End of the year. End of the decade. End of a macro-genre or merely the beginning of something new. 2019 has been a great year. Among the usual sentences like “music is always more liquid, quick and without a soul,” another chapter of modern music history is approaching an end. This year has been the consecration of some sub-genres and the rebirth of others. It has been the year of pop revelations coming from socials like TikTok, the year of the tour by Swedish House Mafia, and the year of Hardwell’s absence from the festival scene. 2019 was also the year of Tech House and Melodic House by the Italians Meduza. For EDM Lab, it is now time to recap what happened month-by-month.
January 2019. Like every year, January is a month of discovery and indecision about the new musical trends. In the meanwhile, Calvin Harris has already his winter hit invading all of the radio shows. Giant is another worldwide hit and anticipates all of the other producers. It sounds like a warning: “hey producers! Do not start with your remixes of old tracks because I win like every year!”. EDM Lab confirms all of its daily rubrics, and #NightVibe gets on Spotify, becoming a collection of the best club tracks of the year. It is also the month of the debut of the official PODCAST by EDM Lab. Named “Best of Today #Release,” it presents the best releases of the Friday, mixed live by DJ Davix.
February 2019: Billie Eilish, barely 17 years old, can stop the “reggaeton army” and climb the Billboard Hot 100 up to the first place. Her dark mood and the lyrics written by her brother Finneas O’Connell are the right mixes. Since then, her music is in history. The month continues with Kygo and his Think About You that anticipates a track with Whitney Houston. Zedd collaborates with the pop star Katy Perry and Krewella, with Yves V and KHSMR come back to the music scene. For EDM Lab, February is the month that introduces #10TRACKS by Ale Mancinelli. Two new biweekly rubrics present all the best novelties for pop-dance and urban!
March 2019: March is the month of the Ultra Music Festival, and everybody talks about it. EDM Lab is once again back to Miami to tell the event #1 in the world. This year the festival introduces a few new experiences such as the RESISTANCE Island and much more that we documented in our reportage. Miami’s festival brings back big names such as Alesso, who releases TIME and new revelations like ILLENIUM. Among the #releases of the month, Don Diablo presents You’re Not Alone. Such a remake in his peculiar style is the top trend at the moment.
April 2019: While our vacation in the USA continues, on the other side of the ocean sees the rise of a young band from South Korea, BTS. In collaboration with Halsey, BTS climb the charts with the song Boy With Luv. Martin Garrix, after several hits, tries again with Macklemore. Unfortunately, Summer Days does not produce the desired results, but Martin releases another progressive masterpiece, MISTAKEN, together with Matisse & Sadko. It is time for Kygo and Rita Ora with their song Carry On. But the real game-changer of the month is a new mysterious Italian trio called MEDUZA. They just presented a Mondial hit, with massive plays on Spotify and in the radios. Since then, their “da da ra dhha, da da ra dhha” will be sung everywhere in the world. April is a month of great news, and Avicii‘s family presents a press release introducing a posthumous album. The single “SOS” will become a hymn for this 2019. On EDM Lab, it is also time for interviews: Klingande e Daddy’s Groove. (Click on the name to read the interview.
May 2019: A breaking news announces that Ultra might leave from Miami. It is a period where rumors invade the Internet. Fans are indeed unhappy with the location after the last edition. Supporters claim the comeback to Bayfront Park di DownTown Miami. Unfortunately, the process is long and might not have a happy ending. (Click here to read more). In the meanwhile, Katy Perry releases Never Really Over. However, the news of the month is that MADEON IS BACK! After a silence that lasted for three years, All My Friends is released. The club culture sees MK come back to the mainstream with Body 2 Body while FISHER releases You Little Beauty, the perfect follow up for Losing It. It is a month of great collaborations like that of Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran with I Don’t Care, David Guetta releases “Stay” and SHM announce their new tour dates. On EDM Lab, we interview YVES V about his most recent collaboration with Krewella.
June 2019: The month opens with the hits that will oppose the Latin music for the summer: Call You Mine by The Chainsmokers & Bebe Rexha and Wish You Well by Sigala and Becky Hill. Nicky Romero releases a fantastic collab with Sam Martin. Alesso presents Sad Song but is another flop. Avicii dominates #releases of the month with “TIM,” a posthumous album by the young Sweedish producer. Heaven, Tough Love, SOS, invade radios, and festivals all over the world are filled with spectacular tributes for Avicii. A month of great music and great memories continues with Ritual by Tiesto feat Rita Ora, and Camelphat with their melodic Be Someone. Also, Madonna comes back with her album Madame X, Kygo remixes Whitney Houston, and Jeffrey Sutorius announces that he will be continuing producing under the alias Dash Berlin again.
July 2019: David Guetta and Martin Solveig release the melodic house track Thing For You. New ideas are scarce, so here modern remakes come. We Got That Cool is an example. On EDM Lab, we present an exclusive remix for the summer hit by DJ SNAKE and J Balvin. Loco Contigo became a dancefloor killer in the PsyTrance style remix. Marshmello includes all of his hits presented during the year in Joytime |||. Illenium and The Chainmokers release the premiere presented at the Ultra “Take Away.” At the same time, on EDM Lab, we talk about the weird coincidence about Illenium‘s logo and the eruption of the volcano ETNA.
August 2019: It is the month of the 15th anniversary of Tomorrowland. To celebrate, several DJ sets and special tributes to Avicii are organized. MK & Gorgon City release There For You, and a remix by BROHUG for KNAS by S. Angello. Others come back like JOYRIDE and Paul Kalkbrenner and revelations such as Peggy Gou with Starry Night. In August, on EDM Lab, there is another exclusive remix of Sunflower by Post Malone and a SPOILER on the theme of Tomorrowland 2020. August is also the month of the future hit by Tones And I, Dance Monkey, and The Power by Duke Dumont.
September 2019: Steve Aoki brings back the Backstreet Boys and Let it Be Me. This will not be his last “weird” collaboration in this 2019 for him. Jax Jones, now mature, makes the difference with This Is Real. The quick-release of All Day And Nights together with Martin Solveig, the project “Europa” at the beginning of the year, One Touch with Jess Glynne, and Harder with Bebe Rexha made his 2019 epic. Armin Van Buuren announces the 7° studio album BALANCE, and until the release of the album (on October 25), he releases a track per week. September is a month that brings a lot of good music. Examples are Ride it by Regard, God is a Dancer by Tiesto and Mabel, Holy Water by Galantis, and Turn Me On by Oliver Heldens.
October 2019: October is the month of the Amsterdam Dance Event or simply ADE with exclusive exhibitions, and the TOP 100 DJ Mag. 1001tracklist releases the Top101 Producer that sees David Guetta triumphant. Armin Van Buuren releases BALANCE with an enormous amount of good music and great collaborations. Martin Garrix releases Used To Love together with his friend Dean Lewis, and Skrillex presents Midnight Hour. ZEDD is out with Good Thing, but a new single by project MEDUZA is climbing the charts. The Italian trio proposes a perfect follow up of Lose Control that climbs charts and wins awards from all over the world. The Italian Dance is coming back.
November 2019: One of the most significant edits of this 2019 is DYNAMITE by Nicky Romero and Mike Williams. The hype was incredible. Dua Lipa brings back disco music with her Don’t Start Now, also remixed by Purple Disco Machine. Camelphat release Rabbit Hole, and the Italians Marnik, together with KHSMR, propose Alone bringing back Jeffrey Jey from Eiffel 65. This month EDM Lab recommends the interview to Kharfi at the same time as the release of Don’t Waste My Time. The Italian Dance strikes again.
December 2019: The Chainsmokers completed the composition of their new album “World War Joy” and release it at the beginning of the month. Amazing collaborations, such as with Kygo and Blink 182, are included. It is time for Steve Aoki to collaborate with Sting with the astonishing 2 In A Million. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd brings back the 80s. This month, EDM Lab presents an exclusive interview with Matisse & Sadko. For us, it is time to celebrate our year. Forty-two episodes of our podcast, Best of Today #Release, plus a special edition dedicated to the best of #BigRoom del 2019. Best of #NightVibe 2019 with 173 best club tracks of this 2019, and the Top30 NightVibe Chart. According to tradition, we proudly present the big collection of #Megamix 2019 to rewind the entire year in music and the decade that goes away.
December 31st, 2019: a year and a music chapter in the history of music is over. 2010-2019 is the age of the Electronic Dance Music, a.k.a. EDM, an era where has reached maturity and became mainstream. The EDM is more like a movement, able to shake the masses, dictate new trends in a world every day faster. It was the decade of the big festivals: Ultra, Tomorrowland, EDC, Coachella, etc. The decade of Spotify and the quick playlists. The decade of the podcast of the best DJs in the world and the dance radios. Ten years that gave and took away the most significant modern artists like Avicii, Dolores O’Riordan, Amy Winehouse, Chester Bennington (Linkin Park), Whitney Houston, Juice Wrld that wrote permanent pages in the book of the music.