Atlantic Records CEO: "We're trying with Flux [Pavilion] right now to give us some stuff on the hip-hop side — Skrillex as well,"

Spin published a very interesting piece on electronic dance music and its relationship with major record labels. It's a long article but it contains a lot of insight, especially from the perspective of the big label executives as well as some choice quotes from top artists like Chuckie. But what I found most interesting was what Craig Kallman, President and CEO of Atlantic Records and creator of Big Beat, had to say in this section: 

"We're trying with Flux [Pavilion] right now to give us some stuff on the hip-hop side — Skrillex as well," says Kallman. "We just signed an artist, Alex Newell, who is on Glee. He's going to be coming from a really soulful house place. We're looking at everyone from Rudimental to new producers to be working on him. And Cash Cash is getting involved on the pop side for Atlantic."

So that explains the recent track collaboration with Chance The Rapper and Skillex which was unveiled at a recent takeover party in Brooklyn: 

Is this track a one-off or will Skrillex be doing more hip-hop influenced tracks as Mr. Kallman has hinted in the above quote? 

For those not aware of who Alex Newell is, he's a 21 year-old actor/singer on the popular hit show Glee. Here's a clip of him performing "Meadowlark" on the GMCLA's Voice Awards: 

Could Alex Newell be the new face of big label EDM in 2014? Only time will tell.

It's going to be an interesting year as big labels start levering their influence into the wider electronic dance music market. EDM is quickly growing up to be a big business and everyone wants a piece of it. 

To read the full article on Spin, click here.