Image via Complex Original
Looking back at 2013, it's crazy to sit and think about how much happened. We christened 2013 as the year that EDM grew true mainstream legs, and from Zedd's ascension with "Clarity" to Diplo developing movies for 20th Century Fox, this scene is making a much larger impact than in previous years. With that comes controversy, and we've seen a lot of it. There have been proper break-ups, lawsuits, mysteries, and hate spewed from a number of different angles, both internally and from the outside. These stories we feel were the biggest, the ones that have that mixture of scandal and discussion that elevated them from regular stories to sparking full-fledged debates. Drama makes the world go 'round, and these pieces of EDM history sure kept the wheels moving.
Juke Ellington stealing music
Juke Ellington became an example of everything an artist shouldn't do in 2013, and this one was a disappointment to the entire bass music industry. His profile was skyrocketing, and he was looked at as one of the European advocates for footwork and juke music. He was accused of purchasing a record, making a minor pitch adjustment, and retagging the file as if he produced it. He owned up to this, only to get slammed with the same exact accusation again a week later. We no longer know what he's actually produced, and he will have a black mark on his name for the rest of his career.
Beamz seemed to be trolling everyone
Who knew that a "laser DJ toy" would cause so much controversy? Well, when you get deadmau5' dander up, anything's bound to happen. When he caught wind of the Flo Rida-backed toy, deadmau5 went in, and for good reason. It does look stupid, and having someone like Flo Rida bigging up a product like this screams "payday" as opposed to "I truly believe in this." Beamz tried to fight the good fight, ultimately sending deadmau5 a Beamz...which he promptly ran over with his car. They fired back with a deadmau5 lookalike in a subsequent commercial, but it was their hiring of Grandmaster Jay that turned more heads. "Performing" to stolen routines, Jay also made claims about knowing certain DJs and figures in the hip-hop community that ended up being discredited. Even an attempt to highlight how good of a DJ he is on the turntables turned out disasterous. In 2014 we're hoping whomever holds the Beamz purse strings either try better or just folds.
Krewella being sued by their ex-managers
We're awaiting word on how this case will be fought in court, but the facts on the table paint a picture that appears to feature artists getting big then dumping the managers who got them there. To hear their former managers tell it, Krewella dumped them in March of 2012, saying they needed to "move on," leaving the managers who got them their Columbia deal in October of 2011. The problem? They hadn't adhered to the terms of their contract, which entitled them to up to 25% of Krewella's earnings through 2016. While we're wondering if a hit-less Krewella would be getting this lawsuit thrown at them, this is another situation where producers and DJs need to be wary of what they're signing, as it's very easy to sign your career to someone you might not plan on sticking it out with. We'll see what happens if/when this trial starts.
Baauer being sued over samples used in "Harlem Shake"
Would Jayson Musson and/or Hector El Father have asked Baauer for compensation if "Harlem Shake" hadn't gone viral? Probably not. It is hilarious that it took almost a full calender year before either decided to seek monies for the samples Baauer used in the track. Luckily for Mad Decent, the viral craze that was the "Harlem Shake" churned in a hefty profit, enough to save Mad Decent from going under, so Diplo was able to arrange some deals to keep Jayson and Hector silent. This should be a lesson to owners of smaller imprints, though: get those samples cleared ASAP!
The demise of Sazon Booya
Sazon Booya's breakup was public, dramatic, and actually blew up on our website. All three members made official statements in regards, and one of the most loved groups in moombahton disintegrated in front of our eyes. And while Sav took everything on the chin and moved on with a positive attitude to focus on his Fight Clvb project, Vega stole the followers from the group's social media accounts, pushed himself as Ricky Vaughn to the fans that the duo shared, and looked absolutely crazy on Twitter in the following months. We went from being sad about the breakup of an incredible movement to feeling sad for a brilliant musician.
Carly Crunk Bear
We launched in January, and one of our biggest stories as we launched was of a Colorado teacher that got placed on leave after tweeting about doing drugs and expressing herself. Diplo joined in the public discussion, "free crunk bear" became a mantra, and she went AWOL. Her profile picture was swapped for one where she was covering her breasts, then stopped tweeting completely. Revisiting 2013 actually has us wondering if Carly McKinney is still turning up with reckless abandon. We'd love if someone gave us a heads up.
Who is DJ Yolo Bear?
In 2013, one of the biggest mysteries was the search to find out who, if anyone Yolo Bear is. See, whenever someone randomly hits the scene seemingly out of nowhere, the immediate question is "where the hell did they come from?!" And being that Yolo Bear was represented by, and dropping music with, the LuckyMe camp, interest was piqued. Many had already assumed that Cashmere Cat was the producer behind Yolo Bear's Jersey club-influenced material, and when Yolo Bear was booked for a show in New York in October and was said to be Cashmere Cat with a scarf on his head, people thought it was case closed... until Yolo Bear performed at gigs in Edinburgh and London, with Obey City and Eclair Fifi representing him (respectively). And we don't have a problem with that. We know everyone with a WiFi connection is a junior sleuth, but let some mysteries lie.
The DJ Mag Top 100 list
Every year, the DJ Mag Top 100 list is scrutinized. The very essence of how they come up with their selections makes it much more of a popularity contest (for European EDM fans) than a proper representation of the best DJs in the land. We don't argue with the likes of Hardwell being #1 (he does do the damn thing when he gets in the mode), but everything from Diplo finally making the list in 2013 to DJ BL3ND making the list at all has DAD scratching our heads. We're hoping that DJ Mag has a change of heart and starts evaluating how they run this list to make it a big more logical.
will.i.am stealing Arty & Mat Zo's "Rebound"
Not that will.i.am was beloved by the EDM community before this fiasco, but the situation over Arty & Mat Zo's "Rebound" bought will scores of enemies. It all started when the Internets noticed that will.i.am's collaboration with Chris Brown, "Let's Go," sounded like it borrowed heavily from Arty & Mat Zo's Anjunabeats-released "Rebound." In a heated war of words that caused Mat Zo to leave Twitter, the story finally came around that will.i.am approached Arty about sampling "Rebound" for the track.
For some reason the deal never went down completely, but instead of will holding the track off of his album's release, he admittedly put "Let's Go" out, leaving the clearance issue to the lawyers to sort out. The album was released... yet only Arty was credited (something that will blamed on both Arty and his lawyers). To this day, nothing seems to be truly resolved, yet the track is still available for purchase. Is there a lesson to be learned? Hell yeah! Make sure you tell someone trying to use your material if you're for or against it. Leaving anything up to chance could end up with someone stealing first then trying to repair things later. Sad day.
Avicii's 2013 Ultra Music Festival performance
Hearing Avicii's debut album True today, his Ultra Music Festival performance now makes sense. Back then, when the world has no idea what he had going on? Bringing out everyone fro Aloe Blacc to a kazoo player to debut these tracks had the Internets skeptical. Part of it was the fact that it sounded a lot like country music (which definitely feels like an influence on Avicii), but the other part was that people expect UMF to be a celebration of EDM. They just weren't ready for such a stark contrast to what Avicii normally does, and what one expects from one of the largest EDM festivals in the world. It worked in Avicii's favor, as it got people talking and interested in the album... but people definitely took him to task!
50 PEOPLE WHO HATED (OR WERE CONFUSED BY) AVICII'S ALBUM PREMIERE AT THE ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL
Spinnin' and their sexist "humor"
The sexist remark heard 'round the globe. We never did hear who posted the ridiculously sexist image of a Pioneer CDJ with what looked like a stove unit on top of it, to which the official Spinnin Records Twitter account posted as being a "CD-J for Women," but we're hoping this person was fired. What happend was a storm of tweets against Spinnin, and the opening of the discussion of sexism within the EDM scene. While DJs want to play shit that women will dance to in the club, far be it from these same DJs and entities to consider the feelings of these women (and women who strive to be considered as great as their male counterparts). If there was ever a formal apology given by Spinnin', we missed it, but what we wish we could miss is the blatant, ridiculous sexism that plagues this scene.
SFX building a true EDM empire
The summer of 2012 found Robert Sillerman building his SFX Entertainment company into a true behemoth in the burgeoning EDM scene, and made a point to start gobbling up a number of companies. He'd already purchased Disco Donnie Presents and Life In Color in 2012, but spent 2013 placing even more entities under the SFX umbrella, from dance music digital retailer Beatport and the massive festival promoter ID&T to Made Event, MMG, i-Motion, and even Paylogic to their roster. There are so many pieces that he assembled, and it feels like this massive conglomerate will either be the lifeblood that the rest of the scene models itself after, or a crucial part in the bursting of the EDM bubble. Only time will tell.
The deaths at Electric Zoo
One of the biggest EDM festivals in the United States was shut down by government officials for its last day because two attendees passed away due to complications related to drug use. Attendees seemed more upset that their refunds were taking long to process than sad about the loss of fellow partygoers, and we didn't reach a consensus in regards to testing kits for drugs at parties. This tragic weekend was even sadder for its lack of change and progress for the scene, and now that SFX Entertainment has bought into Made Event (the company that puts on Electric Zoo), it'll be interesting to see how this festival grows in 2014. One thing is for certain: the ripples from EZOO5 have been felt through a number of raves, universities, and anywhere else that EDM is consumed.