#drop goblin

But Goblin never fully identified with his militant peers:

"I walked the walk and talked the talk, but never really thought the thought as far as its political stance."

Though the dogma didn’t stick, the interest in raucous music did, and he decided instead to become a DJ.

"I decided one day that the scene wasn’t for me, and I wanted to pick up something that I could learn as an individual sport … that I could learn on my own without any peers or influence around me. Just two turntables and me."

This sentiment underlines Goblin’s overall approach to producing music. He is unapologetically true to his own creative vision and refuses to compromise for the commercially driven music industry in the name of making a buck. Rather, he makes music solely for his family and his fans, whom he calls “Gob Kids.”

Goblin makes a considerable effort to build personal relationships with the Gob Kids, primarily by interacting with them and engaging in discussions through social media:

"I do everything I possibly can … to keep the fans talking and interacting and entertaining their brain. I can only promote so much; I prefer asking them questions and getting feedback from them."

The result is an exceptionally loyal fan base.

“I owe so much to those fans and what’s cool is I get the respect back that I give them, and that’s awesome.”

The philosophy behind his live show is similar. Goblin aims to connect with the crowd during his energetic performances, where he offers something fresh: he mixes with two iPads and a mixer in between, without relying on a laptop or turntables. He uses his technique to give the Gob Kids something new and unique that they are unlikely to see elsewhere.

“They’re paying for a ticket to come see me, so I’m going to give them a show that they can talk about after they leave.”

An avid skater and a fan of extreme sports, Goblin hopes to one day bring his DJ set to the X Games. Until then, you can find his unique blend of metalstep, dubstep, and glitch hop around the US and the New England area.

In the past two weeks, The Lake Poets gained 200 new Facebook fans, pushing them over the 3,000 mark. The band gained 367% more Facebook fans and 255% more Twitter followers in the past two weeks than in the previous two-week period, and their YouTube views in the past two weeks make up nearly one-quarter of their total views of all time. They have already been featured on BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 1, and they recently did a Daytrotter session in London. It’s only a matter of time before The Lake Poets make the leap across the pond--and then, into the mainstream. 

Drop Goblin is a heavy bass DJ and producer from New Hampshire. With a background in metal and hardcore, he describes his sound as darker and angrier than that of his EDM peers. Drop Goblin recently reached the milestone of more than 6,000 Facebook fans (or "Gob Kids," as he calls them).

In the past two weeks, he has increased his Facebook fan base by more than 500 followers, which is more than five times the growth he saw in the previous two-week period. His YouTube video views in the past two weeks also make up approximately half of his total views of all time, and this was a 2761% increase from the views he got in the previous two-week period. 

Obey City, a.k.a. Sam Obey, is a Brooklyn-based electronic music producer. On his Facebook page, he cites influences as diverse as Stevie Wonder, J Dilla and Stereolab. Pitchfork Media has described him as one of electronic music's up-and-comers –and his numbers have certainly been growing fast: Obey has increased his Facebook fans by 10% in the past two weeks, bringing him to more than 3,700 fans.

In the past two weeks, his growth on Facebook was 377% more than his growth in the previous two-week period. He has also seen some increased activity on Twitter. While he has added 150 followers, what's more notable is how much more people have been talking about him. Mentions of Obey City on Twitter in the past two weeks have increased by 431% as compared to the previous two weeks. This sudden burst of activity is likely due to Obey’s recent album announcement. On July 15, he announced that his upcoming LP, Champagne Sounds, would be released on August 6, and on July 18, he premiered the first single, “Fallin.”

Check out the rest of this week’s chart for more acts to watch –one of them just might be the Next Big Sound.