Martin Garrix Drops Tomorrowland Closing ID Pizza

Those of you who were at Tomorrowland about a month ago are probably geeking out right now. Those that were in attendance got a treat when Martin Garrix dropped a new, melodic, progressive house anthem to close out his set. Check out a clip of Pizza being debuted live...


As the story goes, the ID was somehow given the nickname Pizza shortly after it dropped and that name was so appropriate that it stuck for the official single release. Don't expect a pizza party when you watch the video for the track below, though. It's more of a wild and crazy, live life to your fullest tour highlight themed video, but Martin is in fact eating pizza at the end of the video. Whether or not it's intentional, I can weave a story around the track being so universally likeable that pizza is a good comparison. The bright chords and orchestral highlights on the track make for an emotionally charged, hit you in the feels type of combo. It's one of my favorite tracks that Martin has put out, which is saying a lot considering his laundry list of singles...#Pizza



Martin Garrix - Pizza

VIdeos of the Week May 27th

Like many weeks, this one was ruled by a slew of new high profile EDM released. My personal favorite of the bunch was Odesza's Late Night video put together by some of their most adventure seeking fans. Whether it's jumping out of planes, dangling feet off of cliffs or scaling mountains, the experience they put together was pretty awesome. Nipping at the heels of #1 was Kygo and Ellie's video for their recent collabo First Time. Plenty of sorrow and memories mixed with fire and ashes, which makes for an emotional video. Rounding out the EDM videos is Martin Garrix and Troye Sivan's new one for There For You. Shot in beautiful San Francisco, they couldn't have picked a better setting for their new track. #ImBiased

Outside of EDM, it was cool to see an updated trailer for Marvel's next money pot, Spiderman: Homecoming. It's going to be hard to continue the roll the franchise, but they've got an optimized formula for making movies that has everyone eating out of the palms of their hand. And round out the top five was a hell of duet from John Legend and Gallant. If you weren't already considering seeing John in concert, you should reconsider that decision because Gallant will be joining him as the opener. Their rendition of In the Room was well worth the price of admission...#DarknessAndLight

Odesza Fan Created Video for Late Night

Kygo feat Ellie Goulding - First Time (Video)

Martin Garrix & Troye Sivan - There For you (Video)

Spiderman: Homecoming (Trailer)

John Legend & Gallant Perform Overload In the Room

Photo Credit: YouTube

"Do We Need Somebody, Just to Feel Like We're Alright?"

An EDM power ballad, eh, Martin Garrix? I dig it and I hadn't previously heard the vocals of Dua Lipa, but the Rihanna or Leona Lewis comparisons were immediate. When you press play below, be ready to be rocked to sleep with whiny synths because if you go into it wanting a rowdy club track you're going to be sorely disappointed. Matter of fact, I hope Top 40 radio gives Scared to be Lonely it's time in the sun because I can't even begin to picture how this would be played at a festival. That's not a good or bad thing, it's a fact and it isn't going to prevent me from adding it to the list of GWDJ Favorites. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm a sucker for a sad relationship ballad that punches you in the feels, so I'll be running a few laps around this and singing it in the shower if you need me...#ScaredToBeLonely

Martin Garrix feat Dua Lipa - Scared to be Lonely

Videos of the Week September 30th

The past few weeks have been relatively unbalanced in my eyes. When I say unbalanced, I mean it's either been mostly music videos or mostly funny/novelty videos. This week's top five got back to a nice 60/40 split between music and funny. Leading the way for videos was without a doubt The Weeknd's new video for Starboy. The more I listen to the track, the more impressed I am with the Daft Punk collabo's lyrically edgy, retro funk vibe. As a bonus, you get to see Abęl go to town on some expensive memorabilia with what can only be described as a crucifix glow stick.

In other musical efforts, you had a live cover of twenty-one pilots' Heathens from Bebe Rexha and Martin Garrix. It's crazy how much traction the Suicide Squad Soundtrack ended up getting and this collaboration is further proof of it's wide spread appeal. If you're looking for more trippy, Sci-fi stuff, you'll appreciate the zero gravity video put together by Flume and Tove Lo. Now I know what it would be like to walk on the sides of buildings with a space suit on.

In the world of funny and ridiculous, it doesn't get more extravagant than 2 Chainz's new season of GQ's Most Expensive $hit. In the past, we've seen him taste high end bottled water or expensive kittens, but this year he's expanding his tastes to coffee. So why not explore the Kopi Luwak civet coffee that cost $600 a pound? If you don't know what type of creature a civet is or even why I'd be mentioning an animal when talking about expensive coffee, just give it a watch and prepare to be slightly grossed out. If lavish isn't your bag, then you've got the good 'ole conventional funny from Jimmy Fallon and Sting who played everyone's favorite game, Textual Experience. Even though it might not have lived up to the awkwardness that Aziz Ansari brought to a previously posted episode, both Sting and Fallon brought their A game vocally, which made for a fun watch...#TextualExperience
The Weeknd feat Daft Punk - Starboy (Video)

2 Chainz Drinking $600 Cat Poop Coffee on GQ's Most Expensive $hit

Martin Garrix & Bebe Rexha Cover 21 Pilots Heathens on BBC 1

Flume feat Tove Lo - Say It (Video)

Jimmy Fallon & Sting Have a Textual Experience

Photo Credit: YouTube

Spaceships Found in Area21

Haven't heard of Area21? Me either, but that doesn't mean there isn't a well-known artist driving the (space)ship. Let's follow the trail of bread crumbs, shall we?

First, Maejor posted a shot on Instagram with Martin Garrix in studio in late February, saying "it looks like a spaceship". Then, in early March, Martin started his own record label called STMPD RCRDS. Then in mid-March, he debuted an ID track at Ultra around the 37:50 minute mark...

Wait a minute, that track sounds a lot like Area21's new one, Spaceships. Ah hah! So it all comes together, making Area21 a Martin Garrix side project? Whatever the case, the single below straddles that Future Bass-line, settling in as a vulgarity laced party track. Love the collaboration between two incredibly talented artists, but the overtly edgy vocals take away from the brilliance of the production. But, if you're in the mood to get wild, you'll find a way to bounce to it...#Spaceships

Area21 - Spaceships

"I Won’t Let Go Now That I’ve Found You"

If there's one thing you can count on from Martin Garrix, it's a solid progressive house anthem every now and again. Luckily for us, Martin is finally through the drama with his record label and back to making great music again. Consider this the first release from his new STMPD RCRDS. Now That I've Found You features vocals from John & Michel, who offer plenty of catchy pop appeal. There's such a jubilant release on the drop that will play quite well come festival season. Head on over to iTunes or Spotify to give this one more permanent listenability...#NowThatIveFoundYou

Martin Garrix feat John & Michel - Now That I've Found You

Videos of the Week December 14

A bit of an EDM heavy top five this week with new videos from a couple formidable duos leading the way. First, you've got the tremendously weird quasi-animated Set Me Free video from Dillon Francis and Martin Garrix. Can't say I've ever seen anything like that or if it's a good or bad thing. For more of a down to earth display of music, Zedd and Selena have your back with their energetic performance of I Want You to Know at Jingle Ball. Rounding out the EDM vibe was The Chainsmokers Roses Uber edition. Couldn't have picked a more fun duo to set the tone for that type of activity.

In non-electronic new, there was a blast from my childhood with the Independence Day 2 trailer. Conspicuously missing was Will Smith, which takes the excitement down a few notches, but I'll remain cautiously optimistic until Rotten Tomatoes tells me whether it's worth seeing. And last, but far from least was Kygo's performance of Firestone at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert. The sheer fact that Trop House made it to that type of award event is mind boggling. Kudos to Kygo for continuing to do amazing things...#Kygo
Dillon Francis & Martin Garrix - Set Me Free (Video)

Zedd & Selena Gomez Perform I Want You to Know at Jingle Ball 2015

The Chainsmokers - Roses (Uber Edition)

Independence Day Resurgence (Trailer)

Kygo Performs Firestone at Nobel Peace Prize Concert

Photo Credit: YouTube

Martin Garrix Can't Feel Your Face Either

Boy that escalated fast! By that I mean The Weeknd's latest single Can't Feel My Face, which has ascended to #1 status as radio stations refuse to take their collective fingers of the repeat button. The fact that Uber drivers are making full length videos of their passengers singing along should be evidence enough of it's pop culture relevance.

So...keeping up with the times, Martin Garrix stepped up and took a swing at translating it to a more synth driven crowd. Does the remix provide a novel enough re-imagination of the original? I'll give it a pass, barely because it still heavily relies on the vocals of the original, but the chord progression didn't move me as much as I had hoped. I will say that I did appreciate the gentle build around the 2:30 mark and if there was more of that sprinkled throughout the track, I would have liked it a bit more. It's hard to go wrong with a #1 single, though, so I bet you'll still get mad dap for breaking this one out at a party this weekend...#CantFeelMyFace

The Weeknd - Can't Feel My Face (Martin Garrix Remix)

Videos of the Week May 8th

This week's top five is a bit EDM centric, but managed to be diverse. Led by new videos from Martin Garrix/Tiesto and Nero, it was fun to see visuals that captured the fun of The Only Way is Up and the intensity of The Thrill. We also had a Trop House sighting in the form of a new video for Sam Feldt's bubbly Show Me Love.

The clear standout of the week in my eyes was Kygo and Parson James's live cover of Tove Lo's Habits. I'm appreciating the stripped down piano work by Kygo because it shows more than just your average ability to manipulate electronic synthesizers. Add to that Parson James who absolutely knocked the vocals out of the park and you've got yourself a stunning cover. To wrap up the week, I had to include everyone's favorite new song performed on Fallon. Maybe I'm a bit late, but Fetty Wap seems to be the talk of Hip Hop lately...#TrapQueen
Martin Garrix & Tiesto - The Only Way is Up (Video)

Kygo & Parson James Cover Tove Lo's Habits on BBC 1 Radio Show

Nero - The Thrill (Video)

Sam Feldt - Show Me Love (Video)

Fetty Wap Performs Trap Queen on Fallon

Photo Credit: YouTube

There is No Direction Other Than Up

Ahhhh, what a refreshing sight to see old school and new school EDM combine forces. While Tiesto was an EDM pioneer and continues to be a living legend, Martin Garrix is still on the front 9 of his career as a budding EDM star. I always find it the intersection of styles interesting when two artists of this magnitude collaborate. I'd argue that while the overall progressive house sound fits Tiesto a bit more, Martin's presence on the track gives it a bit of personality. The high pitched, jittery vocals are what you'll remember when you're done listening, but that's only because the underlying synths created such a smooth backdrop for the track. Feel free and cop The Only Way Is Up fresh off the Beatport shelf if you're in the mood for an easy-listening dose of EDM...#TheOnlyWayIsUp

Tiesto & Martin Garrix - The Only Way Is Up

"Monday Left Me Broken..."

Here's another one of those rare occurrences when a high quality festival rip is good enough to post. A night before Martin Garrix debuted the track at Ultra Music Festival, Avicii came through and played it during his set. For a festival rip, this is damn good quality, so don't let that scare you away. I will say this, John Legend's vocals on the track sound incredibly similar to Coldplay's Chris Martin. Beyond the vocals, you can detect Avicii's paws all over the track with bubbly, measured chord progressions dominating the sound.

It these type of huge debut tracks that have landed Ultra firmly on my concern bucket list. In case you missed the livestream of the festival, feel free and check out the many highlights via the UMF TV YouTube channel. For the record, Jack U absolutely closed it down with the help of Kiesza and many others...#UMF2015

Martin Garrix & Avicii feat John Legend - Waiting For Love

Videos of the Week March 27th

Simply put, it was a loaded week for dancing in music videos. Led by the quirky dancing astronaut, Kygo set the tone with the visuals for his new single Stole the Show. Following closely behind is Major Lazer and DJ Snake's Indian dance anthem Lean On. And then bringing up the rear is a nerdy, Napolean Dynamite style water dancing display put on in Martin Garrix and Usher's video for Don't Look Down. If you appreciate unique expression through movement, there's enough here to get you through the weekend.

Cutting the dancing madness is the trailer for the highly anticipated HBO show turned movie, Entourage. After watching a few seasons, I'm excited to see what they can do with a full length movie. Sure, there are cameos galore, but hopefully the plot of movie is as stellar as the TV show. Closing out the week is a sultry video from Jason Derulo where he shows off his skill set as both a dancer and a wild lover. Want To Want Me is such a catchy track and the visuals definitely did the song justice...#WantYouToWantMe
Kygo feat Parson James - Stole the Show (Video)

Major Lazer & DJ Snake feat MØ - Lean On (Video)

Martin Garrix feat Usher - Don't Look Down (Video)

Entourage Official Trailer

Jason Derulo - Want to Want Me (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week March 20th

With SXSW being the talk of the town this week and hearing stories about how Snoop and Willie Nelson ate KFC in Amsterdam together, it's only fitting the lead off video of the week has to do with Jimmy Kimmel trolling attendees of the legendary festival. It's a little unnerving how quickly people are to pretend to know what they're talking about when it comes to music. My favorite was DJ Gluten and how his music is hard to tolerate...love it!

For the weekly Fallon spot, Ben Stiller made a quick cameo to do some really entertaining impromptu role playing. On them music front, it's getting a little ridiculous how great lyric videos are becoming. Case in point both Martin Garrix and David Guetta's latest videos for their new singles. One took the more cartoony route, the other took a more literal, real life entertainment angle. It makes you wonder if real videos are even worth it these days? Finally, rounding out the top 5 is a behind the scenes look at Ed Sheeran's tour. Yes, you read that right, he does in fact sing to cats around the four minute mark. I'm starting to think going on a worldwide tour should be on my bucket list...#Sheeran

Jimmy Kimmel Makes Up Band Names to Troll SXSW Attendees

Jimmy Fallon and Ben Stiller Role Play and Get Emotional Together

Martin Garrix feat Usher - Don't Look Down (Lyric Video)

David Guetta feat Nicki Minaj & Afrojack - Hey Mama (Lyric Video)

Ed Sheeran Tour Diary Part 2 Where He Sings Thinking Out Loud to Cats

Photo Credit: YouTube

"Don't Look Down, This High Will Never Hit the Ground"

Put Usher with any well known EDM artist and you better believe I'll be on board. The latest to enlist the vocal expertise of Mr. Raymond is one of EDM's elite, Martin Garrix. From the start, it has the feel of an emotional progressive house anthem. Don't Look Down is a great example of an electronic track that would be just as successful as a piano ballad. There are some beautifully melodic chords in the mix that step up to the plate and compliment Usher's vocal lead. Go ahead, try and match Usher's high pitched vocals while you're in the car listening to this one. Just make sure the windows are rolled up before you do it...#DontLookDown

Martin Garrix feat Usher - Don't Look Down

Videos of the Week March 6th

This week, you can expect a few standouts mixed in with some humor. Leading the way is the 30 minute documentary style story that Complex put together on Shady Records. The documentary features a lot of interesting commentary from Eminem, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre and Eminem's manager, Paul Rosenberg. The parts focused on the signing of Slaughterhouse and Yelawolf toward the end were most interesting to me because I had always wondered what led to all the worthwhile lyricists in Hip Hop being gobbled up by Shady Records.

On the music side of the fence, Big Sean brought his A game with Drake and Kanye on the Blessings video. I'll say this, Dark Sky Paradise deserved to make it to the top of the charts. Speaking of top of the charts, that's where Major Lazer's new single Lean On is headed. Lyric videos can be so easily botched, but the vivid imagery did the track justice in their case. Finally, ending the week with some humor is never a bad thing. Led by DJs from around the world talking about the craziest things they've witnessed on stage and finishing with Action Bronson's entertaining interview on Dan Le Batard's Highly Questionable...#MrWonderful
Not Afraid The Shady Records Story (with Eminem and Dr. Dre)

Major Lazer & DJ Snake feat MØ - Lean On (Lyric Video)

DJs Talk About the Grossest Things They've Seen on Stage

Big Sean, Drake & Kanye - Blessings (Video)

Action Bronson is Interviewed on Highly Questionable with Dan Le Batard

Photo Credit: YouTube

Dillon Francis & Martin Garrix Will Set You Free

Chalk another one up from Dillon Francis in his attempt to release as many awesome singles as possible this fall. We caught a glimpse of Set Me Free with Martin Garrix last spring, but now we get the full meal in all it's glory. The high pitched vocal sample will find a way to embed itself in your cerebellum as you wild out to the bouncy synths. By my count this is now the fifth single worthy song on Dillon's upcoming Money Sucks, Friends Rule album due out at the end of the month. At this point, I see no reason why Dillon's name shouldn't be mentioned in the same conversation as EDM heavyweights like deadmau5 and Skrillex...#SetMeFree

Dillon Francis & Martin Garrix - Set Me Free

So Much Dillon Francis, I Can't Take It

With every passing day, I feel like I hear about a new, epic Dillon Francis collaboration. First it was the snippet with Kygo, then yesterday we all got wind of a quasi-joke, quasi-awesome Flintstones remix with Martin Garrix (below)...

Needless to say, the hype is building for Dillon's upcoming album Money Sucks, Friends Rule. A few weeks back, I dropped the ball on posting his latest single, I Can't Take It. That wasn't by design and as a result, today is a bit of a make up post. The track is another shining example of the potential of Moombahton, featuring echoing synths and bouncy bass. It's a tough task, but somehow Dillon always seems to live up to post-drop expectations...#DillonFrancis

Dillon Francis - I Can't Take It

Martin Garrix & Dillon Francis Will Set You Free

Despite continuing to lament not being able to make it down to Ultra Music Festival last week, I am appreciating the vast amounts of awesome new music that was played at the festival. One of the most exciting of the bunch being Martin Garrix and Dillon Francis's new one Set Me Free. The track has a crisp intensity to it that I really dig. The vocal simple vocal sample reminds me of something Keys and Krates would put together. The live version for UMF is the best I've got for now, but you can bet there will be a re-post of this when the full studio version drops...#SetMeFree

Martin Garrix & Dillon Francis - Set Me Free

That Time Deadmau5 Mixed Animal with Old McDonald

Sadly, I wasn't able to cross attending Ultra Music Festival off my bucket list this year. In hindsight, I probably would have been more than a little disappointed if I had went this year because Avicii was a late scratch from the concert lineup because he had to have is gall bladder removed. Luckily, Deadmau5 volunteered to fill in for Avicii at the last minute, so there wasn't a huge uproar. Queue up the four minute span where he flipped Martin Garrix's Animals into one of everyone favorite nursery rhymes (starting at the 27:30 mark)...

And what tops it all off...Martin Garrix's tweet acknowledging the mix...

E-I-E-I-O

— MARTIN GARRIX (@MartinGarrix) March 30, 2014

Even though there was a little spat between Deadmau5 and Tiesto when he questioned Joel's intentions filling in for Avicii, it seems like the festival in general has been a big hit. Someday Ultra...someday we will meet...#UMF2014

Martin Garrix's Brand of EDM Fills Rooms

At this point, Martin Garrix has become a household name thanks to his fiendishly addictive hit Animals. As such, there have been a lot of people tapping their feet wondering what he would come up with next. Well, that next thing is his new track Proxy. Staying true to form, the track finds a way to fill the room with an engaging chord progression that gives way to a gradual build up and epic drop. The resulting post-drop synths are the type that DJs can rely on to fuel the dance floor. The track has a lot of personality, but the main point I want to get across is that it is a rowdy, lose yourself type of EDM anthem. This should without a doubt find it's way into every self-respecting dance club this Spring. Oh and did I mention it's free to download?...#Proxy

Martin Garrix - Proxy