This Week in Dance Music is a new weekly series by Blisspop aiming to highlight and provide nuanced commentary on the biggest stories in the dance music world.
Deadmau5/Testpilot Cancels D.C. Area Tour Dates
This announcement struck close to home, especially for the many D.C. fans elated to see him at Clubhouse fest and as Testpilot in the city for the first time this November. The announcement comes after an incredible backlash last week to some transphobic comments made about Slushii’s music, stemming from a seemingly innocuous tweet from a fan about his sweaty helmet. In response, the Mau5 apologized and has seemingly gone through with a promise to get treatment for his mental health. It’s a long overdue apology and steps back for the serial tweeter and EDM bully, but one that deserves pause as we observe the sadness by his local D.C. fanbase. For as long as Deadmau5 has been going on tirades, I don’t remember any significant backlash to the point that anyone wouldn’t go to his shows and listen to his music. So while it’s obvious he crossed a line, I don’t see how these comments are any different than the multitude of other terrible things he’s said in the past. I guess this was just the straw that broke twitter’s back.
Giorgio Moroder Announces First Ever Live Tour at 78
Fresh off a set for Blisspop’s own Disco Festival over Labor Day weekend, the legend himself, Giorgio Moroder, has announced a string of dates beginning next year that will showcase his all-new live touring setup. Moroder will be accompanied by a live band, vocalists and even a synchronized video of his muse and longtime collaborator, Donna Summer, performing some of their hits together. In a statement given to The Guardian, the 78-year old producer has said that, “DJs and music producers have become the superstars of popular dance music, so the time feels right.†This will be the first time that Giorgio will perform in a live context outside of the DJ sets he is typically known for. As of this time, there are currently no scheduled North American dates but, hopefully, that changes sometime next year. For more on Giorgio Moroder revisit the extensive fe
ature we did on him back in August and check out our playlist of his 10 best songs. – A.R.
Moog Announces 1st Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer In 35 years
Two weeks ago Sweetwater leaked that the Moog One would be released. The Moog One is Moog’s first polyphonic analog synth in over 30 years, but oh, it’s so much more! Last week, Moog made the formal announcement, complete with a beautifully done 19 min video and live streams with sound designers throughout the week. If you have $6-8k to spare and you’re passionate about sound design/analog synths,  purchasing the Moog One is a hard temptation to pass up. I could praise this synth that I haven’t even laid hands on in real life for days, but instead, here’s the 19 min video I was talking about along with some very cool synth patches from this beaut: https://soundcloud.com/moogmusicinc/sets/moog-one – P.B.
SoundCloud Unveils Partnerships with DJ Software Makers to Launch Real-Time Streaming and Mixing for Creators
One of the greatest weaknesses of Soundcloud as a platform is the inability for artists to monetize their content. Recently, Soundcloud announced an effort to promote the indie artists and producers by inviting creators with over 5,000 plays in the past month to monetize their content. It is still unclear if this will be incorporated into a more long-term corporate strategy. Soundcloud’s CEO also announced at the Amsterdam Dance Event that Soundcloud wants to make it easier for producers and DJs to create and upload new works on the fly by partnering with several DJ performance applications such as Serato, Native Instruments, Virtual DJ, DEX3, Mixvibes, and DJ Hercules. This partnership allows DJs to stream and mix SC’s nearly 200 million song catalog in real time. This is expected to be integrated into these applications in the next few months. – K.M.
Modular Company Releases New Set of Portable Modulars
Portland, Oregon’s 4ms is introducing a new range of small Eurorack enclosures that will make modular synths more portable. The 20hp, 26hp, and 32hp sized “Pods” range from $55-119 for unpowered and powered versions. I’m interested to see how this will relate to live PAs and DJing where a module can be used as effects send. The portability of these units could potentially really open up what artists are able to do in a booth with limited space. – W.C.