Most Vital: Above & Beyond Breaks, Taylor Swift Beats, and Calvin Harris Banks

Above & Beyond Start Strong, Robin Schulz Makes Grammy Push

Above & Beyond We Are All We Need

Robin Schulz continues to reign with supreme with his remix of Mr. Probz‘ 2013 track “Waves” at No. 1 on the US Dance/Electronic Songs chart, rising to No. 13 on the Canadian Singles chart where it also sits on the UK Dance Singles Top 40. His follow up single, “Prayer in C” with Lillywood rises to No. 3 on the US Dance list thanks to an uptick in digital sales and airplay. All this as Schulz cruises into Grammy week ready to pounce on Tiësto for that Best Remixed Recording trophy.

influenced sound of Majestic and Jungle 70‘s “Creeping in the Dark” entered the UK Dance Singles chart at a snug No. 21 while Kygo‘s “Firestone” goes to No. 4 on Spotify’s global streaming charts, even as it rests at No. 13 on the US Dance/Electronic Songs and No. 17 in the UK.

Haters Gonna Hate, Taylor’s Gonna Trade(mark)

Confused about what constitutes “beats,” and sick ones in particular, Taylor Swift’s camp trademarked the phrase “this sick beat” earlier in the week, further proving that there ain’t no party like a capitalist takeover of the english language. Don’t worry, you won’t have to credit the pop star every time you use the phrase, but it’s all hers in terms of merchandising, along with the phrases “party like it’s 1989,” and “nice to meet you, where you been?” The trademark extends from obvious merchandise like t-shirts and tote bags to more obscure items like napkin holders, paint brushes, Christmas tree ornaments. Unfortunately, dance blog ThisSongisSick were unavailable for comment. 

Shakeups in Las Vegas

Speaking of the Wynn, its quartet of clubs unleashed its 27 DJ deal that including Avicii, David Guetta, Diplo, Dillon Francis, DJ Snake, Jermaine Dupri, Kaskade, Martin Solveig, Skrillex, Slander, and Zedd. Is there an EDM bubble? Not in Vegas, baby.

The Disclosure Lawsuit is Bunk, but Sam Smith’s Paid Up

Besties and past collaborators Disclosure and Sam Smith came under fire in legal disputes this week. The first, by a woman named Katie Sopher who claimed to have written lyrics to Disclosure’s “White Noise,” was summarily dismissed in a THUMP legal analysis. Smith, along with co-writers Jimmy Napes and Tourist, however, quietly settled a dispute with rocker Tom petty, who claimed that Sam Smith’s “Stay with Me” was too similar to his “I Won’t Back Down.” The deal went down in October but didn’t come to light until (conveniently) after the Grammy voting deadline of January 16. Petty has since said he is sure it was only a coincidence and that Smith and co. did not intentionally copy his work, but that ultimately the boys “did the right thing.”

Movement Lineup Has Techno, House, and…Snoop Dogg?

Detroit’s esteemed movement festival has released its lineup and the response has been somewhere between pleased and ecstatic. From Ben Klock to Tuskegee, the roster features the finest in techno, but house is also strongly represented by the likes of Hot Since 82 and Route 94. There are are more than a few surprises, though. Take Danny Brown, Griz, Dog Blood, and DJ Snoopadelic for example. 
 

Tomorrowland to Get Physical with Sven Väth

Made Event, the New York-based promoter behind Electric Zoo, is perhaps having the largest impact of anyone on fellow SFX-owned festivals with its Vinyl Only stages. Tomorrowland, the crown jewel in the ID&T crown, announced this week that its flagship summer fest in Boom Belgium would feature an all-wax stage helmed by none other than Ibiza resident and Tomorrowland vet Sven Väth. Vinyl Only made its debut at Mysteryland’s first US incarnation last May and carried on at Electric Zoo New York in September.

Toronto came, It Raved, it Cried

The dance floor dust has settled, but construction zone dust has begun. Toronto’s pride and joy club The Guvernment had its last weekend and is well on its way to becoming condo buildings. We’re told that change is good, but we’re still not convinced. Cheers to those who left the building at 6 AM and ended up on the morning news.

Internet, Meet #TrollHouse

Sibling Solidarity

Dance music has plenty of best friend duos but not enough brother/sister outfits. Enter, Knox, the latest signing to BoysNoize Records. Their “Out On a Limb” gets a Moon Bounce remix this week and it’s a delightful sound to fill your ears as you hunker down during the non-blizzard wherever you are.