Left to right: Pangaea, Ben UFO, Pearson Sound

030 djmag.com Hessle Audio, the label run by Ben UFO, Pearson Sound and Pangaea, has just reached its 10th anniversary milestone. Initially bonding over the infinite possibilities of the embryonic dubstep scene in the mid- noughties, the trio soon set off on their own tangents. Launching Hessle Audio together in 2007, their outsider take on club music has helped reshape the scene during its various twists and turns over the past decade. The three have very distinct musical identities, yet when they come together as A&Rs or as DJs something very special happens. As the threesome embark on a tour to mark the label’s 10th birthday, DJ Mag meets them in South London...

Words: BEN MURPHY Pics: CARSTEN WINDHORST

Pearson Sound’s productions are always eagerly to use this in a club?’ It doesn’t necessarily have here’s a lot of people awaited. Foxing expectations with each release, he’s to be something that is an obvious club tune, but pushing old drum machines as comfortable making garage-loaded house (‘Your say Bandshell’s record, ‘Dust March’, for me is such or reissuing drum machines Words Matter’, with Midland, released on Aus) as he an amazing track to play in a club, it just sounds now,” says Kevin McAuley, is cone-rattling IDM strangeness (‘Gristle’, from his incredible.” aka Pangaea, one-third of 2015 ‘Pearson Sound’ album) or sinister, cinematic “Joe is definitely on the fringe,” says Ben. “‘Claptrap’, the pioneering Hessle techno (club hit ‘Thaw Cycle’, on his own Pearson at the time [it was released in 2010], sounded totally Audio crew. “It feels like Sound label). mad, and completely his own. But at the same time, things are being marketed towards making classic Though each of the three has their own areas of everyone played it. People in dubstep and grime sounds. There’s nostalgia everywhere, ’cause it’s musical interest, it’s the convergence of their ideas, played it, people in the house world played it, pitched comforting for people. But dance music should be and a belief in pushing forward, that defines Hessle right down. It’s the track we’ve released that’s been forward-thinking.” Audio and makes them stand out. played in the most different contexts, but at the same Hessle Audio has always looked to the future. This time it’s one of the weirdest. That’s the dream, we’ll label, set up by Pangaea, Pearson Sound (David CHIPPER be lucky if we find another record like that.” Kennedy) and Ben UFO (Ben Thomson) has remained DJ Mag meets them one sunny spring morning in at the vanguard from its very first release 10 years south-east London, near where Ben UFO lives now. In the last 10 years, Hessle Audio has released many ago. After weekend gigs, they’re remarkably chipper. early records by future stars, the most notable of Ben tells us about some grime record collections whom, James Blake, now makes quite different While some electronic producers, with their he bought recently nearby, and we stroll to a quiet productions for US pop and hip-hop champs fetishizing of analogue gear and old school café for the interview. Each of them talks with great Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar. Singles by Blawan, authenticity, are stuck in a vintage vacuum, Hessle conviction and a natural camaraderie. They speak Objekt and the aforementioned Untold have shone Audio’s three pioneers — and the artists they’ve frankly on all subjects, from their recollections of how alongside Pangaea and Pearson Sound’s (formerly released on their label — have consistently pushed they started out in dance music, to how they perceive Ramadanman) own releases, and all this has been boundaries. Operating on the fringes of genre, their label now. achieved without outside interference or troubled by they’ve changed the course of underground dance “Our whole thing has been about trying to look profit margins. music more than once, indicating new pathways for forward, to release new music by new producers, so “We never took that step of employing anyone else,” dubstep, house, techno and beyond. we don’t want it to feel too heritage, or too much Ben says. “We never had anyone to come in and help In 2017, they’re celebrating a decade of operation like a victory lap,” says Ben of the 10-year milestone. with anything, let alone employ a label manager with a big European and US tour. The tour has them “We’re releasing stuff and want to have an active year, or anything like that. The only people we’ve had playing back-to-back-to-back all night and represents that seems like the best way to celebrate it.” to satisfy are ourselves. We’re living primarily from a consolidation of the trio’s powers. They’ve become “We’re trying not to turn it into too much of a DJing, so we’ve never had to rush ourselves or put a main draw without once compromising their heritage thing. Like, 10 years and now it’s all anything out we’re unsure about. We can look back on independence or fearless musical aesthetic. downhill!” jokes David. the last 10 years and feel really intimately connected Ever since the label’s start in 2007, Hessle Audio has to everything we’ve released.” Ben UFO has earned a reputation up there with been an outlet for cutting-edge electronic beats and the best underground DJs in the world. With no bass. It’s become a go-to, buy-on-sight imprint for DRUM & BASS compulsion to produce tracks (a rarity in today’s DJs. With each release, a delicate balance between Ben, David and Kevin formulated the idea for Hessle scene), his daring sets travel from grime to techno experimentalism and club heft is struck. Records Audio while studying at Leeds University. The first to house, indefinable bass music and myriad that have stood out for their otherness, from TRG’s two, originally from London, bonded with Kevin, experimental oddities besides, all transmuted and techy, smudged garage track ‘Broken Heart’ to originally from a village near Swindon in the south- linked together with a unique dancefloor attitude. Untold’s weird, sinuous grime cut ‘Anaconda’ via west of England, over an appreciation for drum & bass Pangaea’s psychotropic productions have been the percussive what-do-you-call-it beats of Joe’s DJ Bailey’s 1Xtra radio show. Each of them, though, melting minds since 2007. Atmospheric in the ‘Claptrap’, have also proven to be invaluable weapons had quite a different musical background. extreme, spacious and strange, each of his tracks in any serious DJ’s arsenal, across all genres. Ben’s dance music beginnings were at the deep comes loaded with bass weight. A 2014 Fabric “What we sign has to be something that works in end of d&b, which he’d hear at club-nights in a now mix showcased his formidable DJing chops, clubs,” says Kevin. “There’s a lot of music out there defunct London venue. “I was buying drum & bass, while last year’s techno-heavy ‘In Drum Play’ (on that is headphone music, or interesting electronic that was when I learnt to mix,” he says. “There were Hessle) demonstrated a remarkable merging of music, I’m certainly feeling that at the moment. these little parties going on in East London at a experimentalism with club nous. But the first thing I’m listening for is, ‘Will I be able venue called Herbal, put on by the labels Bassbin and

djmag.com 031 station Sub FM. “Kev and Dave could write a record, send it round to people who were the biggest DJs Inperspective. They were Wednesday night parties. and producers in the scene at the time, and you’d People were interested in dubstep there, too. There almost always get a response,” Ben says. “They’d were all these producers like Amit that you used probably hear it.” to see down at the early DMZs as well, so there It was the internet, all agree, that had a significant was a bit of an overlap. I think that was a general role to play in the growth of dubstep and its rapid pattern, where there was a dissatisfaction with the evolution. “It was a perfect storm, the first scene wider drum & bass scene, and a desire to try to find to break through the internet,” David says. “Grime something else.” was earlier in that respect and did have some stuff sounding, compared to what was prevalent at the Kevin, conversely, got into dance music the way going on on the web, but it wasn’t until dubstep time in the scene’.” many teenagers first experience it. “I was buying came about that the wave of the internet suddenly After the first TRG release, ‘Put You Down’, releases trance and hard house,” he says. “It was stuff from became massive. It was maybe the last scene to from Pangaea, Untold and Ramadanman (Pearson HMV. These were, like, £3.99 singles on labels like exist between those two worlds.” Sound) quickly followed. Inspired by the DiY Tidy Trax. It was just what I had access to.” ethos of Mala’s Digital Mystikz (DMZ) label, Hessle David says of his own route into dance music, “I DUBSTEP Audio quickly established its own independent was making some grime-style instrumentals and Despite their early involvement in dubstep, the aesthetic. Some would tag these records, which posting them online, and I seem to remember Hessle Audio three existed outside the inner incorporated everything from hazy dub techno to someone saying, ‘This isn’t really grime, it sounds sanctum. Having arrived on the scene after it two-step garage, as post-dubstep, but the label like dubstep’. This must have been late 2005. I was was becoming established, and with their diverse quickly moved on, resisting tags, putting out weird, like, ‘What’s this dubstep thing?’ It was about the influences, they found themselves drawn to tracks wonderful tracks such as Joe’s mechanistic body time that there was all this hype that Mary Anne that didn’t necessarily fit the dubstep template of slammer ‘Maximum Busy Muscle’, the psychedelic Hobbs was gonna broadcast a new show in January the time. Inundated with high-quality demos of broken electro of Objekt’s ‘Porcupine’ or the vivid, 2006 [Dubstep Warz on BBC Radio 1]. I listened stranger stuff that strayed from the norm, they colour wheel bleeps of Bruce’s ‘Not Stochastic’. A to that and got fully stuck in, really. I heard about played those too amidst more traditional material greater appreciation for techno is evident in Hessle dubstep just at the right time, before it got this on their Sub FM show. Audio’s most recent releases, though certain core exposure. Before grime, I was listening to drum “We always wanted to contribute to scenes, to be characteristics — heavy bass, hypnotic, unusual & bass, some of the more commercial stuff like part of things,” Ben says. “We wanted to contribute synth sounds and an emphasis on functional Pendulum, and a lot of house and deep house. It to dubstep and help shape that music, but because rhythms, however skeletal — tend to define the wasn’t until I got into dubstep that I became really we weren’t part of that first wave, we were coming label’s output. single-minded about one genre.” at it from a slightly different angle.” Ultimately, the tracks must meet with the approval of the varied tastes of the three label owners. Dubstep was the genre that brought the three These different kinds of tracks they’d play on Sub “We don’t tend to A&R too heavily, most of the together. They became obsessed with its FM would be the catalyst for starting the label. time people are coming to us with something fully possibilities, its lack of musical boundaries, and “We were getting sent loads of music, stuff like TRG formed already,” Ben says. “With the Bruce one, welcoming though small scene. “It was totally fresh which sounded very different to what was being ‘Not Stochastic’, that was in the first pack he sent to me,” Kevin recalls. “Very new and very exciting. released at the time,” David says. “I thought, ‘This us. We signed it ’cause I played it on the radio [on It felt like you could be a part of it in ways you might music doesn’t have a home, we’re being sent it, the Rinse FM Hessle Audio show], and Kev happened find it hard to with other genres. I was producing unreleased as demos’... to have Rinse on in the kitchen. He sent me a text bits and bobs before, but it was when this came “At the time we started the label, that half-step, saying, ‘What the fuck’s this?’” along that it felt it was speaking to me. It felt dubstep rhythm was super-dominant. Older garage innovative.” roots weren’t being played out or released, so when BASS-HEAVY Pangaea and Pearson Sound were producing TRG came with these retro two-step tracks, updated, Ben points out that tracks signed to the label tracks, and all three began doing their own radio it felt like a good way to make an entrance. Like, must be functional, but not in a pejorative sense. show playing dubstep tracks on respected internet ‘OK, this is something unusual and interesting- “In house and techno, when people talk about

032 djmag.com functional club music, it almost has negative connotations, as though that music has to be straight or fit narrow parameters, but I think dubstep shaped the way we think about functional club music a lot more, ’cause it was music rooted in soundsystem culture. So it was interesting, brave music, but it was music primarily to be listened to incredibly loud. Function to us means something a bit warmer and a bit nicer.” Just as Hessle Audio is now known for its unpredictable — but always thrilling — tangents, so Ben’s DJ sets mirror the label, challenging club- goers to keep up with his rhythmic diversions across styles, and sometimes into abstract territory. “It’s quite interesting trying to test the limits of what’s club-appropriate, finding what that line is,” he says. us,” Ben says, “is someone will play something that As part of their on-going tour this year, Hessle sends us off on a tangent, and it helps keep the Audio have already played some unusual venues whole thing moving. If we were doing those shows album ‘In Drum Play’, despite occasional nods to they’ve not visited before, like Bassiani in Tbilisi, and those venues solo, perhaps it would be a bit galactic grime and breakbeats, affirmed his drift Georgia (“It was astonishing, such a good venue,” more one-directional, but it’s nice that everything towards techno. Like recent releases on his own David says), and are looking forward to playing is in flux when we play together. You don’t know HADAL label, ‘In Drum Play’ simmers with inventive Concrete in Paris, Robert Johnson in Offenbach, what’s going to happen next, it’s nice.” four-four techno tracks. The juddering, metallic Germany, and a festival in Japan called Rainbow “Eight or nine hours is a long time, so it’s good to ‘Rotor Soap’ sounds like a factory in overdrive, while Disco Club. Part of their intention with the tour is to have a rest, go out and see what’s happening in the the sinuous, double-jointed ‘More Is More To Burn’ mix up the kinds of venues they’ll be playing. “We crowd,” David says. pivots on a balletic, entrancing synth figure and started the tour in Ramsgate Music Hall, a small rough kicks. venue which is basically a dark room with a really TECHNO “What’s the move to techno inspired by?” Kevin good soundsystem. Switching things up. It wouldn’t The tangential tastes of Ben, Kevin and David, as grins conspiratorially. “Dancing in clubs for a long be that interesting if we did a regular run of the often as they converge, have taken them in some period of time. It’s like what I was saying before usual suspects. It’s the balance of the two that is novel directions recently. Pangaea’s excellent about hard house and trance, it’s always been in important.” me, I loved that stuff at 14 or 15, it was so good. It’s They’ll be tailoring their sets to each venue. While been a thread in my music, even if it’s been spaced- Tbilisi was primarily techno, other clubs will get a out dubstep from the early days. At some point it more bass-heavy approach. “All our interests are came that I was going out more to techno clubs, so different, there’s so much variety, that it’s quite Berghain and places like that. I identified more with apt to be playing quite a lot of different venues that side of music for whatever reason. What I make and different sizes of clubs,” Kevin says. “It’s kind of what the label’s about. We can play a big techno club for nine hours straight or we can play Ramsgate on a Thursday, or on a big reggae soundsystem.” “The gig that we were going to be doing at the West India Centre is now at a venue called Freedom Hills in Leeds,” Ben says. “That’s playing for promoter Simon Scott, who has been a supporter of ours for more than 10 years. That’s on the Iration Steppas soundsystem, I’ve not played on there before, but it was the sound used for a lot of the early dubstep parties up in Leeds that we were all at, so the focus there will be a bit different. “At some of these shows we’re booking the younger guys as well and wanting to bring people out and about with us,” he continues. “It felt like such a big deal to be playing on the Iration system and I knew it would be a big deal for some other people too, so we invited Bruce and Beneath to play. It’s a nice way to shape what we’re doing.” The shows are an opportunity for each of the DJs to explore and combine their personal tastes across eight- or nine-hour sets, using a mixture of CDJs and, if the club has a decent set-up, vinyl. “The best thing about us doing it with the three of

djmag.com 033 is always a bit skewed anyway, but I’m thinking more world. A decade of essential along those lines. “I feel more pressure just to be a good DJ. Especially tunes “There came a point when I was playing more techno, now,” he says. “When I came through, the default but I wanted to make stuff I could play in techno sets tag-line for the journalist was, ‘This is the guy who TRG ‘Broken Heart’ 2007 as well. It felt very natural to me,” he continues. “The does this thing without having any tunes’, and I guess On the flipside of the track that last few years have been a transition of me trying to people just take that for granted now. But I think launched the label, ‘Put You Down’, find my way or what I wanted to do, and what I’m it just led to me taking the focus completely away was this essential cut. When it first doing now feels like I’m within this Hessle sphere. It’s from any of that stuff and being as good a DJ as I can dropped, with its dub-tech clangs, related to that, but it’s on my own terms.” possibly be.” dislocated two-step beats and lethal subs, there was nothing else like it. David, conversely, stepped away from pure club fare FRINGES with the release of his debut ‘Pearson Sound’ album It’s Hessle Audio’s resistance to conformity, and their Pangaea ‘Router’ 2008 in 2015. Though it featured several dancefloor- celebration of difference, that really sets them apart. With its haunting, mournful vocal focused tracks, it also had downtempo gems like Coming at dance music from the fringes, the Hessle sample (“This is how I feel”), minor the atmospheric electronics of ‘Six Congas’ and the Audio crew have gained an advantage, and have chord stabs, and scuttling garage fractured beats of ‘Swill’. This shift towards IDM, reshaped club culture to their own ends. beats, ‘Router’ still stands out a mile. David says, happened intuitively. “I feel like I’ve “Coming to music as a bit of an outsider is a common always made whatever I wanted,” he tells DJ Mag. “In thread [for us],” Ben says. “It’s like coming into Untold ‘Anaconda’ 2009 2010, say the house tracks I made with Midland or techno as something that was big and established, A hybrid of grime, dubstep and Appleblim, they might have been unexpected at the for me anyway. Not really knowing very much about skeletal rhythms, the blips, warping time. I’ve always felt like I don’t have to sit down and it. Just buying records that I was coming across and bass and spring-loaded energy of write a dubstep track. “When it came to the album, it enjoying them, wanting to DJ them. It’s kind of this oddity made it as deadly as was quite nice how that came about in terms of being wicked, you end up making decisions that people that its namesake, ensuring the track focused on a particular mood or style,” he continues. know that music better wouldn’t come to. It might be crossed over into the sets of the most “It came together very naturally, which hadn’t really counter-intuitive to people completely immersed in adventurous techno DJs too. happened before in terms of wanting to do a bigger that music.” piece of work like that.” Ramadanman ‘A Couple More For those thinking he’d abandoned making dance Coming up on Hessle Audio, there’s an incredible new Years’ 2010 beats, David quickly countered with bona fide EP by Bristol’s Batu (who runs the Timedance label) On a diverse EP of next-gen bangers ‘Thaw Cycle/Freeze Cycle’ and ‘XLB’, two — lurching from the futuristic sound design, bass and dancefloor cuts (the ‘Ramadanman’ singles that combined the avant-garde with a ambience of ‘Don’t’ to the next-gen Sheffield bleep EP), ‘A Couple More Years’ was the razor-sharp dancefloor sensibility. “The album was of ‘Off Court’. There are also further releases in the highlight: a thrilling collision of stop- definitely more on the heads-down side of things, works, but the trio are reluctant to talk about them start breakbeats and grime bass. which I guess is partly why since then I’ve released just yet. Their game-plan for now is to keep doing a few more dancefloor tracks, ‘Thaw Cycle’, ‘XLB’. I what they’ve always done: looking to the future. Peverelist ‘Dance Till The didn’t want to go fully down the self-indulgent IDM “The ideal is we’ll carry on finding music that doesn’t Police Come’ 2011 route. I needed to get it out of my system.” make sense anywhere else,” Ben concludes. Amen From another forward-thinking to that. producer originally associated with Ben’s focus remains on DJing. Rather than feel dubstep, came this synth-led, ravey forced to make tracks of his own, he says he must broken techno beast. Invention and stay one step ahead in his chosen profession. Proof club gold rolled into one. of his dedication can be found on his mixes for Fabric and Rinse — and at his very frequent gigs around the Objekt ‘Porcupine’ 2012 He’s a key player in today’s underground dance scene but back in 2012 Objekt was a fairly new name. ‘Porcupine’, with its skittering electro beats and grand, spacious chords, broke the mould.

Pev & Kowton ‘Raw Code’ 2013 A stripped-down, dubbed-out, broken techno missive from two of the best in business.

Bruce ‘Not Stochastic’ 2014 Like Brion Gysin’s trip-inducing, stroboscopic Dream Machine on wax, this swirling piece of electronics was a key weapon in Hessle Audio’s armoury. Pearson Sound ‘Six Congas’ 2015 Engrossing IDM from David Kennedy, stepping away briefly from his dancefloor material.

Pangaea ‘Lofty Can’ 2016 From the ‘In Drum Play’ album came this killer percussive piece, cutting up familiar breakbeats in alien ways.

034 djmag.com # IN THE21 WORLD

The award-winning nightspot - Zouk Club KL, the capital of the city’s electronic dance music scene is lavishly outfitted with state of the art lighting and sound equipment. Zouk Club KL is the only standalone nightspot in Malaysia endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture as a venue under the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA). The superclub is ranked No.21 in the world on DJ Mag’s Top 100 Clubs list, and its most exclusive venue Imperial was the first in Malaysia to be inducted into The World’s Finest Clubs, adding yet another trophy to its glittering shelf of awards. This augurs superbly for the bigger, bolder Zouk Club KL that would yet again usher-in a game-changing era. WELCOMEWE TO CLUBLAND - ZOUK CLUB KL

Untitled-1 1 13/04/2017 12:52 Untitled-1 1 13/04/2017 16:17 FESTIVAL GUIDE 2017

UNION JACKIN’ With the festival phenomenon showing no

signs of slowing down, there’s something WHEN? 27th - 28th May on offer for everyone in the UK this WHERE? Southampton Common, Southampton/ season... South Park, Oxford PRICE? £33+ HIGHLIGHTS: Goldie, Midland, Moxie, Joy O, SHINDIG WEEKENDER Kornél Kovács, Or:la, Novelist, Redlight, My Nu SOMERSET’S boutique bonanza returns for Leng another year of funky vibes and family-friendly commonpeople.net fun. Don’t forget to check out DJ Mag’s disco and house takeover, with Todd Terry, Greg Wilson and our very own editorial double-act, Carl Loben and LOVE SAVES THE DAY Adam Saville! BRISTOL has long been a hub for forward- thinking UK dance music and soundsystem Festival season is here once WHEN? 26th - 28th May culture, and nowhere is that clearer than the again, so our crack team of WHERE? Gilcombe Farm, Somerset Love Saves The Day line-up. There’s plenty of top writers have been chained to PRICE? £99 - £155 international talent too, but, for us, this is all HIGHLIGHTS: Dub Pistols, The Sugarhill Gang, about the local heroes! their keyboards to make sure Slipmatt, Shades Of Rhythm, Fabio & Grooverider, you don’t miss a thing. Over DJ Marky, LTJ Bukem, Todd Terry, Greg Wilson WHEN? 27th - 28th May the following pages you’ll shindig-events.co.uk WHERE? Eastville Park, Bristol PRICE? £39.50 - £95 find listings for all the best HIGHLIGHTS: Ricardo Villalobos, Bicep, fests across the world. We’ll WE ARE FSTVL Sherwood & Pinch, Craig Richards, Peverelist & reveal the No.1 festival in the ONE of the season’s earliest doses of big name Hodge, Fatima Yamaha, Move D, BadBadNotGood bookings, We Are FSTVL returns to Upminster to lovesavestheday.org world, as voted for by you! celebrate five years at the top of the UK festival And we catch up with the team game. behind Southport Weekender RIVERSIDE FESTIVAL as they celebrate 30 years of WHEN? 26th - 28th May IT’S no secret that Glaswegians love techno, WHERE? Upminster, Greater London which is exactly why Riverside Festival boasts top-notch parties. So grab PRICE? £67.50 - £189.50 some of the best acts the genre has to offer (and your sunnies and glitter (and HIGHLIGHTS: Carl Cox, Maya Jane Coles, Dizzee a healthy helping of top house acts too). your wellies just in case), Rascal, Basement Jaxx, Dixon, KiNK, Ricardo Villalobos, Hannah Wants, Sven Väth WHEN? 27th - 28th May and prepare for the most wearefstvl.com WHERE? Riverside Museum, Glasgow wonderful time of the year... PRICE? £45 - £80 Words: BEN HINDLE, ADAM SAVILLE, HELENE STOKES, HIGHLIGHTS: Slam, Scuba b2b George DAVE JENKINS, MARTIN GUTTRIDGE-HEWITT COMMON PEOPLE FitzGerald, Detroit Swindle, Nina Kraviz, DJ Koze, Pics: ALEX RAWSON, JEREMY DEPUTAT, JAKE DAVIS, ROB Da Bank’s OTHER festival — or festivals, we Paula Temple, Jackmaster, Alan Fitzpatrick, BORKEBERLIN PHOTOGRAPHY, JOHN STAPELS, DINO should say — brings top talent from across the Surgeon (live modular set) NINKOVIC, DAN MEDHURST, ROSSUMEDIA, MATT EACHUS, musical spectrum, plus tasty treats and oodles of riversidefestivalglasgow.com LAHCEN MELLAL fun to Oxford and Southampton.

djmag.com 037 FESTIVAL GUIDE 2017 PARKLIFE NOW pulling in around 75,000 revellers each day, Manchester’s Parklife has become nothing short of epic since setting up shop in 2010, and with consistently impressive line-ups, shows no sign of stopping.

WHEN? 10th - 11th June WHERE? Heaton Park, Manchester PRICE? £59.50 - £119 HIGHLIGHTS: A Tribe Called Quest, Flying Lotus, Midland, Seth Troxler, The Martinez Brothers, Wiley, Sampha, Moodymann, The Black Madonna parklife.uk.com

STRAWBERRIES AND CREEM FESTIVAL PROOF of what you can do with love of music and a spot of elbow grease, S&C’s team of passionate, young promoters bring the best of London’s thriving grime scene to the quaint, university city of Cambridge.

WHEN? 17th June WHERE? Haggis Farm, Cambridge PRICE? £40 We Are FSTVL HIGHLIGHTS: Wiley, Shaggy, AJ Tracey, Dimitri From Paris, Mike Skinner, J Hus, P Money, Logan name techno acts under the M4 motorway for a Sama b2b Sir Spyro AVA FESTIVAL good ol’ fashioned, thumping knees-up — see strawberriesandcreem.com NORTHERN Ireland’s Audio Visual Arts Festival you at the front! and Conference returns to present shows and talks, with a selection of the finest acts dance WHEN? 10th June GLASTONBURY music has to offer. WHERE? Boston Manor Park, London THE Mac Daddy of UK festivals is back! What can PRICE? £49.50 we say about Glasto that hasn’t been said 1000 WHEN? 2nd - 3rd June HIGHLIGHTS: Ben Klock, Adam Beyer, Ida times already? If you didn’t get tickets, you’ll WHERE? T13, Belfast Engberg, Recondite (live), DJ Tennis, DJ Koze, have to wait until 2019 for another chance, as PRICE? £35 - £60 Daniel Avery, Planetary Assault Systems (live) 2018 will be a fallow year to allow the site to HIGHLIGHTS: Rebekah (hybrid set), Fatima junction2.london recover. Yamaha (live), Jeff Mills & Guillaume Marmin (Close Encounters Of The Fourth Kind collab), Ben WHEN? 21st - 25th June UFO, Bicep, Job Jobse, Denis Sulta, Ejeca SOUTHPORT WEEKENDER WHERE? Worthy Farm, Somerset avafestival.com THE legendary Southport Weekender makes a PRICE? SOLD OUT grand return after saying goodbye back in 2015, HIGHLIGHTS: Moderat, Stormzy, Goldfrapp, this time reimagined as a one-day event in Noisia, Sasha & Digweed, Run The Jewels FIELD DAY London’s Finsbury Park, but still packing serious glastonburyfestivals.co.uk NOW in its 11th year, Field Day is packing serious heat on the line-up. Check out our full feature on heat — like, seriously. With a focus on forward- page 52. thinking hip-hop and electronic music, the bill NOISILY FESTIVAL isn’t just one of the best in London this year, but WHEN? 10th June FORGET your standard mainstage fodder, Noisily the whole of the UK. WHERE? Finsbury Park, London Festival is all about keeping it underground PRICE? £40 music-wise, with an extra emphasis on art, WHEN? 3rd June HIGHLIGHTS: Kerri Chandler, Detroit Swindle, spiritualism and well-being too. Good for the WHERE? Victoria Park, London DJ Jazzy Jeff, Roger Sanchez b2b David Morales, mind, body and soul! PRICE? £64.50 Derrick Carter, Joey Negro, Culoe De Song HIGHLIGHTS: Aphex Twin, ABRA, Flying Lotus, southportweekenderfestival.com WHEN? 6th - 9th July Death Grips, Fatima Yamaha (live), Nina Kraviz, S WHERE? Noseley Hall, Leicestershire U R V I V E, Overmono, Nicolas Jaar, Lady Leshurr PRICE? £95 - £155 fielddayfestivals.com Love Saves The Day DEMON DAYZ IF Gorillaz’s return hasn’t been the most hotly- anticipated musical event so far this year, we don’t know what has. And not only are they now officially back, but they’ve brought a festival with them too!

WHEN? 10th June WHERE? Dreamland, Margate PRICE? £60 HIGHLIGHTS: Gorillaz, more TBA demondayzfestival.com JUNCTION 2 JUNCTION 2 returns for year number two, jamming what seems like half the world’s big

038 djmag.com FESTIVAL GUIDE 2017 HIGHLIGHTS: Michael Mayer, Beardyman, LTJ Bukem, Congo Natty, Acid Pauli, The Prototypes noisilyfestival.com BLUEDOT SCIENCE and raving go hand-in-hand at Bluedot festival. Located at the Jodrell Bank Observatory, the event offers an eclectic line- up, plus activities such as stargazing, films, a planetarium, and talks from experts in tech, physics and more.

WHEN? 7th July WHERE? Jodrell Bank Observatory, Cheshire PRICE? £40 - £75 HIGHLIGHTS: Orbital, Andrew Weatherall, Mr Scruff, Vitalic, DJ Yoda (History Of Gaming set), Kelly Lee Owens, Factory Floor, Rival Consoles discoverthebluedot.com COCOON IN THE PARK SVEN Väth’s Cocoon brand returns to Leeds for a ninth year, bringing techno titans from across Boom Town Europe and local heroes alike. PRICE? £137.50 - £150 PRICE? £45 - £55 WHEN? 8th July HIGHLIGHTS: Trentemøller, David Rodigan, HIGHLIGHTS: D-Train (live), Ultra Naté (live), WHERE? Temple Newsham, Leeds Adrian Sherwood, Factory Floor, Jon Hopkins (DJ David Morales, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Tony Humphries, PRICE? £59 - £184 set), Jackmaster, Slam, Richy Ahmed Joey Negro, Jellybean Benitez, Nicky Siano HIGHLIGHTS: Sven Väth, Adam Beyer, Richy beatherder.co.uk liverpooldiscofestival.com Ahmed, Joseph Capriati, Annie Errez cocooninthepark.com SECRET GARDEN PARTY NOZSTOCK ONE of the UK’s best-loved festivals, Secret WITH a vibe a bit like a hippy commune, Nozstock FARR FESTIVAL Garden Party waves farewell in 2017, so expect it combines rolling English countryside, charming A discerning selection of house and techno in a to go out with a bang! Oooh, there seems to be hand-crafted production, and reggae, hip-hop, hidden forest in Hertfordshire — how could we something in our eye... drum & bass, ska, psy-trance and the like. Look possibly resist? The simple answer is, we can’t. out for DJ Mag Bunker-hosted sets at the fest this WHEN? 20th - 23rd July year! WHEN? 13th - 15th July WHERE? Abbots Ripton, Cambridgeshire WHERE? Bygrave Woods, Hertfordshire PRICE? £190 WHEN? 21st - 23rd July PRICE? £40 - £99 HIGHLIGHTS: Eats Everything, Jackmaster, Craig WHERE? Rowden Paddocks, Herefordshire HIGHLIGHTS: Todd Terje, Helena Hauff, Booka Richards, Honey Soundsystem, House Husband PRICE? £115 - £125 Shade, NAO, Omar-S, Red Axes (live), Honey secretgardenparty.com HIGHLIGHTS: Happy Mondays, Uncle Dugs, Ivy Dijon, Mr. G (live), Submotion Orchestra Lab, Ocean Wisdom, Billy Bunter, Levelz farrfestival.co.uk LIVERPOOL DISCO FESTIVAL nozstock.com 30 YEARS OF SOUTHPORT WEEKENDER BEAT-HERDER After a fantastic debut last year, a cluster of REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL TUCKED away in the Lancastrian countryside, warehouses just outside Liverpool city centre WE could all probably do with a few more reasons Beat-Herder boasts weird and wonderful in equal once again plays home to a plethora of globally to be cheerful right now, but thankfully those supply. A regular haunt for festival dons, Dub renowned disco and house acts — this year folks down in Jersey have us covered — top stuff, Pistols (they’re back again this year), is proof additionally celebrating Southport Weekender’s as per! enough of the quality on offer. 30th birthday! WHEN? 29th July WHEN? 14th - 16th July WHEN? 21st - 23rd July WHERE? Coronation Park, St. Helier, Jersey WHERE? Ribble Valley, Lancashire WHERE? The Baltic Triangle venues, Liverpool PRICE? £49 - £59 HIGHLIGHTS: Jenna & The Gs, Denis Sulta, Mungo’s Hi-Fi, Mollie Collins, Solardo eventbrite.co.uk 51ST STATE HAVING sold out every year since debuting in 2015, and looking likely to again this year, it’s safe to say 51st State has nailed the London festival game. Although it’s unsurprising really, considering how many undisputed legends of house and disco are playing.

WHEN? 5th August WHERE? Trent Park, London PRICE? £40 - £75 HIGHLIGHTS: Masters At Work, Dimitri From Paris, Mad Professor, DJ Sneak, Kenny Dope 51ststatefestival.com

djmag.com 039 FESTIVAL GUIDE 2017 EASTERN ELECTRICS RELOCATING to London for 2017, EE boasts stages from Knee Deep In Sound, Skreamism, Defected, Rinse and more, but we’re secretly most excited to see Seth Troxler’s latest promo vid...

WHEN? 5th August WHERE? Secret location, London PRICE? £35 HIGHLIGHTS: Line-up TBA easternelectrics.co.uk VISIONS OFFERING a bill of super-cool, highly individual acts you’d seriously struggle to find elsewhere, Visions brings together music, art, food and even a dog show, building a creative hub in the capital’s buzzing London Fields area.

WHEN? 5th August Lost Village WHERE? Multiple venues, London Fields, London PRICE? £40 - £75 HIGHLIGHTS: Sophie, Jenny Hval, Blanck Mass, BOOMTOWN HIGHLIGHTS: The Black Madonna, Mathew Liars, Zebra Katz WE struggle to think of any festival that goes Jonson (live), Levelz, Ross From Friends (live), visionsfestival.com quite as far as Boomtown to create a completely Scuba, Helena Hauff, Harvey Sutherland & immersive experience — come on, they literally Bermuda, Move D, Red Axes (live) build a friggin’ town! Oh, and all that reggae, gottwood.co.uk FESTIVAL ESSENTIALS drum & bass, house and techno isn’t too bad either... HOUGHTON WHEN? 10th - 13th August A music and art festival, set deep in the heart of WHERE? Matterley Estate, Winchester the stunning Norfolk countryside, and curated PRICE? £195 by Fabric resident and Musical Director Craig HIGHLIGHTS: Dub Phizix & Strategy, Loefah, Richards? Yes, yes, yes... take our money! Ben UFO & Mr Scruff & Joy Orbison, Booka Shade, AJ Tracey, Ziggy Marley, Dusky WHEN? 11th - 13th August boomtownfair.co.uk WHERE? Houghton Hall, Norfolk PRICE? £140 - £150 HIGHLIGHTS: Ricardo Villalobos, Craig Richards, GOTTWOOD Nicolas Jaar (DJ set), Sonja Moonear, Andrew WELSH woodland and a dedication to building Weatherall, Radioactive Man (live), Calibre a fun, friendly, family-like vibe keeps Gottwood houghtonfestival.co.uk rammed year after year, and earned the event Best Boutique Festival at last year’s DJ Mag Best Of British Awards. BOARDMASTERS THERE’S few places in the UK more beautiful WHEN? 11th - 13th August than the Cornish coast, and coupling that with WHERE? Houghton Hall, Norfolk a wide range of big name DJs and MCs, and a DJ SNEAK PRICE? £140 - £150 chance to ride the country’s best breakers, makes 51ST STATE Boardmasters practically impossible to resist.

Elrow #1 “Skins, because without skins there is no WHEN? 12th August smoking the #2 Item.” WHERE? Watergate Bay/Fistral Beach, Cornwall PRICE? £59 - £184 #2 “Ganja, because ganja is important for the HIGHLIGHTS: Stormzy, DJ Shadow, Armand Van party to have feel-good vibes.” Helden, Andy C, Patrick Topping, Hannah Wants, Netsky, Solardo, Theo Kottis, Kurupt FM #3 “Sunblock, ‘cause sometimes the sun is out boardmasters.co.uk and most people turn to red lobsters and I feel like I need sparkly butter!” SUNFALL RETURNING for a second year, Sunfall once again splits an unbelievable line-up over a daytime fest in Brockwell Park and night-time parties at a host of London’s best venues. Decisions, decisions...

WHEN? 12th August WHERE? Brockwell Park/multiple venues, London PRICE? £50 - £65 HIGHLIGHTS: Helena Hauff, Ben UFO, Peggy Gou, Romare, Move D, Floating Points, Yussef Kamaal, Konstantin, The Black Madonna, Madlib sunfall.co.uk

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WHEN? 7th - 10th September WHERE? Lulworth Estate, Dorset PRICE? £170+ HIGHLIGHTS: The xx, A Tribe Called Quest, Justice, Dizzee Rascal, Little Dragon, Wiley, DJ Shadow, Andy C, Dusky, Solardo bestival.net HOSPITALITY IN THE PARK AFTER a cracking first year, Hospitality returns to Finsbury Park bigger and better, this year teaming up with Fabriclive, Let It Roll, Deep Medi and more.

WHEN? 23rd September Visions WHERE? Finsbury Park, London PRICE? £33 - £43 HIGHLIGHTS: London Elektricity Big Band, Northamptonshire Mala, Mist:I:Cal (Marcus Intalex b2b ST. Files b2b ELROW TOWN LONDON PRICE? £179 Calibre), My Nu Leng, Benton, Guv, Khan & Neek, BARCELONA’S beloved party brand Elrow hits the HIGHLIGHTS: Clap! Clap!, DJ Storm, DJ Barely S.P.Y, Swindle UK capital for an open-air one-dayer. Expect top Legal, Soccer96, Oumou Sangare, Zed Bias, hospitalityinthepark.london quality house and techno, more confetti than a Vaudou Game, Speech Debelle, Kimyan Law, Vegas chapel and all the colours. Seriously, all of Foreign Beggars them. shamabalafestival.org MINT FESTIVAL WITH Mint Club, Mint Warehouse and Mint WHEN? 19th August Festival, there’s no doubt they like to keep things WHERE? Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London SOUTH WEST FOUR fresh up in Leeds (sorry, couldn’t resist!), and PRICE? £TBA A staple of the London festival calendar, SW4 consistently solid line-ups suggest 2017 will be HIGHLIGHTS: Line-up TBA pulls in the biggest names in mainstream dance no different. elrowtownlondon.com like no other UK event, and packs a healthy helping of underground talent too. WHEN? 23rd September WHERE? The Tetley, Leeds CREAMFIELDS WHEN? 26th - 27th August PRICE? £TBA CELEBRATING 20 years in 2017, Creamfields is WHERE? Clapham Common, London HIGHLIGHTS: Line-up TBA nothing short of legendary in the UK festival PRICE? £55 - £105 mintfestival.co.uk scene. This year’s line-up is as epic as ever (five HIGHLIGHTS: Maya Jane Coles vs Heidi, pages long, in fact), offering EDM superstars and Pendulum, Deadmau5, Eric Prydz, Solomun, High big name DJs from across the dance spectrum. Contrast, Dusky (live), Fabio & Grooverider b2b THE SOCIAL FESTIVAL DJ Marky NO details for this one yet, but having scooped WHEN? 24th - 27th August southwestfour.com Best Festival at our 2016 Best Of British Awards, WHERE? Daresbury, Cheshire it’s safe to say Nic Fanciulli’s The Social Festival PRICE? £85 - £220 guarantees a good time. HIGHLIGHTS: Deadmau5 & Eric Prydz (exclusive BESTIVAL live show), Dusky, Armin van Buuren, Laidback IT’S all change for one of the nation’s best-loved WHEN? 29th - 30th September Luke, Andy C, Axwell & Ingrosso, Martin Garrix, fests this year, as the Isle Of Wight’s Bestival WHERE? Kent County Showground, Maidstone Diplo goes back to its roots design-wise and relocates PRICE? £45 - £90 creamfields.com to a castle in Dorset. Plus, Rob Da Bank’s taste in HIGHLIGHTS: Line-up TBA acts is still as impeccable as ever. thesocialfestival.com LOST VILLAGE A host of underground dance music’s best and Hospitality In The Park brightest, well-being workshops and top-notch comedy acts, all set in a secluded woodland location decked out in weird and wonderful production? Don’t mind if we do!

WHEN? 24th - 27th August WHERE? Private woodland, Lincolnshire PRICE? £160 HIGHLIGHTS: Moderat, Nina Kraviz, De La Soul, The Black Madonna, Ben UFO, Midland, Fatima Yamaha, Leon Vynehall, Call Super, Avalon Emerson lostvillagefestival.com SHAMBALA PACKING a titillating array of funk, jazz, Afrobeat, reggae, drum & bass and other dance, hippy fest Shambala is all about positive vibes, well-being and dancing ‘til you drop. Spread the love, people!

WHEN? 24th - 27th August WHERE? Secret country estate,

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VERY CONTINENTAL Although the UK is now officially on its way out of the EU, we’ll still be making Melt! the most of our free movement to enjoy Europe’s delectable selection of fests… progress and the innovators behind it. Across its UVA FESTIVAL day and night schedules you’ll find showcases NEW kid on the Spanish festival block founded by from some of the very best across every genre. NUITS SONORES renowned crew Moody Collective, Uva claims to THE entire city of Lyon transforms into an electric be the country’s first boutique festival… With an WHERE: Barcelona, Spain buzz of creative arts during Nuits Sonores. The intimate 500-cap, a connoisseur line-up, all local WHEN: 15th - 17th June day programme is alive with prize selectors food and a rural, historic cliffside location that PRICE: €54 - €310 chosen by guest curators The Black Madonna, makes your eyes fizz, they could be right. HIGHLIGHTS: Carl Craig presents Versus Nina Kraviz and Jon Hopkins, while the night Synthesizer Ensemble, Daphni & Hunee, De La flexes from grime titans to jazz legends. WHERE: Ronda, Spain Soul, Eric Prydz, Justice, Nicolas Jaar WHEN: 2nd - 4th June sonar.es WHERE: Multiple venues, Lyon, France PRICE: €100 - €140 WHEN: 23rd - 28th May HIGHLIGHTS: Antal, San Proper, Trus’Me, PRICE: €26 - €140 Andrea, Nu Guinea, Moody Collective SECRET SOLSTICE HIGHLIGHTS: Air, Stormzy, Jon Hopkins, Helena eventbrite.com ICELAND’S Secret Solstice is genuinely one of a Hauff, Floating Points, Bambounou kind. Hosted during its famous midnight sun and nuits-sonores.com home to an array of unique party spaces such as WE LOVE GREEN a 5,000-year-old lava tunnel, there’s no other WITH a focus firmly fixed on a finer future, We festival like it. The line-up backs up the hype, PRIMAVERA SOUND Love Green has become a Parisian institution for with a strong selection of big names that aren’t PRIMAVERA is renowned for breaking new artists forward-thinking citizens who share an interest on every other bill this summer. in Spain with acts such as LCD Soundsystem in sustainable technology and decent music. Over and The xx getting their Spanish break at the two days camping in the heart of Paris, expect a WHERE: Reykjavik, Iceland week-long, coast-side event. As such, the line-up volcano of enlightenment for the mind, ears and, WHEN: 16th - 18th June focuses more on bands and alternative/indie, as it’s France, stomach. PRICE: £165 but there’s a whole stack of innovative electronic HIGHLIGHTS: The Prodigy, Chaka Khan, Roots masters to warrant a holiday in Barcelona too. WHERE: Bois De Vincennes, Paris, France Manuva, Kerri Chandler, Wolf + Lamb Call it a pre-Sónar recce mission. WHEN: 10th - 11th June secretsolstice.is PRICE: £100 WHERE: Parc del Forum, Barcelona, Spain HIGHLIGHTS: A Tribe Called Quest, Nicolas WHEN: 31st May – 4th June Jaar, Moderat, Action Bronson, Motor City Drum PARADISE CITY FESTIVAL PRICE: €175 Ensemble, Richie Hawtin, Flying Lotus, DJ Koze A private island with a castle, a 100 percent HIGHLIGHTS: Aphex Twin, Henrik Schwarz, Joy welovegreen.fr solar powered campsite and recycled landscape, Orbison, Tycho, Romare, Dixon, Flying Lotus gourmet restaurants, free cardboard tents and an primaverasound.com optional butler service. Oh, and some really tasty SÓNAR techno across three stages. This festival really DEDICATED to music, technology and creativity lives up to its name. Take us down… WORLD CLUB DOME since 1994, Sonar has always been focused on WELCOME to the ‘largest club in the world’. For three days in June, Frankfurt’s Commerzbank Way Out West Arena stadium is transformed into an epic 15 stage, 200 DJ playground with roof cover if it rains. Now boasting a new Forest Stage area, all house, techno and EDM tastes are catered for.

WHERE: Commerzbank Arena, Frankfurt, Germany WHEN: 2nd - 4th June PRICE: €69 - €199 HIGHLIGHTS: Deadmau5, Martin Garrix, Jauz, Solomon, Sven Väth, Steve Aoki, Marshmello worldclubdome.com

042 djmag.com FESTIVAL GUIDE 2017 WHERE: Castle Ribaucourt, Perk, Belgium WHEN: 23rd - 25th June PRICE: €48 - €85 HIGHLIGHTS: Robag Wruhme, Âme, Sebastian Mullaert, Acid Pauli, Audion, Jeremy Underground, Ulf Eriksson paradisecity.be AWAKENINGS A two-day techno feast just west of Amsterdam; Awakenings celebrates 20 years of, well, awakening Dutch dance fans in style this year, as some of the most important names in techno have been recruited to mark the occasion — 110 important names, to be precise. Paradise City WHERE: Spaarnwoude Houtrak, The Netherlands WHEN: 24th - 25th June PRICE: €45 - €95 BALATON SOUNDS PRICE: €140+ HIGHLIGHTS: Ricardo Villalobos, Maceo Plex, FROM the makers of such blockbusters as Sziget, HIGHLIGHTS: Bonobo (live), Bicep, Sampha, Chris Liebing, Joseph Capriati, Dave Clarke, Tale we head deep into Hungary to Lake Balaton for Egyptian Lover, Ellen Allien, Daniel Avery Of Us, Loco Dice, Floorplan a five-day electronic knees-up. Nothing but the meltfestival.de awakeningsfestival.nl biggest names are playing at this beautiful beach location. This year, boat parties feature hosts like Sasha, Art Department and Max Cooper. GEM FESTIVAL AT a whole month long, you could be forgiven FESTIVAL ESSENTIALS WHERE: Lake Balaton, Hungary for expecting Gem Festival to really break the WHEN: 5th - 9th July bank. Thankfully you’d be wrong. At just €152 PRICE: €210 for a ticket, €20 per day for accommodation and HIGHLIGHTS: Dave Clarke, Sasha, Max Cooper, around €2 for a beer, it’s a winner in our book. Noisia, Section Boyz, Zeds Dead, Erick Morillo And that’s before we even get to the line-up... sziget.hu/balatonsound WHERE: Anaklia, Georgia WHEN: 14th July - 14th August EXIT FESTIVAL PRICE: €152 A ‘must-do’ for any self-discerning festival HIGHLIGHTS: Honey Dijon, The Drifter, Axwell & connoisseur; everything about Exit is unique, Ingrosso, Dubfire, Martin Garrix, Martin Buttrich from its political roots to its fortress location, gem-fest.com to its sheer 16-stage scale. With a rich musical range, and a rave that doesn’t wind down until sun-up, Exit always delivers. TOMORROWLAND A festival of insane proportions, Tomorrowland WHERE: Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia is so big it’s now two weekends, boasts 69 arena WHEN: 6th - 9th July hosts, over 1,000 artists, and DJs who would PRICE: £27 - £109 usually only play late at night open the event — HIGHLIGHTS: Faithless (DJ set), Paul Carl Cox midday set anyone? Alas, it’s so big it Kalkbrenner, Duke Dumont, Foreign Beggars, sold out within 64 minutes. Black Coffee, Hardwell, Solomun b2b Dixon exitfest.org WHERE: De Schorre, Boom, Belgium WHEN: 21st - 23rd / 28th - 30th July PRICE: SOLD OUT KAPPA FUTURFESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS: Netsky, Martin Garrix, Ben Klock, DELTA HEAVY ITS legend galvanised by the instantly Booka Shade, Kerri Chandler, Maya Jane Coles LET IT ROLL recognisable ‘shed’ shots, and praise from the tomorrowland.com legends who’ve played there, Kappa FuturFestival has exploded in just six years. No bells, whistles #1 “Phone juicer — Lost my friends for the or gimmicks here; just two days of the finest Gem Festival entire night when my phone ran out of batteries house and techno. Enough said. at Bestival a few years ago. Absolute vibe killer! I still had a blast but a festival isn’t quite the WHERE: Parco Dora, Turin, Italy same without your mates!” WHEN: 8th - 9th July PRICE: €45 - €60 #2 “Sleep mask and earplugs — Being a night HIGHLIGHTS: Masters At Work, Fatboy Slim, Nina owl, it’s always a touch annoying when you Kraviz, Carl Cox, Marcel Dettmann, Jackmaster stroll back to your tent at 7am only to be woken kappafuturfestival.it at 10am by an early starting stage powering up. Keep the hideousness of the morning away and you can also then save your hearing when MELT! FESTIVAL you’ve got your head in a speaker later that MELT! is a German festival institution. Set in night!” the old coal mine site of Ferropolis, you can rave under the romantic, post-industrial shadow #3 “As little as possible — Taking as little as of towering diggers and cranes to a forward- possible means there is less to lose, damage, thinking music policy that’s extra fat this year as less hassle, less responsibility and less to be the event celebrates its 20th anniversary. ‘borrowed’ by everyone else. Less is more. Except for wet wipes. Those are essential.” WHERE: Ferropolis, Germany WHEN: 14th - 16th July

djmag.com 043 FESTIVAL GUIDE 2017 PRICE: €95 HIGHLIGHTS: Isolée (live), Mano Le Tough, DJ Tennis, John Talabot, Optimo, Honey Dijon farragofestival.com MYSTERYLAND ESTABLISHED in 1993, Mysteryland is officially the world’s longest running dance festival, so they know their way around a line-up or two. This year is no exception, as over 340 acts play on stages hosted by the likes of Dave Clarke, Cocoon, Ram Records, Hospitality, Mad Decent and the perennial vibe merchants Elrow. It’s no mystery why this festival has remained a fave for so long. Kappa FuturFestival WHERE: Haarlemermeer, The Netherlands WHEN: 26th - 27th August DEKMANTEL since 2006 and consistently maintained a size PRICE: €149 NOW flexing an extra day to celebrate ten and left-of-centre remit that relishes in the indie HIGHLIGHTS: Deadmau5, Oliver Heldens, Above years, Amsterdam’s premier culture hurricane fringes. Home to a series of talks and workshops, & Beyond, Miss Kittin, Eats Everything, Dave Dekmantel continues to be one of the most plus some premium techno, hip-hop, rock and Clarke, Andy C, Camo & Krooked innovative and extensive arts festivals in Europe, electronica, OFF is most definitely ON. mysteryland.nl with lectures, workshops and raves. Day tickets are already sold out. WHERE: Katowice, Poland WHEN: 4th - 6th August THE ARK WHERE: Amsterdam Bos/Multiple venues, PRICE: £60+ ALL aboard! The Ark is a unique four-day sonic Amsterdam, The Netherlands HIGHLIGHTS: Talib Kweli, Jessy Lanza, The Black voyage across the seven seas (well, the Med) on WHEN: 2nd - 6th August Madonna, Swans, PJ Harvey, Circuit Des Yeux, a massive cruise liner that’s also home to a two PRICE: SOLD OUT / Single concerts from €12.50 Carla Bozulich, Daniel Johnston Michelin Star restaurant, a rock climbing wall, HIGHLIGHTS: Steve Reich, Jeff Mills & Tony off-festival.pl cinemas and even its own shopping mall. Not that Allen, Arca, Ben UFO, Nathan Fake, Joy Orbison, you’ll have any time for that type of caper; the Omar S, Sun Ra, Karenn (live), Helena Hauff line-up is stacked! dekmantelfestival.com WAY OUT WEST GOTHENBURG’S gift. Way Out West is more than WHERE: Barcelona, Spain – Marseilles, France just a three-day appreciation of great music in a – Ibiza LET IT ROLL park in the centre of Sweden’s hipster capital; as WHEN: August 31 – September 3 THE longest-running all-drum & bass festival, the festival winds down at night, the clubs wind PRICE: €549+ Czech Republic’s Let It Roll gets bigger and more up for Stay Out West, a series of parties hosted by HIGHLIGHTS: 2ManyDJs, Boys Noize, Cassius, audacious with its production every year. With Diplo, Shake070 and many more. Roger Sanchez, Stephan Bodzin, Masters At Work, a spaceship mainstage, an eye-melting opening Henrik Schwarz, KiNK, Chris Liebing ceremony and a line-up that represents all WHERE: Slottsskogen Park, Gothenburg, Sweden theark.cruises colours of the jungle rainbow, this year’s label WHEN: 10th - 12th August arena hosts include Hospital, Ram, Shogun, PRICE: £140 Eatbrain, Symmetry, Dispatch and Critical. HIGHLIGHTS: Frank Ocean, Danny Brown, Major SUNANDBASS Lazer, The xx, Chance The Rapper, Fatima Yamaha AN essential date on the calendar for the d&b WHERE: Milovice Airfield, Prague, Czech Republic wayoutwest.se community, SUNANDBASS has been a scene WHEN: 3rd - 5th August tradition since 2003. Over eight days, the town PRICE: £76 of San Teodoro plays host to some of the vibiest HIGHLIGHTS: Andy C, Camo & Krooked, Netsky, FARRAGO FESTIVAL drum & bass parties all year. Serious dubs are Delta Heavy, Hype b2b Hazard, Icicle, Dimension, A brand new two-day party in the idyllic grounds taken, big tunes get broken, progress is made. Current Value of a 13th century Bavarian castle, limited to 700 letitroll.eu people with full focus on discerning house, disco WHERE: San Teodoro, Sardinia, Italy and techno and fine food and artistic direction WHEN: 2nd - 9th September from DJ Tennis. This almost sounds too good to PRICE: £TBA NEOPOP be true. Get on board; if Farrago smashes it this HIGHLIGHTS: Line-up TBA AKA: The Art Of Techno Exhibition. Neopop is a year, it will only get bigger. sunandbass.net celebration of electronica in all its nascent and innovative forms as it welcomes generations of WHERE: Schweppermannsburg, Bavaria, top-notch acts to perform across two stages in its Germany grand fort-side location in North Portugal. From WHEN: 18th - 19th August DJ Bone to Dixon by way of Kraftwerk 3D, Neopop continues to represent the true craft.

WHERE: Forte de Santiago da Barra, Viana do Castelo, Portugal WHEN: 3rd - 5th August PRICE: €90+ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris Liebing, DJ Stringray, Dax J, Helena Hauff, Jane Fitz, Dr Rubinstein, Moderat (live), Maceo Plex, Paula Temple, Planetary Assault Systems (live) neopopfestival.com OFF FESTIVAL GET OFF on this beauty… A cosy lakeside retreat Dekmantel due west of Krakow, OFF has been in operation

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LIFE’S A BEACH If Ibiza is Europe’s clubbing capital, Croatia has undoubtedly become the epicentre of continental festival culture. Offering sun, sea, sand and umpteen boat Soundwave parties, it’s easy to see why thousands of spanning hip-hop to R&B. Those disinterested in punters return to the Adriatic coast year ELECTRIC ELEPHANT booty bass and vocal bombs should probably look after year. Here are the Croatian fests ONE of the first internationals to open for elsewhere. Otherwise, crack on! business in the Balkans is again forging a new you can’t afford to miss... path this year. Relocating to Obanjan Island — a dot of land in azure waters dedicated to hedonistic summertime pursuits, from yoga HIDEOUT to raving — expect EE’s trademark house and TOUGH beats, laid-back surrounds. Hideout Balearic, but new surprises abound. means serious main room action from some of the biggest names in house, techno and peak-time WHERE: Obanjan Island, Sibenik bass. Focused on five iconic venues at Zrce Beach WHEN: 6th July - 9th July — Papaya, Aquarius, Kalypso, Euphoria and Noa PRICE: £340 (includes accommodation) — partners include Elrow, Do Not Sleep, Diplo & HIGHLIGHTS: Joe Goddard (live), Daniel Avery, Friends, and Heidi’s Jackathon. Vibesy. Greg Wilson, Norman Jay (MBE), Horse Meat Disco, Fort Romeau, Sean Johnston, Low Life, WHERE: Zrce Beach, Island of Pag Justin Robertson Fresh Island WHEN: 26th - 30th June electricelephant.co.uk PRICE: £139+ HIGHLIGHTS: Major Lazer Soundsystem, WHERE: Zrce Beach, Island of Pag Stormzy, DJ Koze, Anja Schneider, Bicep, Alan LABYRINTH OPEN WHEN: 11th - 13th July Fitzpatrick, Hype & Hazard, Mella Dee FAR from ‘just another’ multi-day sesh lapped PRICE: £129+ hideoutfestival.com by beautiful blue waves, Labyrinth Open is fresh HIGHLIGHTS: Lady Leshurr, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Giggs, for 2017 (suckas), and comes from the crew Sean Paul, French Montana, Rae Sremmurd, Krept responsible for running Antwerp’s infamous & Konan, Mike Skinner & Murkage presents Tonga LOVE INTERNATIONAL venue, Labyrinth. Taking over a campsite near fresh-island.org FANCY a week in hedonist’s paradise? From its Split, expect solid tunes from top selectors setting — a natural amphitheatre just a short (obvs), but also seminars, speakers and stroll from the achingly picturesque town of workshops. AREA 4 Tisno — to expert musical curation, head- NOT just a clever name, Area 4 seizes four clubs, turning bookings, and an altogether mature WHERE: Omiš, Dalmatia using each of Zcre Beach’s finest for one of but debauched vibe, Love International only WHEN: 8th - 11th July its four continuous days. The line-up is both launched last year but is already contending to PRICE: €129 refreshingly varied and resplendent in local be the one. HIGHLIGHTS: Gregor Tresher, Guti (live), Guy J, talent — which basically means trap to hip-hop, Monoloc, Pan-Pot, Ø [Phase] live, Radio Slave, electro to EDM, delivered by some truly astute WHERE: The Garden, Tisno Stephan Bodzin faces. WHEN: 28th June - 5th July labyrinthopen.com PRICE: £125+ WHERE: Zrce Beach, Island of Pag HIGHLIGHTS: The Black Madonna, Craig WHEN: 17th - 20th July Richards, Tony Humphries, Call Super, Beautiful FRESH ISLAND PRICE: £150+ Swimmers, Dan Beaumont, Bill Brewster, Hodge, PROOF that Croatian lunacy comes in many HIGHLIGHTS: Borgore, Yellow Claw, Stoltenhoff, Mood II Swing, Paranoid London different forms, Fresh Island forgets typical The Jillionaire, Alison Wonderland loveinternationalfestival.com four-fours, hoovers and whistles, instead opting zrce.com/events/area-4-festival-2017 to focus almost exclusively on urban sounds,

046 djmag.com FESTIVAL GUIDE 2017 SUNCÉBEAT SOUTHPORT Weekender, on holiday. The timeless UK bash spawned this sun-kissed lovechild back in 2010, and what a summer fling it’s been. Immediately garnering respect amongst fans of soulful, chunky beats thanks to pioneering bookings, this edition will be no different; disco, house, R&B, techno, and all between.

WHERE: The Garden, Tisno WHEN: 19th - 26th July PRICE: £119+ HIGHLIGHTS: Louie Vega, David Morales, DJ Spen, Doc Martin, Danny Krivit, Peggy Gou, Rahaan, Antal, Shimza, Sam Divine suncebeat.com

SOUNDWAVE Black Sheep ONE of the oldest in Croatia’s ever-growing warm FESTIVAL TALES weather scene, for many Soundwave defines the party trip ethos. More than a festival — not WHERE: The Garden, Tisno least 13 boat sessions scheduled for the ninth WHEN: 10th - 15th August edition this year, amazing local bars, picturesque PRICE: £150+ scenery and community spirit — this might be the HIGHLIGHTS: Basement Jaxx (DJ set), Kenny Adriatic’s most varied ticket. Dope, Eats Everything, Derrick Carter, Sam Divine, Soul Clap, Nick Curly, Honey Dijon, Luke WHERE: The Garden, Tisno Solomon WHEN: 27th - 31st July defected.com/croatia PRICE: £129+ HIGHLIGHTS: IAMDDB, Gilles Peterson, Laura Mvula, Roy Ayers, Mall Grab, Chaos In The CBD, BARRAKUD Alexander Nut, The Pharcyde, Roni Size, Egyptian AFTER a fifth instalment in 2016, best described Lover as ‘proper stomping’, Croatian institution soundwavecroatia.com Barrakud is back for round six. Keeping the format — a five-day club crawl — whether you sleep or not is irrelevant, given that intensity BLACK SHEEP and atmosphere scarcely let up from the off. ONE for the EDM set, when Black Sheep opened Convincing, then you notice the price. SAM DIVINE last year it blew expectations out of the water. Or DEFECTED CROATIA into the water, depending on how hot and sweaty WHERE: Zrce Beach, Island of Pag, Croatia they were. The throwdown again descends on WHEN: 14th August - 18th August “At Defected Croatia last year I played four sets Croatia’s holy quartet — Aquarius, Kalypso, Noa, PRICE: €13 per day, €27.50 full event in four days, it was so sick. I played the beach, and Papaya — meaning big production, and big HIGHLIGHTS: Ellen Allien, Paul Kalkbrenner, on the mainstage back-to-back with Franky choons. Ben Klock, Carl Craig, Maceo Plex, Nina Kraviz, Rizardo, which was CRAZY, and we did a D-Vine Solomun, The Martinez Brothers, Adam Beyer, Sounds boat party. It was a small boat but WHERE: Zrce Beach, Island of Pag Mano Le Tough totally packed out, maybe a couple of hundred WHEN: 31st July - 3rd August 2016.barrakud.com people all crammed in, with the sun going down. PRICE: 525HRK Halfway through my set the crowd did a sit-down HIGHLIGHTS: DVBBS, Fedde Le Grand, KSHMR, — I think the track was Djaimin ‘Give You’. When Nervo, Nicky Romero, Dannic, Tigerlily SONUS it dropped everyone was jumping up and down, blacksheepfestival.com BASS buttons on, heads down; Time Dance such good vibes. The boat was literally rocking!” continues its Croatian legacy with the fifth instalment of Sonus, bringing heavyweight DEFECTED CROATIA techno to idyllic Pag Island. Four days and nights PRICE: €179 THE UK’s most prolific and prominent proper of relentless, uninterrupted seriousness contrast HIGHLIGHTS: Enzo Siragusa, Jackmaster, house crew are in the... Garden. Prepare for boat the blue skies and gorgeous rays, making for Margaret Dygas, Matador (live), Rhadoo, Ricardo parties skippered (well, soundtracked at least) possibly the best idea Team Mannheim will ever Villalobos, Vril (live) by decade-spanning dons, and a week’s worth of have. sonus-festival.com sunrises at the legendary Barbarella’s open air nightclub, hosted by some of the freshest players WHERE: Zrce Beach, Island of Pag in the scene. WHEN: 20th - 24th August OUTLOOK THE biggest soundsystem culture festival in Hideout Europe should be proud of all it’s achieved. Episode ten looks to be a fittingly loud anniversary, turning everything up to 11 at the epic fortress site, whilst the opening concert — Dizzee Rascal, DJ Shadow and The Outlook Orchestra — is a real one-off.

WHERE: Fort Punta Christo, Pula WHEN: 7th - 10th September PRICE: £130+ HIGHLIGHTS: Chimpo, Madam X, Kenny Ken, Dub Phizix & Strategy, Pharoahe Monch, D Double E & Footsie, Paleman, Goldie, Plastician, Randall outlookfestival.com

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BEST OF THE REST No matter where you are, there’s always EDC Las Vegas a place to party! Here’s our picks from across Asia, Africa, South America and the helicopters will be involved, although not for HIGHLIGHTS: Paul Woolford, Roman Flügel, grand ol’ US of A... us mere mortals, we’re talking about those big Justin Martin, B.Traits, Quantic, Eli Escobar, chief daddio DJs that’ll need to get from Seoul to Loefah, Kasra, Project Pablo Singapore, and vice versa. basscoast.ca SANDBOX FESTIVAL IF you’re looking for a mindful experience with WHERE: Olympic Stadium, Seoul / Ultra Park, like-minded creatives and music lovers, while you Singapore BURNING MAN relax on the beach or get involved in some kiting, WHEN: 10th - 11th June WHERE to start? For many this is more than a diving, snorkelling etc, then this is perfection. An PRICE: 165,000 KRW / $163 festival, it’s pretty much a way of life. It will organic vibe is the aim, with big names, live acts HIGHLIGHTS: Tiësto, Sasha & John Digweed, take you over, above and beyond your wildest and local talent given longer set times. Dubfire, Nicky Romero, Nic Fanciulli, Tchami, dreams, a celebration of life experiences. Aiming KSHMR, Steve Angello, Alesso to ‘guide, nurture and protect’, this annual event WHERE: Red Sea Riviera, El Gouna, Egypt umfkorea.com / ultrasingapore.com will probably change your whole outlook. WHEN: 4th - 6th May PRICE: 2,400 EGP WHERE: Black Rock Desert, NV, USA HIGHLIGHTS: Heidi, Butch, Âme, Mike Servito, ELECTRIC DAISY CARNIVAL WHEN: 27th August - 4th September Oliver Schories, The Mole, Kicksy, Zeina, Hisham WOW. This is their 21st birthday! So if you PRICE: SOLD OUT Zahran thought it was going to be spectacular in the first HIGHLIGHTS: Line-up TBA sandboxfestival.com place, you can add bells to your expectations. burningman.org Non-stop music over eight stages, interactive art installations, huge carnival rides, mobile art cars MOVEMENT DETROIT and 400,000 like-minded peeps to party with in Bass Coast NUZZLED in the heart of Detroit, for many this beyond-typical Vegas style. is the festival that kick-starts the season. A long weekend that attracts a respectful and diverse WHERE: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NV, USA crowd, ready and hell-bent on soaking up the WHEN: 16th - 18th June techno and housey vibes sure to be lavished on PRICE: $355 them by some of the true heroes of the scene. HIGHLIGHTS: Line-up TBA lasvegas.electricdaisycarnival.com WHERE: Hart Plaza, Detroit, MI, USA WHEN: 27th - 29th May PRICE: $175 BASS COAST HIGHLIGHTS: Carl Craig, Carl Cox, Richie Hawtin, OK so it’s sold out, but if you are lucky enough The Belleville Three, Cassy, Chris Liebing, Josh to have acquired a ticket you’ll be in for a treat. Wink, Robert Hood, Larry Heard, Stacey Pullen Now onto its ninth edition, at Bass Coast you are movement.us invited to be present with nature. This won’t be a problem due to its setting in the stunningly beautiful Nicola Valley. ULTRA KOREA/SINGAPORE THE first ever two-pronged Ultra will be taking WHERE: Merritt, British Columbia, Canada place at the same time with the exact same WHEN: 7th- 10th July line-up. With this in mind we’re presuming PRICE: SOLD OUT

048 djmag.com FESTIVAL GUIDE 2017 ELECTRIC ZOO TAKING place on Labor Day weekend since 2009, EZ have got their formula crafted and honed to finely-tuned perfection. Expect laser upon laser, more than 50 DJs and enough fields, pathways and outdoor action to keep you fully satisfied. Check out their FAQ for some good sound advice.

WHERE: Randall’s Island Park, New York City, NY, USA WHEN: 1st - 3rd September PRICE: $219.99 HIGHLIGHTS: DJ Snake, Above & Beyond, Deadmau5 & Eric Prydz, Danny Tenaglia, Henrik Schwarz, Martin Solveig, Claptone, Sub Focus, Aly & Fila electriczoofestival.com ELECTRIC ISLAND A concert and picnic series of five events including a special two-dayer over the Labor Day long weekend. A Seasons Pass will allow you Oasis access to all of the shows. Expect plenty of fresh air with the surrounding trees and lush greenery and heaps of wonderful techno and deep house WHERE: Incheon Munhak Stadium, Incheon, to chow down on. IMAGINE FESTIVAL South Korea IMAGINE are proud of the fact that they’re one of WHEN: 22nd - 24th September WHERE: Hanlan’s Point, Toronto Islands, Canada the few independent festivals on the circuit. And PRICE: 160,000 KRW+ WHEN: 3rd - 4th September they have spent the past year replenishing and HIGHLIGHTS: Afrojack, Armin van Buuren, DJ PRICE: $169 upgrading. So this time around you can expect Snake, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Don Diablo, HIGHLIGHTS: Line-up TBA expanded water stations, camping upgrades, nice Marshmello, Robin Schulz, Sven Väth, Steve Aoki electricisland.to shady spots, art, workshops and the return of the worldclubdomekorea.com Imagine pool.

OASIS WHERE: 22nd - 24th September ULTRA BRAZIL SET in a luxury resort with the staggering Atlas WHEN: Atlanta Motor Speedway, GA, USA IT certainly looks like Ultra have got all bases Mountains gazing down on you, Oasis has two PRICE: $125 covered when it comes to worldwide status. stages — one with a pool, and an amphitheatre HIGHLIGHTS: Above & Beyond, Tiësto, And where better to be than Brazil? This will be surrounded by cacti. Daytime vibes are super- Deadmau5, Pretty Lights, Gorgon City, Flux their second year in the hub of South America, chilled with yoga, mint tea (or something Pavilion, Seven Lions, Datsik, Shiba San, quite simply because last year’s three-dayer was stronger) and Moroccan cuisine on the menu. Claptone just awesome. Believe it. It’s being held in the But when night falls, it’s party time all the way imaginefestival.com Sambódromo, after all! through to 6am. WHERE: Sambódromo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil WHERE: The Source Music Resort, Marrakech, WORLD CLUB DOME KOREA WHEN: 12th - 14th October Morocco IT’S not all about the super-tastic line-up and PRICE: R$ 858 WHEN: 15th - 17th September massive productions that will be on display at this HIGHLIGHTS: Armin van Buuren, Sasha & John PRICE: €199 hugely expansive BigCityBeats event — although Digweed, Aly & Fila HIGHLIGHTS: Solomun, Nicolas Jaar, Richie they live up to their name. It’s also the eye- ultrabrasil.com Hawtin, Anja Schneider, Daniel Avery, Unes, watering views along the majestic skyline of the Marcellus Pittman, Kornél Kovács surrounding green hills and ocean that will surely theoasisfest.com entice you in.

Electric Island

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THETHE WORLD’SWORLD’S NUMBERNUMBER ONEONE FESTIVAL...FESTIVAL... AGAIN!AGAIN!

As voted for by you as part of our the world squeezed into the eight city stages of P.Haze 3 (Purple Haze) project and the return of Top 100 Clubs Poll 2016, Ultra Bayfront Park in Miami, where 215 of the world’s Ferry Corston’s Gouryella. Ultra also launched most important DJs played over three days — its Ultra Passport global loyalty programme, Music Festival has won the title from EDM megastars like Tiesto, David Guetta and there was a complete revamp of its VIP area, of ‘The World’s No.1 Festival’ for and Martin Garrix to underground techno titans which introduced an oceanfront VIP village, while the second year in a row! such as Carl Cox, Dubfire and Joseph Capriati, and the Ultra Live Stream has generated over 18 even live hip-hop acts Cypress Hill and Ice Cube. million views so far. hen half-a-million of you picked your Ultra Miami, the festival’s flagship, has got game, five favourite clubs earlier this year, and we’re pretty damn sure you will not find a It’s a festival that’s constantly expanding we also asked you to choose the one, bigger line-up entirely dedicated to electronic and improving — new Ultras have just been single festival in the world you love music out there. But of course you already know announced in China, India, Australia and Ibiza Wthe most. And, once again, the result that — that’s why you voted for it! too (see pg. 88). Crime fell nearly 50% at the is resounding! Ultra Music Festival, the world- festival this year, a statistic that has declined conquering festival brand which has invaded 2017 also saw the return of everyone’s favourite impressively year on year since 2013. So not only 18 countries (and counting!) over the globe fire-breathing giant spider, Arcadia, hosted by is Ultra awesome for dance music innovation, it’s — Croatia through to Korea, Singapore to Spain the new, pioneering, Carl Cox-led RESISTANCE also rather safe. — has taken the title again, but we’d honestly say stage, while the UK’s legendary prog-house duo Congratulations on winning the award (once we’re not surprised. Sasha & Digweed made their US reunion and again!) this year, nobody can say you haven’t At the end of March, 165,000 ravers from all over trance went vintage with Sander Van Doorn’s worked your ass off to earn it! EDM KEVIN, ALIVE & RUKES EDM KEVIN, Pics:

050 djmag.com Untitled-1 1 13/04/2017 12:09 FESTIVAL GUIDE 2017

BodyBody andand soulsoul Reuniting for its 30th anniversary at Liverpool Southport Weekender found its spiritual home at Pontins — a charmingly tacky red-coat holiday village off the coast of Liverpool — where it remained Disco Festival this month and an event in Finsbury — occurring twice a year — until moving to Butlins Minehead in 2011, Park in June, Southport Weekender is making a all the while maintaining the same inclusive party philosophy; a friendly very much welcomed return! Expect the happiest dancefloor vibe across multiple rooms made up of the same diverse family crowd to ever grace a dancefloor, tears of joy and of faces — loads that were fresh, and many there since the beginning. the best disco, house and soul music imaginable... After temporarily closing its doors in 2015, Southport Weekender is reuniting to celebrate its 30th Anniversary as part of Liverpool Disco nspired by his time as a DJ at the Caister Soul Weekenders back in the Festival all-dayer on Saturday 6th May, the same weekend on which it used ‘80s, brainchild Alex Lowes helped conjure one of the most warm, to traditionally sit. Following that there’s a big reunion in Finsbury Park, open and unpretentious events in the world when he started UpNorth London, as well as the yearly return of Suncebeat, Southport’s Croatian Weekender for 700 people in Berwick-upon-Tweed back in 1987. What disco holiday in the sun from 19th to 26th July. Iwas created went on to be more than just a festival. It became a cult With Kerri Chandler headlining both the latter two events and the likes of movement for lovers of decent disco, classy soul and proper house music in Tony Humphries, Derrick Carter and David Morales — all the usual crop of the UK — famous DJs all over the world also namecheck it as their favourite high-class house and disco talent (check this month’s Festival Guide for all-time event. more details) — dedicated lovers of the “world’s friendliest festival” are After outgrowing its next location in Blackpool after just three events, about to get very, very friendly with each other once again!

honoured to be part of the Southport Weekender Playing on the boat was so special. And the SPREADING THE LOVE... event at Finsbury Park in June. This [the reunion] evening party at Barbarella’s was the closer. I THE DJS ON SOUTHPORT WEEKENDER promises to be an iconic event.” want to congratulate Southport Weekender on their 30 years of representing house music.” FRANKIE KNUCKLES (RIP) THE LATE-GREAT GODFATHER OF HOUSE LOVED PAUL ‘TROUBLE’ ANDERSON IT DEARLY THE SOULFUL HOUSE PIONEER SAYS IT’S SWEET “SPW has definitely been one of the highlights “Well, well, well, what can one say who has been of my 40-year career as a DJ. Being invited privileged and blessed to perform at many of the to play at such an exclusive event on so many Southport Weekenders, from the beginning to occasions has always given me the confidence present day. Other than I am truly grateful and that I’m doing the right thing, musically. And to thankful to all at Southport — in particular Alex, be included amongst the luminaries that make Jonathan and the punters — for this opportunity. up the history of SPW makes me feel real special. For so long it’s been a wonderful journey and Happy anniversary Southport Weekender! Keep one which I cherish and is close to my heart. on keepin’ on!” Southport holds some of my fondest memories throughout my DJing career. Long may they continue. Thanks for the memories.” GRAEME PARK THE HACIENDA DON STILL TOTALLY DIGS THE WEEKENDER GREG WILSON “I played the first ever Southport Weekender DAVID MORALES THE DISCO RE-EDIT KING AND DJ RATES IT and was a permanent fixture there twice a HOUSE MUSIC ROYALTY ALSO THINKS THE “Southport is the glue between past and present. year for over a decade. I have some amazing FESTIVAL’S A HIT It’s born out of the jazz-funk of distant memory, memories of what was always an up for it crowd “Southport Weekender was always about true but always has its eye on the next phase, who partied hard from the moment they arrived house music. I’ve always enjoyed their events understanding both heritage and the need in the North-West on the Friday, right up until because it’s always been about the music. I feel to move forward — a balance that’s given the they limped home licking their wounds after a honoured that after all these years I am still Weekender such impressive longevity. It’s a living massive weekend of dunked up soulful grooves. a part of Southport Weekender. My favourite, legend of an event.” I made friends for life there, so I’m thrilled and of course, is Southport Weekender in Croatia.

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Roni Size Kenny Dope & Bob Jones

Jocelyn Brown Jamelia

Gilles Peterson

Tony Humphries COLIN W COLIN David Morales Dreem Teem & Frankie Knuckles Pics:

in a relaxed environment — some you may have met before, others not, but no-one’s going to get MR SCRUFF annoyed when a stranger starts talking nonsense THE KEEP IT UNREAL STALWART UNDERSTANDS in your ear at the bar. As a DJ I’ve had some of my THEY KEEP IT REAL happiest moments playing the music I love to a “I have great memories of Southport Weekender. crowd who also love it at SPW.” Brilliant crowd, great mix of people and a fine mix of music. I used to really enjoy the Jazz Dance sessions and the terribly named but musically TONY HUMPHRIES sublime Connoisseurs Corner. Growing up THE NYC LEGEND LIKES IT LIKE NO OTHER listening to a lot of the music played there in the “Southport Weekender showcases the highest ‘80s, it was a real honour years later to be able to standard of soulful artists and DJs. It is one of play alongside some of the DJs who inspired me the most credible longest running soulful events as a youngster.” in the world of dance music. The prestige of the event brings a lot of pleasure and pressure both at the same time — the big stage is serious stuff and takes a week preparation for a two-hour set. The best sets are replayed for months and years.” OSUNLADE JOEY NEGRO YORUBA HOUSE MASTER MAINTAINS IT’S MAGIC THE RESPECTED UK DISCO DJ RESPECTS IT TOO “Southport Weekender has been one of the most “Southport Weekender is a unique event which important events I’ve had the pleasure of sharing can be hard to describe to someone who has in my years of music. The quality of music as well never attended. Of course, a big part of it is as the family of peers I’ve had moments with and that it is somewhere you hear great new and old those I’ve connected with have become some of music from right across the dance/soul/jazz the most important ones in my life. It’s amazing spectrum. However, there is also a definite sense that this vision has been 28 years of quality of community at Southport — it’s a place to have music... Congratulations!” a good laugh with friendly, like-minded people

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“I think Miami is still relevant, if you look at all MIAMI MUSIC the talent on all the line-ups everyone from around the world is still coming here and playing. There’s a lot of other festivals now in North America so maybe some of the attention and focus has been elsewhere, but I think people still love to come to Miami — it’s a fun MARATHON place to be.” Miami Music Week saw thousands of electronic music lovers descending on the Florida city for some intense networking and partying in the SAM sunshine. The DJ Mag crew were present in full effect — here’s what we DIVINE got up to… Words: ROB MCCALLUM, CARL LOBEN Pics: DADDY'S GOT SWEETS “How would I sell Miami Music Week to someone that’s never been? It never changes. You get to hang fter relatively painless entry mistaking the popularity of this electronic music out with all your buddies, through customs, action for the phenomenon. the parties are rammed, DJ Mag crew begins on Tuesday Former Top 100 DJs poll winners Dimitri Vegas & Like the music is hot and the evening with Doorly & Friends Mike close the night in style, literally smashing it out weather is beautiful. It’s like Ibiza on steroids!” at the 1 Hotel Rooftop, which of the park. With Chuckle jumping on the mic at one involves some nifty back-to-back point to vibe up the crowd and dozens of fans joining action with Skream, Kolsch and them onstage to party, the atmosphere is explosive Solardo. Then it was all about the DJ Mag Poolside DARIUS ASession at midday Wednesday. The all-star line-up, SYROSSIAN combined with great weather and an immensely up- for it crowd, has The Raleigh Hotel’s outside space rocking from lunchtime until midnight. “Why do I love coming back to Miami? I’ve been here about 10 times to play in Dutchman Franky Rizardo kicks off proceedings total. I stopped coming as it with some cool deep house before making way for seemed to have a bit of a dip Lauren Lane. The LA-based spinner lays down some in popularity in recent years, but lots of people are back underground house grooves that begin to get the out here, so it seems to be having a resurgence. crowd moving — those who aren’t batting DJ Mag There’s so many great artists coming again and the beach balls around the pool, that is! parties have been incredible. It’s good to see it Sam Divine, the Defected affiliate with her own D-Vine Lauren Lane & Sam Divine back on the map.” Sounds label, then steps up and switches the sound a bit more chunky. As boyfriend Hatcha, the dubstep Dannic pioneer, larks around backstage with the DJ Mag BILLY team, Solardo step up next looking relatively dressed down — for them. With James sporting a dark green KENNY shirt and Mark a grey vest-top with a red and white chequered pattern on the back, this was a less garish “What made me want to hit look for the UK duo — but they let their rolling, rump- Miami Music Week this year? shakin’ grooves do the talking, which included a Are you kidding me? Anyone that’s been here will get judiciously selected ‘U Don’t Know Me’ by Armand Van it. It’s sunny as fuck. The Helden and their edit of Mylo’s ‘Drop The Pressure’. parties. The crowd. If I’m Darius Syrossian keeps the sounds on a pumpin’ techy not back next year I’ll be level, and then US hotshot Billy Kenny gets the crowd very upset.” going with a party selection that includes some speed garage and even a bit of The Prodigy. Oliver Heldens at the controls

Dannic eschews his regular EDM sound to play a house set that takes in bouncy, squelchy electro-house and classics like Shakedown’s ’At Night’, Oliver $’s ‘Pushin’ On’ and a Technotronic ’Pump Up The Jam’ snippet, getting on the mic himself to vibe up the crowd, and then March cover star Oliver Heldens begins dropping some future house bombs that sees the throng literally roaring. Finishing with his mash-up of Pig&Dan’s techno missive with Abba’s ‘Voulez Vous’, it’s a triumphant set from the Dutchman — cementing his place in the big league. The backstage guest area is cleared for the arrival of masked marauder Marshmello. Arriving in a Lamborghini at the back gate, he’s quickly ushered onto the stage — to the delight of hundreds of his adoring fans. Dropping some of his saccharine trappy bombs, helmet on throughout, his identity may remain a closely guarded secret but there’s no

djmag.com 055 and our 2017 Miami Poolside Session rounds off in Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike style. Could this have been our best Miami party yet? The Raleigh is a great venue, and the crowd were amazing. Assorted international DJs like Pete Tong, Paul Oakenfold and Kevin Sanderson dropped by to say hello backstage, and the DJ Mag crew headed off happy into the night. You can catch up with most of the sets that were streamed live on our Facebook page. SWANKY After a quick hotel pit-stop, we head off to Basement for DJ Harvey and Seth Troxler. Situated literally in the basement of the swanky Miami Beach Edition hotel, we arrive just as DJ Harvey is leaving the joint. We try to persuade the legendary figure to jump back on the decks, but he was done — taking off into the night. Moving onto the dancefloor, Seth’s deep in the mix, spinning tracks including Loni Clark’s ‘Rushing (Mood II Swing dub)’ and Terrence Parker’s ‘Spiritual Dubfire serves up Cassy Warfare’. He’s dressed in a leopard-print shirt in a neon-lit room flanked by leather-clad stage performers. It all results in a distinctly Studio 54 vibe, with buddies such as Dubfire, D’Julz and Eats Everything all around to support. The DJ Mag crew then embark on a crazy mission downtown to catch the end of Rodrigo Viera’s Brazilian-themed bash at Level One. Sadly the event is over by the time we arrive, but instead of going home we decide to check out a bar round the corner from Space. And what a find it is! The Corner is billed online as a “dirty hipster joint”, but — while there are a fair few beards — it’s really We arrive at Space just in time to catch a great set On a blustery day, others from DJ Mag go to tINI & the a car crash of downtown Miami culture. There’s a from one of our favourite DJs, like, ever — Green Gang on the Biscayne Lady Yacht, while Hector takes friendly but quite wild vibe to it, and we decide it’s Velvet. And he delivers with aplomb. ‘Flash’ has Stacey Pullen, Cassy, D’Julz and more down to The our new favourite bar in the world. Ironically after our the “Cameras ready, prepare to flash” hook filtered National Hotel for his Vatos Locos party. miss earlier in the night, on the decks the resident has and fucked up like crazy, while ‘La La Land’ — The DJ Mag UK crew reunites again at a rooftop a distinct flavour of DJ Harvey about him, mixing Italo subsequently stolen from him by Hollywood for the party on top of the Townhouse Hotel in South disco with classic rock, and even Chayell’s ‘Beach’ — a title of a mediocre musical — is triumphant. Speaking Beach — bumping into Danny Howells again on the favourite of Harvey’s in Ibiza last summer. through his headphones in a warped vocal as the sun way in — and then head off to Ultra Music Festival. A couple of drinks later and we decide to check rises over the Space terrace proves to be a highlight Entrance to the mega-event is pretty smooth, and we out Space, where we get the knock-back from the of the week. climb aboard the press boat to grab a drink before flamboyant doorman — kind of a cross between Sven Despite DJ Mag editor Carl Loben going on about how beginning a tour of the site. from Berghain and Jake Shears from the Scissor much the Space Terrace has changed since Tenaglia’s The Oasis stage is the first area we come across, and Sisters — cos one of our crew is wearing flip-flops. marathon sessions there 15 years ago (something the tropical house vibes and daisy-age decor supply After humorously trying to blag shoes off departing about car parks?), Jamie Jones expertly lays down an immediate feelgood factor in the sunshine. punters in Claptone masks, we decide to call it a some strange sampladelic weirdness over his sexy Continuing to wander, we run into the Resistance night. disco-tech as silver-painted dancers cavort on Megastructure that’s being hosted by a certain chap podiums and lasers dissect the stifling air. Paradise by the name of Carl Cox. An enormodrome enclosed Thursday, and it’s time for a bit of R&R. One of our lays claim to one of the wildest parties of the week. by huge big screens on three sides, Italian don Joseph crew raves about Sasha’s amazing poolside set. Paradise was continuing for half of the next day, but Capriati is making the discerning crowd get their Others go to the boat party with Cassy, James Zabiela we’re done for the night by dawn. groove on with some of his trademark big-room ‘drop’ and Danny Howells, and manage to get absolutely soaked by a downpour just as the boat docks and there are no cabs to be had as the Miami basketball game is finishing at the same time.We grab some food and then venture out later to Honey Soundsystem’s night at FLOYD — downtown again, in between Space and Heart. In the art deco basement bar, to a mixed gay crowd, Kim Ann Foxman is laying down some cool electro-tinged grooves while the San Francisco crate- diggers hang out at the bar before spinning.We zip back to The Corner for a quick fix of its Glastonbury backstage bar vibes before heading into Heart. We zoom straight up to the Sci+Tec floor, where nice man Dubfire turns temporarily into a bartender and fixes us some strong vodkas from his rider. One of his proteges, SHADED, is doing a live set — and it’s awesome. The way the Californian surfer dude builds it up from a stripped-back affair into supreme funky tech is exquisite. Watch out for this kid. Kenny Glasgow takes over, but we’re being called to Paradise Seth Troxler at Basement at Space next door.

056 djmag.com Ultra Music Festival in full flow

SOLARDO STORM SOUTH BEACH techno. The graphics on the visuals are next-level TWERKS Despite their continuing runaway success in the computer game amazing — symbolic of Ultra’s high Arriving at Richie Hawtin’s PLAYDifferently party UK — which saw them emerge as winners of the Best Breakthrough DJs gong at DJ Mag’s Best production values all round — and we’re captivated at Space later that night, held to showcase his Of British awards last year — Solardo emerge as for a wee while before continuing our tour of the site. groundbreaking new mixer, we discover that Richie the surprise package of Miami Music Week 2017. Surrounded on all sides by skyscrapers, it’s amazing isn’t on until 9am. Victor Calderone is warming up That isn’t to sell the Manchester duo’s impressive how Ultra jams so much into the comparatively small the Terrace nicely with some hard tech, playing quite stature short, but witnessing every party Solardo play at MMW descend into utter chaos throughout Bayfront Park. The crowd certainly appreciate its differently to his usual houser affair. We run into Ferry the seven days they spend in Florida has comparative intimacy — the site doesn’t seem any Corsten and start bantering with him about when we cemented their place at dance music’s top table. bigger than SW4 Festival on a portion of Clapham can expect a Ferry techno set. He counters by doing Common, meaning you can walk anywhere in five some nifty ‘techno fish’ dancing, and then twerks. As well as bossing our Poolside Sessions party at The Raleigh, the duo played Jamie Jones’ minutes. And people seem to be having the time FERRY CORSTEN ACTUALLY TWERKS! Who knew? We Paradise, Carl Cox’s Resistance after-party, Claude of their lives… ‘My mum thinks I’m at work’ reads dare him to repeat his moves on the Ultra main stage VonStroke’s Birdhouse party, Cajual vs Relief with one sign held up by a candy raver in front of the the following day, and he laughs knowingly… Green Velvet, Toolroom in Stereo, and Doorly & main stage where Tchami — dressed as a vicar — is Inside, Master At Work Louie Vega and house ledge Friends. They’re everywhere! We half expect them to start DJing in the diner we hit after Ultra one detonating EDM/future house bombs, and lots of David Morales are on a freestyle b2b mission, day. Watching the pair go b2b with Green Velvet ravers have made a real effort to dress in luminous dropping assorted baile funk and Latin-themed on the final night of MMW, it’s hard to believe day-glo attire, funny costumes, outrageous faceprint beatscapes, which makes a refreshing change. their breakthrough came as recently as 2015 with or comedy t-shirts. Unfortunately we don’t have time to wait until 9am. Ibiza anthem ‘It’s A New Jam’.

We spiral around to the Arcadia Spider, a new addition After a fly-by visit to OWSLA’s party at Studio 23, “Everything kicked off so quickly for us over the to Ultra in the past couple of years — programmed where Justin James, Joyryde and more play to a space of 18 months, it still feels insane to be this year by the Resistance crew. Arcadia, of course, capacity crowd, we move down to HYTE, which offers here,” James Solardo smiles as he drinks a beer first sprouted legs at Glastonbury, an inspirational arguably the highlight of the night — the promoter’s backstage at the Delano Hotel, shortly after playing b2b Skream. “The accolades we got at initiative that grew out of the festival’s associated production at the Mana Wynwood impeccable as ever. the end of last year were amazing, and we’ve counter-culture. Influenced by the Mutoid Waste Behind a wall of lasers, man of the moment Black been so busy in the UK — but now we want to go Company’s way of making sci-fi cyberpunk art out of Coffee offers a set that demonstrates why the South everywhere.” recycled materials, the Arcadia Spider is built from African is rapidly establishing himself as one of the various unwanted Customs & Excise scanning units world’s finest selectors, using the Laolu remix of Dele Judging by the reaction in Miami, what they’re doing already has gone everywhere. When DJ and bits of old aeroplanes and has been a focal point Sosimi Afrobeat Orchestra’s ‘Too Much Information’ Mag walks down a street in Miami Beach after our at Glasto for a few years before setting off on tour. It’s as a delirious centre-point. Loco Dice and Luciano Poolside Sessions, the Solardo boys are mobbed a smart move by Ultra to cherry-pick this wonderful have big boots to fill following, but their impeccable by fans. “It’s incredible,” Mark Solardo laughs. festival spectacle, and we arrive there just as Maya selection of tribal-tinged big-room tech is the perfect “We’re just a couple of dicks from Manchester!”

Jane Coles takes over from Technasia from up inside way to end the night. Despite their self-depreciative humour, the the Spider’s head. Maya — her name flashed up on pair feel they’ve hit US dancefloors at a good the InterContinental Hotel that looms in front of Saturday daytime is all about more pool parties. time. “There’s a big gap in the US market for the the high rise behind her — starts quite deep before We head first to Dirtybird at the Delano, where DJ tech-house sound that’s huge in Europe,” James Solardo says as he sets down his beer. “In the US ramping it up, and the crowd shriek with delight as Mag is live-streaming, and Brit DJ/producer Jesse market it hasn’t fully boomed yet. But it will.” sporadic flame-throwing pyros warm the cheeks. Rose is warming up the faithful early doors with Then it starts to rain. a well-crafted house set. Chatting to him after he Tracks like ‘Tribesmen’ continue to melt finishes, we can’t believe he’s retiring soon — how dancefloors on impact, but DJ Mag unsuccessfully tries to identify many of the tracks the pair play What gwan? We thought this was Miami? But rain can someone who’s had his level of success give it all through the week at MMW. “The majority of our has been a significant factor this week, although it up just like that? sets are made up of unreleased music,” Mark feels tropical as the temperature is still 80-degrees. Honey Dijon is up next, and swiftly becomes one of Solardo explains. “That’s the exciting thing about Ravers try to take cover under the few trees the park our new favourite DJs. Flitting between bases in New tech-house: DJs aren’t just dropping existing big tunes. People are receptive to hearing new possesses, but at the main stage trance uber-god York and Berlin, she rocks it — throwing a bit of Prince music, which makes it really exciting for DJs. It’s Armin van Buuren has taken the helm — with a huge and Michael Jackson into the mix for good measure. great for tech-house as a whole too, as it pushes flaming ‘A’ behind him — to deliver some emotive yet Walker & Royce step up and it starts raining. The New the music forward and drives desire from young banging trance to a full house. York duo power on, twiddling with the decks under a producers.”

The rest of Ultra is a bit of a blur but involves Carl Cox, waterproof polythene sheet while Claude VonStroke Forthcoming on Solardo’s SOLA label is an EP from Martin Garrix and some pretty random conversations, looks on paternally. London-based duo MANT, before the next Solardo and we head out into the city to catch an Uber to We skip down the road to the Stanton Warriors Punks EP drops in May, with material from Leicester-pair avoid the crowds right at the end. pool party at the Albion, immediately encountering Pax and Yorkshire duo Del-30 also in the pipeline. Deekline on the decks dropping breakbeat garage

djmag.com 057 bombs. We check in with Dom and Mark Stanton, a bit CONFETTI worse for wear from the night before, and skip around Sunday. With just one day to go, the remainder of the to some of the stripped-down Punks-style breakbeat DJ Mag crew head over to Maxine’s Bistro and Bar, that the Stantons have been pushing on their label opting for another round of Buffalo wings and burger with such dynamism of late. to recharge before Elrow’s shindig at Mana Wynwood Hugely talented German DJ/producer Marten Horger — which is most likely the coolest location of all of takes over the controls, but we’re being called back Miami Music Week’s parties. In a setting surrounded to the Delano for Solardo vs Skream at Dirtybird. The by graffiti and warehouse complexes, Elrow’s live-streamed b2b session sends DJ Mag’s socials into phenomenal production sees a small but up-for-it meltdown, the packed-out crowd into rapture, and crowd bring the sun down with wAFF, Paco Osuna and the Solardo boys’ domination of Miami Music Week’s Pan-Pot as well as a lot of inflatables and confetti. tech-house parties is complete (see box out). We then move over to E11EVEN hotel in Downtown Unfortunately, rain mars Claude VonStroke’s set, for the Resistance after-party, which sees Eats where only a few die-hard faithful remain as a Everything b2b Jackmaster b2b Nic Fanciulli, Lee storm rips into the Delano Hotel’s pool area. He Foss b2b Skream b2b wAFF and more. At the start of demonstrates his wicked sense of humour though, the night Seth Troxler and Jamie Jones are seen on with the timely addition of his own Dirtybird-signed stage, doubtless celebrating another successful MMW, ‘The Rain Break’. while Carl Cox is also later seen sipping champagne After the party, DJ Mag seeks refuge from the rain backstage, toasting a successful first year of his in Sweet Liberty, billed as Miami Beach’s “hippest Resistance concept at Ultra — which saw more than haunt”. Once the deluge eases it’s down to one of the 165,000 attendees pass through its production-heavy week’s most talked-about parties — Damian Lazarus’ stages, and arrests and medical incidents down 50% Get Lost. on 2016, a trend that’s been steadily decreasing since LOST & FOUND With its line-up under wraps until just hours before it 2013. DAMIAN LAZARUS kicks off — and reading something like a Christmas But DJ Mag isn’t quite done. We head back into the list of underground house and techno when it does night towards Trade, where the Solardo lads are also drop — Get Lost has returned to Little River Studios celebrating taking Miami Music Week by storm, this Damian Lazarus is sat backstage at his marathon Miami Music Week party Get Lost, for the second time in as many years. With set times time b2b with Detlef at Green Velvet’s closing party. draped in an orange and black Aztec print unannounced, it’s hard to know where to head at the After the trio are finished the Chicago legend steps shawl. Around 12-hours into the 24-hour event. However, as the name suggests, Get Lost isn’t up to play a set that rivals his masterclass at Paradise shindig, he’s surrounded by the most vibrantly about a carefully planned itinerary. earlier in the week, dropping a series of his own dressed party people in attendance at MMW.

After the outdoor stages come to a close the party is productions on one of Miami’s biggest systems, as The stacked line-up sees over 40 artists spin reduced to two dimly-lit rooms connected by a small well as two unreleased Solardo tracks. across its four rooms, including Ellen Allien, door. The bigger of the two is dominated by a series of Kenny Glasgow, D’Julz, Jackmaster, Art lasers, while the smoke-filled second is packed with As DJ Mag leaves the party, the trio are being Department, wAFF, Thugfucker and, of course, Lazarus himself. high ceilings. The party is quite simply the closest to photographed together at the decks, quaffing “It will always be remembered for its pure the madness of Circoloco at DC-10 you can get without champagne — a fitting way to end a week of intense hedonistic abandonment, for its diverse hitting the White Isle, but also a colossal event all of parties in Floridian paradise. entertainment,” he explains of Get Lost. “We its own. aim to bring together the best party-heads from around the world and the best artists in In the bigger room Black Coffee returns with another the global electronic underground for 24 hours impeccable set of chunky-as-hell house music, before of madness and joy.” Jackmaster rolls out a set of techno that feels like it A team of around 50 people put Get Lost could register on the Richter scale. Lazarus b2b Art together with Lazarus, and their vision creates one of the standout parties of Miami Department close Get Lost with a fitting set to end Music Week. “When we discovered Little River 24-hours of partying, utilising mind-bending leftfield Studios, we knew that this was a place where selections including the Supermayer Lost In The we would have the space to create something Tiergarten remix of Rufus Wainwright’s ‘Tiergarten’ very special,” he smiles. And he’s not wrong. During the daytime, and I-Robots’ ‘Spacer Woman (Oxtongue Version)’, DJs spin on the outdoor stage in front of before finishing on the classic disco of Chic’s ‘I Want the space’s buildings — which serve as Your Love’, which sends the crowd into delirious photography studios for the rest of the year celebration. — before things head inside for the witching hour. wAFF at Elrow “We want open-minded souls that leave their ego and baggage at the door,“ Lazarus explains of the crowd. “All artists are invited by me Jackmaster plays Get Lost personally. Everyone is equal, and everyone brings their best to the event.”

The only changes Lazarus says he may make to Get Lost next year is to extend its running time, which peaks at 26 hours in 2017. Now in its 12th year, the party has seen Miami Music Week change to become almost unrecognisable from when Lazarus first started Get Lost, but the Crosstown Rebels boss is clear on his sentiments to any doubters of what MMW has become. “America needs a week-long playground for electronic music, where there are parties happening at every moment of the day and night for seven days,” he explains. “Miami has great weather, an open attitude to raving and partying and it boasts some amazing clubs, warehouse spaces, boats and dive bars, where it is possible to hang out and hear great music at all times.” Catching up with Lazarus at the end of the party, DJ Mag asks him what was special about this year? “Everybody survived,” he smiles, before taking off into the sunrise.

058 djmag.com best combination of music and nature laroc sunset club valinhos, sao paulo, brazil for international matters [email protected] follow us /larocclub /larocclub www.laroc.club

upcoming erick ferry oliver goldfish may—jul morillo corsten huntemann 29/07/2017 20/05/2017 10/06/2017 08/07/2017

Untitled-1 1 13/04/2017 17:03 “I think techno has more to do with an attitude than the instruments or equipment you use, so even though ‘Versus’ uses traditional instruments, it’s still a techno album.” CARL CRAIG

060 djmag.com “I think techno has more to do with an attitude than the instruments ORCHESTRA or equipment you IN THE ZONE use, so even though Carl Craig, one of the most important artists in techno, has been working with an orchestra to breathe new life into some of his back catalogue classics. He ‘Versus’ uses traditional debuted the resulting ‘Versus’ album at DJ Mag HQ the other week, and this labour of love is about to be unleashed onto the world, along with some live instruments, it’s still a shows too, featuring six musicians — including Carl himself — all playing synthesizers. DJ Mag caught up with him on the phone from Miami to hear all techno album.” about how this collaborative project came to be realised… CARL CRAIG Words: RICHARD BROPHY Pics: EMMANUEL RASTOIN & PIERRE TERDJMAN

lectronic music evolves at a rapid pace, but and include classics like ‘At Les’, ‘Desire’ and ‘Domina’, alongside a sometimes the most radical changes happen series of interludes and, somewhat conspicuously, Tristano’s ‘The slowly. In the case of Carl Craig’s new album, Melody’ track re-imagined by Les Siècles Orchestra. “‘Melody’ is ’Versus’, nearly a decade has gone by since the included because we did it as part of the live performance [in 2008]. initial concept took shape on a stage in Paris. Every piece that is on the album was performed live,” Craig tells DJ In spite of this long gestation period, the Mag. Detroit producer’s latest long-player will surely Originally released in 2008, ‘The Melody’ was also the first Tristano be one of 2017’s landmark albums. More importantly though, it arrangement that Craig remixed. It started a creative relationship Emarks a significant development for the techno form as it dovetails that has flourished over the intervening years, with the Planet seamlessly with classical music. E owner citing the Luxembourg pianist’s role as being central to the production of ‘Versus’. “It was important from the beginning The origins of ‘Versus’ can be traced back to a one-off live show in that the project would involve Francesco. He has an intimate 2008, when Craig performed in Paris with Les Siècles Orchestra, relationship with the orchestra, and I don’t. He has a clear idea of conducted by François-Xavier Roth. Also treading the boards what a violin can do, and I don’t,” Carl explains. during that fateful event was Basic Channel founder Moritz von “He knows how to take the solo from ‘Desire’ and transform it from Oswald and Francesco Tristano, who has worked with Craig on a a solo originally done using a synth to one with a violin. I’d just variety of releases over the years. walk in with computer print-outs and say, ‘Hey guys, can we make it So why did it take so long for Craig, the orchestra and his long-term sound like this?’ and that just wouldn’t work (laughs).” collaborator Tristano — who arranged all of the tracks on ‘Versus’ — to put together the album? “We started out working on this a Craig is also refreshingly honest about the recording process and long, long time ago, it’s been a work in progress for many years,” says that Tristano shielded him from any possible dissent within the Craig explains to DJ Mag over a crackling FaceTime connection the orchestra. “There was tons of tension,” he reveals. “With Francesco afternoon after a gig at the Winter Music Conference in Miami. and I it’s always smooth sailing, but when someone comes between “There was a lot of preparation involved because we needed so us, that’s when the tension happened.” much time to tweak and perfect it. Also, I wanted the project to be Nonetheless, he says that he was willing to be guided by the as perfect as possible before it came out. Working with the orchestra orchestra and he had no problem assuming the new role of pupil. meant that we could have all the different parts separated. It “It was a very new situation for me. I had to let the conductor be the allowed for more manipulation than if it was all together in one boss, but I was totally open to that. I have a bit of history following room,” he adds. a conductor, as I was a musician as a kid. I can’t be boss all the time (laughs), you just gotta swallow your ego and be a follower rather ROOTS than a leader. I had no problem with it because it’s really important This approach is a long way from Craig’s roots, and he admits that for artists to be the pupil and not always the teacher, to learn from working on ‘Versus’ was “a big learning curve. This was the first time the experiences of others,” he says. that I had ever done something like this. I have been involved with Certainly, his willingness to allow others to take the lead has paid projects like The Detroit Experiment, Urban Tribe and Innerzone off. ‘Versus’ is unique in that it maps out a new, seamless fusion Orchestra over the years where I wasn’t working alone, but with of techno and classical music. On the new version of 2005’s these projects, I was closer to the type of music production that I’m ‘Darkness’, it is impossible to tell where the acoustic elements end used to,” he points out. and the electronic components start as Craig and his collaborators Unlike those collaborations, ‘Versus’ evolved from a live performance fuse dramatic strings and a mechanical, metallic groove to create a and not off the back of studio sessions. The tracks that feature on shimmeringly futuristic new version. the album are derived mainly from Craig’s extensive back catalogue “I get what you’re saying about ‘Darkness’ — the whole album is that way,” he says. “Part of what I wanted to achieve with ‘Versus’ was to get to the point where you would not be able to tell the difference between where the traditional instruments and electronic equipment starts and ends. It didn’t need to be like a battle between the acoustic and electronic, the opposite was the case — I wanted it to be seamless.”

djmag.com 061 NEW FORMS were doing them in a proper, respectful manner,” has always been typecast as being made just with Elsewhere, other Craig classics assume new forms. ‘At Craig feels. drum machines, with 909s and 808s, but that’s only Les’, the beautifully melancholic deep techno track, “Sometimes this [doing new versions of old songs] because the guys who were starting out had no other which originally appeared on 1997’s ‘More Songs really works out very well,” he points out. “For devices or equipment available, so that’s what they About Food & Revolutionary Art’ album, features a example, I was looking recently for the original used at the time,” he explains. four-minute opening section that features strings, version of a song called ‘Be Thankful For What You’ve “I have always used different ways to make music, woodwind and flutes building up until rolling drums Got’. It was originally performed by [soul/R&B from my BFC project, which was mainly sample-based, and a buzzing bass bring it to a thrilling crescendo. singer-songwriter] William deVaughn and then later to my Psyche project, where I used MIDI,” he adds. “I Similarly on 2004’s ‘Sandstorms’, piano key stabs and by Massive Attack, but while I was searching for the think techno has more to do with an attitude than the raucous brass give way to a pulsing bass and tough original, I found that deVaughn had done a more instruments or equipment you use, so even though kicks. recent version and his new spin on it was really cool.” ‘Versus’ uses traditional instruments, it’s still a techno “When we performed it [‘At Les’] with the orchestra, it album.” became this epic piece as opposed to the dreamy piece ORCHESTRAL Carl also contrasts the proscriptive strictures that that you know from the album,” Carl explains. “A lot While working in a new way, Craig still kept his focus techno is boxed in by with the freeform approach of the original pieces turned into these party tracks on existing material. Given that he was performing afforded to other music styles. “Questioning a techno — ‘Sandstorms’ and ‘Domina’ were like that, and I was and producing in this environment, was he not producer is the same as saying to a band, ‘Well, that happy that they turned out that way. They became the tempted to record new material with them? “When isn’t really a rock album because your musicians are kind of tracks that you could have on while you are we first performed ‘Versus’ back in 2008, there could using a certain type of drum or guitar’. How stupid having a good time,” he says. have been pieces written then, but not all of my music would that sound?” he asks, incredulously. One of the underlying principles driving ‘Versus’ is transferrable to that format. The next ‘Versus’ could is its author’s willingness to re-interpret some of look at that [new material] and it’s certainly in the JAZZ his benchmark records. However, many people see back of my mind,” he points out, while explaining that Craig has form when it comes to pushing electronic tracks like ‘Desire’ and ‘Domina’ representing the there were other considerations as to why they didn’t music’s boundaries. ‘Bug In The Bassbin’, his 1992 highest watermark in techno, the closest one can produce new music. track as Innerzone Orchestra, was one of jungle’s get to perfection. While ‘Desire’ is the subject of a “At the time when we did the show, I didn’t know if any earliest iterations, and he teased out this sound particularly impressive rework — sensuous strings and recording would be with the same orchestra or with further with a series of mind-blowing live shows sonorous piano unravelling over a gentle backbeat — different performers,” he continues. “I also wanted later on that decade. This writer has especially fond what would Craig say to fans who feel that these tracks to take the project on the road to see how that would memories of watching Innerzone Orchestra perform should not have been tampered with? work out. The thing is that working with orchestras is as a fully-fledged jazz band in the Detroit tent at “Of course everyone has their own opinion and is quite different to touring as a DJ. It requires a lot more 1997’s Tribal Gathering in Luton. entitled to it, but these are my pieces of music, my preparation and planning, and many orchestras are “Innerzone Orchestra — that was a major experiment tracks,” he says in a slightly defensive tone. “It’s like likely to be booked up in advance for two years. We are for me as an artist,” Craig recalls. “To have these when you dress yourself — you don’t need to dress definitely going to do live shows for the album and we amazing jazz musicians, people like [UK saxophonist] like when you did when you were a kid, what you wear have about 10 gigs already planned with just synths Alan Barnes and the drummer Francisco Mora needs to grow as you grow and become an adult.” — there may be some orchestral performances,” Carl (formerly of the Sun Ra Arkestra) play with you and says. to bring them to a club gig, everything you thought Carl is at pains to point out that everyone involved in about techno gets blown away — you are defying the project was sensitive towards the heritage and ‘Versus’ is a long, long way from the Detroit producer’s expectations of what techno is about,” he adds. calibre of the original material involved. “Sometimes roots, but it is also a logical progression both for Craig Given his past experiments, it’s not surprising that he an artist updating their catalogue can sound very and for techno generally. DJ Mag asks him if he feels believes the type of collaboration on ‘Versus’ should corny, and we were all conscious of not sounding that working with classical musicians, conductors and have come about much sooner than it did. “Yeah, I sounding corny. But by doing these tracks with orchestras means that techno music has developed mean it is something that could have happened much Francesco and the orchestra, it meant it felt like we into a very ‘grown-up’ form? “You know, techno earlier, especially with [Derrick May’s techno opus]

062 djmag.com ‘Strings Of Life’,” he says. “It is a shame that it didn’t who want to advance themselves musically,” he into that trap. There is always going to be great music, happen 30 years ago, but I guess the understanding continues. “It just depends on how much someone and I don’t want to close myself off. There’s nothing wasn’t really there at the time for techno in that world wants to learn more about it. My hope is that people worse than someone saying, ‘This music nowadays (of orchestras and classical music). There were some who hear ‘Versus’ and like it will do some background isn’t as good as when I was young’. It’s like, ‘Shut up classical musicians who worked with Aphex Twin at the checks, they will go to Wikipedia and Discogs and find you old geezer!’” time, but ‘Strings Of Life’ didn’t really cross over to a out about Detroit, Derrick May, Juan Atkins and Kevin wider audience until Francesco released his version Saunderson. They just need to have an inquisitive Not that there’s anything wrong with getting old. [in 2006].” mind.” Having spent the best part of a decade developing a Craig adds that when he was younger, a thirst one-off live performance into an album, Craig has no In more recent times, this kind of collaboration has for finding out more also drove him to engage in plans to take early retirement or fade into obscurity. become more commonplace. Apart from Craig’s extensive research. The key difference back then were While the first and second waves of Detroit techno project, Actress and Jeff Mills have worked with his methods. “When I was young, before the internet producers are in their 40s and 50s, Carl does not see classical musicians and Goldie has used the Heritage existed, I found out about a lot of music by looking at age as a barrier and draws inspiration from people Orchestra to re-do both ’Timeless’ and his new the back of B52’s, Parliament or Funkadelic records,” who have worked with music their whole lives. forthcoming album ‘The Journey Man’, while at the he says. “You see all the people involved and then as “See, that’s why I respect guys like Clive Davis more clubby end of the spectrum, Graeme Park and time goes by, you stumble across a record in a store (founder of Arista and J Records) and Quincy Jones, Mike Pickering have collaborated with an orchestra and then you remember, ‘Hey this guy, he was on these cats who have been in the industry for so long. to reinterpret big tracks from the legendary Hacienda a Parliament record’. Nowadays, it’s like six degrees I mean Davis, he was always discovering new artists, club as ‘Hacienda Classical’. of separation, and you can find out much faster now he was 66 at the time when he discovered Alicia Keys. Like Craig, Mills has worked with orchestras for the than you could in the ‘80s about the ways of these I respect these industry people who have been around best part of a decade. What does Craig make of his great musicians. I mean, I didn’t know for the longest for years, say someone like Ahmet Eretegun (founder fellow Detroit native’s work in this area? “Jeff is a time that Junie Morrison (from Funkadelic and co- of Atlantic Records, who signed The Doors). That is the visionary; he has been a trail-blazer in the integration writer of ‘One Nation Under A Groove’) was also in the type of person I would like to be,” Carl says. of techno music and classical, but the direction he Ohio Players.” headed in is different to mine,” Carl believes. Presenting his music in this manner will invariably ‘Versus’ is the latest Carl Craig experiment, and is “Jeff’s approach is one man, one drum machine and open it up to a new audience. In the absence of any highly unlikely to be his last. As he says before he an orchestra, whereas mine is more collaborative. I new material, ‘Versus’ does focus almost exclusively heads back into the blazing Miami sun: “I am doing think what I do has more of a band attitude, rather on Craig’s work from the ‘90s and early ‘00s — and its this until the day I die. Even if it’s time for my hearing than Jeff’s idea to use a drum machine to work with centrepiece comprises classics like ‘Desire’, ‘Domina’ to go and I’m deaf, I will find a way to still make music. an orchestra.” and ‘At Les’. Does he view this period in his own That’s just the way it is, I live and breathe what I do.” catalogue and in the wider techno firmament as a CONVERTED golden period? “No, I don’t think of any of it as a Taking this approach is likely to demystify Craig’s golden age or period,” he feels. “If you look at Motown, music and introduce it to many, but does he feel there different people will say that different decades — the is also a danger that ‘Versus’ will be preaching to the ‘50s, the ‘60s or the ‘70s — were the golden periods. converted, e.g. a techno audience? It’s just all great music, and there is still always the “I believe there will be a wider audience, there will be possibility that music is going to explode.” people who will want to see what it is really about. They “Just look at hip-hop. You could say its golden period might love electronic music but are also curious about was when Run DMC came out, or when Nas was in his what it sounds like or works like with an orchestra,” he prime, or when A Tribe Called Quest put out ‘Low End says, and points out that it may inspire some people to Theory’. I don’t like the idea of saying that one time explore Detroit techno’s rich heritage. is better than another for music because it ages the •’Versus’ is out 5th May on InFiné “I hope that it’ll interest people of all types, people person and it ages the music — and I don’t want to fall

djmag.com 063 Untitled-1 1 13/04/2017 12:05 As Clark, Christopher Clark produces rave music at its most euphoric, vast, oddball and brain-melting. DJ Mag catches up with the Warp veteran to discuss Nigel Farage, Skrillex, and vegetable puree...

Words: FELICITY MARTIN

his is the least glamorous thing to say,” Christopher Clark says to DJ Mag at an east London pub, surrounded by city boys clutching their post-work pints, “but I really value routine in music.” It’s a surprising thing to hear from someone whose work is so tumultuous, majestic and epic. You imagine the producer bashing away on MPCs in a cathedral, hands spidering over hardware, rather than locking himself away at home for hours on end. We’re here to talk about ‘Death Peak’, Clark’s eighth studio album that has found a home once more on Warp Records. In a similar vein to his last full-length, 2014’s ‘Clark’, it’s an LP that sweeps together the beauty of the natural world, but never takes an eye off the rave. It plays a bit like a run-through of a night out; the pounding bass you hear before flinging the doors open, the fluttering anticipation of what’s to come, the strobe-lit point at which you lose yourself.

The Warp veteran, who’s been making music for 16 years now, carved out a punishing writing schedule to make this album. “In order to make chaotic work, you need a sense of order in your life,” he suggests. “And music did that. In school I was very shy and a total escapist — a dreamer, I guess. I didn’t know what to do, and music came along and structured my life for me. It did sort of save me — I won’t go into it, but through some really grief-stricken times. That’s why I love having a discipline where you unpick things step by step and don’t get overwhelmed. It’s weirdly divorced, actually, from my emotions. Not to sound cold! It’s like a detached third eye… “That’s why when I’m writing really dark, aggressive music I’m usually really happy!” The producer goes on to describe how music in oppressed countries is often really joyous (“I always find that quite remarkable”) and Norwegian black metal (“the music of privileged, over-weaned, snotty middle class brats, but they made this really satanic music. Break the bourgeois system, something like that”) really doom-laden. NIGEL FARAGE What does it say about himself, then, that ‘Death Peak’ feels more uplifting than dark? “It was springtime in Australia when I was writing it,” he says. “Weather is an influence but it just draws you into the crazy internal weather of your mind as well, and how up and down it all

djmag.com 065 is.” While the more chaotic sections simultaneously trying to cheapen of the album were inspired by the them but also trying to make them recent political turmoil. “‘Un U.K’ is a sound elegant, so you’ve got this weaponised, anti-Farage anthem,” he complete cognitive dissonance...” says. “Musically weaponised, I’m not inciting violence. I wrote that around SKRILLEX Brexit — I was watching it from afar “I like Skrillex drops,” he continues. and it was horrific. I just felt this total “And Noisia I really like. There’s rollercoaster of having your hopes always a bit in their tracks — I’m not dashed right at the end. I like the dissing them — but there’s always a idea of Nigel Farage being stuck in a bit that’s really terrible, before the rave, ‘cos it gets really evil at the end. drop, and I reckon it’s psychology. With loads of Polish people helping It’s meant to be bad. And then you’re him out or something, like: ‘You like, ‘Oh wow!’ It’s like eating... I alright, Nigel?’” can’t think of a food analogy — a shot Throughout our conversation, Clark of vegetable purée before dessert?” cements his reputation as a bit of a While EDM may have crept into joker, and that wry smile can be felt this album in a very warped way, throughout his work. He actually he explains how metal and jungle started making music to make himself were important influences on ‘Un laugh. On album cut ‘Aftermath’ U.K’: “The bit at the end — the the harpsichord takes centre stage; Nigel Farage drop — for me, that’s an instrument he recently wheeled really condensing [metalcore band] out on an edit of Bone Thugs-N- Converge, that sort of aggressive Harmony’s ‘Bone, Bone, Bone’, metal that’s got real analogue where he dropped the acapella over production”, plus artists like Ed Rush a stabbing beat. At the beginning of & Nico: “I’m obsessed with that era of the track, Clark fictionally calls up jungle, where it got techy but not too the hip-hop group, before playing rigid and still had that sloppiness, the harpsichord at a million miles an that looseness of hardware and really hour, spiralling off into something grimey, dark production — so aggro, that’s utterly bizarre but incredible. it’s such a proper London vibe. I “That’s one of my favourite things don’t think people would like that I’ve done!” he laughs. “I think it’s now because the message is quite an acquired taste, maybe… I love confronting, but I love it. To me, it’s harpsichords because they’re like still as fresh as ever.” sawtooth waves, they’re the original rave synths. ‘Cos there’s no dynamic, His new live set-up is all about they’re like comic book villains. But bringing dancing back to dance you can make them sound really music. “It’s like, dance music — emotional as well, if you destroy them dancers!” he says. “I mean, I know with tape, which is what I tend to do people have done it before, but there to most stuff that’s problematic.” is a bit of a trend for people to be behind a big TV — it’s like, why? It KANYE WEST feels like an apology to have this Self-censorship, or sanitising your giant screensaver…” work to make it more marketable, His wife is choreographer has little appeal to Clark. “There’s Melanie Lane, whose work something about having quite on the show he describes as bombastic ideas about what art “really blunt, it’s primitive and should be, but being vulgar about it, a bit childlike… [the dancers] and making it your own by actually aren’t doing every track, just going too far. I think my music peak moments, and then often goes too far — with, like, the everyone will have to put up boldness of a melody, then I’ll dial with me.” it back one percent, and I find that’s “It’s such a weird time to often a real sweet-spot. I made be making music,” Clark ‘Growls Garden’ as a pisstake of a Gary finishes. “With the whole Numan track, and then I thought: political situation, there’s ‘What happens if I put five different this abundance of fake sections of distortion on it?’” news and politicians This tendency to distort, or (in his protecting their self- own words) “Kevin Shields” (from image to the most My Bloody Valentine) a sound is a psychotic, humourless compulsion of his. On ‘Hoova’ he took degree. I’m quite anti a “shitty EDM synth” and gave it the that — if people don’t Clark treatment, putting it on tape dig it then it’s totally and using loads of distortion over it. fine. It’s good that “Serum, it’s this synth Kanye uses. I people listen to what was like, ‘That would be funny’. It’s I’ve got to say. My funny watching Kanye in general. music’s pretty weird, I’m really into unusual combinations I don’t really expect of sounds — I like these really cheap everyone to be into workstations but I put them on it!” tape and do musique concrète-style edits. I love Delia Derbyshire, she’s a complete hero of mine. So I was getting these really tech-y sounds but completely bastardising them,

066 djmag.com Untitled-1 1 13/04/2017 11:51 Safe As House Is Jaye Ward, Honey Dijon, JD Samson, Mandidextrous and DJ Sprinkles talk gender identity, safe spaces, privilege and the power of the internet... Words: JOE ROBERTS Pics: JEF McMAHAN, COMATONSE RECORDINGS,

rans is so hot right Around her neck is a chain carrying the word getting booked because my connections have now,” chuckles Jaye ‘House’, the music that she says saved her life. intersected with queer things and with trans Ward, the Hackney- Despite a brief spell taking hormones as a teen, things.” based DJ whose until seven years ago Jaye was married with lineage of trippy two children, having spent the nineties DJing, SAFE SPACES post-Balearica, weird promoting, and working in various record shops Trans people are part of the intersectional electronics and house dubs connects the capital’s and distribution companies looking, she tells us bedrock of dance music since its very beginnings. “Tclub scene from its late-’80s roots, when she with self-deprecating humour, like the archetypal The focus on clubs as ‘safe spaces’ is being started playing parties like Club Dog and Tonka, “Berwick Street bearded disco midget”. Then, emphasised again to help protect minorities from through to its current wave of underground unable to put it off any longer, “I decided to harassment, and as Chicago house DJs relocated parties. stop spending money on rotary mixers and buy to New York, Honey Dijon points out, they were hormones instead.” Having just supported Octo once one of the only protected places to meet. Jaye Ward Octa (see page 71) at East London’s Dalston “It was about having safe spaces for queer people Superstore for a party celebrating Trans Day and trans people to be who they are,” she tells us Of Visibility, which takes place annually on over the phone, having played the night before 31st March, she sounds bemused to be in a after a vogue battle at Mona in Paris. “[House] spotlight on trans people that stretches from was an art-form created by people of colour, so if the transitioning of public figures like Chelsea you really want to get into it — gender, race and Manning to the campaigning journalism of Paris sexual orientation all played a part. Clubs were a Lees. place for people to find community and find who “It’s weird,” Jaye reflects. “I’ve been playing they are without being judged or ridiculed or records for 30-odd years and now suddenly I’m persecuted.”

Another New York-based artist, DJ and producer, “I decided to stop JD Samson calls herself “transgender by definition, because I do not take part in the spending money on binary system of gender expression”, while also identifying as a woman and lesbian. As part of rotary mixers and buy the band Le Tigre, whose anthem ‘Deceptacon’ hormones instead. It’s was remixed by LCD Soundsystem, she sought to create a supportive arena for queer and feminist weird, I’ve been playing activists to dance. “In the same way, I felt safe at house music records for 30-odd years parties in the ‘90s in New York,” she says. It’s this legacy that JD’s own party Pat continues, and now suddenly I’m a free event to acknowledge the lack of economic getting booked because means of some of its diverse crowd, and which, she claims, highlights artists who are People Of my connections have Colour, women and trans. At the same time she points out that some trans people are less well- intersected with queer represented than others. “I do think that lesbian things and with trans DJs and trans guys have less press within the scene and I’m not sure why that is,” she admits, things.” adding that the widespread attention given to JAYE WARD

068 djmag.com Mandidextrous JD Samson

NYC Downlow

the issues highlighted by The Black Madonna, “If I hadn’t dropped out of school and ended up as a flagbearer for equality, is a step in the right going to raves every weekend, and I’d stayed in direction. school and ended up going to the pub with my Glastonbury’s NYC Downlow, meanwhile, is friends at the weekend, I think it would have been another LGBT haven that has brought openness very different,” she tells us from her adopted around gender identity closer to a more home of Bristol, praising the support of Chris mainstream narrative, scoring column inches Liberator and Rowland The Bastard, two of the in national broadsheets and consumer music godfathers of acid techno who helped inspire her magazines like ours. and gave encouragement to her very open social media posts about her experiences. CHALLENGING NORMS “For me going through a transition, it was good London’s free-party acid techno scene is a to be in surroundings that are very laid back world away. Yet it provided a similarly nurturing and liberal in how they see people and approach environment for Mandidextrous, the DJ, producer life,” she explains, saying that back in her native and founder of Amen4Tekno. Building on the Buckinghamshire she experienced violence fusing of jungle and techno she says she first during this process, something that — if she saw heard from producers such as Dan Fix and Ryan the same people at parties — didn’t happen. “I Wreck Up, this summer she’s taking her own found it really inspiring. I could be myself.” distinctive Jungletek sound — proving equally popular with techno and d&b heads — to festivals Back in February, New York’s MoMa featured a such as Glastonbury and Boomtown. Before series of events called Between 0 and 1: Remixing transitioning, however, she was playing more Gender, Technology and Music, focusing on traditional drum & bass in a male-orientated topics of “gender nonconforming identities environment with very few female DJs. and electronic music”. As part of this Terre

“[House] was an art-form created by people of colour, so if you really want to get into it — gender, race and

Honey sexual orientation all played a part. Clubs were a Dijon place for people to find community and find who they are without being judged or ridiculed or persecuted.” HONEY DIJON

djmag.com 069 “Even the signs of friendliness — the ‘bro fists’ coming

Thaemlitz, also known DJ Sprinkles, performed at me in the DJ booth — are, from my perspective, tracks from her 2012 ‘Soulnessless’ album inseparable from other experiences with hetero aggression (soon to be followed by a similarly conceptual work ‘Deproduction’). Her own experiences run and real punches from straight-white guys. It really makes counter to any utopian ideals of clubs as spaces to escape cultural and economic strictures. me uncomfortable, and I’ve mentioned it in the press

For a start, she says no club has ever affected many times, yet it happens every fucking time I play, and her as much as her residency in the “challenging people get really upset when you don’t bump back.” environment” of Sally’s II, “a predominantly African-American and Latina transsexual sex DJ SPRINKLES worker bar whose clientele were often non-gay identified males of various races and economic classes”, an alternate and usually untold side of reactions are totally different,” she says. “None person. These things dictate my experience, New York’s nightlife narrative. of this is fun or comfortable for me.” or how I navigate the worlds, but I find these Terre’s proposed alternative to Trans Day Of conversations are more for other people and not CONDITIONED BIAS Visibility — itself a counterpoint to Trans Day Of for me.” Then there’s her reality of mostly being booked Remembrance on 20th November, a memorial Finally feeling she has “something to say”, this to play for straight-white-male audiences. “Even to those killed due to the widespread attitudes Autumn sees the release of a debut Honey album the signs of friendliness — the ‘bro fists’ coming of transphobia — is for everyone to be required, on Classic, featuring Sam Sparro, Joi Cradwell, at me in the DJ booth — are, from my perspective, randomly in a non-festive or collective way, to go Matrixxman and more. inseparable from other experiences with hetero about their everyday-day while cross-dressing. For those seeking common experience and aggression and real punches from straight-white “I believe this kind of experience is one of the advice, the internet has finally given minority guys. It really makes me uncomfortable, and only ways for that majority of people who claim groups a voice outside of the mainstream, she I’ve mentioned it in the press many times, yet it gender and trans issues have nothing to do with believes, creating global communities invested happens every fucking time I play, and people get them to start to comprehend how gender issues with more political power and knowledge than in really upset when you don’t bump back.” affect everyone, and gain insights into the shame the past. Jaye Ward agrees, joking that Tumblr Her solution, she says, is to cup their fist in her and harassment inflicted on others, as well as made her trans. “Now we’re much more content- palm, placating the gesture without reciprocating awakening to the privileges and biases in one’s aware,” she adds, with the assertion that the its implied violence. daily-life practices.” music is more interesting to most, especially younger people, than what’s in her pants. Switching the pronouns she uses between ‘he’ It’s this shared harassment that means Honey “Everyone’s a nerd, everyone wants to know what and ‘she’, often in the same sentence, and Dijon sees trans issues as tied up with those you’re playing, whether you’re gay, straight, performing in both male and female drag is of Black Lives Matter, women’s rights and the trans, non-binary, queer, whatever. If you’re shit, also a tool to draw attention to most people’s abuse of immigrants. “I never wanted to be you’re shit. If you’re boring, you’re boring. It conditioned biases. “I tend to talk and act the pigeonholed by anything, be it black, be it trans, doesn’t matter what the surface is.” same regardless of my gender appearance, yet the be it a woman. These are all some parts of a whole

DJ Sprinkles

070 djmag.com Feeling better Shortly after coming out as transgender, Brooklyn’s Octo Octa released ‘Where Are We Going’ on Honey Soundsystem, an exceptionally classy piano-led house/techno album on which she embraces her true identity for the first time in public. Now ready to talk openly about her traverses as a trans DJ, we sat down and got to know her over Skype...

Words: SIRIN KALE

efore we speak over Skype one February a trans narrative she doesn’t want to be part of. 200 people? That’s the best.” evening, we follow Octo Octa — real For plenty of trans artists, their gender identity is So what about her DJing horror stories? After all, name Maya Bouldry-Morrison — on irrelevant to their music — just like many female DJs the backlash against the commercialisation of Instagram. In one picture Bouldry- bridle at constantly being asked about industry sexism. underground dance music, particularly in the USA, Morrison poses with her pet rabbit. “Right now, I don’t really mind talking about being where the influence of EDM is being more and more In another she wears her favourite animal-print shift trans,” she responds, citing DJ Sprinkles’ seminal felt, has caused many high-profile artists to lambast dressB and looks coyly at the ceiling. In all the photos album ‘Midtown 120 Blues’ as a major inspiration the current state of the scene. “I’ve had one guy she radiates happiness and security — but it wasn’t for her speaking out. “It was the first album that I leaning over the booth, yelling at me to borrow a always like this for the Brooklyn-based house DJ and identified with that has an explicitly trans narrative. I phone charger,” she laughs. producer. was so hungry for those narratives back then — when I “I don’t need to code or hide feelings that I had got them I could hear or see myself in them.” Now, Bouldry-Morrison is achieving the crossover before,” Bouldry-Morrison explains. We’re talking Now, she feels a responsibility to create new trans appeal that for a while eluded her. We ask about her about her critically-acclaimed 2013 album ‘Between narratives and boost trans visibility within the dance fellow label-mates on 100% Silk who were caught up in Two Selves’. Subsequently, Bouldry-Morrison came out music community. the tragic Oakland warehouse fire. Like her, they were as trans and began living as a woman. While ‘Between Bouldry-Morrison has always been something of an using the DIY scene to cut through in the crowded and Two Selves’ hinted at this process of transition, it was outsider artist: Entirely self-taught, she plugged away competitive dance music landscape — and they paid for never explicit. “‘Between Two Selves’ was a coded for years working in a coffee store in New York while their hustle, tragically, with their lives. message about coming out,” she explains, “but I think sending out demos to any record label that would “Chelsea [Faith Dolan, aka Cherushii, who died in the at the time I was too scared. I originally wanted to call take them. Eventually success came on the 100% Silk fire] played with me a bunch of times, and my friend that album ‘Trans’, but I wasn’t ready.” label, but Bouldry-Morrison encountered her share Joel was a headliner at that party,” says Bouldry- of haters along the way — some viewed 100% Silk as Morrison, growing sombre. “I was texting people and Now, Bouldry-Morrison is ready. And she’s back with amateurish, or not ‘proper’ house music. We ask her finding out what was going down on the night, and it ‘Where Are We Going’, a new album full of her signature about the backlash. “I feel like a lot of people wanted was awful.” piano-led classic house cuts that feel both fresh and to be gatekeepers,” she responds, “and they were For her, the Oakland warehouse fire is a tragic somehow familiar. In standout track ‘Where Are We frustrated by a DIY aesthetic coming into their spaces. consequence of the chronic lack of affordable arts Going? Pt. 2’, Bouldry-Morrison repeats the line “do They wanted power, and they thought that their taste spaces across the USA. “There were a bunch of people you feel better?” like a mantra. We ask her if she feels was the best taste.” on that bill who weren’t going to do big ticket sales at better now she’s living her true gender identity. “I’m Talking about ‘Where Are We Going’ (out now on Honey a club in the city,” she explains. “But if you have eight much more jubilant than I was at the time,” she replies. Soundsystem), we tell Bouldry-Morrison that DJ Mag performers and only two have records out, and they’re “I feel more free and open. But for me, the question ‘do felt like we’d heard the album before — in a good all locals, where are you going to play? We need more you feel better?’ isn’t about me personally, but about way. (It continues her signature sound of slightly sad, funding for DIY spaces so that you can accommodate all the scary unanswered questions about what the beautifully arranged piano-led house tracks.) Did she parties for 60 people, as opposed to needing to have future will hold now Trump’s been elected.” consider experimenting with a new sound? “I feel like 500 people show up at your party.” The day before we speak, President Trump revoked the this is the only thing that comes out!” she laughs. Despite the tragedy, Bouldry-Morrison is upbeat about Obama-era transgender bathroom protections in a “Sometimes it’s frustrating, but it makes my brain feel the future. “I played in Denmark a while back with DJ stunning blow to America’s transgender community. good.” Sprinkles and we both did interviews afterwards with For a politically conscious artist like Bouldry-Morrison, Her formula is working: she’s been booked to play at groups of kids at this music conference. And I was like, it’s hard not to be disheartened. “I feel like a ton of both Field Maneuvers and Movement festivals this year. ‘Everything’s great, it’s so wonderful!’” people got tricked,” she says, describing Trump voters. We ask about the challenges of playing to larger crowds So what about the future of the scene? “Where the In the course of our wide-ranging hour-long — she strikes us as the sort of artist who’d prefer scene’s heading more generally? I don’t know if it’s the conversation, we discuss various topics — European smaller, more intimate spaces. “I played Sonar once,” parties I’ve played lately, but I’ve seen a whole lot of dance music snobbery, Boiler Room sets, cult film she explains, “and that was such an enormous space people dancing.” Paris Is Burning. DJ Mag is concerned, we explain that was super-fun, but I only looked up once during And with that, we bid farewell — but we expect to see to Bouldry-Morrison, that we’re situating her within my set because I got super freaked out. A room with much more from Octo Octa in years to come.

djmag.com 071 ater this month, Olivier Mateu — aka label” when F-Com closed its doors that same year, Rodriguez Jr — will ascend the stage a high-profile casualty of the onset of file-sharing at the prestigious Barbican Centre in culture. He and Escoffier parted ways. London to sing on a track he made 17 years ago. Alongside him will be dance Mateu met a girl from Belgium and moved to Brussels music legend Sasha, who will be helming a full-scale (“Like I say, you need a fucking good reason to move Lsymphony orchestra. Presumably, he’s taking the to Brussels,” he says of his somewhat staid adopted looming pressure of performing in front of a sold-out hometown), and re-invented himself as Rodriguez audience of 2000 people for two nights at one of Jr, the name being a nod to Spanish roots in his London’s most famous arts venues very much in his family. He knew Anja Schneider from appearing on stride. her radio show in Berlin back in the Youngsters days, “I’m fucking shitting in my pants,” he says, with an and had got on famously well. The year before, she’d admirable frankness. “I mean, it’s kind of a weird launched her own concern, Mobilee Records with situation, but you cannot refuse that. So I said ‘OK, Ralf Kollmann, so he sent some of this new, deeper, let’s do it!’” more house-orientated material under this new The material Sasha approached him about name. She snapped it up for Leena, her new sub- performing is from another time. The track ‘Smile’ label. It’s been a “beautiful friendship” ever since. was penned in 2000, back when Mateu was recording “She was the first person I sent music to as with Gilles Escoffier, a fellow techno-head from Rodriguez Jr,” he tells DJ Mag. “She’s been so his hometown of Montpellier, under the name The helpful with advice, and helped me to develop my Youngsters. Discovered by Laurent Garnier and own sound signature. With Anja and with Mobilee, Eric Morand, and then signed to their revered F I have learned how to remove things. Anything Communications label, the track was used by Sasha useless. And just focus on the right stuff, the right on his classic 2004 mix album ‘Involver’, and the elements. It’s kind of a paradox. When you want to concert is going ahead as part of a anniversary remove things, it takes a lot of time. I really had celebration of its release. “Now I must deliver the to learn how to do that. It’s been a tough process, stuff,” he goes on. “We’ll see what happens. It’s a lot actually. It’s the same with drawing or painting. If of pressure. I mean, I can sing, but I’m not a singer. you remove things, you have to focus on the core. Life is about challenges, and this is a good one. It There’s nowhere to hide. And that’s definitely a will be a good story to tell.” difficult process.” Tracks like the breakthrough ‘Princess Guacamole’, While nostalgia is not his thing (“Nostalgia is ‘Chrysalism’ and ‘Persistence Of Vision’, all on really something that I refuse”), it’s worth noting Mobilee, have cemented him as a buy-on-sight artist that The Youngsters were a pretty big deal, at a for many. See also his collaborative work on Marc time when F-Com was at its most prolific, with Romboy’s Systematic. Stepping back from DJing — releases from Garnier himself alongside the likes he never really made the transition from vinyl to of Jori Hulkkonen, St Germain and Scan X. “It was digital and was happy enough to leave it behind — a fantastic time,” he says. “For me, this is how he now only plays live sets of his own material. everything began. Meeting Laurent Garnier, touring “It’s how I started, back in the ‘90s,” he says. “Now with him, spending time in the booth with him trying people expect me to perform live, so if I show up to understand how he managed to connect with the with a memory-stick or something like that, people crowd. This guy taught me everything I know. He’s a are going to be disappointed before I even start to very important person to me. play. That’s not the right way to start a performance. “And the label was all different colours, from house I love the challenge of playing my own music. When music to techno, y’know, whatever,” he continues. I play the keyboard — I mean, I’m not a great piano “For me, that’s how a label should be. Not just about player — sometimes I make mistakes and fuck it up, one style of music, one genre, but being open- and people can feel that. It’s like a moment, and you minded and trying to connect things together.” cannot replicate it, somehow. So even the mistakes Prior to this, as a teenager, he had zestily embroiled are important.” himself in the “huge rave scene” which exploded in the warehouses, basements, forests and factories ROOTS of the south of France in the mid-’90s, and soon Up until now, his 2011 album ‘Bittersweet’ was bought a synthesizer. probably the work that he was most proud of, but now there’s a new one coming, ‘Baobab’, named IMPORTANT after the striking, prehistoric tree typical of the His material with Escoffier as The Youngsters was the African savannah, known for its wide-spreading first that they got signed, to a small techno label root system. That’s what Mateu wants to showcase, called G-Funk, which got noticed by Garnier, who his roots as an electronic artist, which encompass then asked them to send him some tracks for F-Com. the likes of Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk through They sent him about 30 to choose from. When Eric to French synth legend Jean-Michel Jarre. It’s Morand called up the record shop in Montpellier a stunner. It flips from dark two-step to firm, where they were both working to tell him the label exquisitely — and simply — produced club tracks was going to put out some of their material, he with lilting pianos, and, on a few tracks, soul- thought it was a joke. “I was maybe 22, and I was soothing vocals from his friend Liset Alea, singer like ‘What the fuck are you telling me?!’ But it was from new-wave revivalists Nouvelle Vague. And while not a joke. When you’re making music, it’s important he’s not into nostalgia, he admits that “from time to have a reference, and F Communications was my to time it’s important to look back, but to use those most important. That, and Warp Music,” he says. moments for growing up”. Within weeks, they were touring Asia, South America and across Europe, often with Garnier, and ended up Right now, he’s preparing to unveil his new work releasing two albums for F-Com. to fans, and it’s a nerve-wracking experience. “I’m Sadly, when record sales dropped off a cliff around feeling excited, but very stressed at the same time,” 2006, and despite a few consequent Youngsters he says. “I don’t know how people are going to like releases on labels like Ralph Lawson’s 20/20 Vision it.” and Josh Wink’s Ovum, the band “died with the We think they’ll like it fine.

072 djmag.com JUNIOR

Since adopting the name Rodriguez Jr as a nod to his Spanish roots, the star of French producer Olivier Mateu — formerly one-half of the F Com-signed Youngsters duo — has ascended sharply. Now signed to Mobilee, he’s about to drop his stunning second artist album, ‘Baobab’, which looks set to catapult him further into the big league... Words: BEN ARNOLD Pic: LUDOVIC DI LORIO

djmag.com 073 Untitled-1 1 13/04/2017 13:54 REACHING THE SUMMIT

Ibiza’s International Music Summit (IMS) is celebrating a decade of workshops, panels and networking — not forgetting raving — in 2017. From water-cooler moments to fiery debates, progressive discussions and dancing, it’s one of the industry’s most crucial opportunities to come together and do business, each year marking the official start of another season of hedonism on the White Isle. Founded by Ben Turner and Danny Whittle — and with Pete Tong as the face of it — we take an in-depth look at IMS, its history and its future, on the eve of the 10th edition — the conference’s biggest one yet...

Words: KRISTAN J CARYL Pics: PHRANK, TOM HORTON & JAMES ALEXANDER CHAPMAN

he sun is starting to appear in the sky edition of IMS, there will be an extra air of Explosion Evaluated, The Diversity Debate and and a little warmth is in the air, which celebration about proceedings, not least because Digital Defined with Spotify, YouTube, Facebook means many of you will be starting of a series of special back-to-back DJ sets. There and others. to daydream about this year’s Ibiza will also be a Legends Dinner to celebrate 50 antics. Before all the hedonism kicks years of Pacha and the efforts of the man behind Taking part in the 10 keynotes to mark the 10 year off proper, though, there is the small it, Ricardo Urgell, the return of regular panels anniversary will be heavyweights like New Order’s Tmatter of the International Music Summit (IMS), such as the Pioneer DJ Award, The Great Annual Bernard Sumner, Innervisions DJ Dixon, four- a three-day event known as “the TED of music Ibiza Debate and a 2017 Business Report, the last times Grammy award nominees Masters At Work, conferences” that takes place at Gran Hotel on of which estimated that the global dance industry cultural ambassador The Black Madonna and big- The White Isle from 24th to 26th May, with big was worth over six-billion dollars a year. wigs from the likes of Native Instruments. In all, parties each evening at UNESCO World Heritage many topics are covered and plenty of knowledge site, The Dalt Villa. This year the topics covered via various open is shared, and it is that which makes this one debates, panels, workshops and keynote speeches of the most important dates in the calendar for Aiming to inspire debate, discussion and will include Health vs Hedonism, Playlists: Spotify DJs, label managers, agents and many other implement progressive change, each year the Best Practices, Live Streaming: Facebook Best professionals and businesses with a stake in number of panels and delegates and attendees Practices, How To Make The Leap To Become An dance music in 2017. grows and grows, but as 2017 will be the 10th Arena-Selling Artist, The Latam Electronic Genre

djmag.com 075 BACK TO BUSINESS Though there are other conferences such as WMC in Miami and ADE in the Netherlands, IMS is the DIPLO v DJ BL3ND one most focused around the business side of THE DIVERSITY DEBATE Who can forget the time that Diplo’s things, and it has been since it was first dreamt Last year, once again, the pressing topic of manager started on the manager of US up in 2007, in part inspired by the Music Seminar women in electronic music came up and some EDM jock DJ BL3ND? in New York in the late eighties. “What started as difficult stats were presented by Jackie Antas 80 people in a room with a finale on the tennis of Live Nation. It happened at IMS Engage in Los Angeles courts of Pike’s Hotel is now a conference with after Diplo was heading the panel 1500 delegates and a big rave in a Roman castle,” • In 2014, only 18% of electronic labels include discussing fake Facebook followers. He beams Danny Whittle, IMS co-founder. women on their rosters happened to mention that though he is • Just one out of 15 of Billboard’s Ones To more popular around the world, he had “Simon Dunmore from Defected actually had the Watch were women around 400,000 followers while DJ BL3ND original idea,” says Ben Turner, another IMS co- •No major music labels have female bosses had some three million, with many of founder and owner of Graphite Media, a music them coming from Mexico City, probably management and brand services company, who Radio 1’s B.Traits added, “Let’s never use the a definite sign that his followers had says it all came about at a time when he was phrase “female DJ” again — that would be great”, been purchased. Diplo went on to say the spending his Fridays at Pacha Ibiza when Pete while Maria May, a senior agent at Creative Artists stats are questionable given how new DJ Tong was resident and partner Danny was working Agency, said, “If you have a diverse company, a BL3ND was on the scene and how few gigs there. diverse roster, you ultimately make more money. he had played around the world. BL3ND’s Because the world is a diverse place.” manager was not happy and when Diplo’s “It was such an industry vibe, everyone was However, Mood label boss and Intec and manager, Kevin Kusatsu, told him to “shut hanging out there, and it just continually came Drumcode associate Nicole Moudaber gave a up!”, a fight eventually broke out between up that we were frustrated about going to frank if not contrary viewpoint, saying that, managers and was eventually broken up by conferences where there was very little dialogue. “Not a lot of men can do what I do, so maybe IMS officials. Places like WMC were just elite groups of people not a lot of women can do what I do too? I don’t partying in hotel suites. I felt we needed think any man has achieved what I have done in such a short period of time… I hope I can be an inspiration, an example to women. But I never thought it was this massive problem, actually.”

076 djmag.com something really business-focused at a time when dance music was in a down period. We were in Ibiza, the global capital of partying, but not much else, so we set about putting a professional face THE MAMBO BROTHERS on the island.” Born and raised on the White Isle, this pair “These kinds of events are really important have been attending IMS every single year for any industry. IMS is growing and growing At the time, the Ibizan government and some since it started. because it’s something that was needed in of the local islanders had little regard for dance the music industry. It’s a great opportunity music and thought it was all party music with no “I was very honoured that they asked me to meet people face to face that you don’t substance. Then, suddenly, IMS came along and to speak on a panel at IMS,” says Christian have time to see, and to prepare the summer. brought big brands and global CEOs and showed Anadon, one of the brothers. “I’ve been going You get the chance to meet club owners, the value the music has. “It definitely changed to IMS in Ibiza since it started, so it was like promoters, record labels, social media perceptions on the island,” says Ben. “In an era “Cool, let’s do it”! The panel was about how companies that you didn’t even know about… when media is so dispersed and information things are shaping up and changing in Ibiza. It is really amazing to see whats happened to comes from so many different sources, the issues I was alongside people who have been coming music business and the industry in general in that faced us — and the shared knowledge and to Ibiza for many years: Simon Dunmore from the last 10 years! shared contacts required to drive things forward Defected, Ernesto from Music On, Darren “So many things have happened since — were all lacking. Things never got discussed in from We Love… We all spoke about our Ibiza the beginning. I forget direct things that one place, so we put loads of thought-leaders into experiences. I spoke about my perspective, happened because of the conference, but I do a room in year one.” being born and raised in San Antonio, I spoke remember meeting with the Facebook team about the great future this town has and the and it was great to see that they are ravers Back then, issues ranged from booking artists, potential it has to grow. It was great, and like us. We will be around again at IMS 2017, getting paid, and even talks about our own Top host Grego didn’t put us on the spot! so send us a fax!” 100 DJs poll, which was, according to Ben, “one of the most explosive panels we ever had!”

Nowadays, the core team is still very much the driving force behind it all. “I do all the stuff locally on the ground, speaking to local councils, governments, getting licensing and all that,” says Whittle, who adds that Pete Tong “is the face of it all,” and Simeon Friend deals with production, while Ben deals mainly with content, ideas and the guests. ONWARDS & UPWARDS What makes IMS unique is that all of the partners are deeply involved in the industry and aim to share personal issues that face them and “There was a real need to put a professional things to arise has been the Get Played Get Paid their artists each and every day. As such, the side of the industry together, and look what campaign, while IMS has been having the great conference has grown exponentially from year happened: it’s exploded, and in order to do that gender debate for almost 10 years now, and one and has seen the likes of Coca Cola, Corona, the scene needed to have its house in order,” he finally the rest of the industry is beginning to Pioneer, Nokia and more all appear and help says, before explaining that key to IMS’s success catch up. legitimise the dance industry, and Ben reckons is the fact that everything happens in one room, it still has a lot more room for further growth, with between three and four hundred delegates Of the challenges, Ben says he still has lots despite newer conferences like IMS China and IMS listening in, “like one big water cooler moment.” to achieve and dreams of being able to bring Asia Pacific already being on-going concerns, with big names like Quentin Tarrantino or Facebook news of another new one to be announced for Once the conference is over, the discussions have founder Mark Zuckerberg to sister event IMS somewhere in the world at this year’s edition. real and lasting impacts. One of the most notable Engage in Los Angeles in order to “proudly show

djmag.com 077 how far this music can reach, but also for the Whittle adds that going forward for IMS is not knowledge of these people.” about expanding and growing too much. “We One of Ben’s proudest moments, he says, was want to keep it intimate. We want people to ANJA SCHNEIDER getting Def Jam co-founder and hip-hop mogul come and feel they have really played a part and The Mobilee boss is all for the shared Russell Simmons to appear by accosting him at have spoken to lots of people. Ibiza already has experiences of the IMS the side of a pool in Miami and striking a deal all the events, so we don’t need more of those, there and then. instead we want to develop the technology side, “It was back a little while ago (2013) that I so people can tune in and watch from anywhere appeared, but it was a good thing for sure. I was “The tenth year is an important time to assess,” in the world, send in Tweets and get involved that speaking about women in the industry (surprise, Turner muses. “Years have flown by and now we’re way.” surprise!) and about ghost production. in our forties, so we have to think what we can do Definitely some interesting points were raised. I with IMS to help change and educate and bring Turner has one key final thought. “While it’s was happy we kept a full audience throughout. the new generation through. The IMS College we important we are industry-facing, I’ll be honest “The IMS is very important in my eyes. So have done in Malta, and will do in the UK, is very — it’s also important for the finances to have the many people work behind the scenes and if much about schooling the next generation using parties. They are a nice way to celebrate the end you compare it to other businesses we are still all the knowledge from our speakers and the of three intense days in a dark room.” a very small group of individuals and visionary delegates all being students, whether they are people in our own specific way. It’s important managers or producers. So there is a big focus on to share experiences and resources. We are still education.” creating something new and working with lots of different individuals to create magic. Of course, there is a lot of competition, but I still have the feeling that we are all doing it because of a shared passion for music. This, in turn, is driving ERICK MORILLO the workflow, the respect and the creativity. IMS turned out to be real therapy for the Subliminal “Of course, learning is all about discovering Records boss something new every day. I love to be interactive and change my point of view and be “I felt great to be invited to IMS, Pete [Tong] is a very good open to listening to other people. Like I said friend of mine and when he asked me, I was honoured. IMS before, this is a really interesting aspect of our gave me an opportunity to open up about all the years of industry — it’s good to be open-minded to new drug use that I went through and how it affected my career, synergies and ideas.” and I felt it all went down fantastically. I did it because I thought if I could just help one DJ, one person to avoid the pitfalls and the pressures of the industry, then that would be a success. It ended up actually touching a lot of people and I got a lot of compliments about it so I’m really happy that I did it. “IMS is very important to dance music in general because it brings people together, it brings ideas together; it’s the roundtable of dance music! I like the fact that they bring a lot of different people from different parts of the business together — so it’s very good for artists and professionals who are up and coming as well as people who are already well-established. I had a number of meetings during IMS and got a lot of business done. I was in the process of re- launching my label, so it gave me an opportunity to connect with a lot of producers and put the faces together of the people who I work with in my industry.”

078 djmag.com Untitled-1 1 13/04/2017 13:54 Untitled-1 1 13/04/2017 18:14 TRANCE WORLD NEWS Andre Tanneberger, aka ATB, shot to global prominence nearly two decades ago with perennial trance anthem ‘9PM (Till I Come)’. Now notching up double figures in terms of album releases, ‘neXt’ sees him embarking on a rare collab with another producer while still refusing to play the typical industry game... Words: TIM STARK

ummer, 1999. Construction on the Millennium Dome is complete, Prince Edward’s getting Shitched, The Sixth Sense is creeping out to cinema-goers and a certain ‘9PM’ is, well, pretty much everywhere. Yup, ATB’s road started in the same way as many other trance A-listers — with one, big, mighty, now-borderline-synonymous chart whacker. Similarities to his fellow late-’90s fraternity don’t entirely stop there. In the from-there-to-here trajectory though, Andre Tanneberger’s walked a visibly different path to your Armins, PvDs and Ferrys.

Over his career duration, he’s resisted many of the production tropes and profile-boosting rhythms that have proved popular with his fellow pre-millennial anthem slingers. He doesn’t have a label stable, nor stall of budding protégées. Andre isn’t that keen on production collaborations or b2b sets. Neither does he appear too fussed if other DJs play/playlist his records. For years, an indispensible producer for spinners from his bloc and beyond, it was only in 2016 that he embarked on his own radio show. From the outside looking in, you might think that some delight in being different to the German. To his contemporaries (the ostensible ones at least), it’s made him something of an enigma, while to his fans perhaps it’s provided an extra line of cachet. A dark horse, something of an intentional lone wolf even, he’s by far the biggest heavy-hitting variable in trance’s generally well-ordered calculus. By and large though, his atypical M.O. has resulted in the same outcome as that of his ‘classmates’. As active as ever, he’s still (like it or not) classified as a trance DJ, he fills floors 48 weekends out of the year and is dependably consistent in the album release stakes. Resurgent in last October’s Top 100 DJs poll, he was also 2016’s trance-bounce. With this spring’s release of his new artist album, we thought we’d have a tête-à-tête about ‘neXt’, find out how you keep things fresh when your long-player

djmag.com 081 count hits double figures, and dig a little deeper Looking back at your career, Hamburg’s Kontor genres like we have it today. And I always wanted into Mr Tanneberger’s less than archetypal Records is all but synonymous with ATB. It’s to be independent from trends and genres.” approach... hard to think of an artist from your sector that’s been with one record label for as long OK, but this more independent approach does Andre, good to be chatting with you today. as you have. What has been the secret to that play well with your specific audience, I think... ‘neXt’ is your 10th album in a touch under career-long artist/label relationship? “Yes, I think so too — especially the audience 20 years. 2014’s ‘Contact’ seemed to be the “Kontor has been my home since day one. I’ve that follows me since day one. They know that my most notable point at which your production known the staff for a long time, and know shows have a concert feeling, as I’m playing a lot approach transformed. Do you feel that ‘neXt’ them pretty well now. The relationship with of my own tracks.” is a natural successor or a progression to that? Jens (Thele, Kontor’s founder, MD and Head of Or is this a stylistic gear-change again? A&R) isn’t really based on business, but on real Saying what we’ve said about collaborations, Andre: “For me, every album is a progress — not friendship and trust. Jens and his team give Dash Berlin and now (on ‘neXt’) Andrew Rayel only my last one, ‘Contact’. But that’s just my me the musical freedom I need to continue my are two notable exceptions. What is it that you view. Most important for me is that I want to signature sound since the very beginning. This identify with in particular about their sounds? develop and follow my own sound, and not run is enormously important to me. It keeps me very “After ‘Man On The Run’ (which was a fantastic after trends. So I think ‘neXt’ is another step in creative.” tune), I started to watch what Jeff (from Dash doing that — new collaborations, fresh sounds, Berlin) and his team came up with. So I had the but still ATB.” You’ve always seemed to place yourself outside feeling that a combination of both sounds could of trance’s well-established mainline practices, be great. That’s how it started. The same with Is there a meaning lying behind the title? largely sidestepping known-name production Andrew Rayel. We met at a show in San Jose “This is my 10th studio album, so I had the idea collaborations etc. Has this been a conscious, and talked about working together. So he sent to work with the Roman numeral for 10 (X). I also purposeful decision and if so what lies behind the piano melody to ‘Connected’, and it was so wanted to express that things continue — and it? inspiring that I immediately started to work on that my new album is part of that. So that is how “Since I’ve been doing music, I’ve collaborated this song. In both cases, it was the melody that ‘neXt’’s title was born.” a lot — but mostly with singers and songwriters. got me.” Not, as you say, that often with other DJs and After two decades, what aspects of music producers. If I’m starting a track, there is a Following ‘neXt’s release, what are your plans production keep you most stimulated and certain point where I have the entire song, for the rest of 2017? enthusiastic? sound, arrangement et al in my head. I just have “It took me a while to finish ‘neXt’, but I’m not “It’s great to see how technology evolved. to get those things out and into the track. So my planning to wait another three years to do the Thinking back, I started on an old Commodore ideas are very accurate, and no one could get next album. So I’ll be working on club edits of AMIGA. That’s a sharp comparison to nowadays, them into the song as I would want them. It’s like many tunes, continuing my ‘neXt World Tour’, and where kids are doing entire productions being in my own world.” around the Fall I’ll start working on new songs.” — including mastering — on a laptop with headphones etc. There are so many new Is there maybe an element of refusing to play Finally, ‘9PM’ turns 20 in 2018. Any plans for a technologies and possibilities popping up. I ‘the trance game’? retrospective re-visitation!? wished I could have had those possibilities back “No! I’m absolutely not refusing here! But maybe “Well, ‘9PM’ opened many doors, but I’m always in the day (laughs).” that’s because I’m not thinking too much in terms on the run to create new music. So I haven’t of genres. If you see my background, starting to planned any re-release yet. But you never know. Having worked on ‘Distant Earth’ and ‘Contact’, do music back in the early ‘90s, there were no Maybe on the day, it just happens!” Sean Ryan’s back singing on a third ATB album — certainly one of the singers you’ve worked most consistently with over the course. What makes that relationship special? “For me, Sean Ryan has one of the most beautiful voices on the planet. Every time, when I’m sending him a layout, it takes some time to hear back from him. He needs to drift into sound. But when it comes back, it’s always so emotional and guarantees me goosebumps.”

Mike Schmid (also, trivia-fans, The Chainsmokers’ keyboardist) has three vocal turns on ‘neXt’ alone. He’s clearly made an impression on you, too. What is it in particular that you feel in his songwriting? “The first time I heard Mike’s voice on one of my layouts, I was simply flashed. He has his very own style of composing and singing and this is very important for me. I’m always searching for new vocalists with a significant sound in their voices. Even when I’m listening to new tracks that Mike wrote and sang on, I can immediately identify his work.”

The final quarter of ‘neXt’ shifts away entirely from vocal collaborations and features your own solo material. There’s a lot more chillout- themed and titled music there. From your artistic perspective, how do these two styles dovetail? “The name of my second album was ‘Two Worlds’. That’s the title that describes my musical taste best. I’ve always been in love with ambient music with a lot of emotions. ‘neXt’ is full of melodies which connect those tunes to the other ones on the album. I think the track ‘Route 66’ is like a hybrid of both CDs. So that’s where they resolve.”

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Untitled-1 1 13/04/2017 11:57 greg wilson’s discotheque archives

Words GREG WILSON Edited by JOSH RAY

CLASSIC LABEL LALPPHI DE HIA AINTERN TIONAL CrdRE O S CLASSIC VENUE

DURING THE 1960s the popularity THE BLITZ, LONDON of discotheques, where recorded rather than live music took precedence, was very much on the rise, with soul labels like ANGRY AND SOMETIMES nihilistic, the punk scene exploded out of youth culture at a Motown (plus subsidiaries), Stax and Atlantic favoured on the time of great economic turmoil in the mid-‘70s. However, as the decade progressed dancefloor. and the situation grew worse, young people in London’s West End decided to reject Musicians/songwriters Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff set-up squalid, rough-edged punk in lieu of the more opulent and expressive subculture their own Motown-inspired label, Excel, in the mid-‘60s, soon that came to be known as New Romantic. changing the name to Gamble and making their mark via 1968’s Catalysed in the small Blitz club in Covent Garden, this colourful scene offered up ‘Cowboys To Girls’ by The Intruders, a defining ‘Philly Sound’ fresh and exciting new ideas and styles, inviting its participants to dress up and be release. fabulous, donning outlandish costumes and sporting androgynous looks at a time They launched Neptune Records in 1969, signing acts including when this was considered provocative to mainstream sensibilities. The O’Jays, The Three Degrees and Billy Paul. However, when Having found themselves entangled in the London punk scene, Rusty Egan — Chess, the label’s parent company, changed hands, Neptune was previously the drummer in new wave band Rich Kids, founded by ex-Sex Pistol a casualty. Gamble and Huff transferred their artists to a new Glen Matlock and fronted by Midge Ure pre-Ultravox — along with Welsh-born label in 1971, signing an exclusive deal with Columbia Records, provocateur Steven Harrington (aka Steve Strange) had begun hosting ‘Bowie who were looking to develop their black music output — this was nights’ on Tuesdays at Billy’s nightclub in Soho, where, apart from David Bowie, Philadelphia International, formed in the East Coast’s second artists like Lou Reed, Roxy Music and Kraftwerk were heavily featured — and largest city, 80 miles from New York. Gamble and Huff would electronic music championed. With Egan soundtracking and Strange hosting, these also set up a publishing company, Mighty Three Music, with nights proved hugely popular and after three months the duo moved operations songwriter/producer/arranger Thom Bell, best-known for his to their permanent home at The Blitz, which was conveniently situated near to St work with The Delfonics, The Stylisics and The Spinners. Martin’s art college. Throughout the next decade Philadelphia International enjoyed A whole creative culture began to emerge around The Blitz as Egan unleashed a new major success, achieving over 170 gold and platinum records. wave of British club music — evolving an alternative playlist that the New Romantic Playing a crucial role in evolving the disco genre, it was the movement would spread across the country during the early-‘80s. leading soul/dance label of the early/mid-‘70s, renowned for Egan commanded the decks at The Blitz until 1981, further spreading his musical its lush string arrangements, and particularly influential prior influence across the city via his King’s Road record shop, The Cage. He became to 1976 when a mutiny of its musicians to New York’s Salsoul a central figure in London’s musical development and after his short yet highly Records marked the end of its golden era. influential tenure at The Blitz, he moved to the impressive Camden Palace in 1982, Most recordings were made at Philadelphia’s Sigma Sound continuing to help push club music in an electronic direction. Studios, with a collective of over 30 musicians on hand to work A number of bands emerged out of The Blitz including Visage, with Strange on vocals with the label’s artists. Known as MFSB (Mother Father Sister and Egan on drums; Spandau Ballet, who had a number of their early gigs at the Brother), this intoxicating disco orchestra would adorn some club; and Boy George’s Culture Club. The club’s regulars were known as Blitz Kids and of the greatest dance recordings of the era — apart from the also included The Face journalist and BBC Radio London DJ Robert Elms, singer- aforementioned O’Jays and Three Degrees, the label could songwriter Sade, as well as Chris Sullivan, who’d continue to keep the New Romantic boast Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes, with lead vocalist Teddy flame alight in Pendergrass tearing it up on memorable tracks like 1974’s ‘The London as co-owner Love I Lost’, and ‘75’s ‘Bad Luck’ and ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’. of the ultra-hip MFSB’s own releases would include 1973’s ‘TSOP (The Sound Of Wag Club, formerly Philadelphia)’ — the theme to the seminal TV show Soul Train — Whisky A Go-Go. and ‘Love Is The Message’, an anthem on New York’s flourishing Steve Strange and disco scene. Key members included Earl Young, Ronnie Baker three fellow Blitz Kids and Norman Harris, the crack rhythm section from Philadelphia famously appeared group The Trammps — Young acknowledged as the originator of alongside David the disco style of rock drumming. Vibes player Vincent Montana Bowie in the video to Jr. was also crucial, playing on and arranging many tracks. his 1980 No.1 single, By the 1980s Philadelphia International’s most successful years ‘Ashes To Ashes’. were behind it, the Columbia/CBS distribution deal coming to an end in 1985.

084 djmag.com CLASSIC RECORD JAMES BROWN ‘GET UP I FEEL LIKE BEING A SEX MACHINE’

ALTHOUGH IT WAS with ‘Cold Sweat’ that James Brown first unleashed funk upon the world, it was in 1970, with ‘Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine’, that ‘soul music’s bastard offspring’ arrived in its fully realised form. THE BLITZ, LONDON ‘The hardest working man in show business’ had been around since the early-‘50s, first emerging in Georgia as part of the Gospel Starlighters alongside friend Bobby Byrd. The band became The Famous Flames and got their break after coming into contact with Brown’s idol, Little Richard, who put them onto his manager and gifted them the title of their first R&B hit, ‘Please, Please, Please’ (1956), which he’d illustration by Pete Fowler scrawled onto a napkin. His next major hit, ‘Try Me’, came in 1959, hitting the top spot on the R&B chart, but it was 1963’s CLASSIC DJ ‘Live At The Apollo’ LP that launched James Brown to a wider audience, reaching No.2 on the US album chart and illuminating Brown as one of the great live TEE SCOTT performers in the process. The next watershed release, 1965’s ‘Papa’s Got A MARC ALLEN SCOTT, better known as Toraino more according to his mood. Scott held his Brand New Bag’, was not only his first US top 10 or Tee Scott, was a significant DJ in New York position towering above the dancefloor at single, but his first British hit — breaking through during the ‘70s/early-‘80s. He was a remix Better Days until late-1980 when another after initial support from the mods — whilst ‘I Got pioneer and one of the first DJs to utilise three legendary remixer, Bruce Forest, took over, You (I Feel Good)’ and his epic ‘It’s A Man’s Man’s turntables and sound effects in nightclubs. leading the club into a new era. Man’s World’ (1966) confirmed his place at black Although he grew up in a musical family, Scott music’s vanguard. became a DJ by accident, having previously Following in the footsteps of pioneers Tom Although dubbed the ‘Godfather Of Soul’, funk worked as a senior clerk for the Bronx Family Moulton and Walter Gibbons, Scott turned his was destined to become the musical style most Court. He got his first break at Candy Store attention to the studio, landing his first remix associated with James Brown. ‘Cold Sweat’ laid its in 1972, when, on a night out, he criticised for Philadelphia International’s 1979 Edwin 1967 blueprint, with further tracks including ‘I Got one of the DJs working there to the owner, Birdsong single ‘Phiss-Phizz’. His break came The Feelin’, ‘Say It Loud ­— I’m Black And I’m Proud’, inadvertently resulting in him being offered later that year via his take on First Choice’s ‘Give It Up Or Turn It A Loose’ and ‘Mother Popcorn’ an audition, which consequently led to a ‘Love Thang’, whilst, frustratingly, he wasn’t further endorsing this new groove direction during regular slot — playing to a mainly white and credited for his mix of Roberta Flack & Donny the decade’s final years. Latin audience. Just a few months later he’d Hathaway’s 1980 classic ‘Back Together Having dismissed most of his band at the onset secure a night at the venue where he would Again’, a top three UK hit. of the ‘70s, Brown began working with a group of make his name, Better Days, a poorly-lit, I first noticed the name Tee Scott on the younger musicians he’d name The J.B.’s. One of predominantly black gay club in a notoriously Arthur Baker-produced 12-inch ‘Happy Days’ their first recordings was ‘Get Up I Feel Like Being A seedy part of midtown Manhattan. by Northend, released on Emergency in 1981. Sex Machine’, driven by the killer bass of a brilliant Scott set about establishing Better Days What was particularly impressive was that my raw teenager called William ‘Bootsy’ Collins, who, amongst the leading underground clubs in preferred version, the largely instrumental despite his inexperience, had been — in a bold ‘70s New York. Having studied electronics, flip ‘Tee’s Happy’, incorporated the DJ’s stroke of genius — brought to the fore by Brown. he designed an amplifier and rigged up name in its title, highlighting the newfound Accentuated by his vocal to-and-fro with long-time the lighting, while — influenced by David importance of the remixer. During the early- collaborator Bobby Byrd, ‘Sex Machine’ is a triumph Mancuso’s Loft parties — he convinced ‘80s he’d remix a number of underground club of rhythm — forever vital and urgent. Brown’s the club to install tweeters and bass favourites by artists including Sharon Brown, funk formula, ‘the one’, would fuel Funkadelic/ reinforcement, plus his Thorens turntables of Junior, Stone The Whatnauts and Whodini. Parliament, with Bootsy Collins and his guitarist choice. As the decade unfurled, Scott’s star faded. He brother Catfish joining forces with George Clinton He built a reputation for his smooth mixing, died in 1995 aged 47, having been diagnosed following their short but seismic J.B’s stint — the acute programming and big, emotional with cancer at the start of the ‘90s. P-Funk crew also later enlisting the services of James selections. While many view Larry Levan as the Brown stalwarts Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker. greatest NYC DJ, Tee Scott was remembered for www.gregwilson.co.uk being consistently good, with Levan playing

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087 djmag.com WAX LYRICAL WAX tomorrow, what are you going to you what are tomorrow,

tonight?

wrong, or at thewrong, very least over really the top. such be it would a I’m sure laugh.” is going to world Imagine the underground simply out of necessity. simply underground I thinkThe more about that, the it more sounds exactly the way it ought to be!” end do “What could you do? I dunno. Most of my ex-girlfriends don’t talk to me, so wouldn’t be phoning them or anything that.like Time to get smashed then!” Describe imagine clubbing what you 2300? year in the like be to still clubs and we have “Hopefully, places to fun. The meet, dance and have way the powers that be want everything so sterile and conformed these days, to I think be very have it would Terry Francis ‘Expansions’. It’s an amazing tune that‘Expansions’. captures it all forreally me. The vibe acid boogie and even of house, funk, house, I felt — and still feel — it all in just that one tune. And it’s such a It’s tune, as well. positive just a proper brilliant jam. Simply live to my ears.” your leave never tunes that Three bag? “Second Hand Satellites ‘Orbit 1.3’ Just(Hallucination Recordings). a by DJtimeless record & Sean Q6 Three with tripped a combination of unique, an undeniable groove. out sounds over Away’. “Guy Gerber ‘So Close, Far Another one I always hypnotic find a moment for with train-of- a proper thought backing track locking you in for the whole ride. get the Still “Digital Boogie ‘Afterglow’. for even now thissame reaction older classic.” or — alive anyone could meet If you it be and why? dead — who would a beer with to Peter have like Cook“I’d and Dudley They a bit Moore. were (‘Rosie and Hannah House’). and (‘Rosie As relevant years as he was now 15 ago, Terry Francis is still killing it, so we wanted a piece of his party history... tell Please first rave? your Remember us about it... my first was in a barnrave “Technically, out towards Oxford. It was a Kiss FM party, when Kiss was a pirate station. In The Mix’ AndersonPaul ‘Trouble and a fewplayed other old school guys, but it was Paul that stood out to me. He was dirty, a bit more in a heads-down On West Greenwich house kind of way. London wasmy first probably rave, though, not just a dance for a few hours rave. It was— I mean a proper called hall. You Biology in an old snooker the kind of place you don’t wearknow, your best trainers to. These days I go to some places, and it looks people are like going to dinner with their parents!” ever most crucial the record What was opinion? made, in your the say most“For me, I’d critical record I bought was Lonnie Liston Smith

Pic: DANNY SEATON Fabric IS A DON. FRANCIS TERRY and founder of since 1999 resident mid-’90s London party and label Wiggle, he’s without doubt one of the most influential players on the UK tech- house scene. the as rocking As well inside of Fabric’s brickedhallowed walls in, week week out, he’s sometimes as overlooked of more — considered a producer he’s puta DJ these days. However, out a (perhaps) surprisingly long discography of vinyl for releases labels Piratelike and Pleasure Radio, Groove imprint,his own and this month sees the arrival of his first album. ever classic EPs bothMade up of two originally on Hallucination released in released Limited — ‘Freedom’, 2005 — it’s from 2003, and ‘Change’, entitled ‘Together’cunningly — two — and todayEPs combined, geddit? showcasing as ever, it sounds as fresh his timeless, unctuous deep house (‘Change’/Rhythm Spirit’ featuring AfonsoRicardo in all its glory on vocals) drivingalongside more stuff (‘Free’) and popping warm tech-house grooves