As part of 2009’s BBC Electric Proms, BBC Introducing will be giving four unsigned artists the opportunity to record a session at the legendary Maida Vale Studios. This once in a lifetime opportunity will see the artists given exposure to industry experts who will guide them in creating unique sessions to be broadcast across BBC Radio between Tuesday 20th October – Saturday 24th October.

Kid Adrift, Daley, Lost Knives and Lettie were initially discovered via BBC Introducing regional shows and the BBC Introducing music upload service. Each artist will be championed across the week of Electric Proms with a session track being played by DJ’s on BBC’s flagship music radio stations – Radio 1, 1Xtra, 6 Music and Radio 2 respectively.

Videos of the sessions will be streamed online at www.bbc.co.uk/electicproms/2009/introducing alongside behind the scenes footage of their recording process.

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Following a frenetic summer of live activity Passion Pit will release a new single Little Secrets, taken from their highly acclaimed debut album Manners on November 16 through Columbia Records. The euphoric refrain and pulsing electronic pop of ‘Little Secrets’ has quickly become embraced as a live standout by fans, as Passion Pit continue to conquer the world show by show, town by town & dancefloor by dancefloor. Manners has already been touted as one of the most important and exhilarating debuts of the year.

The band, currently on an extensive US tour, will return to the UK in October / November (dates below). To mark the occasion, they have launched Passion Pics (http://www.passionpitmusic.com/passionpics) to record every waking moment of the tour from the band’s and fan’s perspective. Cameras will be made available over the tour, or you can upload your own photos.

The best photos will be selected by the band to create a photo album (a real one that you can hold) as a prize for 10 winners. The band will also be creating a series of limited edition screen prints to be given away.

The single will be backed with mixes courtesy of Jack Beats, Felix da Housecat, Jokers on the Scene, L-Vis, and Hey Champ.

FULL LIST OF PASSION PIT UK LIVE DATES AS FOLLOWS:

October

21 – Leadmill, Sheffield

22 – University 2, Northumbria

23 – Garage, Glasgow (SOLD OUT)

24 – Club Academy, Manchester (SOLD OUT)

26 – O2 Academy, Oxford

27 – Koko, London (SOLD OUT)

28 – Koko, London (SOLD OUT)

30 – Anson Rooms, Bristol

31 – University, Southampton

November

01 – O2 Academy, Birmingham

**Support on the October Headline tour comes from The Joy Formidable & Max Tundra

‘Manners’ Is out now on Columbia Records.

SITES:

www.myspace.com/passionpitjams

www.passionpitmusic.com

A track with Pharrell, 5 cars, countless watches, a pad in L.A, and he still doesn’t think he’s made it? By now everyone into house music (and some pop fans) will no doubt have heard about Steve Angelo. He was the guy behind the re-rub of Robin S ‘Show Me Love’, with fellow producer Laidback Luke, you know the one, the track that went ballistic across every European national chart. He is also 33.3 % of The Swedish House Mafia, the too hot to handle bad boys of Dance music. As a solo artist, Steve’s talents did not go unnoticed by Super star DJ Erick Morillo who quickly became his number one fan. Afer a great deal of chasing, Erick has finally got Steve to produce an album for his beloved Subliminal label. Here Erick interviews Steve and finds out about the man, his music and what’s he has done with the new mix.

When you first started out did you wish you could be Erick Morillo?

Erick’s a big inspiration for a lot of DJ’s, you can see a little bit of him in everyone from David Guetta to us and to anybody. I think he’s a really big inspiration to house DJ’s.

At what point in your career did think ‘This is it, I’ve made it!’?

I still don’t think I’ve made it yet. There’s still so much more you can do and you can always achieve and accomplish more than what you’ve done. So I’m still waiting for that moment.

Tell me about your passions outside of music.

I’m definitely into cars and watches and food! I have 5 cars, 11 or 12 watches.

What’s the difference in your sound when you’re playing a stadium to when you’re playing an underground club?

When you play a stadium you can play the bigger music, you can drop the classics such as The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers and you can do boot-legs and mash ups. I think when you play clubs you can go a lot more intimate and sexy and more bass-line based, more so than you can do at festivals.

Describe the style of your set.

The style I like is to go up and down and left to right with the music and I just try and make the people enjoy themselves and I think the way to do that various from different clubs and different cities and different parts of the world. In South America you have a certain sound, the same goes for America. I think in Europe you have to be more picky because the dance music culture has been there for a much longer time so I think the crowds in Europe are more educated than other places.

What’s this thing with Pharrell? Why are the big Hip Hop stars looking to top European DJ’s all of a sudden?

I think America has recently seen just how good dance music is. There’s a lot of energy in it with a lot of people having a good time. Me and Sebastian worked with Pharrell, and I worked with him again after that and I think they are trying to explore new genres to get involved in because everybody gets bored of doing whatever they do. So as much as they come to us, we’d like to work with them because they give us something that we don’t have and vice-versa.

Who would be your ultimate pop/rock hook-up?

I don’t set goals on artists. Madonna would be an achievement but there’s so many big acts around that you just have to find the one that fits you rather than just going for the biggest ones.

What is it about the Subliminal sound that you’re so attracted to? What have they got right?

Subliminal has been a label that, since we started DJ-ing, had the biggest output of music that we actually liked. It’s had a big impact on us as DJ’s because when we started out all the big records were subliminal records with Erick and Harry Choo Choo Romero and Jose Nunez, so I think Subliminal has a big impact on house DJ’s career’s rather than the sound.

Can you outline some of the labels and tracks that have inspired you over the years?

I get inspired from everything from techno to RnB to rock, so it’s a very broad spectrum that we’re looking at. I think that the tracks that we’ve done such as ‘Leave The World Behind’ and ‘Show Me Love’ inspires me for my next record because they’ve been such a big success.

You’re about to release a new mix compilation on Subliminal. Tell us about it and its vibe.

The vibe of the mix is pretty much what I do – I take a 7 hour set and squeeze it down to CD’s. It’s like my business card to the scene and I’m just showing what I’m doing. I think it’s pretty much like my set in a club but obviously a shorter version that fits onto a CD.

What tracks and producers can you tell us about that feature on the mix and are any of these guys inspiring you at the moment?

I get inspired by a lot of people and Dirty South is one of my boys from Australia and then we have Joris Voorn, Cirez D is on there (the compilation) which is Eric Prydz and I’ve got some stuff on there. I get inspired at certain times by artists, I just tend to move on all the time and at this point these guys are inspiring me.

Are there any exclusive tracks on the compilation?

Yes we’ve got Gel Abril’s ‘Marir’ which is an exclusive and we’ve got my track ‘Tivoli’ which is also an exclusive. There’s another one of my tracks called ‘La Candela Viva’ which is exclusive. So yeah lots of exclusives!

You’re playing with the Swedish House Mafia this November in the Brixton Academy. What’s so special about this?

The biggest achievement with the Brixton show is that we’re actually doing it. The fact that the Swedish House mafia have managed to sell out a concert in England is a big achievement. It’s going to be fun to do and we are going to give the crowd something they won’t forget.

You are the Chief A&R guy at ‘Size’ Records. What records do you think have put the label on the map and what can we look forward to in 2010?

We’ve got a lot stuff coming out – my little brother Anton, myself, there’s also tracks from Kim Fai and a track from Christian Smith. There’s a lot of good stuff coming out right now.

I’m assuming you’ve seen the new CDJ that’s coming out in November, and I know that you’re one of the DJ’s who have resisted from leaving using CD’s. Do you think it’s only a matter of time before you start to use the computer based software?

I think you can still play the CD’s and I like the fact of having a CD because I don’t want to have to pull up a screen and find the track, but the thing with this new CDJ is that you can connect a little device to it and that then this links to all of the players. It has a big screen and it’s very good and you can just scroll down and you can do folders in itunes.

It gives you more than just a CD, you can prepare a whole set and you can prepare loops, you can set cue and loop points etc… I think the CD is going to disappear but it’s going to take a while because guys like me are still going to stick around with a case.

What is it about tattoos that you really like?

I love tattoos. Its art. Sometimes I regret ones that I’ve had done but others I don’t ha!

2009 IS the year for drum and bass. Clubnight Hospitality have been packing out venues up and down the country; The UK’s radios have been lit up by the incendiary sounds of Pendulum, Danny Byrd and Chase and Status and festivals had their soundsytems rocked by drum + bass DJs and live acts. In light of this, Hospitality have called upon two of the scene’s heavyweights High Contrast and London Elektricity to put together a definitive guide for the nation, This Is Drum + Bass.

After his 2002 debut album True Colours received huge props from critics and fans alike, High Contrast became the name on everyone’s lips. Within no time, he has become one of the most revered and respected producer-DJs around. Releasing three massive albums and becoming remixer de-jour for the likes of Missy Elliot, The Streets, Adele and many more.

No slouch on a pair of turntables either, his mixing skills are in demand worldwide, winning countless awards including Radio One’s Essential Mix of the year no less. Adored by both fans of drum + bass, house, rock, indie and electronica, High Contrast holds a unique position in the music scene – equally at home at midday on Radio One, as he is at 5am on the dancefloor at superclubs worldwide. Not only the biggest thing in drum + bass, but a producer whose ability to reach a wider audience through the accessibility of his music is unparalleled. The perfect choice to call upon for this album, High Contrast’s mix is upbeat and rolling, including tracks from Logistics Eastern Promise, Sub Focus’ remix of We Are The People (Empire Of The Sun), Cameo & Krooked Mindset, and his own remix of Imogen Heap’s Deadlock, plus tunes from the likes of Nu:Tone Battle Theme, Marcus Intalex Airborne and Cyantific 88mph.

Ramming venues, shocking crowds, leaving huge smiles from the Big Chill to Glastonbury and beyond, London Elektricity is a man with a rich musical legacy. With critically acclaimed albums, countless remixes and three highly-charged years of live shows under his belt, the past couple of years have seen Tony become the people’s choice for their drum + bass news and upfront music as host of the multi award winning Hospital Podcast.

Truly a live wire on the turntables, expect the unexpected – LE’s mix contains tracks from the likes of Fantasia Fresh, Mistabishi No Matter What VIP, High Contrast Seven Notes In Black, Drumsound & Bassline Smith Clap Your Hands, plus Caspa’s dubstep remix of TC Where’s My Money, Sub Focus’ re-rub of The Prodigy Take Me To The Hospital and London Elektricity tunes including The Great Drum + Bass Swindle and All Hell Is Breaking Loose.

So there you have it. Two mixes from two of the biggest and most respected names in the scene, staked full with anthems, huge remixes of big crossover artists and exclusive tracks… This Is Drum + Bass!

http://www.newstatemusic.com/

http://www.hospitalrecords.com/hospitality/

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Discerning dance music fans are often turned off by the term “big room.” Yes, while big room is typically associated with more commercial – cheesy – sounds there are also some really interesting things going on. In NYC, for example, Mind Control (AKA Peter Bailey and Richie Santana) are opting to create an entire experience rather than merely drop the hottest bombs on a crowd. Sure, most fans would be happy to hear the biggest tracks, but that’s too easy. This skilled team grabs the reins and operates the crowd with extended sets that gradually shift moods and directions. This isn’t about “glorious synths” and “peak time bangers.” It’s about doing something interesting and cool – but for the masses.

Named after their Stereo Productions smash of the same name, Mind Control launched it’s residency in late-2006 at world-famous nightclub Pacha New York. The party takes a bit of a unique approach in the club world, letting the two DJs tag-team track-for-track as their set progresses. But don’t think that the sets are disjointed – It’s almost like, as the name suggests, Bailey and Santana are working from the same brain, or at least the same control center. “It allows us to really work off each other, and work off the crowd as well,” Bailey says. “Sometimes Richie will play a song, and it will remind me or inspire me to throw up a track that I didn’t even expect to play. It has a nice spontaneity to it, and the crowd really seems to appreciate that.”

Nervous Nitelife: Addicted takes Mind Control from the big room to your living room. That is, this is a true representation of the music you’ll hear at one of Mind Control’s Pacha sets. CD 1 – entitled “Hooked” – is incredibly dark house music. For starters, the droning David Labeij “Shakedown” leads into the trippy Coyo & Imbernon “El Baile Aleman” and wobbly bass of Cocoon recording artist Matt Tolfrey’s “I Just Can’t Take It.” Julien Chaptal “Dancer” is a throwback track with meatier 4/4 beats, strobing break downs and a simple repetitive vocal ala Josh Wink’s “Don’t Laugh,” while Peter and Richie close out the first session with a look into their own production mind on “Plane Groovin”   

Disc 2 – “Fixated” – opens the shades and brightens things up with bursts of tech house. Bailey and Santana play off each other from the start by dropping the tribal leaning trio of Supernova – “Esta Loca (Bonus Tech Beat Mix),” Cytric – “Boost” and D-Unity – “Shaman (Peter Bailey Mindcontrolled Mix).” The mix picks up with the rave piano strikes of Joey Seminara and Simon Gain “Music Behaviour (Original Mix)” and Subotic – “Yeah Yeahs (Dosem Remix)” before moving onto some crispy techno courtesy of Christian Smith & John Selway “Work It!” Peter and Richie close out the second disc with “Hives” and they’ve actually represented in sound what it feels like to scratch those little allergy buggers!

Mind Control – Nervous Nitelife: Addicted is released November 22, 2009 on Nervous Records

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‘The Haçienda Acid House Classics’, compiled & mixed by New Order, Joy Division’s and The Haçienda’s Peter Hook whose 30 year career in the business as a genre-defining bass guitarist and club owner has seen Hooky survive the rock and roll rollercoaster and emerge the other side with plenty of stories to tell. This personal compilation of Hooky’s favourite Haçienda tunes is the ultimate collection of Acid House classics, culled from the much-venerated, late Eighties Acid House daze.

A legendary, groundbreaking and influential club, FAC 51- The Haçienda became the crucible on which the UK dance music scene was forged. Conceived, founded and financed by Factory Records and New Order, The Haçienda opened its doors on May 21st 1982 sporting the now iconic Factory Records catalogue number of Fac 51, alongside a pioneering, space-age, film set interior by architect Ben Kelly and initial graphics by Peter Saville.

One of the founding members of Joy Division and New Order, Peter Hook was also a co-owner of the club and was ever present during the tumultuous set of circumstances that shaped the club during its 15-year tenure on Whitworth St West, 1982 to 1997. Yet even some 12 years after it closed, respect and fascination with The Haçienda still remains high, a testament to its unorthodox place in music history and the equally unorthodox characters who created it in the first place.   

‘What a fuck up we made of it. Or did we? Sitting here now I wonder. It’s 2009 and the Hacienda has never been more well-known. This year we celebrate 21 years of acid house and we are holding Haçienda nights across the UK and have merchandise deals for CDs, t-shirts, shoes, posters, even a bespoke bike frame and a fine art project. Where will it end?’- Peter Hook in The Haçienda: How Not To Run A Club

Highlights across the album include a new unreleased remix of “THE” Mancunian anthem Voodoo Ray (A Guy Called Gerald), Baby Wants To Ride (Jamie Principle), Washing Machine (Mr Fingers) This Is Acid (Maurice), Acid Tracks (Phuture), True Dub (New Order), Acid Rain (Victor Romeo), Jesus Loves The Acid (Ecstasy Club), and Lack Of Love (Charles B & Adonis). Hooky has also selected the later tracks Higher State Of Consciousness (Josh Wink) and Acperience 1 (Hardfloor) and includes two unreleased tracks of his own, Ways Of Making Music and We’re On It (both under the name of Manray).

Creating the world of dance music as we know it today, The Haçienda became an all encompassing way of life for its founders, creators and the clubbers who all came to call it their own. Haçienda Acid House Classics captures the uniquely exhilarating spirit of this era making it a must-have album for your music collection.

www.fac51thehacienda.com

Not many dance labels get to the ripe old age of 10 years old, and fewer still do it in finer style than the premier purveyor of soulful house music, Defected Records. If you’ve ever been to a club, bar or house party where the DJ was playing House music, the likelihood is that at least one of the records you heard was signed to Defected.

For the last 10 years they’ve been releasing tunes that have defined the scene and are now unquestionably the global authority within the genre. Here, label owner Simon Dunmore presents an audio/visual tour of Defected’s decade of dance, and talks us through the highs, lows, big tunes and groundbreaking events from 10 years in the game.

A fitting tribute to the label’s anniversary and a real feast for the eyes and the ears…enjoy.

Last week saw the release of A Boy’s Own Odyssey; Acid House Capers & Scrapes – a collection of tracks from some of the most influential artists in dance music. The Boy’s Own guys broke artists such as The Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Primal Scream, Happy Mondays and X-Press 2; and now it turns out that those in charge used to bully Pete Tong! We caught up with the Radio 1 selector to find out how being part of the establishment lead to it ‘all going Pete Tong’ and the part he played in making ‘Born Slippy’ arguably the biggest dance track of all time…

Do you think ‘Special Branch’ which you played with Nicky Holloway, helped establish most of the big DJ’s that are around nowadays?

Well I’ve always said that when Acid House was happening in the say 1987, it was like the equivalent of Punk in how it affected rock n roll and progressive rock that went before it. A lot of people, therefore, don’t remember anything before punk and I think the same goes for dance music, a lot of people just wipe the slate clean and that nothing existed before raves came along and those types of parties.

But just before that period of illegal raves & m25’s and all that stuff you did have the Special Branch and the Royal Oak, and another one called The Metropolitan which was diagonally opposite where Turnmills used to be. Those 3 spots where Nicky promoted parties was where he gathered up the people he found most interesting from the ‘soul mafia’ kind of people.

There was me, Paul Oakenfold, Gilles Peterson, Chris Bangs (for a little bit), Paul Murphy – a really eclectic mix of people that had kind of been hanging around before then and working with the legends of the soul era like Robbie Vincent and Greg Edwards, so there was this middle ground where Nicky was doing these shows.

What kind of a person were you back then?

I suppose back then I was already part of the establishment and I suppose they were curious about me because I still maintained this kind of perverse interest in change. A lot of the soul era DJ’s didn’t want change, they resisted change and I didn’t really articulate it at the time, I was into the next thing and the next thing and wanted to make sure I knew what new music was coming along. I didn’t do it in a calculated way, I mean soul music is brilliant and it was an amazing part of my life as well as Jazz-funk which provided the roots of what I am today, but when I first heard a rap record I liked it, when I first heard a house record (which obviously in the early days paid homage to disco) I liked it.

And I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time, I did go to Paradise Garage, I did go to the Danceceterea, I was in New York just at the end of all that and there was nothing quite like that. When the whole rave thing kicked off I was already on Capital Radio. I’ve been around for quite a while and so when that whole revolution happened I was already 10 years in. Nicky looked to me as the most respectable one from the old guard that could come through and endorse the new thing. I was already at a record company as well, so I had it all going on.

You came across a story in the Junior Boys Own Fanzine we’ve given you about how the phrase ‘It’s all gone Pete Tong’ came from, care to share it with us?

I’ve told the story a million times and if I ever write a book one day I’ll say the same thing. From my knowledge that phrase came from the JBO Fanzine. It was the Cockney editorial slant of the magazine that coined the phrase for when things went wrong. For me it summed up my whole relationship with the Raid guys and the Boys Own guys, which was they were always taking the piss out of me! They kind of liked me but they couldn’t allow their radical side to go. They had to pull my leg because I was part of the establishment I guess. They just existed to be bitchy ha! That’s just the way they were- schnidy and bitchy, but they loved their music and that’s what made it a fascinating crew to hang around with. It kind of went with the territory, the fact that I was working at Capital radio for a start, and because I was an old soul boy meat I wasn’t going to be allowed to get by without some sort of wind-up. And that’s where it started.

I was talking to Terry Farley and he said that the JBO label may not have happened if it wasn’t for you…

I worked with a guy called Tracy Bennett, who was the A&R Director of Capital records, and Tracy liked dance music but he wasn’t in the dance music world. He was a big supporter of mine and Roger Eames who ran London (Records) was a more historic trainspotter of dance music and he supported it as well.

But with Boy’s Own, I was running around with these guys and in the thick of it with them, Dj-ing and playing the same music as them, but a label deal was little bit beyond me in terms of what I was doing, so I had to get endorsement from the company. Tracy really fell in love with them, he just liked their intelligence, he liked their punk attitude towards everything, he liked the fact that they were so fuckin’ difficult! And he saw something special in that. He really endorsed it for me, so I give him credit for it. We were able to make funds available to start this label, but looking back how stupid were we?! We actually signed Underworld’s first record, and it actually came through us even though it was on Boys Own. But some records did, such as Underworld ‘Hmm Skyscraper I love you’, but then again we didn’t pick up on the option of the band, I mean The Chemical Brothers? c’mon!

How did you first officially meet the Boys own crew?

When we had an interview with these guys it was kind of like how a rap crew would do now, you want to meet Andy Weatherall and you want to meet Terry Farley but they would come and fill the room with their mates. It was like half of Slough! And we weren’t quite sure who did what. But we fell in love with this kind of disorganised collective.

Different people would always turn up, but in our minds we thought it was just Andy (Weatheall) and Terry (Farley). Andy was the dark, creative genius and that’s what attracted Tracy to them, but right at the point when we had to make crucial decisions about our options with Underworld and the Dust Brothers, they fell out and it was falling apart.

Andy wanted to become more of a producer, and he’d gone and worked with Primal Scream, he was doing stuff with The Happy Mondays and then he did One Dove which we absolutely saw as the justification for doing Junior Boys Own – that was the act that we really wanted. So we really focused with Andy on that record, but his day-to-day involvement with Boys Own was falling apart.

One day at a meeting they introduced this guy, ‘Here’s Steve Hall, he’s our mate’, so we were like ‘What do you do? What’s your experience in the Record Business?’ and he said ‘Well I’m an air-traffic controller!’, so that went down pretty well… So that’s why it got pretty difficult.

We were picking and choosing records from them like DSK, we took One Dove whole-heartedly as an act and then we were kind of letting Steve get on with it. To be fair to Steve, he had the Chemical Brothers’ tape in his pocket, not Terry. And with Underworld, after putting out one 12-inch which obviously wasn’t commercial and there was no edit of it, we couldn’t really do anything with it, it slipped out the back door, so to speak, and we let Steve get on with it.

Those first few years were interesting, and expensive!

To have an analogy of Andy at the time, he was kind of like to Boy’s Own, what Martin Hannett was to Joy Division. Without him you just thought, ‘how is it going to work?

Are there any tracks from the JBO catalogue which especially stand out for you?

For me, at the beginning, it doesn’t get much better than the first Underworld tune, I’ll always see the Boys Own logo with that record. One Dove was very special to us. I still think it was one of the greatest albums which never really worked. Also the stuff that Steve did after we were no longer involved such as The Chemical Brothers, the Black Science Orchestra, and when Pete Heller was becoming a formidable force.

There’s another record at the time that I can’t remember the name of, we all used to fight over it. Andy wanted the label to be a label where ‘Flowered Up’ would come and sign, he was much more into his reggae and his punk and taking it into that direction. Obviously Terry, Steve and Pete Heller were much more comfortable in the traditional house music space.

Do you think ‘Born Slippy’ is the biggest dance record ever made?

I think most people would agree that it is. What’s great about it is that it’s such an unconventional bloody record! It doesn’t follow any rules in terms of any commercial form. The bit that everyone remembers, ‘The Larger chant’, is actually a very small part of the record, and the fact that it effectively goes into like a 10 minute drum solo. It’s a totally bonkers record, but it’s genius.

Without trying to sound too conceited, I do have some bragging rights over that record, when it was on the Trainspotting soundtrack. There were two really weird tracks on the trainspotting compilation, ‘Born Slippy’ and the Bedrock record with Digweed. These were two really inspired calls by Danny Boyle, who is so knowledgeable about music and so open minded.

I kept going back to the soundtrack and played ‘Born Slippy’ every week for like six months and I used to berate Steve Hall because he wasn’t having it and he kept saying that it wasn’t going to be a single, it couldn’t be a single because it really didn’t repeat itself and it didn’t have the right form that he wanted in a single. Karl (Karl Hyde from Underworld) wasn’t into it, neither was Darren (Darren Emerson from Underworld).

So I just kept playing it on Radio 1 every week for about 6 months and eventually they gave in. We then released it and it became their biggest hit. It was a big hit for the film as well, late into the film’s life.

Is it (the dance scene) as good now as it used to be then?

I think it’s different. I always answer that question by saying that it’s relevant to the people who were there in 1987 at the age they were. You can only really ask that question of those people.

For me, in a way it is because I wouldn’t be doing it anymore otherwise. I think it would be unfair to say to a 16 or 17 year old that the times we had then were better than the times they’re having now because I think your experience is totally different.

They were great times, they’re part of the history, and I think it’s really fantastic that Defected are doing all this and celebrating the history because it is an important part of the story. I don’t see them (JBO Crew) all the time, but coincidentally I worked with Terry Farley on Friday and it was so cool. The music was blazing, he had is head down and he was in the backroom, Charlie Chester told me he was there so I popped my head around the booth and shouted ‘Got any Acid House!?!’

By the time I got around the side of the booth he did his normal little laugh and the first thing he did was grab a copy of Faith Magazine out of his bag and he said ‘This is the new issue!’ with the same enthusiasm as did when he gave me this (a tape) back in whenever it was!

So he’s not changed. The next thing he said was, ‘Here’s a great CD!’ so he’s still doing the same old things which I think is testament to why this is so powerful. Terry’s passion, particularly him, has been the thing that has kept this going.

As far as Junior Boys Own is concerned I’d say 50% of it is Terry Farley and the other 50% of it now in the era in which everyone remembers it is Steve Hall.

Terry was a massively important part of it, and this (the fanzine) was so important to launch a record label. It’s sad now that fanzines don’t have a part to play in today’s age of the internet. I hadn’t seen Faith for a while and it was good to see it hasn’t changed, the bitchy stuff was still in there ha! It was good.

Arno Cost and Norman Doray have teamed together to create a compilation album like no other. With worldwide influences from over the years the two DJ’s have created separate cd’s, which compliment each other brilliantly. The big exclusive which goes hand in hand with the album is their new reworked version of the huge track ‘Woz not Woz’, which was one of Cr2’s biggest selling records. This huge reworking features one of the biggest drops in a track this summer and is set to keep dance floors alive with their crowd’s hands uplifted.

Relatively new to the dance industry Arno Cost broke into the scene in 2006 and since then has quickly moulded his reputation as one of the scenes most promising young talents. With his musical sensibilities residing within the realms of electronica, disco and house, Arnos’ production and remix work has attracted praise from some of dance music’s most formidable figures, including Pete Tong, Tom Novy and Sebastian Ingrosso.

Arno’s big hit, which evidently put him on the ‘dance map’ came in 2006 in the form of the elegantly crafted smash hit ‘Magenta’, which he composed alongside Arias. Pete Tong and Tom Novy’s adoration of the track was no secret, and with an arresting rework from Dave Spoon, ‘Magenta’ became something of a DJs secret weapon the world over. It was in fact the most played tune at The Amsterdam Dance Event that year. With no doubt as to the potency of Arno’s partnership with production buddies Doray and de la Touche, the status as France’s answer to the Swedish House Mafia is one increasingly linked to the Parisian contingent. Arno has been called on to remix for Laidback Luke, David Guetta and Zoo Brazil’s ‘Kalle’ on Nero Records. Arno’s status as a major international DJ is gaining serious momentum having played shows at The Sydney Freedom Dance Festival and a Cr2 night at Matter in London. Most notably in late 2008, the famous radio station RADIO FG chose Arno to mix its new compilation CLUB FG, following on from David Guetta last year.

His partner in crime Norman Doray began his DJ career a few years previously to Arno in 2002. Proving to be a natural, just a year later Norman had secured residency at a club in Lille where he honed in on those expert skills we see today. By 2004 he was on the move, playing a number of clubs both on home turf and abroad, whilst making his first steps production wise too. In 2006, his first track ‘In the name of love’, a collaboration with friend Pierre De La Touche, was released on German label Starfunk Records.   

Norman hasn’t looked back since doing collaborations with Arno and de la Touche and continues to produce solo material as well. His second solo single ‘Krystal’ was released September 2008 on CR2, Serial Records and We Play. This was followed closely by a collaboration with Tristan Garner called ‘Last forever’ signed to 17 labels worldwide and with a video produced in Shanghai China, this record projected Norman in to the production elite. Over 2009 the boys have enjoyed success together playing several times during the summer at David Guetta’s now globally acclaimed night ‘Fuck me I’m Famous’ held at Pacha Ibiza.

This compilation aims to showcase some older tracks from Cr2 as well as displaying fresh upfront records, which Norman and Arno are playing in the clubs today. Their take on ‘Woz not Woz’ is just one example of their creative abilities, which Cr2 are at the forefront of championing.

Pole Folder returns to the fold with his latest single from his La Tour label, Hate Myself. which has been remixed by the master himself, Sasha.

To those with even the most passing of interests in dance music, Sasha needs no introduction. Few of his peers can match his outstanding contributions driving electronic music forward or claim such a dedicated army of fans – both of which have ensured his consistent presence amongst the world’s Top 10 DJs for the past decade.

Sasha’s remix is true testament to his legendary status, lending his perfect ear to add a beauty and timelessness to Pole Folder’s already faultless original. Hate Myself is not your traditional peak-time hit, but with Sasha already testing it out on the road, it seems to be working as his current dancefloor destroyer!

In trademark Pole Folder style Hate Myself has a melancholic vibe, which Sasha then merges with an intense bassline, and intertwines noodly, scratchy overlays. The surreal chanting vocal staggers in and out, while the driving bassline, the sudden clanging, and the ominous, disjointed sounds all seem to merge to form a fluid cacophony of sound. Pole Folder says “Since I discovered Sasha through Northern Exposure 1 he has continued to blow me away… Having Sasha do a remix for La Tour is a dream come true for me.”

Hate Myself will be La Tour’s 5th release this year, and is the perfect single to cement their reputation as one of the best up and coming labels of 2009. Pole Folder is currently locked in his ‘80Hz’ studio writing his second album “The Helsinki Accord”, due for release winter 2009. This will feature the original of Hate Myself.

Why the most progressive city in the East is now more than just a stop-over destination.

Singapore has previously been viewed as a bit of a transient city; a place where you would stop off between gruelling long haul flights to more interesting parts of the world. A quick stopover in a clean and mildly mundane metropolis before jetting off to pastures new.

In recent years however, many travellers from around the world have visited Singapore with a view to more than simply hopping on the next plane out. Recent government statistics show that over 10 million people visited Singapore in 2008, a large portion of these inevitably would be clubbers seeking out adventure. One of the key reasons for this influx is down to the hugely progressive nature of its burgeoning nightlife; backpackers, thrill seekers and music lovers from all over are now converging in steadily growing numbers upon this unique Asian hub.

It is a hub that has a huge amount to offer the visiting music lovers. There is government support for nightclubs and encouragement for new music festivals including the F1 Rocks event; the official party for the much lauded Singapore Grand Prix. The Singapore tourist board is also directly investing in music as a way of promoting the city proactively, buying 1000 copies of Defected’s original Zouk In The House CD to draw attention to its credibility as a tourist destination.

Singapore as a credible destination has had Defected’s attention for some time now, with the Defected In The House events landing in the country on various occasions. With a reputation for knowing a good clubbing destination when they see one – and tirelessly seeking them out, it’s this thirst that has made them embark on a global journey of the world’s best venues. Judge for yourself; there is the prestigious summer long Saturday night spot at Pacha Ibiza, the Sunburn beach festival in Goa, Set in Miami, Cocoon in Frankfurt, AgeHa in Tokyo and of course, Zouk in Singapore.

Zouk is one of the most widely known Super Clubs in Asia and is known for setting the clubbing tone across the region. Zouk’s philosophy is simple and inclusive; ‘One World, One Music, One Tribe, One Dance’. In the infamously fickle world of nightclubs, a couple of years in business is about as good as any club owner dare hope for, but Zouk has managed to buck that trend. Since its inception in 1991, the club has managed to stay fresh and has become a powerful, pioneering organisation in Singapore, importing the best of European and American dance culture and shaping the music scene for its inhabitants.

More and more international people seek out Zouk every year, and it’s easy to see why. It is set within three historic warehouses along the Singapore River, with four different musical enclaves. The venue was originally designed with inspiration gathered from a visit to Pacha, Ibiza; one of the most glamorous and famous clubs in the world.

“Singapore is such a unique city in the World to open a club or to do business. It’s very clean and green with probably the best and most efficient infrastructure in the World. No traffic jams and no pollution. The government has over the years taken care of the most minute details to make the city great.

There is no corruption and very little crime. It is also drug free. As a club owner for the last 18 years, we have educated a very clued up clubbing crowd and they really know their music”. Lincoln Cheng (Owner / Founder of Zouk).

The club’s success and popularity has grown increased to such a degree that it has produced an offshoot that continues to contribute to Singapore’s music culture. This offshoot is the Zouk Out festival, an event that has spread from the club to encapsulate the whole city. This is Asia’s definitive dance music festival, with over 27,000 people attending last year. It is held on the island’s pristine palm tree-lined Siloso Beach, a venue that is a truly exotic and beautiful place to dance.

Now, Defected has been invited to host the main stage at Zouk Out, as well as being tasked with producing the first DJ mix compilation exclusively dedicated to Zouk and the Singapore dance music scene.

The album is a collection of the most upfront dance tracks available, tracks that are receiving spins from the long term resident djB, his mix includes one of his own productions ‘Incheon’, as well as South Street Players ‘Who’s Keep Changing Your Mind’ (Daniel Bovie & Roy Rox Remix) a track he cites as being a particular Zouk dancefloor moment. Other highlights include ATFC ‘The Conversation’ and Michel Cleis ‘La Mezcla’ a track that very recently received Best Ibiza Track 09.

This latest album release joins the growing list of Defected Records global dance destinations that includes Ibiza, Amsterdam, Goa and Miami. This edition contains an insider’s in-depth guide to Singapore: the finest bars, restaurants, shops and hotels with focus on Zouk as one of the top clubbing destinations in the World.

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Meleka is the UK’s brightest and hottest new talent. Armed with one of the biggest dance floor records of the year, her debut single ‘Go’ is currently causing a storm across radio waves and club land throughout the UK and Europe and is set to be a massive hit when its released in Autumn.

Hailing from north-west London singer/ songwriter Meleka, 21, was crowned HUGO URBAN RULES winner in 2008 after wowing music industry execs as well as chart toppers Estelle and Sabrina Washington.

It was Meleka’s soaring vocals, self-penned songs and fearless nature that made her the firm favourite for the grand prize at the prestigious urban talent event. “I couldn’t believe Sabrina and Estelle wanted me to share the same stage as them. It was such a privilege,” Meleka modestly admits.

As well as winning the chance to support Estelle at HUGO URBAN RULES’ headline gig in Manchester Meleka also appeared in the subsequent MTV Base show which was broadcast over 100 times on the channel!!

Meleka has continued to make moves and will be featured alongside Kelis and Chipmunk on the title track of Basement Jaxx new album ‘Scars’. She has also recorded a feature on Don E’s new single ‘Time Is Now’ alongside Mutya Buena and has been tipped as one to watch by none other than The News Of The World.

This year will see a life long dream of Meleka’s become a reality with the release of her debut single, the funky house anthem “Go” produced by the Crazy Cousinz. We don’t use the term anthem lightly either, the track has already had almost 1 million views on Youtube from fans radio rips alone and 300,000 plays on Myspace.

It has been on the A List @ BBC 1xtra since the beginning of April and has been receiving plays from Galaxy Network, Kiss FM, & Choice FM all without being serviced to radio. Once serviced, Choice FM playlisted the track immediately. ‘Go’ was also recently picked as Urban Record Of The Month by Mixmag.

The video for ‘Go’ was directed by Ben Jones who started directing three years ago and was recently signed to Partizan films. He is now represented by Davey Inc and previous work includes projects for The Streets, Lily Allen, Oasis and Example.

Once you hear Meleka’s fresh, irresistible vocals and her passionate song writing ability you’ll understand why others are referring to her as the next big thing to come out of the UK, with talent enough to hold her own on the world stage.

“Go” will be released this Autumn and will feature a number of mouth watering remixes from such names as Booda Bassline, EL-B, D Bridge, Diamond ft Tinie Tempah, Sid Mercutio and Doug McCourt.

Subliminal Sessions is the upfront compilation series that consistently presents stadium sized DJ mixes from some of the world’s leading House DJs. It is the respected and influential Dance music imprint that delivers cross-over dance hits, mixes and underground records to DJs and clubbers around the world.

This time it is the turn of rising star Steve Angello. A familiar DJ to many as he is 33.3% of the Swedish House Mafia, the ‘in your face’ and ‘in demand’ elite collective of Sweden’s house music bad boys; Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso. However it as a solo artist this is where Steve really carves out his niche.

It was his and Laidback Luke’s remix of Robin S ‘Show Me Love’ that smashed (practically) all the international Top 10 pop charts to bits. It is now the track that he has become synonymous with, a track that is consistently requested where ever he plays, and rightly so.

He has also recently remixed the likes of Moby and Justin Timberlake so even LA’s pop stars know that this is THE DJ to pin down for that European Dance sound.

It’s not just his big tune production that produces his allure, his underground production is just as acutely sharp. With a main room, tech and electro house sound that works around the world. His sound and style has not gone unnoticed. Erick Morillo spotted the talents of Steve Angello long ago, since then Erick has become Steve’s number one fan and has worked hard to get him to produce a mix for his beloved Subliminal label.

‘Now that the winter is here and Ibiza is behind us I figured I would bring some Swedish heat. Steve is a friend and I’m a fan so I hope you enjoy where he’s about to take you’. Erick Morillo.

This is Steve Angelo’s debut on Subliminal. A label that is once again becoming prolific through the leadership of Morillo, a passionate label head that road tests of all the labels releases on the dance floor before committing to put them on general release.

This album is a special collection of Steve own productions as well as upfront tracks that is sure to connect with House and Electro heads everywhere.

Look out for Steve’s own productions in the form of Mezcal Kid ‘Do you want it?’ as well as Steve Angello ‘La Candela Viva’ and ‘Tivoli’.

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With a slew of Top 10 hits, a multitude of remixes under his belt, and a frightening tea habit, Funkagenda has been called in to mix the next Toolroom Knights installment.

Already having featured on prominent labels such as Defected, Azuli, Ministry of Sound, Subliminal and of course, Toolroom; Funkagenda’s production and remix skills are highly sought after worldwide. With remix commissions from the likes of Basement Jaxx, Moby, Dirty Vegas and a song writing stint with the Black Eyed Peas, coupled with 3 Beatport no.1’s this year alone, Funkagenda is on a roll.

After winning Best Newcomer & Best Track (Man with the Red Face alongside Mark Knight) at the DJ Awards 2008, and his productions & DJ sets pricking the ears of promoters worldwide, Funkagenda’s tour diary has been jam packed with gigs in America, Canada, Russia, South America, Eastern Europe, Spain, France and many more. His enthusiastic and creative DJ sets have set him aside from norm and his residency at the Toolroom Knights Events has cemented his reputation as one of the most unique and engaging DJs in his field today.

Funkagenda has scanned the length and breadth of his record collection and has come up with an eclectic and different mix for Toolroom. He has written 3 tracks exclusively for Toolroom – Zomg and Lmaoblade, appear here for the first time alongside the massive groove induced Kim Fai collaboration Gayfest.

With a staggering 37 tracks, Funkagenda seamlessly blends smooth house grooves and big hitters from Sebo K, Jimpster, Lützenkirchen, D Ramirez, D Nox & Beckers, Crazy P, Matteo DiMarr and Mark Knight, working the edits and utilizing accapella’s from DJ Gregory, and Mutiny. Kirsty Hawkshaw’s Face To Face vocal also makes an appearance over Ritkam & Bansi’s Bass Master Zorro, and Nadia Ali’s legendary Rapture over Adam Shaw’s Far Cry, which recreates the massive booty championed by Pete Tong.

Funkagenda’s love of all things is clearly apparent over the mix; ‘straight up’ house, techno, tech-house, deep house and so on – and he’s not afraid of a good vocal too! Included in the mix is Mark Knight & Funkagenda’s recent smash ‘Good Times’ and Funkagenda’s recent remix of the classic ‘Zoe’ by Paganini Traxx.

With DJ support from the likes of Mark Knight, Pete Tong, Axwell, Dirty South, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso its easy to see why Funkagenda has become a serious driving force in shaping House music today.