The spread of the Coronavirus has forced us all to self-quarantine in our homes. As numbers continue to increase, festivals, venues, and artists have been forced to cancel or postpone their events within the next couple of months, crushing the hearts of music lovers everywhere.
Luckily for us, now that all our favorite artists, musicians, and DJs are all stuck at home just like us, they have a lot more time to be creative and make new music for us all to enjoy. Since we’ve gone into quarantine we’ve gotten new albums and singles from several different artists. Some have even gotten creative and started sharing performances through different streaming platforms like Instagram live, Twitch or Youtube for fans to enjoy in the comfort of their own homes.
Artists across all genres such as Miley Cyrus, Kali Uchis, Steve Lacy, 4B, and Diplo have all been actively live-streaming for fans to help them during this difficult time. However, it’s the EDM community that has mainly used this as a way to keep their community close while in quarantine. Several DJs have begun live-streaming weekly hour long sets for their fans to enjoy. DJs like 4B, Wuki, Party Favor, Skrillex, Subtronics, GG Magree, Valentino Kahn,Wax Motif, and Sullivan King to name a few have all been actively live streaming sets for their fan to enjoy.
On April 9 Kayzo went live for two hours for his Unleashed Online, and Alison Wonderland will be going live every Monday for “Alison Wonderland Mondays.” Boombox Cartel just announced he will be streaming a set this Sunday April 19 at 8 pm PST. During this time, Diplo and Dillon Francis who have teamed up with DoorDash, will also be live-streaming bringing back their “Coronight Fever.” For every viewer who tunes in, DoorDash will donate one meal to a family in need. This whole weekend (April 17, 18, & 19) Lost Lands Festival is presenting “Couch Lands,” where they will be streaming their full sets from 2019.
Insomniac CEO and Founder Pasquale Rotella, hosted Beyond Wonderland’s Virtual Rave-A-Thon on March 20 and 21 in place of the actual festival that was forced to be postponed until June 19 and 20. The livestream brought in over 3 million viewers, prompting Rotella to host weekly virtual Rave-A-Thons to keep headliners entertained at home. This weekend April 17 and 18 Insomniac will be hosting Escape Halloween’s Virtual Rave-A-Thon, featuring performances from artists like AC Slater, Bonnie X Clyde, Cut Snake, Dillon Nathaniel, Duke Dumont, GRAVEDGR, Kendoll, Mikey Lion, Morten, No Mana, Sian, Slushii, TSURUDA, Two Friends, and Yulton.
Virtual Rave-A-Thons and livestreams will never compare to the feeling that comes with being at a live show and dancing with your best friends. But for now they offer us a brief moment of escape, as well as new music during this crazy time. For many of us music is our lifeline, and artists are trying to give us what we need in order to make staying home more bearable. It’s also a way for us all as a community to stay connected, and has reminded me why I love this community so much.
A reported 3.5 million viewers tuned into the Insomniac’s first livestream. Artists such as Joyride, Party Favor, 4B, Drezo, SayMyName, Kill The Noise, SVDDEN DEATH, and Wax Motif all gave sets spanning from 25 minutes to an hour. All the artists and host Rotella continued to encourage people to stay safe and to stay home. He even asked artists questions about how they’re spending their quarantine, asking Party Favor how many pairs of sweats he had been rotating at home. Here are some of my favorite sets below.
Insomniac presents Countdown Virtual Rave-A-Thon
Viewers tuned in to Insomniac Events Youtube channel from 8pm to midnight on March 27 and 28 for the Countdown Virtual Rave-A-Thon. Rotella was decked out from head to toe in an alien mind control deflection unit, and was accompanied by his alien friend “Trillion Toth.” Artists such as DJ Soda, Ekali, Flosstradamus, Peekaboo, Dombresky, i_o, JVNA, K?D, Los Kings, Mat Zo, Medasin, Ookay, Phantoms, Sacha Robotti, Sage Armstrong, SNBRN, and Tisoki. Not only did Rotella remind viewers to stay home and stay safe, but he also asked the artists Coutdown themed questions. We learned that Dombresky believes in aliens, and the Ookay would his laptop, Nintendo Switch, and his dog if he could travel to space with only three things. Here are some of my favorite sets below.
REZZ
Rezz gave her fans a live 45 minute set on April 1, finally joining artists in accepting livestreams as the new temporary normal. The audio and visuals weren’t the best, but her intent was clear: she wanted to give her fans live music and a moment of escape from all the madness going on in the world right now.
Insomniac presents Hard Summer Staycation Virtual Rave-A-Thon
On April 3 and 4 Devault, Ducky, Franklin Watts, Habstrakt, J Worra, Jauz, Kaivon, Mr. Carmack, Noizu, Omnom, Party Pupils, SVDDEN DEATH, Valentino Kahn, Walker & Royce, Wolfgang Gartner, and Wuki, all came to the Insomniac headquarters for Hard Summer Staycation. The lobby was covered in sand and palm trees, and Rotella was in his beachwear. Here are some of my favorite sets.
Brownies and Lemonade presents Digital Mirage Online Music Festival
Over 4 million people tuned in on April 3, 4, and 5 for Proximity and Brownies & Lemonade’s Digital Mirage, where 51 artists streamed sets from their homes. They originally set out to raise $100,000 for charity, but ended up raising over $300,000. Artists like Kaskade, Alison Wonderland, Kill the Noise, A-Track, Seven Lions, Ghastly, Nitti Gritti, 4B, and 12th Planet were all trending on twitter. Unfortunately the sets did not stay up after they were streamed, but I was able to find some below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wha_yS_sOXk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmPNG5WC0fM
Insomniac presents Nocturnal Wonderland
For the fourth weekend in a row, artists came to the Insomniac headquarters to perform live sets for audiences at home. Nocturnal Wonderland included performances from 12th Planet, ARMNHMR, Arty, Bijou, Borgore, Born Dirty, Champagne Drip, Demigod, Jason Ross, Ship Wrek, Spencer Brown, TJR, VNSSA, Z-Trip, and an hour and a half long set from Zeds Dead.
“This is not a test”: Kid Cudi has released his first solo single in almost four years! It’s called “Leader of the Delinquents,” and Cudi first previewed the track in 2012 during one of his performances. He previewed it again on Instagram Live on April 10 before releasing it on Tuesday (April 14).
The throwback single reminds us why we love Cudi so much. He’s an outcast who can articulate what’s all on our minds, “How I do it, why the kids love me so?/ ‘Cause they connect with Cudder real simple.”
“Delinquents” features classic rap shit talk, all while showcasing his psychological turmoil. “I’ve been trapped in my mind, I’ve been trying to escape,” he spits. “Fame and loneliness, /the recipe for disaster /I can’t handle this shit, I’m going to get plastered.” Cudi has never been one to shy away from talking about the uglier side of wrestling with inner demons, and these struggles have helped to build his character. The song does manage to wrap up on a more positive and happier note, “All hail King Wizard in your motherf—-g space, you love it.”
His next studio album Entergalactic, is set to be released sometime next year. The album will also serve as the soundtrack to an animated Netflix series of the same name for adults. Not only will Cudi star in and write for the show, but he will be executive producing alongside Kenya Barris, the man behind Blackish and its two spin-offs, Grown-ish and Mixed-ish.
The Weeknd has been keeping his fans very happy during quarantine. After releasing a deluxe edition of his new album After Hours on March 23, the singer has surprised fans by expanding the track listing with three new bonus tracks, “Nothing Compares,” “Missed you,” and “Final Lullaby.”
Abel had recently deepened the LP, by adding on five tracks to the album. The album’s new additions included The Weeknd’s live Saturday Night Live performance of “Scared To Live,” as well as four remixes from Chromatics, Oneohtrix Point Never, Vapor Wave, and The Blaze. The deluxe album version also includes a new slasher-styled music video for “In Your Eyes.”
“Nothing Compares” which is produced by Abel, Ricky Reed and DaHeela, gives fans a taste of a roaring electric guitar line paired with 80s styled electro synths and percussion. The track finds Abel coming to terms with feelings that he has for his lover. We’re presented with classic The Weeknd vibes on “Missed You,” where he reflects on feelings he still has for a past lover over a trap-clad R&B beat. It all comes full circle on the soothing “Full Lullaby” where Abel sings to his past lover in an attempt to put both of them to sleep.
Listen to the bonus tracks and the deluxe version down below:
Stephen Bruner, better known as Thundercat, put his bass and songwriting skills on full display on his new album It Is What It Is. This is the follow up to his 2017 album Drunk.
The LP spans 15 tracks and is produced by frequent collaborator Flying Lotus. The album includes features from Steve Lacy, Steve Arrington, Ty Dolla Sign, Lil B, Childish Gambino, Kamasi Washington, BADBADNOTGOOD, Louis Cole, Flying Lotus,and comedian Zach Fox. Although it’s loaded with guest Thundercat remains the star of the show.
It Is What It Is is light and uplifting, and pushes back at a passing darkness. The record also features a tribute to the late rapper, whom Thundercat said he never “missed the chance to tell the guy I loved him.”
“This album is about love, loss, life, and the ups and downs that come with that,” he said of the record. “It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, but at different points in life you come across places that you don’t necessarily understand… some things just aren’t meant to be understood.”
Prior to the release of the record, Thundercat dropped the music video for “Draganball Durag,” which includes cameos from HAIM, Kali Uchis, and Quinta Brunson.
Frank Ocean unexpectedly shared the previously vinyl-exclusive singles “Dear April” and “Cayendo” on all digital platforms, and has us deep in our feels.
Frank premiered both “Dear April” and “Cayendo” back in October during his PrEp +club party in New York City. Last week, after a lengthy wait, the singles were made available as double A side vinyls via his website, along with remixes of the tracks by Justice and Sango.
Frank croons in Spanish on the heart-wrenching “Cayendo,” while on “Dear April” the singer, who is backed by an organ instrumental, explains to his lover how their relationship will never be the same.
Frank released several singles last year including “In my Room,” which he dropped in November, and “DHL.” It’s not yet clear whether the singles will appear on his much-anticipated third album.
In an interview with Rolling Stone last year, Frank said that his upcoming album was being influenced by “Detroit, Chicago, techno, house and French electronic” and that it would be a “full motion picture fantasy.”
During his “183rd day of quarantine” Bad Bunny made the announcement on Instagram that he would be dropping the visual for his song “Yo Perro Sola” on Friday (March 27). The Puerto Rican artist dressed in complete drag in an effort to defend women’s rights.
The song which translates to “I twerk alone” is about a women who likes to dance reggaeton alone and doesn’t need anyone’s company at the club. The song features vocals from up-and-coming singer Nesi. “I wrote this from the perspective of a woman,” Bad Bunny explained in an interview with Rolling Stone. “I wanted a woman’s voice to sing it–‘Yo Perreo Sola’– because it doesn’t mean the same thing when a man sings it. But I do feel like that woman sometimes.
Directed by Stillz and Bad Bunny himself, the colorful music video starts off with him dressed in a red latex skirt and knee-high boots, as he brushes off a group of men trying to dance with him. Other women dance freely on their own as he sports a kilt and chains, “Te llama si te necista/Pero por ahora está solita/ Ella Perreo Sola (She’ll call you if she needs you/ But for now she is alone/ She twerks alone).”
The final frame reads a necessary public service announcement on sexual harassment: “If she doesn’t want to dance with you, respect her, she twerks alone.”
