Dance
Nicky Romero & Afrojack Collaborate For The 1st Time, “Back To Where We Started”
Two Dutch electronic music powerhouses join forces in the form of Nicky Romero and Afrojack‘s new track “Back To Where We Started.” The release seamlessly fuses both Romero’s and Afrojack’s styles, making for a banger of a track with elements of Big Room and Progressive House. “Back To Where We Started” opens with energetic beats reminiscent of EDM’s heyday in the aughts, and it becomes clear that veteran fans and new ones alike will be served a dose of nostalgia. It climbs into a breakdown that builds up heavy anticipation before a hard-hitting drop that’s simply meant for the festival or club scene. This is the very first time that Nicky Romero and Afrojack have collaborated after a long history of remixing each other’s works, such as Romero’s remixes of Afrojack’s “One More Day” and “Hero,” and Afrojack’s interpretations of Nicky’s “Okay” and “Rise.” This time, “Back To Where We Started” was created for the opening of their “Two Is One” b2b set during ADE’s Amsterdam Music Festival, and both have played the record in several sets already around the world. We’re hoping that this will be one of many collaborations between these two.
“After many years of friendship and remix work back and forth on each other’s imprints, it was time to finally level up in the form of our first official collaboration ever. Super happy we found a way to blend both styles into one hybrid club tune.” — Nicky Romero
“Nicky and I have been friends and worked together for many years, and we had a great time finally making our first official collaboration and performing it together during our back-to-back set at AMF this year!” — Afrojack
Nicky Romero
After taking the world by storm with early hits such as “Legacy” with Krewella and the #1 single “I Could Be The One” with Avicii, Nicky Romero quickly proved that his talent is ever-evolving and here to stay. After launching his Protocol Recordings imprint in 2012, the renowned performer, producer, and label head continued his personal successes with a string of high-profile releases, ranging from collaborations with Armin van Buuren, David Guetta, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, W&W, Timmy Trumpet and Steve Aoki to remixes for the likes of Robin Schulz, Kygo, Rita Ora, Steve Aoki, Martin Garrix, Jess Glynne and more. While showcasing his label’s roster via his weekly Protocol Radio show, Nicky Romero continues to innovate and evolve, and with his annual “Nicky Romero & Friends” ADE showcase and the launch of Monocule alter-ego, he keeps proving his ability to turn into gold everything he touches.
Afrojack
As one of the most innovative and sought-after artists, GRAMMY Award-winning producer and electronic dance music icon Afrojack continues to shatter boundaries that push music in bold new directions. Since making his breakthrough with the multi-platinum-selling single ‘Take Over Control’, the Dutch-born musician has lent his production skills to tracks that bend genres and laid the foundation for major hits for artists such as Beyoncé, Pitbull, Will.i.am, and more. In the last few years, Afrojack was named one of the 50 Most Important People in EDM by Rolling Stone and placed on the Forbes ’30 Under 30′ music list. In 2010, he was one of the first DJs to secure a Las Vegas residency and continues to entertain global audiences as a headlining resident artist for the Hakkasan group. In 2010, he won his first GRAMMY award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for his remix of David Guetta & Madonna’s song ‘Revolver.’ In 2011, he nabbed two more GRAMMY Nominations for Best Rap Song for his part in Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now” and for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for his remix of Leona Lewis & Avicii’s ‘Collide’. Afrojack travels the world performing at the biggest clubs/festivals while producing new music with his label Wall Recordings. In 2020, his song “All Night” (feat. Ally Brooke) reached number 1 on the US dance radio chart through amassing an impressive 40+ million streams to date. His most recent worldwide hits, such as “Anywhere With You” with Lucas & Steve and DubVision and “Up All Night” with Hard Lights and VINAI, add to an impressive repertoire spanning over a decade as a global performer and multi-platinum selling artist. In 2021, Afrojack received his fourth GRAMMY nomination, this time for Best Dance/Electronic Recording for his inspiring dance-pop crossover Summer song “Hero” with David Guetta.
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Dutch duo Bassjackers returns with their new release “Wrong Or Right” on Spinnin’ Records, based on the famed melody from Nik Kershaw’s 1984 release “The Riddle.” While the original itself might invoke an enigmatic feeling, Bassjackers put their own festival spin on it with organic instrumental melodies and an energetic, dynamic bassline. The result is unexpectedly upbeat, especially when complemented by the top line and its lyrics that the duo wrote themselves. Bassjackers are still riding the wave of their 6-track “Les Pays Bass” EP on Smash the House from last month, which showcased their diverse sonic range and production prowess. “Wrong or Right.” This one is bound to be lighting up dancefloors during Bassjackers sets as well as radio airwaves. With more releases in the pipeline, including Bassjackers’ forthcoming single “Traffic,” which is currently being heavily supported by Tiësto himself, we can only assume that it will be a productive and successful summer for the legendary Dutch duo.
“‘The Riddle’s melody has always been one of our favorites, and this is our second remake of it. The first one is a festival banger with almost 40 million streams on Spotify alone. This time we upped the ante by writing our own vocals to it and have it revolve more around that epic whistle.” — Bassjackers
Bassjackers exploded onto the scene, and in 2011 their dancefloor bomb “Mush Mush” was picked up by Tiësto and released on his label Musical Freedom. The track dominated the Beatport top 10 charts for over two months and was one of the biggest festival tracks of the year. This was a sign of things to come. Since then, Bassjackers have reached massive new heights in their career with numerous chart-topping bangers and hit collaborations with the likes of Martin Garrix, Afrojack, KSHMR, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, R3HAB, and Showtek, to name a few, as well as remixes for A-list artists including Rihanna, Enrique Iglesias, Moby, and Ne-Yo. At the top of their game, Bassjackers continue to tear up stages worldwide and wow crowds along the way.
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It’s that time of year again: Miami Music Week, and that means Protocol Recordings‘ annual Miami-themed EP. Nicky Romero and his team release 5 brand new tracks to capture the spirit of Miami ahead of Nicky’s mainstage Ultra Music Festival performance on Saturday the 25th. The selection kicks off with “Come What May” from newcomers CHRSTN, G.U.O.L & Auryn, which leans on the softer side of vocal progressive house with uplifting melodies, while next up Corey James and DJ TORA’s “Phantom” slowly ups the ante with a dancefloor-oriented combination of rolling basslines and upbeat melodies. “Take You Home” from Lukas Vane provides a strong dose of grooves and tech house to really get the party going in full swing, which is followed by the aptly named deep, dark progressive track “Darkness” courtesy of PØP CULTUR. Rounding out the EP is Rushline’s “Pull Up” with the perfect underground vibes for your after-after parties.
Founded by Nicky Romero in 2012, Protocol Recordings is one of the leading imprints for innovative electronic dance music. It boasts a roster of heavy-hitters, complemented with immensely talented up-and-comers such as Thomas Gold, Deniz Koyu, Teamworx, Almero, Low Blow, Trilane, Marcus Santoro, Stadiumx, Tim van Werd, Timmo Hendriks, Marc Benjamin and Nicky Romero himself, to name a few. All with a diverse range of sounds that are guaranteed to light up a dance floor. The label has cultivated a strong presence in the dance music scene from Miami Music Week to the Amsterdam Dance Event and beyond, consistently bringing the good vibes and wild nights with beloved veterans and fresh faces in the live performance circuit. Protocol’s events have a reputation for being one of the best nights in dance music all year, and this year is no different. Previously Protocol has been expanding their showcases with events at Chroma Club in Seoul, South Korea; Bone Club in Pattaya, Thailand; ORA Nightclub in Miami, London’s Ministry of Sound, Prague’s Epic and hosted their own stage at Medusa Festival in Spain and Hungary’s Balaton Sound and Sziget Festival, to name a few. Expect more cutting-edge new music and exciting concepts coming very soon.
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After spending several years in London and L.A., long-time friends Luca and Lorenzo reunited in the scenery of the Italian Alps, where 3MPTY was born and formed out of the desire to rediscover their musical roots and give birth to an honest, mature musical project. The pair are now officially lifting the lid on a period of studio creativity to reveal their debut single, “IJWLY (I Just Wanna Love You)” with KINGDM.
Released on the newly minted label Destructivo, a sublabel of Tileyard Music group, 3MPTY’s debut single opens with a heavily processed autotuned voice before it pairs with a hazed-out, upbeat groove and pitched-down creeping melody. However, far from seeking to create main room fodder, 3MPTY have taken the path to craft a single that gels their influences of dark UK Garage to meet ambient atmospheric whilst showcasing the duos’ respective pedigrees as producers.
Discussing how the project came together, 3MPTY said, “We have been long-time friends and share similar musical backgrounds. We first reunited in the Tuscany hills, where we wrote IJWLY and decided to embrace a new music project together.”
Lorenzo, previously a founding member of D.J. duo Sondr, has amassed over 100M streams, including earning Gold records with singles “Surviving” and “Live Love Learn.” Lorenzo is also a prolific songwriter, having penned numerous hit dance records, including as a co-writer on the Top 10 record “Heartbreak Anthem” for David Guetta, Galantis, and Little Mix (400m streams, 2 x platinum).
Co-founding member of 3MPTY, Luca, aka KINGDM, has equally crafted his fair share of full-sized hits, most notably his single “Baby” featuring Kevin Garrett, which entered the Top 10 of Spotify’s global and U.S. Viral 50 charts. Throughout his career, Zane Lowe and Annie Mac championed Luca’s music and received support on radio stations such as KCRW, Beats 1, BBC1, and BBC2.
Hitting the ground running with “IJWLY (I Just Wanna Love You),” a towering end-of-the-night track, the duo is eager to have an ear towards the underground club scene and display a wide range of genre influences with their new artist venture, 3MPTY.
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