Creamfields looks on course for a fourth consecutive sell-out year with the Limited Ticket Offer now sold out! Two and three day camping tickets are now available at the price of £125+BF and £145+BF for three-day camping tickets. Creamfields returns to Daresbury in Cheshire on August Bank Holiday weekend (24^th – 26^th August 2012) and will see performances from the likes of deadmau5, Tiësto, The Chemical Brothers (DJ Set), David Guetta, Avicii, Skrillex, Calvin Harris, Example, Axwell, Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso, Paul van Dyk, Above & Beyond, Eric Prydz, Groove Armada (DJ set), Richie Hawtin, Sub Focus (Live), Knife Party, Laidback Luke, Steve Aoki and more. Full line up and ticket info: www.creamfields.com

Space Ibiza won the award for the best Global Club at the 27^th Edition of the International Dance Music Awards, given annually at the Winter Music Conference in Miami. The IDMAs are the longest-running dance music awards in the electronic music scene, covering 56 different categories and virtually all aspects of the industry. Space will no doubt be celebrating the award at their Space Opening Fiesta on Sunday May 27^th.

Maykel Piron

Maykel Piron, the Managing Director of the award-winning Dutch record label Armada Music, was awarded the ‘Best Record Label Executive’ at the International Dance Music Awards in Miami. It is the third year in a row that the Dutchman has received this prestigious award, praising his work as the representative of the popular record company. Under his management, Armada Music has been voted ‘Best Global Record Label’ four years in a row now. The International Dance Music Awards, taking place in Miami each year in March, are the leading awards in the dance music industry. The award show took place in Miami last Thursday, but the news that Piron won the award for ‘Best Executive’ wasn’t announced until afterwards. In January 2012, Maykel Piron already won a ‘Feather’ award for his extraordinary contribution to the Dutch music industry. For more info, check out www.armadamusic.com.

Following the huge response online to ‘Primadonna’, it’s time to get your teeth around the first remix from Marina & The Diamonds latest single.  Esteemed EDM producer Benny Benassi has turned Marina’s pop fuelled track into an uplifting disco house banger!  With the thumping bass and heavy synths, Benassi’s remix is more suited to the big room raves.  Leaving Marina’s vocals prominent throughout, this track could become an anthem this summer within the electro scene. ‘Primadonna’ is set for release on April 16^th with new album ‘Electra Heart’ to follow on 30^th April.

Damon Albarn - Mr Dee

‘Dr Dee’ is a new studio album by Damon Albarn which will be released by Parlophone Records on 7^th May 2012. The album is 18 tracks of songs and music inspired by the life of John Dee, mathematician, polymath and advisor to Elizabeth I.  Described by Albarn as ‘strange pastoral folk’, Dr Dee is a fitting companion to the end of another Elizabethan age. The album combines Albarn's voice with early English choral and instrumentation alongside modern, West African and Renaissance sounds.

Rebecca Ferguson (By Jason Bell Gen)

Rebecca Ferguson releases her new single ‘Glitter & Gold’ on April 29^th. The song is taken from Rebecca’s top debut album ‘Heaven’, which has sold over half a million copies so far since it was released in December – fast approaching double platinum. Rebecca recently completed a sold out UK tour and will soon depart for the USA where she will be playing her first ever shows in LA and New York. Rebecca will also be visiting Germany, Australia, Switzerland and New Zealand for TV appearances, showcases and other  promotional activity.

www.rebeccaofficial.com

Black Dice (by Barbara Soto)

Black Dice recently announced The Electronic Mind Monsters Reader 2012 North American Tour this spring in support of their album, ‘Mr. Impossible’, which is out April 10^th on Ribbon Music. ‘Mr. Impossible’ is the band’s sixth studio LP and newest music in three years. For over 15 years, the highly influential Black Dice have continuously reinvented and mutated punk music into new sonic stews. Consistent to every era and all of Black Dice’s material, ‘Mr. Impossible’ is an irreverent, aggressive, hand-made aesthetic that simultaneously revels in and reconfigures the whole of popular culture.

Clean Bandit

UK music collective Clean Bandit are an instrumental core of string quartet, keys, electro-acoustic drums who work with various vocalists and clash their eclectic influences of classical, dance and urban styles together forming a serene sound like nothing else. This video is from the band’s Radio 1 session with Huw Stephens where they collaborated with vocalists Jungle VIP, Subzy, Camilla Farrant and Eliza Shaddad on their track, Local Sauce. The performance is great, so if this is your thing, catch them at the following events:

26^th April – Nonclassical @ XOYO (DJ Set)

27^th April – The Nest (Soundsystem Show)

6^{th -} 8^th July – Lounge on the Farm

19^{th -} 22^nd July – Secret Garden Party

17^{th -} 19^th Aug – Summer Sundae

6^{th -} 9^th Sep – Bestival

Following on from the massive ‘Devil Walking’ and ‘Sax’, which reached numbers 1 & 2 on Beatport, Mark Knight returns with the next installment of his aptly titled ‘Bullets EP’.  Due for release March 19^th (Beatport) and April 1^st (iTunes), the ‘Bullets EP Vol 2’ features two tracks that are guaranteed to drive any dance floor from peak hour to after hour. ‘Alright’ is a tasty homage to the golden era of house, circa 1995 and second track, ‘Together’, is peak time piano tech-house at its finest.

‘Travellers Chant’ is a laid-back melodic track full of contemplative anecdotes; it perfectly reflects the humbling journey of coming of age. With DIY beats and killer hooks, effortless swag and an abundance of charm the band represent a new breed of UK artists, self-created with unruly imaginations, the bands care-free lyrics and fun loving attitude has propelled them to the forefront of the UK music scene picking up a wealth of fans and support from fellow artists along the way. This is the Young Favourites remix of the track, taking it to a mellow and carefree world.

Pacha Ibiza returns to Miami this month to celebrate its Classic House Pool Party at the Shelborne - South Beach hotel on Saturday 24th of March from noon till 10pm. This is always a roadblock affair and this year the party features Bob Sinclar, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Norman Doray, GoldFish Live, RAE (Live PA & DJ Set), Andy Baxter, JP Candela, Carl Kennedy, Kaz James, Jon Cowan, Tom Peppe, Luca G (PA), Mo Funk and Teddy O.

Shelborne South Beach

1801 Collins Avenue

Miami, Florida 33139

www.pacha.com  

www.shelborne.com   

Kris Menace’s remix of Lana Del Ray’s 'Blue Jeans' is a little taste of the collaborations he has in store on his forthcoming vocal album that is due for release at the end of the year. But before that, get ready for Kris' album 'Electric Horizon', which includes singles 'Falling Star', 'Efeel' and 'We Are' (feat the Kiki Twins). Kris describes 'Electric Horizon' as a "new synthesizer packed, electronical, emotional, futuristical discovery and an extraordinary, outstanding piece of music." It’s out next month, meanwhile, check the remix of Lana below.

Defected In The House have announced their dates for Pacha Ibiza this year, with their nights kicking off one week earlier on Saturday 26^th May and closing one week later on Saturday 28^th September. After a hugely successful season in 2011, the brand so far have confirmed a roster of DJs that they feel currently represents the sound of house and dance music in 2012. With more acts to be confirmed, so far the line-up includes Bob Sinclar, David Morales, Dennis Ferrer, Inner City Live, Dimitri From Paris, Junior Jack & Kid Crème, MURK, The Shapeshifters, Chocolate Puma, Simon Dunmore, Rae, Franky Rizardo, Noir, MK and 2000 and One. For more info, head to www.defected.com.

Following Friday’s line up announcement for Creamfields 2012, the festival has announced more acts to the bill. Afrojack joins the bill performing on Saturday 25^th August - the Grammy award winner’s peerless reputation as a producer has seen him work with the likes of Madonna and collaborate with some of the worlds most respected artists including Black Eyed Peas, Steve Aoki and David Guetta. In addition Goodgreef Xtra Hard make a welcome return offering a new twist for 2012, this year as an outdoor stage delivered by the ‘Best in British’ talent from all the key brands and labels in UK hard dance.  BBC Radio 1’s award winning Kutski headlines the stage alongside Kiddfectious’ Alex Kidd with support from the Awsum superstar Andy Whitby and king of the underground Mark EG plus the pioneers of the harder edged sound The Organ Donors and hardstyle’s finest duo Cally & Juice. Goodgreef Xtra Hard also introduces you for the first time a selection of the hottest, new and rising names in the British hard dance scene. For the latest info, log onto:

www.creamfields.com 

Originally part of the Swiss DJ and producer team, The Good Guys, Ralph Good is now focusing on his solo career with remixes for industry heavyweights such as Ian Carey, Snoop Dogg, Avicii, Timbaland, Yves Larock, Richard Grey and more! His biggest track to date, ‘SOS’, reached over 500,000 views on Youtube, was a No.1 release on Beatport and featured on countless compilations and radio charts. With support on his productions from many of his peers and some nice residencies established around the world, he’s now back with his regular iTunes podcast. Get it here:

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/funkfabric-radioshow/id278134927

Every year the rumour mill in Ibiza goes into overdrive as the clubs on the island gear up for the season ahead. Today though, in arguably the biggest news to come out of the White Island in a number of years, it was announced that Tiësto will launch his new Monday night residency at the legendary Pacha, kicking off on 28^th May and running through to late September. With further details such as support DJs, guests etc still to be confirmed, it’s worth regularly checking here or the sites below for the latest updates:

www.pacha.com

www.tiesto.com

Ashley Nicole

As 2011 drew to an end, Ashley Nicole could have justifiably sat back and rested on her laurels, enjoying the success of her track ‘Pull The Plug’. But as we approach Spring 2012, Ashley's still continuing to put out new music! Check this video for her latest track ‘Shouldn’t’ Be’, which was again produced by Boogie Wizzard. The video was directed by Denzel Williams and features upcoming rapper Lil Playy, who plays the role of Ashley's boyfriend. 

Look out for Fabien Roy’s ‘sci-fi urban fantasy’ novel set around his experiences of South Beach, Florida in 1998-99. With references to the trance scene at that time, Fabien says that the novel was fuelled by Paul Oakenfold’s album ‘Tranceport’. It’s worth checking out and is available on Amazon now.

Texas born, LA bound producer Mountblood is making moves in 2012, starting with this daring debut mix of today's nittiest and grittiest electro/house/dub jams. Now, he’s released his first Blood Sessions mix, which he’s made available as a free download. Featuring the sounds of Wolfgang Gartner, Chuckie, Zedd, Afrojack, Congorock and many more, this mix is a blend of highs and lows that is sure to get you pumping. Download the mix below and make sure to check out his latest production 'Storm Thrower'.

www.mountblood.com

As the winter comes to an end (hopefully!), the Smiley Fingers label sets out its plans to fly to Florida to take part in Miami Music Week/WMC! For ‘Smiley Goes To Miami’, the crew has selected 15 tracks, bringing together some artists from its roster like Rick Sanders, Franky B (aka Cryptic Monkey), DJ Fiore, Larry Cadge, Luizo Ortega with big guns like Jay Lumen, Maetrik, Butch, Florian Meindl, Paco Osuna, Steve Lawler, Dapayk, Padberg, Alex Flatner, Oliver Klein, Martin Eyerer, Victor Calderone, Gabriel Ananda, Roland Nights and Jay Tripwire. Out March 5^th, this is a huge package of music and should do well for the label.

Rita Ora

Have a listen to Rita Ora’s cover of Gotye & Kimbra’s track ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’, which was performed for the BBC Live Lounge. On Sunday, DJ Fresh and Rita hit the number one spot on the UK charts with ‘Hot Right Now’ as the biggest number 1 record of 2012 so far. Click the Soundcloud link below, we love it and think you will too.

Hed Kandi returns to the Winter Music Conference and Nikki Beach on Sunday 25^th March for one of their biggest parties this year, with special appearances by Redroche, Milk & Sugar and Jean Paul Getto. With more acts still to be announced, the full details so far are as below the image...

Hed Kandi Presents…

WMC

Nikki Beach

Sunday 25^thMarch 2012

Milk & Sugar

Phil Faversham

DJ Eilbhlin

Redroche

Jean Paul Getto

Live

Aimee Jay on Saxophone

MistaJam

On March 7^th, Snowboming will be teaming up with Motorola Defy to bring you the Urban Mountain, an evening compered by Snowbombing veteran and Radio 1 superstar MistaJam. He’ll be entertaining you on the decks playing everything from Dubstep and UK Funky to R&B and Reggae, and this one-off rooftop rave will also see a fabulous live performance from man of the moment Maverick Sabre, a cracking combo that’s sure to leave you feeling pumped and ready for the countdown to the festival.

Combining raw hip-hop and passionate Irish folk, Maverick Sabre’s debut album ‘Lonely Are The Brave’ stormed the charts last week and came in at #2 beating his musical hero Sir Paul McCartney to the spot. London born and Irish bread this newcomer just out of his teens is causing quite a stir. The Urban Mountain will be set in a stunning secret rooftop location in the heart of London with the help of festival stalwarts, Chai Wallahs, who will be brining along their Moroccan inspired tent and bar. Only a handful of competition winners and press will be lucky enough to witness this wonderland, it’s so exclusive that tickets will not be on sale to the general public. The only way you can get your hands on them is by entering an online competition, launched this Friday. Check the Snowbombing Facebook for details: www.facebook.com/snowbombing. For more details on the Winter Proof campaign visit the Motorola Europe Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/motorolaeurope

Adam Stacks - Art And Soul

Have a listen to the new ‘Art And Soul’ EP from electronic music producer and DJ Adam Stacks, from Mannheim in Germany. He recently released ‘Love Affairs’ in October 2011 and one of his tracks, ‘Hey Love’, has been used by Maya Jane Coles for her ‘DJ-Kicks’ compilation. Soundcloud link below:

http://soundcloud.com/adam-stacks/sets/love-and-soul-ep/

A$AP Rocky

A$AP Rocky has announced details of his first ever set of UK shows. The 23 year-old Harlem born rap sensation, who released his ‘Live.LoveA$AP’ mixtape online last year to widespread critical-acclaim and who has subsequently become one of the most talked about artists of 2012, is set to play the following shows in June:

Tuesday 5^th June – London Electric Ballroom

Tickets priced at £15 and available from www.livenation.co.uk

Thursday 7^th June – Birmingham HMV Institute

Tickets priced at £12.50 and available from www.livenation.co.uk

Friday 8^th June – Manchester The Ritz 

Tickets priced at £12.50 and available from www.gigsandtours.com

Saturday 9^th June – Glasgow The Arches 

Tickets priced at £12.50 and available from www.gigsinscotland.com

A$AP Rocky’s debut single ‘Peso’ is available to download now on A$AP Worldwide/Polo Grounds/Columbia.

With an EP set to be released in April, you can find out more about, and listen to him here:

http://www.justaweemusicblog.com/2012/01/12/a-ap-rocky/

Atlanta native and producer/singer/songwriter Jahah released his gorgeous track ‘Bare My Heart’ a few weeks ago and now it’s been backed up by a very cool video. “Bare My Heart’ borrows a classic beat-break made famous by Run-DMC (‘Here We Go’) and has justifiably been compared to the vibe of Stevie Wonder. Jahah is currently working on his next project Nostalgia (BLACK) with Grammy nominated producers Tha Bizness and with a planned release for April 3rd, 2012. Click the links below for the video and website:

www.jahahonline.com

The Squatters

Last year The Squatters embraced the moombahton movement by remixing their track ‘Monster’ to add to their live sets! Only a few managed to peel it from their tight grasp, including Kissy Sellout and Dillon Francis, but fast forward a few months and The Squatters have now made the track available for free, so grab your copy here:

http://soundcloud.com/thesquatters/the-squatters-monster-the

To keep up to date with all things Squatters visit :

http://www.facebook.com/thesquatters

http://www.The-Squatters.com/

http://www.twitter.com/the_squatters

Radiohead's TV performance of The King Of Limbs is available in the shops from today. Entitled ‘Radiohead - Live From The Basement’, the DVD / Blue-Ray also features performances of two previously unreleased tracks, ‘The Daily Mail’ and ‘Staircase’. Radiohead recently announced tour dates in the US, Europe and East Asia. Full details can be found here, with more live dates to be announced soon:

http://radiohead.com/tourdates/

www.radiohead.com

Punks Jump Up

Punks Jump Up kick off 2012 with their new single ‘Get Down (Special CCCrash Mixxx)’, a storming follow up to their two recent dance smash hits ‘Blockhead’ and ‘Chimes pt 1’. “Get Down is our modern take & homage to Prince, Trax Records & Yello, in equal measures. We wanted to capture the rawness of the early Trax Records releases with the flashiness of Prince & the quirky playfulness of Yello’s early dance tracks. Bring these influences together, turn it up and give them a modern dance touch,” say Punks Jump Up.

Punks Jump Up

The track is an energetic, stripped down and catchy 707 drum machine ode to all things dance, accompanied by a catchy vocal hook and even catchier proto acid bassline, all laced and backed up by a solid percussion force. On the remixes is the London based French/Italian duo JBAG, who has made some seminal remixes for Shindu & Kamp in the last year. They give it the Balearic new beat treatment. It’s harmonically superb and with production trimmings to make it work even in the big rooms. Alex Gopher takes the track to the RAVE. It’s BIG & pumping acid house.

The Italian force (“forza”) Fare Soldi, adds the slamming disco punk to ‘Get Down’. It’s full of energy and drive and sounds like the problem child kid brother of Armand Van Helden’s remix of Tori Amos’ ‘Professional Widow’. Cologne dance maestro Zero Cash’s remix is “deep”, percussive and disco but could also spend some quality time with the early works of Frankie Knuckles & Jamie Principle.  

Justin Robertson takes on ‘Get Down’ under his Deadstock 33s alias. His remix, per usual, is a wonky and playful piece of energy and creative madness. Teaser below.

Artist Rajeev Basu launches EEP EEP EEP EP, at the Fach & Asendorf gallery. It’s the world’s first collection of music created entirely using alarms. The tracks are part of a global musical experiment to see if it is possible to turn the annoying sound of alarms, into music that people might actually enjoy. Do you think he succeeded? For more info and to hear the winning tracks, click here: http://www.fa-g.org/

Uner

Bearing the name as one of the most influential and highly rated electronic artists from the Spanish scene, UNER joins Cadenza for the first time with the two-piece ‘Palua’ EP.  Clocking up some flawless releases over the last few years on imprints such as Diynamic, 2020 Vision, Get Physical or Defected among others, UNER’s percussion and funk led productions have caught the ears of many and Cadenza proudly welcome him aboard in the opening weeks of 2012.   

The EP’s A-side ‘Pallene’ marks itself with an insatiably rhythmic appetite. Bongo’s tap, tom drum’s echo and shakers hiss through the opening moments, underpinned by a simple yet provoking piano melody.  Winding along at a pitter patter pace, UNER’s live percussion performed alongside Nacho Gonzalez make for an elegant and classic atmosphere. As ‘Pallene’ and its bellowing kick wriggle along sensually through scattered doubled keys, warm synths and shimmering hi-hats, it takes on a dance floor worthy interpretation of classic Latino glamour.

Joined by B-side ‘Cocoua’, the ‘Palua’ EP retains its wriggling sensuality with pounding kicks and high contrasting hats and shakers. Building demurely with a rising bassline that mocks the clattering cymbal crashes, ‘Cocoua’ swings into dusky late night vibes as a melodic chord pattern makes its entrance. Gloriously simple in its stabbing arrangement. ‘Cocoua’ fels hypnotic, timeless and sexy as is the perfect companion for ‘Pallene’. It’s out on Cadenza on 30^th January. Check out his latest podcast here:

http://soundcloud.com/uner/uner-podcast-december-2011

We previously had their album as a Tune of the Day, and now Shades Of Gray are offering music fans one of their tracks off the album to download for free. The album is great so just click the link below and get downloading the free track, you wont be disappointed! We highly recommend the album too!

http://soundcloud.com/shades-of-gray/free-download-shades-of-gray

Alejandro Trebor’s has just released his latest track, the ‘Quemadura del Sol’ EP, a pounding techno monster full of jaw-dropping bass that is eating up dancefloors worldwide. Support for the release includes the likes of Speedy J, Alex Bau, Adam Beyer, Samuel L. Session, Alan Fitzpatrick, Slam, Audio Injection, Sasha Carassi, DJ Emerson, Pig & Dan and many more.

The Good Natured

The Good Natured

The Good Natured return to our speakers to spy on us in the dead of night, with their new song ‘Video Voyeur’. The track, produced by Patrik Berger (Robyn etc), is just a taste of what is to come from the band.  The song is available to download for free via the band’s Facebook page – http://facebook.com/thegoodnatured.  

The band’s Sarah says: “We're very excited to share with you our brand new track 'Video Voyeur'! This is just a little taster of what is to come on our album released next year! You can download this track for free from our Website & Facebook here: http://on.fb.me/VideoVoyeurFreeDownload.

The track, which is not an official single, is the follow up to ‘Skeleton EP’, which was released earlier in the year.  The band are currently hard at work putting the finishing touches to their debut album which will be released next year.  

Italian dub techno masters, Eclipse Music release the latest installment in Decoside’s ‘Reload’ series featuring two nice new compositions and a sterling remix from Fluxion. Eclipse Music was launched by DJ Francesco Stella in early 2008 and in the few short years since has become one of the most respected exponents of Italy’s dub techno scene.

Strongly influenced by the classic sounds of labels such as Basic Channel, UR and Transmat, Eclipse has developed its own unique style, releasing original material and remixes from the likes of Rob.Bardini, Brendon Moeller, Paul Mac, Iori, Estroe, Matt Thibideau, Atheus, passEnger, Edanticonf, Najem Sworb and of course Decoside.

Turin based Decoside has been at the heart of rise of Eclipse Music, providing a series of stunning releases under the ‘Reload’ banner. Alongside this he has recorded for imprints including Stomafunk and Exprezoo Records and taken his organic techno sound on the road as a DJ.

The latest Reload installment kicks of with ‘Reload 5’, a superb journey into deep and dubby territory built around a tracky hypnotic groove, heavy tape delay FX and jittery percussion. As with much of Decoside’s material there is a definite tip of the hat to Moritz van Oswald & Mark Ernestus, with Reload 5 coming on like a modern member of the Basic Channel family, sublime!

Next up is ‘Disorder’, a slice of techno that draws you in with its understated drum programming and intense stabs and keeps you locked in ‘til the final bar. The package closes with Chain Reaction & Echochord artist, Fluxion reworking ‘Disorder’ into a spacious and glitchy interpretation that fuses deep bass, warm pads and subtle melodies to create a genuinely outstanding piece of electronic music.

It’s out on Eclipse Music in late Janaury 2012.

International DJ agency IMD welcomes to its booking and PR roster the young and talented Russian breakthrough House sensation, Arty. Artem Stolyarov, Arty, might only be the tender age of 21 but he is already having a great impact on the global dance scene with big-room House anthems such as ‘Kate’, ‘Zara’, ‘Rebound’ with Mat Zo and ‘All Around The World’ which garnered support across the board from artists such as Chuckie, Hardwell and Tiesto.

As a result of his release success, the young Russian has been around the world and back playing events across the globe from the most prestigious clubs to some of the biggest festivals, including Global Gathering, Gatecrasher and ASOT 500 in Den Bosch. He’s no stranger to award ceremonies and international DJ poll rankings as he was nominated for Best Breakthrough DJ at the 2011 IDMA awards and received #25 in this year’s infamous DJ Mag Top 100 DJs poll, gaining 53 places on 2010’s debut entry.

For most 21-year olds this kind of success might all seem slightly overwhelming however this ambitious Russian is ready to take things to the next level and has a whole host of new projects in store for his rapidly growing fan base.

Tube & Berger

Arndt Rörig and Marko Vidovic aka Tube & Berger are probably two of the most important protagonists of the electronic music scene and return with their latest track ‘Envy’. An unrestricted love for music brought them first together in a punk band and since then the successful musical duo has been inseparable on their musical journey across dance music genres.

From them hitting the top of the US Billboard Hot Dance Airplay charts with their hit ‘Straight Ahead’ (feat. Chrissie Hynde on vocals) in 2004, to their Beatport techhouse #1 last year with a remix of Tomcraft's tune ‘Room 414’, it's clear that whatever the punk-inspired duo create, it is their powerful, often playful sound that defines them in the charts. Italy's talented Pirupa, who was ranked #11 on Resident Advisor's top 100 most charted artists of 2010, is on remix duties and a host of the world's most distinguished dance labels have signed on for a taste of his percussive, party fuelling panache.  It’s out on Area Remote on January 23.

Global superstar DJ and producer David Guetta became the first DJ and music artist to be handprinted at the legendary Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood over the weekend. To celebrate Guetta’s status as the world’s best-selling DJ of all time, the Chinese Theatre selected the French-born Guetta as the inaugural artist in its musicians-only handprint series “Handprints Homage.”

Guetta attended the ceremony, which took place inside the newly opened Grauman’s Ballroom, and performed a jubilant set at the space on December 3rd. The Grauman’s honuor came the same weekend that Guetta was nominated for two 2012 Grammy Awards: Best Dance/Electronica Album, for his acclaimed fifth studio album ‘Nothing But The Beat’, and Best Dance Recording for his electronic track ‘Sunshine’, which he produced with Swedish DJ Avicii. Now an eight-time Grammy nominee, Guetta won the award for Best Remixed Recording back-to-back in 2010 and 2011.

VONYC Sessions 11

With his Evolution tour in full swing, Paul van Dyk presents a selection of his favourite tunes of the year, coming together on his new ‘VONYC SESSIONS 2011’ compilation. Every year, the legendary DJ/producer introduces the dance scene to the highlights of his weekly radio show VONYC Sessions. Including van Dyk’s exclusive new remixes for Hurts, Daniel Nitt, Moby and Rea Garvey, as well as two tracks off his upcoming ‘Evolution’ album, ‘VONYC Sessions 2011’ will be released on December 15^th. 



52 stations in 23 countries is the impressive widespread span of the awarded and globally acclaimed radio show VONYC Session hosted by Paul van Dyk. Every week millions of listeners all around the world tune in to listen to the best that electronic music has to offer presented by one of the forefront runners in the field. The annual ‘VONYC Sessions’ mix album has become an institution in the industry and features the most influential tracks of the year and an outlook on to what is going to come. Gathered on two discs are all of the stand‐out tracks, road‐tested across the planet and favoured by the radio show fans. Handpicked and mixed by Paul himself, ‘VONYC Sessions 2011’ presents masterpieces by the likes of Moby, Giuseppe Ottaviani and Carl Cox and many other EDM virtuosi.

As mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the release of ‘VONYC Sessions 2011’ will be celebrated with a special VANDIT night at the Kesselhaus of Berlin, Germany, on December 17^th. Pre-order here: http://bit.ly/PVDVonycSessions11 or check www.armadamusic.com for more info.

Receiving a perfect score of 10 and named the “money shot release” in the new issue of Mixmag, “The Low FreQuency Pureland EP” marks DJ/Producer FreQ Nasty’s re-entry – with a vengeance - into the world of boundary-pushing music.  

Digging into the tracks, “Warm Dark Place” is a glitch-hop and drumstep hybrid of equal parts West Coast glitch hop and UK tear-out. The influence of FreQ Nasty’s time in the US Bass heaven of California is obvious with a haunting melodic refrain offsetting the hefty bass pressure. “1000 Buddhas of the Pureland of Bass” is a crunkstep roller that takes the uptempo Hip-Hop beats of the Northern Californian Hyphy movement and welds them to seismic 808 bassline. 

FreQ Nasty played this across the summer of 2011 and the 808 bass solo in the middle gets them screaming every time. “The Heart of Definitive Meaning” is a journey into the more reflective side of bass music.  Swathes of guitar over a backdrop of distant chimes and revolving chords all served on a bed of deep sub bass. It evolves slowly with an almost subliminal drop into angular stabs of low frequency voltage.

With the cutting-edge re-design of his website, launch of his new label, FreQ Nasty Recordings, and worldwide release of his new EP, supported by online, blog, and international press coverage, FreQ is making a powerful entry into 2012. He had this to say:

“I specifically avoided making dubstep on this EP as my modus operandi has always been –“look which way the crowd is moving and run in the opposite direction. Having said that, the crunkstep vibe of “1000 Buddha's…” was made with that 100 BPM-808-Hyphy Hip-Hop sound in mind, but then other influences snuck in there too. And in the end my tunes never turn out quite how I imagine them to.

“So I don't know what genre you would put these tracks in specifically. Not dubstep? Post dubstep? It doesn't really matter at the end of the day as new genres often start in one physical location but very soon spread to anywhere you can get a half way solid link to the internet. This EP dropped out of AT&T's broadband network somewhere between London and California. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed getting back in the studio.”  

Those of you who remember Psycatron’s stunning remix of Mutant Clan’s ‘Persuader’ from John Digweed’s first ‘Structures’ album, or ‘Vertigo In The Modern’ (Beddigi08) with Sian, will possibly be chomping at the bit to get your ears around this brand new single. Psycatron, aka Northern Irish duo Paul Hamill & Dave Oost Lievense, produce 21st century techno with tracks that combine relentless energy and groove with bundles of emotion and tension, to make for an all-encompassing sound that is perfect for those big arenas and club rooms.

Their Original Mix with its energetic, melodic, percussive groove backbone mounted on a deep, throbbing bassline, builds a drawn out brooding vibe towards an ecstatic mid-way climax before layering and building in pure, intense Psycatron style.

Between them, John Digweed and Nick Muir have been involved in many pivotal moments in the world of club music over the years and as with all their studio productions their remix of ‘Memories Of The Moment’ is another mission statement to show that they are not resting on past laurels but always developing their sound in an exciting direction.

Remixes for Spooky, Simian Mobile Disco and Vince Watson have all been Psycatron highlights already this year, and a single with Paul Woolford for HotFlush received critical acclaim. New singles are on the way alongside Sian and Detroit Grand Pubahs, whilst the boys are currently locked down in their studio, working on the first Psycatron long-player for release in 2012. In the meantime you can tune into their fortnightly Electric Avenue radio show on Proton, which already has 20k subscribers.

Psycatron’s high profile productions have been popping up on some of the world’s most respected labels, receiving props from some of the biggest names in the business and record sales flying high in the Beatport charts, so it seems fitting that they have now linked up with Bedrock Records again to end the year in style. 

‘What Did I Do’ is the latest tune to come from the mind of Sander van Doorn. In collaboration with Bloc Party’s Kele, Sander continues his meritorious rise as one of the most in demand producers in dance music today. 

Infectious melodies are layered perfectly with easy to relate to lyrics that are sure to cause more than a few hands-in-the-air sing-along moments in the very near future. Dominate alternating melodies, a driving bassline and very creative key play create dramatic builds and breaks which marry singer Lucy Taylor’s vocals. It is the perfect peak hour banger and is ready to infiltrate clubs across the globe with another one of Sander’s big room anthems. With the morphing of pop music into dance music over 2011, this song rests quite comfortably between the two.

Disco/house producer Mark E delivers his third remix for Far Out – a mesmeric slow-burning mix of Azymuth’s ‘Meu Mengo’, taken from the legendary samba jazz-funk trio’s huge new album ‘Aurora’.

Having released his debut remixes on the label’s Far Out Monster Disco Orchestra project, Mark E brings this special mix of Azymuth. Far Out has returned heavily to electronic music in 2011 with the most recent vinyl release bringing Theo Parrish’s monster SS Translation mix of ‘Keep Believing (Can You Feel It)’. 

Mamas Gun will be releasing ‘Only One (Featuring Beverley Knight)’ on January 9th. The track is taken from Mama’s Gun latest album ‘The Life And Soul’ which was released in the summer. Extremely cool, Mamas Gun are a five-piece fronted by the singer, composer and producer Andy Platts but they are by no means a one man operation. Bassist ‘Professor’ Rex Horan, another focal point of the band’s feisty stage show, was born in the Western Australian desert and is equally adept on violin and piano and in classical music.

Keyboard player Dave ‘Eighties’ Oliver’s musical education, originally in Hertfordshire, embraced everything from barbershop singing to French horn and now includes jazz, soul and Cuban playing. Guitarist Terry ‘Spiller’ Lewis studied music in Essex, got his diploma and taught guitar before honing his craft by working with the likes of Curtis Mayfield and Leon Ware. And ‘Union’ Jack Pollitt notably played drums on ‘Green Light’ for Beyoncé’s ‘B-Day’ album, with producer Pharrell Williams. Check the new single below:

UK producer, Alex Nagshineh is releasing his new EP 'How I Escaped My Certain Fate' through 'Noice!' on 14th December. The 3–track EP includes a remix from Culprit LA bosses DROOG. Alex is now part of the Lo*kee collective and his remixes for Cologne imprint Trapez, James Teej, MarcAshken's and Penguin Prison are all gaining widespread support from industry heads and receiving specialist radio play on the likes of Capital FM and Pulse.

Honing his sound over the last 4 years Alex has just recently begun to unveil his skills in the studio and has swiftly gained a reputation as an innovative remixer with a series of high-profile projects to his name. Notably an idiosyncratic reinterpretation of eccentric techno classic ‘Fox in The Box’ for Cologne imprint Trapez and a take on the mighty Azari and III’s ‘Manic’ alongside fellow remixers DJ Sneak and Maceo Plex (Crosstown Rebels) which was rewarded an 8 star review from DJ mag. Here he’s offering it as a free download:

http://soundcloud.com/alex-nagshineh/azari-and-iii-manic-alex

Since launching into the lime light in 2008 with his chart topping take on Depeche Mode’s ‘Enjoy The Silence’, Matt Samuels has established himself as one of the most exciting young artists on the scene. 

Widely considered to be one of the most talented up and coming producers, continually delivering club hits that have gained support from Pete Tong, Mark Knight, Eddie Halliwell and Gareth Emery, Matt’s fast rise through the house music ranks looks set to continue with his exciting debut album on Toolroom Records.

‘Lost You’ is a world class delivery showcasing Matt’s penchant for big room club cuts alongside vocal classics and melodic masterpieces. Emotive vocal gems ‘Love Begins’ and ‘Rise Above It All’, featuring the talents of Ann Saunderson of Inner City fame, are two huge highlights sandwiched between mammoth anthems ‘Electric Kiss’, ‘Pretoria’ and ‘Never Enough’. Matt demonstrates his versatility with the tech infused beats ‘We Go’ and ‘Teko’, whilst venturing into dubstep with lead track ‘Lost You’ and disco vibes in ‘Disko’ to complete a top debut album.

Released: Beatport Exclusive 12.12.11 / Worldwide 18.12.11

Max Graham further builds his ‘Cycles’ brand, with round three of the outstanding ‘Cycles’ compilation series. Balancing the peaks of this year’s music with the highlights of the future, the Canadian producer/DJ tells another story of energy and emotion with a seamlessly flowing mix. Get ready to be moved with a new round of quality tunes. 

Lots has happened since Graham landed the first volume of the series in 2008. ‘Cycles 1’ unlocked the path to Graham’s first artist album, ‘Radio’, released in June 2010. The album included hits like ‘Sun In The Winter’, ‘DUSKY 2010’ and ‘Nothing Else Matters’, blazing a trail to the first episode of Max’ very own weekly radio show, ‘Cycles Radio ’. In 2011, Max’ very own Re*Brand label didn’t only release his successful singles ‘So Caught Up’ and ‘F.Y.C.’, but also offered a home label to upcoming talents like Protoculture, D-Mad and many other promising producers.  

On ‘Cycles 3’ Max Graham shows EDM land why, 15 years after he first touched the decks, he still hasn’t lost the feel of dance music. With a sound that sways between trance and progressive, he introduces the listeners of ‘Cycles 3’ to the tracks of Heatbeat, Protoculture, Andrew Bayer, Ørjan Nilsen, Soundprank, D-Mad, DNS Project and more. More than just beats and sounds coming together, ‘Cycles 3’ tells you a story untold. 

Check: www.maxgraham.com

Pete Tong

Pete Tong and Alesso are the latest acts to be added to the ever growing line up for the Swedish House Mafia’s ‘One Night Stand’ show at the 65,000 capacity Milton Keynes Bowl on 14^th July 2012.  These two new additions follow last week’s announcement of Calvin Harris and pop/house producer Madeon who also joined the bill for the gargantuan nine-hour long event that’s tipped to be the dance event of the summer.  

As the UK’s best loved DJ and host of BBC Radio 1’s groundbreaking Essential Selection show Pete Tong’s legacy in electronic music history is legendary.   He is the master of merging the underground with the mainstream and responsible for breaking some of the biggest tracks over the last 20 years.  When Pete speaks people listen, and with millions tuning into ‘something for the weekend’ this makes Pete the voice of the dance music generation.   Another artiste to break through over the last couple of years is Sebastian Ingrosso’s protégé Alesso.   At only 19 years old and with massive productions including ‘Calling’ and 'Raise Your Head' already under his belt, his fanbase continues to grow receiving accolades from the likes of Tiësto, Avici and Sander van Doorn.   2012 is set to be Alesso’s year.

Swedish House Mafia are giving fans the opportunity to purchase the full VIP Swedes experience.  For £199 (inc. VAT & booking fee) fans will have access to an exclusive VIP compound with private catering and bar, tokens for food and drink and access to the after-show party where DJ’s will play until 2am.  Fans who have already bought a ticket will be able to upgrade for £154 (inc VAT). Full Info: https://www.facebook.com/swedishhousemafia?sk=app_179726115452353

More: www.swedishhousemafia.com

EVENT INFO:

‘One Night Stand’

Saturday 14^th July 2012

Swedish House Mafia

Calvin Harris

Pete Tong

Alesso

Madeon

+ More TBA