Following a first announcement of names back in July which included the likes of Michael Mayer, King Unique and Nico Stojan, Victoria's Rainbow Serpent festival has dropped a huge second round of acts which will see big-hitting artists in the form of James Zabiela, The Orb (live), Max Cooper, Pan Pot all descending upon the Lexton site in January 2014.

“We’re really pulling out our ‘A’ game for 2014, arguably it’s the most exciting range of globally respected artists in our seventeen year history,” Festival director Tim Harvey says. “Everyone at Rainbow HQ is now securing amazing artists, speakers and performance to match the epic lineup so attendees can expect a weekend of truly inspirational activities, art and music." Check out the new full lineup below.

Rainbow Serpent 2014 takes place in Lexton from Friday January 24th - Monday January 27th. Tickets are available now from the festival website.

Listen to James Zabiela on Pulse Radio

Sydney’s favourite waterside party Harbourlife returns in 2013 and this year's lineup once again harks back to the house music lineage of the festival, featuring the likes of Art Department,Carl Craig, Jacques Lu Cont and Moodymann for starters.

Locked in to take place November 23 at the iconic Mrs Macquarie’s Chair location, the lineup for 2013 should have house music fans licking their lips. Joining Art Department, Carl Craig (who is also slotted to appear at Strawberry Fields) and Moodymann is a diverse range of artists who run the electronic music gamut; no bands this year, just DJ’s. Up-and-comer David August joins the lineup as well as Norwegian deep house purveyor Finnebassen.

Harbourlife 2013 Lineup
Art Department
Carl Craig
David August
Finnebassen
Jacques Lu Cont
Moodymann
+ more to be announced.

Tickets go on sale midday August 20th. With a lineup like this, you’d best get in quick!

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RUFUS
Atlas
Sweat It Out!

Sydney chaps RUFUS have crept into the consciousness of just about everyone with a radio transmission signal and internet connection and it certainly isn’t hard to see why. A stage rush at last years Big Day Out is no mean feat for a fledgling band and the drip feed of singles that have been seductively stroking ears over the past year finally brings us to the release of ‘Atlas’, the debut LP that will mean fans everywhere can finally exhale.

The first offering from the trio possesses some dizzying highlights. Bridging the gap between indie pop and smooth house sensibilities, RUFUS sound as though they are the impossibly cool lovechild of Cut Copy and Van She on occasion, if only for the pleading vocals and driving synth lines. Just check out ‘Sarah’ for proof. 

Elsewhere, sophomore single ‘Desert Night’ is 5 minutes and 25 seconds of unbridled bliss. Dipping into a deep house bass line paired with those aching vocals and a devastatingly beautiful melody, well, that’s a future classic right there. ‘Two Clocks’ builds to a pulsating pace that alternates between dreamy, lovelorn whimsy to an unforgiving, tightly wound bass line that hits in all the right spots. Meanwhile, ‘Take Me,’ complete with wave lapping sound effects and jangling tropical melodies, is so summery you can practically taste the sea air.

RUFUS certainly can’t be faulted for consistency. There are plenty of shimmering, crisp and insanely catchy beats to be found on just about every track on this record, although it’s somewhat problematic when consistency eventually gives way to being just plain repetitive, which is its biggest downfall. ‘Rendezvous’ is one such example; whilst it might have saucy intentions, it disappointingly falls short of the mark.

Intelligently produced indie-dance, RUFUS certainly cement themselves as worth the hype with ‘Atlas’ but there’s a pervasive sense of playing it safe that permeates throughout that frustratingly holds it back just that little bit.

'Atlas' is out now through Sweat It Out!

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French house producer Sebastien Drums has been leading the new generation house music charge in France, and with a fistful of hits, including the breakthrough 'My Feelings For You', under his belt it’s not hard to see why. Launching his own label, Work Machine in 2007 which has Thomas Gold, Afrojack and Mischa Daniels on the roster as well as touring the globe relentlessly, Sebastien Drums is showing no signs of slowing down.

Currently touring the country, you can catch him headlining Pacha Sydney this weekend Saturday August 17; in the meantime, check out the exclusive mix from Mr. Drums for Pulse Radio. Full tracklist below. Enjoy!

(Download here)

Tracklist
1. Norman Doray - Trouble Maker
2. Those usual suspects - Blaze
3. Daddy's Groove & Rob Adans - Unbelievable
4. Dada Life - Boing Clash Boom (Bingo Players Remix)
5. Miike Snow - Pretender (Dem Slackers Remix)
6. Sebastian Ingrosso & Tommy Trash ft. John Martin - Reload (Vocal Mix)
7. Alex M.O.R.P.H. & Jerome Isma-Ae- Bang! (Original Mix)
8. Sebastien Drums & Whelan di Scala - Funky Express
9. Norman Doray - Filtré (Chocolate Puma )
10. Prok & Fitch - Here Comes The Noise (Original Mix)
11. Mark Knight Your Love (Original Club Mix)
12. Axwell - Center of the Universe (original mix )  

Australian Tour Dates
09.08.13 - Eatons Hills Hotel, Brisbane
10.08.13 - Alumbra, Melbourne
16.08.13 - Red Square, Adelaide
17.08.13 - Pacha, Sydney

Listen to Sebastien Drums on Pulse Radio

Think your record collection is big? Then take a deep breath and check out some pictures of a 250,000 piece vinyl collection. Enough to fill a house - quite literally.

Canadian record label Apollo Records last year bought an entire house that contained quarter of a million vinyl records inside, hoarded by a man who died in 2011 at the age of 68 and had collected records his entire life. "..the family was shocked at what they discovered. They soon realized why they had never been invited over and why he had been so reclusive" an official statement reads. "His Car was filled to the brim with records and the family suspected that he had been sleeping there over the last few years, as it was impossible to enter the house. The Bathroom and shower were also full of Records. We didn’t know it was the bathroom until we came upon a toilet."

Now, after repeated requests to see what such a collection - and the structure that houses them all - looks like, the label have published a series of photos that show the magnitude of such a task (one that took them six months just to sort through). "Are they for Sale? Yes, but they are still being sorted, some are garbage, thousands go into our massive “Dollar Warehouse Room” reads a comment in the article.

You can get more information on the collection and view more photos here

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Martin Buttrich, Matthias Tanzmann and Davide Squillace have formed Better Lost Than Stupid, and return to electronic music mecca DC-10 on Saturday August 17th for a night of musical exploration under their exciting joint pseudonym.

Having already played a breakout set as the new trio last year at DC-10 to much praise and adulation, the news that Ibiza and DC-10 will once again be treated to another special night of music sure to be nothing short of magical has been met with plenty of excitement and buzz around the island. The trio will perform a back-to-back-to-back live and DJ session all night long at arguably the White Isle’s most revered venue.

Both Tanzmann and Squillace have become firm favorites at DC-10 over the past few years with their exciting brand of funky, groove laden tech house. Together, they have become a formidable partnership behind the decks, regularly teaming up for much loved back-to-back sessions in the terrace. The new Better Lost Than Stupid project has come off the back of playing several high profile shows with Desolat co-founder, Martin Buttrich. The three artists quickly saw that the gigs were simply more fun in each other’s company. Since then, they’ve played as the trio at major festivals such as Exit in Serbia and Electric Zoo in New York, as well as a one-off show at DC-10 last season.

The trio will be playing a mix of live and DJ sessions until the early hours of the morning, bringing their forward thinking, fresh and unique take on tech house, with plenty of sweet tribal rhythms, hypnotic grooves and funky, pumping bass lines – this is one you don’t want to miss. Be sure to check out Better Lost Than Stupid on Saturday, August 17 at Ibiza’s DC-10.

Listen to Martin Buttrich, Matthias Tanzmann and Davide Squillace on Pulse Radio.

From the 3rd to the 6th of October 2013, the Mainstay Beach Bar gets tropical and brings the heat to the white sands of the Daisies. The line-up selected is of exquisite design and adding to the magic is Floyd Lavine & Tulzy.

It’s all about Pop-a-licking Funky, Grimy Techno for me, a love affair between the concept of music, its power, its form and its lifestyle’ for Floyd Lavine Music and Tulani aka Tulzy. These guys are lined up for the closing slot at Mainstay ‪#‎BeachBar‬. Will you be there to witness this unique set?

Triplefire Music is a Cape Town based independent record company which represents music and artists locally and globally with regular international record releases. The label covers a select range of dance genres from the dark and driving side of Techno and Tech House to the musical side of Deep and Progressive House and has rapidly grown to incorporate music publishing, artist management, digital distribution, an in-house studio facility, an international radio show and live event production. 

Ryan Sullivan from Triplefire Music ft. Lazarusman: A New Feeling For Me.

Triplefire Music is currently one of the very few South African record labels hosting events, running a series of label nights to showcase their talented artists. True to the label's focus on quality, the night will be transformed into a journey for your senses and Kilowatt AV will be providing their expertise and treating you to an extra visual experience. Also supporting the artists on their endeavours are Akai Professional South Africa and Mixcloud. This month the event will be at Fiction on Saturday 24th August starting at 9pm, with Matthew Loots opening the night with a live instrument infused deep house set.

Artists:

Ryan Sullivan

Helmut J

Lady M Feat. Marcia Alvez 

Matthew Loots

TF003 _ Matthew Loots by Triplefire Music on Mixcloud 

Venue:

FICTION

226 Long Street, Cape Town

Cover charge:

R50

Doors open at 9pm.

Guestlist closes 10.30pm (R30 concession list thereafter)

Please register for guestlist here for free entry before 10.30pm:

http://triplefiremusic.com/register

For more information:

info@triplefiremusic.com

Other Links:

https://www.facebook.com/TriplefireMusic 

https://twitter.com/TriplefireMusic 

http://triplefiremusic.com 

https://www.facebook.com/AkaiProfessionalSouthAfrica 

https://www.kilowattav.co.za 

http://www.mixcloud.com

After several clubs have come and go from South London's O2 Arena complex, London Warehouse Events have been announced to hold a series of parties at the space.

A 3000 capacity club at the arena complex - formerly known as the Millenium Dome - was originally started by fabric, opening their sister club Matter. After monetary problems hit the brand, Camden hailing indie and alternative venue Proud took over the venue to become Proud 2. After dwindling numbers plagued the venue, LWE shall make themselves at home with Building Six, offering the promoters a regular space to call home, after putting on events at various venues across the capital. Although no further details have been released, the brand's director Will Harold has said the venue shall offer an alternative to promoters looking for suitable spaces to house the influx of talent in the capital.

"Dance music is growing and this is the perfect venue to take it to the next level, specially with the amazing body sonic dancefloor and layout, this makes it the perfect space for any event" said Will, according to Music Week.

The first of the events will take place on Saturday, October 12 with a DJ set from Radio 1's Mistajam and his brand Speakerbox. DJ Fresh, Shy FX, DJ EZ and Breakage vs Dismantle are also billed to appear.

Listen to London Warehouse Events on Pulse Radio.

The Red Bull Music Academy are heading back to the EDF London Eye for round two of their 'Revolutions In Sound' series, slated for Thursday 12th November.

A couple of years ago, Red Bull Music Acdemy daringly took over The London Eye, giving each of its thirty pods to records labels and clubbing brands, inviting a special handful of lucky attendee's to enjoy the sounds of their given pod while making 2 full revolutions on the wheel itself. Previous guests included David Rodigan, Benji B's Deviation, Metalheadz and many more. Check out the below video of Benji B and a string quartet in their pod last time around.

For the next bout, they've placed an even bigger focus on the past, present and continuing future of dance music and club culture. So far, brands such as West London hip hop night Yo Yo, Danny Rampling's classic Acid House night Shoom, The Blitz Club, Bugged Out! and Glasgow's Sub Club are all due to helm a pod, while the legendary Talkin Loud imprint, Bristol's Motion club night, London Warehouse Events, Sheffield's Jive Turkey and Metalheadz are all confirmed too, with more names and brands announced in September.

Documenting the event live shall be Channel 4's 4oD service, comprehensively streaming all thirty capsules in real time; those not in the UK can stay tuned via YouTube. Red Bull Music Academy is also teaming up with Google+ to present a living archive of club culture to be unveiled in late September.

Head here for ALL the essential info.

Listen to Benji B on Pulse Radio.

Only a few South African producers enjoy the success that DJ and Producer Nate Raubenheimer, better known to most as Protoculture, has had over the last 8 years. After completing his studies in Audio Engineering and releasing his first album dubbed “Refractions” it started a flood of ongoing success since.

International performances followed, seeing Nate travel to all four corners of the globe. From London to Tokyo, Sao Paulo to Moscow, Nate has dominated dancefloors everywhere, most notably at festivals such as Glastonbury and Glade in the UK, Universo Parallello on the beaches of Bahia, Brazil, and also in clubs and super clubs alike, such as Ageha in Tokyo and Privelage, Ibiza. Nate has also played alongside a diverse range of international heavyweights such as Paul van Dyk, Sasha, Paul Oakenfold, Armin van Buuren, John 00 Flemming, Orbital, Future Sound of London, Juno Reactor, and Sander van Doorn to name but a few.

Max Graham vs. Protoculture at Tomorrowland.

The last few years have seen a new direction for Protoculture, with collaborations with Max Graham, releases under Armada Records, and support from Dj’s such as Armin van Buuren, Markus Schulz, Christopher Laurence, Paul Oakenfold, Above and Beyond and John 00 Flemming. His 2010 rework of “Grace - Not Over Yet” with Max Graham landed the number 1 slot on the DMC UK Club Charts as well as the number one position on the “Trance Top 100” at beatport.com where it stayed for an entire month. Other chart topping successes include remixes for Canadian rock icon, Bryan Adams and LoverushUK’s ‘Tonight in Babylon’ and Estonian pop star, Hannah. 

He also received a SAMA nomination (South African Music Award) for his remix work on Goldfish’s smash hit, ‘Cruising through’ on Pacha Recordings.

Episode 1: On Tour with Protoculture 

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In 2011 and 2012, Protoculture was ranked as the number one DJ in South Africa according to the acclaimed international DJ Mag Top 100 Polls and with a new album on the way with Dutch powerhouse label, Armada Records, the only way his career is going is up.

A series has just kicked off online that will entail following Nate Raubenheimer, famously known as Protoculture around the globe to some of the hottest clubs and festivals known around the world.  

Cassy
Fabric 71
[fabric Records]

The exposure afforded to the likes of Nina Kraviz and Maya Jane Coles in the last few years seems to have rubbed off on more established female DJs like Heidi and Cassy. Of course the issue of sexual equality in the industry and how women make it to the top deserves a full feature article, but the resulting resurgence in popularity for the latter lady means she’s been handed the opportunity to mix Fabric’s 71st compilation. And it’s about bloody time.

Catherine ‘Cassy’ Britton’s entry into the illustrious cannon starts with Diamondancer’s powerful poetry, urging the listener to ‘tune in’ before the 4/4 beats begin in earnest with Kuumba Project’s “Black Thoughts”. From there she weaves the kind of hypnotic, tribal groove that’s earned her residencies at Panoramabar, Trouw, Rex Club and Output over the years. Alex Cortex’s “Oh Yeah” pushes the BPMs a bit higher and Basic Soul Unit’s “Basic Necessity” adds a few 303 squelches, then a superb Pachanga Boys remix of John Talabot’s “When the Past Was Present” signals the halfway point with the first proper breakdown.

Time working in Berlin’s famous Hard Wax record store means Cassy knows what she’s doing selection wise and as she notes in the press material, “the tracks on the mix all represent what I love about electronic music and what I love playing; each track is individually beautiful.”

Thankfully she’s just as adept at mixing and the set moves seamlessly from deeper house in the first half to a darker techno in the second, the change signposted by Affie Yusuf’s pulsating “Bring You Techno”. By this stage she’s really bringing out the bangers: the brooding bassline of Emptyset’s “Completely Gone” segues into the peak time piano from Benjamin Damage’s “010x” and the set is rounded out by Duster Valentine’s looping vocals on “(My Back Is) Against the Wall”.

This is the sound of an assured DJ doing what she does best - nothing too flashy, just great club music that completely transcends the supposed gender divide.

fabric 71: Cassy Tracklisting

01 Arttu feat. Diamondancer - Tune In [Clone Royal Oak]
02 Kuumba Project - Black Thoughts (Tribal Mix) [Psychostasia]
03 Livio Improta - Mare010 [Housewax]
04 Norm Talley - Tell Me (Late Night Creeper Mix) [Thema]
05 ItaloJohnson - 06 A [ItaloJohnson]
06 Alex Cortex - Oh Yeah [Killekill House Trax]
07 Freestyle Man - Meeting At Dawn [Wazi Wazi]
08 Basic Soul Unit - Basic Necessity [New Kanada]
09 John Talabot - When The Past Was Present (Pachanga Boys Blue Remix) [Permanent Vacation]
10 Basic Soul Unit - For Some [New Kanada]
11 Affie Yusuf - Bring You Techno [Killekill House Trax]
12 Losoul - Brain Of Glass [Playhouse]
13 Marco Zenker - Landwehr [Ilian Tape]
14 Emptyset - Completely Gone [Caravan]
15 Benjamin Damage - 010x [50 Weapons]
16 Adam Marshall - Thelon (Todd Sines Mix) [New Kanada]
17 Duster Valentine - (My Back Is) Against The Wall [Rush Hour]

'fabric 71: Cassy' is released on the 19th August.

Listen to Cassy on Pulse Radio.

Experiencing Lovelife withdrawal since the Sexmas in July party? The fun continues this weekend with part one of Lovelife’s “two year anniversary sextravaganza.” On Sunday, August 18th, Lovelife presents Summer of Love… with Thugfucker at Hotel Palomar in San Diego. The party will celebrate Lovelife’s “two years, 43 parties, thousands of lovers, endless good vibes, and one dream.”

Thugfucker will return for the third time at Lovelife’s highly anticipated parties. The duo played at Lovelife’s first summer party back in 2011, was invited back for their the one year anniversary last year, and as tradition dictates will be back for round three. Greg and Holmar of Thugfucker are self-proclaimed “party instigators” and “bad influences” and have been key players in the success of their Life and Death label with DJ Tennis.

As with the majority of Lovelife’s events, this event will have also have a theme. Guests are asked to wear white so put on your most festive white attire and head down on Sunday to soak up the hot San Diego sun with your friends and great music. Lovelife and Music is 4 Lover’s own Jon Dadon as well as Baulé & Clark and Sudonim will be opening the party. Make sure to RSVP beforehand for discounted entry before 2pm.

Check out these pictures from Lovelife's Jungle of Love with BLOND:ISH at the same location:

Listen to Thugfucker on Pulse Radio

Due to a series of drug overdoses at last week’s Gathering of the Juggalos from August 7th to August 11th in Cave-in-Rock, Illinois, the infamous drug marketplace at the festival was officially closed. Juggalos are group of fans of Insane Clown Posse or any other Psychopathic Records group. The festival, now in its fourteenth year, is described by its organizers as “unlike anything you have ever experienced before.” Musical performers at the five-day festival included the entire Psychopathic Records roster as well as over one hundred rappers and bands on the event’s multiple stages. In addition to the musical element, the festival also features a series of sideshows, competitions, parties, seminars, autograph signings, and wrestling events.

Although there were several overdoses reported at the festival in the days leading up to it, festival organizers didn’t decide to fully close the “drug bridge” until the death of a male guest on Saturday. The man has now been identified as Cory Collins, 24, from the local area. While the official cause of death has not yet been announced, it is believed that he suffered a heroin overdose.

The “drug bride” is an open-air marketplace for recreational drugs at the festival. Staff and security at the festival make an effort to search cars entering the festival grounds for contraband, but generally turn a blind eye to drug use. In an interview with the Houston Press, Mike Wilson, the security guard in charge of preventing guests from walking across the drug bridge stated, “I have had to look the other way a few times, but mostly these kids are just having fun. No one is violent or even rude.” To prevent people from accessing the bridge, two semis were parked to block the entrances.

Drug Bridge Before:

After its closing:

To learn more about the festival and the Juggalos who attend, check out this documentary filmed at a prior Gathering.

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A recent American study has concluded that twice as many people listen to digital radio services on their computers than listen to music on their mobile phones. In the last month, only 70 million Americans have listened to music they downloaded on their phones compared to 147 million who listened to online streaming radio services such as Spotify or Pandora in the same time frame.

Researchers have predicted that both online streaming and mobile listening will become more popular in the next five years. However, the rate of mobile listening will increase more rapidly than the use of online streaming services. Mobile listening is expected to experience double-digit growth through 2015, when a third of mobile phone owners are predicted to participate. The data comes from eMarketer, a digital marketing agency, which bases its predictions on a combination of survey and traffic data, historical trends, company-specific data, and demographic and socioeconomic factors.

The following charts created by eMarketer show how the company predicts music listening habits will change over the next few years.  The first chart shows how mobile phone listening is expected to increaase to almost 108 million Americans by 2017.

This chart about digital radio listeners shows that numbers will also increase by 2017 to 179.2 million listeners, although at a slower rate overall.

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Fuse and tINI & The Gang are initiating a takeover of each other's parties next Wednesday, 21 August, as the East London crew hit the beach at Sirocco during the day, while tINI brings her gang to Sankeys later that night.

Since its season kicked off on June 26th, tINI & The Gang’s weekly has acted as the unofficial pre-party for Fuse. Indeed, head down to the free party at Sirocco Beach Ibiza in Playa d’en Bossa and you’d be almost guaranteed to see Enzo Siragusa, Seb Zito and company manning a spot on the dance floor, while in turn, good friend tINI has often been spotted enjoying herself at Sankeys later in that night, in addition to playing a guest spot there on July 17th.

The two brands share a deep musical connection, with both Fuse founder Enzo Siragusa, and Desolat’s tINI, sharing the top spots as some of today’s most skilled DJs and producers of that ever so sweet combination of stripped back, minimal house and funky, ass shaking bass lines with hip rocking rhythms, perfectly suited for an afternoon on the beach or the dark basement of Sankeys.

From 5pm to midnight, Fuse takes over Sirocco Beach Bar, with Fuse’s Rossko, Seb Zito, Enzo Siragusa keeping things chilled and groovy ahead of tINI, who’ll finish things off at the beach, then the entire gang will head over to Sankeys for part two of this musical journey, with BirdsMakingMachine, Enzo back-to-back with Seb and tINI hitting the decks.

You don’t want to miss this one, so grab your tickets for the tINI & The Gang takeover at Sankeys Ibiza today!

Listen to Fuse at Sankeys Ibiza on Pulse Radio.

23 kilograms of powder MDMA and 30,000 pills were seized in what may be the largest and most unorthodox “club drug” bust ever in San Francisco. The operation wasn’t set up as a sting and the bust of an estimated $1.5 million’s worth of drugs was a result of a series of lapses in judgement. San Francisco police were responding to a burglary call in the area when they noticed a trail of blood on the sidewalk leading to an apartment with a broken window.

They followed the blood trail to a unit on the second floor where a heavily intoxicated Benjamin Hagerl answered the door covered in blood. Hagerl, 36, made a critical error and told police that he was alone in the apartment but they could hear conspicuous noises. They found 31-year-old Steven Terrell and several bags of drugs sitting in plain view.

Both Hagerl and Terrell have prior drug charges on their criminal records. Police suspect that the drugs were en route to the nearby Outside Lands Music Festival but are unable to confirm this at the time. The bust is an unexpected outcome for the department, which has shifted its focus from lower-level drug crime to larger issues such as trafficking.

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The annual Melbourne Festival returns once again this spring, bringing with it a feast of theatre, dance, arts and of course music to the city from October 11th - 27th.

This year's music lineup includes a top selection of the electronic persuasion, including the likes of Active Child, Flight Facilities, DJ Dexter of The Avalanches fame, Bristol noise conspirators Fuck Buttons (who are also set to play the ATP Halloween party), and Ninja Tune artists The Cinematic Orchestra - who in a special set will be performing with Philharmonia Australia orchestra.

Tickets go on sale 9am, Friday August 16th. Check the full music lineup below.

Melbourne Festival 2013 Music line-up:
Archie Roach
Gurrumul
Yo La Tengo
Amadou & Mariam
The Boy Castaways (Tim Rogers, Paul Capsis and Megan Washington)
The Cinematic Orchestra
The Handsome Family
Foy Vance
Active Child (supported by Oliver Tank)
Clannad
British India
Cody ChestnuTT
The Polyphonic Spree
Steve Mason
Ólafur Arnalds
Caitlin Rose & Henry Wagons
Quique Neira
Fuck Buttons
Hiatus Kaiyote
Flight Facilities
WERK
Husky
Dexter
Prince Rama
NO ZU
The Caribs
Strange Tenants
The Ska Vendors

Listen to The Cinematic Orchestra on Pulse Radio

One of Sydney's best loved and longest running parties, Mad Racket, is taking a little rest from its spiritual home at the Marrickville Bowling Club and heading down to Melbourne for a series of parties hosted by long-standing jock Phil K's SloMotion Social Club.

The first party is set to kick off this Saturday 17th August at My Aeon, with Mad Racket co-founder and resident DJ Simon Caldwell taking on the Master Of Ceremonies role and support coming from SloMotion Social Club DJs Ozzie LA, Phil K and Nikko.

Despite rumours to the contrary, the Mad Racket party, which has been in effect since 1998, is not finishing for good in Sydney. We caught up with Simon Caldwell so he could set the record straight...

Can you fill us in a little on the problems you've been having that led to your decision to wrap up the party in Sydney? Actually, we haven't wrapped anything up. Rumours of our demise have been greatly exaggerated. We're on a hiatus, looking for some alternative venues. The local boys and girls in blue were getting a little overzealous, visiting regularly with expensive, offensive, ineffective raids. No violence at a party for our almost 15 year history clearly counts for nothing. So we thought we'd stretch our legs a little somewhere else...we'll let you know soon enough.

Do you foresee Mad Racket returning to Sydney again sometime in the future? If so, would it be back to the Bowling Club, or a different venue? See above, we'll be doing something before the year is out. We haven't counted out returning to the Bowlo at some stage in the future.

How did Mad Racket visiting Melbourne via Phil K come about? Well there are actually four founding DJs that make up Mad Racket, so just little old me on my own isn't really 'Mad Racket'. Hopefully we can all get down together for a real Racket. I had mentioned the situation to Phil, and had heard great things about SlowMotion.

What can punters expect from Mad Racket in Melboune? Well this time it's an extended set from me. I'll be trying to cover a few bases musically and really look forward to playing on the mad sound system.

Listen to Simon Caldwell on Pulse Radio

It's a pertinent question for music lovers, be you a DJ, clubber, promoter, or avid listener...how old are you ears? The poor suckers certainly cop a beating in their lifetime, so the fellas at AsapSCIENCE (Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown) have developed a clever little video to test the quality of your hearing.

Just a warning - the test might freak you out a little. Here at Pulse HQ Sydney we have discovered we are pretty much clinically deaf. What?

Try and listen to Pulse Radio