Look out for the Christian Smith remix of this – Sharam clash heads on this huge release for 2010, big vocal cut from the voice of Flashdance.

Following November’s sold out party at the venue, Howells has decided to host a similar bash on Sunday 31st January, again taking to the decks for the entire evening. Proceedings will kick off at the relatively early time of 6pm, giving the progressive house stalwart a full seven hours to work his magic. Unlike many of his peers, Howells is known for his diverse selection policy, mixing up rock, funk and disco as well as the house and techno fare that you’d expect from one of his usual peak time sets. High levels of demand for the first Dig Deeper event at Notting Hill Arts Club meant that the bash sold out far in advance, so fans who missed out on Howells last time around are urged to pick up one of the 200 tickets sooner rather than later.

‘Young Forever’ is the brand new single by JAY-Z set for release on January 11 via Roc Nation. Featuring the UK’s very own Mr Hudson, it follows the phenomenal #2 single ‘Empire State Of Mind’ and the #1 smash hit, ‘Run This Town’, all taken from the UK Gold-certified, Top 5 critically-acclaimed album – THE BLUEPRINT 3. Nominated five times at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards for Best Rap Solo Performance, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group and Best Rap Song For‘D.O.A(Death Of Auto-Tune)’ and ‘Run This Town’.

In America, THE BLUEPRINT 3 debuted at the top of the Billboard chart selling over 456,000 copies in the first week. With that grand entry, his 11th chart-topper, JAY-Z surpassed Elvis Presley as the solo act with the most # 1 albums in the history of Billboard. The album’s release date pays homage to the release date of the original “Blueprint,” – Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Recognizing the events of that date, JAY-Z staged the historic ANSWER THE CALL charity concert at New York’s legendary Madison Square Garden. The wildly successful sold-out concert featured artists Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Kanye West, John Mayer, Pharrell Williams, Swizz Beatz, Kid Cudi and Memphis Bleek and is due to be shown on UK TV at 9.30pm on December 12th on BBC3.   

Continuing the momentum, JAY-Z brought his incredible live show to British shores for a string of dates joining Coldplay, as well as record-breaking, sell-out shows at London’s Roundhouse and Alexandra Palace.   

Since 1995, Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter has dominated the rap industry and set trends for a generation. Now in 2009, he personifies the “American Dream. Founder and chairman of, Rocawear, he is also co-owner of the NJ Nets, 40/40 sports clubs, co-owner of Carol’s Daughter skin line and Translation Advertising. After three successful years as President and CEO of Def Jam Recordings, where he fostered the careers of international stars Rihanna, Ne-Yo and Kanye West, JAY-Z entered into a partnership with Live Nation to form Roc Nation. JAY-Z became the first non-athlete to enter into a major footwear co-venture with his S. Carter line for Reebok and in addition, continues his philanthropic work through his Water For Life initiative and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation. Over his career, the multiple Grammy and award winner has sold more than 40 million albums and sold out arenas across the world.

Think soul, think Motown. Think blues, think Chess Records. Think jazz, think Blue Note. Think house, think Strictly Rhythm.

Twenty years. Not many independent labels make it this far. Still fewer make it this far after a dalliance with a major label, as Strictly Rhythm did for a short time. In house music it’s unknown. The first wave of house labels back in the 80s burned brightly but briefly and each successive wave featured its own equally temporal stars, all of them long gone or else grinding on as catalogue only zombie imprints. Perhaps there is the odd semi-professional or hobbyist label still soldiering on. But Strictly Rhythm occupies a unique status in the history of house as the longest running label that follows the same vision today as it did when founders Mark Finkelstein and Gladys Pizarro put out the first record in July 1989; release the best club music it can find.

It’s that music that makes Strictly Rhythm. Indie labels are typically defined by one character, be that the DJ or producer that runs it or the one successful artist that overshadows all else, and their fortunes are umbilically linked. At Strictly, the shifting sands of musical trends became a strength. When Todd Terry, the label’s first profile producer upped camp, Roger Sanchez came through. Then there were DJ Pierre, Kenny Dope, Louie Vega, Erick Morillo, Armand Van Helden, all with their own sound, their own vision, their own way of doing what they do. Sooner rather than later, Strictly’s ability to nurture and sustain producer talent led to hit-making acts; Barbara Tucker, Reel 2 Real, Ultra Naté and Wamdue Project all scored major crossover hits in the 90s.

These hits and those now iconic names of house are the stuff of Strictly. But there’s more that lurks deep in the most extensive catalogue of any house label and those delights await crate diggers and young DJs looking for the less obvious; little known tracks by big names under forgotten pseudonyms and straight up killer tracks quietly sleeping. Search and you shall find.

20 Years; 20 remixes

Try this: reduce a 700 odd strong catalogue to just 20. Tricky? Maybe so. But in truth, these revered classics pick themselves. Everyone has their own quirky Strictly favourite but some are simply unarguable. The obvious crossover hits, Reel’s 2 Real’s I Like To Move It, Ultra Naté’s Free and Wamdue Project’s King Of My Castle are joined by undisputed house classics Love & Happiness, Deep Inside, Reach and Follow Me, all updated with love by today’s leading lights and many of which, like Armand Van Helden’s Witch Doktor and Barbara Tucker’s I Get Lifted are being retouched for the very first time. The difficult bit was stopping at just the 20…

Now restablished, Strictly Rhythm is once again presenting new music and artists, pushing the boundaries of dance music and encouraging innovation.

With this new anniversary album the label is doing just that, inviting some of the most contemporary and pioneering producers to rework the classics. Groundbreakers such as Michel Cleis, Bob Sinclar, Mark Knight, Tiefschwarz and ATFC bring their contemporary interpretation of the tracks to the dance floor once again for a whole new generation of Strictly Rhythm followers.

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Flying in direct from a worldwide tour promoting their latest albums ‘Scars’ and ‘Zephyr’, the legendary Basement Jaxx are primed and ready for a return to their spiritual home Brixton Jamm for a show stopping proportions!

This intimate and exclusive DJ performance on Saturday February 6th will feature all of their newest tracks, hottest remixes and those effervescent classics that we all love and cherish. But not only this, Felix has brought some very special friends with him to kick off the new year with a big Basement Jaxx bang! Expect a full house of the sexiest hedonists in town and

after their last show in March was anything to go by this event will be a total roadblock so make sure you have the hottest ticket in town for a night you’ll truly remember, Jaxx style… Laaaa La La Laaaa La La La!

UK artists Addictive TV are performing their audiovisual show at the next Videocrash night at the HMV Forum in London, on April 10^th along with DJ Yoda.

Hot news also is that DJ and mash-up guru Mark Vidler has joined Addictive TV, famed for his Blondie vs The Doors EMI release, Vidler has remixed for artists from David Bowie to Kasabian

Very much trail-blazers in the world of audio/video remixing, Addictive TV are known for their official movie mash-ups for the Hollywood studios, remixing films including Iron Man, Max Payne and last year Fast & Furious and Slumdog Millionaire. DJ/producer and all round Godfather of mash-up Mark Vidler aka Go Home Productions, renowned for his Blondie vs the Doors hit that featured on his EMI Mashed album, has taken the lift to the next level of remixing, joining forces with audio/visual pioneers Addictive TV.

“It’s just so obvious” says Vidler of his new found partners in crime “creating music from samples that you can actually see, it’s like clubbing and cinema fused together, two of my greatest loves”.

No strangers to the world of audio/visual remixing, pioneering alchemists of the audio/visual dark arts, Addictive TV have twice been voted best visual act in the World in DJ Mag and have blown away audiences in over 50 countries now, dazzling crowds with their dynamic brain-twisting live shows. Praised by music innovators like Moby, Grandmaster Flash, Jeff Mills and former Kraftwerk star Karl Bartos for their unique style of remixing, they’re also in demand in Hollywood for their movie mashing talents, where the guys have notched up an unrivalled number of official film remixes for blockbusters like Fast & Furious, Iron Man and the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire.

Emerging from the world of audio bootlegging, Vidler gained prominance as a producer officially remixing artists including David Bowie, Kasabian, Bob Dylan, Gang of Four and Alicia Keys. His “Mashed” compilation became the first ever officially sanctioned mashup album, released on EMI and hitting the top 10 UK albums in February 2007.

“Mark’s well-known in the audio mashup world for his ability to seamlessly fuse tracks as if they were joined at the hip at birth and that creative and production skill brilliantly compliments what we’ve been doing with Addictive TV, building fully integrated tracks from both audio and video” says frontman Graham Daniels “and bootlegs aside, we’ve made a lot of work together this year – my personal fave was the Channel 5 football adverts.”

Vidler first worked with Daniels in 2006, on his Blondie vs The Doors release, when EMI sanctioned the bootleg and commissioned Addictive TV to create an audio/visual mash-up of his remix. Fans of each others output, sporadic collaborations ensued and it was only a matter of time before the two camps would join forces more permanently.

Gigwise, February 2010 sees Addictive TV head for cold climes to play at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, for the opening night of Code Live, Canada’s 18-day Cultural Olympiad featuring artists like Kid Koala, Deadbeat and LA Riots. And in April 2010, at what promises to be an absolute blinder of an audiovisual night, Addictive TV join DJ Yoda at The Forum in Kentish Town, London, for an extra special version of that most happening of AV nights, Videocrash. Other dates include Bangkok, Madrid, Paris, Dubai and many more to be confirmed soon.

Spinning their mind-bogglingly intricate tracks from video turntables, expect the Addictive TV boys to drop their audiovisual extravaganza at a club near you soon!

When Virgin Galactic were looking for some atmospheric music to herald the launch of their ground-breaking ‘SpaceShipTwo’, they turned to Above & Beyond. At an event hosted by Richard Branson in the Mojave Desert, the track chosen to accompany the official unveiling of SpaceShipTwo was Above & Beyond’s club anthem ‘Buzz’, which was inspired by the Apollo 11 moon-landing. After the unveiling of the world’s first space tourism spacecraft, Above & Beyond performed an exclusive DJ set in front of an audience of 800 dignitaries, celebrities and soon-to-be astronauts, plus the assembled global media.

http://www.aboveandbeyond.nu

http://www.virgingalactic.com

Deep, dirty and devastating. Jas & James, aka Simian Mobile Disco, flex their techno muscles on this week’s Essential Mix. Listen out for new SMD tracks in the mix.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00pkwrq

Track List

Sidney Samson is a Dutch DJ and dance musician. Samson started DJ’ing at the age of 14, focusing on hip-hop music before working seriously on house music. He is a DJ at The Matrixx, a major Dutch nightclub and released “Bring That Beat Back” and “It’s all funked up” on the digidance and Spinnin’ Records labels respectively.

His most popular song “Riverside”, was released in 2009, and reached No. 8 on the Dutch Top 40 and No. 10 on the Australian ARIA Charts and has jsut reached number 1 on the UK dance charts.

ATFC, a house hold name in House music (Ed’s note: see what I did there!). A chart topping DJ and producer, and the guy that brought us ‘Bad Habit’ and ‘Sleep talk’. If you are a dj you will almost certainly have played one of his records or danced at a club he had been headlining at. Now 15 years on Aydin The Funky Chile is still pushing the boundaries of Dance music with his innovative sound and constant releases. Beatport voted him House producer of the year 08 and 09 and Pete Tong recently showcased his essential mix.

So it’s not surprising that he has been chosen by Defected Records to record their next mix, a soundtrack that is representative of London’s underground dance floors. After all he has lived his whole life there and knows the scene intimately. Here he shares some of the cities secrets, reflects on the music scene and tell us why the London is arguably the clubbing capital of the world.

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It would be difficult to refute that London is the centre of the universe for clubbing and dance music.

It’s not a new phenomenon that London has long been a mega magnet attracting clubbers from all over the world. It has long been the ultimate destination for clubbers, partygoers and hedonists due to its unparalleled club scene and the sheer variety of musical breadth it offers. Even from the beginning of the clubbing revolution with events like Shoom and Spectrum all the way through to contemporary club nights at Fabric, Ministry of Sound and Matter. All are world class clubs of which any other city would be lucky to host just one. London has these and countless more besides. Add to that an ever-growing legion of dance music fans and relaxed licensing laws that allow 24-hour partying every day of the year and you have the recipe for something explosive. We all think it is about time we celebrated London and its Dance scene.

Here at Defected we tend to travel a lot. Recently we have presented the best that Miami, Amsterdam, Singapore, Goa, Tokyo, and Ibiza had to offer musically, and wherever we go we like to bring back a little bit of inspiration from each Dance music scene we encounter. However London is where all the work is done and is the place that represents the bench mark that everyone else strives to duplicate. The city defines the word cosmopolitan which is a huge part of its global appeal, and along with Ibiza represents the centre of the universe for clubbing and dance music. London is simply unique.

ATFC is a fitting choice to present this new compilation; after all he was born and bred in London. He has spent the last 10 years playing at almost every venue in the capital. An established artist and a bone fide house music master voted ‘Best House Artist of 2009’ by Beatport. Not even taking into consideration his former successes as the chart topping seminal producer who brought us ‘Bad Habit’ feat Lisa Millet, ‘In and Out of My Life’ and ‘Sleep talk’, all sure fire classics.

It’s ATFC’s new releases that are causing such a stir, like the saxophone infused ‘I Called You (The Conversation)’ and his brand new exclusive ‘Computer Love’ all illustrating his unique style. Other fresh tracks include the exclusive Riva Star remix of Reboot ‘Enjoy Music’, relentlessly played by Pete Tong and hailed as a genius nu skool / old skool disco house production. Also look out for Dennis Ferrer’s vocal house masterpiece ‘Hey Hey’ as well as big room sounds from Steve Angello and Erick Morillo. Exclusives come from international producers DJ Gregory, Copyright and Ramon Tapia. To add that special London flavour ATFC has built some familiar sounds of London, typical street market barrow boys can be heard as well as those every day sounds of the underground, all cleverly included in the intros.

For those of you that aspire to visit the capital and are a little nervous about not knowing where to go or what to do, fear not. We have put together a little pocket London guide to inform you where you can dance, eat and enjoy maximum fun from your visit. It was put together by the people at Defected who live and die by dance music so we hope you can trust its recommendations.

ATFC in the House – London 10

Release date: 01/02/10

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Scottish dance music maestro, Calvin Harris, is set to start off 2010 with yet another fantastic floor filler from his number one selling album Ready For The Weekend. The new track You Used To Hold Me is released on February 8 and has a great new video,

Dub Suit EP comes from Indian unit Jalebee Cartel. This project has been getting a lot of attention for their commercial film and documentary scores, TV and fashion music productions and advertising achievements. In the underground electronic scene they have also been very productive. With releases on labels like eVapour8, System, Proton, Maktub and Baroque, the boys are proving their wide skills in the music production. Jalebee hit worldwide dance charts with their track “Destiny” which was voted Best Sunset Soundtrack on BBC.

Get ready for two proper doses of highly danceable electronic underground music. For remix duties we have Kaato label boss and talented producer Bjorn Wilke. Plus Beefs very own Shades of Gray, who have been on fire since 2008 when their track “Moog In The House” reached #6 Beatport tech house charts.

Danish artist Medina is already a huge pop sensation in her native country. The half Danish half Chilean songstress began working with the infamous production team, ‘Providers’ in the summer of 2008 and released the dance floor smash, Kun For Mig (You & I) in September 2008.

The track spent a phenomenal seven weeks at number 1 in the Danish Dance chart before national radio began to take note in January 2009. To date, “Kun For Mig” (You & I) is the biggest record of the year in Denmark. The single has spent an astonishing 6 weeks at number 1, selling 75,000 singles and reached double platinum status.
Medina has now recorded “Kun For Mig” (You & I) in English and after a heated A & R scramble, the track will be released in the UK in mid September on Parlophone Records. Fierce mixes come from Deadmau5, Spencer & Hill, Dash Berlin, Svenstrup & Vendelboe, Kim Fai, Havin Zagross and Luciano Vargas. “You & I” ticks all the boxes; hypnotic synths, infectious lyrics and a catchy melody.
This is the Dash Berlin Remix.

Starting as we mean to go on, Radio 1 heads live to the O2 in London for NYE 2009 where Deadmau5, Eric Prydz, Justice and the Plump DJ party through the small hours.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00pfn3z