All posts by Keith Wozniak

About Keith Wozniak

I've been involved in the electronic music community for over 13 years in every aspect from promoting, running a production company, leading a Dancesafe chapter and also running a large web site for my local scene. Also check out TheSceneisDead.com.

Interview with Markus Schulz Discussing BA ’13, Visuals, Schulz Army and More

The Schulz Army invasion of Stereo Nightclub was anticipated from the moment it was announced that Markus Schulz was going to be playing a marathon event at the legendary club, to the moment the event sold out in less than a week and then when trance fans realized that Armin van Buuren would be appearing at another club across town on the same night. Stereo Nightclub is known to stay open as late as the DJ wants to play and also for the fact that the club doesn’t oversell tickets and that the crowd expects music well beyond the current top 40 in the world of dance music.

Markus Schulz had mentioned leading up to his appearance at Stereo Nightclub that he’d be playing for at least five to six hours. He ended up playing for seven and a half hours from 4:30 AM until noon. You read that correctly, he ended at noon. After the typical high fives, pictures and autographs a lot of the crowd finally walked out of the club after 12:30 in the afternoon. Markus has teased that the night was recorded and he’ll upload it to his SoundCloud page. We’re waiting like everyone else to see if it’s just a portion of the set or the whole thing. Whichever it is we’ll be listening and sharing the moment it’s online. UPDATE: Scroll down for links to Markus’ full Stereo set broken into two parts, clocking in at 463 minutes, no cuts, no edits, just exactly how it went down that night! We’ve compiled a full track list: http://bit.ly/StereoMTLtracklisting

Our interview was scheduled for just before 4 AM but for a brief moment we expected the whole thing to be scrapped when Markus Schulz had arrived in the DJ booth with one of his good friends, Armin van Buuren. The club had erupted at the sight of these two appearing together in the same DJ booth, a sight rarely seen even at an A State of Trance event. Markus had been at New City Gas prior where Armin had played. After Markus took some time setting things up in the DJ booth he retreated to the upstairs for his media commitments while Armin was signing things and taking pictures. For those on the dance floor, we apologize for delaying the start of his set by a few minutes.

SchulzArmyMTL101413.3

Anyone given the chance to interview a veteran like Markus Schulz could spend an endless amount of time picking his brain about a variety of topics but with time against us we focused on a few things going on at the moment with Buenos Aires ’13 being the focus. When the Buenos Aires ’13 track list was announced the majority of tracks were unreleased tracks with a majority having never been heard before or known as an ID in a set, not an easy task to accomplish with 38 tracks on the compilation.

When asked about the process of picking artists for the compilation Markus said, “It’s a lot of the artists that I’ve been supporting and playing on Global DJ Broadcast.” So for any up and coming producers out there try to get your tracks onto a broadcast and if the sound is appreciated you may get asked down the road for an exclusive track.

“It’s not like a one month process, it was a whole one year process,” Markus said talking about what goes into something like this. He continued saying, “As a matter of fact I am already starting next year’s compilation now. It’s constantly working with artists and trying to envision the way you want the compilation to sound. It’s also working with artists to try to get that sound that it is that I hear in my head.”

Less than two weeks after the 2013 compilation the work has already started on the 2014 edition. No, the city it will be based off of has not been announced.

Another challenge is working with artists to keep the tracks unreleased. With a project like this you also want to try to keep the tracks from being played in a lot of sets so that they’re fresh with the release. We live in a world where music comes and goes so quick and it makes compilations like this something to look forward to with new music.

Talking about that topic Markus said, “Sometimes it’s very difficult you know. You’ve got these amazing tracks and you want to play it.” One of the tracks he mentioned not holding back on is Grube & Hovsepian’s “Trickster” which was three years in the making for the Coldharbour duo.

“I am not going to hold back on playing them, I am going to play them anyway,” he said.

“Remember This” is another track that was not held back on and debuted at Electric Daisy Carnival 2013 in Las Vegas and was an instant hit with the melodies. At the time it was an ID but a track that was an instant hit. The track was originally planned for Scream 2 but was given the push early and added to disc one of Buenos Aires ’13.

Buenos Aires 2013

A compilation like this can also be stressful for an artist and when we asked about the feedback so far he said that it had been fantastic while adding, “But you know the thing is this, I am really at a point in my career where it’s like I want to show who I am as an artist. And so you know, I try not to worry too much about what the response is going to be. I just want to be an artist and do things that I enjoy doing and I know that I have such a great loyal fan base, that they’re there with me. I try not to worry too much about the backlash or the feedback.”

Purchase the CD from Armada Shop

Or purchase it on iTunes Buenos Aires ’13 – Markus Schulz

Along with the unreleased tracks another big part of live sets is the visuals that are present in a majority of clubs around the world. There are in house VJs but there are also VJs who travel around the globe with artists. Since the Scream bus tour Markus has been traveling with VJ Infinight. Stereo Nightclub is one of the rare clubs that only has a couple of projectors and lights from the ceilings but as Markus said, “Some of these venues where we’re wrapped in LEDs it’s great. And Morgan has been traveling with me since the bus tour. I think it’s very important because with the visual I want to make a show. I don’t want generic visuals of shapes, and you know weird warping things. We really try to put together a show where the music and visuals are connected.”

SchulzArmyMTL101413.1We’ve grown the Schulz Army in big numbers over the past year so we had to ask about the presence around the globe with t-shirts and flags being present at places not only in North America but also in places like Beirut, Tunisia and Tomorrowland. He replied saying, “It’s amazing. You guys are amazing. Sometimes when I walk into a club I am jet lagged or whatever and I see everyone with the t-shirts, the flags and everything. It’s just like wow!”

A DJ will do everything they can to appear being tired and jet lagged and this just shows that showing signs of support from the crowd can give an artist the sense that they’re right at home with like-minded people ready to have a good time. You can purchase Schulz Army t-shirts, flags and decals here: http://www.schulzarmy.com/merchandise/

One trend that has emerged in 2013 has been marriage proposals and weddings. Electric Daisy Carnival 2013 in Las Vegas married ravers for the weekend and also allowed people to get married at the festival with the proper license. At the Toronto solo set by Markus Schulz in June 2013 there was a wedding proposal during “Perfect”. Since then Tiësto was a part of a wedding in Las Vegas and another couple was married on the Groove Cruise while Markus Schulz played. Given all of that we asked if he thought about becoming ordained and he laughed saying, “It’s pretty cool. It just goes to show you how far this music has gone into people’s lives. Where they want the music to be part of special moments in their lives.”

Toronto and San Francisco are two cities close to us so we also had to ask about the idea of solo sets in those cities again. He said, “They’re all on my list. You know I definitely love doing those. Those are special cities that I always plan on doing long sets in. Whether it works out or not that’s a different story. But I always plan when I go to those cities to do long sets.”

Whether you’re in one of those two cities or anywhere else in the world if you’d like a marathon set find the local promoter who could make something like that happen and start building support for such a thing. Events don’t happen without the support of clubs and promoters who make things happen.

Markus Schulz was the reason Stereo Nightclub had sold out in less than a week so without hesitation we wanted to hear him get started and so did the rest of the club so we asked him about dragging Armin to the club and Markus replied with a smirk saying, “Yeah he’s here. He gets to hear some techno tonight!”

Here’s a brief glimpse of the night from the DJ booth thanks to kärl k-otik (a Montreal DJ):

Markus Schulz – Marathon Set Live from Stereo, Montreal Part 1
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/116614990″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Markus Schulz – Marathon Set Live from Stereo, Montreal Part 2
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/116617934″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

We’ve compiled a full track list: http://bit.ly/StereoMTLtracklisting

Markus Schulz at Stereo Montreal Track List

Anyone who has been following Markus Schulz on Twitter or Facebook has noticed the non stop talk about the 7 1/2 hour set at Stereo Nightclub in Montreal last week and for good reason. The night had all of the key components to being legendary: amazing sound, great crowd and no expectations other than we’d be dancing until the morning. We didn’t really expect to be dancing until the afternoon which just added another element to the night.

The set is expected to be released on SoundCloud within the next few days and we’re all hoping for the whole thing but even if it’s just a portion it’ll be worth it. Trying to identify every track played that night will be a monster of a task but until the set gets released we’ve been able to compile this list of tracks that were played thanks to Schulz Army contributor Chris Hammond.

These are not in any specific order and there were probably remixes/edits played but this gives you an idea. Also, if we’ve left off anyone else that should be credited for a track please leave a comment. Once the set is released we’ll visit this post again for updates.

Follow us on Twitter at @_SchulzArmy and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/SchulzArmy so you don’t miss a thing!

Wippenberg – U R (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
Wippenberg – Pong
Sian Luigi Madonna – Royal Oak
Jordy Lishious – Radiator (Funkagenda & Jordy Lishious Re-Edit)
Arnej – The Second Coming
Rex Mundi – Shocking Blue
Rex Mundi – Opaque
Danilo Ercole – Water That Birds Don’t Drink
Reverse – Absolute Reality
Mr. Pit – Sick & Sexy
Mr. Pit – Catch Me (club mix)
Mr. Pit – It Is What It Is
Beat Service – Outsider
Beat Service – Arcade
Space Rockerz – Get Down City
Radio Slave – Grindhouse (track played twice during the night, one unknown remix and one was possibly Radio Slave Feat. Danton Eeprom – Grindhouse Dubfire Terror Planet Remix)
Mark Knight – Nothing Matters ft. Skin
Alan Fitzpatrick vs. Nadia Ali – Paranoize Rapture
Pobsky – Dark Cloud
Danny Cullen – Abaddon
DJ Tarken – Sad Story
Nifra – Dark Harbour
Aerofoil – Caress 2 Impress (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
Aerofoil vs E&G – Plank Effect
Aerofoil – Vortex
Aerofoil vs E&G – One Word
Aerofoil vs Marc Simz – Blikkenslager
Dakota – Chinook
Markus Schulz – Rain
Markus Schulz presents Dakota – In a Green Valley
Markus Schulz – Digital Madness
Markus Schulz pres. Dakota – Sinners
Markus Schulz – Tritonic
Markus Schulz – Soul seeking
Markus Schulz presents Dakota – Sleepwalkers
Markus Schulz – Remember This
Markus Schulz & Mr. Pit – Push The Button
Markus Schulz & Arnej – Karbon
Markus Schulz – Bolandish
Markus Schulz presents Dakota – Terrace 5 a.m.
Markus Schulz presents Dakota – Tears
Markus Schulz pres. Dakota – Sin City
Markus Schulz Feat. Justine Suissa – Perception
Markus Schulz – Nothing Without Me (Beat Service Remix)
Omnia – Immersion
Above & Beyond – Sun & Moon + ID (Markus Schulz Mashup)
Mark Knight & Funkagenda – Man With The Red Face (Hardwell Remix)
DNA Extractor – Phunk Investigation
Jester Muzik feat. Lavoie – Dressed In White (Markus Schulz Coldharbour Remix)
Koen Groeneveld – Slides
Danny Tenaglia & Celeda – Be Yourself (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
Eric Prydz – Every Day
Fatboy Slim – Praise You (unknown remix but we’re guessing New World Punx)
Age of Love – The Age of Love (Wippenberg Remix / Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding – I Need Your Love (Elevation vs. Grube & Hovsepian Remix)
Mind Electric – Scream
Joseph Capriati – Awake
Julian Jeweil – Don’t think
Egbert – Straktrekken
Hollen – Collision
Adrian Hour – She
Adam Beyer & Ida Engberg – Unanswered Questions (Julian Jeweil Remix)
Adam Beyer & Ida Engberg – Lovecraft (Original Mix)
Adam Beyer & Alan Fitzpatrick – Human Reason (Original Mix)
Adam Beyer & Alan Fitzpatrick – Memesis
Alan Fitzpatrick – Skeksis
Eelke Kleijn – Ein Tag Am Strand (Instrumental mix)
Francesco Rossi – Paper Aeroplane (Tom Staar Remix)
Alex Di Stefano vs. Rank 1 – 7 Loves Instead of 8 Wars (Markus Schulz Mashup)
Sasha – Xpander (possibly the Funkagenda remix)
Wamdue Project – King of my Castle (Sander Van Doorn remix)
KhoMha – 507
KhoMha – Magnetik (Sunrise Mix)
KhoMha – At the End
KhoMha – Dark Knight
Khomha – Mind Gamer
KhoMha – Hydra
KhoMha – Dusk Riddles
New World Punx – Romper
Ferry Corsten – F The Bull$h1t
Ferry Corsten – Black Light
Markus Schulz & Ferry Corsten – Loop & Tings (Original Mix)
Ferry Corsten vs Markus Schulz – Stella (Original Mix)
Ummet Ozcan – The Cube
Ummet Ozcan – The Box (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
Push vs ID – Universal Nation (Markus Schulz Mashup)
Daft Punk – Alive (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
Miki Litvak – Pollinator (Gary Beck Remix / Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
Vato Gonzalez – Sushi Riddim
M.A.N.D.Y. vs Booka Shade – Body Language (Tocadisco remix)
Tempo Giusto – Blacksmith (Mark Sherry Remix / Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
John Digweed & Nick Muir Vs. Christian Smith & Wehbba – Mantis
UMEK & Mike Vale – Fluid Feel (Original Mix)
Joris Voorn – The Secret
Lentos – Forget About Us (Barnes & Heatcliff Remix)
Tiësto – Lethal Industry (remix)
Dada Life – Bass Don’t Cry
Sander van Doorn – Reach Out (remix)
Jochen Miller – Brace Yourself (remix or mashup)
The Chemical Brothers – Hey Boy Hey Girl
Pryda – Rotonda
Faithless – Insomnia (remix)
Paul Ritch – Run Baby Run
Frankyeffe – Yes or Not
Relaxdaily – B-Sides N°1 (2014 Remix)
Tosh Mackins – Way of the Squirrel
Joni S – Dedication
Joshua D – Going On
Orjan Nilsen – XIING
Jerome Isma-Ae – Speed
Joint Operations Centre – Under a Sea of Birds
Ashley Wallbridge – Zorro
Markus Schulz – The New World (mixed responses on whether this track was played)
Jessus – Stereophonic (mixed responses on whether this track was played)
Rex Mundi – Opera Of Northern Ocean (mixed responses on whether this track was played)
Dr. Kucho! – To Russia With Love (mixed responses on whether this track was played by Markus Schulz or by the opening DJs)
 

And the last track of the night when Markus joined everyone on the dance floor was…

Rui Da Silva – Touch Me (Markus Schulz Coldharbour Remix)

Win a BA ’13 Markus Schulz Signed CD and Prize Pack

CONTEST HAS ENDED. Two winners of the five signed BA ’13 CDs we have to giveaway have been chosen, three more winners to go! Will you be the lucky winner this week?

Here’s your chance to win an autographed copy of Markus Schulz’s Buenos Aire’s ’13 CD plus a Markus Schulz #GDJB lanyard, Unicorn Slayer wristband, Coldharbour Night sticker and #SchulzArmy wristband. The contest is pretty simple. Each like, follow, tweet gives you one entry into the contest. You don’t have to select them all, it’s just one less entry. One winner will be chosen at random on October 23.

UPDATE: Winner is Alejandra Gonzalez Madrid

Click to enter:http://splur.gy/r/rRPzC

Schulz Army BA 13 Prize Pack

Markus Schulz Ranked Number 20 of All Time

Dash Berlin World has analyzed DJ Mag results since 1996 and based on those they have ranked Markus Schulz at #20 in their list of the top 100 of all time. Markus is #1 in our minds but not a bad spot for the unicorn slayer based on 15 years of data!

The DJ Mag Top 100 for 2013 will be announced on October 19, 2013.

Here’s how they calculated the results:

Who is the most popular DJ of all time? That is the question on everybody’s mind and that is why we at DBW decided to take a look at the DJ Mag results over the years to really find out who is who in DJ land. It’s also a homage to all the pioneers that paved the way for all the new DJ’s that are currently on top. It’s easy to forget who were the heroes of yesterday and who were doing it big before internet took over and before the big EDM hype exploded. We analyzed all the DJ Mag Top 100 results from 1996 till 2012. What were the dominating genres, who were the DJs with the best positions? Find it all out in our special blog series updated everyday till we reach that infamous number one spot that will surprise us all!

Here’s the full top 100 of all time:

1. Paul Van Dyk
2. Carl Cox
3. Sasha
4. John Digweed
5. Paul Oakenfold
6. Tiesto
7. Judge Jules
8. Ferry Corsten
9. Armin van Buuren
10. Roger Sanchez
11.Richie Hawtin
12. Erick Morillo
13. Deep Dish
14. Danny Tenaglia
15. Pete Tong
16. Nick Warren
17. ATB
18. Above & Beyond
19. Hernan Cattaneo
20. Markus Schulz
21. Sven Vath
22. David Guetta
23. Eddie Halliwell
24. Tall Paul
25. James Zabiela
26. Danny Howells
27. Sander Kleinenberg
28. Infected Mushroom
29. Marco V
30. Steve Lawler
31. Benny Benassi
32. Dave Seaman
33. Mauro Picotto
34. Sander van Doorn
35. Gareth Emery
36. Seb Fontaine
37. Laurent Garnier
38. Fatboy Slim
39. Dave Clarke
40. Christopher Lawrence
41. Jeff Mills
42. Umek
43. Lisa Lashes
44. Danny Rampling
45. Axwell
46. Andy Moor
47. Deadmau5
48. Masters At Work
49. Derrick Carter
50. Fedde Le Grand
51. Lee Burridge
52. Andy C
53. Fergie
54. David Morales
55. Steve Angello
56. Bad Boy Bill
57. Aly & Fila
58. Adam Freeland
59. Eric Prydz
60. Gabriel & Dresden
61. Darren Emerson
62. Timo Maas
63. John 00 Fleming
64. Laidback Luke
65. Cosmic Gate
66. Astrix
67. Lange
68. Bob Sinclar
69. Daft Punk
70. Blank & Jones
71. Bobina
72. Scott Bond
73. Hype
74. DJ Vibe
75. Anthony Pappa
76. DJ Dan
77. John Kelly
78. Sebastian Ingrosso
79. Martin Solveig
80. Matt Hardwick
81. Kyau & Albert
82. Matt Darey
83. Graham Gold
84. Norman Jay
85. Anne Savage
86. John O’Callaghan
87. Dash Berlin
88. Chris Liebing
89. Armand van Helden
90. Afrojack
91. DJ Feel
92. Joachim Garraud
93. DJ Sneak
94. Tony Humphries
95. Yahel
96. Swedish House Mafia
97. Kaskade
98. Avicii
99. Frankie Knuckles
100. James Holden

Review: Buenos Aires ’13 by Markus Schulz Plus Signed CD Giveaway

It’s that time of year again when Markus Schulz releases his newest compilation in his city series and the 2013 version is dedicated to Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina. The two CD set features 38 songs will be released on October 4, 2013 and you’ll likely be in a loop of listening to over and over. We live in a world full of throwaway music that is often listened to a couple of times and often forgotten but the tracks picked for this mix will have the staying power. The two discs do exactly what a dance music compilation should do, take you on a ride. There’s two vocal tracks on the mix, one of those being “Nothing Without Me” and the voice of Ana Diaz has never sounded better in this shadows of Coldharbour remix by Markus.

The first CD opens with “Momento de Gloria” by Marscela and there’s no time wasted as “We Evolve” by Sequ3l starts with a steady beat and builds into a melody that sets the tone for the rest of the way. The drum roll into the melodies of “Sin City” by Sensetive5 has the elements of a track that could be played at any time during a set. Crystal Design’s “Scarface” is has a smooth rolling beat followed perfectly by Rodg & Ruben de Ronde’s “Remain Different” that will likely be a regular in many sets with its big room sound. Tucandeo’s “To an End” has a dark progressive sound with an added piano element that takes us right into KhoMha’s “Cyclone” that has been a hit in sets all summer. The snare drum build up of Rex Mundi’s “Aureolo” carries over into “Progressive Dreams” by Ruffault that plays out as one of the longer tracks at almost five minutes. Grube & Hovsepian take some time in “Palermo” to just let the piano do the talking without the need for any type of drum underneath it. Danilo Ercole’s “Point of View” builds up into a breakdown that should make you start dancing. Markus makes his first appearance on the mix as he presents a new Dakota track titled “Barracas”. Wellenrausch & Basil O’Glue collaboration on “Wickaninnish” is a track that I can imagine listening to late at night in a set and before you know it you’ll be singing along with Ana Diaz. The Shadows of Coldharbour remix by Markus of “Nothing Without Me” gives the track a fresh new progressive sound. The newest member of the Schulz Music Group, M.I.K.E. (also known as Push), takes us out of stalker mode with the upbeat “Before Dawn”. The next track, “Remember This”, hits the point of putting your arms in the air to the memorable melody that has been a staple in sets for Markus Schulz throughout the summer of 2013. The last three tracks by Mr. Pit, Aaron Camz and Rex Mundi close out the first CD with tracks that will be timeless for years to come.

The second CD wastes no time starting off with Protoculture’s “Talisman” and builds into “Towards the Sun” by Markus Schulz and Rex Mundi which is the second of two vocal tracks on the two CDs. The vocals are effective while being simple with only seven different words letting you know to keep on walking, keep on moving and to walk towards the sun. KhoMha’s “Dimensional” has more piano than we’ve been used to in his productions and you almost wouldn’t be able to identify it as one his own except for two minor breaks with his signature kick drum sound. The build and progression of “Stratosphere” by Digital X gives the track a quality where it could be played at any time of the night. “Praia da Adraga” by Purple Stories appears to be named after a beach in Portugal and the track has the melodies to make you want to be on a beach. As you think about a beach get up and head towards the club for Danilo Ercole’s “Freezing Rain” which takes you into “The Battle” by Fisherman & Hawkins vs. Nifra, a peak time track that can be imagined playing on any festival stage. The same can be said about “Fair Winds” by Elevation vs. Grube & Hovsepian. Vassilakis & Tarr’s “Galea” slows things down just a little bit away from the big room sound before the massive “Trickster” takes control to lead into the second half of the CD. Basil O’Glue’s “Gilgamesh” and “Scrambled” by Solid Stone keep the pace moving leading into “Mardi Gras” by Markus Schulz, a track that was only known as an ID early in 2013. “Royal Flush” by Harry Square has an excellent build that’ll have you running on the dance floor. “Phantom” by Digital X and “The Other Side” by Skytech are two familiar tunes if you’re a diehard listening to live sets and they’re familiar in a good way as they are great tracks. Elevation’s “Stadium Control” could’ve gone anywhere in the mix but is fitting towards the end leading into the Markus Schulz Coldharbour remix of the classic Solarstone track “Solarcoaster”. The track is trance perfection and leads into “Viaje Completo” by Marscela who had also been given intro duty for the first disc.

The city series is out later in the year than usual but Markus Schulz delivers another memorable compilation that should please fans of years gone by to anyone just discovering Markus. Whether you want some music to listen to at work, in the car, before going out or for the after party these discs can fit well in any scenario.

Continue reading below for your chance to win an autographed copy of Markus Schulz’s Buenos Aires ’13 CD.

Pre-order the CD from Armada Shop

Pre-order on iTunes Buenos Aires ’13 – Markus Schulz

Disc 1:
01. Marscela – Momento de Gloria
02. Sequ3l – We Evolve
03. Sensetive5 – Sin City
04. Crystal Design – Scarface
05. Rodg & Ruben de Ronde – Remain Different
06. Tucandeo – To an End
07. KhoMha – Cyclone
08. Rex Mundi – Aureolo
09. Ruffault – Progressive Dreams
10. Grube & Hovsepian – Palermo
11. Danilo Ercole – Point of View
12. Markus Schulz presents Dakota – Barracas
13. Wellenrausch & Basil O’Glue – Wickaninnish
14. Markus Schulz featuring Ana Diaz – Nothing Without Me (Markus Schulz Shadows of Coldharbour Remix)
15. M.I.K.E. – Before Dawn
16. Markus Schulz – Remember This
17. Mr. Pit – Catch Me
18. Aaron Camz – Suburbia
19. Rex Mundi – Backpain

Disc 2:
01. Protoculture – Talisman
02. Markus Schulz & Rex Mundi – Towards the Sun
03. KhoMha – Dimensional
04. Digital X – Stratosphere
05. Purple Stories – Praia da Adraga
06. Danilo Ercole – Freezing Rain
07. Fisherman & Hawkins vs. Nifra – The Battle
08. Elevation vs. Grube & Hovsepian – Fair Winds
09. Vassilakis & Tarr – Galea
10. Grube & Hovsepian – Trickster
11. Basil O’Glue – Gilgamesh
12. Solid Stone – Scrambled
13. Markus Schulz – Mardi Gras
14. Harry Square – Royal Flush
15. Digital X – Phantom
16. Skytech – The Other Side
17. Elevation – Stadium Control
18. Solarstone – Solarcoaster (Markus Schulz Coldharbour Remix)
19. Marscela – Viaje Completo

BACD

CONTEST HAS ENDED. Here’s your chance to win an autographed copy of Markus Schulz’s Buenos Aire’s ’13 CD:
The contest is pretty simple. Each like, follow, tweet gives you one entry into the contest. You don’t have to select them all, it’s just one less entry. One winner will be chosen at random on October 7.

UPDATE: Congratulations to the contest winners:

Week 1: Zoltán Fehér
Week 2: Timothy Yip
Week 3: Alejandra Gonzalez Madrid
Week 4: Jose Luis Pereda
Week 5: To Be Deteremined

 

 


 

Pre-order the CD from Armada Shop

Pre-order on iTunes Buenos Aires ’13 – Markus Schulz

Interview: Coldharbour Artists Grube & Hovsepian and KhoMha

On a Saturday night in Los Angeles Suzanne Welker Jurgens from the Schulz Army had the chance to sit down in the green room at Avalon to talk to Tim Grube, Mike Hovsepian and KhoMha about Coldharbour no longer being under Armada, Coldharbour Nights, the DJ Mag Top 100 poll, kandi bracelets, the EDM explosion and more. Grube & Hovsepian are two of the driving forces at the Coldharbour studios, relative newcomer KhoMha has been KhoMhatizing crowds at every chance.

When a lot of people hear the name Coldharbour they think Markus Schulz but a Coldharbour Night is more than just the Unicorn Slayer. As Mike Hovsepian put it, “The Coldharbour Night concept is basically three acts, Grube & Hovsepian, KhoMha or Beat Service or Mr. Pit.”

“You get the old Coldharbour sound through us opening up the night and it’s just a nice little build throughout the night. And that’s what we do with the formula for Coldharbour Night,” Tim Grube said. “We originally did Dallas but these major cities are nice too. All these cities just blow up, it’s amazing.”

One of the highlights of a Markus Schulz open to close set is the journey he takes the dance floor on by building the night into a mid set and then closing it out and these nights follow the same formula. Grube & Hovsepian open followed by KhoMha and then trance to close the night with Beat Service or Mr Pit.

Suzanne Welker Jurgens interviewing KhoMha, Mike Hovsepian & Tim Grube at Avalon in Los Angeles
Suzanne Welker Jurgens interviewing KhoMha, Mike Hovsepian & Tim Grube at Avalon in Los Angeles

Heading into 2014 dance music continues to grow in popularity and embrace new audiences, the talk of a bubble that could exist but as Mike Hovsepian says, “Embrace it, live in the moment.”

“If EDM is blowing up in the states it’s a good thing,” Tim Grube said. “Because we’re able to explore other cities that we’ve haven’t been able to before, because it’s been all over the radio and people are getting familiar with the sound. As DJs it’s pretty good. It’s really good for us.”

“We play towns we’d never think about playing three or four years ago, like Fresno which we played with KhoMha and that’s not known for EDM,” said Mike Hovsepian. “Norfolk, we were there. KhoMha is going to be there. These aren’t EDM towns, they’re embracing it, they want it and the promoters are giving it to them.”

We asked Mike Hovsepian about the acronym EDM and he said, “I don’t get why people make it a big deal. So EDM, it’s like Electronic Dance Music. It defines all of the genres. I see people arguing about it saying ‘no it’s trance, don’t call it EDM’. Who cares! It is what it is.”

DJ Mag Top 100 2013When speaking about popularity the DJ Mag Top 100 poll immediately comes to mind. Tim Grube spoke about its relevance and he said, “It’s going to be around. It’s not going to end this year, it’s not going to end next year, it is going to be around for a while.”

“I think it is more important to the smaller guys to get voted in,” Mike said. “Because that in effect helps you get booked. Because some promoters do book based off of the DJ mag. I think fans should vote for the smaller guys. Continue to still vote.”

Tim Grube agreed, “Continue to still vote.”

No matter where you live the bookings are often based on the popularity of artists. This could be the DJ Mag rankings but is also based on demands of the fans. It’s important to still vote but Tim Grube adds on, “get on your Twitter, get on Facebook. Just tweet. Tweet your favorite artists and demand them in your city. That works better than DJ mag, in my opinion. It’s the word of mouth and getting it out there on the social networks.”

Mike spoke further saying, “You reach a certain point in your career like Tiësto, Markus, Gareth  and Armin  and I don’t think it matters anymore to them because they have their fan base. They have their loyal fans.”

Tim added, “It helps certain artists.”

Speaking of asking your local promoters and artists about visiting your city the idea of a Coldharbour Tour has been talked about. Tim and Mike said, “We’ll eventually get there. Maybe do a bus tour.” So if you’d like to see any of these guys in your city take the time to get on Twitter and Facebook and mention it to them and also reach out to your local promoters as well about the idea.

The end of 2013 will continue to be busy for the guys. KhoMha shared the biggest news for himself saying, “Right now I working as well with a big collaboration with one of the biggest trance legends Cosmic Gate, so yeah it’s great.” KhoMha’s track “Hydra” is set to be released this month and he also said, “there is a new Coldharbour release (I can’t tell you the name of course). It’s going to be maybe at the end of the year.”

GHTRICKSTERADVERT1Grube & Hovsepian recently released their track “Trickster” that rose to number nine on the Beatport charts which was an accomplishment for them. Tim said, “It went in as four or five jumps” Mike added on saying, “80, then 40, then 18, then 14, then 13 and finally nine. I woke up in the morning and logged into Beatport and it was 14 or 13 the night before and I refreshed and it’s like top 10! Woo!”

Markus Schulz is releasing his latest city series compilation titled Buenos Aires ’13 and will feature three Grube & Hovsepian productions. Their own tracks “Trickster” and “Palermo” and the third is “Fair Winds” that they produced with Elevation.

Trickster was also remixed by Italian producer Gai Barone. How did two guys living in Miami connect with someone from Italy to remix a track? Tim Grube explained, “That’s funny we were sitting in the studio and decided that we needed something different. We play a lot of opening sets, like tonight and obviously we cannot play our 132 big room track Trickster. We leave that up to everyone else, even when we do our main headline set. We needed something that is our style that the old Coldharbour fans would love and we could count on Gai Barone because he has been on fire lately. Markus has been supporting his stuff for the past couple of years. There’s a track that just came out from him (Gai Barone remix of Danilo Ercole “Player One”) that we truly love and we wanted that kind of similar sound and he nailed it. It was perfect, it was great package, a big big room, a nice progressive trance track, deep. It worked out.”

Another bit of big news in the second half of 2013 is that after eight years Coldharbour Recordings and Armada Recordings are no longer affiliated. The two had been working together since 2005.

Tim Grube immediately eased concerns saying, “Fans don’t even need to worry, Coldharbour is Coldharbour. It’s still Coldharbour and Markus is still fully behind it. It’s just not Armada.” Tim added on more details saying, “And the thing is that we have to evolve a little bit. We want to do more different things that we weren’t able to do. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. So we wanted to expand a little bit and we were able to do that with Markus. He’s able to make us expand and make us get more on the radio. We want to expand in the states because it is blowing up here. Us taking more control and us having more control over the artists. We had to. It’s not a bad thing that we left. Nothing is going to change from the forefront. It’s just the back end internal stuff. The forefront is not going to change and the quality is still going to stay the same.”

Audio Cargo is another record label that was created in 2013 and Tim explained the label further saying, “It has nothing at all to do with Coldharbour. It’s like Armada vs. Black Hole. It’s totally different. That label Audio Cargo is fueled towards commercial radio tracks, vocals. We just signed a new Jonathan Mendelsohn track that will probably come out the end of September or early October by the Venom One guys. We had our first release which was Memory Lane on there. It’s not something you’ll hear a release from every two or three weeks like Coldharbour. It’s when we have a great great vocal commercial track.”

Stay linked up with Coldharbour (Facebook, Twitter) and Audio Cargo (Facebook, Twitter) to stay on top of all of their new releases.

Markus Schulz has often called KhoMha his little brother from another mother so we asked the guys what they considered him.

Mike Hovsepian said, “His older brother from another mother.” That got some laughs from everyone in the room.

Tim Grube, “He has many different names.”

KhoMha added, “Well you know, Markus is really important person in my life. There is a before and after an Markus in my career. He’s been an inspiration to me. He’s an awesome person with me. He not only supports me as an artist, but always he tries to give me good advice and something like that! He is really great!”

We mentioned what a great experience the Scream Bus Tour must have been and KhoMha added, “Yea, he is one of my biggest inspirations. It’s kind of awesome.”

KhoMha Coldharbour Night Avalon August 2013

What are some of the funniest things you’ve seen from the DJ booth?

Mike: Well tonight we just saw three or four guys throwing punches and a guy with a bloody face and security guards breaking it up. There were like five or six security guards.
Tim: Huge fight, right in front of us. We saw him get hit in the face and it was like… oooph! It was bad.
Mike: There was a big brawl out in the middle of the dance floor during one of the tracks. They just dragged them off the dance floor.
Tim: That was the craziest fight. But I think for myself it was when I was with Markus in Bogotá. Some fan took the whole DJ booth and pulled it out into the crowd. He was drunk. But it was the type of booth that was standing still but it went like right into the crowd. That was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.
Mike: KhoMha’s peeps.
Tim: Colombians. They party hard!

What are some of the strangest things you’ve had to autograph?

Tim: What haven’t we autographed.
Mike: Sometimes we feel uncomfortable because they ask you to sign certain places on their body. I’ve never done that. But we’ve been asked to autograph breasts before, butts.
Tim: You do it!
Schulz Army: There was a girl at TAO Beach that was proudly displaying her signature.
Mike: Sometimes those signatures turn into tattoos.

Do you ever compare kandi after the set?

Mike: I wasn’t that big on bracelets, but I’ve embraced it after KhoMha and Tim started wearing them. It’s a good conversation starter. People see you wearing them. They’re like what’s that? Cool!
Tim: I usually wear that (referring to #SchulzArmy), but I left mine at home this time.

But you’ve got the Unicorn Slayer one.

Tim: I always wear that. I wear that every day.
Mike: It’s his good luck charm.

For the last question we asked about the old Markus Schulz pictures that have surfaced from the 1990s and whether they pick on Markus about that or his old remixes. Tim Grube took the reply and said, “We have, but now it’s all out there. So it’s like the joke is like… okay. He always gets a kick out of it when he sees it. The memories that come back, where he’s from and all that. It’s always good to see that type of stuff.”

Embrace your past!

To view, share, tag, like or comment visit the album on Facebook here.

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Tickets On Sale for New World Punx at Echostage

Echostage is where Markus Schulz and Ferry Corsten say that it all began for the New World Punx. On November 10, 2012 they played a 7 hour set and they’ll be returning for another long set on November 16, 2013. An extended set with these two is the best way to experience what they’re capable of.

Tickets are now on sale here: http://bit.ly/NWPEchoStageNov16

You can listen to over five hours of that 2012 set here:

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/67505665″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

New World Punx November 16 2013 Echostage

Markus Schulz Announced for Transmission 10th Anniversary

The wait is over. Transmission reveals its long awaited program for the 10th edition with the theme “The Machine of Transformation”.

From Transmission’s website:

MARKUS SCHULZ: The legend of Transmission who brings us every year together with his creative and unique sound is coming back to Prague to do what he does ooh so well, rocking the crowd hard. Outrageous bass-lines, nasty drops, delicious beats, and juicy sounds. Markus always creates and delivers smashing sets and is full of passion and determination behind the decks for just one reason, to give it every time all he’s got to please the crowd. Worldwide Markus Schulz is celebrated as one of the biggest and most famous EDM stars and his success and popularity is not only reflected by playing weekly for tens of thousands of fans but also by his Global DJ broadcast radio show which attracts millions of listeners worldwide. Honored as we are to have him back again to take over control of Prague’s o2 arena on November 30th, once again you’ll be able to see, hear, and enjoy the wonderful sounds of the legend, Markus Schulz. https://www.facebook.com/markusschulz

Transmissions 10th Edition 30.11.2013

ØRJAN NILSEN: Dedicated, hardworking, and energetic – three words that is probably the best attempt to briefly describe what the Norwegian hot-shot Ørjan Nilsen is about. The Norwegian DJ and producer has garnered tremendous amount of attention ever since he set foot in the world of dance music. In the last few years he has been wowing audiences across the planet with his music. One thing is certain, there is no stopping this Norwegian prodigy. He is on a mission, be it in the studio or in the DJ booth. Ørjan Nilsen is determined to surprise, amaze and entertain, and you would not want to miss out. Get ready and prepare yourself for some block busting beats and trance melodies from Ørjan Nilsen. https://www.facebook.com/OrjanMusic

COSMIC GATE: The perfect union of musical minds, one karmic meeting in a recording studio resulted in Cosmic Gate’s Big Bang moment. It set brothers in sound Nic Chagall and Bossi on a rapidly expanding path. 4 artist albums, 28 singles and 46 remixes, 4 Back 2 Back mix-compilations, a 1000+ international gigs played and clubbers, numbered in their millions, thrilled worldwide. Nic and Bossi’s partnership as Cosmic Gate has proved to be one of electronic dance music’s most successful and enduring. As DJs Nic and Bossi continue to whip floors into frenzies worldwide, on Saturday November 30, 2013 Prague’s o2 arena will be the place they are going to entrance you at Transmission. https://www.facebook.com/cosmicgate

ARNEJ: The Canadian tough-trance powerhouse Arnej is one that knows how to deal with soundscapes, beats and melodies. Arnej founded his success with tracks like “They Always Come Back” , “The Ones That Get Away”, “Time Gate” and “Dust in the Wind” just to name a few, all tracks heavily supported by the DJ elite worldwide. Besides producing tracks under his own name, Arnej has released track under his pseudonym 8 Wonders and has produced tracks with heavy weights such as Ørjan Nilsen, Cosmic Gate, Markus Schulz and recently has released his latest collaboration with Paul van Dyk “We are One 2013”. Arnej is a true perfectionist at heart, whether he is performing for 200 or 20,000 people, his passion is always to deliver a storytelling set. Get ready to be taken on a journey November 30th with the wonderful sounds of Arnej. https://www.facebook.com/ArnejOfficial

TOMAS HEREDIA: Latin America knows hows to get the feet moving and the heart grooving. Argentinean Tomas Heredia is a DJ and producer who has worked in the music industry from a young age and started to produce music from the tender age of 16 years. His talent is on the rise, his sound is spreading fast and he is certainly on his way to the very top. His tracks such as “Moonlight”, ‘When I am with You” , “The Witch” and “Alchemist” just to name a few are outstanding pieces of melodic trance tracks with energy, power and deep bass which are a must hear for trance lovers and make a 15,000 strong crowd explode. Tomas has rocked festivals such as Ultra Music Festival and ASOT 600 in Sao Paulo where his set by the majority was seen as one of the best sets of the night. Tomas Heredia is ready for some more action and we are sure  November 30th at Transmission you will be riding on a core of mesmerizing sparkling sounds topped of with hard hitting kicks that will lead you from a break down into absolute madness. Get ready for some pure trance with Tomas Heredia. https://www.facebook.com/tomasherediamusic

SNEIJDER: He’s been doing the real deal for just 5 years, and he already has the A-list of DJs on his side. Irishman Andrew Liggett known as Sneijder has been stirring things up with diversity. He’s exposed an endless number of masks to cover his many musical faces, but despite the colorful and daring differences, he is most known for his popular “138+ BPM” uplifting trance sound. Sneijder is a name you are going to be hearing a lot more in the not to distant future, and is a DJ who knows how to close an event with dirty driven uplifting trancy pounding sounds. Be sure to check out his sound on November 30th at Transmission. https://www.facebook.com/sneijdermusic

THOMAS COASTLINE: The talented Czech trance DJ and producer Thomas Coastline will be the warm up DJ. Thomas Coastline started DJing and producing when he was 16 years old and had his breakthrough in 2008 with his track “After Hour” which was a track, Armin van Buuren selected to play is his weekly radio show A State of Trance. Since then many more tracks have followed with highlights such as his track “Love Victims” which was selected by Ministry of Sound to be included in the mix compilation Trance Awards and his track “Ultra light” to be selected by Blackhole recordings to include in the Search of Sunrise 9 compilation. Besides DJing and producing Thomas Coastline has his own radio show at afterhours.fm. Thomas Coastline will prepare a special warm up set to get you ready and in the right mood for the start of Transmission. https://www.facebook.com/thomascoastline

TRANSMIX by THRILLSEEKERS: Always one of the highlights at Transmission is the Transmix, a pre-recorded mix with well known trance classics, filled with special effects and pyro, combined with a spectacular laser show. This year’s Transmix will be composed by the Thrillseekers. https://www.facebook.com/thrillseekersofficial

VISION IMPOSSIBLE: Another highlight at Transmission always is the VJing of the Dutch award winning VJ team Vision Impossible, who just like every other year create all the show/intro movies for the artists and are responsible for the live visuals during the event. Vision Impossible was founded in 2000, when Martijn Adema, Berry van Dijk and Ruben Langedijk teamed up. Since then things have moved fast and every show takes them one step closer to their goal – to create the ultimate visual experience. Nowadays, the Vision Impossible studio hosts a growing and professional team where friendship and the love for music and art events remain the most important values. https://www.facebook.com/visionimpossible

To find out more about Transmission the 10th edition “The Machine of Transformation” visit the new Transmission website at www.transmission.cz

We are looking forward to welcoming you on November 30th to celebrate together this special 10th edition. See you on the dance floor.

Transmission  “The Machine of Transformation”
30.11.13
O2 arena Prague
Doors open 20:00 PM
End: 6:00 AM
Tickets CZ: www.sazkaticket.cz
Tickets international: www.unitedmusic.cz

Tracklist for Buenos Aires 13 and Pre-Order Available

Markus Schulz announced the tracklist for Buenos Aires ’13 which is expected to be released on October 4, 2013. Buenos Aires ’13 is the most recent release in his newest city series which features a city that has had an impact on his year. Previous cities featured have been Miami, Ibiza, Amsterdam, Toronto, Las Vegas, Prague and Los Angeles. Each CD features 19 tracks by most of the Coldharbour family and also includes a 20th track on each as a continuous mix.

Some of these tracks finally have names and until now have only been known as ID’s played during live events and on Global DJ Broadcasts. Markus Schulz world premiered “Remember This” on the September 5, 2013 edition of Global DJ Broadcast which was recorded in Boston on August 25, 2013. We’ll have a review as soon as we get a chance to listen to it but have no fear that Markus has put together another amazing compilation.

Buenos Aires 2013

[youtube=http://youtu.be/RvA22gg5aqI]

 

Pre-order on iTunes at http://tinyurl.com/ba13itunes

Pre-order the CD from Armada: http://bit.ly/1at0Mh9

Disc 1:
01. Marscela – Momento de Gloria
02. Sequ3l – We Evolve
03. Sensetive5 – Sin City
04. Crystal Design – Scarface
05. Rodg & Ruben de Ronde – Remain Different
06. Tucandeo – To an End
07. KhoMha – Cyclone
08. Rex Mundi – Aureolo
09. Ruffault – Progressive Dreams
10. Grube & Hovsepian – Palermo
11. Danilo Ercole – Point of View
12. Markus Schulz presents Dakota – Barracas
13. Wellenrausch & Basil O’Glue – Wickaninnish
14. Markus Schulz featuring Ana Diaz – Nothing Without Me (Markus Schulz Shadows of Coldharbour Remix)
15. M.I.K.E. – Before Dawn
16. Markus Schulz – Remember This
17. Mr. Pit – Catch Me
18. Aaron Camz – Suburbia
19. Rex Mundi – Backpain

Disc 2:
01. Protoculture – Talisman
02. Markus Schulz & Rex Mundi – Towards the Sun
03. KhoMha – Dimensional
04. Digital X – Stratosphere
05. Purple Stories – Praia da Adraga
06. Danilo Ercole – Freezing Rain
07. Fisherman & Hawkins vs. Nifra – The Battle
08. Elevation vs. Grube & Hovsepian – Fair Winds
09. Vassilakis & Tarr – Galea
10. Grube & Hovsepian – Trickster
11. Basil O’Glue – Gilgamesh
12. Solid Stone – Scrambled
13. Markus Schulz – Mardi Gras
14. Harry Square – Royal Flush
15. Digital X – Phantom
16. Skytech – The Other Side
17. Elevation – Stadium Control
18. Solarstone – Solarcoaster (Markus Schulz Coldharbour Remix)
19. Marscela – Viaje Completo

Pre-order on iTunes at http://tinyurl.com/ba13itunes

Pre-order the CD from Armada: http://bit.ly/1at0Mh9

 

 

Markus Schulz and Steve Aoki Flight Fun and Jump

Markus Schulz travelled to El Paso, Texas over Labor Day weekend to perform at the Sun City Music Festival and on the way he ended up on the same flight with Steve Aoki. The two had some fun on the plane and then setup this picture below.

Now, before any Schulz fans get bent out of shape, they’re just having some fun together. Chances are you have some friends who are fans of Aoki as well. We’re united with music, not separated by it even if we don’t like each others genres.

Steve Aoki Markus Schulz El Pas Flight Fun

Scream Aoki Jump. Photo by Caesar Sebastian
Scream Aoki Jump. Photo by Caesar Sebastian
Photo by Caesar Sebastian
How to prepare for an Aoki Jump, grab your jeans. Photo by Caesar Sebastian