Swedish House Mafia
DJs Don’t React to Forbes’ Highest-Paid DJ List on Twitter
DJs regularly take to Twitter to express their feelings — to promote an upcoming release or show, vent or share thoughts or be a little silly with their followers. With Forbes (a business new and financial publication that’s become obsessed with DJ culture) recently publishing its list of highest-paid DJs (see below), we thought Twitter would be awash with commentary — both positive, negative and indifferent — from DJs.
Well, we scoured Twitter looking for opinions on the aforementioned topic and came up empty.
Aside from a congratulatory tweet from Dillon Francis and retweets of the article by Addison Groove and Funkmaster Flex, even the most opinionated jocks were silent on Forbes‘ list. Even more curious was that not one DJ had a word to say about DJ Pauly D of MTV’s Jersey Shore fame earning an estimated $11 million.
Perhaps the old proverb is true after all: when money speaks, the truth is silent.
Forbes’ List of Top-Paid DJs
1. Tiësto: $22 million
2. Skrillex: $15 million
3. Swedish House Mafia: $14 million
4. David Guetta: $13.5 million
5. Steve Aoki: $12 million
6. Deadmau5: $11.5 million
7. DJ Pauly D: $11 million
8. Kaskade: $10 million
9. Afrojack: $9 million
10. Avicii: $7 million
Rolling Stone Fails to Ask Swedish House Mafia’s Steve Angello Two Tough Questions
Last month Axwell gave an interview explaining why Swedish House Mafia disbanded. Now Steve Angello is echoing his soon-to-be-former groupmate’s sentiments. Talking to Rolling Stone, Angello said the reason for the trio calling it a day is because the threesome felt they had attained its creative threshold and couldn’t go any further.
“We just decided that we reached a point where we don’t know what the next move would be,” he told RS. “We always like the challenge. And we don’t like to repeat ourselves. We just felt like it was time.”
Angello denied that tension caused the group’s seemingly abrupt cessation. “We’re like brothers,” he said. “We’re still here. It’s not like anybody has died. We’ve had beyond our dreams and we’ve come very, very far. We just felt like, ‘let’s stop touring.'”
The RS interview failed to touch on the Twitter feud Angello was involved in with DJ Sneak earlier in the year and didn’t ask about Angello’s infamous “fake DJ” set at Dance Valley in 2011where YouTube video shows Angello playing a mix CD and not DJing during his set. Perhaps that a caveat for the exclusive interview….who knows.
If you’re feeling sad for Angello, don’t be. He’s doing just fine. His Size in the Park event taking place on September 22 in New York’s Central Park, featuring sets from AN21 & Max Vangelli, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano and Third Party, is sold-out.
As for SHM they will host a final hometown blowout in Stockholm on November 24 and play their final U.S. gig this September at the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas.
Axwell Says He’s Going Underground After Swedish House Mafia Split
Axwell is the first member of Swedish House Mafia to reveal his plans for his post-SHM life since the trio announced in June that its upcoming tour would be its last. According to Scotland’s The Daily Record, the DJ/producer, who has been running Axtone Records since 2005, is planning to take a step back and focus on underground music and talent.
Said Axwell, ““The big names are not the future. There are more American R&B artists wanting to meet people like us and wanting to learn our world. They want to come to our world and that is all fine but, for me, that’s not what I’m chasing.
“I’m introducing what is new and what new producers and completely unknown singers we have. I’m interested in the new Adele, the new Gotye. Who is the next guy? That is really the future. Just meeting big name people for the sake of it is not what I’m looking for.”
Reflecting on his group’s work since forming in 2008, Axwell added: “We provided an energy that makes people go crazier than ever on the dance floor. They were always dancing but we gave the crowd an extra push that I had never seen before.”
SHM’s final shows will be a residency at Ibiza’s Ushuaia until August 29, followed by one further gig at Stockholm’s Friends Arena on November 24.