Twelve years ago today – July 11th – we bore witness to the unveiling of a seminal piece of music that would leave an indelible mark on the electronic dance music (EDM) landscape. A young and prodigious talent named Madeon, only 17 years old at the time, breathed life into an extraordinary 39-track mashup that went by the name “Pop Culture”.
Before this, Madeon had been making waves with impressive remixes of prominent tracks, such as Pendulum’s “The Island (Pt. 1),” deadmau5’s “Raise Your Weapon,” and Yelle’s “Que veux-tu,” to name just a few. Yet, the release of the “Pop Culture” live set propelled Madeon into the EDM stratosphere.
Using a digital music workstation known as Ableton Live, controlled through a Novation Launchpad, Madeon exhibited a virtuosic display of sampling from various music artists. Daft Punk, Madonna, Linkin Park, The Killers, Gorillaz, Justice, Ke$ha, and Michael Jackson – their works were all interwoven seamlessly in this musical tapestry.
Over the ensuing decade, “Pop Culture” has earned a venerable status, amassing over 55 million views on YouTube and standing as a testament to Madeon’s unparalleled prowess as both a producer and performer. The ingenious blending of sounds and loops, coupled with the adept handling of transitions and effects on the Launchpad, led to creating a timeless masterpiece.
“Pop Culture” was not just a demonstration of Madeon’s gifts but also an innovation in the EDM genre, highlighting the immense potential of the Launchpad as a tool for live performances. His breakthrough performance became a beacon for aspiring musicians, catalyzing a wave of curiosity and experimentation with this device.
The mashup is a monument to Madeon’s evolution as an artist, from his humble beginnings to his current status as an EDM icon. As we celebrate the 12th anniversary of “Pop Culture,” it’s impossible not to feel a sense of awe at Madeon’s journey so far, while eagerly anticipating his future contributions to the music world.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
