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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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’.

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.

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.

 

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.

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. 

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.



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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.



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.



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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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!

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

‘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…

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 


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). 

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. 

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. 

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.

 

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.



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.

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. 

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.  

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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!). 

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.

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.

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. 

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!

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. 

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. 

The west London-based Retrospective label are set to release their first long-player May 2012. Since the imprint’s inception in January 2011, label boss Ra has carefully scoured the nu-disco spectrum to assemble an international roster of like-minded artists. In recent months, in light of the fold’s emergence, Retrospective has steadily been expanding their global network by commissioning tracks from many of the scene’s leading names. For the first in a series of three compilations, ‘Retrospective All-Stars Vol. 1’ is purposed to both commemorate this growing stature, while showcasing the wealth of talent from within the label’s newly extended family.

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. 

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. 

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. 

Towards Green – Last Page EP (Buzzin Fly)

Something nice and chilled for a Monday to ease you into the week ahead, this lovely four-track EP from Spanish guitarist Anatol Rivero Brito aka Towards Green is just a perfect tempo for those in need of a slow recuperation. Two tracks to choose from and first up is title track ‘Last Page’, which comes in its original mix and as an extended live version, its down-tempo beats, cymbals and guitar all blend together beautifully. 

Microsoft and 343 Industries recently announced that the team has enlisted Neil Davidge of Massive Attack fame to compose the score for Halo 4, the highly anticipated sequel to one of the entertainment industry’s biggest franchises. As co-writer and producer for the last three albums from pioneering trip hop group Massive Attack, Davidge is an award-winning composer, record producer, songwriter and musician who has helped create some of the most innovative sounds over the past two decades and made an indelible impression on the music industry. 

London duo Man Like Me release their new single ‘Squeeze’ on May 28^th. The single has been mixed by Mike Skinner, one of his first new projects since retiring The Streets. The band’s new album is due for release later this summer and is produced and mixed by Mike Skinner. Originally on board to mix one or two tracks, Mike loved the music so much he insisted on working the full album and re-launching his record label The Beats to release it on! 

Berlin-based producer, Maayan Nidam’s, second album ‘New Moon’ is an 11-track collection of alternative electronic rhythms that combines everything from blissful broken beat, to surrealist electro, jazz-influenced moments, acidic house, exploratory techno, and piano interludes. Clearly unfazed by constructing a bigger, more audacious picture, Nidam links her many different artist desires on this album through cyclical electronic expressionism. 

The release of his critically acclaimed, global debut album ‘The New Daylight’ rapidly established Dash Berlin as one of the top tastemakers in EDM. Despite his meteoric rise to the top 10 of the world’s biggest deejays, front man and DJ, Jeff Sutorius, remains a humble and approachable figure that lives for the music. Fans and critics alike praise him for his contagious, charismatic enthusiasm and the incredible amounts of positive energy that he radiates during his performances

On Thursday 24^th May Red Bull Music Academy and FABRICLIVE present Ram Jam, a night of bass with rudeboy David Rodigan MBE at the helm. Having cut his teeth playing youth clubs from the age of 15 and celebrating his 60^th birthday last year, Rodigan retains the glint in his eye, continues to destroy clubs and festival stages the world over and shows no sign of slowing down. Followed by a roster of dancehall and dub-flavoured special guests, many of whom regularly feature in Rodigan’s set, Ram Jam also welcomes first lady of UKG Ms Dynamite, Birmingham’s Bitty McLean, Caspa, BBC Radio 1’s Toddla T, with the UK’s number one bashment sound The Heatwave completing the bill.

J. Daniel’s Question Of Time label springs back to life and looks to the release of the classic 1995 single ‘The Way’ featuring a new mix for 2012 and a brand new track. Portuguese label Question Of Time was launched in 1995 by DJ/roducer J Daniel and became, at the time, one of the country’s defining house and techno imprints. Daniel himself was a well known DJ and promoter responsible for the country’s first afterhours club Climacz where he regularly played epic all night sets. He also opened the first dedicated electronic music store in Portugal and travelled extensively playing at legendary clubs such as the Hacienda, Drum Club and Checkpoint Charlie.

With his forthcoming Australian tour on the horizon, it’s good to look back to how the “glistening sonics” of electronic music enticed a grunge loving 16 year old James Zabiela to his first set of belt drive turntables some years ago. Fast forward to now and James is one of the most prolific DJs and producers on the planet. Over the last 10 years he has played endless gigs the world over, some era defining like his ongoing residency at Space in Ibiza to one off shows like Exit Festival 2006 where Goldie MC’d over his set.
 James has released critically acclaimed compilations on various labels including Renaissance and Ministry of Sound.

In December 2011 Swedish House Mafia became the first electronic dance music artist to headline (and sell out) the famed Madison Square Garden in New York. In March 2012 at Miami Music Week they brought Masquerade Motel to downtown Miami and sold out all 20,000 tickets for the two-day event. Now, for the first time, Swedish House Mafia headlines the main stage of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on Friday’s April 13 and April 20. 

Riva Starr is getting set to drop his artist album ‘Batería Fantástica’. One of the most popular DJs today, Riva has been busy at work bringing some exclusive and original South American cuts to his upcoming album ‘Batería Fantástica’, a compilation set for release on Snatch! Records. 
Heavily influenced by the rich cultural heritage of South America, and infused with a robust homage back to early Miami days, label head Riva has called upon some heavyweight producers to collaborate and collide, to form a flavour that is unlike their usual sound. 


Jay-J And Jaques LaBoum - Never Trust (Shifted Music)

Lovely slice of mostly instrumental house music from one of the USA’s best producers, Jay-J. With four mixes to choose from, including the original and an instrumental, the focus here is on the two new mixes from Frankie Shakes & The Brand and Jay-J’s Shifted Up main mix.