The massive Total Departure single from Christian Smith & John Selway on Adam Beyer’s Drumcode label recently eclipsed the huge success of their previous Transit Time (Sino) release from 2007. During the uber cool Sonar Festival in Barcelona, Christian’s weekly Club4 party was as superb as ever, with Audion LIVE, Marco Carola, Paco Osuna, Adam Beyer, Christian Smith, and Par Grindvik LIVE. Next up on a hectic summer release schedule was the super hot Red Eye on Steve Lawler’s Viva label, which once again proved to be a big hit with a broad cross-section of DJs. Then there’s the slew of remixes for Jamie Stevens (from Infusion, on Dieb Audio), and Mark Brown (Cr2). Waiting in the wings are a single release on Dubfire’s Sci+Tec label (Push Factor EP), and the Smith & Selway remix of the Kevin Saunderson classic Rock To The Beat. But there’s more, much more, and it’s here and now…
Christian Smith has signed a solo single to John Digweed’s esteemed Bedrock label, and it’s another total quality release. Flyertalk is a searing big room monster that builds and builds on a heavyweight jacking groove through layers of techno styling into something that is way more than the sum of its parts. Once more, Christian Smith shows he is the master of creating tracks that seem to push dancefloors ever upwards into ecstatic mass hysteria. For a slightly more subtle but no less infectious and powerful ride, Friendly Skies sits on a hypnotic low slung groove with a killer bassline to match, as it rises from the depths to yet another ecstatic peak of joyous perfection.
Christian Smith (along with his regular studio partner John Selway) seems to be able to create huge tunes that appeal to a wide range of DJs from the techno purists to the trance kings, and every credible DJ in between. There’s not many artists who regularly have such a diverse bunch as Sven Vath, Richie Hawtin, Adam Beyer, Dubfire, John Digweed, Sasha, Sander Kleinenberg, Roger Sanchez, David Guetta, Tiesto, Armin Van Buuren, all playing their releases.
Señor Coconut, the man of a thousand aliases, returns to amaze everyone once more! Following El Baile Alemán (dedicated to the German Electro pioneers Kraftwerk), Fiesta Songs (a joyful collection of popular songs including Smooth Operator, Beat It, Smoke On The Water) and Yellow Fever (a tribute to his Japanese fellow musicians of the Yellow Magic Orchestra) here comes his fourth trick in which the musical knight of the ‘Order Of The Coconut’ has worked on for almost a year in real and virtual studios.
Around The World would actually be a simple pop album if it was not for el Señor, alias the inimitable Atom™ as he is simply not interested in the easy route! If you are going to cover the pearls of international pop, you really have to contribute a powerful idea of your own and you know you’ve made it when the musicians you are covering themselves take part in the recording, as happened with the three members of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi and Oscar and Grammy winner Ryuichi Sakamoto on the Yellow Fever album.
On Around The World Señor Coconut has again conjured “Electrolatino” songs from international hits. Once more he’s recorded with the big band, with which he’s been bringing his concepts to the stage on rapturously received tours for many years, to then take the recordings apart in his own studio in Santiago de Chile, reassemble them, surgically process each track, and inject that special Coconut magic. Long serving Coconut vocal collaborator Argenis Brito steps up to the mic for the majority of songs along with the crooner Louis Austen (the Viennese Frank Sinatra!) adding his touch plus Stephan Remmler, the legendary head of 80’s electro-popsters Trio, stepping forth to top it all off.
Atom™ has again adopted the perspective of an alien who, from Chile, his distant orbit, perceives the world as a remote place and not as his place of origin. For this purpose, Atom™ uses the technique of mash up or culture clash: an Austrian crooner sings on a Swiss Cha-Cha-Cha (Pinball ChaCha), a Japanese, Toshiyuki Yasuda, programs the computer part on a Brazilian Bossa Nova classic (Corcovado – Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars), and this voice does a duet with Argenis Brito, a Venezuelan singer who lives in Berlin.
The theme that all Señor Coconut albums share is Mambo, which is in turn an artificial product developed by the Cuban Dámaso Pérez Prado who lived, worked and died in Mexico and produced for the American market. It was he who brought together stereotypes from the widest imaginable range of sources to make “Latino” marketable for the first time, leading in turn to Mambo making the crossover to jazz and turning up in popular hits in Germany in the 50s and 60s. In La Vida Es Ilena De Cables a Latino big band arrangement clashes with Reggaeton-Rap and the Aciton sounds developed by Atom™. Aciton is a hybrid of Acid and Reggaeton. The track Around The World by the French band Daft Punk provides the background for this exceptional production, it is the common thread that unifies the album: electronica which is put back on its acoustic feet, all because Señor Coconut’s creative process is not a one-way street!
After the phenomenal success of Basshunter, H ‘two’ O Feat Platinum and September unstoppable new record label HARD2BEAT are back with their next sure fire smash…
Bob Sinclar and Fireball unleash their pan-European smash ‘What I Want’, On the UK this summer.
Already a massive hit across Europe, holding strong in France’s Top 10 for 3 months, as well as the Top 10 in Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, Russia and the Ukraine. Expect it to storm the UK in May and lodge itself comfortably in the chart’s upper echelons all summer.
And what better way to kick off the UK release than with a play from Pete Tong at the beginning of his legendary Radio 1 Miami pool party firmly giving Bob’s latest smash his seal of approval.
‘What I Want’ marries an infectious staccato vocal hook with fast paced maraca-driven rhythm – with the result as intoxicating as an afternoon spent on the beach sipping Pina Coladas. The brilliant video features both Bob and Fireball alongside a bevy of beauties at a desert ‘boot camp’ and has already enjoyed a staggering 6 million YouTube views to date.
Parisian DJ Chris Lefriant’s alter-ego is Bob Sinclar. Since hitting the UK Top 10 in 2000 with ‘I Feel For You’, he has enjoyed 5 Top 20 hits, including 3 Top 10s. He was nominated for a 2007 Grammy Award in the category “Remixed Recording” for his UK Top 10 “World, Hold On”, and reaching the Number One spot in the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Charts with the song “Rock This Party”, Sinclar also enjoyed massive success with radio anthem ‘Love Generation’, Pete Tong’s own Pick of the Week on BBC’s Radio 1. His influences range from Ron Carroll, Paul Johnson and Masters at Work to Armand Van Helden, Erick Morillo, and Roger Sanchez.
Club Azuli are back on 6th August with the third in their summer series of secret beach parties. The parties have been the talk of the island, attracting crowds of chic and stylish, music loving, beautiful Ibiza party people. The third instalment of Beach Azuli will be in a new, stunning, secret beach location somewhere on the island, where guests can enjoy an all day BBQ with blissed out beats, building to some of the best in electronic edged house, all with a Balearic slant. Clubbers will dance as the sun goes down surrounded by some of the most spectacular scenery Ibiza has to offer. As always, special guest DJs will be turning up to make this a party that those lucky enough to find will never forget.
Andy Cato from Groove Armada compared the Beach Azuli party he played at to the Space Terrace when he first came to the island many years ago. Azuli head honcho David Piccioni has created a very special vibe, made even more special by the fact that it’s not given to you on a plate. This is a party that you need to hear about on the grapevine and that requires effort to find; and as always, the greater the effort, the greater the reward.
Ibiza regulars and those in the know are flocking to the Azuli beach parties, recognising them as a rare opportunity to experience the true Ibiza vibe, surrounded by the magical natural beauty of the island. These are the parties that will be talked about for many years to come.
The only way to get to this party is to visit www.azuli.com/secretibiza where tickets may be purchased, however no information on the location will be released until the day before the party, when you will receive a text message with all the details. Next, start your mission to find the party and then revel in the fact that you made it when so many others will sadly miss out.
If you need proof that these parties do exist, go to www.azuli.com/azuli_tv.php where you can find footage of the best parties the White Isle has seen for a very long time…
Intense anticipation from DJs & clubbers across the world surrounds this monumental new single from Dave Spoon, Paul Harris and Sam Obernik. Each a hugely talented individual artist, these three have spawned some of the biggest hits of past years… The merging of their separate sparks has created 2008’s ULTIMATE summer smash that will sear its imprint into dancefloors, festivals and party destinations across the globe this year…
Due for release on Monday 11th Aug “BADITUDE” is a ballsy, sexy, white-hot hymn to hedonism! A hyperactive whirlwind of driving bass, pulsing beats and streaks of sun-lit guitar, the track bounces like a ten-tonne baby under Sam Obernik’s raw, sassy vocals. “DJ, do it again, from Boujis to DC10, Tokyo back to The End… Viva La Baditude!”
It’s the explosive, sun-drenched soundtrack to party-fuelled days & beat-filled sleepless nights… in this one track you can feel the madness of summer running through your head!!
Crowned ‘Essential New Tune’ on Pete Tong’s Friday night R1 show, this track has the UK’s key trend-spotters and tastemakers going bonkers, and is set the world’s dance floors into smithereens with a full release on 11th August.
Thankfully though, the video is already available to watch, and is on all the music channels right now! Check it out for here…
Set in the lush green surroundings of Long Marston Airfield near Stratford Upon Avon, Global Gathering 2008 gets set to dazzle clubber’s senses once again with two days of inspired programming and on-site entertainment to make the biggest electronic music weekender in the world!
To accompany this outstanding event, the world’s best party promoters in the know unleash their fourth album aptly titled ‘Global Gathering 2008’ featuring the biggest festival tunes and hands in the air summer anthems set over two CDs.
CD1 starts off the Global Gathering festival vibe, featuring a remixed chart favourite ‘Stop Me’ by Mark Ronson ft. Daniel Merriweather and the Freemasons ft. Katherine Ellis ‘When You Touch Me’. These sit alongside current biggies from dance legends, Underworld ‘Ring Road’ and also the excellent Hervé Remix of ‘Licky’ by king and queen of electroclash, Larry Tee & Princess Superstar. With dance rock icon Moby, techno hero Sven Väth, mash up stars Audio Bullys and king of glam house David Guetta all providing club smashes, CD1 is positively bursting at the seams with quality tunes, guaranteed to whip up that summer vibe.
CD2 continues to up the ante by delivering even more MASSIVE tunes, featuring tunes from the big guns of dance, CD2 includes John Digweed with ’Gridlock’, Mark Knight & Funkagenda’s ‘The Man With The Red Face’ and king of dance Tiësto with ‘Carpe Noctum’. One of the rising super stars of the scene Sander van Doorn provides belter track ‘Apple’ whilst dance legend Paul Oakenfold unleashes remixed for 08 anthem ‘Not Over’ which features vocals of Ryan Tedder from OneRepublic fame.
So there you have it, yet another blinding album from the UK’s leading purveyor of club culture portraying their world famous Global Gathering Festival. Up there with wellies and wet wipes- this is a festival must-have to help re-kindle those hazy GG memories!
It’s just a few days until The Big Chill Festival 2008 celebrates multi-media music, entertainment, literature, arts and comedy with a magical summer weekend in one of the most idyllic settings in the UK.
Among the unique combination of performers - recent Mercury music prize nominees Rachel Unthank & The Winterset – exhilarating all-female folk-quartet - and Portico Quartet London modern jazzsters will all perform the Castle Stage on Saturday 2nd August.
The Blessing - will also be showcasing at the Castle Stage having recently won Album of the Year for their debut album ‘All is Yes’ at this year’s prestigious BBC Jazz awards.
The festival also sees performances from Leonard Cohen, The Mighty Boosh, Thievery Corporation, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Camille, Bill Bailey, Cornelius, Roisin Murphy, The Orb, Tom Middleton, Natty, Lykke Li and Trentemøller Live at the beautiful Eastnor Castle site.
In its 14th year, The Big Chill has broken new boundaries to bring a festival programme brimming with diversity, creativity – and some of the most incredible experiences from any art form.
Other groundbreaking partnerships for 2008 include The ICA, Roundhouse, BFI Southbank and Underbelly continuing The Big Chill’s tradition of innovative, eclectic programming – and a commitment to showcasing the finest artistic talent at the festival.
London’s most talked about club night `MiMo` returns for another night of the finest electronic dance music. After raising the roof at the prestigious Pacha on July 11th, MiMo are back to get down and dirty in one of East London’s most established venues: 54!
On Saturday 2nd August, Shoreditch will be hit with a full on 12 hour session of MiMo madness! This special occasion will be divided into Sat late (Sat Night) and Sun Early (Afterparty from 5a.m).
Sat Late:
Joining the ever-popular residents this month we have one of our most exciting artists to date! Headlining the main party is Back to Basics resident and We Love Space… Ibiza favourite, Buckley! Supporting Buckley will be Chris `MiMo` Jones, showcasing his new releases and remixes on the `Big In Ibiza` label.
Sun Early (Afterparty from 5 a.m):
Darius Syrossian (Breakoutaudio/Tribal Sessions) will be taking centre stage with support from MiMo residents and special guests yet to be announced!
MiMo: Join the Crowd!
Advanced tickets and guestlist only £10 (10p.m - 10 a.m)
Afterparty 5a.m onwards with reduced entry.
£10 tickets available from TICKETWEB :http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=277110
I love it! Haha, it’s a classic progression of mine… always starts more techy and teases for a while, then gives the full on main room vibe on the second disc.
-What were you looking to put across with the mix?
Basically a true representation of how I DJ; my sets are always a minimum of 3 hours, 4-5 hours is perfect for me. It gives me a chance to capture peoples attention and lead them somewhere they might not have expected to go, rather than just bang out hits for 90 minutes.
-Is there any studio trickery involved in the process of making the CD or was it a traditional ‘decks and mixer’ affair?
I used Abelton for it. It allows you to combine loops from different parts of different songs, keeping the energy up throughout, at some points there are four things going, but unlike my dj sets, I kept away from the filters and eq’s in order to leave the music as natural as it was made but still give it an edge.
-The CD is coming out through Armin Van Buuren’s Armada label which wouldn’t necessarily seem like an obvious choice for you. How did this come about?
Well Armin and the Armada crew have always been big fans of my productions… especially the more melodic side with tracks like “I know you’re gone” and “does she know yet”. It actually seemed like a natural move for me to be in a family environment that helped inspire me. Without a doubt I’m more on the progressive end of the Armada spectrum as they can get pretty trancey, but good music is good music and melody is something you find across the board with their family of labels.
-Is the mix a reflection of what you would hear in a Max Graham club set?
Absolutely, I actually prefer to make mix CD’s based on tracks that I play rather than trying to find super upfront stuff that I haven’t even tested on the dancefloor yet, my sets contain everything you hear on this CD.
-Do you feel the mix CD still has a place in the modern market with all the free mixes and tracks available on the internet?
Actually I think they are making a resurgence, as much as I love the digital itunes/ipod age I think people really miss holding something in their hands, I signed a copy of transport (2001) last night that someone brought to a gig and I thought to myself “how would I sign something that was digital only?”. There’s no substitute for the physical presence of liner notes and CD cases with pics and text you can attach to.
-You have been known as a genre-hoping DJ over the years. How would you describe your musical style these days?
Haha still a big ol’ mess, I love music and so many different styles turn me on. It’s been written that you can leave the room for 20 minutes when I’m djing and come back to a completely different sound! I love to ride through tech house, techno, progressive and even hints of trance, but all my stuff has a common theme, long time friends and fans send me music and always say “this is SO max” so I guess there is a cohesion somewhere in there.
-Do you think progressive house is due for a comeback?
I think the melody has never died, who knows what the press wants to call it but there are lots of new producers coming up with that melodic but not trancey sound.
-How would you assess the dance scene in 2008?
As solid as ever, there is a massive market out there that only knows the top 20 DJ’s as rockstars and that has caused a gap, but there are still so many great clubs, countries, scenes that support and respect the underground and the forward moving music scene and that will never die.
-What do you have coming up for the rest of the year?
Artist album and touring the balls off this one J
This has been your first compilation in a long time? Why the break? How long has it been?
Well I’ve done a few comps, two Canadian ones, and the Mixmag Live one but yes, this is my first double in almost 6 years! My problem has always been that I’m too diverse, too proggy to fit in with the house comps, too housey to fit into the trancey comps, which is why Armada has been so good, they let me do my thing my way musically
Are you still based in Canada?
Montreal is my home, bought a house and built a studio here, I love the city so much, there’s loads of culture and inspiration here.
How is the djing going? Have you got any tours planned?
I’ve basically not stopped touring since 2000, I love djing live and it gives me that buzz that nothing else can, over 60 countries now J
Are you happy with this album?
Very, there were a couple of things I could not license due to things beyond my control but it’s a real representation of me
What does the future hold for you?
Artist album and another double cd in the spring… and maybe some sleep J
Tickets for next year’s Glastonbury Festival will be available to pre-book as early as this October.
100,000 tickets will be made available for fans to reserve six months earlier than normal in exchange for £50, in order to cope with the expected high demand for tickets.
Organiser Michael Eavis told the BBC: “Everybody wants to come - everywhere I go people say, ‘Oh we should’ve been there and we’re so fed up about it,’ because it was so good.”
Eavis also suggested that next year’s festival may have a more “traditional headliner” after this year’s controversial headline slot by Jay-Z.
He said: “We’ll probably be going for the more traditional headliner next year because there are more of them around and after this year everyone wants to come on board because it was such a good do. The thing is people are coming back.”
Hands up those of you who have danced all night on a beach in Goa and watched the sun rise, or have experienced the fanatical fans and hysteria in the clubs of Japan or those who have tried to get a cab on South Beach at 6am when you’re spun out on Mojitos! It is hard to explain how good it feels to be clubbing abroad.
Defected Records still gets that good feeling every time they visit many of the not so obvious clubbing destinations around the world. London has a wealth of international clubbers, so we thought we would pay them a courtesy by inviting the DJ’s that inspire us the most from all the important places we travel and play around the globe.
This month we have invited a special selection of the DJs that we have worked with from 5 continents and 7 countries for 1 big showcase at the Ministry of Sound. All the artists are well known and loved by the clubbers in their respected homeland, they are all part of a growing global house community. We have invited them here to bring us a little flavor of how it is done their way.
This is a truly international event for international people. There will be many artists visiting us for the first time. Meet DJ Pearl, India’s hottest rising star who is fresh from mixing an india only Defected compilation. She is making her debut appearance in the UK. The Indian club scene is growing and now the west is starting to take notice. She sits alongside house heavyweight Kenny Dope from America who needs no introduction. Also look out for the new dj duo Studio Apartment who are pushing the scene through their sublime house sounds. Wei Shen is Australia’s most talked about DJ and up and coming talent and one third of the infamous producers Those Usual Suspects. We also have Vinny Da Vinci from South Africa who is one of the regions biggest house heros, as well as Claude Monnet from France and our very own home grown talent Aaron Ross.
Capturing the current mood perfectly, this double-headed beast of a release is as uncompromising as it is devastating. Equilibrium lives up to its name by balancing out in equal measure the dark and twisted madness of late night dance floors constantly shifting layers of percussion, effects and melody. The net result is a record that keeps you transfixed for its full 8 minutes while bouncing you off the wall! The track has received support from Laurent Garnier, Paul Van Dyk, Nic Fanciulli, Steve Lawler, Sasha and Carl Cox.
Wig is all about bringing the funk and raw energy back on to the darker floors as Yousef updates his trademark percussive style to create a funked up techno groover, complete with a breakdown which is so off its head that half way you may be surprised to learn that you have forgotten your name and start to wonder where you are! This track is a monster hit and already a firm favourite of James Zabiela.
Drop Music is celebrating its 10th year anniversary this October, no mean feat for an underground house Midlands -based label operating in true DIY style. With a catalogue of 59 releases to its credit and still going strong, it is renowned within the underground dance community for the quality and consistency of its work and it is one of the UK’s leading imprints.
Springing out of a knowing collective of DJs, producers and party organisers operating within the Smokescreen Sound System since 1991, Drop Music has been delivering music straight for the dance floor since 1998.
Inland Knights are a name synonymous with Drop Music – consisted of Laurence Richie and Andy Riley , Laurence launched the label in 1998 as an outlet for their creative output, they adopted various other guises to showcase their diverse sound including Grand Theft Audio, Toka Project, Larry Fives, Party Criminals, In House Alterations, Big Audio Spidermite and more. Consequently to that the pair released their first full-length album ‘Critical Spaces’ in 2001 to wide critical acclaim.
After the huge success of their 10th release last spring and with the summer in full swing, Housexy just had to release another seamless mix by Richard Murray – Housexy Ibiza! Housexy Ibiza is sexier, sassier, and even funkier than Housexy 10 if you can believe it, and whether you’re anxiously anticipating a pending trip to the Balearic Islands, or reminiscing on good times already spent, this sassy double pack mix CD will undoubtedly put you in the summer party mood. Continue reading ‘Housexy Ibiza’
David Guetta gears up for another massive summer season by giving us a taster of what we should expect to hear at his legendary F*** Me I’m Famous parties, with FMIF International Vol 2 released on July 28 2008 on Ministry of Sound Recordings.
Following on from 2006’s huge FMIF album and 2007’s pan-European platinum Pop Life, FMIF International 2 showcases what has made Guetta the No1 House DJ on the planet.
Showcasing both aspects of his character, CD1 is packed with peak-time future hits; the type of tunes he plays weekly at FMIF in Pacha Ibiza. David undoubtedly has a finely-tuned ear for spotting the absolute hottest tunes. CD2 takes you on the type of trip David explores in underground spots like Space, Miami, where he recently played an 8-hour set after clubbers refused to leave until well into the afternoon. Continue reading ‘F*** Me I’m Famous – International Volume 2′
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