To celebrate the life of Frankie Knuckles who sadly passed away this week, BBC Radio 1 is giving listeners another chance to enjoy one of his finest Essential Mixes, recorded live on the turntables at Pacha in Ibiza, September 2000. 

Knuckles was born in the Bronx in 1955, going on to become a disco DJ in the early 1970s, spinning with childhood friend and fellow house icon Larry Levan at the Continental Baths. In 1977, Knuckles moved to Chicago to become the resident DJ at the Warehouse, where he began playing what would become known as house music.

Knuckles is widely regarded as one of the originators of house music, earning the nickname "Godfather Of House" along the way, and his passing has been followed by an outpouring of support by many of today's top DJs and producers, all feeling indebted to Knuckles as the reason they are where they are today. 

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Wiley’s most recent Tweets indicate that the Godfather of Grime has been deported from Canada. He’s been holed up in the country for a while now, but it seems that he has finally managed to leave, though not in the way he would have preferred (it involves a detour in Scotland and square-shaped sausage)...

He was set to play a gig with Swindle last night at The Hoxton in Toronto but was denied entry into the country upon arrival. Canadian Wiley fans, have no fear; he later explains that he isn’t actually banned from the country – he can come back with a proper visa! Here are some of the highlights from his massive Twitter rant as he alternates from being furious to being philosophical.

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Swedish dance music sensation Avicii has been asked to lend his talents to the official 2014 FIFA World Cup Anthem. He will be working alongside other musical veterans representing several different musical genres such as Carlos Santana, Wyclef Jean, and Grammy award winner Alexandre Pires.

Avicii explained his contribition to the track. “I gave it a ‘Samba meets my dance music’ sound, which works perfectly for the positive spirit of the song.”

The song, which is called “Dar Um Jeito (We Will Find A Way)” was originally produced by Ash Pournouri, Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, and Wyclef Jean. It will be performed live at the FIFA World Cup closing ceremony on July 13th. The song hasn’t been released yet but will definitely be featured on the official 2014 World Cup album - keep your eyes peeled on Pulse Radio for more information as it becomes available!

Listen to Avicii on Pulse Radio
 

Vegas pool party season is quickly approaching and Marquee Dayclub is kicking things off in a big way with Kaskade! The American EDM DJ/producer is set to headline the opening day on Saturday, April 5th – presale tickets are now on sale and can be purchased here.

Get ready for this weekend with Kaskade’s set from Ultra Music Festival last weekend! Kaskade has busy summer planned with appearances at several major festivals including Spring Awakening Music Festival in Chicago and the closing set at the inaugural Mysteryland USA in upstate New York!

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New music platform Emerging Ibiza reveals exciting new details, with huge industry players Yousef, Steve Lawler and Nick Curly on board.

Emerging Ibiza have announced their music industry expert panel, selected new talents and a wild card competition. The idea behind Emerging Ibiza is to promote new underground electronic artists through a selection of industry experts who put forward their favourite new acts. These carefully selected acts will be playing the Emerging Ibiza Break-Thru Festival from the 27th May until 31st May, and from here further selections will be made to decide who will be a regular part of the Emerging Ibiza events that will take place throughout the season, from June until September.

The list of industry experts includes Circus boss Yousef, VIVa boss Steve Lawler, Brazilian DJ, producer and D-Edge Club owner Renato Ratier, Flying Circus chiefs Audio Fly, Detroit’s Visionquest members Shaun Reeves and Lee Curtiss, plus 8Bit boss Nick Curly, founder and artistic director of Ushuaia Yann Pissenem, established island promoter and DJ Chris Bones, and IMS co-founders Danny Whittle and Ben Turner.

Some of the underground talent that has been chosen by the experts so far includes Acid Mondays, David Glass, Detlef, Patrick Topping, Los Suruba and The Mekanism. In addition to this, a wild card entry is now being offered up to all the budding DJs who believe they have what it takes behind the decks. To enter, applicants must upload a 30 minute mix to Mixcloud which will then be judged by Emerging Ibiza’s esteemed music industry panel and subsequently opened up to the public to vote for their favourite mixes.

The Emerging Ibiza Break-Thru Festival taking place from the 27th May until the 31st May will showcase the experts’ choices of talent. Passes for the festival are €99/£85.

For more information visit www.emergingibiza.com

Why did Above & Beyond’s Tony and Paavo play backwards at Ultra Music Festival this year? About 16 minutes into their Main Stage set on Saturday, it began to pour and the DJ gear they were using on the forward facing stage was fried. They wanted to finish their set and had no choice but to move over to the secondary stage that was better protected from the elements; the only problem was that it was facing the back of the stage instead of their fans in the audience.

"One of the more memorable shows of our lives thanks to some rather intense weather - thank you all for battling against the elements with us. The rain totally fried all our on-stage equipment around 16 mins into this video, forcing us to play on the reserve decks with our backs to the crowd and a giant LED rig blocking our view. The video feed drops out 7 minutes from the end, also due to the inclement weather, but we figured you'd still enjoy the audio so we left it in - the pictures do also return right at the very end."

Their set included a collection of the Above & Beyond classics we know and love as well as some new releases: the world premiere of “Blue Sky Action”and “Sticky Fingers” from their forthcoming artist album.

Photos courtesy of Sos Adame Photography

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It's almost that time of the year again! Coachella 2014 is just around the corner, and we're getting really excited about all the great artists we will see who are making their way over to Empire Polo Club in Indio, California over the festival's two weekends - April 11th to 13th and April 18th to April 20th.  With so many options to choose from, it may seem a bit overwhelming at first; here are some of the acts within the electronic music world that we can't wait to see this year - we'll see you there!

Anna Lunoe
The Australian DJ/producer will touch down in southern California for her highly anticipated appearance at Coachella as a stop on her ongoing US tour which has brought her everywhere from New York and Seattle to Atlanta and Miami. We recently asked Anna to share some of her favorite tracks at the moment that you can catch her playing on her tour – here they are!

Art Department
Everyone’s favorite Toronto-based duo will make the stop in Indio for both weekends of the sunny festival in the Yuma Tent following several gigs in Miami for WMC and their touring No.19 Social Experiment which hit Output in Brooklyn at the end of March for the first time.

Calvin Harris
We hope we hear the Scottish EDM superstar’s newest single “Summer” in his set. Calvin Harris will have a busy schedule this summer touring at some of the world’s biggest festivals like Isle of Wight Festival, Summerburst, T in the Park, Electrobeach, Lollapalooza, and Weekend Festival, among others in addition to his residency at Wet Republic Ultra Pool in Las Vegas.

Darkside
Darkside, the side project of Nicolas Jaar and guitarist Dave Harrington, is currently embarking on a massive world tour taking the duo across the United Sates, Europe, Asia, Australia, and more. Their live shows are really impressive – don’t miss this special opportunity to see them at such a unique festival!

Dixon
Recently named Resident Advisor’s #1 DJ, Dixon has been on a roll. His new collaboration, “No Distance,” with Guy Gerber is comfortably sitting at the top spot on Beatport’s tech house chart. Catch him at Coachella before he goes on tour with Innervision’s Lost In A Moment. The Barcelona show sold out in only a few minutes!

Disclosure
The English duo are back for more this year after closing out Coachella 2013 with their hit track “Latch” featuring Sam Smith. Disclosure has blown up in the last year or two with their chart-topping debut album ‘Settle’ and their gigs around the world at some of the best clubs and festivals. Their set this year is surely not to disappoint; they have a lot to live up to.

Guy Gerber
The Tel Aviv-born, Madrid-based producer recently previewed some tracks from his forthcoming collaborative album with Diddy at an intimate listening party during WMC. His chart-topping track with Dixon, “No Distance,” was just released on his new label, Rumors. Be sure to catch this emerging artist who was recently named the Coachella Act To Know by the LA Times.

Maceo Plex
Maceo Plex just wrapped up another successful WMC, bringing his Deep Ellum party to Miami. He will make a stop at Cochella on both Sundays following a few gigs around the US in Chicago, Phoenix, and San Francisco. Don’t miss his highly anticipated Coachella debut!

Michael Brun
Haitian sensation Michael Brun just closed out a stellar Miami Music Week with sets at Pete Tong’s All Gone Pool Party, Nervo’s day party, with R3HAB at Mynt, and the Main Stage at Ultra this past Sunday. He is set to play Coachella both weekends on Friday. Check out his recent podcast for Pulse Radio!

Solomun
The Diynamic head honcho has been a busy guy in recently months. He’s currently off on a big US tour, has a new EP on Diynamic, and is plotting his return to Ibiza this summer with his Solomun +1 party.

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Art Department have recorded a brand new track, 'Heartbreakers Techno,' which they are giving away as a free download on their Soundcloud page. The track is 5 minutes and 46 seconds of dancefloor goodness, propelled by a warbling, twisted synth and low-end bassline. Grab it below.

In other Art Department news, the duo has announced that Jonny White has pulled out of their appearance at Brazil's Warung Club due to a serious ear infection. It's unclear at this stage whether this will also affect the duo's upcoming sets at Coachella. 

Got an urge to bail out of town this Easter Long Weekend to indulge in awesome music, art and community experience? Well if you live in NSW then the inaugural Oddly Wholesome festival has got you covered.

Taking place across three days at a secret Southern Highlands location just an hours drive from Sydney, Oddly Wholesome is a community based event focused on music, arts, and healing therapies, and features a sterling all-local lineup of live bands, solo/duo acoustic acts, house and techno DJs, dub/DnB/psy and live electronica across two stages.

Fancy dress, an open mind and sense of adventure are all encouraged at this BYO event. Sound like your thang? Then head to the website to make your $80 donation for entry.

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Every Friday the weekly music wrap up brings you the best in newly released tunes and DJ mixes from around the globe.

This week there's a sh*tload of great new music to get stuck into. Aussie synth-poppers Cut Copy are have recorded a new song 'In These Arms Of Love' for Record Store Day ahead of their wordlwide tour, Hot Chip frontman Alexis Taylor is readying his second solo album for a June release fronted by the single 'Elvis Has Left The Building, French electro/pop/indie maestro Joakim also drops the first single from his upcoming album - a cover of 'On The Beach' by Neil Young, LA producer Woolfy (of Woolfy Vs Projections) releases his new EP 'City Lights' on Future Classic, and Aussie 3-piece Flamingo drop their debut EP 'Heavy Steps'. Plus Todd Terje has made his debut album available for full stream over at NPR (you can read our verdict on it here). Plus plenty more below.

On the DJ mix front we've got Maceo Plex B2B with Danny Daze at the Miami WMC, John Talabot B2B with Jamie XX on Beats In Space, Greg Wilson live at Egg in London, Friendly Fires/Andrew Weatherall/Timothy J Fairplay in the Boiler Room, a Dimitri From Paris tribute mix to Frankie Knuckles, six-plus hours of Golf Clap and Mees Dierdorp dropping a mix for the Ibiza Voice podcast. Get stuck in!

Music:

 DJ Mixes:

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Despite her stage name, Alicia Nicole Weir isn't just some blonde DJ, but one of Melbourne's newest talents. With residencies at club haunts such as The Conti, Wah Wah Lounge, Billboard, festival appearances and a dedicated fanbase that includes 60,000+ on facebook, Alicia has gained such a popular following in the Melbourne Bounce scene that she's now embarking on her own national club tour, which kicks off this weekend at Movidas on the Gold Coast.

On the eve of her first ever tour,Some Blonde DJshares with us ten of her favourite bootleg bangers which you're bound to hear her drop into her sets. Get stuck in below.

1. Nirvana/The Automatic - 'Smells Like Monster Fracture (Some Blonde DJ Mash Up)'

One of my most favourite Mash Ups to play out! A memorable melody, vocals that everyone will sing along too and of course an epic drop to get the club PUMPING!

2. Robot's Can't Dance, Eminem, Lil Jon - 'Roid Rage vs Without Me (Some Blonde DJ Mash Up)'

A fun and bouncy record for the club to dance to with a cheeky break down that will get the die hard Eminem fans going and also the club goers who would have definitely heard it once or twice on the radio

3. TJR, Ciara & Missy Elliot  - 'Higher vs 1 2 Step (Some Blonde DJ Mash Up)'

Two of my favourite old school tracks put together for a fun trip down memory lane! This drop always gets the club bouncing.

4. Rudimental  - 'Free (Matt Young Bootleg)'

A club friendly version of a radio song that made quite an impact. This song will definitely get people smiling.

5. The White Stripes - 'Seven Nation Army (Press Play Bootleg)'

Who doesn't love a bit of old school!? This anthem is a guaranteed hit with the crowd.

6. Fatboy Slim - 'Rockerfeller Skank (Stevie Mink Bootleg)'

Fatboy Slim Vocal and banging drop…need i say more?

7. NERVO, Zoolanda - 'Like Home In The Storm (Landis Edit)'

Epic, hands in the air, festival song meets a thumping club tune. Crowd favourite - guaranteed!

8. Imagine Dragons - 'Demons (White Panda Remix)'

I've been playing this bootleg as my last song nearly every time of late. Everyone sings along and there is not one person in the club that doesn't have their hands up in the air!

9. Neon Jungle - 'Braveheart (Shameless Bootleg)'

A fun and bouncy bootleg to get the crowd moving.

10. Alex Guadino - 'Calabria 2014 (Krunk! Mash Up)'

Guaranteed smiles in the club when i play this track. An old favourite coming back to life with an incredibly hectic drop that will make the crowd go crazy.

Some Blonde DJ Australian tour dates
05.04.14 - QLD: Movidas Nightclub
11.04.14 - VIC: Made in Melbourne @ Billboards
12.04.14 - VIC: Cloud Nine
19.04.14 - NSW: Woodport Inn
20.04.14 - NSW: The Grand Hotel
24.04.14 - VIC: Dreamland Luna Park
03.05.14 - WA: Parker Nightclub
04.05.14 - WA: Niche Bar
11.05.14 - SA: Grand Hotel

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Lt. Fizzer was born Travis Wheel Hyde, named after George Washington Ferris, the inventor of the Ferris Wheel. He emerged like a freshly-popped cork from the bleak obscurity of the depression-era dust bowl to land neatly in the bubbling champagne flute of high-society swing.

Following a childhood steeped in the dirty electric voodoo of a carnival and the rich bourbon musk of a bordello. Adulthood found him growing restless resulting in opening his first Speakeasy, "The Fizzer" a moniker that has stuck to this day. Hosting all manner of elaborate soirees, from Circus to Swing, to Vaudeville and Burlesque, he soon became a pillar of Big Band progression. It was here where he joined forces with various brass and jazz musicians. Catch him and his assortment of rebel rogues playing his dirty mix of Electro/Tech Swing, Big Band, Breaks and Vintage in a sumptous den of iniquity near you. 

Before I ask you anything else… Where can we see you play, next? Afrika Burn, I actually have a few private shows coming up, I tend to play quite a lot of corporate gigs but follow me on facebook and soundcloud to see where I’m playing next, but you always welcome to come have a private jam in my studio.

I'm coming. Don't think I won't hold you to it. But listen, how did you come up with your dj name Lt. Fizzer? I stumbled upon the name while attending one of my favourite South African Festivals, The Flamjangled Tea Party, those that have attended will agree. A friend of mine bought all the Fizzers he could from one of the stalls and we kept getting amused with the word Fizzer and its pronunciation and how silly it sounded. The Lieutenant part came later in the day as a contradictory word to Fizzer. I thought the two words sounds rather hysterical together and decided to launch with that name later in the year. 

I know it was early when you masterfully crafted 'Fizzer Me Timbers' on The Bus, nonetheless, the vibe you were putting was magnificent. What’s it like thumping beats out from up there on the roof? It was the first time that I have been given the opportunity to play on the bus and the Ledhedz have really outdone themselves, I could have played up there for hours, the view was spectacular.    

The style of this mixtape, is that you through and through, or do you explore other avenues? My track selection tends to follow a common swing or vintage theme and I like to jump around between genres where applicable. This mix starts out very slow with a Ghettos/Bass swing sound and builds its way up to a techier sound with carnivals influneces at the end. 

Can we be cheeky and ask for the tracklisting of the mix? Some of the tracks heard in this mix are: 

Kaleidoscope Jukebox - Dance Of The Jitterbug Fairy
Jamko - Booglie  Wooglie  Piggy
Kitten & The Hip - Shut up and dance (Captain Flatcap Remix)
Louis Prima - Shadrack (Fonograff Rework)
Hedonist - Oh Baby! (Nikola Vujicic Remix)
James Copeland - Invite Everybody
Bart & Baker ft. Tommy Dollar - 16 Tons to name a few... 

What would it take for me to own your Lt. Fizzer jacket…and the hat, for that matter? Well I’m looking for someone to spit some rhymes over some instrumental tracks and I have a few different colour jackets stored away so you never know. But the hat is mine. 

I might know a guy, who knows a guy, that might want to be a guy, that will spit rhymes for Lt. Fizzer jackets...just saying. In other news, your profile picture at the moment deserves a round-of-applause, a *slow clap* if you will. (It's a pic of Bles Bridges at the moment.) How would you feel about doing an exclusive mix for us, but more of a Bles Bridges tribute? Come on, I know you would!? This dude performed to 5 sold out shows over a weekend at Sun City, now that is impressive, we are #soblessedbridges. 

Going to AfrikaBurn?I will indeed and hopefully I’ll be able to play on the bus for a second time. This year I’m taking it ‘easy’ at the burn as every year I’m highly involved in different projects and theme camps. So this year I’m going to try participate in different ways, but one things is for sure you’ll be bound to catch a Lieutenant Fizzer set somewhere along meanderings.     

This year I’m taking it easy at the burn as last year I hosted the ever so succesful there camp call Toybox so this year I’m going to enjoy all the other theme camps 

Anything Lt. Fizzer wants to tell us? Anything at all? All i want to do is try and make people dance and have fun like puppets strung on loosely cut strings, is that to much to ask, Thanks. 

"I try and make people dance and have fun like puppets on loosely cut strings, it ismy only aim." - Lt. Fizzer 

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The International Music Summit have recently announced that Grammy Award winning Chic front man, Mr. Nile Rodgers, is to receive the Legends Award at this year’s IMS Legends Dinner, held in the Hard Rock Hotel, Ibiza.

Nile said of the award: "I am extremely honoured to follow Pete Tong, Carl Cox and Fatboy Slim as the fourth recipient of the IMS Legends Award and the IMS Legends Dinner. The award means a lot from the IMS - an event which has been instrumental in introducing me to so many incredible artists in the electronic space. The award also takes me back to Ibiza for a third year in a row and I look forward to whatever surprises the dinner may bring my way!"

2014 will mark Rodgers' third appearance at the event. In 2012, Nile hinted exclusively that he would be working with Daft Punk a year before "Get Lucky" was released, and gave one of the conference's most memorable keynote speeches (which you can view above), and last year, Nile and Eats Everything were given the opportunity to produce the IMS anthem, writing "Do You Wanna Do." 

Now in its seventh year, the summit, which has earned a reputation as "the TED of music conferences," will bring together the genre’s most important and influential decision makers, including artists like Jamie Jones and Seth Troxler, industry icons like Daniel Haver and Mate Galic, and of course hold its finale in the UNESCO world heritage site of Dalt Vila.

IMS Legends Dinner will take place on Wednesday 21st May in Sessions at the Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza. Visit www.internationalmusicsummit.com for more info.

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The colorful video for Arches hit song "There's a Place" has garnered close to 150,000 views in just a month, and its easy to see why. The video follows knight dressed head to toe in spray-painted armour as he skateboards through the streets of London, backed with the duo's huge vocal track. Picked up by Columbia, "There's A Place" is out on April 7th, so we caught up with the Belgian duo, made up of Seba from Moonlight Matters and Jochen of Sound of Stereo for a quick chat about the inspired video, the success of the track, and their plans for the future.

Where did the concept for the "There's A Place" video come from? Do you guys skate or paint? J: I used to skate a lot when I was at high school, but that's not the reason for the video. It was actually Patrick Killingbeck – the director – who came up with this great pitch about a knight skating and dancing in London. We loved the idea so much that we went to London so that we could be involved in the shoot as much as possible. We've been getting so much great feedback on it, it is truly amazing.

S: Cleverly, the video takes an item out of its natural habitat and puts it in a totally new context. That in itself is a modus operandi we're familiar with in the music making process of Arches. So there are some parallels there.

How has the response from the video been so far? S: We've been getting a lot of unexpected messages about how much people love it. I think it works so well because it is an uplifting video that fits the track perfectly. The spray-painted knight is a strong visual reference too, so that definitely helps.

You guys are still fresh faces on the scene. Has "There's A Place" changed things for you in any way? J: We've both been doing music for a while with our separate projects (SOS & MM), so music has been our life for a good period of time already. However, getting the chance to release a single on Columbia is a lifetime opportunity and the backup and team behind it is a blessing. For me personally, it is the first track that gets so much (daytime) radio airtime, also MTV picking up on the video is something new for me, which I'm very excited about.

S: As Jochen said, the process of making music is not new to us but in Arches, we get to showcase a whole different side of ourselves. The team involved is just amazing and on a bigger scale then we've had the pleasure of experiencing before.

What do you guys have lined up for the next few months and the summer? Any plans on hitting Ibiza or Croatia? Festivals? J: Like you mentioned before, the project is very new still. We wanted to get everything exactly right before throwing ourselves out there. We’ve found the perfect live agent now, so its all systems go from now on. However, we still hope to squeeze in some Ibiza dates and hopefully we can do some of those amazing Croatian festivals next year, those line-ups and locations are ridiculous!

S: Party Time!

Finally, what's next for you guys in the studio? Any big collaborations or tracks in the pipeline? J: Our next single is done and we are very happy with it. We've been lucky enough to work on it with Gustaph, from Hercules *& Love affair, who aced the vocals for it. At the moment, we have a clear mind to work on new music, which is absolutely great.

Preorder "There's a Place" here.

Arches on Facebook 

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In one of the stranger headlines we've come across, Time Magazine has reported that the "love hormone" oxytocin, triggered by the party drug MDMA, can make you a racist, according to one study.

According to the study, professor of psychology at the University of Amsterdam Carsten de Dre,

has found that the inclusive, loving feelings brought on by taking MDMA, or being flooded with oxytocin, only extends to your “in-group.”

He stated that oxytocin “motivates in-group favoritism” and “derogation” of outsiders, adding that it had a "role in the emergence of intergroup conflict and violence.”

The study asked a group of Dutch males to choose five people out of a potential six to gain access to a lifeboat (hypothetical, of course). Those who were on oxytocin were "more likely to deny men with Muslim or German-sounding names access to the lifeboat and save the men with Dutch names," Time reported, while those who took a placebo didn't pay attention to names.

Whether this is proof of the drug's ability to make you racist seems almost inconsequential these days, as MDMA's positive medical effects have been surfacing almost daily, including uses with therapy and tinnitus.

[Via Time.com]

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Alright, the wait is over. Spring Fiesta 2014 have announced the date of their next instalment which is to be the 4th of October, and will be held at Wildwaters Complex, Ekurhuleni.

The line-up will be released as the days go on, in running up to the event. We know that Soulistic hero Black Coffee will be there, so we're off to a monumental start to say the least. The team from SF have put out that you're going to have to sit-tight until May before they announce the international headliner, as if Black Coffee wasn't enough already. 

While all that is going on, we're calling for all DJ's to step forward. Do you want to DJ at Spring Fiesta 2014? Here's your chance. This year they have dedicated an entire floor to some of the finest UP & COMING DJ's around the South African regions, so make way for the GENERATION NEXT Stage at #SpringFiesta2014.  

SPRING FIESTA 2014

DJ COMPETITION DETAILS:

Entries open next Tuesday and close 25th of April. To stay posted with all the information pertaining to both the main event and the DJ competition and the lineup releases, see the SPRING FIESTA 2014 link above. 

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Having already announced residencies like VIVa Warriors, CUFF and Tribal Sessions, Sankeys Ibiza has unveiled its final residency for summer 2014.

Starting on June 30th and running to September 1st, the Grammy nominated and Dumont will be taking over Mondays at Sankeys Ibiza, though guests are still TBA.

After the success of "Need You," Duke hit cored his second number one with the Jax Jones-assisted track "I Got U," and saw Dumont touring at over 200 shows around the world last year, so it's likely Duke will be bringing some heavy hitters along for the ride. 

More info can be found at www.https://www.facebook.com/SankeysIbiza

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Richie Hawtin's concept returns to Space Ibiza for 14 dates in 2014. 

For the past two years, Thursday nights in Ibiza have been ruled by the black dot for techno lovers. Richie Hawtin's Asian infused concept burst onto the music landscape in 2012 promising a forward thinking night combining cutting edge technology, first class music and the island's first Sake bar.

Whether or not the night lived up to the futuristic vision we all hoped for has been endlessly debated. Though not in debate is the night's success, as each week thousands of black-clad clubbers flock to Space for a chance to catch the likes of Richie, Magda, Maya Jane Coles, Matador and many others on the Minus roster rock each room of the club.

While details are still scant at this point, they’ll no doubt be once again transforming the entire venue into something straight from Hawtin's wild imagination, complete with Sake bar, tripped out chill rooms, black dots galore, and hopefully be bringing back the pre party, which starts at 9:30 p.m. and takes place in the Sunset Terrace, seeing one of the night’s headliners play to the intimate room from 10:30 p.m. as Hawtin meets and greets fans, sake in hand, for a truly unique and special experience.

ENTER. runs for 14 dates this summer every Thursday from July 3rd to October 2nd. 

Listen to ENTER. at Space Ibiza on Pulse Radio.

Among the parties, the after parties, and the overall craziness that is Miami Music Week, there were a number of moments that really stood out and made the week truly special. Paradise at Ice Palace West was definitely one for the books. Returning to Miami for its second year and fresh from their pool party at Red Bull Guest House, Jamie Jones and the entire Hot Creations crew came together and booked major talents from around the world to throw one of the most anticipated events of the week.

Credit: Luke Christopher

The event took over the west wing of Ice Palace Film Studios (formerly known as Karu & Y), a dreamy space that was host to a number of events throughout the week. All-stars such as Guy Gerber, Eats Everything, wAFF and Dyed Soundorom joined the crew for 12+ hours of sonic insanity. It was a cheeky start to the week, as we arrived not-so-fresh from Marco Carola b2b Loco Dice at Space and Dirtybird’s fantastic BBQ at Cafeina. Hot Creations took over all three spaces of the venue, each one giving off a different but equally entrancing vibe.

Credit: Luke Christopher

Lee Foss performed with live vocals from the lovely Anabel Englund in one of the main rooms, which was as tantalizing as it sounds. The room was dark and smoky, with CDs hanging from the ceiling. Outside, the garden was set under a canopy of palm trees, and the crowd under a soft net adorned with hanging records (sensing a theme). We made our way out there to catch Jamie Jones manning the decks for the next few hours of musical perfection.

Jamie played into the morning hours back-to-back with Dyed Soundorom. Weaving through the little statues and cascading waterfalls, and wandering from the DJ booth, to the cabanas and onto the dance floor, we listened in awe to their set. Per usual, it was a mix of deep disco house perfection. Bubbly and playful mixed in with a little deep and dark has a whole lot of soul. Sometime around 8:30am Jamie dropped Richy Ahmed’s ‘The Drums,’ and the garden lit up as the crowd pretty much lost it. Jamie and Dyed kept us all going strong for hours (and hours, and hours…). Many people also pointed to Eats Everything’s set as a highlight of the event.

Credit: Lindsay Cabrera

All in all, Paradise was definitely among our favourite events of the week. The Hot Creations crew certainly knows how to throw a party, and Paradise is proving to be as strong as a staple during Miami’s week of musical madness as it is around the globe.

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Year after anticipated year, Crosstown Rebels’ Get Lost is looked towards as not only a tradition, but a rite of passage during Miami’s week of electronic music madness. The best and brightest of underground talent come together to create one of the most insane rosters of the week. Now in its ninth year, the event ran for 24 hours for the first time and took place at Ice Palace Film Studios (formerly known as Karu & Y), where it moved last year from its former home at The Electric Pickle. With multiple rooms and indoor and outdoor spaces, the venue served as the perfect home to a number of parties throughout the week.

This year, Ice Palace was split into two venues: Ice Palace and Ice Palace West. Both featured indoor and outdoor spaces. Huge hammocks were slung between the palm trees on the spacious lawn at Ice Palace, serving as a place to relax between the large, dark indoor rooms where Richie Hawtin’s infamous ENTER. party was taking place. As the clock struck 5am, we made our way over from Richie’s techno dungeon to Ice Palace West to catch Sasha’s opening set in one of the main rooms. It was definitely more convenient being able to walk from one party to the next without lurking through some of Miami’s not-so-safe areas or worrying about hailing a cab. Sasha got the party started with a set that was just heavy enough to still be deep yet energetic. It brought our fading faces back to life as the room began to fill. Pete Tong took control next, as Rachel Lyn opened the next room at 7am. Tong was followed by Mateo from Tale of us, who unexpectedly went b2b with Jackmaster as the sun began to rise outside.

The garden is the real treat of Ice Palace West. Surrounded by palm trees and featuring waterfalls, small cabanas and little statues, it’s truly a sanctuary. The large bar is situated under a hut, and Crosstown had set up the DJ booth along the side of the garden. Bob Moses opened the garden at 10am with a live set that lifted our spirits and warmed our bodies.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t be everywhere at once but we heard great things about The Martinez Brothers, Bill Patrick, Droog, Thugfucker and Tiga. All are well versed masters behind the decks and never fail to bring the noise.

There were so many highlights and surprises this year, from Art Department’s special guest set (feat. Kenny Glasglow’s lovely voice on the mic, per usual) to the premiere of Subb-an’s live show - Get Lost 2014 kept the ball rolling. There were a number of contenders for best set this year and we wish we could have been there for them all - Three closing out one of the main rooms, Infinity Ink lighting up the garden and Bob Moses in their Crosstown apparel freshening up the day. It was 24 hours of sonic satisfaction.

Francesca Lombardo won many votes for best set again this year. Her dark and sultry set mixed in vocals and threw down some heavy drops. She played in the garden from 6:00-7:30, just as the day was transitioning into evening. She mixed in Trentemoller’s “Moan” and sent us into another world as rain fell onto the tarp situated above our heads. Art Department came on next. Those boys always know how to throw it down. We made our way to the cabanas and DJ booth as Damian Lazarus came on, closing out the garden with a set that blew us away as the rain stopped and sky cleared. In true Lazarus form, it was eerie, eclectic and fucking fantastic. Many people also pointed to Damian’s set as one of the best of the evening.

We came, we listened and we got lost. Once again, this party was one for the books and we’ll be counting down the days until next year’s ten year anniversary. Until then… stay rebellious, y'all!

Photos courtesy of Amin KO Beydoun

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