Monstercat | |
---|---|
Founded | 1 July 2011 |
Founder | |
Genre | Electronic dance music |
Country of origin | Canada |
Location | Vancouver, British Columbia |
Official website | www |
Monstercat (formerly known as Monstercat Media) is a Canadian independent electronic music record label based in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Founded in 2011 by Mike Darlington and Ari Paunonen, the label released regular compilation albums featuring music from various artists, beginning with the release of its first compilation album, Monstercat 001 – Launch Week. Until the release of Monstercat 030 – Finale in 2017, each compilation was given a name and depicted the story of the aforementioned mascot in the album cover. This preceded a rebranding of the label, with a new series of albums titled Monstercat Uncaged. In 2018, Monstercat introduced a new brand titled "Instinct". In 2021, Monstercat acquired electronic label Silk Music to form a third brand titled "Monstercat Silk". The compilations ended the same year with the release of Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 11. [1]
Monstercat has featured many notable artists, including Pegboard Nerds, Vicetone, and Seven Lions. Monstercat has also released soundtrack albums for various video games, including Fortnite , Rocket League and Beat Saber . [2]
The label is best known for the 2016 release of the song "Alone" by American DJ Marshmello, which reached Platinum status in the United States and Canada in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The April Fool's Day release of "Crab Rave" by Irish music producer Noisestorm became an internet meme for months after its release.
Monstercat Media was founded on 1 July 2011 by Mike Darlington (born 1989) [3] and Ari Paunonen (born 1989/90), [3] two university students from Waterloo, Ontario. The label's YouTube channel, which served as a medium to promote their friends and their music, was created the same day, [4] [5] and began a tri-weekly upload schedule in October. [6] The young students were later responsible for the creation of the label's uniform compilation albums. [4]
The team moved to their current offices in Vancouver in 2012 after Darlington and Paunonen finished school. [7]
In July 2014, Monstercat surpassed one million in record sales across the label. [5] When asked about the label's model, Darlington said:
People don't need record labels anymore. Artists can do everything on their own. So we either had to do it for them better or provide a platform and marketing tool they can't find on their own. That's where the community concept came for Monstercat. We created a brand that fans can use to discover music and [that] artists can use as a platform for getting their music out there. [5]
In August 2014, Monstercat published a manifesto calling for the reform of copyright law. In it, they described their desire to allow musicians more freedom in sampling other musicians' recordings. [7] [8]
In December 2014, Monstercat launched Monstercat FM as part of live-streaming service Twitch's start in music broadcasting. [9] Monstercat FM is a 24/7 radio station-like Twitch stream featuring many of Monstercat's releases from throughout their history as a label. The launch event for the stream was a DJ set by Monstercat artist Stephen Walking. Monstercat FM was eventually added to YouTube and Microsoft-owned live-streaming website Mixer. [10]
Since 2015, Monstercat has participated in multiple music festivals. One such festival was the Amsterdam Dance Event. Billboard described their 2015 show as "a three-hour mixer outing". [11]
In May 2016, Monstercat signed American producer Marshmello's single, "Alone". Its music video has amassed over 2 billion views combined across YouTube, [12] including a label record 161 million views on Monstercat's YouTube channel As of December 2019. [update] These views contributed to the artist earning $21 million the year after the video's release. [12]
In June 2017, Monstercat partnered with Psyonix to promote the second anniversary of the video game Rocket League by releasing Rocket League x Monstercat Vol. 1 , an 18-song album from artists who had previously signed songs to Monstercat, including Slushii, Aero Chord and Vicetone. The album was released on 5 July 2017. [13] Monstercat also announced their own television channel, Monstercat TV, on the Pluto TV television platform the same month. [14] [15]
In July 2017, Monstercat won DJ Mag 's Best Breakthrough Label, competing against other labels such as Discwoman, Tuskegee Music, Perspectives Digital and Honey Soundsystem. [16] Monstercat has hosted an annual block party near their headquarters, "Monstercat Compound", since 2017. [17]
In November 2017, Monstercat received the label's first certified platinum record for the 2016 song "Alone" by Marshmello. In an email to Billboard , Mike Darlington expressed his gratitude towards the collaboration and expressed his praise for Marshmello's success. [18]
In December 2017, Monstercat was named one of the five best independent dance labels of 2017 by Billboard. [19]
On the week of 1 January 2018, Monstercat announced a split in branding into two distinct themes, "Uncaged" and "Instinct", citing the diversity of their music library. [20] This was accompanied by the creation of a separate channel, named Monstercat: Instinct. The Instinct brand features music that has a prominent focus on melodic aspects, including genres such as house and future bass. The change included a retirement of the tri-weekly release schedule in favour of a release schedule of four times a week and a podcast episode in-between. [21] [22]
In another first for the label, 9 August saw a collaborative single with Sumerian Records. Called "Kneel Before Me", produced by Slander and Crankdat, and featuring Asking Alexandria, the single was praised across both the electronic and rock music industries. [23]
In September 2018, two weeks before Rocket League x Monstercat Vol. 4 released, Gavin Johnson, Head of Gaming for Monstercat, spoke of the collaboration between the label and Psyonix:
I met Josh Watson (Esports Operations Manager of Psyonix) at one of our Monstercat gaming-driven events during E3 of 2016. Shortly after, Josh introduced me to their Audio Director Mike Ault as he had a vision for how he wanted to approach music in Rocket League which mirrored that of our ethos with Monstercat. During our first call, it was clear that we shared the same desire to build new platforms for exhibiting artists to be on and grow. The groundwork Rocket League x Monstercat Vol. 1 begun immediately afterwards. [24]
In November 2018, Noisestorm's April Fools' Day single, "Crab Rave", entered Billboard 's Dance/Electronic Songs chart. The Irish music artist, writing to the magazine, praised its entrance onto the chart, and expressed his approval of its status as an internet meme. [25]
In 2019, Monstercat partnered with Dutch video game developer Soedesco to compose music for its video game, Xenon Racer . [26] The game was released on 26 March of that year. [27]
On 14 March 2019, Czech-based indie studio Beat Games released their first paid Downloadable content (DLC) song pack for their virtual reality rhythm game Beat Saber for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4. The song pack was released as a partnership with Monstercat, titled Monstercat Music Pack Vol. 1. It features a collection of 10 tracks from the record label, [28] including songs from Aero Chord, Pegboard Nerds, Muzzy, Stonebank and Kayzo. [29] The song pack was released for $12.99 USD, (or $1.99 per individual track), with Monstercat offering new subscribers a free month of their Gold Subscription. [30] A crossover music pack with Rocket League was released in November 2019. [31]
In July 2019, to coincide with the label's eighth anniversary, Monstercat announced a partnership with Linden Labs to bring live music experiences into the developer's virtual reality game, Sansar . [32] The collaboration, called the Monstercat: Call of the Wild Experience, began on 12 July, and hosts a live virtual reality alternative to Monstercat's weekly Call of the Wild radio show. [32]
On 9 February 2021, Monstercat announced that they had acquired progressive house label Silk Music to form a third brand under the Monstercat label, titled "Monstercat Silk". [33] The brand was promoted to focus on the progressive aspect of electronic music, continuing its signature style of progressive house and trance among similar genres. In the deal, Silk Music director Jacob Henry retained his directorial position with the brand. Silk Music's YouTube channel and social media accounts were rebranded to "Monstercat Silk" alongside the announcement (with Monstercat retaining Silk's 24/7 YouTube streams and the Silk Music Showcase radio show), while Monstercat also announced that with the acquisition, they would be moving to having 6 releases a week, with each brand having 2 releases a week.
On 17 September 2021, Monstercat and Westwood Recordings released an eight-track collaborative compilation album titled Compound 2021, featuring artists such as The Funk Hunters, Kotek, and Defunk. It also coincides with the fourth year of the Monstercat Compound block party after a hiatus in 2020, which took place a day after the release of the compilation. [34] [35]
On 18 August 2023, Monstercat released Gorilla Warfare, the debut album by Diesel, the stage name of basketball player Shaquille O'Neal. [36]
Monstercat signs artists on a single-track basis, [22] allowing them to move between labels and brands without an exclusive contract. [42]
Monstercat has supported prominent artists such as Krewella, [43] [44] Gareth Emery, [45] Knife Party, [46] Modestep, [47] Seven Lions, and Infected Mushroom. [48] Other producers with connections to the label include:
Year | Organization | Recipient(s) | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | DJ Mag [16] | Monstercat | Best breakthrough label | Won |
EDM Sauce [138] | Best record label | Won | ||
Dancing Astronaut [139] | Label Of The Year | Won | ||
Billboard [19] | Best Independent Dance Label | Contained | ||
EDM Sauce [140] | Call of the Wild | Best Radio Show | 2 | |
2018 | Billboard [141] | Monstercat | Best Independent Dance Label | Contained |
2019 | International Dance Music Awards [142] [143] | Monstercat | Best Label | Won |
Best YouTube Channel | Nominated | |||
Call of the Wild | Best Podcast/Radio Show | Nominated | ||
2024 | Electronic Dance Music Awards [144] | Monstercat | Label of the Year | Nominated |
Vicetone is a Dutch electronic music production DJ duo formed by Ruben den Boer and Victor Pool from Groningen. The duo began as a DJ act, and in 2013, they were voted into the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs list for the first time at 60th as a new entry. Later in 2014, they went up 24 places on the list, coming 36th. In 2015, they fell 14 places to 50th. They made a return to the Top 100, coming in at 83rd in 2019 but dropped out the subsequent year.
David Nothaker, better known by his stage name Notaker, is an American DJ and producer based in St. Louis, Missouri. He is best known for his midtempo-progressive style and for breakout singles like "Infinite", "Shimmer", and "The Storm" which have amassed over 11 million, 2.5 million, and 3.7 million streams on Spotify respectively. Notaker has performed at music festivals across the United States including Global Dance Festival in Denver, Das Energy in Utah, and Freaky Deaky in Texas.
James Leusink, better known by his alias Ephixa, is a Canadian electronic music producer who lives in Ontario, Canada. He is best known for his viral "Charlie Sheen Bi-Winning" dubstep remix, remixes of music from the Legend of Zelda franchise as well as various other remixes and original electronic music. Leusink peaked at #11 on Billboard's Next Big Sound chart in November 2011. Ephixa is also known for the first ever single released by Canadian record label Monstercat, "Dubstep Killed Rock 'n' Roll".
Conor Patton, better known by his stage name Conro, is a Canadian DJ and record producer, based in Kelowna, British Columbia. He is best known for his song "Therapy" with over 21 million streams on Spotify and as an artist of the Canadian record label Monstercat.
Matthew Lee, known professionally by his stage name Gammer, is an English music producer and DJ. He is best known for his association with UK hardcore, of which he is described as an icon. He is also the co-founder of the Together We Rise record label, which is dedicated to hardcore music.
Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 1 is the thirty-first compilation album by the independent record label Monstercat and was released on 12 May 2017. Uncaged Vol. 1 contains thirty-one songs from various artists as well as an album mix.
This is the discography of electronic dance music producers and DJs Pegboard Nerds.
"Cold Hearted" is a song by American electronic producers Jeff Montalvo and Jacob Stanczak. Canadian record label Monstercat released it on October 25, 2017.
Mustafa Alobaidi, better known by his stage name Muzz, is an English drum and bass producer and DJ. He first gained attention with his release on UKF, "X No Way Out" in 2010 and continues to release music, most predominantly on Monstercat. He has also worked with other labels, such as UKF Music and Liquicity.
The music of Rocket League, a vehicular football video game developed and published by Psyonix, is a compilation of electronic dance music (EDM) produced and curated by Psyonix audio director Mike Ault. It currently features music from 45 different artists, and has spawned a discography of four albums and four extended plays. The original soundtrack was produced by Ault and his band Hollywood Principle. Ault, having experimented with different genres, used personal projects unrelated to Rocket League as a base for the soundtrack. What followed was an EDM soundtrack inspired by early-to-mid 2000s progressive house music that Ault and Psyonix felt "embodied the spirit of the game." When in-game, the music is controlled using the playlist system "Rocket League Radio". Positive feedback from players, in addition to Ault's vision of a "big budget" playlist sound emulating Triple-A sports games such as the EA Sports titles, inspired him and the team to feature independent artists to be included in Rocket League's soundtrack. Ault credits the success of the soundtrack to the appeal of the EDM genre to the game's player base. In 2017, Canadian EDM label Monstercat partnered with Psyonix and began to feature its artists, and their music, in Rocket League, with multiple volumes featuring the music being released by the label.
"Over the Edge" is a song by American electronic producer Hayden Capuozzo and English UK hardcore producer Matthew Lee, featuring American singer-songwriter August Hausman. Canadian record label Monstercat released it on August 11, 2017. The song was featured on the compilation album Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 2, released August 25, 2017.
"Party Don't Stop" is a song by English UK hardcore producers Darren Mew, Paul Clarke and Matthew Lee. Canadian record label Monstercat released it on 26 July 2017. The song was featured on the compilation album Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 2, released 25 August 2017.
"Ready to Fly" is a song by Swedish electronic producer Didrick, featuring American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young of Owl City. Canadian record label Monstercat released it on 9 January 2018. The song was released as the debut of Monstercat: Instinct and was the first song to be released as part of the compilation album Monstercat Instinct Vol. 1, released 15 June 2018.
"Crab Rave" is a song by Irish DJ and music producer Noisestorm. Canadian record label Monstercat released it on 1 April 2018.
"FTW" is a song by electronic music duo Lets Be Friends, consisting of English DJ and producer John Ford and Israeli electronic music producer Oren Emanuel. Canadian record label Monstercat released it on 3 February 2014. The song was originally released as part of the compilation album Monstercat 016 – Expedition, released 26 February 2014. It was later featured as part of Monstercat's Best of 2014 compilation album, released on 26 January 2015.
"Losing You" is a song by Canadian electronic music producer Ephixa and American singer-songwriter Laura Brehm. Canadian record label Monstercat released it on 1 February 2017. The song was originally released as part of the compilation album Monstercat 030 – Finale, released 22 February 2017. It was later featured as part of Monstercat's Best of 2017 compilation album, released on 18 December 2017.
"Possession" is a song by Dutch-American electronic music duo Kuuro. Canadian record label Monstercat released it on May 19, 2017. The song was originally released as part of the compilation album Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 2, released August 25, 2017. It was later featured as part of Monstercat's Best of 2017 compilation album, released on December 18, 2017.
"Manslaughter" is a song by electronic music duo Lets Be Friends, consisting of English DJ and producer John Ford and Israeli electronic music producer Oren Emanuel. They self-released the song under their record label Unwanted on 17 January 2013. The song was released as part of the duo's debut extended play Lets Be Friends EP 1, released on 8 July 2013. The song's voice clips are sampled from a stand-up comedy routine by Brian Regan.
Austin Collins, better known as Au5, is an American electronic musician from New Jersey. Au5's music encompasses a range of electronic genres such as dubstep, house, trance, drum and bass, drumstep and ambient, and he is known for fusing the characteristics of trance and dubstep in his music. Au5 is best known for his releases on Canadian label Monstercat, some of which have received millions of views on YouTube.
One came courtesy of Vancouver imprint Monstercat, which took attendees on a three-hour mixer outing to highlight a traditionally low-key Sunday (Oct. 18).
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His latest EP My Prayers Have Become Ghosts, was put out by EDM powerhouse label Monstercat this past year. The EP serves as a unique blend of cinematic, atmospheric, and eerie musical overtones.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Rocket League X Monstercat remixes of fan favorite songs will be added celebrating the music's legacy throughout the years.