Introducing DC’s Dave Nada. Unaware? He’s the next big thing in underground EDM. Name checked as certifiably dope from as diverse a crowd as Rolling Stone Magazine, Diplo,  punk rock heavyweight Johnny Siera of the Death Set, rising rapper Tabi Bonney, EDM kingpin Benny Benassi, and yes, our own Winston “Stone” Ford, he’s stumbled upon a magical sound: moombahton. Blending the finest elements of Dutch house, cumbia, reggaeton and embracing hip hop sampling techniques, it’s a winning combination that in just over nine months has ushered in a brand new era in underground dance music. I’ve been covering the sound fairly seriously at my project True Genius Requires Insanity, and have been asked to educate about its percussive, trance-like Latin excellence. Enjoy!

Are you familiar with the “Dirty Dutch” sound? I’m going to presume that Afrojack, DJ Chuckie and Sidney Samson are all new names to Couch Sessions readers. Well, if your EDM catalogue doesn’t go much further than knowing that David Guetta REALLY likes the Black Eyed Peas, and you have an affinity for the house inspired Baltimore club sound, here comes a quick education.

The Netherlands is a cultural melting pot. Most notably, as with drum and bass and dubstep in the UK, the second and third generation children of people from African nations are the most progressive minds in international dance music. Those children of those formerly sovreign to the Dutch have infiltrated their take on house music. DJ Chuckie’s house hit of 2009 “Moombah” featured heavy percussion, electronic blips and racing synths familiar to what is referred to as the “dirty Dutch” sound. Afrojack is a extraordinary Dutch house producer, and it is his percussive imprint as a ghost producer that informs Major Lazer’s crossover dance hit “Pon de Floor” He got his hands on “Moombah,” “turned up the bass,” switched in that “Pon de Floor” drumline, let those synths work their magic, and it was his remix that became an even larger hit.

Sidney Samson is another Dutch producer. His top hit is a bass heavy rumbler as well, “Riverside.” If you have any any way stepped near a big or small room dance floor in the last two years, you’ve likely heard the track’s familiar tough sounding refrain of “RIVERSIDE MOTHERFUCKER!” It’s an instant electro classic and features more of the same car alarm bleeps and hot synths.

DC’s Dave Nada is a rapidly rising DJ and producer with familial roots in Ecuador. With an unusual pedigree that starts as a teenage punk rocker, carries into being a college hip hop DJ at the University of Maryland, a post college stop in Baltimore where he was an indie dance and club music spinner/producer at the Taxlo dance party when it was considered by Spin Magazine as America’s best indie dance party, a residency at the hipster incubator party Crunk with Jesse Tittsworth in the DC suburb of Bethesda, MD, to the mainstream trending progressive house and electro duo Nadastrom with Matt Nordstrom, he has touched every genre of dance friendly music of the past thirty years.

On a random Monday afternoon, the DJ was performing in a College Park, MD basement at a “skip party” for his little cousin and a group of his rambunctious Latino teenage friends. Of course, Dave doesn’t have much in the way of the traditional Latino sounds they were expecting for said affair on his computer, so he instead opted for the tribal sounds of Dutch house as a substitute. Accidentally, his Serato record was set at a slower speed, and Sidney Samson’s “Riverside” played at a loping pace that closely resembled reggaeton. The kids at the party went crazy, so Nada began to scramble through his crates for as much Dutch house as he could find. Afrojack’s remix of “Moombah” played and killed in the room as well, and this is likely where the name for the new sound, “moombahton” originated.

Taking this curious creation home, Nada busily worked at crafting and honing “moombahton.” By March, he was prepared to release an EP with T & A Records for the initial “Moombahton” track, and at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, he debuted the sound to rave reviews, and the race has been on ever since.

Dave Nada – Moombahton by T&ARecords

What has happened since wil be reviewed over the coming week here at The Couch Sessions. Globally Latin sounds are still as influential as ever. As well, what about in the US, where Latinos are the fastest growing minority with an increased voice in social culture? And let’s also not forget that reggaeton has a history all of it’s own too, and a sound so heavily steeped in it may have already been headed in a house direction as well.

Dale Moombahton!

There will be a day in the very near future when Washington, DC’s Nadastrom will be a permanent fixture in the top 10 of DJ Magazine’s yearly rankings of the Top 100 DJs in the world. This will occur if for no other reason than Dave Nada and Matt Nordstrom may be the perfect cataclysmic storm of DJing and remixing talent and otherworldly production ability. Matt Nordstrom was already one of the most respected remixers, producers and engineers on the planet. With work under his belt with Dubfire, Pete Tong, Deep Dish and Nic Faniculli amongst others, he had a tech house pedigree that most would comfortably retire knowing that this was the apex of their career. Dave Nada’s story is much the same. World travelled punk rock/hardcore hero shaped by DC raving and deep house partying, dipped and bathed in the sea of classic Baltimore club (with a residency at the legendary “Tax Lo” dance party when it was claimed by SPIN magazine as America’s hottest dance party) and Baltimore’s streets. There’s nothing that Dave doesn’t know how to touch and turn into gold. Of all the things “winning” about DC right now, Nadastrom are really the godfathers of the “DC winning” movement, combining all elements of what makes the city phenomenal into an electrifying and exemplary witches brew of sound.

Bmore club legend Scottie B once referred to Nadastrom as the “future of club music.” Well, the future is now. Their latest release, The Saved EP, from Switch’s Dubsided imprint is the release that’s really going to take them into the stratosphere. Nadastrom’s a favorite of everyone from Diplo, the Crookers, Drop the Lime, A-Trak and Jonny Blaze so, as positioned as your favorite DJ’s favorite DJs, now they ascend to the level of commanding the respect in public that they’ve always had in private.

“Save Us (aka Jack’s Horny)” is a howling groundswell of sweaty sex panic, Lionel Hampton meeting Big Mama Thornton on Mars with an insistent rave groove. With the  thickest of bass, classic club breaks and hi hats everywhere, and the year’s most pastoral breakdown, it’s an absolute treat. They took the recipe that made “Pussy” a #1 single on Beatport, and pared it down and streamlined it into a matured, yet still club ready product. Whereas “Pussy” breaks down over and over and over again, only to be built up, then break down over and over and over again, “Save Us” neatly builds and breaks down, making it a much more accessible turn for the duo.

“Squarez” starts off as a hot Baltimore club track, then slyly morphs into disco violins, and hits when both combine with a lovely minimal synth line to be simply great dance music. “Ghetto Pass” rides muted basslines and congo drums into racing synths and quirky noise for a masterful production.

Nadastrom’s touring for this EP around the world after a Friday stop in DC for their release party. What’s next we hear from the duo is that they want to release the Nadastrom full length debut. When DC finally crosses the finish line, expect, as always, Dave Nada and Matt Nordstrom, Nadastrom, to be first in line.

Nadastrom – “A Milli” (Remix)

Tired of hearing every rapper, R&B singer, has been and baby mama try to rap over that “A Milli” beat? Then check out this remix by my boy Dave Nada and Matt Nordstrom, aka Nadastrom. Their new album will be dropping real soon on Switch’s Dubsided label. (first spotted at Ddoff)

myspace.com/nadastrom

Check Mad Decent for more pictures.

Nadastorm – American Boy (Remix)

Dave Nada is a DJ that I’ve followed here for the longest time. I think were on face recognition basis-the dude dosen’t know my name personally but every time I see him I get free drinks. That’s what’s up!

Nada went from just throwing parties around DC to worldwide success. His new project, Nadastorm teams him up with local Matt Nordstrom, and even though its less than a year old, they already have found success in the UK care of multi-talented producer Switch (MIA/Santogold) who signed them to his London-based Dubsided label.

Check out their remix of Estelle’s American Boy. I think it’s the best remix out there (and trust me, I’ve heard about 20 right now) and I’m not saying it cause I’m biased. (hat tip: Discobelle)

Also: Q&A with Tittsworth and Dave Nada at XLR8R. It’s crazy that they went from playing parties in Dupont Circle to tearing it up all over the world.

myspace.com/nadastrom