Inspired by Eurodance songs of the 90s, Wxmell and RYL0‘s “Disc Jockey” is a celebration of the sounds that shaped them into groundbreaking hyperpop artists of today. We asked the collaborators to concoct a playlist of their peak rave influences—read on for their selections, and listen to the playlist below.
Wxmell’s Rave Songs:
“Tune Up” – Ravers Fantasy
Oh man. I would quite literally listen to this song on my iPod nano and bike around my neighborhood trying to imagine what a rave was like. Back when I used to do lightshows (gloving) competitively, this is one of the songs I would practice to religiously.
“Scantraxx Roots” – Headhunterz
It’s 2009. Way before LMFAO decided to make the song “Party Rock Anthem.”
On YouTube there is a video called “Melbourne Shuffle Compilation 3”. The trance breakdown the video starts with is this track. I love this song for the heavy euphoric elements that influence my production to this day. This video changed my life and introduced me to one of my favorite genres of dance music, hardstyle. I wanted to be a raver. I wanted to shuffle. I tried to learn…and I wasn’t very good.
“Don’t Stop” – ATB
Early 2000’s Eurodance is some of my favorite music. From the moment it was introduced to me, I could already sense its nostalgic quality. Back when I used to ride my BMX bike around my neighborhood I always enjoyed cruising to this one. On a side note, I went to Amoeba Music in San Francisco a few weeks ago and was excited to see a glimpse of an “ATB” section, only to find it completely empty. I fell to my knees in Amoeba right then and there.
“FML” – Deadmau5
I grew up listening to a LOT of deadmau5. My favorite album of his has to be 4×4=12.
In 7th grade I made—well, my mom made—a paper maîche deadmau5 head that is still collecting dust in my garage. The reason I chose “FML” specifically is that it always stood out to me as a pretty strange deadmau5 track. Instead of ambient pads and atmospheric supersaws, it starts with one minute of a drumline and goes into the hardest minimal drop of 2009.
“100% In The Bitch” – Porter Robinson
As a long-time fan, I have to put a Porter song in here. I love Nurture and I also love Worlds, but what initially got me hooked on his music was Spitfire. I could go on about how timeless and beautiful “Language” is, how imaginative and groundbreaking Worlds is, and how relatable and sweet Nurture is, but no, let’s talk about “100% In The Bitch.” He LITERALLY samples a random YouTube video about a dude who’s teaching a Japanese lesson with the hardest moombahton beat of all time. I have a vivid memory of him performing the second drop live in 2012, and I still get goosebumps thinking about it. I miss that energy, dance music had almost a punk feeling to it back then.
RYL0’s Rave Songs:
“I Could Be the One” – Avicii & Nicky Romero
Avicii was one of the first artists that got me into EDM, and I remember first hearing this song and being really enamored with it in a way that I wasn’t with previous releases within the genre. Pop was just so untouchable in the early 2010s too, so I think hearing that style of songwriting over this euphoric progressive house track really opened a gateway for me and my developing musical interests. 10 years later and it’s still one of my all-time faves.
“Enjoy the Ride” – Krewella
I was absolutely obsessed with Krewella in high school… so much so that I performed this song in front of my entire school after composing and then teaching the vocal arrangement to my acapella group. It’s a little cringe to think about now, but I took a lot of pride in it at the time. I hadn’t previously aspired to occupy a space in dance music, but hearing these two really fierce women give really charismatic performances while dominating these crazy aggressive tracks was really badass and inspiring. I definitely think my own vocal delivery has been massively informed by their earlier releases.
“Vroom Vroom” – Charli XCX
This one feels so obvious that I almost didn’t want to include it, but it’s classic. I love Charli and Sophie together and as individual artists, but I remember being so confused when I first heard this one. I didn’t really get it on the first few listens but once I got it, it became another song that completely opened a gateway down an entirely different rabbit hole. Obviously, “Vroom Vroom” is a rave staple now. It plays every time I go out and it’s so unanimously well-loved that it almost doesn’t even feel experimental anymore which is really cool and a true show of its influence.
“Dance Floor” – MC Boing
This song totally changed my brain chemistry when I first heard it. Like it was legitimately all I would listen to when it came out because it felt like it was scratching a part of my brain that I never used before. It’s one of those songs that if I hear it in an actual mix, I’ll completely lose my mind every time. It does the same thing that Vengaboys do but it feels more obviously feral. It’s not trying to be anything other than a really hype party song and I think songs like that get overlooked all the time.
“Angel Voices” – Virtual Self
I’ve always been a huge Porter Robinson fan and his earlier works have held a massive influence over my tastes to this day. As far as rave tracks go, though, his Virtual Self project is such a distinctly different tone than his solo work. I think “Angel Voices” especially is one of the coolest songs he’s ever made and even though people love both the song and Porter, it still manages to be underrated somehow. It explores a lot of different phrases throughout the song while being cohesive throughout and it’s such a great display of complex composition in a dance track.
Follow Wxmell and RYL0 on Spotify.
Saint Audio 