In a recent interview, Erick Morillo had several complaints about today's dance music scene.

Along with claims that many big name DJs "aren’t even making their own hit records," Morillo compares laptop DJs to lip-syncing pop stars. 

“Back in the early 1990s everybody would take the p— out of people who didn’t mix and it’d be a train wreck,” Morillo says.

“I couldn’t believe people were getting away with it — it was like murder. When computers came online and people found out people weren’t mixing there was uproar, and outed. But now that hasn’t happened. People don’t seem to care.”

Morillo also has harsh words for pop-star jocks like David Guetta and Calvin Harris, saying, “You go and look at a Calvin show, where he plays all his own records. He is just standing up there kind of doing nothing. It would be great if he put a bit little more oomph into it.”

Though he does think that the recent explosion of dance music in the US is a good thing. “Looking at it now, the DJ truly is a rock star. In the U.K., the were superstars back in the late ’80s. Only now, much later, are DJs viewed as big celebrities.”

You can read the entire interview here. 

[Via NY Daily News]

Listen to Pulse Radio.

Sunday Funk& KITI Housekeepers come together to bring you a unique fusion of house and techno at a newly renovated premium cosmopolitan Venue in the heart of Rosebank - Capital Music Cafe / Niche: SÜBER TÖNE- Sweet Sounds

Upstairs Floor

Craig Massiv
Whitey D’vine
House Knights
Weston & Engine
Shelo
Cody B

Underground Basement

Sound Sensible
Brad S
Metro Ticket
Keren Onay
Renato Rodriguez
Cid Surco

Doors open 8pm
No Under 18's

▶Tickets
Pre-Sale Online (R88) - http://pulseradio.net/events/view/7321
Pre-Sale from promoters (R80) More info to be released
Door (R100) 

Listen to Pulse Radio

Today, Amsterdam Dance Event has announced the first wave of festival acts for 2014. 

Heading into the event's 18th year, the first acts announced include many internationally renowed artists from across house and techno.

So far, artists set to  perform across clubs, warehouses, stadiums, concert halls and theaters across the city include Dave Clarke, Deep Dish, DJ Koze, DVS1, Green Velvet, Henrik Schwarz, Joris Voorn, Laurent Garnier, Maetrik, Maya Jane Coles, Monika Kruse, Mount Kimbie, Nicole Moudaber, Recondite, Rødhåd, Ten Walls and Tom Trago.

Along with the techno and house artists announced, EDM heavyweight Hardwell is also set to perform durring the week, along with dubstep luminaries Chase & Status. 

With over 2,000 acts from across all genres and continents still to be revealed, we'll be sure to keep you updated as information becomes available.

This year's ADE takes place from 15-19 October 2014. For more info, head here.

Listen to Pulse Radio.

Deep in the Woods first launched in November 2013 and is set to take place again on the 4th and 5th of October 2014 at the beautiful Meyers Farm in Alberton. Deep In The Woods is a 2 day event starting at midday on Saturday, going until 10pm and on Sunday from midday until 8pm.

More than ever an event is married to its venue. South Africa is built for day events in the natural outdoors and we can’t think of anything better than sharing in the beauty, intrigue and mystery that surround rolling hills, tall trees and an open field.

Two artists have been announced Josh Butler (Leeds, UK) and Nora en Pure (Switzerland) with more information on the line up to be released soon.

Early bird tickets went on sale on 1 August and are priced at R200 for both Saturday and Sunday.

After early birds are sold out, standard pricing will be R200 per day or R300 for both days.

Deep In The Woods are giving away Promo CD mixes which will be given out with each pre-sale ticket bought until they run out.

Listen to Pulse Radio
 

Most pill poppers spend their teenage years trying to hide their drug taking from their parents. But what if your Dad was having a midlife crisis and decided he wanted to neck E's and party with you and your friends?

This is the scenario presented to the four children of 40-year-old divorced father Scott Meyers of Sacramento in the 2002 HBO documentary 'Small Town Ecstasy'. In the real life film, Scott is introduced to the party drug by his 18-year-old son Craig and the two of them spend their weekends raving and getting loose at house parties. Before too long Scott's youngest son and daughter, who are just 13 and 15, end up joining in.

Following the documentary's release, Scott was arrested and charged with child endangerment. 'Small Town Ecstasy' definitely makes for some pretty messed up viewing, but is also as fascinating as it is controversial.

Listen to Pulse Radio

Deep in the Woods first launched in November 2013 and is set to take place again on the 4th and 5th of October 2014 at the beautiful Meyers Farm in Alberton. Deep In The Woods is a 2 day event starting at midday on Saturday, going until 10pm and on Sunday from midday until 8pm.

More than ever an event is married to its venue. South Africa is built for day events in the natural outdoors and we can’t think of anything better than sharing in the beauty, intrigue and mystery that surround rolling hills, tall trees and an open field.

Two artists have been announced Josh Butler (Leeds, UK) and Nora en Pure (Switzerland) with more information on the line up to be released soon.

Early bird tickets went on sale on 1 August and are priced at R200 for both Saturday and Sunday.

After early birds are sold out, standard pricing will be R200 per day or R300 for both days.

Deep In The Woods are giving away Promo CD mixes which will be given out with each pre-sale ticket bought until they run out.

Listen to Pulse Radio
 

Africa’s most iconic daytime dance-fest has confirmed globally acclaimed Egyptian superstar DJ duo Aly & Fila to headline this year’s H2O Africa - Animal Instincts SPCA Fundraiser taking place on Saturday the 11th of October at Wild Waters in Boksburg, Johannesburg.  

Bristol's Just Jack return for another Halloween spectacle in 2014. 

Taking over the infamous Motion Skate Park on 1 November, Just Jack have invited the likes of Âme, Mano Le Tough, Head High(Shed) and Delano Smith for the bash, along with live shows from Paranoid London and Monsieur Georget.

Revelers can also expect performing monkeys, rabbit ballerina's, fortune tellers, stilt walkers, fire shows, The Sordid Cinema, and Club Tropicana, and will be expected to arrive in circus freak or zombie chic fancy dress.

A portion of the proceeds will go to support War Child. For more info, visit  www.warchild.org.uk. 

Halloween Freak Boutique takes place 1 November 2014. For more info, click here.

Listen to Pulse Radio.

Solomun
GU40: Hamburg
Global Underground

7.5/10.0

Global Underground’s City series was launched in 1996 and went on to become one of the most seminal mix series in dance music, with enormous names contributing mixes such as Sasha, Paul Oakenfold, John Digweed and Deep Dish taking part. After a 4-year hiatus, Global Underground has returned to the scene with Hamburg’s Solomun for its 40th edition.

On the first CD, Solomun explores alternative electronic soundscapes, creating an atmospheric opening, which morphs into ethereal vocals fluttering above a foundation of warm synths and stuttering percussion.

Echoing and towering sounds give the mix huge space as the journey meanders through relaxed tracks full of Solomun’s distinct melodic flair. Solomun and Diynamic have a close relationship with dreamy melodies and vocals, and this mix showcases those obvious influences, minus the dance floor sensibility.

Slowly the pace builds, with more four-four rhythms subtly underlying the music. One of the stand out moments comes on the 30 minute mark when Solomun draws on Jonas Mantey’s ‘Sie Ist Schön’ – a track of hair-raising proportions featuring a huge cinematic breakdown of melancholic strings underpinned by simple house percussion. Many may also recognise the wistful, stuttering R&B of Jai Paul’s ‘Jasmine’ towards the end of the mix.

The rambling pace is refreshing as the peaks, troughs and slow crescendos truly create a sense of tension and emotion in these selections.

The second CD sees Solomun focusing on the dance floor, kicking off with trippy vocals, wild synth arpeggios and a decidedly driving tone overall. Chunky synths are very much the order of the day as Solomun plunges us into a deep wild journey. The atmosphere of CD 1 is still very evident, but the percussion is more forceful, as you’d expect for something aimed at the floor.

The second half of the second disk then strays into somewhat unusual territory, with tracks such as Alter Ego’s ‘Gary’ – its abrasive electro synths and broken percussion providing more aural surprises.

The first CD edges it for me, showing Solomun’s love for swelling emotion. The mood curated with the mix is awash with sweet melody and the effortless atmospheres that Solomun can create. In contrast, the second CD is about his typical, more straightforward club sound, and lacks any real boundary pushing elements.

The Global Underground mix series were hugely influential, often seminal releases. The CDs are even sold for high prices these days, proving just how popular they were in their heyday. However, it remains to be seen whether the mixes will have the same kind of impact they did 15 years ago. With countless mixes available at the click of a button, the value of the compilation is certainly not what it once was.

It will be interesting to see the impact Solomun’s effort has, and subsequently, how any future Global Underground mixes stand amongst the musical buffet available today.

Tracklist
CD1
1. Christian Loffler ­ Blind (KI Records)
2. Mooryc ­ Simply (Mo's Ferry Productions)
3. Sevensol & Bender ­ Captain Trollig (Kann Records)
4. Avatism ­ Different Spaces (Vakant)
5. Lake People ­ Point in Time (Krakatau Records)
6. Pional ­ It's All Over (Hivem Discs)
7. Jonas Mantey ­ Sie Ist Schoen (Stil Vor Talent)
8. Bonobo ­ Cirrus (Ninja Tune)
9. DJ Phono ­ New Year Eve (Diynamic)
10. Animal Trainer ­ Dragon Games (Katermukke)
11. Superpitcher ­ Heroin (Kompakt)
12. Broken Bells ­ Holding On For Life ­ Solomun Remix (Sony UK)
13. PLANNINGTOROCK ­ Let's Talk About Gender (PlanningToRock)
14. Jai Paul ­ Jasmine 15 SOHN ­ The Wheel

CD2
1. Margot ­ Voice Chord (Kill The DJ)
2. Oliver Huntemann ­ Schatten (Ideal Audio)
3. Solomun ­ Medea (Diynamic)
4. Sossa ­ Moog (Chronovision Ibiza)
5. Manuelle Musik & Steffen Sonnenschein ­ Adonis (Miteinander
Musik)
6. Daniel Avery ­ Naive Response (Because Music)
7. Oliver Giacomotto ­ Lovin Berlin (Definitive Recordings)
8. Karl Friedrich ­ Claps (Hommage)
9. Audiojack ­ Machine Code (Gruuv)
10. Fango ­ Wek (Despejado Mix) Degustibus
11. Radio Slave ­ My Bleep (Roman Fluegel Mix) (Rekids)
12. Voiski ­ Ad Infinitum (Construct Reform Records)
13. The Rice Twins ­ For Penny & Alexis (Kompakt)
14. Alter Ego ­ Gary (Boys Club Mix) (Alter Ego)
15. Ada ­ BUM BUM (Areal)

Listen to Pulse Radio.

Pacha Sydney has gained a reputation for consistently bringing some of the most exciting local and international acts in dance music to the city's premier venue ivy, so it's no wonder they wound up at the #15 spot in our 20 Must-Do Parties Before You Die and won favourite club night in Sydney at this year's inthemix Awards.

The club night has lined up another impressive roster of names of August, bringing the dancefloor heat during the last winter month. Check them out below.

Listen to Pulse Radio

Boutique Sydney festival Outsidein is returning for a third year this November and has announced the first round of international and local acts including 90s hip-hop royalty The Pharcyde, celebrated German techno producer Pantha Du Prince, Sydney electronic trio Seekae and more.

Going down on Saturday November 29th, this year Outsidein is set to move venues from its old home of The Factory Theatre to "three perfectly curated arenas" at Sydney University's Manning House complex.

Check out the first announcement below. A second round lineup is still on the cards which will include the festival's headline act. Early bird tickets go on sale Friday 8th August for $70+BF followed by General admission for $80+BF from www.oztix.com.au.

Listen to Pulse Radio

The Electronic Music Conference has announced details surrounding its 2014 edition.

The annual Sydney event is set to take place across two days and nights on December 2nd-4th, and will be making the move from Carriageworks in Eveleigh to multiple venues in Kings Cross and Darlinghurst.

“For decades Kings Cross and Darlinghurst has been the beating heart of Sydney nightlife,” said EMC founder Neil Ackland, “and our goal is for EMC to play an important role in shining a positive light on the area’s many great music venues, hotels, bars and restaurants."

"We make no secret that EMC aims to become the Asia-Pacific equivalent of international events like Amsterdam Dance Event and Miami Music Week. A key formula in all of their success is building the event around a localised entertainment precinct. When we looked at where in Sydney we could emulate this formula, there was really only one choice, Kings Cross.”

EMC 2014 will be held at two key venues; the EMC Keynote Hall at the recently renovated Eternity Playhouse Theatre and the EMC Hub across all five levels of the Kings Cross Hotel. Attendees can expect a schedule of panels, talks, masterclasses, round-table discussions and parties.

Listen to Pulse Radio

Clouds are 21 and 22 year old Scots Calum Macleod and Liam Robertson who are a part of Tiga's core of young 'New Jack Techno' artists for his Turbo Recordings imprint. With a sound that has seen steady development from frenzied bangers to subtle, inventive techno, they have garnered huge support from heavyweights like Richie Hawtin, The Chemical Brothers, Marcel Dettmann, Michael Mayer and Sven Vath just to name a few.

Ahead of their gigs in Melbourne and Sydney this weekend, we asked the fellas to share with us their current top five techno cuts. Here we go...

1. I-F - 'I Do Because I Couldn't Care Less'

Crunchy full drums on this one. and that synth line to boot.

2. Randomer - 'Huh'

Randomer is unstoppable just now. Always held this guy in high regard but he has stormed ahead. This tune is from his L.I.E.S EP and kills it every time. 

3. Analog Cops - 'Do It Forever'

Love the vocal in this one. A lot of soul in this muddy stepper.

Spectre (KILLEKILL 018) by Eomac

4. Eomac - 'SU Riddim'

1/2 of the genius Lakker Eomac's solo LP came out this year and we absolutely loved it. This is one of the stand out tunes for us.

5. No Face Renegade - 'Sounds of Torquay'

Met this guy a while back and started swapping tunes. He goes quiet for a couple months but then out of nowhere he pops up with a screamer.

Clouds 2014 Aussie Tour Dates
08.08.14 - stranger @ Brown Alley, Melbourne
09.08.14 - Chinese Laundry, Sydney

Listen to Pulse Radio

Twilight Open Air Festival V6.0 have announced their first international none other than the retiurn to our shores of Spain's Psytrance behemoths Mekkanikka. The Hornbill Lodge in Magaliesburg is set to host the 6th edition of this underground dance event.

V5.0 hosted such acts as Talp, The Riddler and Nymfo and was a wild success, this V6.0 two day event in the beautiful settings of Magaliesburg looks set to deliver and even improve on from their already successful and quality event.

This is what happened last year:

Mekkanikka is the psy trance project of Nicolas Oesch aka Nikka, who has been perfecting  his production skills for many years in order to achieve a specific sound, instantly recognizable on the dance floor. Nikka has been engaged in the trance scene for the past 15 years, from party goer at first, to producing one of the finest psy trance out there. His music has been greatly influenced by all is travels, tours and parties around the earth. Ranging from 140 to 145 BPM, his music is charged with energy, strong rolling Kick and bass,infectious rhythmic, spiraling melodies and of course, straight psychedelic sounds,  that will keep you dancing until exhaustion.

Keep your eyes peeled for more international acts to be announced here soon.

Listen to Pulse Radio

Black Coffee Remixes Avicii's Lay Me Down. This is the fifth single from Avicii's debut album True. Smooth and uplifting, this mix (more of a rework) has all the Black Coffee Afro-House trademark drums and beautiful builds. One word: Gorgeous. Soulistic Records have South Africa's finest dance export at their disposal. 

Listen to Pulse Radio

Soul Candi caught up with break legend Kid Fonque who talks about his love of acid jazz, hip hop and all things weird. He covers his journey to how he got into DJ'ing and what his background was in the industry and what it takes to be successful in the music industry, following your passion and staying true to yourself. He talks about what to expect when coming to see him play and the fact that he crosses multi genres as good music is good music no matter what genre it is. 

Watch the video to get into the mind of one of South Africas more forward thinking DJ's. 

Listen to Pulse Radio

Black Coffee remixes Avicii's Lay Me Down. This is the fifth single from Avicii's debut album True. Smooth and uplifting, this mix (more of a rework) has all the Black Coffee afro-house trademark drums and beautiful builds. One word: Power! Soulistic Records have South Africa's finest dance export at their disposal, as Black Coffee clearly has the ability to walk between the rain drops appealing to both mainstream and underground crowds,while defining it with his own unique signature. Raise Nathi! Raise!

 Black Coffee Version:

Avicii Version:

Which version do you prefer?

Listen to Black Coffee on Pulse Radio

London-based Tom Demac joins a heavy hitting line-up for this month's Freeze double-header.

On August 23rd, Liverpool's Freeze is heading to two venues for a 17-hour day to night party. Headlining the day party at Bombed Out Church is John Digweed, playing a daytime set, along with Mindshake boss Paco Osuna and Henry Saiz, who'll be playing his tripped out brand of house with a live band.

From there, the party heads to The Garage at 10pm, where party goers will be treated to a live set from Drumcode and Hypercolour regular Tom Demac, along wtih a DJ set from Saiz and a second show from Paco Osuna to finish things off.

Tickets are limited to 500 for this event. For more info, head to www.clubfreeze.co.uk

Listen to Pulse Radio.

Resident Advisor will be cycling to Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) alongside artists including, Midland, Jeremy Underground Paris, Chris Liebing, Giles Smith, UNER & Olaf Boswijk (Trouw) with an aim to raise €100,000 for Bridges For Music to help build a music school in the township of Langa, South Africa. 

All funds donated to the Resident Advisor cycle will go directly to the Bridges For Music Langa Township Music School project. Resident Advisor will be covering all the logistical costs associated with the cycle for every rider, ensuring that 100% of every donation raised will go directly towards building the school. 

Artists involved are: Midland, Jeremy Underground Paris, Chris Liebing, Giles Smith, UNER, Olaf Boswijk (Trouw). Resident Advisor will be supported by a number of project partners who are donating time, money and cyclists to the cause, these include ADE, SONOS and NATIVE INSTRUMENTS. 

You can donate to this amazing and worthy cause by following this link: ra.believe.in/fundraising/resident-advisor/

Listen to Pulse Radio