NYC-based duo Disco Fries are back with some serious fire. have put their spin on Steve Madden/5Towns Records’ signee Harlee’s “Venom.” Through their colorful rendition, they create an intoxicating and upbeat version of the ethereal ballad.
For those unfamiliar, Harlee has quickly become a buzzing and dynamic pop act. Kicking off her music career with the single “Holding On,” she followed it up with “Venom,” a hit that took off soaring the minute it went live.
It doesn’t come as a surprise that Disco Fries, who are widely recognized for bridging the gap between mainstream and EDM, gravitated towards Harlee’s single. Taking their easily-digestible yet versatile sound, Disco Fries put a seemingly effortless, jubilant spin on the powerful ballad while still complimenting Harlee’s impressive vocal range. Take a listen below and you’ll see why we felt compelled to share this one.
You may have been seeing bitbird artist Taska Black’s name quite a bit recently. The Dutch producer has been on a steady rise, seeing overwhelming success in 2017 with singles such as “Where We Go,” as well as his collaboration with fellow bitbird artists Droeloe and vocalist Cut_, “Running Away.” Taska’s most recent accomplishment is his release with soulful singer Ayelle titled “Dead Inside,” and just days ago he released the song’s official music video. Lucky for us, we were provided with the opportunity to speak with Taska Black and learn more about the inspiration behind his music and the video in addition to some sneak peaks of what 2018 will look like for him. Watch the video and check out the interview below, if you will like to get some help with the postproduction of your video so it looks like this, just visit https://www.tracyalchayeb.com/!
TMN: Rumor has it you’ve got some huge announcements coming up. Can you give us any hints as to what those will be?
TB: No one thing in particular but I’ve got lots of exciting things happening indeed. Exciting collaborations with bitbird artists and others outside as well. And I might also be working on what I hope is my debut EP…
TMN: How did you get into production? Did you have any classical training prior?
I started taking lessons in violin and piano when I was 4 years old. I never liked playing songs from sheet music exactly how they were supposed to be played so I started improvising my own melodies. When I was about 13 years old I got my first audio interface and Cubase to start recording my improvisations and that’s how I got into production. After years of experimentation I thought it was time to take things to the next level so that’s when I started Taska Black.
TMN: It’s huge to be approached by a creative mind such as San Holo’s. What was your initial reaction when he asked you to sign to his imprint bitbird?
TB: Actually it was me sending a mail to them 3 years ago to show them what I was doing. I loved what bitbird was putting out and San seemed to like what I was doing too. We started talking and that lead into more releases on bitbird. Both San and bitbird have grown a lot over these years and I’m super grateful to be part of the family and to have such amazing people around me.
TMN: What do you love most about the bitbird label?
TB: I think we’re doing something unique in the industry. bitbird really feels like a small family of people with their own vision and their own sound. That’s what San does best I think, supporting people who have their own vision whether it’s in classical music or EDM.
TMN: What can we expect for 2018? Do you have any cool collaborations coming up that you can tell us about?
Lots of new music. Some remixes and new original singles. I’m currently working on some exciting collaborations but unfortunately I can’t reveal any of that yet. I’m also super stoked to be playing my first shows in the US this year. Really looking forward to Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza Paris as well.
TMN: Congratulations on the release of your new music video for your single with Ayelle, “Dead Inside!” Can you tell us a bit about the plot or what inspired the creative direction of it?
TB: Thank you! I really saw this track as a chance to show my experimental side of music to the listeners. I had this vague line in my head “I’m dead inside” so I started building off that thought. When I finished the song with Ayelle we started talking to the director of the music video, Joris Weerts. We shared some ideas on how we wanted to approach the video and give more meaning to the song. I think the track really came to life when we combined both the musical and the visual aspect. The video shows how people are not easily impressed anymore in this saturated era of media and the internet. We wanted to make these feelings of depression heard in order to accept and deal with them, rather than to criticize.
TMN: How would you describe a Taska Black show? Are there any features of it that you feel are signature to “Taska Black,” such as visuals or live elements?
TB: We’re currently shaping the show both musically and visually and I’ve had the chance to test things out on the shows I did with San. I always like to play lots of unreleased music and edits of songs that I’m into. I’ll be doing DJ sets only for a while now but in the long run I really want to incorporate live elements in the show so we’re putting a lot of thought into that as well.
Birthdayy Partyy continue to roll out releases at an astonishing pace. The twin brothers came through to make Monday better with their remix of “Tipsy” by J-Kwon from 2004. It’s not something you see a lot of remixes for, but we’re glad they took this one on.
“Tipsy” was huge for a lot of us when we were in middle school, despite the song totally not being tween friendly. Now as adults we get to enjoy it in full force with a whole lot of electro bass thanks to these Chicago producers. They’ve dabbled in different sounds since their debut in Janurary and continue to expand with this Rezz-friendly remix. As with all of their previous releases, Birthdayy Partyy have dropped this as a free download.
Take a deep breath in, then let it out nice and slowly. You’re one more breathe closer to the weekend. Friday is here and if you know us you know that’s our favorite day of the week. We get a little productivity satisfaction before letting loose upon the weekend. Furthermore, we help you party it up with our Friday Party Playlist. We’re not stopping, so this week we’ve got another twelve free downloads for you to enjoy. Works from LUCA LUSH, RUVLO, I am Sid, Dustycloud, Birthdayy Partyy, Aylen CRWNS and more have graced us this week. Run through the dozen and make sure you have a fun, but safe weekend!
The brothers Birthdayy Partyy are on fire this year. After launching in January they’ve already released four tracks, with the latest being their remix of “Sexy Back” by Justin Timberlake, a classic. It couldn’t have been an easy task to take on, but the twins went ahead and succeeded with one of our favorite flips.
Birthdayy Partyy’s boisterous sound is levied against a breakbeat backdrop. Looking for bass? They’ve got you covered with dirty, sexy basslines that you won’t be able to get enough of. With festival season just around the bend, look out for this – and the duo’s other works – to be played out by DJs all over. If you’re a DJ yourself or just a collector of songs, you’ll be glad to know this remix dropped as a free download!
It’s been a bit since we’ve shared a mix, so we nabbed an exclusive treat from the New York City trio Big Time3. To heat things up this Winter, Big Time3 cooked up a fiery – and often nostalgic – mix for your ears and body.
Complete mostly with remixes, this booming collection of energetic tracks is forty-five minutes of dance-driven fun. The trio have been making moves and are carrying out their big plans this year. From touring to releasing new music, Big Time3 have some ammo in their chambers. We caught up with the group for a quick chat to supplement the exclusive mix. Dive into both and enjoy!
TMN: What’s this year looking like for touring?
We’ve been gearing up the past few months for a spring tour to showcase our hit song “Moving On” and to share our different style of music. We are still locking up a few more dates but we have a broad spread of places on the east coast. First stop of our tour will be at Noto in Philadelphia playing with 3lau on February 23rd. In March we will be playing a few local clubs in NYC and Long Island as well as traveling to a few schools in upstate NY. April we are working on a festival which will be huge for us as we can engage with more fans and play our new music for them.
TMN: Can you tell us a bit about the mix you guys put together?
This mix is a blend of new remixes with some timeless favorites. We like to dabble back in time and evoke emotions out of people where they can hear something that will remind them of their childhood and fond memories they had listening to music then.
TMN: Are you guys looking to release any music this year?
We have been working on a few tracks that we want to release in in the Spring and Summer months. Music is an art and we like to take our time and perfect our sounds and the vocals. We have two tracks, “Dead Weight” and “DM” that we have been working on for the past few months and we plan to release them soon. “Dead Weight” features Robbie Rosen, a former American Idol which is different from the BIGTIME3 signature sound. “DM” is more of a future bass track and will be crowd pleaser.
TMN: What’s your favorite song of 2018 so far?
Drake started off 2018 with a really good album. Our favorite song is “God’s Plan” and we will be releasing a remix to it in the coming month.
Mondays don’t have to be a drag. For a few Mondays now Birthdayy Partyy has been starting our weeks off on the right note with their festival-friendly releases. Today they have another and we’re proud to present it to you in the dojo first with a premiere. Enter the “House Partyy.”
The Chicago twins jump back on the original grind with this one, coming off their acclaimed remix of P!NK that you should check out if you haven’t yet. With “House Partyy” we get a genre-twisting, clubby tune that continues with the duo’s plan of giving their music away for free. You’ll want this one, trust us. Stream it here first and grab a copy for free!
