Two of techno's biggest names; Marcel Dettmann and Chris Liebing have announced a series of dates in Ibiza this year, which will see the German techno heros playing eleven dates between them this summer.

Fresh from the success of his set at the Amnesia opening party earlier this month, Dettmann has confirmed seven shows that will see him play for super-brands such as Cocoon, Enter, Used And Abused at Ushuaia and DC-10 between July and September.

Liebing will be jetting to the White Isle on June 24th to begin a four date residency at Sven Vath's Monday night Cocoon parties at Amnesia, which are now celebrating their 14th year in the game, where he will be playing once in July and twice in August.

Check out the full list of dates below.

Marcel Dettmann
Thursday, 4 July Used & Abused @ Usuhaia
Monday, 15 July Cocoon @ Amnesia
29.07.2013 DC10
Monday, 29 July ENTER. @ Space
Monday, 9 September Cocoon @ Amnesia
Thursday, 26 September ENTER.Sake @ Space
Monday, 7 October DC10 Closing

Chris Liebing at Cocoon
Monday, 24 June
Monday, 8 July
Monday, 5 August
Monday, 26 August

Listen to Marcel Detttmann and Chris Liebing on Pulse Radio. 

Influential Texan electronic music maker Matthew Dear has hinted that he has some new Audion material in the pipeline which may be released this year.

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Dear took to Facebook to say “I have been working in the studio since January of this year. Loops, tracks, songs and sounds have been amassing themselves onto my hard-disks and slowly taking shape into what will be the next Audion album. In May of this year I performed live as Audion at Detroit's Movement Festival. It was the first time I'd played as Audion in about three years. It was a great opportunity to test drive the new material, and play a couple of tried and true numbers.”

Dear released prolifically as Audion (which showcasing the harder edge of his productions) from 2004 – 2010, when he stopped making tracks and performing under the alias, until the recent performance at Movement festival earlier this year, where he played under the moniker. Undoubtedly, the possibility of new Audion material will have many fans overcome with excitement, as are we. Until more information comes out, we'll be digging out all our old Audion cuts in preparation.

Listen to Matthew Dear on Pulse Radio. 

Everybody is on Vine...right? Well your favourite DJs certainly are, and they've got a lot more time to get good at it than you do. With countless hours spent in hotel rooms and airport waiting lounges, these guys have gotten pretty creative with their six seconds.

We've put together a selection of some of our favourite vine posts by some of the biggest names in the Vine game including Justin Martin, Artwork (Magnetic Man) and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. Justin Martin is hands down the cream of the Vine crop, proving he's not just a talented producer. Check them out below. 

Justin Martin

Naptime Pt 2

Sexytime 2

I'm Beautiful pt 3

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

Nina Kraviz?

Artwork

Who's your favourite DJ on Vine?

Listen to Justin Martin on Pulse Radio. 

Spring Fiesta is back for the third consecutive year with an even bigger and better line-up than before. Soul Candi announced the ultimate spring celebration would be taking place at the Wild Waters Complex in Ekurhuleni, more widely known as home of SA’s most prominent dance experience H2O, on Saturday the 21st of September. Legendary house music pioneer Dennis Ferrer has been confirmed as international headliner for the festival this year.

Seven years have lapsed since Dennis Ferrer last performed in Mzansi (Johannesburg), making anticipation for the return of the superstar DJ and prolific producer, and this appearance in front of a South African audience at one of the countries premium events even more special. 

His name is synonymous with some of the biggest house anthems in SA including "Touched The Sky", "How Do I Let Go" and most recently "Hey Hey". Supporting Dennis Ferrer at this year’s event will be international German DJ and producer Andre Hommen as well as over 50 of the hottest local DJs & artists across a total of five arenas. The festival will also feature numerous world-class production surprises to amplify the party experience.

A series of limited early bird ticket options will be available for purchase. Tickets range from R1250 (limited 350) for VVIP, VIP at R350 (limited 750) and GA tickets at R150 (limited 3000). Tickets go on sale from Computicket on Monday the 1st of July until sold out. 

Not too long ago in South Africa we had Richie Hawtin, Skrillex and Luciano with their knowledge of Electronic Dance Music and the industry to boost the initiative called Bridges for Music. The initiative is to empower, or at the very least show people that music can be used as a tool of empowerment in disadvantaged communities.

We ran a piece on Bridges for Music shortly after the workshops took place over a two month period in the townships of Soweto (Johannesburg) and Langa (Cape Town). The article basically went into more detail about Bridges for Music and that it’s a non-profit organisation supporting responsible development of electronic music in emerging areas. 

It was planned that after the workshops Richie Hawtin, Skrillex and Luciano were to take their experiences of the two months and chat about it with director Valentino Barrioseta at Sonar+D. They ran a screening of the workshops and spoke about the future plans of Bridges For Music. 

South African names Duncan Ringrose (sshadowworkss), Trenton Birch (BlackMango) Sir Vincent (Jumpstart), Glenn Van Loggerenberg (Dontlookdown) and Eldon van Aswegen are the guys building the future of the organization but couldn’t make it to the Sonar+D conference unfortunately. Follow the link to the previous article of Bridges For Music to get a further info on the project.

"Nothing like a nice relaxing around Sonar by Day to take in all the new technologies, talk about our Bridges for Music project, a few quick interviews and meeting lots of friends, fans and supporters. I love SONAR week! "

Link to photo album for Bridges for Music  

Photgrapher: Barbara Klein  

Packed up, enough, it’s been a long a week, its play time – serious playtime. Veteran Fridays brings you some big mixes that get done exclusively for Pulse Radio that will gear you up for the weekend ahead. With an email chain that runs as long as the river Nile the day has finally come where Pulse Radio has a new exclusive mixtape for you from the gorgeous Claudia Lovisa.

Claudia is making serious waves as a solo artist on the international underground music scene, also having held a residency in Ibiza since 2010 fine tuning her very sexy, upfront and engaging House grooves, you can be sure that she can deliver it just as the sentence says, and has, on the shores of South Africa.

Claudia’s vibe behind the decks is a force – if you’re on the dancefloor and she is captain, you’re having a good time, that’s just how it is. She’s played alongside names, luminaries, such as Steve Bug, Audiofly, Konrad Black and Damian Lazarus while her alluring blend of Deep-House grooves have been scooped-up by labels like 1trax, Supernature and Uberbeat – the force I’m talking about.

Pic by Evgenia Markova

The musical journey all began right here in South Africa, not going to claim all the fame here, being the grounded person she is she never forgot her Italian roots. It was there where a love affair with music in vinyl form began, the infectious sound, the attitude of music, the persona it holds in itself, this was something that inspired Claudia and at the drop of a bassline it sent her down Electric Avenue.

At the time when people were voicing beliefs of global destruction, alien invasions and nuclear war, Claudia decided to move to London. Played at The Cross, The End and Retox which certainly wasn’t all  that the move had to offer, the new millennium was the beginning of stand-out stand-up gigs such as Miami WMC, San Juan Festival at Sonar, Germany’s Love Parade, Pacha and Ushuaia Ibiza, Club Midi in Romania, the famous D-Edge in Brazil and Mamitas Beach Club in Playa del Carmen. 

A respected DJ as well as producer she caught the attention of Audiofly with her duo act known as Amelie. Their inject of addictive solid grooves with a genuine underground edge was the result of a massively successful first release dubbed ‘Under The Radar’ and a flood of remix requests. Names like Alex Niggeman and Fabio Giannelli were in those requests to give a bit of scope on that success with further releases on 1trax and SK Supreme. 

Understandably this is why we wanted to get a mixtape from her and find out what she is up to at the moment: 

You have been "rocking" some of the best parties recently in South Africa, what is your take on the scene the scene here and who are the ones to look out for?  I was lucky enough to spend a couple of months in Cape Town near the end of last summer and I was blown away!!  All the gigs I played at were absolute quality.  The Nomadic "roof of dreams" to the secret garden location for Kinky Disco and the Make Believe Train Party!!!  From the event location to the line ups to the amazing people who are so up for a good JOL, and just where the South African dj's are in the music scene at the moment, impressed me. I felt that shift from the more commercial house that was being played to the deeper more underground sound and that's what we want!! It's so great to see names like James What, Bas Amro, Trickski and Richie Hawtin on the line-ups in South Africa to give people an earful of what's out there. As for the local dj's, pffffff, amazing!!  Floyd Lavine, Lady M, Diggin4Dodge are a few of the best Dj's I heard and South Africa's lucky to have them. The scene is exploding there and it's about time!!

Are there any particular artists you would love to collaborate with?  Ame, Kate Simko and Dyed Soundorom  

Where do you draw your inspirations from when you produce?  Mostly from going out and being on dance floors and just from life in general.  

Vinyl, cd’s, laptop or live. What’s your preference and ultimately do you think it matters?  I don't think it matters really. Whatever, as long as the tracks are bombs, people are dancing and you're enjoying playing your set. I played vinyl for years and still love a mix on the technics but I enjoy mixing on cd's too. I've never used a laptop myself …yet.

You have chosen Ibiza as your home, what is it that attracts you to the island?  It's such a beautiful place to live. I was brought up in South Africa so used to amazing weather and having the beach close by, those are two qualities of life that I don't want to live without. As much as it's a party Island, it is a great place to chill as-well. I love that I'm totally spoilt with the choice of so many amazing parties with the best line-up's to go to any day of the week. What more could I ask for?…there's just no place like it. But I have to say, since spending that time in Cape Town, I can't wait to be back there!! Looking forward to going back in October when the seasons done in Ibiza.

Of your own tracks, which are the tracks you’re closest to?  well..it would have to be Nightrider as it's my first solo release and I worked hard on it. I still haven't made a track that I'm like, wow, that's a fucking tune…but I'm working on it!!

Finally, what does the future hold for Claudia Lovisa? Anything exciting lined up release wise?  I'm in the studio a lot right now to generate a real presence with my releases, while still trying to play as much as possible, it’s my true love. I have a new EP coming out on Turquoise Blue and have been collaborating with my friend Floyd Lavine who's in Cape Town so we'll be putting some tracks out soon. 

A real testimony to Claudia’s talents is the fact that her debut EP ‘Nightrider’ made it into the record bags of guys like Luca Bacchetti and Jamie Jones since living in Ibiza. At the moment Claudia is in London with a few gigs line-up, we’ve attached the events in-case you’re in town. If you’re there go see her, you won’t be sorry, my legs are still stiff from the boogie from when she was in South Africa. Looking forward to seeing her again in October.

For the first in our brand new series Sticky Labels, in which we take a look at rising labels who we predict will be sticking around (see what we did there), we take a look at London based Teng Records.

Glasgow born Nick Woolfson has been involved in the electronic music scene for some time. He's been associated with multiple production outfits as well as countless record labels, releasing hundreds of tracks since the early 90s. An industry veteran, Woolfson has picked up a few tricks along the way which he has clearly been deploying in his newest venture – Teng Records. With a handful of quality releases under their belt already, Teng is definitely one to watch. We chatted to Woolfson about Teng, his Akra alias and working in the industry for two decades. He even recorded an exclusive mix for us – enjoy!

Nick, You've been around for some time in the industry DJing and producing as part of a number of musical projects and imprints including Mock & Toof, where you cut your teeth (sorry) by remixing artists such as Hot Chip and Groove Armada to name a few. For anyone unaware of your back history – tell us a bit more about yourself.My name is Nick Woolfson and I have been involved in making club oriented music since the early 90’s. I’ve been a part of many different projects and genres and have released hundreds of 12s, ep’s and albums. I cut my teeth doing hardcore 12” white labels, learning about the whole process from writing and recording the tracks to manufacturing and distribution which led to my first label Jamm Records. I spent the majority of the 90’s working with Mark Shimmon on hard house and acid house and eventually dabbled in trance and the national charts before scuttling back underground to where I belonged.

I’ve also been one half of electronic / dub / chill project ‘Sounds From The Ground’ which has resulted in a dozen albums since the mid 90’s and is still going strong today. We release on our own label Upstream Records as well as on Waveform Records in the US.

I met up with Duncan Stump almost 10 years ago and we formed ‘Mock & Toof” which has been a fantastic journey through wonky house and across the world playing live. Recently, I teamed up with Neville Watson who was introduced to me in our local Muswell Hill gastro-pub by a mutual friend only to realise he had remixed Mock & Toof’s ‘Farewell To Wendo’ with Kink and from that intro, we started working together, developing our ‘Red 7’ project.

You’re originally a Glaswegian who's been based in London making music for some years now. How did a fellow weedgie like yourself end up involved in the music scene down south? I started learning piano as a kid and always wanted to play in bands at school so naturally progressed to playing keyboards and getting my kicks out of analogue synths, string machines and fender Rhodes etc. I totally regret selling some of my gear during the many times of famine but do still have some of them in my studio today. After playing in a few bands and not quite getting the success we clearly didn’t deserve but sampling the total thrill of gigs, studio recording and management / record company input all down south, I felt that London was the place to be if you wanted to get on with making music for a living so I came down south. I have to say I’ve never wanted to go back to the drizzle of the west of Scotland except for a holiday, the weather alone makes it worth it and I still love the buzz of London.

Throughout your career as a DJ and remixer you've had nods from all the right people including recording a mix for Fact Mag as M+T. Do you prefer more the solo side of making/performing music or working with someone else ie Mock. Firstly that was Duncan on dj’ing duties for Fact Mag as I concentrated more on the studio side of things with M & T, although we both play live as I can use my keyboard skills with Duncan handling the tech side.

I am more used to working with someone and enjoy having a partner to bounce ideas and share the pressures. Its always good to have 2 opinions on whether something works or not….but starting Akra on my own and Teng to go with it has been fantastic for me. It’s taken me out of my comfort zone and that is always a good thing as it makes you step up to new challenges. I’ve met loads of great people in the process who are totally supportive and encouraging and I feel there is a cool network of like minded creative people out there that I wouldn’t have met if I hadn’t taken the plunge. I also like the freedom to create the music I want without having to answer to anyone and do it in my own time and that is very liberating. I am just about to play my first live gig as Akra which is another step into the unknown but really looking forward to that.

What drove you to start the label? Where did the name come from? I started Teng because I already had Tiny Sticks / M&T Inc established through Kudos and as I had the distribution in place, it was therefore a simple process to create a new label for Akra. I felt that as I already had the experience and connections, it was the quickest way to get the tracks out.
As for the name, I struggled with that for a while and came up with Tang at first but when I did a google search on the word, it came up with some iffy connotations so I changed it to Teng instead.

You guys have been busy at Teng HQ, dropping 5 releases since you started the label last year. What is your focus behind the label? Is there any particular direction you want to take it? The label seems to be gathering momentum naturally and it is getting really interesting trying to juggle everything with all the other music I’m doing. Harder work that I originally expected but I like a challenge. I have Neville Watson and a young Italian lad called Filippo Rocco helping me now and between the three of us the aim is to keep building Teng by releasing music that excites us, and hopefully others, and that we would support and play out ourselves. We are dedicated to releasing vinyl for our ep’s and we use the legendary mastering engineer John Dent at Loud Mastering to master and cut the tracks so they sound as fat and wicked as possible.

You've had support from some big names already including Mr G. and Ame. How does it feel getting props from such established artists when your imprint is still in its infancy? It’s a great feeling to get such positive support from so many top flight dj’s and artists. It makes it all worth the hard work and gives us the buzz to carry on and keep trying to supply strong tracks.

You've been associated with a number of labels in the past including DFA, Tiny Sticks and your own Jamm Records imprint. What would you say is the most important thing you learned (to do or not to do) from these labels that will influence the running of Teng? I would like to think I’m putting all my knowledge and experience into Teng. The world was a very different place when I had Jamm, it was only vinyl then and sales were very healthy compared to today and there was also a strong compilation market. Times are much more challenging today but just as exciting when we have a record coming out. I absolutely love writing music and I enjoy making records and getting them out there and I love the challenge! Also quality control is vital. Its really important to always aim to release strong product and not lose sight of that. It will make all the difference long term.

So far the label has released work by Neville Watson and Deep Space Orchestra to name a few. What do you look for in an artist – is there anything in particular that makes them Teng material? It’s still early days and although I started with a view to using it as a vehicle for my Akra project, it has grown into something more interesting and challenging. I guess I’m looking for artists who have the talent and are not afraid to beat their own path. I don’t mind if they don’t have huge experience or production skills as long as they have an edge and their music has character. There does seem to be a lot of music out there at the moment, some of it fantastic and some not so good and as the technology becomes more accessible it gives more people the chance to create but it also throws up a lot of mediocrity as well. The challenge is to find the gems amongst it and there are a few good ones out there.

Your next release is next month with one of your own tracks Tunnel Vision (under your AKRA moniker) and it comes correct with an Iron Curtis remix. How did this link up with the Berlin based producer come about? I contacted Johannes on facebook on the off chance to ask if he would be interested in sending some tracks and he responded so we have been talking ever since. He was up for a remix and I wanted to give him something special to work with and when Tunnelvision came together, I thought it would be perfect for him and sent it over. He loved it and delivered a really thoughtful and beautifully crafted remix. I was well pleased!

What have you got planned for Teng records in the future? Is there anything in the pipeline that you are particularly excited about? I have ep’s coming up from Other Worlds which is Si Murray of Deep Space Orchestra’s solo project, Loius Guilliaume, Hiver, Asok and Blured who also is releasing a fantastic album for the label….our first album. We also have another ep and possible album from Nubian Mindz and more Akra so lots in the pipeline.
 

Listen to Akra on Pulse Radio. 

Pleasurekraft have been killing it over the last three years on Tech-House dancefloors after the release of 2010 award-winning anthem we know ‘Tarantula’. Following up the chart-conquering success they gained from their production they’ve been keeping themselves busy by dropping dancefloor massives on the regular, owning floors around the globe. We get lucky on the 28th June as they will be in town for a TRUTH & LOVE-TEC production at Truth, in Johannesburg. The line-up will include Pimp Squad, Ricardo da Costa, South African heavy weight Ryan Dent and of course themselves for an epic 4 hour set.

The 29th June Pleasurekraft will be catching the next flight out to bring the heat at Origin in Durban. Pleasurekrafts sets are as good as they are in studio which accounts for the global extravaganzas that this force finds itself on for the most of the year.

Q: What is Pleasurekraft?
A: A simultaneously visceral and cerebral experience induced only by the seductive, deep, groove heavy, underground techno inspired music that you hear the kids listening to - Common side effects include: unrelenting head bobbing giving way to complete surrender to physical movement commonly referred to as 'dancing'. There was just no way that I could leave that out, Pleasurekraft – 28th and 29th of June – get ready!

Earlier in the week John Tejada announced his new 12 inch, 'Anaphora,' was to be released on his own Palette label on August 19. Now the long-standing producer and DJ has offered up the entire two track EP for stream via his soundcloud before it officially drops, which you can listen to below.

Tejada has been busy on the production front of late, having released both the well received 'Parabolas' and 'The Predicting Machine' LPs and his 'Somewhere' single all via Kompakt in just the last two years.

Listen to John Tejada on Pulse Radio

In further proof of just how popular Skrillex is, the brostepper's June Essential Mix (his second for the esteemed radio show) has broken BBC Radio 1 records and become not only the most played Essential Mix, but their most popular piece of content ever.

Skrillex's Owsla label tweeted the news yesterday: "Got word over the weekend that @Skrillex @EssentialMix was the single most played piece of content in @BBC_Radio_1 history across all media."

The typically high-octane mix included new music from Knife Party, Blawan, Dog Blood (his collab with Boys Noize), Skrillex himself, and even Disclosure's 'When A Fire Starts To Burn'. In case you missed it, you can listen to the mix below.

Via Mixmag.

Listen to Skrillex on Pulse Radio

It was Luciano and his band of Vagabundos that cemented Alex Picone firmly on the EDM circuit. But the Italian born, Berlin resident started playing around with music ealy from the age of 15, with some of his first tracks quickly gaining the attention of established producers and industry heavyweights, releasing on Tenax and Mixworks before Luciano sought his talent in 2009. Since then Alex has played from Ibiza to New York City. His tracks have featured on compilations such as the respected Fabric series, from the London club of the same name considered one of the meccas of music. A dedicated DJ as well as producer, he has a keen attention for quality.

This year Picone announced his departure from Cadenza to focus on his own label MUS and other projects including 'The Kicks', a collaborative project with Maayan Nidam. He has just released an EP on MUS and the Stallion series from Busconi label have featured two of his productions in their recent releases. This Italian stallion (pun intended) is riding strong. We talk to him about his track productions, his dedication to playing vinyl and what the future holds.

Pulse: Let’s start with the biggest news – you’ve left Cadenza now almost a month ago after almost five years with them. What brought on this decision? Alex Picone: It’s been five fruitful and amazing years with Cadenza. For sure, it was something that developed the beginning of my career. But there is an end for everything in this life and honestly, it was really hard to make such a step. But in the last two years I wasn’t feeling in the right place, cause the way that we live and perceive music changed a lot. On both sides, of course.

What does is actually mean for Alex Picone, DJ and producer, since you are still scheduled to play Cadenza showcases in Ibiza and around Europe later this summer season? What are the projects and plans you are working on? Honestly for me every show deserves the same attention and professionalism, so I’m always trying to do the best in each situation. The most important project I’m working on at the moment, without any doubt, is the live set. I’m doing live sets since three years - trying to work with live performance in collaboration with other artists. Honestly now, I’ve decided to focus on my solo live performance. The set up is completely analogue. I use an MPC1000 – a sequencer. A Roland TR909 drum machine. The x0Xbox Which is like a clone of the Roland 303 for the bass lines. And then some effects like a filter from Akai, reverb, delay and flanger. Everything I mix it with a Midas Venice, which I ‘ve been liking a lot more recently for live performances.

The Kicks is the new label and project you have with Mayaan Nidam. Tell us about that, how did it come to form and what does the future hold for The Kicks? With Mayaan we started a sort of band project. Last year, since Mayaan saw what I’m doing with the live set we decided to create something like a proper band – like from the 70’s. Together with Mayaan we created this project “The Kicks”. We presented the first performance at the Sonar OFF this year. It was just back to back with vinyl, me and her. But in the future, we’ll invite different artists into the studio. We make live music and if there is something that Mayaan and I like we release it on our label The Kicks. The artists featured on The Kicks label will always be “The Kicks” and on the back of the cover we will write the credits of the single tracks. So on the cover will appear the real producer that collaborated to make the song. It’s a kind of collective of musicians releasing music under the same brand : The Kicks. The Kicks 001 is ready and will be out in September 2013.

MUS Records seems to be taking up a fair amount of your production time now. You’ve just released your 8th EP – 'Minimalism Gets Complex'. How long were you working on this particular release? Usually it takes two or three hours to make a track for me, because they are all a live jam. I’m not using laptops so it is recorded there and then. By working this way I can say I collect a tonne of tracks. I have a wide range of choice when it comes to decide what to put on the vinyl. All the tracks on this release I’ve made at different times. B2 (Abstract) I made two years ago, B1 (Fiction) was the last track I made and the A side (Surrealist) I made last year. I chose a collection that comes together for “Minimalism Gets Complex” – and I love it.

Are there any plans for an album in the future? Not sure at the moment. Like I told you, I collect a lot of music doing my live jams. Of course I’m thinking about my album. I’m not sure if I will release on my label MUS or on some other label but in 2014, my first album will be out.

Brothers in Low is another collaboration you have, together with Mass Prod. Bosconi Records released their second installment on the Stallions sage in June with your track 'Testacorta', described as having a “positive, spatial melody”. It’s very different to your usual sound, is this something you experiment with when producing under ‘Brothers in Low’? How did that collaboration come about? Yes, it’s different of course, because of the Mass Prod touch. Brother in Low is a project where we try to experiment in every track. I’ve been working on Brother in Low since a long time, sharing the studio with Mass Prod since two years and we do a lot of live jams together.

Also fresh off the press is the third Stallion series with your track ‘Dry Scream’ leading the way. Was there any particular direction with this track or just came about through experimenting like your other tracks? Yes it’s always the same process but originally the track title was ‘Saturando’. I was trying to saturate the sound on the tape set. So it started like an experiment then ended up being a cool track. Sometimes it happens – so this was the way for ‘Dry Scream’.

The most anticipated festival or event this summer since Time Warp is the Sonus Festival in Croatia this September. Villalobos, Hawtin, Vaeth, Troxler, Cassy, Magda … it’s a pretty impressive line-up. Is it something you look forward to or just another gig? I booked my flight to stay the whole weekend there, the three days. I’m looking forward to listening to Zip, Margaret Dygas and Sonja Moonear who are my favourite at the moment. And of course the beach and the landscape of Pag! The venue of the festival is something exciting for everyone. I’ve been everywhere in Croatia but not in Pag, and I know the landscape is amazing. So let’s go to the beach!

Tell us your craziest festival memory. I was running completely lost in the desert on a Segway. That is all.

Talking about the technological advances in the music industry; most clubs are now outfitted with CDJ2000’s making it easier for DJ to simply carry a USB stick. If a DJ plays with vinyl, as you do, often the turntables have to be requested a day in advance as it’s no longer standard. What do you think of these ‘advances’ – are they making life easier or marking the death of vinyl? Your question is interesting because you didn’t say anything about Traktor. I think Traktor is already dead. No one is speaking about Traktor anymore, everyone is talking about the USB. I always play with vinyl and I will continue to play with vinyl. I believe in vinyl.

Honestly, the situation with respect to the last two years is getting better. A lot of promoters are recognizing the quality of DJs who play with vinyl than ‘laptop’ DJs. Recently I have less problems than two years ago. But just in case, I always bring with me special legs to put under the turntables that takes away the vibration and a couple of new needles. So the only problem I can have when I go to play is that somebody forgot the turntables.

You live in Berlin where vinyl stores are aplenty. Musical hubs such as London are seeing more and more shops close. Do you mostly source you records from Berlin or do you have certain stores in cities you travel to? Most of the records I buy in Berlin because I live here and I have a great connection with two, three record shops here in Berlin. I always bring them my promos. When I go to London, I cannot not stop by Honest Jons and Phonica. From Honest Jons I always come back with tonnes of music, from all over the world. It’s a lot of fun to sample it. Honest Jons is my favourite record shop. It sucks that it’s not here in Berlin. Phonica is another record shop where I find a lot of techno jam that I can’t find in Berlin. Of course every record shop in the world has some great music you can’t find anywhere else. If I go to Italy, in Roma there is another cool record shop called Ultra Sonic Records, it’s the partner of my label MUS. If I go to Paris there’s Syncrophone, originally Cyber, that has been selling records for I think twenty years.

If I got to South America it’s quite difficult to find records. But if we stay in Europe I think there is no problem with buying vinyl. It’s getting better and better and better. My label is selling more records. A lot of friends who also have labels are selling more records now. I saw an article that read record sales went up 40% more than last year. I think it’s getting better, I’m happy about that.

What are the top tracks you find yourself playing more lately? I did a bootleg of ‘Django Unchained’, the last movie of Quentin Tarantino that also a lot of DJs are playing now. Dyed Soundorom is playing it a lot at Circoloco, DC10. There is also a track, a summer track, that I’ve been playing for two months now by ZPH called “Anemona De Mare” from Neostrictly 003.

Listen to Pulse Radio

Two of electronic music's most forward thinking artists are set to touch down in Australia in August - U.S. techno prodcuer and one half of Sandwell District, Function, and UK bass purveyor, Pangaea.

The pair kick start their respective tours with a joint gig at Melbourne's Brown Alley on Friday August 9th for the first instalment of the new Stranger party. Function then wraps up his whirlwind visit with a gig at Chinese Laundry in Sydney on Saturday 10th, while Pangaea plays Adelaide's Sugar the same evening before heading off to Melbourne and Sydney for two more dates the following weekend.

Pangaea Tour Dates:
09.08.13 - Stranger @ Brown Alley, Melbourne
10.08.13 - Sugar, Adelaide
16.08.13 - Shape, Perth
17.08.13 - GoodGodSmallClub, Sydney

Function Tour Dates:
09.08.13 - Stranger @ Brown Alley, Melbourne
10.08.13 - Chinese Laundry, Sydney

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One of Australia's best festivals returns to Lexton in Victoria once again next January. We're of course talking about Rainbow Serpent, which has announced its first round of names for 2014 which sees Italy's Donato Dozzy and Kompakt Records co-founder and Aussie favourite Michael Mayer at the top of the bill, followed by a slew of quality underground artists which includes King Unique, Nico Stojan and more. Check out the first round below.

Rainbow Serpent 2014 First Announcement:
Donato Dozzy
Michael Mayer
Zion Train
The Funk Hunters
Snareophobe
Shane Gobi
Hux Flux
Rocky
Felguk
King Unique
Nico Stojan
Phaxe
Kularis
Banco De Gaia

Rainbow Serpent 2014 takes place in Lexton from Friday January 24th - Monday January 27th. Early bird tickets go on sale on Tuesday July 16th from the festival website.

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'Chic' figurehead and 'Get Lucky' collaborator Nile Rodgers has announced that he will work with the chart topping French duo Daft Punk at least 'One More Time.'

After apparently finding old material of his in the Warner Music tape library that “didn't belong to them,” including solo works by the guitarist, Chic tracks, and film scores, Rodgers has announced that he plans to enlist the help of Daft Punk to finish the Chic material. Rodgers said, “Daft Punk wants to do at least one of them with me so that should be very cool because they respect the music, they understand.”

After the success of their Random Access Memories single, featuring a certain Mr P. Williams, it goes without saying that any future collaborations between Rodgers and Bangalter and de Homem-Christo will be hot property. Whether they can 'Get Lucky' and create another feel good gem that will travel 'Around The World,' making 'Everybody Dance' is yet to be seen, but we have faith.  

Listen to Daft Punk on Pulse Radio. 

It’s been quite some time since DJ & Producer Floyd Lavine has dropped us something that’s best described as ‘a Nubian dreamweaver traveling on a forgotten trail’.  Siberian Dust’ from Floyd, is give or take a 55 minute podcast of class put together and held out on offer for us to digest and remember why he is as good as he is. 

Airy Sound-scapes and intricate nuances with driving basslines that at times are so underlying you forget they’re there only to be subtly reminded with movements in the beats that that’s what you’re grooving to. Cheeky vocals from time to time gives the mix a great dynamic with which Floyd takes you on a journey, un-forced and natural, everything in here lends itself the right way. Nice work Floyd. 

The beautiful (and talented) Bella Sarris will be making her debut on Thursday  night at Richie Hawtin's seminal clubbing experience ENTER. at Space Ibiza. Raised on a diet of Jazz, Funk and more recently Sake, the rising star from Sydney, Australia has had a busy year with a healthy gigging schedule which has seen her catch the eye (and ear) of all the right people. Thursday night will see the launch of her residency at the now legendary ENTER.Sake. which will see her entertaining the crowds while enjoying Mr Hawtin's Japanese beverage of choice. We caught up with Bella ahead of her big debut to chat about Ibiza, ENTER. and of course, Sake.

This is your first year playing at ENTER. How did that all come about? It's hard for me to give you a straight answer because I'm still not convinced that this isn't all just a dream. One minute I'm Hito's biggest fangirl (still am), and the next she'll be teaching me about Sake while I play. I spent so much time dancing in the booth last year, I guess Rich figured I might as well make myself useful while I drink all his Sake.

You're playing at ENTER.Sake. Sake proved to be a big hit with everyone last year, have you tried it yet? And if so, what do you recommend? Yes, we got to know each other very well last year. The humble Sookuu is for me - straight up, pure and full bodied, makes me giggle and want to dance all night, but that’s just me. If you prefer to be charmed by a showman, you should indulge in one of the more extravagant cocktails. Whether you like it conventional or experimental there’s something to please everyone. But I'll warn you, you will be seduced by their exotic flavours and left wanting more, but the Sake is there lingering behind it all, so they may not be so sweet in the morning. If you're not sure, ask Rich, he's behind the bar most weeks and I guarantee he'll find your perfect match.

What can we expect from your performances this summer? Right now, I'm not even sure what to expect from me this year. I guess I'm going to have to figure it out as I go along. Each week will be different so all I can promise is that I will play music that I like and find interesting. It might be little different than what you would usually expect at a Minus event, but I think that's what Rich wants.Its cool to be in the Sake bar because for me its the place where all the elements of the Enter. come together and set the tone for the night. It's bigger and better this year, and showcases a different artist each week, which gives me the opportunity to experiment with different sounds.

What's your perfect 6am sunrise tune? That's getting into after party territory, so the weirder the better. Fingers crossed I get to play some after party stuff sometime so I can weird everyone out.

Tell us about your favourite Ibiza places to…

Eat…Go to Los Pasajeros. It's the best if you're starving and don't mind raving while you eat. The food is quick, simple and cheap and the staff are as amazing as the banana chocolate cake.

Drink…Bar 1805 'the 18' was my second home last year. Ironically this year their new location is 5 metres from my old doorstep. It's probably a good thing I don't live there this year, because I would be drinking Rosé for breakfast.

Relax…Hanging at any of the above places. In my apartment playing records with the family. In the car cruising around exploring the island. Watching sunsets.

Any tips for Ibiza first-timers? Don't be a hero, get some sleep. Siesta time is there for a reason..

ENTER.
Music. Sake. Technology. Experience.
Every Thursday (July 04 – Sept 26) at Space from 9.30pm – 06.30am



ENTER.
Space, Ibiza
Thursday, 11 July

Richie Hawtin
Loco Dice
Hector
Maya Jane Coles
Maceo Plex
Catz ‘N Dogz
Delano Smith
Damian Lazarus
Hito
Bella Sarris
Andy Stott
Matthew Hawtin
Ean Golden
  

Listen to Richie Hawtin and  Bella Sarris on Pulse Radio. 

Are you struggling to decide which games console to buy next to live vicariously through? This video should help you make up your mind.

This musical, and information packed video was created by Antonius and Vijay Nazareth, the brothers behind mini-musical YouTube channel AVByte. Check it out below, then pick a side. 

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