Swanky Tunes and Hard Rock Sofa: The Russian House Mafia

If one Electronic Dance Music enthusiast asked his or her fellow enthusiast friend where some of the most fruitful and talented producers hail from, the correct answer would be anywhere in Western Europe. France has given us David Guetta, whose “Pop Life” continues to thrive, as well as the mysterious robotic figures called Daft Punk. The Dutch have bred a powerhouse of producers such as: Tiesto, Armin Van Buuren, Sander Van Doorn, and Afrojack, just to name a few. Sweden has given us Swedish House Mafia and Avicii. Across the Atlantic Ocean, let’s not forget deadmau5. The producers just mentioned have patrons “fist pumping” and dancing in their homes and night clubs all around the world. However, there is one country that should not be discredited at any cost. I’m talking about our vodka drinking comrades, the Russians.

There are specifically two names you should be listening for: Swanky Tunes and Hard Rock Sofa. Firstly, I will begin with Swanky Tunes, a trio of men producing music since 1998. I had a chance to see them in Chicago not too long ago and their electro-house set didn’t disappoint.  A notable track they produced is a great rendition of an old school track called “Avalon“, originally by Juliet.  In addition to producing their own music, they also remix a lot, too. They’ve remixed huge songs like “Happy Violence” by DaDa Life and “Eyes” from Kaskade. Their style of music teeter-totters on house/electro-house to progressive house. Whatever the style of music they release, it’s bound to be a big tune.  Then there’s Hard Rock Sofa. Although a slightly obscure name for a group, their music is anything but strange.

Hard Rock Sofa is a duet who have been composing music since 2005. A ballroom hit you might recognize from them is “Quasar“. This elecronica track combines both electro-house synths with some “dub-steppy” wobbles. After listening to their latest house track “Starlight“,  I guarantee you their simple melody will be stuck in your head for days! Just like their Russian brothers Swanky Tunes, Hard Rock Sofa also remixes a lot of music. They’ve remixed tracks like “You Found Me” by Dim Chris, which is actually a track cannot get enough of.  It seems like this Russian duet are in cahoots with Swanky Tunes because their music also can be very electro or housed based. They have many similarities in their music.

Both groups are able to create simple, yet hypnotizing melodies, uplifting leads, and banging drum and clap patterns that will make anyone want to shake their bodies. Actually, Swanky Tunes and Hard Rock Sofa do many collaboration together. They appear to feed off of each others musical ideas flawlessly when creating music. They’ve worked together on songs like “I Wanna Be Your Dog“, “The Edge“, “Feedback“, and “Apogee“. Whether both groups produce EDM individually or collab, their music does this new era of house music justice. Now that the Swedish House Mafia are almost dismantled, there are two new mafias whose arsenal will continue to tear up the dance floor from Russia, Europe, and the USA.

Reading that a song is good is one thing, listening to the song is another. Be sure to check out all the tracks I mentioned to get an idea of why I am currently so passionate about the music Swanky Tunes and Hard Rock Sofa both produce. Also, look about for Swanky Tune’s newest track titled “Bloodrush” being released September 3rd!

Swanky Tunes Facebook | Hard Rock Sofa Facebook