After Apple's June 10th Keynote address failed to mention anything about their flagship DAW software Logic Pro 9, many in the production community began to wonder whether there was any life left in this (until now) Apple only product. It appears now those fears were unfounded with today's release of "Apple Logic Pro X" the first significant upgrade to the program since Logic Pro 9 was unveiled in 2009. Jim Dalrymple of Loopinsight.com has kindly allowed us to repost his comprehensive analysis. Read on for more!

The day many professional audio engineers, musicians and music-making fans have been waiting for is here—Apple released Logic Pro X. I spent some time with the Logic Pro X team and have been using the software myself in my studio, so I’d like to give you a rundown of the important changes.

First of all, I should address the fears of many users. Rumors have circulated for a long time that Logic Pro was going to be discontinued or that it was going to be reincarnated as some sort of “GarageBand Pro.” Clearly, it hasn’t been discontinued, and I can tell you from my own experience, this is far from a GarageBand knockoff. This is the same professional digital audio workstation software that we’ve used for years, only better.

Logic Pro X still has all of the same professional-level features as its predecessor, but also adds some new high-end abilities. In addition, Apple has made the software more approachable to new users with features like Smart Controls (we’ll talk about this later), without taking away any ability for pros to dig down into the plug-ins, preferences or controls.

The Interface

Apple has made some significant changes to the interface of Logic Pro X, in both form and functionality. The biggest change you will notice when opening Logic Pro X is color—It’s gone from a light grey to black and darker grey. Personally, the color change suits me just fine—I found it easier to work with than the old color choices.

There are a number of other changes too. The buttons on the toolbar are more modern looking and some have a different colors when engaged, letting you know quickly if they are on or off.

The Library has also been moved from the right side of the interface to the left and toolbars that used to be at the bottom of the screen have been integrated into the top toolbar. Both smart changes for my workflow.

Track Stacks

Logic Pro X features a new type of track called Track Stacks. There are two types of Track Stacks available to the user. The first is a simple folder stack, which many of you will already be familiar with. The folder stack groups multiple tracks together, but does not sub-mix the tracks.

The new and more powerful Track Stack is the summing stack. This is going to be used a lot. A summing track sub-mixes all of the tracks in a stack to an Aux channel. You can use this stack to create layered or split instruments—for instance, you can have multiple Guitar Amp Designer tracks in one Track Stack—and you can use multi-timbral and/or multi-out software instrument setups.

One of the great things about the summing Track Stack is that it can be saved as a patch in the Sound Library. That means you can recall the patch, and all of your settings, any time you want.

Smart Controls

I didn’t know how much I would like Smart Controls because it’s a simpler way to shape the sound of a track. Typically, I like to adjust the parameters individually on my plug-ins, but Smart Controls have quickly become a favorite for fast and easy adjustments.

The basis for Smart Controls is that they allow the user to manipulate multiple plug-ins and parameters with a single move. For instance, adjusting a Smart Control parameter labeled “Bass” could adjust an EQ and Compressor at the same time to give you the desired sound. That’s pretty powerful.

Smart Controls are available for every patch in the Sound Library and you can create your own too. Each control can be mapped to multiple plug-ins and multiple parameters at the same time, giving you the ability to exactly control the sound. The controls can also be automated or assigned to external control surfaces.

The pro user still has access to the individual plug-ins and can make adjustments manually if you wish. In fact, if you right-click on one of the Smart Control knobs, it gives you the option to open the plug-ins associated with that control.

This is a perfect example of what I meant by Logic Pro X being approachable, but still very powerful.

Drummer

Now it’s time to get into some of the fun of Logic Pro X with an addition to the app called Drummer.

Drummer is more than an instrument, it’s a smart instrument that follows your direction on what types of grooves and fills to play. The app comes with 15 unique drummers, complete with their own kits and style of playing, so you’ll always have something unique for your song. The drummers come in four genres: rock, alternative, songwriter and R&B.

Apple used some of the best drummers in the world to record each individual drum hit in the studio. They also hired some of the top audio engineers, producers and mixers to mix and master the library. This includes multi-Grammy award winner, Bob Clearmountain.

As you can imagine, Drummer sounds amazing.

There are two types of drum kits available from the Library: the regular kit and the Producer kit. The regular drum kit is summed to a stereo track and is very easy to use. Everything is basically done for you—you plug it in and play.

The Producer kit is more powerful and gives you much more control over the tracks. Each kit piece has its own mic and can be altered individually. Each piece can also be recorded to a separate audio track where, of course, you can add your own plug-ins.

The Producer kits also give you the ability to change out kit pieces, adjust the mic bleed and other more advanced features that the regular kits don’t have.

I put together a video of Drummer so you could see and hear it for yourself.

Flex Pitch

It should be no big surprise to anyone that Apple has implemented Flex Pitch into Logic Pro X. This is a new feature that allows you to analyze and adjust the pitch of individual notes in an audio file.

Flex Pitch follows Flex Time, a feature that was released with the last version of Logic Pro that allowed you to manually or automatically adjust the timing of your audio files using transient markers.

After analyzing your audio file Flex Pitch gives you an easy way to see if the notes are in pitch or not. If the box is fully colored, then you’re okay, but if the box has some empty space, your note is flat or sharp. Grabbing the note and moving it will bring it into pitch.

There are also adjustment holders on each note box—one on each corner, and one on the top and bottom. Each give you different functionality to adjust the note. The six adjustment points allow you to manipulate Pitch Drift (on both sides), Fine Pitch, Formant Shift, Vibrato and Gain.

Flex Pitch also allows you to extract the MIDI from any monophonic audio and then have it played by any software or external MIDI instrument.

I used Flex Pitch on a guitar track and it worked great. I was able to adjust the pitch of one note in riff from “G” to “E” with no noticeable artifacts left behind.

Guitar, Bass and MIDI Plug-Ins

Yes, Logic Pro X now has MIDI Plug-ins. Apple included Arpeggiator and others, which is going to make a lot of musicians very happy. MIDI Plug-ins can be used with any of the instruments in Logic, any 3rd party Audio Units, or external hardware-based MIDI instruments. Up to 8 MIDI Plug-ins can be inserted on a single channel.

Bass players can also rejoice: Logic Pro X now includes Bass Amp Designer, a plug-in similar to Guitar Amp Designer, which was included in the last version of Logic Pro.

Seven new stompboxes have been added for guitar players including: Tie Die Delay (reverse delay), Tube Burner (tube style overdrive) Wham (pitch whammy pedal), Grit (classic distortion), Dr. Octave (sub octave enhancer) Flange Factory and a Graphic EQ.

Apple is also releasing MainStage 3 ($29.99) today, which adds compatibility with Track Stacks, but I didn’t get a chance to use that.

Logic Remote for iPad

Logic Pro X is now designed to work with the iPad via a free companion app called Logic Remote.

Logic Remote connects to Logic Pro X over Wi-Fi and is a powerful application for Logic users. While many iPad apps have limited functionality, Apple released its remote app with a wide range of functions.

With Logic Remote on your iPad you can record, mix and play instruments. You can navigate through Logic and make changes to your project from across the room.

This may end the days of me sitting in a chair across the room, listening to a mix and making notes about adjustments that need to be made. And then doing the same thing all over again.

Logic Remote is compatible with iPad 2 or later and iPad mini. It requires iOS 6 or later and Logic Pro X.

Other Features

In addition to the features and design changes, Apple included more than 1,500 instrument and effect patches, 800 sampled instruments, 30 urban and electronic drum machines and 3600 Apple Loops in modern urban and electronic genres. Users can also download the legacy Sound Library a-la-carte if they need it.

Logic Pro X allows users to share directly to their SoundCloud account and includes support for the Media Browser, so media can be shared across applications.

In addition to Autosave functionality, Logic Pro now has the ability save “snapshots” of a project in different states as part of the project file.

Logic Pro X requires 4GB of RAM, a display with 1280 x 768 resolution or higher, OS X v10.8.4 or later and 64-bit Audio Units plug-ins. With Apple making the 64-bit transition years ago, most plug-in makers already have 64-bit versions of their plug-ins available.

Bottom Line

Logic Pro X is the best music software release I’ve seen from Apple in a while. They added a lot of pro features, but at the same time managed to make the app more approachable—that’s a difficult thing to do.

Being a guitar player, I would liked to have seen some more attention on Amp Designer—I don’t use it much at all because I don’t like the amps much—but I can wait for the next release for that.

Overall, Logic Pro X is a great release and for $199, you can’t go wrong.

You can view the review courtesy of The Loop here.

Listen to Ewan Pearson on Pulse Radio

It's the event of the summer season for San Diego! Lovelife celebrates its second birthday on Friday, August 23rd with its 'Two Years of Peace, Love, and SEX' party starring none other than No.19's Art Department. It's a night of gallivanting amongst likeminded 'Lovers' who have joined the Lofelife family in search of great music and great times. Every party has its humble beginnings, as Jon Dadon of Music is 4 Lovers and Jimbo James of outLIFE joined minds two years ago for what they thought would be a one-time event. Little would they know that their event would sprout a lot of lovin', Music is 4 Lovers combined forces with outLife in order to complete the Lovelife equation. 

It's only appropriate that for the two year anniversary party, DJ duo Art Department should take to the decks. These Canadian talents have been making waves in the electronic music scene for the past three years, when they were discovered by Damian Lazarus of Crosstown Rebels. Now with their own label No.19, they have attracted a wide array of musical talent and exciting releases. Opening sets are provided by Music is 4 Lover's own Jon Dadon going back to back with Halo and Marbs.

The party begins at 9PM with the theme of "black," at Bassmnt in San Diego, which will be outfitted with Funktion One sound for this special event. There is a chance to win two tickets to the 2 Years of Peace, Love, and Sex party if you post your favorite Lovelife memory or Art Department content on the Facebook event page wall. Your best bet however is to buy tickets, exclusively here on Pulse. It's expected to be a sold-out event, so ticket purchase is recommended.  Hurry to catch the presale price!

Listen to Art Department on Pulse Radio

After the recent staggering success of Daleri’s mashup of the Top 100 tracks on Beatport, you too can be included in the next edition if you follow these simple guidelines. As Khazm, a trance and progressive DJ/producer from New Zealand shows in this instructional video, all it takes is a to get into the Beatport Top 10 is a combination of the following elements:

Start with a kick drum, which has to be an 808. You can probably sample this from another track in the Top 10 since no one will notice.

Next comes the melody since “it’s not music without melodic content” and a vocal sample before the drop because “you can’t have hit music without a vocal sample.”

Finally, make it really loud and add reverb otherwise it won’t sound good at festivals. See you on Beatport’s Top 100 chart!

Watch the full video below:

Listen to Tiesto on Pulse Radio

Gear sluts, tech heads and all round technology lovin' DJs, prepare yourselves for this one. Pioneer has just announced the news that its flagship CDJ-2000 Nexus will now be fully compatible with Serato Scratch Live 2.5 without the use of control CDs, which means that DJs can use the CDJ-2000 as a controller for Scratch Live.

Pioneer has issued a press release with all the juicy details:

"Pioneer’s CDJ-2000nexus player (updated with firmware Version 1.13) will work in sync with the Scratch Live software Version 2.5.0 for intuitive DJ performance using music files stored on a computer without the need for a control disc.

In Online Mode, Scratch Live functions will automatically link to the corresponding buttons and keys of the CDJ-2000nexus player when a computer running the software is connected through the players’ USB connection. In addition, functions such as tempo adjustment, play/cue and loop can be made without a computer keyboard or mouse.

The built-in color display of the Pioneer CDJ-2000nexus will also indicate detailed track information from the Scratch Live software. Text, album artwork, waveform, cue/loop points and other information of a track will be shown on the CDJ-2000nexus color display, resulting in quicker visual communication and enhanced DJ performance for the user. In addition, checking playback status and selecting tracks can all be done directly on the CDJ player, minimizing the need to browse through a computer screen."

We want!

Listen to Pulse Radio

Two standout figures in electronic music are heading to Australia this year for respective tours. First up in July is the 'Godson of techno' aka Detroit veteran Rick Wilhite, followed by trans-gender electronic producer Terre Thaemlitz, aka DJ Sprinkles in August.

Wilhite's four date tour includes a set at Splendour In The Grass in Byron Bay upon the festival's first ever RBMA stage and also at Bondi Iceberg's in Sydney for a party co-hosted by RBMA and Picnic. Thaemlitz will play three shows in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, of which the Sydney party is again hosted by Picnic in conjunction with The House Of Mince.

Full tour dates for both artists are below with tickets available for purchase for the Sydney shows.

Rick Wilhite tour dates:
25.07.13 - Rick Wilhite, Sugar, Adelaide
26.07.13 - RBMA @ Splendour In the Grass, North Byron Parklands
27.07.13 - District @ New Guernica, Melbourne
28.07.13 - RBMA & Picnic @ Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, Sydney [BUY]

DJ Sprinkles tour dates:
09.08.13 - Connections Nightclub, Perth
10.08.13 - House Of Mince & Picnice @ The Abercrombie, Sydney [BUY]
16.08.13 - Sound Of Thought @ First Floor, Melbourne

Listen to Pulse Radio

We had a quick chat with Canadian house export Fred Everything on the eve of his Australian tour - which kicks off this weekend in Adelaide and Perth, and Melbourne and Sydney next weekend - touching on his famous Lazy Days imprint, his thoughts on the current state of house music and basically what's been happening for the man of late. Fred has also recorded and exclusive tour mix for us which you can stream or download to your heart's desire! Tracklist below.

(download here)

Pulse: You've just compiled a new compilation for Lazy Days called 'Summer Daze Vol.1'. How did you go about selecting tracks from the Lazy Days catalogue for that one? Fred Everything: Summer Daze is a new series that we're starting to feature the slower, summer type tracks from the label. We are lucky to have such great artists like Kruse & Nuernberg, Lovebirds, Spirit Catcher, Ian Pooley, Shur-I-Kan, Wolf + Lamb as part of the catalogue so the choice was fairly easy.

If you had to choose one track from the entire LD catalogue, which would it be? It's like picking your favorite child! If I can choose a release, it would be Kruse & Nuernberg's album 'Let's Call It A Day' that we released last year. It was the first artist album we did. Lots of work went into it making sure everything was right and I'm really pleased with the results. The guys did an amazing job on the music. They really went outside of their box for this one.

What else have you got coming up on the label? The Summer Daze compilation this month, then new EPs from Shur-I-Kan, Bugsy & Christian Prommer as well as a new one from myself.

How do you go about keeping a small dance music label afloat in 2013 given the changed ways of the industry? Creative thinking. Always focus on solutions rather than problems. Learning that things are constantly changing and learning to surf on it.

You recently had one of your tracks released on Buzzin Fly. Could you tell us about that one? I was under the impression that the label was no longer releasing new material? This was 2 years ago. Ben Watt asked me to produce a few songs for a Montreal band called Flowers & Sea Creatures which turned out to be a great experience. They weren't my own tracks but it was the first time I was producing another band, rather than just remixing. The label has now sadly been closed.

Have you been busy touring this year? Any stand out gigs? Yes, this year has been great so far. Been to Asia, Mexico, South America, Europe a few times, back to Canada and also around the US. Again, it's hard to pick just one gig, but I have to say it was great to be back in Paris after so many years and have a proper Lazy Days party at Showcase with Ian Pooley and myself. More recently, Sonar was a lot of fun and so was Bulgaria two weeks ago.

How do you feel about the quality of house music about these days? Are you still inspired? Definitely. I think there's some great music out there. There's obviously a lot more to filter out these days and there's probably too much music but there are some gems out there. Either digital or vinyl only stuff. It's worth the hunt.

Who would you name as some producers tickling your fancy? It might sound obvious but Jimpster always works for me. I also really enjoyed his new album. I also love all the stuff that Art Of Tones has got coming up, including the new EP he did for us.

It’s been a while since your last album. Any plans for another? Yes, there are plans and there's been many attempts to start a new one, but I can't seem to be able to concentrate my whole energy towards one project right now. It's going to happen but I'm not gonna say when or where. I'd rather it be a surprise. There's a big folder of unreleased tracks waiting to be finished.

Can you tell us about the mix you’ve recorded for us? I wanted to showcase the palette of music that I've been into recently. I try to condense a 3 hour set into a one hour mix, with a beginning of the night, peak time, and end. I always play some older tracks in my sets but for this one I kept it current. You'll be hearing all these tracks next week for sure.

Where does your name come from? Ah, THAT question! I started out by playing live in the early 90s at raves and parties in Quebec City and Montreal. At the time, I wasn't focused on one style of music. I was interested by all the new genres of electronic music coming out at the time. I had sets that would range from ambient to early progressive house to drum & bass and some breaks. I used to only be called Everything. When I started DJing, I just added Fred.

What are you looking forward to on your upcoming Australian tour? Tim Tams!

Fred Everything Australian Tour Mix for Pulse Radio - Tracklist:
1.Shur-I-Kan - The Light (featuring Stephen Rahman Hughes) - Dark Energy
2.Daniel Dexter feat. Geraldine Roth - Night Away (Ian Pooley Remix) - Poker Flat
3.Paolo Rocco - People Say - Saved
4.Sasse - Xchange - Pooled
5.Tigerskin & Til Von Sein - Molly Brown - Dirt Crew
6.Todd Terje - Strandbar - Olsen
7.Art Of Tones - Elephants (Dub) - Lazy Days
8.Simian Mobile Disco VS Bicep - Sacrifice - Delicacies
*w/Foremost Poets "Reason To Be Dismal" Acapella - Poker Flat
9.Maya Jane Coles feat. Karin Park - Everything (Breach Remix) - I/AM/ME
10.Sandy Rivera & Noir -SOTOM (Jimpster Remix) - NOIR
11.Ian Pooley - Kid's Play (Stimming Remix) - Pooled
12.Bryan Ferry - Don't Stop The Dance (Todd Terje Remix) - Virgin

Fred Everything 2013 Australian Tour:
19.07.13 - Garage, Adelaide
20.07.13 - Geisha, Perth
26.07.13 - 161, Melbourne
27.07.13 - Goldfish, Sydney

Listen to Fred Everything on Pulse Radio

The Falls Music & Arts Festival is hitting the road this December with their compass set towards the sunny shores of Byron Bay, New South Wales, as well as their established festivals in Victoria and Tasmania. Falls has been invited into the Shire by the local Byron Bay Council who have marked the event as a perfect fit for the idyllic beach town.

"We're really excited to be heading North and expanding this year," says festival founder Simon Daly. "The Byron Bay location couldn't be better suited to everything that has always encompassed Falls in Lorne and Marion Bay. Coastal and charming natural settings; a destination for our patrons to travel for."

Falls Music & Arts Festival 2013/14 Dates:
Dec 28 – Jan 01 in Lorne, VIC
Dec 29 – Jan 01 in Marion Bay, TAS
Dec 31 – Jan 03 in Byron Bay, NSW

Listen to Pulse Radio

Deadmau5 is back and making his feelings clear once again, this time taking a pop at commercial house music through a 46-second mix released on Soundcloud.

The mix - released through his Soundcloud under the moniker Fuck My Life - taking a stab at OTT drops and digging at generic, formulaic commercial dance music and the lack of originality in the EDM scene.

The track comes after his recent argument with Afrojack, where he told the Dutch DJ: "100% of people, expect to hear new things, ever evolving sounds and compositions, new genres, originality. F*ck your Mcdonalds." 

Listen to 'Drop Da Bomb' above; It shan't take long to listen too, mind.

Listen to Deadmau5 on Pulse Radio.

As with all things in music, by the time something reaches the attention of the major labels, it's probably been around for a while, and definitely here to stay. Universal Records have announced that they will be re-releasing classic material on vinyl – as long as there is a demand for it.

Universal's vinyl branch, UVinyl, will be launching a "crowd-funded vinyl service", working on a similar vein as Kickstarter crowd funding, to release rare and deleted vinyl accompanied by new, personalised art work as well as digital download redemption codes.

According to Complete Music Update, Universal are already considering releasing classic pop hits such as The Jackson 5's "ABC," and Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road".

Get involved at the official UVinyl site here.

Listen to Pulse Radio. 

German DJ/producer Shaun Reeves has an excellent new remix EP which is set to drop on July 26th on Hatchwork . You can stream the whole EP exclusively below.



Reeves (who is one quarter of Visionquest alongside Ryan Crosson, Lee Curtiss and Seth Troxler) is to see two new edits of his original track CDV released on the imprint. Both reworks come courtesy of Darren Flecta in the shape of the Darren Flecta Remix and Other Dimension Remix both offering a unique spin of Reeves' original.

Don't say we're not good to you.

Listen to Shaun Reeves on Pulse Radio.

It’s out, news of Sprung 2013 from Alien Safari is out for us to pencil in on the 7th September 2013. It’s too soon to give info on the line-up but stay tuned to Pulse Radio and as soon as that info drops we’ll be sure to spread the news. The venue, well they tell us this, it’s new, it’s beautiful, it has two dams, it’s only about 65km’s from Cape Town and the gates will be opening at 10 am on Saturday morning. Ok, so there’s a bit of mystery as to where exactly it might be, but the directions are going to be released soon – excited much? 

ENTRANCE:

This is a strictly no under 18 event.

As you would expect, a great deal of effort has been put in to the décor of the event, there will be magnificent installations, adornments and festoons, they will be posting pictures up soon as a tease I would imagine for the event. All-Star Aviators, trip advisors and other relevant information will be released soon so stay in the loop. The organisers of this event have also set up a donation box at the gate upon arrival, so they push for you, us, everybody to ‘be the change’ and donate all your unwanted items for a good cause. The dates and times are out, start getting excited for this one, and as soon as the other information is dropped we will have it for you. 

It’s that time again at Pulse Radio South Africa – Mid-Week Downloads. We offer a direction for you to add a bit of weight to your music collection and this week what we have is a month to month series of hot mixtapes from Durban born but currently residing in Cape Town’s – Malcolm Skene. 

Reading Malcolm’s bio, the way that it kicks off one couldn’t agree more. A stalwart, a pioneer, a taste-maker, yes it’s absolutely correct in saying that all of the above are the clichés used when describing a DJ, but none so more deserving than Malcolm. I regularly find myself on a floor somewhere with Malcolm helming the ship transporting his passengers to a place of pure bliss. With his ever styling taste in music and the methodical manner in which he offers it to us, Malcolm never disappoints. 

For over 14 years Malcolm has been paving ways in the scene, and coming from a rather diverse musical background he makes for an incredibly flexible ‘taste-maker’ to date doing what he does best. Take some time out and download all the mixes he has thankfully made available for us.    

On the eve of yet another incredible ENTER. party at Space Ibiza, we got to know rising star Barem, ahead of his second set of the season at Richie Hawtin's seminal clubbing experience. The young Argentinian star broke onto the scene in 2005 with his on point productions and a meeting with Richie Hawtin in Buenos Aries not long after led to multiple releases on the Minus imprint. We chatted with Barem to find out what he thought about Ibiza, the scene and where he thinks is the best place to go for a nice meal.

What can we expect from your performance at ENTER. this year? I will be playing as DJ at the terrace 4 times this summer. The terrace is more deep house and tech house oriented so my sets fit better there. I will probably be playing different time slots on every show, same as I did last year, which is great because it lets me play different kinds of music and moods on each date.

Which artists are you most looking forward to seeing in Ibiza this summer? Many, and also parties. For example I wanna go check some of the new Pacha nights, like Sundays with Solomun and Wednesdays with Guy Gerber and Bill Patrick. Music On on Fridays at Amnesia is definitely another of my stops. I will be playing a few times at Luciano & Friends afternoons at Ushuaia as well, which also has a very impressive line up every Tuesday, and of course Cocoon is a must. On ENTER. I always spend the whole night and go around to check out as many artists as I can. The line up for the season is amazing and I'm very looking forward to see all of them. If I had to pick one though, that would be Paco Osuna. He's on fire right now!

What else are you up to at the moment (touring, releases etc)?  I just came back from Sonar and the summer tour schedule gets busier around this time of the year, so I managed to finish all that I wanted to do before it gets crazy now. I have some remixes coming out, a solo EP on Minus very soon, a split EP related to my 'After The Storm' album with a new edit by me and a remix from Dubfire, and finally a mix CD for ENTER. that will be out very shortly for the beginning of the season.

What’s your perfect 6am sunrise tune? Iz & Diz - Love Vibe (Brett Johnson's Better Days Mix)



What's your best memory or party experience in Ibiza? There's been so many and it's extremely hard to pick one through the years. I remember amazing Monza nights in the past, Cocoon parties when we used to have the Minus night there once every season, last year with the beginning of ENTER., The Cadenza vs ENTER. at Ushuaia, the sunset after party at Cala Conte B2B with Paco Osuna last September… I also remember an awesome B2B with Richie, Raresh, Petre Inspirescu and I at a private party some years ago, a super fun B2B with Marco Carola at the old Ushuaia. There have been so many fun ones and so different from each other that I can't really pick one, sorry!

Tell us about your favourite Ibiza places to…Eat: Restaurante La Encina, carretera de San Jose km1 (amazing meat from the north of spain and try the award winning egg tapa), Es Torrent, Playa de Es Torrent (all kinds of top quality Mediterranean sea food). Balansat and Port de san Miquel (also amazing sea food with a great top sea view and they also have my favourite fish 'Rahons' which are really difficult to find and limited to a very short season).

Drink: Kumharas, San antonio, Chiringuito Atzaró Beach and Ayoun

Relax: Agroturismo Spa Atzaró, Cala de Aguas Blancas and Cala Conte

Any tips for Ibiza first-timers? You definitely need to rent a car. The mobility on the island is very limited and you don't wanna spend a fortune on taxis to go to the beach and back, etc. My favourite part is the north. It's very quiet, has amazing beaches and great places for food. But go by taxi to clubs or pick a designated driver. It's very sad to hear drunk driving accidents every year. Also, and if budget allowing, try to rent a boat to go to Formentera for the day. It's amazingly beautiful there and not very far.

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



ENTER.
Space Ibiza
Thursday, 18 July

Line Up
ENTER.Main (Discoteca)
Richie Hawtin
Paco Osuna
Audion (Live)
ENTER.Terrace (Terraza)
Magda
Heidi
Barem
Hot Since 82
ENTER.Sake (Sunset Terrace, from 21.30)
Richie Hawtin
Hito
Bella Sarris
ENTER.Mind (El Salon)
Vatican Shadow (Live)
Eli
ENTER.Air (Premier Etage)
James Lavelle

Listen to Barem, Richie Hawtin and Magda on Pulse Radio. 

Swiss duo In Flagranti have recently released a fresh EP on Erol Alkan's Phantasy Sound label. And to celebrate, they've put together an exclusive mix for Pulse in the player underneath.

Long seen as masters of rich and textured club based music, ever since their debut album Wronger Than Anyone Else. A synth soaked club EP, each track on the EP aims squarely for the floor through a mixture of dark pop and late night disco timbres.

For this exclusive mix, Sassa takes to the decks to offer us a sharp and eclectic mix, featuring the likes of Black Loops, SINS and much more.

Pulse Exclusive Mix - Tracklisting
Neville Watson - Rough Side (Original Mix)
Land of Light - Higher Love (The Backwoods Remix)
Anti-Tank - It's Over (Daniel Avery Remix)
Mugwump - Boutade (2013 Techno Redux Dub)
JKRIV/The Disco Machine - Make It Acid (Idjut Boys mix)
Logo - Fabrice (Renart Remix)
SINS - Grind
Black Loops - Right Now (Double Dash Remix)
Headman feat Scott Fraser & Douglas McCarthy - Noise (Daniel Maloso Remix)

Listen to In Flagranti on Pulse Radio.

The Analogue Cops
Party To Dance
[Fragil]

Just in case you weren’t sure, The Analogue Cops are all about using only hardware and working the gear they have to its absolute limits. This old-school approach to their music shines through both their releases and their live shows, and they take it one step further with the Party To Dance EP, offering it as a vinyl only release (pressed on super heavy 180g wax, no less).

The two distinct sides of the duo’s music are showcased on the release, with their rugged techno sounds commandeering the A-side of the record, while the B-side explores their jackin’ Chicago influences. AC-Livex02 opens the release with pounding, distorted beats, reversed synth stabs and soulful vocals, creating a funky-yet-devastating cut sure to please fans of Ben Sims and the like. AC-SnatchSquad fills out the rest of the grooves on the A-side, storming in with overdriven TB-303s squelching and squealing all over the place, angry radar bleeps, haunted vocals and pounding drum rhythms.

AC-PartyToDance starts the B-side a little less furiously, though there’s still plenty of chunk in this baby’s funk. Although primarily focused around a filtered disco sample that gradually builds in intensity, the catchy hook is complemented perfectly by jackin’ drum rhythms, a well-timed piano loop and a full, well-rounded bassline. DJ Sneak would be proud. Finishing things off is AC-LParis1, a stripped-down, funky jam that is impossible to sit still to. Although it sets up its premise fairly early and sticks to it almost unwaveringly, the groove is catchy and fun enough to remain danceable for the entire length of the track, and the addition of the looped vocal at about the half-way point keeps the track from feeling monotonous.

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Listen to The Analogue Cops on Pulse Radio.

We’re one day away from the day the man himself, Nelson Mandela was brought to us to change the way we see the world as we know it – 18th July 2013 we will all be celebrating Madiba’s birthday. Mr Mandela gave 67 years of his life fighting for the rights of humanity so it seemed only too fitting to dedicate 67 minutes of or time to do the same for a chosen charity, individual or your local community, whatever it may be – nothing wrong with doing a bit of good, ever. 

We have been leading up to tomorrow with articles on the amazing man in some would say a rather light-heartedly way, I believe that goes hand-in-hand with Madiba – a gentle soul with only our best interests at heart, a man who believed in music and the power therein to change things for the better, music is certainly a powerful tool, it moves, it spurs on, it gets people to think and of course – people move to it, it shakes the negative off and refreshes, setting us up for another good innings. 

Here is a clip spotlighting thoughts from others about Nelson Mandela and what he believed music could do for us as a nation, as a global conglomerate. His iconic Madiba Jive has rippled into the hearts of the nation and won’t be forgotten. Watch this: 

Thundercat, Lapalux and Throwing Snow
XOYO
Wednesday, 10 July

In the wake of Thurdercat's most recent LP for Brainfeeder, Apocalypse, any live date in London was sure to be something special - when it was announced he would be performing at XOYO with support from Lapalux and Throwing Snow, attendance was a no brainer.

The early show kicked off around eight, with Throwing Snow taking control of the exposed brick DJ booth in the corner of the underground, East-London venue. As warm up sets go, his offering left a lot to be desired. Snow's mostly instrumental set jumped from blissed out synths to dark, stripped back techno, which is by no means a bad thing in itself, however a lack of fluidity, drive or sense of purpose in the journey left it feeling slightly unnatural and forced. Although each track played exhumed quality in its own way, his set lacked design and structure, leaving many in the crowd (and it seemed) himself unsure of what to expect next. Some poor EQing left XOYO's sound-system feeling pushed to the point of abuse, as large chunks of the London based producer's set clipped and sounded distorted, a stark contrast to the sonically pleasing sounds he is known for creating.

It was with some relief that Lapalux took control of the proceedings around 9pm, proving in very little time why he is the sole Brit on Fly-Lo's Brainfeeder imprint. From the very first beat, the sound quality in XOYO improved immeasurably, which in itself was promising, however the success of his set went further than knowing to keep his mixer out of the red. His tasteful blends of drunken sounding R&B and hip hop vocals (think ODB after too much purple drank) reacted with his lush, beat wizardry, ensuring his live set was nothing short of halftime bliss. Stoned, groggy samples, coupled with the constantly changing tone and tempo of the beats made his version of Shimmy Shimmy Ya feel like a rose tinted stroll down hip hop memory lane. Lapalux's set oozed maturity and, when married with his playful disregard for convention, looked dangerously close to stealing the show before the headliner had even taken to the stage.

It was little after 10pm when Thundercat made their entrance, and what an entrance it was. Talented vocalist Bruner took to the stage, complete with drummer and keyboard player in tow, while brandishing a six-stringed bass guitar and a hat that could have challenged even Snoop Dogg's pimp status.

In spite of gig's album launch-party status, Thundercat's sparse use of album cuts was nothing short of breath taking, even if a little confusing at first. Throughout the entire set, intermittent breakdowns of recognisable musical snippets were masterfully deployed; just long enough to grab the attention of the audience and tease them with what could have been, only for the awe-inspiringly talented three-piece to descend into what could only be described as eight minute long acid jazz freak-outs.

This jaw dropping jam session which the audience were invited to witness acted as a statement of intent to the bold, musical prowess of the performers. From the drummer; whose solo halfway through the show made Garth from Wayne's World's tom-trashing look tame, to the sweat drenched, hyper-coloured keyboard player whose lightning quick (possibly on steroids?) fingers were matched only by his facial expressions, it was clear for all to see that these cats were at the top of their musical game.

Bruner was strangely charismatic for someone who was obviously so deep inside the music as he made full, almost surgical use of his six-stringed bass, leading the group from high octane funk (by way of his angelic vocal offerings) to a full blown horror/porn soundtrack with the nod of his (now hatless) head. During-a stripped bare, borderline euphoric call and answer rendition of Seasons (from debut album The Golden Age of Apocalypse) with the crowd, Thundercat's set reached the feel good climax of the evening.

The trio's ability to skip between pure jazz hedonism and sing-a-long, closing-night-at-a-festival vibes, without ever appearing pretentious or misguided, was nothing short of inspirational. When, during one of the very short and rare breaks for breath taken by the band, a solitary voice rang out from the crowd announcing with clear sincerity “I wana be you”, no one laughed, or judged, or even questioned the claim. Just like the music (and Thundercat's performance as a whole) it made perfect sense, no matter how unlikely.

Listen to Lapalux on Pulse Radio.

Triplefire Music has announced that Cape Town based Ryan Sullivan will be doing a Johannesburg Tour at the end of July starting the 25th. Ryan has records out with Triplefire Music, Manual Music, Perc Trax and Baroque Records to name a few of the releases and is about to saddle-up and set off to JHB to deliver his goods. 

The tour will kick off at Sick Notes at Aruba Lounge on the 25th of July playing back to back the next day, 26th July at hot-spot, TOYTOY. After two nights of what I’m sure is going to be an absolute corker, the 27th of July Ryan will be playing at Truth, one of South Africa’s electronic dance music’s long standing institutes. Thereafter, Ryan will find himself playing alongside Helmut J at one of SA’s largest festivals on the social calendar – OppiKoppi playing on the 8th of August then finishing off the tour back in hometown Cape Town, at Fiction on the 24 of August 2013. 

If you’re in Johannesburg, make sure you make a turn, you won’t be sorry.

Serbian fortress knees-up Exit celebrated their 14th birthday last weekend with a host of record breaking achievements.

The five day music celebration which featured performances from the likes of Atoms For Peace, Jeff Mills and David Guetta, had it's highest ever attendance this year with over 35,000 dancers coming together to see The Prodigy's set on the main stage. The dance stage also experienced it's largest ever crowd with 25,000 David Guetta fans turning out to see the French man play.

EXIT also sold the largest amount of day tickets for the event with 20,000 day trippers joining the festivities at a rate of 300 per minute. It seems that EXIT is just as popular with the artists performing as the festival goers with Liam Howlett of The Prodigy announcing "One of the best festivals in the world. For real".

 

After what was clearly an incredible edition of EXIT Festival, we can't wait for next year!

Listen to Jeff Mills, David Guetta and Gregor Tresher on Pulse Radio. 

French exports Apollonia (aka Shonky, Dan Ghenacia, Dyed Soundorom) have released a 13 minute video of their six-day stay in Miami in March for the Winter Music Conference 2013. It's a lighthearted look into their worlds, as they live together, play together, and meet new friends. It's not all fun and games however, as the documentary gives an insight into the business side, which the trio takes seriously. Their label manager, Lionel is interviewed throughout the documentary, and speaks of how they met and how they work together. While they are in Miami, they take a break from all the madness to focus on their fabric compilation, which they dedicated to Callisto, an artist who recently who passed away.

The video was skillfully directed by Jocie Cox, who has followed Apollonia before for twenty four hours in Ibiza. The viewer gets to follow the trio to their gigs at Treehouse for The Apollonia Showcase, Circoloco at the Surfcomber, Paradise at the Ice Palace, Supplement Facts with Guy Gerber at the Delano, and the Magnetic Grooves Sunday Seaduction boat ride on the Biscayne Lady. There are guest appearances from fellow DJ friends The Martinez Brothers, Davide Squillace, Seth Troxler who played back to back with them, Jamie Jones, D'Julz, Livio & Roby, and Chris Carrier and Hector Moralez who released Lotus Seven on Apollonia on March 5th.

The video also highlights a few of their upcoming gigs that they're looking forward to. Their fabric compilation release party is this Saturday, July 20th at of course, fabric London. In Ibiza, they have their 'Apollonia All Night' party at DC-10 on Saturday, August 24th, which starts at 11pm.

Listen to Apollonia on Pulse Radio