St. Louis-based DJ and producer Notaker returns to prolific label mau5trap with his second release of 2021. Taking elements from across the progressive house, trance, breakbeat, and underground spectrums, “SMYL” is one of the biggest dancefloor weapons to join the discography of the genre entangler himself. Out now, “SMYL” marks his official return to the mau5trap label since making his debut with his EREBUS I EP in 2018.
STREAM: NOTAKER - SMYL [MAU5TRAP]
At the heels of releasing “Echelon”, his first single of the year, Notaker wastes no time as he unveils one of his most innovative and pivotal works yet, “SMYL”. Although he’s best known for his pristine midtempo and electro sound design, his latest cut sees Notaker experiment with breaks and emotive crescendos while preserving his knack for creating wholly immersive sonic experiences with narrative elements. When the world was placed on hold, Notaker yearned to make music that reminded him of the most euphoric moments on the dancefloor. “I wanted to create something that can only be described as the sound you’d hear at 3 am in a packed sweaty warehouse,” Notaker says, “the booming kicks and panning melodies are complemented by a classic vocal sample that will take you for a modern ride down nostalgia lane.”
In tandem with the original mix, Notaker conjured up two additional edits for the full release: “SMYL (Extended Mix)” and “SMYL (VIP)”. The “SMYL (Extended Mix)” is a nearly six-minute iteration of the original mix, and plays with a longer intro filled with trance stabs and traces of Notaker’s signature synth kit. “SMYL (VIP)” kicks the track into overdrive and flips it into a faster-paced slice of melodic drum and bass. Brimming with elation in every note, each track echoes the feeling of reaching a peak-time climax on the dance floor. With this, Notaker has achieved his goal.
Following a brief hiatus in 2020, Notaker returned to the release radar at the beginning of the year with “Airlock”, his contribution to the coveted yearly mau5trap compilation, We Are Friends Vol. 10. “Airlock” marked his return to mau5trap since his thrilling 5-track EP Erebus I in 2018. The four-minute-long cut solidifies the notion that Notaker is back stronger than ever, with an arsenal of unreleased music that is slated for release later this year.
ABOUT NOTAKER -- Notaker, aka St. Louis’ David Nothaker, began writing music in 2009 after attending his first electronic concert and downloading Logic Pro. From there, Notaker’s career has blossomed thanks to his devotion to imbuing his compositions with heavy narrative elements that help his songs immerse fans entirely. Notaker’s first breakthrough came in 2016 when his Monstercat single “Infinite” (currently sitting at 10 million Spotify plays) made him an overnight must-watch artist.
Since then, Notaker’s career has only grown and grown. After working with Armada Music and mau5trap in 2017, Notaker’s first extended release The Genesis EP garnered 7-figure streams rapidly and landed him a spot on Rocket League’s in-game tracklist. In 2018, Notaker continued to soar to new heights, releasing his first mau5trap EP EREBUS I EP, which climbed up to number 6 on iTunes’ top electronic albums chart. In 2019, he built on this success further with his Monstercat EP PATH.FINDER.
In 2021, Notaker looks firmly planted in the industry and poised to skyrocket even higher. To open the year, he landed on the wildly successful mau5trap compilation We Are Friends, Vol. 10featuring the biggest names ever to grace deadmau5’s renowned imprint. Notaker followed it up by debuting on Anjunabeats with “Stratus,” a fiery electro single that is rapidly approaching six-figure Spotify streaming stats. Always fully dedicated to artistry rather than commercial success, with “Echelon” Notaker is set to captivate the minds and hearts of electronic fans globally once more.
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ABOUT MAU5TRAP -- Over a decade since its formation, mau5trap -- the independent record label founded by groundbreaking electronic music producer deadmau5 -- has become a bastion for trailblazing and genre-defying artists. Casting a palpable influence over the genre, Mixmag readers voted mau5trap among the “Top 50 Labels of the Decade”, placing it in the Top 10; since then, the imprint has been supported by dance music magnates Billboard, DJ Mag, Forbes, Insomniac, and The EDM Network. More recently, mau5trap has maneuvered toward live events boasting curated stage takeovers at the world’s biggest electronic dance music events like Ultra Music Festival, Creamfields, EDC, and beyond.
The multi-genre platform has extensively served as an authoritative platform for dance music heavyweights such as Skrillex, Feed Me, Zedd, Noisia, Dillon Francis, Chris Lake, and Madeon; a combination of dark, forceful techno and complex, electro sounds, the label acts as a hotbed for rising talent such as REZZ, Getter, i_o, ATTLAS, No Mana, Matt Lange, and others alike. Welcome to the horde.
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