The science of addiction and the chemistry of music with Erykah Badu and The Cannabinoids

By Emma Robertson

When the reigning queen of neo-soul, Erykah Badu, conceived of the idea for an electronic project, she enlisted the most talented producers she knew, eager to create a band that would share her same musical values. Inspired by the “cosmic collaborations” of her album New Amerykah Part One, the concept for The Cannabinoids was born in 2010: a musical experiment that would feature a team of phenomenal producers—A1, Picnic, Jah Born, Rob Free, RC Williams, DJ Big Texas, Symbolyc One, and Cleon Edwards—alongside Badu herself. Working with eight laptops, three turntables, six keyboards, four drum machines, a Theremin, and perhaps the team’s biggest weapon, an inimitable chemistry, The Cannabinoids are a live remix production crew, whose music represents the sensational reaction created when the synthetic combines with the organic. Their sound blends elements of hip-hop, funk, and psychedelic, most prevalent in their incredible new beat tape for Beatport which, fittingly, dropped on 4/20. We caught up with Badu, Jah Born, Rob Free, Picnic, and A1 to talk inspirations, the science of addiction, and the chemistry of The Cannabinoids.

Beatport Mixes

Deep-housers Art Department prep for a busy Miami week with a new No.19 Music mix

By Michelle Kuppersmith

Toronto-based duo the Art Department (aka Kenny Glasgow and Jonny White) have, for the past few years, been in the habit of creating rather compelling and forward-thinking deep-house tracks for labels like Crosstown Rebels, Get Physical, and White’s own No.19 Music. Now they’ve finally released their first-ever compilation, Social Experiment 003, and it features their original music alongside tracks from a highly impressive roster of artists including Jamie Jones and Carl Craig. To boot, they’ve also assembled a special Beatport Mixes version of the compilation.

Before they hit the mayhem that is Miami Music Week for their Social Experiment party on March 22 (along with Ultra Music Festival performances March 17 and 24), we caught up with White to ask him a few questions.

Beatport Mixes

Upload your Miami-themed mix and win

By Beatport News Editors

Miami Music Week kicks off the summer season—and we want your help to get the party started. Throughout the month of March, upload your Miami-themed mix to be entered to win $50 in Beatport credits. We’ll select a new winner each week, so be sure to check back on News to see if you’ve won.

Beatport Mixes

Reinventing liner notes, stage shows, and more with San Francisco multimedia trio The M Machine

By Ken Taylor

We were pretty psyched to introduce you to The M Machine last year when they released their debut EP, Metropolis, on OWSLA. Now, nearly a year later, much has changed with Ben Swardlick, Eric Luttrell, and Andy Coenen as they release Pt. II of that EP series—and along with it, a special Beatport Mix. The San Francisco-based trio tends to take a tech-forward approach to all of their goings-on, reinventing liner notes for the digital age and taking their absolutely crazy stage show a step beyond, so we checked in with the group about what to expect from their newest endeavor, and what to look forward to later this year.

Beatport Mixes

Loco Dice commemorates five years of Desolat with a Beatport Mix

By Emma Robertson

Dusseldorf-born Loco Dice began DJing in the ’90s, and although his roots were originally planted in hip-hop, he’s become one of the most respected and recognized figures in contemporary techno. An early partnership with fellow techno DJ/producer Martin Buttrich in 2002 led to the founding of Desolat Records five years later and since then it has grown to become one of the foremost labels in electronic music today, featuring a stellar crew that includes tINI, Guti, Hector, Shlomi Aber, and Pulshar, to name a few. Today, the label is commemorates its fifth anniversary with a Beatport Mix comprised solely of Desolat releases. We caught up with Loco Dice to chat about hip-hop, artistic performance, his favorite tracks, and how it feels to be celebrating five years of Desolat.

Beatport Mixes

Five ways to increase your exposure on Beatport Mixes: tips from DJ duo Deep Space House

By Beatport News Editors

When Beatport opened up the Mixes platform to all DJs late last year, one of the goals was to give so-called “bedroom DJs” a shot at reaching new fans by making their mixes available to a larger audience. The platform provides the basic functionality—uploading a continuous mix, curating the list of songs within the mix, and selling the mix as a complete work worth more than merely the sum of its parts—but it’s DJs and how they use Beatport Mixes that really showcases its potential.

One of the early success stories is the DJ duo Deep Space House, who, despite being newcomers to the deep-house scene, have sold more mixes on the platform than many established artists. In fact, they’ve landed 10 mixes in the Top 10, some of which have climbed to #1. (Full disclosure: Matt van Ax, one half of Deep Space House along with Mark Space, is a Beatport employee, but received no special promotional support to help draw attention to his mixes.) Here’s how they did it:

Beatport Mixes

Dutch trance god Ferry Corsten mixes up a two-part helping of his Once Upon a Night series

By Jack Wiggins

After years of racking up countless chart-topping tracks and remixes, Netherlands trance icon Ferry Corsten dropped his album Once Upon a Night in 2010, and it’s since become a signature part of his brand. He’s turned the release into a tour experience and has subsequently made it into a series, the third installment of which he released last year.

Now Corsten is back with a very special two-part Beatport Mix which incorporates all of that music into a pair of hour-plus sets. To honor the occasion, we floated a few quick questions past the longtime producer/DJ to get his thoughts on the mix and to see what we should expect from him in the year to come.

Beatport Mixes

DJ Shadow releases his infamous Miami set on Beatport Mixes

By Ken Taylor

There’s been much chatter the last few weeks about DJ Shadow, and his now-infamous ouster from the decks at Miami’s Mansion nightclub. Well, as promised, we’re pleased to bring you the actual set in its entirety on Beatport Mixes.

Beatport Mixes

DJ Shadow to release infamous Miami DJ set on Beatport Mixes on December 30

By Ken Taylor

By now, you’re likely quite aware of the fact that DJ Shadow was asked to leave Mansion Miami’s DJ booth a few weeks back for playing a set that the club’s promoters deemed unfit for their audience. Well, we’re excited to announce that Beatport will be hosting the full-length recording of that infamous set on Beatport Mixes this coming Sunday, December 30.

Interview

Dennis Ferrer talks New Year's Eve, music theory, and the DJ/producer conundrum

By Angie Terrell

Dennis Ferrer may have put up some big numbers for his 2010 vocal hit “Hey Hey” and, more recently, with his chart-topping remix of Nick Curly’s “Underground,” but his background in dance music is long and varied. As a protege of Kerri Chandler, Ferrer plied his house and techno tracks for years in the underground, building his impeccable production style and eventually starting his Objektivity label, which has fostered the careers of young house phenoms The Martinez Brothers and Jovonn.

This New Year’s Eve, Ferrer is set to headline a huge party at London’s Electric Brixton. And in anticipation of the event, he released an exclusive Beatport Mix to get us in the mood. Grab the set right now on Beatport Mixes, and read on to hear what Ferrer has to say about the party and the changing landscape of the dance music scene.

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