Feb 8, 2008
Get Smart
If you’re smart you’ll know where you need to be this weekend. Smartie Partie, the long running house music institution, comes to Turnmills on Saturday 9th February for a Valentine’s Special.
Progressive house dude Paul Jackson headlines, with strong DJ support coming from Alex Miles, Carlos Francisco, Huckleberry Finn, DJmag’s own Craig Rock and many more. Tickets are £8 if you print off the flyer, otherwise £15. The event will be filmed by DJTV so get down and strut your stuff!
Cream of the Crop
On Easter Weekend, spring has officially sprung. And to usher in the good weather, Cream is throwing one hell of a party. On 22nd March, the Cream Easter Special comes to Liverpool’s Nation club, with a line up guaranteed to get the club jumping. Trance deities including Ferry Corsten, Eddie Halliwell and Marco V are just a smattering of the big names that’ll be blowing speakers and minds in Nation’s Courtyard area, and they’ll be accompanied by house don Dave Spoon busting out his brand of tough rhythms.
The Scandinavian super DJs often known as the Swedish House Mafia — Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello — are to make their debut in the main room, busting out some of the massive, acerbic electro house and tech tinged beats that they’re known for, and they’ll be ably assisted by residents Lee Ellis and Anthony Probyn.
The event marks the beginning of another exciting year for Cream. Tickets are priced at £20+BF and are available from www.ticketline.co.uk and 0844 888 4401. More info at www.cream.co.uk.
This Could Be Dangerous
Feted producer to the stars Danger Mouse is back with a bang in 2008. The imaginative studio auteur, aka Brian Burton, who first picked up props for his widescreen, mind-boggling fusion of Jay Z and The Beatles (‘The Grey Album’) and a sampladelic rap opus with Jemini (‘Ghetto Pop Life’) has three new projects which will see the light of day this year.
The first record with the Danger Mouse signature to be unveiled will be Martina Topley-Bird’s long awaited second solo set, ‘The Blue God’. Burton has produced and co-written the record, his stamp of innovation and sonic trickery forming the backdrop to Topley-Bird’s exquisite voice.
The hazardous rodent has also lent his considerable abilities to new Wall of Sound signings The Shortwave Set, whose own second record ‘Replica Sun Machine’ has been entirely produced by Burton. Employing a 24 piece orchestra conducted by Beach Boys collaborator Van Dyke Parks, it’s destined to be epic indeed.
Last but not least, Danger Mouse has resurrected lysergic freak funk and acid hop nutbags Gnarls Barkley, his hook-up with soul machine Cee-Lo Green. After 2006’s mega hit ‘Crazy’, expectations are high, but the duo — holed up in a top secret studio in Atlanta putting the finishing touches to the new album — promise not to disappoint.
Feb 5, 2008
Shake the Lake!
There’s something big stirring at Loch Ness. No, it’s not the fabled giant serpent! Rock Ness is back and better than ever.
Taking place over the weekend of 7th-8th June on the shores of the jaw-dropping natural wonder, outside the village of Dores, four miles south-west of Inverness, the Rock Ness crew have truly pulled out all the stops. Funk soul brother Fatboy Slim, electro rockers Digitalism, Brazilian punkers CSS, groovehounds Simian Mobile Disco and chanteuse Roísín Murphy have all signed up to play live at the massive event which sees punters from all over the UK converging on the beautiful environs of the legendary lake.
DJs are well represented too: 2ManyDJs return with their own Radiosoulwax arena; Felix Da Housecat brings his inimitable electro to the table; and French crowd pleaser David Guetta is bound to rock his own F**k Me I’m Famous arena. This is the third year of Rock Ness, which in its short history has already become one of the best loved and most anticipated events in the UK festival calendar.
Tickets are on sale now priced at £100 each, and are available from www.ticketline.co.uk.
State of Independence
The UK is world famous for its independent record labels. Names like Buzzin’ Fly, Ninja Tune and 20:20 Vision are all synonymous with quality: small imprints dedicated to releasing original, diverse and exciting music, offering an alternative to the often pedestrian product of majors and conglomerates. In the changing climate of the music industry, it’s become increasingly difficult to compete in the crowded marketplace. But Independents Day is set to change all that.
A new global initiative conceived as a collaboration between some of the world’s finest labels, Independents Day takes place on 4th July this year and aims to celebrate the incredible music and cultural richness that indie labels foster. Leading UK participants such as Rekids, Fabric and Hospital are all putting their weight behind the project, which aims to raise national and international co-operation and funds. On the day, there will be a celebrity auction which puts artist memorabilia and musical rarities under the hammer. As well as an online auction, each participating country will host its own physical auction - meaning that twenty events will be occurring in synchronicity around the planet.
Under the auspices of Independents Day, there will also be a special album produced, containing exclusive new tracks from some of the participating labels and artists, and a definitive list of the greatest independent albums of all time compiled, which will be announced live on the day by the partnered radio stations.
Artists involved with the project include Radio Slave (Matt Edwards), Craig Richards, Luke Solomon, London Elektricity, Ali B, High Contrast and DJ Spooky. Edwards was vocal in his support. “It’s invaluable that we preserve such labels, those that take risks, champion new genres and look beyond the mainstream. That’s what Independents Day ‘08 is all about.”
Feb 2, 2008
Moon Base Alpha
Check out the Linus Loves remix of Alphabeat’s new single HERE
Hotly-tipped Danish band Alphabeat have hit the ground running with a brace of great remixes for their new single ‘Fascination’, out 3rd March on EMI. Re-licks from the likes of Sinden and the Count of Monte Cristal, Bimbo Jones and Linus Loves all offer radically different dancefloor rocking treatments. You can check out the Linus Loves mix right here:
Alphabeat ‘Fascination’ (Linus Loves Remix)
http://del.interoute.com/?id=0853a9c2-f155-49d7-83fd-ba862ce1ef8d&delivery=stream
Carl Craig Video Interview
Detroit legend Carl Craig is set to unleash his incredible double CD ‘Carl Craig Sessions’ on 3rd March.
A collection of his finest remixes and productions to date, it’s the audio odyssey that many of us have been hoping the DJ/producer would one day compile, and to cap it all, it’s mixed with sublime style by the man himself. Check out this video interview, courtesy of his label !K7 Records:
QUICKTIME: http://media.k7-de.com/video/CarlCraigINTW_big.mov http://media.k7-de.com/video/CarlCraigINTW_med.mov http://media.k7-de.com/video/CarlCraigINTW_sm.mov
WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER: http://media.k7-de.com/video/CarlCraigINTW_big.wmv http://media.k7-de.com/video/CarlCraigINTW_med.wmv http://media.k7-de.com/video/CarlCraigINTW_sm.wmv
Warp Speed Nine
Germany’s wicked Warp Festival
If you love techno you can’t afford to miss the Warp Festival. Taking place on Saturday 5th April at the Maimarkthalle venue in Mannheim, Germany, Warp aims to celebrate the very best across the techno spectrum. For 14 years the festival has spearheaded musical innovation, and this year looks to be no exception. The line up reads like a veritable A-Z of electronic dance, with appearances from Carl Cox, Sven Väth, Richie Hawtin, Laurent Garnier (spinning an eight hour set), Ricardo Villalobos, Loco Dice and Luciano all present and correct.
Those slavering for a bit of the old electro filth needn’t fear either – Digitalism, Boys Noize are gonna put those bassbins through their paces. After an exceptionally successful 2007, Warp is set to be ever better this April. Don’t miss it! Tickets are priced at €45 plus booking fee in advance, and €55 on the night, and can be purchased from www.time-warp.de or www.ticketweb.co.uk.
James Zabiela Announces North American Winter Tour
Announces new tour along with his new EP.
James Zabiela announces his North American Winter Tour 2008. The tour kicks off mid-February hitting cities across the east coast and continues into March on the west coast. James has also released his latest EP 'Perseverance' out in stores physical and digital.
Says James about the tour, "I'm lucky enough to have two amazing tours in one month, Australia and USA. Both countries have great open-minded crowds that always make me feel welcome. I'm also super excited to be coming back to my Pacha residency in New York after a short break. Bring it on!"
Tour Dates
Thursday 21-Feb The Forum, Charlotte USA
Friday 22-Feb Pacha, New York USA
Saturday 23-Feb Guvernment, Toronto Canada
Thursday 28-Feb Tribe, Montreal Canada
Friday 29-Feb Fur, Washington DC USA
Saturday 1-Mar Vision, Chicago USA
Thursday 6-Mar Ruby Skye, San Francisco USA
Friday 7-Mar Belo, San Diego USA
Saturday 8-Mar Vanguard, Los Angeles USA
About James Zabiela
James currently sits at #17 in the world wide DJ Magazine Top 100 DJ poll. And in 2007 he was awarded the Best British DJ at the DJ Mag Best British DJ Awards. At the end of last year he also released a 4-track EP of all original material, titled ‘Perseverance EP’. The EP showcases a mature, polished side to James’ production and is a testament to where he sits today as a producer. Armed with his fully loaded laptop, effects units, CDs and other box of tricks, James has created his own place on the scene. He holds residencies at Space-Ibiza and Pacha-New York and released successful compilations on Renaissance as well as EPs and singles.
