Scottish born club night and burgeoning record label Optimo have come a long way, no doubt in part thanks to a dedication and passion for music that appears to come as naturally as breathing. But Keith McIvor - one half of Optimo and DJ under the moniker JD Twitch - has long been seen as an artist in his on right, releasing remixes, re-edits and constantly suprising those that attend his DJ sets. Never one to stand still and stagnate inside anyone genre, Keith may mix post punk and new wave one minute, the next a brash fusion of bass music and italo disco. A long-standing figure in dance music  - who prides himself on supporting local Glasweigan talent - Pulse are proud to bring you JD Twitch's 'Pulse Loves' mix, highlighting some of his favourite tracks of the past 12 months. He also lets us in on some forthcoming plans, his feelings about modern music consumption and why roast dinners and decks never mix......

Pulse Loves... your name. Where did you get the idea for this from? Around 1990 I decided I wanted to use a pseudonym as a DJ name. I used to get incredibly nervous when i was playing and people often said I looked like I was twitching behind the decks so Twitch seemed an obvious choice, especially as one of my favourite albums was called "Twitch". Promoters used to always bill me as DJ Twitch, which I loathed, so in the late '90s I inverted DJ To JD and became JD Twitch. Only once since then have I been billed as DJ JD Twitch.

Pulse Loves... the contemporary dance scene. Who are your favourite newcomers and can you recommend anyone to the readers of Pulse? Too many to mention. I'm currently working on a mix CD of all Glaswegian electronic artists so I'll take this opportunity to big up some local upcoming starts such as Auntie Flo, HaHaHa, the High Sheen label, and Golden Teacher who are the most exciting live dance act to come out of Glasgow in many a moon.

Pulse Loves... the digital age. What are you thoughts on the changing face of music consumption? And do you still use good ol fashioned vinyl when playing out? I have no problem with the changing face of music consumption. There is room for both digital and vinyl and the argument over digital vs. vinyl djing bores me to tears. I'll always love vinyl first and foremost but when playing out use both as i love what i can do with digital file stat would be impossible with vinyl Combining the tow keeps it interesting for me.

Pulse Loves... the future. What does 2013 hold in store for you? The release of the Underground Sound Of Glasgow mix CD I mention earlier, a mix cd for Japan's Mule Musiq, hopefully completing my own album as well as a few 12"s, launching a new sub label - Optimo Trax, lots of remixes, lots of gigs, production assistance on Soft Metals' upcoming album and hopefully a bit more sleep than in 2012.

Pulse Loves... your mix. What's the special ingredient? Love.

Pulse Loves... funny stories. Tell us about the most recent anecdote that you'd share to our readers… We recently played Boiler Room in Berlin and had to fly straight from doing our own Boxing Night party to get there. My cohort, Jonnie neglected to bring a change of clothes so if you look closely at the footage you can see the remnants of his Christmas dinner dropping off his shirt onto the first few records he plays. 

Listen to JD Twitch on Pulse Radio.

House music without boundaries is the official line used in the notes for Walker Barnard's latest EP on Serialism. A bass player for funk-rock band Mobius Trip , he then went on to produce the track 1972 alongside Saul Williams for Big Dada Recordings in 1988 before producing records for Mos Def and more from NY's boom-bap era. From there, he explored strains of instrumental house as he proved a mainstay on NYC's club scene in the late nineties, sporting a visually inspiring live electronica and bass show. Always looking for new methods of stretching and distorting the house music template, Mr Barnard uses his penchant for break beats and funk laced toplines to forge his current sounds. Check his excluisve mix as he discusses funk, Berlin's saturation, DJ mishaps and more...

Your last EP had a real slow and low funk vibe to it - do you listen to a lot of funk music outside of house? Or do you think the 2 genres are quite closely linked? The title track Sweatshop Spaceship has that vibe, which was entirely due to the funk roots that Jaime and I share. The other two tracks on the EP express something more distilled.

There are a few touchstone songs that I come back to over the years, but for the most part my relationship with funk music comes from my experience of playing bass. Funk in a way was my entry into playing music. It was always the bass line and it's relationship to rhythm and melody that got me, the foundation of the musical house. Genre wise, for me funk is part of the same dance music lineage and conversation as house music. And as a form it was part of the musical/cultural soup that gave birth to disco and then house. I imagine that as long as there have been humans doing their thing on the planet we have had popular forms of dance music like funk. People dance, always have, always will.

The Berlin scene - although still bordering on underground - is literally full of producers and DJs. Ho tough is it these days to be noticed amongst all the many producers/Djs in the city? There are so many layers of the Berlin scene, and a lot of of it is very much underground in the sense that it's not overly motivated by money. For the most part it's just people doing what they do because they love it and want to sustain and grow from there.

But it is also a small town in a way, and over time people's stories start to intertwine. And yes, Berlin is chock full of DJs and producers, with more coming everyday it seems. I actually think this creates an incredibly evolutionary context to create music in. I have so many peers here that inspire me to keep doing the hard work of being in a room alone for hours making and refining music. When I first came here I spent a lot of time listening, hanging out, and soaking in the fabric of the city and all the musical threads. Over time I met people who I related to on a deep level and got with musically. Conversations started, relationships grew, and now I look back after five years and feel like a part of this place and it's story. It's really how a DJ or producer finds themselves here that distinguishes them over time in Berlin.

Out of the clubs you play on a regular basis, which always proves to be your favourite? Without a doubt over the last year it has been Club Der Visionaere. The place is so many things at different times. A dojo, a cruise ship, a temple, a living room. Some times full of people you don't know, and then other times you find yourself surrounded by the deepest of friends. One of the clubs in the world that through merely existing has crafted aspects of the music and culture. When I play there I feel like I'm taking part in a musical conversation that has been handed off from one DJ to the next for over the years. Something about playing in that booth just feels so right.

Give us a funny story about a time hen you DJ'd that wasn't so great...Ha.. So many to choose from. It's not so funny, but this one came to mind the other night. It was the first gig I played in Berlin during the summer of '08 . My partner Catherine (who is also a DJ and Producer, and goes by Sylvie Fôret) and I first came to Berlin five years ago this last summer.

Our friend Mikael Stavoestrand had gotten us the gig. It was at a three day swedish mid summer festival on an abandoned red army base on the eastern outskirts of Berlin. We ended up going on the Friday night of the festival when Mikael played, and then hooked up later that night with Patrik Skoog (Agaric) and Ben Parris. At some point late that night Mikael decided to get back to Berlin and make his gig the next day at Bar 25. We were still in the swirl of the moment, and so our little crew rolled through the night and day. And finally after many adventures we arrived to find the room empty.  We go up to the DJ booth and there is this german guy playing before us.. Red Robin, hmm, ok.. Somehow I had a good feeling about him. So we set up and played, and in the end it was just our little crew in the room getting down. After playing we stayed at the festival for another day and crawled back to Berlin and sleep. I recalled all this just the other night when I played a live set on the Globus floor at Tresor with Agaric (Patrik Skoog) and then stopped in at Watergate to catch my friends Thugfucker playing a morning set on the water floor. Red Robin also had dropped by on his way to the airport and Rio De Janeiro. I thought of all the years and experiences with Patrik and Robin in between, many of which took place at Bar 25.  So many stories, and in the end sometimes how good a night is plays out over the course of many years.

What's the focus or flavour of your exclusive mix for Pulse? I always find my self between genres, looking for that moment of suspension. It's the synthesis that gets me going. This mix is a snapshot of my process over the last month. Some tracks are from friends, others are recent tracks I've been playing, and two are unreleased gems. On the deeper side of the house conversation, but with some train track and sweet chaos. For the long nights, and days that stretch in to the diagonal.

Give us your predictions for 2013 and here you think the dance music world shall be heading over the next 12 months...
The mainstreaming of dance music will continue, with the obvious watering down that comes with so many new people entering in to the conversation without any previous context. There will be ugly commercial expressions of this, and then surprisingly pure spontaneous and beautiful ones as well. Dance music has become a global culture and language. The people that have been in it for years just have to deal with it. It's evolution. The musical form, instruments, and culture are maturing. It took quite a while for the electric guitar and rock and roll to shape society if you look back at the story. The business of music has changed and will continue to do so. Micro economies built around clouds of personal choice will evolve. The people that are well positioned after years inside the experience will have the opportunity to shape the emerging culture and music. I see the party/dancers/dance floor, and the music/dj/producer as two sides of the same coin. Both have to be cultivated to prosper. We have been doing this dance music thing in one form or another from the beginning of being human, and I suspect that it was one of the engines of our evolution. And so I imagine we will carry on.

If there's one thing you could change about electronic music in 2013, what would it be? I would like to see and hear more people taking chances and really playing music.

Finally, what do you have coming up in the future in terms of mixes and releases? January and February are all about finishing two of my own Eps, and also two collaborations, one with Cesare Marchese, and another with Mikey Tello (Pillowtalk), and Alland Byallo. I have a new live set in the works, and a live band project, both of which I will play out in the spring and summer. And sometime very soon I'm going to go through all the days and days of recordings from this last year at C.D.V. and find some of the gems to share.

Tracklisting
1- Jay Haze & ESB - Founded in You
2- Seetheroad - Starpatch
3- Solid Gold Playaz - Next Faze Of The Game
4- Mass Digital - 2 Heart 2 Souls
5- DJ Le Roi - All Cats Are Grey
6- Taron Trekka - Metro Nature
7- Felipe Venegas & Hanfry Martinez
8- Cesar Marveille & Ryan Crosson - Again & Again feat. Greg Paulus
9- Hanfry Martinez - Disco 90
10- Technasia - Michigan Ride
11- Cab Drivers - Elwico
12-East End Dubs - Love Is Always
13- Fries & Bridges - Undermoves
14- Taron Trekka - Pasterkopp
15- Freaks - Dance & Disorder (Mark Farina's Chip Dub)
16- Victor Eich - Downtown
17- Vlad Malinovskiy - Kick Ya
18- Rhadow - Hype! (Re-UP Remix)
19- Taron Trekka - Metro Nature
20- Chris Carrier - Bongo Thunder
21- Seetheroad - Starpatch (reprise)
22- Fries & Bridges - Headspin
23- Agaric & Mikael Stavöstrand - Everytime
24- Seetheroad - The Business

Listen to Walker Barnard on Pulse Radio.

Jimpster
These Times (Dixon / Manuel Tur / Kyodai Remixes)
[Freerange]

Remix packages can often be a tricky feat to get right. Handing over your work for other people's sounds and styles to take hold can come with many pitfalls - artistic differences, repsect for the original and bog standard productions that could be classed as generic barrel scraping are all problems that reguarly feature in the battle to re-interpret a person's track properly. Freerange's first release for 2013 is head honcho Jimpster's 'These Times' remix package - thankfully, he hasnt had to fret too much about the resulting re-works, especially when the likes of Dixon and Manuel Tur chomp at the bit of this well-rounded package. 

The original garnered a lot of love through my speakers back on its original release-date last year - with the rather stellar line up of remixers on offer, one assumes instantly that the original hs been placed in safe hands (in fact Dixon liked the original so much that he said that he had wished he'd signed it to his Innervisions imprint and offered to do the re edit - there's a reassuring sign if you ever need one). His refix stays true to the original vibe but strips it back into a more vocal, muscular and rolling version of the original.

Kyodai turns up the voltage of the subs and brings an earthy, organic weight to the track. The true star of the show for me though has got to be Manuel Tur, who has smashed it into the stratosphere and beyond. Bringing Jinadu's vocals to the fore in a purist and minimal-esque manner, he pushes forth a more nebulous version, one that highlights the groove with modulated chime FX and crisp finish. The overall result is a haunting, sexy track that invokes a sway down the spine and completes a package that'll keep the fans of the original happy. 

Jimpster - 'These Times (Remixes)' is released on Monday 14th January through Freerange Records.

Listen to Jimpster on Pulse Radio.

Leeds promotional gang Butter Side Up keep booking the best in underground dance music for their regular parties; after seeing off 2012 by putting on a party with London producer Toby Tobias, the long running night have really bagged themselves a coup for this coming weekend's show (Friday 11th January) by booking East Coast house producer Amir Alexander for a rare and exclusive DJ set.

Amir Alexander has been credited as a linchpin in the current resurgence of East Coast sounds. A DJ of over 20 years and head of the Vanguard Sound imprint, his tough, raw and gritty sound was best demonstrated on his Gutter Flex EP last year. Since its release, he's also gone on to put out bangers on Hypercolour and Deep Vibes. Butter Side Up residents Hamish Cole. Hugh Bailey, Jonny Sleight and Ciaran Hansen all help keep the floor toasted for the man himself. Tickets and further info can be found below. If you're in the area, make sure you don't miss out on this opportunity to get yourself a real house music education.

Butter Side Up with Amir Alexander
Wire Club, Leeds
Friday, 11 January 2013
11:00pm - 05:00am

Line Up
Amir Alexander (Vanguard Sound, US):
Hamish Cole
Hugh Bailey
Jonny Sleight
Ciaran Hansen

Tickets

Listen to Amir Alexander on Pulse Radio.

And we're back with more from Playa Del Carmen!

The tide of parties has been rolling on over the last few days, leaving in its wake a multitude of smiling faces, memorable performances, and one enormously sleep deprived city. Sleep is a small price to pay, however, when some of the world's leading electronic dance acts are literally banging on your door. After the No.19 party on the weekend, which definitely set the tone for the festival, a slew of parties have followed in proper suit. Monday's highlight seems to have been the Circoloco showcase at Coco Maya. The venue was fully packed until 8 in the morning, with nary enough space to bust a move. But it was well worth it - Andrew Grant delivered a rocking set, and fellow Circolocoer's kept up the pace, including Maceo Plex who delivered a stunner.

The next day, Life & Death's showcase left many jaws agape, particularly Tale of Us' set. A friend described it best, "every moment I wanted to hear a different sound, it came in. It was like magic." The party, which also featured Clockwork, Dj Tennis, Thugfucker, and Mano Le Tough, was held at Canibal Royal, a beautiful venue that allows patrons to get as far into the beach as any club in Playa.

At night, things really heated up with the Supplement Facts & Friends event at La Santanera. From the very beginning, the anticipation surrounding the lineup was palpable. Bill Patrick and Shaun Reeves kicked things off upstairs with a commanding selection of deep and tech house. The focus exhibited by these two is bar none - each tune carefully building on the one before it. Within a few hours the terrace was filled with partiers and merry pranksters from the world over. BPM's official dancers, most of whom were flown in directly from Ibiza, made their way between the throngs of fans pressed against each other, all in vain attempts to get as close to the dj booth as possible. Thankfully, most of us found a little corner with enough room to wiggle. Meanwhile, Tato, Playa Del Carmen's best kept secret, kicked things off in the darker, cooler downstairs room.

As family and friends filled up the space, anticipation ran high. Finally Guy could be seen connecting his live rig to the mixer...audio cable in, audio cable out. For some reason, this part of a transition is always a fun moment for me. Personally, as a DJ for almost a decade now, having played with every format from vinyl to laptop and cdj (i skipped tape decks, forgive me), there's a visceral thrill that comes from watching one of the world's best carefully connecting his equipment. It's also what separates the underground scene from the mammoth EDM stages - here we get to see the names we listen to and love setting things up for themselves, no stage hands or unnecessary production work involved. In coloquial terms, it's mad real. Guy's set lived up to the hype - melodic interludes gave way to pouncing snares and rapid percussion. It was no time for standing. The biggest thrill of the night was when the Martinez Brothers went B2B with Guy (or perhaps Guy was lacing elements on top of their tracks). There was a moment where literally everyone was holding their breath waiting for the kick drum to come back in, ensuing in cheers, hands in the air, and knowing looks lof appreciation from the punters. Martinez Brothers continued to command the floor while Heidi got things moving downstairs with her energetic jams. That both floors were packed is a testament to the party's pull - an unforgettable experience to be sure.

If you enjoyed that party - which was, incidentally, presented by Pulse Radio - we've got even more in store for you comin up tomorrow. Special guests Pillowtalk will be joining Dj Harvey, Death on the Balcony, Shiny Objects, Galen, and Holosound in our party hosted by Smoke N'Mirrors.

Check back for more soon...we've got your FOMO covered!

Listen to Heidi on Pulse Radio.

Remember when Deadmau5 'called out' DJs for simply "pressing play," as he put it? Course you do - it caused one of the biggest gossip/shit fights the electronic music scene has ever witnessed, sparking debate from all corners of the globe from fans, writers and fellow artists.

Well it seems that the controversy stemming from that incident still hasn't simmered down. In a recent interview with Billboard, Dutch DJ and Paris Hilton's ex-fuck buddy Afrojack spoke about the art of DJing and his thoughts on the whole 'press play' philosophy, taking aim at Deadmau5.

"You're never just pressing play. If you're a guy in a cube with a mask on, you can press play. Deadmau5 also said himself he's not a DJ - don't talk about stuff you don't know about. I don't know shit about LED walls and giant mouse heads; I can't judge it."

Wow, no love for Mousey from Jacky there. In the interview Afrojack also goes on to explain that being a DJ is more than just hitting a play button and that he and his pals have got skills.

"If you put four CD players in front of me or [Sebastian Ingrosso] or even Skrillex, we've been DJ'ing for so long, we can do a lot of things with those CD players."

Never one to shy away from an online slagging match, the Mau5 has naturally taken to his Twitter to respond.

Now now, boys. You've got to learn to share your toys.

Listen to Deadmau5 on Pulse Radio
Listen to Afrojack on Pulse Radio

What better way to negate the overpriced booze, steep club entry, desperate taxi-hailing and disappointment of New Year’s Eve in the cities than by heading to chilled-out Falls Music & Arts Festival? It’s one of Australia’s longest running boutique festivals, starting out in Lorne, Victoria twenty years ago. Those who overcame the logistical obstacles of buses, multiple-flights and a homeless sleep in Hobart’s Franklin Square for early-arrivers, were rewarded with the pristine beauty of Tasmania’s Marion Bay. Think Lord of the Rings meets Glastonbury with tents rapidly multiplying across emerald hills as the festival kicked into gear.

We might have been a long way from civilisation but the organisers did a good job thoughtfully ticking all the necessities boxes:

Toilets – plenty of them with nary a line except during prime drinking hours. Of the compostable variety but including toilet seats AND paper.
Alcohol – no waiting and who can fault craft beer Moo Brew for $5 a pop?
Showers – most forewent the lines for a $2/two minute shower for a natural scrub at Marion Beach. A 15 minute trek from the main festival was rewarded with a refreshingly icy dip in clear waters. It might as well have been, as one knowledgeable beachgoer put it, “literally the Artic Ocean”, but there was no better morning refresher.
Food – no simple chips or dagwood dogs here! (Although the standard festival fare was also available to those who desired it.) Think gourmet veggie burgers, French toast, pizza cones (wut!), Baby Burgers and wedges with harissa aioli.
Attendees: Convivial and relaxed aka no shirtless aggressive roiders.

With the 10,000-plus crowd sheltered, fed and watered, it was down to enjoying some amazing local and international acts. Full marks to the crowd for their enthusiasm making the most of what appeared to be a man in drag playing AC/DC, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and Toto’s 'Africa' over a loudspeaker on Saturday night. The moshing-force and shoulder-dancing was rarely replicated over the weekend.

Come Sunday 30th and the real festival started after the [revious day's tropicana warm-up. Sore heads were gentled caressed by the pleasant acoustic folk of First Aid Kit, Lisa Mitchell, Bombay Bicycle Club and the boppable summer anthems of Best Coast. There was only one word on everyone’s lips however as the indefatigable Antarctic-sun crept across the sky: Coolio. Was the Grammy-Award winning rapper really playing? The man behind 'Gangsta’s Paradise'? THE Coolio? Aged he may be, but Coolio can still pull a massive crowd. Vocals were on the weak side. The sole purpose of the back-up band seemed to be interjecting sporadic “Yeh … Yehs” and “Hell Yeh muthafuckas”. The big man’s lesser known back catalogue consisted of a lacklustre tribute to deceased musical greats – “R.I.P Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Left Eye” - and a bizarrely misogynistic wooing of a potential girlfriend – “If you were my girlfriend you’d make me breakfast, I’d drop you at work, I’d play Nintendo, Playstation, Wii, go on the internet, I’d smoke a blunt, you’d make me dinner”. But nostalgia reined strong and the crowd got what they came for – an epic rendition of 'Gangsta’s Paradise'.

Over at the main stage, the Hilltop Hoods were at their fast-rapping, beatboxing best, and got hip-hop diehards and sceptics alike bouncing to 'Hard Road' and the 'Nosebleed Section'. Two Door Cinema Club kept the good vibe going with their danceable beats. Lead singer Alex Trimble’s vocals sleekly carried lyrics of wistful yearning, encased in a contrastingly upbeat instrumental, always dipping into but refusing to stagnate in melancholy. An elated crowd soared on 'What You Know', 'Next Year', 'Sun', 'Sleep Alone' and 'Cigarettes in the Theatre'.

The Hives delivered the show of the day, with the high-voltage energy and antics of lead singer “Howlin’” Pelle Almqvist transforming debatably unremarkable garage songs into show-stoppers. He promised that The Hives would become our favourite band, and they were – if only for a few hours. By the time Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs hit the stage at 2:30am, most had dragged their weary bodies to a tent, but those who stayed were rewarded with some chilled out, video game-esque house.

Monday 31st dawned all too soon for those who had to repeg their tents from being blown away in fierce winds. The cruel mistress of Tasmania’s weather oscillated between burning suns and Antarctica winds. An evening of pleasantly ambient Beach House and Boy and Bear warmed the crowd up for the festival’s headliner as midnight encroached. Expectations were high but in the live arena, the Flaming Lips proved themselves to be a grossly overrated and outdated rock band. Frontman Wayne Coyne assumes he can bedazzle audiences with rainbow confetti, a vaginal video projection and his traverse across the crowd in a man-sized clear bubble. The one-trick pony has been repeated for a decade and those who had seen the spectacle before were underwhelmed by the sloppy set. The silver lining was an enjoyable rendition of 'Do You Realize??' to bring in the New Year.

Hot Chip kept the good vibes going with new tunes from In Our Heads like 'Night & Day' and 'Don’t Deny Your Heart' while placating the crowd with old favourites like 'Over and Over' and 'Ready for the Floor'. The synthpop group have an uncanny knack for distilling and repackaging sounds from other eras; there’s notes of the Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, Queen, New Order. But while the bricolage is incredibly enjoyable, it remains derivative and certainly isn’t blowing minds any time soon. SBTRKT wrapped up the night nicely for those who managed to push on as the crowd thinned – perhaps an earlier timeslot would have been more suitable. The duo kept the crowd entertained from behind their signature tribal masks, leaping from sparse electronic chimes to a full-blown cacophony of live drums, Sampha’s vocals and loops.

Falls receives high marks as an enjoyable News Year’s Eve alternative made exceptional by a beautiful natural setting.

Listen to SBTRKT on Pulse Radio
Listen to Hot Chip on Pulse Radio

With way more than a mere array of classic remixes under its belt, the very excellent Domino Records have proudly released a new compilation entitled 'Motion Sickness'. Taking its name from the opening track of Hot Chip’s current album 'In Our Heads', 'Motion Sickness' brings together the most respected names in dance music with some of the key players in the Domino roster.

Now for the best bit: Domino is giving away 6 copies of the compilation to Pulse readers and listeners. To score yourself one, all you have to do is email us here with your name and the word DOMINO as the email title. The winners will be drawn at random and notified on Tuesday 15th January. Good luck!

From disc one’s swell of deep, sumptuous re-workings of Domino classics including the Grammy Award-nominated Carl Craig remix of Junior Boys’ ‘Like a Child’ right through to the more esoteric, obscure and contemporary rebirths like Mike Simonetti’s hard-to-find ‘Champagne Coast’ remix on the second, it’s a compilation that will work throughout the night and into the morning. Now with the release of ‘Motion Sickness’, these definitive remixes have been brought together for the first time and will be available on CD and digital.

Motion Sickness Tracklist:

Disc 1

1. Austra – Beat & The Pulse (Still Going remix)
2. Tricky – Time To Dance (Maya Jane Coles remix)
3. Junior Boys – Like A Child (Carl Craig remix)
4. Juana Molina – Un Dia (Reboot remix)
5. About Group – You’re No Good (Theo Parrish remix)
6. Four Tet – Love Cry (Joy Orbison remix)
7. Liquid Liquid – Optimo (Matthew Dear remix)
8. Hot Chip – Night & Day (Daphni remix)
9. Stephen Malkmus – Kindling For The Master (Major Swellings remix)

Disc 2

1. Sons & Daughters – Orion (Emperor Machine remix)
2. Franz Ferdinand – The Fallen (Ruined by Justice)
3. The Kills – Cheap & Cheerful (SebastiAn remix)
4. Bonde Do Rolê – Marina Gasolina (Fake Blood remix)
5. Test Icicles – What’s Your Damage? (Alan Brax Fred Falke remix)
6. Clinic – Tomorrow (DFA Remix)
7. Blood Orange – Champagne Coast (Mike Simonetti remix)
8. Animal Collective – Summertimes Clothes (Dam Funk remix)
9. James Yorkston & Athletes – Woozy With Cider (Jon Hopkins remix)
10. Twin Sister – Kimmie In A Rice Field (Balam Acab remix)
11. Wild Beasts – Two Dancers (ii) (Oneohtrix Point Never remix)

Listen to Hot Chip on Pulse Radio
Listen to Junior Boys on Pulse Radio

Towards the end of last year the news came through that the infamous Boiler Room would be making it's way to Australia, broadcasting parties from Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. Now comes the news we have been waiting for - the lineups - which for both Melbourne and Sydney have been revealed (no word on Perth as yet).

For Goodgod in Sydney there's Tuff Sherm (nay Dro Carey), Prize, Michael Ozone from Perth and Cliques (of which one half is Seekae's George Nicholas). In Melbourne The Bottom End have nabbed the Cut Copy DJs, Roland Tings, Tornado Wallace (check our recent podcast here) and Naysayer & Gilsun.

Tickets for both parties are only $20.

17.01.13 - Sydney Boiler Room lineup (tix here)

Cliques
Tuff Sherm
Michael Ozone
Prize
+ more TBA

27.01.13 - Melbourne Boiler Room lineup (tix here)

Cut Copy DJs
Roland Tings
Naysayer & Gilsun
Tornado Wallace
Andras Fox
Bamboo Musik
Zanzibar Chanel
Out of Focus DJs

Listen to Cut Copy on Pulse Radio
Listen to Seekae on Pulse Radio

Snowbombing Festival - the biggest alpine based festival on the planet - have pulled out the stops for their 2013 line up, focusing more on electronic artists and DJs than ever before. SB have joined forces with some of the biggest and coolest brands in music to make it happen - in the run up to the event, Snowbombing continue their 'Launch Party' series by travelling the length and breadth of the country. Ever cool night Louche in Leeds is billed as the next stop in their UK tour.

The tour stops next at Leeds, hooking up ith the ever impressive Louche gang at the city's ever-popular Mint Club, featuring Berlin man Motor City Drum Ensemble, dancefloor deviant Braiden and more on Saturday 19th January. Future events include an excursion to Bristol to hook up alongside the ever-impressive Futureboogie gang on February 2nd. Crazy P, Christophe, Lucas and Futureboogie DJ's take over the city's Exchange venue.

The tour has previously stopped in Amsterdam for Skream's Skreamizm concept London for Eastern Electrics' NYE bash, Birmingham's FACE gang and even Amnesia in Milan. More stops are due to be confirmed on the Launch Party tour; more to be announced as and whe ndetails are released. Full information for both events can be found below.

Louche Snowbombing Warm Up
Mint Club
Saturday, 19 January 2013
10:00pm - 6:00am

Line-up /
Motor City Drum Ensemble (MCDE, DE)
Braiden (Rush Hour, UK)
Josh T
Brinsley Kazak

Tickets

Listen to Snowbombing on Pulse Radio.

Robin Ordell
Monopolar EP
[Eklo]

With the Monopolar EP, Robin Ordell has delivered a varied, sonically impressive release that takes influences from deep house, dub techno and tech house to create a unique, interesting melting pot of depth, punch and melody.

For Fucking Years is a slow-burning weapon. Starting out fairly innocuous with a heavily reverbed, ambient intro (complete with detuned pianos), before a thunderous 909 kick drum punches through the mix. Choppy 808 percussion breaks up the groove, which is rounded out with a beautiful incessant synth that just sneaks its way into your head and never leaves. Throughout the tune each of these fairly minimal elements are subtly tweaked and built upon, creating a track which eventually turns into a chunky dancefloor bomb despite its humble beginnings. Ben Vedren’s remix later in the EP essentially works as a cleaner, more bouncy re-edit of the original, removing all the washed-out reverb and replacing the rough percussion with tight, snappy rhythms. Next up, Monopolar takes a slightly more accessible deep/tech house approach in the vein of artists like Seuil and Rene Breitbarth. Beautiful in its simplicity, Monopolar relies on a super low, crunchy bassline that puts its stripped-back, linear groove to work. The addition of reversed and chopped-up Moog stabs and piano improvisations helps to fill out the track, though this is definitely one for the more patient listener.

Please Police offers a laid-back, pleasant experience to finish the EP, combining the low-end grit of classic dub techno with the fun, uplifting warmth of modern deep house. The spacey, reverbed sound effects and slightly overdriven percussion contrast with the jazzy Rhodes stabs, pitched-up chords and well-rounded bassline wonderfully, creating the kind of track that will appeal to a wide range of dancefloors.

Listen to Robin Ordell on Pulse Radio.

Alex Niggemann has always been unconcerned by trends and fads. Head strong and unapologetic in his style, many knew the German producer's fantastic LP 'Paranoid Funk' (released through Bug's Poker Flat imprint)  would knock us out, blending his thick and hefty tech sound through a myriad of influences that roll through funk, techno, hip hop and funk. Here the breakthrough producer talks us through his 10 most inpsirational records ever, highlighting the tracks and albums that have helped shape his forthright sound. After you, Alex...

1. Dr Dre - Chronic 2001 (1999)

In my eyes this is definitely the best album, I‘ve ever heard in my whole life so far. 100% perfect! "The Chronic“ inspired me to start making my own music (besides composing songs on the piano), first when writing lyrics and rapping on famous instrumentals, later on it really inspired me producing my first hip hop beats. Without a doubt, each track is a masterpiece, placing every song in a perfectly fitting track list, telling a story throughout the whole album. In other longplayers there‘s always one or two tracks I don‘t really feel and then I start skipping. I can‘t remember, there was any track I ever skipped in this album.

2. Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)

A real classic! First album I ever bought (even though I bought it in 1992). I think there's nothing, that hasn't already been said about this great album. With 65 million copies it‘s the best sold album of all time. Thriller is a milestone in production history, that made Michael Jackson becoming the King of Pop. Inspired by all different music genres, for me he was the first to interpret them all perfectly in a „poppy“, but totally own way. And even more interesting is the fact that Michael and Quincy Jones, tried to reinvent every single instrument, thinking about renewing every little sound. Simple example: Why using a simple Kick? Why not putting some bricks into the bassdrum, making it sound totally different to what was heard before? The bassdrum in „Billy Jean“ is probably the most famous, outstanding and most sampled of all time. I bet none of my colleagues hasn't ever used it or has been thinking about using it in one of his tracks!

3. Giorgio Moroder - Einzelgänger (1975) // Donna Summer - I feel Love (1980) - Casablanca

His productions for Donna Summer, („Love To Love You Baby“ // “I Feel Love“) made him famous all over the world, leading to winning 3 Oscars for film music. He's one of the top producers, which inspired generations of musicians comprehensively. Besides Düsseldorf‘s „Kraftwerk“, who stands for the beginning of EDM, Giorgio Moroder is the beginning of Techno for me. When listening to his album „Einzelgänger“, there‘s no doubt that his music already sound like themes of well done Techno tracks from 21st Century with its synthesizer sequences, although it has been created in 1975. But one of the groundbreaking things is, that Giorgio was the first to introduce the 4 x 4 (four to the floor) kickdrum in music („I Feel Love“), which was the main influence for the upcoming sound in Chicago during the 80ies and still is the main recognition value for house and techno.

4. Emannuel Top – Climax – Attack - (1995)

First Techno Record I ever played, stolen from my brother‘s record case. When I was playing my first gigs, I always had several records of Emmanuel Top with me in my case. I hold the whole catalogue of his Attack releases. They might be one of the biggest treasures I have in my record collection. It's hard to choose my favorite, but since I have to select one, it should be “Climax”. Emmanuel’s songs stand out because of their high quality production, especially when thinking of that they were released in 1995. I really love his way of using one of the most used instruments, the 303, in his very own way. “Climax” is a very good example. The 303 main-part begins in a break as the only element besides a kick drum and gives the track a totally different direction to what it had before. Not until the end, sounds of the start coming back in, to close the track how it began. Brilliant!

5. Franz Schubert - Sonate B Dur op. posth. D 960 - I. - Molto Moderato

No all time top ten for me without mentioning this classical music piece of Franz Schubert.  The German composer, who's been living during the 18th & 19th century, is real hero of classic piano music for me. Maybe he wasn't the typical wunderkind, like Mozart, composing his first masterpieces as a child, but his sonatas are the most wonderful and well-composed piano plays I every heard in my life. It's a beautiful and special thing to read a story and be able to imagine its pictures from a song that only consists of instruments. His melodies are phenomenal, changing moods and switching Dur/Moll immediately, without letting you lose the feeling and contact to what he tries to tell you throughout his story/music.

6. Tupac - All Eyez On Me - Death Row (1996)

Alive or not alive - that doesn‘t make a difference to what Tupac Shakur has left to the world. When the best rapper in the world and a few of the most appreciated hip-hop producers (e.g. Dr Dre,Johnny J, Rick Rock) come together and produce such an amazing record, it is a must-do for me to mention it. 27 tracks of pure energy, outstanding rhymes and beats on a double album, that can‘t be compared to everything which has been release from anyone before. Songs like „California Love“ and „All Eyez On Me“ are only a few to point out that led me through my teenage years. Unfortunately it was the last album he recorded before being murdered in 1996.

7. X Press-2 - Music Xpress – Junior Boy's Own - 1992

Probably my most played and worn vinyl, which has never abandoned me. A record that works everywhere. I remember me playing this tune in a Detroit Techno set 12 years ago or when spinning classical house-music in 2004.  This is definitely the record that never ever left my bag, even after I started playing with Traktor Scratch or CD. It has always been with me digitalized. When I had a gig at Privilege in 2010 I met these guys in person for the first time. At the dinner we were talking about records that never left our bags. They were pretty surprised and honored when I pulled out the EP. It was a great moment finally meeting the guys who were always with me during all the years and helped me making various nights special.

8. Raze - Break 4 love (Hard for the floor Mix) – Champion - 1994

Also a record that I keep in my case as long as possible. Perfect tune for earlier set times to get into a bit deeper and techier sound afterwards, or also to end a night with. So melodic, deep and catchy. I remember playing it out last time at Panorama Bar early in the morning. They opened the window shutters shortly and light fell in when the chords started playing. An amazing feeling!! People threw their hands up in the air and completely freaked out… I'm getting goosebumps again, while writing this. No more words to add!

9. Daft Punk - Homework - Virgin (1997)

When talking about milestones of music (or EDM) history, there‘s no way to forget about Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo alias Daft Punk. Their album from 1997 made house music popular all over the world. Their way of production, combining synthesizer instruments and their very special way of sampling was unique until that point in time. I remember when I was trying to produce my first EDM tracks, I always had their style of production on my mind. Definitely an album that guided my way!

10. Bootleg - Late Nite Tuff Guy - I Get Deeper

Original: DJ Le Roi ft. Roland Clark - I Get Deeper – 157 Shelter Records – 2000)
The track name I have been asked for the most, while playing this tune during all these years. People also often ask me to play it. Maybe because I played it a bit too often so that they relate it to me for some reason... So simple, but so effective! Stomping bassline, hard high-hat, Roland Clark’s ganster voice and a little playing around with the filter! Hit!!! Done!!!

Paranoid Funk: The Remixes is released through Poker Flat on Monday 14th January.

Listen to Alex Niggemann on Pulse Radio.

Ritual
Under The Bridge
Saturday, 2 February 2013
8pm - 4am
Stamford Bridge, Fulham

Line Up
Greg Wilson
Maxxi Soundsystem
Horse Meat Disco
Concrete Disco
Yoghurt Warriors present Shart Bait

Tickets

Listen to Greg Wilson on Pulse Radio.

Space Dimension Controller - one of experimental electronica's most lauded individuals - has announced his first album proper, leading on from the engaging sci-fi mise-en-scene that he created through his first to 'mini albums' Temporary Thrillz and The Pathway to Tiraquon6, a story of Max Tiraquon's plight to be united back in his future, stuck in the present day after a time travelling accident sends him to the year 2009.

Reflecting parallel's between SDC's futurist world and ours, the story continues to unfold through a mesh of stiff inter-galactic beats, ambiance and unique, pitch bent melodies on the full length record. The producer and DJ - also currently touring a brand new live show - has long been hailed for his unique, experimental and musically rich take on modern electronic production. Check the video for Fluroscent Trails underneath.

Here's an extract from the story to set the scene:  "2013. After four years stranded on Earth he has finally repaired the time travel capabilities of his Electropod. His goal was to return to the exact moment in the future of his fateful accident, but due to only having primitive Earth tools and technology at his disposal, the journeys destination was not as accurate as he had hoped and he ended up arriving 5 years later than anticipated. Now, Mikrosector-50 has changed. It is no longer the strictly governed dystopian planet as Mr. 8040 remembers, where music was controlled by the Tiraquon Security Council and love was deemed unnecessary. Instead people were having fun and love and music filled the streets. At first, Mr. 8040 enjoyed this change and received a huge planet-wide welcome party, but once the party was over Mr. 8040 knew that he had to find his secret lover from before the accident and try to continue what they once had in this new free planet."

The full trracklisting is below. 'Welcome To Microsector-50' is due out on the 4th March through R&S Records.

Tracklisting
1. Feature Presentation
2. 2357 A.D.
3. Mr. 8040's Introduction
-- (Mikrosector-50, Mankind's New Home)
4.Welcome to Mikrosector-50
-- (Home to Emptiness) +
5. Confusion on the Armament Moon
-- (Answers From Max)
6.When Your Love Feels Like It's Fading
7.A Lonely FlightTo EroDru-10
-- (Arrival on EroDru-10)
8.You Can't Have My Love
-- (Chance Diversion)
9. Rising
-- (An Unwelcome Temptation)
10. Quadraskank Interlude
-- (Return to the Love Quadrant)
11.The Love Quadrant
-- (The Future Is Not For Me)
12. Back Through Time With A Mission Of Groove
13. Closing Titles -- (Who's Closing In On Gaia?)

Listen to Space Dimension Controller on Pulse Radio.

And the night is finally here! Pulse Radio presents a Smoke N'Mirrors showcase at BPM you won't want to miss. Headlining is DJ Harvey, a connoisseur of music across genres and times. He's widely credited with being one of the first to bring disco/house over to the UK from the US. With a storied career including remixes for LCD Soundsytem and the wildly successful Saraastic Disco parties in LA, Harvey has established himself as a prime selector, ready to provide a fresh slate of music at every gig.

Special guests Pillowtalk have rapidly risen to the top of the ranks in moving, deep house music over the last several years. The group is known for it's crowd-sensible vocal aesthetic and powerful melodies. They will be performing a DJ set.

Death on the Balcony can hardly be considered a supporting act. With releases on Pets Recordings, Akbal Music, Resonance, and others, the duo from England are captivating the world with their deep house grooves.

Also on the bill is Holosound, which is none other than Pulse's very own Alex Fish. His latest record, "Show Me," with Cameo Culture, received a warm response from djs and fans alike. His rhythmic, upbeat, and vocal infused style keeps feet moving on the floor, and a consistently packed dj schedule keeps his ears fresh for the latest.

Shiny Objects [OM] and Galen round out the list.

Don't sleep on this night of amazing and refreshing music, presented Pulse Radio at La Santanera, Play Del Carmen, Mexico.

Listen to Pillowtalk on Pulse Radio

Australian techno duo Shades Of Gray, aka Czech expat Michal Schwa and Nick West, are making big waves at present, having released their debut album 'Soul Machine' in 2011 to much acclaim and touring across the globe from Tokyo to Moscow and Paris to San Francisco.

Now the boys are gearing up for their first Australian show since the release of 'Soul Machine,' which is set to take place Saturday 9th February at Sydney's newest re-vamped venue Tatlers, presented by the Charades crew and supported by some of Sydney's best DJs.

Tickets are on sale now on Pulse Radio. Stay tuned for our upcoming interview with the duo!

Listen to Shades Of Gray on Pulse Radio

Belgium techno expat currently residing in Berlin, Peter Van Hoesen, is on his way to Australia this month to play play three gigs across the country which includes the Rainbow Serpent Festival in Victoria and the Strange Signals party in Sydney. In preparation for his arrival, Matt Costain threw some rapid fire questions at the techno don about living in Berlin, playing Berghain and his second LP 'Perceiver'.

Pulse: You grew up in Brussels. Belgium. You've previously cited the countries industrial, EBM, post-Punk and New Wave scenes as influences on your sound, and Belgium has left a huge legacy on house and techno. Do you still have any musical ties back to the country, and what's going on back at home? My musical ties are mostly rooted in the past. I don't really have an active connection with the Belgian scene anymore. What I do know is that there are several labels and organisations doing a good job, trying to push innovative music. Belgium's legacy is something that is often forgotten by Belgians themselves, which is rather sad really.

You've been living in Berlin for the past three years. How long do you see it's dominance as the epicentre of modern techno lasting, and could such a strong scene ever emerge elsewhere? What conditions allow such a scene to precipitate? The main thing over here were the conditions created by the fall of the Berlin wall, combined with Berlin's history as a city used to providing entertainment and culture - even in the 1920s Berlin was a party town. These conditions do not exist anywhere else, so it is useless trying to compare other cities to Berlin, or even to try and emulate what is going on over here. Every city has its own story and circumstances. How long Berlin's importance for electronic music will last is not something I can predict. But I hope it has a long way to go.

How would Berlin be without Berghain - say as in if it was suddenly to close? Same as it was before I guess. Berghain is a very important club but it's not the beginning nor the end of electronic dance music. This music lived in Berlin long before Berghain, and will continue to do so long after.

You played Berghain towards the end of 2012. Does a performance there elicit different preparation to any other club gig, mentally or musically? It's more a matter of preparing a longer set than usual. It does not really matter if it is Berghain or The Bunker. If it's a set that is longer than usual I need to prepare it differently, for sure.

Your interpretation of Japan's Labyrinth festival as ritual is well documented. Have you experienced this feeling or sense of ritual elsewhere either as a performer, or as a dancer? Nope. Only at Labyrinth.

2012 saw the release of your second LP 'Perceiver' (as PVH) and a debut hybrid live/DJ performance at Labyrinth which incorporated material from the album. Can you describe your live setup? Until now the one constant has been change. I don't think I have ever played the same live set twice, either track-wise or gear-wise. This is about to change, as I am currently preparing a brand new live set which will be more stable in terms of equipment and approach. It consists of two synths, two drum machines, some effect units and a laptop. The main idea is to have more options for improvisation. The Labyrinth set was a good test in this regard.

Sendai, your A/V project with Yves De Mey also saw an album this year, and you also performed a '4D' high concept sound performance at ADE. Are there common threads through your different alias' performances, or do they stand alone entirely? I would say that each project has its own definited characteristics, so they kind of stand on their own. With Yves it is very much about the interaction between us two, and the will to push sound a bit further than usual.

Finally, Sydney is very much looking forward to having you play, is there anything you're particularly looking forward to doing in Sydney, or Australia? Enjoying the sun, since it's rather grey here in Berlin right now.

[Peter Van Hoesen plays the Rainbow Serpent Festival (25th-28th Jan) and Sydney's One22 on Jan 25th]

Listen to Peter Van Hoesen on Pulse Radio

Not long to go now until BBC Radio 1 host and first lady of Jackathon arrives in the country. We are of course talking about Heidi, who is set to play the sold out Agwa Yacht Club 015 in Sydney on Australia Day alongside Soul Clap, followed by another set with the boys at the Burdekin Hotel after party with a one Bill Patrick, before jetting off to Melbourne for the Guess Who party at Circus.

Though for those in Sydney looking to get a triple dose of Heidi, House Of Mince have locked in a secret inner-city warehouse bash the night before the Agwa party on Friday 25th January, with support coming from Sydney locals Lovertits, Ben Ashton and Kate Doherty. Tickets for all Heidi events are below. Get ready to jack!

Heidi 2013 Australian Tour Dates:

25.01.13 - House Of Mince, TBA, Sydney (buy here)
26.01.13 - Agwa Yacht Club 015, The Starship, Sydney SOLD OUT
26.01.13 - Agwa After Party, The Burdekin, Sydney (buy here)
27.01.12 - Guess Who, Circus, Melbourne (buy here)

Listen to Heidi on Pulse Radio
 

Just before the Christmas period, Pulse teased the sparse details regarding Garden Festival 2013, announcing its line up, held at the country's original picturesque location, the Garden in Tisno between 3rd - 10th July. No, the gang behind the festival have announced their first run of artists and DJs to play, including Boston party starters Soul Clap, experimental electronica man Floating Points and Bristol house overlord Eats Everything all confirmed to play.

More artists confirmed come in the shape of FACE + HEEL •, Psychemagik, Young Marco, Maurice Fulton, Bicep, Crazy P, Greg Wilson, Huxley, Eric Duncan, DJ Nature, Tim Sweeney, Maxxi Soundsystem, Toby Tobias, Deep Space Orchestra, PBR Streetgang. Argonaughty boat parties and the impressive Barbarellas outside club are to be curated by Just Jack, Beats in Space, Resident Advisor, Futureboogie Recordings, Tief, Leftfoot and more

The Garden has been plying low key and alternative music and surroundings for many a year. The festival - which some may say is the blueprint event for the recent influx of festivals and events around the Adriatique coast line - have started drip feeding announcements of their 2013 festival. For those who haven't been fortunate enough to visit this musical paradise in previous years - running aross the space of a full seven days, between 3rd - 10th July, check the 2012 after video above directed by Chris Leete.

The Garden Festival 2013
The Garden Tisno
Weds 3rd – Weds 10th July 2013
Petrica Glava 34, 22240, Tisno, Croatia
First wave of live acts and DJs announced January 2013

Tickets

Listen to Soul Clap, Floating Points and Eats Everything on Pulse Radio.