On Wednesday afternoon, we had Tom Marshall, also known as Marsh, host a Reddit session of Ask Me Anything on r/electronicmusic. The man, who’s had quite the year, gave its fans a 2-hour window to ask about his career, his cats, and more.

This comes in the middle of Tom’s busiest year. Touring the world and releasing an original album plus a remixed one are only a few of the things he’s been up to during 2023. From everything he talked about during his Reddit journey, here are eight things that really caught our eye. Read on, little reader.

The post 8 Things We Learnt From Marsh’s Reddit AMA appeared first on EDMTunes.

ilan Bluestone (also abbreviated for the sake of simplicity as iB) is among the most recognisable Anjunabeats artists of the past 10 years. Tracks like ‘Spheres‘, ‘Big Ben‘, ‘Bonsai‘, ‘Will We Remain?‘, and many, many more, have turned into anthems of the label, and have also showcased how broad his style can be. Further experimenting with styles, he now also makes music under the subalias ilan Bluestone pres. Stoneblue, focusing on faster 135+ BPM Trance.

Yesterday, Ilan arranged an AMA instance on the r/electronicmusic subreddit. Out of all the questions asked, these are our top picks and findings from it:

1. He’s quite picky about the low end on his shows

In one of the questions, he explains why he doesn’t play his BT and Stef Lang song ‘All These Wounds’ around clubs:

Q: “All These Wounds was one of those songs that just captivated me the first time I heard it, but I’ve never seen you play it live. I vaguely remember reading something from you on social media saying that you didn’t feel that it fits in a club/DJ set environment (please correct me if I’m mistaken). Can you walk us through the thought process behind what makes a song better to be heard in a live environment vs. in a standalone setting?”

iB: “Club sets really need tracks that have banging bass lines. All These Wounds I feel is more suited for a chill environment just based on the way its produced. After trying to play it I found i realized the low end on this one wasn’t powerful enough compared to other tracks of mine.“

2. His collab with Giuseppe Ottaviani has a name… and has been played around!

After the video preview both artists shared on Instagram a couple of days ago, we all got excited as we learnt about this collaboration. During the AMA, ilan shared a little extra insight on it, like the title:

Q: “I’m super stoked to hear the upcoming collab with Giuseppe once it’s finally done!”

iB: “Collab with Giuseppe is done and its called Futuro! I’m playing it out on all my upcoming shows! See you in the front row 😉“

Q: “Do you have a favourite track to play live currently?”

iB: “My new track with Giuseppe Ottaviani, as well as Save a Prayer with Gid!“

3. He cares about his ears

A must for a DJ, as their ears are their work tools:

Q: “Ok when you listen and working too much on music stuff do you have any issue with your ears?”

iB: “Ear protection is very important. I’ve got earplugs that I always wear at festivals and in nightclubs to make sure I’m not damaging my hearing!“

4. A Stoneblue album is on its way

When asked about it on the AMA, he hinted towards something big for his faster subalias:

Q: “Do you plan on a Stoneblue album at some point? I find myself listening to that version of Stanger To Your Love more than the original and I remember loving it the second I heard it.”

iB: “F to the yeah! Just wait on this one 😉“

5. His favourite gig of all time was his ABGT100 set

Out of all the show’s he’s played to this day, the 2014 one at MSG stands out for him:

Q: “If you could rank your own sets (not just music but crowd/type of set/liveliness/etc), how would you rank them? If that’s too broad of a q, what are your most memorable sets/festivals/shows that you remember?”

iB: “Madison Square garden, nothing will beat that show as it was my first ever live performance. I nearly shat myself on stage“

6. It’s a challenge for him to play after Above & Beyond

Even though he’s done it several times (ABGT150, ABGT200, ABGTW 2019), he says playing after the trio always comes with great responsibility:

Q: “Do you find it intimidating to go on stage after the headliner of an event? I’m specifically referring to ABGTW in 2019.”

iB: “Can’t wait to be back at The Gorge! its super intimidating to go on stage after the kings of trance that got me into this in the first place. There is a high bar set by them and it can be really daunting to take the stage after such legends!“

7. There’s some Elysian on the works

Another one of his side projects is the one formed by Maor Levi, Emma Hewitt, and him. Under the name Elyisian, they’ve released tracks like ‘Moonchild’ and ‘Water’. ilan had a say on the matter during the AMA:

Q: “Also the remix for Now We Are Free is that one getting released? All the best!”

iB: “We’re currently trying to get the rights to release it!“

Q: “any plans for Elysian new music esp that Gladiator theme? EPIC !”

iB: “As mentioned above we’re trying to clear the rights to the Gladiator theme.“

8. He’s a fan of smaller venues over big festivals

He says they provide a better setting to try out new music:

Q: “Is there a difference in thought process in terms of track selection at a smaller venue compared to a larger one or a festival stage?”

iB: “I prefer smaller stages to festivals, because I feel like I can test out new unreleased music better.“

9. His Anjunabeats debut was the one which took him the longest to produce

He says he spent a while polishing ‘Namaste’ to sound optimal:

Q: “Which song took the longest to create and why?”

iB: “Namaste was one of my first Anjuna release and took super long because i wanted to perfect it as much as possible!“

10. And lastly…

Q: “How many sugars in your tea?”

iB: “3.5“

Read the full AMA by clicking here. Also, do help yourself by checking his Spotify profile right here. Lastly, watch his ABGT450 set down below.

The post 10 Things We Learnt From ilan Bluestone’s Reddit AMA appeared first on EDMTunes.

“Addicted to a Memory” was the biggest challenge for Zedd and took the longest time to finish

Zedd: I started the song with this patch I found in this synth called “SynthMaster2” (highly recommend it btw!!) and created the first drop quite quickly. However, after building the track further I created this giant build up towards the end and couldn’t quite figure out the perfect “finale” for the song.

It felt like it needed to be melodic and enthusiastic but the key of the song made it quite tricky. The song is in “d flat” and that note, in the sub octave, is very difficult to hear since it really is too low for most speakers. So the key was to distort the sub and layer a higher octave on top of it for the note to be audible properly.

While this is, more or less, a standard way to make your 808 or sub audible, within the mix I made it ended up being incredibly challenging and even required a separate master JUST for that last drop of Addicted of a Memory.

A collaboration with Porter Robinson may be coming down the pipeline

Zedd: I would love that! Porter and I actually recently talked about getting together and working on some music. The pandemic certainly doesn’t make it easier but I’d love to get in a room with them. We “grew up” in this scene together. It would probably be really special.

Skrillex helped Zedd overcome his fear of using mics

Zedd: I was TERRIFIED of using the mic for the first year of my career. For me there was a show I played with Skrillex where he FORCED ME to use the mic. I was on tour with him and it was what he really wanted me to do so I did it. And I realized how much people love when you interact with them. You establish a much more personal connection. Long story short; I’ve been using the mic every show since and am very thankful Skrillex made me do this 😉

Zedd is a big gamer

Zedd: A lot of people don’t know this but I actually used to play in a Counter Strike team in Germany back in the day. I have been obsessed with gaming since I was very little. Other than music it is my big passion!

My main game at the moment is VALORANT. I used to play a lot of Overwatch but kind of traded that in for VALORANT. Since the PS5 came out I’ve been really in to Demon’s Souls as well.

More followup information about his gaming habits:

Zedd: I don’t usually [like story based games], but THE LAST OF US and especially THE LAST OF US 2 have been 2 of my favorite games of all time.

I played TLOU2 with absolutely 0 expectations and absolutely loved it. I later read how much hate the game got, and I wholeheartedly disagree with it. FOR ME, it was an incredible experience.

Zedd believes that luck is key to success

Zedd: I believe that the external influence into ones achievement are substantially higher than we tend to imagine. While I think that being incredibly good at music can push your “required luck” down a lot, there is always going to be a lot of it needed in order to be successful.

Keep up with the latest music news and releases through EDM Tunes!

The post 6 Things We Learned From Zedd’s AMA appeared first on EDMTunes.

In a seemingly devastating time, our favorite house producer is bringing us a fireside chat. This is ultimate in creating normalcy around our silent communities.

He invites you to your living room, basement, kitchen, garage, etc. for some good ol’ fashion fun. Oh! He’s also going to be playing some tunes. And if music, burritos, and Kaskade aren’t enough motivation for you, then I don’t know what is. It’s another weekend of virtual raves coming your way. As he says, put on your fluffies and get out of your sweatpants. Because he’s here to make things better.

Come prepared with your questions. From how do you get a burrito to what is coming next for the year. Could this be better than a typical Reddit AMA? Well, there’s only one way to find out. Those that join, do let us know how you thought it went. Let us know how much fun you had too. Grab your burrito, brews, and besties and join in.

While we still do not know the fate of EDC Las Vegas, at least we have the camaraderie of the community. For now, enjoy tonight as Kaskade opens up. Here’s a gif to get you going on those burritos.

In need of more music to watch? Check out the live streams from Disclosure, Little Dragon, Justin Martin, and more. What others have you seen and liked? Which artists do you want to see more from?

Keep up with our page for the latest in trending streams and more. Keep moving forward, everyone!

The post Kaskade Is Giving Away Free Burritos And Tunes Tonight appeared first on EDMTunes.

After a chaotic third day at The Governors Ball Music Festival, the festival founders released a statement and apology to festival attendees for what went down on Randall’s Island Park.

As a result of the events, the founders hosted an AMA on Reddit Tuesday, June 4th to field questions about the events that transpired on June 2nd. The AMA beagn at 1 p.m. EST.

Many questions and concerns raised from Reddit users had to do with the emergency procedures issued on the third day of the festival. On the other hand, many users complained and raised concerns about security not IDing properly and adding a minimum age requirement for future festivals.

A lot of the responses from the Governors Ball team were a reiteration of the statement made before the AMA. In questions regarding the weather reports, Co-founder Tom Russell included photos of the weather reports in the morning and afternoon.

“I’ve addressed this a few different places, but this AMA is pretty big so happy to address again. Take a look at the weather reports we received in the morning here: https://imgur.com/a/5sMPTgQ and also the one we received in the afternoon here: https://imgur.com/a/UrGwTJx. This was echoed by the meteorologist who we spoke to on the phone so so so many times throughout the day, and this data showed us that the best time and way to save the show was to push gates back because the likelihood for severe weather was minimal.”

As for the possibility of raising the minimum age, Russell says they haven’t ruled the idea out.

“Over time our audience has gotten younger, and whether that’s due to the culture, the artists, etc is debatable,” Russell said. “We have explored going 18+ and we will continue to have those discussions.”

The message from the founders details the backstory of the events that occurred on Sunday, June 2^nd. The festival includes in their statement that they talked with the professional weather service about the likelihood of thunderstorms and lightening starting early in the morning.

After speaking with city departments, the festival made a decision to communicate to festival attendees that they should not come to Randall’s Island.

Governors Ball staff continued to monitor the situation and called their weather service again at 11 a.m. The expected weather planned to hit between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on June 2nd.

Festival staff made the decision to push the gate openings back to 6:30 p.m. after watching the weather throughout the early afternoon. Accordingly, Music started at 7 p.m. and those in Randall’s Island Park caught a few performances. Sheck Wes, Lily Allen and Nas all graced the stage with clear weather. But a large storm hit the festival around 9 p.m. wreaking havoc on the festival grounds and its attendees.

Attendees at Governors Ball to videos of the storm that hit. Vides from the event show extreme wind and rain sweeping the festival grounds.

Above all, no injuries were reported, An impressive feat for an evacuation of tens of thousands of people.

After the evacuation, the festival quickly announced that all Sunday ticket holders would be issued a refund. Likewise, it was announced that all 3-day ticket holders would be refunded pro-rata.

You can read the full statement issued by The Governors Ball team here.

The team responsible for the festival welcomes feedback as they prepare for The Governors Ball 10^th anniversary. June 5th– 7th, 2020 is the planned date for next year’s festival.

The post Governors Ball Founders Host AMA After Chaotic Third Day appeared first on EDMTunes.

There are few Music Producers who are revered by both fans, and Producers alike, KSHMR is definitely one of these. KSHMR, whose real name is Niles Hollowell-Dhar, is an Indian-American DJ & Music Producer.

He is most known for tracks like his collaboration with Tiësto, ‘Secrets‘, as well as originals like ‘Jammu‘. In addition to his music, Niles is also known for his Sounds Of KSHMR Sample Packs, of which he has three. It goes without saying that these are a mainstay in nearly every producer’s collection.

KSHMR recently took the time to host a Reddit AMA, and his fans could not be happier. Naturally, a lot of the questions revolved around Music Production. Check out our favorite questions, and responses below.

Reddit AMA

1. On Future Shows, His Sound, & Favorite Artists

2. Inspirations Behind His New Story Format Set

3. Super Group Talk With R3hab

Ahem.

4. On Ghost Production, The Cataracts, And New EP

5. On Lecturing At Berklee, And What He Can Teach People Better Than Anyone Else.

6. Favorite Non-EDM Producer

 7. Thoughts On Pre-Recorded Sets

New Music

While you’re here, be sure to check out his latest collaboration with Yves V & Krewella titled ‘No Regrets‘. The track is out now and can be streamed below.

KSHMR & Yves V – No Regrets (feat. Krewella) | STREAM

The post KSHMR Talks Production, Future Shows, And Inspirations On Recent Reddit AMA appeared first on EDMTunes.

1. The label is designed for sharing music RL Grime loves

Reddit: What kind of music/vision are you and your team trying to cultivate for Sable Valley? How are you guys trying to stand apart from other “artist started/run” labels?

RL Grime: there isnt necessarily a specific sound or genre, but im going to be signing and supporting music that speaks to me. I think if youve been to my shows, listened to my mixes, or ever talked to me about music, you know that my taste is all over. obviously i love huge cinematic bass heavy dance music, but i dont want to put it in a box like that. it really could be anything (breakbeat, techno, hardcore, whatever) .. at the end of the day its just about records that i really connect with and would be excited to play in my sets.

2. His collaboration with Mr. Carmack might get progress

R: I think I speak for everyone here when I ask, will you ever release your collab with Mr. Carmack?

RL G: to be totally honest i dont even remember what that sounds like. i think it was a demo we made years ago that he played a few times in his sets. ill hit him up and see what the deal is with it

3. RL Grime is starting to build a community

r: My question is: I got an email saying I was ‘accepted’ into Sable Valley. Does this mean I’ll get to release with the label? Or is it going to be like some sort of producer group or something?

RL G: the acceptance letter was not me signing anybody. it’s a way for me to begin to build the community that is going to be core (lol) to this label. we’re still figuring out how best we can involve people, but this is something that’s going to be a huge part of Sable Valley. for example, members will have early access to sable valley tours, music, merch etc.

4. RL Grime already has music ready for release

R: What can we expect from you and Sable Valley this year in terms of releases?

RL G: already have a few releases lined up for the year.. i really want to put out as much music as i possibly can, but obviously i want be hands on with every release, and im very specific about the things i support.

5. A Whethan collab might be happening

R: Saw you and young Wheaty hitting the studio. How was it working with him ?

RL G: whethan is a beast ! such a nice guy and a wizard on ableton. very excited to work more with him

6. RL Grime’s thoughts on collaboration and spending time touring

R: In this day and age, what are your views on artists having production teams that they oversee to make a final product i.e bassnectar, excision, diplo, etc. Do you feel this takes away from the artist in any way or is this the reality of modern music where touring is much more lucrative than spending a bunch of time creating music.

RL G: this is a great question. at the end of the day, i think its important to have your ideas come through on music that has your name on it. i think collaboration, and working with producers is a very legitimate part of the creative process, and can often help facilitate ideas that are better than the sum of its parts. i’ve found that its most important that you connect with WHO you are working with .. all my favorite collaborations started organically, with a friendship.

as for the second part of the question, its tough because the more you tour, the less time you have being at home, in a comfortable space, making music … and as you grow, the expectations grow along with you. I think personally how I have dealt with this is making sure to take chunks of time out of my touring schedule to focus on creating

7. The circumstances which created ‘Amphibian’

R: Amphibian is one of my favorite songs of ANY kind, do you have any memories about making it? And would you be open to bringing it back in your sets?

RL G: i like that you asked about amphibian, because I often still find myself looking back at that moment where I was making that specific song.. i remember being stoned on my couch in new york in my tiny apartment with the window open with my headphones on and the sun was coming through and I remember feeling very warm and writing that song. its probably one of the most vivid memories I have of making anything. as for bringing it back to my sets, unlikely, unless I were to rework it, because i hate the mixdown

8. He knows exactly what he wants to do after gaining perspective

R: How are you feeling about the RL Grime project? I know you started with Clockwork and then moved to RL Grime. Do you see another project in the future? And if so, what type of music do you think you would produce under the new alias?

RL G: to be honest, i’m feeling more inspired about the RL project, and music at large, than i have been in a long time. after putting out NOVA i feel like i gained some much needed perspective. in retrospect, the NOVA album process was pretty grueling, i worked with so many people and heard so many different opinions that would affect my choices. i’m so grateful to have gone through that process because I feel like now more than ever I have an understanding of exactly what I like and what I want to make. and now, especially with Sable Valley, i feel like i can pursue EXACTLY what i want to be doing on my own terms.

The post 8 Things We Learned From RL Grime’s Reddit AMA appeared first on EDMTunes.

Other than a remix of the Pendulum classic, “Blood Sugar“, and a collaboration with Pegboard Nerds, Knife Party has also been pretty quiet. Back in July, Rob Swire took to Reddit for an Ask Me Anything (AMA). Through revealing a number of past stories and insights to tour life, Swire dropped some updates on his collaborative project with Gareth McGrillen.

The main highlight of the AMA is of particular interest to those waiting for new music from the duo. Swire did reveal that a new EP is on the way, with the Aussie confirming that it shall drop in 2018. Well Rob, there are only 4 months left of 2018. Will the album actually come out in 2018? What will the album be called? Who will be featured on it?

Fear no more! Tonight, fans may get the answers they’ve been looking for. A new Twitter account, knifecast, has mysteriously popped up in the Twitter-verse, sending out their first tweet this morning:

Rob and Gareth from Knife Party / Pendulum are doing a podcast-ish type stream thing, LIVE – today / tonight!

Wednesday 19th
• 4 PM (Pacific)
• 7 PM (Eastern)
• Midnight (UK / BST)

We’ll tweet a link to the stream an hour before 🙂

— knifecast (@knifecast_live) September 19, 2018

It appears that this may be a common occurrence, and that Knife Party’s new podcast will go by the name of “Knifecast”. There is no indication of whether or not this podcast will feature live interaction with viewers via chat. However, hopefully all your Knife Party and Pendulum questions will be answered.

The post “Podcast-ish Type Stream Thing” Coming From Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen Tonight appeared first on EDMTunes.

In a recent Reddit AMA, the legendary Laidback Luke did not hold anything back when his army of dedicated followers asked him some very personal questions. In true ask me anything fashion, there were certainly some very invasive and important inquiries that were put on the table – however, the Dutch producer managed to have a perfectly worded answer to satisfy all of his fans deepest questions. Check it out!

When one fan inquired about how Hardwell truly is as a person, the ‘Show Me Love’ DJ couldn’t hold back his personal opinion and stated:

Another Reddit user asked a question that we’ve all been dying to know. He inquired if Swedish House Mafia and the Kung Fu master were still meeting up for their yearly producing spree. Here’s what was confirmed:

A truly dedicated follower from Hawaii asked the hard-hitting question regarding the future of DJs and the family man’s answer will have you geared up and ready to reach for the stars:

Continuing the deep questions streak, another Reddit user inquired if he had any unreleased Avicii tracks to unleash to the world as Nicky Romero has stated that he has a few under his belt. What he responded will have you feeling all types of ways…

Canadian fans started to chime in with an inquiry relating to the future of his tour; more specifically, if he was planning on playing smaller cities, like Halifax, Canada. Here’s what he stated:

Speaking of being on the road, one fan asked what his go-to meal was while traveling. We can guarantee that you would not have guessed this:

To end things on a positive note, Laidback Luke took a moment to thank his fans for reaching out, and wished them all well with this beautiful piece of inspiration:

Check out the full thread here.

The post Laidback Luke Opens Up On Reddit AMA To Answer Fans Q&As appeared first on EDMTunes.

British Trance legend Gareth Emery has always been a revered figure in the electronic music industry. Apart from his obvious talent behind the decks, Emery stands out as being a down to earth and extremely relatable. Reddit AMAs are always an excellent opportunity for fans to stay up-to-date on their favorite artists, and for DJs to share a unique side of themselves which is impossible to display on stage.

This AMA had three unique themes which constantly resurfaced throughout the comments. First, fans are absolutely fascinated with Emery’s expansion into the world of Blockchain. He recently launched Choon, a music streaming device and digital payments system powered by Ethereum in hopes of solving some of the music industries most basic problems. Choon has raised over $2 million prior to the public token sale which began on July 2, 2018.

As a result of this success, some fans wonder if this cryptocurrency is yet another scam. Gareth tackled this question first:

“Funnily enough, what we’re building is actually your fairlytale / ideal-world scenario where royalties are handled in two-way payment flow between artist-listener. Blockchain isn’t deployed for the use of a consensus model, but as the best way to create a distinct payment token which can be used to power a thriving ecosystem where value is transferred around the stakeholders, both artists and listeners, and to substantially incentivize adopters.”

Another aspect of Gareth Emery which we can all truly respect is his honesty. We often forget that DJs also have normal lives outside of their professions. Many have families they don’t often get to see and often fight their own personal battles. When asked how things were going for him, Gareth opened up:

“Thanks for asking this, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked it in an interview before […] Operating at the highest level in any industry comes with incredibly highs but also a large amount of personal sacrifice, and I’ve definitely had moments where I’ve been tempted to reduce work and go for for a quieter life. Avicii’s death really hit me hard and I’ve thought a lot on the subject since then: in our society, we tend to value success over everything, but once you’ve had a certain amount of success, you can start to judge the price it comes at, and whether it’s worth it.”

Lastly, its important we touch on the topic of Laserface as this is truly one of the most spectacular shows that EDM has to offer at the moment. We have already been treated to several shows, in New York and San Francisco, and its evident that more are to come.

According to the AMA, Gareth Emery’s next UK show will most likely be a Laserface edition, the only thing left to plan is finding the right venue. Additionally, the UK Laserface is one of three currently in the works, so it seems like we’re in for quite a treat the next few months. Its important for Emery to focus on perfection for these shows, a lot of work goes in but its worth it. When asked what his favorite show of the years was, Gareth had this to say:

“For achievement, Laserface SF. 8,500 people was my biggest headline show to-date, and I’m pretty proud of what me and Anthony pulled off on that one. But, big shows are stressful. For pure enjoyment, most of the club shows this year have been great fun. By not doing too many and burning out, I enjoy the ones I do a lot more.”

Check out the full reddit AMA here and let us know what you think.

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