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After effectively dominating 2011, Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano have their sights set high for 2012. As we can all recall, their smash hit ‘Lethal Industry’ was a club favorite along with their bootlegs and extensive remix collection. Just recently, the duo put a big room, electro spin on Ferry Corsten’s latest hit, Ain’t No Stoppin. In addition, their 2 track EP on Steve Angello’s Size Matters imprint,Markuzza/Zweepstok is steadily picking up speed.

Despite their busy schedule, the guys took the time to answer some pressing questions for us. Inside we discuss their massive run in 2011, their upcoming release schedule (SHM fans will want to check THAT out!), Tiesto’s Dutch v. Swedes soccer game, and much more! So hit the jump for the full interview and make sure you keep up with their Twitter (SJ + RM) and Facebook pages for the most up to date information.

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If you’re like me and STILL living off of Swedish House Mafia’s jaw dropping set from Madison Square Garden, then the Russian duo,  Hard Rock Sofa‘s upcoming release ‘Quasar’ will sound quite familiar. Following up their first release on Axtone [Axwell's label imprint], ‘Blow Up’ the duo is back with this heavyweight track that has been a staple in Axwell’s sets for the past few months. The massive grinding synths coupled with the savage bass, helps set ‘Quasar’ apart from past Axtone releases. Available on Beatport starting tomorrow, Quasar will be a guaranteed play for many DJ’s and producers, especially during Miami Music Week. Listen to the preview below, and pick it up tomorrow!

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I first stumbled across Ulrik and Ketil, the two creative minds behind Lemâitre, last summer completely by accident. I know what you’re thinking (oh cool story, Hansel), but something struck me when I first heard these two from Oslo, Norway months ago. A combination of unique, original vocals with new age synth and creativity. I have yet to find another producer or duo out there with such complex, yet relaxing melodies as these two – exactly why it was my civic duty to ask them a few questions so you fans can better know them. Continue reading to check out Lemâitre‘s interview inside and to listen to their ‘Relativity 1′ and ‘The Friendly Sound’ EPs directly below.

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Interview:

Ulrik & Ketil, the duo that makes Lemâitre

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1. What is Lemâitre, how did you start and what got you two interested in electronic music in the first place?

We are two guys from Norway, and we make electronic music. We started collaborating after high school. Diversity is probably one of the main attractions we have to this type of electronic music. The borders between electronic music and other stuff is slowly fading away as technology progresses, and thus makes it possible to record stuff at home with a quality depending mostly on your skill, not the price tag of your studio. We both find this very inspiring.

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2. You have such a ranging sound that makes it difficult to categorize your music. How would you describe your sound?

As the sum total of all our inspirations, some more obvious than others. However, that does not help the unfamiliar ear, so an easier/more ambitious way to say it would be music that sounds like the dreams you hate waking up from, soothing as dreams are, with an every-so-often chapter of relentless action. That’s what we’re going for anyway.

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3. Name of few of your favorite tracks at the moment. Are these tracks similar to what you play in your live sets?

Playlist is usually 50% old stuff we haven’t heard in a while. Favorite tracks atm includes but are not restricted to: Feist – Metals (whole album, but ‘Graveyard’ in particular) Phonat – Intimate Confessions Koan Sound – Funk Blaster The Strokes – Hard To Explain Uppermost – Obey The Rules! Beastie Boys Feat. Nas – Too Many Rappers Beach House – Walk in the park

We strictly play our own tracks in our live sets, but then again, our music is similar to a lot of the music we are currently listening to in one way or another.

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4. Do you two have any particular pre-show rituals? Maybe a favorite drink?

Not a whole lot, some last minute adjustments and practice are usually present though. Ketil is mostly a red wine and beer guy, while Ulrik is fond of the odd mojito or three…

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5. If you could collaborate with any 3 producers right now, who would they be?

Damn that’s tough. The Daft Punk guys and Deadmau5 probably. Daft Punk are an obvious choice, but it would be cool to see how they work. Say what you will about Deadmau5, but his productions are supreme.

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6. What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen while playing a live show? Do you two have favorite memories of particular shows you have played?

Probably when a buddy of ours (not a musician) came on stage and rocked the drums (not mic´d) behind us at a festival last summer during an encore. That one goes for both strange and favorite.

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7. What would you attribute your success to and what advice would you give to young, aspiring producers?

A lot of hard work! Totally cliché, we know, but it’s not without reason. We have been pretty active on social networks as well. In regards to the music, we think it’s related to the fact that we put a lot of thought into it. One song often consists of several different ideas. At the risk of sounding a bit elitist, we think a lot of today’s music follow a pretty dull format where you have a breakdown with four chords and then a drop/chorus. The drop and the breakdown switch back and forth a couple of times until the song sort of just ends. We do it ourselves sometimes, but we try to stay away from it.

As for tips; one of the things we hold dear in our music is sound design. Basically a musical rendition of “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Recreate tracks you like, and you will find you learned more than just how to make that particular sound. Often you will end up with something entirely different as well.

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8. What equipment do you use during production and while playing live?

Over time, we have now got quite a bit of equipment, but our production essentials are Komplete 8 Ultimate, Ableton Live, microphones (in general) and a Fender Stratocaster. In our live sets we use Ableton Live, an iPad (running Lemur), Moog Slim Phatty, a Prophet 08, a midi keyboard, a Fender, drum pads and an AKG D5 mic.

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9. Do you have plans of playing in the US soon? In your opinions, how do Norwegian women compare to American women?

We will hopefully be going to Florida in July, so if that happens we will probably play some other gigs there too! As for the women; what can we say? Scandinavian girls are known for their looks! You can find pretty American ones too though, but mostly on tv. 

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10. What’s up next for Lemâitre?

Next up is a lot of gigs, mostly in Norway, and completing our new EP (Relativity 2, out in April 2012). We are well on the way, and we are pretty stoked for this one!

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Aired at 3 AM last night, many fans may have missed Arty‘s BBC 1 Essential Mix last night. If you’re a first time listener of Arty or a close friend of his, you don’t want to miss this mix. He’s a huge talent coming out of Russia and his music has already gained the support of Armin van Buuren, Paul van Dyk, Tiesto and of course, PB&J™. Check out his 2-hour essential mix for the supreme productions in house/dance music at this very moment, download and ‘continue reading,’ for a complete track list.

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Our boy Rob Schanz just sent us two of his latest Mash Ups right in time for the weekend. The Maryland-native just recently finished touring with Christian The Lion & Applesauce on the Sky Box Studios Winter Meltdown Tour that made its way all over Florida, Georgia & South Carolina. Schanz’s style and overall approach towards music is very refreshing – he’s not just gonna stick the same 3 vocals that everyone seems to be using these days over a poppy instrumental and put it on Facebook claiming its a ‘sick epic remix’. Instead, each mash of his is carefully plotted and twists the original into a unique, catchy dance track that’s sure to keep you moving no matter the setting. Listen below for Rob’s take on Thomas Gold’sMarsch Marsch & Wolfgang Gartner’s Conscindo, enjoy!

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Chris Lake’s Rising Music label returns to business following the success of Taurus & Vaggeli’s smash EP, Transporter. This time around it’s a debut for the label as the LA duo No Body team up with Deth Hertz. Together they deliver an extraordinary track OUT TODAY titled ‘Ready 2 Fly’. The song features “mellow and meaningful piano chords which float on top of rolling drums”, all building into a bass-heavy drop that will certainly rattle your eardrums. The ‘icing on the cake’ however, comes at the 2nd breakdown…you’ll see what I mean. Included below is a video Deadmau5 playing ‘Ready 2 Fly’ which he has been heavily supporting, check out its impact on the dance floor and our work here should be done. Enjoy the weekend.

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Friday Fünke broadcasting from Gaffney, South Carolina today. On a road trip to play some athletics with my team and for my school, but the Funk lives on nonetheless. Download a great stack of 10 free tracks below, including an original mix ‘Angela’ from Oskar and a new mix from Chris Jylkke. Continue reading to preview and download.

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It’s always humbling to hear a new talent before they really blow up, and that’s exactly what we have on our hands today. In 2006, two good friends hailing from Sweden, Alexander Lager & Johannes Gustafsson began producing music together, in 2011 they formed their new project: Qulinez.

Although it’s not necessarily a secret, Sweden is taking over Electronic Dance Music and now you can add this duo to the list. Skipping forward to 2012, ‘Troll’ marks Qulinez’s debut release on Steve Angello’s label imprint: Size Records - don’t overlook this big room smash that’s coupled with electro elements and beautifully placed slider synths. Today Qulinez let the ‘Troll’ out of it’s cage via Beatportand we’re already looking for casualties from speakers all around the world. The progressive buildup in ‘Troll’ adds to some of the mystery of the track before it’s massive drop.

Fortunately for you all, we had the opportunity to get in touch with both Alexander and Johannes for anexclusive interview surrounding their debut release. We discuss their inspirations, what it’s like to be signed to Steve Angello’s label, the hype behind ‘Troll’ and several other interesting topics. Check out the song below, purchase it from Beatport here, and then hit the jump to see our in-depth interview with these Swedish upstarts!

Qulinez – Troll [Beatport]

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With a gorgeous piano melody that brings the track to light, Ianborg progresses the beat of  ’I've Been Meaning’ into a deeply intricate piece of music. Consistently returning to the riff helps gives this track solid shape, but beneath the niceness lies various bass lines and tones that are brought in and out to fill the whole song without leading to boredom. Find out what else this Canadian has been up to by heading over to his Facebook and Soundcloud pages. Check it!

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Straight out of San Luis Obispo, DJ MAKJ (20 year-old Producer/Mackenzie Johnson) has been consistently turning out immensely popular tracks and remixes among the EDM community – and he is certainly no stranger to PB&J™. Everyone from Tiesto, Hardwell, Laidback Luke, Chuckie, Steve Aoki, R3hab, Wolfgang Gartner and Lil Jon (to name a few) have jumped on board to support MAKJ’s bootlegs. Back in September, we posted his 2011 Bootleg Pack which was stacked with exclusive bangers that certainly caught our attention and introduced the world to Mackenzie’s knack for incorporating hard Electro House tracks with a touch of bass and an ALWAYS upbeat feel. His latest collaboration with LA Riots is no different as the pair cooked up an extremely catchy mashup featuring the Bingo Players & Steve Aoki which sports great vocals and a nice bass line that’s sure to get your head bobbin’. MAKJ’s passion for quality dance music is apparent and certainly has me thinking this year is going to be a big one for him…peep his soundcloud for more quality beats and downloads…enjoy!

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On Monday night we put down our books, shifted some work aside and opted to prolong our weekend by joining Alesso at the Roxy for his debut Orlando performance. Now normally when we make major decisions like that so early on in the week, there’s always something to regret. However, this time I’m pleased to report that thanks to our friends at The Evolve Group & Committee Entertainment, we were able to cover one of the best shows Roxy’s had all year. There’s not much to say for those who were doing something else with their Monday night besides, “you missed out on an absolute rager”. The only thing harder than trying to remember all the epic tracks Alesso played was coming to grips with the fact that no matter what we did or how hard we partied, it was still going to be Tuesday tomorrow and not Sunday…or Saturday for that matter. Step inside if you’re trying to relive that monsterous Monday Night or just seeing what you missed out on…

  As we walked up to Roxy a little before midnight, the line said it all: Alesso is coming. Maybe its because it was Monday but thankfully all the high school kids and generally-creepy gremlins seemed to be absent from the party. Even from the outside there was no escaping the bass that was oozing into the streets of Orlando. Inside, Kid Judah was getting things started on the main floor with a great selection of huge electro tracks, most of which we’d never heard before. It’s always nice to see the crowd really digging an opener and to see the opener going above and beyond his duties. Alongside John Debo, the two DJ’s took turns setting the room’s energy level higher and higher in anticipation of the Swedish DJ/Producer, Alesso.

Around 12:45 Alesso appeared surrounded by bouncers and two of his boys – one of which looked way too similar to Nicholas Cage. Alessandro (bet you didn’t know that was his real name…now his other name makes more sense though) wasted no time turning this party into a downright shitshow. By the time he was finished I’m pretty sure he played every single one of my favorite songs including some older originals of his that I never should have let slip away. From the very first drop, the energy on the floor was ridiculous – people forgot about the day, the time and whatever else was going on and replaced those thoughts with mindless dancing and uncontrollable amounts of fist pumping. If I could compare the type of tracks that Alesso played on Monday to anything else we’ve put up on the J recently, I’d say it was like SHM’s Madison Square Garden set with a touch of Avicii, Calvin Harris and some much appreciated old school. The Swedish artist boasted a playlist stacked with unique intros, crazy vocal edits and some live bootlegs of his own. It was truly impressive to see Alesso ‘do his thing’. While we’ve covered his shows in the past, it was my first time seeing him live and I was blown away by the amount of talent he has.

Some highlights from the night include Alesso dropping his hit single ‘Nillionaire’, Avicii & Nicky Romero’s new track ‘Fuck School’ with the vocals from Justice’s ‘We Are Your Friends’, Axwell’s cut of ‘In My Mind’ by Ivan Gough, an absurd Strobe remix, Swedish House Mafia’s Paradise remix, Calvin Harris’ ‘Feel So Close’, ‘I Love You So’ by Cassius, his own Titanium remix and of course the ever-popular Levels…but not just some cheesy mainstream Levels to tie it all together, this one had an epic intro that I’d never heard before and truly got the best response of any track played all night. We wouldn’t be doing his set any justice if I failed to mention how epic some of Alesso’s original tracks are live so I’ve decided to include a couple below that I personally have overlooked and now will have on repeat until further notice.

When all was said and done Alesso had basically laid siege to Roxy, crushing his first ever Orlando performance and by doing so, redefining the start of the week. I’ll be the first to admit I had no idea how good Alesso truly was and how much of a treat it is to see the man play outside of the huge festivals and events where he’s come to make a name for himself (although I’m positive he’s on point there as well). Can’t wait to see what’s in store for the young Swede as he continues to travel the world and come out with some of the best productions in Electronic Dance Music. Big ups to the Evolve Group…we can either sit back and witness as they put their mark on Electronic shows in Orlando, or we can take part in the madness. On February 18th The Evolve Group & Committee Entertainment are returning to Roxy with PeaceTreaty and Kid Judah…grab your Tickets here!

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Hot off the press from Big Beat Records (affiliated with such greats as Chromeo, Martin Solveig and Flux Pavilion) is New York City’s own, Jesse Marco. Equipped with a sly, punchy dance sound, watch out for Marco as he climbs the ranks of great up-coming producers in the coming months. Below you can find his original mix titled ‘Daddy Cool’ and a free remix of Childish Gambino’s ‘Heartbeat.’ Enjoy the tunes and be sure to follow Jesse on his soundcloud, twitter and Facebook for all his latest updates!

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With the second semester of senior year looming in my face, I won’t be covering the Friday Funk with an emphasis on journalistic or creative writing. Yes, the Funk will still be every Friday, but most likely less writing will go into it. Enjoy the 8 free funk tracks inside:

  Download: Friday Funk, January 13.zip

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Take a helping of Savoy, throw in a handful of Zedd and add a dash of Griz: out comes DirtyRock, an upcoming DJ/Producer from LA with his eye on the future (find out more!). This track is what I see becoming the sound of 2012, with the glitchy buzz drone and the progressive builds. It takes cajonés to remix such an 80′s anthem but Dirtyrock pulled it off without a hitch. Check it!

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Leaking out earlier in the week and officially being released last night at Midnight, Big Gigantic has given the world their third album for free. These eleven tracks have been in the waiting since this past August when Dom & Jeremy released the title track, “Nocturnal”.  Bringing everything we’ve come to expect and more – from the big bang jazz feel to their groovy dubstep bass lines, Big G is killing it in the new year. Grab the full .zip and be sure to see them live!

Download: Big Gigantic – NOCTURNAL.zip

Tour Schedule after the pop…

  Big Gigantic 2012 tour schedule, click the link to buy the tickets!

January 2012 1/18 – Belly Up – Aspen, CO # ON SALE NOW 1/19 – Aggie Theater – Ft. Collins, CO ◊ ON SALE NOW 1/20 – Boulder Theater – Boulder, CO § ON SALE NOW 1/21 – Ogden Theater Denver, CO # ON SALE NOW Jan 26 – 30 – Mayan Holidaze – Mayan Riviera, MEXICO SOLD OUT

# – w/ GRiZ & FISK

◊ – w/ GRiZ & Acidophiles

§ – w/ GRiZ & Crushendo

February 2012

2/1 – The Coliseum – Tallahassee, FL ~ ON SALE NOW

2/2 – The Vault – Gainesville, FL ON SALE NOW

2/3 – Crowbar – Tampa, FL ~ ON SALE NOW

2/4 – Jax Live – Jacksonville, FL ~ ON SALE NOW

2/8 – WorkPlay Theater – Birmingham, AL * ON SALE NOW

2/9 – Cannery Ballroom – Nashville, TN * ON SALE NOW

2/10 – Buckhead Theatre – Atlanta, GA * ON SALE NOW

2/11 – Orange Peel – Asheville, NC * ON SALE NOW

2/12 – Jefferson Theatre – Charlottesville, VA * ON SALE NOW

2/14 – Westcott Theater – Syracuse, NY * ON SALE NOW

2/15 – Higher Ground Ballroom – Burlington, VT * ON SALE NOW

2/16 – Royale – Boston, MA * ON SALE NOW

2/17 – 9:30 Club – Washington DC * ON SALE NOW

2/18 – Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA * ON SALE NOW

2/19 – Webster Hall – New York, NY * ON SALE NOW

2/22 – Mr. Small’s Theatre – Pittsburgh, PA % ON SALE NOW

2/23 – Newport Music Hall – Columbus, OH % ON SALE NOW

2/24 – Royal Oak Music Theatre – Detroit, MI ON SALE NOW

2/25 – The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI % ON SALE NOW

2/26 – Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH % ON SALE NOW

2/29 – The Blue Moose – Iowa City, IA % ON SALE NOW

~ – w/ Sir Charles

* – w/ Adventure Club

% – w/ Paper Diamond

March 2012 3/1 – Barrymore Theatre – Madison, WI ^ ON SALE NOW

3/2 – The Vogue – Indianapolis, IN ^ ON SALE NOW

3/3 – The Pageant – St. Louis, MO ^ ON SALE NOW

3/4 – Slowdown – Omaha, NE ^ ON SALE NOW

 ^ – w/ Minnesota

3/18 – Buku Music and Art Project – New Orleans, LA ON SALE 12/29 @ 12PM CST 

3/25 – Ultra Music Festival – Miami, FL ON SALE NOW

May 2012 5/25 – Bella Music Festival – Geneva, MN ON SALE NOW

jerZ

keep on jamming

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Our boys over at Skybox Studios are currently putting the finishing touches on their 2012 Winter Tour featuring PB&J Favorite: Christian the Lion x Glitchdick from Hawaii. Adding support for this 10 city tour are Rob Schanz and Applesauce who will be joined by local openers as they tear through Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tampa, Charleston & Wilmington – just to name a few. If you’ve never been to a Meltdown, now’s your chance, and let me be the first to tell you: it doesn’t get much better than this. Top notch venues, photography (courtesy of our main man Gnargasm) and some of the grimiest, hardest-hitting, party starting tunes out there. Tell all your friends and warn the neighbors, Meltdown is coming to a city near you! Tour dates & Info after the jump…

  ** Make sure you check out this epic documentary below that was recently made about Christian Mochizuki (aka Christian the Lion & Glitchdick), it’ll put you over the edge if you’re still on the fence about this whole party business. **

<iframe src=”http://player.vimeo.com/video/34203502?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0″ width=”400″ height=”225″ frameborder=”0″ webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/34203502″>CTL X GLITCHDICK</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user9713271″>Mike Rohrbacher</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.</p>

-MGMT-

Sponsored by PB&J

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It has been a great start to the new year for the EDM scene that we all live and breathe; heavy bangers officially dropped in Steve Aoki’s Wonderland and the genre blending geniuses behind Big Gigantic are releasing Nocturnal for free at midnight. However, it’s time to take a more laid-back approach to the start of this week and bring back the Too Chill on Tuesday.

This week we have 7 incredibly groove worthy tracks, step inside to check them all!

big ups to intern Brendan for these…

  What starts out as a Sigur Ros-sounding indie track (complete with beautiful vocals) drops into some downtempo bassy goodness that never gets too loud. Check out Ianborg’s new remix of Foxes’ “Home”  and get ready for his full EP on the horizon.