Videos of the Week January 20th

Storytelling was the common thread in this week's top five. Led by E-40 and G-Eazy's 45 min Bay Area biopic, there was well over an hour's worth of material this week. If you're in the market for unique, a drummer named Matt McGuire did a pretty dope cover of Madeon and Porter Robinson's Shelter. With EDM teetering between synthesized music and live instrumentation, it's cool seeing the backbone of the beat in its rawest form.

If you're wondering what it's like to tour with Skrillex, you've now got a full eleven minute summary of his last tour to wade through. I've always been someone who has mad respect for people who do the dirty work behind the scenes to produce the end result of what you end up hearing, so it was cool to go behind the curtain. If passionate love is something you enjoy watching, you'll enjoy the visuals for Snakehips and MØ's Don't Leave. The song was emotional enough, but seeing it come to life gave it a whole different meaning. And last, but definitely not least, we've now got a Gorillaz sighting. With the help of acclaimed poet and British composer Benjamin Clementine, they put together a pretty surreal video for Hallelujah Money. Weird doesn't do that video justice, but it does everything it needed to start the hype train for their new album...#HallelujahMoney
Bay Area With E-40 and G-Eazy

Drum Cover of Porter Robinson and Madeon's Shelter

The Same Place - 11 Min Skrillex Tour Recap

Snakehips & MØ - Don't Leave (Video)

The Gorillaz feat Benjamin Clementine - Hallelujah Money (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week October 21st

In what can only be described as a rare week, this week's top five was dominated by music videos. With all the politics and subsequent late night comedy, you'd think that there would be more opportunity to blast the candidates. Yet, we're all probably so tone def to the madness that the numbness paved the way for music videos to step into the spotlight this week.

Even though all five are music videos, only two of the five I'd characterize as traditional music videos. Led by Pharrell's favorite up and comer Maggie Rogers debut single and Dillon Francis/Will Heard's strange new video for Anywhere, there was plenty of personality in the mix. That's when it all started drifting off the usual path. Porter Robinson and Madeon put together an Anime video for Shelter, which isn't really my thing, but you mind find it interesting. Then they was ZHU's eleven minute short film themed off his latest Generation Why? album. It truly does profile as more of a movie than a music video that made for more of an interesting watch. And then Chance the Rapper came through with the most unique video of the week. Shot completely on an iPhone, he and his cousin Nicole came through with a really solid video for How Great. My guess is many more people will follow suit on his homemade approach, but I really doubt they'll be able to match the energy that he and Jay Electronica brought to the shoot...#HowGreat
Maggie Rogers - Alaska (Video)

Dillon Francis feat Will Heard - Anywhere (Video)

Porter Robinson & Madeon - Shelter (Anime Video)

ZHU - Generation Why (Short Film)

Chance the Rapper feat Jay Electronica, and Francis & The Lights - How Great (Video)

#HowGreat Official Video featuring my cousin Nicole. Shot on iPhone. Lock yo screen pic.twitter.com/KqDy5hqv68

— Lil Chano From 79th (@chancetherapper) October 20, 2016

Photo Credit: YouTube

Porter Robinson & Madeon Are Going on Tour Together

In a world where the majority of money made by artists happen on tour, I wish more tour based collaborations occurred. Maybe it's more the exception than the rule, but occasionally two well-known acts decide to take their act on the road together. When they do, it seems like a golden opportunity to spice up the live act by tag teaming a track on stage.

I bring up tour collabos because Porter Robinson and Madeon are about to embark on a tour together. Today when they announced the tour, they also shared a new single they did together that's coincidentally the same name as their tour. The Shelter tour will include 17 stops and you can bet they'll be blasting the track below together on stage at some point during the show. The track is exactly as melodic and jubilant as you'd expect from two EDM artists who have made their name with high pitched vocal samples and soothing drops. Both of their unique sounds are reflected in the track, yet the mix of styles is seamless. Needless to say, it's clear these guys are pretty good friends and they'll be a fun watch in concert...#Shelter

Porter Robinson & Madeon - Shelter

Videos of the Week November 20th

It's getting hard nowadays to find videos that don't involve Justin Bieber. Here I was thinking that Bieber's rendition of Sorry on Fallon was the only sighting in the this weeks top five, but then I watched the Zoolander 2 trailer that he found a way into. While the original Zoolander is considered by many as a modern day classic, I can't claim fanboy status on it. I will say that there aren't as many slapstick comedies nowadays, so I'm giving it a 40% chance of freshness on Rotten Tomatoes.

In non-Bieber related news, Krewella gave us a peek behind the curtain on their golf cart ride turned in-depth interview. They've caught a lot of bad publicity from their group breakup and found their way in the crosshairs of deadmau5 (like many others), but they still find a way to come off as genuine. Simply put, they make fun music and pour energy into their music, which is something that's really easy to get behind.

In other EDM news, Madeon's new video for Nonsense dropped this week. I'm always amazed by the futuristic aesthetic he injects into his videos. Last, but definitely not least, is Logic on the mic for seven straight minutes. Beat after beat, he stays in zone and shows exactly why he's one of the top lyricists in the game...#Logic301
Zoolander 2 Trailer

Justin Bieber Performs Sorry on Fallon

Krewella Tell All in EDC NY Golf Cart Confessions

Madeon feat Mark Foster - Nonsense (Video)

Logic with a 7 Minute Breakfast Bars Freestyle

Photo Credit: YouTube

Dillon Francis Reimagines Madeon's Imperium

In the time where formulaic remixes of electronic tracks rule the land, it's nice to hear one that sounds unique. What I mean by that is Dillon Francis did something pretty cool when he flipped Madeon's Imperium into an aggressive, bass thumping crowd pleaser. Feel free to compare and contrast below and pay careful attention to how Dillon started the remix at 2:37 on the original track...

Not that the original couldn't be associated with the adjectives above, but the remix requires a seat belt from the get go. Where the original is more measured and harmonic, the remix doesn't waste any time getting straight to the point. There aren't many songs that can be released in the middle of the night and boast almost 200k plays in a 24 hour span. You know that phrase, the cream rises to the top? Well if this were a latte, it would look like this...

Don't sleep on Dillon's new mixtape/album either. It's one of the few braggadocios album titles that actually lived up to its name...#ThisMixtapeIsFire

Madeon - Imperium (Dillon Francis Remix)

"I Will Come Home in Time"

As Madeon's debut album release date of March 31st gets closer, I'm feeling a bit old knowing that he was born in 1994. It really makes you marvel at the type of talent he has as primarily a producer, but also as a singer. Even though it was more of a demo at first, he decided to add his own vocals to Home . He must have continued to get positive feedback on the demo version because low and behold, the final version that is set to appear on the album is nearly identical to the demo version. Check it out below...

This is the seventh song out of 18 on the album that has been released prior to Adventure hitting stores. I'm not putting it up there with Pay No Mind and Imperium, but it's more than just a filler track and it does a great job of showcasing the depths of his talents. Who is excited to see Madeon in concert this Spring?? That would be me...#Adventure

Videos of the Week February 20th

To be completely honest, I probably could have used this whole post recapping SNL's 40th Anniversary and after party. In the interest of time and under the assumption that you've probably already seen it, I focused on the Jimmy Fallon related portions that include the opening dance with Justin Timberlake and the recap of a surreal afterparty. As a side note, I still can't believe Jay Z thought David Wells was Curt Schilling...smh.

In actual music related things this week, Madeon released the futuristic visuals for his new single with Passion Pit. Timeflies also let loose a new ode to sexting with their raunchy NSFW video. I appreciate the creativity of the subject, but the old folks in the office setting was a little over the top. Last and definitely not least, Low Pros (A-Trak & Lex Luger) released a slammin' new virtual reality video for Who Wanna Play. I've slept on the duo for too long, their brand of Trap is downright awesome...#LowPros
Madeon feat Passion Pit - Pay No Mind (Video)

Fallon Recapping the SNL 40 After Party

Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake Open SNL's 40th Anniversary Special

Low Pros feat Que - Who Wanna Play (Video)

Timeflies feat Angel Haze - NSFW (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

"Somedays You Hear It, Somedays You Don't"

Now THIS is an exciting mix of blend of Indie dance and EDM. What's great about a Madeon and Passion Pit collaboration is the upbeat, feel good vibe that shared through both of their musical efforts. Pay No Mind is packed full of energy, but there's a mellow component to it that allows Michael Angelakos's vocals to lead the way. I'll admit, after hearing this I'm bummed we have to wait until the end of March to hear Madeon's new album. What I do know is that the anticipation will only continue to grow following the success of the song below, You're On and Imperium...#PayNoMind

Madeon feat Passion Pit - Pay No Mind

Videos of the Week December 19th

Definitely an EDM heavy top five this week with Avicii's The Nights video leading the way. The video is a great anecdote for how music videos can be great tools for increasing excitement about song. The unbridled, live life to the fullest vibe of the song fits like a glove with the extreme sports driven visuals. In comparison, Madeon's new video for You're On is a bit more of a futuristic story. The mix of special effects and subtle branding make for an intriguing story.

For those who need a dose of crazy, you'll enjoy the fun mix of tribal and Hip Hop dancing in Skrillex's new video for Dirty Vibe. If you want some interesting content that will give you a bit more background on Zedd. It's crazy how these behind the scenes documentaries are about the only way we can see just how talented some of these EDM artists are. Last but definitely not least is another Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake skit. This time they are teenage kids at summer camp who just want to sing a little Third Eye Blind. That's all I got y'all catch ya on the flip side after Christmas...#TheNights
Avicii - The Nights (Video)

Madeon feat Kyan - You're On (Video)

Skrillex With Diplo, CL, & G-Dragon – Dirty Vibe (Video)

Zedd Moment of Clarity Documentary

Camp Winnipesaukee w/ Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake

Photo Credit: YouTube

"Tell Me Which Side You're On"

Having recently acquired a taste for Madeon, I continue to be pleasantly surprised by his new music. I really enjoyed his most recent loud and aggressive single Imperium, but it didn't tell the whole story. Not that I'm claiming his previous single plus his new single You're On gives the full picture, but they are definitely very different tracks.

Where Imperium absolutely got after it with a hard hitting chord progression, his new one takes on a much more funky, feel good vibe. With the help of Kyan on the vocals, there's a head-nod worthy affordance that goes quite well with the sing-along vocals. If I were forced to compare it to another artist, I'd say it the carefree element that the majority of Passion Pit songs have. By my count Madeon is two for two with about nine or ten more tracks that have yet to be released on his new album Adventure...#YoureOn

Madeon Found His Way to Imperium

It's long overdue, but Madeon is making his GWDJ debut tonight thanks to his new single Imperium. Slept on is an understatement, there's been a lot of hype building about the French prodigy while I've been off in my own world trying to fall in line behind the late adopters. But bygones will be bygones and I'm on the bandwagon after a few listens to his rhythmic assault below. For me, it was the drum and bass that reeled me in with the energetic chords providing the icing on the cake.

That's not the coolest part about the track, though. Known to play games with his fans, Madeon put together a game on his website. If you can figure it out and follow instructions, you get to download the track for free. Here's a hint, it may have been a game you played as a child. Assist to @awilliamsid for the DaVinci code work tonight since I don't read text on websites. Best of luck to you all on your journey to the free download...#Imperium