Tuesday evening saw the inaugural show of Hardwell’s first ever Ibiza residency in the luxury outdoor surroundings of Ushuaia Ibiza.

Firstly, Ushuaia is certainly a nice place to be. We all like to be around a bit of luxury once in a while, and if a luxury daytime party is what you are after, then Ushuaia is the place for you.

A pool with dancers doing their thing in the centrepiece, hotel suites surrounding the venue, the huge stage with endless amounts of production on offer (fire, CO2, lasers, confetti on a grand scale), there’s a glamorous feel about the place as soon as you walk in.

With EDM’s enormous success in recent years, the glitziest, biggest and most expensive venues are where you’re most likely to find the Calvin Harris, Aviciis and, of course, Hardwells of the world. The playground for the rich and famous that is Las Vegas now regularly hosts the world’s biggest EDM DJs, and you can imagine just how over-the-top these shows are.

Bearing this in mind, Ushuaia serves as the perfect venue for these huge name DJs and we can see this in Ushuaia’s weekly residencies, which also include David Guetta, Avicii, Axwell and Ingrosso, and Tuesday’s main man Hardwell, the world’s number one DJ, according to DJ Mag.

On Tuesday, Ushuaia was very busy indeed as Franky Rizardo warmed things up whilst the sun was still shining. To my surprise the soundtrack was focused on the commercial side of house music with tracks such as MK’s ubiquitous ‘Look Right Through’ remix and Breach’s equally ubiquitous ‘Jack’. Rizardo even dropped ‘Work’ by Masters At Work.

There were occasions when Rizardo strayed over into EDM territory, but for the most part he stuck to the accessible pop-house tracks that have become so widespread in recent years. After warming up the crowd up suitably with his sunny chart-dance selections, it was time for the Dutchman Hardwell to step up.

Popping up from beneath the decks, mic in hand, greeting his fans with masses of exuberance, Hardwell jumped right into his set. Energetically rattling through many of his biggest hits, as well a number of edits of famous songs such as Disclosure’s ‘Latch’ and Laurent Garnier’s ‘The Man with the Red Face’, Hardwell was having just as good a time as the thousands of his fans in Ibiza.

One thing was clear – Hardwell fans were there to hear the famous hit songs in a live setting and witness these songs performed by the man himself, complete with all the production and spectacle a live show offers.

The experience is much more akin to going to see your favourite band at a gig, and the reactions from the crowd are much like what you’d expect from band gigs – people packed towards the front of the stage, screaming girls, people with their arms aloft, people videoing moments on their phones. The EDM experience is one that is quite removed from the underground party, and it’s an experience that huge amounts of people lap up.

Fair play to Hardwell and his massive following – people vote with their feet, and you can only be in awe of how wild the crowds are for these events and these DJs who they idolise.

Listen to I Am Hardwell at Ushuaia Ibiza on Pulse Radio.

This Thursday night Capetonians will celebrate 8 years of “It Came From The Jungle” at Fiction. The weekly drum ‘n bass event that has taken Cape Town by storm and is now regarded as an institution of sorts; this Long Street alternative party literally had the floors bending and shaking prior to the Fiction’s revamping a few years ago, which only served to elevate the natural-high inducing atmosphere of the event. Mark Stevens, literally known as the “the legend of the scene” by those those involved in the event, has been the organiser and headlining act since day one. Marie-Claire de Villiers met with him to talk beats and heartbeats.

Why do you think the drum ‘n bass night has been such a hit (above the other event-nights at Fiction, as well as often above and beyond other regular parties in CT)?

We’ve just done what we’re doing, without any pressure for people to come – come if you want to, don’t if you don’t – either way, it’s happening. In other words, we don’t advertise too hard try too much to pull people in. We have thousands of people who know about the event. They know it’s happening every week, and that we’ll be giving the same amount of energy and the same high quality of artists and music no matter how big or small the crowd is. When occasionally there are only 200 people, we still play as if we’re playing for 600.

It’s no secret that creating and maintaining a regular event in Cape Town is almost impossible; we are such fickle creatures. What were the challenges in getting the event going and keeping it going? What was it like re-doing the venue a few years back?

The biggest challenge is to refresh our sound every season. Also, we always want fresh input and fresh music. Every artists we book, we choose carefully – to make sure there’s a variety and that they’re each contributing something special.The renovation was very good for us. A new start. They made the stage and dancefloor bigger, and added that whole new upstairs section – really maximising the venue to its potential.

Do you think there is now a strong drum ‘n bass community in Cape Town?

There’s ALWAYS been a strong drum ‘n bass community in Cape Town. Cape Town historically has always had a really strong drum ‘n bass culture, since the late nineties and it’s growing all the time.

You’ve played all over the world. What is it about the Cape Town drum ‘n bass, dub, dubstep and electronic scene in general, that sets it apart from scenes like this overseas?

The diversity. In a lot of cities you’ll find two or three popular genres, and then if you want something else it will be in a tiny venue with a few people. Here there are so many different musical styles in the party scene and in general. Cape Town is so diverse and multi-cultutral, everyone parties together here. You’ll find people of all cultures, races, and classes at the same venue; in other cities it’s often quite divided.
Of course we can still learn from cities where the industry is flourishing. There is room for growth and a lot of potential here.

For those of us who don’t know, can you tell us a little about the different sub-genres in drum ‘n bass?

Back in the day it used to be clear cut; liquid, with chilled and jazzy elements; neurofunk; jump up which is closer to rave; etc. Now, lines get blurred so often; producers are writing tracks with, for example, a neurofunk basis and a liquid influence. What we’re about at “It Came From The Jungle” is trying to showcase as much of that diversity as possible; although I think we tend to focus on the lighter side of drum ‘n bass – say, 70% lighter and 30% a of the heavier stuff, but not too much. Purely because a lot of the heavier stuff gets played at every other drum ‘n bass party in Cape Town; so we’re trying to create a balance.Just trying to keep a feel-good vibe.

Exactly. We’re a Thursday, so we understand the balance of our place in the week. People want to let loose after dinner, have a jol with friends. We are all about bringing a happy vibe. From that perspective, I find It Came From the Jungle to be a very accessible party. We often get walk-ins who’ve never heard this music before, who come in and start raving. If we can get one person a night to say “Wow! I’ve never heard this before, but I want to hear it again!” – then it’s job well done for us.

What’s your favourite sub-genre?

I’ve always preferred the melodic, euphoric side of drum ‘n bass. There are also a lot of songs that have that element, which incorporate all forms of drum ‘n bass, so that’s what I look for.

Tell us a little about the other DJs playing tonight (who all play at Fiction regularly)?

First up is ALXR and Niems – Niems is one of the very talented guys we’ve started booking. Both of them are really good at the deeper side of drum n bass. Rolling, deep sound that’s great to open the night. Then we have White Nite – he’s been a guest of ours for years. He wouldn’t call himself a drum ‘n bass DJ, this is the only event where he’d play drum ‘n bass but he’s really good at it. His style is lighter; electro and jump up – he’s the perfect party starter. Phaze and Vava are next up, they play the ravier, jump-up party stuff, and some of the best up and coming producers. This is the first time they were playing together.

Phaze is producing some amazing things and Vava’s sound fits exactly what “It Came From The Jungle” is all about. Then it’s me and Hyphen back to back for two hours. We’ve been with Jungle since day one. We throw one big track after the next and love to keep the energy high. Closing the night is Half Life, a young cat, playing with a sound that is a little harder and is doing some really cool stuff - we’re excited to have him. The closing set is the toughest set of the night – even though people are in the party vibe by that time, the challenge is to not keep throwing out big ones but to vibe it out.

What can we expect to hear from you at the birthday party?

I have so many tracks and new things I want to play; it’s difficult to decide on everything for certain – I also like to choose some stuff on the night. It’s definitely going to be high-energy though.

What’s next for Fiction Thursdays in the next few months?

We may have some international artists coming through in August or September; but you know that until that’s100% confirmed I have to keep that under wraps (winks).

What was the freakiest thing that ever Came From the Jungle?

M: There have been too many things! Everything from girls flashing, in the hope we’ll keep playing after closing time, to people singing for half an hour after we’re supposed to be closed… But the most memorable thing is all the friendships that have been formed over the years, not only between the artists but all the people who came alone, only for the music, the first time, and are now best friends.

 

To commemorate the party It Came From The Jungle present a selection of mixes from some of Cape Town's finest Drum nBass DJs that showcases some of the best music to be played at It Came From The Jungle over the years.

It Came From The Jungle History Mix - Niskerone (2008-2009) by Red Bull Studios Cape Town on Mixcloud

Facebook event page 
It Came From The Jungle fan page 
Fiction Facebook fan page 

Listen to Pulse Radio 

After Tuesday’s heavy one at Carl Cox, it was time for a slightly more relaxed evening as I hit the all new Sands Beach Bar for the first tINI & the Gang party of the summer.

After a short stroll along the beach I arrived to the new location of tINI & The Gang at Sands Ibiza, with Julian Perez providing a warm and relaxed early evening vibe. A lot of the tracks had that raw ‘90s analogue edge to them, which is refreshing to hear on the White Isle given the abundance of tech-house sounds on most nights out – it’s always nice to keep things fresh.

Perez served up a fine selection of deep and jacking tracks from the likes of Nimbus Quartet, Underground Resistance and Phuture Scope. As the evening continued more and more people arrived at the beach venue, the crowd had swelled considerably by the time Fuse boss Enzo Siragusa made it to the decks. 

As many of you may know, Enzo has carved out quite an original and trademark sound for himself with many of his selections comprising of heavy, dubby bass lines indebted to early ‘90s garage and jungle. Enzo and Alexkid’s track ‘Kilimanjaro 2’ has been killing it every time I’ve heard it this summer and here it was no different – the rumbling ultra-low-end bass lines hit you hard and the skipping percussion maintained the groove before a breakdown of warm pads and vocals built the tension before another heavy drop. 

There’s something about this sound that really gets the parties going – it’s stripped back and intense, yet it gets people dancing every time, as you’ll know if you’ve been to Fuse at Sankeys. For me, the highlight of his set was Rich NxT’s ‘Instate’ – the bass line and the trippy vocals drew me in, but the echoing bells that rung out as the track dropped really sparked my interest. It’s one of those tunes that you’re left thinking about all the way home, desperate to listen to it again.

tINI then stepped up for her return to another summer of beach parties. Kicking things off with some deeper and groovier tunes, the rework of DA Rebels’ ‘House Nation Under a Groove’ had that weirdly infectious vocal worming its way into my mind.

The neon ‘tINI & the Gang’ had to be turned off because of the massive swarm of flies it was attracting, so by this point it was completely dark save for two burning red lights casting an intense glow on the crowd, which turned out to make for the perfect party atmosphere.

As herbal smoke wafted through the crowd, tINI kept up the pace with emotive pads blending fluidly with the grooving percussion. It felt special to be out on the beach, at night, witnessing some of house music’s finest selectors in such an intimate space.

Another of my highlights of the evening was a track off the new Head High record, ‘Megatrap (Mix Mix)’, which sounded nothing short of enormous on the Funktion One sound system they had set up at Sands – such a powerful and so unmistakably a Shed production.

tINI completed the set with a number of atmospheric house cuts to close out the first of many amazing beach parties fittingly. As it struck midnight and the music unfortunately had to stop, I was left with a smile on my face.

It’s free, the location is beautiful, the music is top notch and the atmosphere is perfect. Why wouldn’t you want to join the gang?

Listen to tINI on Pulse Radio.

This Thursday night Capetonians will celebrate 8 years of “It Came From The Jungle” at Fiction. The weekly drum ‘n bass event that has taken Cape Town by storm and is now regarded as an institution of sorts; this Long Street alternative party literally had the floors bending and shaking prior to the Fiction’s revamping a few years ago, which only served to elevate the natural-high inducing atmosphere of the event. Mark Stevens, literally known as the “the legend of the scene” by those those involved in the event, has been the organiser and headlining act since day one. Marie-Claire de Villiers met with him to talk beats and heartbeats.

Why do you think the drum ‘n bass night has been such a hit (above the other event-nights at Fiction, as well as often above and beyond other regular parties in CT)?

We’ve just done what we’re doing, without any pressure for people to come – come if you want to, don’t if you don’t – either way, it’s happening. In other words, we don’t advertise too hard try too much to pull people in. We have thousands of people who know about the event. They know it’s happening every week, and that we’ll be giving the same amount of energy and the same high quality of artists and music no matter how big or small the crowd is. When occasionally there are only 200 people, we still play as if we’re playing for 600.

It’s no secret that creating and maintaining a regular event in Cape Town is almost impossible; we are such fickle creatures. What were the challenges in getting the event going and keeping it going? What was it like re-doing the venue a few years back?

The biggest challenge is to refresh our sound every season. Also, we always want fresh input and fresh music. Every artists we book, we choose carefully – to make sure there’s a variety and that they’re each contributing something special.The renovation was very good for us. A new start. They made the stage and dancefloor bigger, and added that whole new upstairs section – really maximising the venue to its potential.

Do you think there is now a strong drum ‘n bass community in Cape Town?

There’s ALWAYS been a strong drum ‘n bass community in Cape Town. Cape Town historically has always had a really strong drum ‘n bass culture, since the late nineties and it’s growing all the time.

You’ve played all over the world. What is it about the Cape Town drum ‘n bass, dub, dubstep and electronic scene in general, that sets it apart from scenes like this overseas?

The diversity. In a lot of cities you’ll find two or three popular genres, and then if you want something else it will be in a tiny venue with a few people. Here there are so many different musical styles in the party scene and in general. Cape Town is so diverse and multi-cultutral, everyone parties together here. You’ll find people of all cultures, races, and classes at the same venue; in other cities it’s often quite divided.
Of course we can still learn from cities where the industry is flourishing. There is room for growth and a lot of potential here.

For those of us who don’t know, can you tell us a little about the different sub-genres in drum ‘n bass?

Back in the day it used to be clear cut; liquid, with chilled and jazzy elements; neurofunk; jump up which is closer to rave; etc. Now, lines get blurred so often; producers are writing tracks with, for example, a neurofunk basis and a liquid influence. What we’re about at “It Came From The Jungle” is trying to showcase as much of that diversity as possible; although I think we tend to focus on the lighter side of drum ‘n bass – say, 70% lighter and 30% a of the heavier stuff, but not too much. Purely because a lot of the heavier stuff gets played at every other drum ‘n bass party in Cape Town; so we’re trying to create a balance.Just trying to keep a feel-good vibe.

Exactly. We’re a Thursday, so we understand the balance of our place in the week. People want to let loose after dinner, have a jol with friends. We are all about bringing a happy vibe. From that perspective, I find It Came From the Jungle to be a very accessible party. We often get walk-ins who’ve never heard this music before, who come in and start raving. If we can get one person a night to say “Wow! I’ve never heard this before, but I want to hear it again!” – then it’s job well done for us.

What’s your favourite sub-genre?

I’ve always preferred the melodic, euphoric side of drum ‘n bass. There are also a lot of songs that have that element, which incorporate all forms of drum ‘n bass, so that’s what I look for.

Tell us a little about the other DJs playing tonight (who all play at Fiction regularly)?

First up is ALXR and Niems – Niems is one of the very talented guys we’ve started booking. Both of them are really good at the deeper side of drum n bass. Rolling, deep sound that’s great to open the night. Then we have White Nite – he’s been a guest of ours for years. He wouldn’t call himself a drum ‘n bass DJ, this is the only event where he’d play drum ‘n bass but he’s really good at it. His style is lighter; electro and jump up – he’s the perfect party starter. Phaze and Vava are next up, they play the ravier, jump-up party stuff, and some of the best up and coming producers. This is the first time they were playing together.

Phaze is producing some amazing things and Vava’s sound fits exactly what “It Came From The Jungle” is all about. Then it’s me and Hyphen back to back for two hours. We’ve been with Jungle since day one. We throw one big track after the next and love to keep the energy high. Closing the night is Half Life, a young cat, playing with a sound that is a little harder and is doing some really cool stuff - we’re excited to have him. The closing set is the toughest set of the night – even though people are in the party vibe by that time, the challenge is to not keep throwing out big ones but to vibe it out.

What can we expect to hear from you at the birthday party?

I have so many tracks and new things I want to play; it’s difficult to decide on everything for certain – I also like to choose some stuff on the night. It’s definitely going to be high-energy though.

What’s next for Fiction Thursdays in the next few months?

We may have some international artists coming through in August or September; but you know that until that’s100% confirmed I have to keep that under wraps (winks).

What was the freakiest thing that ever Came From the Jungle?

M: There have been too many things! Everything from girls flashing, in the hope we’ll keep playing after closing time, to people singing for half an hour after we’re supposed to be closed… But the most memorable thing is all the friendships that have been formed over the years, not only between the artists but all the people who came alone, only for the music, the first time, and are now best friends.

 

To commemorate the party It Came From The Jungle present a selection of mixes from some of Cape Town's finest Drum nBass DJs that showcases some of the best music to be played at It Came From The Jungle over the years.

It Came From The Jungle History Mix - Niskerone (2008-2009) by Red Bull Studios Cape Town on Mixcloud

Facebook event page 
It Came From The Jungle fan page 
Fiction Facebook fan page 

Listen to Pulse Radio 

Ukraine’s prodigal son, Etapp Kyle, has landed in Johannesburg with the promise of some truly sophisticated music. Etapp Kyles debut EP was released on Ben Klock’s label, Klockworks and since then the young Ukraine based producer has been rising from strength to strength in the techno scene, It is not common for new artists to debut their music on affluent labels like Klockworks, so it is safe to say that the young man is on to something, something big.



Etapp is a sheer talent with immense ability; Club And will play host to this rising techno star, it has already opened its doors to the likes of Nina Kravitz, Fracious K and many other leading international acts , this times its fans are in for a treat.Etapp is slowly becoming renowned for his intelligent sets and driving productions, his musical maturity far exceeds that of his own age. Audiences are going to treated to a vinyl set and we all know how rare it is to find one of those in Johannesburg let alone in South Africa. Etapp will also play at the Bullion Bar in Cape Town where he will feature at another edition of Butterfly Culture.

Listten to Etapp Kyles single on Ben Klock's Klockwork's

Facebook event page 

Listen to Pulse Radio 

Those of us who were lucky enough to take part in the inaugural Mysteryland USA know that it was something truly special. The long-running Dutch festival made its way to upstate New York this Memorial Day Weekend for two days of good vibes, great times, and amazing electronic music.

Relive the magic and memories with the festival’s official aftermovie, which was just released this morning on YouTube. Catch performances by some of the DJs who played this year like Steve Aoki, Kaskade, Fedde Le Grand, Big Gigantic, and Dillon Francis. Enjoy!

Be sure to check out our review of the festival!

Listen to Steve Aoki on Pulse Radio 

Sankeys have kicked off what will be 12 months of celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of Sankeys. Beginning life as Sankeys Soap in June 1994 in the Beehive Mill in Manchester, the club has since branched out and opened clubs in Ibiza and New York. To mark the milestone Sankeys have a number of special events and projects planned and

David Vincent had this to say:

“At this moment in time, I can safely say that Sankeys Ibiza is the number one club in the world right now. In the last 20 years of my career I have been involved in four of the best nightclubs in the world, The Hacienda, Ministry Of Sound and Pacha Ibiza in the ‘90s and Sankeys Manchester in the noughties. All these clubs at some point during these periods were recognized as being the best clubs in the world. Comparing Sankeys Ibiza to these clubs, I can safely say we are the best and I’m extremely proud of what we have achieved in the last 20 years.”

The series of special events and projects will all centre on the number 20 with 20 events being hosted around the world in locations from Peru to Brazil, Croatia to New York City and Japan to Switzerland. Sankeys will be involved in a 20,000 capacity festival, which will be their biggest event to date and this summer will also see Darius Syrossian deliver his Sankeys 20th anniversary mix which was put together live in Sankeys.

The mix comprises of two CDs, one of which includes new and exclusive tracks by Syrossian and the other which includes a selection of classic tracks that have defined the club.

Finally, 20 changes have been made to Sankeys Ibiza, with The Lab, Spektrum and the Basement all seeing these special changes, so you’ll have to get down there to find out what is new.

Listen to Pulse Radio. 

You may be most familar with French DJ/producer Klingande by his hit track "Jubel," which has already amassed over 40 million plays on YouTube, reached #1 on Hype Machine, and most recently, is featured on the 'Ultra Deep House' compilation. Klingande, formally a duo and now represented by Cédric, just embarked on a sold out North American tour with stops in New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto among others.

We had a chance to catch up with Cédric during the tour to chat a bit about his experience visiting New York, how the American crowd has responded to his signature sound, some of his nonmusical influences that you may not know about, how he chooses to spend his free time, and what else he has in store in the coming months.

You played two shows in New York this weekend. Had you been to the city before? I had never been to New York before, except for once when I was a small child and I don’t have memories of it. The two shows in Glasslands Brooklyn and Le Bain were amazing - people from New York really rock! It was packed and crazy, and I didn’t expect it but they had the same reaction as in Europe. They loved the sax, and more the EWI which is not so appreciated in Europe. I loved it and can’t wait to come back.

You’ve had a few gigs so far on your North American tour. What has your experience been like bringing your “instrumental melodic house” sound to the North American audience? Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect. I was not sure this music was really known and welcome. And finally, from the moment I pressed play in LA, to NYC, through Toronto, all the shows were really great. I had a feeling, an excitement as I was a young artist. It was a new vibe and experience for me after a year of touring in Europe every week. I felt that people really loved the show everywhere by the amazing feedback on Twitter and chatting after the show with fans, so I can’t wait to come back.

Your track “Jubel” has gotten over 40 million plays on YouTube, reached #1 on Hype Machine, and is now being featured on the forthcoming ‘Ultra Deep House’ compilation. Did you ever expect it to get this big? Absolutely not! When I started it was more for fun with my friend. I put the track on SoundCloud to share it around in my hometown, and blogs picked up on it and shared it. It all started from there, and you know what happened. It was a surprise and it changed my life.

What are some of your nonmusical influences that have inspired your productions? Nonmusical influences are the movies I watch, the people around me, travels, landscapes, the sea... I love the sea and the beach, and I love to be close to there when I produce some music. That’s not really original but the most important for me is the moment I share with people I love. That’s what inspires me, and that’s why I make this kind of music.

In a few recent interviews, you said that you would eventually love to release an album. Have you made any progress with this or are you focusing more on singles at the moment? I’m focusing on both. The next single will be the first step of the album. It’s difficult for me because I spent most of my time on the road, and I need to get back in studio to calm down and focus on music. I have a lot of projects I need to focus on. In September I stop touring for a few weeks after a really hard summer, and I’ll spend this time in studio.

What are some things we can find you doing when you’re not producing or touring? Sleeping? No really, when I have a little time at home, I see my friends, I sleep, and I answer my emails and interviews.

What else is on your horizon in the coming months? I’ll come back to the US, discover Asia, Australia, and South Africa, and will spend more time in studio and releasing new music.

Listen to Klingande on Pulse Radio

For a while now, Canada’s music community has requested that changes be made to the country’s strict work permit policy. Yesterday, the amendments were finally made much to the delight of local and foreign artists, managers, agents, and labels.

Effective immediately, foreign artists and their essential crew will not have to spend the time or money to obtain work permits if they will only be in Canada for a limited engagement, a tour for instance.

The change represents the Canadian government and Minister Chris Alexander of Citizenship and Immigration’s support of the music industry, and will radically improve the live music community in Canada.

Listen to Pulse Radio

According to Variety, BBC Worldwide France has been selected to produce a new documentary about Daft Punk. Announced at non-fiction confab Sunny Side, the film will be one hour in length and is scheduled to be aired in 2015.

It will tell the story of the famous robotic duo, comprised of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, everything from their rise to fame to behind the scenes looks at their costumes and art.

Formed in the 90s, Daft Punk quickly became the leaders of the French Touch scene, and in their career spanning two decades have won six Grammy Awards and sold more than twelve million albums.

Jean Louis Blot of BBC Worldwide Productions France shared his excitement for the project. “We are proud to announce our first commission with Canal Plus Group on such an original and creative film. BBC Worldwide France stands as a major French producer of documentaries with stuffing production values and universal appeal.”

Listen to Daft Punk on Pulse Radio

MTV USA is on the hunt for ordinary folks (sort of) to star in a bunch of new episodes for their 'True Life' series.

The long running music and reality TV channel has some rather amusing topics up its sleeve for the show including 'My Parents Like Their Weed', 'I'm Dating A Cheapskate' and perhaps our favourite, 'I'm Being Slut Shamed'.

But they haven't forgotten about the dance floor fiends. If you can't have a fun night out clubbing without that sweet rush of Molly (that's MDMA for those who don't reside in the US of A) coursing through your veins then apparently you have a problem, and MTV want to film you and your problem so that hungover and scattered Sunday couch dwellers can feel better about themselves. Or perhaps worse? Yeah, there's really no better way to deal with that epic comedown than to comfort yourself by watching someone with a drug problem.

Here's the casting call ad from MTV for 'I'm Addicted To Molly':

"Do you take Molly — the powdered form of MDMA — so often that it feels like you can’t have a good time without it? Is it affecting your ability to function during the day? Is your Molly use no longer confined to the occasional party and starting to become more serious?

If you appear between the ages of 18-28 and think you are addicted to Molly, we want to hear your story. Email us at molly@mtv.com. Please be sure to include your name, location, telephone number, a recent photo and a brief description of your situation."

So, what are you waiting for?

Listen to Pulse Radio

Canadian synth-popper Claire Boucher, better known as Grimes, has given away a brand new tune today, 'Go'.

As xlr8r have pointed out, the track was produced with Skrillex's pal Blood Diamonds and was was originally written for Rihanna, though was perhaps a little too dubsteppy for the pop star's liking. It's certainly more EDM-inflected than anything found on Boucher's hugely successful 2012 debut, 'Visions'.

Grimes is currently busy working on her sophomore LP (dropping in Sepetember) however is apparently "very bored" of waiting to finish it, hence the emergence of 'Go', which you can stream below. Only time will tell if her new direction sounds similar.

Listen to Pulse Radio

Earlier this week Jamie XX shared a surprise new single 'All Under One Roof Raving' - a fantastic tribute to UK dance music.

Now Boiler Room have uploaded an epic set from The XX's own beatsmith, a "homage to London" recorded live on the Young Turks HQ rooftop terrace earlier this week.

A nostalgic trip through UK dance music, Jamie's mix combines two-step, hip-hop, grime and rave in a whirlwind 55 minute, then wrapping up the set with his new single. Watch below and stream the mix here.

Listen to Pulse Radio

This week Martyn released 'The Air Between Words,' his third LP and first ever on the UK's esteemed Ninja Tune imprint which - in comparison to his past two albums -our reviewer described as, "a counter-balance of introspective darkness, serious grooves and bouts of emotive warmth." Pulse's Morgan Richards spoke with the Dutch producer about the new album, his move to DJing with vinyl, political statements in music and Henry Rollins.

Hi Martyn, how are you? Are you at home in Washington DC at the moment? Yeah, I got back from touring Europe for ten days or something. So I 'm basically resting up and getting back to good health.

Does touring take a bit of a toll on you? It does a little bit. But lately I've been playing longer DJ sets and obviously that's a little tougher than doing one-hour live sets. But it's much more fun to go deeper and use vinyl to extend your set a little.

So you play vinyl when touring now? I thought you played from a laptop? I actually quit using a laptop because I got a bit fed up with the sound quality. It also gave me a lot of stress. Just to connect everything and all that. You only really notice how stressful it is when you quit. I really noticed that I was much more at ease when playing vinyl. It's a bit more carrying and you're a little more wary at airports hoping that everything arrives alright, but I think the end result is definitely worth it.

The other thing I also find important is that you're telling people that you've actually put in some effort. People who show up with a usb stick and a pair of iPhone headphones don't really look like they've really put in the hours or put in the hard work to come and play music to people. So it's also a bit of a visual thing.



Are you sure you're not just rationalising carrying around all these heavy bags of vinyl? [Laughs] I definitely feel that it sounds better. And you also play differently when you use a laptop, you're a little more ADD when it comes to selections. You don't have that physical feeling of turning around, going through your records to make a selection. You basically have everything on your screen. So it changes the set you know?

You've got a bit of reputation for playing a lot of different styles of music. Do you find that's something you have to compromise on when you're toting vinyl? Yeah, it makes the selection before you leave for the gig more challenging. You want to have a wider selection but you also have limited space. But it's totally different when you compare ten thousand tracks on the laptop to sixty to eighty pieces of vinyl.

Your latest album, 'The Air Between Words', has quite a housey sound to it, much more so than previous albums. What influences were coming out when you were making it? I think the influences were not so much in genres or styles of music I was listening to, but obviously there was much more focus on four to the floor on the album and also in contemporary electronic music nowadays. But I think the influence was more of a process where I wanted to go back to using mostly analogue techniques and just sort of writing simple songs that were good, instead of trying to make a lot of layered music that sounded amazing but really wasn't that great. I wanted to go back to a core of drum machine, synths some effects and that's it. And try and write really memorable music.

I think that approach is apparent on the track 'Drones'. It's a simple track with a simple approach but is hard-hitting for that very reason. I think I was always experimenting with lots of samples and wanted to make music that was very rich. And working with mostly analogue tech, you simplify the music a bit. 'Drones' is quite a good example I guess. Basically a beat and then a jazz riff and an analogue riff on top of that synth. But it does tell a story in a way, or at least I try to make it tell a story.



With your 'Newspeak' EP last year, there's a few obvious Orwell references in there and it got me wondering - is politics something that comes into your musical process at all? I guess so. Not necessarily in that I want to send a message across. But I think that awareness is very important. Obviously I moved to Washington DC, I started studying here as well, doing political science, so it's something that's on my mind and something I think and write about. So that is going to shine through in some way. But as far as trying to send a message, the only sort of message that I want to convey with the music is much more a message of charity or a message of being good. It's not necessarily a punk message where you actually have a real political opinion that you want to bring across.

On the album, the track 'Drones' you could see as a political statement, but the only political statement that I want to transmit is awareness. The awareness that there are things that are drones and that they do stuff, but it's not that I’m for or against that; it's much more of an awareness message than anything else.

How do you think your music does that? Brings across a message? If you make music that has no vocals, then there's no much that you can use. You can use samples or track titles, like I sometimes do, but that's about it.

Don't you think that there's a certain aspect other than words? I mean, ambient music played in airports or elevators is designed to reassure us that nothing's wrong, to relax us, to comfort us. But then there's also a lot music that, while still ambient, can put you on edge or put you in a different kind of state. Like Biosphere or something like that. Don't you think in dance music you can still be political in a sense with the sounds you're using and how you've put them together? I guess. You know people like Perc, the techno guy? He uses a lot of noise and drones and things like that. I can see how that can put you on edge when listening to it. And being on edge could also raise a heightened awareness. But it's not like a really try to do that in my music. I've never been experimental in my music like that. Obviously I try to tell a story in my music and evoke an emotion, so on that level I am trying to a get across something. But to call that political I think goes a bit too far.



Alright, let's get off politics now. You recently curated an issue of the Red Bull Music Academy magazine. What was that experience like? It was really fun actually. I saw someone, I think it was Levon Vincent, do one a while back. I was really intrigued to see how in curating something like that you can show your personality and your interests as well as trying to get people to read stuff they might not otherwise read. So I was very interested in doing it and the people at red bull are generally very accommodating and open to your ideas. So it was cool to work together and get some good content going.

You did a couple of interviews as part of you curating the magazine. If you could do another interview with anyone else, alive or dead, who would that be? I think David Byrne. Or maybe Henry Rollins.

What would you ask Henry Rollins? I probably wouldn't asked him about politics so much, because he's so direct about that in his music. I think he has a really interesting position in the States as a rock musician and a rebel. But he's also turned quite mainstream now. And as far as politics goes, he's somewhere between left and right. I mean, he started off as a proper punk, but he's also said things about supporting US troops in Iraq and stuff like that. So it's a weird mix of left and right. That would be a pretty interesting thing.



What inspires you in electronic music today? Not that much, to be honest [laughs]. Maybe it's because when I write music I’m in a little bubble, trying to limit myself to listening to music that I'll want to buy while record shopping. But I try not to listen to too many people who are doing something else because it's just going to get confusing in the studio for me. I haven't really listened to a whole lot of music in the last year or so. It's only really now that I’m starting to follow what's going on and what other people are doing. Like I said, most of the inspiration that I have musically is from older records or older artists, and also a lot of music that's not electronic.

What have you got planned for the rest of the year? The next couple of months is gigs and festivals in Europe. I’m also doing some stuff with Inga, we do a small live PA where we play a song and she sings on it. I’m also starting to get back into the studio and doing some more songs. I did a 12" with Steffi from Ostgut that's coming out after the summer. I’m working on some other collaborations as well. It's good to get straight back in here and not take too long of a break so I don't have to completely start from scratch.

Your bio on Resident Advisor introduces you as an "intergalactic jedi funkateer". I take it you're a bit of a Star Wars fan then? Yes. For sure. [Laughs]

What do you think about the new movies coming out? They could never be worse than the last three that came out! So I’m hoping for something in between the old three and those ones.

OK Martyn, thanks for the chat. Hope you get over to Australia sometime soon. Thank you. I do too!

[Martyn's new album 'The Air Between Words' is out now on Ninja Tune. Read our review here.]

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As the vast cloak that is EDM continues to engulf the country, we are seeing the arrival of the genres biggest DJs and its greatest festivals. In the month of March, South Africa welcomed EDM’s newest and brightest attraction Omnia. 

Regarded as one of the top 50 DJs in the world, Omia has been billed alongside the likes of Armin Van Buuren, Krewella, and Mark Schulz, Omnia has displayed production skills that eclipse most of his peers, having topped global charts on frequent occasions, and Omnia is in no doubt one to look out for in the future.  Durban played host to the first leg of the tour with Johannesburg’s Town Hall presenting the finale for this EDM superstar. Fans arrived in droves to hear Omnia’s music and they weren’t disappointed, One Productions but together an event of international standards, with a vast array of lights, dancers and an amazing sound system.

Watch the video to see what went down in Johannesburg on that fabled night.

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Items & Things cofounder Marc Houle returns with his sixth studio album, 'Cola Party.' 

A long awaited followup to the Canadian techno heavyweight's 2012 album, 'Undercover,' Marc Houle's newest LP is as raw, jacking, and minimal as ever. 

The 9 track album slams heavy from start to finish, with funk aplenty, pitched down vocals, and snare heavy rhythms to keep things rolling along all the way through.

We've got the video premiere of the album. Watch below.

Tracklist:
1. Over The Top
2. I Don’t Wanna Know About You
3. S.T.E.A.K.
4. Cola Party
5. Jackn’ Jill
6. Hot Sauce
7. Raybans in Bahrain
8. Gimme Gimme
9. Alpha Bit

Cola Party is released digitally on Friday, 27th June followed by a physical release (Vinyl, CD) this 4th July on Items & Things.

Pre-order: bit.ly/1qjErJi

A few moons agoBuckwild SAannounced its arrival in the industry with one of the most memorable parties in Cape Town. They presented for the first time in Africa the DJ duo M.A.N.D.Y, owners of Get Physical records. The two German audiophiles brought the house down their set was a musical journey that transcended time and gave us all a glimpse into the future.

Promoters work hard to put events together and more often than not are forgotten by the hordes of people that attend some of these events. People rarely notice the mechanics and effort that goes into birthing an event. Well the people at Buckwild make it look easy and border on a line of excellence that few promoters and event organisers dare to reach.Buckwild SA is back with their second event Electric Blanket, this time featuring the hottest local talents, at first glance the event flyer seems to pit, one event promoter with another. This event will be headlined by Johannesburg’s Phat Jack, who is no stranger to hosting parties that revolutionize the scene.

Watch this epic video from The Warm Up of yesteryear



Phat Jack has grown his brand “The Warm Up” into one of the most recognisable parties in the country. He has 15 year olds counting the days to their 18th birthday just to attend his illustrious event. The Warm Up has become more than just a party but a culture and a revolution in the South African scene. Jack is a business man, an excellent one at that but he is also a floor thrashing monster DJ who is uncompromising on the decks and has the ability to astound any audience. The rest of the Buckwild’s Electric blanket will consist of the Lovely Claudia Lovisa of Supernature, Ronald Rowley of Strange Loving, Jimmy Chronic of Sleepwalker and El Gordo of Tropical Roast. These are some serious people for what is going to be a seriously good time.
  
Listen to Phat Jack's Ultimix at 6 on 5 FM

Facebook event page 

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