Skrillex

Justin Bieber’s New Single, ‘What Do You Mean’


 
Justin Bieber has just dropped “What Do You Mean,” his long-awaited solo single and follow-up to “Where Are U Now.”
 
The heavily melodic uptempo track features production from Skrillex and 20-year-old Austrian Cali The Producer.
 
[djc url=”http://www.djcity.com/digital/justin-bieber-what-do-you-mean—47387.htm”]

Download Justin Bieber’s “What Do You Mean” on DJcity.
 
Related: Producing a Hit: ‘Where Are U Now’

Producing a Hit: ‘Where Are U Now’


 
In a revealing interview, The New York Times sits down with Diplo, Skrillex and Justin Bieber for an in-depth look at the making of their hit single, “Where Are U Now.”
 
The video gives insight into the creation of the track, including scenes of Skrillex auditioning never-before-heard versions of the record that didn’t made the cut. Watch below:
 

 
Related: Skrillex and Diplo Drop ‘Where Are U Now’ Video Feat. Justin Bieber

The Most Serious Skrillex and Diplo Interview Yet


 

“We’ve always been outsiders in this dance world.” – Diplo

 
Veteran journalist Charlie Rose has interviewed some of the world’s most important people on his PBS talk show. From President Obama and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld, Rose has achieved legendary status.
 
While the award-winning host has spoken with all kinds of celebrities, his musical guests are usually few and far between. Wednesday night’s episode was one of the rarities, though, as Rose sat down with Skrillex and Diplo aka Jack U for an intimate half-hour discussion about the group’s mission and philosophy. Other topics that were discussed include drug use in EDM and whether producers should be considered musicians.
 
If you like Rose’s style, we also recommend watching his interview with Nas from last year.
 
Related: A-Trak Gets Busy with Jack U’s ‘Beats Knockin”

Skrillex and Diplo Drop ‘Where Are U Now’ Video Feat. Justin Bieber


 
Some fans were skeptical when they discovered that Skrillex and Diplo’s debut Jack U album includes a song with Justin Bieber. “Where Are U Now” has been a huge success, though, and many of the naysayers have embraced it.
 
With the single currently at number 15 and climbing on the Billboard Hot 100, Skrill and Dip have released a video for the song, which features hundreds of pieces of art from fans.
 
The following message was included with the video:
 

“We are being overwhelmed, in a good way, by the success of ‘Where Are Ü Now’ with Justin Bieber, so with the video we wanted to just take it back to the beginning of the record & essentially create an ode to our fans. Doing what we do, it’s entirely all about the fans. We walk a fine line by being ‘famous’ and in the public eye but we are only here because of you, the fans. Justin wrote this record during a tough time in his life and it comes to us that sometimes, as artists, we are also just objects and we have to take that as much as we have to use that to create. We all do this for you, respect that you put us here and it’s Ü that made the video.”

 
Watch above and download “Where Are U Now” and its remixes on DJcity.
 
Related: Watch Jack U’s ‘Take U There’ Video ft. Kiesza

How to Get Signed to Skrillex’s OWSLA Label

Skrillex
Skrillex performing at Ultra Music Festival 2015. (Rukes)
 
Skrillex’s record label OWSLA is one of the most influential and forward-thinking electronic music brands in the world. The company currently boasts a roster that includes Jack U, Valentino Khan, Kill The Noise, What So Not, and DJ Sliink. It also helped build the careers of heavyweights like Zedd and Dillon Francis.
 
OWSLA was founded in 2011 by Sonny “Skrillex” Moore, Blood Company’s Tim Smith, Biz 3 Founder Kathryn Frazier, and Biz 3’s Clayton Blaha. Another key member of the team is General Manager Blaise DeAngelo, who spoke with Digital Music News about the company’s philosophy and what it takes to get signed to a label.
 
Whether you’re a fan of OWSLA or not, DeAngelo’s advice applies to any budding artist and underlines the importance of developing a distinctive brand. Below are the stand-out quotes from the interview.
 
Their goal isn’t to have a signature sound.

“People ask: ‘What’s OWSLA’s sound?’ We don’t have a sound. The unifying thread that brings all of our artists together, and I think the main thing we look for when we’re evaluating new signings, is if that person is really pushing the envelope. We look for people who are doing their own thing and building a scene around themselves.”

 
They discover new artists through existing relationships.

“For the most part things come to us. It’ll be someone who’s a friend of a friend. I guess a good example would be Alesia, the Parisian techno duo, came to us from Brodinski and the Bromance crew. So we’re friends with them, Sonny met those guys when he was playing at Social Club in Paris a few years ago. We’ve stayed tight with them because he recognized that Bromance is another label that has a very strong vision, and we’re interested in what they’re doing. They found the Alesia guys in Paris and they thought that OWSLA would be a good home for them, they sort of fit with everything we’re doing.”

 
Skrillex searches for new artists on the Internet.

“[Skrillex is] also always on SoundCloud, he’s always on YouTube, he’s always listening to stuff. He just has that insatiable desire to discover new stuff. I would say most of our A&R direction comes from Sonny or Sonny’s relationships.”

 
They’re interested in artists who are blazing their own trails.

“You can teach an artist how to mix better, how to make better sounds, how to work with the technical side of the audio engineering. . . . But what you can’t teach is that confidence in being able to generate and harvest ideas, and to pursue those ideas confidently, unwaveringly, without trying to follow trends.”

 
Related: Skrillex’s OWSLA Label Celebrates Its 3rd Anniversary

Diplo and Skrillex Drop Surprise Jack U Album

Jack U
 
In an unexpected move, Diplo and Skrillex’s Jack U group dropped their highly-anticipated debut album on Thursday night. The release comes as the duo hosts a live 24-hour DJ set through video streaming website, Twitch.
 
The 10-track album includes two previously released songs that are both available on DJcity: their debut single “Take U There” with Kiesza and a remix featuring Missy Elliot.
 
The following tracks from the album are now available on DJcity:
 
Beats Knockin ft. Fly Boi Keno
Febreze ft. 2 Chainz
Jungle Bae ft. Bunji Garlin
To U ft. AlunaGeorge
Where Are U Now ft. Justin Bieber
 
Related: Diplo and Skrillex Discuss Similarities Between Hip-Hop and EDM

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