UMF, once known to the masses as Ultra Music Festival, have announced their 2012 events that will take place in six countries and four continents. The events are as follows: UMF Miami March 23-25; UMF Buenos Aires May 5; UMF Poland July 13 & 14; UMF Korea August 4; UMF Ibiza May 27 & October [...]
After flipping the script countless times as a DJ/producer/label mogul, Diplo continues to broaden his horizons and keep people guessing. In April, he will publish his much talked about book, 128 Beats Per Minute, a diary of his travels from private beaches in Barcelona to a music studio in Jamaica with photography by Shane McCauley [...]
Legendary guitarist/producer/songwriter Nile Rodgers of Chic has blogged about his first recording session with Daft Punk. Last week, in a blog post titled “Daft Punk Is Hanging At My House,” Rodgers, who has been fighting a public battle with cancer (he says he is thankfully in remission), broke the news about his recording session with [...]
Pioneering British electronic act Orbital — brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll — will release Wonky in April. The full-length produced by producer Mark “Flood” Ellis (Erasure, U2, Nine Inch Nails, Soulwax) marks Orbital’s first studio album in eight years. After dominating electronic music in the ’90s with breakthrough tracks like “Chime” and “Satan” the Hartnolls [...]
2011 was a good year for dance music, but 2012 looks like an even better one. A plethora of dance/electronic releases are on the horizon — everything from albums and mix compilations by up-and-coming artists to full-lengths and compendiums by acts with proven track records. We’ve been meticulously sorting through our promos and listening to streams [...]
If there’s one thing France does well, it’s food, but if we were allowed to put a few more things on the list, fashion and music would certainly place high. No one knows this better than Gildas Loaëc and Masaya Kuroki, the founders of Kitsuné, the double threat clothing line music label. When these two [...]
If you are a devote of trance, then odds are pretty high that tracks from British trio Above & Beyond‘s second album, Group Therapy, were all over your playlists this year. Featuring massive singles “Sun & Moon” and “Thing Called Love,” which were both fronted by fellow Brit Richard Bedford, Group Therapy was easily one [...]
Legendary German DJ Sven Väth, of Cocoon Records fame, has issued a lengthy, deeply personal holiday message to his fans. In his statement (read it in its unedited entirety below), Väth reflects on 2011, pointing out various professional highlights and accomplishments that happened during his 30th year behind the decks. Having traveled to nearly every [...]
New York’s Nicolas Matar continued to lead a dual life in 2011. The proprietor of Manhattan hot spot Cielo, which is arguably one of the best clubs in America, Matar is also a top-notch DJ who has played all over the world. Despite rising DJ fees and the economic downturn, Cielo continues to book the [...]
Zachary “Shigeto” Saginaw arrived at a new professional plateau in 2011, one where his years of hard work and dedication to finessing his glitchy bliss allowed him to finally approach music on a full-time basis. While collaborating with other artists and pushing his sound to the next level in ’11, his Full Circle Remixes enabled [...]
What a year it’s been for English quartet Metronomy. Their third album, The English Riviera, exuded a quirky brand of funky, nerdy electro-pop and delivered an onslaught of sexy music videos (“The Bay” and “She Wants”), tour dates all over the world, and a nomination for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize. We pinned down founding [...]
Launch an indie label has never been easy. To make an endeavor like this succeed requires a leap of faith, a diligent work ethic, cajones, an unwavering belief in the music, and a little bit of luck. Thanks to possessing sheer determination, an ear for new talent and an unwavering dedication to drum ‘n’ bass, [...]
“Dubstep as a world has become so complicated and diverse, to the point where the word is almost meaningless. In a way, that’s great for the music because there’s not a direct correlation between the word and a sound.” Coming from Hyperdub label boss, Steve Goodman, better known to many as Kode9, this could be [...]
