Following the viral success of K-pop hit song “Lucky Cat,” which has racked up more than one million views and plays, DRMAGDN Cyborg Drummer/DJ is back with the EDM Pop Hardstyle track “RIOT!” featuring female singer BAETHOVEN on vocals.
The second single from this fall’s Escape From NYC conjures images of Paramore’s Hayley Williams covering a song by The Chainsmokers, with a heavy Steve Aoki-meets-The Prodigy drop.
Written during a tumultuous time, both personally and throughout the world, “RIOT!” addresses overcoming obstacles with positivity through music and dance. The ultimate inspiration for the lyrics came from a story a female friend told of an abuse relationship, her breaking point and finding the strength to make changes and move on.
“She’s only 5’1” but is very fiery, tough and badass,” DRMAGDN says. “She was living with her six-foot boyfriend in college and walked in on him actively cheating on her with a friend in their bed. She saw red, beat him up until he was bloody then took him and literally threw him into the wall so hard that he went through the drywall. She kicked him out and moved on.”
The official music video for “RIOT!” features multiple clips of real people from DRMAGDN’s neighborhood in New York City’s West Village as they challenge injustices and effect change. These scenes are mixed with DRMAGDN live tour footage from festivals around the world. The song’s now-timely release date was scheduled back in December of last year, making its release ironic as protests and riots take place across the nation. With footage from Pride Fest 2019 already filmed, DRMAGDN decided to add in images from the current upheaval. The official lyric video was created by Rowan Glenn, Video Editor & VFX Specialist for epic rock band Muse.
“RIOT!” was mastered by Huntley Miller (Grammy for Zedd’s “Clarity” Record and Lizzo) with mix consulting by Johnny Nice (Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and Evanescence). Vocals were performed by Baethoven and all other production, songwriting, keys, programming, drums and mixing is by DRMAGDN Cyborg Drummer/DJ aka Charlie Zeleny.
In line with the song’s theme, DRMAGDN gave $100 to charity on the day of the song’s release – $50 to Anti-Racism Fund and $50 to Unicorn Riot minority-led alternative news source.
“RIOT!” – DRMAGDN – Official music video:
“RIOT!” – DRMAGDN – Official lyric video:
“RIOT!” – DRMAGDN – Official audio stream:
“RIOT!” – DRMAGDN – Spotify:
“RIOT!” – DRMAGDN – Soundcloud:
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