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The Top Ten Electronic Songs of 2012

2012 has been a very interesting year. Especially for those involved in the EDM community. Countless albums have been released by a number of already famous and growing artists. Among those at the top, we have seen the likes of Deadmau5, Armin Van Buren, Kaskade, and Tiesto release new albums this year. I chose this topic for my best of 2012 list because I feel that I have a very good general knowledge of the EDM industry and the songs and artists throughout. So here is my list of the top ten electronic songs of 2012.

10. Stee Wee Bee feat. Snyder & Ray – “Leaving (Gordon & Doyle Remix)”

This song is a good party starter, and a nice anthem. With a steady beat that keeps you moving and clear vocals that leave you in a trance. This song really sets the mood for a small party that has a decent energy.

9. Kaskade & Skrillex – “Lick It”

I’ve been waiting for awhile for these two artists to collaborate and make something fun. This song is just that, with the heavy and energetic drops that Skrillex lays down that keep the beat flowing. As well as the clean and concise synths that Kaskade produces album after album. This is a fun that’s sure to make for a crazy party.

8. Dj Fresh – “Louder (feat Sian Evans) (Flux Pavillion and doctor p remix)”

This song takes build ups and drops to another level with its energized vocals that really set the tone for the whole song. Flux Pavillion is right at home as soon as the bass drops. Doctor p also knows how to make decent beats that brings it all together and keeps things rolling. This is sure to make a good time out of any moment in your day.

7. “Harder Better Faster Stronger (Deadmau5 remix)” – Daft Punk

Any hardcore Daft Punk fan will say deadmau5 gives the original justice with this remix. It’s just the right balance of deadmau5’s progressive style, mixed with the synth-pop and robotic vocals of Daft Punk. As I mentioned before, this is a treat for hardcore fans that’s sure to delight and make a great party. This also carries a bit of nostalgia for long time daft punk and deadmau5 fans.

6. Urban Contact – “Just Not Right (Original Mix)”

This song knows what the meaning of “party” is. This very energetic piece done by the ever-so awesome Urban Contact is perfect for those nigh time events that get wild. Its heavy bass and high synths prove to be a great dance song. One that is sure to a hit in the clubs very soon, if not now.
5. “Say It Right (Menage Music Remix)” – Nelly Furtado

I don’t listen to much Nelly Furtado, but I must say that Menage knows how to say it right. With the progressive beats and techno synths, the song takes you on an electric ride that isn’t to hard on you. But it’s one great song to dance to and make you feel happy at the very least.
4. “Moar Ghosts N Whatever” – Deadmau5

Definitely soon to a be a classic in his arsenal, deadmau5 re released an extended version of this song and it’s still great. With the extended version, you get more time to really take in the song and appreciate all that it has to offer. From the energy to the beats, it’s all there.
3. “Work Hard Play Hard (Paris FZ & Simo T remix)” – Tiësto Feat. Kay

Tiesto had it right when he showed the world this lovely piece. Then these guys made it better. With a heavier bass and a more upbeat feel, the once progressive anthem has been made a club sensation. This is definitely one worth listening to.
2. “Off Da Hook” – Jesse Garcia

Jesse Garcia knows how to work synth-pop. This song has a very rich video game/ house feel to it. It just makes you wanna get and dance, if not at the very least move and sway. I think Daft Punk would be proud of this man for making a very nostalgic party hit.
1. “Fn Pig” – Deadmau5

With this release, deadmau5 really hits it home by going back to his roots and bringing some of his amazing progressive style to the table. This one really is a party starter in the sense that you could literally start a party with song. It has the perfect build up to the drop, which hits you fast and hard. Making you want to just jump around and go crazy, which is what I think he was going for in this piece. This is definitely deserving of my number one pick because it has a little of everything to show. Definitely a party rocker and a club sensation!

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Me the Speaker

The main social networking outlet I use is: Facebook

Facebook

Audience: My audience for facebook is primarily family and friends, but I admit I do have a lot of people on my friends list who I do not personally know, however, they do live in the area. So it’s not too crazy, but still, I could go through and clean out my list when I get the chance.

Content: When I post on facebook, it has to have meaning, I don’t just on the spur of the moment saying that I just bought some new clothes. I like posting things that matter heavily in my life like good times with friends and big events like a concert or the school musical.

Occasion: I post things to share with the people in my life and let them know what’s what. As I have stated before, I like posting things with meaning. I post these to remember those good times with the people I know and love.

Media: I like to use facebook, because it is such a simple and widely used interface.

Purpose: I use facebook to communicate with my friends and family and share my thoughts and opinions on a range of topics, as well as eventful moments in my life.

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Internet Celebrities

After reading this article, I think that this is what the internet was truly intended for. Not for fame, but for communication, and what I mean is that these people that got famous, got that way because they communicated their opinions beliefs, funny stories, and ideas over the internet. The used the web to let people know who they are and what they like. In the case of the Radio DJ on sound cloud, he beat everyone to the punch and started living his dream by playing his own radio show. While hundreds of thousands of viewers tuned in and listened every week to what he had to say. It’s the perfect use of social networking I think, by utilizing a website designed for sharing, he is able to share his voice with people every week.

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Church Denies Teen Confirmation

This article that I just read, was, well, quite shocking in my opinion. The article states that the church of MN Teen Lennon Cihak, denied him the religious rite of passage that is confirmation. This apparently all started when Lennon posted a picture on his facebook of him holding a sign that said vote yes to the marriage amendment, but he had changed it with sharpie marker to say vote no.

After finding out about this, Lennon’s local church decided to deny him confirmation. The church would not explain as to why they did this in their interview with the star tribune. I personally disagree with this, a lot. The fact that someone is denied something that they have worked for, for probably many years, because of their own beliefs and opinions just upsets me. It’s not like Lennon was committing a federal crime, no, he just posted a picture on facebook. Apparently facebook can really turn your world upside down now a days. Not to mention that several of his friends, who go to the same church liked the photo, but were not denied confirmation.

I think that people need to stop taking the things we do and share on facebook so seriously. But at the same time, this doesn’t mean we should not use caution when posting.

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Reaction to Social Networking

After reading the three articles, I feel that social networking sites, and technology of the same sort has found it’s niche in daily life. It has definitely made an impressive impact on the world as we know it. But I think it should still be used within reason, Facebook for example can tie you closer to the ones you care about, but at the same time give every bit of information on the daily life of a person you’ve never met face to face a day in your life. I personally use facebook, twitter, reddit (mostly for creepy pastas and no sleeps), instagram, and tumblr. But I use all of these sites with a reason, and with a purpose. I like using facebook to connect with friends and organize events for a large group. Twitter lets me follow some of my icons as well as give the up and up of my day to those that I care about. Instagram is mainly for those moments that I have to capture and upload quickly to let people see and enjoy. No I am not one those people who will just post what I ate for breakfast 5 minutes ago, but rather, I like posting pictures that tell a story of a fun time. Pictures that have a good memory behind them. These days I see people just uploading some of the most ridiculous and useless stuff to these sites, even the people I come into contact with everyday are guilty as charged. This is where I think, the argument of technology in schools comes into play. It can be very useful, but on a reasonable level, and with the right guidelines. As of these days though, many students would rather see the luxuries of their devices and networking sites, rather than see the educational potential it all has. This reason, I think, is the main reason why this is such a hard pressed and heavily debated issue because the positives and negatives almost cancel each other out.

I like to think I that I am good student and don’t participate in such actions, but the fact is, I am just as guilty as my peers that I mentioned above. The temptation to capture that funny moment and post it right away is very overwhelming. You as many people to see it as you can get before the topic becomes dull and uninvited to a conversation.

In this day and age, social networking has taken it’s rightful place in daily life. But the magnitude of people relying on it for  information on their peers, and the constant conflict between the pros and cons of their uses in the classroom are problems that are yet to be resolved. Until that happens, social networking will still be just that, networking.

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Viral Videos

I think that when it comes to having a video of yours go viral on YouTube, it takes some luck, hard work, and careful planning to make it happen. That’s about as far as I go with agreeing with Dan Ackerman Greenberg. The man may be an expert on marketing videos and making them big, but he states that really, you’re only a one time thing, that you have original content with each upload. That each video has to be something fresh and new, and that you have to keep it short and simple.

Well, I beg to differ, because I am subscribed to many “YouTube Celebrities” who don’t follow any of those constraints. While having a single big video is one thing, these people do this on a daily basis, and practically make a living off of posting videos to their channels for their loyal subscribers to see.

So, technically, these people have millions of views on almost all of their videos. Their videos are pretty much all YouTube sensations because of their loyal followers and their popularity.

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My Music

The music I listen to varies a lot from time to time, and my collection is ever growing. But for about the past four years now, there has always been genre that has always been in my mind and has continued year after year to stand the test of time. The genre that I am speaking of is “EDM” or “Electronic Dance Music.” This genre and its many sub-genres are what take up the majority of my daily music selections. Whether it’s the rising action of “Progressive House” from Deadmau5, the heavy bass drops of “Dubstep” from the likes of Skrillex (Recently winner of three Grammys) Knife Party Nero and many others , the crazy fast beats and slow pounding bass of “Drum and Bass” by Noisia, or the nostalgic “Synthpop/ Techno” sound from the Grammy winners “Daft Punk.” All of them make me feel an array of emotions that relate both to the nature of the sub-genres and their respective songs, and of my own personal experiences.

This obsession so to speak started about 3-4 years ago when I was just hearing about Skrillex and was still listening heavily to death metal, and screamo. Then a band called Asking Alexandria came out and their heavy style interlaced with electronic synths really struck me as just amazing. So I gradually started listening to more and more electronic music until, eventually, it completely took over my playlists and majority of my music collection. Today it seems like it was an overnight change, from metal-head to electro-junkie. Gone were the heavy screams and loud guitar riffs, and in were the bass drops and synth-pops. No more Suicide Silence, Dethklok, or Disturbed, no sir, now it was Skrillex, Daft Punk, and Deadmau5.

From there I branched out listening to the likes of the Tiesto, Justice, Knife Party, and dozens more. But one day during the summer, just before school of my junior year, one song in particular struck as just amazing. It’s called “Strobe” by Deadmau5 and this one song inspired me to get into electronic music on a deeper level.  With its’ slow start and beautiful rising action that is layered with synths, kick bass, and claps here and there. Then to all drop into this fun, energized, and just awesome 2 minutes. If wasn’t for this song, I probably wouldn’t be interested in going into a career of electronic music.

I think the main reason that I listen to electronic music is that it makes me feel so energized and happy in a way only the music can. I can’t really explain it, but when I’m in my zone and just listening to the music, I just get lost in my own world where there is just me and the music. It’s like a complete feeling of euphoria that is triggered by beats and synths mixed together in such a way that it hits me as awesome, and it takes me for a ride through the song.

Considering that the majority of the songs I listen to do not have lyrics, I have to listen to them musically and find certain parts of the songs that are interesting to me. These sections of the songs are what make me happiest and most energized during the song. Such as the drop in “Strobe” by Deadmau5 for example, this part is basically what made want to make a career out of producing electronic music.

The music I listen to may not have lyrics to walk me through the story of the song, but the songs tell great stories to me. This makes me think on a deeper level with the music in my opinion, because I’m focusing on the music itself and not the lyrics. This is the music I listen to, and it makes me happy.