Following a raucous headline slot at Oppikoppi Odyssey this past August, P.H.Fat have released the new music video for their monster single ‘Lights Out’ featuring the explosive and insanely talented Jungfreud (aka Nonku).  

The track which premiered on 5FM’s Fresh Drive managed to beat out electronic music giant Skrillex for “Hottest New Track Of The Week” on the station's #NewFavourite slot. Aside from 5FM, 'Lights Out' received play listing from twelve additional radio stations across South Africa including YFM and Good Hope FM and is without question the biggest, most successful production by the electronic rap duo to date. 


The ‘Lights Out’ video is a production from Enigma Ace Films and award winning director Ryan Kruger. Upon release of the video, P.H.Fat blogged the following message to fans in an open letter: 

Watch P.H.Fat's 'Lights Out' video.  

Pulse Radio cornered P.H.Fat’s Smooth Mike to catch up and pick his brain about touring abroad, free music, favorite stuff and more. Check it!

How would you describe your sound to an unknowing, ignorant or unenlightened but potential fan? We make rap music that you can party to. Not party like, "techno music" party. More like the “Holy-Shit!-There-are-holes-in-the-floorboards-and-a-guy-sleeping-on-the-speaker-stack!-What-the-hell-did-PHFat-just-do!?!” kinda party.

What were the most memorable moments of your tour down under? We played a show in Brisbane and at the end of the show a bunch of people rushed the stage and started wiling out hard. Somebody almost pulled some speakers over. The whole place was bouncing. It was fucking awesome.

Was this the first time you’ve embarked on a tour to perform outside of SA? Experience any nightmare travel moments, dodgy gigs, crazy obsessed fans or the like? Dish the dirt please! Yeah this was our first time touring internationally as P.H.Fat. There was this group of dudes who we made homies with who were like flying between cities to catch us at all of our shows. One girl even flew in from Adelaide. It was so rad. We couldn’t believe it. We stayed everywhere from people’s couches to fancy hotels. We even stayed in a flat above the biggest studio complex in the southern hemisphere and got to hear ‘Lights Out’ on a $50 000 pair of studio speakers! That said, the 40 hours of travel to get home almost killed us.

Now that you’re seasoned global touring artists are there any invaluable tips and/or advice accumulated from your travels and performances abroad that you’d wished you’d known prior to and would like to share with aspiring SA artists? Nothing is more valuable than actual human connection with real human beings. You just have to go over there and make sure you meet people. Not on some hustle and network shit. With some actual real life quality humans who you enjoy being around and shit.

Can you explain your reasoning behind the decision to release your music free of charge to fans? Is this something you are committed to adhering to indefinitely? At the moment it’s just the best way we have found ensures our music gets to as many people as possible. We don’t particularly enjoy the thought of most deals that come through record labels. Most of them are retarded and offer basically nothing in terms of returns and less than nothing in terms of ownership. We make our music from scratch ourselves. Why would we want to give away the rights to some label? The less separation there is between our music and our listener’s ears the better.

To what extent has it been challenging for you to stick to your music released for free vision, fund the creation of your art, commit to high standards of creativity and quality in audio and video and still make ends meet? Is “very challenging” a good answer? We’ll never complain about it though. We get to wake up and think “How can I further my rap career today?” which is not something a lot of people get the opportunity to do. We’ve never been short on ambitious thoughts. When we told all of our friends that we wanted to be rappers they laughed at us.

Tell us about the new album currently in production. Any snippets, tidbits, collaborations or developments you can share with adoring fans? Ha! Nothing yet folks. It’s all too early to speak about.

Name your current favorite local and international electronic act or artist. We don’t have any favorites. At the moment, locally, we’ve been listening to a lot of Christian Tiger School. And internationally Childish Gambino’s album ‘Because The Internet’ caught us off guard big time. It’s a really dope album.

Do you prefer producing or performing? You can only pick one. They are the same thing!

Your social media poison? Facebook, Twitter or Instagram? Vleisbrook and Insta.

What, aside from making and performing music, are your other favorite activities? Skateboarding down mountain passes, surfing in weird places with nobody else around, reading books and keeping it real.

Connect with P.H.FAT via these links:

P.H.FAT Official Website
P.H.FAT on Facebook
P.H.FAT on Twitter
P.H.FAT on Soundcloud
P.H.FAT YouTube Channel

TAKE NOTE!

P.H.FAT will be performing in Johannesburg on Friday 26th September at: WE ARE THE NOISE.

Click below to purchase pre-sale tickets. 

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Having recently released one of Minus' hottest releases so for this year with the 'Los Pistolos' EP, Frenchmen Julian Jeweil continues to prove why he's one of techno's brightest new stars.

Though Julian is no stranger to the Minus imprint, having released both the "Don't Think" and and "She's Hot" EPs, along with his 2012 single "Yoko", a track featured on the Minus' minMax compilation. He's also remixed the likes of Pan-Pot, played clubs like Ro 14 and Space Ibiza for Richie Hawtin's ENTER., and released on lauded labels like Plus 8, Mobilee, and Octopus.

And this October, Julian will be heading to Amsterdam Dance Event, where he'll be playing the sub:Merged ADE Special alongside Robert Hood, Pig & Dan, Marco Bailey, Harvey Mckay, and more.

He provided us a wickedly groovy hour of techno to start getting you warmed up, which you can download below.

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It looked like Diplo’s Rastafarian crime fighting Major Lazer character would be featured on television sets back in 2011 when Adult Swim was teashing a 15 minute TV show. Now, it appears that Diplo’s character will be the focus of a new feature TV program on FOX. He revealed the information in his recent Billboard cover story.

As FOX offers primetime programming and doesn’t usually feature 15-minute “shorts,” we’re wondering how the cartoon will be different than it would have been on Adult Swim, which is in a late night slot and can get away with more.

The new TV show will correspond with the release of Major Lazer’s third album, which is also due out next year. A soundtrack featuring collaborations with artists like Riff Raff and Cat Power will also be released.

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Recently, Steve Aoki defended his on stage antics in an open letter to " the haters." 

In the letter, Aoki claimed that while some DJs have "mastered the art of using filters and EQs" to connect with the crowd, he prefers cakes, rafts, and apparently, jumping off of the DJ booth.

However, sometimes things can go wrong. For some, this might mean a slightly rougher mix. For Aoki, it can mean much worse, as in the video below.

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ADE will set up shop at this year’s Electric Festival in Aruba. The conference will be much larger in scale than last year serving as a place for industry representatives from labels, agencies, management companies, music publishers, and venues to meet up and network.

The festival kicks off on Wednesday, September 3rd and ADE will begin the following day, Thursday, September 4th, at the Renaissance Marina Hotel. Speakers on the first day include Wayne Marshall, technomusicology professor at Harvard, talking about the Dutch-Caribbean roots of today’s music, Dave Clark talking about ’10 DJs Who Should Be Billionaires,’ and James Hardi speaking about wearable technology and social media. Other notable figures on day one are The Partysquad, Sensato, and Sky Blu from LMFAO.

The momentum continues on the second day with Aruba’s Minister of Tourism & Culture, His Excellency Otmar Oduber, and others discussing the country as a hub for electronic music in the Caribbean. A workshop will take place inside the Stadium Red NYC pop-up studio and there will be a Q&A session about finding Latin and Caribbean beats for a US TV series, among other offerings.

The conference wraps up on Saturday, September 6th with another discussion about the region’s influence in modern day music and a talk with Anthony Preston about “his search for the perfect beat.”

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With only a month left to go before TomorrowWorld takes over Chattahoochee Hills, the festival has released a new trailer getting fans excited for all the fun and good times to be had this year. TomorrowWorld returns for its second year with top international EDM artists like Avicii, David Guetta, Kaskade, Skrillex, and Tiesto as well as underground heroes such as Maceo Plex, Richie Hawtin, Jamie Jones, Paco Osuma, and Claude VonStroke.

In addition, the new trailer reveals the theme for this year – “The Arising of Life.” The main stage which spans over 400 feet in length is modeled after a volcano, and will erupt several times throughout the course of the weekend. It also comes equipped with waterfalls and a whole lot more.

As you can imagine, setting up a festival on TomorrowWorld’s scale is a big undertaking. Over 80 containers are reportedly being shipped across the Atlantic from Belgium to the United Sates containing materials for the festival’s many stages and structures. TomorrowWorld 2014 will run from September 26th through September 28th.

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Next month Seattle electronic duo Odesza will drop their new album 'In Return' on Counter-Records, an imprint of the esteemed UK label Ninja Tune.

In anticipation of the impending LP we have a free download to giveaway; the Henry Krinkle remix of 'Memories That You Call', which transforms the dramatic cut of pop-inflected electronica into an uptempo dancefloor burner.

'In Return' arrives in Australia & New Zealand on September 5th. Pre-order here. 

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There's been a lot of chatter over the past twelve months about Ibiza's future and whether it can hold onto its mantle as the world's clubbing captial. It's a debate that Pulse's Chandler Shortlidge even weighed in on back in March with Stop Calling It 'The New Ibiza', which suggested reaons for why destinations like Las Vegas, Romania, Ghana, and of course Croatia, are being considered as new clubbing hotspots.

Naturally Croatia is the location on everyone's lips. With its countless parties and impressive boutique festivals, it's little wonder that rumours are flying every which way about it becoming the new White Isle. Heck, even Mr. Ibiza himself Richie Hawtin thinks it could be true.

"There’s a lot of talk about whether Croatia is the next ‪#‎TechnoTourist‬ destination, specially with Ibiza starting its slow course to re-invent itself more as a VIP than a tourist destination [sic]," the ENTER. head honcho ponders in a new facebook post. 

"If Friday night was any test of that then perhaps these rumours of Croatia are true. The Sonus Festival, it’s incredibly curated line-up of top electronic talent & world class production (thanks to being co-produced by Germany’s own & legendary Cosmopop & Time Warp team) was a lightning rod of the energy and happiness that can be created when you combine great open-air venues, cool people and amazing music."

With a name like Hawtin singing the country's praises, perhaps Croatia will become the new go-to spot for clubbers around the globe. Having said that, we still reckon Ibiza's got plenty of life and good times ahead. We wouldn't call it a day just yet.

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James Holden has delivered a new 30 minute mix to Dazed Digital.

In typical Holden fashion the mix is an eclectic selection, ranging from cosmic synth, to Krautrock and experimental.

Australian fans who are still spinnig over the news that the UK producer is bringing his live show down under this December will be pleased to know that the mix, as James himself explains, "isn’t about DJ stuff it's about what inspired my live show: thee magickal combination of SYNTH and DRUM. These are not the names of instruments, consider them elemental forces. ORDER and CHAOS”.

So in essence a perfect primer for his upcoming visit. Enjoy!

Tracklist:
Forma – "Forma 237B"
Don Cherry & Latif Khan – "Air Mail"
You – "Son Of A True Star"
Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid – "Between B & C"
Silver Apples – "Oscillations"
Beak > – "Wulfstan II"
Enzo Kreft – "I Don't Understand It"
Avant-Dernieres Pensees – "El Miedo"
Zombie Zombie – "L'age D'or"
Don Cherry & Terry Riley – "Koln Concert Piece 3 (excerpt)"

James Holden (Live) 2014 Australian Tour Dates
06.12.14 - Subsonic Music Festival, NSW
10.12.14 - HiFi Bar - Melbourne
12.12.14 - Meredith Music Festival - VIC
13.12.14 - Oxford Art Factory - Sydney [BUY]

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Victorian festival Earthcore has announced two massive headliners for its 21st edition this summer; psytrance legends Shpongle live and Hallucinogen.

Already locked in to play a DJ set under the Shpongle banner, Simon Posford will now be joined by his partner Raja Ram to perform their revered psychelic live show, a "strange hybrid of electronic manipulation and shamanic midgets with frozen digits squeezing the envelope and crawling through the doors of perception".

Posford is also set to deliver a special sunrise DJ set on Sunday morning on the Earthcore main stage under his Hallucinogen moniker, which will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the festival this year.

You can see the full Earthcore 2014 lineup below plus check out our six must-see artist picks here.

Earthcore 2014 Lineup
Shpongle (live)
Hallucinogen
1200 Micrograms
Astrix
Boris Brejcha
Shpongle DJ set
Format: B
Dnox & Beckers
John 00 Fleming
Blue Planet Corporation
Asura
Zen Mechanics
Ticon
Tripswitch
Chicago
Lucas
Gaudi
Klopfgeister
Da vinci Code
Victor Ruiz
Day Din
Behind Blue Eyes
Zentura
GMS
Fishimself
Bliss
Ann Clue
Nick Sentience
Vibe Tribe
Ace Ventura
Audiotec
Hux Flux
Ritmo
Raja Ram
Exosomatika
Liquid Soul

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Sieren
The Convoluted Truth
Shades

9/10

London-based label Shades continues its hot streak with yet another fantastic release, this time from Berliner, Sieren. Although primarily known for his more ambient, soundscape-based material, Sieren ups the tempo with 'The Convoluted Truth', delivering five tracks of UK bass tinged dancefloor goodness, but in doing so doesn’t lose his trademark detailed, textured sound.

'Reveal' is a delightful slice of uplifting peak-time warmth. Its skittering beats, tribal percussion and heavy sub bass give the impression the track is going to be a grimy banger, but then Sieren introduces lush chords, engulfing pads and soulful vocals which perfectly balance out the chunky low end. 'Reveal' proves that chunky, energetic music can still be emotive and melodic.

Up next is 'Regret', a low-slung techno/electronica cut full of contrast. The track’s floaty keys, whispered female vocals and harmonic atmospherics feel like they are under constant threat from the rugged, gritty bassline, ghetto vocal samples, crunchy kicks and sharp percussion, creating this eerie tension that at once feels both uncomfortable and strangely welcoming. It won’t appeal to everyone, but for the people who do get it, 'Regret' is going to be one of the best tracks of the year.



'Prism' is a future garage gem that is going to ignite crowds that thrive on the UK sound. It has all the right ingredients: funky, instantly likeable drum rhythms, cheeky vocal edits, perfectly timed melodic interludes and breakdowns, and of course a big, raucous bassline. The least boundary-pushing track on the release, but also the most likely to obliterate a dancefloor (and with good reason).

For the penultimate track of the EP, 'Mutual Apathy', Sieren heads into dark, moody territory. The minimal 2-step groove leaves plenty of room for the surprisingly heavy bassline to do its work, as well as gives the head swimming atmospherics, dub stabs and creepy vocals a chance to really get under your skin. Definitely one for the late night heads.

'Tetra' rounds out the release on a deep dubstep vibe, recalling the days of early Hotflush Recordings releases when the sound was just starting to take shape. However, it’s not just a mindless re-tread of the sound. Instead, the elements of the genre (heavily reverbed chords, deep, subtle bass, rare vocal samples etc.) are all there, but they’re given a modern edge by combining them with contemporary techno production techniques and stylistic touches.

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Ahead of his gigs in Australia this weekend, UK DJ and producer Alexis Raphael shares five tracks across the genre spectrum that have had a big impact on him. Check out his tour dates below.

1. Raze - 'Break 4 Love'

This house classic from 1988 really defines an era for me that captivated me as a young lad growing up in London. Seeing stories of acid house on the news and hearing about the illegal raves was really my first insight into electronic music and it’s that early magical period that led me to, 20 years later, being involved in the industry. Sweet vocals and a rolling, powerful beat. Niceness.

2. Pink Floyd – 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond parts 1 & 2'

My father used to dance around his flat in Cyprus half naked to Pink Floyd’s music and I was soon captivated by their sound (not his dancing!). Not so much their early albums but the later ones, definitely . I think 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' is the ultimate epic voyage of music. It swirls and twists over some time and takes you deep into another world. It includes some early examples of synth use which I admire, working with analogue equipment myself. I'll never get bored of emotive music like this.

3. Adam F – 'Metropolis'

Drum and bass was a big influence for me growing up in the '90s. It’s really hard to pick one stand out track, because there are so many that stand out for different reasons. However, I’ve picked this because Adam F manages to create such an intense atmosphere, which creates tension and suspense on the dance floor. When the bass finally kicks in, it has a huge ripples through any event where the track is being played. Adam F’s production was way ahead of most producers of the time, a bona fide classic.

4. Guy Gerber – 'Timing'

I love this bit of music from Guy Gerber. Like the Pink Floyd track, it's an epic journey, but a fully electronic one. The sounds he creates are just unbelievable. I would love myself to work on something like this. In fact, I’m going to put that on my list of things to do! Keep an ear out. But yes when I first heard this I was swept away and it’s still a firm favorite of mine.

5. The Jam Experience – 'Feel My Love'

This is Early UK house and garage from Matt Jam Lamont before he joined with Karl Tuff Enough Brown to push the UK scene which dominated the clubs in London in the second half of the 90s and very early naughties. The groove and swing of this track combined with the weighty bass is so sweet. A classic that can still be played today and sound fairly fresh. For me, some of the old uk garage sounds naff and cheesy, but this stands the test of time.

Alexis Raphael Australian Tour Dates
30.08.14 - Juke at Prince of Wales, Melbourne
31.08.14 - S.A.S.H Sundays at Home Nightclub, Sydney

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20 years after the birth of Manchester IDM label Skam, Boards of Canada's 1996 'Hi Scores' EP is set for reissue. 

Having been reissued in 1999, 2002 and 2005, this time the EP has been  re-recorded and remastered from the original DAT tapes. 'High Scores' will be pressed onto heavyweight vinyl, as well as be available as a Digipak CD.

Skam have also made changes to the original EP packaging, saying "The image on the back is now in colour. There will be a spot varnish finish on the images and text alongside differing layers of print, [and] a fresh new 12-inch double backed poster and Skam's trademark braille stickers."

<br>

Tracklist
01. Hi Scores
02. Turquoise Hexagon Sun
03. Nlogax
04. June 9th
05. Seeya Later
06. Everything You Do Is A Balloon

'Hi Scores' will be released via Skam on October 13th, 2014.

[Via RA]

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A bank holiday is no longer just a day off work. Certainly within the underground house and techno scene, the bank holiday is predominantly a time for a big party. We've come to expect very good line-ups, be provided with more than your average amount of clubbing hours, and to top it off, we like to play outdoors in the sun. Luckily for us, Freeze ticked all the boxes last weekend, providing us with an exceptional Liverpool location.

What's best about forward thinking Freeze is their penchant for thinking outside the box, having secured exciting spots such as St. George's Hall and The Bombed Out Church for their events. This bank holiday weekend marked their return to the Church, and to celebrate, they brought along Bedrock boss John Digweed, ENTER. favourite Paco Osuna and live performances from Henry Saiz (with his band) and Tom Demac for the after-hours.

Stepping out of the train station and strolling up Bold Street, The Bombed Out Church and its tall tower can be seen from afar. The faint pumping of acclaimed resident Jemmy's deep and cheerful tunes oozed through the archaic walls, gradually getting louder on our approach. Once inside, the intimate arena was already filling up. And after a stress-free trip to the toilets and bar, we took our position on the straw in front of the stage.

Before long, an impressive warm up from Jemmy led to the arrival of Digweed. The master set about proving why he's been such a success over his many years at the forefront of the underground house scene. The crowd out to see Digweed cut across a wide range of ages, bringing with it a strong, friendly, communal vibe and the sense that everybody was there for the same reason. As effortlessly as ever, Digweed mixed through deep, progressive tunes – both current and old – the infectious vocals of Filsonik's 'Dogfish' proving to be a highlight. All the while beams of sunlight poked through the huge, glassless windows, giving the picturesque surroundings an intimate glow.

Digweed graciously handed over the reigns to Paco Osuna who arrived for his sunset mix. He wasted no time doing what he does best, blasting out signature, stomping techno and tech house. Thanks to the strategically placed straw, the holy ground quite happily took a bashing. Paco worked through an array of delayed, rolling clicks, chopped vocals and pounding bass that shook the Church's very foundations. It was a shame we were only treated to the techno for a short time, but in the interest of the local residents, it was only fair.

Night fell and with it, so did the rain. Luckily, the dedicated Freeze crew were on hand with ponchos aplenty and within minutes the crowd turned into a see of plastic ghosts; an ironic and eerie sight when you're dancing round an old religious landmark. Henry Saiz and his band took to the stage for what was an intriguing live performance. However, for those of us riled up on Paco's techno, it proved difficult to settle back in the mellow flavours of the deep. Regardless, bright, euphoric lights shining through smoke enhanced a good show of live music and vocals, keeping the crowd entertained; albeit ready to get to the afters for more stomping.

The Garage as a venue was a pleasant surprise. From the outside, it's just a small door on a quiet street. Once in and downstairs, the small door turns into a huge basement; the perfect after party venue. After 8 hours raving in a Church, things are bound to get hazy, but safe to say, the calibre of music stayed on point.

The basement stayed busy for the rest of the night, right up until close. Jemmy quickly eased the crowd back into the action and later, Tom Demac served up an energetic live set keeping everybody on their toes. The name on many people's lips however was Paco Osuna. Upon taking up his position back behind the decks, he picked up where he left off, driving through powerful bass lines with tracks like Marcel Dettman's remix of Moderat's 'Bad Kingdom'. More of the same meant for a wholly enjoyable extended set and an excellent way to see through the rest of the night. After a day of top quality tunes from start to finish, it was the perfect set to end on. When the clock struck 5am and the lights came on, those of us still standing after the marathon left on a major high.

Thank you Freeze for breaking the boundaries and taking us to exceptionally unique places to enjoy doing what we love the most, in style, afor doing it so well. Whether it be back at St George's Hall, The Bombed Out Church, or some other wonderfully exciting venue, we're most definitely looking forward to the next one!

Photos by Ryan Fitzpatrick

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If Cape Town is not already on your bucket list of clubbing destinations you'd be well advised to immediately revise that list and add the Mother City to it. Honing itself as the Design Capital of the world, a holiday hub for famous globetrotters of all kinds and host to one of the seven wonders of the world, this city is nothing short of unforgettable. As far as a nightlife goes, Cape Town is full of surprises, boasting an electronic music scene and underground club culture positively bursting at its seams.

Here is Pulse Radio's guide to a 48 hour whirlwhind weekend care of the Cape of Good Hope.

Friday

7:00pm: Check into The Grand Daddy Hotel

Located in the heart of Cape Towns famed Long street, this sassy boutique hotel offers a unique experience including an airstream rooftop trailer park and a Sky Bar boasting a full view of table Mountain. With a variety of suites to choose from housing all the bells and whistles, an outdoor cinema and an overall distinct spin on deco and design, The Grand Daddy's got you covered.

8:00pm: Grab a drink at Tjing Tjing Rooftop Bar

Gear up and get pep without getting messy at this vibey rooftop bar. Chillax and enjoy a bit of indie and electronica while you get a birds eye view of your weekends playground from Tjing Tjing. If you're not one for heights, absorb the indoor attic feel this stylish venue pulls off with steaze.

9:00pm: Dine at The Bombay Bicycle Club

Situated at the top of Cape Towns Kloof street, The Bombay (as its more affectionately referred to locally) is that dash of colour on every dining connoisseurs list. With an atmosphere reminiscent of a mad hatters tea party, neither you nor your taste buds will go unnoticed. This bohemian restaurant with its crisp a la carte menu is an ideal fill before you set out to conquer wonderland.

11:00pm: Party at Fiction

Recognized by Resident Advisor as Cape Towns number one clubbing destination, it's only a just cause to make your way to Fiction. Having sported a string of internationals among the likes of Seth Troxler, Butane, Ryan Crosson and Jeremy P Caulifield to mention just a few, it's exactly the kind of Saturday night hot box the doctor ordered. Get deep, dark and dirty while you sink your teeth into the swank electronic music pit at Fiction.

01:00am: Party at Bullion Bar

Being one of Cape Towns best kept secrets you can expect to disco it up with some of the undergrounds finest at this stealthy spot. Located in Burg street with no signage to draw attention to it, this venue is all about the sic in music. With a variety of names among the likes of Floyd Lavine, Bruno Morphet and Malcolm Skene decking out the tunes, the basement style coalesce that is The Bullion Bar is best served underground.

Saturday

11am: Brunch and Shopping at Old Biscuit Mill

Whether you’re after the simple or the exotic, the fresh or the pre-prepared, the neighbourhood goods market at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, Cape Town, is the perfect place. With over 80 stalls to browse at the weekend market, aside from food, you can also find beautiful jewellery and trendy fashion. The food market focuses on organic delights and homemade delectables and gives shoppers the opportunity to enjoy their purchases right then and there, if they’re willing to brave the straw-bale seats.

2:00pm: Lunch at Latitude33

Getting more than just lunch is exactly what Latitude33 is all about. Order a signature burger, a custom sandwich, something from the bakery or perhaps digging into the chefs meal of the day is more your swing. While opting your appetite, let the work of Olivia Franklin take you on a journey in the art gallery upstairs. After savoring a delectable luncheon in a slick setting, you might want to indulge your fashionista and try on some fresh threads compliments of their in house fashion store. Three birds with one stone... nothing wrong with that.

4:00pm: Lager at The Beerhouse

Nothing makes more sense than a lazy beer on a Saturday afternoon and even if beer isn't your forte The Beerhouse on Long street guarantees something for beers most skeptical. Featuring a dope balcony overlooking the hustle and bustle of Long street and no less than ninety nine assorted beer flavours to get into, it goes without saying, you might end up having ninety nine problems without a beer being one. Cheers.

7:00pm: Dine at The Test Kitchen

It's time to take dinner seriously at this award winning spot in Cape Towns Woodstock. Tailoring a somewhat experimental approach to their menu, the folks at The Test Kitchen spare nothing when it comes to the finer details or your surroundings. Ranking among the worlds top fifty restaurants it's all the dish and trimmings for any palate at The Test Kitchen.

10:00pm: Live Band at The Assembly

Based in the heart of District 6 in Cape Town, this former assembly plant offers a diverse array of sounds each week from techno through to live band performances, across their two rooms. The Assembly building was converted from a warehouse and its expansive interiors renovated to creating a slick and industrial setting accommodating the diverse and eclectic crowd each weekend.

12:00am: Party at ERA

A space where electronic music is celebrated through lifestyle, where audio and visual focus come together, where technology meets imagination as the senses are taken on a journey designed for pure enjoyment. This brand new club and lounge for electro-loving audiophiles is officially launching on Loop Street in the Cape Town CBD on 30 August 2014. ERA features both a red-hot downstairs club made for dancing and an upstairs lounge that serves tapas and other bites.

Sunday

10:00am Rooftop Yoga at Shanti Cape Town

Do yourself a favour and join the Sunday morning yoga class at Shanti Cape Town to counter the effects of two nights of wild partying. At Shanti Cape Town, Ashtanga Yoga is taught as traditionally intended by Krishnamacharya and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India and you can rest assured your weekend shenanigans won’t come back to haunt you.

1:00pm: Lunch and Party at Mzolis

A trip to Cape Town is incomplete without catching a taxi and heading out to Gugulethu township for a proper shindig at Mzolis. Bring your own drinks or visit the shebeen across the road before making your personal selection of meat at Mzoli's butchery to braai (barbeque). Featured and acclaimed by none other than Jamie Oliver, good food is not all you'll find at Mzoli's. An eclectic fusion of people, culture and dancing make this venue a must. As the sun sets get down to the soul and togetherness that is house music with an array of spinners swooning at the decks.

4:00pm: Drive up Chapman’s Peak

Chapman’s Peak Drive winds it way between Noordhoek and Hout Bay on the Atlantic Coast on the south-western tip of South Africa. The 9km route, with its 114 curves, skirts the rocky coastline of Chapman’s Peak (593m), has sheer drops to the sea below and towering mountains rising above you. Chapman’s Peak Drive, affectionately known as “Chappies” is a must for anyone passionate about Cape Town’s majestic scenery. It is without question one of the most spectacular marine drives in the world.

6:00pm: Sundowners at Cafe Caprice

Cape Town’s landmark beach bar and café, Café Caprice is the focal point of the famous Camps Bay strip - the Mother City’s most envied suburb synonymous with palm tree lined streets, white sands and azure oceans. With their guest book signed by Zac Efron and Leonardo DiCaprio you’ll be sipping cocktails side-by-side with legends when you take your seat at Caprice.

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After a much-talked about chance meeting on a plane to Mallorca back in 1999, the pair eventually met again three years later and began producing music together. Their early productions were marked by a progressive leaning sound until seeing Sven Vath opened their eyes to the world of techno. A huge break followed with releases on Cocoon and shows at Amnesia coming soon after. Chatting with Igor over Skype from his native Mallorca, the conversation encompassed everything from the embarrassing musical phases of his youth, the state of Ibiza today and Pig&Dan’s new album on John Digweed’s Bedrock imprint.

What were your first introductions to electronic music? Well, in Mallorca the scene was pretty backwards. I went to boarding school in Switzerland so I was in mainland Europe. It’s quite embarrassing, but when I was 13, 14, 15 I would listen to proper trance – in those days there were these compilations called Trance Master. I used to listen to proper trance and even hardcore. In those I wasn’t a purist at all, I was open to everything – house, trance, techno. I just knew I liked electronic music. I used to buy CDs and my mate used to be the cool guy at school who used to DJ at all the school dances, I wasn’t cool enough, but I had all the music so I used to give him all the music.

I had all my phases – I had a heavy metal phase and I’d wear Metallica t-shirts, I had my hip-hop phase, Ice-T, 2 Live Crew, all that stuff. For me that’s what I call real hip-hop, old school hip-hop.

I had my cheesy electronic phase then I went to London, to university. I had a bit of a speed garage phase because that was the music people were listening to at the time. I used to go to Soho, I used to go to Black Market, Vinyl Addiction in Camden and I used to buy speed garage and house music. I got my decks and I used to play for hours and hours. I played at a couple of little clubs in London, they were more like university parties. With time your taste changes – I got into house music a lot and I went to Germany one day and saw Sven [Vath] play. That was the first time I was introduced to proper techno. It was all over then, I listened to techno and I was like, “Fuck, this it!”

Before we had been making more of a progressive sound – that’s when we started to change our sound and got more into the Cocoon vibe. I’ve got maybe 8000 or 10,000 records at home, if you go through them there’s embarrassing stuff.

You said you heard Sven for the first time and that opened your eyes to techno – when you started producing techno did you have Cocoon in mind? Absolutely – it was like “This is the way we want to go and this is the sound we want to make”. We totally started designing music for Sven. I went to Sven’s party through some friends that knew him.

After a few years a friend of ours got us a remix. Cocoon offered us a remix, a bit like a test. If they liked the remix they would take us on, if they didn’t like the remix it was pretty much over. It was the ‘Muckenshwarm’ remix of Oliver Koletski. The funny thing is, at the same time we were writing these tracks – the first one was ‘Oh Yeah’. I went to Cocoon at Amnesia and I gave Sven a CD with the new tracks. He put them on in the car when he was driving from dinner to Amnesia and he signed the track before even listening to the remix.

That would’ve been a lot of pressure. Just that one remix. Yeah, it was magical, it just happened. It just happened by itself, very organically. It wasn’t forced. It was pressure, but it wasn’t in a way. When we have that pressure, when someone big asks us for a remix like the one we’ve just done Deadmau5 – it’s one of the best tracks we’ve ever done. I think it’s a masterpiece. When we have that pressure, the best comes out.

Going back a little bit, obviously you first met Dan on a plane, but the time you ended up meeting again did you immediately bond over the same kind of music? Is that how the partnership grew? Well, Dan came from a drum and bass background. He produced drum and bass for LTJ Bukem and used to be part of a band called Intense.

Three years later I got a call saying, “You need to meet this guy, maybe you could make music together, he’s a producer.” So I went to see Dan at his place and we basically had chemistry from the first minute. It just developed. It wasn’t forced and we’re still here 10 years later.

You mentioned Amnesia and Cocoon before, what has your relationship with Ibiza been like over the years? Well, I’m from Mallorca, I’m basically a local. I’ve been going to Ibiza since I was 18 years old. I was going to Space and it’s always been a part of my youth. We were always island hopping.

When did you first start playing in Ibiza? It was Amnesia for Cocoon. The first time we played was in the Terrace. It was an amazing experience.

I think the vibe in Ibiza has changed a lot. They’ve sort of destroyed the vibe, you know. It’s become too business-oriented. You used to go to Ibiza and be partying with some A-list star next to you. There was a VIP, but it was smaller. The rich, the poor, the hippies – everyone was partying together in harmony. That was what it was about. Now it’s about money and mega-bucks – it’s watered down and tacky. It’s sad to see what’s happening to Ibiza.

Moving on – you’ve got the album ‘Destination Unknown’ coming out on John Digweed’s label. Was there ever a plan to release those tracks before John heard them? Actually no, a lot of those tracks have been on our computers for years. We were trying to move it and in the end it never came out. In terms of music, Dan and I have no boundaries. You can do any genre – it’s like cooking.

If you want to cook Italian, if you want to cook Japanese, it’s just about having the right ingredients and then you give it your special touch.

That music is other music we produced and John was doing a chill-out compilation and asked us for some down tempo stuff. He heard the music and was totally hooked. We made a few extra tracks so the album was long enough and that’s how it was done basically. There’s a Spanish track we did like 10 years ago. It doesn’t matter though, if music is good it’s timeless.

There are collaborations on the album as well. With musicians – Dan’s father is a pretty well-known saxophone player. He used to play in a band called the Average White Band. Their most famous track is this track with the sax called ‘Pick Up The Pieces’. You’ve heard it a million times. We’ve got guitarists and vocalists as well. Sometimes we’ll make a backing track and they’ll play on top or we’ll just improvise. It depends. If we don’t have a backing track we can always pick a key for the track, the most important thing is that you get them recorded then we can build around that. It’s a very open-minded process.

Finally, what’s next in terms of releases and shows? We’re really excited about the booking at Ultra in Tokyo. We also have a really big track called ‘Sandstorm’ that Adam Beyer has been playing the hell out of. We have a very big production output! We make a track or two a week so we always have music for the future. Now we’re trying to go for M_nus. We’ve produced a couple of track with M_nus in mind. We’re also doing our first event at ADE with a really cool line-up, choosing producers we like. We really think produces are underrated – they should get more attention because in the end the producers are the ones creating the music. We have a nice line-up with Marco Bailey, Mark Reeve, WHYT NOYZ, Arjun Vargale – we have a bit of everything and DJs from different labels. We’ll have a little South American tour and we’re going to America as well.

Pig&Dan will be playing Malta's Sunscape Festival, which features world class artists as well as holistic therapy and workshops, and takes place from September 5-8, 2014.

German techno duo and Watergate regulars Pan-Pot have provided 19 tracks of new and exclusive material, along with some timeless cuts to showcase their unique sound on the 17th instalment of the world-renowned Watergate mix compilation series.

The mix covers an array of soundscapes that typify Pan-Pot’s sound with tracks from the likes of Radio Slave, Maceo Plex, Ben Klock and Dario Zenker. From minimal sounds, to tech-house and darker techno, the pair guide listeners through a fine journey.

Watergate 17 will be released on 13th October through Watergate Records.

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Antwerp-born, Berlin based Locked Groove, real name Tim Van de Meutter, has been popping up seemingly everywhere lately. Tale Of Us can't seem to get enough of tracks like the forthcoming 'Maat' and 'Enigma,' and just yesterday George FItzgerald included 'Enigma' (out soon on Hotflush Recordings) in his recent FACT mix. 

Though it was first Hotflush boss Scuba who noticed Tim's ability to infuse emotion into even the toughest of places, snatching Van de Meutter up instantly. From there, Tim's genre skipping sound has wound up on labels like 2020Vision, Permanent Vacation and Hivern Discs, with styles ranging from hip-shaking Chicago infused house to melancholic, dreamlike deeper grooves, and straightforward techno.

Though no matter what the style, his tracks always have one thing in common - soul. Well, that, and the ability to move you. But according to Van de Meutter, that's one and the same. 

Having grown up in Antwerp, you're no based in Berlin, the natural home for techno producers. What brought about the move? My girlfriend got a job here, so the entire move wasn’t something we were planning for a long time.

I’m still of the opinion that it doesn’t necessarily matter where you live. Making music is something I can do in pretty much every city or country I think. In some respect it’s easier living here in terms of doing collaborations with people, so the city definitely had and still has an influence on me.

You’ve said that making soulful house and techno, even when it’s industrial, is what comes naturally to you. Why do you think that’s is? That’s a tough one. I don’t really know actually. I spend a lot of time sculpting sounds even for percussion. I can go into autism mode and work on a hi-hat for an hour or two. [laughs] I draw a lot of inspiration from other music styles or art.

Ever since my double pack for Hotflush, I started to approach producing from a different angle. I’ll set out on making something in a certain theme or inspired on a book or movie or album I’m into at the moment. I guess that way it’s easier for me to give tracks a certain vibe.

What is your definition of soul? Something that moves you. It can even make you feel really uncomfortable. But it should do something to you.

What do you think brought about the recent explosion in genre blending between house and techno? Melody is everywhere these days. Music goes in waves; it’s a sign of times. Some years people are more into percussive stuff and other years people want some melody.

For me personally the wave is always on its peak moment. I can never keep myself back in the studio and make something without that minimum amount of melody lines.

Your ‘Thesseus’ EP is coming out in September on the lauded Permanent Vacation. What can you tell us about it? It’s going to be two original and one remix by my friend Clockwork.

I’m really excited about the whole package because the whole thing is a nice package. The one track couldn’t be on there without the other. The A-side is a really long journey that goes from really stripped back vibe to more lush vibes. The B1 is a very mellow tune with some harder edges. Not really peak time material. Clockwork took the B1 and turned it into an amazing breaky version that focuses a bit more on the before mentioned harder edges.

I drew a lot of inspiration out of Mark Pritchard’s Alias ‘Link’ for this project.

How did the project come about? I first got in touch with the PV guys through my friend and WPH label Boss Red D. Initially, because I was interested in signing my track “Reverie” to them, which got released on the compilation ‘ If this is house I want my money back Vol. 3’ After that the whole thing kind of evolved naturally in doing an DP for them.

Earlier this summer you released the second EP on your vinyl only, limited edition Locked Groove Records with ‘Rave Alert/Dialogues.’ Do you plan to keep the releases to one a year, or are they less planned than that? The release I do on my own label aren’t really planned. I just do them whenever I feel like I have two tracks that fit the idea behind the label. I give myself complete freedom, still keeping the theme thing I talked about earlier in the interview in mind. The last one was influenced by the Belgian Rave High days. There will be more releases in the coming year, by myself and possibly some cameo appearances by other people.

What made you decide to start the label? I just felt like doing something that was really my own & where I would have full control over the full creative process from artwork to the stuff I put on it.

What else is on the horizon for the rest of 2014? There’s loads of stuff coming even before the end of the year. Of course there’s the Permanent Vacation release coming end of September. Besides that I’ll be doing another Hotflush release in November. And a release on a certain Italian label is set to be released in October. I’m not going to namedrop that here but you do the adding up.

Finally, what can you tell us about the Fresh Blood mix you provided for us? It begins and ends with parts from Meditations in an Emergency from Frank O’Hara and is filled with some of my own forthcoming material and, in general, music I like at the minute. I hope the music will speak for itself.

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Last week, Beatport released some interesting data from past sales including the top selling artists of all time, top selling tracks, and artists with the most number one tracks (hint: the lists are not what you hoped they would be). In addition to that, the popular music store also shared its top selling genres by year, with dubstep sales taking an obvious fall over the last few years.

According to the data, dubstep experienced a significant rise from 2008 through 2011, just before its fall at nearly the same rate. This year, it is Beatport’s lowest selling genre, with deep house, tech house, and techno leading. Progressive house has also experienced a decrease in sales over the past few years, but to a lesser degree.

Of course, you have to take this information with a grain of salt as Beatport sales don’t necessarily dictate the true popularity of each genre, and the electronic music community has been in arms over its genre classifications anyway. There are also other places to purchase music so Beatport’s sales are only a fraction of total sales. Calvin Harris is the highest earning DJ in the world but didn’t make Beatport’s list of top selling artists, for example.

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