises are launching an exhibition dedicated to the life and work of the groundbreaking electronic musician.

The group show and performance series runs from March 1 until April 8 at various locations in New York, and features a diverse list of artists including Fischerspooner, Ike Yard, Olaf Breuning, Xeno & Oaklander, Edwin Pouncey, and others. (See here for a complete program schedule.)

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written by Beatportal

This week’s essential listening includes new cuts from Nick Curly, The Scumfrog, Felix Cartal, ZZT, Nicky Romero, Feed Me & Gemini, Scuba, Deetron, and more. Read on to check out our editors’ must-hear tracks across 18 different genres and subgenres.

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written by Beatportal

written by mferry

Beatport Live goes big with a set from Soul People Music owner and Black Jazz Consortium creator Fred P. He’s on the decks at our Berlin office right now, bringing you the deepest shades of house. Don’t miss this special set, streaming live right here.

See Ustream.tv/beatport for more Beatport Live sessions, including sets from Catz ‘n Dogz, Morgan Page, Mano Le Tough, Samples, DNAE beats and more.

written by BeatportSean

written by Caleb Rakes

In a continuation of our Black History Month coverage, we spotlight the careers of some of the artists whose work best expresses the overlap between popular music and black culture. Read on to explore the music of Ron Hardy, Frankie Knuckles, Funkadelic, Lee Scratch Perry, and more.

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written by Beatportal

You probably didn’t see this one coming: the Norwegian nu-disco dons Todd Terje, Lindstrom, and Prins Thomas have taken on two Roxy Music classics. Usually, edits of tunes this hallowed are resigned to the bootleg bin, but this is a legit release courtesy Virgin UK, making us feel like we should send fresh flowers to someone in the A&R department over there, in a show of appreciation. (It can’t hurt that Bryan Ferry has a well-documented love of dance music, of course.)

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written by Philip Sherburne

Celebrated this week are the anniversaries for both the birth and death of one of the most revered and inspiring producers in all of hop hop. J Dilla (born James Dewitt Yancey on February 7, 1974) died February 10, 2006, at the age of 32, of complications due to the combination of the autoimmune disease, Lupus and the rare blood disease TTP (thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura). His passing was a tragic loss, but his legacy lives on, continuing to inspire musicians and listeners around the world.

J Dilla’s hometown of Detroit, Michigan pays its respects and celebrates its hero this Friday, on the sixth anniversary of his death with Dilla Day Detroit. Featuring Busta Rhymes, Jay Electronica, Phife Dawg, Danny Brown, DJ J-ROcc, and more, the event marks the launch of the Yancey Media Group, responsible for the forthcoming Rebirth Of Detroit, an anthology of the producer’s work; proceeds from the event will support the J Dilla Foundation, which funds music-education programs in urban communities. Parallel events are scheduled in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, St. Louis, Atlanta, and Baltimore.

In remembrance of the late producer, we’ve put together a series of videos showcasing his work. Read on to check them out.

Happy birthday, Dilla! We miss you.

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written by BeatportSean

Of the many exports of the gem state, one I would have least expected is quality live electronica. Idaho’s Shades, a four-man outfit, is at the forefront of the burgeoning (really) Boise scene, and their debut release, Clear Motions (Synthemesc Recordings) caught the ears of everyone that heard it coming down the content pipeline a few weeks back. It’s heated haze-wave to the core and is the perfect soundtrack to the upcoming summer season. Lucky for us, the guys had a few minutes to talk about their live act, their take on the modern electronic scene, and their plans for 2012. Read on for more!

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written by mferry

Dance music is universal, but its roots overwhelmingly reach back to black cultures and their musical traditions around the world. Funk and soul are the source of disco, house, hip-hop, electro, jungle, even techno, and despite dance music’s global reach, many of its key innovations originated in black communities in cities like Chicago, Detroit, New York, and London. In recognition of Black History Month, we highlight some of the innovative icons who shaped the music, as well as the artists connecting today’s EDM with its roots in black culture.

Today, we offer guides to disco, neo soul, hip-hop, dub, and Afrofuturism—read on, and explore some essential dance-music history.

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written by Beatportal

This week, our editors wax ecstatic over new releases from Goth-Trad, Jacob Korn, Tropic of Cancer, and a new mix of classic dub reggae. From chilly post-punk to deep house, you can go either way--either luxuriate in the freezing temperatures out there, or dream of sunnier days.

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written by Beatportal

Young Muscovite Latecomer is just one from a batch of talented Russian producers that are currently putting their own spin on house music, a crew that counts Nina Kraviz, Vakula and Anton Zap amongst them. The multi-instrumentalist, singer, and producer was discovered in 2011 by Motor City Drum Ensemble, and eagle-eyed house pundits ought to be familiar with the name--MCDE introduced him to the masses with the inclusion of the track “Cosmic Cart” in his celebrated DJ-Kicks compilation last summer.

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written by beatportchristine