Dance

Talking over Zoom, the producer and cofounder of the SoCal-based Desert Hearts festival, record label and party brand calls this afternoon in the yard the most monumental experience of his life, one that awakened him to the existence of universal love and one that pushed him towards his career as a musician and event promoter as he’s quested to just give people the same feeling of connectedness and excitement that he experienced with those trees. This might all sound like standard-issue West Coast woo-woo if it hadn’t also worked. In the past decade, the 32-year-old Lion, along with his three fellow Desert Hearts founders Porkchop, Lee Reynolds and Marbs, have turned the event into an international brand, with the group hosting its flagship spring festival in SoCal — alon...

Who here remembers 2012 to 2014? You know, when everyone from the Black Eyed Peas to Rihanna was making feel-good, dance-pop slammers for the summer? Everything was super shimmery, the beats were steady four-four rhythms and all the lyrics were about “tonight” and “this love.” Calvin Harris was the undisputed king of that era, and while he’s spent the past half-decade flexing his creative muscles, taking on everything from funk to ‘90s house, he must currently be feeling nostalgic. Indeed, Harris’ latest single “By Your Side” is an instant throwback to simpler times. It sounds like fruity cocktails enjoyed poolside, each sip numbing your brain until you forget that you’ve ever heard the terms “pandemic” or “fake news.” The sunshine single features vocals from Tom Grennan, who dance fans ma...

The massive effort — two years in the making — was all for Marshmello’s six-minute opening ceremony performance for the UEFA Champions League Final, happening Friday (May 29) in Porto, Portugal. Watch the complete performance below. The producer was originally scheduled to play the prestigious event — headlined by Dua Lipa in 2018 and Imagine Dragons in 2019 — in 2020, although that performance was ultimately canceled due to COVID-19. In the run-up to the show, the pandemic would create a significant last-minute scramble that made it so everyone involved in the performance was working on it until just days ago. But that curveball was yet to come when the production team first pivoted to 2021, initially gathering to determine if the performance would ...

And, of course, we’ve got the best new dance tracks of the week. Let’s dig in. Sofi Tukker x Amadou & Mariam, “Mon Cheri” Dance scene busy bees Sofi Tukker link with legendary Malian husband and wife duo Amadou & Miriam for a hot track that’s a true sonic melting pot. Produced between Paris, Mali and Sofi Tukker’s base in Florida, the song is sung in Portugese, French and Bambara, the national language of Mali. The track sounds like all of these places too, fusing African percussion, Brazilian rhythms and good old Florida synth into a sophisticated, joyfully energized vibe. Even better is that “Mon Cheri” is a good time for a good cause — the track comes from the forthcoming Red Hot + Free compilation, which benefits T...

“After five months of testing,” the family’s note says, “the conclusion is that, while Garrett did suffer from depression and anxiety, he did not take his own life.” Read the complete statement below. Lockhart had become known in the dance community via his experimental acid techno sound, which earned him releases on prestige label including Mau5trap and Armada Music. He counted deadmau5 as a major inspiration and received support from his idol via his myriad mau5trap releases and sets at mau5trap events. Lockhart was also supported by scene stars including Armin van Buuren and Eric Prydz. The most recent i_o release — an update of Ian Van Dahl’s trance classic “Castles in the Sky” —  was released via Armada just days be...