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I love the way Josh Leake blends ambient cinematic music rich in soundscapes and live instruments (e.g. piano, guitars) with electronic influences. His composition and melody creation skills are worthy of praise. The music he creates is relaxing and touching, evoking a sense of contemplation. Josh's music takes the listener to a place of deep calmness and meditation and away from the stressful situations of life (something that is very much needed in today's world). Also, like me, he was initially classically trained in piano but later on taught himself guitar and gravitated towards music composition using DAWs.

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Bon Iver's music is rich in organic instrumentation (especially the guitar) and can be described as indie folk but with subtle elements of electronic music. Bon Iver is known for their emotive writing style and their lyrics provoke the listener to self-reflect on loss, longing, struggle and other relatable themes. Their song "Holocene" features a beautiful blend of intricate guitar fingerstyle melodies with soft piano and Justin Vernon's distinctive falsetto voice; this authentic style of emotional expression is evident in many of Illenium's songs. "I think specifically with the Bon Iver stuff you hear it and it’s just organic, as real as real life music gets" - Illenium (Baltin, 2018).

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Porter Robinson stood out among other artists in the early electronic dance music era in part because he incorporated elements of live performance in his shows (singing, drumming, playing keyboard/guitar), something which was not really a norm at the time (Lavezzo, 2023). This style of performance gained popularity among the EDM community; other similar artists, such as Illenium, picked up this trend and started to integrate live performance into their shows as well (today, Illenium tours with a full band including vocalists, guitars, piano, drums).

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It is hard to classify Odesza's music into one genre; rather, it falls into a bit of a grey area between dance music (mainly future bass) and indie/pop. Their hybrid sound is characterized by dreamy ambiences, airy synths and organic textures intricately blended with the glitz of mainstage EDM. Odesza's unique writing style interweaves the acoustic and electronic realms, and their music is emotionally stirring and speaks to the hearts of listeners (O'Brien, 2018). Many listeners have also described Odesza's music as having "positive energy" and evoking a sense of nostalgia.

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Jonsi's music can be described as ambient, new-age and experimental - immersing the listener in a sonic world rich in organic textures and live recordings. His music is known for its ethereal, dream-like qualities and evokes feelings and emotion rather than telling a specific story, thus allowing the listener to connect with the music in their own way. "Maybe we just need it [ambient music], it’s a counterpoint to the crazy world" - Jonsi (Nightingale & Yin, 2020).

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Thomas Newman is a film score composer known for his distinctive style of music, which incorporates electronic sounds with traditional orchestral arrangements and piano (Oden, 2016). Elements of various musical genres (e.g. jazz, world, classical) can be observed in Newman's works. Many of his scores also feature unusual instruments and/or unconventional writing techniques while still effectively capturing the mood and atmosphere of the film.

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Flux Pavilion's music and production style have made him influential on the sound and direction of electronic dance music in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Although Flux Pavilion has now moved on from the dubstep genre which he helped pioneer and establish, many emerging and current artists of bass music (including Virtual Riot) cite him as one of their main inspirations and have drawn from his signature sound (melodic yet aggressive basslines with upbeat rhythms) in their own work (Kocay, 2022).

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Renowned for their unique style, immaculate sound design and infectious basslines, Noisia is widely cited as an influential figure in the drum and bass scene and, more generally, modern dance music. "They’ve always kept pushing the boundaries, always stuck to what they like and never followed a trend" - DJ Craze (Bein, 2019). Noisia's signature reese basses (or modifications of these) can be heard in many other artists' tracks, Virtual Riot being one of them. Noisia has managed to develop the gnarly, aggressive sound of the neurofunk subgenre while still retaining the emotional qualities in their music.

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Undeniably a true pioneer of electronic dance music, Skrillex brought dubstep into the mainstream and his innovative style (in particular, his signature genre-defining sound design) has had a profound impact on modern artists of the genre and beyond. "Obviously Skrillex, mostly for the electronic sound" - Virtual Riot (in response to a question on the main inspiration for his music) (Inoye, 2019). An adventurous musician, Skrillex is not afraid to venture into new, previously unexplored territories of the electronic music world. His works represent a fusion of diverse genres, from reggae and hip-hop to electro house and bass music.

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Tony Anderson is a prominent figure in the ambient and cinematic music scenes, using instruments instead of words to express himself. Tony seamlessly blends ambient, electronic and organic elements, and his music conveys raw emotion to the listener. "Each piece of music is a story, drawing the listener into another world" (Anderson, 2013).

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Anderson, T. (2013). Tony Anderson | Sonic Architect. Tony Anderson Music. https://www.tonyandersonmusic.com

Baltin, S. (2018, January). Meet Illenium: One of Electronic Music's Next Biggest Stars. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevebaltin/2018/01/17/meet-illenium-one-of-electronic-musics-next-biggest-stars/?sh=1ee083182fd1

Bein, K. (2019, September). Kill The Noise, Mat Zo & More Look Back on Noisia's 20-Year Legacy. Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/noisia-20-year-legacy-8530557/

Dias, A. (2017, January). Virtual Riot Is Ushering in the New Sound of Dubstep. Insomniac. https://www.insomniac.com/magazine/virtual-riot-is-ushering-in-the-new-sound-of-dubstep

Inouye, K. (2019, May). Artist Insights: Virtual Riot. Electric Family. https://www.electricfamily.com/blogs/news/insights-virtual-riot

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Kocay, L. (2022, June). Flux Pavilion Talks “(Never Gonna) Be Alone,” How Dubstep Has Changed And Advice He’d Give Young Producers. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisakocay/2022/06/16/flux-pavilion-talks-never-gonna-be-alone-how-dubstep-has-changed-and-advice-hed-give-young-producers/?sh=3e4b6ad716fe

Lavezzo, D. (2023, August). Remembering the Massive Impact of Porter Robinson's "Worlds". This Song is Sick. https://thissongissick.com/post/remembering-the-massive-impact-of-porter-robinsons-worlds/

Nightingale, M., & Yin, Y.-D. (2020, April). Bathe in the ambient sounds of Jónsi and Alex Somers to soothe you during isolation. Sydney Opera House. https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/contemporary-music/bathe-ambient-sounds-jonsi-and-alex-somers-soothe-you-during-isolation

Connor O'Brien (2018, April). The Theory & Arrangement Behind ODESZA’s “Say My Name.” EDMProd. https://www.edmprod.com/track-breakdown-7-odesza-say-name/

Oden, C. N. (2016). Reflection and Introspection in the Film Scores of Thomas Newman. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

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As someone who often makes dubstep, Virtual Riot's ability to design unique, complex sounds for bass music from simple sources and recordings of everyday objects is unparalleled and has always fascinated me (Dias, 2017). His constantly evolving style draws inspiration from a wealth of EDM artists popular in the 2000s and early 2010s. His production techniques and composition process have greatly influenced the way I design my own sounds when it comes to making electronic dance music.

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Not only do I love Illenium's distinct and powerful sound (a fusion of pop and future bass with dubstep), but also his story of how discovering music quite literally saved him from a life of addiction is very moving and inspiring. Much of Illenium's lyrics touch on themes of love, loss, and personal growth, which resonate with a broad audience. I, along with many other listeners, find his music relatable and comforting during times of hardship. Illenium is part of the reason why I got into making future bass and melodic EDM in the first place.