2018: The Year in EDM
All these 20 stories defined digital dance music over the past 12 months.
Lots happens in the EDM globe over the span of a year.
We here at EDM.com enjoy maintaining a finger over the endless pulse of this scene. Unless you are as wrapped up into its goings on as we are, nevertheless it can be easy to skip a beat.
Bearing that in mind, we have chosen 20 stories that give a snapshot of what happened from EDM from 2018. From Avicii’s untimely departure to Swedish House Mafia’s momentous reunion to Ultra Music Festival’s relocation, these are the moments that described digital dance music over the past 12 months.
20. Spotify Goes Public Amid Lawsuit
As streaming platforms like SoundCloud have alienated digital music fans in the past several decades, Spotify has doubled down on the market. The service has not been popular throughout the board, yet. In January that it came into light that Wixen Music Publishing had filed a $1.6 billion suit against the Spotify. Shortly afterward, the latter firm quietly filed its initial public offering to be a publicly traded corporation.
19. Datsik Stops Tour After Sexual Assault Allegations
In March, a number of women came forward to reveal tales of sexual experiences involving Canadian DJ/producer Datsik. He subsequently resigned out of Firepower Records and stopped the Ninja Nation Tour – although some guess he may try to create a comeback.
18. Swedish House Mafia Reunites After Five Years
At the peak of his achievement, EDM supergroup Swedish House Mafia disbanded after a performance at the 2013 edition of Ultra Music Festival in Miami. They reunited at the same festival’s 2018 version, also closed the year out by announcing new audio as well as 2019 shows in seven cities around the globe.
17. Avicii Dies at 28 of Apparent Suicide
On April 20th, 2018, Avicii has been found dead in Muscat, Oman. The Swedish DJ/producer had long suffered with depression and anxiety, causing him to stop vacationing back in 2016. In a statement made by his family members, it came to light that his cause of death was supposed to be suicide.
16. 2018 IMS Report Shows EDM Industry Slowdown
Kevin Watson’s Yearly company report at the International Music Summit in Ibiza functions as a barometer of EDM’s development within an industry. This year’s IMS Business Report estimates that the sector contracted $7.4 billion to $7.3 billion in 2017-2018, perhaps as a result of mainstream crossover of electronic music making its effect”immeasurable.”
15. Jeffrey Sutorius Ousted from Dash Berlin
In June, Dash Berlin frontman Jeffrey Sutorius issued a statement showing he had stopped his business relationship with Sebastiaan Molijn along with Eelke Kalberg, that create the majority of the music to the trio. In a after interview he talked in detail concerning the events leading up to the split. Sutorius has debuted fresh music for a sacred act, also Dash Berlin’s present members have shared plans for new releases in 2019.
14. XXXTentacion Murdered at 20 Years Old
Rapper Jahseh Anfroy, known as his stage name XXXTentacion, has been shot dead in Deerfield Beach, Florida on June 18th, 2018. Dedrick Williams out of Pompano was detained and charged with first-degree murder soon afterwards. XXXTentacion had collaborated with EDM artists like Diplo and Skrillex.
13. SoundCloud Announces Key 2019 Partnerships
Following years of misadventures in their own road to financial solvency, SoundCloud has announced possibly its most promising integrations thus far. Most notably, the streaming service announced in October that partnerships with brands like Native Instruments, Serato, Virtual DJ, DEX3, Mixvibes, along with Hercules enables DJs to flow SoundCloud upload directly to their decks.
12. Martin Garrix Wins #1 in DJ Mag Top 100 for 3rd Year in a Row
Punctuating Martin Garrix’s five daily monitor releases in party of Amsterdam Dance Event has been that the news he was named #1 DJ in the world at the yearly DJ Mag Top 100 awards show. This marks the third time in 3 years the Dutch DJ/producer has received the honour.
11. Hardwell Announces Indefinite Tour Hiatus
In September Hardwell announced he would take an extended break from performing, stating that”being Hardwell 24/7 leaves too little energy, love, creativity, and attention” for him to lead a normal life. He ended his final, sold-out October performance at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam using a tearful speech showing that he would one day come back to the stage.
10. deadmau5 Takes Social Media Break Following PR Fiasco
In a few days, Canadian DJ/producer deadmau5 elicited ire in the southern community in addition to those around the spectrum for insensitive remarks created in two separate cases . He subsequently issued a statement showing his own psychological health struggles, stating that he would”be going off the radar” indefinitely.
9. Paul van Dyk Speaks Out Against ALDA Events Following Injury
In 2016, a stage malfunction caused Paul van Dyk to collapse and sustain significant injuries during his group at A State Of Trance 750 in Utrecht. During an interview during this year’s Amsterdam Dance Event he explained, “Up to the stage, none of those guys involved picked up the telephone to phone me and ask me how I am.” He later clarified that he was speaking about ALDA Events.
8. Steve Aoki Collabs with K-Pop Group BTS
Perhaps the biggest international EDM crossover of 2018 was the collaboration between Steve Aoki and Korean boy band BTS. Titled “Waste It On Me,” the song afforded the opportunity for the latter group to venture outside of their K-pop comfort zone.
7. Marshmello Lands on the Cover of Forbes’ “30 Under 30” Feature
Despite having an anonymous DJ/producer, Marshmello landed on the cover of Forbes’ annual”30 Under 30″ feature this year. In an interview, his manager, Moe Shalizi, predicted that the artist’s income will rival that of Calvin Harris in 2019.
6. The Chainsmokers to Produce a Movie of Their Song’s Namesake
In a November interview at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Drew Taggart and Alex Pall A.K.A.. The Chainsmokers discussed their plans to produce a movie titled Paris. Pitch Perfect author Mickey Rapkin hatched the idea for the script after listening to their 2017 song of the same title.
5. Dreamstate SoCal 2018 Overrun by Pickpockets
The 2018 edition of the flagship festival of Insomniac’s all-trance Dreamstate festival was overshadowed by an alarming number of instances of theft. One attendee shared an account of being physically assaulted after confronting a pickpocket.
4. Ultra Music Festival to Relocate to Virginia Key in 2018
In September Ultra Music Festival’s contract to return to Bayfront Park in 2019 was rejected by the Miami City Commission. As the result of a controversial vote, the same commission granted the event’s organizers permission to relocate to Virginia Key next year.
3. Moe Shalizi Leaves Red Light Management to Start His Own Firm
In November it came to light that Moe Shalizi would leave Red Light Management to start his own company, bringing Marshmello, Jauz, Ghastly, Slushii, Sikdope and 808 Mafia producer Southside with him. The following month, emails revealed the name of his new firm to be The Shalizi Group.
2. Twitch Celebrity Ninja Releases EDM Compilation, Ninjawerks
In possibly the biggest EDM/eSports crossover in history, Twitch star Tyler”Ninja” Blevins partnered with Astralwerks on a”soundtrack to gaming” titled Ninjawerks. Adding songs by the likes of Tiësto, Dillon Francis, GTA and 3LAU, it allowed some of digital music’s biggest names to tap in the gamer market.
1. Illenium Announces Madison Square Garden Show in 2019
Near the conclusion of his hugely effective and sold-out Awake 2.0 tour, Illenium addressed his audience at Terminal 5 NYC using a special statement . Without revealing an exact date, he revealed he will headline Madison Square Garden at a stage a year ago.
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