EDM Artist News
Martin Garrix And MOTi Mark 12 Years Of ‘Virus (How About Now)’
Title: Martin Garrix And MOTi Mark 12 Years Of ‘Virus (How About Now)’
Martin Garrix and MOTi mark 12 years of ‘Virus (How About Now)’, one of the biggest big room collaborations from their 2014 period
It’s been 12 years since Martin Garrix and MOTi teamed up on ‘Virus (How About Now)’, a collaboration that quickly became a familiar part of the big room sound dominating electronic dance music in 2014. The track had already been appearing in major DJ sets before its official release, with speculation growing around who was behind the then-unidentified record. Once Spinnin’ Records confirmed Martin Garrix and MOTi, ‘Virus (How About Now)’ went on to receive support from names including Hardwell, Avicii, Tiësto, David Guetta, Afrojack, W&W and Nicky Romero.
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How ‘Virus (How About Now)’ Came Together
The collaboration started after MOTi shared an early version of ‘Virus’ with Martin Garrix, several years after the two first became friends. MOTi later recalled that Martin Garrix liked the melody of the drop and added the breakdown, with the pair finishing the track together. The final version also featured vocals from Jenny Wahlström, who received a songwriting credit alongside Martin Garrix, MOTi, Niclas Lundin and Leon Paul Palmen.
At the time, both artists were closely connected to the big room and electro house sound that had become central to major festivals. Martin Garrix was coming off the success of records such as ‘Animals’ and ‘Wizard’, while MOTi had already released music through Musical Freedom, including ‘Zeus’ with Kenneth G and ‘This Is Dirty’ with DVBBS. Their styles met naturally on ‘Virus (How About Now)’, which went on to reach No. 1 on the Beatport Top 100.
‘Virus’ Became A Major 2014 Festival Record
By the time the track became officially available, support from some of electronic music’s biggest DJs had already helped introduce it to festival audiences. Spinnin’ Records published the official music video on October 13, 2014, while the commercial single later appeared across platforms that month. The track also charted internationally, including in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany.
The accompanying video followed the song’s title quite literally, with a virus passing between different people while a computer game runs alongside the story. Released during the same period as the track, it went on to collect more than 22 million views on the official Spinnin’ Records upload.
More than a decade later, ‘Virus (How About Now)’ remains closely connected to the period when big room was dominating festival stages around the world. For Martin Garrix and MOTi, the collaboration captured a moment when both producers were releasing music made for those larger stages, and its continued presence in throwback sets has kept the track familiar well beyond 2014.
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Daft Punk’s ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’ celebrates 25 years since its release as one of the most recognisable tracks from their album ‘Discovery’
Twenty-five years after Daft Punk released ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’, the track remains one of the songs most closely associated with Discovery. Its chopped funk sample, robotic vocal and repetitive structure gave the album one of its most distinctive moments, while the song itself would go on to have a much longer life beyond 2001. From Alive 2007 to Kanye West’s use of the track on ‘Stronger’, ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’ became part of several major moments that kept bringing new listeners back to Daft Punk.
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The Story Behind ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’
Much of the track’s character comes from Edwin Birdsong’s ‘Cola Bottle Baby’, a 1979 funk record that Daft Punk sampled while working on Discovery. Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo reshaped that material around the song’s repeated rhythm and processed vocal, turning a short sequence of words into one of the album’s most recognisable hooks.
That approach also reflected what Daft Punk were doing across Discovery, where samples, live instrumentation and electronic production regularly met in unexpected ways. Released in 2001, the album included ‘One More Time’, ‘Digital Love’, ‘Something About Us’ and ‘Face to Face’, with ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’ becoming one of the tracks that listeners continued returning to long after the album’s original release.
From ‘Alive 2007’ To Kanye West’s ‘Stronger’
The song gained another life through Daft Punk’s live shows, particularly during the Alive 2007 tour. Its live version later appeared on the Alive 2007 album and won Best Dance Recording at the 2009 Grammy Awards, giving the track another major achievement eight years after its original release.
By then, ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’ had also become closely connected to Kanye West’s ‘Stronger’. Released in 2007, the song sampled Daft Punk’s vocal and helped introduce that part of the original track to another generation of listeners. Daft Punk later joined Kanye West on stage at the 2008 Grammy Awards, marking one of the few televised performances of their career.
The track’s history now spans far more than its original place on Discovery. From the Edwin Birdsong sample and the Interstella 5555 visual to Alive 2007, Kanye West and a Grammy win, ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’ has continued to appear in different parts of popular and electronic music over the past 25 years.
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Calvin Harris and Florence Welch’s ‘Sweet Nothing’ celebrates 14 years after becoming a UK No. 1 and one of the biggest singles from the album ‘18 Months’
Fourteen years after Calvin Harris and Florence Welch released ‘Sweet Nothing’, the collaboration remains one of the most remembered songs from the 18 Months era. Released in 2012, it brought together two artists who were already having very different but highly successful years in music, with Calvin Harris also working with Florence + The Machine around the same period. What followed gave ‘Sweet Nothing’ a much bigger story than its original release, from how the collaboration happened to the success that followed on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Story Behind ‘Sweet Nothing’
Before ‘Sweet Nothing’ became one of the most beloved songs from Calvin Harris’ 18 Months era, he and Florence Welch already had history together. Earlier in 2012, Calvin Harris remixed Florence + The Machine’s ‘Spectrum (Say My Name)’, which went on to reach No. 1 in the UK. That connection later led to an original collaboration, with Kid Harpoon joining Calvin Harris and Florence Welch as a co-writer on ‘Sweet Nothing’.
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The song placed Florence Welch’s vocal in a more electronic setting than much of her work with Florence + The Machine at the time, while fitting naturally into the sound Calvin Harris was developing across 18 Months. It became part of an album that also featured collaborations with Rihanna, Ellie Goulding, Example, Kelis and Ne-Yo, helping place ‘Sweet Nothing’ within one of the most successful periods of his career.
From UK No. 1 To The Billboard Hot 100
Once ‘Sweet Nothing’ was released, the collaboration quickly became much more than another single from 18 Months. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in October 2012, giving Calvin Harris another chart-topper only months after his remix of ‘Spectrum (Say My Name)’. The song also crossed over strongly in the United States, where it reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and gave Florence Welch her first top 10 hit on the chart.
The success continued beyond its original chart run. ‘Sweet Nothing’ later earned a nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 2014 Grammy Awards, while 18 Months was nominated for Best Dance/Electronica Album the same year. Its music video, directed by Vincent Haycock, also became an important part of the release, pairing Florence Welch’s performance with a darker storyline that contrasted with the track’s club-focused production.
Fourteen years later, ‘Sweet Nothing’ remains closely tied to a period when Calvin Harris was becoming one of the biggest names in electronic dance music, while Florence Welch was bringing her voice into collaborations far outside Florence + The Machine. Between the story behind the record, its success in both the UK and the United States, and its place within 18 Months, the song has lasted far beyond its original 2012 chart run.
From UK No. 1 To The Billboard Hot 100
Once ‘Sweet Nothing’ was released, the collaboration became much more than another single from 18 Months. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in October 2012 and gave Calvin Harris another chart-topper that year. The song also found major success in the United States, reaching the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. It became Florence Welch’s first top 10 hit on the chart.
The success continued after its original chart run, with ‘Sweet Nothing’ earning a Best Dance Recording nomination at the 2014 Grammy Awards. 18 Months also received a nomination for Best Dance/Electronica Album that year. The Vincent Haycock-directed music video added another part to the release, following Florence Welch through a nightclub performance alongside a darker relationship storyline.
Fourteen years later, ‘Sweet Nothing’ remains closely connected to one of the most successful periods of Calvin Harris’ career. It also gave Florence Welch one of her biggest collaborations outside Florence + The Machine. Its UK No. 1, U.S. top 10 and Grammy nomination all followed a partnership that had started only months earlier with ‘Spectrum (Say My Name)’.
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Mau P launches Baddest Behavior Records as his event brand expands into a new label for emerging dance music artists
Mau P has grown to become one of the most prominent names arcorss the electronic dance music scene. His rise has included major releases, international shows and his own Baddest Behavior event series. First introduced as a way for him to curate lineups and host events under his own banner, Baddest Behavior soon became part of his touring calendar. Mau P is now taking the name into recorded music with Baddest Behavior Records, his first record label. The imprint gives artists and music he already supports a direct route to release.
Why Mau P Launched Baddest Behavior Records
As more unreleased music began reaching Mau P from producers, starting a label became something he began considering publicly. He has spoken about wanting to give other artists the type of opportunities that helped him earlier in his career. That became especially relevant when he heard records he believed deserved wider support.
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That intention was central to the announcement. Mau P described Baddest Behavior Records as being “for the culture, for the scene.” He also directed followers to the label’s new private Instagram account through his Stories. The page began accepting followers as part of the rollout. The first artists and releases have not yet been announced, so the label’s musical direction will become clearer once its catalogue begins.
Baddest Behavior Was Already Growing Beyond Individual Shows
By the time Mau P announced the record label, Baddest Behavior already had several years of events behind it. He has hosted editions in New York, Miami, Denver and Los Angeles. A residency at Pacha Ibiza also gave the series a regular presence on the island.
Those events have allowed Mau P to choose the artists playing alongside him and place the music he supports within his own lineups. Plans for Baddest Behavior to cover more than live events appeared well before the label announcement.
In 2024, Mau P B.V. filed a trademark application covering record label services, music publishing, recording, live events and DJ services. The filing showed that recorded music already formed part of the wider plans for Baddest Behavior.
Since breaking through with ‘Drugs From Amsterdam’ in 2022, Mau P has released through Repopulate Mars, Defected, Diynamic and Insomniac Records. He has also regularly supported IDs and unreleased tracks throughout his sets. Baddest Behavior Records now gives some of that music the possibility of becoming official releases with Mau P directly supporting them, while the first records will begin to show which artists and sounds he wants the label to represent.
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