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Music News

Zedd helping produce "experimental" album for Lady Gaga

By Jack Wiggins
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Admittedly, we probably should have seen this coming when Zedd—a former Beatport remix contest regular—began touring with the unpredictable pop star Lady Gaga, but now Zedd himself has confirmed that he will contribute tracks to the pop icon’s next album, and is sounding pretty confident about what they’ve come up with together: “I just really can’t imagine [that people will] not like it, to just say it straight up,” the young producer said in a recent interview. “I think the stuff we’ve made is pretty fucking cool.”

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Morning Roundup

Skrillex's Essential Mix, Breach remixes Maya Jane Coles, Disclosure breaks down Settle track by track, A-Trak talks Duck Sauce album, and Machinedrum shares new single for Ninja Tune

By Glenn Jackson
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Those who missed out on Skrillex’s, well, essential Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1 this weekend should not fear, the 120-minute outing has made its way to the web in all its massive, genre-defying glory. Check out the full mix and accompanying tracklist below while we catch you up on everything else you may have missed over the weekend.

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Morning Roundup

Boyz Noize previews a new "analog techno" track, Native Instrument's Kontrol X1 MK2 details leaked, A-Trak drops a new video, and what some are calling the worst band in all of dance music

By Glenn Jackson
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Calling an outfit “the worst band in dance music” is a rather bold statement, but some are saying they have found a group that fits the profile. We’ve read the facts, heard the music, and tend to agree. Find out who that is below along with the rest of the tasty updates we’ve gathered to get your day started right.

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Track of the Day

Cedric Gervais reworks Howard Jones’ '80s classic “Things Can Only Get Better” into a festival anthem

By Eric Coomes
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What’s old is new again in house music. Daft Punk has dominated headlines recently thanks to collaborations with legends Giorgio Moroder and Nile Rodgers, the latter of whom is also working with Avicii. And now Miami-based Cedric Gervais is paying homage to the sounds that paved the way for musicians today, reinterpreting Howard Jones’ 1985 hit “Things Can Only Get Better” for maximum modern-dancefloor impact.

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Interview

Dillon Francis on humor: "I always feel like the class clown of my career."

By Dan Carter
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At a time when dance music can often be found taking itself just a little too seriously, Dillon Francis has proven a welcome industry jester. Under the watchful eye of Diplo, this moombahton poster boy-turned-audacious pop remixer has taken Coachella and the internet by storm, suggesting that a sharp sense of humor and a sound lapped up from LA to London can be a saving grace in times of vast saturation.

With an album in the oven and a long-overdue European stint stealing him from a high-profile streak on the North American circuit, Francis sat down with Beatport News in London to talk album mongering, being the class clown of his own career, and the hardships of losing your luggage at the outset of a landmark European tour.

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Morning Roundup

Flume remixes Disclosure, Avicii teases his new tune with Aloe Blacc, W&W is forced to cancel June live dates, and is a new Kraftwerk album in the works?

By Glenn Jackson
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Forming a dream team of young electronic producers, Australia’s Flume shares his remix of London brothers Disclosure while Avicii teases the somewhat controversial, country-infused “Wake Me Up” tune which first premiered at Ultra earlier this year. All that, plus some unfortunate news for W&W fans, but possibly great news for fans of Kraftwerk!

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Power of Ten

10 extremely NSFW dance-music videos—part two!

By Jack Wiggins
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Late last month, Beatport News compiled 10 of our favorite NSFW videos from across the web and you guys responded with such enthusiasm, we felt obligated to present a second round of clips. After perusing the comments left on the original post and wracking our brains (and YouTube) for more clips your boss shouldn’t catch you watching, we present part two of our picks for the most NSFW dance-music videos.

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Festivals

Five must-see acts at Chicago's Spring Awakening Music Festival

By Lauren Salm
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Last year, Chicago was given the gift of its first all-electronic dance music festival, Spring Awakening. In its inaugural year, the festival hosted 50,000 fans all eager to catch a glimpse of headliners Afrojack and the Grammy award-winning leader of the dubstep pack, Skrillex, all outside and within the walls of the Chicago Bears’ Soldier Field. Now back for its second year, the festival has expanded to three days, and has even added another stage. With headliners like Bassnectar, Calvin Harris, and a wide array of youngsters and veterans, Spring Awakening is sure to be another historical hit. From those newcomers, we’ve chosen our own top five artists that we think will blow everyone away, even if they aren’t headlining the main stage. And by the way, they are all from Chicago.

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