Blog - EDM

Music's symbiosis is peculiar. How can a musician and a listener, both strangers, be tethered so profoundly through an arrangement of sounds?

Elderbrook has touched the lives of millions of listeners over 10 years. He isn’t a paint-by-numbers artist—he writes music meaningful to him. If you feel a kinship with him, his music must mean something to you, too.

The decade has been good to Elderbrook. “Cola” is an enduring generational hit. His collective catalog has been streamed over a billion times. He’s released three albums, collaborated with legends, performed at iconic music festivals and has a Grammy nomination under his belt.

Looking ahead, there’s always another mountain to conquer. But maybe there shouldn’t be.

"I should have some goals, right?" Elderbrook asked EDM.com while reflecting on 10 years of his project and his ongoing "Another Touch" North American tour. “I don’t know if I’ve thought in depth about what it is I want to achieve through music. It’s cathartic and therapeutic for me to make music. I like making music.”

“One important thing I have thought about is that I shouldn’t chase sounds I’ve heard elsewhere. I should make stuff for myself that sounds cool. Because that is what ends up being the best music.”

This enlightenment did not come naturally. It’s an ethos he exercises every day. Truthfully, he has set goals, but they were sometimes the wrong ones. Cliches exist because they often wield some truth, and after 10 years of trial and error, Elderbrook confirms the journey’s splendor is far richer than the destination.

“I’m working on not chasing the next thing,” he said. “The reason I spoke so passionately about it is that it’s something I struggled with: 'I’ll be so happy once I get 100 million views.' Then you get 100 million views and you think, '1 billion would be nice though.'"

“I don’t have anything with 1 billion views, but once I do, I’ll think, ‘It’d be nice to have two songs with a billion views.’ You’ll never reach it. It’s not about not setting goals, but setting goals to make a song that you love. Nothing quantifiable by other people. That shouldn’t matter.”

Roman philosopher Seneca famously said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” But it’s easy to misinterpret opportunity as luck. Passion and fear are sometimes indistinguishable in a business fueled by dreams and unlikely success. 

The music industry’s hamster wheel runs artists into the ground if allowed. The demand to build momentum is so fierce that artists can’t acknowledge burnout until their last enthusiastic ember is stamped out.

Elderbrook’s “Something About You” collaborators, Rudimental, once taught him an important lesson about saying “no.” It’s a teaching he continues to practice in the pursuit of music made for him, not for metrics.

“It’s not realistic when you see all these people online headlining festivals,” Elderbrook says. “You kind of compare yourself with them and feel like you need to say yes to everything, otherwise you’re never going to make it. You think you need to do this every single day. But really, a lot of it is that you need to look after yourself.”

“If you can look after yourself, the next song you make will be 10 times better than if you’re stressed out trying to write an amazing No. 1 song smash hit single. Take your time, say no. Just say no because it’s very easy to say yes to everything. It’s overwhelming. It creeps up on you, and it can end badly.”

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Now a father of two, Elderbrook has come a long way from the college student selling hip-hop beats for 200 to 250 pounds sterling. Fortunately for his family, his fiscal maturity has kept pace with his musical and personal evolutions.

"I suddenly had $1,000 in my account for the first time in my life,” Elderbrook recalled of his college days. “I thought, ‘Pfft, yeah. Mr. Big Shot.’ I’m walking down the street. I walked past a thrift store and saw a trombone in the mirror–not the mirror, I’m not a trombone. I saw it in the window and said, ‘Yeah, I’m going to buy that trombone!’ No, it was a trumpet! ‘Yeah, I’m going to buy that trumpet. I bet I’m really good at it.’ It was $500.”

“When my money ran out the next week, I had this trumpet. I was just looking at it. I still have it now. It serves as a reminder not to waste your money on stupid s–t.”

Elderbrook keeps the trumpet as an important symbol of modesty. Unfortunately, that is all it’s good for.

“I still can’t play it,” Eldebrook laughed. “One night, I picked up this trumpet and I could play it immaculately at five in the morning. But every other time I’ve tried, it hasn’t worked for me. It just clicked for me once. That was one time and I don’t think I’ll ever recreate it. But the people who were there can vouch. I nailed it at 5am this one time.”

Who could have witnessed him playing a trumpet at 5M?

“Listen, man,” Elderbrook replies coyly. “I’ve lived a life.”

Elderbrook is currently making his way through North America on tour. He probably won’t play the trumpet, but if his last tour is an indicator, you can expect a sprawling, one-of-a-kind performance with DJing, singing, dancing and live instrumentation.

You can find Elderbrook’s upcoming tour dates here.

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As both a longtime DJ and a skilled metalsmith, Esteban Joseph is bringing something entirely unique to the electronic music community: intricate, handcrafted USB necklaces.

Sleek, sturdy and unlike anything else on the market, Esteban’s work has quickly gained recognition, turning his small business into a coveted brand. His bespoke designs have caught the attention of John Summit, Diplo, RÜFÜS DU SOL's Jon George and Keinemusik's Rampa, among many others.

They're much more than mere accessories. They are meticulously crafted investment pieces designed to be both functional and visually striking.

Nat Goldie

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Before launching his jewelry business, Esteban was a professional photographer and content creator, working with brands across the globe. While successful, he found himself feeling unfulfilled, he tells EDM.com, and constantly creating for others rather than for himself.

Around that time, he started immersing himself in the electronic dance music scene, attending raves and DJing for fun. The shift in perspective led him to explore metalsmithing by virtue of a course at a community studio in Chicago.

Within two weeks, he knew he had found his true creative path. He spent years refining his craft, investing in equipment and developing pieces for friends before ultimately taking the leap into full-time jewelry design nine years ago.

As a DJ, Esteban noticed how many artists sported basic plastic USB drives around their necks, seeing an opportunity to elevate the look while maintaining the practicality of a DJ's most essential tool. So he began designing USB necklaces that blended functionality with artistic craftsmanship, and the response was immediate.

c/o Esteban Joseph

What started as a personal project soon evolved into a full-fledged business, with DJs worldwide seeking out his unique designs. Esteban has since created hundreds of pieces, each one distinct, reflecting his one-of-a-kind fusion of jewelry and technology. His background as a photographer and filmmaker also allows him to bring an artistic storytelling element to his brand, capturing his pieces in a way that resonates with the dance music community.

"I put everything into each piece I create, knowing that when someone wears it, it becomes a representation of me out in the world," he says.

Esteban approaches his designs with an engineer’s mindset, ensuring that every piece is as functional as it is beautiful. His USBs are stylish but also built to last, crafted using premium materials. He says he prioritizes durability and speed, incorporating high-performance SanDisk Extreme Pro hardware, the same technology trusted by DJs at major festivals.

Many of the drives he uses are water-resistant, shockproof and temperature-proof, with read speeds of up to 400MB per second. He offers a range of storage options, from 256GB and 512GB drives to a 1TB solid-state USB 3.2 drive, ensuring that DJs have the reliability and capacity they need for their sets.

His creative process is as unique as his designs. He offers both custom pieces and ready-to-ship units, allowing for a mix of structure and spontaneity. For custom orders, he collaborates closely with clients to bring their visions to life, with prices starting at $1,000 for silver and $2,000 for gold.

His ready-to-ship pieces often begin with inspiration from a particular gemstone. Rather than sketching or planning extensively, he works intuitively, he says, to let let the materials guide the final design. This approach allows each piece to feel deeply personal and one-of-a-kind.

"This process is creatively satisfying because there are no constraints, allowing me to really connect with the work," he explains. "Making handmade jewelry is an ancient craft, and mastering the alchemy of turning a stone into a finished piece is a deeply rewarding process. Understanding the materials, like how metal reacts to heat and stress, requires patience and a deep connection to the craft."

A slew of major DJs have become fans of Esteban's work, with collaborations forming naturally over time. DJ Tennis was one of his first major supporters, commissioning custom USBs for his Life and Death label and incorporating its distinctive bird aesthetic. Diplo was referred through RÜFÜS DU SOL and actually wore his necklace to Super Bowl LIX, celebrating the win of his hometown Philadelphia Eagles with his USB around his neck. These collaborations have continued to expand, with artists regularly reaching out for new designs.

As his brand continues to grow, Esteban is considering ways to expand while maintaining the quality and craftsmanship that set his pieces apart. While he currently crafts every piece himself, he's exploring the idea of launching a more affordable line that retains the same level of artistry but is more accessible to a wider audience.

He takes pride in creating not just USB necklaces, but also unique bracelets, rings and other jewelry pieces. His goal is to be a one-stop shop for curated style, where someone who buys a USB necklace might also discover the perfect companion piece to complement it.

For now, Esteban remains dedicated to his craft, blending his love for dance music and jewelry into something truly one-of-a-kind. You can find out more at his website.

On her new single "Promise We’ll Live Again," Kaleena Zanders sings her truth in full technicolor. The powerhouse vocalist and producer delivers one of her most triumphant records yet, channeling soul, strength and spirit into a radiant tech house anthem.

Zanders, a member of the EDM.com Class of 2022, continues to define her lane with unshakable presence. Following the release of her GLORIFIED EP in 2024 and a string of energetic collaborations, “Promise We’ll Live Again” extends her creative arc into even brighter territory.

Draped in bright, uplifting piano chords, the new single pulses with emotional clarity. Its melodic structure is infectious without ever feeling saccharine, its hooks running deep, guided by a rhythmic backbone built for the dancefloor. Meanwhile, Zanders' vocals, rooted in soul and shaped by the spirit of the club, carry both power and vulnerability.

Listen to "Promise We’ll Live Again" below.

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Kaskade and Lipless have reunited for a stunning progressive house track, "State Of Mind," out now via Colorize.

The producers' creative history traces back over a decade to an unlikely origin story: a teenage Lipless cold-messaging Kaskade on MySpace with demo submissions. The Chicago-born dance music icon replied, and a working relationship quietly took shape.

By 2014, Kaskade helped Lipless relocate to Los Angeles, where the two went on to release a Grammy-nominated remix of RY X’s "Only" followed by a string of high-profile collaborations, including several contributions to the producer's Kx5 project alongside deadmau5. Now, nearly 10 years after their first major release together, "State Of Mind" serves as a reflection of their shared growth, both artistically and personally.

Anchored by shimmering synths, Poppy Baskcomb's vocals lead "State of Mind" into a gentle swell as soft arpeggios flutter through the mix. The production from Kaskade and Lipless beautifullu unfolds like a story rather than a formula, lingering and letting the emotion breathe.

Rooted in personal growth, it's the kind of track that's suitable for a late-night drive or the warm light of a sunrise set. For Lipless, it arrived at a crucial juncture.

"I was coming out of a tough year and working to get to a better place mentally and physically," he said. "When I heard the vocal demo, it felt like it was meant to find me."

Listen to "State Of Mind" below and find the new collaboration on streaming platforms here.

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Some words belong in museum halls, others live on dancefloors. "UNTZ," the latest from Avi Sic and Trentino, firmly plants itself in the latter.

The Chicago heavy-hitters, who cut their teeth in the city's club circuit long before "untz untz" became shorthand for the heartbeat of house music, deliver a track that's equal parts precision and playfulness. Out now via What Ya Need, it's engineered for maximum impact on sweat-drenched dancefloors.

"UNTZ" thrives on momentum, with propulsive basslines and party-starting vocal chops alchemizing through a tension-and-release formula from Trentino and Sic. The synths swell, the percussion snaps and just when the anticipation reaches fever pitch, the drop arrives like a sucker punch of groove-forward bliss.

The collaboration feels like an evolution rather than a repetition, a knowing nod to their Chicago lineage wrapped in festival-ready flair. Trentino's technical precision, honed as a Red Bull 3Style U.S. Champion, meets Sic's ever-growing production house music prowess, resulting in a track that's as club-savvy as it is radio-ready.

And while "UNTZ" is a sonic bullseye, it’s also a harbinger of more to come. With a summer stacked with live dates and a steady stream of releases, both producers are primed for a busy year ahead.

Listen to "UNTZ" below and find the new single on streaming platforms here.

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Sweet Relief Musicians Fund has partnered with Sweetwater to launch a new initiative aimed at tackling one of the most prominent health crises facing the music industry today: noise-induced hearing loss.

Unveiled this week, the Hearing Health Fund provides musicians and music industry professionals with free hearing screenings and high-fidelity earplugs in an effort to curb the chronic issue, which impacts thousands each year.

According to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, approximately 40% of musicians and music industry workers experience noise-induced hearing loss. The risk is particularly acute for live performers, audio engineers and venue staff, many of whom operate in environments that regularly exceed safe decibel levels.

The issue, however, extends to the broader music community as well. A 2023 EDM.com poll found that nearly 50% of music festival attendees do not wear ear protection, underscoring a wider lack of adherence to best practices at live events.

The Hearing Health Fund will provide a free three-part hearing screening administered by certified audiologists. In addition to a review of results and education around hearing preservation, recipients will receive Etymotic ER-20XS High Fidelity Earplugs, designed to protect hearing without compromising the listening experience.

"Screening is essential to protecting musicians from hearing loss because once the damage is done, there’s no going back to 'normal,'" said Dr. Todd Page, Sweetwater’s in-house physician. "It’s heartbreaking telling a fellow musician their tinnitus isn’t fixable; that it’s too late to reverse it, and all they can do is adapt and try to keep it from progressing."

Sweetwater, best known as one of the world's largest online retailers of musical instruments and gear, also provides immersive sound experiences for venues and stadiums across the country. The company’s investment in the fund reflects a broader mission to support not only sound quality, but also the well-being of those who create it.

The Hearing Health Fund is available now through Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. Full details can be found on the organization's official website.

Subtronics has once again cracked open the bass music multiverse.

The dubstep superstar is peering through the lens of mathematical wonder after last year's release of his conceptual TESSERACT album. Out now via his own Cyclops Recordings imprint, it’s a sonic spectacle that balances brute-force energy with cerebral ambition, affirming Subtronics’ reputation as one of electronic music's most relentlessly inventive minds.

The eight-track project arrives on the heels of Subtronics' performance on the storied Mainstage of Miami's Ultra Music Festival, where he first teased its release to a sea of eager fans. And while it's clearly engineered for live impact, it also carries the signature conceptual depth fans have come to expect from the producer who brought us FRACTALS.

Drawing inspiration from the Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio—natural mathematical patterns that symbolize balance, growth and complexity—this release is a meticulous journey. As Subtronics himself puts it, the project is about "how all of reality, in its complexity and grandeur, originates from nature and the fundamental laws of the universe." That depth resonates not just in its themes, but also in its intricate sound design and fearless genre-hopping.

The journey opens cinematically with "Oblivion," where a swelling orchestral intro builds tension before a voice warns, "Brace yourselves as we enter the portal into the Tesseract"—a callback to 2024's album of the same name. What follows is an earth-shattering dubstep drop loaded with interstellar textures and seismic low-end pressure that only Subtronics could deliver.

From there, he refuses to let up. "Mothclaws" switches the tempo and functions as a compelling sound design showcase, opening with a pulsing beat before exploding into a flurry of dubstep growls and sci-fi-inspired glitches.

The EP's lead single, "Lock In" featuring Wooli, is an instant standout. A chaotic, Mario Kart-inspired anthem, the track barrels forward with genre-defying madness, combining dubstep, riddim and techno influences into a relentless auditory blitz. Equal parts whimsical and destructive, it marks a standout entry in the artists' collaborative catalog that includes fan-favorites "Melt Ur Brain" and "Hallelujah."

Closing out the album's first installment is "Final Breath" with A Little Sound, a haunting, vocal-driven cut that culminates cathartically in drum & bass territory. It wraps the EP on a cinematic note, adding even more depth to an already multidimensional creation.

With an insatiable appetite for risk-taking that yields incredibly unique productions, Subtronics once again proves why he’s a singular force in electronic music. As we await Part 2, one thing is clear: this is only the beginning of a brilliantly complex equation.

Listen to Fibonacci Part 1: Oblivion below and find the new EP on streaming platforms here. 

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Red-hot Canadian producer borne is back with a new Deadbeats single, "Shake It Off." 

The track crackles with whirring bass, compelling us to surrender to borne's masterful production style. It's impossible to resist getting lost in its supercharged soundscapes, pulling us headfirst into a gritty sound that's becoming his signature.

In October, borne told EDM.com that "trying to create a story and focus on the production itself is the most important part" of making impactful music. That rings true in his latest release, a cathartic burst of dubstep energy.

"I made 'Shake It Off' while trying to incorporate the classic dubstep sound with my drum work and groove," borne tells us. "It started as a track highly focused on vocals. However, when the bass came in, it became the new main sound that grabbed the listener's attention."

Listen "Shake It Off" to below and find the new single on streaming platforms here.

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It’s not every day that a barroom anthem makes its way to the mainstage, but Two Friends have never played by the rules of genre or generation. The latest release from the duo finds them flipping Neil Diamond's tried-and-true stadium anthem "Sweet Caroline" into a festival-ready thriller.

The official remix transforms Diamond's singalong staple for today's dancefloors, breathing new life into his cherished 1969 classic. It marks a new creative summit for Two Friends, whose meteoric rise from SoundCloud bootleggers to mainstage fixtures has been powered by their instinct for nostalgia and reinvention.

Long revered for their ability to infuse mainstream pop sensibilities with dancefloor heat, the "Big Bootie Mix" maestros approached their remix with reverence. The original's iconic vocals remain front and center but now glide over gated synths, buoyant basslines and a pulsating house groove.

But the track’s crowning moment might just be its surprise finale, where a horn-laced coda erupts in the closing moments like fireworks at the end of a championship game, driving home its crossover ambitions.

"An official dance remix of 'Sweet Caroline' has been a long-standing idea," said Katie Diamond, Neil Diamond’s manager. "The new Two Friends version both honors the song’s legacy while infusing it with an electrifying new energy."

Listen to Two Friends' new remix of "Sweet Caroline" on streaming services here.

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PLS&TY has taken a reflective turn with his latest single, "Constellations," a dreamy collaboration with UK singer-songwriter Richard Walters. The track marks a notable moment in the producer's journey, showcasing a deeper, more atmospheric side to his sound.

From the outset, "Constellations" eases us into a world of ambient textures and gently unfolding melodies as Walters' evocative vocals glide over a bed of soft, cinematic pads. As it progresses, the tempo gradually picks up, infusing its arrangement with an uplifting energy while preserving its spellbinding atmosphere. Balancing introspective storytelling with accessible electronic production, the track feels spacious and intentional, creating a sense of wonder and optimism.

"Constellations" follows the momentum of PLS&TY’s recent signing with Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak. It's his second single following March's release of "Leave The Light On."

Listen to "Constellations" below.

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