Costa Rica’s original and best electronic music festival is back and supersized from January 6 – 9th, 2023: this most idyllic gathering is a place to be spellbound by majestic sunsets, left in awe by the natural beauty of the jungle and a place to have your soul soothed by dancing around a sun-kissed landscape. This year Ocaso will host the only North American performances of Solomun and Adriatique before March 2023, with the full artist programme set to be announced next month. Secure your place at this dreamlike underground gathering now by getting your early bird tickets from https://ocasofestival.com/.
This year’s event will be the biggest yet, with all new night parties in the jungle as vines hang down and humid and lush green flora and fauna provide the backdrop. There will be sunset parties on the beach with sand between your toes and the ocean stretching out to infinity in front of you and a new purpose-built festival arena in the local town of Tamarindo.
Tamarindo is on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast and is world renowned for its beaches with strong surf, local major nesting sites for huge leatherback turtles and mangrove-lined estuary of Tamarindo Wildlife Refuge which protects animals such as howler monkeys and crocodiles. This means festival-goers can look forward to a week full of performances featuring DJs from across the world as well as some local favourites with many hours of dancing, positive community vibes and plenty of local connections to wonderful wildlife.
Musically, Ocaso strikes gold once more this year with none other than global house icon Solomun headlining and bringing with him his uniquely melodic sound. The Diynamic label head and feature of the GTA game series is now on a level of his own, and will be joined by label mates Adriatique. The full 2023 lineup will be revealed in September.
Ocaso is a “leave no trace” event. Attendees clean up the beach in Tamarindo before and after the festival every year and are constantly looking for ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the festival. While in Costa Rica everyone is mindful of water conservation, wildlife, and the trash they create while visiting. These things are very important to Costa Ricans, and to everyone involved with Ocaso, as is the fact that it is a safe, diverse and welcoming space for all genders, sexualities and races. Ocaso is a place where freedom of expression is embraced as a defining characteristic. Everyone is welcome, and costumes are encouraged.
There is a wealth of vibrant colour and culture to explore away from the music. The many natural wonders of Costa Rica are there to be explored as part of a group outing during the festival making this the most unmissable music-holiday experience of the year.
While we were travelling there, the festival app warned those already there that heavy rain was expected in the night to Friday. By the time we got there, things had dried up a bit and it was fairly warm, but it was still very cloudy, and the threat of rain was ever present.
The rap group Neonschwarz opened the Blue Stage with a mix of hip-hip, rap and pop. The lead trio had great chemistry on stage with a general vibe of leaving behind responsibilities and chilling in the sun. Not saying I felt seen, but I did feel seen.
Juju took to the stage next with her high energy rap set. At one point the mosh pit opening up cleared most of the space in front of the stage and Juju invited anyone who could do the splits to come demonstrate. Later, during Hi Babe she came down into the pit for high fives. Her song Bling Bling featured a sample from Linkin ParksNumband she performed a medley of her songs which normally have features, said features being played from recordings.
Unfortunately, half the sound was missing for Sondaschule at the start of their set on the Green Stage, the only thing we could hear in the front right was the trombone. They kind of fixed it during the first song, but it still cut out occasionally. The band wore matching black polo shirts with the band logo. Considering that crowd surfing is technically banned at the festival there was a lot of non-band-encouraged crowd surfing, possibly the same guy over and over again. It was great ska set, perfect for dancing and singing along.
Austrian band Wanda all came dressed for different events, one with clear 70s vibes in patterned waistcoat, ripped jeans and tinted glasses, one in a blank tank top and trousers and the lead singer in leather jacket, white shirt and jeans. The lead singer had a very chill yet passionate vibe about him; walking to the side of the stage to get his cigarette lit by a roadie at one point then throwing beers into the crowd and jumping in after at another. The last song seemed to include all crowd activities throughout: a mosh pit opened up near the beginning (promptly leading to the demise of some lost sunglasses), then later half the crowd sat down calmly while a circle pit raged over in one corner.
The sun was setting, and it was impossible not to move during Electric Callboy’s electro/metal fusion set. With pyro, lasers and mosh pits all the way to the back it definitely re-energised everyone for the rest of the night.
Bring me the Horizon followed on the Green stage with a fantastic set picking up the energy where Electric Callboy left off. The stage had a several levels made of screens and several songs were accompanied by two dancers in various costumes including hazmat suits for Parasite Eve and cybermen cheerleaders for Happy Song. Lead singer Oli Sykes came on wearing a skin tight long sleeve shirt and what looked like suit trousers and did a fantastic job hyping up the crowd, inviting people to come crowd surf over for a hug, leading to absolute chaos and a little crowd forming in the pit. The set ended 15 min early, which was a shame as the crowd definitely had more to give. The guy next to me caught a drumstick and was celebrated accordingly by the group around him.
In the interval before the Friday headliners, Kraftklub, the securities distributed water into the crowd, refilling bottles and cups that were passed forwards and back. Kraftklub came on in long black coats over their usual white shirts with red braces, as if to challenge the skies. The skies won, it was tipping it down by the end of the set. Not that that deterred anyone in the crowd. The band bought several new songs, but felt the need to play an old song in exchange for every new song because they didn’t know how the new songs would be received. They really did not have anything to worry about, the fans were with them all the way. Later in the set a fan was invited on stage to spin a wheel to decide between an old song, a new song of a three-minute cigarette break, a task that I would find far too stressful. The old song won but after enough crowd vocalising, they played another new song too. While encouraging mosh pits, frontman, Felix, also made sure everyone was ok and back up as well as specifically decrying people using mosh pits as an opportunity to molest people and called for anyone doing so to be reported to the securities.
Saturday
We woke up to the continued patter of rain on the tent and several mysterious wet spots. Was it us flopping soaked into the tent last night? Is the tent leaking? Who is to say. It’s been so long I’d forgotten this part of festivals. Luckily the drizzle was light enough we could still have cereal and make coffee.
Marching band Moop Mama played the Blue Stage dressed all in red. The front mad thanked everyone for being here so early in the morning. It was 13:30. However the vibe was one of drowsy, content dancing in the mud across the field. There was a range of footwear choices on show, we had your classic wellies, trainers and bougie shoe covers. But we also had some who opted for barefoot or complicated contraptions of duct tape and binbags. As everyone woke up a bit more things heated up a bit with a big circle pit in the middle. And a two-man circle pit next to me. It was a great, energising way to start the day.
100 Kilo Herz were playing over on the Green Stage with the ever present “punk with trumpets genre” which we know and love. The first 10 minutes of the set were spent sound checking themselves, taking turns to sing and everyone who could hear them raised their hands. Once everything worked, they were off, playing a great set full off heart. During the show, the lead singer explained that he was invited to go to the last Highfield festival with a friend but was struggling too much with depression and financially to bring himself to buy tickets and go. But he wanted to say something cool, so he said he’ll go when he’s playing there. Luckily that worked out and it fantastic to see them perform together. Considering Giant Rooks cancelled for mental health reasons, I think it’s good that people are talking about these kinds of things and will take time out to look after themselves.
Provinz had a whole recording of a song playing before they came on stage. A simple set up, just the band and a banner with their name as backdrop. They still drew a large, enthusiastic crowd though, singing along to pretty much all choruses. Next to me, two girls banded together to lift a dude onto their shoulders for a song.
Donots were filling in for Bad Religion, funnily enough the same as they were in 2018. When frontman Ingo was orchestrating the biggest circle pit™ from within the crowd he chose a woman to lead it because she was wearing a bad religion shirt and was covered in confetti. Turns out she was also the circle pit leader in 2018. Antilopen Gang joined on the stage while Ingo was making his way back over the crowd. They managed to bring the sun back, even though it took up their whole production budget as they claimed. Huge energy and always welcome to fill in for any band.
Kraftklubs front man performed his last festival gig as his solo project Kummer on the Blue Stage. His previous show had to be cancelled during the 2nd song due to extreme weather so it was a good thing Donots stopped the rain in time. The general lighting for his songs was the blue of the album cover, for the Kraftklub songs he performed the stage changed to red and for Alles Wird Gut the stage was bathed in yellow. Provinz’s frontman came to sing on the latter. It’s a shame the project is over, but I’m very glad to get the chance to see it live after waiting since 2020 to do so.
Annenmaykantereit were the second to last act on the Green Stage, and while very very popular, you could argue that it’s a little low energy for a sub-headliner slot. As the masses moved over from Kummer they could hear the Annenmaykantereit set starting and got frustrated at the speed at which they could leave the crowd, luckily, they vented some of that frustration by singing along. It was a beautiful set that had people swaying together arm in arm with their neighbours. There were tearful hugs and long kisses in the crowd, it was very emotional. At the end, the crowd threw flowers into the crowd, some of which were gifted back to the security guards who stuck them in their hats. Immaculate vibes all round.
I’d seen Deichkind from further back in the crowd at a previous festival, so knew it was worth getting there early for a good spot. I was not disappointed. The absolutely chaotic energy of the show defies description. It started off with the band behind a white sheet, lit from behind as the beat built up gradually and sporadically. Several choreographed dance routines later things descended into (amongst other things too weird to put into words) office chair races, mini trampoline intervals and a giant barrel filled with the band being pushed through the crowd before the front row got a generous amount of alcohol via several tubes. It was a spectacle that I would recommend to anyone if they get the chance. The set also included a new song that had been teased in trailers on the stage screens throughout the intervals of the festival, which was cool, it was more of a lyrics than beat based song, still very good though. A chance to slow down for a bit. There was a kid next to me in the crowd and it was great to see that the securities made sure he and his parents knew how to get their attention if the crowd got a bit rowdier. The securities in general were fantastic during the show, cheering the crowd on and singing along themselves.
The sensible thing would have been to go to bed when we finally got back to the tent after 2am. HOWever. We could hear the Beach Stage playing absolute bangers from our tent. So that was the obvious choice. Also, sand is great for removing mud from shoes, right?
Sunday
Sunday morning was the first time it felt safe to put clothes up to dry and the ground was solid enough to walk on barefoot. We could hear Casper and Broilers sound checking in the distance which only increased the anticipation for the day.
I headed over to Kaffkiez who were filling in for Montreal who were filling in for Turbostaat. The band was one of my recent spotify discoveries and were well worth the effort of heading over a little early. The crowd was a consistent mosh pit and it was a fantastic way to start the day.
Afterwards we headed to the beach for a swim as the sun was clearly trying to make up for something. Vaguely refreshed we headed back to see Montreal who played the last Highfield in 2019. Their set included a few covers, including one from an album they had recorded over lockdown, celebrating bands that don’t exist anymore. Madsen’s drummer joined for one song, while their own drummer went and had the front row’s beer.
For a bit of lighter sunshine dancing, Joris was the perfect choice on the Blue Stage. The singer songwriter was accompanied by a large band and performed a song on only instruments made out of drinking glasses or bottles.
Back to a little more chaos, Die Orsons filled in for You and Me at Six. One of the four at the front had a fish on his belt, which I don’t think was ever explained. They share the stage with an inflatable winged shrimpy-seahorse creature which flailed wildly for some songs. There was wild waving of whatever-you-had-on-you and asking everyone to put on their mobile phone light in broad daylight.
Leoniden were surprisingly rowdy on stage for their music. Kicking over cymbals and wildly swinging guitars, the energy rubbed off on the crowd as the set went on. The percussion stand was taken into the crowd at one point, who made room for the drummer to come in, but he did have to crowd surf back, clasping it between his legs for dear life. The band covered Watershed by Giant Rooks as a tribute since they could not make it due to mental health reasons which was a lovely gesture.
Clueso’s set was stopped after a few songs due to an approaching storm when he last played at Highfield in 2017. This year he thankfully managed to get through the whole set. He was accompanied by a band including a brass trio which gave all the songs a funk spin. Great for dancing. The set span Clueso’s catalogue, with a wonderful rendition of Cello, the intro ironically played on trumpet. There was the usual everyone-sitting-down crowd antics, but this time everyone got up in a wave, back to front. That was a new one to me and genuinely felt link when you’re in the sea and a wave builds up towards you. As one of the mosh pits opened, a girl, having misunderstood the assignment, sat down in the middle to start rowing. Luckily her friend pulled her up just in time for the mosh pit to collide. The group I was standing with managed to reunite a gentleman with his wallet as he dropped it while walking past, so our good deed for the weekend was also ticked off.
Casper followed Clueso on the Blue stage and the crowd stayed pretty full between the acts, normally things did empty out a bit more. Casper appears to have lightened up a little since his last album where the general vibe was barbed wire, angst and nihilism. Instead, the new album has a more flowery, hopeful feel. The stage was covered by a pink curtain before the show and opened to reveal a meadow of flowers across the front. I loved the way the way the spotlight shone through the colourful petals. The set was divided into three acts, each being introduced on the screens with a single word and a dictionary definition. The acts were “doubt”, “rage” and “hope the songs that followed shared those themes. There was a beautiful crowd chorus at the end of Hinterland, with Casper directing the two sides of the crowd, playing them off against each other to see who could be the loudest. Clearly our side won.
Broilers were stepping into the headliner slot for Limp Bizkit who couldn’t make it. The stage was covered with a black banner proclaiming “Nobody left behind” while If the kids are united by Sham 69 was playing. The excitement was building. Then the banner dropped, and we were off. 90 minutes of punk bliss followed. Continuous mosh and circle pits. Crowd surfing. It was fantastic. The crowd etiquette was on point, people protecting anyone when needed to bend down to tie shoes or look for something. Helping each other up before falling over together. It was a wonderful way to end the weekend and definitely a much need catharsis after three years of abstinence.
We started our drive home after the headliners, being directed out onto the road by security guards with glow sticks. It was incredibly smooth and well managed, and we were out in no time. Every rest stop we stopped at for the next 4 hours had a gentle trickle of tired, happy people with Highfield shirts and wristband trickled in for supplies and toilet breaks.
All in all, it was a wonderful weekend at a much-missed festival. The organisation was great, the bands were clearly having a great time being back and the crowds welcomed them with enthusiasm. I can say with, with considerable confidence: Same time next year?
Tulum’s large scale arts and cultural festival is coming to Miami Saturday and Sunday November 26th and 27th with large scale art installations and musical acts including SG Lewis, Moderat, Bedouin, Elderbrook, Parra for Cuva, Henry Green
The Art With Me Festival is returning to Miami and bringing jaw-dropping installation art pieces, top-tier international musicians and performers, and a comprehensive wellness program designed to feed your soul.
Founded by David Graziano in Tulum in 2018, the Art With Me Festival was Tulum’s first large-scale arts and cultural festival. This brought in artists from around the world, which meant guests came in from all over the world as well. As this festival grew, expanding into other countries, it became quite the charitable organization.
“To me, the city of Miami has always had flavor and great culture with its diverse communities and the never-ending movement in its tourist sector. Art With Me is not just a festival. It is a lifestyle brand with a clear road map of bringing highly creative experiences filled with unique activations, events, and sculpture parks,” said Graziano. This year, the family friendly festival will be held at Virginia Key, an 863-acre barrier island in Miami, located in Biscayne Bay, south of Brickell and north of Key Biscayne. It is accessible from the mainland via the Rickenbacker Causeway.
The immersive two-day event will bring together local businesses through thoughtful art initiatives, workshops, and panel discussions.
The events—spanning music, art, food, and culture—will include performances from SG Lewis, Moderat, Bedouin, Big Wild, Elderbrook, Parra for Cuva, Henry Green, Gone Gone Beyond, Magdalena Bay, Lee Burridge presents All Day I Dream, Audiofly, DJ Seinfeld,, QRTR, Paraleven and Matt Caines. and art from multidisciplinary artist South African Daniel Popper, Belgian contemporary artist Michael Benisty, California-based, American contemporary artist Laura Kimpton and many more to be announced.
Art With Me’s innovative approach focuses on well-balanced and complete experiences across six- core pillars: Art With Me, Dance With Me, Eat With Me, Breathe With Me, Play With Me, and Care With Me.
Art and creativity are central, guiding themes for Art With Me and eloquently tie together the adjacent pillars within the events. The organization brings together a huge array of visual artists who build jaw-dropping installations that seamlessly integrate with the surrounding areas. Showcasing these amazing works sparks important dialogues about their origins, where art is headed in the future, and how creativity is the purest outlet for the human experience. Art With Me brings together artists from around the world to participate with our installations, workshops, talks, environmental design experiences, and create a space for our guests to enjoy one-on-one interactions and dialogues with our creators.
The most fundamental human experiences have been tied to music for centuries. Dance With Me harnesses this power, celebrates the splendor of different cultures and embraces our beautiful planet while creating unforgettable experiences around the world with international and local artists.
Few activities connect us more directly to the Earth than the act of eating. Eat With Me events serve to reinforce community within the Art With Me family worldwide. Guests will take part in premium culinary experiences with juice bars, food truck vendors and concessions.
BreathWithMe, another core pillar, will offer participants a full array of wellness programs from drum circles to yoga, from temazcales to plant medicine healing. You’ll come face to face with a new vision of what it means to care for yourself—and others.
Providing children the opportunity to engage with art in a meaningful and immersive manner is a critical step toward preserving the artist in each of us. Play with Me’s instructors create and oversee a curriculum that gives children an experience that will positively impact them throughout their lives.
Care With Me is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization that is here to bring awareness and positive change through cultivating inspirational art and educational experiences for local communities and the environment. So while you take in the sights of Miami and enjoy some art, you’ll be helping out a charity do some good in the world. Soothe your soul while you soothe others.
Tickets: Two-Day General Admission at $80 + tax Two-Day Premium at $215 + tax; TICKETS HERE
ABOUT DAVID GRAZIANO, FOUNDER
Artist, creative visionary and hospitality pioneer. David has founded and designed some of the most known nightclubs and restaurants in New York such as Pink Elephant, Bagatelle, Gansevoort 69, Kiss & Fly, and RDV. David visited Tulum for the first time in the early 2000s and set out to design Ahau Tulum hotel. Since then The Ahau Collection has grown to include: Alaya Tulum , Villa Pescadores Tulum, Kai Hotel and Beach Club Tulum, Canzul, and Aluna.
The JBM Music team behind Joshua Brooks are launching a new series of Manchester 360 events with an epic take over the historic Victoria Baths. Three days of parties across November 4th, 5th and 6th invite you to rave in an empty Grade-II listed swimming pool with Darius Syrossian, Lee Burridge and Dimitri from Paris headlining one day each. Tickets are out now so join the waitlist and get exclusive access before public release.
This will be a weekender like no other – a rave in Victoria Bath with an immersive 360 sound system and killer light shows that will take you to another realm. The venue’s stunning architecture boasts glazed bricks and stained glass windows which date back to 1906 when it was described as “a water palace” by the Lord Mayor and “the most splendid bathing institution in the country”.
Well now, bathing turns to raving with the most talented DJs in the electronic scene across three days of parties. First up is local hero Darius Syrossian who is no stranger to playing packed out and sweaty dance floors with his edgy and straight up house sound. Then comes another UK legend in Lee Burridge, the man behind All Day I Dream with his own zoned out and hypnotic take on house. Last but not least, French titan Dimitri From Paris always cooks up dazzling disco and filter house sounds that are packed with soul and colour.
You do not want to miss your slice of partying history: join the waitlist for Manchester 360º: Weekend Takeover at Victoria Baths in Manchester asap.
Highlights Ever wanted to rave in an empty swimming pool? Now’s your chance! Grade II listed building Dance amongst the stunning architecture of glazed bricks and stained glass windows Enjoy extended sets from the biggest International DJs in the electronic scene Manchester 360 takes over the empty baths for 3 days of house, disco and techno Incredible light shows and state-of-the-art immersive 360 sound system
GeneralInfo Date: 4, 5 & 6 November 2022 Duration: 6-8 hours Location: Victoria Baths
Kiesgrube aka KEEZY announces their full program for their 25th anniversary summer season. With the three events still in the pipeline the ful line-up includes the likes of Charlotte De Witte, Michael Bibi, Marco Carola, Luciano, Bambounoui, Seth Troxler, KiNK, Pan-Pot, Palms Trax, Job Jobse, DJ Gigola, MCR-T, KI/KI, Adiel, Jackmaster, Patrick Mason, Bedouin, Damian Lazarus and many more high-calibre as well as up and coming artists will be heading to the beautiful location of Villenpark Rheinperle in Duisburg until September 18th.
KEEZY’s 25th anniversary summer season is in full swing! After two sensational events in their temporary exile in Duisburg with high-calibre names such as Marco Carola, Luciano, Charlotte de Witte, ANNA, Bambounou and many more, the long-established brand Kiesgrube is going full steam ahead with the continuation of its grand 25th anniversary summerseason. Both the KEEZY 2022 opening event and the July 24 follow-up event were completely sold out, making a tidy statement about what to expect in the weeks and months ahead. After these two great spectacles with outstanding highlights, consisting of a b2b set by Marco Carola and Luciano that already qualifies as a legendary one and an extended excessive high-energy set by Charlotte de Witte, KEEZY is ready to reach the next level.
Be there when this great summer season escalates to the final episodes and look forward to next year with an outstanding new location to be revealed very soon…
The mission to reach new levels has already been set with a busy season revelation with three more events featuring many notorious names:
September 11 – Kiesgrube x Home Again w/ Palms Trax, Job Jobse, KiNK, MCR-T, DJ Gigola, KI/KI and Sandilé September 18 – Kiesgrube Closing Festival w/ Seth Stroxler b2b Michael Bibi, Jackmaster, Patrick Mason, U.R. Trax, Adiel, Thabo, Rampini, Chris Di Perri and I AM
Volta Create allows all artists no matter their budget or skill level to create world-class visuals to accompany and elevate their live performances.
Free, self-service XR creation platform Volta announces the launch of a new version of Volta Create. This new version is another standout development for the fast-growing, industry-leading platform as it features designs and worlds used by BONOBO, Jamie Jones, TSHA and more during their headline shows at Glastonbury, and by NERO, Noizu and Brux at shows at the Brooklyn Mirage.
Volta Create allows all artists no matter their budget or skill level to create world-class visuals to accompany and elevate their live performances. Epic visuals from major league International festivals are now no longer the preserve of top tier DJs – anyone can access them and use them on their own artist channels whether live or streamed on Twitch, YouTube, Mixcloud or TikTok. Not only are artists able to create live performances, but Volta Create is a great tool to produce high quality music videos just like Imogen Heap did for her single ‘Last night Of An Empire’.
This tool is the first of its kind and, unlike other 3D and music visual software offerings, it remains completely free, doesn’t require specialized knowledge or any unique skill set and is available on all desktops. The Volta team will also soon be announcing another new feature, which will allow creators to monetize their live streams via audience interaction, but the platform will still remain free for creators.
Previous performances have proved the immense value of using Volta Create for all artists across styles and genres with increased fan engagement and viewership stats. Machinedrum’s performance from NYC streamed to PointBlank’s Youtube channel, for example, saw a 10X increase in live chat engagement.
Alex Kane, Co-founder of Volta, says “Over the past few months we got to show off the next phase of Volta with some of the biggest artists, on some of the biggest stages at some of the most renowned events and venues in the world… The opportunity to do so was mind blowing to say the least. Getting to share this new technology and seeing the worlds and experiences artists create is even more exciting.”
The latest update includes many new 3D elements as well as exciting features. New worlds from Glastonbury and Brooklyn Mirage have been added including those used by Bonobo, Jamie Jones, NERO, TSHA and more. Recently, the legendary DJ Yoda used Volta Create to design and livestream a DJ set entitled ‘Cinema Yoda’ to his Twitch channel. With the use of the panning camera angle feature, Yoda achieved a uniquely immersive feel to his set-up which took it to another level.
DJ Yoda goes on to say “Volta and I built the first iteration of my new live stream set ‘Cinema Yoda’. Various camera angles allowed the stream to showcase not only an XR world I have wanted to make for a long time but a new way to show off my turntables within it. My audience could step into the world of DJ Yoda both musically and visually. This was the first of many performances in Volta worlds to come… keep an eye out for more soon!”
Other features include output custom resolutions that allow users to choose any rectilinear resolution a new graphic generator in visual sources that allows text, shapes and gradient, plus kaleidoscope effects, a new video playback engine, more reliable and faster triggering of video visual sources when toggling between videos in a folder, Ableton Link settings, MIDI mappings for many DJ devices and plenty more bug fixes relating to load and save, triggers and much more.
Recently, the world renowned Amnesia Club in Ibiza experienced the first run of the brand new Volta Create. With artists like Horse Meat Disco, Freddy K, Cassie and more, the club was transformed into a 3D mixed reality experience that was real time generated and completely audio reactive.
This is the latest step in Volta’s on-going mission to democratize the creation of mixed reality mind-bending performances for all artists all over the world. It comes after important partnerships with headline artists during this year’s Glastonbury as well as receiving a $500k grant from Innovate UK, the government-backed agency which drives productivity and economic growth.
Today, Italian multi instrumentalists, singer/songwriters, DJs and label owner duo Giolì and Assia release the new single “Playing Chess” from their forthcoming third studio album, ‘Fire, Hell and Holy Water.’
Following the release of recent singles “Fire Hell and Holy Water,” “Silence,” and “I’ll Be Fine,” the 4th single, “Playing Chess,” brings us closer to the LP, set for release on September 9th on Ultra Records. The single is a piece of Depeche Mode-style electronica that was initially inspired by Florence & the Machine’s track ‘Shake It Out.’ One of the most energetic singles on the album, ‘Playing Chess’ is led by Gioli’s uptempo drums and complemented by her captivating piano chords and Assia’s vocals. The push-pull effect of the instrumentation reflects on the contrastingly intense and introspective nature of the record, all while showcasing the couples’ unending love for one another. “The lyrics revolve around the metaphor that we are nothing but pawns on a chessboard; part of a game, of a mechanism that is none other than the society in which we live today, which alienates us away from our more human and true form,” Giolì and Assia said in reference to the creative process behind writing the single. “The only escape from this game is the night; only in the night we reveal our true selves, only during the night we can be free, ‘but when it’s dark I know our souls are true, yeah when it’s dark I see the light in your eyes, but when it’s sunshine, you hide,”they added.
Hailing from Palermo, Italy, Giolì and Assia have captured the hearts of fans around the world with their sublime and ethereal soundscapes. The duo create genreless sounds that are entirely their own from start to finish without any outside collaboration. Giolì, a masterful pianist who has been honing her craft since the age of 8, plays the piano, cello, drums, guitar, and handpan, with Assia commanding lead vocals and guitar across the album.
Giolì & Assia will continue touring around the world into the Summer & Fall, returning to North America in September with their biggest headline shows to date at LA’s The Novo and Brooklyn Steel. The duo also have festival slots at Czech festival Colours of Ostrava, Austria’s FM4 Frequency Festival, Chicago’s ARC Music Festival, Las Vegas’s Life is Beautiful, San Francisco’s Portola, and more.
Alongside the single release today, Giolì & Assia have unveiled the live performance video of “Playing Chess” taken from their boundary-pushing video series “#DiesisLive”. The videos have been a cornerstone of development and creative expression for Giolì & Assia as artists, carving out their own aesthetic niche and garnering the band millions of views for each production from across the globe. Started in April 2019, the high-octane productions invite viewers to watch intimate Giolì & Assia live performances filmed in remote and jaw dropping locations. These have included a volcano in the Aeolian Islands, the Andromeda Theater in the Province of Agrigento, Isola Delle Femmine in the duo’s hometown of Palermo, the breathtaking Fjallsarlon Glacier Lagoon in Iceland, and most recently the Krysviksberg Cliffs in Iceland.
Set for release September 9th on Ultra Records, ‘Fire, Hell and Holy Water’ is the band’s biggest body of work to date, a 16-track labor of love. Named after a well known local Sicilian saying, the record documents their turbulent and intense highs and lows as a couple, and the health problems and untimely losses of relatives during the pandemic. Referencing a plethora of major sonic influences, the pair cite London Grammar, Coldplay, Depeche Mode, Labyrinth’s Euphoria score, U2 and Ludovico Eunaudi as just a few of the many formative inspirations on their landmark forthcoming album.
Around the album launch and tour dates, Giolì & Assia recently launched a contest to win a golden custom G&A handpan, vinyl test pressing, merch capsule, 2 tickets to a headline show, meet & greet and more. Enter to win via the link here.
A livestream will take place at Amnesia Ibiza 16th August
Today, Bershka launch its first collection of wearables in Decentraland with the help of Amnesia Ibiza and Steve Aoki.
This Bershka x Amnesia Ibiza capsule collection will be available in Bershka stores, on bershka.com and here through the Amnesia store in Decentraland.
The ambassador of this collection and DJ of the party is 2x-GRAMMY-nominated music producer, artist, and fashion designer Steve Aoki. To celebrate this collaboration, on 16thAugust (Wednesday 17th August 3.30am CEST)Bershka will stream live from Amnesia Ibiza Steve Aoki’s HiROQUEST party at Amnesia Decentraland for all its followers! You’ll be able to watch the livestream, buy some of the collection’s pieces and get the exclusive POAP by Steve Aoki. The stream will also be available simultaneously on Amnesia Ibiza’s official YouTube channel and through all A0K1VERSE Sky Pods on oncyber.io, with a special streaming party in Steve’s personal Sky Pod!
The Bershka x AMNESIA capsule is a going out collection inspired by the world of clubbing. It includes a selection of items for girls and boys, among which several oversized T-shirt designs stand out, an asymmetrical rib top with the club logo, a dress, a top and a tulle skirt with photographic prints inspired by the Amnesia parties, among other garments.
Metaverse event participants will be able to get the POAP in Decentranland (or the achievement stamps in Sky Pods) to claim some of the exclusive perks, merchandising items and 250,000 KlubCoin tokens to be shared among the POAP & achievement stamps holders.
“I’m excited to partner with Amnesia and Bershka to bring the spirit of Ibiza to the metaverse. Decentraland fans worldwide can tune in to hear an early sneak peek of my new album HiROQUEST: Genesis.“ said Steve Aoki
“We are very excited to collaborate on the Bershka x Amnesia metaverse wearable collection. It’s been amazing to see the continual interest from established brands to pioneer the open metaverse with us.”“ said Miles Anthony, CEO of DecentralGames
“It’s an absolute pleasure to welcome Steve Aoki in our Amnesia virtual venue in Decentraland and to be the first club brand to launch a phygital capsule collection with a global clothing brand such as Bershka” said Sergi Blaya, brand manager at Amnesia Ibiza.
You can now buy the new Bershka x Amnesia Ibiza collection in your nearest Bershka store, on bershka.com and in the Amnesia store at Decentraland.
Deep house duo Walker & Royce have collaborated with Chris Lorenzo and cooked up a complete revitalization of the classic Idris Muhammad track “Could Heaven Ever Be Like This” for Ultra Records.
Having incorporated the original into their sets across various festivals this past year, Walker & Royce know the track inside out, and deep house expert Chris Lorenzo – who currently holds the #4 spot on the Beatport charts with his most recent release “MAMI” – is a perfect addition to the team to make this one really pop. Between them, these creatives have amped up this disco classic and brought it into the modern age with top notch production and measured delivery.
Their version has big, bouncing drums and firing synth work with shooting cosmic lasers. It’s an energetic, textured track with the big vocals the icing on the cake and sure to make this one into a modern classic.
Club Chinois is the most talked about new venue in Ibiza and it recently launched a brand new residency from Ida Engberg for the second half of the season. The Swedish techno titan kicked off with Laya Benitez and Clint Lee in fine fashion last week, and now the party runs weekly Tuesdays until September 13th. Next up on August 16th, Kolsch and Unders join Ida with more special guests to come each week.
Chinois is located in what was once HEART Ibiza and it has a decadent but underground vibe that recalls the jazz clubs of 1930’s Shanghai. It has been designed by an award winning designer with a world-class sound system and cosy dance floor feel that features a DJ booth close to the action. Already this summer it is hosting residencies from top international talents such as Luciano, Ibiza Global Radio, Pablo Fierro, THEMBA, Satori and more, but now it has added another cutting edge party with this influential techno selector.
Swedish star Ida Engberg is a top tier DJ and record producer who has long been serving up powerful sets and productions from the cutting edge. She has a sound rooted in techno funk and her versatility is infectious, whether playing big room techno at Drumcode nights, festivals like Awakenings, or deeper sounds at clubs and after hours all around the world. She is in the middle of a busy summer of gigs at places like Street Parade in Zurich and Creamfields UK and remixes coming on both Anjunadeep and Crosstown Rebels later this year.
This is another unmissable weekly session at Chinois. Make sure you are part of the best new club on the White Isle.
