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Dispatches from 4 a.m. — underground techno and the wider electronic music scene.
On the wire
Fred again.. Is Right About AI Music — For One Specific Reason Alison Wonderland's Independence Is the Power Move, Not the Fallback EDM Has an Authenticity Problem, and It's Not Just About AI Kaskade, Boys Noize, and a New Supergroup Just Proved the Album Isn't Dead in Dance Music Three Legends, Three Old Records: Why Dance Music's Elders Are Suddenly Looking Backward 1.6 Million People: Calvin Harris Just Set the DJ Record That Ends the Argument $158 Million: RÜFÜS DU SOL Just Ended the 'EDM Can't Fill Arenas' Argument Above & Beyond Are Turning 25 Years of Anjuna Into an Ambient Record Beatport Bans AI Tracks, Apple Labels Them. The Reckoning Started. Paul van Dyk Is Playing the 303 by Hand, No Laptop Safety Net Dolly Parton Understood PLUR Better Than Most Ravers Ever Will
Alison Wonderland's Independence Is the Power Move, Not the Fallback

Alison Wonderland's Independence Is the Power Move, Not the Fallback

On her 40th birthday, Alison Wonderland released her first fully independent single in 15 years, on her own label. That's not an artist stepping down from the majors — that's one finally stepping into full control.

· Oct 3, 2026
EDM Has an Authenticity Problem, and It's Not Just About AI

EDM Has an Authenticity Problem, and It's Not Just About AI

Fred again.. says the messy human process is the actual magic. The same week, deadmau5 and The Chainsmokers are calling out DJs who fake crowd reactions with dubbed-over audio. Different tech, same question: what's real anymore?

· Sep 30, 2026
Kaskade, Boys Noize, and a New Supergroup Just Proved the Album Isn't Dead in Dance Music

Kaskade, Boys Noize, and a New Supergroup Just Proved the Album Isn't Dead in Dance Music

Three unrelated drops this week — Kaskade's genre-spanning ORIGIN //, Boys Noize's first solo album in five years, and supergroup HALŌ's debut — all bet on the full-length over another one-off single. That's not a coincidence, it's a signal.

· Sep 27, 2026
Three Legends, Three Old Records: Why Dance Music's Elders Are Suddenly Looking Backward

Three Legends, Three Old Records: Why Dance Music's Elders Are Suddenly Looking Backward

Carl Cox reworked an industrial classic, Darude finally remixed his own 'Sandstorm' after 25 years, and Paul van Dyk built a whole new live show around the 303. Three unconnected stories, one thesis: the genre's veterans are treating their own history as material, not nostalgia.

· Sep 24, 2026
1.6 Million People: Calvin Harris Just Set the DJ Record That Ends the Argument

1.6 Million People: Calvin Harris Just Set the DJ Record That Ends the Argument

Guinness confirmed it — Calvin Harris played to 1.6 million people in São Paulo, the biggest solo DJ set in history. It's a number that dwarfs most rock and pop concerts and reframes where dance music sits.

· Sep 22, 2026
$158 Million: RÜFÜS DU SOL Just Ended the 'EDM Can't Fill Arenas' Argument

$158 Million: RÜFÜS DU SOL Just Ended the 'EDM Can't Fill Arenas' Argument

The Inhale/Exhale tour grossed $158M and sold 1.7M tickets — the highest-grossing, best-selling electronic run in Billboard Boxscore history. Live dance music now plays on rock-and-pop's field.

· Sep 20, 2026
Above & Beyond Are Turning 25 Years of Anjuna Into an Ambient Record

Above & Beyond Are Turning 25 Years of Anjuna Into an Ambient Record

'Anjuna:Chilled 01' reworks 16 catalog classics as beatless, downtempo versions — including a 'Sun & Moon' with a verse you've never heard. For a label's 25th, stripping it all down is the flex.

· Sep 20, 2026
Beatport Bans AI Tracks, Apple Labels Them. The Reckoning Started.

Beatport Bans AI Tracks, Apple Labels Them. The Reckoning Started.

Beatport is banning fully AI-generated music outright; Apple Music is tagging it. Two platforms, two philosophies, one turning point — the industry is finally drawing lines around AI before the catalog drowns.

· Sep 16, 2026
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