COVID-19 has shaken the Electronic Dance Music community. We’re all stuck at home without the next big show or festival to look forward to, and the unknowns of what will get canceled next is increasingly overwhelming. Some of the artists, though, are using this time to bring the community together in the safe comfort of everyone’s living room. Here is what just a few of your favorite Melodic Dubstep artists have been up to.
Seven Lions
What do we need in these broken times? We want brand new music! Seven Lions dropped a brand new EP last Friday, “Find Another Way”, which features five new songs. Tracks include collaborations with Au5, Crystal Skies, and the beautiful vocalist HALIENE. To top it off, Seven Lions hosted a special live stream to celebrate the EP release. After which he announced he would happily be doing more to keep us entertained. Thank you, sir.
William Black
William Black was heartbroken to have to announce the postponement of his tour but is now using this time to create new music. Last week, he also hosted an “Ask Me Anything” forum in his Facebook group, where fans could chat with him and ask anything they want. William Black talked about artists he hopes to collaborate with someday like Above & Beyond or Skrillex, and also revealed new collabs in the works with ARMNHMR and Trivecta. Black also shared that he first got into EDM back in 2008-2009 after his sister put a bunch of EDM songs on his iPod, and talked about his love of his dog. Getting to know some of our favorite artists better has been making quarantine a little bit easier.
Dabin
What better way to support your favorite artists during this time than by buying their merch? Dabin released a new merch line that features a hoodie, two jerseys and a t-shirt from what would have been his “Into the Wild” tour. While the tour has been postponed, Dabin’s loyal fan base was incredibly excited to cop the new items. It sold out within hours, but don’t worry, a restock is already on the way.
He also released a new tune titled “Hope It Hurts” which bridges those Emo, sad boy songs we listened to in high school with classic Dabin melodic vibes. If you recently went through a hard breakup, this is the song to keep you busy during quarantine. Dabin also has been very involved in his Facebook group during this pandemic and even hosted a “meet up” on his Nintendo Animal Crossing Island with fans. Let’s face it, we’re all getting addicted to the game.
ILLENIUM
ILLENIUM recently tweeted that he was sorry he hadn’t been as involved on social media as some other artists, but that means only one thing: new music! Besides working on new tunes, ILLENIUM recently announced that he and Excision will finally be putting out their song, “Feel Something”. This first premiered during their closing B2B set at Lost Lands 2019, and fans have anxiously been waiting to blast it at home ever since. I Prevail is also featured on the song.
ILLENIUM also did a few live streams with another Melodic favorite, Said the Sky, on his Twitch channel to keep fans entertained, so keep an eye out for more that might pop up. During one of the recent streams, ILLENIUM teased fans with a new album when he opened up a file on his computer and a folder labeled “LP4 Song Submissions” appeared. You never know what else might happen when you tune into one.
Nurko
Nurko is one of the smaller artists on the list but was slated to go on Dabin’s tour this spring. To help heal the sting of postponement, Nurko released a special one hour mix for his fans. You’ll have to join his Facebook group to get the exclusive link though, and I promise it will not disappoint.
Additionally, Nurko’s been joining Twitch streams with artists like Trivecta, and created a sample pack for producers. He will be joining the first Digital Mirage Online Music Festival hosted by Proximity and Brownies & Lemonade April 3rd-5th. Other favorites like Graves, Gryffin, and Ekali will also be making an appearance. Better yet, Nurko teased he’d be premiering a remix of an ILLENIUM song during the set. All money raised during the event will go to Sweet Relief.
Trivecta
If you followed Trivecta on Instagram before the quarantine, you already knew just how entertaining it was to watch his stories. Now backed with the power of Twitch, Trivecta has been bringing more laughter and smiles to his fans than ever before. Trivecta has been incredibly engaged in his Facebook group Trivecta Tribe, asking fans what types of streams they would like from production lessons to him cooking a mean steak. He even held a stream where he allowed producers to send him links to their latest tune, and he would provide feedback and review of the song. Trivecta admitted he had no idea how to use Discord or Twitch at first, but figured it out to make sure he could still bring entertainment to the masses in a time that it was needed the most. His creativity is neverending, and we can’t wait to see what other live streams he whips up next.
With quarantine subjecting us to nothing but our couches, EDM artists everywhere are helping to keep us sane during these crazy times. Keep tabs on social media to see what other new music might be coming out, future live streams, and more ways to interact with artists. With a little bit of faith, we’ll all be able to get through this crazy time as a community.
*Featured Image Via Karel Chladek *
