As the remnants of Christmas songs leave our ears and a certain chill lingers in the air, a new fleet of sights and sounds are ready to devour us. From festival lineups to breakout bangers, the first week of 2015 deserves your attention.
The Wonder of Philip George
Philip George has rocketed to No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart with his Stevie Wonder-sampling deep house thumper “Wish You Were Mine,” out soon on 3beat. The track pitches up the vocals on Wonder’s 1969 Motown classic, “My Cherie Amour” (a track that only peaked at No. 4 on the chart then), deploying a quasi-sampling tactic that has worked for other producers, notably Avicii with “Levels” and Bingo Players‘ “Cry (Just A Little).”
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The one time record store-turned-label 3beat is on a winning streak thanks to Sigma‘s two 2014 hits and now this unexpected monster from the 21-year-old Nottingham-based George. “Wish” opens at No. 1 on the UK Dance Singles chart as well, thanks in part to raking in more than 3,000,000 in streams on SoundCloud alone (the tune notched roughly 200k streams on the UK Spotify rankings in its first week on the chart).
Making Waves
Still riding high on the crest of its Grammy nomination for Best Remixed Recording, Mr. Probz‘ atmospheric “Waves” (via the Robin Schulz radio edit) continues its reign atop the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs. It slips out of the Top 20 on the US Hot 100 to 21 but rises on the UK charts from 39-32 after more than nine months on the chart (it drops to No. 9 on the UK Dance Singles chart).
Spring Break Dreams
Coachella and Ultra invited a polar vortexed-North America to look longingly at dancing shoes and sunshine as both announced the first phase of lineups for their spring fests with the former moving decidedly towards the electronic (oh hell yes!).
Those in need of house and unafraid of a little cold head to Montréal’s Igloofest next weekend while techno tourists are packing their passports and SPF today for the The BPM Festival in Playa del Carmen on the Mexican Riviera. Festival season never really ends, does it?
Disco Goodbyes
Pivotal London club Plastic People abruptly and permanently shuttered after more than two decades of dancing last weekend, even as the city’s clubbing denizens decried its departure from the scene it helped shape in the heart of Shoreditch.
Toronto is getting ready to show its #guvluv one last time with Armin van Buuren, Knife Party, and hometown favourite Deadmau5 at the closing weekend of legendary club The Guvernment later this month. Tickets for all three nights are already sold out.
Stars and Stars
Shia LaBeouf and teenage reality show dancer Maddie Ziegler ooze raw sexuality and raw talent, respectively, in the stunning long-awaited video for Sia‘s “Elastic Heart.” The Diplo-produced track first dropped on the Catching Fire soundtrack in 2013, and has re-captivated the interwebs, tallying half-a-million plays in a matter of hours for its full-throttle narrative vid that harkens to that film’s themes of lost love and combat.
Seven Lions teased news of a new collaborator, Davey Havok of hardcore band AFI, further proving that DJs and rockers can share more than gorgeous manes of hair.
Stars Jensen Sportag Madi DiazIf you’re in New York City, come party tonight at our Jersey Club documentary screening and afterparty.
