Based on his name alone, you would probably guess that Dirty South is a rapper from Alabama or Mississippi, but for fans of his energetic mixes, club banging beats and high-profile collaborations, he is known as one of the most touted up-and-coming artists in EDM.
Even with his debut full-length album “Speed of Life” set to drop exclusively on iTunes on March 5, it will be difficult for some of his faithful followers to refer to him as an up-and-comer. Since signing with his first label – Vicious Vinyl records in 2005 – Dirty South has gone on to become one of the more popular and respected remixers in the EDM scene. A number of Dirty South’s mixes have climbed high on Beatport’s Top 100, including “Phazing” (2010) – which featured vocals by Rudy – and most recently “City of Dreams”, which landed at the top of Beatport’s chart upon its first week of release. Dirty South is also a two-time Grammy nominee. He received his first nom in the Best Remixed Record category for his mix of Kaskade’s “Sorry” in 2008, and received his second in 2011 for a remix of The Temper Trap’s “Sweet Disposition” in the same category.
After being showered with much so notoriety and success in a fairly short amount of time, it’s no wonder that Dirty South’s new album has consequently received its fair share of hype. The 10-track album is said to an emotional charged journey with sounds inspired from his recent travels on tour. Here’s how Dirty South described the album, via Ghetto House Radio:
“I made this album on the road while touring, so everything around me inspired me to come up with the sounds that are on this record. I collaborated with some very talented people, which made it really fun and special and I am very proud of the outcome. I can’t wait for the world to hear it!”
The Australian native has released track previews on his YouTube channel for “Reset”, “Until the End” and “Your Heart.” So far, the music is a departure from some of his remixes in some ways, replacing heavy bass for melodic synths with an uplifting cinematic quality to them. Dirty South wasn’t lying when he said he packed the album full of powerful emotion, as the track “Your Heart” in particular attempts to tug at the listener’s heartstrings with soaring vocals from Joe Gil.
“Speed of Life” will be available exclusively on iTunes starting March 5, but then will be released on CD by Phazing Records on March 18. An extended version will then be released on April 2 through Beatport with four bonus tracks, one being released each week with individual artwork.
