Ah, the issue that started it all. The boys from Fischerspooner declare that they want to “fuck fame” and Disco D talks about life after ghetto tech. Gotan Project fuses styles from the past and around the world to create a futuristic sound; rapper K-os comes straight outta Canada, plus features on DJ Icey and Tiesto.

His father might be a metal god, but Ozzy Osbourne’s DJ son Louis just wants to spin house music all night long. Plus, we take a peak inside the rides of producers (RZA, Will.I.Am, DJ Muggs and Jazzy Jeff) who make your car go thump; Prince Paul is hip-hop’s funniest sketch comic, and Nelson George remembers Super Fly.

Our favorite drum ‘n’ bass DJs discuss life on the road, their music and how they’re surviving the club scene’s doldrums. Massive Attack put the pieces of their group back together; Gumball 3000; James Lavelle reforms U.N.K.L.E.; graf artist JJ Snyder, and Bobbitto Garcia talks about classic kicks.

Wyclef Jean and Richie Hawtin come from different countries and musical backgrounds. But as we learned when we introduced them, music is indeed universal.Plus, BT is everywhere and can’t be pinned down; Kraftwerk talk about their obsession with the Tour de France; Bishop Don “Magic Juan” says there’s a pimp in all of us, and lots more.

The hottest MC in England gives the UK a good rap. Definitive Jux’s El-P trades IMs with Big Shot; Paul Oakenfold tells his critics to fuck off; The Crystal Method live in low carb sobriety; Star Wars‘ Mark Hamill trades in his lightsaber for a director’s chair + Sander Kleinenberg, Matthew Dear, London’s Fabric, and Air.

Our favorite vegan assigned and edited the entire issue. Features include: Moby answering reader mail and interviewing himself; Frankie Knuckles; graphic designer Karim Rashid; Motorcycle; director Jim Jarmusch; Danger Mouse; RJD2; Tenten Binz, a fashion story starring Moby and Rene Risque shot at Teany, and a tribute to reggae genius Clement “Coxsone” Dodd.

After nearly three decades in the game, DJ/producer Afrika Bambaataa is still looking for the perfect beat. Subversive graphic designer Shepard Fairey pushed street art to the max in the ’90s, but has he sold out? Hip-hop poet Saul Williams wages war on war itself; how the Prodigy’s Liam Howlett got his groove back; Fatboy Slim, Jean Grae, and more.

Landing somewhere between Flaming Lips and Aphex Twin, two time travellers known as Lemon Jelly are bridging the gap between soft rock and the dance floor. Takahashi Murakami and Japan’s otaku culture; Boom Bip; Tiefschwartz; The Chemical Brothers; Mike Patton vs. Moby; Deep Dish, Margaret Cho, and four bands we love.

In a perfect world, Princess Superstar would be the one and only celebrity? At least in her mind. In fact, she wrote a brilliant concept about it. Matisyahu spreads Hassidic reggae vibes; Signal Path recount the maelstrom of setbacks that forced them to record their album in a single day. Plus, Paradise Boys, Mick Rock, Ying Yang Twins vs. Miiss July, New Order, HVW8 and more.

Run-DMC’s Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons is the star of an MTV reality show, reverend and suburbanite who listens to Kenny G and couldn’t tell you who the hottest MC is. What’s this family man doing driving a Rolls-Royce and releasing a solo rap album?

Also inside: Second-wave Detroit DJ/producer Carl Craig could live anywhere in the world, yet he remains loyal to his roots in the Motor City. Gilles Peterson celebrates his career with two new compilations. Our writer learns it’s never too late for playground crushes and that Norweigien singer Annie can teach you something meaningful about life. Lady Sov spits salty rhymes over hip-hop, grime and garage-isnpired tracks to the approval of Jay-Z. The Crystal Method talk about scoring their first film, London. Plus, check out features on Aloe Blacc, Richie Hawtin, Moldover, Tony Yayo, Ricky Powell, Steve Lawler, Grandma’s Boy‘s Allen Covert, and 200 music, DVD and video game reviews!

With a sound that combines the best of house with the punchiness of pop (think The Happy Mondays meets Power Corruption & Lies era New Order), England’s Grand National went from a West London cover band to one of the best UK acts of the moment.

Also inside: Massive Attack have sold over 9 million albums—that’s one for every New York City resident—but the group say they’re only thinking about tomorrow and beyond. Can the elusive dance-pop act Goldfrapp finally conquer America? Booka Shade are gonna rock your world in 2006. The Coup‘s resident communist/funkologist Raymond “Boots” Riley weighs in on his musical cross to bear. DJs Are Alive attempt to bring back the live element to dance music. Celebrity photograher Timothy White remembers his friend Indian Larry in a lavish new book. Anthrax’s Scott Ian waxes poetic about vinyl album covers. Plus, over 200 music, DVD and video game reviews!

With a sound that combines the best of house with the punchiness of pop (think The Happy Mondays meets Power Corruption & Lies era New Order), England’s Grand National went from a West London cover band to one of the best UK acts of the moment.

Also inside: Massive Attack have sold over 9 million albums—that’s one for every New York City resident—but the group say they’re only thinking about tomorrow and beyond. Can the elusive dance-pop act Goldfrapp finally conquer America? Booka Shade are gonna rock your world in 2006. The Coup‘s resident communist/funkologist Raymond “Boots” Riley weighs in on his musical cross to bear. DJs Are Alive attempt to bring back the live element to dance music. Celebrity photograher Timothy White remembers his friend Indian Larry in a lavish new book. Anthrax’s Scott Ian waxes poetic about vinyl album covers. Plus, over 200 music, DVD and video game reviews!

Urban Resistance’s Jeff Mills, one of techno’s all-time greatest minds, recently stepped from his triple-deck DJ rig to perform his tracks with an orchestra in France. In an exclusive interview, Mills laments the complications of trying to teach classical musicians how to be funky.

Also inside: Near-death experiences and a desire to break free of the instrumental albums that put him on the map influenced DJ Shadow‘s The Outsider; 10 years after Daft Punk set the world on its ear, a fresh crop of agent provocetuers are doing it all over again in Paris’ underground club scene; soulful house DJ King Britt has levereged his club cred into huge movie projects; Montreal’s MSTRKRFT are intent on causing a ruckus on dance floors. Plus, rocker Bob Mould and remixer Richard Morel form Blowoff, Supersystem, Ben Watt, Ellen Allien, Afropunk‘s James Spooner, Infamy‘s Doug Pray, Tiga, Miss Nine, Crispin Glover on MySpace, DEMF, R2D2 and tons of reviews!

With a guest cameo from rock deity Perry Farrell on their latest album, I Choose Noise, Welsh duo Hybrid are making the transition from globe-trotting DJs to world class soundtrack composers.

Also inside: Moby discusses why women should celebrate their curves, not starve to death; London-based dance scribe Jonty Skrufff digs for stories where many dear to tread; Xzibit tells Big Shot he’s proudly tight with his cash; Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos discusses his love affair with food. Plus, half punk and all abrasion, Justice are eyeing a disco makeover.; Beirut‘s club scene rebounds; clubbing, eating and traveling in China, Lily Allen, Soulwax, Jewish hip-hop, 120 Days, DJ D-Wreck, Hey Willpower, Katt Williams + 200 CD, single, DVD and video game reviews!

Call him Green Velvet, call him Cajmere, Curtis A. Jones has always challenged himself to create the most insane club music he’s ever heard. Now he has a new mission to overcome the flesh.

Also inside: LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy has gone from drug addled self-describe libertine fuckup, to underground dance-punk hero, to burgeoning international rock star. Gus Gus’ Stephen Stephensen (aka President Bongo) gives Big Shot an exclusive tour of his ninth photography exhibit in Reykjavik. Kinky lead a new wave of Mexican dance-rock; RJD2 can do whatever he wants to do; France’s Emilie Simon unhooks her le bras. Artist/Lounge Lizard John Lurie doesn’t mind being called a witty, somewhat sex-crazed, self-taught artist.

Rock, downbeat grooves, esoteric soundtracks, the ghost of Ziggy Stardust and tangerine Dream reveal themselves on Air‘s latest accidental release. Plus, Jes, DJ Kilmore, remembering Disco D, 4hero, DJ Stel, Korean Dramas, Anthony Anderson (The Departed) + 200 CD, single, DVD and video game reviews!

Fame, power, sex and lots of products for sale: Ice-T and Coco want to show the world that mixing business with pleasure can be a lifelong commitment.

Also inside: Years after legislation put an end to England’s rave scene a new generation of renegades are building a sub-culture in London. Hot off a break from Deep Dish, Ali “Dubfire” Shirazania blazes his own musical trail. Scarlett Etienne has the talent and world view required for global dance floor domination—if she were interested in that sort of thing. In February L.A.’s Ozomatli took their multi-ethnic soundclash to India and Nepal on a tour representing the U.S. as cultural ambassadors. Singer/guitarist Raul Pacheco kept a journal of the trip of the eye-opening journey. Dubstep is a vibrant mutant genre that is pushing the musical boundaries while bubbling in the South London underground. What was once relegated to the smallest room at a club night has gone to hosting whole events around it. Peer Pressure DJs A-Rock and Hatchmatik join co-founders/promoters DL Jones and Liam Thurston discuss the secrets of their success.

Plus: Trance titan Tiesto answers e-mails from our readers; Heaven and Hell’s Ronnie James Dio; Miguel Migs; rising Hollywood star Clare Grant + 200 CD, single, DVD and video game reviews!

Cloaked in darkness and backed by the Klaxons, The Chemical Brothers have completed what they’re calling their “Zen album,” the very treacherous sounding We Are the Night. We take in a football match with the guys for the inside story.

Also inside: Shiny Toy Guns‘ tour diary, Chromeo, DJ Kentaro talks tech, Kenna gets at second chance, Bat For Lashes, Switch, Lil Mama, Movement ’07, DJ Dixon, Chris Fortier, Datarock, United Visual Artists, Roselyn Sanchez, Tyrese + tons of album, single, DVD and video game reviews!

After suffering from a serious case of professional doubt, Mark Ronson reinvented himself from hip-hop fashion party circuit DJ to respected blue-eyed soul producer. Along the way, he helmed albums for Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse, unveiled his hit covers album and live touring band and remixed a track for Bob Dylan. How high can he go now?

Plus: Anarchist riots, broken eardrums, laborious record delays: It’s no wonder the members of Underworld are so cheerful. Back with their first full-length record (and tour!) in five years, the boys can’t wait to share their dark soundtrack to oblivion. Tokyo Police Club’s tour diary, Matthew Dear says his move to Brooklyn is just fine, Small Sins’ Thomas D’Arcy talks tech, Paul van Dyk answers Big Shot readers’ e-mails, Groove Aramada, DJ Colette, Ibiza ’07, will.i.am, A Guy Called Gerald, Blaqk Audio, Glastonbury, Aesop Rock, Danny DeVito + tons of album, single, DVD and video game reviews!

As a member of Motley Crue, Tommy Lee earned fame, fortune and a notorious reputation. While juggling drumming duties for the Crue and Supernova, he’s embraced his passion for electronic music and has embarked on a nonstop tour as Electro Mayhem witrh partner DJ Aero. Will the club world accept them when the novelty wears off?

Also inside: The Atlantic Ocean is littered with wreckage from many illfated musical voyages. With any luck, Klaxons will make it to Interzone before sinking to Atlantis. Fully recovered from his superstardom hangover, Felix da Housecat is reborn (again). Trentemoller explains why sad songs say so much. Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan finds solace in tackling his demons on record. The Secret Handshake‘s Luis Dubuc talks tech. Big Shot dines with DJ Krush.

Plus: Underground Resistance’s DJ Squad, Boys Noize, Kitsune, Para One, Detour Festival, Ewan Pearson, Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA + tons of album, single, DVD and video game reviews!

With a sold-out tour, an acclaimed art-house film, a live album and a film of their legendary live show Daft Punk are more relevent in ways even they never imagined.

Also inside: With Made In The Dark, Hot Chip busts out of the most furious dance jams of its career. In October, Red Bull Music Academy descended upon Toronto where our reporter met this year’s class of aspiring music makers. Helmed by Sam Shackleton and Laurie “Apllebim” Osborne, the Skull Disco label is playing a major role in fostering London’s burgenoning dubstep scene even as its founders eschew the spotlight and the secne they’re inspiring. Plus: The Twelves, Vegoose, Professor Genius, Trevor Jackson, Michael Showalter, LCD Soundsystem, 19 Questions With Paul Oakenfold, Bowling For Hipsters, Human Giant, Luke Vibert, Dita Von Teese + tons of album, single, DVD and video game reviews!

She’s shared stages with M.I.A., Bad Brains and X. She’s played Madison Square Garden and fronted a funky, reworked over of The Jam’s “Pretty Green” on Mark Ronson’s Version. Now all Brooklyn-via-Philadelphia singer Santogold needs to do is release her debut album and deliver on the hype that precedes her.

In the late ’80s The Lady Tigra was half of L’Trimm, the Miami-based duo that took bass music out of the streets and straight to the top of the pop charts with their pop-rap hit “Cars That Go Boom.” How is she doing after the group’s demise? Just fine, thank you.

Throwing back to synth pop and late cat god John DeLorean, Neon Neon detail the rise of the dark side of modern celebrity and its chin implanted, sex-pot-dashing messiah. Carl Craig answers reader e-mails, one of the members of Vampire Weekend gets into an argument with our Deputy Editor, The Presets say their classical training shouldn’t prevent them from creating a good dance floor anthem. M83‘s Anthony Gonzalez channels his inner John Hughes to pen a love letter to his teens.

Plus: MGMT, Black Spade, Morgan Page, Studio B, Gamble & Huff, Hot Chip live in NYC, STS9 live in Atlanta, Casey Spooner + tons of music, DVD and game reviews!

Dave Chapelle and Russian futurist poets collide on Swedish singer Robyn‘s return to North America. She already knows she’s too much for you to handle, but the question is, do you have a choice?

Following a four-year drought with no new tunes, Melbourne’s Cut Copy gets epic with In Ghost Colours. The trio opens up about working with a DFA mastermind and leading Australia’s dance music explosion.

The members of Gnarls Barkley like each other, and for all their superficial differences, it’s such affection that might make for the oddest couple of all. Portishead took over a decade to collect their thoughts and make a new album. As always, they’re not giving you any more that they absolutely have to. Undetered by industry forces holding up his career, Dizzie Rascal is ready to return to the US with his third album. Ready or not, this MC is a superstar and not taking no for an answer. With a brand new record deal and abum, everything old is new again for the tight-knit members of Ladytron. Some say Jamie Lidell is one of the finest blue-eyed soul singers in ages. Others say he’s a bit of an oddball because of his ramblings, riddles and overstimulated adrenal gland. Perhaps they are both right.

Plus: Booka Shade, The Teenagers, 13 Questions for Sasha & Digweed (Answered By Static Revenger), Anja Schneider, Shy Child, Jared Gold, WMC 2008, Ice Cube, + tons of music, DVD and game reviews!

When Omaha based dance-punk band The Faint let their contract with Saddle Creek Records expire, a host of labels were waiting in the wings. But the only way they felt they could stay true to their music was to take out a hefty bank loan and start their own label in the face of the most volatile economic times in modern history.

It wasn’t too long ago when Kid Sister was on public assistance and eking out a living at a children’s clothing store. Now she has a Kanye blessed collaboration (“Pro Nails”), a cool brother (J2K of Flosstradomus) and DJ boyfriend (A-Trak), and a recording future so bright she’s gotta wear shades.

Also inside: Tricky rapped his way into dance music history on Massive Attack’s Blue Lines. Since then he’s collaborated with pop music’s elite, starred in The Sixth Element and has crossed paths with Madonna. After a high profile deal with Hollywood Records ended, his latest album finds him revisiting his Bristol roots and a calmer pace of life. A cast of unlikely talents that make amazing music together, New York’s Hercules & Love Affair bridge the gap between early Chicago house and Salsoul. • As a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra, Ryuichi Sakamoto helped usher in the age of electronica. Moby picked up the torch in the early ’90s and made an indelible mark on the genre. Big Shot brought these icons together for a chat at Sakamoto’s New York studio. • Pittsburgh sampling king Girl Talk has never met a sound clip he doesn’t like. • Ireland’s Calibre—one of the most revered producers in drum ‘n’ bass—is responsible for producing simply wicked tracks. On his latest album, he’s exorcised more than a few demons. • In the often serious world of bass music, NYC’s Trouble & Bass are bringing lots of bottom end and good vibes to the Big Apple and beyond. • Her outfits are spectacles, and her songs are four-minute slices of pop heaven. • Singer Róisín Murphy speaks candidly about her hot new album, brain chemicals, Calvin Harris and the importance of great costumes. • After speed garage flipped the script on house music in the ’90s by way of its booming bottom end, a new breed of UK producers is taking bassline music where no subwoofer has gone before.

Plus: 17 questions with Danny Tenaglia, Adultnapper, Sébastien Tellier, LA Riots, Lindstrøm, 2562, Whartscape, Japanese Popstars, Yelle‘s North American tour diary, Alex Moulton, Obama election street art, Pink Skull, Uh Huh Her, Underworld‘s Art Jam, Speedy J, Emmanuel Jal + tons of music, DVD and event reviews!

After touring and promoting their debut, We Are Pilots, Shiny Toy Guns‘ popular singer and occasional keyboardist Carah Faye Charnow was asked to leave. She was replaced by Sisely Treasure, who joined Dawson, original member Chad Petree, and drummer Mikey Martin in the making of their sophomore effort and is now on the road with them for the first time. With Season of Poison, America’s electro rock road warriors come back darker and more intense than ever.

This fall Australia’s Presets toured North America with Cut Copy. The duo shared funny stories about their travels, as well as and praising the magic of Vegemite.

Director Saam Farahmand set out on the road with Soulwax in 2006 armed with a video camera, a passion for dance music and an attraction to the unexpected. He ended up capturing the ups and downs of life on the road and creating Part of the Weekend Never Dies, the first great documentary about the nu rave scene.

Also inside: Deadmau5 might be on the fast road to success, but we’re concerned that his head might actually fill out that oversized mask. • Melancholy disco songs about zombie lust and robots? Falsetto vocal theatrics and acid-washed bass riffs? Heartbreak isn’t your average British Argentinean Italo-metal dance duo. • Jesse Tittsworth—yes that’s his real name—is a DJ with a split musical personality. He’s an obsessive historian of old school, Baltimore club music who has learned from the genre’s pioneers, and he remains an optimistic dreamer of his chosen genre’s musical possibilities. • In a city known for few organic dance music scenes, the three-piece collective known as Droog has staked their claim to techno in the City of Angels with some of the best little parties in town. Where do they go from here? • TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek pulls back the curtain on the band’s latest album Dear Science—a sprawling sonic masterpiece that fuses past, present and future. • We heard genre-busting artists Sam Sparro and The Lady Tigra were fans of each other, but we had no idea what a simpatico mutual admiration festival
would go down when we brought them together in Downtown Los Angeles.

Plus: Bloc Party, The Model, Charles Webster, London’s Matter, Midnight Juggernauts, Red Bull Music Acedemy Barcelona, The Sight Below, Spank Rock’s XXXChange, Ill Bill, Mynx, Little Boots, Machine, the Millionaires, Margaret Cho, Daryl Hall + tons of music, DVD and event reviews!

In their new tour documentary, Justice lay themselves at rock’s altar in the great name of music, sex, debauchery and exploitation. On the night of the film’s premier, they sit down with us to discuss how they made America their playground.

Dub, pop, electro, art rock and more fuel Franz Ferdinand‘s butt-shaking third studio album.

Matt Johnson sings and plays keyboards. Kim Schiffino plays drums. Together they are Matt and Kim, and they create short, sweet and simple dance-happy indie rock. They’re like a less-drugged version of The Kills, a less serious version of Mates Of State or The White Stripes with none of that creepy pseudo incest to bring things down.

Also inside: On the eve of the release of his latest singles collection, When A Banana Was Just A Banana, Josh Wink fields questions submitted by Big Shot’s readers. •Nikka
Costa was poised to become the next Christina Aquilera, but then she disappeared from the pop culture rader for seven long years. Now back with a new album and freed from the record company that tried to shelve her career, the singer is thrilled to be reminding audiences why she deserves the spotlight. •New York based DJ/producer Ezekiel Honig made a name for himself by producing gorgeous ambient records, then branching out into techno and sonic points beyond. Now focusing his energy on his fledgling indie label, Anticipate Recordings, can Honig still be all things to many people? •In a cith dominated
by house music, San Francisco’s Auralism crew are championing techno on their on terms. •Andy Carthy is Mr. Scruff, a renowned purveyor of quality music who typically embarks on lengthy DJ journeys. Though his recent star-studded album, Ninja Tuna, is one of his best efforts, he’s still in search of the perfect DJ set.

Plus: Kid606, Late of the Pier, Sinden, The Whip, Satoshi Tomiie, Moby celebrates 2008, Plus Move, Gaiser, Layo Paskin discusses the end of The End, Rennie Pilgrem reflects on TCR’s 15th birthday, Brookes Brothers, Underworld live in Brighton + tons of music, DVD and event reviews!

After making a name for himself on the indie dance scene thanks to a raucous debut and even wilder live shows, Dan Deacon heads down a new musical path with Bromst.

Since breaking onto the scene in 1997 with Vegas, The Crystal Method have kept their head down and continued running with the ball. With their new album, Divided By Night, Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland took nearly five years to craft one of their finest releases to date.

Aftemaking a name for himself on the happy hardcore scene, AC Slater—the DJ, not the character from Saved By the Bell—decided he had had enough of playing and producing frenetic tracks spiced with chipmunk vocals and piano riffs. He quit the genre and reinvented himself in bassline house.

Also inside: Lady Sovereign’s much-anticipated second album, Jigsaw, is on the horizon. The biggest midget in the game fields questions from our readers. • The latest addition to the Illegal Art camp, The Bran Flakes, never met a sample they didn’t like. • Natasha Khan is Bat For Lashes, a singer, songwriter, performer, artist an former nursery school teacher. Her music os dreamy and bucks style trends while starting new ones. • After years of killer singles, experimental househeads Mock & Toof are finally finishing their long-awaited album. Big Shot pops in to see what’s been holding this thing up. • Vinyl’s resurgence can be seen in the diversity of excellent shops in Kyoto, Japan. We travelled to the Land of the Rising Sun in search of every DJ’s most precious resource.

Plus: Metro Area, Gui Boratto, Boozoo Bajou, Guru, Swayzak, Anders Ilar, Ladyhawke, Metal Samurai, Android Cartel, Cazals, Live: Grace Jones in London & M83 in New York City, Freq Nasty, Nine Drum ‘n’ Bass acts to look for in 2009, Eric Kupper, Ben Frost, Taylor Deupree, Junk Prints + tons of music, DVD and event reviews!

The Prodigy rose from the UK’s underground rave scene in the ’90s to the top of the charts on the strength of two breakthrough singles, “Firestarter” and “Smack My Bitch Up,” from 1997’s The Fat of the Land. The album sold over two million copies in America, and it looked like there was no stopping their onslaught of industrial-strength breakbeats. Personal conflicts within the group set in, and it took the dismal Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned to get the group back together again.

Dirty-talking, Toronto-born songstress Peaches (a.k.a. Merill Nisker) went from working as a school teacher to becoming an artist who has never been afraid to speak her mind. After dabbling with politics and serving up oodles of lascivious electro-punk, her recent DJ digs influenced a back-to-basics approach on her fifth album, I Feel Cream, which features collaborations with Simian Mobile Disco, Drums of Death, Soulwax, and Digitalism. Cream is a gutsy major career step for her, but is the world ready for a kinder, gentler Peaches?

On Wait For Me, Moby‘s latest, and perhaps quietest, most cinematic album, the unassuming, million-selling DJ/producer renews his love affair with New York while embracing the simple life.

Also inside: The Juan Maclean talk about their unabashed lov affair with the futurism of the past • Preppy synth-poppers Passion Pit hail from Cambridge, Mass and are being touted as the Next Big Thing on the strength of their Chunk of Change EP and its glorious single, “Sleepyhead.” The band’s intoxicatingly mature full-length debut, Manners, proves they are no flash in the pan. • In a candid conversation on the eve of the rlease of his History Elevate collection, Detroit techno stalwart Kevin Saunderson speaks about his past, present, and future.

• Nearly 30 years into their career, electronic music pioneers Depeche Mode show no signs of slowing down.

Plus: Micahu & The Shapes, Phones, DJ Hell , Men Without Pants, Rift, Pet
Shop Boys , Black Landlord, Japanese Goth, WMC ’09 recap + tons of music, DVD and event reviews!

Taking a page from Devo’s synthgeek playbook, Norwegian party band Datarock embarked on the monumental task of trying to equal the success of their debut album that scored the ubiquitous hit “Fa-Fa-Fa.” With the stakes a lot higher, they learned that making funky grooves is a serious matter. In an exclusive interview, Big Shot met up with Datarock’s Fredrik Saroea (a.k.a. Rocksteady Freddi) and learned the trials and tribulations that led to their second album, Red.

After tasting success with “Coming On Strong” from 2006′s The Warning, Hot Chip‘s brand of quirky electro-pop soared to the next level when they released 2008′s Made in the Dark. As the UK dance band plots its follow-up album, they’re keeping busy on a host of projects and collaborations.

Tiga is more than happy to pulverize clubs with sexy, mindless singles, but as the title of his latest release, Ciao!, indicates, a reintroduction to the brain lurking under all those come-ons is definitely in order.

Also inside: Led by Daniel Collás and Sean Marquand, NYC collective The Phenomenal Handclap Band dish up long, funky dance floor jams that are 100% party-perfect. • After establishing himself long ago as a DJ with one foot entrenched in the world of cocktail party disco and the other in heady house, perenially dapper Dimitri From Paris digs deeper into dance floor possibilities in his examination of the mighty dub mix. • The Whitest Boy Alive may headline in the U.S., but they claim the fine distinction of having Erlend Øye as a frontman. In an exclusive interview, Øye discusses the weird rules that govern his band, the album they’ve inspired and what it’s like to possess one of the most soothing voices on planet Earth.

• Mysterious Gothenburg, Sweden-based Italo-disco ingenue Sally Shapiro waxes cool ’80s grooves with partner Johan Agebjörn.

Plus: Bodycode, Heartsrevolution, Voodeux , DJ JS-1, Droid Behavior, Stephen Hitchell, Parallel, Glastonbury, David Guetta + tons of music, DVD and event reviews!

With four largely successful and critically acclaimed albums already to their credit, anti-macho men Air have made fans of the entire planet with their spacey, blissful odes to l’amour. Now, with their “fresh and messy” new album about to blow minds yet again, the Parisian duo discusses their creative renaissance, the necessity of lying to one’s lovers, and why Sébastien Tellier should keep it in his pants.

Montreal-based synth-dance duo Chromeo—David “Dave1″ Macklovitch and Patrick “PThugg” Gemayel—waxed sexy grooves on two amazing electro-charged albums, She’s In Control and Fancy Footwork. As the twosome gather ideas for their next album, and get ready to defenda doctoral thesis in French literature, Chromeo are back with a bang, mixing the latest installment of the revered DJ Kicks series. Dave1 and PThugg took time out to answer questions from Big Shot‘s readers.

Rising from the ashes of now-defunct UK band Simian, Jas Shaw and James Ford are plotting their own course with Simian Mobile Disco. Coming back strong two years after the lauded Attack Decay Sustain Release, their star-studded Temporary Pleasure affirms the importance of living in the moment.

Also inside: Hailing from Charleroi, Belgium and now based in North London, twentysomething drum ‘n’ bass DJ/producer Alix Perez is blazing new trails on the liquid funk scene. A bevy of choice singles since 2005 has led to 1984, a phenomenal debut album on DJ Friction’s Shogun Audio label. • Turntabalist-turned-producer/label owner A-Trak remembers DJ AM. • They made their larger-than-life reputation by concocting addictively out-there club anthems. Then they hit a dark patch and almost went minimal. Ladies and gentlemen, the Basement Jaxx are back—with Yoko Ono as a guidance counselor—and things are about to get weird. • Led by poet, thinker, indie publisher and former punk rocker Wesley Eisold,

Philadelphia-based synth act Cold Cave spew a catchy, cerebral and unique brand downtrodden electronic music.

Plus: Frankie Knuckles, Vinyl Life, Claude VonStroke, Mike Shinoda, Iroro Orife , The Stew , The Polyamorous Affair, James Rutledge + tons of music, DVD and event reviews!

Star Wars fanatic Tom Middleton learned the production ropes with Richard “Aphex Twin” James and later created a fruitful partnership with Mark Pritchard as Global Communication and a host of other aliases. After going solo nearly ten years ago, he continues to spin his eclectic sets all over the world and is rethinking how to circumvent the music industry’s broken model for releasing music. The force is definitely with him!

Plus, artists look back on 2009; John Digweed answers questions from Big Shot‘s readers, Tiësto, Annie, RJD2, Udachi, Modeselektor, Dixon, Magda, Gavin Hardkiss, Book of Love, DJ Spooky, Kraftwerk, and a whole lot more.

English digi-funkers Hot Chip grace the cover of Issue 31, which also marks Big Shot‘s seventh anniversary. (A special shout-out to all of our current and former contributors for making Big Shot the greatest DJ mag in the galaxy!). In this exclusive interview, Hot Chip reflect on the process of recording their fourth album, One Life Stand, which came after a flurry of solo projects. Issue 31 also features a reader Q&A with King Britt, as well as interviews with Groove Armada, Dan Black, Autchere, Goldfrapp, The Site Below, Matthew Hawtin, Phace & Misthanthrop, and more!

To say that The Chemical Brothers are one of electronic music’s greatest and most influential acts is by no means an exaggeration. On the eve of the release of their seventh studio album, Further, the Brothers talked exclusively with Big Shot and related how their latest and greatest came together. In a strange stroke of irony, the forward-thinking duo drew influence from their earliest recordings. Also inside Issue 32: Juan Maclean fields questions from Big Shot’s readers, Ellen Allien discusses her new artist album, and Bernard Sumner tells us why New Order broke up (hint: Peter Hook isn’t going to want to read this).