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As festival season — or at least the season of festival lineups dropping — moves into high gear, the Caribbean destination fest SXM Festival has announced its 2023 artist roster.
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Touching down on the island of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten this March 8-12 will be a high-caliber posse of house and techno stars including Marco Carola, DJ Tennis and Carlita performing together as Astra Club, a set from Francesca Lombardo, Dubfire Yokoo, Camelphat Mochaak and Gordo, the artist formerly known as Carnage. (The latter three were also included on Tuesday’s 2023 Coachella lineup.)
Since launching in 2016, SXM has drawn fans from more than 35 countries. The five-day festival happens at locations throughout the island, a territory of both France and The Netherlands, in venues including a private jungle and beach area, a villa and a beach club. Additionally, limited capacity “satellite” events will take place on the peak of Sint Maarten’s highest mountain at sunset, along with a boat party cruising through the Caribbean’s largest lagoon and a catamaran cruise.
In 2017, after the island was devastated by Hurricane Irma — which left an estimated 95% of the French side of the island destroyed — SXM organizers collected more than $38,000 for the relief effort. The event was one of the few festivals to happen in 2020 before the pandemic shut down the live events space, and after a postponed 2021 event also due to the pandemic, returned to Saint Martin/Sint Maarten in 2022.
The love for its island home continue through SXM’s focus on leaving a smaller footprint and helping replenish the area’s natural environments via initiatives that include going paperless, saving energy with LED and solar lights, and eliminating plastic waste throughout the festival.
Tickets for SXM Festival 2023 are on sale now.
Coachella season is officially upon us. After weeks of swirling rumors about who’d be filling out the 2023 lineup, the desert’s most hyped music festival on Tuesday (Jan. 10) announced its 2023 lineup.
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In addition to headliners Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK and Frank Ocean, there is of course, as always, a robust slate of dance/electronic artists on the bill. Key players include Calvin Harris, who hasn’t played Coachella since his mainstage slot back in 2014, the Coachella debut of Eric Prydz’s massively hyped (and with good reason) HOLO show, a set from Deadmau5′ TESTPILOT alter-ego, along with genre pioneers The Chemical Brothers, whose last Coachella appearance was back in 2011.
Notably, Harris’ name currently appears at the bottom of the bill, signifying that festival organizers have not yet decided on which day of the fest the Scottish superstar will play the show. Last year, Swedish House Mafia initially appeared in this area of the lineup poster as well, until the group replaced Ye as the event’s Sunday night co-headliner, along with The Weeknd.
The finer print of the Coachella 2023 bill features a crew of major dance players, including a reunion from Sasha & Digweed, Alison Wonderland’s Whyte Fang project, actor/DJ/heartthrob Idris Elba, Danish sensations WhoMadeWho and LP Giobbi.
Coachella has two stages dedicated exclusively to dance music, with the Yuma tent providing a club-style space for house and techno, while the massive Sahara Tent hosts more commercial sounds, with the genre also spread out between the festival’s other stages. The festival’s Do Lab stage also annually hosts its own three-day slate of electronic artists, with that companion lineup — which typically includes a few massive surprise sets — to drop in the coming months.
Here’s when the electronic acts are playing at this year’s festival:
Friday, April 14 & 21
The Chemical Brothers
Kaytranada
Yves Tumor
TESTPILOT
Maceo Plex
Jamie Jones
Malaa
Whyte Fang (Alison Wonderland)
Idris Elba
Vintage Culture
Dombresky
Nora En Pure
Uncle Waffles
Mochakk
Dennis Cruz
PAWSA
Oliver Koletzki
Chris Stussy
Saturday April 15 & 22
Eric Prydz Presents HOLO
Underworld
SOFI TUKKER
Chromeo
Mura Masa
Tale Of Us
Yaeji
Elderbrook
Kenny Beats
Keinemusic
Hot Since 82
Monolink
Nia Archives
Jan Blomqvist
WhoMadeWho
DJ Tennis + Carlita
Mathame
Chloé Caillet
Francis Mercier
Sunday April 16 & 23
Porter Robinson
Fisher
Chris Lake
Jai Wolf
Boris Brejcha
2manydjs
Sasha & John Digweed
Camelphat
LP Giobbi
MK
Adam Beyer
Big Wild
Romy
TSHA
Cassian
Gordo
Beloved UK dance pop duo Everything But the Girl shocked fans on Tuesday morning (Jan. 10) when they announced that their first album in 24 years, Fuse, will drop on April 21. The good news about the 10-track album was accompanied by the collection’s first single, the bouncy, jazzy burner “Nothing Left to Lose.”
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The surprise from “Missing” duo producer/singer Ben Watt and vocalist Tracey Thorn marked the pair’s return to the spotlight after going on an indefinite hiatus in 2000. “Ironically the finished sound of the new album was the last thing on our mind when we started in March 2021,” Thorn said in a statement about the project written and produced by the duo over the spring and summer of 2021.
“Of course, we were aware of the pressures of such a long-awaited comeback, so we tried to begin instead in a spirit of open-minded playfulness, uncertain of the direction, receptive to invention,” she added. The album is described as a “modern take on the lustrous electronic soul” the band pioneered in the mid-1990s, with Watt’s “glimmering landscape of sub-bass, sharp beats, half-lit synths and empty space” bumping up against Thorn’s “affecting and richly textured” vocals.
The album was recorded in secret at home and a small riverside studio outside Bath, England with their friend/engineer Bruno Ellingham behind the boards. “It was exciting. A natural dynamism developed. We spoke in short-hand, and little looks, and co-wrote instinctively,” said Watt in the statement about the sound that focused on “ambient sound montages and improvised spectral piano loops” recorded by Watt on his iPhone at home during the pandemic lockdown. “It became more than the sum of our two selves. It just became Everything But The Girl on its own’.
What began small then grew into the finished product that also inspired the new album’s title. “After so much time apart professionally, there was both a friction and a natural spark in the studio when we began,” said Thorn. “However much we underplayed it at the start, it was like a fuse had been lit. And it ended in a kind of coalescence, an emotional fusion. It felt very real and alive.”
After forming in Kingston Upon Hull in 1982 Thorn and Watt scored four top 10 singles in the UK, including their signature song, “Missing,” which hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to a beloved Todd Terry remix. The couple, who married in 2009, released solo material during their hiatus, including four albums from Thorn, a movie soundtrack for The Falling and four non-fiction books and three solo albums from Watt.
See the full track list and watch the “Nothing Left to Lose” video below.
Fuse track ilst:
“Nothing Left to Lose”
“Run a Red Light”
“Caution to the Wind”
“When You Mess Up”
“Time and Time Again”
“No One Knows We’re Dancing”
“Lost”
“Forever”
“Interior Space”
“Karaoke”
New year, new Diplo — or a new version of a past version of Diplo…or something.
On Friday (Jan. 6), the producer further teased his already announced collaboration with Kodak Black and Koe Wetzel, “Wasted.” An extension of Diplo’s country project, Thomas Wesley (his given name), the teaser features an urgently strummed guitar over images from the forthcoming music video.
The clip shows Diplo driving a speedboat at breakneck speeds with Black riding shotgun and Wetzel in the back. “Met up with some friends in Florida,” the producer captioned the video, a shout out to his home state.
Other decidedly Floridian imagery in the clip includes bottles of beer, jorts, watersports, bonfires and Diplo in a lawn chair strumming an acoustic guitar stamped with image of the American flag. Diplo previously shared behind the scenes footage from the boat that included another preview of “Wasted” at the tail end of 2022.
The track marks Diplo’s first collaboration with Black and the Texas-born outlaw country artist Wetzel. “Wasted” also marks a return to country for Diplo, who released his debut album in the genre, Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley, Chapter 1: Snake Oil, in 2020.
The lead single from the album, the Morgan Wallen-assisted collaboration “Heartless,” spent 39 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 29. The album, which also included collaborations with Leon Bridges, Noah Cyrus, Cam, Zac Brown, Julia Michaels and more, spent 25 weeks on the Billboard 200, and peaked at No. 50.
Watch the clip from “Wasted” below.
And we’re back, baby. As we ease into the new year, the dance world is coming hot out the gates with a week of action dominated by the Return of Skrillex via a pair of new tracks (more on that below) and the announcement of his first solo album in nine (NINE!) years. The one and only Sonny Moore also played a very hot, extremely sold out b2b2b last night in London with fellow greats Fred again.. and Four Tet.
Beyond that — there is, of course, always new music. Ready for 2023? Let’s dig in.
Tiësto, “Lay Low”
While most tech house producers mine ‘90s and 2000s R&B hits to craft killer club hooks, Dutch hero Tiêsto digs into the amber-hued harmonies of the ‘60s to bring a haunting bit of bass-driven atmosphere. “Lay Low” is both fiercely modern and nostalgic, pitting a deep vocoder against an angelic chorus that feels reminiscent of The Mamas & The Papas. It’s a song about having “a real good time” set in a minor key, pulling at your heartstrings while encouraging you to close your eyes and get lost on the dancefloor. It’s a real winter mood to kick off Tiësto’s 2023. Let it warm you to the bone. – KAT BEIN
Skrillex, “Way Back”
We’ve gotten more solo Skrillex action in the past seven days than the past few years combined, with the producer announcing his forthcoming album project on New Year’s Day, then stoking the fires of internet hype by following that news with the new Fred again.. and Flowdan collab “Rumble,” then a b2b2b set in London with Fred and former collaborator Four Tet. And now, we have another new single: “Way Back.” Clearly extremely comfortable working with collaborators, the track unites Skrill with viral electro-pop phenomenon PinkPantheress and star rapper Trippie Redd. But whereas “Rumble” explored the murkiest realms of the low end, this one is nearly effervescent, with a bouncy production evoking D&B and finishing with a warm sax solo that once again demonstrates there’s little Skrillex can’t do. — KATIE BAIN
Alex Lustig feat. Sølv, “Fade”
Alex Lustig had a pretty eventful 2022: Beyond releasing his debut album Fate, he co-produced tracks for Lil Wayne (“Anti-Hero” feat. Lil Tecca) and Gunna (“idk that b*tch” feat. G Herbo). He also helped guide Drake through his full-length dance-floor detour, Honestly, Nevermind, by co-producing five of the LP’s tracks, such as the Ibiza-transporting “Falling Back” and “Overdrive.”
For now, though, Lustig is ready to reassume his place in the spotlight. The Toronto-based producer has released a new single, “Fade,” as the first taste of his forthcoming album Fate (B-Sides). “Fade,” which features London singer Sølv, is slightly more upbeat than his usual fare, but it’s still the kind of music you want soundtracking a 2:00 a.m. joyride to clear your head: deep and driving, with atmospheric synths and elegantly enveloping bass that flip the haziness of your mind into a vibe.
“’I love warm analog pads,” says Lustig. “My goal is to always add depth to whatever sound I’m trying to create, to get lost in that world. ‘Fade’ is an introspective glimpse into the insecurities of a relationship and the way love makes you vulnerable. It encompasses the duality of fear and faith, two polar opposites which are both experienced simultaneously when you open your heart.” — KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ
Buy Now x PARISI, “Church”
Last year Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso quietly relaunched their house/techno project Buy Now, which existed as Swedish House Mafia was forming back in 2008. Amidst The Great Swedish House Mafia Comeback of 2022, the duo also delivered some genuine Buy Now heat, most notably with the bright-as-hell, sleek-as-chrome Salvatore Ganacci house collab “Let You Do This.” Angello and Ingrosso this week get much darker with the techno-leaning single “Church,” a hypnotic four minutes of kick drum, looped vocal samples and some laser-like synths that altogether evoke 3:00 a.m. on a pitch dark dancefloor — indeed, a place so many of us go to worship. — K. Bain
RuPaul, “Black Butta”
Racers, start your engines: alongside a new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, RuPaul is back with a new album, Black Butta. As previous singles “Show Me That You Festive,” “Star Baby” and “A.S.M.R Lover” show, Black Butta is a runway-ready, pop-R&B-dance confection coated in pastels and affirmations. (House fans especially will notice prolific producer Eric Kupper’s feature on closer “Courage to Love.”) Beyond the LP’s catchy lyrics and uplifting piano-house melodies, its title track trades in the runway for more rave-inspired sounds with a dreamy, drummy, bass-heavy ode to a hottie at the club: “gifted, slim, thick, thin waist, still got thickness, so blessed,” Ru sing-speaks. “Oh my gosh,” indeed. — K.R.
Manila Killa Feat. Nevve, “Everyday, Everyday” (Live Edit)
The start of a new year is the perfect time for forging ahead with new plans, but it’s also a great time to reflect on the past. After all, how can you know where you’re going if you don’t take stock of where you’ve been? At the turn of this fresh start, Manila Killa takes a moment to celebrate his own past with the official release of a live edit that’s been central to his career so far.
“Five years ago, I put out a little song called ‘Everyday, Everyday’ featuring Nevve. It changed my life,” Manila Killa says on Twitter. “I decided to make a live [edit] of it that I’ve been playing out over the last year, and it’s finally coming out. So, so excited for you to have this!!”
The original is light and sweet, with hard-hitting synth drums and neon sounds, but the live edit wrings out every last drop of emotional weight from Nevve’s vocals with a slowed-down tempo, half-time beat and acoustic piano intro. It’s still got all the hands-in-the-air grandiosity fans know and love. It’s just even more epic and cinematic. Use it to soundtrack your own fresh start in 2023. – K. Bein
Entering London’s evocative Electric Ballroom last night (Jan. 5), we surpassed a queue snaking down two blocks of Camden High Street. The space, which opened in 1978 and typically hosts live acts, suited the surprise event surprisingly well. Perched on the balcony above, we had a clear view to overlook the interaction between the three rather unexpected friends on the bill: Skrillex, Four Tet and Fred again…
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We arrived at 9 p.m. and the crowd was already oozing peak-time enthusiasm. The excitement was obvious, and rightly so — the show had sold out within 10 minutes of being announced via the artists’ Instagram stories hours before the show. (Rather adorably, Fred also posted a story of himself slipping into Skrillex’s hotel yesterday and waking up the sleeping producer, who’d just arrived from L.A., so he could get up and post the event to his own IG.)
There was no support act last night, just a four hour back-to-back between the three artists. Together, the trio have a web of collaborations between them — with U.K. master Four Tet working on Fred again..’s June 2022 track “Jungle” and the 2021 Skrillex and Starrah collab “Butterflies,” and the dance scene’s premier ascendent star Fred collaborating with Skrillex on “Rumble,” released the day before the show (Jan. 5) as the Skrillex hype machine fires to life ahead of his forthcoming album.
Last night, the collision of the three artists’ styles was apparent from the jump; throughout the night you could confidently guess who was behind the selection of each track.
The hosts regularly interacted with the eager, Thursday night crowd, checking in by throwing a singular cordless mic between each other. At one point, Fred jumped on to the mic to ask, “Do you all have enough room to dance?” His rhetorical question was answered by squeals and screams — not dissimilar to hysterical fans at a boy band concert. The sea of people rippled as one, as people stayed put on the dancefloor for the entire set.
At around 9.30pm, a vocal from Disney’s Frozen‘s famous “Let It Go” was laid over the familiar growls and thrums of Skrillex’s signature sound. This was a foreshadowing of the rest of the evening; after all, this clash of styles was bound to present the dancers with some curveballs — we came knowing to expect the unexpected. With the crowd putty in their hands from early on, the three DJs made the most of their playful selections.
Skrillex, a.k.a. Sonny Moore, was bounding around the stage during the performance, hyping up the crowd from the table that also hosted the decks. Below him, Fred and Four Tet (Kieran Hebden) slinked between each other, achieving almost seamless transition between their staple sounds.
The crowd fizzed when any Fred again.. tune was about to be brought in. It perfectly demonstrated his fans’ loyal and impressive knowledge of his back catalogue; tracks such as “Hannah (the sun)” and “Strong” were warmly received. Phone screens peaked up through the sea of heads, as everyone wanted to capture their favorite Fred track.
Four Tet’s recognizable, ethereal vocals blended with grinding bass excited the older, headsier side of the crowd — as the Skrillex sound brought the millennials in the audience right back to our teenage years. This was certainly a whirlpool of old and new, a melting pot of sounds and cultures, a combination of flamboyant American excitement and quiet British confidence. Skrillex even informed the crowd that he had put some money behind the bar, making it very apparent they were hosting what felt like a huge house party.
Bringing us back to the present day, PinkPantheress’ TikTok hit “Just for Me” caused a wave of joy, teased ahead of the release of Skrillex’s own collaboration with the U.K. star and Trippie Redd, “Way Back,” which landed last night as the show was happening. Although many may recognize Skrillex as an artist who was an early influence for many current dance fans, this new release further demonstrates his ability to evolve successfully and authentically, collaborating with fresh and exciting talent here across the pond.
Whether this unlikely trio continue their seemingly unstoppable ascent, or if yesterday’s event was just one of those crazy nights of legend, the collective fanbase of these three huge acts is indisputable. In an age where artists can interact with their fans more closely than ever before, there was a knowing intimacy between the audience and the three conductors that felt like a new wave of dance music fandom.
Tracks featured:
Fred again…, “Hannah (the Sun)“Eskuche, “Passion” (Extended Mix)Hamdi , “Never Let You Go Edit” (Original by Sammy Virji)Romy & Fred again.., “Strong“KH, “Looking at Your Pager”Hackney Parrot, “Tessela” (Remix)PinkPantheress, “Just for Me“Skrillex, “Cinema“Adam F, “Circles” (Pola & Bryson Bootleg)Fred again.., Four Tet & Skrillex, “Baby Again..“Fred again.., “Jungle” Skrillex, Fred again.. & Flowdan, “Rumble”
Editor’s note: This story contains details of a suicide.
Three weeks after his shocking death, former Ellen DeGeneres Show DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss was laid to rest in a private family ceremony on Wednesday (Jan. 4). According to E! News, Boss, 40, was honored at the intimate gathering, with an unnamed source close to his family saying that “a larger celebration of life for the friends [he] considers family will be put together in the future.”
Authorities said that Boss’ autopsy found that his death was a suicide via a gunshot wound to the head. The medical examination, shared publicly by the Los Angeles Country Medical Examiner’s office, revealed that Boss was found in a hotel room when authorities arrived on the scene. No other details were revealed in the report.
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Boss’ wife, fellow dancer Allison Holker Boss, first shared the news of her husband’s death via a statement to People. “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us,” she wrote. “Stephen lit up every room he stepped into. He valued family, friends and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him. He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans.”
The DJ first rose to prominence on MTV’s The Wade Robson Project in 2003 before earning the runner-up spot on So You Think You Can Dance in 2008. He joined The Ellen DeGeneres Show as a guest DJ in 2014 and later ascended the ranks to become a co-executive producer in 2020 and remained with the show until it wrapped in 2022.
DeGeneres shared her condolences in a Twitter statement featuring a photo f her hugging the dancer/DJ, writing, “I’m heartbroken. tWitch was pure love and light. He was my family, and I loved him with all my heart. I will miss him. Please send your love and support to Allison and his beautiful children – Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia.” A few days later DeGeneres added on Instagram, “Right now what I want to do is remember all the love and laughter I had with tWitch. He brought so much joy to my life. I know he brought joy to yours too. I’m going to be sharing some of my favorite moments with him. If you want to you can also share yours.”
If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, available 24 hours, at 1-800-273-8255.
Skrillex is ready to “Rumble.” On Wednesday (Jan. 4), the producer dropped a new single, a collaboration with Fred again.. and UK grime MC Flowdan.
The song adopts elements of grime and bass while stretching into the experimental realms of electronic sound design that have been Skrillex’s signature since he exploded into the scene more than a decade ago with his era-defining take on bass music.
While coming in at a petite two minutes and 26 seconds, the song packs a heavy punch with a sinewy, stuttering beat simmered in the deepest vibrations of the low end and a bridge composed of a voice pitched all the way up. Over that, Flowdan delivers an ominous flow about and “killers in the jungle” — a sentiment matched with an almost imperceptible growl.
“Rumble” first saw the light of day (or, ahem, the dark of the club), when Fred again.. dropped it in a series of marquee 2022 sets, including his record-setting Boiler Room show in July. Upon sharing the track today amidst massive hype, Skrillex also revealed that a collaborative single with PinkPantheress and Trippie Redd is coming on Thursday, Jan. 5.
Both of these songs are presumably from Skrillex’s forthcoming double album, which he teased on New Year’s Day. The project will mark his first solo LP since 2014’s Recess, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 in April of 2014 in the apex of the EDM boom. This album announcement read “QFF/DGTC 23,” with the acronyms widely understood to stand for the names of a pair of albums coming in 2023.
Listen to “Rumble” in the video above.
2023 is in launching in major way in the dance world, with Skrillex announcing that he’s dropping a double album this year.
On New Year’s Day (Jan. 1), the producer born Sonny Moore posted an announcement to social media reading “QFF/DGTC 23,” with the acronyms widely understood to stand for the names of a pair of albums coming in 2023. Then on Jan. 2, he posted a snippet of the project’s first single, “Rumble,” a sinewy, foreboding collaboration with Fred again.. and UK grime MC Flowdan.
In response to the album news, the electronic producer community responded in what is most accurately described as rejoice. “2023 looking great already,” wrote Tchami, with bass artists from Subtronics to Ray Volpe to Peekaboo to tk sprinkling in such responses as “HYPERVENTILATING,” “H O L Y S H I T B A L L S” and “i’m f—ing WEEPING.” Even Missy Elliot, with whom Skrillex collaborated on the unreleased 2018 track “ID,” chimed in, effectively summing up the excitement with a series of alien head, flame and chef’s kiss emojis.
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The albums will mark Skrillex’s first studio albums since his 2014 debut, Recess, which album peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 in April of 2014 in the apex of the EDM boom.
Skrillex has of course been mega-prolific in the interim, winning a pair of 2016 Grammys alongside Diplo in their duo Jack Ü — “Skrillex, he’s probably the best producer of electronic music I’ve ever met him my life. He can turn anything into anything on his own terms, the guy is the master,” Diplo told Billboard in 2022.
Hear the 15 second preview of “Rumble” in the above video.
She’s sliving! Paris Hilton surprised her fans on Friday (Dec. 30) by releasing a 2022 update on her now iconic single “Stars Are Blind.”
Titled “Stars Are Blind (Paris’ Version),” the updated recording — which features new vocals and production — is available exclusively on Amazon Music. “This song has always meant so much to me, it felt right to close out 2022 with a refreshed version. And seeing my face lighting up Times Square is so special,” the heiress shared on Instagram about the song.
“Thank you to everyone who has always supported my music career. I literally have the best fans on the planet and have loved seeing all of your posts about the new song,” she continued before making a promise. “P.S. More new music to come in the new year,” she concluded with a winky face and the hashtag #NewYearNewP.
Originally released as the lead single off her cult favorite 2006 album Paris, the reggae-tinged bop soared to the top of the Dance Club Songs chart and remains Hilton’s sole entry on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 18. The LP also included fan-favorite singles such as “Turn It Up,” “Screwed” and “Nothing in This World.”
In recent years, “Stars Are Blind” has been covered by Kim Petras and was also included in 2020’s Promising Young Woman starring Carey Mulligan. Meanwhile, Hilton’s music career has turned from pop to dance music as she’s gained a reputation as an internationally renowned DJ.
Check out “Stars Are Blind (Paris’ Version)” and see her announcement below.