Something Wicked Artist Profile: Alex Young

Most 16-year-olds are prepping for the SATs and just starting to think about what they want to do with the rest of their lives. But Something Wicked artist Alex Young is nothing like “most” 16-year-olds.

Native to the suburbs of Washington D.C., Alex began making music in 2011. “I was doing the thing all the DJs do before DJing – I was in a band and I was like playing guitar and stuff. But two years ago, I was taking recording classes and mixing/audio classes at this music school a mile from my house and I heard a Skrillex record or something and was like, ‘woah this is insane.’ At the same time I think I heard Skrillex the first week I was at the school taking DJ classes because my mom was like, ‘you have done the audio engineering thing too much and the band thing too much so why don’t you try something new?’ And I was like, ‘but mom Djing is so lame!’ So I took it and at first I was skeptical about, it but then I was like, ‘wow this is insane- this is so cool!’ That week, I started producing and Djing, so I wasn’t Djing before I was producing and I wasn’t producing before I was DJing.”

We first fell in love with Alex when his track “Boomerang” was mixed in by trap heavyweights Flosstradamus on their Banned mixtape series, “…yeah that was super cool getting on the Banned 2 mixtape because you know, they kind of innovated the entire hip-hop, rap, instrumental, trap like scene.” With his blend of glossy electro, house, and hip hop, Alex has earned the support of artists like Skrillex, Diplo, Dillon Francis, Kill The Noise, Flosstradamus, 12th Planet, RL Grime and Baauer. “Honestly, my style is very hip hop-influenced, but I try to fuse that with electronic music,” he goes on. “I’m trying to create the perfect balance between hard-hitting and melodic songs.”

Since his debut to the world, he has gone on to release a number of tracks like “Outrage” and more recently, “Mastermind.” Venturing away from his bass beginnings, “Mastermind” is a monster progressive track, showing off the young prodigy’s versatility between multiple genres. But if you ask him, age ain’t nothing but a number, “Many people can’t believe how old I am, however, that’s not what’s important. I want to make music that leaves a lasting impression and is remembered for years to come.”

Though this Wicked talent is too young to even to attend half of those places he’s playing at, his music has a great energy that will bring any club-goer to their feet. With an EP due out later this year, we’re are excited to welcome Alex Young to the Sam Houston Race Park in Houston, TX for Something Wicked on Saturday, October 26th. Don’t miss out on your chance to be a part of the ghoulish fun – buy your tickets today!

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The weekend is here! Break out the cold drinks, hang out with friends and whatever you do, don’t think about work or school. Saturday, October 26th will include all of that and then some, as Houston’s premier Halloween event, Something Wicked returns to the Sam Houston Race Park. Have you bought your tickets yet?

Before we get down, here are three mixes from our Wicked roster to get you pumped for the upcoming event.

Arnej – ASOT600 Mumbai

Any trance fan will tell you that A State of Trance is one of the most, if not the most-anticipated events for the genre. This year, Arnej joined the all-star lineup for the world famous ASOT 600 in Mumbai.

Arnej’s set starts of with an intro version of “Adagio,” creating a wafting space for the crowd. You can feel the tension and energy mount as he dives into a collection of tracks that deliver on that same driving innovation that made the event (and its empire) so popular in the first place.

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Ryan Hemsworth – Koalas & Echidnas (Triple J Friday Mix)

The Triple J mix show is one of Australia’s most notable radio exports. Reading the list of past guests reads like a who’s who of dance music heavy hitters. Something Wicked artist Ryan Hemsworth provided his talents to the revered brand.

The Koala and Enchidnas mix is what we’ve come to know and love about Ryan Hemsworth. Starting off with a cover of Ciara, the mix features a heavy dose of some of Ryan’s own edits, demos and remixes.

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Dancing Astronaut presents Axis Episode 071: Mixed by Cosmic Gate

German trance outfit Cosmic Gate provided their skills on Dancing Astronaut’s 71st episode of their radio show Axis.

Combining main stage energy with an uplifting trance foundation, the 12 track mix features music from a variety of artists and genres including “What We Did” from Vitodito & Daga, Mat Zo’s “Pyramid Scheme” and remixes of their own productions, “Crushed” and “Storm Chaser” by Rafael Frost and KhomHa.

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As Something Wicked inches closer, we want to know, who’s ready to feed their devilish side? If you’re feeling wicked, come celebrate the Hallows Eve at the Sam Houston Race Park on Saturday, October 26th in Houston, TX. Buy your tickets today and save!

For today’s Sound Clash, we are actually merging two friends. Both Cyril Hahn and Henry Krinkle have been making waves in dance music as of late and are currently on a North American Tour. We can’t wait to see what sounds these two have in store for us – no matter just how different those two sounds may be.

Cyril Hahn

Cyril Hahn started turning heads in 2012 with his sensational rework of Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name.” With down-pitched vocals and emotive synths, the Swiss-born Vancouver resident has racked in over two million plays on Soundcloud for the release, appealing to both the house and bass heads. Surprisingly enough, however, Cyril is new to the production game. “I only started producing electronic music this year and yes, it definitely feels sudden. I just started producing for fun and had no clue people were going to respond to the songs the way they did.”

With a crate filled with sexy, laid back originals and remixes, you’d think that his etheric melodies were made on vintage analog synths. “All I’ve used for my song[s] so far is a laptop and a midi keyboard. I think the warm sound comes from using a lot of vintage synthesizer sounds, but also the use of white noise/field recordings. I always liked the lo-fi aesthetic of the records I grew up with. Background noise or white noise was never something that bothered me on a recording. I think noise gives a song more character, a certain organic quality. That’s why I often include white noise or field recordings in my production. I don’t want my song to sound too sterile or mechanical. White noise is definitely a way to work against that.”

Currently preparing for the release of his Perfect Form EP due out October 7th, we’re excited to have this fresh new talent join Something Wicked on Saturday, October 26th. Buy your tickets today to save big!

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Henry Krinkle

Henry Krinkle‘s music sounds like it came directly from the streets of the UK, but in fact, our Something Wicked talent is from Florida. Despite this, he has found great success in perfecting the sounds of UK post-dubstep (a term used to describe artists like James Blake and Mount Kimbie), bass and future house. Often titling his tracks as “lush house,” Henry Krinkle is creating an exciting new sound in today’s dance music.

Though the Florida born, Shanghai-based talent has been dropping beats since his days stateside, Henry Krinkle first grabbed our attention with his 2012 release “Stay.” The captivating track is rich in atmospheric textures keeping time with understated kick drum. Taking vocals from Alicia Keys’ “Unthinkable” to create the sample, the beauty of “Stay” is unmistakable, softly panning reverbed synths throughout the track. The icing on top is the way Krinkle contains the white noise to release it into a resonating sweep sure to put a smile on your face.

Known for his warm, refreshingly sexy house and bass productions that often incorporate reworked r&b vocals, Henry Krinkle has found the perfect formula for create catchy, ethereal tunes. We’re definitely ready to hear some lush house when Henry Krinkle makes his way to Something Wicked. Buy your tickets today!

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