Ever experimental, Guetta
transports his collaborators to previously unexplored sonic spaces all
throughout Nothing But The Beat. On “Sweat,” for instance, Guetta remixes one
of his most prized DJ records as a stark, synth-heavy electro-hop track that
spotlights Snoop Dogg’s strikingly sleek vocals. Elsewhere on the album, guest
artists match Guetta’s ingenuity with their own brand of
beamed-in-from-another-dimension whimsy and weirdness. Just as “I Can Only
Imagine” alternates shimmering, buoyant beats with wildly skidding synth, the
track continually trades off Chris Brown’s warm melodies with the lyrical
mischief- making of Lil Wayne (whom Guetta dubs “a big genius”). And on “I Just
Wanna F,” Timbaland and Dev play a deliciously dirty version of the alphabet
game while Guetta lays down a densely textured groove that makes this
futuristic fever dream one of the album’s most irresistible moments.At the
heart of Nothing But The Beat is a selection of soul-stirring songs that reveal
the spirit behind Guetta’s gorgeously crafted beats. With all the passion and
power of an old-school dance anthem, “Night Of Your Life” shows off Jennifer
Hudson’s heavenly voice and remarkable range. On the slow-building “Without
You,” Usher opens with achingly vulnerable vocals that soon swell into a
soaring, sweeping performance ultimately backed by delicate piano work. “It’s
possibly the biggest track on the album,” says Guetta of “Without You.” “It’s a
monster—so big, so emotional.” In a one-two punch, Guetta follows “Without You”
with the equally wistful opening moments of “Nothing Really Matters”—then turns
it all around and elevates the Will.I.Am-led track into an escapist party jam.
“I love playing with both worlds,” says Guetta, noting the bold disparity
between the “crazy electro-beat and the super-sophisticated string arrangement”
on “Nothing Really Matters.”Listen song here:YouTube
Axwell, along with Sebastian Ingrosso, and Steve Angello is
one-third of of what has become known as the Swedish House Mafia.Axwell, born
Axel Hedfors in the Swedish countryside, found that music was in his system
from a tender age. Playing the drums at the age of 9, he became frustrated with
his fellow classmates who could not keep up; he traded his drums at the age of
13 for a computer so he could play all the instruments himself.Axwell released
alot of acidtechno music made with Fasttracker2
in the years of 1995-1997 under the pseudonym Quazar (of Sanxion) and was
featured in the intro of the warezgroup Hybrid’s crack of the classic computer
game Worms 1. During this time he also competed in music competitions, most
notably at the demo party Hype in southern Sweden.During the mid-2000s, Axwell
rose to prominence as a solo artist. His hit Feel The Vibe was very well
received on European dancefloors, and once the track soon picked up support
from a host of big DJs it was re-released with a vocal, reaching #16 in the UK
charts. Other famous tracks include Watch The Sunrise as well as dance music
remixes of Hard Fi’s Hard to Beat and Roger Sanchez’s Turn On The Music.Listen song here:YouTube
Born in 1969 and raised in the rough Marcy Projects of
Brooklyn, NY, Jay-Z underwent some tough times after his father left his mother
before the young rapper was even a teen. Without a man in the house, he became
a self-supportive youth, turning to the streets, where he soon made a name for
himself as a fledging rapper. Known as "Jazzy" in his neighborhood,
he soon shortened his nickname to Jay-Z and did all he could to break into the
rap game. As he vividly discusses in his lyrics, Jay-Z also became a street
hustler around this time, doing what needed to be done to make money. For a
while, he ran around with Jaz-O, aka Big Jaz, a small-time New York rapper with
a record deal but few sales. From Jaz he learned how to navigate through the
rap industry and what moves to make. He also participated in the group Original
Flavor for a short time. Jay-Z subsequently decided to make an untraditional
decision and start his own label rather than sign with an established label
like Jaz had done. Together with friends Damon Dash and Kareem
"Biggs" Burke, he created Roc-a-Fella Records, a risky strategy for
cutting out the middleman and making money for himself. Once he found a
reputable distributor, Priority Records (and then later Def Jam), Jay-Z finally
had everything in place, including a debut album, Reasonable Doubt (1996).Listen song here:YouTube
Starting with 2000, Emil Lassaria joined the radio and not
long after that he started the musical production; in 2001 he began “Dj Mail in
the Mix” radio show. The show soon attracted the first residency in a club in
Targoviste and for the next seven years he spent his nights in the city’s
clubs. During all this time, the work in the studio developed, and the remixes
and personal productions started to be played more
and more in the clubs all over the country. In 2008 he started his
collaboration with Mainevents, meanwhile his song “Balada” reaching the first
position in the radio tops, and the events around the country increasing.His
fame and the successful events he was called in made the most of the clubs in
the country and mass events like Creamfield 2008, Liberty Parade 2008 and 2009
ask for his attendance.Every year, starting with 2008, Emil Lassaria has been
indentifying himself with Loca Beach, where he also signed the afterhours.In
2009 he released his first album, “Back in Plastick”, and at the same times his
first national tour, drawing in the events abroad (Poland, Belgium, Italy…)His
remixes make the clubs vibrate and the Romanian artist to search him, so that
he edited songs belonging to: Connect R, Dj Sava, Alb Negru, Nick Kamarera,
Chris Mayer …In 2011 he makes an album with F.Charm , the two of them starting
a series of liveact events based on the songs created together; the first
single extras “9mm” is present in top 10 of most of the radios in the country
and also in: Serbia, Germania, Albania, this also being his first appearance in
an official video.The story goes on…Listen song here:YouTube
Alexander Lager and Johannes Gustafsson, two childhood
friends hailing from Varberg, Sweden have been producing tracks together since
early 2006.In 2011, they began producing tracks for a project called “Qulinez”,
and sent a demo straight to Steve Angello at Size Records, who took an
immediate and avid interest in the talented young producers. In their release
“Troll,” the Swedish duo mix a contagious melodious
build up into a typical Swedish House rhythm followed by a dirty Dutch bass
drop.Played by Alesso, Cazzette, Hardwell, Tiesto, David Guetta, Sander van
Doorn, Sebastian Ingrosso, Steve Angello, Axwell and the whole Swedish House
Mafia following their monumental show at Madison Square Garden. Johannes, 26,
and Alex, 24, who both grew up playing piano, drums, and piano use their
knowledge and passion to create a infectious diversity of sounds in their
tracks.Currently, the two Swedes have four unreleased, original productions
under their belt, and continue to create tracks, remixes, and edits using FL Studio
in their modest, in-house studio.Their highly anticipated track, “Troll” has
garnered much attention, not only from Steve Angello, himself, but from
electronic fans all over the world. Named 2012 Breakout Stars of 2012 by Beat
My Day, Alex and Johannes, who describe their music as Electro House, are
destined and equipped to tear up festivals and dance floors in 2012 with their
colossal energy and distinguished sounds.Listen song here:YouTube
