"A close up of the Dutch Dj Afrojack",

This image was originally posted to Flickr by Michael Grech athttp://flickr.com/photos/60737252@N04/6159652159. It was reviewed on 5 July 2012 by the FlickreviewR robot and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.

Afrojack, also known as Nick van de Wall, is known for his upbeat house music that makes the crowd go crazy. Just this past week, it was announced that Afrojack, along with Robin Thicke and Imagine Dragons, is going to perform at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards. This is big news for the EDM world, because DJ's like him don't always get the chance to perform at any major music award ceremony. Afrojack deserves it, however, due to his heart for not only music, but fans as well. On Twitter, you can find Afrojack tweeting inspirational messages to his fans, telling them to stay true to their goals and never give up no matter what obstacles may reach them. Tweets like that from famous DJ's are important, now a days, as thousands of fans look up to people like him. It's those little messages that can turn lives around.

This image is from Ultra Music Festival 2012, during Afrojack's set. It was the first day of my first music festival, and I tried to capture the craziness in an image. As that is nearly impossible, I was pretty proud of the outcome. To this day, whenever I look at this image the song 'No Beef' by Steve Aoki and Afrojack starts playing in my head.

Afrojack UMF 2012 by Megan Hudack is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Double Trouble

Happening right now in Miami, FL is a two-day festival that is going down in history. Two very popular EDM DJ's are teaming up and playing back-to-back, lighting up Bayfront Park (venue of Ultra Music Festival) and rocking the surrounding city. Bassnectar and Pretty Lights, both very unique in their electronic style, brought this festival known as Basslights to the south for the first time ever. The show is open to all ages and features other artists such as Run the Jewels, Koan Sound, and Panty Raid.  This show has a little something for everyone, combining two of the biggest names for an unforgettable experience.

Bassnectar, who formerly goes by the name of Lorin Ashton, has been producing and DJing for over a decade now, is known for his freeform electronic music, and ultimately for his pumping bass. He definitely lives up to his name, making your chest pound to the music when he's on stage. Not only is he a devout music lover but also a community engager, openly advocating for numerous causes and non-profit societies. At the end of each show, Bassnectar takes a "family photo" with the crowd, facing the rear of the stage to ensure he can fit himself and the audience into the shot. He appreciates his fans dedication, giving back to them at each show he plays.

Derek Vincent Smith, also known as Pretty Lights, started his musical interest in high school producing and writing hip hop. As he's developed as an artist, so has his music, fitting under multiple genres including electronica, jazz, hip hop, and dubstep. If you've ever attended a Pretty Lights show you would understand why he chose that stage name, bringing an immense and personalized light show with him on stage. He literally illuminates the crowd, picking special effects and colors that dance with the music. A Pretty Lights show is something everybody should experience in their lifetime, and I can guarantee after seeing one show you will never want to miss another one.

With the combination of Bassnectar's bass and Pretty Lights lighting, Basslights is a show that is going to go down in history. Playing at an outside amphitheater, the entire night is sure to light up downtown Miami like no other. The two DJ's will definitely leave their mark in Miami, not only in the city itself but also in the hearts and minds of their fans.

World War III in the Music Scene

Just this past weekend, DJ Michael Woods, known for his progressive house style music, was playing in a club in South Korea. He was not alone, however, sharing the room with Justin Bieber. Justin was just there having a good time, but decided to jump into the booth and request Michael to play hip-hop. DJ's don't comply well with music requests during their sets, especially when it's a request to shift genre's COMPLETELY, and Michael denied (quite harshly, i might add, using minor profanity and telling shirtless Bieber to put a shirt on). Bieber must have been shocked that he got denied, and impulsively took a swing at Michael's tour manager.

This feud could have easily been forgotten about, however Michael Woods took to his Twitter page and tweeted the entire situation. He explained what had just happened to his 162,000 followers, getting the support from his fans and fellow DJ's, such as DeadMau5 and Laidback Luke (DJ's are in their own kind of music family, always there to back each other up..especially when it comes to Twitter). That might not have been Michael Woods' smartest move, however, due to the fact that Justin Bieber has 45 million followers (80% of them being teenage girls). Michael Woods woke up the next morning with his Twitter inbox FULL of 'Beliebers' bashing him about the incident, pointing fingers and calling him every name in the book. Bieber didn't even tweet anything about the situation, and Michael Woods had hundreds of Bieber's fans attacking him, blaming him for the entire situation and calling him 'talentless' and 'immature'.

This just shows the power of social media in the midst of a situation, whether it be big or small. Anything you post on Twitter or Facebook is accessible to anyone, and Michael Woods had to learn that the hard way. Twitter is a platform that is easily changing not only the social aspect of life, but also music, business, art, and many other aspects.

Bottom line: don't tag Justin Bieber in a tweet that the Beliebers won't like.

Atmosphere Tour in Full Effect

DJ Kaskade's Atmosphere tour is in full swing after his two first shows went down with a bang. The first show, taking place at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, was everything Kaskade and his fans could ever dream of. He showed his love and appreciation of fan support via Twitter, thanking everybody for giving him a night he would never forget. He hypes each show up on social media individually, ensuring each fan that they will have an experience like no other. With lights, bass, music, his own production, and a few surprises, both the Miami and New York shows have been anything but ordinary.

Catering to the fans, Kaskade added a post-show after party at a local New York club. Arriving at the club around 2 am, coming straight from his show, he played a set for his fans until 8 am. Having the energy and dedication to DJ for your fans for almost 11 hours is why I consider Kaskade to be the most respected DJ in the game. He shows his appreciation in ways that other DJs would never do, putting his heart and soul into every single show and changing lives one song at a time.
Even if you can not make it to a show, following him on Twitter gives you a behind the scenes look into each event. He retweets fans, posts pictures, gives thanks, and is always excited for the next show, never missing a beat.

It's safe to say Kaskade has never let any of his fans down. He is just as loyal to us as we are to them, and other artists should take notes.