The Windish Agency is Winning, and These 2013 Acquisitions are (Part Of) the Reason Why

We're not sure if Tom Windish realized it back in 2004, but The Windish Agency has turned into one of the best artist booking agencies out there. Ther

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Complex Original

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We're not sure if Tom Windish realized it back in 2004, but The Windish Agency has turned into one of the best artist booking agencies out there. There's a reason why they have won Pollstar's "Independent Booking Agency of the Year" award two years in a row. Why are they winning? They don't just go about signing acts and getting them on the road; Windish has made it a point to have a particular voice, and filling voids in places that normally wouldn't be seeing this level of talent. They are respectful of their artists needs, and in turn their roster continues to grow with some of the freshest faces in the music scene. James Blake, A-Trak, Z-Trip, The Knife, Diplo, Lorde, and Skream are just a small sample of Windish acts, and in 2013 they added a massive number of acts to the agency. If you're going to continue to win, you need to beef up your roster, and with the artists that are now in Windish's fold this year? 2014 is going to be massive.

Alex Young

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The novelty of Alex Young’s age will eventually wear off. Sure, it’s crazy that a high schooler spends the summer touring and playing festivals. But he will undoubtedly grow older and progress as a producer. That concept should frighten you. The tracks he was creating a year ago are still mind-blowing, but he’s going to be a monster as he continues to learn and rub shoulders with superstars. Windish was investing in the future with this move.

Kaytranada

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Kaytranada is one of our favorite signings, as it proves that real musicians are valued. Sure, agencies can aim for the next Diplo and align themselves with producers that are known for their party records. They wouldn’t be at fault, as it’s easier to book those that are creating danceable tracks. Kaytranada's records are based in hip-hop, but have this unique funky organic groove that’s so different and special. You can stream and pre-order "At All," but we also provided half a dozen downloadable records a while back. Snag ‘em if you missed ‘em.

Para One

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This might be the one name we include that you're like "who?". Easy to say a dude with the resume Para One has that's it's sad you even need to be educated. He's a Co-Founder of Institubes and Marble, already 4 albums of his own under his belt, made extremely influential productions for huge French music legends like TTC and Birdy Nam Nam and has done official remixes for Justice, Daft Punk, Boyz Noize, Drop The Lime, etc. It's easy to say he's one of the most important music moguls in France, if not Europe as a whole. And there's this feeling that seems to be growing about a French takeover in 2014. The alliance in the states with Windish only makes sense. Oh...there's this thing he did with Cam'ron as well...

Willy Joy

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Willy Joy is definitely someone who was relatively unknown 12 months ago or so. The former Chicago native was quietly running things in the CHI for some time on the club circuit and was Kid Sister's official DJ for years. 2012 to now though, the turn to focus on original productions definitely took place and after stints on T & B's DJ roster, Willy has made the shift over to Windish. And deservedly so after a number of co-productions and remix credits with the likes of Major Lazer, Brillz, Tittsworth & Trinidad James plus the hugely successful run of Free Willy Wednesdays...it looks like Willy is finally going to get a real push to flex those skills on the decks he honed years ago in Chicago.

Wave Racer

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Am I crazy for thinking that Wave Racer would be the perfect producer to score a modern version of Nintendo’s Wave Race 64? Upbeat arpeggiated tunes with pitched vocals and nutty sequencing is the theme for this über-talented Australian producer. We’re not sure how this sound would go over with a live crowd, and can’t wait to see how a club receives these audible posi-vibes. The fact that this act was signed with only five records and a mini-mix behind him was ballsy, too.

Luminox

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We were a bit confused last year as Luminox was calling trapstyle, and still don’t quite get the term. But we think he’s earned the right to call trap whatever the hell he wants to at this point. He’s been a constant in the scene, has created records that shaped public perception of the genre, and is one of very few that hasn't squeezed the life out of the scene as his profile exploded. Here’s the track he uploaded when he gave out for free when he reached 1000 followers… 47,000 followers ago.

Ta-Ku

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Ta-Ku's one of the reasons we're in love with what's going on in Australia. 2013 was a banner year for him, with official remixes for Empire of the Sun, AlunaGeorge, and Mt. Eden being signed. 2013 is the year when people took notice to his varying styles, which found him dipping from heavyweight dubstep-influenced basslines to more laidback, Dilla-infused hip-hop instrumentals. He's an emerging talent, and linking with Windish is one of those notches in the belt that should see Ta-Ku becoming even bigger in 2014.

Giorgio Moroder

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Giorgio Moroder was all but unheard of before 2013. A legend in the realm of electronic music, he's one of the artists to truly bring the synthesizer to life, and has created beautiful music with the likes of Donna Summer decades ago. Riding on the back of Daft Punk bringing him current with their Random Access Memories track "Giorgio By Moroder," the veteran took up a new hobby, DJing, and has played festivals the world over. With plans to release new material in the near future, Moroder's living his second childhood.

Gent & Jawns

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Gent & Jawns' power lies in them being so "now." What we mean is, when you look at the current landscape of progressive underground bass music, Gent & Jawns are right at the head of the pack. They've worked alongside Diplo on his Express Yourself EP, have crushed soundsystems with tracks like "TURNUP," and represent the bass music scene in the DMV. Aligning with Windish? Just another way of highlighting why their presence in today's scene is so necessary.

Le1f

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We cover electronic dance music, right? Le1f is a rapper. And if you don’t understand how important he is as a bridge to both industries, you’ve missed out on quite a bit. His smooth drawl can be heard on production from Nguzunguzu, FaltyDL, Mess Kid, and a stack of other standards in any music afficinado’s catalog. This one from Morri$ is the definition of winning, though.

Fehrplay

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The Pryda protegé has been on a massive stage supporitng the Swedish star's North American headlining EPIC 2.0 tour with buddy Jeremy Olander. His unique brand of house music has shined well with Eric Prydz's progressive and Cirez D - his techno alter ego. It's only a matter of time before he's consisently playing bigger stages.

TWRK

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The duo known as TWRK exploded onto the dance music scene in 2013. While many knew of Benzi and eSentrik from their work apart, aligning as TWRK, at the very beginning of the 100BPM/twerk/bounce resurgence, had them ready at the right time. They've already released two mixtapes, been featuring in Diplo & Friends, toured with the Yin Yang Twins, and remixed a track for Diplo's Revolution EP. Word is that they are working on a number of tracks, and we have a feeling 2014 will be big for them, release-wise.

Duke Dumont

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Face it -- the guy has an absolute party-starter of a tune - "Need U (100%)" - that has been crushing the dance circles, and a dope label (Blase Boys Club) to match. It only makes sense he's with right crew to push his music even further.

Mister Saturday Night

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The Party/Collective/Label run by Justin Carter and Eamon Harkin has become the talk of NYC with their unique selection of classic b-sides and upfront tunes, so it seems fitting that they would find proper representation from the Windish crew.

Kap Slap

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After spending the last few years as a mashup artist touring the country playing at college campuses, Kap Slap is beginning to make his much anticipated transition into making original productions. Despite having never released an original song, Kap Slap has a sizeable following which will definitely go a long way once he starts releasing his own tracks. Signing to Windish during this transition period makes perfect sense for both him and the agency.

Antiserum

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This dude, who goes by Mikey to his friends, is a 'vanguard' of bass music, as his Facebook bio so aptly states. He is best known for his collabs with serious industry heads like 12th Planet, and most frequently Atlanta trap artist Mayhem. The two have put out some monster tracks. "Like This" is a killer song featured by Skism in his most recent mixtape for Never Say Die. "Pakistan," a banger trap track, has been played by insurmountable quantities of DJs since its release this summer, and continues to play in the halls of venues nightly.

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