The gentlemen over at Monstercat Media are a new breed of musician. Monstercat fans are still ecstatic at the success of this summer’s Monstercat 008 – Anniversary and Operation Dethrone, Monstercat’s plan to overtake other EDM artists from their position at the top of the iTunes dance chart. Dethroned artists include – Tiesto, David Guetta, Deadmau5, Skrillex, and Knife Party. Not to mention other musicians, including Katy Perry and Justin Beiber. Released one year after the label’s creation, “Anniversary” is a monumental release in dance music, proving that talented artists can be successful without any big label’s help as a result of hard work, teamwork, and a loyal fan base. This week, we’ve been blessed with it’s follow-up; Reunion.
Our first taste of Reunion was The Anthem, a collaboration between Monstercat veterans Project 46, Varien, and Ephixa, which was released as the label’s anniversary video last month. It’s a free download through SoundCloud above. Monstercat releases are a variety of genres, much like their YouTube network, and Reunion, as usual, contains something that anyone into electronic music will fall in love with. The album contains 20 tracks from 20 artists, so let’s look at a few highlights.
DotEXE’s remix of fellow Chicago bassists Krewella is currently residing at #3 on Beatport’s DnB charts, and rightfully so. This brighter remix changes the energy of the original for sure, without harming Krewella sisters Jahan and Yasmine’s entrancing vocals.
Ephixa was one of the driving forces behind Monstercat’s creation, and remains one of it’s heavyweights. His “Zeldastep” The Legend of Zelda remixes all climb higher than a million views on YouTube (the highest at over 12 million) and he is featured as an FLStudio Power User alongside Deamau5, Feed Me, Madeon, and Porter Robinson. His work featured on 009, Awesome to the Max, is heavy, but laid back, and a gift for fans of dubstep and Monstercat alike.
My last highlight pick is from Drum and Bass prodigy Feint. For people raised on old school DnB like myself, Feint is a nostalgic breath of fresh air from the current incarnation of well-played DnB. Fury is a mixture of newer; wobble bass heavy sounds with old school liquid drum and bass. Give it a listen and let it speak for itself.
If you are not sold on Reunion yet, listen to the album mix by Monstercat Media boss Going Quantum.
The 20-song Monstercat showcase is available on iTunes here – Monstercat 009 – Reunion – Various Artists
Or, if you’re looking for better quality or just to avoid iTunes, buy the album from Bandcamp here –http://music.monstercat.com/album/monstercat-009-reunion
Monstercat 009- Reunion is currently #3 on the iTunes dance charts, just below Skrillex and David Guetta.