Netsky, one of Belgium’s brightest musical exports, released his hotly anticipated third album on Friday, which is aptly titled 3. The album is exclusively available on iTunes and Apple Music and features collaborations with Emeli Sandé, Chromeo, Saint Raymond, Jauz and more.
The third offering from Netsky is a perfectly executed balancing act between his roots in dance music and drum and bass. The arrival of 3 coincides with a busy festival season for Netsky as he tackles some of the world’s biggest festivals, Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds and SW4, as well as the much-hyped Panorama Festival in New York.
To celebrate the release of 3, Netsky held the ultimate party, spanning three different Belgian cities over one night. Fans were invited to be on the guestlist at venues in Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp. Those lucky enough to attend all three parties were transported between each city in an exclusive party bus, fully equipped with a DJ set up so that Netsky could keep up the party all night.
What a night….. Speechless. Massive thank you to everybody who was part of the release tour ??? pic.twitter.com/5lX3OVND31
— Netsky (@netskymusic) June 4, 2016
Preparations for the release of 3 began last summer when Netsky released the festival favourite track ‘Rio’. The Brazilian inspired track was a hit on the airwaves, at festivals across the world and even made it onto the soundtrack for BBC1’s coverage of London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks display. The track has yet to lose momentum as it will be heard again throughout the summer during the Rio 2016 Olympics. Netsky is the official artist ambassador for the Belgian Olympics Team and will join them in Rio De Janeiro during their campaign.
Also appearing on the album is the anthemic ‘Work It Out’, which saw Netsky team up with rising star Digital Farm Animals once again. The pair make a great team, as he also supported Netsky on his UK tour at the end of last year, and together they have created an uplifting, timeless anthem. ‘Work It Out’ is also accompanied by a very special, award winning interactive video. You can watch the interactive version here.
Netsky announced the release of 3 back in March and spoke to Zane Lowe exclusively on Beats 1. He gave Zane the first play of the album’s third single ‘Higher’, a collaboration with US bass megastar and OWSLA mainstay Jauz which received support from Radio 1. The video for this track is also pretty special – a fan made a video for the track and it turns out that Netsky loved it so much that he decided to use it as the official music video!
The album also features ‘TNT’, a collaboration with Chromeo which allows Netsky to play with an entirely differnt style of topline altogether. It further confirms that 3 is able to fly above the limitations of club culture and cement itself as a collection of music. 3 is energetic and brash – it’s a reflection of its producer’s discography, and yet something new entirely simultaneously.
The tracklisting for 3 is as follows:
- ‘Thunder’ feat. Emeli Sandé
- ‘Work it Out’ feat. Digital Farm Animals
- ‘RIO’
- ‘Leave it Alone’ feat. Saint Raymond
- ‘Who Knows’ feat. Paige
- ‘GO 2’ feat. Digital Farm Animals
- ‘High Alert’ feat. Sara Hartman
- ‘TNT’ feat Chromeo
- ‘Stay Up With Me’ feat. Arlissa
- ‘Forget What You Look Like’ feat. Lowell
- ‘Bird of Paradise’
- ‘Jauz X Netsky – ‘Higher’
The Belgian superstar will continue his global showing of 3 with a huge summer of shows, which continue to push the boundaries that define how electronic music can be experienced. Hailed by artists from within the genre as the best live show in electronic music, Netsky’s live band has already completed numerous sold out tours around the world along with countless international headline appearances at festivals such as Pukkelpop, Reading & Leeds, Ultra Music Festival and Coachella.
Since signing to Hospital Records back in 2009, Netsky’s star has been rising. His infamous self-titled debut album Netsky propelled the talented young producer from Antwerp to become one of the most talked about and talented names within the electronic music world. His second album 2 was released in 2012 and hit number one in Belgium and top 30 in the UK, later reaching platinum status. His trademark sound has earned him respect and support from across the industry as well as an extensive, dedicated global fan base. He has also garnered numerous accolades, including being the highest placed drum & bass artist in DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJ’s poll.
“There really is no stopping Netsky’s upward trajectory.” – Mixmag
“Netsky has quickly become one of the most talked about and talented names within the electronic music world.” – Wonderland
Netsky completed the sold out Netsky and Chill tour at the start of this year, which saw him play coast to coast in North America, hitting major cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. It served as the perfect platform to preview his new album to a hungry American audience, paving the way for what will undoubtedly be the biggest release of his career so far.
It seems that 2016 is set to be the year that Netsky becomes not just one of the most recognized names in electronic music, but music everywhere, all around the world.
3 is available on iTunes/Apple Music now.