Disclosure have been on a roll recently with the Lawrence brothers already having worked with an A-list collection of artists including Mary J. Blige, Lorde, Nile Rodgers, and Madonna. Now, it appears that the dynamic duo is adding another big name to their list.

Earlier today, they posted a photo of Usher with their signature face illustration and the word “Tomorrow…” Is it a new track entirely? Or perhaps, a remix of one of the tracks on the R&B star’s forthcoming eight studio album? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Listen to Disclosure on Pulse Radio

Splash House is returning to its home in Palm Springs this August for its second installment of the summer! From August 8th to August 10th, the unique pool and music festival will feature some of electronic music’s top notch artists at beautiful poolside venues in the hot California desert. Last month, Splash House brought together thousands of music fans from the local area and beyond.

“A notably suaver addition to the normal summer EDM fan-fare” according to the LA Times, Splash House focuses on carefully curating a lineup of cutting edge artists. This time, Flume, Chromeo, A-Trak, Jagwar Ma, Viceroy, Gigamesh, Lane 8, Solidisco, Motez, and many more will grace the decks at the festival.

Splash House will return to some of Palm Springs’ favorite resorts - The Saguaro, the Hard Rock Hotel, and the Hacienda Beach Club. Tickets start at $99 including all fees – check out the official website for more information.

Listen to Chromeo on Pulse Radio

After making our predictions at the start of the summer season, we shared with you last month’s list of the top tracks being played this year on the White Isle, according to Shazam. Now, the music recognition app has released an updated version of the list, with some repeats as well as some newcomers. Check it out below!

10. Tom Odell - "Another Love" (Zwette Edit)

9. Josh Butler - "Got A Feeling" (Bontan Remix, Pleasurekraft Edit)

8. Anna Naklab & Parra for Cuva - "Wicked Games" (Original Mix)

7. Teenage Mutants & Purple Disco Machine - "The Path" (Original Mix)

6. Sailor & I - "Turn Around" (Âme Remix)

5. Tapesh & Dayne S - "How I Do"

4. Emeli Sandé - "Read All About It" (Stefan Biniak Bootleg)

3. Ten Walls - "Walking With Elephants"

2. Oliver $ and Jimi Jules - "Pushing On"

1. Patrick Topping 'Forget'

Listen to Pulse Radio

On the evening of the inaugural show of Hardwell’s first ever Ibiza residency, I sat down with one of the world's biggest DJs for a quick chat moments before he was to take to the Ushuaia stage.

I’d obviously done my research on the Dutchman prior to our meeting and I had an idea about his background and what he was about, but I didn’t know what to expect from our talk.

My music taste lies firmly in the underground – whether it’s the sound of jacking ‘90s deep house or the kind of dark raw techno you hear in Berghain, the music I love is miles apart from EDM and the music Hardwell makes.

This thought left me wondering if it might be difficult to connect with an artist like Hardwell, though once he met me in the Ushuaia green room, shook my hand and sat down with a beer to chat with me I found him to be a hugely likeable guy who cares about what he does.

Whilst his music might not be to my taste, prejudices were swept aside and the Dutchman explained to me about his very early introduction to dance music, his Ibiza experience and his surprising listening habits.

I just wanted to start with your first experiences of Ibiza and how it all started for you here? Well, atually, as a young kid I always dreamed about Ibiza, you know? It’s known as paradise for dance music in general so when I started DJing it was always a dream for me to perform in Ibiza.

In 2010 I got invited by Tiesto to play with him at Privilege and that was actually my first Ibiza experience and from that point I actually started touring in Ibiza and played basically all the clubs on the island.

So I think the next natural step was to do my own residency here and Ushuaia asked me to do my own night, of course I just said yes. It’s one of the best clubs on the island, so I’m really honoured to be doing my first ever residency.

Obviously you have your first residency – what was it about Ushuaia that made it the right venue? Yeah, there’s so many good clubs on the island. Personally, Ushuaia is my favourite. Just because when you’re on a summer vacation, the sun is shining and you’re on the beach – you want the best party experience you can imagine and to be at a pool party and just to be outside is great. It ends at midnight, just before the real nightlife starts in Ibiza, and it’s a great warm-up.

It’s the perfect club – technically it has the best sound system on the island, the visuals are stunning and it looks absolutely amazing.

What can we expect from your sets over the season? Well, this is one of the few gigs where I actually play for 3 hours. Normally when you’re booked at a festival you play for like an hour and a half or two hours in a club. So yeah I’m going to play 3 hours, everything is improvised so I just want to read the crowd and just give them the best experience possible man.

I think that’s the kind of image of Ibiza – all of the DJs take people on a journey here. They’re on vacation and you don’t know what to expect. You just go with the flow and see where it ends.

Just going back to what you were saying earlier about Tiesto inviting you here – I know he was one of the first DJs you got, into so what was that like? Yeah that was definitely a big deal for me, definitely. He’s always been a huge role model for me in every single way. To be invited by him, besides it being a really big honour it was one of the biggest nights you could perform in Ibiza.

We got in touch by email because he was really into my productions and we were emailing back and forth – I emailed one of my new songs and he really fell in love and he was like ‘I really want you to be one of my performers at my Ibiza residency’. That’s the first time I got to the island! In a very good way as well because I played the biggest club at that time, Privilege.

You were very young when this was all happening – How did you get into producing at such a young age? Well, I started playing piano when I was four years old and I was always into music. I think I was 10 years old when I discovered dance music. It really got me, the synthesisers and the way they tweaked the sounds and it was so different from the stuff they played on the radio at the time.

I wanted to make the music as well, so I was searching on the internet about how the synthesisers worked and downloaded the cracked version of Fruity Loops, and I was just messing around with different sounds. I did that for two years and when I was 14 years old I signed my first record deal.

So young! Also, because dance music is so important in the club environment, but you were too young to experience it on the dance floor – how did that effect things? I had no club experiences at that time because I was 12 so I was just listening to other people’s productions. I was buying CDs and luckily I had Tiesto’s record store in Breda so I bought all my vinyl there.

I was just listening to all the big club bangers and I was just trying to re-do the synths and put my own twist on it.

I know you’ve said you prefer it to be all about the music. With some of the big EDM shows there’s a lot of production and loads of visuals – how do you get the balance right? I’m okay with it – when I play a big show everybody is used to it and everybody wants me to be a part of that show, everybody wants me to perform on a stage like that with all the fireworks and the visuals,

I’m okay with that. But when I do my own shows I always prefer it to be all about the music. If they shut down the stage and every single light I think people will still have a good time because it’s all about the music.

I think you can tell by the guys who I have invited as guests at Ushuaia, they’re all good friends of mine. These are guys I really trust and look up to music wise. I think that’s really important when it comes to creating a proper club night here in Ibiza.

It’s not about every single DJ, every single hour banging out the big records, it’s about the whole night. That’s why I always say it’s more about the music than the whole production on the stage.

EDM comes under a lot of fire from a lot of people, particularly underground artists – are there any underground house and techno artists that you listen to that people might not expect you to? I’m a big lover of dance music in general and in every single way. If I listen to music myself, when it comes to dance music I always listen to deep house, tech house and techno, like always. I never listen to like EDM or whatever people call it nowadays, you know, the big room sound.

I listen to guys like Solomun, every deep house thing, there are so many good deep house DJs these days. Even Franky Rizardo, who is playing at my night, he is one of my best friends, but the radio show he is doing with Flow, I think it’s great. I also love Eric Prydz’s sets, which are totally different from my sound, but I love the way he plays and his productions. I listen to all kinds of different stuff in dance music.

In the future would you see the sound of your productions moving towards something different? Yeah, definitely, that’s what happens, and over the past few years as well. As a producer when I’m in the studio I never want to get stuck in one certain sound. I always try to come up with something new.

I think over the years your sound is always developing especially right now as I am working on my debut album. There’s super poppy tracks, but also super underground tracks that you would never expect from Hardwell and everything in between. When I DJ as Hardwell I have to play to the crowd – people expect something from me. I always play that certain sound.

It’s not the direction I’m aiming for, but I think when I’m working on the album, I have the feeling I can work on my diversity and I can produce whatever I want and the music I like. I like pop songs, but I also like more underground songs. As long as it’s good music and I believe in good music, it will be on my album. A lot of people will be surprised by the album. I’m aiming to finish it after the summer as obviously the summer is really busy!

Listen to Hardwell on Pulse Radio.

We might be well and truly in the thick of winter, but there's still plenty of good clubbing to be had thanks to clubs like Marquee Sydney who have lined up another impressive roster of international and local DJs for July.

Local hero who's now smashing things up in the USA, Bass Kleph headlines the club this Saturday, preceded by resident DJ G-Wizard on Friday night for the club's special Stars and Stripes July 4 Independence Day party.

The remainder of July is choccas with big names such as tyDi, Ember, Minx and more - check out the full lineup below.

Marquee Sydney July line-up
04.07.14 – G-Wizard
05.07.14 – Bass Kleph
11.07.14 – Brooklyn
12.07.14 – Ember & Minx
18.07.14 – I Am Sam & Jason Lema
19.07.14 – Jason Lema
25.07.14 – Mobin Master
26.07.14 – tyDi

Listen to Pulse Radio

Sydney's boutique festival OutsideIn has announced its return this spring After the enormous success of 2013, Yes Please and Astral People have another big event planned for November.

OutsideIn has always put itself at the forefront of electronic music. Since its inception, the festival has celebrated up and coming talent, including Flume, HTRK and Willow Beats. With three stages of mind altering DJS and artists, this year will be no different, with a massive lineup of left-field talent and underground stars.

This unique cultural adventure will add some new flavour to the summer festival circuit, at a price we can all afford. So say event organizers: "Excellent music should be accessible to everybody and OutsideIn is proud to offer one of Sydney's most relevant events for a price that will leave you plenty of room to move".

OutsideIn will deliver great food and great drinks, but above all, a great crowd. Venue and lineup are yet to be announced, but if previous years are anything to go by, this year's edition of OutsideIn should not be missed.

Listen to Pulse Radio

This weekend, Chinese Laundry has another fat dose of party to keep your eyes firmly focussed on the end of the week. The crew at CL have lined up two massive nights of local and international stars to kick your weekend into overdrive.

Get ready for a big 4th of July as CL pulls out all the stops for independence day. Crowd favourite Doctor Werewolf returns to the Laundry stage to deliver some banging party tunes, with local heroes Mitch Low and Sippy Ellagator riding shotgun. Doors open at 9pm with $5 Budweisers from 9-12.

Get ready for a twisted night of drum n bass on Saturday as UK supremo Insideinfo takes over CL. With a rep to rival anyone, the DnB DJ will be burning up the Laundry with some of the meanest basslines on the planet.

Pulse has double passes to both Friday and Saturday nights. To win, send your name and the night you'd like to attend here. WInner will be notified by 6pm. Best of luck!

Friday Full Lineup:
Doctor Werewolf
Mitch Lowe
Sippy Ellagator
Struz
Astrix
Empress Yoy
Mercy

Saturday Full Lineup:
Insideinfo
Ben Morris
Chris Fraser
Visual Lies
Open-Eye
Mr Pink
Ridds
Fingers
DJ EKO
King Lee

Listen to Pulse Radio

#30 Ben Sims - URB Presents

An uncompromising mix of techno from the self-confessed vinyl addict. [Pulse HQ]

#29 BROHN - Robot Heart @ Burning Man 2013

The Sydney DJ and part owner of No.19 Records goes large in his opening set on the Robot Heart Bus at Burning Man. Technically a mix from 2013, however was only released last month. [Henry Johnstone]

#28 Flatboys - Your Summer Sounds 2014

Grab a cool cocktail, position yourself horizontally, and do nothing but apply coconut scented tan lotion, breaking intermittently for cup refills. This mix is your soundtrack to that perfect, lazy summer's day. Mellow tunes from the German producing duo hailing from Munich are heavily peppered with vocals and revamped familiar melodies such as Bob Marley. [Izabella Rekiel]

#27 Italo Johnson - RA.414

The mysterious Berlin trio offer up a compelling selection of gritty analogue cuts from the world of house and techno – strictly vinyl only. True selector’s selectors, the trio treat us to music from labels such as Tresor, Klang Elektronik, Head Jam and Gruuv. [Jacob Calvert]

#26 Richy Ahmed - Heidi’s Radio 1 Guest Mix

Richy Ahmed is never one to disappoint and this mix is pure fun. Opening with Jey Kermis’ ‘Caz She Can’ Richy sets the tone, keeping this one a short yet sweet mix of deep house perfection. [Sonali Sen Sharma]

#25 Andy C - Live At Ultra Festival Miami 2014

If you are a stepper that would consider drum & bass your religion, then it's more than likely that you would consider Ram Recordings big man Andy C a god. For those who don't know though, this mix is a great introduction into why he's nicknamed 'The Executioner'. [Aaron Borowski]

#24 Max Graef - Boiler Room Berlin

Eclectic jazz and beats records open and close the mix, with a sweet stretch of selecting as the substance in the sandwich - a couple of Graef's own cuts casually staggered throughout a swaggering set recorded live from a Berlin living room. Undeniably fun and fresh. [Tristan Alaba]

#23 DJ Marky - Reggae Mix

A man with impeccable and naturally eclectic taste in music (and a vast 15,000 strong record collection), Brazilian drum and bass legend DJ Marky takes listeners through an hour of far more than just Bob Marley. [Chandler Shortlidge]

#22 Solomun B2B H.O.S.H. - Diynamic Radio Show June 2014

King Solomun and label mate H.O.S.H. team up on the Diynamic radio show. Magic ensues. [Pulse HQ]

#21 Mind Against - Fabric Promo Mix

Recorded before their Fabric gig a couple of months back, this promo mix from melodically adventurous brothers Alessandro and Federico Fognini stays exceptionally true to their romantic roots in the IDM scene, drawing inspiration from their indie and new wave backgrounds, as well as creativity from the house and techno sounds constantly surrounding them. A versatile track selection only mixable by masterminds like themselves. [Emma Li Salditt]

#20 Hobo - Live At Goa Madrid

The Canadian DJ punishes the dance floor at Madrid’s famed Goa club with an unrelenting set of techno. [Pulse HQ]

#19 Bicep - Little White Earbuds Mix

Displaying their impeccable taste as always, this mix is a true journey as the Belfast boys take us through a spaced-out trip of cosmic sound, building towards peak time techno. You can always rely on the pair to conjure up some brilliant obscurities that you most probably wouldn’t find yourself. [Jacob Calvert]

#18 Partial Arts - This Is Progressive 141

When Ewan Pearson and Al Usher team up magic tends to happen. Lush and melodic, mechanical and acid-ridden, this isn’t just a great mix, but an apt interpretation of the music the duo create together. [Henry Johnstone]

#17 DJ Snake - Essential Mix

It's not only all about the twerk and trap tunes for this Parisian “future star”. Snake's versatility is evident as he cleverly transitions through nu-disco, moombahton and an onslaught of heavy bass, peppered with the sounds of hip-hop. You can kick-back, turn up the bass and get the weekend party started with Snake's sassy and essential selection. [Carine Buncsi]

#16 David August - Boiler Room Berlin

The Hamburg born Diynamic star keeps the BPMs low and the grooves oozing as he criss-crosses from ethereal, melodic territory to bluesy guitar riffs at the 20 minute mark. Though from there, the journey is as melancholic and emotive as anything we’ve heard from the Diynamic crew, or anyone, in ages. [Chandler Shortlidge]

#15 Black Coffee - Mixmag In Session

When Black Coffee mans the decks the unmistakable vibe of South Africa always shines through. His recent set for Mixmag is no different. [Pulse HQ]

#14 Gui Boratto - Beats In Space

The much loved Brazilian has been off the radar the past couple of years, but made a welcome return with his trademark melodic techno on Tim Sweeney’s radio show. Expect a new album later this year. [Henry Johnstone]

#13 Bonobo - Essential Mix

Among some excellent Essential Mixes this year Bonobo’s debut was a particular highlight. Better known for his more downtempo releases on Ninja Tune and recent tours with a full live band, Simon Green turns in two hours of soulful sounds and deep house, with new remixes and some of last year’s biggest tracks. [Peter Walker]

#12 Motez - Pulse Fresh Blood

Doubling as a promo mix for the Hardstraylia tour, Adelaide sensation Motez’s entry into our Fresh Blood series is our most popular mix so far this year, and it’s easy to see why. Solid from start to finish. [Henry Johnstone]

#11 Adriatique - Foxcast 4

If you thought Adriatique’s Pulse podcast last year was a winner, wait till you wrap your ears around this bad boy. More deep and dramatic grooves from the Swiss duo who appear unable of putting a foot wrong. [Henry Johnstone]

#10 Mario Basanov - Pulse.167

Lithuania’s Mario Basanov continues to prove himself as one of the most consistent and diverse DJs around. Much like his productions, Basanov’s penchant for melody and earnest vocals always shines through in his sets, though he pulls it off in a manner that is never cheesy or naff. Pulse.167 brings both the melody and the vocals contrasted with a dark, dancefloor edge. [Henry Johnstone]

#9 Francois K - Chill Out Mix (Pulse Exclusive)

Francois Kevorkian is no stranger to long sets. From his own Deep Space night at New York’s Cielo to his legendary sets at Yellow in Tokyo, ten hours is a regular fixture for the legendary Frenchman. This mix is brief in comparison, but, digested as an official teaser to his upcoming six-hour beach set at the Electric Elephant festival in Croatia this July, it’s both a perfect snapshot at a DJ still at the peak of his powers, but also a delve into his extensive record collection. Close to two and a half hours, it glides through Stevie Wonder, Jeffrey Osborne, classic disco, Salsoul gems, funk, and blissed-out reggae. [Guy Hornsby]

 

#8 Apollonia - Live From The Mixmag Beach Party @ BPM

French super collective Apollonia haven’t been referred to as the “undisputed French house supergroup” for nothing. Dan Ghenacia, Dyed Soundorom and Shonky are each a force to be reckoned with in their own right, but when they go B2B2B it creates some seriously magical shit. Their set from the Mixmag Beach party at The BPM Festival kept us moving for all 3 hours and 4 minutes with the perfect combination of funky house and bumping techno, with some sexy vocals tossed in, of course. [Sonali Sen Sharma]

#7 Marcel Dettmann - Essential Mix

Growing up in bleak East Germany, Marcel Dettmann has experienced the fusion of Berlin’s unique historical situation and the powerful underground techno scene that was spawned in the early ‘90s first-hand. Marcel Dettmann has been at the centre of this raw soundtrack from the beginning, having started DJing back when Berghain was known as Ostgut and holding down a residency at the world-renowned club to this day – techno, Berlin and Berghain are in his blood. In April, Dettmann took on his first BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix and delivered a truly absorbing trip, transporting you into the darkest corners of Berghain. It’s dark, atmospheric and cavernous techno at its best served up by a true luminary of the scene. [Jacob Calvert]
 

#6 Alle Farben - Winterheart Blue Mix

If you haven’t heard Alle Farben’s mixes yet, prepare to spill into a deep and whirling abyss with his hypnotic grooves that transcend genres and external senses. Winterheart Blue is a two hour mix released in anticipation of his first album ‘Synesthesia,’ premiered in May on his new label of the same name. Alle Farben, translated to ‘all the colours’ aptly describes his sophisticated and open minded style, blending prime classical sounds with the grooviest of house, familiar pop tracks and the deepest of Berlin techno. With Winterheart Blue, the German DJ's sexy melodies can lie with you under the stars, and lure you up to dance with rumbling basslines and infectious energy. [Sally Westlake]

#5 Scuba – Phenix Podcast 1

If 2012 was the year that Scuba capped off a period of blissed-out trance and 90s house nostalgia with the ‘Personality’ LP, then 2014 is the beginning of a retreat back into the shadows. His two Phenix EPs – and the excellent Phenix podcast, with its dark techno and tribal rhythms – display an artist in a constant state of flux, grappling with light and the darkness. [Henry Johnstone

#4 Maceo Plex - Live @ Movement Detroit 2014

Sleazy vocals, sexual moans and thumping bass lines heed a round of applause for Maceo Plex’s set at Movement, Detroit. This ghost producer turned multi-persona mac daddy (he also goes by Maetrik and Mariel Ito) delivered the goods and then some with this set. We were lucky enough to catch this set live and, in true Detroit form, Maceo kept the crowd dancing the whole way through with tracks like his own edit of ‘Crossfade’ by GusGus and ‘Conjure Sex.’ A proper techno/electro head, his tough, jackin’ and funky sound permeated through our bodies as each track segued seamlessly into the next. You won’t be able to turn this one off. [Sonali Sen Sharma]

#3 Darkside - Modcast 173

While technically this is a Dave Harrington solo mix, it’s got all the trappings of a Darkside soundscape – complex, versatile, haunting, unexpected, and full of originality. Harrington created two edits specifically for the mix, beginning with his melancholic edit of Nick Drake, and ending with a lounged cover of jazz guitarist John Scofield’s ‘Holidays,’ but not before careening between head-down house and techno, uplifting, vocal melodies, slow motion tribal, and David Lynch’s ‘In Heaven (Everything Is Fine)’ from the film Eraserhead. Though we always knew Harrington and Nicolas Jaar were Lynch fans. [Chandler Shortlidge]
 

#2 Talabot & Jamie XX - Beats In Space

That Beatsinspace, Tim Sweeney’s mercurial weekly offering to the new york airwaves and beyond, would put forth at least one sublime selection of electronica, house and techno in any one period is in arguable. That his curation would bring two artists at the helm of the zeitgeist to do this is purely exciting. That those artists, as singular in sound and visionary in direction as Jamie XX and John Talabot, could produce a two hour selection so impossible to parse is utterly wonderful. Where each man starts each of his two track turns and where they pass the baton, is all but indistinguishable, but from when it starts to its confidant conclusion it's clear this partnership should bear more offspring. But what a beautiful first born. [Jet Geaghan] 

#1 Tale of Us - Live @ Time Warp Mannheim

Berlin-based duo Tale Of Us wowed audiences across the globe with their otherworldly two-hour set at Time Warp Mannheim’s 20th anniversary. When taking into account all the parts of this equation, it’s no surprise that Karm and Matteo sealed the deal for us, making it to the top of our list. They take the crowd on a dark and winding journey to the devil’s den and back with tracks like ‘Again’ by The Drifter and Recondite’s ‘Cleric (Dystopian)’. When not curated correctly, such heavy sets can be exhausting but if you've ever had the pleasure of seeing Tale Of Us live, you know how much energy is packed into each performance. Even whilst watching through our computer screens, our heads were bopping and our mouths grinning. Hats off and enjoy! [Sonali Sen Sharma]

Listen to Pulse Radio
 

Sweater Beats has been tearing up stages around the globe lately, cramming dancefloors with his slamming party jams. The 'MLLN DLLR' man has quite literally blown up, playing everywhere from Sendai to Sydney, and is on the verge of releasing a brand new EP, 'Cloud City'. 

In a rare moment away from the decks, the New York resident took a moment to give us his guide to 'The City That Never Sleeps'. From bars to clubs to record stores to doughnut shops (his favourite), Sweater Beats shares some of NYC's best kept secrets.

What to eat



MUD Cafe
Excellent coffee and super delicious French toast.

Egg Brooklyn
The biscuits and gravy here are so on point. Come here if you want to take a nap after breakfast.

Dun-Well Doughnuts
Before you watch this video, make sure you've got a bowl under your face for all the drool.

Doughnut Plant
Some nice gourmet doughnuts over here. Try the tres leches and the creme brulee doughnuts. Mmmmm, doughnuts.

Artichoke Pizza
I'd be pushed to all this the best slice in New York, but its definitely one of my favourites. They make the best (maybe only) artichoke and crab dip pizza in the city.

East Village Social
They have this thing called 'Mason O'Bacon' which is basically a mason jar full of bacon. What more could you ask for?

Baohaus
Best hang-over meal in the city, hands down. Baohaus is great for soaking up all that leftover alcohol in your belly.

Halal Guys
This street cart has the longest line I've ever seen for street meat. After a long night of drinking, everyone want to get their fix of these guys.

What to do

Union Square 
There's always a gathering of people here. Stick around long enough and you're bound to see something happen.

Highline
This is an old railway they turned into a park that goes along the lower west side of Manhattan. They've got benches, reclining chairs and a great view of the city. It's perfect for people watching.

Museums/Galleries
There's really too many to name, but let's get started with Chelsea, MoMA, MAD Museum and The New Museum.

Academy Records
This is my favourite spot for record digging. I've been able to sample some of the records I've found here in my own music. There's one in East Village and another in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Rough Trade
Go here if you know exactly what you want. They've got the latest and greatest. They also have a section where you can fool around with some cool analog gear.

The Levee
This place is kind of a dive but it holds a special place in my heart. It's the first bar I ever went to when I first moved to NY, and I've got some great memories there. It's got really cheap drinks, board games and cheese-puffs.

Barcade
Great selection of craft beers + old school arcade games = good times.

Glasslands
I cut my teeth playing at this venue. There's always a great crowd and the art installations give it a really dope vibe.

Output
This has got to be one of my favourite clubs in the city. The sound is second to none, and this venue has put on some of my all-time favourite shows.

Sweater Beats Aussie Tour Dates
03.07.14 - Liberty Social, Melbourne
04.07.14 - Meche, Canberra
05.07.14 - Factory, Maroochydore
05.07.14 - Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane
11.07.14 - Gilkisons, Perth

Listen toPulse Radio

So here we are again at the midway point of another year and the mixes just keep on coming. It's getting mighty difficult to keep up, right? Well that's where we come in, separating the wheat from the chaff to bring you a collection of unmissable mixes.

Our staff and contributors from across the globe have submitted their 30 favourite selections that have landed so far in 2014 and we somehow accomplished the seemingly impossible task of choosing a #1. Get stuck in and enjoy.

#30 Ben Sims - URB Presents

An uncompromising mix of techno from the self-confessed vinyl addict. [Pulse HQ]

#29 BROHN - Robot Heart @ Burning Man 2013

The Sydney DJ and part owner of No.19 Records goes large in his opening set on the Robot Heart Bus at Burning Man. Technically a mix from 2013, however was only released last month. [Henry Johnstone]

#28 Flatboys - Your Summer Sounds 2014

Grab a cool cocktail, position yourself horizontally, and do nothing but apply coconut scented tan lotion, breaking intermittently for cup refills. This mix is your soundtrack to that perfect, lazy summer's day. Mellow tunes from the German producing duo hailing from Munich are heavily peppered with vocals and revamped familiar melodies such as Bob Marley. [Izabella Rekiel]

#27 Italo Johnson - RA.414

The mysterious Berlin trio offer up a compelling selection of gritty analogue cuts from the world of house and techno – strictly vinyl only. True selector’s selectors, the trio treat us to music from labels such as Tresor, Klang Elektronik, Head Jam and Gruuv. [Jacob Calvert]

#26 Richy Ahmed - Heidi’s Radio 1 Guest Mix

Richy Ahmed is never one to disappoint and this mix is pure fun. Opening with Jey Kermis’ ‘Caz She Can’ Richy sets the tone, keeping this one a short yet sweet mix of deep house perfection. [Sonali Sen Sharma]

#25 Andy C - Live At Ultra Festival Miami 2014

If you are a stepper that would consider drum & bass your religion, then it's more than likely that you would consider Ram Recordings big man Andy C a god. For those who don't know though, this mix is a great introduction into why he's nicknamed 'The Executioner'. [Aaron Borowski]

#24 Max Graef - Boiler Room Berlin

Eclectic jazz and beats records open and close the mix, with a sweet stretch of selecting as the substance in the sandwich - a couple of Graef's own cuts casually staggered throughout a swaggering set recorded live from a Berlin living room. Undeniably fun and fresh. [Tristan Alaba]

#23 DJ Marky - Reggae Mix

A man with impeccable and naturally eclectic taste in music (and a vast 15,000 strong record collection), Brazilian drum and bass legend DJ Marky takes listeners through an hour of far more than just Bob Marley. [Chandler Shortlidge]

#22 Solomun B2B H.O.S.H. - Diynamic Radio Show June 2014

King Solomun and label mate H.O.S.H. team up on the Diynamic radio show. Magic ensues. [Pulse HQ]

#21 Mind Against - Fabric Promo Mix

Recorded before their Fabric gig a couple of months back, this promo mix from melodically adventurous brothers Alessandro and Federico Fognini stays exceptionally true to their romantic roots in the IDM scene, drawing inspiration from their indie and new wave backgrounds, as well as creativity from the house and techno sounds constantly surrounding them. A versatile track selection only mixable by masterminds like themselves. [Emma Li Salditt]

#20 Hobo - Live At Goa Madrid

The Canadian DJ punishes the dance floor at Madrid’s famed Goa club with an unrelenting set of techno. [Pulse HQ]

#19 Bicep - Little White Earbuds Mix

Displaying their impeccable taste as always, this mix is a true journey as the Belfast boys take us through a spaced-out trip of cosmic sound, building towards peak time techno. You can always rely on the pair to conjure up some brilliant obscurities that you most probably wouldn’t find yourself. [Jacob Calvert]

#18 Partial Arts - This Is Progressive 141

When Ewan Pearson and Al Usher team up magic tends to happen. Lush and melodic, mechanical and acid-ridden, this isn’t just a great mix, it's a canny representation of the Partial Arts sound via other people's music. [Henry Johnstone]

#17 DJ Snake - Essential Mix

It's not only all about the twerk and trap tunes for this Parisian “future star”. Snake's versatility is evident as he cleverly transitions through nu-disco, moombahton and an onslaught of heavy bass, peppered with the sounds of hip-hop. You can kick-back, turn up the bass and get the weekend party started with Snake's sassy and essential selection. [Carine Buncsi]

#16 David August - Boiler Room Berlin

The Hamburg born Diynamic star keeps the BPMs low and the grooves oozing as he criss-crosses from ethereal, melodic territory to bluesy guitar riffs at the 20 minute mark. Though from there, the journey is as melancholic and emotive as anything we’ve heard from the Diynamic crew, or anyone, in ages. [Chandler Shortlidge]

#15 Black Coffee - Mixmag In Session

When Black Coffee mans the decks the unmistakable vibe of South Africa always shines through. His recent set for Mixmag is no different. [Pulse HQ]

#14 Gui Boratto - Beats In Space

The much loved Brazilian has been off the radar the past couple of years, but made a welcome return with his trademark melodic techno on Tim Sweeney’s radio show. Expect a new album later this year. [Henry Johnstone]

#13 Bonobo - Essential Mix

Among some excellent Essential Mixes this year Bonobo’s debut was a particular highlight. Better known for his more downtempo releases on Ninja Tune and recent tours with a full live band, Simon Green turns in two hours of soulful sounds and deep house, with new remixes and some of last year’s biggest tracks. [Peter Walker]

#12 Motez - Pulse Fresh Blood

Doubling as a promo mix for the Hardstraylia tour, Adelaide sensation Motez’s entry into our Fresh Blood series is our most popular mix so far this year, and it’s easy to see why. Solid from start to finish. [Henry Johnstone]

#11 Adriatique - Foxcast 4

If you thought Adriatique’s Pulse podcast last year was a winner, wait till you wrap your ears around this bad boy. More deep and dramatic grooves from the Swiss duo who appear unable of putting a foot wrong. [Henry Johnstone]

#10 Mario Basanov - Pulse.167

Lithuania’s Mario Basanov continues to be one of the most consistent and diverse DJs around. Much like his productions, Basanov’s penchant for melody and earnest vocals always shines through in his sets, though he pulls it off in a manner that is never cheesy or naff. Pulse.167 brings both the melody and the vocals contrasted with a dark, dancefloor edge. [Henry Johnstone]

#9 Francois K - Chill Out Mix (Pulse Exclusive)

Francois Kevorkian is no stranger to long sets. From his own Deep Space night at New York’s Cielo to his legendary sets at Yellow in Tokyo, ten hours is a regular fixture for the legendary Frenchman. This mix is brief in comparison, but, digested as an official teaser to his upcoming six-hour beach set at the Electric Elephant festival in Croatia this July, it’s both a perfect snapshot at a DJ still at the peak of his powers, but also a delve into his extensive record collection. Close to two and a half hours, it glides through Stevie Wonder, Jeffrey Osborne, classic disco, Salsoul gems, funk, and blissed-out reggae. [Guy Hornsby]

 

#8 Apollonia - Live From The Mixmag Beach Party @ BPM

French super collective Apollonia haven’t been referred to as the “undisputed French house supergroup” for nothing. Dan Ghenacia, Dyed Soundorom and Shonky are each a force to be reckoned with in their own right, but when they go B2B2B it creates some seriously magical shit. Their set from the Mixmag Beach party at The BPM Festival kept us moving for all 3 hours and 4 minutes with the perfect combination of funky house and bumping techno, with some sexy vocals tossed in, of course. [Sonali Sen Sharma]

#7 Marcel Dettmann - Essential Mix

Growing up in bleak East Germany, Marcel Dettmann has experienced the fusion of Berlin’s unique historical situation and the powerful underground techno scene that was spawned in the early ‘90s first-hand. Marcel Dettmann has been at the centre of this raw soundtrack from the beginning, having started DJing back when Berghain was known as Ostgut and holding down a residency at the world-renowned club to this day – techno, Berlin and Berghain are in his blood. In April, Dettmann took on his first BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix and delivered a truly absorbing trip, transporting you into the darkest corners of Berghain. It’s dark, atmospheric and cavernous techno at its best served up by a true luminary of the scene. [Jacob Calvert]
 

#6 Alle Farben - Winterheart Blue Mix

If you haven’t heard Alle Farben’s mixes yet, prepare to spill into a deep and whirling abyss with his hypnotic grooves that transcend genres and external senses. Winterheart Blue is a two hour mix released in anticipation of his first album ‘Synesthesia,’ premiered in May on his new label of the same name. Alle Farben, translated to ‘all the colours’ aptly describes his sophisticated and open minded style, blending prime classical sounds with the grooviest of house, familiar pop tracks and the deepest of Berlin techno. With Winterheart Blue, the German DJ's sexy melodies can lie with you under the stars, and lure you up to dance with rumbling basslines and infectious energy. [Sally Westlake]

#5 Scuba – Phenix Podcast 1

If 2012 was the year that Scuba stepped out into the morning sunshine with the blissed-out trance and 90s house nostalgia of his ‘Personality’ LP, then 2014 is the beginning of a retreat back into the shadows. His two Phenix EPs – and the excellent Phenix podcast, with its deep techno and tribal rhythms – display an artist in a constant state of flux, grappling with both the light and the darkness. [Henry Johnstone]

#4 Maceo Plex - Live @ Movement Detroit 2014

Sleazy vocals, sexual moans and thumping bass lines heed a round of applause for Maceo Plex’s set at Movement, Detroit. This ghost producer turned multi-persona mac daddy (he also goes by Maetrik and Mariel Ito) delivered the goods and then some with this set. We were lucky enough to catch this set live and, in true Detroit form, Maceo kept the crowd dancing the whole way through with tracks like his own edit of ‘Crossfade’ by GusGus and ‘Conjure Sex.’ A proper techno/electro head, his tough, jackin’ and funky sound permeated through our bodies as each track segued seamlessly into the next. You won’t be able to turn this one off. [Sonali Sen Sharma]

#3 Darkside - Modcast 173

While technically this is a Dave Harrington solo mix, it’s got all the trappings of a Darkside soundscape – complex, versatile, haunting, unexpected, and full of originality. Harrington created two edits specifically for the mix, beginning with his melancholic edit of Nick Drake, and ending with a lounged cover of jazz guitarist John Scofield’s ‘Holidays,’ but not before careening between head-down house and techno, uplifting, vocal melodies, slow motion tribal, and David Lynch’s ‘In Heaven (Everything Is Fine)’ from the film Eraserhead. Though we always knew Harrington and Nicolas Jaar were Lynch fans. [Chandler Shortlidge]

#2 John Talabot & Jamie XX - Beats In Space

That Beats in Space, Tim Sweeney’s mercurial weekly offering to the New York airwaves and beyond, would put forth at least one sublime selection of electronica, house and techno in any one period is inarguable. That his curation would bring two artists at the helm of the zeitgeist to do this is purely exciting. That those artists, as singular in sound and visionary in direction as Jamie XX and John Talabot, could produce a two hour selection so impossible to parse is utterly wonderful. Where each man begins his two track turn and where they pass the baton is all but indistinguishable, though what is crystal clear is that this partnership should bear more offspring. But what a beautiful first born. [Jet Geaghan] 

#1 Tale of Us - Live @ Time Warp Mannheim

Berlin-based duo Tale Of Us wowed audiences across the globe with an otherworldly set at Time Warp Mannheim’s 20th anniversary in April. When taking into account all the parts of this equation, it’s no surprise that Karm and Matteo sealed the deal for us, making it to the very top of our list. The duo take the crowd on a dark and winding journey into the Devil’s den and back again with tracks like ‘Again’ by The Drifter and Recondite’s ‘Cleric (Dystopian)’. When not curated correctly, such heavy sets can be exhausting, but if you've ever had the pleasure of witnessing Tale Of Us in the flesh, you know how much energy is packed into each performance. Even if you weren't there on the floor in Mannheim, you can steel feel the energy and tension oozing out of the speakers. [Sonali Sen Sharma]

Listen to Pulse Radio

From Motor City legend Blake Baxter to the mad genius of Stephan Bodzin and Bulgarian's white-hot KiNK, respected German producer and Systematic Records chief Marc Romboy lifts the lid on some of the key collaborative experiences that have made up latest album 'Shades.'

STEPHAN BODZIN

Well, what shall I say? The collaboration with my longtime friend Stephan is for sure the most emotional one.

When we got to know each other in 1994 it was rather a label/artist relation between us. Stephan and Oliver Huntemann released several records on my very first label, which was named ‘Le Petit Prince’.

But in 2004, already 10 years later, we decided to make some music sessions together, and the first session really failed. Nobody ever wants to listen to the, excuse me, ‘crap’ we produced during our first session. Nevertheless we gave it a second try and our first track ever, ‘Luna,’ was born.

Luna is also the name of our collaborative album we released in 2011, but also the name of Stephan´s hilarious wife and my lovely daughter.

This track was what we call Blaupause in German, because many tracks followed, and they were all named after several moons in our solar system. And believe it or not, we have just finished another two tracks called ‘Styx’ and ‘Kerberos,’ which will come out later this year.

KiNK

As far as I remember, the first track of KiNK I played was a tune he did together with Neville Watson in 2007, I guess.

After checking some further tunes of him, I instantly realized that Strahil (Strahil Velchev aka KiNK) was and is something like a soul mate as he loves old school house and techno, but in a contemporary way when it comes to producing this style these days.

It´s funny – when we made a studio appointment for the very first time, we just wanted to meet in order to make a fun acid house jam with our common equipment, but at the end of the week our first EP, ‘Sampledelics Vol. 1,’ was born, which came out on Josh Wink´s Ovum imprint.

It´s always a big pleasure to come to Sofia, not only to make some music, but also to meet his entire family, enjoy the Bulgarian hospitality and hang out with his wonderful girl friend Rachel Row and his polite mum. Check his new album on Stefan Goldmann´s Macro and watch out for his upcoming single on Systematic Recordings later this year.

BAJKA

Actually there is no need to write anything about Bajka. When you hear her distinctive, warm and soulful voice you will probably never forget it again.

I first heard her singing when I bought Beanfield’s ‘Tides,’ especially the Carl Craig remix, which is a classic, I can say. The track I did I did with her, ‘Reciprocity,’ is something very special to me.

It took me a very long time to finalize and release it as it took almost 4 years until I was really happy with the result in order to contribute all my respect to this lady and her voice – but it´s not only the music, it´s also the lyrics, which come from the bottom of my heart.

Very special thanks to my friend Dimitri Andreas who helped me directing the original version and Shield with his crew at Rebirth Records who put all their love and passion into this track.

BLAKE BAXTER

Before I even started to produce my own music in 1992, I bought Blake’s first album on Tresor and was totally blown away. A deep techno groove combined with his recognisable voice and house elements was something completely new to my ears and touched me a lot.

15 years later I bought ‘What Happened?’ at my local record store Flip Side in Düsseldorf and I was like, ‘Oh my god!’

I felt the inner urge to contact Blake and to show him all my respect and enthusiasm about his music. He is one of the techno pioneers who was able to include pure emotion into the music. Not only due to his music but also due to his touching voice and philosophic lyrics which always represent my opinion about the world, music and people, too.”

RODRIGUEZ JR.

So, and here is the fifth person not to forget when I talk about people I love to make music with. Olivier Mateu aka Rodriguez Jr. is not only a wonderful person and friend, he is simply a genius when it comes to making music.

His talent combines the rare mix of passion for techno music and highest knowledge about making music and playing piano and keyboards.

Our work in the studio is always very relaxed, full of mutual respect and good vibes. The story behind our first single ‘Lac de Nivelles’ is a funny one. His studio rooms are situated in Nivelles, a little town not far away from Brussels in Belgium. When we went to my hotel it was raining cats and dogs, it felt like the biggest thunderstorm I ever experienced.

Olivier got stuck with his brand new SUV in the mud and I followed him with my car. We were really desperate as we thought that his car could not be released, but after a while and a bit of luck, he could drive his very dirty SUV again.

Afterwards we produced ‘Lac de Nivelles’ and it had something magical due to the circumstances of this night I cannot really express with my own words. But it will always stay in my heart.

Marc Romboy’s ‘Shades’ is out now on Systematic Recordings.

Buy it here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/shades/id816360720

Highly regarded as one of the best acts in the country PHFAT will be touring the South Africa with their “The Up From Down Under Tour”. PH Fats music is heavily influenced by electronic sounds and it has seen them perform across a plethora of venues, festivals and parties. You simply cannot confine PH Fat’s sound; there are one of the most versatile and forward thinking groups out there.



Recently touching down from their Australian tour, PHFat have not chosen to sit back and count their pennies, instead they will embark on a mammoth tour of South Africa. The release of their latest single “Lights Out “which features Jung Frued ( Nonku), turned out to be their biggest offering yet, the single has already seen over 75 000 plays and 8000 downloads and 2200 people clicking teh heart icon on Soundcloud. Lights Out is a smash hit that has been aired on 15 of the county’s top Radio Stations. With another single on the horizon and their next album due on 2015, PHFAT are setting a new benchmark when it comes to the music industry.



With regards to the South African tour Smooth Mike, one half of PHFat said “It was kiff visiting that place near the bottom of the earth and to make kiff new friends, but now we want to see our old friends and have a kiff time with them also. Plus we've never told anyone this, but once a year we like to take holiday up the East Coast and call it a tour so our manager thinks we're working," The tour will begin on the Fourth of July and in Centurion and End of the 8th of August at Oppikoppi on the main stage. So make sure not to miss it PHFAT is coming to a city near you.

Listen to Pulse Radio 

Jamie Jones' Paradise sees another new addition to our weekly clubbing calendar, this time on Wednesdays at DC-10. Jamie Jones and his Hot Creations crew have carried on growing at a fast rate and 2014's A Tribe Called Paradise sees them looking to step things up a notch with a series of eye-popping line ups with some of Ibiza biggest hitters.

Arriving at DC-10 at around 1am, I headed straight for the Terrace where legendary house master Derrick Carter was holding it down.

Displaying his true veteran credentials, the Chicago man bounced through a set of jacking house with plenty of rough edge to suit the resonant Terrace. Warming the room up, Carter delivered classic bumping house tracks with chopped up vocals cutting through the mix and piano keys chiming delicately as Sven Vath casually surveyed the scene from the side of the DJ booth.

Over in the main room, the eclecticism of Paradise’s bookings was evident with Michael Mayer and his brand of dark rugged techno and house offerings.

As all new sharp, angular lasers shot across the room, Mayer took the room deep, switching between etherial, trance-like melodies and raw, head banging techno with consummate ease, creating peaks and troughs that translated perfectly to the cave-like surroundings of the DC-10 Main Room.

From there, tripped out and creepy melodic elements gave way to break downs that morphed into the hard thud of the four-four kick drums, eliciting bass faces from many. It was an inspired set by the German selector, encapsulating the DC-10 vibe perfectly.

Far removed from the stripped back feel of Mondays, Paradise has stepped up its game once again, with all new zig-zag pattern lights adorning the Terrace ceiling, and a brand new screen lighting up the DJ booth in that room, where Lawler had picked up party spirits, pumping out his brand of bass line heavy house music.

Lawler really had the crowd in the palm of his hand as he got into the swing of things. This was the second time I had seen him play this season and both times he has had the crowd in ecstatic fits of excitement, arms aloft and waving as each chunky drop pulsed through the dance floor.

The VIVa boss kept building towards big crescendos, dropping in huge thudding low-ends, one of which gave us the unmistakably chunky bass line wtih Patrick Topping's ‘Stop’. This then morphed into frantic acid, as Lawler continued to stretch the crowd. The atmosphere became very much like that at VIVa Warriors, but in a much larger setting, and by now, the unique vibe of partying at DC-10 had finally been captured.

Jamie Jones then stepped up to close the Terrace at 4am, delivering what we have come to expect from one of the underground's most notorious selectors  – throbbing bass lines, stripped back cuts, and raw house music, providing the soundtrack as he bounces behind the decks.

Jamie is obviously no stranger to DC-10, and his opening party set saw him in fine form. Always serving the perfect selections for the most hedonistic hours of the night, Jones guided us from murky deep beginnings to straight-up raw grooves with style.

One of the most exciting things about this year's Paradise is the devastatingly large, diverse, forward-thinking line-ups. Jamie Jones and his crew have got obviously got the Ibiza big guns coming in, but they have also searched far and wide for a range of talent that aren’t regular figures on the White Isle.

We know we'll be heading back. 

Listen Jamie Jones on Pulse Radio.

Space Ibiza will be celebrating 25 years on the White Isle with a huge open-air bash on 13th July. A stellar line-up has been confirmed including the likes of Fatboy Slim, Carl Craig and Layo & Bushwacka.

Space Ibiza's famous car park - normally only reserved for opening and closing parties - will be open to mark the special occasion with Erick Morillo playing a 4-hour set exclusive to Ibiza, with Space mainstay Shaun Reeves also appearing, along with Radio 1’s Annie Mac, Detroit’s Jimmy Edgar, Russian techno queen Nina Kraviz, Defected man Nick Curly, German brothers Tiefshwarz, a live set from Tensnake, and a special back-to-back set from Skream and Route 94.

There will also be a nod to the DJs who have helped lay the foundation of the Balearic sound with José Padilla, DJ Alfredo, César de Melero and Jose de Divina set to appear. Watch the teaser video below.

Surprise guests are also set to be announced before the event kicks off at 4.30pm on Sunday 13th July.

Listen to Fatboy Slim on Pulse Radio.

Given Marc Houle’s relationship with the techno havens of Detroit and Berlin, it’s no wonder he’s became so hugely involved in the electronic music scene.

The Berlin-based Canadian producer initially made a name for himself producing a string of albums on Richie Hawtin’s label M_nus imprint, becoming a central part of the M_nus family alongside artists like Magda and Richie himself.

Eventually founding the highly lauded Items & Things label with Magda and Troy Pierce, Marc has just released his new album ‘Cola Party’ and will be appearing at Space Ibiza for ENTER. on 17th July, so we took the opportunity to have a chat with Marc and get the lowdown on early warehouse raves in Detroit, Richie Hawtin’s guru status and the new LP.

Did growing up so close to Detroit have a big effect on your relationship with music? Yeah, I was from Windsor, right across the border from Detroit. So we grew up with Detroit radio, which I learned later on is super special and unique.

It influenced all of us – everyone who lived there. We grew up listening to weird experimental electronic music that no one else in America or Canada really grew up with, so we were very fortunate. We also had the whole booty music thing going on, so it really impacted us. Then every weekend we would go to Detroit for techno parties and dance all weekend long.

We’d get a flyer, go to some party in downtown Detroit in a warehouse, roll down our window and try to find out where it was – listening out for the kick drum and stuff like that. It was a special world and again I found out later that it was unique to Detroit at that time. All of us who went were really fortunate to be part of that weird techno scene. It was rudimentary, but very cool and very raw.

Richie Hawtin is from the same area as you – did he influence you in getting into production and electronic music? Yeah, not directly, but he was like the guru who lived in Windsor. We all knew he had a lot of synths and stuff so what we would do was go to pawn shops in Detroit looking for 808s [Roland TR-808 Drum Machines] for $50, because back then you could still find gear really cheap. You’d come back with some weird drum machine that you’d never heard of, and you couldn’t Google it back then, so I’d see Rich (Hawtin), pull over, and ask Rich about it.

He’d say, “Oh yeah, that’s the LinnDrum, you can hook this up to that, and you can do this with that!”,

So he was our synthesiser guru kind of guy. He was travelling at that time though so we didn’t see him too often, not often enough.

So when did it come to moving to Berlin? When my first record came out I really didn’t realise that it had an impact in Europe – people had been listening to it and playing it. I was just in my own North American bubble, just happy making music and Rich said, “Hey Marc, do you want to come to Berlin and play a show?” So I flew over and it was insane. I’d never seen anything like that and I’d never seen parties like that.

We had a lot of people partying in Detroit, but not the way they were doing it here in Berlin. After my show he said, “If you want to play more gigs, I can get you more,” so I called home and told them I wasn’t coming back and I pretty much kept going from there!

What makes Berlin so unique? Growing up in North America, it’s very restricted. If you have beer 10 metres away from the door the police will come, it’s ridiculous. The clubs close early, at 1am or 2am. Then you come to Berlin and there’s freedom – you can drink on the streets, just don’t be stupid, and you can party all weekend long, just don’t be stupid.

You don’t have binge drinkers and fights, it’s so much more relaxed and everyone is professional. They’ve been practicing their whole lives to party so when you go to parties here there’s debauchery, but in a graceful sort of way. I think limits on drinking and closing times are a really big thing.

Moving onto your music – you only play live as opposed to DJing. Is this just a result of you being a producer predominantly? It’s a whole different mentality I think. To want to DJ is a different way of thinking. I don’t want to go on stage and play other people’s songs, it’s weird for me. I don’t look down upon DJs, but it’s not something I would like to do. I like playing music, I like making my own music, and to me, my music is my favourite music.

Obviously I choose my favourite sounds, so when I’m on stage, I know my songs better than anyone else. I know what goes with what and I can present it in a way that no one else could. So to me, it’s fun, exciting and it gives me energy. I grew up playing in bands and I was a drummer for 15 years so I love playing music, picking up stuff and playing it on stage.

You have a lot of albums worth of material – can you improvise in your sets or do you always have a set planned beforehand? I never have anything set. I don’t really like to play too much from my old albums, only because I know them so well. I’m lucky that I’ve spent so much time in the studio, and I have for the last 15 years, that I have thousands of tracks to play. So when I’m on stage it’s fun to go through some tracks that maybe I don’t even know and I might mix them with some other stuff, so it’s a discovery thing.

Also, every time you play to a crowd it’s a different type of crowd who want different types of music. You can’t just show up with a set bunch of songs you’re going to play because you don’t know what they want. Maybe they’re going to want hard dark techno as opposed to light beach house kind of music.

I like to be prepared to go wherever they want. You don’t really know until you start playing what they react to. It’s fun. I need the people there, I need them to react and I need them to guide me. I make suggestions, but then I need the confirmation, then I can go from there and take it further and further.

Minimal techno became hugely popular during the mid-2000s – how do you think your sound has developed over the years? Well, I don’t ever consider myself as minimal techno. If you listen to some of my stuff, some songs are minimal, but the overall style is not minimal at all.

I’ve felt like I don’t really fit in that whole minimal world even though I was on M_nus and everything. I always consider myself making somewhere between Chicago house, Detroit techno and some new wave and video games, I guess. To me it was never minimal and I still make pretty much the same stuff now.

You were obviously a big part of M_nus and you parted ways a few years ago to set up Items & Things. What was the thinking behind this? Well, it was just a matter of me starting to make more music and when I first joined M_nus there was no M_nus sound or anything, it was pretty open.

So I was making songs, having fun, making tracks, making albums, but then there started to be this M_nus sound which became bigger and bigger. I found myself not really being a part of that M_nus sound and I started making tracks to fit that sound, as opposed to me making whatever I wanted. I felt the only way to get out of that shadow was to break away from M_nus, that way I didn’t have to make any music for anyone or any sound – I could just do whatever I wanted and be more liberal.

Moving onto Ibiza – where did your relationship with the island start? Well, we used to play M_nus parties all the time at Cocoon and Space and stuff and I played at DC-10 a bunch of times when I first went there.

And what do you make of the scene on the island? Well, I think for the past 30 years people have been saying Ibiza’s changing and it’s not like it used to be, but it’s good that it’s not like it used to be. What works stays and what doesn’t work leaves, it’s nice. I like keeping it fresh and excited.

You’re going to be playing ENTER. at Space Ibiza this summer. What do you make of the concept? When Rich first started throwing parties in Detroit, he brought things up to a new level. He started doing super decorations in these warehouses with great sound systems, instead of just mediocre ones, doing lights and spending days setting up the venue and making a mood and atmosphere. Now he’s started doing the same thing in Ibiza. He came along and did ENTER. and he brings things up another level like he did in Detroit.

It’s good, he’s got this whole vision and he walks around and makes sure everything is right. He takes an active part in every aspect of the night so everything has a polish to it. All the other clubs start thinking they have to take it up a notch too. It’s good for everyone. It forces everyone to put the extra work in.

ENTER. has a strong visual element – would you ever add visual elements to your live sets? I would love to be able to do more visuals, but because of my sets I can’t really plan anything. I think to do a good visual set I would either need a super good video guy coming with me who understood my sound or I would have to pre-plan everything, which I would never want to do.

In the future I want to try and find the mastermind video guy to go with me and help make the night better, but in the meantime I’m just doing audio!

There’s also your new album ‘Cola Party’. Yeah, it’s just been released. I was kind of worried because it’s not a concept album, but people like it and I’m getting good feedback. I’m relaxed now. For the last couple of years people have been categorising me and pigeonholing me and saying I make certain kinds of music or that I make ‘bleep’ music or that I’m ‘too techno’ or I’m ‘too minimal’.

That’s not my style and that’s not who I am so I thought I’d put an album out that reflects all aspects of my sound – some house, some techno, some minimal, some new wave stuff, and put it all on one record to represent my sound. That was the goal of the album – to say “hey, this is my range”. I kept it fun so it’s all party music – that was the goal.

People are coming up to me and saying they like the house tracks on there or others are saying they like the techno tracks, so that’s good, that’s what I wanted. For me making albums is fine, I love playing in the studio, it’s like video games to me – I could do it all day, every day, and I do.

Since I’m always experimenting, I’ll get a guitar and I’ll make 30 songs with the guitar and then that’ll be a certain sound. Then I’ll get a new piece of gear and that’s a new sound. As long as you make a whole bunch of songs you can hear when you get different influences and you can hear when you get a new piece of gear because that creates a mood.

The next project I’m doing is going to be dark and moody like ‘Drift’. I’m going to take a step back from the party album and do a serious theme album again. It’s going to be dark turn-the-lights-off kind of music.

Listen to Marc Houlse on Pulse Radio.

Each month (we hope) Melbourne DJ and Onelove affiliate Tyson 'Generik' O'Brien will take you inside his never ending #tourofcool. Expect frothing dancefloors, hangovers, house music, orange Bacardi breezers and sprouterz...whatever the hell they are.

Hey Pulse, sorry my article is late but I kept having too many mid-week benders and I was wasted.

Yo guys! I’m Tyson from Melbourne but my Facebook friends call me Generik. I’m going to be giving you a monthly insight into my weird, wonderful and wasted life. Anyway, let me take you back a couple of weeks to the long weekend.

The week began as normal, running an hour or so late for work at Onelove HQ. As I work through the week I always find myself looking forward to the weekend ahead and my run of DJ gigs. Friday night I played at Seven Nightclub in Melbourne for an Asian night and it was a fucking blast. It seems that with growth of that dirty word ‘EDM’ that more and more kids, ravers, and even suits, are getting down on the dance floor - and that has to be a good thing right? I know this must seem a little controversial but in the past most Asian nightclubs have been heavily based around RnB, so the dramatic shift into the dance world is pretty amazing. I’ll tell you what though, the funniest part was walking out of the club at 3am and seeing a few kids on their hands and knees spewing their shots up. You stay classy, Melbourne!

Poof Doof, ‘A Gay Club For Homos,’ was my Saturday night. I’m going to call it right now: Best club in Melbourne. I’m straight, though given my current look you could be forgiven for thinking I like the dudes. Seriously though, Poof Doof is rocking. It’s a proper gay club full of tops-off blokes, drag queens and fag hags dancing all night to house music. The vibe that promoters Hockers and Michael Delaney have created at the doof is next level.

I started at 2am played till 4am…my shirt came off at about 5am. Eventually when I dragged (no pun intended) myself out at around 6:30am, I was so surprised at how on point the crowd was. Call me ignorant, but I didn’t expect a club full of shirtless dudes to be frothin’ hard on Patrick Topping, Shiba San, Motez and Dusky. I’ve got a semi just thinking about my next show there.

Sunday was spent hungover, eating a shit load of food and organising new music for a set with the crazy lads from Peking Duk down in Geelong at Eureka club. For those playing at home, Geelong is about an hours drive from Melbourne. Geelong crowds are always up for it and with Peking Duk having sold out their solo shows all around the country, they were in for a treat.

When I hit the decks at 1am the club was at capacity, it was heaving. Playing for an hour was great; I got to hit the turbo button, mix quickly and play some new jams which I’d just got from Astronomar, Burns and Motez. Running late as always, the Duk boys joined me on stage just in time for Darude’s ‘Sandstorm’ (an oldie but a f***ing goodie!). With all the ‘sprouterz’ going mental, Adam and Reuben went in hard, getting super sweaty and drinking way more than what is humanly possible (FYI – ‘sprouterz’ are young girls who completely froth on music / DJs / the scene and basically want to get into Flume’s pants). Another weekend done and dusted!



Last week I flew to Sydney for a bit of Motorik action and then played Pacha Sydney at ivy. A few mini bar bottles in my hotel room and an instagram video later it was time to head out for a night of power drinking, dancing and techno.

Kicking off at The Passage, the A-Team of degenerates started to assemble which is always a dangerous thing. By the stroke of midnight we were well and truly in techno-mode so Jensen Interceptor and I jumped in a cab and headed out to The Imperial Hotel in Erskineville for the Motorik party. When we walked in Beni had the place jamming, the Cherokee Indian dressed girls were grooving and the Café Patron was flowing. Whilst peaking off my tits I came up with the brilliant idea that Bacardi Breezers (orange flavour) would be the only thing that could get me through the night. Needless to say with its high sugar content, drinkability and my orange tongue, the trend had been set. New drink of choice people, get involved!

Little to no sleep is a great idea when you’ve got a big gig at Pacha Sydney. There was no choice but to go to the pub, watch a game of AFL and get blind on a few schooners, middies and…and my new orange drink of choice. The boozy afternoon turns into pre drinks for Pacha. The line is huge, the vibe is alive, I’ve got the new Calvin Harris record on my SD card and I’m wearing white jeans, I’m ready.

Dancers, fire twirlers, vodka bottles, dancers, Co2, flames, smoke, more vodka… what more could you possibly need? Say what you want about the ivy, but f*** me that venue is amazing and the crowd is well and truly up for a wild night.

Flying home hungover sucks, seriously. I love Sydney - but don’t tell Melbourne that.

Anyway, peace out! Until next time I get around to doing this. Love and flowers, Tyson & his best mate, Generik.

#tourofcool

Listen to Pulse Radio

I was adorned in black from head to toe, and as far as I was concerned, I was ready to join Richie Hawtin’s army of black-clad techno heads at Space Ibiza for the first ENTER. of 2014.

This was my first experience of ENTER. so I was particularly intrigued about the bespoke nature of the party and its strong concept and theme driven ideas. I was immediately struck by the Asian décor in what is usually known as the Sunset Terrace – as Marc Houle said, "forward thinking ideas like this only stand to make the island a better experience for everyone."

I arrived just as Richie was finishing up his set at ENTER.Sake with some deep cuts. Richie then grabbed the mic, thanked us for being there and said, “It’s going to be a long night and a long day tomorrow.” It turned out Richie was quite right.

Once it hit midnight and ENTER.Main opened up, the room filled in the blink of an eye, as people clamoured to see the techno wizard Recondite and his compelling live set.

The German provided the perfect way to warm up the crowd with stripped back and down-tempo techno tracks that he recreated on the fly, with each twist and flick of the knob on his machines conjuring up new bursts of sound that pulsated through the vast room.

ENTER.Main was very true to the minimalistic aesthetic of the party, and ENTER.’s famous dot motif could be found everywhere, with either side of the DJ booth featuring circular light rings which dancers immersed themselves in. 

Recondite’s set was a master class in slowly building ominous techno sounds, worming minimalist mentality into our brains, climaxing towards an almost trance-like state with the darkly euphoric sounds of ‘Cleric’, ‘DRGN 2’ and ‘Fiery’.

By this time ENTER.Main was packed full of black T-shirt wearers, however there was always going to be some ultra-non-conformist wearing fluorescent yellow from head to toe and sporting a fetching glow stick headpiece.

Once Recondite had completed his set Paco Osuna launched right into his growling set of techno – it was no messing about, just straight-up weapons for the dance floor from the off. Osuna was literally banging out the hard dark sounds coupled with groovy shuffling rhythms that seep into your subconscious and get your limbs working freely.

Taking my first stroll over to ENTER.Terrace, again I could see the strong aesthetic the party prides itself on, with black sheets draped from the ceiling and black dots encompassing the entire wall behind the DJ. Ida Engberg was treating us to a series of house and techno that served nicely to whet the appetite for the rest of the evening. ENTER.Terrace was fit to burst by the time Ida’s set came to a close, with Bicep’s ‘NRG106’ and its warm blanket of synths that envelop you.

The sense of anticipation for the next two men was so incredibly palpable in the Terrace and the atmosphere really had a spark to it. For me, what’s so exciting about Tale Of Us is their unique and intense brand of techno which often incorporates huge melodic break downs and almost cinematic elements.

The duo built their set with waves of intensity that almost mesmerised me on the dance floor, before dropping the heavy-hitting are back in full force. They would tease the partygoers by dropping the volume right down now and letting them yearn for that bass line for a few seconds longer than you’d expect, before laying it back down with nothing, but conviction.

However, it didn’t take long for the duo to slip into what may have seemed like a bit of a routine. While it certainly did the trick, keeping the floor moving for the duration, one couldn’t help but feel slightly underwhelmed.

After all, there’s no shortage of rhythm based techno DJs to spend your money on, though none of whom could have reworked melodic master Mano Le Tough’s ‘Primitive People’ quite so perfectly.

One can’t help but wonder – for a duo who truly made their mark on dance music through genre altering productions crafted in solitude, has touring – and keeping copious dance floors happy – changed something in the duo?

Back in ENTER.Main Paco Osuna was still pounding away with his dark techno and house grooves, even throwing in a rework of ‘Bigger Than Prince’. Hawtin had been due to play at 3.30am, but the main man was fashionably late.

Just after 4am Richie burst into life behind the decks, laying down track after track of raw barebones techno that had the crowd baying for more – he duly obliged with further selections of blistering techno blasting from the Funktion One stacks in ENTER.Main.

It was hot and sweaty, but I just danced through it, enjoying the maximum effect of peak-time hedonism. A blast from the CO2 cannons or a kind member of the crowd cooling me down with a giant fan served as rewards for continuing to dance. Those shared moments with strangers on the dance floor always add that extra feel-good spirit to your night.

Keen to not just settle for the rest of Richie’s set, I headed to the ENTER.Terrace to catch the house and techno don, Maceo Plex. The American added some more grit and toughness to proceedings with his dark futuristic house and techno sounds. Possessing an innate driving groove, Plex continued you to drag the heads-down crowd deeper with menacing and dark selections. As he took me deep into the vibe it felt like being sucked right into the darkness and swallowed by the deep heady future-scapes. Maceo Plex’s futuristic sound is perfectly complimented by ENTER. and the two become a match made in heaven.

There’s something about his sleazy sound that just works a treat on the dance floor. When the Terrace is heaving with bodies and the sound is so loud yet so crystal clear, I don’t believe there are many places on the island that can compare to the Space Terrace.

ENTER. is all about the experience. This was a mind-altering experience.

From there, it was time to head home, fully satisfied. Until next Thursday.

Listen to ENTER. at Space Ibiza on Pulse Radio.  

Monday saw us return to Amnesia for the island’s premier techno party, Cocoon. Many true techno luminaries will grace the decks over the coming season, with a broad spectrum of artists representing the Cocoon name during the summer of huge parties.

Looking at the line-up, there was a diverse range of techno on offer, with Berghain mainstay Marcel Dettmann warming up the crowd in the main room as I wandered through the entrance and was hit by his brand of innately dark sounds.

Dettmann creates vast yet minimal industrial soundscapes, the music pumping from the sound system, at once becoming hypnotic and mesmeric. Picking up on the subtleties plays a huge part in Dettmann’s sets as he builds around raw jagged-edged loops that sound ever so sinister.

A true surprise package was Julien Bracht’s live performance on a makeshift stage at the opposite end to the DJ booth. Having never seen him play before and not knowing much about the young German, I assumed the live set would be a standard live set that we often see from DJs. It quickly became clear that this was not your normal run-of-the-mill live set though.

Bracht stormed through thumping techno and dark atmospheric tracks that he was programming on the fly with a host of machines whilst also playing live percussion on stage to add even more flare and excitement. Bracht performed with such vigour, it truly wore off on me.
Meanwhile Dettmann was finishing up his set with a crescendo of abrasive techno that sucked listeners into a pitch-black techno vortex before throwing you right back out again into the midst of the dance floor.

All about techno to its core, Dettmann finished up with Floorplan’s ‘Never Grow Old’, delivering the classic sound of Detroit. As I watched the German, with his steely focus and understated demeanour, I could hear his seamless mixing as he melded the tracks together with the ease of someone completely at one with the sound of techno. It was awe-inspiring to watch and listen.

As we hit the realm of peak-time abandon the intensity of the main room was full force and another techno giant appeared – this time Swedish Drumcode boss Adam Beyer. The crowd had swelled considerably by the time Beyer stepped up and the main room was bustling and vibrant, creating a spark in the atmosphere.

Beyer’s sound is very different to Marcel Dettmann’s, but both are pounding and raw nonetheless. The Swede handles more groove, with some tracks leaning on the side of tough house music, as opposed to Dettmann’s stripped back approach. Beyer drew us into the heady atmosphere, then pulled us back into tough techno and house leanings as hi-hats rasped, bass lines rumbled and the kicks pumped.

The sensory experience was well and truly catered for as the ice-cold CO2 cannons blasted me, sending a shiver down my spine, the lights flickered and disorientated me and with every glance upwards a Cocoon dancer caught my eye.

On the Terrace Papa Sven was keeping things reasonably deep and slower, with some shuffling rhythms and melancholic melodies, it was a contrasting vibe to the Main Room, which was gripped by peak-time fever.

More relaxed and chilled out, it was good to wander into the Terrace to change things up. Sven slowly lifted the vibe by banging out the progressive style of techno tunes he is so well known for, with heavy swathes of synths, throbbing bass lines and the widescreen cinematic build ups of tension that ignite so much anticipation.

Every time, Sven laps up the anticipation, his arms held aloft as if instructing an orchestra, before ending the moment with the drop of another emotive melody laden techno track.

Though I had itchy feet – it was one of those nights where you just want to be in two places at once. Not wanting to feel like I was missing out on the action in the main room, I bounced over once again and caught the last of Adam Beyer’s set as he proved his credentials as one of the world’s best.

For me, Adam Beyer stole the show with his bumping peak-time techno, the crowd baying for more and getting just what we wanted each time with tracks like ‘Dissolute’ by Paride Saraceni capturing the imagination and smashing the dance floor. Beyer rounded things off suitably with a sleazy cut of bass heavy house and techno which undoubtedly signalled the end of his set.

Not quite ready to go home, I joined the group of revellers making their way over onto the Terrace to watch Sven power through the early hours as the familiar Terrace sight greeted me. I was ready to dance out the last few moments of the early (or is it late?) morning. A lot of Amnesia Terrace sets are often best when the morning light starts to shine in through the windows. Usually clubbers hide away from the light and shield themselves after leaving a dark club and being exposed to broad daylight, but the Amnesia Terrace has its own special charm.

The true partygoers who remained on now sun-drenched Terrace were treated to an early morning selection of trance-inspired techno tracks. By 7am, the whole room was in high spirits, and the atmosphere was both uplifting and hedonistic. With Sven smiling behind the decks and looking relaxed, it had the vibe of an after party.

Sven has an aura about him that is hard to ignore, and it’s a pleasure to watch him spinning vinyl behind the decks like a true master. It can be hard to take your eyes of the legendary selector sometimes as watches the crowd smiling or breaks out his trademark dance with record in hand.

Listen to Marcl Dettmann on Pulse Radio.