Kaskade

It's hard to believe that, among his many accolades, Ryan Raddon, better known as Kaskade, has collected a Grammy nomination for the chart-topping Fire & Ice, earned recognition as the first electronic dance artist to solo-headline the Los Angeles Staples Center on top of a sold out show, and performed over 150 headlining shows a year during the last decade of his career. Such surprise doesn't stem from any question of skill, taste, or appeal; rather, the wonder comes from Raddon's ever-present humility and gratitude, qualities that belie his well-established fame.

A few months ago, and a year and a half after Fire & Ice, Raddon answered fans' calls with the debut single off the same-titled album, Atmosphere, stunning the world with a progressive house hit whose highs and lows resonated deep within the hearts of listeners. Biding our time until September, the month slated for the album's launch, followers have received relief piece by piece: first a GTA remix of the single that dropped earlier this month, then Tuesday's premiere of Chocolate Puma's revision on SiriusXM, and now today's exclusive stream of AMTRAC's captivating tech house rework. Stripping away the big room climbs and flooring, euphoric drops, the American DJ and producer from Kentucky takes "Atmosphere" back to Kaskade's roots at Om Records just 10 years ago. What you find are understated builds and polished breaks that layer Raddon's passionate vocals over whirling melodies and crisp drum loops. As always, AMTRAC finds a way to make you fall in love with a song all over again, this time pulling it off with one of most revered tracks of 2013.

The full remix pack comes out tomorrow, only a month and a half before the Atmosphere tour begins on September 14th in UMF's hometown, Miami, ending October 19th in Los Angeles. Carrying the subtitle "Big Rooms. Small Tour", we're all curious as to what the show will bring. Something more like Freaks Of Nature? A revisit of It's You It's Me? Or maybe a happy medium between the two worlds? Whatever it is, it's sure to follow Kaskade's mantra that everyone be "smiling, listening, loving and dancing."