Interviews

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW | Cazzi Opeia

Cazzi Opeia opens up about her musical inspiration and her exciting career.

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Self described as "Marilyn Monroe gone bad," Cazzi Opeia makes pop dance music that sizzles.

The Swedish-born DJ and singer/songwriter's stage name comes from the star constellation "Cassiopeia" — the vain but beautiful queen of greek mythology — perfectly describing her dark glam music style. Following her collaboration with legendary K-Pop producer on the club hit, "Batman & Robin," Cazzi Opeia returns with "Rich," a track with pop influences and lilting vocals that still manages to stay true to the artist's EDM roots. Popdust got the chance to talk with Cazzi Opeia and hear about her journey to stardom, what influences her music, and more.

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MUSIC

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW | GRUM

The Ajunabeats star sits down with Popdust for an intimate interview.

Having made his Anjunabeats debut earlier this year, GRUM has quickly become a favorite of trance and EDM fans worldwide thanks to his modern take on classic progressive and trance influences.

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THE MIX | Evolution. Electronic. Energy.

From "Across the Pond" to our playlists, DJ and dance music producer, Redlight came from the world of '90s rave and has emerged as a dance music powerhouse, climbing the charts with upbeat tunes that prove his love of hip hop, techno, house, and dance music is as energized as ever.

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MUSIC

Ready To Pop | XYLØ, Riley Clemmons & More Dance Their Troubles Away

Also, Call Me Loop and Charlotte Lawrence Pick Up the Pieces on the Dance Floor.

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Shake it out with these soon-to-be smashes.

Ready to Pop gazes into the piercing reflection of the ever-spinning disco ball. Light bounces around our bodies and into the darkness lurking just outside the sparkling dance floor. We've left the sorrow at the door, at least for a couple hours, and the music washes over our hearts, sewing up the wounds and proving to be just the soothing agent we needed. Below, check out our latest obsessions, rated on a (slay) scale of "Super Chill" to "Shook" to "Wig Snatched."


XYLØ - "Tears & Tantrums"

XYLØ is a relentless tour de force. She's a badass boss just "dancing in the strobe lights," as she admits between layers of star-strewn synths and dreamy splatters of percussion. "My tears keep on falling down," she also sings, framing her pain as the fuel to her inner fire, slowly but surely crackling to a ferocious display.

Slay Scale: Wig Snatched

Follow XYLØ on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram


Riley Clemmons - "Hold On"



It might not seem like it in the heat of the moment, but all those wasted tears will lead to a full-on personal revolution. Just ask pop's newest torchbearer Riley Clemmons. "By the grace of God, I'm a survivor," she sings, extending her own personal tragedy as a testament that she's risen far more victoriously than she could have predicted. Through glassy bubbles of ready-made rave beats and classically '80s synths, she is equal parts Selena Gomez and Betty Who and another otherworldly extravagance altogether. Clemmons awakens the senses in a way only she can. She's fearless and not going down without a fight.

Slay Scale: Wig Snatched

Follow Riley Clemmons on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram


Charlotte Lawrence - "Stole Your Car"



Charlotte Lawrence isn't here to play games. After her heart is shattered to bits, she not only dances out her rage, but she pairs her outrageous emotions and lack of impulse control with sweltering tropical beats and a slinky flow as smooth as the island breeze. "I can't resist the taste of your lips," she sings before confessing that, in fact, the thought of it all makes her sick to her stomach. But by the time the beats drop from the heavens, the listener, a voyeur of sorts, is awash in blue dreams, baby. Nothing like grand theft auto to get some of your anger out.

Slay Scale: Super Chill

Follow Charlotte Lawrence on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram


Call Me Loop - "Cut & Run"



After a short-lived romance turned to ash, and the sleazy guy had the nerve to come crawling back, Call Me Loop had had about enough. So, she poured her frustrations out onto a clanging and mountainous pop rallying cry, which pops and fizzes with summer-soaked synths that are fevered and unwavering. "Cut & Run" is a succulent slice of pop music, seasoned to taste, and should do the trick to get over that...well, trick.

Slay Scale: Shook

Follow Call Me Loop on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram


Jason Scott is a freelance music journalist with bylines in B-Sides & Badlands, Billboard, PopCrush, Ladygunn, Greatist, AXS, Uproxx, Paste and many others. Follow him on Twitter.


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MUSIC

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW | Swiss DJ EDX

His New Single "Sillage" is Due for Release September 7

We caught up with Swiss DJ EDX to discuss his new music, remixes, and more!


Your new single "Sillage" is due for release on Spinnin' Deep on September 7. Can you tell us about the record, how it came about and the inspiration behind it?

Yes, finally another single! I took it a little bit easy in the studio over the summer as I have been touring like crazy over the past few months, but I'm super happy with this latest release and how it's turned out. I wanted to produce a club track with a really summery atmosphere and create a single that connects all the party islands in Europe, from the Balearics, to Mykonos, and so on. I think I've managed to capture that really well. I first played "Sillage" as the final track of my Tomorrowland set back in July and I've been playing in my sets ever since. It's been getting amazing reactions in both the clubs and at festivals, and I've had some great feedback from my fans so I'm super excited about this release.

How would you say this single is different to others you've produced over the past year?

I wouldn't say it's massively different from the other club tracks I've put out over the past year or so ("Jaded," "Anthem," etc.) but what I would say is that it has been particularly well received by the Ibiza crowd. It really has a strong Balearic, tribal feel to it, which I think works particularly well on the island. It's a tune perfect for summer!

Where did your interest in music stem from?

I grew up going to Italy for at least a month every year for my holidays. Italy was always very advanced in its nightlife scene and music has always been an integral part of its youth culture. I think I started to be very interested and passionate about music when the movie Wild Style was released in the early '80s. It really helped to bring hip hop culture over to Europe and even though I was only 6 or 7 years old, it really sparked my passion for music. From there I really got into Italian house, Italo disco, acid house, and musical movements that were really connected to a culture. I loved the fact that electronic music was something a bit different and it's stuck with me ever since.

What do you love most about creating music?

I love being able to sit down and make whatever I want from scratch, depending on the vibe I'm feeling at the time. It's a really creative and personal process which gets me really excited. In addition to that, to have a fan base who always want to listen to your new productions and who will each have their own unique experiences and stories doing so is an amazing feeling. That's definitely one of the most exciting things about creating music.

What was your inspiration behind "Anthem" and your remix of Janelle Monae's "Make Me Feel?"

"Anthem." When I started producing "Anthem," Miami Music Week was just around the corner, and festival season was about to start. I really wanted to work on a fusion between an atmospheric festival sound and something a bit more sexy and housey. I built the whole song around a disco loop and I feel it really worked well. The feedback has been great and it's worked really well on different types and sizes of dance floors all over the world so I'm super happy with the result.

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