Music Production

DJcity has picked the 10 finalists for the official Avicii “Without You” remix contest.

We received entries from all around the world and of a wide variety of styles. It took a long time to listen to them, but we made sure to hear each one. Now that we’ve selected the finalists, it’s up to Avicii to pick the winner.

The winner, which will be announced on Sept. 20, will receive $5,000 and have his or her remix released on Geffen Records.

Check out the finalists below (in alphabetical order).

Arc North, Sweden

Mark Pride, Croatia

MAYACCII, Russia

Melo.Kids, Poland

Notre Dame, France

Redax, Germany

Rozen, Brazil

Tokima Tokio, Japan

Tony & Voxon, Latvia and United Arab Emirates

Vinil, Sweden

Related: Watch This Drummer’s Entry Video for Avicii’s ‘Without You’ Remix Contest

The deadline to enter DJcity and Geffen Records’ remix contest for Avicii‘s new single “Without You” has come and gone. The judges spent the weekend reviewing submissions and found one that really stood out.

London-based DJ/producer AFISHAL‘s remix has unfortunately been disqualified for containing unauthorized samples. However, his video deserves to be shared as an honorable mention.

AFISHAL performs his remix live on the Tremor, a drum set-like MIDI controller he designed in collaboration with Roland. Pre-programmed samples, lights, and graphics are all triggered with the hit of a pad. AFISHAL has toured the world with his innovative rig, including a performance for Prince Harry.

DJcity will announce 10 finalists for the “Without You” remix contest on Wednesday, Sept. 13. Avicii will then select the winning remix which will be announced on Sept. 20. The winning submission will be released by Geffen Records as an official remix. The winner will also receive a prize of $5,000 and will be featured on DJcity’s blog and social media.

Watch AFISHAL’s submission above.

Related: DJcity and Geffen Records Launch Remix Contest for Avicii’s ‘Without You’

Rising hip-hop producer, London On Da Track, has broken down his debut solo single “No Flag” on Genius’ Deconstructed series. The song features Nicki Minaj, 21 Savage, and Offset.

London begins by discussing why he chose to work with Nicki, 21, and Offset, and explains what inspired the track’s dark undertones. He then breaks down the song in Ableton, including a bass layer that he says sounds “like somebody hunting you down with a knife.”

An Atlanta native, London has risen to prominence in recent years by producing anthems like Tyga‘s “Hookah,” T.I.‘s “About the Money,” and Rich Gang‘s “Lifestyle,” and most recently Drake‘s “Sneakin’.” In August, the 26-year-old signed with RCA Records as part of his transition from producer to artist.

Watch him on Deconstructed above.

Related: Watch London on Da Track Make a Beat by Sampling Random Records

Mass Appeal has featured DJ/producer Mr. Carmack in their latest episode of Rhythm Roulette. The series challenges producers to make a beat by sampling three randomly selected vinyl records.

The San Francisco native first heads to Good Records in New York City before hitting the studio alongside rapper Adam Vida. He then delivers two groovy glitch-style beats, only using sounds from the records he picks out. Impressively, one of the samples he chops up is the call of an elephant trumpeting.

Carmack is a member of the production cliques Team Supreme and Soulection. He’s best known for his unique trap-infused sounds, which includes releases on the Mad Decent label. The influential producer has worked with Pharrell, Diplo, Kehlani, and Promnite.

Watch Rhythm Roulette above.

Related: Watch DJ Jazzy Jeff Make a Track by Sampling Random Records

Grammy-nominated producer Jahaan Sweet has explained how he made A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s “Drowning (Water)” featuring Kodak Black in a new episode of Genius’ Deconstructed. The track peaked at No. 38 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

“Drowning (Water),” which appeared in the March edition of DJcity Trends, is A Boogie’s highest-charting single. It was certified platinum in July and currently has over 100 million streams on Spotify.

In the video, Jahaan recalls how the track came about and breaks it down in Logic Pro. He discusses his chance encounter with A Boogie and says that 18th-century composer Johann Sebastian Bach inspired the beat.

The Los Angeles-based producer is a graduate of the world-renowned music school, Juilliard. He’s best known for his work with Kehlani, though he has also produced tracks for Lana Del Rey and Ty Dolla $ign.

Watch Deconstructed above.

Related: Watch Teddy Walton Explain How He Produced GoldLink’s ‘Crew’ Feat. Brent Faiyaz and Shy Glizzy

DJcity has teamed up with Geffen Records on a remix contest for Avicii‘s new single “Without You” featuring Sandro Cavazza. The infectious progressive house track recently debuted at No. 18 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.

Geffen Records was founded in 1980 by industry heavyweight David Geffen. Earlier this year, Universal Music Group relaunched the label with a roster that includes Avicii, DJ Snake, Lil Jon, AlunaGeorge, and Gryffin.

The winning submission will be released by Geffen Records as an official remix. The winner will also receive a cash prize of $5,000 and be featured on DJcity’s blog and social media.

Get more info and enter the contest here.

After months of entries, A-Trak‘s Goldie Awards has chosen eight DJs and eight producers to compete in the finals in New York City on Sept. 7.

The DJ finalists are John Beez (U.S.), K-Swizz (New Zealand), Kayper (U.K.), Miles Medina (U.S.), Rocket Jackson (U.S.), Rafik (Germany), Vekked (Canada), and Yuto (Japan).

The producer finalists are DJ Brace (Canada), City The Beatmaster (U.S.), Fresh Kils (Canada), Holly (Portugal), MSCLS (U.S.), R!OT (U.S.), STFU (U.S.), and Young Sidechain (U.S.).

The competitors will be judged by a panel that includes Diplo, Craze, Just Blaze, Mannie Fresh, and Destructo.

The winning producer will get to release a song on A-Trak’s Fool’s Gold label while the winning DJ will get to perform at the Fool’s Gold Day Off festival.

Check out the finalists below.

We're excited to introduce you to the 8 contestants who made the cut for the first annual Goldie Awards DJ Battle 🎚Watch it all go down Sept 7 at @brooklynsteel in NYC. We received an overwhelming number of incredible submissions so we selected two more finalists then originally planned! 💪🏻 Congrats to: @johnbeeztheone @djkswizz @kayperofficial @milesmedina @3two1blastoff @dj_rafik @vekked @djyuto_ Tix & info: goldieawards.com

A post shared by Goldie Awards (@goldieawards) on Aug 23, 2017 at 1:47pm PDT

And introducing the BEAT BATTLE contestants, come witness this historic battle live Sept 7 at @Brooklynsteel 🏅 @dj_brace @citythebeatmaster @freshkils @miguelholly @iammscls @riotedm @stfu.music @youngsidechain 🏅 Get tix: goldieawards.com

A post shared by Goldie Awards (@goldieawards) on Aug 23, 2017 at 4:10pm PDT

Related: DJ Brace Enters A-Trak’s Goldie Awards Battle

After nearly 100 episodes of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal has finally featured DJ Jazzy Jeff. The series is an interesting concept: it challenges producers to select three records while blindfolded and make a beat by sampling them.

Filmed in his Delaware estate during his annual Playlist Retreat, the video shows Jeff picking out the records from the back of a van, and getting busy in the studio using Serato’s new plugin, Sample.

His final track includes an Al Johnson and Jean Carne sample, which was used on Will Smith’s 1997 single, “Just Cruisin’.” It also contains scratching and vocals from Philadelphia rapper, Dayne Jordan.

Watch Rhythm Roulette above.

Related: An Inside Look at DJ Jazzy Jeff’s ‘Playlist Retreat’

Memphis producer Teddy Walton has explained how he made GoldLink’s single “Crew” on Genius’ latest episode of Deconstructed. The track features Brent Faiyaz and Shy Glizzy.

“Crew” is the lead single off of GoldLink’s debut album, At What Cost, which was released in March. It peaked at No. 58 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and has been certified gold. In June, the Washington, D.C. native dropped a remix featuring Gucci Mane.

In the video, Walton discusses the elements of “Crew,” the samples he used, and his approach to bending the rules. The 25-year-old says he drew inspiration for the beat from Three 6 Mafia and Owl City’s 2009 track “Fireflies.” He reveals he hadn’t heard GoldLink before their collab and that he isn’t sure how the beat found its way to him.

Walton has also worked with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Bryson Tiller, and A$AP Ferg.

Watch Deconstructed above.

Related: Watch A-Trak Explain How He Produced ‘Believe’ Feat. Lil Yachty and Quavo

DJ Jazzy Jeff takes a group selfie at his Playlist Retreat in Delaware. (Photo credit: Julian Melanson)

Last week, DJ Jazzy Jeff hosted his third annual Playlist Retreat at his estate in Delaware. The invite-only event brought together like-minded DJs, producers, and songwriters to collaborate and network.

This year’s retreat was the biggest yet and featured acclaimed names such as J. Cole, DJ Dahi, Mr. Carmack, Lord Finesse, Young Guru, Z-Trip, Peanut Butter Wolf, and Skratch Bastid.

There were a variety activities, including a producer challenge in which artists were randomly grouped into teams and tasked with making a track.

DJcity was invited to the event and captured it on video. Watch below.

Related: Watch DJ Jazzy Jeff’s ‘Boiler Room’ Set