DAD's 13 Artists to Watch in 2013: Q1 Progress Report

Back in January, we presented you with 13 artists that we felt you needed to watch in 2013. It's not easy to predict the future, but hell, it sure is

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Complex Original

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Back in January, we presented you with 13 artists that we felt you needed to watch in 2013. It's not easy to predict the future, but hell, it sure is fun guessing. These 13, at the time, were in positions where their 2013's were looking bright - or at least the talk we'd been hearing made us look at them as the next ones to blow. Some of these artists have planted themselves at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, while others have had some of their dreams realized. Some still have time to grow, and that's OK, but we wanted to check in on our list, and see how they've progressed during the first quarter of 2013.

Baauer

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Baauer might already be the MVP of our list. Based on the first three months of 2013, he's already trumped the rest of our picks. He kicked off the year with word about a forthcoming four-track EP on LuckyMe (which released his "Dum Dum" 12" in the Fall of 2012). A few days later, the massive track "HIGHER," a cut he produced with Just Blaze, hit the Internet and exploded; we later found out that this was done as a promo to the tour that Just Blaze and Baauer went on. Baauer received a random drop from Jay-Z of all people in the track.

Baauer was not only added to the 2013 Coachella line-up, but he was added as a resident DJ at the new LIGHT Nightclub in Las Vegas, joining Skrillex and Cirque de Soleil. Then a funny thing happened: the "Harlem Shake" meme kicked off, with a multitude of YouTube videos set to his 2012 single "Harlem Shake" somehow becoming the next big thing in Internets comedy. It was no laughing matter when, aided by a change in what Billboard uses to rank their "Hot 100" chart, Baauer's "Harlem Shake" shot to the top of iTunes charts and sat atop the Billboard Hot 100, setting off records (at the time of this writing, it's sitting at #2 on the Hot 100).

The fallout of the "Harlem Shake" rise caused a twitter beef with Azealia Banks, being sued over the vocal samples in the track, and a distribution deal between Warner Brothers and Mad Decent. Baauer's also reportedly spoken with Columbia Records, and a remix of AlunaGeorge's "Attracting Flies" was recently released. Baauer's also set to go on tour with Danny Brown this April.

We can only imagine where Baauer's sudden fame will take him, but we know he'll be on the road for the better part of the next few months.

Disclosure

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Disclosure started 2013 on the right foot, dropping the huge single "White Noise" (featuring AlunaGeorge), which Zane Lowe immediately declared "the hottest record in the world." Their forthcoming debut album is set to be released this year, and while it doesn't have a title, it does have a number of music lovers wanting to hear what's in store for this duo.

Disclosure has also been hitting the tour circuit, which brought them to the Ultra Music Festival, will have them performing at Coachella, and will take them to a number of other spots in the United States.

Loadstar

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Loadstar's Q1 of 2013 hasn't been that major in terms of releases, but we got the news we were waiting for: their Ram Records debut album, Future Perfect, will be getting released on May 8. Their new single, "Refuse to Love," is set to drop on April 21. The duo is finally finished with this opus, and there's no telling where they've taken their sound, but we're loving what we've heard so far.

The Knocks

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While we've not heard much from The Knocks on the release front, we do know that they are working on the A&M/Octane album, which should be dropping sometime this year (fingers crossed). They did turn in a great remix of Tegan & Sara's "Closer," and have been touring all over, including recently hitting Mexico.

Seven Lions

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2013's not seen much in the way of releases from Seven Lions (so far), but he has been on tour, supporting Porter Robinson on his recent tour stretch, and even hitting the OWSLA Ultra stage for his first UMF set. That's big enough!

Hucci

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Hucci's definitely on the come-up, and early 2013 sees just about everything he's doing getting loads of love. He has a currently-untitled EP said to be on the way (check out the mighty "YEAAH!" to hear what it should sound like), and we also heard rumors of a collaboration with Heroes x Villains that should be on the way. With his boy Ozzie, Hucci was also recently featured on BBC radio with a special guest mix.

Ryan Hemsworth

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Hemsworth's 2013 has started off on the right foot. He already has guest mixed for LuckyMe's Rinse FM show, produced a track for a Mitsuda tribute compilation, and remixed Lana Del Rey. Next up is an EP with Deniro Farrar (which may be released on Mad Decent) and his upcoming album, which should show off his range as a producer and artist.

Carnage

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Not only did Carnage get a picture with Tiesto, he stepped away from the trap scene (which he's definitely frustrated with). Spinnin' Records released "Incredible," a surprising house record from Carnage and Borgore which not only got a lot of love from DJs, but topped the Beatport charts. He also was featured at a number of events during Miami Music Week, including tearing it down at the Ultra Music Festival. We're not sure if he's 100% done with making trap, but we know whatever his next move is (could it be whatever he was in the studio working on with Skrillex?), it'll be serious.

Wilkinson

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Wilkinson recently dropped a huge single, "Take You Higher," which is taken from his forthcoming album for Ram Records (set to be released in June). "Take You Higher" showed the potential we saw in Wilkinson, and we're imagining his album to be a mixture of that bright, big anthem sound and a collection of deeper, more rugged heaters.

Monsta

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Monsta's 2013 has been quiet, but we finally got word that their huge single "Messiah" is finally getting a release on OWSLA May 6; with the way OWSLA has been killing it, we imagine this single will be huge, and we're hoping it will be leading into an album, allowing this trio to truly shine.

JETS

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Feature Cuts

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Feature Cuts was the first in our Do Androids Dance Mix Series, but has mostly been quiet regarding releases, until this past week, where he let it be known that he has an EP dropping on April 30. We have high hopes for this, as its his first EP release.

Dyro

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Dyro's 2013 has featured a huge remix of "Make Some Noise," touring with Hardwell, rocking the Ultra Music Festival, and consistently bringing the heat to his "Daftastic" radio show on SiriusXM. We never did hear anything else regarding that situation where he was reportedly kicked in the mouth, but we're more concerned with his next releases. He's growing as a producer, is one of the best under 21, and should be bringing more excitement to the EDM world in the next few months.

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