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Sunday 30 May 2010

Music Is The Answer - "Sorry Shoes Soul's" - LGDF Special Post





MUSIC IS THE ANSWER
LONDON GLOBAL DANCE FESTIVAL
“SORRY SHOOES SOUL’S”


Well, the big event is here and in just a hour or so, we will be rubbing shoulders with many of the international D.J.’s & artists that have jetted into the capital for The London Global Dance Festival (LGDF) Main event, which takes place tonight (Sunday 30th May) at Fire in Vauxhall, with a super swish reception for VIP’s and press, kick starting proceedings at 9 p.m., all this followed by a massive closing party, hosted by overt & outrageous club brand “Orange”. And the international outfit that will be playing a big part in both events, sports some of its top D.J. names, two who get the focus here.

First up is Shoes Shoes supremo Mike Kelly, a native of Australia who first started experimenting with sounds in the early 1990’s, when the people he was mixing with down under were very much into the sort of music that was mirroring the penchant in London for the hard house genre & following that Trade was spearheading, Mike being in the centre of his hometown Sydney’s vibrant underground & rave scene, initially crafting his disc spinning art, playing for friends at various parties which soon got him noticed, riding the wave of the eclectic music movement & change in dance culture that was gripping the world. Building his foundations from his home city, Mr Kelly soon found himself not only playing to massive audiences at huge festivals, including Sydney Mardi Gras, his distinctive underground style making him quite unique in the wave of more general house hunting D.J.’s and as his services became more in demand, residencies at clubs Indulgence, Manacle, The Barracks, Mars, Soho, & Home only served to cement his reputation as a force to be reckoned with in his profession. And this reputation also saw him often tour around Australia, regularly appearing at gigs in Melbourne, Brisbane, Newcastle & Lismore and his appetite for great parties, underground or otherwise was borne out by his skill in managing a whole host of outdoor events which would attract crowds of up to 8000.

But Mike didn’t stop at that, as he presented radio shows in Sydney for stations 2SER, Beat & Out FM, some of his D.J. sets also featuring on Australia’s premier dance music sessions, Mix Up & The Club, an accolade that was to repeat itself when Mike flew the Sydney nest, heading for the bright lights of Europe & landing in Berlin and once again dabbling in radio with exposure on the city’s BluRadio shows. Moving to Europe also gave Mr Kelly the opportunity to play in London including at the legendary nightclub Heaven as well in Madrid, Milan, Rome, Brussels & Amsterdam, although it was Germany where he concentrated most of his D.J’ing efforts, securing a residency at uber trendy club Greenkomm in Cologne, a city that Mike now calls home and has allowed him to develop further residencies across Western Europe including Naughty in Brussels, Flexx in Zurich, Furball in Amsterdam & Mezzo Giorno in Antwerp, as well as being asked to play at Barcelona’s Circuit Festival, Europride in Madrid & Love Parade in Dortmund. However, home calls occasionally and he jets back to Sydney every now & then, returning to his routes at club Indulgence, where, along with all his other residencies & appearances, allows Mike to exercise his passion for fusing a host of sounds through is underground house direction, combining, progressive, tech, tribal, electro, trance, minimal & even a bit of disco, drawing on influences over the years to energetic & eclectic excellence, Mike explaining that “the past, the present & the future exist in my sets & through my style I create the sounds that allow my audience to dance the skin of their feet”. And Mr Kelly’s influences are drawn from D.J’ing alongside fellow underground enthusiasts such as Antoine 909, Jack Chang, Kurd Maverick, Hardy Heller, Super Zandy & many more, his skills extending being the live decks into studio works collaborations with a whole host of musicians.

His current work with Sorry Shoes record label recruit artist Jean Phillips counts as the most prolific, their debut release “On Demand” being snapped up by cult record labels in the UK & Spain, which was soon followed by further releases & remixes that have included “Tisco”, “In Suspense” &“Something In the Air”, 2010 continuing to be hectic in the studio with Mike as he continues to develop the Sorry Shoes label as well as tackling plenty of other remix work & label releases. Mike will be representing record label & music agency Sorry Shoes at the LGDF main event, this prestigious record label & agency which he established in Cologne, but now serves & recruits artists right across the globe, its primary aim to bring quality music & innovative sound to the forefront of the scene, Mike’s musical philosophy having amazing resonance with the aims of Sorry Shoes and his awesome & unique sound will add something extra special to the London event.

Other focus goes to Jean Phillips, aka (J.P.) who realised from the tender age of 13 that he had a passion for music and mixing sounds and his first ever gig was landed in his home city of Cologne when he was just 16, playing at club End Art which got him well & truly noticed by the cutting edge Cologne Warehouse club Greenkomm, where J.P. had the chance to spin sounds along with the likes of names of the day including Groovemaster K, Dave Angel, & Marc Spoon, also being included in the D.J. teams at clubs Fusion & Cosmic in Munster. J.P. attributes much of his early influences to Germany’s Sven Vath & Underground hero Tiefschwarz, London’s deep house legend Jamie Lewis & god of underground house, Chilean born Ricardo Villalobos, creating a desire within J.P. to not only develop a stylish yet deep sound, selecting tracks that are ahead of their time, but to engender an energetic underground music environment. And this desire has seen J.P. noticed around Germany, having regularly played at gigs that included, Kinkamehameha in Frankfurt, Banaluu in Berlin and, naturally, Greenkomm in Cologne, and also spread his wings to include appearances at Under in Paris, although his residencies at The Pulse, The Velvet, The Saint & The Apt-Apartment in Frankfurt draw much of his time behind the D.J. booth.

However, whilst J.P. is undoubtedly an accomplished live jock, it is in the studio that he can be credited & recognised the most across the global music industry, a whole host of creative musical directions being created in recent years, working with the likes of D.J. Marc Hell on Desert Pearl Projects, with Wollion on Blu Fin & with Saints & Sinners producer Wilfred aka ROC:MA, on top of a whole host of tracks & remixes that included his own remix works on Taylor Squares “Something In The Air” & Rene Raabe’s “Me”, but collaborations with Steven Redant on “Discotheque”, Oliver Mohns on “Strings Of Motion” & Sorry Shoes’ Mike Kelly on “TiSGO” are probably some of his most notable, other works with Mike including Ismael Rivas’s “Clothes Off”, Idriss Chabak & SKG Projects “Capanema” and their latest work, Miguel Rendeiro’s “Journey” is shooting up the D.J. download charts, not to mention increasing the profile of J.P. and of Sorry Shoes recordings which he is firmly connected with. Not just content with track releases, J.P. also devotes time to full compilation mixes which give a real flavour of his live performances & his musical sound, which is very much electro-funk with progressive & tech vibes which create a mesmeric mixture of sounds that draw you in and occasionally combine with heart warming vocals that give his work real depth & an amazing quality which is irresistibly brilliant his podcast release series entitled “House Forecast” being so evocative of J.P.’s style & enthusiasm for his art, which are available through http://jeanphilips.podomatic.com and there is no doubt when you listen to his mixes as well as his tracks, it is unquestionably J.P. and his style.

2010 has already brought some exciting projects his way, both in the studio and D.J’ing, not least being at the heart of Cocoon Club as well as completing an awesome remix of Fady Maalouf’s “Into The Light” along with Lutz Markwirth which he ranks as right up there with his best ever work and truly emulating his love for combining forces with other artists which is quoted as saying “It is not just one person, it’s a bunch of people who make music and that’s what I always want to do. I love to put great gifted people together and create something together as a group” and that very much sums up J.P’s devotion to his art. Being part of the LGDF line up and representing Sorry Shoes will see J.P. make one of his first trips to London and there can be no doubt that his presence behind the D.J. booth will not just be an incredible draw, but his mood heightening style through crescendo building track selections will be a sure fire hit with the international and discerning home audience.

Both of these tip tip D.J./Producer talents will be squaring up with each other within just hours at the LGDF main event and we are told will be joined by our very own Brent Nicholls in what the organisers are calling “The Red Room” and highly suspect that the music & action in the hands of the trio will be red hot and we can’t wait. (DISCO MATT)

Saturday 29 May 2010

Music Is The Answer - "Inspiring International's" - LGDF Special Post




MUSIC IS THE ANSWER
LONDON GLOBAL DANCE FESTIVAL
“INSPIRING INTERNATIONAL’S”


With our D.J’ing focuses taking on supercharged proportions in advance of The London Global Dance Festival (LGDF) main event tomorrow night at Fire in Vauxhall, we continue our look, honing in on two truly international stars that will add some real ingenious injection to the spaces they will be playing out. One of these “Inspiring International’s” has made Barcelona his home, but lives more out of a suitcase, such is the fevered pace of his globetrotting, while the other is a household name in his native Israel, but has definitely trodden the global steps too, both making for ideal partners in this latest LGDF special music post.

First up is that Barcelona resident and a very accomplished artist within the recording studio, the superb talent that is Steven Redant, who first started his career in D.J.’ing at the famous Privilege club in Ibiza at the turn of the millennium, although he had been practising the art of mixing records long before that, playing for friends back home in Belgium. These were more as favours than anything else, although it was these gatherings, sometimes large events, sometimes smaller scale parties, that gave him the bug for the disc spinning game, the white isle debut yet again starting out as a favour for a friend, but developed into a summer long stay as the club asked him to fulfil a whole season playing his style of deep & tribal house infused with a dab of latino. At the time Steven didn’t realise just how big an opportunity it was, but he soon did when, following that fateful summer season, things really began to take off for him, hurtling Mr Redant into the limelight with residencies one of France’s biggest clubs Queen in Paris, at the infamous Black n Blue in Antwerp and at super glamorous club La Demence in Brussels, where he is now part of the stable of core D.J’s that perform to massive 2000 plus crowds each month. However, that said, Steven is every bit the globetrotting D.J., more often than not, living out of his suitcase & spreading the Redant word wherever he goes, be it Moscow, Rome, Eilat, Istanbul, Lausanne, St Tropez, New York, or Toronto just to mention a few destinations, the man hardly ever standing still, he often remarking that his travels are “relaxing after a week in the studio” and entertaining his audience through amazing performances.

His visit to London, back in November last year, when he played at Matinee’s “The Next Chapter” party, was a huge success and other recent appearances at the latest “Scream” event in Paris & at Barcelona’s newest club “Penelope” have gone down exceptionally well, this Gaudi inspired city being his current base, which allows him to not just consume his passions for studio work & D.J.’ing, holding down his weekly radio show “Get It On” as well as his residency behind the decks at swish club “Discotheque”, but also means he can fulfil his other main love, surfing. However, he has also loves trading the surf for the snow and has recently been tearing up the slopes at The European Gay Ski week, which culminated with a massive party in Tignes hosted by London legendary club brand Trade, where he played alongside Elof of Red & Blue and he described it in typical Redant fashion “I’ll be coming down from the mountains so will be my own little nuclear reactor”, this phrase summing up Steven’s incredible vitality & energy. Despite his whirlwind life & hectic D.J. schedules, it is his studio work that grabs a big chunk of his time, as he produces an amazing amount of compilation mixes following his live D.J. performances, the latest editions being available at http://stevenredant.podomatic.com/, each release testament to his latest style of electronic yet progressive sounds intermixed with plenty of tech & tribal house to great effect not to mention other re-mix work and his own track production, “Discotheque” , developed in collaboration with Jean Phillips is a scintillating single that has hit the high spots of many of popular music download charts, has been included in many a D.J.’s playlist and has received major support from the likes of Judge Jules & Axwell. So, it goes without saying that Mr Redant is a huge asset to any party or event involving music of his genres and this is very true of LGDF where his exuberance and style is a real hit and he will be able to really stretch his musical legs, vene more than he did when he starred at the Orange Hustlaball afterparty in Fire at the beginning of May, Mr Redant making a popular & welcome return to the capital.

Our other international devotion goes to that Israeli talent, there being little doubt that Danny Tuval is one of the biggest names in Israel and his base in Tel Aviv allows him to play at some of the largest parties in the city, where Friday seems to be the party night of the weekend and his monthly residencies at the huge events FFF at Powder club & Freedom at Platinum, attract huge numbers that simply crave for his musical style that encompasses pumping tribal sounds with sexy ethnic style vocals that seem evocative of this region of the world, yet his sets have a real euro & anglo American flavour to them that makes his sets quite unique. Apart from his regular residencies in his home city, Danny plays right across Israel and at some of the hugest events in the country, including Love Parade, Dance City and the yearly gay pride events where he is no stranger to crowds exceeding 15,000, also getting the opportunity to play alongside inbound guest D.J’s such as Junior Vasquez, Tom Stephan, Paul Oakenfold & Nick Warren. But Danny doesn’t just restrict himself to his home country, as he has played out in events across Europe, highlights being gigs at Queen Club in Paris, Amsterdam’s IT as well as making regular returns to play at the music festival Navigation in Antwerp, which give him the opportunity to spread the word of his unique & instinctive middle east sound that seems to go down a storm with the Belgian’s.

Back home and Danny also regular gets into the recording studio, having established a firm reputation as a producer of quality tracks alongside his partnership with fellow Israeli, Zigo, the notable ones that often fill the dancefloors across Tel Aviv & beyond being “Over You”, “So Amazing”, & “No Clue” being typical of the Mr Tuval style, delicious vocals intermixed with those tribal & euro sounds, although his most striking pieces tend to be when he adopts his remixing work alongside mix meister Royal and a brilliant re-work of Cinderella’s “Where’s My Shoe” is a hard hitting electro tainted yet booming tribal masterpiece that wouldn’t go amiss in the trendy clubs of New York, London or Paris and indeed when it was released, charted highly in the US, Germany, Italy & even Russia, indeed the latest track release by the duo, “Fallin”, is once again making waves on the dancefloor. In terms of current gigs, part from his huge monthly residencies, Danny continues to play across Tel Aviv at clubs SuperMarket, The Cat & Dog, Pinguein & Living Room as well as popping across to Eilat for their very popular pool parties from time to time. Mr Tuval will definitely be a real asset to the LGDF D.J. line up, adding some real Middle Eastern spice to proceedings for sure and bringing his wonderful Israeli charm & unique sounds to sets & performances that should prove a real hit with the international audience and make him worthy of his place within the main event at Fire tomorrow night.

So, if you’re looking for some international inspiration, we definitely recommend that you search out these two “Inspiring International’s” at the LGDF main event and are sure in doing so you will not be disappointed. (DISCO MATT)

Music Is The Answer - "Infinita Invincibles" - LGDF Special Post









MUSIC IS THE ANSWER
LONDON GLOBAL DANCE FESTIVAL
“INFINITA INVINCIBLES”


With the massive London Global Dance Festival in full swing & the first two parties under our belt, our eyes focus on the main event itself, which is less than thirty hours away now and accelerate our looks at some of the International D.J’s that will be gracing the decks at this amazing event. And here we look at two individuals that are synonymous with massive Spanish clubbing empire, Space Of Sound, but particularly of the huge annual Madrid Pride event Infinitamentegay, both talents representing & flying the S.O.S. flag on the main floor at Fire tomorrow night.

First up is Ismael Rivas, this prestigious D.J. talent has become one of the biggest names in Spain and his career has seen him touch virtually every part of the globe, making him truly international, attracting a similarly stupendous following, whether it be at the live gigs he plays or in the records & compilations he produces. Carving his career in his home city of Madrid, Mr Rivas, aka Riva, started back in 1992 at club Bolshoi, which were soon followed by appearances at Archy, Boccaccio, Empire and OH!, the latter opening a door in their Marbella club, resulting in a four year residency. During this time, Ismael got the opportunity to rub shoulders with great D.J. talents such as David Morales, Pete Heller & Danny Rampling, from whom he learnt a great deal, drawing both musical influences as well as the ability to network his abilities behind the decks, this very skill leading Mr Rivas to one of the biggest and best moves in his career, when he landed a residency with the massive club brand Space Of Sound in 1997, representing their Sunday quintessential matinee outing Maccumba and it was with this club that he really developed & evolved his style which can today be described as a delightful combination of latin, tribal and progressive house, that have been built on with avant-garde electronic sounds but always delving back into the roots of tech that formed the basis of his early D.J.ing career, all creating a style & character that definitely has the Riva stamp on it.

His connections with Space Of Sound have definitely elevated his name & reputation, not only starring beside Eric Morrilo in a yearlong residency in 2002, but having opened doors in his D.J’ing career with a residency at Madrid’s own Ministry Of Sound, playing at summer festivals in Ibiza, playing out in countries that have included relatively untrodden territories like Colombia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Morocco & Tunisia, as well as more familiar destinations such as Brazil, France, Belgium, Switzerland, the USA and of course the UK, but one of his favourite overseas gigs being for Amnesia in Ibiza. With a distinct passion for music, it was clear that Ismael wouldn’t just restrict himself to D.J’ing and is an accomplished producer, having been in the business since 2001 and releasing more than 150 productions for an exhaustive list of labels which was only going to lead to one thing, the creation of his own record label in 2008, FATXL, which in its short life has already seen over 10 track releases, although he continues to also produce quality compilations, in the main for Space of Sound, having released his first volume back in 2001 and has completed ones for virtually every year since.

However, this year has seen him produce his very own, entitled “Face Up” which has already been a highlight in a continual train of track releases and looking at his massive discography, it is difficult to pick out the strongest gems as none of his releases or mixes fail to hit the mark, although probably “The Way Of Love”, “Time Is Over”, “Is Deeper” & “Dig It” being great examples, the latter two compiled with fellow Factomani agency artist Wally Lopez. And it is with this agency that yet more doors have been opened in Ismael’s career, although he continues to play for Space Of Sound, indeed being part of their latest club incarnation “People” in Madrid and his roots with the FSM group remain deeply important to him, which have been the basis of a whole string on award nominations for D.J. mags, as well as best producer/label newcomer after the launch of FATXL. 2010 remains just as busy for Ismael as previous years, with plenty of appearances penned across Spain, besides Madrid, as well gigs in Switzerland, Tunisia & Bulgaria, a big highlight being Space of Sounds anniversary week in May, but also plenty of large up-coming festivals that include the Gay Games in Cologne, the Fun Beach season in Mexico being a feature of his roster. So, Ismael’s inclusion in the LGDF line up is a bit of a coup for the organisers and he will bring his wealth of talent & skills to bear on the festival that will see him represent Space Of Sound at the main event tomorrow night.

Our other Space Of Sound devotee is the energetic D.J. Eros. Born in 1980, Eros spent most of his informative years in London, realising from an early age that playing in clubs as a D.J. was what he wanted to do, his single most impressionable club, like so many peers of a similar age, being the legendary club Trade, where he became addicted to the concoction that was the D.J. connecting with the crowd to produce amazing dancing results to the music choices made, his observations at many a Trade event teaching him that a great night is based on the D.J. understanding what the audience want to hear, thus allowing them to connect with the D.J. & his work. So, knowing that spinning discs was his destiny in life, Eros set about a self taught mixing class at home, having purchased is first set of basic decks that made mixing tracks quite difficult, sometimes resulting in him simply playing one track after the next. But his mixing skills were to take a big leap when he landed gigs at London bars Taboo & Bed, when he selected tunes of the time which had a distinct local London flavour to them, Eros really loving the music at that time which showed through in his performances & his ability to mix.

So, it was inevitable that he would be spotted very soon by club promoters and regular appearances at club nights “Instinct” & “Access” at Colloseum in Vauxhall resulted, allowing Eros to really develop his reputation behind the decks. However, bigger & better things were destined to come his was in the capital, playing out at venues that included Fabric & Pacha, which resulted in string of international appearances, the catalyst being his decision to join the Salvation group at a time when his name & career was emerging, the European parties they held thrusting him into the limelight, meaning that Eros can boast a stunning array of clubs & destinations he has played, like Red & Blue in Antwerp, Wonk in Malmo, Queen in Gothenburg, Heaven in Ibiza, Alter Watersaal in Cologne & Vision in Romania’s version of Monte Carlo, Constantia. But his devotions between London & Madrid have seen him play at a vast array of club nights and venues in both cities, conquests in the Spain’s capital including clubs/nights Adraba, Bash, Sweet, Cool, Strong Centre, Shanghai & Flamingo being just a few, while in London, noteworthy appearances include Lo-Profile, A.M. & Horizon, as well as for Salvation, Madrid being his current residential base, allowing him the ideal base to develop his associations with one of the city’s biggest club parties, Infinita, both playing at the massive Pride festival in Madrid, but also touring with the brand elsewhere.

Away from the his D.J.’ing, Eros gets into the recording studio from time to time, laying down compilation mixes that reflect his musical style, combinations of tribal & electro influences mixed in with deep progressive build ups with the added touch of funk and sexy vocals the Eros proclaims “always gets the crowd going and that’s what keeps me going” his latest offering entitled “I Love Progressive House” available to download at http://megaupload.com/?d=1T2HQ4Y3 and he has even completed his own track, simply entitled “AM” but is so evocative of this man’s style, very euro beat in its make up, but with that progressive journey style drawing on all Eros’s favourite house music genres. There is little doubt that this talented D.J. come producer has carved a pretty outstanding reputation in Madrid and recent gigs have included Lovechild in the city, SG-Matic, & X:cess and he has been privileged to play alongside the likes of Ismael Rivas, Janvier Gonzales & Danny LeBlack and his residency at Flamingo in Madrid currently takes up a lot of his time behind the live decks. So, his inclusion in the LGDF line up, representing Infinita is a worthy choice and his passion for entertaining his audience, combined with his knowledge of the London scene & club infrastructure, should ensure that he will prove very popular and deliver a performance not to be missed. Plus, being familiar with playing at both Fire & Area in Vauxhall, he will be right at home with LGDF.

So, these two immense Spanish talents that are very used to spinning the decks together at SPS parties as well as at Infinita will be definitely worth a listen when they take the LGDF main event by storm and we recommend you book your place on the dancefloor now as, in the hands of these two “Infinita Invincibles”, it will be ram packed. (DISCO MATT)

Friday 28 May 2010

Music Is The Answer - "Saturday Morning Stars" - LGDF Special Post











MUSIC IS THE ANSWER
LONDON GLOBAL DANCE FESTIVAL
“SATURDAY MORNING STARS”


Well, The London Global Dance Festival (LGDF) is with us and the “official” opening party will take place tonight (Friday 28th May) at Area in Vauxhall, this kick starting event being hosted by “Onyx”, the Friday clubbing phenomenon which was launched back in the summer of 2009 and just seems to be going from strength to strength. So it seems fitting that this award winning brand is where the massive music festival that is LGDF begins and then continues deep into Saturday morning with afterhours club “A.M.” going all international on us and continuing the festivities at Fire where neighbour “Onyx” had left off. And showcasing the global feel to these regular London events will be two D.J.’s, jetting in especially and will both prove a considerable draw and thus deserve our full focus.

First up and playing out at “Onyx” is Dikky Vendatta, a native of The Netherlands and born in Utrecht. Dikky Van Der Van (his real name) started out in the D.J.’ing game back in 2004 and assumed the pseudonym “Vendetta”, not quite an anagram of his surname, but a name that has certainly worked and got him noticed both in his home country and across the border in Belgium, both counties forming the basis of his career behind the decks. Balancing his D.J’ing with a full time desk job with massive European airports handler Avaipartner, which has seen Dikky work in both Amsterdam and now in Brussels, which is his current base, Dikky has been well positioned to carve out a name for himself in the big clubs at both cities, he becoming a virtual household name at both Rapido in Amsterdam and La Demence in Brussels. However, Dikky’s disc spinning had humble beginnings, treading the proverbial boards in the bars of Amsterdam to develop his reputation but the draw of the clubbing scene was too much to resist and with Rapido on his doorstep, he soon started rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest names in the game, including the internationally acclaimed Chus & Cebellos, Manny Lehman, Fabio White, Juanjo Martin, & Max Morel, as well as names that have truly international careers, but are in themselves household names in London, Gonzalo Rivas & Pagano.

So, in landing a gig at this massive gay club in Holland’s capital city proved to be a real gateway for Dikky, he being a firm favourite with the crowd, more often than not holding down the opening slot in their parties, giving the crowd one of the best reasons to get to the club early and lap up his characteristic uplifting & warm starts to his sets, with groovy uplifting beats, then taking it deeper into more progressive & tech style sounds that work a dream at Rapido, securing him as one of their favourites. And it wasn’t long before he was noticed by club brand Salvation, being swooped up to play at many of their European parties, although when work drew Dikky to Brussels, another major opening was set to supercharge his D.J’ing career, landing a position with massive party La Demence and projecting him to the forefront of the clubbing scene in Brussels, which has since seen him play at virtually every event in the city as well as fitting in parties in Antwerp, which have included Red & Blue and the Gus Deluxe series of events.

However, having firmly established a reputation, his career has seen him travel right across Europe, including Greece, Spain, France, Germany & of course the U.K. where he has guested at London’s Heaven, while, despite having a full time job and all these D.J.’ing commitments, Dikky does also lay down the odd compilation mix here & there, all of which showcase his style of those funky uplifting & groovy sounds with deep dirty beats as well as his talent for mixing, the listening & download figures reading impressively and speaking for themselves, his latest release entitled “Teadance”, which is a nod towards the sets he plays live at La Demence available at http://dikky-vendetta.podomatic.com/. 2010 continues to be busy for Dikky, with regular slots continuing at La Demence & Rapido, playing alongside Steven Redant & Pagano respectively, he has played at Holland’s biggest party weekend Queens Day, is involved with new club night launch Cowboys & Angels in Amsterdam & will be a feature of Zurich’s Pride warm up party Selection-Testosteron, so a busy boy indeed. So, in bringing Dikky across to London for LGDF draws on some of his roots with club brand Salvation of old, yet ties in fantastically with the global feel of the event and the mix of D.J.’s that often play together in clubs across Europe & beyond. Plus, his uplifting style of sound with delightful electro & progressive beats will be an absolute winner and he will definitely play his part in attracting a truly international crowd to London and his top billing at “Onyx” is well deserved.

All focus the turns to “A.M.” when one of Spain’s most talented stars takes Fire by storm. D.J. Luque (first name Juan) is probably one of the country’s best know gay disc jockey’s and has been in the business since 1980, so that’s a staggering 30 years of spinning discs and making music, during which time he has played in pretty much every groundbreaking & important club in his native Madrid, including Pacha, Sundance, Divino, Circus, Empire & of course, Amnesia Madrid, spreading the unique Luque musical word wherever he went and attracting hoards of followers of his very uplifting electro tainted euro style house. In 2002 he secured a long term residency at Heaven in Madrid and whilst many doors had already been opened for the well established Mr Luque, the world suddenly became his veritable oyster, with an amazing list of gigs & appearances which soon followed, not only in a string of clubs, but with the country’s biggest brands, for Pacha, seeing him play for them in Barcelona, Ibiza, & Valencia, for Space in both Barcelona & Ibiza and for Space of Sound back in his home town, other massive clubbing brands on his sparkling C.V. including Salvation & Souvenir. Not surprisingly, the feverish pace of bookings increased yet further, seeing Juan jetting across the globe, playing in destinations like Columbia, Brazil, the USA, Russia, France and also occasionally in the UK, fitting in trips with his tight schedule back home & the ever developing demand for his services on the white isle, where Juan now shares home time with Madrid, his ties with Heaven seeing him play for their weekly summer event at Pacha Ibiza.

All this international exposure has seen him play alongside some real superstars of the D.J. scene, including David Morales, Freddie Le Grand, Hector Romero, Juanjo Martin, J Louis, & Steve Lawler, but it was his building associations with D.J. Vitti and J Velarde that would springboard Juan into the production game with prolific results. 2008 saw the trio experiment on a number of tracks in the studio although one stood head & shoulders above the rest and as soon as it was released stormed up the Spanish dance charts, becoming the biggest hit of the year, “Sundays At Heaven” soon attracting international acclaim and hitting the dancefloors right across the world, the track still stirring up the crowd & getting airplay two years down the line, thus making it an absolute classic. This was always going to be a hard act to follow and the year saw a further four releases with Velardi & Luque breaking out in 2009 with a record which was set to emulate the magic of “Sunday’s”, their new track “Serious Emotions” getting worldwide support and re-capturing the dizzy heights of success of its predecessor, confirming both artists as real tore de forces in the production game. With plenty of future projects, the partnership of Velarde & Luque was assured, even laying down a whole host of remixes, including tracks by pop artists Erasure & The Sugarbabes, working with dance vocal diva’s Jocelyn Brown & Giovanna, as well as even giving our very own combo of Steve Pitron & Max Sanna’s massive Bodyswerve remix track further treatment, their latest promo work entitled “So Lone” which received critical acclaim at this year’s winter music conference in Miami, very indicative of the magical sound of Velardi & Luque, the track drenched with deep vocals and euro beats that should see it become another smash hit for the two and is still available in promo form at http://soundcloud.com/luquedjx/velarde-luque-so-lone-promo-wmc-2010.

Back behind the decks and Mr Luque’s seemingly unstoppable career continues, his insatiable desire to get audiences going with his angelic uplifting, vocal tinged electro & euro style house, seeing him continue to play right across Spain, strong associations remaining with Pacha, seeing him play in Gerona & Valencia, with Space Of Sound, where he continues with a monthly residency for their “Too Much Revolution” night, although it is with Space Ibiza’s Cafe Ole which is getting all the attention at the moment, Juan right in the thick of all the action and not only will he be featuring in the whole summer season on the white isle, but is also touring with the brand, touching on Barcelona in May & Moscow in June, before bedding back down in Ibiza for the rest of the summer. Other projects include tours of Columbia & Bolivia, as well as summer warm up festivals in Alicante & Barcelona, so rather than slowing down, the pace of his career seems, if anything, to be picking up even more. And Juan will be jetting into London on the weekend on the main LGDF festival, squeezing in an appearance among his tight schedule and is going to be a massive draw. You can expect his bag of tune tolls to be full of both new vocal drenched & uplifting sounds as well as nodding back to those classic tunes that made it big in both 2008 & 2009, so his set in amongst the LGDF series of events should prove a real treat.

So, we will definitely be in for a veritable feat of magnificent music in the hands of these two international talents who will both be playing in the early hours of Saturday morning & whom we are sure will shine at both their respective parties, leaving the crowds craving for more and well & truly engrossed in the whole London Global Dance Festival as it progresses to the next set of events on Sunday. Therefore make sure you make it down to both “Onyx” & “A.M” and start your LGDF festivities off in true international style. (DISCO MATT)

Music Is The Answer - "Whiter Than White - Supreme Circuit D.J's" - LGDF Special













MUSIC IS THE ANSWER
LONDON GLOBAL DANCE FESTIVAL
“WHITER THAN WHITE – SUPREME CIRCUIT D.J’S”


Now there is no denying that we love a good party, especially when it comes with that extra little bit of glitz and glamour and then when some extra special VIP treatment is thrown in, we simply can’t resist in a bit of self indulgence, especially when there is the chance of rubbing shoulders with the glitterati of the gAylist scene, lauding it up with club promoters, owners, scene faces and moreover meeting & being entertained by some of the best known D.J.’s on the circuit, yes this is a truly enticing mix of social & clubbing splendour at it best. So add to all those ingredients being in the hands of one of the longest running circuit parties in the world and what do you get? well, The White Party Miami VIP reception & party at the London Global Dance Festival this Sunday 30th May, very much the dream ticket, but one that is not a dream, more a reality and two of those tip top D.J.’s we deluded to will be providing the spectacular musical entertainment, so get our special focus here.

Our first devotion goes to London based Brent Nicholls, a truly internationally travelled & renowned D.J., having played in every continent across the globe (well not Antarctica, although his music is probably played there!) since migrating from his home country of Australia in the late 1990’s and making the capital his home. Brent Nicholls has been entertaining us with his breathlessly dynamic music for as long as we can remember and his illustrious career has seen him play in some of the biggest and best clubs, both in his adopted home country and abroad, destinations touched including Amsterdam, Auckland, Cape Town, Cologne, Ibiza, Madrid, Milan, Montreal, Rio, Singapore & naturally Sydney, audiences ranging from small bar gatherings to massive festival events and everything in between, Brent showing just as much flair & enthusiasm in front of 20 or 20,000, injecting his insatiable appetite for the hottest & hippest sounds of the moment on his audience with remarkable effect.

And talking of those massive audiences, Mr Nicholls often jets home to play at Sydney’s Mardi Gras festival and in 2009 played to thousands alongside Paul Oakenfold, Alan Thompson & Mike Kelly in the Horden Pavilion, the trips also allowing him to catch up with friends & family, although it is fair to say this engaging & intelligent individual finds friends wherever he goes, be it playing at Montreal’s “Black & Blue”, Milan’s “Billy”, Cologne’s massive Pride events, Paris’s “Trick”, Copenhagen’s “Wonk” and even back in good old blightly, where Brent holds down current residencies at clubs Lovechild, Hard-On, Industri, Lo-Profile, Pervert & Sweat, as well as playing regularly of gAylist bar hangouts Barcode, Profile & Rupert Street. Indeed, spreading the good Nicholls musical word throughout London has seen Brent star at some of the biggest clubs of the bunch, including Action, Beyond, Crash, Juicy, Matinee & Trade, as well as some of the capitals largest events including As One, Hustlaball & Soho Pride, in fact there are very few clubs & happenings that this prestigious talent has not touched, he even D.J’s in his local gym!.

Brent casts his musical spell of house heaven wherever he goes, his repertoire covering virtually every genre, from trance to tribal, progressive to pumping, underground to uplifting. the man have a skill unrivalled by anyone we know for pointing the way to the latest musical trend, his sound of now being what he calls “nu-funk”, an infectious blend of disco, latin, electro, progressive & tribal that gets those feet tapping, hips swaying & bodies gyrating to the incredible energy the tracks enthuse, he being quoted as saying of this unique blend of sounds “..I love music, any kind of music, I love music, just as long as it’s groovin...”. However, away from his passion that is music, Mr Nicholls keeps himself very busy indeed, in fact his exhaustive schedule includes web design, scene writing & promotion and even practicing the energy therapy “Reiki”, a philosophy he holds very dear and carries considerable weight in his well being. So, with all that on his plate you would think he would hardly have enough time to get into the recording studio, but he does & with alarming regularity too, having amassed over 18 compilations last year & already having laid down 8 this year (its only May!), his latest dedicated to his upcoming gig at The London Global Dance Festival, when he will dazzle the VIP crowd at The White Party Reception this Sunday (30th May). A glorious collection of over 30 mixed & remixed tracks spread across two compilations, his “White Party VIP Mix” has had us hooked from start to finish, whether it be “Halo”, “Take Me Back”, “La La La Land”, “Hey Hey” or the brilliant “Back On Black”, this is just over two hours of unadulterated “nuFunk” (it even has the best version of our theme tune “Music Is The Answer” blending into “Release Me” stunningly!) and you can get your own copy right here by going to http://speedyshare.com/883139966.html, copies of this & his previous works also available to stream at http://djbrentnicholls.com/music, otherwise make sure you grab your VIP ticket and savour some Brent brilliance on Sunday, we know where we will be.

But hot on Brent’s tails and also flying the White Party Miami flag at LGDF is yet another internationally renowned D.J. that has a glittering C.V. that more than matches the White Party credentials and he even has White in his name! It is, of course, Fabio White, an endearing & enchanting Italian that has had music in his blood & running through his veins since he was a tiny tot, although hit the big time in 1991 when he landed a slot on Italy’s national dance radio station Kiss Kiss network, which soon got him noticed across the European airwaves, seeing the passionate Mr White landing in London and playing out at Spectrum Radio. This opened a veritable feast of doors in the capital, not least the then very vogue Heaven club, The Fridge in Brixton, & The End, which led onto guest slots at clubs that have included Crash, Action, & CocoLatte. And it was London rather than Italy that gave Fabio the major springboard into Europe, which has seen him play at clubs & events such as Barcelona’s “Love Ball” & “Circuit Festival, Paris’s “Red Light” & “Queen” Amsterdam’s “Canal Parade” Copenhagen’s “Pride”, Rome’s “Muccaassassina” Cologne’s , “CSD Colour Festival” and Brussels’ “La Demence” to mention a mere few.

Along the way Mr White has mixed with the crème of the celebrity scene, a perfect example being when he played at the massive Life Ball in Vienna back in 2005, which was the biggest AIDS charity event in the world at that time, an event that was televised across the world and attracted stars like Sir Elton John, Liza Minelli & Donatella Versace, so is no stranger to the big stage & large scale events that have since seen him become part of the huge Hustlaball event in Berlin and, of course The White Party in Miami. However, aside from his D.J.ing Mr White has also dabbled in the club promotions game and will be best known to gAylisters in London for bringing the fabulous event “Rome” to the capital, a series of first class & sophisticated affairs that took place at the super swish CC Club in Piccadilly and literally blew us away when we visited, the good looking & glamorous crowd matching the equally sumptuous surroundings and gorgeous dancers, “Rome” based on the concept of delivering top quality production with a distinct Italian class & Flavour, five sell-out parties being the talk of the town at the time.

Apart from all that, Mr White also gets into the recording studio from time to time and lays down productions which have included “Oh You” which was a chart topping hit in UK & European dance charts, as well as recording compilations of his live sets wherever he plays. He has even laid down a compilation devoted to the massive circuit festival at Miami’s Noche Blanca, Fabio being right in the heat of the action at the weeklong event last November, celebrating the 25th anniversary of The White Party and is very reflective of his eclectic yet uplifting house music style, that draws very much on electronic influences but with powerful progressive undertones, Fabio remarking that “...I have a passion for exploring music to develop a blend of sophisticated melodies, creating a journey of powerful energy...”. And you can get your slice of this impressive energy not just through his compilations, which include that 25th Anniversary mix, a “House Classics comp, as well as live mixes from La Demence, Rapido & Hustlaball, which are available at http://podomatic.com/profile/fabiowhite, but by making sure you make LGDF on 30th May at Fire a date, heading for the Lightbox where the fabulous Fabio will be representing The White Party, you know where to be!

So, whilst you are no obliged to wear white at The London Global Dance Festival, we certainly recommend you sample a bit of White, whether it be masterminded by Mr Fabio White in The Lightbox or being lapped up in the luxury of Brent Nicholls’ sounds at the VIP reception, The White Party Miami should definitely be a part of your LGDF roster and in these two D.J.’s you couldn’t ask to be in more capable hands. (DISCO MATT)

Tuesday 25 May 2010

Music Is The Answer - "German Gems" LGDF Special Post



MUSIC IS THE ANSWER
LONDON GLOBAL DANCE FESTIVAL
“GERMAN GEMS”


With the biggest dance & music festival to hit the capital virtually with us, our focus on the clubs that will be representative within the main event on 30th May is nearly complete and with our focus moving to Germany & underground outfit Nightkomm, we take a look at two D.J.’s who star regularly behind its decks and will not just be flying the flag for this uber chic underground club, but will be showcasing their immense talents which have also been noticed by record label & agency, Sorry Shoes (separate preview coming up).

First up is Nighkomm resident Thomas William, a native of Germany has been in the D.J’ing game since 1991, starting out under the camp name of “Marlene”, but realised with the turn of the century that simple Thomas William would ideally fit the bill. However, whether as Marlene or Thomas, he has consistently made waves across his home country, holding down long lasting residencies at massive clubs Greenkomm & Nightkomm, as well as playing out for many years at uber chic Club Lulu in Cologne where he resides. Mind you, it didn’t and hasn’t stopped there as Thomas has played out behind the decks right across Germany, chalking up appearances at clubs Kit Kat, So, Sky & Roter Salon in Berlin, Club Royal in Frankfurt, Rating Hof in Dusseldorf, and Sundance & Familienkombinat in Hamburg, as well as a handful of other cities, making him a well known name away from Cologne.

But it doesn’t stop there, as he has been prolific too, with appearances across five continents, including San Paulo in Brazil, Cape Town in South Africa, Sydney in Australia, Jakarta in Indonesia, as well as closer to his home, at clubs in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Geneva, Paris, Zurich and even London, where he has taken guest slots at the legendary Heaven nightclub. Ibiza ranks in his list of achievements behind the decks, playing out in summer seasons at clubs Amnesia & El Divino, so Mr William is unquestionably a well travelled individual and unmistakably globetrottingly accomplished. Away from the live D.J’ing performances and Thomas is just as active in the studio, a handful of fully commercial releases which have made it big across Germany, “Personal”, Pumpattack” & “Tribaltheque” being most notable, as well as some compilation mixes, released primarily under the Greenkomm label, all very evocative of his tribal, trance & techno influenced sounds, which also move into the electro & progressive house genres, with the occasional doze of uplifting vocals to make his sound more commercially received.

Mind you his skills in production extend beyond that too, as he has worked on video music releases as well as DVD recordings projects for Nightkomm, where he still features as one of their main resident D.J’s, having held associations with them since 2002. Add to that his event organising skills as well as having worked for well known German vinyl store SGR and it was no surprise that Sorry Shoes’ record label & agency Mike Kelly would spot Mr William and bring him on board to add further dimension to the growing team, importing Mr Williams vast knowledge of the recording, production & D.J’ing fraternities to help the fledgling company attract stars further a-field form its launch country of Germany. And remaining active not just with his involvement with Nightkomm, with Sorry Shoes, but still D.J’ing across Europe & beyond, his experience behind the decks and his very distinctive tribal, techno, trance & progressive stance will be an interesting and enticing addition to the LGDF compliment, luring in and catering for the tastes of ardent followers of these house genres of house music and taking his rightful place in the main event line up on 30th May, flying the Nightkomm flag.

Our other focus goes to Chris Bekker, a proven D.J./Producer in his field and from his base in Berlin, he has slowly made an impact on the music scene not just through his studio work but also through live gigs he has played across the world. The origins of his musical influences come from the Iberian sound that he absorbed during a summer season on the white isle in 2001, which was soon followed by regular trips to Barcelona and Madrid, where the club scene in both cities was the inspiration for him taking up his career as a D.J. and producer, leaving a highly success business & marketing life behind him in pursuit of his dream, although he cleverly balanced both his full time job with learning the required skills of both D.J’ing & production, first experimenting with the acquisition of his first set of D.J equipment and then using his business acumen to open doors within his native Berlin.

His big break came in 2006 when he secured a residency at uber posh club Bangaluu and it was here where he established a solid reputation for his energetic and pumping sets that then saw him take guest slots at the infamous Kitkat club as well as being a regular feature at the gay Sunday night event GMF held at the Weekend club. With his reputation pretty much the talk of Berlin it was only a matter of time that further opportunities would come his way, which saw Chris secure a residency at Liqidrom, but having the flavour to travel running through his blood, Chris soon spread his wings across Germany securing a further regular residency at Cologne’s Nightkomm as well as racking up guest slots in Hamburg & Frankfurt and even being spotted by the top brass at the super sized La Demence in Brussels.

But it is his producing that has seen prolific results, a whole string of remix works not only hitting top ten slots in all the important German dance charts, but propelling his name internationally, especially with his hit “The Chase” which features the massive Giorgio Moroder, confirming his status as an accomplished producer, the track hitting dancefloors around the globe and inspiring him to dive back into the studio. The production of that inspiration is his latest track “Upgrade” which is out and available via top download site Beatport you can listen to via http://beatport.com/en-US/html/content/release/detail/225389/upgrade, which will give you an idea of Chris’s musical slant & style, Chris describing it as a “...dancefloor ripper...” with divine vocals courtesy of singer Torita, which has already been given the re-mix treatment by the likes of Chris Montana & the combo of Steven Redant & Lenz Garcia, which is destined to be as big if not bigger than his previous smash. So, with this track expected to be a chart topping winner, the future looks very bright for Mr Bekker, not least as upcoming gigs, apart from his residencies, include a return appearance at La Demence, plus plenty more further a-field, including destinations Tel Aviv, Bejing, Shanghai, Vancouver and Houston, having already broken the U.S. market with a slot at Miami’s WMC club.

Chris’s current musical style is best described as tribal, progressive & electro house with a distinct feel of trance within it all, the combination of those genres allowing the dancefloor crowd to grab his style and yet then in an instant be taken away on an unexpected yet magical journey. This is one of the reasons why the promoters of LGDF have included Chris in the line up and this unexpected yet symptomatic enthralling style will without doubt be a hit with the international & discerning clubbing crowd that will be descending on London this coming weekend.

So two talents that will definitely be worth searching out and watch out for our special weekend recommendations post coming up later, which will detail the full line up across this massive weekend of music. (DISCO MATT)

Saturday 22 May 2010

Music Is The Answer - "Red Hot Russians" - LGDF Special Post







MUSIC IS THE ANSWER
LONDON GLOBAL DANCE FESTIVAL
“RED HOT RUSSIANS”



With our clubbing focus switching from France to Russia and looking at Propaganda, which hosts a gay night each Sunday, we also move our D.J. focus to the same country and look at two stars that will be landing in London on 30th May, to represent the club at the London Global Dance Festival (LGDF). However, whilst Russia is definitely an emerging ecomony and Moscow an emerging city to the western world, un-earthing these two talents history has been quite tricky, yet the results are quite revealing and given this, their involvement in LGDF is probably the most anticipated of any of the 30 or so talents.

First up is Dimytro Ivanov, known behind the decks as Tin Rotter, or simply D.J. Tin, who is probably considered as one of the biggest names in the Russian D.J./Producer game, although his career in the industry only spans three years or so, but during that time he has made a huge impact on the scene, particularly in capital, where he has secured residencies at clubs that include Chapurinbar, Discoteque & Matinee Moscow, but predominantly at the major player in the clubbing market there, Propaganda which has established an international reputation and through his residency, has propelled Tim onto the world stage. Other regular appearances have included Litchcock, Justo Bandouche, Ikra, Muar, Moloto where he continues to play, but has also featured in Pacha parties when they have visited the city, but Tin also spread his word across a handful of other Moscow clubs and also at the famed Central Station in St Petersburg.

Being part of the core team at Propaganda, Tin has played with some of the industry’s biggest D.J. names that have taken guest slots at the club, which have included Axwell,, David Penn, Mark Night & D Ramirez, while on the Sunday, when the club runs it’s gay night, he rubs shoulders with names such as Paul Heron, Danny Verde, Steven Redant, & Mickey Friedman, all who have taken guest slots there. However, away from the D.J. decks, Tin dives into the recording studio and not only puts together compilations on a virtual monthly basis, a whole series of mixes that evoke his main musical style of tech house which he labels with the titles “Dirty” & “Night” and extend to offerings that include “Berlin”, “Summer”, “Love” & even “Disco”, or at least his slant on it anyway, which he releases in podcast format and are available through http://tin.promodj.ru/, his latest “Dirty Disco” mix also available at http://soundcloud.com/tinrotter/dirty-disco-mix-2010-02.

However, his most recent work on a bootleg track called “El Paso” has seen him dive a little deeper into tinges of techno, a genre that he loves to experiment with, while back behind the decks, Tin’s residency at the newish Moscow club Discoteque will see him perform alongside stars of the music industry that will include Rebeka Brown, Freddie Le Grande & Belocca and having recently returned to Russia from a short trip to Egypt, where he played at club Little Budha in Sharm El Sheikh, Tin certainly now has the appetite to extend his wings beyond his native land. So much so, that he is very much looking forward to making his debut in London and his distinctive tech house sound will give the LGDF festival a distinctive dimension as he, together with Tony Key, takes charge of the Propaganda room, this club being one of the oldest and most popular nightclubs in Moscow. Evocative of the rich & cultural style that has become the by word for the scene in this Russian capital, Propaganda attracts the famous, the rich, whether they be artists, musicians, journalists or designers, especially when the club gives way to its gay night and Tin is excited to be part of that at LGDF.

Our other focus goes to Tony Key, who has developed his D.J’ing & production career from his home country of Russia and being based in the capital city has been recognised as a shining star and one of the best artists within the rich clubbing scene that Moscow enjoys and has been a resident of the ultra trendy and western style club Propaganda, for their gay night on Sunday’s for well over five years, stamping his individual style of music on a very impressionable yet stylish crowd that fashionable club attracts. Having been passionate about house music since an early age, Tony’s collection of all sorts of genres is extensive and throughout his time involved in the music industry has experimented with various aspects of house music from underground, through techno to tribal and onto euro & Us style sounds, the latter being a particular passion of his, which has seen him travel to The States on many occasions. During such trips, Tony has played at several Winter Music conferences in Miami, has been a guest to the special Satellite parties in New York, as well as being invited to play at numerous after parties during Fashion weeks in both New York & Miami.

Back in Russia and Tony’s name is intrinsically connected with the development of the club culture that Moscow benefits from today and together with D.J. Andrei Shuskukin, laid on parties across the city that had a distinct American & New York feel to them, running these events from clubs like Leks, 16 Tons, Territory & Gerzen. However, this was still in the days when Russia was pulling itself out of the massive police style state that the by word of the former Soviet Union, so the crowd that were prepared to indulge in what would, under the old regime of the country would be deemed as inappropriate activity, was pretty limited, although the movement Tony started, which he called “good lookin’ peoples group” gained popularity & momentum as the fashion conscious & trendy end of the social fabric of the city felt the freedom to express themselves. Mr Key also pioneered a unique music hire store on Barikadnaya metro station during the 90’s, which provided all kinds of electronic & techno music to a captive audience and he can be noted for founding & becoming a joint owner of an agency called “ Moscow Underground D.J’s” and through his production work launched an independent record label called “Appetite Music” which has supported over 15 of his compilation releases which includes titles “Chinatown”, Vanilla Ninja” & “Sunrise” although many were simply available as promotions rather than commercial releases.

Tony remains at the centre of activity with Propaganda and continues move with the times, often experimenting with new & exciting sounds that don’t necessarily follow a trend but rather creates his own style, fusing a blend of different house genres that will undoubtedly bring a unique flavour, not just to LGDF, but to the Propaganda room where he will feature alongside Tin Rotter. So, if it’s a big slice of Russian musical magic you are after, then the lounge room at Fire on Sunday 30th May will be the place to be and we will certainly be grabbing our wedge of the action. (DISCO MATT)

Thursday 20 May 2010

Music Is The Answer - "Fun Filled French" - LGDF Special




MUSIC IS THE ANSWER
LONDON GLOBAL DANCE FESTIVAL
“FUN FILLED FRENCH”


Well, we have just taken a preview look at two French club/outfits that will be flying the tricolore for the country, so now it’s time to focus on two massive D.J. talents that will be doing just the same, one that will be representing Paris based club brand Scream at the London Global Dance Festival (LGDF) and the other, a gorgeous Frenchman through & through, that will be stirring plenty of emotions, raising the spirits (and a few other things) as well as supporting the latest LGDF sponsor, Pleasure X. Now, one of these guys is no stranger to our posts here, while we are thrilled to focus on the other and can’t wait to meet him in the flesh.

First up is Ben Manson, an accomplished D.J. who has established his career & reputation in his native country France & his home city of Paris, where he short of made himself a household name with the city’s clubbing fraternity, a longstanding position within the Walkgroup organisation seeing him land as residency at the massive club party Scream, as well as other spots in Paris that include Mix Club & Cafe Con Leche, all pretty much testament to the fact that he is so well known in his home city, adding to his repertoire of D.J. performances and appearances outside of France. And such is his talent that Ben is in demand right across Europe, with guest slots that have included Drama in Vienna, Nightkomm in Cologne, Souvenir in Barcelona & even Space in Ibiza, and such is his talent that he has been invited to play at some of Europe’s biggest parties, including La Demence in Brussels, The Circuit Festival in Barcelona, Gorgeous I Am in Rome & Panic Room in Cologne. But while Europe may be an oyster for Ben, his travels have also seen him play as far away as Montreal, Rio De Janiero & San Paulo and upcoming gigs will include playing at Fly Club in Toronto & Parking in Montreal although it is fair to say his hub is always France & indeed Paris, where he not only D.J’s but has a weekly radio show on FG DJ Radio.

Add to all that his works in the studio and Ben is certainly a talented individual, a whole host of track releases often climbing up D.J. and other music download charts, he working closely with Teo Moss on many of his remix works, that include D.J Chus’ “That Feeling”, The Free Radicals’ “Reign”, Freddy Marquez’s “Feel You”, Leo Blanco & Santy Lafonte’s “Stay Tonight” as well as their very own track “From Hell To Paradise”, which showcases Ben’s talents in this field,. However, he doesn’t restrict his studio work to singles releases and has recently produced his “Spring 2010 Session” compilation, available at http://soundclound.com/ben-manson-music/ben-manson-spring-2010-session, a glorious 80 minutes of music that includes fabulous tracks from David Penn, Pagano, Pablo Kopanos & Dennis Ferrer, among a whole host of others and which is a typical example of the Manson style, a unique blend of electronic & tribal beats with vocal undertones a touch of minimal sounds, but also ingredients of tech, progressive & a smidge of techno that certainly give not just this mix, but his sets a distinctive feel & direction.

And talking of his sets, Ben continues to go down a storm at Scream in Paris, a club that was the brainchild of David Guetta & Ludo Menard back in 1996, but has seen it develop into one of France’s largest gay parties, attracting thousands from within the country as well as from overseas, not to mention pulling in some of the industry’s biggest D.J. names including Chris Cox, Hector Fonseca, Victor Calderone, Peter Rauhoffer & Offer Nissam, as well as hosting live acts that have included Lady Gaga, Rebeka Brown, Ultra Nate & Giovanna. Mr Manson will be an intrinsic part of the Scream presence at LGDF, this massive French clubbing brand certainly earning its place within the festival, not least as it is probably one of the only French clubs that spreads its word beyond its shores, destinations for its special parties including Madrid, Barcelona, Cologne and now, of course, London and with Ben being their prime resident D.J., he simply had to be included.

Our other focus goes to the drop dead gorgeous Leomeo and if there is a D.J. that is unmistakably French yet has deep veins of his global travelling running through his body, it is Leomeo, there being few that can boost both his whirlwind lifestyle and destination repertoire that has seen this very amiable and handsome young man inspired by music from a tender age, also drawing his eclectic style from experiences during his travels, especially across Asia. However, his tastes were first developed when maturity allowed a young Leomeo to explore the clubbing scene in his home city Paris, drawing influences from the legendary David Guetta & also Laurent Garnier, often observing & admiring their techniques behind the decks as he partied away in clubs like “Le Boy” and Le Palace”. So, it was inevitably that we would soon find himself spinning discs too, but in a period of his life when he decided to up sticks from France & head for the pulsating pace of Singapore, using it as a springboard to not only enrich his culture, venturing across to Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, China Vietnam & back again, a real highlight being when he played in front of 8000 revellers at Singapore’s “Nation Party”.

But Europe was always going to draw him back and at residency at “Le Bains-Douche” in Paris proved a solid base for a host of circuit parties around the continent, including dance music brand Hed Kandi, & Space Of Sound, as well as more regular gigs in both London for “Discotec” & in Rome for “Gorgeous I Am”, also making a name for himself with a full summer season in Ibiza & then fulfilling requests to play as far afield as Montreal & New York, to Moscow & Tel Aviv, with plenty of places in between, Antwerp, Barcelona, Berlin, Cologne, Madrid & Prague as well as back in Paris. Other career highlights have included his D.J.’ing presence at Kylie Minogue’s perfume launch party & the afterparty for Pierre & Giles’s 30th anniversary exhibition at “Jeu De Paume” in the French capital, not to mention a magnificent reception & amazing performance at Greenkomm’s New Year’s Eve celebration. Away from his live D.J’ing, Leomeo still cuts a stride on France’s music radio station Radio FG, his “Underground FG” show getting a twice monthly slot, receiving a healthy audience and he gets into the recording studio as much as he can as well, a whole collection of mix compilations representative of his vast array of musical styles which include electro, progressive, tribal, tech & vocal house, this talented individual often navigating through these different genres to great effect.

Dependant on where he is playing or the influences he gains from his travels , this very much dictates his style, whether it be through his “soft” , “energetic” or “pleasurable” mix series, a selection of which can be found at http://soundcloud.com/djleomeo which includes two amazing extracts from his sets playing for Matinee in Paris. But he also cuts track singles and his release “The New Sound Of C” is a fantastically uplifting & funky electro piece that is destined to be a huge dancefloor hit this spring/summer and his latest, “Give Me Love”, has already been given the remix treatment by Pagano, Aurel Devil & Javier Medina. But while Leomeo is very proud of his studio work, his insatiable appetite for travel continues to draw him out into the limelight & away from home, recent trips including to Australia for Sydney’s Mardi Gras festival, which allowed him to drop in on his beloved Singapore & Bangkok, as well as hitting the snowy slopes of Tignes for the European Gay Ski Week, playing out at the fabulous pool party and with gigs, underpinning his reputation & in demand style. So, with this energetic & talented Frenchman included in the LGDF line up, Leomeo will not only be bringing his incredible good looks to the party, proving a real eye candy attraction, but his skills behind the decks, not least for hip hopping through his genre’s of choice will definitely keep his captive audience on their toes & ensure a rip roaring performance.

So, there will definitely be a serious helping of sensational French sounds to tickle your fancies at LGDF and we will definitely be sampling more than just snippets of both Ben & especially Mr Leomeo at the main event on Sunday 30th May and recommend you do too. (DISCO MATT)

Wednesday 19 May 2010

Music Is The Answer "Ibiza Ignites London" - LGDF Special Post





MUSIC IS THE ANSWER
LONDON GLOBAL DANCE FESTIVAL
THE FACE OF IBIZA


Welcome to the second in our special series looking at the D.J.’s (and in this case also the performers) that will be gracing the massive London Global Dance Festival (LGDF) at the end of the month, our focuses aiming to give you an insight into the international stars that will be getting into the capital to both represent their club brands and showcase the music & visuals that characterise their outfits. So, in association with our latest “preview” post, we focus here on two individuals that will be representative of new clubbing brand The Face Of Ibiza when it takes LGDF by storm on 30th May.

First up is D.J. Oliver who is more often than not labelled “the face of Ibiza” although he was actually born in Barcelona and it was here where he built the foundations of his D.J.’ing career and position within the music industry, although his studying of technical lighting & production was the source of his first job in Ibiza. However before he made tracks to the white isle, Oliver would D.J. at private parties in Barcelona, also securing a residency at the iconic Las Ramblas club Moog, which was the foundation for his springboard to Ibiza, when he secured a position as a light engineer at Privilege which soon got him noticed and it was when he was taken on at Amnesia that his life changed forever and he was thrown into the spotlight. It was at this iconic club in Ibiza that Oliver created not just the legendary terrace, but was also at the forefront of the launch of party La Troya Asesnia which is now one of the most successful party nights at Space, which resulted in scores of awards from various industry magazines & bodies across Spain, Oliver topping D.J. Magazines best Ibiza D.J. poll four years in a row and is still considered as the most accomplished & recognised talent across the isle. Building his reputation also included a number of televised appearances, including on MTV and many of the Spanish music stations, as well as starring in a special news post on Ibiza broadcast right across Spain. And it is this sort of exposure that has seen him dip his toe into the world of film too, a real highlight being the inclusion of Oliver’s works on the score & theme tune composition for the Oscar award winning movie “Mediterraneo” by the prestigious Italian director Gabriele Salvatore, gaining him real recognition, as well as the National Geographic calling upon many of his chill-out themes for their programming, his track “Sa Talaia” being of particular note. His production background has allowed Oliver to express his skills through a whole series of compilation works in the studio, “La Troya Asesina” and “Ibiza Sessions Deluxe” being of particular note, his mix albums being released on record labels such as Azuli, Defected & Addicted, but it is the worldwide sales of his album “Blanco Y Negro- The House Of Funk” that have seen the most success of all. Working with long standing friend Roger Sanchez in 2004 on mega hit “Mysteriosa” is yet another accolade he can add to his sparkling C.V. and with recent exposure on Pete Tong’s Radio One show here in the U.K. D.J. Oliver is definitely a name to conjure with. Whenever he gets the chance, Oliver tours across North & South America as well as Europe & Asia and can count on his appearances at privilege parties in Rio and guest slots at Queen in Paris, & Pacha in London, as some of his favourite, although he has certainly spread the Oliver musical word in the USA including Miami, Los Angeles & San Francisco, in Italy, Germany, Holland and virtually every major city & town in Spain as well as on most of its islands, including Majorca, Tenerife & Lanzarotte. But Ibiza remains his focus, where his hard hitting euro style tech & electro sound makes him the most sought after D.J. throughout the summer season, so it goes without say that throughout the LGDF festival, Oliver will be representing special club area “The Face Of Ibiza” which is a new Saturday night party at Privilege on the white isle, this concept the brainchild of Oliver (along with Baby Marcello), the name of the club inspired & taken straight from the label he has was given by the ardent followers of his work. To get a flavour of this man’s music style and work, check out his official website http://djoliver.com/.

Our other devotion goes to the larger than life character that is Baby Marcelo who remains very much the face of La Troya, the amazing club night that was the brainchild of close friend D.J. Oliver which took Ibiza Wednesday’s by storm and threw Baby Marcello, along with Oliver, into the white isle clubbing scene limelight. Often labelled as the rule breaking & ironical character of La Troya, for a while adopting the name as his own, Baby Marcello is still considered as one of the best known icons across the Balearics & his face is instantly recognisable with all the “La Troya” branding that stretches right around the globe, being renowned for his androgynous, trash-baroque & wholly female masquerades, often using stilts and through his breathtaking make-over’s, thus astonishing and amazing his audience. Of Italian decent, he has always had a sense of theatre in his blood and knew that this would be a large part of his life from an early age, so inevitably fell into this world, studying first as a mime artist and then as a contemporary dancer in his native Rome, followed by several years working in the theatre, where he became not just involved with mime, but appeared in a whole varieties of plays & operas which allowed him to express his overt & artistic side, working under Italy’s finest directors that include Franco Zeffirelli & Mauro Bolognini , as well as boasting a host of appearances & performances at various fashion shows, the most notable being one laid on especially for Kylie Minogue. But when he choreographed & acted on a music video project for Virgin records, Baby Marcelo realised his potential within the music and clubbing scene, which soon lead to him concentrating on producing his own tracks, released over the last few years including “Trabajame”, “Alegria”, Caliente” and “DiscoBaby”, all having that delightful combination of electro & disco beats with big drag queen-esque vocals, he even collaborating with DJ Oliver on two tracks titled “Rimo Pornografica” & “Revolucionaria” both very evocative of baby Marcello’s style & glamour. His base in Ibiza & his popularity there allows him to express himself without the constraints of conformity although he is becoming known right across the globe as he is completing a massive tour throughout Europe, The US, Brazil & Australia with his close friend & record collaborative partner, promoting their new venture The Face Of Ibiza, which is the new smash of Ibiza in iconic club Privilege every Saturday through the summer season. The tour started back in December 2008 and has currently touched Bari & Ferrara in Italy, Moscow, Lyon, Miami, Rio & even Morocco & Egypt, the next port of call being Bilbao but will also include New York, Milan, San Paolo, Barcelona, Rome Madrid & Dubai, on dates yet to be announced, but with such exposure this concept in clubbing looks set to be a worldwide success, securing Baby Marcelo’s position as a prolific & iconic face of Ibiza. And part of this immense tour will be LGDF, when The Face Of Ibiza will land in London, represented by the combo of D.J. Oliver & Baby Marcelo, spreading its glamorous & fresh new word. The specially dedicated room will see Baby Marcello perform along with others that will be evocative of the new club, all appropriately dressed in costumes to thrill, adding a real touch of theatre to proceedings and will no doubt be a massive draw for those that crave a little dramatic excitement. Whilst Baby Marcelo is primarily a performance artist, his voice is inextricably attached to The Face Of Ibiza theme and to get a sample of this sound, check out his website at http://babymarcelo.com/.

We are certainly looking forward to seeing the combo of D.J. Oliver & Baby Marcelo performing close up & personal at LGDF and there is no doubt The Face Of Ibiza room will be a special place to be on 30th May. (DISCO MATT)

Monday 17 May 2010

Music Is The Answer - "Italian Stars Storm London" - LGDF Special Post







MUSIC IS THE ANSWER -
LONDON GLOBAL DANCE FESTIVAL
MUCCASSASSINA D.J.’S


To accompany our special series of preview posts, looking at the international clubbing brands that will be gracing the massive London Global Dance Festival with their presence, the weekend of events will be as much, if not more about the D.J.’s, jetting into London from around the globe. Some will be representing these club brands and here we focus on two Italians that will be doing their bit for the Muccassassina room

First up is the impressively talented Danny Verde and it is fair to say that of any D.J. in recent times, Danny’s rise in the game has been the most meteoric and in the last twelve months has seen him play right across Europe and in both North & South America. However, his foundations are in the recording studio and Danny established his track record for prolific production from an early age, developing his art from a self built studio in his home village just outside Milan and it is from here that he has developed his remixing art, not just releasing a whole host of single releases, but moreover receiving licenses to remix the works of many artists, but most notably Madonna, his remix of “La Isla Bonita” being published is more than 20 countries and “Who’s That Girl” was licensed in Scandinavia, Russia, Greece and Japan. Danny’s own single releases have seen amazing results, topping D.J. & other music download charts across the world, “Pushin To The Top”, a punchy euro style hard hitting house tune with subtle vocals quickly followed up by the incredible “Open Your Heart” featuring breathtaking vocals from Andrea Carnell combining sexy & seductive sounds with progressive & uplifting beats that definitely take you a mesmeric journey of delight, other remix releases including “Express Yourself” and “Let Me See Your Underwear”, all securing Danny’s reputation for developing incredible work that has seen his singles included in D.J’s playlists across the globe. However, he has always had a passion for D.J.’ing live in clubs and while his studio work was a big focus in his earlier days, in some ways restricting him to playing in Italy, whether it be Billy in Milan or Muccassissina in Rome, Danny’s talents were soon spotted by club promoters beyond his native country & an appearances in London at Matinee propelled him into the eyes of this Spanish giant of a club brand, his major break coming at the massive Circuit Festival in Barcelona last year, when he captivated the huge audience with his tough tech style & deep progressive vocal tipped beats. This was immediately followed by a summer season at the city’s D’Boy club and then a breathtaking run of parties France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark & Russia, Queen in Paris, La Demence in Brussels, Heroes in Cologne & Propaganda in Moscow being huge highlights, Danny also being the star of the show at Matinee’s “Next Chapter” party in London. Highly successful tours of Brazil & Mexico soon followed & he has just completed his first successful showing in USA, playing out to a packed audience at Friction in L.A. Back at home & in the studio, Danny remains as busy as ever, squeezing in the odd compilation mix when he can, his latest, a slant towards summer and entitled “Waiting For The Sun” available at http://dannyverde.podomatic.com/, is a superb example of the Mr Verde style although he never wishes to put a particular label on his performances & productions, rather letting the music do the talking. Testament to that is his recent release, a remix of Blake Lewis’s single “Heartbreak On Vinyl”, which is out on Tommyboy records in the US and already topping the charts, plus with further projects penned for this label, together with a remix of Hector Fonseca’s “Addicted” & Thomas Anders’ “Stay With Me”, there is just no stopping this incredible remix production talent. With his work receiving accolades from the likes of Danny Teneglia, Ralphi Rosario & Chris Cox, it is fair to say that Mr Verde is becoming a big new player in both his studio & his D.J.ing art and his music style, that has a distinct slant towards progressive & tribal house intermixed with uplifting vocals is certainly making friends in all the clubs that he graces his presence with. Danny is very excited about returning to London and given his standing within the global D.J.ing community, his place at LGDF is well deserved and he will defiantly bring a whole load of enthusiasm to his performances at the end of May, for which those London clubbers that were present when he played at Matinee last year, will be most familiar with. Danny also represents fabulous Italian club Muccassissina, probably one of the most flamboyant & extravert clubs not just in Italy, but across the globe, the amazing combination of exuberant music, larger than life performers & truly gorgeous people giving it short of legendary status and Danny’s guest slots at this Rome splendour have received plenty of accolades, so it seems fitting he will be part of the special themed space at LGDF

Our other devotion goes to Phil Romano who has probably one of the most diverse backgrounds of any D.J. we know, having held down a number of vocations before he took to his latest career path. Born in Italy, Phil’s natural abilities as a child saw him develop his penchant for athletics, although his smouldering good looks & physique landed him in the modelling game, that took him as far as Australia, where he also dabbled with his love of music & partying, combining these perfectly in promoting various circuit events. However, it was a move to the USA that saw Phil drawn into the gay porn industry, starring in well over 20 movies for famous brands including Falcon Kristen Bjorn & Hot House, which also saw him land a succession of nominations in the industry’s version of the Oscars. But Italy was soon to draw him back and his passion for clubbing & circuit festivals got him behind the D.J. decks, quickly securing residencies at some of the country’s biggest clubs, including Milan’s Billy, & Rome’s DBump & Muccassissina and it was in Rome where he developed & promoted his own monthly circuit party “Push Club” also working on similar projects that have seen the launch of Italy’s first gay circuit weekend. Phil has, nevertheless, continued to spread his wings far and wide, playing D.J. gigs at some of the major clubs around Europe & beyond, which have seen him perform at La Demence in Brussels, Propaganda in Moscow, FFF in Tel Aviv, Alegra in New York & D-Boy in Barcelona, this Catalan city becoming his adopted home, a perfect launching pad for his hectic schedule. But it doesn’t stop there as Phil is accomplished in the studio as well, having worked on remix singles with close friend Danny Verde, including Anna Buckley’s “Express Yourself” as well as releases of his own, “No May Gustah” & “Te Toca” being notable successes that earmark his skill for combining genres of electro funk, latin, euro-style tech & progressive house with a dash of vocals, all that are evocative of his style, although that said, Mr Romano is adept at playing to his audience and their tastes, cleverly switching sounds to suit the occasion. His studio work includes regular podcast releases, two wonderful examples in both his “USA/Brazil” & “Europe” which show the skill Phil has for switching styles dependant on the crowd being available at http://djphilromano.podomatic.com/ and he was also commissioned to produce the official CD for Barcelona’s Circuit Festival last year, cementing his reputation in the production game, although it is his incredible appetite for music, for partying & for entertaining that keeps him extremely busy, & evokes his mantra which is “live it loud!”. So, not only will Phil bring his sexy good looks to LGDF, but his masterful skills behind the decks should prove a real hit with the international crowd the festival will no doubt attract. With his obvious Italian connections and the fact that he has played a number of times at the club, like Danny Verde, Phil will be representing Muccassissina at LGDF and he is definitely the epitomy of everything this legendary Rome event stands for.

So, make sure that both Danny & Phil are on your radar (or should we say gaydar?!) at the LGDF main event in the Muccassassina room, as these are to D.J.’s sets & performances you definitely won’t want to miss. (DISCO MATT)