Plant Music: Love Me is the first compilation in a brand new series from the New York-based label, featuring a collection of some of the sexier of its recently released cuts. The artwork is by Plant friend and rising art star Curtis Kulig, whose "Love Me" message can be seen on the streets and in galleries from Los Angeles to New York to Tokyo. The album is compiled and curated by Plant honchos Dominique Keegan and Stretch Armstrong and is Plant Music's second compilation series, having released the infamous and much acclaimed "Sound Of Young New York" albums in the mid-2000s.

Beat & Raw will be the new Friday party at Space Ibiza. This is a new concept, an urban-feel party that plays with the stories of two characters, Beat and Raw, two friends who through circumstances of life decide to set off together on a trip to the island of Ibiza where they will live magic and unbelievable experiences at Space Ibiza.

After four years of techno EPs for Delsin and Ann Aimee, Niels Luinenburg aka Delta Funktionen has finished his debut full length, ‘Traces’, due for release on 9^th July. Though still very much couched in techno, the album sees Dutchman Delta – who recently mixed it up for Ann Aimee on their ‘Inertia’ compilation – explore plenty of new sonic territory, as he often does in his long ranging DJ sets. It's adventurous, basically, and is an album that doesn't loose itself in intricate sound design, but instead pairs a raw, machine made aesthetic with plenty of real human soul and palpable earthly emotion. 

Orbital were recently confirmed to play live at the massive Space Opening Fiesta next Sunday, 27^th May. With an electrifying and exclusive live set, Orbital – brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll - are back with an unbelievable bang this year with not only with an appearance at Space Ibiza, but the release of their first new album in eight years, appropriately titled ‘Wonky’. The duo will be testing it live on the Space stage, surrounded by thousands of music hungry fans keen to hear their new productions as well as some classic tracks.

The final Spectrasoul single before their debut album drops has arrived and it may be set to cement the duo as one the most exciting and most talented production outfits currently spearheading the multi-genre movement. 

Following a successful independent physical release and national tour with Rohin Jones in early 2012, Australia-based band The Broken Needles’ long-awaited debut album, ‘Terra Nullius’, is now out. Borne out of the tropical wasteland of the region, the album is a ride from the desolate, empty landscape of the band’s hometown to the southern capital cities of Australia, filtered through lead-singer Mick Galloway’s decadent and depraved mind. 

London’s Disco Bloodbath launches its long awaited label this June with the raw, unbridled house of ‘That Ain’t Right’ by co-founder Damon Martin and backed with remixes from Waze & Odyssey and Legendary Children. Disco Bloodbath began life in 2007 as an irregular speakeasy party in the basement of a Caribbean restaurant in East-London, the brainchild of its resident DJs Damon Martin, Ben Pistor and Dan Beaumont (now ex-Bloodbath). 

Following up the J Daniel single ‘The Way’, Portuguese label Question of Time are back with the debut single from East London duo Tingle Town. Portugal’s Question of Time Records was one of the country’s leading electronic music labels in the ‘90s, now after an extended hiatus the imprint is back and causing a stir once again. Label boss J Daniel kicked off the reinvigorated label late last year with a brand new single and followed it up with a remix of his classic 1995 track ‘The Way’.

Another soul singer gone as disco legend Donna Summer sadly passed away yesterday at her home in Florida. Donna, aged 63 had been battling cancer for some time and her family made the announcement of her death on Thursday morning. The five-time Grammy Award winner, famous for her hits including ‘I Feel Love’, ‘Hot Stuff’ and ‘Love To Love You Baby’ broke new ground for dance music in the ‘70s, after her collaborations with producer Giorgio Moroder.

Guy Gerber takes a different approach to the latest edition of the fabric series, producing 16 new tracks, including collaborations with some other talented producers, to carefully craft his own story. Guy is notorious in electronic music for being a maverick. Both within genres and musical collectives, the Israeli likes to keep his toes in many musical worlds. From his mysterious 11:11 project to his adventurous and high kudos Supplement Facts label, Gerber’s greatest fear would be to be pigeonholed. 

German DJ and production duo Tube & Berger are set to release their long awaited debut album ‘Introlution’, mixing acoustic chords with electronic beats to create an organic and well crafted listen. Tube and Berger, also known as Arndt Roerig and Marko Vidovic, set out to give electronic music an organic and “live character” and that is exactly what they have done with their debut album. Using acoustic instruments and vintage hardware, they create a warm rich sound that resonates throughout the long player.

Festival No. 6 has revealed its next wave of acts including Richard Hawley, psychedelic rock band Death in Vegas, Gruff Rhys, Kindness and LA indie rockers Local Natives. Also joining headliners New Order, Primal Scream and Spiritualized will be Field Music, Everything Everything, Beth Jeans Houghton, Alt-J, Cate le Bon, Jessie Ware, Eugene McGuiness, Clock Opera, The Wave Pictures, Gang Colours, Y Niwl, Sweet Baboo and The Whip. 

Following on from our news last week, with trailer video, Toolroom TV successfully launched yesterday and is already proving to be pretty damn good. Documenting all things Toolroom and bringing to the small screen the international world of house music, the first episode gives a behind the scenes look at Toolroom Knights parties at Brixton Academy, Space Ibiza and the world's leading electronic music conference - the Amsterdam Dance Event. 

2012 will see Pete Tong take his "all gone" parties to a whole new level. Last year was a top year for Pete at Pacha and this year he is set to raise the bar even further, with a line-up that balances global superstars with the pride of the underground, from Calvin Harris to Jamie Jones, Seth Troxler, Maya Jane-Coles and many more.

Prominent Brazilian club, D-Edge recently announced their next release is a mix CD compiled and programmed by The Classic Music Company co-boss, Luke Solomon.

 Recently described by Andrew Weatherall on BBC 6 Music as the ‘unsung hero of British house music’, the long-standing house producer, label boss, A&R man, DJ and live performer, engineer and peerless selector has been a fixture on the house scene for decades. Luke’s Classic label, run with Chicago legend Derrick Carter, has also been responsible for a plethora of seminal and idiosyncratic house cuts and has now been revived to a rapturous reception.



Azealia Banks will release her debut EP, ‘1991’ digitally on May 29^th through Polydor Records, with a physical version to follow on June 12^th. Her first single ‘212’ is fast approaching 16 million views on Youtube and she is currently recording her debut album, which will be released later this year. Azealia will embark on her first headline UK tour later this September as well as playing a plethora of festivals over the summer

Tonight, Chew the Fat! saddles up to Dub All Or Nothing to offer another showcase of every facet of bass music, building on from the success of the hugely popular showcase the duo crafted in January. In the main room there will be a doubled up assault of drum and bass and dubstep to craft some speaker shredding sonics, headed up by Bar9. With dense levels of warped noise and shuddering bass to create an intense and full frontal barrage of sound, it’s music that is not for the fainthearted and evocative of the sheer seismic power music can create.

Danny Howard –Adagio For Strings (Magik Muzik)

Last one for this week and it’s another biggie for the weekend. Although the track really is Barber’s classical ‘Adagio For Strings’, for many dance music lovers, it’s Tiesto’s infamous interpretation that brought the composition many new fans around the world. A mix he still regularly plays in all his live sets. So, touching it and remixing it for 2012 would be considered a bit risky when it’s associated with a famous composer and one of the biggest DJs in the world. 

The first digital compilation on Dutch imprint Pssst Music sees label owners and DJ/production duo Chocolate Puma, AKA René ter Horst and Gaston Steenkist, dig deep to compile a selection from the label’s catalogue; including some unknown B-sides, some well-known re-mastered classics and  some new material produced since the label’s 2011 revival. 

Pssst Music was started in 1995 by Chocolate Puma, after discontinuing the hugely successful Fresh Fruit label, on which they released their seminal ‘Give It Up’ under The Good Men moniker. 

Circus recently announced that it’s back for good at the Masque in Liverpool and for the first bash of the summer has a cracking ensemble lined up, alongside the club’s lynchpin Yousef. Joining him this month will be James Zabiela, an authority on Pioneer’s CDJ deck, he has been the most respected voice on the technological development of the past decade within DJing. His musical scope is as fearlessly wide ranging as his sense of adventure in the way he presents it, blending mesmerising techno with gut shaking house grooves. 

Ovum once again opens Sonar week on Wednesday June 13^th at Boulevard. In Room 1, long-time friends and collaborators Josh Wink and Steve Bug will go back2back alongside Ovum artists Luca Bacchetti and Alix Alvarex back2back and Axel Boman, whose remix of Agraric Projects 'No Way I Know I Feel' was one of Ovum's highlights of 2011. In Room 2, Wink will open the first hour for a special warm-up set ahead of his main room set later on, followed by Perc live, Max Cooper live, KiNK live and Andre Buljat, completing the tightly packed line-up of electronic talent. 

Richie Hawtin recently confirmed he will launch his first solo residency on the island of Ibiza, with the introduction of his new visionary ENTER. concept. Hawtin will take over Thursday nights at the award-winning Space in Playa d’en Bossa for 12 weeks (July 5^th to September 20^th), curating four rooms built on the principles of music, sake, technology and experience. Hawtin and ENTER. will also collaborate with underground night Kehakuma to form ENTER.Kehakuma on the famed Space Terrace.

The Lab compilation series was established in 2009, and has since gone on to host some of the electronic music scene’s most revered DJs. Loco Dice, Steve Bug and Seth Troxler have made the series a ‘must check’ compilation brand, pushing new music, new artists and labels to the fore, and allowing the DJs to experiment and mix up the sounds in The Lab. The fourth installment of the series is handed to a British producer/DJ who is not shy of musical experimentation himself. Paul Woolford was bitten by the electronic bug from an early age, searching out the latest new sounds on the radio and in magazines and through the bustling club scene around his native city of Leeds. 

Fuse London moves forward with its fifth vinyl release this June, Rich NxT & Seb Zito’s ‘Gophers In The Cupboard’ EP.

 Rich NxT & Seb Zito employ enviably simple drum programming, with highly refined reverbs and delays to embed a constant dynamism throughout.
 
The release demonstrates further developments in production techniques for the two rising talents with a ‘less is more’ attitude and inventive automation touches, again incorporating the signature ‘dub house’ sound often identified with the London events.

 

As millions of fans await the return of the Master Chief with the launch of “Halo 4” on 6^th November, Microsoft and 343 Industries recently revealed all-new details around one of the year’s most anticipated blockbusters. Set almost five years after the events of “Halo 3,” “Halo 4” takes the series in a bold new direction and sets the stage for an epic new sci-fi saga, in which the Master Chief returns to confront his destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe. 

The Hop Farm Music Festival has released the final acts to be gracing the stages with headliners Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel And The New Blood Orchestra and Suede. They include acoustic singer songwriter Jose Gonzalez, Athlete, Nitin Sawhney, Taj Mahal and Barclaycard Mercury Prize nominated I Am Kloot. The three-day independent festival maintains its no sponsorship, no branding ethos and will be sticking to its formula of programming legendary artists with contemporary acts with one of the summer’s most affordable festival tickets.

FORSS recently announced two new tracks, titled ‘Diligam’ and ‘Dictum’ from the ‘Ecclesia’ album. The announcement follows last week’s electric performance at the legendary venue Berghain in Berlin, and comes next in a sequence of unveiled tracks that have welcomed intrigue and excitement, climbing tall in the Hype Machine charts and building ‘Ecclesia’ to be possibly one of the most innovative albums of the year. 

Keane – Silenced By The Night (Alesso Remix) (Refune Records)

A lot of good tunes are getting released just now, which we’re trying our best to keep on top of. This mix of Keane, out now on Sebastian Ingrosso’s Refune Records, captures the vocal of the band perfectly, whilst blending a big room progressive trance feel with it. Like all Keane’s new tracks, you know it’s going to grow on you and you’ll be singing it constantly, whether you like or loathe them. Their new album has already hit No 1, so they’re still hugely popular. What Alesso has done with this mix, by keeping the original chorus intact, is add a whole new fanbase for them, especially with the EDM sound so huge in the States right now.

Solarstone’s third studio album, ‘Pure’ heralds the frontline return for DJ, producer, singer and songwriter, Solarstone (aka Richard Mowatt). A 13-track collection of new music, it features musical co-productions with artists like Aly & Fila and Giuseppe Ottaviani and vocal team-ups with singers including Betsie Larkin, Clare Stagg, Billy McGruddy and Hannah Magenta. With the trance genre dividing and sub-dividing, rather than following the fragmentation pack, in 2010 Solarstone diverted to record his concept album ‘Touchstone’. Now, two years on, he’s back with a new long-player and a new manifesto.

After all the successes Armin van Buuren’s had in the past few years, another milestone will be added on his list - a cinema release in Hong Kong. The live registration of his ‘Armin Only – Mirage’ concert of 2010 will be premiered on May 18^th 2012. It is the first time ever that the show of a DJ is being shown in Asian cinemas. 

Nicky Romero recently announced the launch of his very own record label, Protocol Recordings. Protocol Recordings will be the platform for future Nicky Romero releases as well as releases by up and coming and big named talent worldwide. As possibly one of the most prolific and musically talented EDM producers around, Nicky Romero is building a place where he will help develop new artists and release hits. Nicky encourages talent to send music to demos@protocolrecordings.com.  

Future Disco get set for a Bank Holiday boat party with Greg Wilson as an official warm up to this year’s Garden Festival in Croatia. For the past three years Future Disco have presented some of the best boat parties in the Adriatic Sea, captained by Sean Brosnan and Dom Chung, the parties have been a past highlight of the festival as they set sail for four hours on the beautiful Croatian waters. This year is no different, except Future Disco are warming up in serious style with a very special Jubilee Bank Holiday boat party on the River Thames.

The latest information on the highly anticipated FIFA 13 from EA Sports was recently revealed. The latest version so far has five game-changing innovations that will revolutionise artificial intelligence, dribbling, ball control and physical play to create a true battle for possession across the entire pitch, deliver freedom and creativity in attack, and capture all the drama and unpredictability of real-world football. 

One of the hottest labels to come out of Hamburg DE is coming to Ibiza for the first time, as Solomun brings his Diynamic imprint to Sankeys from Tuesday July 10^th - September 11^th. Diynamic Neon Nights will be a weekly showcase of Solomun's imprint and each week, playing alongside Solomun, will be Diynamic label-mates including Stimming LIVE, David August (weekly resident), H.O.S.H (weekly resident), Kollektiv Turmstrasse (Live), UNER (Live), Adriatique and more.

Electric Elephant sets sail at Electrik Bar, Chorlton, Manchester on Sunday 3^rd June with very special guest Mike Simonetti (Italians Do It Better). With all sights set firmly on enjoying a week in Croatia from July 12^th – 16^th, they plan to bring a festival vibe to Electrik Bar with Mike Simonetti, who will be spinning alongside Huw Morgan for an evening of sun drenched Adriatic sounds!

Critical has just released a potential early summer smash as Dub Phizix picks up where ‘Marka’ left off. Teaming up with fellow Manchester scene stalwart Fox proves an inspired choice here as Critical invited him back to drop these two fresh tracks for this, his second outing on the label. ‘Never Been’ has a lean, stripped back percussive intro leads you to a breakdown where Fox greets you with the sickest of vocal hooks that you’ll be trying to decipher until the end. 

Ruben Mandolini – Also! / Modular Love / My Mind (Snatch! Records)

It’s very rare to get a new release where all tracks by the same artist are good. It’s even rarer to get a release where all tracks by the same artist are just incredible. But, that’s exactly what Italy’s Ruben Mandolini’s productions are here as he delivers three sensational club bangers, all equally playable, even to the extent that it wouldn't be lazy mixing all three together in a set, one after the other. They’re that good!

With the IMS now less than ten days away, the 2012 edition of the Ibiza International Music Summit recently added another huge guest to the line-up, with WILL.I.AM now confirmed for a keynote interview. Joining artists such as Nile Rodgers (CHIC), Diplo, Luciano, Carl Cox, Professor Green, Locodice and Paul Oakenfold, the Black Eyed Peas star will be yet another big draw to what's set to be the most in-depth, star-studded summit yet.

Londonʼs Landed Records returns with its first release of 2012, the ʻTravlinʼ EP by Detroit producer Norm Talley.

 Known as the ʻSilent Warrior of the Deepʼ, Norm Talley is yet another Detroit native who continues the cityʼs legacy in electronic music. One of the original members of the West 6 Mile Detroit crew, born out of the last days of disco, Normʼs 25-plus years in music has seen him become one of house musicʼs dearest producers. 

For the first time since its inception, all 20,000 tickets to the 15^th edition of MELT! have sold out over two months before the festival takes place. 
The festival organisers recently announced that all of the 20,000 tickets to the festival, which takes place from 13^th to 15^th July, sold quicker than ever. This includes all tickets in combination with the MELT! train and the Mixery Camp. 

Flashmob – Need In Me (Defected)

No hiding from how big this tune is. It’s been available on the dance sites for over a week now, finally getting a general release this week, so now seemed the best time to make it our Tune of the Day. Milan’s Flashmob seem to be pushing all the right buttons just now, quite literally. Their productions file under the ‘cool’ banner, as they keep their beats stripped and deep, and with ‘Need In Me’, they give this track a very ‘90s house feel.

We catch up with Carl Kennedy, owner of Wasted Youth records and resident DJ for Subliminal at Pacha Ibiza. As the Subliminal Sessions gears up for its new summer season on the White Isle, we talk to Carl about his roots, his influences and most importantly, his new ‘Subliminal Essentials’ compilation which was released today…

Italian producer Aki Bergen delivers the ‘Melancholy’ EP for Apt. International this June, debuting on the label with a three track collection comprising of an original and two remixed versions from Japan’s Masahiro Suzuki.

 With releases on Great Stuff, Noir Music, Plastic City and Neurotraxx he’s earned support on many of his releases since beginning in 1997 from the likes of Ralphi Rosario, Milton Jackson, Miguel Migs and Pezzner.



It’s been nearly ten years since the world was first introduced to the powerful but warm voice of Susana. She is the voice behind some of the biggest hits of Armin van Buuren, Ernesto vs. Bastian, Rex Mundi, The Blizzard and many more. Two years ago, her debut album ‘Closer’ was released to great acclaim and this month, she sets the mark even higher with her follow up album, ‘Brave’.

Seattle based record label Innerflight Music drop ‘Mercury Rising’ by DJ Sulli this July, a four track collection with remixes from Manny Acevedo and Marky Star.

 With 20 years of experience in the electronic music industry and an approach at culminating driving deepness, DJ Sulli delivers depth in his productions through various musical premises.

 The original mix of ‘Mercury Rising’ utilises rattling percussion with a Brazilian edge. An off beat bassline creates a shuffling bounce, while vocal drones slice through alongside a groove assembled around whispering shakers, hi-hats and a crisp hand clap. 

Fish Go Deep – Being Supreme (Go Deep Recordings)

No cure and no cause, just a very good reason to make this new track from Fish Go Deep our tune of the day. It’s lovely and although a bit more up-tempo than we like to be on a Monday, its deep groove and chants just make it ideal listening. Two mixes to choose from, both equally good, although not that different. Our preferred choice is the original with its piano chords, Rhodes keys, infectious 4/4 beats and the choir/gospel style chant that plays throughout it. Such a catchy groove. 

Grand St Starring Phillipa Alexander - Joe Palooka (Ft The Real Tuesday Weld & Deep Architecture Mixes) (Favouritizm)

As the electro swing dance craze continues to percolate across Europe and beyond, London’s answer to the Anthill mob, Grand St, join forces with Brighton ‘bearcat’ Phillipa Alexander for a lollapalooza of a dancefloor smash titled ‘Joe Palooka’... It’s the cat’s pyjamas! ‘Joe Palooka’ was a 1930s US comic star who was a bit of a loser by all accounts. Phillipa clearly has one sweet thing on her mind and that’s Mazuma… ‘Just show me the money!’   

Having honed his 140BPM skills to an exact science, Shogun get ready to showcase Icicle’s first full dubstep 'BNC' EP that’s sure to please the hoards of electronic music aficionados around the world. With all but one of the tracks featuring on his upcoming ‘Rinse:19’ mix album, this is yet another essential slice of Icice for the collection. With heavy DJ support throughout the scene, ‘Acid Step’ has been burning dance floors for many months now. It has stabbing riff intros amongst some creeping pads before it rolls into a heady mix of super low end and sparse but deadly drums. 

Italy’s Opilec Music returns with a new EP from Spanish DJ/producer Danny Ocean. Opilec Music, the label launched by I-Robots producer Gianluca Pandullo, is rapidly becoming a touchstone for electronic music having garnered critical acclaim and broad support for its releases to date. Last year’s remix collection of San Francisco synth punk band The Units was a breath of fresh air featuring some of the hottest producers from the last three decades, whilst the Opilec Music compilation has given an insight into this eclectic and forward thinking label.

Toolroom Records latest release is ‘Give It Some Time’ and comes courtesy of Reuben Keeney and vocalist Glenn Rosborough, with a remix package that includes Kim Fai, Morgan Page and NDKJ. Reuben Keeney established himself as a real 'one to watch' at only 16, following support from David Guetta, Mark Knight, Pete Tong and Carl Cox, as well as picking up numerous accolades including 'Best New Artist' in the Irish Dance Awards. 

With just under two months to go until T in the Park, Rita Ora is the latest name to be added to the bill. Following on from last week’s announcement that Keane would be playing this year, showcasing their new No1 album, Tennent’s Lager recently announced that Rita, one of the most hotly tipped and in demand UK artists, will join the wealth of talent heading over to Kinross over the weekend of 6^th – 8^th July.

PBR Streetgang has a long lasting relationship with 2020Vision, through the various record shops, dancefloors and after parties shared in Leeds over the years.  They have also remixed tracks from the last two Crazy P albums for the label. As residents at We Love at Space Ibiza they’ve carved a niche as a classy DJ double act as adept at backroom disco sets or terrace filling house tear ups, all delivered with a smattering of funk and good times.

Klartraum make their debut for Londonʼs Underbelly Records this summer with the ʻPlayfulnessʼrelease, backed with remixes from Kris Wadsworth and label boss Tim Underbelly.

 Over the past few years Klartraumʼs dubbed out, open minded take on house, techno and electronica has turned many a critic, club and record buyerʼs head. Live sets at Fabric and Kazantip have marked the act, comprising Nadja Lind and Helmut Ebritsch, as true masters of their craft while two albums for their own Lucidflow imprint have displayed their versatility and adventurous spirit.



Bugged Out! return to Ibiza for a four-part residency at Sankeys Ibiza in Playa d'en Bossa. Bugged Out! are part of the club's opening weekend fiesta on Friday May 25^th, with South London legends Basement Jaxx DJing alongside German house duo Booka Shade. Representing the UK, in the second room are Mosca and Joy Orbison with the Bugged Out! summer resident Jackmaster. The second Bugged Out! date falls on Monday July 9^th with global dance titans Diplo and A-Trak, who will have just released their version of Michael Jackson's 'Bad' that month, again joined by Mosca and Jackmaster.

Christian Smith has been at the top of his game as a DJ and producer for over a decade, but despite enjoying a global reputation as one of the most evergreen performers in his field, times have probably never been quite as good as they are right now. Christian returns to John Digweed’s Bedrock label with another set of his trademark spellbinding productions. ‘Carambola’ is a track that has loads of funk as it spirals ever upwards, powered by uplifting keys and strings to create a good hands-in-the-air track in true show-stopping style. This may well be a highlight in many big-room DJ sets all summer long. 

For the first time in its history, Sónar offers you the opportunity to follow the shows scheduled at the festival live from anywhere in the world. This will be happening at Sónar São Paulo, the event taking place in Brazil this weekend, on Friday 11^th and Saturday 12^th May.
 Some of the most important concerts and sessions can be enjoyed live during the early hours of Friday and Saturday (European time) on the Sónar São Paulo YouTube channel. 

Toolroom Records recently announced the launch of their very own dedicated TV channel. Aiming to become the clubbers' digest, the station is set to go live on Toolroom's Youtube channel on 17^th May at 1pm BST! With episode one wrapped up already you can expect exclusive interviews with top Toolroom artists and exclusive behind-the-scenes and front-of-house access to Toolroom Knights in Ibiza, London, Amsterdam and beyond.

Subliminal Sessions recently revealed their full line-up for their 2012 season at Pacha, Ibiza. Kicking off on Wednesday May 30^th and closing on Wednesday September 26^th, guests include AN21, Carl Kennedy, Chuckie, Max Vangeli, Norman Doray, Sneaky Sound System, Steve Angello, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, Sympho Nympho and of course, main resident and Subliminal Records head honcho, Erick Morillo.

The massive Exit Festival in Serbia recently announced new additions to the line-up, with the Dance Arena in particular, which we focus on here, looking pretty impressive. Critically aclaimed act Knife Party are first up and will be performing on July 15th. A side project from Pendulum’s Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen, this Australian electro-house-dubstep duo launched to stratospheric heights after remixing Swedish House Mafia, pumping their high octane fuel injection to the public sonic-sphere.

Ultra Music Festival (UMF) has finally arrived in Europe and UMF Poland has recently announced the preliminary lineup for this massive event on July 13^th and 14^th in Warsaw, Poland. UMF Miami has become legendary among dance music fans for its gigantic stage setups, the best DJs in the world united in one place and performing on multiple stages from noon until midnight, special guest appearances – Madonna even hopped on stage this year in Miami – and top-of-the-line lighting and audio effects.

Safehouse Management has recently released new details about the line-up for Carl Cox’s The Revolution Recruits this summer at Space Ibiza. After a decade of Revolution parties at Space Ibiza, they plan to stamp all over the 2012 summer party season with another exciting mix of talent – featuring big name favourites, lots of new first-timers, its resident DJ team and of course, Carl Cox.

Serge Devant – True Faith (Ultra)

Last Tune of the Day for this week and as big fans of the New Order original, unless Serge Devant did something completely bonkers with ‘True Faith’, then we were always going to like it! This has been about for over a year now, is Serge’s third single from his album ‘Rewind’, and here he pays homage to a band he’s been a fan of for most of his years. 

Now a staple part of the winter music scene the Madness curated festival, The House Of Fun Weekender, will take place at Butlins Minehead from the 23^rd – 26^th November 2012. Last year’s House of Fun saw Madness play two live sets including a performance premiering their much anticipated new album. The forthcoming album, a follow up to the critically acclaimed ‘The Liberty Of Norton Folgate’, will be released later this year. Last year Madness booked an eclectic line up that included Beardy Man, Norman Jay, Paul Heaton, Maverick Sabre, Man Like Me, Andrew Weatherall, The Cuban Brothers, Jerry Dammers, Dan Le Sac and Scroobias Pip and many more.

Electronic Spotlight takes its first look at up and coming artist, Special Features, who has stormed the blog world with some of the biggest remixes of the year, including his remix of Deadmau5's ‘Strobe’, Calvin Harris' ‘Feel So Close’ and winning Dada Life's ‘Happy Violence’ remix contest.  And, most recently, with his collaboration with Michael Brun titled ‘Synergy’, which has been supported by Avicii, Tiesto, Kaskade, Afrojack, Dirty South, Thomas Gold, Arty and more. 

We catch up with Simon Dunmore, head honcho at the legendary London-based Defected Records. In our opinion, Simon is one of the unsung heroes of house and dance music, a huge influence personally and with his label, to some of the biggest DJs and producers in dance music of the last 20 years. What Pete Tong did for dance music on radio, it’s fair to say that through his A&R skills Simon has developed the scene just as much, having signed some of the best music releases over the years, even before he started Defected Records. With the label soon to kick off a new season in Ibiza and the release of their annual Ibiza compilation just days away, Simon talks in depth here about his label, their club nights, Ibiza, music and changing tastes. Always an education…

Leix & Hitch – Low Cutz EP (Novotek Raw Series)

Pretty stunning EP this, which may or may not be out just now, but if it’s not, it’s definitely out this month. We think Leix & Hitch are both Spanish DJ/producers, both with relatively decent success within Spain and other parts of Europe. This EP, consisting of three tracks, broken into four mixes and a bonus mix for the digital version, is one for the cooler floors around the world. First track, ‘XXX’, has three mixes - an original, a dub and the bonus digital mix from Spain’s Uner. 

The new track from Armin van Buuren, ‘We Are Here To Make Some Noise’, is now the official theme in the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship campaign of Dutch radio station Radio 538. The single was released on Armada Music today and will be featured in commercials of Radio 538. Incidentally, it’s not the first time that the Dutch DJ/producer has made a football anthem. In 2007, his track ‘Rush Hour’ was the official theme song for the UEFA European Youth Championship and in 2010, Armin played at the Museumplein in Amsterdam in July, during the honouring of the Dutch football team. Even though the national team came second in the World Cup, they team and the 200,000 crowd partied hard to this tune and many more from Armin.

Cream recently announced their return to Mallorca this summer for their exclusive residency at the island’s biggest club BCM. Attracting record breaking numbers in 2011, Cream returns this year to take over Mondays and Wednesdays bringing with them some of the world’s biggest dance acts including deadmau5, Avicii, Calvin Harris, Skrillex, Paul van Dyk, Above & Beyond, Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso, Laidback Luke, Alesso, Afrojack, Burns, AN21 & Max Vangeli to name a few!  

Following his recent two singles ‘Khordium / 02’ and ‘01 / Noid’, EPM gets set to release the debut artist album from Sweden’s Kristian Heikkila. With a history of producing some of Sweden’s finest underground hip hop artists, Kristian Heikkila went back to basics a few years ago. Techno and house has always been the real passion of his life and after a few releases on different labels he teamed up with Christian Lundqvist in 2006 to form Kristian & Christian. After a digital release on Kupei Musika, they ended up on Thomas P Heckmann’s label A.F.U. Lab. Some live gigs later Kristian & Christian decided to take a pause. Now Kristian Heikkila returns with the essence of what they did, delivering productions influenced by acid house, hip-hop, drum & bass and techno.

Kaskade recently released an HD recap of his Ultra Music Festival performance and experience, which allows you to go behind the scenes with Kaskade and travel with him around Miami. Kaskade also offers a personal interview in which he discusses the current state of EDM, his past experiences in Miami, and his excitement for his Ultra Music Festival performance. The video features a cover of the Kaskade's hit song ‘Eyes’ by Great View of the Moon. 

Veteran Dutch superstar DJ/producer Marco V has released an hour long mix of his top ten tracks of April, part of a mix series that Marco puts out every month. Currently there are about 30 radio stations in different countries around the world that broadcast his mixes, which represent both up and coming talent and the world's most recognizable DJs. 

Laura Jones mixes her debut compilation this July, the first in a new series from London’s Leftroom imprint entitled ‘Leftroom Presents...’

Featuring exclusive remixes from Ryan Crosson (Visionquest), Gavin Herlihy, Matt Tolfrey & Sam Russo and tracks/remixes from the likes of Floppy Sounds, Kate Simko and Guy Gerber, ‘Leftroom Presents... Laura Jones’ sees the Leeds based DJ/producer turn in a mix that neatly displays her affection for a variety of sounds.



X-Press 2 Ft. Alison Limerick – In The Blood (Skint)

The latest release from ‘The House Of X-Press 2’ album sees a ‘90s legends hook up as the boys collaborate with iconic vocalist Alison Limerick to release a fine slice of deep, vocal house music. Five mixes to choose from just now, including a dub and the original, with the rest of the honours coming from AFFKT, Chocolate Puma and Seamus Haji. 

After a spectacular Carl Cox & Friends showing at Ultra Music Festival this past March in Miami, Carl Cox has announced headlining appearances across the US and Canada, including the EDC debut of Carl Cox & Friends. Carl will bring his performance to venues in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Buffalo and Chicago. As you would expect, ticket demand is expected to be high!

Apt International regular Hideo Kobayashi returns to the Japanese imprint with ‘Was It A Dream?’, a two track EP of techno designed for the dance floor.

 An influential DJ and producer in Japan, Kobayashi’s output under his own name, Yellow Diamond and Nagano Kitchen with Jerome Sydenham have played a fundamental part in putting the Japanese electronic music scene on the map. While Hideo’s productions meander through vocal, deep house and techno his versatility and production know-how shines through on all accounts and have resulted in works for highly lauded labels such as Ibadan, Apotek and OM.

 

Featuring 100% exclusive content from the likes of Christopher Rau, Moomin, XDB, Ron Deacon, Ed Davenport and Quell, ʻFutureworldʼ is the first mix compilation from Panorama Bar regular and Vidab/Falkplatz boss, Oliver Deutschmann.

 Released on Slim Audio, the brand new label offshoot of Berlinʼs free SLIM Magazine, SLIM TV and art/music/culture festival SLIM Week, ʻFutureworldʼsees the cityʼs own Oliver Deutchsmann segue together an uncompromising selection of dubbed out house and raw techno.



Sea to Sun recordings artists Sted-E & Hybrid Heights have been tapped to participate in the new DJ lifestyle show ‘1 Artistse. 1 Rooftop’. Sea to Sun Recordings have been championing their sleek brand of New York laden dance music for well over five years with some 50 releases to date.  Guided by a deep connection to New York City and the colorful underbelly of its legendary club culture, Sea to Sun is one of those rare labels that are able to seamlessly transpose the energy, style and essence of a city into music.

Various - A Long Hot Summer Mixed By Chris Brann From Ananda Project Sampler EP (Nite Grooves)

Nice and funky yesterday, still keeping the beats varied, soulful and funky for Tuesday. We featured this album in our news last week and have been playing it repeatedly since then. The good news is that there’s a sampler EP to accompany the compilation, consisting of five of the compilation’s tracks, picked out by Ananda Project’s Chris Brann.

Finnish duo Super8 & Tab release another trance track into their arsenal with ‘Black Is Black’. Fresh off their retrospective ‘Anjunabeats Pres. Super8 & Tab Vol 01’, the guys take a step forward into summer with three mixes of 'Black Is Back,' available on from today. 

A firm fixture in the duo's recent sets, the energised Club mix is a rollercoaster of edgy electro grooves, bright synth stabs and instantly recognisable melody patterns. With driving rhythms, epic builds and an anthemic and nostalgic vibe, the Classic Vocal mix has already gained momentum as a Super8 & Tab favourite, featuring the distinctive male vocals of former Gabriel & Dresden collaborator Jan Burton in its breakdown. Completing a triple surge the Classic Dub mix is also included. 

 

As part of EDC Week, Insomniac has launched its inaugural “EDMbiz” conference on June 5 - 7 at The Cosmopolitan Hotel of Las Vegas. EDMbiz will feature three days of progressive and  panels, keynotes, and presentations covering best practices, social media, technology platforms, festivals, direct-to-fan relationships, licensing, branding, sponsorships, and sustaining community, humanity and credibility during a period of massive growth. The conference will feature exclusive access to three days of Insomniac nightclub events and pool parties.

DJ Slider – All You Can Do (Purple Music)

Not as down tempo as we usually are on a Monday, equally we’re nowhere near as banging as we try to be at the end of the week. Today’s tune of the day is from DJ Slider and as far as we can remember, this may have been on Purple’s Miami Sampler, although we could be wrong. Either way, pretty sure this has been kicking about for a few months, although the official release only happened last week. 

One of best opening parties on the planet is only three weeks away today and the final artists for the Space Opening Fiesta 2012 on Sunday May 27^th at 4.30pm, were recently confirmed. In addition to the already impressive list of electronic talent, Arty, tINI, Martin Buttrich Live, Edu Imbernon, Jonathan Ulysses, Juanjo Martin and RiotGeaR have been added, alongside a world premier - the first ever live show by Premiesku.
An innovative project by Livio & Roby, the guys will be unleashing their brand new Premiesku live show exclusively to Ibiza’s clubbing republic. 

Continuing Motech’s 10 year celebrations and after a party at London’s fabric in March, DJ 3000 now presents ’10 Years Of Motech (The Remixes) Part 2 EP’ ahead of the full length remix CD due this summer. Part 1 already saw both DJ 3000 and Sascha Sonido take on Gerald Mitchell’s ‘Belly Dancer’ from MT-008. Now UK techno legend Mark Broom takes a brief break from his Beardman imprint to add this killer interpretation for an impressive opener.

Dance pop duo Chew Lips will release their new single ‘Do You Chew?’ on 11^th June through the band’s own label Family Records, as part of a new deal with Sony Music. Following the release of their debut album ‘Unicorn’ in 2010 and the hyped sold out singles ‘Solo’ and ‘Salt Air’ both released via Kitsune, Chew Lips became one of the most talked about new bands with glowing reviews across the media. Releasing their record independently, Chew Lips have always had a very DIY essence to them, which is something they are keen to continue now that they have signed their own label to Sony Music earlier this year.

The Gallery’s new ‘Social Deconstruction’ compilation features its current legends and future heroes, each with an exclusive track built explicitly from scratch, their Gallery experience has been broken down, analysed and re–constructed in musical form to represent each artist’s most cherished Gallery memory. From Ministry’s main room debauchery, through to next-door’s hectic 103 melange, ‘Social Deconstruction’ captures The Gallery’s magic.

Northern England based Luna Records makes a return with its 12^th release entitled ‘Golden Dawn’ by Berlin born / London based Ben Rau.

 Ben has been a long running resident of the iconic Fuse London events and made his debut with ‘The City’ which appeared on the Fuse label’s debut various artist EP and garnered support from the likes of Rozzo, Raresh, Gorge and Afrilounge.

 Pushing forward, this time with a full EP comprising of three originals, Rau demonstrates a deep-seated love for the dub aesthetics of house music and incorporates his ‘less is more’ attitude towards production throughout the release.



Return To The Future is back for its fourth party installment with main headliner Seth Troxler. Seth has been voted in the top three DJs in the world on Resident Advisor for two consecutive years and via his Visionquest imprint, started with Shaun Reeves, Ryan Crosson and Lee Curtiss, he has spawned one of the most exciting new record labels in dance music today. Support includes Tale Of Us, the Berlin-based DJ and production partnership, Karm and Matteo, who are re-writing the rulebook for deeply moving, emotional electronic music. Together they share a sonic vision that pulls together elements of house and techno with influences from pop, nu-disco and even rock music. The duo is already regular fixtures at clubs like Watergate and Weekend in Berlin, Tenax in Florence, Barraca In Valencia and DC10 in Ibiza.  

As they get set for their Exit Festival appearance on Sunday 15^th July, we catch up with Canada’s Art Department. Now part of the Crosstown Rebels gang, Art Department is Kenny Glasgow and Jonny White, two DJ/producers who between them have released some great music in their long-standing careers, particularly on Kenny’s Method 11/11 label and Jonny’s No. 19 label. 

Berlin’s Alex Niggemann is one of an exciting new run of artists to arrive on Steve Bug‘s established Poker Flat, bringing fresh, high quality house music to the world‘s dance floors. Described in his biography as ‘persistent and straight-ahead’ his debut full-length album marks the important next chapter in his development. A classically trained pianist who gave up the ivory keys for a more technological dream, the young 26-year old producer joins a new wave of artists enjoying a steady resurgence in deep, groovy and sexy house music.

As DJs, Australians the Stafford Brothers have possibly entered a league of their own and as producers, the boys have new releases out on CR2, Stealth, Flamingo, Discowax/Sony, Ego & Ministry of Sound and remixes of Roger Sanchez/Sidney Sampson, DJ Fresh, Mark Knight/Dirty South, Dominatorz & Bassmonkeys, Snoop Dogg/Akon. In 2011, the Stafford Brothers where asked to rework the official theme song of (arguably) the biggest sporting team in the world, Real Madrid. ‘Everybody’ (Hala Madrid) was released to over 26 million Real Madrid Facebook fans and features the stars themselves in the film clip. They were the only Australian act confirmed as headliners for March’s Future Music Festival Main Stages (30,000 people) and recently completed a string of live dates through Miami, Canada, Dominican Republic and made their debut @ Ruby Skye. 

With just three weeks to go until this year´s Ibiza International Music Summit opens, IMS has recently released their full week of events, parties and openings to make sure the 2012 edition will possibly be the biggest and best yet. Where in previous years the focus has been on both the main event (the three-day music summit at the 5* Ibiza Gran Hotel) and the Friday night IMS Grand Finale Festival at D´alt Vila, last year saw the introduction of David Guetta also co-hosting Thursday night at D´alt Vila and this year it´s no different. 

Grube & Hovsepian Feat. Tiffany Johnston – Venom (Cold Harbour Recordings)

Final Tune of the Day for this week, and this time it takes a nice melodic, progressive trance feel as Miami’s Tim Grube and Los Angeles’ Mike Hovsepian join forces to produce the epic ‘Venom’, with vocals courtesy of Tiffany Johnston. It’s very much in the Oceanlab feel, although not as commercial, but you’ll know what we mean with its great 4/4 beat and haunting female vocal.

The legendary Nite Grooves imprint delivers the second in its ʻA Long Hot Summerʼ series with a selection from the equally revered Ananda Project/PʼTaah frontman, Chris Brann.

 Whether as Ananda Project, PʼTaah or Wamdue Project, Chris Brann has been an incredibly successful musician who can turn his hand to jazz, funk, hip-hop, soul and house with ease. A remixer of artists such as Everything But The Girl, R Kelly, Bebel Gilberto and countless others, Brann has proved himself to be one of the safest hands in the business without sticking to one formula.

 

Ramon Tapia looks to the launch of his brand new label Say What? with a single of pulsing, tech infused house featuring a remix from Secret Cinema. Over the past decade Belgian based DJ/producer Ramon Tapia has made quite a name for himself. His releases for labels such as Great Stuff, Turbo and Strictly Rhythm have established him as a key producer in electronic music whilst as a DJ he has travelled the globe delivering his own style of house and techno. Now Ramon is looking to the launch of his own Say What? Label, an imprint that is to serve as home to his own productions.

Rockstar Games announced that the Max Payne 3 official soundtrack will be available digitally on May 23^rd. As we previously reorted, the soundtrack is composed and recorded by LA based band HEALTH, and the soundtrack features the brand-new single ‘Tears’ which will coincide with the game’s launch on May 15^th.
 HEALTH’s unique blend of rock, powerful drums and electronic soundscapes have earned the band a large and loyal fanbase and the respect of many music critics everywhere. The band's single ‘Tears’ is their first new material in two years. 
 
 

In 2008 Patrick Buck and Frederic Berger started their career as Kaiserdisco and made it into one of the most interesting acts in the global underground scene. The duo are not only a techno or minimal act, Kaiserdisco is fascinating people all over the world as they produce music from lazy deep house to groovy techno, always with an ear for the dancefloor. In the last few years they’ve remixed artists like Booka Shade, Kosheen, Extrawelt, Sebastien Légér, 2000 & One, and had releases on labels like Drumcode, 100% Pure, Strictly Rhythm, My Best Friend and Global Underground.

Australian singer Emma Hewitt has just released the second single of her debut album ‘Burn The Sky Down’. ‘Miss You Paradise’, featuring remixes by Shogun and Morgan Page, is the follow-up to the successful first single, ‘Colours’, and will be released with a complementary music video. Hewitt’s long-awaited artist album will be released via Armada Music on May 18^th.

Lexy Vs Shades Of Gray – Dondi Bisco (Moensterbox)

Actually two tracks to choose from here, ‘Dondi Bisco’ and ‘Cariah Marey’, two spoonerism track titles that are fairly hard to categorise with their mix of sounds and styles. Nu disco, soul and the deeper sounds of house come to mind but you really need to listen for yourself to make up your own mind. ‘Dondi Bisco’ is a French sounding, slightly filtered track with washes of sound, synths and snippets of vocal. With so much thrown into the pot, it shouldn’t work, but it’s actually a really nice slice of music. 

The forthcoming album by US composer and technologist BT has been signed for world wide release on Armada Music. The Grammy-nominated producer, known as one of the most cutting edge artists not only within EDM, but in an array of musical styles, is proud to present the follow-up to his Grammy® nominated ‘These Hopeful Machines’. The as yet un-named 8^th studio album is set for release in late summer of 2012

Chris Liebing

Chris Liebing, head honcho at CLR Recordings and one of techno's biggest names, returns to Australia for the first time in four years! For Chris, it all started in 1990 in Giessen, Germany when he was mainly playing hip hop, soul, pop and house. His growing passion for electronic music led to the opening of his own club named Spinclub in 1994. At this time, Chris also gathered his first studio experiences and founded the label Soap Records with friends. A job at Eye Q Records in Frankfurt provided him with useful experiences and contacts in the techno scene. When he was called to fill in for a friend at the legendary Omen club, he received enthusiastic reactions from the crowd.  

LA-Based DJ/producer David Dann recently released his highly anticipated debut album ‘To Each His Own’. This 10-track album is a representation of originality in house music today and from start to finish consists of emotional melodies, beautiful vocals, diligent chordplay, and intense progressive drops. The album has been making waves since its release a few days ago, already reaching #7 on the iTunes Dance Chart and currently climbing higher.  The album features vocals from Tamra Keenan (Kaskade's ‘Angel On My Shoulder’), CC Sheffield (Tiesto's ‘Escape Me’), and more. 

In a celebration of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and all things British this summer, Microsoft is releasing an Xbox 360 Special Edition 4GB Kinect Celebration Pack and special edition Union Jack mouse. Available from Friday 25^th May, the Celebration Pack features a special edition white Xbox 360 4GB console, Kinect Sensor and wireless controller, whilst the Great British Mouse available from Thursday 3^rd May is emblazoned with the distinctive design of the Union Jack flag. 

Tommy Vee, Mr.V & Miss Patty – Press Play (Airplane! Records Srl)

Frack me, this record’s good! Out next week, with three main mixes and a radio mix to choose from, this to us is the real sound of house music in 2012. The original extended mix has a tremendous funky groove that just makes you want to dance. When you add the vocal talents of Mr V and Miss Patty doing their thing, it all just blends together magically. Next up is Federico Scavo’s mix, which is one of the best we’ve heard in a long time – big vocals and such an incredible speaker bursting bassline. When you hear it build and kick in, we defy you not to lose all sense of control. This is HUGE! 

Roughly a year on from the ‘Evo 2’ EP, Shogun Audio deliver the next installment of the Evolution series. Now well and truly an established figure in the D&B hierarchy, Rockwell takes the lead with the dangerous and aptly titled ‘Constantcomplexrhythmicsound’ - this is a journey into full-on techno-infused, 303 angry acid D&B. Veterans and legends of the scene Total Science are up next with the creeping space FX of ‘Feel Me’. Classic vocal samples ooze through the mix of old-skool breaks and morphing mid over some stomach-churning sub frequencies for a proper late night stepper. 

Kling Klong founder Martin Eyerer is on a creative roll and delivers ‘Decent Treatment’, his next masterpiece for his own imprint. Together with good friend and Circle Music boss Alex Flatner, and with ViVa Music's very own and legendary Steve Lawler on remix duties, they’ve produced a fantastic slice of deep underground music.

The Classic Music Company presents a three room, Off-Sonar party on 14^th June 2012 at Boulevard Culture Club, Barcelona. Featuring Derrick Carter, Luke Solomon, Matt Tolfrey, Severino and Eats Everything, it's the Classic imprint's second
 ever off-Sonar party and is the very first time that Derrick Carter will be appearing at a Sonar/off-Sonar event.


Rizzle Kicks paid homage to one of their biggest musical influencers and idol, Bob Marley, as they made a special cameo in the conceptual TV ad for the release of his definitive album ‘Legend’. Rizzle Kicks joined critically acclaimed graffiti artist Alex Young on the set of the ad shoot as he was filmed creating a giant mural of musical legend Bob Marley in a London warehouse over the space of 10 hours. A time-lapse film will be created from the footage of Alex at work as the 12 feet Bob Marley creation is brought to life over the course of the day. 

The Berkeley Suite, a Glasgow premium late night bar and ballroom, plays host to a malaise of musical maestros in May, with exclusive sets from Derrick Carter, Etienne Jaumet and a one off night from Optimo’s Twitch. Known as one half of Parisian dance duo, Zombie Zombie, French producer Etienne Jaumet will play at The Berkeley following a tour across Berlin, London and Paris. The electronic genius who recently worked with Detroit legend Carl Craig is a little bit of a coup for the venue, and is definitely a night to stick in the diary.

Tiësto & Mark Knight Feat Dino - Beautiful World (The Ecstasy Remixes) (Toolroom Records)

Featuring in the soundtrack to Irvine Welsh’s latest smash hit movie ‘Ecstasy’, Tiësto & Mark Knight Feat Dino ‘Beautiful World’ combines the talents of two DJ/producer juggernauts with the vocals of Dino Lenny, creating a pretty damn good crossover track. 

I-Robotsʼ Opilec Music releases the debut LP from Italian producer Federico Gandin this May, an exploration into deep house and deep techno entitled ʻLegion Of The Lost Dreamsʼthat features video, graphic and artistic contributions from painter Christina Mandelli, fashion designer Gaia Audino, video artists Thomas Tinker and Andrea Zirio and designer Onda Larsen.
 
Having released a couple of digital EPs for the Opilec Music label as well as being featured on the Italian labelʼs Movement Sound Recordings compilations and Derrick Mayʼs ʻHeartbeat Vol. 2ʼ, Gandinʼs catalogue is small but impressive nonetheless. 

Junior White & Noelle Stay (Ft John Morales & MKTL Mixes) (Favouritizm)

Favouritizm welcome the amazing husband and wife soulful production duo of Junior White & Noelle to the label, here with their beautiful and extremely heartfelt song, 'Stay'. The result is a stunning disco tinged slice of dance-floor soul, armed with a mighty vocal and musically wrapped in a lush blanket of warm keys, funky guitar licks and punchy beats. 

Following their acclaimed ‘Worry’ EP released in December, Little Comets return to the fold with new single ‘Jennifer’, released on May 28^th through Dirty Hit Records. Intricately weaving trademark afro-beat rhythms, spikey indie guitars and heartfelt melodic vocals, ‘Jennifer‘ exudes the feeling of upbeat summer euphoria and looks set to be a possible festival favourite. As lead singer Robert Coles delivers his frustrated plea to a lover, you are transported into streaming sunshine and time spent with friends. 

With Miami's WMC 2012 now a distant memory for many who attended, DJ Sneak has taken time out to compile a video of his best bits from this year’s event. It was a big WMC for the original House Gangster, with 15 headline gigs organised by the likes of DJ Mag, Circo Loco, Riva Starr's label Snatch, Robsoul & Minority Music, Guesthouse, X-Mix and many more.

‘Boi’ is the debut album release from one of Macedonia’s rising techno stars, Goran Kan aka Kerkez. Featuring recent single ‘Mandarin Orange’ Kan takes you on a techno and house journey infused with depth and soul. With ‘Boi’, Kan takes another important step in his artistic development that has seen him become one of the Macedonia’s leading DJs and producers. Goran Kan commenced his career as an electronic music artist in 1998 experimenting with house and techno music whilst his first residency developed in 2001 at the summer club ‘Havana’ in Skopje with his performances later extending across the Balkans, including the EXIT Festival in 2004.

As one of EDM’s most promising trios, Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren form a league of musicians that joined forces in 2006. Producers Matt Cerf and Shawn Mitiska and singer/songwriter Jaren Cerf have been making waves since bursting onto the dance scene with their first hit ‘Light The Skies’. The mix of emotional prog-trance, strong vocals, striking lyrics and powerful beats turned out to be the formula to success, resulting in club hits such as ‘Saved Again’, ‘You Never Said’, ‘Man On The Run’, ‘Beggin’ You’ and more. 

Following a sellout 2012, Snowbombing recently announced that Snowbombing 2013 will take place from 1^st – 6^th April 2013 in Mayrhofen Austria. Snowbombing is already assembling a musical soundtrack which will witness more venues, more DJs old and new and some of the most successful household names on the planet all jam packed into one alpine village with an avalanche of fancy dress and the Snowbombing festival atmosphere thrown in for good measure.

A Sagittariun returns on his Elastic Dreams imprint with a new EP that finds ‘the Archer’ in full techno mode. Since its launch at the end of last year, Bristol’s Elastic Dreams has been making a name for itself with its own take on the underground sound of house, techno and electronica. At the heart of that success has been the music of label boss A Sagittariun whose previous singles ‘The Circle Stops Somewhere’ and ‘Carina’ have received critical acclaim and support from key DJs such as Francois K, Ripperton, Huxley and Lawrence to name just a few.

Following up the recent EP from Alex Arnout, UK imprint Turquoise Blue look to Cera Alba for their latest release, completing the package with remixes from Inxec Vs Droog and Julien Sandre. Cera is a producer that you could be hearing a lot from in 2012. From his roots as a DJ playing at leading clubs such as The Warehouse, Sankeys and Mint Club he has taken the step into production and has a string of releases lined up for leading labels including Jamie Jones and Lee Foss’ Hot Creations, new label Illusion Recordings and of course Turquoise Blue.

On May 22nd, Miami-based dance music pioneer Oscar G returns with ‘Beats’ – his first artist album in over two years. ‘Beats’ provides a look into the deeper side of house music and the classic vibe that’s often overshadowed amidst dance music’s current commercial boom. The album is set for release on Nervous Records and it’s the latest project to come from a long-term relationship between Oscar G. and the iconic New York City house music label.

Insomniac Events, the producer of Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), and Kevin Kerslake, director of the Electric Daisy Carnival films, recently announced the launch of a Kickstarter campaign for Electric Daisy Carnival: New Forms, the much anticipated sequel to the 2011 music documentary The Electric Daisy Carnival Experience, which became the bête noir for the conservative establishment, whose successful efforts to remove the film from theaters were reminiscent of Footloose and cost the filmmakers several million dollars in losses and 90% of its reach!

Bristolʼs FourTwenty releases Deepgrooveʼs ʻPoemsʼ EP this May, backed with remixes from Glimpse and Duncan Crane.

 Although much is made of Bristolʼs house scene in recent years FourTwenty has, alongside the likes of NRK, been breaking ground in 4/4 circles for over a decade and has seen the likes of Glimpse, Locodice, Two Armadillos and many more deliver output.



Hot on the heels of her collaborative EP with Matt Tolfrey, Kate Simko makes her full solo debut on Londonʼs Leftroom imprint alongside the vocal talents of Jem Cooke and the remix skills of John Tejada.

 A multi-talented musician and producer, Chicagoʼs Kate Simko has continued to flourish since her auspicious beginnings as part of Matthew Dearʼs Spectral Sound roster. Remixing Philip Glass, composing film scores, collaborating with Tevo Howard as Polyrhythmic and occupying a unique place in the world’s clubs via on-point DJ and Live/AV sets, Simkoʼs talents have been closely followed by Leftroom boss, Matt Tolfrey.

 

New on Rebellion, after the trippy ‘Rise Before Zod’ from Crosstown Rebels’ boss Damian Lazarus and James What, is the new one from Aidan Lavelle. His first assault on dance music since U.N.K.L.E, the solo ‘Tinnitus EP’ is an infectious affair comprising three eclectic, sensory dance floor bombs! Lead track ‘Tinnitus’ is a captivating builder with prominent claps, crispy hi-hats, a chugging discoid bassline and strokes of trippy polyphonic melody. The deep penetrating vocal line “let’s move together” keeps the hypnotic vibe rolling and the mid point breakdown gives clarity to the intricate rhythms.

Fatboy Slim has revealed more details for his Alternative Jubilee Weekender, The Big Beach Bootique 5! 46,000 ravers over the space of two days will bear witness to 600 square meters of giant LED screens spanning almost the entire length of the pitch and 385,000 Watts of sound.

Out next month on Rekids, Dean Meredith releases the ‘Celestial Vibrations EP’, a package of original material under project alias The Rhythm Odyssey, that’s all acidic analogue rawness and fuzzy vintage synths. Dean is one of the most prolific and versatile producers on the planet with a prodigious career that spans over 20 years. A founding member of Chicken Lips and Bizarre Inc, Dean went on to produce lo-fi analogue funk gems as White Light Circus for DC Recordings and Goat Dance for Bearfunk and Rogue Cat on Tiny Sticks.

After many singles, remixes and an album release under the Progression guise, Daniel Wanrooy now moves on to a new level in his career with his debut solo album entitled ‘Slice Of Life’. Daniel has been pretty busy in the midst of the recording sessions for his new album, he’s finished remix assignments for The Crystal Method, Super8 & Tab, JES and Thrillseekers and saw his earlier single, ‘Endless Moments’, secured by Ferry Corsten, who used it for his double mix compilation ‘Once Upon A Night, Vol.2’.

MixVibes recently announced their latest DJing application, CrossDJ for iPad, bringing you a comprehensive iPad DJing experience with a user friendly yet professional and feature rich layout. This application will allow all DJs and music fans to enjoy performing quality sounding mixes on an iPad. CrossDJ was developed by the same professional software team who developed 'Cross', awarded 'Best DJing Software' in 2010 and 2011 at the MIXMOVE awards in Paris. 

DJ Mikas – Timezone (DJ Mikas & DJ Sage Remix) (Progressive Grooves Records)

Wow, what an absolute mental tune to have as this week’s final tune of the day. When you consider where we started on Monday morning, with the softer tones of Lovebirds Featuring Novika, this DJ Mikas & DJ Sage remix of Mikas’ ‘Timezone’ is so far from this on energy levels, it’s hard to call both of them dance music. But, that’s why there are so many great genres within the dance music spectrum. ‘Timezone’ doesn’t do a warm up, it just grabs you by the balls as its tech-trance sound explodes through your speakers and continuous at 100mph right up until its breakdown… which is a short one, making sure energy levels are contained. 

Following support slots with Azari & III and SBTRKT on their recent European tours and hotly tipped by renowned DJs such as Pete Tong, Zane Lowe and Annie Mac it may be about time for Karin Park to take centre stage with her striking looks and contagious hooks. The Scandinavian electro pop warrior is ready to unleash her latest track to the UK starting with a sensational remix from Reuben Wu Ladytron.

Dub Pistols return with their fifth album ‘Worshipping The Dollar’. Barry Ashworth and his crew created their latest long-player in between gigs every weekend following the release of acclaimed 2009 album ‘Rum & Coke’. ‘Worshipping The Dollar’ sees a return to lyrical themes explored on earlier albums with deeper and more conscious lyrics and a pacier feel to the tracks, which mirrors their increasingly frenetic live shows.

Modeselektor release ‘Modeselektion Vol. 02’ on 2^nd July and compared to the rather cute and peaceful cover of ‘Modeselektion Vol. 01’, this time it's all a bit different as the music this time explores darker, more experimental grounds, with one eye focused on the trademark Modeselektor party-factor. Featuring unreleased exclusive tracks by Monolake, Prefuse 73, Mouse on Mars, Clark, Lazer Sword, Martyn, Siriusmo, Addison Groove, Egyptrixx, Anstam, Diamond Version (a new project by raster-noton's Byetone and Alva Noto), Phon.o, Bambounou and many more, ‘Modeselektion Vol. 02’ unites some of the best names of the electronic music scene.

When it comes to house music there’s been something of a renaissance in New York City these past few years, and one of its main advocates is Levon Vincent. Born in Houston, Texas and raised on the East Coast; he now calls Berlin his home. As a club-goer, he cut his teeth during the pre-Giuliani New York heyday, where a vibrant scene was helping to push the elegant sound that would become known as NY house forward. Now, Levon is next in an illustrious line to mix the latest fabric CD, releasing volume 63 through fabric and Balance Music.

Chelonis R. Jones is an American artist of the old school tradition - leaving NYC for Europe, in order to pursue a career in the world of The Arts. Armed with his paintbrushes, unpublished manuscripts, songs and poems, he decided to commit himself fully to the vitriolic world of the Blood Artist (Total Artist) and its sometimes hardcore cause. Working as a songwriter and playing vocalist in more than 20 rock/pop groups, he eventually entered the artshow-world with "American Anarchist" and "The Dream" luring controversial praise from top art magazines like Monopol in the process.

Londonʼs Underbelly Records serves up its third release this May, a 12” from Italian outfit BHOO entitled ʻElastik Phoneʼ, which features remixes from Matt Tolfrey & Sam Russo and Alex Arnout.

 Underbelly is a label born out of The Underbelly of Society parties in East-London. Run by brother and sister team Tim and Amy, the Underbelly parties have developed a good reputation and have spread to the Italian and Ibizan underground in recent years.



Sam Sparro will release his new single ‘I Wish I Never Met You’ on 4^th June. The single is the first to be taken from his forthcoming sophomore album, ‘Return To Paradise’, released on 11^th June. Part soul crooner, part pop star with an ever-morphing, chameleon-like quality, Sam coasts a fine line between disarmingly earnest and a chic, credible cool. Signed to EMI Australia in December 2011, Sam has spent the last couple of years working on the follow up to 2008’s eponymous debut release. With a Platinum single (‘Black & Gold’), a Gold album, a Grammy nomination and five Arias under his belt, he’s also been busy collaborating with the likes of Mark Ronson and Basement Jaxx as well as writing for other artists such as Natasha Beddingfield. 

Leeds-based Luke Gibson delivers the ‘Get It Together’ EP on Tact Recordings this May complete with a remix from Tevo Howard.

 Gibson has been raised on weekly doses of Leeds’ thriving electronic music events such as Back To Basics, Louche and his own Push On collective.  Specialising in quality house Luke has carved his own unique niche as a producer as well as a DJ gracing the decks alongside the likes of hometown regulars Tristan Da Cunha, Buckley and underground heroes like Josh Wink.



Xbox 360 recently announced its continued sponsorship of Ibiza Rocks 2012 for the fifth year running.  As part of the partnership, Xbox will be working with Ibiza Rocks at the Ibiza Rocks Hotel, hosting hands-on with the latest games, competitions to win a VIP trip to the island and more. The new campaign will hero the Guinness World Record-setting Kinect for Xbox 360, and includes a nationwide search for two individuals to win the ultimate summer job, to work as Xbox’s official representatives in Ibiza. 

Marcus Sill – I Heard It (Ampispazi Recordings)

Underground minimal mixed with the voice of Marvin Gaye singing his classic soulful track ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’. It shouldn’t work but somehow does, and very well too. The original is the more commercial of the two mixes, although it’s unfair to call it commercial. A deep bassline with a slight sample of Marvin’s original backing tune introduces you to what’s about to happen. Then the vocal kicks in, with increased drum and strings influence completing the rhythm. It’s very well done.

North America’s touring electronic music festival experience, Identity, will return this summer, visiting major amphitheaters in 15 cities throughout July and August. IDENTITY will kick-off in the afternoon, running through into the night, and will be centered on each venue’s central amphitheater stage. Tour stops include Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, San Francisco, San Diego, New Jersey, New York and more.

mulletover return to Ibiza and this time they're at the new Sankeys space in Play D'en Bossa, for a series of summer events. mulletover Part One, on May 26^th, features rising stars Julio Bashmore, Joy Orbison and Huxley, guided by mulletover's musical head honcho, Geddes. The rest of the line-ups are being arranged, but already mulletover are announcing guests Burnski, Heidi, Tobi Neumann, Waifs & Strays and Geddes as resident throughout the summer.

Kaskade has added more dates to his “Freaks of Nature” summer 2012 Tour in Los Angeles and San Francisco, in addition to the recently announced Lollapalooza performance. This 50-plus city tour is already a career-milestone for Kaskade as his biggest North American tour to-date but becomes even more significant as he will be the first solo electronic dance musician to ever headline Los Angeles' Staples Center on July 27, 2012. The following evening, he will headline the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. Both dates began pre-sales yesterday and the general on-sale begins on Friday, April 27^th at 10AM PST. 

Festival No. 6, which will take place at the stunning Portmeirion in Wales, has recently announced the first of its line-up with New Order, Primal Scream and Spiritualized set to headline this year’s inaugural event. The first wave of artist announcements also sees DJ performances from Francois K (Deep Space), Erol Alkan, Mr Scruff (Keep It Unreal), Derrick Carter Does Disco, Andrew Weatherall & Sean Johnston, Horse Meat Disco, Jerry Dammers, Don Letts, Optimo, Luke Solomon, Daniele Baldelli, Harri & Domenic Cappello (Sub Club), Unabombers (Electric Chair), Lowlife, PBR Streetgang, Kelvin Brown and Will TRAMP

Richard Durand has been working with many new producers, singers and vocalists of late, seeking out potential future stars within the scene. Now he’s ready to launch his next phase as one lucky person gets the chance to tread where only Richard and Tiësto have stepped before. ‘In Search Of Sunrise’ guardian Durand, in cooperation with Black Hole Recordings, will be sharing the next release's limelight with another DJ. And that DJ could be you!

Greg Stainer – Much Difference (Seamless Traxx)

Another one from our inbox that came out earlier in the month, this one from Dubai-based Greg Stainer is just one of the best heads down… heads up… heads nodding... tracks that we’ve heard this year, the track’s main hook really does grab you. Coming in two mixes, both equally good, first up is Greg’s original mix which is a solid, driving track with big beats and, as previously mentioned, a catchy as heck hook. 

Platinum-selling four piece, The Coronas, have established themselves as the current biggest-selling independent group in Ireland, and following their sold out show at London’s Borderline in April they have proven they are ready to take on the UK with the release of their single ‘Addicted To Progress’ on May 21^st. Taken from their forthcoming album ‘Closer To You’, ‘Addicted To Progress’ is a snappy, melodic slice of indie / pop, featuring a killer guitar riff, electro synths and vocals. 

With a lengthy career deeply entwined in UK electronic music culture, Steve Lawler has announced his new world tour concept. Since its conception back in 2011, LIFE is a project that has certainly been a long time in the making. This year sees Steve Lawler taking things back to its original organic roots, presenting a unique and raw choice of locations from disused buildings, outdoors areas and unconventional spaces. Starting in New York, these are carefully and painstakingly selected venues spread widely across some of the world’s most captivating cities. 

Sincee bursting onto the scene in 2011 on labels such as Ram and even on Goldie’s ‘Fabric Live 58’ album, Xtrah has been setting speakers ablaze across the land. With his music being dropped by the likes of Kasra, Hype, Friction and Andy C, he’s now at Critical’s Modulations imprint in what is another major step in the career of the young Londoner. 

On Saturday 9^th June, Boston party starters Soul Clap are in West London for eight hours for A Night With…. This date will be part of their extensive ‘Efunk’ album tour, which has taken them from Miami, Rome, Paris, New York and Berlin where they have been unleashing the Soul Clap signature sound. ‘Efunk’ (Everybody´s Freaky Under Nature’s Kingdom) is the duo’s debut album released on Wolf+Lamb and shows them teaming up with a few close friends. 

Human Woman consist of Gísli Gal-dur of Icelandic band Trabant, and producer Jón Atli Helgason. Together they have forged their very own modern fusion of electronic pop and invite you to indulge yourselves in their forward-thinking aural-pleasures. After their debut single ‘Delusional‘ dropped with its sensual indie-dance roots, we now see yet another side to the dextrous act as ‘Love Games‘ enters a more up-tempo world of edgy house-club vibes -lending itself well to DJs, before dropping into a dub-timed middle and the sing-along finale.

Psychemagik’s ‘Valley Of Paradise’ was originally released last year and now it’s back again, remixed, for an April 30^th release. Rayko, Time & Space Machine, Greg Wilson and Toby Tobias all give their own interpretations, with Rayko’s remix shading it in our opinion. His vision doesn’t disappoint. It draws you in and layer by layer, this structurally more simplified midnight burner slowly but surely intensifies - through its reliance on chunky bass, trademark mid-point vocal introduction and heavy use of synths.

Benji Candelario Feat Deena Alexa – Lala (Transitori Music)

On of New York’s finest on the production tip here as Benji Candelario drops his latest track, ‘Lala’. Benji’s been on a quest of late, hooking up with various up and coming artists in the States and on this occasion, it’s the turn of Deena Alexa, who adds her powerful vocals to the track, turning it into a very good, uptempo, vocal house tune.

My Favorite Robot Records returns with a new single from Lightbluemover featuring a collaboration with regular partner Black Light Smoke and a remix from My Favorite Robot, James Teej & Nitin. Lightbluemover is the moniker adopted by DJ/producer Francis Harris best known for his work as Adultnapper. Harris has released on labels such as Crosstown Rebels, Poker Flat and Simple over the years and enjoyed a strong following for his string of stellar singles. 

Birmingham’s Rebel Hill Recordings is back with a new single from label bosses DustyFruit featuring remixes from Kashii & Christian Martin. The duo of DustyFruit, known to friends as Wayne & Rich, set up the Rebel Hill Recordings imprint in 2011 as an outlet for their own music as well as that of like-minded artists. Since then the Birmingham based label has become a ‘go-to’ for underground house sounds, melding a variety of influences whilst showcasing music from the likes of d-t3ch, Inland Knights, Simba and of course DustyFruit to name just a few.

Lovebirds Feat Novika – This Time (Toolroom Records)

What a beautiful way to start the week. If you’ve had a mad weekend then go directly to the Tiger Stripes remix of this gorgeous tune from Lovebirds, featuring the vocals of Novika, out on Toolroom Records. Put on some headphones, press play and let the music and vocals wash right over you, cleansing you of all the weekend’s sins. There, feel better? 

Ibiza and Mallorca Rocks have announced new additions to their summer line-ups, with Plan B, The Maccabees and Axwell all confirmed, as well as Radio 1 DJ and Bestival head-honcho Rob da Bank who has a long history with ‘Rocks’ having played at the first ever gig at the opening of the Ibiza Rocks Hotel in 2008 and then at the 5^th Birthday with The Prodigy. Rob da Bank is back and joins the line up with Ibiza boy Ben Howard. In addition, the organisers have announced new breaking talent additions, including Spector, Fenech-Soler, The Milk and Theme Park.

Following on from our recent announcement on the new Strummer Of Love festival, The Pogues and Badly Drawn Boy are some of the friends and fans of Joe Strummer recently confirmed to perform at Strummer of Love festival this summer. Joining the line-up will be folk-punk songsmith Frank Turner, dance music pioneers Basement Jaxx, Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall, UK urban music stalwart Roots Manuva and leading light of protest rock Billy Bragg. Mirroring Joe Strummer’s own eclectic musical tastes, the bill is rounded off by a diverse selection of eperformers including Emmy the Great, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Alabama 3, Don Letts, Kitty Daisy and Lewis, David Rodigan, Slow Club, Dog is Dead, Dub Pistols, Dreadzone, Fionn Regan, Channel One, Mr C and many others.

‘House Masters DJ Chus’ is a collection of 20 of the Spanish DJ’s original tracks and remixes, all brought together for Defected Records’ legendary House Masters series. Following on from luminaries such as Louie Vega, Dennis Ferrer and Blaze, Spain’s Chus L. Esteban is one of the country’s finest house DJs with not only great solo productions, he’s also part of Chus & Ceballos, where they developed their now famous Iberican sound with their releases. Compliments of Defected, we catch up with Chus to find out more…

After a few months of releasing collaborative EPs alongside label mates Sascha Rydell and Roman Lindau, Mike Dehnert marks a quarter century of releases on his own label with ‘Fachwerk 25’, a full-length album to be released on vinyl in May and digitally in June 2012. Comprised of 13 tracks and coming almost a year after his last effort, ‘Framework’, this new album sees Mike experimenting somewhat. 

Steez Promo, the team responsible for the US-based Starscape and Massive festivals, bring you their newest festival series as they introduce Loaded Festival. Loaded brings two stages of musical talent to Pennsylvania next month when it hits Philadelphia and Pittsburgh on May 12^th and 13^th respectively, bringing the massive multi-stage festival experience to a more intimate environment. 

To celebrate the mid point on their Dance Or Die tour, Robbie Rivera, PeaceTreaty and Bassjackers have released a collaboration mix for free download. The mix contains their favorite tracks played on the tour as well as the mashups and bootlegs that have got the best reaction from the crowd. The aim of the mix is that they want to give back to all of the fans who have supported the tour thus far and those who will get the opportunity to see them in the near future. 

Electric Daisy Carnival’s first New York City event will run May 18^th - 20^th at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Confirmed for the event so far are Avicii, Armin van Buuren, Calvin Harris, Fatboy Slim, Bassnectar, Chase and Status and Afrojack to top the bill, with other confirmations including Richie Hawtin, Carl Cox, John Digweed, Sebastian Ingrosso, ATB, Alesso Boris, and DJ sets by Pendulum and Nero.

Dirtybird is heading to Detroit’s Movement Festival, celebrating the release of Justin Martin’s debut album, ‘Ghettos & Gardens’, in the birthplace of techno, with a sweaty, bass-driven all-night-long blowout at the historic industrial after-hours, City Club. During Movement Festival the Dirtybird crew are on one of the final legs of their Hatched world tour and joining Justin Martin on the decks on May 26^th will be label founder Claude VonStroke (who plays this year’s Movement Festival), Eats Everything, J. Phlip, Worthy and Leroy Peppers (Christian Martin).

Dundee’s The View recently announced two intimate shows to preview material from their forthcoming new album ‘Cheeky For A Reason’, released July 2^nd.

 The band will play at Cottiers Theatre in Glasgow on Wednesday 9^th May and Hoxton Bar & Kitchen in London on Thursday 10^th May. 


B’estfest Summer Camp is the newest, alternative European festival taking place in a beautiful park on the shores of Pasarea Lake, close to the capital city of Bucharest in Romania. The three day event running from 6 to 8 July boasts a variety of artists and activities with tickets from only 60 EUROS making it great value for money too. The first acts to be announced include Pulp, Garbage, Kreator, Dope D.O.D, Selah Sue, Andy C and Stanton Warriors.

With his sixth studio album now on general release, Paul van Dyk has begun to bring ‘Evolution’’s music live and direct to the people with sell-out arena and club shows in dance hubs including London, Miami and Sydney.
 Now, Paul has recently announced that on May 5^th it will touch down in Germany for a very special Berlin leg. In the surrounds of Paul’s hometown, the virtuoso DJ will present the album’s music firsthand to fans, featuring performances from guests including Rea Garvey and Caligola’s Björn Dixgård and Gustaf Norén (front-men from Swedish alt-rock sensation Mando Diao). 

We love this! This week saw the launch of a new mobile app from Microsoft taking social networking on smartphones into a new stratosphere, by allowing fans of one of the world’s most iconic film franchises to view their Facebook and Twitter feeds in the style of ‘the crawl’, the iconic STAR WARS™ opening title sequence.  

Dubai’s Audio Tonic return with the ‘Comeback’ EP by Frankey & Sandrino, featuring a remix from French born now London based rising producer Giom.

 Following the success of the ‘Audio Tonic WMC Sampler’ release which saw tracks from Ian Pooley and Vincenzo, Audio Tonic deliver yet another slice of deepness abundant in depth and warm textures.

 

21 years since the release of their debut album ‘Leisure’ in 1991, Blur’s body of work has been personally compiled by the band and gathered together in one box, due for release by Parlophone on 30^th July 2012. All seven studio albums are collected with over 5½ hours of unreleased material including 65 previously unreleased tracks and more than twice as many rarities, three DVDs, a collector’s edition book featuring rare and unseen photos and a new and exclusive interview with the band,  and a special limited edition Seymour 7” vinyl. The box will also include a digital download code for the albums and all bonus material. 

Dutch duo W&W, one of the fastest rising names in today’s dance scene, have launched their very own label – Mainstage Music. For Willem van Hanegem jr. and Ward van der Harst, Mainstage Music represents the next step in their young, but impressive career. From now on, all W&W productions, as well as their personal selection of tracks by other talents, will be released on Mainstage Music, home to Armada Music. 

Artful Division is a new imprint from the UKʼs Midlands and its debut release sees Rick Wade drop some heavyweight deep vibes in the form of ʻCooler Headsʼ.

 Jon Brooks (Jon Samwell & Will Brooks) and Cecil (Tom Fallon) are the DJs/producers behind Artful Division and have been running parties of the same name in Leicester for just over a year, plying quality deep house in a city that surprisingly (to some) has more than a solid rep for it.



DJ and producer Thomas Gold has every reason to be happy as he is about to release his debut compilation on Axtone. It’s not just that though, his most recent track on the same label, ‘Sing2Me’, was a Miami big tune, first appearing in DMC’s Miami Buzz Chart and then The Swedish House Mafia played it exclusively when they sat in for Pete Tong on his Essential Selection. It then went straight to the Beatport No 1 spot on release. 

The Naked And Famous – Young Blood (Tiesto & Hardwell Remix) (Musical Freedom)

Huge uplifting tune for the weekend this one, due out on Tiesto’s Musical Freedom label on April 24^th. This is the duo’s first remix together since ‘Zero 76’ and what a tune it is! They’ve taken indie band’s The Naked And Famous’ track ‘Young Blood’ and turned it into a massive, melodic, slab of dance music that they’ve both been road-testing since before this year’s Miami. 

Space and We Love... revealed yesterday that on Sunday August 12^th, Space will be marking its 23^rd birthday and has chosen to celebrate it with We Love... along with very special guests The Chemical Brothers (DJ SET), who’ll be performing in the legendary Discoteca. Having previously played at We Love... back in 2008 and 2009, The Chemical Brothers will be returning to Space this summer. Since their classic and genre-defying ‘Exit Planet Dust’, the pair have evolved into prolific hit makers and their audio-visual performance formula also makes for a phenomenal, immersive experience.

Two of R&S Records’ (home of James Blake, Space Dimension Copntroller, Untold) brightest stars will be making their debut Australian appearance in May as Pariah & Blawan touch down at Geisha Bar in Perth, The Liberty Social in Melbourne and Goodgod in Sydney. 

Kris Menace recently announced a very special remix competition in association with Souncloud. Along with leading music and audio developers, Waves.com, Arturia.com, MusicRadar.com and Future Music magazine, Kris is giving fans the chance to remix his new single, ‘We Are’, featuring the Kiki Twins, the third single taken off the new album, ‘Electric Horizon’.

Xbox is unlocking their Xbox LIVE subscription service from tomorrow, Friday 20^th April through Monday 23^rd April, meaning no Xbox LIVE Gold membership will be required for this time. Through this special promotion, anybody with an Xbox console will be able to use and enjoy all of the customised entertainment experiences featured on the Xbox LIVE service. 

On 11^th June Skinny Lister unveil their 13-track debut album entitled ‘Forge & Flagon’ on Sunday Best Recordings. Harnessing the energy and fervour of the band’s live performances on every track, the album was recorded in deepest darkest Snowdonia, with producer David Wrench (Bat for Lashes, James Yorkston). The album is punctuated with Skinny’s trademark shanties which go to make every Skinny Lister gig so inclusive.

New Detroit based label Hypertone launches with a single from label boss Noël Jackson featuring remixes from Special Case & Tripmastaz. It goes without saying that Detroit has a rich musical history, whether it be the ‘60s soul of Motown and Fortune or the sublime techno of Atkins, May and Saunderson the Motor City has for decades been a Mecca for intense heartfelt music. In recent years the spotlight has once again been falling on Detroit with artists such as Jimmy Edgar and Kris Wadsworth taking to the world stage alongside elder statesmen such as Carl Craig and Stacey Pullen.

The Pacha Group has just launched an online competition, offering a prize of an amazing opening weekend in Ibiza for two people. To enter, all you have to do is answer a multiple choice type question and register on the their website - www.pacha.com - with your full name and email address.

The Heartbreaks celebrate the limited early release of white vinyl copies of their debut album ‘Funtimes’ with a chance for fans to join the band on Record Store Day. From early in the morning on 21^st April, the band will be touring participating record shops in London on their very own ‘Funtimes’ double decker bus. Stopping off along the way to play acoustic sets and hand out some very special Heartbreaks goody bags, the band will also invite fans onto the bus to tour London with them and get into the spirit of the day. 

Roul and Doors – Guinea / Cameroon EP (Copyright Recordings) 

This has probably been out for a week or two by now, but we still strive to highlight tasty tracks, released or still to be released, there are just too many choices, which is a good thing! Dutch DJ/production duo Roul and Doors connect with us big time with ‘Guinea’, a big room tribal production that will be causing serious dance floor damage in the cooler clubs around the world. 

KillRockStar BigDog Entertainment recently announced the return Australian voyage for Armada's international event brand - Armada Night. Over the years, the Armada Nights have managed to attract thousands of dance music lovers to various locations across the globe, gaining a steady fan-base, with the real Armada sound hitting a variety of Amsterdam clubs and spreading the word as far as Miami, Poland, Russia, Ibiza and more.

Sónar 2012 recently added more than 30 new artists to its line-up, including USA’s Flying Lotus (who will be performing two shows), the UK’s Simian Mobile Disco (presenting their new album), the dark synthpop duo from Canada, Trust, and the Russian techno DJ and producer Nina Kraviz.

Audiojackʼs Gruuv imprint drops one of its biggest releases this May with Dog Daysʼ ʻDog Days EPʼ, backed with remixes from Pol_On and Rodriguez Jnr.
 
In just a couple of years, Gruuv has become known for robust, electronic house music that always takes a small step outside the norm. Releases from Tigerstripes, Uner and Audiojack themselves always hit the mark and this latest release from Dog Days doesnʼt disappoint.

 

Microsoft and 343 Industries recently announced that Halo 4, the hotly anticipated sequel to the iconic franchise, will launch worldwide on 6^th November 2012. Halo 4 marks the return of legendary hero Master Chief, named by Fast Company as “one of the most popular characters in gaming history,” and aims to set a new standard for blockbuster interactive entertainment. 

Some people know him as Kevin King, some as Lemon D but after taking two years out of the limelight to redefine his path and direction the man is back and ready to kick off a whole new chapter. Shedding the old pseudonym altogether Kevin King, now known as K-AZE (after his two K initials) is ready to throw down once again with an all-new sampler and sound that’s been honed meticulously in the depths of the Valve studios. 

After a successful tour of the US with his live band at the end of 2011, and a healthy wedge of new remixes under his belt for the likes of David Lynch, The Dø, The Drums and M83, Copenhagen‘s Anders Trentemøller remains in the spotlight. Last year also saw the release of ‘Reworked / Remixed‘, a double CD release featuring some of the producer‘s favourite remixes, and his pick from remixes of his music by other artists. The release was preceded by the mixed-media collaboration with Efterklang in September 2011, where both artists remixed each other‘s songs in the ‘Raincoats Vs Tide‘ EP.

Toolroom Records have teamed up with web developers BozBoz to create a new website that features a revamped shop - including the latest MP3s at a special offer price of 79p and WAVs at 99p - as well as a host of merchandise from the likes of Gio-Goi and Sample Magic. The new website now incorporates Toolroom's YouTube channel, so you can hear all of the latest releases in one place, as well as the News and Events sections that will bring you all the recent Toolroom adventures from around the world. 

Deep Fiction – Let’s Go (Bargrooves)

Another one out this week, this is a lovely slice of vocal, disco house that brings back great memories of feel-good house music from passionate producers who cared about the end product. No shitey urban mash-ups here! We’re reminded of tracks like Modjo’s ‘Lady’ and Eclipse’s ‘Makes Me Love You’ with this one, which is a pretty strong endorsement in our eyes (and ears!). 

The annual update of the critically acclaimed Digitally Enhanced series has now cemented itself as a highlight of the year for trance fans around the globe. As ever, Volume Five contains two discs of exclusive, unreleased material from 'arguably the most consistent trance label on the planet' (DJ Mag), and is mixed by the man at the helm of the label group, Will Holland. 

Following the release of their free download EP, Helium Robots have shifted gear ready to release their debut album, ‘Voltopia’, and their first single, ‘Bring Drinking’, is released through This Is Music accompanied by a remix from Tuff City Kids.

Ahead of his debut LP, ‘Legion Of The Lost Dreamsʼ for Italyʼs Opilec Music, Federico Gandin delivers the deep techno of ʻDonʼt Be Aloneʼ backed with remixes from Roberto Bardini.

 Since being picked up by I-Robots, the Opilec Music owner, Federico has released a handful of deep house and techno EPs as well as featured on Movement Sound Recordings compilations and Derrick Mayʼs ʻHeartbeat Vol.2ʼ. His background as a pioneering electronic music record store (Deep Zone) owner in Italy and his love of European electronica, ‘60s rock, bossanova, Chicago House and Detroit techno bleed through all of Gandinʼs work which makes for music with real depth.



With a successful Miami Music Week behind him, for Sander van Doorn, it’s now a whirlwind of festivals and non-stop touring for the forthcoming summer season. He’s just finished touring India and Kuala Lumpur, followed by a quick jet over to Singapore before embarking on a two week US Tour starting tonight.

On Saturday 28^th April, The Squatters are moving into The Spa, Scarborough, for Sessions! The Big One 2012! Armed with a backpack full of dance floor bombs and a black belt in chopped and screwed mixing, the guys have bad news for the roof at The Spa as apparently they are planning on leaving a bass-shaped hole in it!

Punks Jump Up present their new single ‘Mr Overtime’, released on Moda Music on April 30^th. The track is a notoriously catchy, uplifting and danceable ode to paranoia, nighttime deviance and the foggy notion of slightly losing grip on reality. Featured vocalist is Dave1 of Chromeo fame. Dave1 heard the demo, declared the song "dope" and managed to get a moment away from Chromeo's latest world tour to lend his voice to the song. 

Todd Terry & J Paul Getto – Fantasy (Discopolis Recordings)

Can’t beat a slice of some good old fashioned disco house and this one, released on Traxsource yesterday on Discopolis Recordings, is a perfect example of the genre. House music heavyweight, Todd Terry, joins forces with J Paul Getto for ‘Fantasy’, a solid, uptempo dance track. With over 20 years of experience behind him, you would expect this to be good, as Todd Terry has always been a reliable producer. 

Two of EDM's most up and coming producers, Special Features and Michael Brun, have teamed up to create a representation of young creativity and energy in EDM today by releasing a preview of their highly anticipated collaboration, ‘Synergy’, which is out exclusively on Beatport on April 18^th via Dirty South's Phazing Records.  The title ‘Synergy’ signifies the unison of their signature sounds and high production ability and the result is a progressive song that is full of intensity, energy, and originality. 

Ever wondered what life was like outside of the club for many big name DJs and producers? For the first time ever Steve Angello has let the cameras in to film him and the Size family on the road and in studio. Size TV will capture the creative process that goes into developing the hottest tracks from scratch in the studio, candid moments that fans typically never get to see and an inside look into what being a Size Records artist is all about. 

Modena Records, the UK record label of producer Chicane, has joined forces with Dutch record company Armada Music. After working together extensively throughout the past four years, with Armada Music releasing Chicane’s singles and albums for Benelux, GSA and Poland, both parties now agreed on a partnership. The fifth Chicane album, ‘Thousand Mile Stare’, is the next release through Armada Music. 

The Filthy Dukes return with an EP showcasing a new deeper, dancefloor sound for their Kill Em All label. Most people are aware of the story of London’s Kill Em All club night, an event that moved from the back streets of Islington, via Camden’s Barfly to Fabric and became a Mecca for genre bending music fans and a home to young bands such as Bloc Party, Friendly Fires and Simian Mobile Disco who rubbed shoulders with guest DJs likes Erol Alkan, James Murphy, Justice and Chemical Brothers.