Raver Magazine - 016 (April)

Thomas Gold

COVERAGE OF ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL

Featuring: MaRLo VASSY Arno Cost Devious Cedric Gervais The Brandenburgs

April 2016 Photo by Nhan Tran

CONTENTS 3 5 7 9 11 14 17 19 21 24 27 29

Arno Cost Andrew Lombardo Top 10 Hottest of Ultra Top 5 Musical Performances at Ultra Cedric Gervais Cooking wth Thomas Gold MaRLo Devious The Brandenburgs VASSY A Party Before Solar Eclipse Raver Mag Team

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By Michael Bea

Arno Cost is a French producer who has exploded into an international success. His smash hit “Let U Go” is only one song from his vast portfolio of music that fans from all over the world have come to love. Arno’s music is truly uplifting. With a Progressive House vibe, beautiful vocals and dynamic instrumentals he is bringing dance music back to its original roots.

Raver Magazine had a chance to catch up with Arno during Miami Music Week. He shared with us his insights on Progressive House, on Dance Music and his thoughts on the future of EDM.

You have a busy few days lined up for Miami Music Week. How you are gearing up?

There are so many events going on during Miami Music Week that it is hard to capture all of them. I am going to be playing a few venues this week including the Sosumi Pool Party and the Protocol Miami 2016 event featuring Nicky Romero.

How is it working with Nicky Romero and the Protocol Family?

I enjoy it a lot. Especially working with Nicky Romero. I consider him a close friend. We share quite a bit together and the whole experience with the Protocol family is like being at home. We are treated very well and I am very blessed and happy to be part of it.

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Tell us about your new EP. The EP is made of two tracks.

The first one is called ‘Coming Alive’ which is more along the lines of House with piano, guitar and vocals. I also feature a more Progressive track called ‘1000 Suns.’ Nicky is playing both the songs in his sets and I am truly proud of both of them.

On the Progressive front, we see the development of a more Progressive vibe showing up. Do you feel the future of Dance Music is moving more to this area of style vs. let’s say a more EDM type vibe? Especially here in the USA are most people looking for that ‘hands in the air’ EDM approach?

House music and Progressive House music are getting bigger and bigger. I think EDM in general is going down a bit. I think people want to listen more to the House style with vocals that are beautiful and they want the emotions to be back in the tracks. I am quite happy about the changes that are starting to come and happy to see that the fans are looking more into House music to find where they want to go. I think that the EDM boom will go back to its roots, like hip-hop back in the 90s, but I am not worried because the genre of House music has grown so big now that it will be hard for it to go down to a small level.

What does the rest of 2016 look like for Arno Cost?

After Miami Music Week, I am back to Paris for some studio time.

Then I am returning to the USA in May for a West Coast tour starting around May in Las Vegas. After Vegas, I will be off to Brazil for more tour time.

Last question. I always ask, What advice do you have to offer to new producers and DJs that are just getting started that can help them progress in their careers?

The competition is very strong.

It is hard to stand out among the rest. I think the number one thing is to be passionate about what you do and love the music for the music. It’s not only about getting easy money. It’s about putting in the hard work and is being passionate about what you do. You have to think out of the box. There are so many people out there doing the same thing. You have to be different in my opinion.

Get Social with Arno Cost: http://www.arno-cost.com https://www.facebook.com/arnocost https://twitter.com/arnocost Photography by Michael Beas

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Andrew Lombardo This new music once again SPOKE TO ME at this time of my life experience in a way that I could relate to. So how does a baby boomer of senior citizen age proportions get into a musical style and culture where he is old enough to be everyone else’s parents and perhaps grandparents???

Shouldn’t I be playing bingo INSTEAD OF LISTENING TO THE BINGO PLAYERS? and watching the history channel on weekend nights INSTEAD OF DANCING IN THE MIDDLE OF A LASER LIGHT / FOG MACHINE / TO THE PULSE POUNDING SOUNDS OF BANGARANG ON THE CLUB FLOOR? Shouldn’t I be propped up with my hot tea and pet dog reminiscing about the ‘good ol’ days’ INSTEAD OF DECIDING WHICH RAVER OUTFIT I AM GOING TO WEAR FROM 10pm til 2 or 3 am AT THE CLUB PACKED WITH SWEATY-ENTHUSIASTIC-and A FEW SLIGHTLY BUZZED 20 something year olds?

NOOOOO! NOOOO!! And HELL NO! A very good question and one I still am answering and enjoying today- almost 6 years later from that transformation.

Allow me to share this new and still ongoing chapter in my musical journey. As the infomercials say – “ But wait – there’s more! “ and Porter Robinson that became my new ‘friends’ and immersed me into the magical music I have come to love!

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THAT is just one of many lessons I have learned and experienced from this world of EDM and club life – dancing!

-

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NO! - a strong and growing cultural movement that has captured the heart of a new youth generation.

Motown hits.

I got so involved and excited about this music that I have even traveled to Ukraine to visit EDM dance clubs in not speak their language -- we DID relate and connect through the language of EDM. So I have seen how this our color of skin or our positions in life.

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I have learned that THIS music is the great equalizer between the so called generation- gap. I have learned that staying young at heart and being around young people are key ingredients in my journey of music and health.

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and religious beliefs just attempt to live out those 4 principles every day with everyone we come into connection with !? take the time to listen to IT and to each other.

me to this world and changed my life almost immediately and certainly for the rest of my life! on the island of Ibiza and attend the clubs there that feature Armin Van buuren and his ASOT tours. and celebrate life as long as I am alive---Now THAT is Dope!

Andrew Lombardo Born January 25, 1954 A born again- baby boomer turned raver!

Carpe’ Diem Instagram @ajbardo25 Catch the Full Story this Month on The Raver Mag. Blog.

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Top 10 Hottest of ULTRA

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One of the hottest festivals to attend in 2016 has to be Ultra Music Festival in Miami FL. With such a diverse cultural background, Miami is American, European, Asian, Canadian and other ethnicities that make it a

Photography and Editorial by Michael Beas

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COUNTDOWN to theTOP FIVE MUSICAL PERFORMANCES at Ultra Music Festival Once again, the tag team of Chase Morgan and Michael Beas joined forces in Miami, Florida to cover Ultra Music Festival. With so many of the top artists and producers playing Ultra Music Festival this year it was hard to narrow down our list of favorites, but we did. Here ya go…

Raver Magazine Countdown: #5 David Guetta

a sight we will not soon forget. The force of the lights helped everyone come together and reinforced the power of the music. David Guetta was brilliant as fans from all over the world packed the Main Stage to watch him perform.

#4 Marco Carola With a Deep House, Tech House, Future House, whatever house you want to call it, Marco Carola’s performance literally “made the house” at the Carl Cox Arena. His chill vibe was perfection. Truly memorable set. Incredible experience.

#3 Dead Mau5 Wow! What else can be said about DeadMau5 other than, Wow! There were some tech dif‘iffy’ moments that went viral on Twitter that we won’t rehash.

The compelling truth is that DeadMau5’s musical talent is unquestionable and among the

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best on the planet. His creativity, his thinking outside the box and taking risks produce amazing sounds.

DeadMau5 is a driving force that simply cannot be denied. #2 Armin van Buuren Working relentlessly on both on the main stage and the ASOT Arena, Armin van Buuren did a fantastic job of combining old and new realms of Trance music to unite his fans from all over the world. His main stage performance was more upbeat and more up-tempo than his Sunday set at the ASOT arena. Armin closed out Ultra 2016 with a memorable experience. After his set, Armin took the time to take pictures and sign autographs with fans.

He is truly an icon in the world of music.

#1 Carl Cox The underground vibe of House music dominated Ultra Music Festival this year. Carl Cox

Editorial by Michael Beas Photography by Chase Morgan

Packed in by the thousands, people crowded to hear him play. Raver Magazine believes that the future of dance music are the House music beats that people can chill and dance to, whether it is Deep House, Tech House, Future House or Electro. At Ultra, Carl Cox’s vibe was epic, it was chill yet uplifting, it made the time pass for two days like seconds in the wind.

Mark our words, the future of our dance music culture begins with House music. Carl Cox and those he supports are not just here to stay, they are here to dominate.

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CEDRIC GERVAIS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH GRAMMY AWARD WINNING ARTIST

Get Social with Cedric: ‘Like’ me on www.facebook.com/cedgerv ‘Follow’ me on www.twitter.com/cedricgervais ‘Follow’ me on www.instagram.com/cedricgervais ‘Subscribe’ on www.youtube.com/user/cedricgervaistv Interview conducted at Label Charlotte in North Carolina. Presented by Label Presents, Sugar Society and Disco Donnie.

Video Editing by Vincent Martinez and Gil Guillama of Fashionado.net

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Raver Mag. With festivals, tours, studio time and traveling all over the world is there ever any downtime?

Cedric There is some downtime here and there. Last night I played at Story in Miami and then I flew into Charlotte for Saturday’s performance.

That’s how it goes. Ever now and then I take a week to stay home and just disconnect from everything. In Miami, I have my studio so it is easier for me to go in and work on new music.

Raver Mag. Do you feel there is a difference between the European crowd and the American crowd when you go on stage to play?

Cedric Yes, there is definitely a difference between the two. For example, the European crowd its more House music vs. the American crowd, which is more Trap and Electronic. In Europe, there is really not that big rave type thing it’s more House and Techno. So when I am on tour in Europe, I play completely different than the way that I play here in the States.

Raver Mag. Is it hard to get in the right mindset when you do play for the different demographics?

Cedric.

Not really. I sometimes like to play more over in Europe as it is more my style of music. The European crowd has been listening to me for many years, so maybe it is easier to play to that vibe.

Raver Mag. You are playing at Ultra Miami in front of the home crowd. What’s that like? It has to be nerve racking to some degree.

Cedric Anytime I play in front of my home crowd it is difficult for me because I want to deliver the very best for them and they demand the very best from me. Not only at Ultra, but even at the venues that I play here. So I try to give them something new, something fresh that they can enjoy. The goal is to make them happy and enjoy my music and performance all of the time.

Raver Mag. Summertime Sadness, your track that won you a Grammy, how was that whole experience? Where you surprised to have won it?

Cedric Yes, for sure. I was definitely not expecting it. I made the track for my friends to play, for me to play and to do well on Beatport. That was pretty much it and then it took off and was played everywhere. That’s pretty much it how it all happened. Honestly, I feel that having things happen like that is the best way to make music. After I won the Grammy I tried to replicate the sound and it didn’t go very well. When you think too much or try to get things to work a certain way sometimes it doesn’t work.

I was doing things I didn’t want to do to reach the same goal and it wasn’t effective. So I took a step back and once again started to make music the way that I wanted to make music. With my new track ‘With You’ things are really working out well. My friends are playing it, the crowds are singing and dancing to it and I

think it’s because I am making music that I like and am passionate about. When you get to the studio, just do something that you enjoy doing and it will show in your music.

Raver Mag. I always ask… What advice can you offer to someone who is watching this video or reading the magazine that can help him or her what would it be? People look up to you as an inspiration and work hard to try to achieve your level of success.

Cedric.

For myself, my story is that I have always made music. I never really had a “day job” that I can say I went to. I was good in school and all of that but when I was young I told my dad that I wanted to play music that I wanted to study music and I did that. I studied music and dedicated my life to that goal. So if someone wants to get out there and do it then they need to have that passion and drive to go out and do it. Right now I understand that it is very difficult because there are so many people trying to do it and get into it, but when I started it wasn’t like that. There

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wasn’t that many people actually making the music, like on vinyl records. There was not a “Rock Star” approach to it. I was making music just because I wanted to make people dance and connect with my music. There were no Internet or cell phones to use to text people to tell them where I was. It was all one person telling the other where the party was and everyone would meet up. Now it’s like you stand in front of the crowd and point you hand up and count 1,2,3,4 and they expect that’s all that it is. I think that to be successful in this industry you have to study and learn and put the time in rather than just do the show. Do it for the right reasons and it will pay off in the end. Oh… and wear earplugs…

Exclusive Interview:

Cooking with

Thomas Gold Cover Photograph and Interview by Nhan Tran

His New Track ‘On Fire’ Raver Mag. How does it feel to be back in the City of Angels?

Thomas Gold It feels great to be back here in L.A. Create is one my favorite clubs. The So Cal crowd is always wonderful. I expect it to be a great night.

Raver Mag. You have been in the EDM scene for a while. What has been some of the most influential moments on your journey?

Who helped you along the way?

Thomas Gold In the beginning, I was influenced most by the Swedish House Mafia; Ingrosso, Steve Angello and Axwell. Especially Axwell. He put me on his label in the beginning and we did a remix together. I created the song ‘Sing 2 Me’. At the time, it was one of the proudest moments of my life. The Swedish House Mafia was at its peak and to have them play my music was a pretty amazing feeling. Steve also put me down to play for many of his parties. He even had another one of my tracks featured on his label. From there I did a remix for Adele, ‘Set Fire to the Rain’, that really took off. For me, the remix, along with all of the support from the Swedish House Mafia, built me up to making my mark in the world of dance music. From there things just kept getting bigger and bigger and now I can do for a living what I truly love.

Raver Mag. Was there one moment when you realized that you have now made it in the world of dance music?

Thomas Gold For me, it has to be EDC Las Vegas for the first time. I mean you had and so many others play I remember thinking to and this is going to be my moment. It was then that Raver Mag. Before the interview, I track ‘Believe’ featuring Then I went back and ‘Take Me Home’ and This Feeling.’ Evfrom the drops the vocals to the unique, versatile vibe that your music generates is distinct from the crowd. Would you

– the Main Stage when I played Avicii, Swedish House Mafia that year. I was backstage and myself, “Wow I have made it life.” It was such a memorable I had a feeling of success. listened to your Bright Lights. listened to ‘Can’t Stop erything to

say that being distinct and versatile when you create you music is your go-to formula for success?

Thomas Gold Thanks for saying that. Yes, for me I don’t have a ‘copy-paste’ type formula when creating music. I like to have that distinct sound and element by creating something new when I come up with a new track. I always aim to have a lot of variety and be diverse in my music. Otherwise, it will be boring not just for me but also for those who come out to see me perform. I am always looking for new music, new sounds, so that I can evolve my music.

My newly released track ‘On Fire’ is something new. Even the radio version is something totally different than what I have done before. The album is also going to be something new. The point is to always keep evolving your sound and music. Hopefully, the new album will be out by the end of September or the beginning of October depending on the launch dates and so forth. https://youtu.be/XCaMfW4KGIk Raver Mag. To switch it up a little bit, you’re from Germany. You tour all over the USA. Have you found any good places that make Schnitzel?

Thomas Gold Too funny! I have to admit that I have not found a place yet while on tour in the USA that makes good schnitzel.

But to be honest, I have not really been looking either, as I am not a big fan of schnitzel.

I am more into steaks and to be even more honest the best stakes I have had are here in the USA. Burgers as well. Not that you can’t get a good steak in other places, but here there are so many choices to pick from! So no German food while on tour and I would much rather bring these ideas back to Germany with me. I bought a big BarBQ this past year and I am working on improving my culinary abilities with my friends back home.

Raver Mag. We always ask at Raver Mag, What advice or inspiration from your success can you offer to another producer in the world of dance music?

Thomas Gold Be patient and passionate in all that you do. Embrace every moment for what it is and what it’s worth. You really shouldn’t think about how much money can you make off of a track, rather think more along the lines of how good can I make my music. How can I make people dance to it, how can I convince people that I am different. Try to find a little of your own sound, your own niche and your own style of producing that will make you stand out from the rest. That’s what labels are looking for. They don’t want a copy and paste type of producer. That’s what I hear a lot from them. They want something fresh, something new that people will enjoy. Then take your time.

Some things take awhile to get to a certain level of success. In my case, it took me years to get to where I am today. I had this idea in my head and I went after it. In the end, it pays off so be passionate, determined and never give up.

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Interview by Michael Beas

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Exclusive Interview with MaRLo at Ultra Music Festival ASOT Raver Mag. You just arrived in Miami getting ready to kick off Ultra Music Festival, how do you feel?

MaRLo It feels really good to be here, to meet up with all of your friends, DJ’s and agents that you have known and played with for so long. Having them all come together in one place is really special.

Raver Mag. Come festival season there are ten different festivals all going on at the same time. What makes Ultra Music Festival special or different than the rest?

MaRLo they let everyone know what you have in store for the year, what your sound is going to be like for the year.

Being at Ultra Music Festival with the combination of Miami Music Week makes it all the more important so it Raver Mag. Walk us through a normal week/day in the life MaRLo. MaRLo I tour a lot right now. After playing at Ultra, I am going to go to cover a gig in Moaki here in Miami and then it is off to Australia for a tour. Right now every free moment that I get I am making music. That’s pretty much it for now, tours and catching some studio time every second that it is made available.

Raver Mag. It’s hard to achieve your level of success. I always ask, what advice do you have for the rising artist who is trying so hard to get to where you are today?

MaRLo Be patient, work hard, be determined and things will work out for you. But those are all the cliche things to say I guess. They are true of course, but I think that young producers need to think about what they can offer a venue, a label or whatever. Don’t just expect to send in your demo and have them listen to it or that they will just want to work with you. At the end of the day, they don’t owe you anything. Same thing for getting booked. Think logically what might be in it not for you, but for them. Will So think outside the box and see what you can offer to help them. If you studied graphic design offer to Create enough hype behind your name that people will want to come and see you, and/or have enough content, enough good music, so that people will want to come to see you perform. At the end of the offer the promoter and then you will see things start to change for you.

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THERE IS NO TRAP MUSIC UNLESS IT’S… DEVIOUS

By Hannah Carlson

Raver Mag. What influenced you to become a DJ? Was there a certain genre? When did you start listening to EDM? Devious I am a musician at heart. I’ve played the trumpet and drums for most of my life as well as singing. Trap was the genre that really grabbed my attention, but I found a love for all genres of EDM. Bassnectar was my first Electronic show and I have been in love with Electronic music ever since.

Raver Mag. Did you gain more support from the break-up? Can you tell us about it? Do you miss your DJ duo partner?

Devious I have had a lot of amazing support throughout this entire journey and the support continues. In a duo, it can be hard sometimes when two people don’t see eye to eye, but I respect my former partner in what he is doing. I am all about positive energy. He will be releasing songs soon under a different name.

Raver Mag. To you, what makes a real DJ separate from those trying to throw house parties? How long did it take to gain exposure?

Devious There is a lot involved in being a “real” DJ/Producer. Four main points come to mind: Marketing, Branding, Networking and Content. It is very important to create a good brand for yourself and market yourself properly to gain followers. It took about a year to a year and a half to gain solid local support and start traveling a little. Crowd interaction is also a big key in creating a following. The crowd vibes off of you and your energy so make sure to al-

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ways provide huge energy!

Raver Mag. When do you plan on releasing anything new? What can fans look forward to?

Devious I have a couple of collabs with Scales coming out soon as well as a collab with Azira. I also have a Track coming out with Noisy Dubs soon called “Alright�. I will also be putting out a 2016 Mix soon composed of my favorite tracks from some heavy underground producers so tune into that later on in the months to come.

Raver Mag.

How does your sponsorship with Neon Black Clothing and Street Ice benefit you and how have they improved your name?

Devious Neon Black and Street Ice have been great sponsors. I appreciate everything they do for me. They provide me with amazing gear and also help promote shows that I have coming up etc.

Neon Black is a huge family nation wide that all come together for the love of Music, I am blessed to be apart of the team.

Raver Mag. What does 2016 look like for you?

Devious 2016 is looking like more traveling, collabing, and putting together some live videos for everyone to really express my musical talent. I look forward to collabing with my friend Airplane Mode on some finger drumming routines; He is an absolute monster on the midi fighter.

FB: https://www.facebook.com/DeviousMusik/timeline www.neonblackclothing.com-

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Photography and Interview by Nhan Tran

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Spotlight Artists of the Month Can a married couple DJ together? EDM L.A. Producers The Brandenburgs on how they work through married life and DJ life as well as plans for their release of new original tracks in 2016.

Get Social: https://soundcloud.com/thebrandenburgs https://www.facebook.com/thebrandenburgs http://artistecard.com/thebrandenburgs https://twitter.com/tbbsmusic bb@tbbsmusic.com

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Raver Mag. There are many successful EDM duos in the world today, W&W, Cosmic Gate, Axwell and Ingrosso are prime examples, but there are not too many husband and wife duos. How does the dynamics work for you guys?

The Brandenburgs We are married and that is one of the things that makes us unique. Married life definitely rolls into DJ life. Some good ways, some bad ways. The good ways are that we are both very comedic, so we have a lot of fun on stage together. The bad part is, as in all marriages, we sometimes have an argument or a disagreement. We try not to allow that to negatively affect our DJ life. We know how to balance things out and make it work.

Raver Mag. How did it all start for you guys? Who came up with the idea?

The Brandenburgs Brandon came up with the idea. He started as a DJ first. I used to be by the booth and hand him records when he first started, sometimes for eight hours straight during one of his sets. I guess you can say I was his number one fan. Around four years later I started learning on my own and made music while he was at work. I made a track and put it on Soundcloud and before I knew it I was getting bookings all over Orange County. When I booked my first gig, Brandon also wanted to play with me. We had an amazing set and the fans and people loved us. It was crazy how well we both played together. We decided to become a duo.

Raver Mag. You have started a new label called Pangea Music Group, tell us about it.

The Brandenburgs This was a lifelong dream to start our own label and we felt it was time to do it so we started Pangea Music Group.

Like Pangea was one continent, we wanted to bring artists, producers, DJ’s, etc. in the industry as one. Pangea would be a hub where these artists, producers, vocalist, DJ’s, and so on would be developed and managed.

Raver Mag. You have kids. How involved are they with the music? Do you give them the freedom to try other things?

The Brandenburgs As parents, we want them to follow their own interests, but we would love them to follow in our footsteps. Our children’s names are Braden and Jordan. Our daughter, Jordan, is 12 years old and is producing her own melodies. Soon we will produce her first track.

Raver Mag. What’s in store for The Brandenburgs for the rest of this year regarding new music, tours, EP’s and so forth?

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The Brandenburgs The past two years have been amazing for us; we finished production school at Cosmic Academy and then a mentorship program with Brian Matrix of Matrix Sessions LA. We have several productions and originals that are ready to release. We have sent them out to some different labels, so look for more on those shortly. We just got the news that we will be at the Pool Party at Tao Beach Club in Las Vegas on August 7th for the California of Love Weekend. We also have solo projects coming out as well. Kristie will be releasing a new track under her solo name CLARRITY called “Welcome to LA” under Noize Cartel Records in the coming months and I will have solo projects collaborating with international sensation Rey Vercosa and Brian Matrix.

Raver Mag. With so many things going on it is sometimes hard to push through and persevere, yet still you guys keep making music. What advice do you have for others trying to follow in your footsteps?

The Brandenburgs I do this because I love it. I know that sounds a bit cliché but it’s really the truth. I enjoy being a creative person.

I know that God made me to make music and to share the love of music with others so I am blessed to be able to do so. My advice is to love what you do. If you’re in it for any other reason like being cool or to party or to make money or to meet girls/guys then your are doing it for something that is not at the heart of what you are doing. There is nothing wrong with wanting those things, but the heart and passion for music has to be the core. Brandon has the same mindset but he also is more the businessman and his goal is to always give back to help others trying to make it.

Raver Mag. Last question, which one wears the pants of the family?

The Brandenburgs I guess we both do. I think I do and he thinks he does.! The short answer is that we both do to our own degree. It can be a challenge sometimes, but it works out in the end.

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VASSY

Exclusive Interview with Double Platinum Recording Artist, Writer, and Producer

After an amazing night at LIV Miami shooting photos for VASSY, a certified Double Platinum Recording Artist, writer, producer, three-time #1 Billboard and twotime IDMA Award winner, we had a chance to catch up with her before her main stage performance at Ultra Music Festival.

This is what she shared with us: Photography and Interview by Michael Beas

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Raver Magazine Your performance at LIV Miami was massive. The venue was sold out and your sensational vocals were like never before. The crowd went nuts when you got on the decks with Tiesto. How was your experience with the Miami crowd?

VASSY Everything happened rather quickly when I got to the venue. Tiesto came to me and said, “I want to start my set with you, is that ok?” I was like, “Sure, let’s do this.” Two minutes later I was on the stage singing with Tiesto ‘opening up with ‘Secrets.’

The experience was unforgettable. The crowd was amazing. It was the one year anniversary of ‘Secrets,’ which was such a success reaching #1 in thirty different countries worldwide.

People connected and they started singing along with us. I just found out the other day that the song has gotten over a million downloads.

The new record with Tiesto that we also played at LIV has not been released yet. A little about the track - it has a bluegrass type of feel. It’s an anthem that most people can relate to. ‘Bad’ did extremely well. It was the anthem of the year with over a billion streams, it went seven times double platinum, over two million downloads. That record did so well, and then to come out with ‘Secrets’ right after with two of the biggest DJs in the world is wonderful. ‘Bad’ was definitely the record that broke me into EDM music.

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Raver Mag. Tomorrow you are getting ready to perform with Tiesto on the Main Stage of Ultra 2016. You will be performing for a sold-out crowd that will easily top 75,000. What goes through your mind when you step up on stage? Do you get nervous? I can only imagine some of the things that you think about before such a performance.

VASSY It is going to be an amazing experience. So far I am pretty calm about it. Last night at LIV Tiesto was going on about how excited and happy to be performing and I was like, “Dude, you’re making me nervous.” We laughed and all I can say is that I am ready and also excited about what tomorrow will bring. The plan is that I start out singing acapella before the beat kicks in. You never know how the crowd will react; I am hoping that they will sing along with us. It would be funny if I start and no one sings along and there would be like silence or something, I guess that would not be a good sign, but hopefully that won’t happen. All kidding aside, hopefully that won’t happen and it will be like last night where everyone sang along with me and we can just multiply that by fifty.

Raver Mag. So many vocalists look up to you as an inspiration. They see you as a success in a very difficult world. You have mastered the music world in many degrees.

I always ask, What advice do you have that can inspire others to keep working hard to achieve their dreams and not give up or give in?

VASSY That’s very sweet, thank you. I hope that I can be an inspiration to others, to encourage people to keep trying to achieve their dreams. I think that everyone has their path, so there is really no right or wrong way of doing things. For me, I go by gut feelings. I am still working on my own things. The collaborations are awesome, I have a couple more up my sleeve, but I always recommend that you be true to yourself. Always push yourself to try and do something different, but don’t force anything. That’s kind of what I am doing for myself. At the end of the day if I just try to be myself things will work out. So far it’s been working out, so fingers crossed and keep pushing forward.

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A Party Before Solar Eclipse

March 2016 was a memorable month in Indonesia as we watched a solar eclipse on March 9th. Everybody in Jakarta was so excited by this natural phenomenon that it brought out dance music lovers from all over the country to party.

On March 8th, The Colosseum Club held the second edition of Sunblock. This year they brought in Ferry Corsten and Orjan Nilsen. The hype for the event was created a month before when they announced the line-up.

Beathoven opened the night with House and Progressive tracks and built up the anticipation until the crowd slowly filled the dance floor.

Ferry Corsten came out shortly after. Everyone cheered as he played some old Trance tracks from the mid-2000s, but when Ferry dropped “Anahera� the fans went wild. After his performance, Ferry approached the front row, signed autographs and took selfies with his fans.

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By: Maddy Pertiwi

After Ferry, Orjan Nilsen took the decks.

The fans wondered if Orjan’s set would be as “vicious” as ASOT Fest Toronto. From the first track he played, Orjan didn’t slow down the tempo. He brought 138 BPM and 140 BPM. Orjan also played his latest track “What It’s All About” and the crowd sang together. To close the set, Orjan dropped “Free Tibet” from Highlight Tribe and once again the crowd went crazy.

To close the night, Colosseum Club’s resident Trilions took the stage and smashed the dance floor. They kept the mood of the crowd high until the closing time. When we checked out of the club, the dance floor was still packed with people. We asked one of the attendees his plan after Sunblock.

He confidently said, “I will watch the solar eclipse from the roof of my house!”

What a way to close the night!

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OUR TEAM:

Michael Beas CEO and Founder

Hannah Carlson

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Chase morgan

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Celeste Swatling

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Maddi pertiwi

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JJ

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Columnist and Founder of Rave Colony

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