The leading force in today’s trance scene and reigning DJ Mag #1 Armin van Buuren has returned with his first album since 2010.  The follow up to Mirage titled Intense is in every sense of the word, an album.  Of course the LP has a strong trance presence, but it is the exploration of different musical genres that makes this album a stand out.  Looking to classical, rock, and of course progressive and trance, Armin once again proves his artistic value to the dance music world.

“It’s been an intense 2 years in the making. Being a perfectionist, some of these tracks have taken me months to finish. I’ve tried to incorporate as many real instruments as possible, including a live orchestra and the rock band of my brother Eller, Bagga Bownz. It’s been an honour to work with such talented artists, singers and songwriters.”

Intense features 15 cuts that appeal to the masses without loosing the van Buuren influence many were worried would be lost after hearing the first single.  I’ll admit, after hearing This Is What It Feels Like, I wasn’t confident I was going to enjoy the album, but I do.  The standout track for me Turn This Love Around, sees Armin collaborate with Drowning vocalist Laura V and Australian twins NERVO.  The meshing of the record’s soft melody and Laura V’s vocals is magic and a song I expect to resonate with a lot of people.

Top 5 Records:

1. Turn This Love Around (Feat. NERVO, Laura V)
2.  Forever Is Ours (feat. Emma Hewitt)
3.  Won’t Let You Go (feat. Aruna)
4.  In 10 Years From Now
5. Beautiful Life (feat. Cindy Alma)

Intense continues the 2013 trend of EDM artists creating albums properly, staying true to their artistic identity.  An album is about the journey, not how many sick drops it has.  Dirty South shocked a lot of people with his album earlier this year, and Armin has followed suit.  I really enjoyed listening to this album, and I’m excited to see how it translates into a live DJ set.

Armin returns to Toronto this Saturday inside Sound Academy for his official Intense tour stop.

TRACKLIST:

Intense (feat. Miri Ben-Ari)
This Is What It Feels Like (feat. Trevor Guthrie)
Beautiful Life (feat. Cindy Alma)
Waiting For The Night (feat. Fiora)
Pulsar
Sound Of The Drums (feat. Laura Jansen)
Alone (feat. Lauren Evans)
Turn This Love Around (vs. NERVO feat. Laura V.)
Won’t Let You Go (feat. Aruna)
In 10 Years From Now
Last Stop Before Heaven
Forever Is Ours (feat. Emma Hewitt)
Love Never Came (feat. Richard Bedford)
Who’s Afraid of 138?!
Reprise
Humming The Lights (iTunes Bonus Track)

Tonight inside Uniun Nightclub we welcome none other than Morgan Page!  The American producer is responsible for several Top 10 hits and has even been nominated for 2 Grammy Awards.  Records produced by Page are often accompanied by addictive vocals that never fade, frequently making their way into live DJ sets from a lot of his peers.

Page’s productions are regularly reworked by many of those same peers, so prepare yourself for tonight with some of the best Page remixes!

Carry Me (Nilsen & The 8th Note Remix Feat. Nadia Ali)

The Longest Road (Deadmau5 Remix Feat. Lissie)

In The Air (Hardwell Remix Feat. Angela McCluskey)

Body Work (Lazy Rich Remix Feat. Tegan & Sara

Strange Condition (Inpetto Vocal Remix Feat. Lissie)

The title pretty much says it all for this one.  Israeli producer Borgore known primarily for his strong offerings to the dubstep community has teamed up with trap star DJ Carnage for the bass pounding collaboration Incredible.  One thing’s for sure, this record  speaks for itself.  Once the drop hits its like getting punched in the face with a fist full of bass.

Buy on Beatport

The track was first heard believe it or not in Avicii’s Levels #009 podcast proving once again that the Swede is eerily good at finding quality music regardless of genre.  For two producers who know a thing or two about bass, Incredible shows that there can be significant reward for trying something a little different.

Borgore will land in The Guvernment‘s bass thriving room Chroma for the upcoming Freedom celebration next month.

Are you ready?! Last year’s Decadence event proved to be one of the best shows of 2012, and with another stacked line-up for 2013, it’s safe to say we’re in for another memorable party.  The momentum from Ultra Music Festival will be making its way north of the border with heavy hitters Nicky Romero, Calvin Harris, W&W, R3hab, and Cosmic Gate returning to Toronto together.

I figured I’d let the music speak for itself to get you in the right state of mind with some of the best tracks these talented producers have to offer.

Check out 8 Big Tunes to prepare yourself for the madness that hits Toronto tonight!

I Need Your Love (Nicky Romero Remix Feat. Ellie Goulding) – Calvin Harris

Fire Wire (Cosmic Gate Back 2 The Future Remix) –  Cosmic Gate

ID – W&W & R3hab

Symphonica (Original Mix) – Nicky Romero

Do It (Life In Color Anthem 2013) - R3hab & David Solano

The Code (Original Mix) – W&W

Legacy (Original Mix) – Nicky Romero Feat. Krewella

D# Fat (Original Mix) – W&W & Armin van Buuren

Decadence is merely hours away and there is a lot of excitement in the air for what each artist is going to bring to the table.  On Monday we shared with you Nicky Romero’s set from Ultra Music Festival‘s first weekend, and tonight feels right to showcase W&W’s ASOT 600 set from Weekend 2.

This Dutch duo has recently celebrated a Beatport #1 record with The Code as they continue to grow into established rising stars.  Their ASOT 600 set is high energy much like Romero’s, and will easily draw some fans away from Romero’s set.

Enjoy it, and we’ll see you tomorrow!

Tracklist: 

01. W&W – Lift Off (Original Mix)
02. ID – ID
03. W&W – Shotgun (Original Mix)
04. W&W – Moscow (Original Mix)
05. Ummet Ozcan – Here & Now
06. Dash Berlin feat. Emma Hewitt – Waiting (W&W Remix)
07. ID – ID
08. Emma Hewitt – Rewind (Mikkas Remix) vs. Omnia & IRA – The Fusion (ID MashUp)
09. Hardwell vs. Above & Beyond feat. Richard Bedford – Spaceman Thing Called Love (W&W MashUp)
10. Tiesto – Adagio For Strings (W&W Bootleg)
11. Showtek, Justin Prime – Cannonball (Original Mix)
12. Zedd – Clarity (W&W Remix)
13. Armin Van Buuren & W&W – D# Fat
14. ID – ID
15. ID – ID
16. W&W – Invasion (ASOT 550 Anthem)
17. W&W & Ummet Ozcan – The Code
18. ID – ID
19. Above & Beyond Vs Rick Mitchells – Sun Zero (Mark Sixma / M6 Mashup)

Alex and Chris  aka DVBBS are two gifted brothers on the rise in electronic music.  Their fresh sound and limitless energy has seen them draw significant attention from all over North America.   The Canadian brothers have been making music together since they were kids.  Building on each other’s strengths, the two had experimented in several genres before finding their calling in electronic music. A year ago they released their debut EP Initio, marking their official introduction to the dance music world.  Like true businessmen, the pair saw Initio as an opportunity to test their abilities without locking themselves into any specific genre.  The experiment worked, and the EP laid down the groundwork for a tour-filled summer with appearances that included VELD Music Festival.

Tonight the pair are back for another round at Uniun Nightclub with support from Manzone & Strong, and the Sour DJs.

DVBBS is set to release a collaboration with Swanky Tunes and Eitro titled We Know on April 15 and have just released the preview, check it out!

Romero’s remix was debuted during his Be-At TV session in early February at Ministry of Sound in London, England and has rapidly become an online favourite ever since.  Through great synth work and vocal sampling of Ellie Goulding‘s stunning vocals this track is set to become a dance music favourite in the very near future.

Romero’s next release will be the eagerly anticipated Symphonica on March 25, 2013, but with the Dutchman uploading an official preview to his Soundcloud a couple weeks ago it’s safe to say we can expect this one very soon.

Buy Tickets

Both Romero & Harris will be taking over the Kool Haus for Decadence on March 28, 2013.

Words By: Sean Moffatt

One of 2012’s best parties to hit Toronto happened last summer following Day One of the inaugural Veld Music Festival.  Deadmau5, Chris Lake, and Michael Woods smashed The Guvernment main room that night for hours of intense surprise.  Tonight British product Michael Woods is set to make his debut inside Toronto’s Uniun Nightclub with hopes of reliving the energy from that very show.  Joining Woods will be rising star Walden who returns to Uniun after a much talked about debut with Nervo back in January, as well as our weekly residents Manzone & Strong.

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Michael Woods has a knack for producing some of the best club tracks in dance music. Records that are years old continue to get played out by DJs across the globe because they fit into sets of any genre with such ease.  To get you prepared for tonight’s madness I’ve compiled a list of Woods tracks that you are guaranteed to hear tonight and that will most certainly get you in the right frame of mind.

Songs You Need To Know:

I Said (Michael Woods Remix) – Deadmau5 vs. Chris Lake

Platinum Chains (Original Mix) – Michael Woods

Warrior (Original Mix) – Michael Woods

 Photo: Tobias Wang

Words By: Sean Moffatt

What a night.  Last weekend for the first installment of March’s Spin Saturdays inside The Guvernment Nightclub, Toronto welcomed back a classy, established veteran in DJ/producer Roger Sanchez.  Much like his visit to Uniun in December, Sanchez flipped the venue upside down for an overwhelming Miami-like club experience.  As a pioneer of house, Sanchez’ global influence was made visible with the presence of fans spanning multiple generations, all there to take part in the evening’s festivities.  Sanchez’ appearance was the first inside Guvernment in a couple years and the long overdue return was nothing short of an intense house heaven for fans looking for a real, raw, house music experience.

Sanchez had Mark Oliver and Manzone & Strong as support, and as usual the trio of residents lit up the venue with some really spectacular beats.  With and artist like Sanchez in the house, the residents always drop some real, gritty, house music records.

 Photo: Tobias Wang

The atmosphere on the dance floor was insanely good and Sanchez must have felt it too because he took to the stage earlier then scheduled. What I most admire about the house music legend is his “music first” attitude and his extensive use of the technology at his disposal.  His looping, use of effects, and sampling really defined his time on stage, and the exploitation of more than two CDJs opened up a lot of opportunity to blend the music.  Fans were at his mercy while he dropped numerous cuts that embodied the persona of his Stealth Records label.  There was a lot of great music that had a New York to Miami identity and moments of wonder like a sampling of Summertime Sadness from breakout star Lana Del Rey.  Building on the energy of the dedicated fans in front of him, Sanchez made sure to remind us just how good he sounds in the legendary venue.

Absolutely SICK nite at Guvernment last nite! Thank u Toronto! #CanandianHouseNation - Roger Sanchez via Twitter

It was great to see Sanchez play at The Guvernment because I feel that’s where a man of his experience should play.  Don’t get me wrong, he ripped Uniun apart in December and the industrial environment helped set the tone of that night.  With that being said however, there’s no denying that certain venues hold a deeper meaning to artists and fans alike and Guvernment is absolutely one of them.

Back in February, the Dutch trio of Hardwell, Dannic and Dyro made Canada their home as they trekked across our country by bus to headline shows in many of our major cities.  The trio have officially released their after movie of the experience and it’s safe to say during their time here that they certainly made it count.

Check out the video above and relive the night that you were a part of.