If you like Daft Punk, you'll love these 10 classic French house tracks

By Angie Terrell

Whether you call it French house, filtered house, or French touch, the sound that Daft Punk helped make popular has an awesome legacy of producers and DJs who all take a unique approach to crafting that signature Gallic sound. Some have roots in disco, some in funk, and some in the film soundtracks of the 1980s. The collaborations, friendships, and even familial ties of these musicians created recognizable themes in the music that have continued to evolve over the last 15 years, with sampled grooves, live vocals, strong filters, and all sorts of unique production elements coming together for the perfect dancefloor prescription. So, if you dig Daft Punk, you’re about to really discover the wonder of French house with these 10 classic tracks. Enjoy.

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Armin Van Buuren, David Guetta, Nervo, SHM, and more epic shots from Miami Music Week and Ultra Music Festival

By Ken Taylor

Miami’s musical festivities may be long over now, but the flood of media from the events there isn’t letting up—and sure, we take full credit for some of that. While Lauren Salm stalked out club nights and days for us in the written form, photographer Jennifer Catherine was busy snapping away at all hours. Here are 10 of her most epic shots from the week.

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10 Must-Try VST Plug-Ins for Producers

By Sagar Vashishta

Over the last few years, the world of music production has been truly revolutionized through the advancements made in digital audio technology. The decade-old mantra that analog will always trump digital is now being challenged by some of the amazing tools available at the fingertips of producers. Meanwhile, Grammy-winning records are being created using nothing more than a laptop and a few plug-ins. In the thick of the overwhelming amount of tools available for music makers today, we dive in to bring you 10 of our noteworthy favorites.

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Put Your Hands Up—or Out—For Detroit!

By Ken Taylor

Earlier today we featured an interview with Fedde Le Grand, the Dutch producer who popularized “Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit,” but those in the know recall that Fedde’s track sampled Matthew Dear’s now-classic Ghostly International tune “Hands Up For Detroit.” In that spirit, we’ve managed to assemble some of Detroit’s greatest producers and DJs with their hands up—or out—presumably for the D. Enjoy.

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The 10 best pre-Swedish House Mafia collaborative tracks from Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso, and Axwell

By Dan Carter

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the guys in Swedish House Mafia are unlikely to offer any apologies for their triumphant reign over global clubland. From their earlier days on the beat at Stockholm’s assorted underground nightspots (or, in Sebastian Ingrosso’s case, a pizza parlor) to their dream-like overhaul of popular dance music, the trio’s widely debated legacy has been one for the history books on all counts.

Now with their protracted 53-date farewell tour, the united efforts of Ingrosso, Steve Angello, and Axel Hedfors (aka Axwell) have put new, formerly unimaginable measures of success into the playbook of electronic music. But with so much headline action in the face of their premature departure this coming weekend, it is easy to forget the ardent activity that first sent them shooting skyward. As the trio prepares to make its final sign-off at Ultra Music Festival, Beatport News looks back on 10 collaborative landmarks that set the stage for their huge success.

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Lookout Weekend: Here come 10 Miami freestyle classics

By Ken Taylor

Despite the rush of popularity in recent years, the Winter Music Conference has been a Floridian staple since the mid-’80s. And one thing we know for sure is that during those early years (when it was held in Fort Lauderdale, if you can believe that), there was nary a mention of dubstep, jungle, electro house, or trance—hell, techno and house were only in their nascent phases. So what were they booming back then?

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10 Toronto artists that every house and techno fan should know

By Ken Taylor

It’s only been in the last couple years that the dance-music world has really taken notice of the many amazing things happening in Toronto, Ontario, Canada via the successes of folks like Art Department, Nautiluss, and Azari & III. But, truth be told, things have been brewing in the Big Smoke for decades. Sitting about half way between Detroit and Montreal, Toronto’s scene equally reflects Motown’s deeper, soulful side and the Quebec capital’s more austere aesthetic, yet, naturally, it melds them into something all its own. So, without further ado, here are 10 Toronto techno and house artists you should familiarize yourself with, if you haven’t already.

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We celebrate International Women's Day with 10 producers making big moves in electronic music

By Emma Robertson

In celebration of International Women’s Day today, Beatport News honors the contributions of women to the electronic music world. From newcomers like Holly Herndon, to rising stars like Maya Jane Coles, to industry veterans like Heidi and Karin Dreijer Andersson, here are 10 ladies that are making a difference in all aspects of dance music. Feel free to add your own picks in the comments section below.

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Ed Banger's 10 best videos [NSFW]

By Jesse Ship

It’s hard to believe it’s already been 10 years since Paris’ Ed Banger label was born. Founder Pedro Winter (aka Busy P, Daft Punk’s former manager) used to place modest personals ads in newspapers to find his artists, and now it’s become a worldwide force to be reckoned with. To help them celebrate—which they’re doing with a series of events in different cities over the next few months—we’ve assembled our favorite 10 cheeky, slice-of-life music videos from the label, which eke out a unique place in the dance-music world thanks to a créme de la créme list of directors like Romain Gavras, Canada, So Me (EB’s in-house graphic designer), and more.

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The 20 most-anticipated dance-music festivals of 2013

By Ken Taylor

Sure it’s just February, but with festival-announcement season in full swing, it’s high time we took a look at the most promising dance-music gatherings of the year ahead. Whether it’s been going for 20 years, like Barcelona’s venerable Sónar Festival, or if it’s a relative newcomer to the scene, like Playa Del Carmen’s BPM Fest, if it rocks, it’s got our attention—and hopefully yours, too. Read on for a killer list of must-attend parties this year.

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