Cape Town's most unique party crews join forces, with added magic from the Cape Town Carnival, to bring you a truly special New Years experience like no other.

All event details can be found here.

Tucked away near the famed harbour of Cape Town lies a hidden port, filled with dingy taverns, shady streets and wild dance halls. Strewn with dangerous minds, crazed loons and busty wenches, organisers ask if you’re able to brave your way through the bad lands to find this gem where you can revel the old year away by stages of doom and behead 2013 as it rightly deserves.

Artists across Two Stages Nu World Ghetto Stage / The Other NYE Stage:

Toby 2 Shoes

John Wizards (DJ Set) - Check out the Boiler Room Pearlers piece on John Wizards.

Card on Spokes

Circuswing

Daddy Warbucks

Desert Head (Christian Tiger School)

DJ Mighty     

Kangaroo & the Joey's

Kimon 

Ma'original

Marco Filby 

Sticky Las

Jumping Back Slash

Karl van de Kocks

Wrongi Inc

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Emilie McGlone founded Parties4Peace in Tokyo ten years ago.  After moving to New York in 2011, she met Stacy 'Daisy' Mourkakos who had a similar vision of promoting peace through music and art, and the two planned the first New York event.  Over the years, the organization has helped grassroots efforts around the world with education, sustainability, equality, and disaster relief initiatives.  Parties4Peace will celebrate its tenth anniversary this Sunday, December 1st at TBA Brooklyn.  We had a chance to catch up with Emilie and Stacy ahead of the special event to chat about how they first started working together, some of their highlights from over the years, working with DJs, venues, and sponsors, their Music & Art Peace Academy initiative, and what guests can expect from the party this weekend.

Who is behind Parties4Peace? What are your roles and how did you first start working together? Stacy: Emilie impressively founded and singlehandedly ran Parties4Peace in Tokyo from 2003 to 2011. She moved to NY just as I was in the midst of developing a party brand dedicated to charity. Mutual friends introduced us and we planned a collaboration - the first P4P in NY - that very night. Following the event, the next step was obvious to us both! Emilie handed me the Parties4Peace banner and asked me to join her in her efforts. We have since been partners in spreading a culture of peace through dance and music. With Emilie’s decade career working in NGOs while throwing and enjoying parties, and my decade career producing events and working in music while teaching children with special needs and participating in advocacy and activism we have both the party and the peace covered.

Earlier this month, you hosted the first 10th Anniversary Celebration - a party in Tokyo with Jay Haze followed by a trip to visit areas that were affected by the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster in Japan. Can you tell us a little more about that experience? Emilie: Jay Haze began collaborating with Parties4Peace after our first encounter in Tokyo, Japan many years ago. In March 2011, when the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster hit the northern coast of Japan, Jay Haze teamed up with Seth Troxler to start the Red Dot Relief project, which helped raise more than $100,000 USD to support the relief efforts of the International NGO Peace Boat. This year marked the second anniversary of this amazing project, and we decided to take a trip to visit the local communities affected by the disaster and see how the projects have helped in the rebuilding process. After the Parties4Peace event in Tokyo, we took an overnight bus up north to the city of Ishinomaki, which was heavily affected by the disaster. Together with Peace Boat staff members who are based in northern Japan, we organized a photo project with local children and visited fishermen in the villages along the coast. Although the communities have made great progress in their recovery efforts, the nuclear disaster in Fukushima continues to be an ongoing threat to the environmental, social and health concerns of the community. We are now working on projects for renewable energy and sustainable development as we recognize the need to move away from nuclear power.

What can guests look forward to at the 10th Anniversary Celebration in Brooklyn this weekend? Stacy: Fun, giving, music and community! By nature, a party for a good cause has a different vibe. When everyone from the DJs, venue, visuals designer, organizer and each patron enter with a donation, the room naturally fills with the energy of compassion. Artists are there because they want to be, donating their time and talent, and the music tends to reflect it. There aren’t any guestlists; people are happy to make a donation at the door. No one is doing it with money as their intention! The things that can make a party dark are replaced with love - it becomes something you can actually feel in the room.

This Sunday, a mix of Brooklyn favorites including no regular play, Billy Greenbank, Michael Christopher, Pattern Drama, Lauren Ritter vs. Orazio Rispo, Gil K, and a special guest will provide the soundtrack. Our friends at Knife have donated a lunch buffet that will begin at 2pm. Lumenoti has donated his visuals and Cityfox, their KV2 Audio 3D soundsystem. John Dill and GRIT NEW YORK are curating a nightlife photography installation entitled, “Music is My…”, with photos available for raffle. Entry gives patrons the chance to win their choice of an array of services and products from community favorites -jewelry by Ashley Koprowski, complementary tickets to Output, BlkMarket and reSOLUTE events, a decorated Christmas tree delivered to your door, gift certificates to Knife, Halcyon and The Plant Shed, a private yoga session with Gina B, a one hour massage with Carlos Chiesa, and more. All proceeds from the raffle will go to Peace Boat’s relief efforts in the Philippines.

You’ve helped organizations around the world with education, sustainability, equality, and disaster relief. What is the process like of determining which initiatives and causes to support through your work? Emilie: Parties4Peace was founded on the principles of helping to raise awareness about important issues and fundraise for grassroots initiatives through music and art. In this process, the project is always first and the party second. Before starting Parties4Peace, I spent time volunteering with communities in Mexico, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Japan and Ghana. These valuable experiences allowed me to connect with local non-profit organizations and create a direct relationship with the projects we helped to support. Currently I work as the Director of the New York office of Peace Boat US, an International NGO that focuses on education for peace and sustainability around the world. We often link our Parties4Peace fundraising events to the projects that we are working on with Peace Boat in order to have a direct involvement in the creation of the project and implementation. We are also open to forming partnerships with anyone who is interested in joining our network. Being able to provide a platform for collaboration with other likeminded people who want to make an impact has developed into a large part of what Parties4Peace is about. We look forward to continuing collaborations as we move into 2014.

Can you tell us about your new initiative, the Music & Art Peace Academy? Stacy: The Music & Art Peace Academy is a Parties4Peace initiative to provide young artists, musicians, and producers from around the world with experiences and resources to further explore and develop their creative talents. MAPA is executed in collaboration with the International NGO Peace Boat, a ship that travels the world promoting peace and sustainability. The Music & Art Peace Academy organizes workshops, lectures, and hands-on learning opportunities on board the Peace Boat, sponsoring aspiring young creators to participate in voyages under the instruction of professional artists. Each group constructs a shared piece of art with sustainability and international peace as its theme.

We invite individuals, organizations, musicians, artists, photographers, designers, writers, actors, activists, videographers and promoters who are interested in social and environmental issues to share their abilities with the Music & Art Peace Academy. Each year we will explore different continents and various art modalities. Join us!

How do you decide which artists to feature at your events? Do you generally approach them first or do they reach out to you? Emilie: When Parties4Peace first started in 2003 while I was living in Tokyo, it was a new concept and I began inviting DJs and producers who played music at some of the top clubs in the city. Once the idea of Parties4Peace spread, it was great to have artists approaching us to play for our events. Many producers enjoy working with Parties4Peace because it's a great way for them to be able to support important international causes while donating their time and talent to do something they love. We are always looking for new artists to join our events and look forward to expanding our network of DJs and producers that are interested in supporting Parties4Peace in the future.

You’ve had a variety of parties throughout the last decade. What have been some of the highlights from over the years? Emilie: The biggest highlights have definitely been related to our international collaborations with artists in Japan, Chile, Venezuela, and the USA. Here are my top 5 memories:

1) In 2008, Parties4Peace organized our first international exchange of artists between Chile and Japan with DJ Aosawa from Tokyo. Upon arriving in Chile, a promoter from Argentina contacted me to invite us to travel to Buenos Aires and play a party in one of the biggest clubs in the city. It was definitely an exciting moment during our South American tour!

2) After visiting Chile, we invited producer Francisco Allendes to join us for a ten day tour in Japan. In collaboration with local promoters in Tokyo, we organized a Halloween party that was definitely one for the books! This was the first of many Parties4Peace tours in Tokyo with Chilean artists.

3) Japan has some of the best skiing in the world, and every winter Parties4Peace organized a snowboarding and techno party called the ALPINE TECH FEST in the mountains of Minakami, Japan. We invited Anthony Mansfield from San Francisco as our guest DJ and he was not only good on the decks, but he was a great snowboarder too! We had an amazing weekend of music and powder!

4) Following 2012’s Hurricane Sandy that devastated the neighborhoods of NY, Parties4Peace teamed up with a group of New Yorkers to raise funds including DJ favorite Alexi Delano and local promoter ReSolute. One Sunday afternoon, a lineup of NY artists including Thugfucker, No Regular Play, Camea, Taimur & Fahad, MC & Hammer, Cem & Rg, Elon and Connie, came together to raise nearly $8,000. In collaboration with the non-profit organization Peace Boat US, the donations from “This is My City” were used to support a group of disaster recovery specialists and dedicated volunteers from the Peace Boat Volunteer center for a month to help coordinate relief efforts for those who were affected by Hurricane Sandy.

5) Parties4Peace continues to organize the Patagonica tour of South America in collaboration with local environmental NGOs' in Chile. The pristine nature of Patagonia has become one of my favorite places to bring artists and producers from around the world. We have also had the amazing experience of organizing Parties4Peace events in the legendary club La Feria in Santiago, Chile. All funds from the parties we organized in Chile were donated to the campaign to declare Patagonia as a World Heritage Site under UNESCO.

What else is on Parties4Peace’s horizon in the coming months? Stacy: Proceeds from Sunday’s event will go to the Music & Art Peace Academy voyage this January. Parties4Peace will bring Brooklyn-based DJ and producer, Michael Christopher, to Chile to partake in a series of events, lectures and seminars. Also, in response to the federal reduction of the food stamp program, we’ve launched a new project: “Parties 4 Peas”. People may bring canned and boxed food to TBA Brooklyn nightly through the winter, and Parties4Peace will donate it to local food banks and soup kitchens. In addition, we have exciting party collaborations coming up, including things in the works with our friends at BlkMarket Membership as well as with Alexi Delano. Stay tuned...

Listen to Jay Haze on Pulse Radio 

Flume has swept Australian music's night of nights, The ARIAS, taking out four awards at the ceremony last night including Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Producer of the Year, Best Male Artist and Best Dance Release, the latter of which he beat fellow electronic acts Jagwar Ma, The Presets, RuFuS and The Potbelleez.

During his speech, the artist known to his folks as Harley Streten, said that electronic music is "killing it right now" and also had some interesting comments to make in regards to his winning the award for Best Male Artist, for which he inpressively beat out singers such as Guy Sebastian, Keith Urban and Paul Kelly.

"Do you know the really coolest thing about winning this is? I'm a producer, I don't even sing," he said. "I actually did a bit of research and found out that never in the history of the ARIAs has someone who doesn't sing won this award."

"I'm not a frontman. I prefer to spend my time sitting in a dark room, in front of a laptop. So hopefully it opens the floodgates for producers around Oz and people with bad voices in general."

Listen to Flume on Pulse Radio

Australia’s biggest electronic music festival Stereosonic kicked off in Sydney and Perth over the weekend with an absolute bang. In Sydney, Pulse Radio proudly presented the Inferno Stage which boasted the likes of Maceo Plex, Solomun, Claude VonStroke, Justin Martin, Fritz Kalkbrenner, Hot Since 82 and local DJs Gabby, Brohn and Mia Lucci from Finely Tuned.

Tucked away in the Charles Moses Stadium, the Inferno Stage in Sydney was one of the major drawcards for punters, described by some on the day as a mini festival within a festival. Here are five highlights from the day that we captured on the ground via our instagram. Thanks for having us Stererosonic - it was a blast. 

#5 Solomun brings his Ibiza magic to Sydney

#4 Fritz Kalkbrenner drops the magical 'Sky And Sand' to a rapturous response

#3 Hot Since 82 destroys the crowd with his remix of 'Bigger Than Prince'

#2 Maceo Plex lives up to the hype...and then some

#1 Claude VonStroke closes the Pulse Radio presented Inferno Stage in rocking style

You can check out more action from the day at our instagram page.

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John Talabot
DJ Kicks
!K7

Sometimes reviewers get lazy and try to sneak a listen to that shiny new release on their laptop speakers. The results are usually lacklustre; the anaemic bass response of most small speakers takes the shine off even decent tunes – and those are rare enough. But from its slithering opening through to the final vocals of the conclusion, Talabot’s take on the DJ Kicks series will leave your jaw on the ground.

The mix opens with the haunting strains of 'Journey to the Centre of the Sun'. Laced with metallic chimes and ethereal flutes, it ushers you gently into a psychedelic summertime resort in the Amazonian rainforest, where everything is just ever so slightly detuned and off time. It’s beautiful, but you can’t help but feel you’re about to be eaten by cannibals.

If that sounds slightly disturbing, it is. Anyone who’s snuck a peak at the track list will understand why Talabot programmed things in such a way; he needed a setup for the four tunes that follow. The appearance of an Andy Stott remix should tip you off that while the chuggy, detuned analogue bass lines which have made Talabot’s name do make an appearance, this compilation has a darker edge. The stretched out reverbs and relentless hats make the Stott remix feel more like an old Apparat tune than one of Talabot’s poppier offerings, and while the Michael Ozone track that folllows might have a tribal tinge, it also shares that disturbed, arped-up and slowed down techno vibe.

The compilation soon carries you back out into the sun with a more tribal groove (thank god, they decided not to eat you). Talabot's debut album 'Fin' may have challenged his reputation for sunny, blissed-out tracks (see 'My Old School' and his earlier output on Permanent Vacation) but this compilation is enough to restore your faith that he still has a passion for congas – Madteo’s 'We Doubt' followed up by some Tempel Rytmik and Harmonius Thelonius proves that he can still funk.

By the time Night Watcher and the ever mysterious #001 come along in the middle of the compilation, you’re almost starting to criticise Talabot’s mixing style - it’s almost a little too safe. All of the transitions are well executed and timed, but you might feel everything is a little too careful. You’d be wrong, as the sudden appearance of Round’s 'Glass' (another tricky to find tune) demonstrates. The mix is restrained, controlled, but also takes you off guard, slipping you a little slice of a paradise like a back room dealer. The sudden appearance of some classics from Paradise’s 'Deep Groove' and Kron bring you up on the high he’s handed you; the Motorcity Drum Ensemble and Jus Ed tunes sustain it and Pional’s sublime 'It's All Over' hammers it home.

Talabot brings something truly worthwhile to the table with this compilation. In an age when most tunes are readily available online, he’s successfully produced a record which contains at least three or four gems from the crate; you won’t find these easily elsewhere. So before you step out your door next Saturday night, put this album on and miss the first set of the night. John Talabot will make you happier anyway.

Tracklist:
01. North Lake - Journey To The Center Of The Sun
02. Pye Corner Audio - Underneath The Dancefloor
03. Maps - I Heard Them Say (Andy Stott Remix)
04. Pye Corner Audio - Zero Centre
05. Michael Ozone - Hetrotopia (Young Marco Remix)
06. Madteo - We Doubt (You Can Make It)
07. Harmonious Thelonious - The Grasshopper Was The Witness (Elmore Judd & Rowan Park Remix)
08. Tempel Rytmik - Anagrama
09. John Talabot - Without You (DJ-Kicks)
10. Axel Boman - Klinsmann
11. Joaquin Joe Claussell presents Residue Part One - Eno (Melodic Dub)
12. Bostro Pesopeo & Pional - Bonus Beats
13. Mara TK - Run (Moodymann Remix)
14. Alex Burkat - Shower Scene
15. Mistakes are Okay - Night Watcher
16. Unknown - #001
17. Round - Glass
18. Max Mohr - Old Song
19. Samo DJ - Tai Po Kau
20. Motor City Drum Ensemble - Escape To Nowhere
21. Paradise's Deep Groove - Innermind
22. Abby - Streets (Wraetlic Remix)
23. DJ Jus-Ed - Turn Of The Century
24. Genius of Time - Juno Jam
25. Kron - Silikron (Jürgen Paape Remix)
26. Talaboman - Sideral
27. Pional - It's All Over (Locked Groove Rendition)

Listen to John Talabot on Pulse Radio

This summer Pacha Sydney - recently voted #15 in our must-attend parties around the globe - is readying a brand new summer party series at ivy Pool Club called 'Love' - which will see the club night go back...way back to the music of the 60s and 70s.

Inspired by ‘Flower Power, one of Pacha Ibiza’s longest serving nights, 'Love' takes place across six parties over summer, with the first party kicking off this Saturday December 7th, transforming ivy Pool Club into "a true swingy 60s disco, celebrating a bygone age where hippies reigned supreme and love was the mantra".

Punters can expect retro tunes from Mr. Glass, Graham Mandroules and Pacha’s stellar cast in magnificent themed costumes, with nostalgic styling throughout Pool Club and a dress code of peace, love and all things hippy.

First release tickets have already sold out, but you can purchase second release here.

'Love' @ ivy Pool Club Dates:
07.12.13
18.01.14
22.02.14
15.03.14
12.04.14
03.05.14

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Throughout his lengthy year career Thomas Koch, akaDJ T., has seemingly seen and done it all. Along with being one of the most sought after and respected DJs in the game, Thomas was also the founding editor of respected German dance music magazine, Groove, and one of the founding members of Get Physical with MANDY and Booka Shade - a celebrated imprint releasing groove-focused dancefloor music since 2002.

This year DJ T. celebrates his 25th year of DJing, which has coincidentally come at a time when house music is once again entering the mainstream, just as it did during the first years of his career in the early 90s. We spoke with Thomas recently about house music's renaissance and how his DJ style has changed over the years, including surviving the minimal era, which he refers to as the "dark times". He's also recorded our latest podcast - a dark, hard-edged and groove focused mix.

Pulse: Hey Thomas, what did you get up to over the weekend? DJ T: I had a free weekend actually. I have one every month now, it’s really essential for balance and for my health. A lot of my colleagues can play constantly but I’ve found out that I can’t do that anymore and I need one weekend a month to reconnect with my friends and my city. So this weekend I had a girlfriend visit and we went to concerts and had long walks and good dinners. It was nice.

So you’re celebrating 25 years behind the decks, which is interesting as it’s come around right when house music is once again penetrating the mainstream, with UK artists like Disclosure and Storm Queen claiming spots on the singles charts. What does it feel like for you to experience this all over again just like you would have back in the early 90s? Yes there’s a few phenomenons happening at the moment – we also have the explosion of the commercial market in the U.S., which is changing DJ culture over there a lot, it’s really morphing into something different. I recently suggested to Groove magazine – which I formerly was the publisher of – that they have to write a long article about that because nobody has so far. You find bits and pieces on the internet but a lot of it is really cheesily written stuff. I’m still waiting for a piece that separates all these aspects from each other and writes a manifest about the situation; what’s happened so far and where it’s leading to.

You read articles these days about Forbes listing the top 20 DJs with the most money and they are names from Europe who I’ve never heard of and you ask yourself, what’s going on in this market? Then there’s Deadmau5 getting a $65 million contract in Las Vegas and other big names moving away from Ibiza to this epicentre of the American market because they can get more money there - Richie Hawtin even played a set there. Then you have acts like Avicii and Swedish House Mafia filling sports stadiums of 50,000 people and selling VIP tickets at $1000 each…it’s insane for DJs like me to imagine that. There’s a lot of bad things to say about that; you’ve got young people growing up now with idols that don’t DJ properly anymore, it’s all pre-produced sets. They just clap their hands in the air and get $1000 for every handclap, you know what I mean?

At the same time, if you see the whole thing as an organism - the commercial scene plus the old European underground scene – I think at the end of the day it can only be a good thing, that millions of new young people are being attracted to EDM or electronic music. They’ll all go through a process of taste making; at 16 they’re into Avicii then later perhaps DJ T or Disclosure and these new UK house sounds that are creeping into the commercial market. I really appreciate the new UK sounds and have been following these young producers in their early 20s who have been putting their own fingerprint on house and injecting house music from 20 years ago with a new rave feeling. And I’m loving the whole UK garage scene with labels like AUS and acts like Dusky and Midland too.

Do you think electronic music will have more longevity than rock n roll? Yes I’m sure of it. I remember in the early 90s when we were witnessing the birth of the whole thing we were asking ourselves, and each other, the same question. We knew in the decades before house that everything in music happened in cycles, with every 8th or 9th year a new musical movement and all the things that come with it; new drugs, new fashion. Then when techno was founded we were wondering, what could possibly come after that? We were sure that something would come along sooner or later but had no idea what. But then it never happened – techno remained the last big musical revolution. Everything that has come since has just been an extension from techno. It’s the new rock ‘n’ roll.

Do you consider it a negative thing that house music is no longer linked to political issues or revolution? It is what it is, we can’t change that. A movement can only have that kind of energy in the beginning after its birth. I think there will always be an underground where the new impulses come from and where people will mould their lives around music, and there will always be a club culture surrounding places like the Berghain in Berlin, where there is a family that exists around the club. As long as the commercial is not eating the underground away, then people can choose which aspect they want to be a part of and celebrate.

You’ve recently changed up your DJ style since you began your 25 Years Of DJing celebrations so as to encompass all the different styles of house you’ve played over your career. How has this process been for you? Throughout my 25 years I have always been reinventing myself as a DJ. I think every artist is always doing this if they have a long career. I see around me a lot of artists that are following one style for a really long time and I totally appreciate and respect that, but I’m more the eclectic kind of a DJ and artist. I grew up with a lot of different roots - which I explained in a piece I did for inthemix - from black music of all types to disco and early house. I was also living in Frankfurt when it all started so the really early trance and techno was also influencing me. In the years since then I have always found myself changing my style, especially now in the years since 2010 – for me this has been one of the best periods in club music ever. Minimal for me was kind of the dark times of dance music because…well it went for far too long and the domination of just one style felt really limiting. I remember when I was traveling around and DJing during this time I was trying to adapt in some way to the minimal style, and whenever I went one step to the left or right, the crowd would have this question mark above their heads – they only wanted one functional groove.

Now in the last four years or so everything has opened up again and the house renaissance has brought back disco and vocals and elements from the 80s. It’s become analogue and warm again – for me it’s like the golden times of club music again. It’s been beautiful to be able to play slower, sexy house with vocals.

But then again in the last 18 months or so with this deep house sound – everyone has jumped on the bandwagon and are trying to reproduce this formula, which you hear in the big clubs now. You can see it happening in Beatport’s so called deep house charts over the last one and a half years. I feel like – even though there’s still some good music coming from it – I’ve become bored of it. So I’ve had to go and find new styles, artists and movements and over the past 15 months and my direction has become a bit harder, a bit darker, a bit more hypnotic and groove focused. But I think whenever I change my style, you can still hear that red line that I straddle, which I’ve always tried to do.

Given you were the founding editor of Groove magazine, I was wondering what you miss about print journalism since the advent of the internet and online music sites? When I read the Groove magazine today I am still very thankful for the fact that’s it’s still around and still doing well. Then I read the articles of so many online platforms and there’s always a big difference. I can see that 90% of the journalism – if you can call it journalism at all – is not very profound or well researched. There’s a lot of quick and cheesy stuff around and I miss the quality sometimes. I think the whole scene and market is going so much faster these days and changing so quickly and many writers are only scratching at the surface and not putting things into a bigger perspective for the reader.

Do you miss writing and being involved in music journalism? I really love to write generally but I don’t think I’ll ever go back to journalism. I’ve been playing with the thought of starting a blog for a while, but I still haven’t started yet because I know it would need so much of my time, which I don’t have much of at the moment. It’s still on my list of to-do projects. I’ve thought about writing a book at some point too, perhaps a novel or a biography, but again I need much more time.

Can we expect anymore releases from your 25 Year DJ Anniversary? No apart from the EPs and two part DJ compilation, that’s it for now, and I won’t really be thinking of releasing anything until the end of my tour, which finishes in North America next April.

DJ T. Australian tour dates
20.12.13 - Revolver Fridays, Melbourne
21.12.13 - AGWA Yacht Club 018, Sydney [BUY]
31.12.13 - Habitat NYE at Geisha Bar, Perth

Listen to DJ T. on Pulse Radio

The opening party kicks off tonight at Cafe Del Mar and then tomorrow, Tuesday December 3rd, the second annual Electronic Music Conference officially takes over Sydney's Carriageworks for two days of panels, round table discussions and production masterclasses. Pulse Radio is heading to the conference tomorrow to cover all the action from the seminars, so stay tuned to our twitter page for live updates as well as news coverage right here on Pulse.

Some exciting and timely topics that will be discussed at the conference by some of the industry's biggest artists and figures include; the idea of dance music as a community with Beatport CEO Matthew Adell, the end of Australia's festival boom with the directors of the Big Day Out, Stereosonic and Future Music festivals, the Asian electronic market, the so called golden age of electronic music with Touch Sensitive/Emoh Instead/Future Classic's Chad Gillard, and more.

You can check out the complete EMC program here as well as the associated events and parties happening throughout the week here.

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Over the weekend international heavies Quentin Harris and Kerri Chandler were in town for the Heineken Star Club event. The production was amazing and the sets were world class from all behind the decks at the party. Check out the pics taken by Jurgens Burger of the Joburg leg of the party that took place at Nasrec. Cape Town’s event that was on Sunday at the Shimmy Beach Club will be out soon. Hope you were there!

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Last week we showed you this incredible guide to electronic dance music. However, dance music has been around longer than things like electricity or electronics, stretching back several hundred years to more tribal times. But where did it start, and how did it get here? This expansive map traces the lineage from dance music's beginnings with Traditional African Music dating to the pre -1800s, heading over to Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and then exploding in America and eventually Europe, with a few surprising stops along the way. Check it out here.

Click image to open interactive version (via Thomson Holidays).

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In this ‘highbrow’ take on twerking, Chicago-based burlesque performer Michelle L’Amour shakes it to none other Beethoven’s ‘Fifth Symphony.’ Enjoy.

Michelle L'amour performs "BUTTHOVEN'S 5TH SYMPHONY" from franky vivid on Vimeo.

Though it might not be as graphic or intense as more ‘traditional’ takes on the cultural phenomena, we’re pretty sure this is at least the classiest. She is wearing cufflinks after all…

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Reezo Hassan is an artist that really has a deep understanding of what he does, no confusion, and it comes through in his music. Reezo was also selected to feature on Pulse Radio's Best Mixes of 2013 so far and for good reason as he demonstrated exactly ‘that’ understanding with a mix he did for us. A self-made artist with successes that has got his name printed on many a bill alongside heavyweights holding his own. Catch him this Sunday the 8th of December on the Citilec Roof. Tickets available here and more info on the event here. 

"Being able to play music you sincerely love to people who are up for it is a beautiful gift. Ek Maak Julle Dance!!!!" - Well said.  

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When choosing a track name, it's important to encapsulate the feelings and emotions your tunes are trying to get across to listeners. Sometimes that means your track is called 'Requiem,' other times, 'Dildo World' is more fitting. So we've selected some of the rudest, crudest, most offensive and most hilarious track names out there for you. Enjoy at your own discretion.

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This evening as part of EMC 2013, Finely Tuned& Waving At Trains are hosting an agency showcase at Sydney's favourite haunt The Spice Cellar, which will see DJs from both the Sydney and Melbourne agencies strutting their stuff from 10pm right through till the early morning. From the Finely Tuned family you can expect Brohn, Gabby, and ENTER. Ibiza's newset resident Bella Sarris. From Waving At Trains, Fantastic Man and head honcho James Ware.

In the lead up to the party, the directors of each agency, James Ware and Wade Cawood, have selected five artists from their stables as ones to look out for. Take it away gents...

WAVING AT TRAINS

Andras Fox
His music is totally timeless, hand made and tactile. When you hear his music on the speakers at work you immediately think of sunday afternoon bbqs down by the coast or holidays away on a yacht. When he plays it in context on a dance floor, you can’t believe it’s the same music. Very clever. His next EP with Oscar Key Sung is incredible.

Francis Inferno Orchestra
He’s been around a couple of years now but he’s taken a real step up in the past 12 months. Releases on Voyuerhythm, Drumpoet Community and Fina have been world class. He’s also moved to London for a bit to get amongst it. He’s getting booked a heap in Europe. He’ll head to the US in the next 12 months too.

Kris Baha
Kris Baha has also been around the block a couple of times, but the new productions I’m hearing have taken a real step up and will unquestionably catapult him to the next level. He’s just come out of the studio with Tiga’s brother and Turbo Records boss Thomas von Party and the tracks sound amazing. He’s also music programmer for the weekly Survivor party at The Bottom End. There are 1500 kids in there dancing to local artists playing techno and underground house every Saturday night. It’s an impressive sight, let me tell you.

Michael Ozone
They definitely broke the mould when they made Ozone. He wrote his own language for his release on ESP Institute. He polarises people. Which I love. He doesn’t conform and he totally has his own thing going on with his music, his design and his general vibe. His music is physical, raw and tribal… It’s all about NRG according to Ozone.

Sleep D
These guys are only 21 years old and blow me away at every turn. They recently warmed up for Justin Vandervolgen and Hieroglyphic Being at Melbourne Music Week. They wrote and rehearsed their hour long set in 2 weeks with not one old track. These kids have some serious vibe and talent.

 
FINELY TUNED

Brohn
Whether he's playing a set on Agwa Yacht Club in Sydney, at a Rebel Rave party in Mexico, or the Robot Heart stage at Burning Man, Brohn always kills it with his dark, twisted and infectious sound.



Mia Lucci
Hosts her own show on Ibiza Global Radio, DJs around countries like Mexico, is a staple at some of the Sydney circuit and has just written a track with DJ T. Watch this space.

Gabby
Gabrielle is one of Sydney's underground gems, pushing her own style of dark and groove-inflected house. Have you heard her track 'Silicon Citizen'? Phwoaar!

Bella Sarris
Bella has just wrapped up the biggest year of her career being a resident at ENTER. in Ibiza. It doesn't get much bigger than that.

Emerson Todd
One of Australia's finest exports (well, NZ, but they've claimed him as their own), it's great to see Emerson killing across Europe wth his techno house and techno grooves from his current home of Berlin.

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We all know traditional burial after death isn't for everyone. But now there's an alternative for the true music lovers among us. Starting at £3000, you can have your ashes pressed into vinyl - 30 copies to be exact - for your friends and family to remember you with for eternity.

The folks over at London based www.andvinyly.com are offering their services to have you, a loved one or a pet transformed into a piece of music history. For an extra £500, you can have a custom artist design the record sleeve, and aside from choosing your favourite song to help loved ones remember you forever by, you can have custom made soundscapes and tracks created by bands and artists from The House of Fix. You can also use a track you created, record your own voice or lyrics (to be placed solo on the record or accompanied by eerie ambient noises), or for the minimalists out there, simply leave the record blank so only the pops and cracks play through.

If you're worried your loved ones might not be quite as keen on your idea as you are, they also offer body part services, so the majority of your remains can have a standard funeral, while an arm, leg or anywhere else can still be preserved in vinyl form, though prices aren't any cheaper for that alternative. And, for an extra £10,000, you can have a FUNeral, where their crack team of experienced event organizers can toss you a full-fledged rave where (presumably) your freshly pressed wax will get rinsed in proper sendoff fashion.

Learn more at www.andvinyly.com.

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Every year on the 25th of December DJ Shimza runs an annual charity event in Tembisa, Joburg has come to be one of the most anticipated events in the Gauteng region at the moment. DJ Shimza signed to Soulistic Music will be bringing the biggest music event together all in the name of charity. Tembisa, Mehlareng stadium is the best place to be for all music lovers because the likes of AKA, Big Nuz, Zakes Bantwini, Moneoa and a lot more others will be sharing the stage and bringing you nothing but musical heaven. See event here. 

Tickets are available at Boisantha, Caprivi, Purple Print, in Tembisa and Joe’s Butchery in Alex. Alternatively, one can call 011 029 5170 or email communications@soulisticmusic.com.

This is one show you do not want to miss! Get your tickets and get ready for the biggest party of 2013! #PartyWithAPurpose

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Burial is finishing up this year exactly how he did last year – by releasing a new EP. Although many details about the release have yet to be announced including its title, it has been revealed that the respected London producer’s forthcoming work will come out on December 16th on Hyperdub, and will contain three tracks at 28 minutes in length.

The EP is a follow up to last year’s well-received ‘Truant/Rough Sleeper’ EP.

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On the 7th of December for one night only, DJ and producer Rodriguez Jr. from Berlin based Mobilee Records will be throwing it down live at Absolute on Florida Road in Durban. Constantly churning out super-hot tracks in the Deep House scene Durban is in for a treat this weekend, that's something you can be absolutely sure about. 

Coco Loco

Green Jnr. 

Made possible by Pulse Radio, We Are The Noise, Absolute and ▲Loki they present the support line-up for the international heavyweight that is Durban locals Coco Loco and Green Jnr. Both veterans of the House scene so you’re really in for a treat from start to finish at this event. The cover charge will only be R50, and for a night of this calibre you really couldn’t ask for anything more. You can also go check out the interview we did with the man himself prior his South African tour here with all the event details here while listening to the mix Green Jnr. did exclusively for Pulse. 

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Fellow Angelenos Snoop Dogg and Dâm Funk gave fans a taste of their funky collaborative album ‘7 Days of Funk,’ and it’s exactly that – enough funk to last you all week long. Now, you can stream the album in full eight days ahead of its official release on December 8th, courtesy of NPR.  Listen to the debut collaborative album here.  Enjoy!

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Black Friday, the day following Thanksgiving, is well known as the biggest shopping day of the year in the US, kicking off the holiday shopping season. For those of you who didn’t choose to camp out Thursday night to be first in line at stores in the early morning or didn’t wish to risk your lives at Walmart and other major retailers, there’s still time to get some great deals on Cyber Monday, the Black Friday of online shopping.

We’ve done some research on our favorite brands such as Serato, Native Instruments, Ableton, and Moog to see where the best discounts are, and here’s what we found:

Serato Accessories
Serato has discounted “most black colored” items in their store including control vinyl, t-shirts, phone cases. Their Serato DJ + Video bundle is now only $149 for a limited time. Check out the Serato store here.

Native Instruments
This year marks the biggest Thanksgiving sale yet including 50 percent off over 80 MASCHINE, KOMPLETE, and TRAKTOR products. In addition, all updates, upgrades, and crossgrades are also half off. See the NI deals here.

Ableton
To celebrate the holidays, Ableton is giving users a 20 percent discount on its software – Live 9, upgrades, Live 9 with Push, Packs, and Max for Live. Learn more at the official website.

Numark
Numark is offering special prices on their iM1 mixer (now just $49.99) as well at the Orbit controller. Act quickly because Numark’s sale ends tonight at midnight. Check out their online store here.

Moog
Moog’s Cyber Monday deal involves 10 percent off all gear on the website as well as a special bonus for orders over $250 – a free EP-3 expression pedal. Shop around here.

StyleFlip
If you don’t know already, StyleFlip makes some awesome custom skins for DJ gear including laptops, headphones, mixers, controllers, and more. They are offering a 30 percent discount on all skins. Just use the discount code GVTHX2013 at checkout here.

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