If you overhear anyone complaining about a lack of quality music in Melbourne please make sure you promptly break their nose, or at least try to. Rock heavyweights, beat maestro’s, the biggest names in contemporary electronic music and true legends of music history are all making their way down under this summer, with Meredith festival being one of the major destinations and milestones on the Australian festival calendar.

After 23 years, the brains and muscle behind Meredith has all things festival pretty well nailed: a diverse and progressive lineup, a feast of delicious market stalls, some truly eclectic bars, friendly and well trained staff, a sold out show and to top it all off some beautiful weather. The Supernatural Amphitheatre is aptly named – carved into the natural slope of a hill leaning towards a huge gulley, slathered in soft green grass with pines and gumtrees scattered throughout guaranteeing patches of shade during the day. At night the whole place is lit like a warm exotic garden party – hundreds of meters of raw lightbulbs are strung between the trees along with giant paper lanterns and moonflowers, not to mention the visual extravaganza that is the main stage itself.

For me it all started with Brian Jonestown Massacre. Hailing from California, they belted out over an hour of sun drenched psychedelic rock gold – highlight was probably their best known track Anemone. After being thrown around the pit for the duration of this set I promptly lost myself in one or possibly two wood fired pizzas from The Forge before returning to the stage for Jon Hopkins. After breaking through to audiences across the globe with his powerful throbbing EP Open Eye Signal (and similarly amazing video), I was interested to how a live performance from the London based producer would sit with a crowd who was more used to live bands and indie music. The crowd definitely thinned during the show, but what a fucking show. Playing with momentum almost as much as the sounds themselves, Hopkins delivered an hour of supersonic adventure, rivaling live shows I’ve seen from the likes of Nicolas Jaar and Aphex Twin. Like these artists, Hopkins wasn’t afraid to drop both tempo and volume to create quiet ambient moments, almost nothing, only to drive back towards a blinding climax. With elements of everything from minimal techno to drum and bass, jungle, IDM and house, it was truly an adventure for the ears – a raw performance experimental enough that I’m not sure anything on the live electronic front will be beating it anytime soon (at least in my memory).

But the standout performance without a DOUBT, came from the one and only Nile Rodgers and his band Chic. Responsible for producing no less than 20 platinum records throughout the 80’s, 90’s and today, we were lucky enough to be taken through a history of music in the two hour performance from these legends. All of the hits were there: We Are Family, Freak Out, Like a Virgin, Let’s Dance, I Want Your Love and even coming to a climax with the track he produced for the new Daft Punk album, Get Lucky. Rocking an all-white pimp suit and matching white guitar, Rodgers convinced at least 90% of the audience in that two hours that he is officially the coolest man on the planet.

A huge thank you to Meredith for curating a truly wonderful festival. Block out a weekend in December 2014, grab a couple mates, a couch or two and you could not possibly avoid having fun at this place.

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This year has been a rocky one for festivals and 2014 isn't off to the best start either, with the announcment coming through this morning that FACT Weekender has now been cancelled.

The new Sydney event ran into roadblocks right from the get go and was forced to scrap its initial headliners Radioslave and Butch. UK breakbeat legend Adam Freelandwas brought in to replace the loss, however it now appears that problems relating to "production elements" have forced the organisers to cancel the festival entirely, albeit with plans to return in 2015.

FACT has released an official statement regarding the cancellation:

"It is with regret that we announce that the FACT Weekender Festival planned for 1st and 2nd February 2014 will be postponed with a new festival now planned for the 2014/2015 summer season.

The management team at FACT weekender have been working tirelessly over the past few months to coordinate the event. However, production elements relating to starting up a new festival have impacted our tight timeframes and our ability to deliver a first-class weekend festival. We are committed to holding the event on Cockatoo Island and thank the venue, managed by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, for their patience as we confirm our new dates.

We thank all of the people involved so far and look forward to working with you as we build a fantastic festival for next summer. We also apologise to all artists and ticket holders for any inconvenience. Tickets already purchased will be fully refunded with immediate effect. See you next year"

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A Danny Tenaglia Australian tour is a rare thing. Soon to be in the country for New Year’s Eve in Sydney and New Year’s Day in Melbourne, you’d be a fool to miss him. I don’t think it would be overstating things to say that his mid-week set at Nevermind in Sydney back in 2010 is now part of the city’s clubbing folklore, at least for those of us who were fortunate enough to be in attendance. As a demonstration of how to perfectly execute the art of DJing, Tenaglia’s efforts were flawless. So it was with a certain amount of trepidation and nervousness that I approached this interview. I’m not religious, but if I had to pick a god, Danny Tenaglia would be on my shortlist.

But what do you ask a god? I didn’t want to talk about his past too much, as that’s been covered extensively elsewhere, and anyway, how many times does a person want to talk about their life history? I tried my best to think of some clever/unique/original questions befitting an interview with a deity, but I didn’t get very far. But it didn’t matter. Danny humoured me by answering my banal questions with enthusiasm and sincerity, proving that you can be one of the world’s best DJs and a really nice guy.

Pulse: You’re known for your hometown passion for the New York club scene, but where are you at the moment? I’m in Miami. I had been working a lot in New York, and then I got pretty busy on tour – South America, Amsterdam, Berlin, Italy, London, Canada, and back to New York. Then I saw a window of opportunity and said “I’m going to go back to Miami and check on things”.

Have you got anything special planned for your Australian sets? I can’t say that it’s anything special. I’m always prepared to give the best of what I’ve got to what’s in front of me, and I’m always motivated no matter how many people are there. I just love what I do so much, but I do put a lot of thought into it. The longer the set I get to do, the better.

Do you still enjoy travelling the world? I enjoy what I do as a DJ, as an entertainer. I can’t say that I love the schlepping of airports, taxis, airplanes, hotels, but at the end of the day it’s my work, so I don’t let it get the best of me, and at this stage of the game I’ve paid my dues and I do get treated very well. At the end of the day it’s a lot because there’s so much involved to get from A-Z, which is that point of getting to the venue and hitting play, and then I feel like “Wow, look how long it took me to get here and I’m only going to play for two hours”. It makes me sad, but I never want to stop. I’ll be 53 in March but I feel as vibrant about it as I did thirty years ago. Embracing change has always helped me to feel excited about it – new styles, all the new people I get to meet and hear their work – but if anything, I don’t think I’ll be actively travelling as much as I have been in the last twenty years. At some point that’s going to be, “Okay, when do I stop and keep two feet on solid ground somewhere?”. I do want to get back in the studio and focus on that, but I need to be consistent there. I’ll probably travel less, but always sticking to the places I really enjoy going back to.

Are you working on any new material? I’ve always had a nice little recording studio at my loft in New York, but I was just not finding myself spending time in there due to my travels. I recently set it up in another room with a nice big window, purchased some new gear, and I’m getting inspired again. I’ve got a lot of concepts, they are only in their initial state right now, but it’s my intention to see these through and have some tracks come out in 2014.

What’s exciting you musically at the moment? I’m continually inspired by techno, in a sense that it’s always refreshing to me. Of course, I have to filter through tonnes of it in order to find the tracks that motivate and inspire me. But since I go back so many years I also get to do these deeper house sets that are more ’80s, ’90s related and many people are really digging that these days, and it’s not something that I have to go crazy seeking because I have lots of material. Now I enjoy bringing some of these songs into the studio, putting them through Ableton, adding some sounds to enhance them and make them sound a little more modern so that if you are mixing them with a newer record they don’t sound so old. It’s not easy for me. I don’t want to just be some DJ who shows up, hits play and has a little social party going on in the DJ booth. I’m old school. My main goal is to satisfy the people in front of me and do the best I can.

There have been lots of recent media reports on the explosion in popularity of dance music in the US. What’s your take on that? I think it’s more of a global thing. EDM is the phrase most people are identifying it by. Things like Swedish House Mafia, and festivals have become bigger and bigger in many cities. I guess it’s a whole new way of introducing dance music to teenagers. As annoying as some of the melodies in these songs can be, I still welcome it because I think it’s the next step of them appreciating something that’s not so cheesy and getting into more intelligent techno, if you will. I see them as on the right path because it’s still dance related – they can’t be listening to those Christmas carol melodies for too long.

You mention festivals. You’re well known for playing long sets. Do you see short DJ sets at festivals as a necessary evil that perhaps draws people to the idea of wanting to hear longer sets? I think it really depends on the DJ. If it’s a guy who’s only been playing for two years and doesn’t have much longevity on stage to begin with, and if he’s only going to play that one particular sound that the people know him for, whether that’s remixes or hits that he’s produced … but I think it’s only the old school DJs that you can really trust to take you on a journey with a longer set.

Do you think festival crowds want to be taken on that journey? I think everyone wants to be taken on a journey, for sure, but I think that what is causing the confusion is the fake crescendos that some of the younger ones are waiting for. They are hungry for that next breakdown so they can throw their hands in the air and build it back up again. It’s a rollercoaster. That’s what they need to graduate from and realise that’s not what it’s really all about. It’s the song itself that should take you on its own journey with its own crescendos that are natural, that are not completely forced by the effects of the mixer. Anybody can create a build-up from any particular song these days, and I think that is overkill. Everything has become “build-up, build-up, build-up, take out everything, boom, bring it back in with a kick”. I’ve always been into the journey with my remixes. For as long as I can remember, back in the ’70s with disco you waited for the breakdown and there was that anticipation, but now it’s all timed and so many people over use it. They over use the effects and they have taught the people that this is what you do. People are just waiting for that moment to throw their hands in the air, the kick comes back in, they scream, and then it dies down and they wait for the next one. Fortunately for me I don’t play for those audiences. Of course I do to some degree, but the people that follow Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, Afrojack, they’re not the ones that are into me.

One final question – if you could only play one more gig, where would it be and why? It would have to be New York. I was born and raised in Brooklyn. I think more than anywhere in the world, that is where the people get me, appreciate me and love me the most. It’s a feeling. We are very much in tune with one another. There’s no place like home. Right now, the club would be Output, which is actually in Brooklyn. They’ve really got it right – a great sound system, great respect for the venue and what it’s all about, no photography allowed inside. It really is bringing it back to the roots of what it used to be like and should be again. It’s just appreciation for the music and not so much just staring at the DJ. Getting people to dance again.

Thick As Thieves Pres. Danny Tenaglia Australian Tour
31.12.13 - Lost & Found @ ivy, Sydney [BUY]
01.01.14 - Welcome Summer 2014 @ Shed 14 Docklands, Melbourne

Listen to Danny Tenaglia on Pulse Radio

DJ Cribs is a new photo series where we head off to the homes and studios of various DJs and producers to grab a glimpse of their setups. Our very first volume is a bit of a Sydney love-in featuring Robbie Lowe, Hayden James, Touch Sensitive, Tigerlily and Emoh Instead (What So Not). A little Christmas present to our readers. Enjoy!

Touch Sensitive
Michael Di Francesco, aka Touch Sensitive, aka The Pizza Guy, has an impressive studio full of production wizardry in Potts Point. Understandable really, given his days as the synth guru and guitarist for Sydney's Van She.

Robbie Lowe
Australia's best DJ (forget whatever the ITM50 poll says) houses an impressive collection of vinyl at his Manly pad, which no doubt has some classic progressive house tunes tucked away in there somewhere. Looks like Robbie has to share his decks with Digweed The Cat, aka 'Diggy'.

Hayden James
Sydney's leafy north shore is where Hayden James crafts his beautifully melodic, electronic pop songs. His penchant for Anna Kournikova looks to be his inspiration for such gorgeous music, and we're glad to see a little green alien keeps watch over his equipment.

Tigerlily
You don't need a studio full of equipment to be one of Australia's most promising up-and-coming DJs. Just ask Dara Tigerlily, who keeps things simple in her bedroom studio with a laptop, mic and monitor setup. This must be where she makes her edits before heading out to support Tiesto and dropping bombs to crowds of thousands.

Emoh Instead (What So Not)
Most of the time Chris 'Emoh' Emerson crafts ideas on the road, or chilling on his balcony overlooking Dee Why beach. Though when it comes to fine tuning, he heads over to his What So Not partner-in-crime's work station. The 'Flume' studio is currently under construction - we're keen to see what it looks like when it's finished!

Photo Credits
Touch Sensitive, Hayden James & What Sot Not: Cai Griffin
Robbie Lowe: Kristie Lee
Tigerlily: Caitlin West

Header design: Gemma Van D

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As the year draws to a close, it's natural to reflect, especially when it's been as interesting as 2013 has. Underground has become mainstream, mainstream has become pop, and while many fight over the meaning of terms like EDM and deep house, others push stoically forward, undeterred by major trends, continuing to do what they do best. So we've called upon a few of those in the later category to tell us what's kept them excited through these last 11 months. This time around we catch up with one of Paris' biggest names in house and techno, Scissor & Thread cofounder, Anthony Collins. 

Having grown up in both America and France, Collins got his first taste of electronic music in France as a teenager. Not long after, he was DJing at some of Paris' most renowned hotspots, like Rex and Batofar, leading him to a residency at Paris’ Cirque Bonheur in 2011. Soon, he was playing all over the world at clubs like Berghain/Panorama Bar, Circoloco at DC-10, Fabric, BPM Festival, Treehouse Miami and more. In the studio, Collins' resume reads as nicely as his tour schedule, with releases on Freak n’Chic, Poker Flat, Vakant, Mule Electronic, Ibadan, and Supplement Facts, and these days Collins runs his own imprint with friend Francis Harris. So who better to ask what kept him buzzing in 2013 than one of the underground's finest, Anthony Collins. 

Favourite DJ Of The Year :
Soul Capsule ( Melchior & Baby Ford ) back to back. Saw them twice, and both times were brilliant. 

Trend Of The Year :
Promoters looking at the number of Facebook fans an artist as before to book him... so lame. 

Event Of The Year:
Scissor & Thread showcase for Resolute, NY. 

Overall Highlight :
Seeing our label Scissor & Thread develop along our core crew of artists.

Anthony Collins on Facebook

Anthony Collins on SoundCloud

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As the year draws to a close, we talk to the DJ once described by Mixmag as the ‘Son of God,’ a reluctant superstar who inspired a generation and was universally praised for his epic sets and remixes. From the Hacienda to Ushuaia, Welsh legend Sasha talks to us about his journey through clubs like Hacienda, his thoughts on the commercial aspects of Ibiza, the explosion of dance music in the US, and his record label, Last Night On Earth, which he calls "a labour of love." Read on.

Hi Sasha. Just to start off, I wanted to ask you about the Hacienda. I was curious to hear what you’d taken out of it; how you feel it’s influenced you? S: I learnt everything I needed to know about DJing there really. I used to go and be first in line to go in at 9pm. I’d sit there and I always used to really like the first sort of 3 hours, because the DJs would be playing all the latest music, and testing stuff out. I used to really like the way that sometimes you’d hear a record at say 10pm one week, and then 11pm the next week, and then a month later you’d be hearing it in the last hour, and they would build records that way.
I particularly liked Wednesdays when Jon da Silva played, he’s the first DJ that I ever heard mixing beats, using a capellas and sound effects, and he was just very innovative at the time. He was kind of my role model. He would play the whole night, the five hours from 9 ‘til 2, the Hacienda always closed at 2. He taught me how to craft a set, do the warm-up and build a set, and build the intensity. I used to sit there and analyse what he was doing. I moved to a new flat, and he happened to live in the same building as me, we ended up being buddies. That was a real twist of fate there.

On a more contemporary note, you’re doing the Last Night On Earth New Year’s Eve party in Brixton this year, and you’ve got a really nice lineup with Ejeca, ThermalBear, and a few others. S: Yeah I’m very happy with it really. It’s not really a label party, we were thinking what name we should use for the NYE party and the ‘Last Night on Earth’ thing seemed to resonate with everyone. They had a lot to play with when it came to marketing it, so I’m not really considering it as a label party. The rest of the DJs are maybe friends, or people who have just inspired me over the last year.

Through releases and remixes you’ve put out a broad selection of artists on your label, from the likes of Foals and the XX to more up and coming artists such as Hunter_Game. Have you got anything in the pipeline that you can talk about? S: Yeah I’ve got loads of releases lined up in the next six months, some really fantastic music coming out. I used to be involved with a cutting edge DJ agency (Excession) that helped a lot of fledgling DJs become established. It was instrumental in helping James Zabiela get established, Steve Lawler, Sander Kleinenberg, and Audiofly. I always felt really good being part of that and helping upcoming talent establish themselves. That finished a couple of years ago, so having the label now and being able to do a similar kind of thing but for producers, I really enjoy doing it. It’s not really a commercial label. We’ve had some real success with things like the Flutes remix, but we’re not really going for the commercial end of the market. It’s a labour of love, and it’s something that ticks over really nicely. It allows me to interact with some of these really great up and coming producers, and help break them, so yeah, it’s built really nicely and it’s gaining momentum now. I’m really proud to be involved in it.

In an interview from 2005, you talk about breaking the US scene, and you mention that you didn’t think there would ever be a house scene like the one that we have over here in the UK. S: (laughs)

It was really funny to read, because obviously since then the developments have taken a whole different turn… S: Well it started to kick off when they finally got EDM, electronic music. But it’s a very different scene over here to how it developed in the UK. I think the thing in the States is, it had to get very commercial for the mass market here to get it. Not to say that the underground here isn’t really flourishing, I’ve got some incredible gigs at the moment, clubs shows. [But] it was a different way it developed in the UK, it came from the underground and grew up, whereas in the States it came from the top down. It had to take these huge R&B collaborations with DJs for those records to smash into the billboard charts. Artists like Rihanna, Kelly Rowland, all those people who’ve been doing collaborations, it’s come from that end really.

So moving back to Europe, you have your residency at Ushuaia in Ibiza this year… Yeah, I had a successful summer in Ibiza, I don’t know what I’m doing next year yet, I’ve got a few different options on the table so we’re trying to work that out.

There’s a lot of talk about how Ibiza’s changed so much over the last 20 years, how do you feel about it now? S: I love Ibiza, I’ve always loved it. I think it’s bigger than it’s ever been, and yeah there’s a commercial end to the island of course, but then some of the underground parties in Ibiza are the biggest parties. [The] opening party of Space is like 12,000 people, and you know there’s no commercial music being played there, so I think the thing with Ibiza is it seems like there’s room for everyone, and everyone seems to be doing pretty well. I definitely think this summer there was too much, too many residencies happening. People were feeding out of each other’s pockets, people that always used to play together having their own residencies and going into competition with each other. I don’t know what it’s going to be like next year, I imagine a couple of those nights might not make it to next year, but you never know. It seems like it’s recession-proof over there (laughs).

Listen to Sasha on Pulse Radio. 

2013 has been a banner year for 26 year old Maya Jane Coles. The British-Japanese DJ/producer released her debut album ‘Comfort’ on her own label I/AM/ME. Just as the year is coming to a close, Maya broke the 1 million SoundCloud followers mark, and released a free track as a way to show her appreciation and thank her fans. “Dreamer,” taken from her well-received album ‘Comfort,’ is now available to download for free on her SoundCloud page. Enjoy!

Listen to Maya Jane Coles on Pulse Radio

It's that time of the month again as Adeline broadcasts a new edition of her radio show on Pulse Radio. This time she's joined by one of techno's finest, Ida Engberg. 

As the year is coming to an end, Adeline is playing some of her favorite tracks from the year, as well as some new music from Tom Demac, Alessio Mereu and Graze. As Adeline has spent some time in her native Sweden over the last few months, she has invited Ida Engberg on the show for the second Swedish edition of the podcast. Ida’s brought along her upcoming release on Crosstown Rebels, and we’ll hear more about Ida’s daughter, who seems to be something of a musical genius!

“It's been great fun doing these shows this year, and having lovely Ida on the last show of the year tops it all off! I’ll see you in the New Year! Now off to celebrate, and I hope the end of the year brings all your wishes true!”

Follow Adeline on Facebook.

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Rafwat Shauki and Andrew Chorniy, better known as Rafwat & Chorniy, are Toronto-based DJs and producers.  They started working as a duo after playing together at a lot of afterparties as well as DJ sessions with friends in the local area.  In the last five years, they have played all over Toronto including at Electric Island over the summer.  We had a chance to catch up with the guys ahead of their show on Saturday, December 28th with Clarian and Nitin at House of Moments in Toronto to chat about how they got started as a duo, some gratifying moments of their career, the evolution of their style, and what else they've been working on.  Be sure to listen to the exclusive mix by Rafwat below!

For people who don’t already know you, can you tell us a little about yourself? We are party animals that love to play sexy music in which we like to get lost. We've been DJing in Toronto for about five years now but have known each other longer than that.

How did you first get into electronic music? Andrew's first proper rave was Tiesto at The Docks, and Rafwat's was Infected Mushroom at Kool Haus. I guess that was our intro to electronic music. As we started collecting music, our tastes matured quickly and have changed over the years. Our style of music flowed from minimal to techno to tech house to nu disco to deep house to deep tech. It's always evolving as we crave fresh, inspiring sounds.

How did you initially start working together? Andrew was a promoter and liked Rafwat's taste in music. After countless afterparties and DJ sessions playing for friends, we decided to make it something bigger. We had a lot of friends that that were into the scene and supported, so the transition from afterparties to clubs, boats, and parks was natural.

What has been the most gratifying moment so far in your career? Playing at Electric Island - opening for Audiofly, Guy Gerber and Sasha. It's the best venue is the best in Toronto in our opinions. The organizers, promoters, and supporters are all top class people. Not to mention the magic that was happening that day - killer vibe, music style and a view of the Toronto skyline from the island as the sky changed from blue to black... dopeness.

Is the stuff you play now what you’ve always played or has your style evolved over time? Our style evolves from gig to gig. We get inspired every set that we hear. Music is evolving at a fast rate and we crave original forward thinking music.

You’ve been playing a lot in Toronto, where you’re based. What has that been like? Rafwat got deported from Bangladesh, Andrew was a shepard in Ukraine (formerly USSR). Toronto is the reason why we got involved in the scene because it's too good. We're spoiled by the amount of local talent there is thriving in this city. The club is a great platform for artists to evolve. I heard somewhere that Toronto has the highest dance floor square feet to everything else square feet ratio. Not sure of the source but I believe it!

What are some of your dream gigs? DC10, Burning Man, DEMF, and gigs that dont exist yet but that we will hopefully design and create.

What record labels do you hope to work with in the future? Life and Death, Innervisions, No.19, My Favourite Robot, Get Physical, All Day I Dream.

Who would you like to collaborate with? Mano Le Tough, DJ T, Maher Daniel, James Teej, Tale of Us, Mind Against, Gab Rhome, and Dixon. We think all these guys are creative masterminds which is why we would want to collab with them.

Can you tell us a little about how you decided to approach the exclusive mix you made for Pulse? It's mixed by Rafwat and includes some of Chorniy's production. It's our current style and tracks that we love at this point... dreamy, trippy, journey-like.

What else is on the horizon for Rafwat & Chorniy? Working as a team and motivating each other to bring out the best in each other and our Toronto crew and friends, and starting our label and agency and releasing fresh inspiring sounds of all kinds of music .

Listen to Rafwat & Chorniy on Pulse Radio

Today, deadmau5 announced the launch of his new online subscription service, deadmau5 Live, where fans can access premium content including news, live streams, music, photos, and videos. A free account gives users the ability to listen to 30-second clips, read news stories about deadmau5 and Meowingtons, view photos, and watch select live streams.

With a paid version, “suckscribers” have access to much more content including all live streams of events and concerts as well as screen sharing and tutorials from deadmau5. They will also be able to play full-length songs, which may be downloadable.

deadmau5 Live also features “MSG BOREDS,” an online forum, and “CHAT,” a new concept which will randomly select four users to chat with deadmau5 himself for a specified period of time. People with free accounts will be able to view these conversations but not participate directly.

Listen to deadmau5 on Pulse Radio

The New Year is a time for reflection, resolutions and most of all, celebrations. 2014 is coming and she’s coming fast. With the New Year so rapidly approaching, many of you may still be trying to sort out your plans. Check out our picks for the biggest and best parties in North America on New Years Eve and New Years Day.

New York

BangOn! NYE 2014: Damian Lazarus, Behrouz, Bob Moses, Sleepy & Boo
BangOn! has big plans for New York. The party group is throwing a massive “Time & Space” themed party inside a 60,000 sq ft multi-room arena in East Williamsburg. The warehouse takes up an entire block and will be filled with food trucks, funky clothing and sounds from Damian Lazarus, Behrouz, Bob Moses, Sleepy & Boo and many more.

Blk|Market Membership & ReSolute NYE Night at Output (24-hour party)
New York party monarchs Blk|Market and ReSolute are throwing an epic 24-hour rager at Output that goes from 10:00pm on NYE to 11:59pm NYD. With an all-star roster that includes tINI vs Bill Patrick, DJ Tennis, Thugfucker, Matthew Dekay, Quenum and Taimur & Fahad (among many others), you won’t want to miss this massive ring in of the New Year. Enter to win a pair of tickets here! 

Verboten: Lee Burridge, MJC, Eats Everything, Maher Daniel, Gab Rhome
Verboten is at it again! Their NYE soirée features Lee Burridge, Maya Jane Coles, Eats Everything, Maher Daniel and Gab Rhome, among others. Location is somewhere in Brooklyn with details to be announced closer to the date of the party.

VIVa Warriors NYE at Sankeys: Steve Lawler, Fur Coat, Dave Rosario
VIVa Warriors is finally coming to Sankeys NYC! After a hugely successful residency at Sankeys Ibiza this summer, Steve Lawler’s legendary party is taking on the concrete Jungle. The party starts at 2am on NYE night and features sounds by Steve Lawler, Fur Coat, Anek and Dave Rosario.

Alesso NYE – Uprising Tour at Pier 94
Alesso is stopping at Pier 94 on NYE on his North American Uprising Tour. The party is 18+. 

NYD w/ Victor Calderone at Sankeys
VIVa Warrios comes to a close as techno master Victor Calderone takes over with an extended set from noon to 7pm at Sankeys NYC. Victor’s NYD marathons are something special and he and Sankeys have had a longstanding friendship. He made his UK debut in 2001 at Sankeys Soap Manchester for the Friday night Tribal Sessions party, where he held an exclusive residency for two years.

Miami

Luciano Vagabundos – Story
Luciano’s legendary Vagabundos party is headed to Story Miami for NYE! The party is celebrated all over the world and Argy and Rony Seikaly will accompany Luciano. Doors open at 9pm.

Link & Miami Rebels presents Danny Daze & Justin Martin – Treehouse
Our friends at LINK & Miami Rebels have something special planned for NYE at Treehouse! Don’t miss Danny Daze and Justin Martin, along with Treehouse residents Danyelino, Hardline, Ms. Mada and Thunderpony. Doors open at 11pm with an open vodka bar until 2014.

Paco Osuna, Paul Van Dyk, Hector – Space
Watch the sun rise on 2014 at Space Miami. Catch Paul Van Dyk in the main room, Desolat’s Hector, in the loft and Paco Osuna on the terrace for some serious techno sounds.

Tiesto – LIV, Pharrell & Afrojack Live Performance
Celebrate NYE with live performances by Pharrell and Afrojack at the Fontainebleau pool and then head to LIV for Tiesto’s Club Life.

Los Angeles

Fedde le Grand, Sultan & Ned Shepard – Avalon Hollywood
Head over to Avalon Hollywood and celebrate NYE “Lost in Space” with Fedde Le Grand and Sultan & Ned Shepard. VIP/bottle service is available.

White Wonderland 2013 at Anaheim Convention Center
White Wonderland brings a little fantasy to Los Angeles. Suit up in your finest white attire and head to the Anaheim Convention Center to experience performers, art installations, an epic NYE countdown and sounds by ATB, Congorock, Cosmic Gate, Dash Berlin, Laidback Luke, Steve Angello.

OMFG! NYE LA 2014 at Shrine Auditorium & Expo Center
IHC Goldenvoice LED presents: OMFG! NYE LA 2014. Head over to the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Center for an epic night of deep bass sounds by Boys Noize, Madeon, GTA, DJ Snake, Brazzabelle and Feed Me.

NYE w Dubfire at Sound
Dubfire is playing a special set at Sound Nightclub on NYE and tickets include a 3 hour premium open bar from 10pm to 1am, and a champagne toast at midnight.

LA Loves Techo w. John Digweed Claud Vonstroke – Exchange LA 
Insomniac presents the second installment of LA Loves Techno. The epic party starts at 9 and features sounds by DAVI and techno veterans John Digweed and Claude Vonstroke. Bottle service and VIP accommodations available: (213)-444-3388 or email vip@exchangela.com.

Music is 4 Lovers – Analog Bar 
When all the NYE parties have ended and partygoers are left yearning for more, Music is 4 Lovers is putting together a killer afterhours party from 5am to 11am.

ADID of 2014- Egyptian Theatre
Whether you’re still going strong after Music is 4 Lovers or have just woken up after a few restless hours of sleep, All Day I Dream is back at the Egyptian Theater! Lee Burridge’s infamous party is back in LA for NYD to create some new magic and welcome dreamers to 2014 in style. The party goes from noon to 10pm and Lee Burridge and friends, Matthew Dekay, Bob Moses and Hoj are all preparing something special. This is a party not to miss.

San Francisco

Moby – Fort Mason Festival Pavilion
Ring in 2014 with techno legend, Moby! Eye Heart SF presents the 5th Annual Streets of San Francisco NYE at Fort Mason Festival Pavilion. There is a premium open bar all night, new staging, an expanded VIP and more bars and lounge space. The events lasts from 9pm to 2am.

Matthew Dear, Honey Soundsystem – Public Works 
Honey Soundsystem, Sunset Sound System, The Public Works SF present their 4th annual New Year’s Eve Party with special guest Matthew Dear. Honey Soundsystem is a collective of DJs, musicians, performers and designers. The event boasts two floors, custom lighting, drink specials and a confetti countdown.

Chicago

DJ Sneak – The Evil Olive
React Chicago presents DJ Sneak, Roy Davis Jr. and Thomas Jack at The Evil Olive! Dance until the early morning hours to the sounds by house legend, DJ Sneak. Doors open at 8pm with an open bar from 8pm to 10pm.

Mexico

Young Turks – Caleta Tankah Tulum
Tulum is welcoming visitors into 2014 (and to The BPM Festival) in style. Check out the Young Turks NYE party at Caleta Tankah Tulum featuring some of the label’s best and brightest, such as The xx, Grimes, Four Tet, Koreless, Chairlift, John Talabot, Pional, Sampha and Tasker.
 

Flying Circus – Akiin Beach Club
The last stop on Flying Circus monster December tour is Tulum! We spotlighted the tour last month and Audiofly and friends are throwing a massive party at Akiin Beach Club to ring in the New Year. Audiofly will be playing a special b2b set with M.A.N.D.Y. as M.A.N.F.L.Y. and don’t miss Tiefshwarz, Robag Wruhme, Pachanga Boys, Maayan Nidam, Balcazar & Sordo and Dance Spirit.

Cocco Room – Coco Maya Beach Club 
Coco Maya, the legendary Playa Del Carmen nightclub, is transformed into Cocco Room for New Year’s Eve. This year’s party goes for 20 hours and boasts an impressive lineup that includes techno legend Juan Atkins, along with Marc Houle, DJ W!ld and D’Julz, among many more.

Listen to Moby on Pulse Radio 

For over seven years now, Flying Circus has been at the forefront of party experiences that favor absolutely breathtaking natural locations. What makes this particular series of events stand out so much from the rest? SoundPark sat down with Anthony Middleton & Luca Saporito, otherwise known as Audiofly, to talk about its humble beginnings, some of the moments that helped define the brand, and where this flying circus is heading towards in the future.

Tell us a little about Flying Circus – who is at its heart and what do you all do? Flying Circus is basically a celebration of life and dance. We favor natural environments where nature adds to the flavor of the event and like to “pop up” and then disappear…generally. Flying Circus is our vehicle for connecting with our close friends in this non-stop gig, which is our lifestyle - a moment for us to come together and rock out before “the road” takes us off in differing directions again.

How did Flying Circus come about? Was there a particular moment in your careers where you said now is the time because I want to do...? Flying Circus is something that Luca and I [Anthony] started many years ago as a radio show on Proton Radio. Eventually, and accidentally, it became an event when we were offered a spot at Nikki Beach during WMC. We had, in the past, experimented with doing parties but never anything this large – we were actually very surprised by the success of the first event.

As Luca and I are the “creative” types, we invited Heiko to come in and run the business side of things. So now, we basically play and handle the curation of music and artistic direction while Heiko deals with the eye rolling stuff!

You’ve been throwing massive parties for over seven years now, from Playa Del Carmen to Moscow. Tell us a little about your beginnings. Were there any specific moments you remember that define the brand? Ahhh man, there’s been so many! I think we are always trying things that break the mold. So, maybe one of my favorite highlights would be when we did a small party in Xilitla, Mexico. It’s this crazy place where this architect and art collector, Sir Edward James, sculpted around 60 acres of land into a surrealist garden – completely off this planet! The event had about 200 people, driving in from all parts of Mexico, which is quite treacherous in some parts. Afterwards, we stayed in the town for four days, to walk around the gardens and hang out. It was a very surreal experience in so many ways, very different from the norm.

Your venue selections are as varied as the cities and festivals you hold parties at, what do you look for when selecting a venue? As I mentioned, we have this tendency towards natural environments, so we always try to make sure that we put on as many “interesting” events as possible. In the earlier years, we were only looking at really special places but as we have grown, of course, we have had to put on more club events. But, we try to make sure that there is an equal amount. With that said, it’s those outdoor events where all of the magic can happen!

While we’re on the topic, do you prefer being a part of festivals or organized events such as BPM or Zoo Project or having standalone branded events? We have always stood alone, kind of on the outskirts for the longest time. I do enjoy it when a large festival (or season) brings together all the friends in one space for a brief period of time. It’s so nice to have everyone in the same energetic and geographic space at the same time. But, we really have always tried to flow in our own direction. The moment that you become subsumed into a larger organization (especially if you’re not the biggest DJ on the lineup), your identity is kind of compromised. Also, you have to operate within the fixed rules of the larger organism and everything becomes homogenized (budgets, venues, etc), if you see what I mean – there’s no room for free thinkers. Events need to be curated…each one uniquely.

We would be here forever if we were to list the artists you book, as I witnessed firsthand at your massive party during WMC at Villa 221 last year. What do you feel defines your brand when it comes to bookings? First, we generally work with our close friends. There’s a certain energy generated between friends and it’s reflected in the dynamic of the night, in the DJ cabin. That in turn, raises energy levels all over. Also, we are looking for the right kind of feeling; we don’t like it too hard or obvious. Subtle/edgy house and techno… with substance and soul. As a rule, we avoid anthemic music and musicians!

With special guests we (like everyone else really) are looking for music that moves us. We want to be blown away by a guest, we want to see something different from what we do, we want to learn from what we see and hear. We want to be impressed.

You’re as international of a brand as you can get, what is exciting you about 2014? Another residency possibly? Yeah, the residency returns… refined, polished, and amped-up! It’s going to be sick! What else is going on? Well, apart from the residency, we’ll continue our non-stop journey around the world…touching down…popping up...and then disappearing again, you know…business as usual.

To help put the music from Flying Circus into context for you all, Audiofly created this mix for SoundPark with a Flying Circus night in mind.

Audiofly: “…from the beginning of the night till the end, going through different twists, turns and moods. Imagine each section of the mix being a different hour at the party, if you like. Almost every track is edited to suit the mood we were trying to go for. I hope it inspires you to check out Flying Circus next year.”

Welcome to SoundPark!

Listen to SoundPark Radio on Pulse Radio 

Swedish jock Eric Prydz' February set for the Essential Mix has been named by Pete Tong as the best of 2013, his third in total for the esteemed series, having also turned in mixes in 2005 and 2007.

Prydz' mix is made up mostly of his own Pryda productions as well us cuts under his own name and Christopher Kah, Tonja Holma and Not Mani. You can listen to the mix below and if you live down under, catch him in the flesh at Future Music Festival for his debut Australian tour.

Listen to Eric Prydz on Pulse Radio

Djuma Soundsystem´s productions have been going from strength to strength, 'This Sound' on BRUT, 'Jaded' on Toolroom Records, 'Bipolar' on Rebirth Records as well as 'Zillion Lights', 'Small Fries' and of course his most well known cut 'Les Djinns' - the highest selling track on Beatport ever, released on the mighty Get Physical label, are just some of the highlights in his repetoire so far. We catch up with Djuma Soundsystem and chat about what’s going on in his world at the moment, and what we should expect from the Norwegian in the near future.

[Download Pulse.156 - Djuma Soundsystem here]

Pulse: Thanks for catching up with us. The last time we spoke, you were in Africa finishing up with your last world tour. Can you tell us where the tour took you, and a little about the experiences you had on tour? Djuma Soundsystem: I kind of went all over, I went to South America, I went to India, I went to Middle East, Russia, Europe, and then I had a little tour in South Africa, and a quick pit stop in Mozambique as well. I was quite long in India; I have a special feeling for India, I also had a residency there for one and a half a months, which was kind of special for me. It’s kind of where I come from. I used to have a residency in Copenhagen, but I haven’t done it for over 10 years, it’s a whole different thing being a resident DJ, together with the crowd that was there, it was incredibly special, a residency gives you the opportunity to really get to understand the crowd. That was special.

You mentioned that you used to be a resident in Copenhagen, but actually you’re Norwegian? Tell me, how is the scene currently in Scandinavia? What do you see coming out of Scandinavia at the moment? To be honest, I don’t feel that attached to the local scene here anymore, I don’t play a lot here anymore, I played more in Berlin and Copenhagen this year; three, four times as much actually. So I’m not very connected to the local scene. I have a studio here, I live here, my friends are here, and I’m getting a little older now and a little boring (laugh) so I go out to play on the weekends, but doing it somewhere now...I don’t really have that urge anymore.



Your home country, Norway, disco is very popular there, something that you’re quite into. Can you tell us more about that? Well, they never really invented disco there, but the new disco definitely has a very strong scene there, for now about 10 years, even more. It’s with a different angle when you go there to play, people like it a little deeper, a little slower, so instead of going up up up, you tend to take it a little deeper. You would probably be familiar with that in South Africa, sometimes to take it deeper, and groovy, as opposed taking it faster and faster. It’s very inspiring for me to play there.

Where did you play in the States? New York, Seattle and Miami...

Not Vegas? No I’ve never been in Vegas, I don’t think it’s the scene for me (laughs).

Talking about travelling, what will you be doing for Christmas this year? For the first time in 5 years, I’m actually going home to Norway, to Oslo. I’m going to see my family, there’s lots of kids there, so a proper Christmas for me. Then two days later we will be raving in India. So the contrast is there.

Most people know Djuma Sound System to be two guys, a duo between Denmark and Norway. You guys toured a lot around the world. When did you guys get together? And when did this all come to an end between you two?  Well, we worked together for a long time, we were both DJ’s, we met in the scene, and I had been a student for a long time as well but needed to do something different. My partner in Djuma had just lost his best friend in a tragic accident, and as a result ended up dropping out of school. So we had all this free time and decided, maybe we should make some music. We taught each other how to do it from scratch, we had lots of different names, Djuma Sound System was one of them that became the big hit project for us.

So, what does Djuma Soundsystem mean? How did it come about? The original concept was to have an Arabic influence, as we thought Arabic music had a lot of potential to also be more for the dancefloor, and not just for chilling on the beach. So we looked for an Arabic sounding type name, and we stumbled upon Djuma, which means Friday, and we liked it!

You talk about Arabic music, you’re well known for your track ‘Les Djinns’ that’s being played around the globe, can you tell us about this track? We also know that this track got you into ‘hot water’ so to speak. We did an illegal sampling of this track, the sampling of the guitar. We tried to contact the artist to make an agreement, and he was cool with that actually. But it was the publishing company, they came and knocked on our door and all hell broke loose. We had a really long time in court; we were representing ourselves in court, as we thought it would be really easy, but we lost big time. We ended up getting fined 150 000 Euros (laughs), which was more than what we got from the track, it was kind of ridiculous. Let me just say that I’m not very satisfied.



You’re very well-known for releasing tracks regularly; we know that you worked with a local vocalist in South Africa as well. What are busy with at the moment? Any collabs, anything in the pipeline we should be looking out for? Well, I’m actually quite a slow producer, but yes, regularly for the last 10 years. I have some new tracks on the way, working with two guys from Prague, and another one with a guy in Sydney, from Audiomatic Label, so that should be interesting. Twice before I have collabed with Lazarusman from South Africa, and now for the 3rd time we’re doing 2 original tracks with some remixes, and also we’re going to shoot a music video for it. We were supposed to shoot out in the woods on Sunday, but it rained so we had to cancel.

We got some inside info that you’ve decided to start studying again? What’s the reason to get back into it? And what are you studying? Well, I ran out of money so that’s why I stopped originally, back in the days I was studying to be a movie maker, and I was studying a bit of philosophy as well. Now I go back to study philosophy again, it’s mostly ancient Greek philosophy. Back in the days when I was studying it, it was very abstract for me, I never felt that it was so hands-on but now I feel like I can use it in my everyday life. I look at it from a different angle now.

An observation made you would be hard-pressed to disagree with, is that these days with the alot of DJs out there are playing the Beatport Top 100 tracks etc, do you have any advice for aspiring DJ’s that would help separate themselves from the rest?  I’m kind of old school myself, so I have a huge record collection. Uhm, and sometimes you would hear one track that I thought was amazing, it would sort of have a new sound, and that would inspire me to go through all my records in search for something different. There were some tracks, when not on their own, would create a new sound when put together in a mix. I felt this was a much more creative way, or process to put together a track selection. I think going to Beatport and taking the Top 100 tracks, is not really a creative process.

Listen to Djuma Soundsystem on Pulse Radio

Mark Knight's Toolroom Records recently released '10 Years Of Dance Music: The Documentary,' charting 2003's stagnate days in the world of electronic music, up to the world wide explosion this year. The film begins with The Guardian declaring dance music dead 10 years ago, and chronicles its return through breakthroughs in technology, making the music more accessible to a new crop of DJs and producers, as well as a swell in new genres, and a rebirth in the American scene with EDM, right up to today, with the return of vinyl as a somewhat widespread medium for DJing and a return to the roots with UK house. Toolroom interviews a wide selection of artists, including Nicole Moudaber,DJ Sneak, Hardwell, Fatboy Slim, Armin Van Burren and more. Watch here.

Listen to Mark Knight on Pulse Radio.

Speaking to BBC Radio 1 recently, one of music's most famous and storied producers, Nile Rodgers, spoke about his close working relationship with Avicii, saying he's one of his favourite songwriters at the moment. 

After collaborating with Avicii on "Lay Me Down," the Chic guitarist and musical brains behind some of disco and pops biggest hits said, "he and I have written, already, seven great songs. People have only heard one but it's like we're stockpiling them." 

"He and I together, we always laugh because we love each other. It's just great working with him," Rodgers added.

Listen to Avicii on Pulse Radio.

Dirty, hardstyle, and gosh darn sexy. And their music's not too bad, either. Pulse caught up with the lads from Damage Inc, talking everything music, the industry, and some light banter about absolute nonsense for good measure. Read further to check out what DnB dancefloor destroyers had to say. 

I would like to know about the history of DAMAGE INC? What’s with the name, and what does it mean to you guys? A few years back, the two of us met up; with a similar sound in mind, after numerous talks we decided to merge our ideas into one track “Pziezzo Electric & Multicrisis – Observation”. The track was a hit amongst DnB peers alike. That fired up a whole new cause, Damage Inc. The name was an idea from our MC, Heavy G; which derived from, yes you guessed it…Metallica. There’s a meaning in the lyrics, of brothers and their parallel ideologies. For us, it means Art through Music driven by Passion. 

 
Hardstyle DnB is a boisterous affair. Have you always been a hard basshead? What brought you two over to the dark side? Yes. We’ve always been influenced by the ‘underground’ sound. We know underground is a broad term. But let’s add some energy, an ominous flare and some diversity through Drum and Bass. End result? Damage Inc!

You’ve brought the bass to cities across the country. Any thoughts on the fast-growing South African Drum ‘n Bass scene, and the future of Drum ‘n Bass in Africa? Drum and Bass has always been a growing Genre, world-wide. In South Africa, the legendary Homegrown is to thank for a thriving industry. Once we graced Homegrown, we soon saw the likes of Science Frikshun and ‘It Came from the Jungle’ booking us for their nights and of course, our own label, Devastation Records Event Nights.

The world of bass is constantly evolving, with technology, styles, and techniques. Do you follow international trends? NO! We still believe in the Old Skool, ‘put it in, take it out’ type of mixing style. CDJ is what we prefer, but we are definitely open to new forms of Mixing. In studio, yes; we embrace EVERY piece of Technology we can get our hands on. On stage, we let the music do the talking.

You’ve been in the game for over a decade. What would you say makes you stand out from other producers in the industry? Too stand out is a vague term. Being different is more on point. We always try to go for something different, still within our signature sound. Pink Floyd is Pink Floyd because they were different. Likeable, but unique. 

Electronic music relies on a fair amount of gadgets and technology. How kitted out is your studio and what equipment do you use to record your sounds? We use Cubase as our choice of DAW. MIDI controllers, 3 Way monitoring and a helluva lot of tools which we use to shape our sound. Oh, and our good friend...Coffee!

Where do you draw inspiration from before you get back in the studio? Would you say that before you start you’ve already decided how the track/mix will map out? We always have an idea of the style we want per track, and a basic idea or theme, and use that to grow into a track once we’re in studio. 

What songs are you enjoying at the moment, and what are your favourite tracks to blast in a set? So many, but currently, our hot picks for the last two or three sets are Gancher & Ruin, Counterstrike, Khatarsys, Donny, Fragz, Freqax and C.A.2.K. to name a few. They’re right on the money, gunz blazing!

What do you see for the future of Drum ‘n Bass? And what can we expect to hear from you in the near future? It will grow, more and more. More Artists alike, more sounds emerging from the depths, and it will always breed into a different style. From us, we have a 4 track EP out soon which we can’t say much about now. We feel it pushes a new boundary fro us. Also, some collabs in the works with international Artists. 2014 is set to be a great Damage Inc year.

What does the public not know about you (good or bad) that you would like to share with us? Lips are sealed. Come have a dop with us and we’ll chat.

Drum ‘n Bass has evolved. From the Melville days to the dirty underground scene, some people say that DnB has gone commercial, what are your thoughts? It’s fine to be ‘commercial’, as long as you don’t spit out cheese. Whatever you do, take your time to craft it. Don’t rush it just because you’re chasing the trendy train. That’s not what Drum and Bass is about. Kapish.

Kapish. Would you rather smash a guitar or smash a computer with a baseball bat? We’ll smash a Computer with a Guitar, whilst someone plays the banjo…slowly..moody..dark and deep! 

Listen to Damage Inc on Pulse Radio 

2013 has been quite a year for dance music. We've seen house tunes hit the top of both Beatport's charts and the UK charts, and a massive merge of indie, synth pop, ambient and retro with house and techno, as well as a slight blend of pop into UK house, bringing the underground ever closer to it's nemisis, the spotlight. And if minimal was king in 2003, a decade on, melodies have taken center stage, with labels like Innervisions sweeping everyone up in its mighty grasp. So we asked our staff writers and contributors from around the globe to vote on their selections for the top tracks of 2013, and we hope the following list does the year justice. Here is 50-10.

#50: Ella Fitzgerald - Blue Skies (Maya Jane Coles Remix) - Verve Records

#49: Ducktails - Letter of Intent (DJ Sprinkles' Post Script) - Domino

#48: Juju & Jordash - A Stab In The Dark - Ostgut Ton

#47: Kowton & Julio Bashmore - Mirror Song - Broadwalk

#46: Dennis Ferrer & Janelle Kroll - Mind Ur Step (Nick Curly Rmx) - Objektivity

#45: Bonar Bradberry - 3two5 - Futureboogie

A real breakout single for one half of PBR Streetgang. The real standout in its silky, warm groove is Bonar's own vocals, but it's a leap forward in his solo production career and another stake in the ground for the brilliant Futureboogie label.

#44: Four Tet - Parallel Jalebi - Text Records

#43: Moderat - Bad Kingdom - Monkeytown

#42: Omar S - The Shit Baby - FHXE

#41: Deep Space Orchestra - The 10 4 Rule (Toby Tobias Rmx) - Fly By Night

Not afraid to throw the rulebook out the window when it comes to producing house music, Toby turns in a wonky house monster with one of the funkiest acid lines of 2013. Weapon. [James Huxley] 

#40: Claude VonStroke - Can't Wait - Dirtybird Records

#39: Burial - Come Down To Us - Hyperdub

Amidst all the vinyl crackle, eerie atmospheres, haunting vocals and scattered beats that are now well know traits of a Burial tune, there’s always been melody. It might have been suffocated under all the other elements, and most of the time it was all too brief, but it was always there. On the closing track to his most divisive release to date, Burial finally frees his shackles and embraces melody in full. The result is some kind of lost trip-hop cut from the early 90s; an unashamedly beautiful and heartbreaking piece of music. Forget the social commentary keyboard warriors are getting all antsy over…just listen. – Henry Johnstone

#38: Chvrches - The Mother We Share (Moon Boots Remix) - French Express

#37: Claptone - Wrong - Exploited

#36  Guy Gerber - One Day In May - Visionquest

#35: Breach - Jack - Dirtybird

Breach isn't a new addition to our scene, he has been putting out impressive productions for a long time under Ben Westbeech, but it's this new alter ego and especially his hit 'Jack' that has made 2013 his year, even making it into Victoria Secret's Fashion Show for 2013 as the back drop for how the angels stay fit (yes it's on youtube…thank me later). I'm a sucker for a good baseline and catchy vocals and it seems I'm not alone in loving this tune. Let's Jack.

#34: Andhim - Hausch - Get Physical

#33: Midland - Trace - Aus 

This year Midland fearlessly climbed into barebones design, gaining everyone’s attention with ‘Trace’. The ballsy house/techno track doesn’t fail to grip listeners with a hedonistic mix of masculine stabs and warm percussion. Despite the difference from his 2012 work, ‘Trace’ is undeniably his own; the effusive breakdown being a signature that Midland has built his name on. No surprise, ‘Trace’ has been the awaited crescendo of so many of his sets this year - never failing to delight. – Sonia Miles-Khan

#32: Nick Curly - Underground (Dennis Ferrer Remix) Defected

#31: Ob Ignitt - Oh Jabba - FHXE

#30: DjRUM - DAM Second Drop

#29: Ten Walls - Gotham - Innervisions

#28: Reach for the Dead – Boards of Canada - Warp Records

#27: Andy Ukhtomsky & Disrute - Horizons EP - Loophole Recordings

#26: Isolée - Allowance - Pampa Records

#25: Paper Trails - Darkside - Other People / Matador

Nico Jaar's Darkside project has been one of the most intriguing musical developments of 2013. Albeit the steady 4/4 pulse, their sound is so far removed from electronic music, sounding more like an ode to 70s psych rock. My pick from their debut album without a doubt is 'Paper Trails' and you need look no further than their 10-minute rendition for RA's Sessions series for a jaw dropping live performance. - Henry Johnstone

#24: F For You - Disclosure - PMR Records

One of the more catchy songs from Disclosure's overwhelmingly successful debut record, this is one that gets stuck in your head for days. Opening with a dry beat and synth line that screams the work of the English brothers Guy and Howard, the track is also one of the few on the album that features the vocals of the guys themselves. Couple that with a well constructed melody and simplistic lyrics and you've got one of the most infectious dance tunes of the year. - Georgia Hitch

#23: Agoria - Scala - Innervisions

#22: Kelela - Bank Head (Ft. Kingdom) - Fade To Mind

#21: Flume - Holdin on - Future Classic

To say that Aussie wonderboy Flume had a massive 2013 would be, erm, quite an understatement. As impressive as his the entire of his #1 platinum selling debut album is, it’s the opening track which remains its crowning moment. Wrapping up the soulful voice of 70s singer Anthony White in powerful beats and a vintage atmosphere, ‘Holdin On’ is a highly addictive slice of electronica, not least because of the catchy bass line. Keep holdin’ on to this record and keep on playin! – [Deborah Schmidt]

#20: Lone - Airglow Fires - R&S Records

#19: Feelin' - Florian Kupfer - L.I.E.S.

#18: Ten Walls - Requiem  - Innervisions

#17: Move D - To The Disco '77 - Electric Minds

#16: Floating Points - Wires - Eglo

#15: Maxxi Soundsystem & Name One - One In Three - Defected

#14: MCDE - Raw Cuts #5 (Recloose Remix) MCDE

Mastered by one of New Zealand’s finest techno commodities, Recloose has stepped up this year to remix one of Motor City Drum Ensemble’s finest tracks, Raw Cuts #5. Recloose re-works the track’s choppy and gritty vibe while polishing it up to be played with confidence on any house-savvy dancefloor. Recloose’s transformation of Raw Cuts #5 is a prime example of a remix’s power to reinvent a uniquely mastered track, while managing to stay true to MCDE’s signature sexy, old-school female vocal samples and his classic mid-tempo house style.

#13: dBRm – Darnley - The Nothing Special

Out on Craig Richard’s ‘The Nothing Special’ label – rapidly becoming known for its stock of d’n’b-come-techno producers (see: Marcus Intalex as Trevino; Calibre as Dominik Martin), this altogether quite menacing track comes from dBridge and Radioactive Man. Fusing sharp percussion with a hostile sub-bass and electro-tinged snatches, this slowly and precisely tears up a big system. [Charlotte Dunkley]

#12: Mathew Jonson - Level 7 (Dixon Remix) Crosstown Rebels

#11: DJ Yellow & Flowers And Sea Creatures - No One Gets Left Behind (Konstantin Sibold Remix) - Compost Records

Read on for our Top Ten here >>>>>>

The Russian punk band that made headlines after being sentenced to jail after performing a protest song in Moscow’s main cathedral, has now been released. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina were incarcerated back in August of 2012 for “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” since the performance was seen as blasphemous by many Russians and was condemned by the Russian Orthodox church.

The two band members were released along with about 20,000 other prisoners under an amnesty law. Nadezhda and Maria dismissed it as a publicity stunt ahead of the Sochi Olympics in February to change Putin’s image in the West and improve his human rights record.

Both Pussy Riot members claim that their feelings about the government have not changed after their experiences in prison and they intend to form a human rights group to fight for prison reform. As she emerged from a prison hospital, Nadezdha was heard exclaiming, “Russia without Putin.”

The two were due to be freed in March but were released by the law since they were women who had children to look after.

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