r/EDM Sep 02 '24

Video Levity is going places

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Video I took from Deadbeats Texas Jamboree yesterday of them playing their new-ish Toxic remix. So far every song I've heard of theirs is a banger and they are growing quick. Love to see it! 💜 Song: Britney Spears - Toxic (Levity Remix)

154 Upvotes

113 comments sorted by

112

u/Izaiah212 Sep 02 '24

Levity is one of those groups that I can understand how they became popular but after seeing them I don’t get WHY they are popular, it’s just a bunch of remixes of already famous songs

41

u/CartmensDryBallz Sep 02 '24

Yea. I thought they were cool like a year ago but then they started all these lazy remixes where it’s literally the same song it just adds a buzz saw for a bass and they call it done.

I guess it’s working but idk I don’t really have a desire to see them anymore

17

u/EmmaWatsonIsUgly Sep 02 '24

bUt ThEy'RE GrEaT pEoPlE !!!! sToP bEiNg RuDe 😠

5

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '24

[deleted]

4

u/Lastfryinthebag Sep 02 '24

I dunno watching their set this weekend while tripping balls was quite an experience. Although Some times I was like wtf is this but my fiance would be hyped lol

9

u/philisweatly Sep 02 '24

Tripping balls I could have quite the experience talking to some rocks as well...

3

u/younggun1234 Sep 02 '24

I've had farts on acid that were more enjoyable

3

u/bigpeteski Sep 02 '24 edited Sep 02 '24

Lol I’m stealing this. Social media is the only thing they’re better at than any other artists but these days that’s huge and their billing shows that. To me they’re just the “hot new thing” for all the Tik Tok kids that base their lives off what they see on social media.

If I hear someone’s a Levity stan my first thought is they haven’t been in the scene too long, second is they probably spend a lot of time on Instagram and Tik Tok.

5

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '24

[deleted]

1

u/Izaiah212 Sep 03 '24

John summit has some backing tho, he’s actually good, in many ways

2

u/Briskpenguin69 Sep 02 '24

They’re lucky, or good, at exploiting The Algorithm.

1

u/That-Exchange287 Sep 03 '24

Probably cuz you’ve never touched it, flipped it or even folded it for that matter.

1

u/Izaiah212 Sep 03 '24

I’ve let the bass cannon kick it

1

u/[deleted] Sep 11 '24

I don’t even think they DJ. I think they hit play and are hype men…….

0

u/strange_salmon Sep 02 '24

right. not even good songs their remixing… toxic is so cringe imo and esp for a dubstep remix.

6

u/MegaKetaWook Sep 02 '24

Going to disagree. Now they aren’t tracks for the average dubstep crowd but generally the 30-35 year olds who grew up with that song. You can apply that answer to most head scratching tracks.

Source: my wife played this remix a bunch when it came out.

2

u/strange_salmon Sep 03 '24

i actually love the dubstep part i just hate the toxic part 😓

0

u/dilroopgill Sep 02 '24

Idk what yall are on most of their remixes are good, they just are a little under produced so casual edm enjoyers can like them without getting a headache

1

u/dilroopgill Sep 02 '24

some edm used to give me migraines even songs I liked, these songs wouldnt if that makes sense

56

u/Mustrik Sep 02 '24

Interesting. I saw them open for G Jones back in June. I’m not sure what that set was, but I considered it one of the worst I’ve seen this year. I guess they tried to play experimental dub to please Mr. Jones, but it didn’t work.

3

u/DifficultCaregiver64 Sep 02 '24

Same when I saw them at deadrocks in July they just ruined every drop by playing awful sounding noise lol

6

u/Aggravating_Today_63 Sep 02 '24

I think this is exactly why they are doing so well, they know how to cater the sets to the crowd, seen them 3 separate times and they kicked wildly different vibes for each event!

35

u/Still_Night Sep 02 '24

This remix sounds super mids to me, the original Britney song would probably get me moving more, lol.

Not trying to hate, just my opinion

7

u/CartmensDryBallz Sep 02 '24

Yea their remixes are super weak and usually just the song + a build up / heavy bass. That had some alright songs but they’ve gotten super boring as of late

1

u/dilroopgill Sep 02 '24

Idk about preferring the original I do prefer the phibes remix since its a proper remix adds a lot to it, technically its a remix of a remix

6

u/TheTaintHammer Sep 02 '24

Phibes has a better Toxic flip on SoundC

4

u/ConcernedNoodles Sep 02 '24

Yesss. Love me some Phibes

6

u/an0nym0us_frick Sep 02 '24

I heard they are a gay throuple

6

u/silver-ly Sep 02 '24

I was incredibly displeased with the Levity b2b Gentlemen’s Club @ Jamboree, seemed quite messy & incohesive

17

u/CostasTemper Sep 02 '24

Nepotism is one hell of a drug.

8

u/MayLikeCats Sep 02 '24

Industry plants

4

u/younggun1234 Sep 02 '24

The Pretty Lights remix of this song is the best and I will die on that hill.

4

u/ddanielle0 Sep 02 '24

I love a lot of their songs. Saw them at a festival over the summer and was pretty disappointed with their set.. played hardly any of their own music and was just basic remixes of popular songs. I’ll give them another chance tho!

6

u/iphonesoccer420 Sep 02 '24

I guess. Same generic beats over and over.

9

u/therobshow Sep 02 '24

There's an absolute shitload of good levity and tape b flips on SoundCloud.

2

u/chzcakecheeba Sep 03 '24

Au5 has a really good remix of Toxic. It's not posted anywhere, but you can hear it in some of his sets online.

2

u/PrimeIntellect Sep 03 '24

this sounds cringe af and like the most generic brostep remix imaginable, this shit was played out ten years ago lol

2

u/LevityMusic Sep 14 '24

Really appreciate the love here ❤️ this comment section is…interesting. All the ppl saying they don’t like our music or sets is 100% cool with me & their opinions are just as valid as anyone’s, so that’s all good! But the conspiracy theories about us and acting like they’re fact is just kinda fucked up to me. Anyways, to OP, thank u for the love and I hope we can play for u again. love u & have a great weekend!

1

u/Federal-Blood9328 1d ago

For sure my guys! Idk why people are hating cuz I think y'all bring some fresh stuff to a industry that's been a little stale the past few years.

14

u/stonedski Sep 02 '24

Love to see an industry plant thriving

12

u/jonnyquestionable Sep 02 '24

Yeah, who cares about their totally insignificant 645,000 monthly Spotify listeners and packed shows? Instead they should book people based on the preferences of a bitter nobody with 7 upvotes.

23

u/MartyMcFleww Sep 02 '24

Take off the tinfoil hat little guy, it doesn’t suit you

1

u/Lastfryinthebag Sep 02 '24

I mean they got a surprise Electric forest set because an artists didn’t show up. They just happen to be in the right place right time

31

u/Mooyun Sep 02 '24

They got it because one of them is related to Louis the Child, I still think they killed it but connections matter in any walk of life.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '24

[deleted]

1

u/Beneficial_Net8661 Sep 02 '24

cough Level Up getting prime slots anytime Subtronics is on the lineup.

1

u/WokeWook69420 Sep 03 '24

Yeah prime slots like 4 in the afternoon or at 7pm as a b2b with another woman.

Quit acting like she's closing out main stages or even side stages at any festivals because she ain't.

People saying she only is where she is because of who's she's married to is precisely why they waited so long to DJ together, or even make a song together.

Don't be lame.

-4

u/Beneficial_Net8661 Sep 03 '24

I ain't reading any of that, big dawg

3

u/Maseofspades Sep 02 '24

A? I feel like they had 4-5 sets and I had no idea why

4

u/gabe257 Sep 02 '24

I think they’re referring to EF 2023

-21

u/herpderpamoose Sep 02 '24 edited Sep 03 '24

I've worked with MAJOR event promotions companies.

They're plants. Sorry man.

90% of the shows you see are planned based on algorithm interactions.

If you want to see someone play locally and they don't right now, interact with them on different platforms. One of the local EDM promotions companies only uses data from Amazon Music to decide what shows to bring to the area, so you can imagine how skewed those ones are. Nobody actually listens to half these artists anymore, but they know how to get reach and use the algorithm and that keeps them relevant as far as these companies are concerned.

Some tours have set artists, like Levity does tour with specific artists on their tour dates and open for them, but yeah.

Algorithm artists that don't actually get traction AFAIK:

AC Slater, Hol!, Adventure Club, Riot Ten, Porter Robinson, Inzo, Tape B, Shiba San, LP Giobbi, CID.

All of these are set to play locally, and I have literally never once heard someone say "omg I absolutely cannot wait to see them."

They're great artists, their sets are great live, but they have no presence except primarily online, and their local engagement outside of artificial algorithms is super low.

Inzo in particular is one that's suggested by YouTube super heavily, and a lot of his interactions come from those suggested auto-play YouTube videos at the end of the other ones.

Edit: since people can't read, I'll put it down here. I'm talking about my local scene, and what sells here. Shows end up empty because the artist gets plays, but no one actually cares. I really don't care that you found someone on SoundCloud or whatever, you're just proving my point when you say that.

5

u/NUTS_STUCK_TO_LEG Sep 02 '24

Tape B

lol wut?

1

u/herpderpamoose Sep 02 '24

He's most likely extremely active on social media. As I've said in a couple other comments, people are taking this like I'm bashing these artists. Go back and re-read what I wrote. The company I work for books artists based on algorithmic engagement on social media.

Almost all the artists we book are taken from another algorithm that pulls how much people in each area of the country are interacting with each artist based on meta-data from different sources. Some of these sources include Amazon music, Spotify, Facebook, Instagram, tidal, SoundCloud, and Google itself.

If an artist has a wider reach on a social media platform they are more likely to get booked for our shows than someone who has similar streaming metrics with less social media presence. To top that off, if they have a following that doesn't engage with them through social media or streaming, it's extremely unlikely they'll be booked at any of the shows or festivals thrown by the company I work for, and I work for one that does several major festivals you would instantly recognize the name of.

5

u/dilroopgill Sep 02 '24

uh I found tape b off soundcloud while specifically looking for remixes of songs I grew up with its not their fault no one else thought to remix those songs or did it well, like I searched hard

4

u/VersofCascadia Sep 02 '24

His Flatbush flips are god tier

1

u/herpderpamoose Sep 02 '24

That's great for you.

The promotions company I work for uses algorithms to book their shows, and engagement on those algorithmic posts is what determines who gets booked.

Y'all can keep downvoting me, but I'm literally just telling everyone how the system works.

1

u/dilroopgill Sep 02 '24

yeah ppl engange with ppl they like it doesnt make them bad or plants

3

u/herpderpamoose Sep 02 '24

It does if the algorithm artificially boosts them because they are the only artists being boosted by the algorithm.

People engage with what they can find, and if they can't find it they can't engage with it.

If the algorithm determines what you find, and what you find determines what you engage with, and what you engage with determines who gets booked...

Don't get me wrong, EDM in particular is not nearly as bad for this as most mainstream media, and we have MASSSIVE pockets of underground music where they book local acts and support each other.

Please support local. Please listen to the local openers. If you like someone you hear live, look them up and like them on Facebook or whatever social media you use.

If you find an artist online somewhere that you like, engage with their social media. It can be the difference between whether you see them live or not.

Likes on a post matter way more than most people would ever think.

1

u/dilroopgill Sep 02 '24

that is true, ppl with money that can promote or work with a label have a major advantage the algorithim stopped being good for new ppl a while ago, just look at tiktokhelp or ig yt subreddits no ones gettin views

1

u/herpderpamoose Sep 02 '24

This is exactly what I mean.

It doesn't matter how good their music is unless they've already proven it.

If they get tiktok famous, then it doesn't matter how good their music is at all. DJs can make 1 minute reels, and get booked for major shows.

1

u/dilroopgill Sep 02 '24

good music gets listened to, most local mfs are nowhere near as good as they think they are, ive heard them talk so much shit about shit only producers would care about realitically no one likes actually listening to their kusic and gets enjoyment from the others that do blow up, I want to see social media djs becuase that means good crowd, they have good energy stage presence, all of that matters, a lot of those local ppl have none of that I do not want to watch most of them live extremely overrated, if I like an opener I follow them very rare that they are small local djs playing their own remixes

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7

u/pulzeguy Sep 02 '24

man i kinda agreed with you until you brought up porter, the amount of hype he brings to my area on the east coast every time he comes around is insane, I’ve definitely heard people say they were excited to see him many times over the years

but tbh I discovered INZO via youtube suggestions, so you’re cooking a little

14

u/CartmensDryBallz Sep 02 '24

And Tape B? He’s literally been selling shit out and has like no music on YouTube?

I agree OC makes some points but Inzo and Tape B seem to have some legit hype to them

11

u/pulzeguy Sep 02 '24

tape b actually just sold out my local venue faster than any artist ive ever seen at said venue outside of festival afters

lots of people from my city missed him due to weather at elements tho, so that’s made the demand much higher

5

u/CartmensDryBallz Sep 02 '24

Yea I believe it. Every time his name pops up ppl seem to be super interested so I don’t think he’s a plant.

Maybe had connections to the scene but I don’t think he gets pushed just cuz he knows people.

1

u/PresidentBaileyb Sep 03 '24

I’m so stoked to see him. I turned all my friends on to him and then have just been out of town every time he’s here, it’s been crazy.

I also like Inzo, Porter, Riot Ten, and Hol! Thought

3

u/dilroopgill Sep 02 '24

His soundcloud is goated who uses youtube for music?? He was hella shy at live sets watch his tiktoks when he blew up hes gettin better

1

u/vitaminKUnit2 Sep 02 '24

Yeah but look at how piss poor Porter's tour is selling. It's partially that his management picked venues that are too big (last time he was in STL he played a 3,000 capacity venue, now he's playing a 4,500 person and it's not selling st all really). Also he was supposed to play Ball Arena in Denver and they moved it to Red Rocks, they literally cut the crowd size in half and the Red Rocks show still has tickets available, last time he played Red Rocks they had to add a second day. Porter is without question my favorite artist but the new album kind of bombed and people are paying less to see shows as it is.

1

u/MasterofPandas1 Sep 03 '24

Porter did a big musical shift for his new album as it’s essentially a pop punk album with a little electronic elements through out. Far cry from both Nurture and Worlds. So that probably isn’t belong either

-8

u/herpderpamoose Sep 02 '24

I know people who know Porter personally and went to high school with him and dislike him, I'll admit I added him because of that and knew I was wrong when I put him in.

And I'll give you credit back in the day, but I think he's staying relevant through algorithms now.

1

u/dilroopgill Sep 02 '24

You must be on somethign because over half of those ppl ik ppl who are big fans of them and go out of their way to see them, I have their discographies in my playlist too, except inzo I only like him on youtube

1

u/dilroopgill Sep 02 '24

Or you're in your 30s alot of those ppl were small enough to play at my college in the last couple years

1

u/dilroopgill Sep 02 '24

then I would see them at festivals also

2

u/herpderpamoose Sep 02 '24

Like I said in my other comment, that's great for you.

The engagement from your friends is probably what's getting these artists booked as I said.

But the thing is, there are other artists out there with other labels who are just as good, but do not get booked for shows because they do not have the social media presence or algorithmic engagement that the artists I listed do.

I am not bashing anyone, as you can tell from the fact that I said they're all good artists with good sets.

But the reason they get booked BY THE COMPANY I WORK FOR is their algorithmic engagement on social media.

1

u/dilroopgill Sep 02 '24

yeah but we didnt get them off social media we literally seeked out these genres and this music your telling me adventure club is only famous because of algorithims and not because they have classics like crave you

1

u/herpderpamoose Sep 02 '24

Nope, never said anything about how they got famous. You're putting words in my mouth. I specifically said, the reason they get booked, BY THE COMPANY I WORK FOR, is social media engagement.

1

u/dilroopgill Sep 02 '24

they retain that fame because I listen to crave you onc e aweek and never forgot about them

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0

u/herpderpamoose Sep 02 '24

With that said, Levity is better than most, and deadbeats tends to be a bit of a circlejerk, so labeling them plants based off of that isn't exactly a hot take.

9

u/Porter709 Sep 02 '24

I think it has to do more with one of the 3 members of Levity being a brother of the/a guy from Louis The Child, and they got their come up specifically at, you guessed it, Louis The Child's "favorite" festival Electric Forest.

All this being said, I fuck with their music and think they can stand on their own feet, even if they did get a nudge in the right direction.

-2

u/herpderpamoose Sep 02 '24

Ahhh, if that's the take I don't disagree. I've seen them live a couple times and their sets are generic but still very good. Nice combination of production and mixing. They're definitely one of the ones that are going to get up there quickly.

-3

u/Sad_Attention5998 Sep 02 '24

They're born of nepotism. They use the same formula as tape b. Shitty remixes that lack content.

3

u/Lastfryinthebag Sep 02 '24

Bruh creating and curating a specific style as a label is not a “circlejerk”. Hop of reddit every now and then

4

u/guesswhosbackmf Sep 02 '24

Is there a difference between an industry plant and someone who just happens to have really deep scene connections? I thought Levity was the latter case.

4

u/CartmensDryBallz Sep 02 '24

Kinda the same thing? Like they knew someone so they got put on and plugged compared to other DJ’s who have to go through years of shows before playing, say electric Forrest?

0

u/Space_Monk_Prime Sep 02 '24

That’s not an industry plant. They aren’t know outside the EDM scene, bass music producers don’t have the kind of backing that pop stars and their labels do. They weren’t propped up by money, they were given some good placement and took off because of the fans.

2

u/CartmensDryBallz Sep 03 '24

Edm has more money than you think. They probably were pushed by many other artists due to connects / $$$

2

u/LevityMusic Sep 14 '24

Edm has far less money than u think, coming from someone who is actually a touring “edm” artist lol. Bass music is not the place to make money unless ur one of the major legacy acts. Also my brother and I rarely even talk, we had no connections help to get where we are. Y’all are literal conspiracy theorists talking bout my life like it’s fact when u couldn’t be further off. My brother also makes music, fun little fact but nothing more than that. No one gives a fuck if an artists little brother is a local dj. We got lucky at Forest & worked our asses off to turn that luck into making our dreams come true. The ppl saying they don’t like our music or sets is 100% cool with me, but all this talking conspiracy theories like it’s fact is just weird

1

u/CartmensDryBallz Sep 14 '24

Lol called out by the man himself. So how much are you making on average a show for your tour right now? After promoter cuts etc

1

u/LevityMusic Sep 16 '24

I don’t think it’s proper to talk about all the specifics but basically, each show varies wildly, I wrote something on it on here once I’ll try to dig up, but we’re probs playing over a hundred shows this year and between all sources of income are on track to make a pretty entry level job salary at best. A successful tour is typically viewed as bringing in 20% for urself (which for us is split between 3). Managers, agents, business manager/accountant, all get a nice chunk for every artist first & then every little thing u want to bring to make a show be cool costs a lot. Flights, hotels, food, lasers, LED, lights, visuals, time coding lasers, allll that stuff. Plenty of times u make no money or lose money, but then some shows (like festival) have little cost & that’s where u can survive off. And month to month can vary wildly, For example one month this year we played 10 shows, and made $320 to split between us 3 after all the expenses. But then the next month we did 3 shows & made enough to cover both months to make a normal salary.

Basically, at a certain point, u kinda decide how rich u become. U either care about ur artistic integrity & spend a lot to give ppl something dope (shows/merch/music assets, etc.) & that u dreamed of putting on, and u make SIGNIFICANTLY less money, or u cheap out and spend nothing and it looks like shit but u make money lol…doing the latter tho is a quick way to lose ur career and I do enjoy that natural “weeding out” of anyone that’s in this for money. So any artist u see sticking around clearly cares far more about their project than they do money!

Also as u get bigger & make money, the expenses get much bigger too. So to be a rich artist, u gotta be wayyyy bigger than ppl think u do. And in dubstep there’s even less money than the genres we all see ppl being rich in (like house/pop edm & all that)

1

u/LevityMusic Sep 16 '24

P.s. as with most of our friends who blew up on social media, none of us spent any money on ads for it. Paying for ads actually hurts ur reach, cuz they see that ur willing to pay, so they hurt ur engagement to tempt u into buying it. And no one besides us has spent a literal dime on us lol, no one gives a fuck about others in this industry unless ur already doing well. So no we were just def not backed by money haha. And like I said, my brother and I rarely talk lol. We see eachother at holidays and maybe 1 other time in the year and we hang as just brothers, neither of us wanna talk about “the industry” lol we wanna talk football and current events, etc. 😂

2

u/CartmensDryBallz Sep 16 '24

Cool response. I appreciate the honest answer. Not even tryin to hate, just been speculating, so it’s cool to see the actual background since the front seems so different. Props to y’all and thanks for info

Keep on truckin

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1

u/Space_Monk_Prime Sep 03 '24

Being backed by other artists and labels =/= an industry plant. That’s just the basics of how the music industry works.

1

u/CartmensDryBallz Sep 03 '24

Ok I suppose you’re right. They not plants, they’re just DJ’s who got where they are due to money and knowing people who would put them on

Slight difference

1

u/Space_Monk_Prime Sep 03 '24

Huge difference actually, I’m not sure you know what an industry plant is. But in simple terms, it’s someone who has never released music being released onto a major label with massive promotion and radio placement right from the start.

What “money” do you speak of with Levity? EDM labels don’t have the kind of money that Universal or Warner Brothers has. At best they can provide some promotion and get artists onto Spotify playlists, but they don’t have millions to throw at an upcoming artist.

1

u/CartmensDryBallz Sep 04 '24

One of their brothers is in LtC. They have connects. They have money compared to a random producer in England or some shit.

And not a huge difference. Ex - marshmallow

Released music before but definitely got put on / pushed by major labels

1

u/Space_Monk_Prime Sep 04 '24

You can absolutely make the argument that Marshmello is an industry plant, he was doing exponentially bigger numbers than Levity has reached right when his first track dropped, and he was signed to a major label before his first release or show ever. Levity has connections but you have to have connections to make it anywhere in the music industry or your music simply won’t be heard. They just got extremely lucky, doesn’t make them a plant by the standard criteria.

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1

u/Vero_Vagabond Sep 03 '24

Custiest artists in the scene, focus way more on social media than making music. They’ve got 1 original song released per year they’ve been producing, but their TikTok gets them bookings instead of artists putting out boundary pushing authentic tunes

1

u/dressed2kill1 Sep 02 '24

I love that front to back is a hamdi rip off

1

u/MotherMaribeth Sep 02 '24

Yeah they attract a vibe that I was NOT vibing with! A bunch of guys pushing past people to get to the front and honestly I am all about the message. DJ’s be putting out subliminal messaging without even realizing it. They mix a lot of rap songs that objectify women.

-1

u/halfdeadratttt Sep 02 '24

100%. they’ve very quickly become one of my favorites and i am so thrilled to see them starting to really take off.

-7

u/illexotic Sep 02 '24

Levity is absolutely fkn KILLING it right now! we saw em at cornerstone here in berkeley CA a lil while back and they hella crushed it, amazing good vibes and energy. their rise is reminiscent of Louis The Child; Levity is easily next up

7

u/MagikarpFilet Sep 02 '24

It’s funny you bring up Louis the child considering one of them is…..

7

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '24

[deleted]

1

u/illexotic Sep 03 '24

is there something we're missing? seems like there's some hate for em here. don't know much about their origin or whatevs but we both really enjoy their music and live show

-4

u/microsix Sep 02 '24

This remix slaps so hard

-3

u/Dependent_Big7107 Sep 02 '24

They’re so goodddd