Techno Revolution

A WORLD OF

TECHNO OPTIONS

EDM ARTISTS WHO KEEP ME JAMMING

MUSIC REVIEWS BY STEVE SKURA, MBA

Techno, now more often dubbed “electronic dance music,” has exploded in popularity globally and in the U.S. No longer constrained to methods popular in the 1980s and ’90s, today’s EDM artists are increasingly: mixing tracks with strong beats, relying on a range of instruments or sounds and blending in talented vocals. With beats from hard-pumping to ethereal, the 12 EDM artists reviewed here have kept me jamming all year long.

TECHNO REVOLUTION

EDM has attracted ever-larger audiences over the past few decades and especially the past few months thanks to SiriusXM (Channel 053), Comcast Xfinity, YouTube (i.e., EDM.com) and SoundCloud. If you’ve been a listener, you know there’s no shortage of new beats. Artists like Norwaybased Kygo have quickly been asked to feature on dozens of mainstream hits.

Electronic artists come from all over the world, though the most popular seem to be based in Europe. Styles can vary, depending on the mixer. Belgian artists Amelie Lens and Charlotte De Witte—who both play at Tomorrowland Electronic Dance Music Festival in Belgium each year—often

use a more traditional style that’s laden with heavy bass.

Nora En Pure, Tourist and Nora Van Elken offer a softer EDM style that’s great when you just want to chill. You may have seen one of them streaming live events on Facebook and other digital platforms during the recent pandemic. In doing that, they’ve provided fans even more opportunities to engage with their favorite DJs. Miss Monique and Jai Wolf are two EDM artists I’ve enjoyed more recently.

The EDM experience can be exciting, dreamy or relaxing—yet it’s always entertaining.

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1. KYGO (NORWAY) 2. ERIC PRYDZ (SWEDEN) 3. MIRA KATER (GERMANY) 4. NORA VAN ELKEN (NETHERLANDS) 5. TOURIST (ENGLAND) 6. AMELIE LENS (BELGIUM)

CHARLOTTE DE WITTE (BELGIUM)

7. M83 (FRANCE) 8. NORA EN PURE (SWITZERLAND) 9. GIOLI & ASSIA (ITALY) 10. MISS MONIQUE (UKRAINE) 11. JAI WOLF (BANGLADESH)

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GIOLI & ASSIA (Italy) GioliandAssia.com Amazing YouTube videos

Gioli & Assia have been, by far, my favorite EDM artists to listen to this year. In my opinion, the duo has created more hits in just a few years’ time than many musicians have over a lifetime. Both in their early 20s, they’re just getting started. I highly recommend their videos, which feature: exotic locations, amazing imagery and mixes which include an array of instruments and soothing vocals. They occasionally book live events in the U.S. My favorite Gioli & Assia tracks are: “Fever,” Feel Good,” “Starry Night,” “Borderline” and “Underwater.”

MIRA KATER (Germany) Mira-Official.de Endless beats on SoundCloud

Mira has been creating techno beats in Europe for years. Her version of EDM is wild. It’s exactly what you’d expect to experience live at Burning Man—held in northern Nevada’s Black Rock Desert—where she’s performed for several years as a resident artist. Warning: If you start listening to her SoundCloud mixes, you could find yourself jamming to her beats for days. She has an enormous amount of content posted. If you’re interested in catching her live, she does book other events in the U.S.

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M83 (France) ILoveM83.com Ethereal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy style

“The sky is a planet … a colony.” – M83. The band’s namesake, M83, is a “big, bright and beautiful spiral galaxy (that) lies a mere 12 Million light years away.” (Thanks, NASA.) While listening to these artists much closer to home, you’ll quickly find yourself daydreaming. They’ve worked on several movie soundtracks and are commonly booked for runway shows. However, M83 offer a version of EDM that makes you want to take a road trip: It’s an amazing mix of beats and strong vocals. You’ll notice that’s a theme for most of the artists reviewed here. Check out M83’s website for listings of future live events.

ERIC PRYDZ (Sweden) EricPrydz.com | So many amazing mixes

Eric Prydz (aka Pryda, Cirez D, et al.) has been performing since around the early 2000s. He has several well-played remixes, most popularly 2004’s “Call On Me.” His mixes are wide-ranging and offer multiple styles depending on what you choose. I find myself often listening through all of his tracks while I’m working. His songs are typically longer and flow well together. If you hope to see him live, you’ll be happy to know that he often plays events in the U.S.

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