Young producers such as Porter Robinson, Madeon and Martin Garrix are all under the age of 21, and have already found great success. Slightly less well-known but easily as talented is Audien, aka Nick Rathbun, creator of trance, progressive house and big-room house, and stunning, original combinations of those genres.
Although his music speaks for itself, the fact that Audien was signed by Anjunabeats in 2012 is evidence his melodic talents were noticed early on, and by the right people. Recently Audien released Hindsight, a single that has been moving steadily up the Beatport charts (last we checked it was at #28).
Hindsight is uplifting and fun, smartly blending trance and big-room progressive house. There is no doubt that Audien is building a wave of music that we listeners want to ride as long as we can. If you missed Audien earlier this year in Seattle or Portland, well… sorry, hindsight is 20/20.
Over the next two years a slew of renowned labels came calling, gravitating to Audien’s stunning melodies & innovative sonic landscapes. Audien worked meticulously, but prolifically, churning out anthems & remixes for labels including Enhanced, Perceptive, Armada, Black Hole, Nervous, with tracks routinely charting on Beatport. Audien’s tracks also began to appear on compilations assembled by some of the genre’s giants, including Corsten’s Countdown, Tiesto’s Club Life, Above & Beyond’s Trance Around The World, and Armin Van Buuren’s A State of Trance. A particularly exciting opportunity presented itself in May of 2011, when Audien had the opportunity to open for Van Buuren at New York’s Roseland. In just 3 years, Audien had gone from idolizing Van Buuren to sharing a stage with him.
As Audien has continued to release tracks into 2012, his music has evolved to include elements of Progressive House. The monster 2012 release These Are The Days was lauded by influential blog Dancing Astronaut as a “catchy summer anthem,” while The Top Sound noted “the combination of flawless evolution, beautiful piano chords, & trance-y plucks makes this an absolutely brilliant track.” Never straying far from his roots, Audien released his highly acclaimed songEventide on Anjunabeats in August of 2012. Audien’s relationship with Above & Beyond continued to blossom through the fall; in November, A&B premiered Audien’s track Wayfarer as the first ever song played on their new radio show, Above & Beyond Group Therapy.
Elsewhere in November 2012, Audien released the incendiary progressive house track SUP, via Trice Recordings. SUP was featured by Dutch icon Hardwell on episode 87 of Hardwell On Air. Commenting on the track, Elektro magazine declared, “… this production takes its listeners on a roller coaster ride of uplifting synth progressions, chaotic builds, and hard, bouncing drops that holds the ability to move crowds wherever this banger is played.” Shortly after the track’s release, Audien joined Hardwell on tour for dates in New York & Boston.
With his ability to create fresh tracks in auto-pilot, Audien has turned his attention to performing live, a craft he takes just a seriously as his production. Audien recently performed at some of the hottest clubs in the US including L.A.’s Exchange & Lure, San Francisco’s Ruby Skye & Harlot, New York’s Pacha, XS in Las Vegas, and Miami’s LIV. With more big shows forthcoming, Audien is ready to continue his rapid rise out of Mystic, and around the world.[/toggle]
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