Musings: Is EDM dead?

I'm usually a fervent supporter of EDM. I think there's a large amount of good electronic out there that's fun, danceable, poppy, and catchy, and a lot of music within the blanket term should be treated with the respect it deserves. I'm willing to defend my opinion most of the time, too. I remember a discussion I had with Sputnikmusic mod and electronic music whiz Deviant about this topic, where he referred to EDM as "a term being used to sell a trend, nothing more...It's just more bandwagonning of a sound that's been dumbed down and mass produced. In the words of Deadmau5, it's 'minimal effort for maximum return.'" At the time, I was peeved that someone would think of a general blanket term I identified with as "dumbed-down." How was that possible, I wondered? After all, I enjoy big, earth-shaking wobbles and snarls for the most part. Plus, even as promotion channels like UKFDubstep and labels like Play Me and OWSLA began to lose their savor, I still found many positives in the scene which so many find so abhorrent.

Album Review: Zedd - Clarity

Album Rating: C-/C

It's interesting that the powers that be in the electronic dance music (EDM) world have chosen Zedd, of all people, to be the chosen one of sorts, especially with a whole ocean of talent to choose from. One of the few producers to be signed by a major label (Interscope Records), Zedd, also known as Anton Zaslavsky, has been pumping out material ever since he started receiving big-name attention back in 2011. Skrillex endorsed him, Dim Mak Recordings signed him, and he's been playing huge venues around the world and selling his singles at the top of the electronic charts. Which is interesting, because Zedd is one of the most inconsistent producers out there. Alternating between fun, quasi-breaky electro along the lines of "Slam The Door" and "Shave It" and generic, stadium-filling progressive drivel like "Spectrum" that seems to have been made simply to please the same kinds of people that poppy DJs like David Guetta and Afrojack cater to, Zaslavsky simply hasn't consistently come out with a string of good releases. He's at his best when he's making wobbly electro house with interesting beats; unfortunately he's at his worst when he tries to step away from it.