Soul Town Festival is back once again with a stunning line-up of the best soul, disco, motown and reggae on September 2nd and 3rd 2023. This year’s festival returns to the bigger and better Croydon Recreation Ground in Beckenham, Kent which was such a success last year and the first wave of names includes Sister Sledge ft Kathy Sledge, UB40, Tunde Baiyewu (Lighthouse Family), Desmond Decker & The Aces, Edwin Starr Band, Omar plus more to be announced. Super Early Birds tickets sold out fast so move quickly to get the best ticket deals at https://soultownfestival.com
Soul Town Festival is a perfect two day escape with plenty of musical magic, more than 65 artists, over 40 food vendors as well as dancers, rides, attractions, live steel bands, face painting, glitter stalls, hair braiding, fashion and craft stalls and so much more. The new and improved location is a beautiful lush green space in Beckenham with more bars, more staff, more toilets and improved disabled access and viewing points.
You have a wide range of food and drink to keep you fuelled across the two days. New for this year is the Pimms bus which has a terrace on the top deck, a premium gin garden and cocktail beach, plus many more exciting drinks for everyone. Food-wise, every stall has been hand selected from Caribbean food, wood fire pizzas, vegan wings and more plus meals, desserts, sweet treats and more.
There is also a mix of special VIP areas and VIP tickets include separate queuing for fast track entry, a drink and food voucher (beer, wine, spirit and mixer), Soul Town merchandise, private bar, luxury toilets, makeup bar, prime stage viewing area at both stages and more.
The music comes across two spectacular main stages with immersive light, sound and visuals set to provide the perfect summer sound explosion. Headliners include the legendary Sister Sledge ft Kathy Sledge who are one of the most iconic American acts in the world, the seductive soul sounds of Omar, uplifting pop and soul from Tunde Baiyewu (Lighthouse Family), classic reggae from the one and only UB40 and iconic vocalist Desmond Dekker and the Aces plus the soul and Motown greats that are the Edwin Star Band and many more to come.
The compact and cultured Soul Town Festival is a real music lover’s haven, so don’t miss out on the fun and get your tickets now.
As part of the historic final run of parties at London’s iconic Printworks, Volaris is to make his much anticipated debut at the renowned club supporting Deadmau5 and Kaskade as they bring their K5 collaboration to the UK for the first time on February 3rd. Having recently signed to the Canadian electronic giant’s influential Mau5trap label, Volaris will also support Deadmau5 on his world tour, including a huge party at Miami Music Week 2023.
Volaris’s “Hand of God” is an epic track and is his first signed to Mau5trap, dropping on February 21st. It is a huge new progressive house track with lush signature melodies sure to take crowds into the next dimension next to an iconic vocal and powerful drums. High profile support has already come in from tastemakers such as Vintage Culture, Solardo, Joseph Capriati, Above & Beyond and many more while Radio 1 and KISS FM have also being giving it major plays.
The track is the latest in a long line of successes for Volaris which is now fronted solely by Nathan Cozetto, with Rhys Buckley joining for studio duties. They have been crafting forward thinking sounds now for over 18 months. In that time, releases on John Summit’s Off The Grid, Armada and Sola have gained global attention, picking up a Beatport No. 1 with “Slow Motion” whilst racking up many millions of streams. With a wealth of new music all lined up for this year across labels including Armada, Purified and more, 2023 is set to be a significant year for Volaris.
This career defining show at Printworks sees Volaris line-up in the famously vast halls with all the mesmeric production sure to add an extra dimension. Also playing are Deadmau5 himself as well as fellow electronic luminary Kaskade as well as British DJ and producer Brad Littler aka OCULA, a rising star in the melodic house scene.
This is a great chance to catch Volaris drop his huge new tune in a perfectly epic setting.
The next Italian Easter weekend stands out with some of the very best electronic music thanks to Decibel Presents Easter Edition, which will be held in April 2023, Sunday 9th and Monday 10th (noon-midnight) in Florence, at Mandela Forum (Piazza Enrico Berlinguer).
Thanks to Decibel Presents Easter Edition, Florence is confirmed as one of the most important musician Capitals in Europe, waiting for Decibel Open Air 2023 Edition, scheduled in September, Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th at Parco delle Cascine in Florence. 2022 edition was attended by around more than 50,000 people with 30% of the visitors coming from outside of Italy.
Decibel Presents its Easter Edition line up including many techno and house heavyweights: Marco Carola, Nina Kraviz, Loco Dice, Ilario Alicante, Deborah De Luca, Chris Liebing, Cloone, Patrick Mason, Chelina Manuhutu, Mattia Trani (live), U.R. Trax, Sara Mozzillo and The Florentian Cabaret.
Marco Carola is a global ambassador of techno. From Napoli in the South of Italy, Marco was instrumental in the development of the electronic scene in the early 90s, he took the flourishing techno scene to the rest of the world. Producer, occasional vocalist, and DJ, Nina Kraviz is well known as a passionate record digger and for her outstanding taste in idiosyncratic electronic music, which lead her to create her label трип (pronounced trip). Every so often a DJ or producer comes along who inspires the collective imagination. If you’ve seen Loco Dice in his sets all around the world, in the most important clubs and festivals, you will have clicked on this. Loco Dice is someone who can puzzle together intangible moods with a direct approach.
Techno giant Reinier Zonneveld heads into 2023 in monstrous style with the release of his fierce remix of D-Devil’s iconic hard trance classic ‘Dance With The Devil’, out on Zonneveld’s own Filth On Acid imprint. This follows several standout collaborations and is another track that proves no one in techno is in better form than this man.
Dance with the Devil (The 6th Gate) [Reinier Zonneveld Remix] is a high-energy techno banger with a powerful beat that soon consumes your entire body. It has quick, punchy kicks and warm, rumbling bass. Over the top are sleek 90s trance chords and frazzled stabs that will make a huge impact in the club for sure.
Says Reinier: “It’s always an honour to get a chance to work on tracks I love so working on a remix of D-Devil’s classic ‘The 6th Gate (Dance With The Devil)’ has been one of my favourite projects lately. I’ve been road-testing the remix at almost all of my shows the past months already and the response from the crowd has been insane!”
Artist(s): Reinier Zonneveld, D-Devils
Title: Dance with the Devil (The 6th Gate) [Reinier Zonneveld Remix]
Record Label: Filth On Acid
Cat.Number: FOA124
Release Date: 27th January 2023 [Beatport (2 weeks)], 10th February 2023 (all other download stores)
Tracklist:
1) Dance with the Devil (The 6th Gate) [Reinier Zonneveld Remix]
‘Forced Adaptation’ growls with ominous venom. Midway through, we encounter a neon-tinged breakdown designed to ignite the dance floor. ‘Reflected Wisdom’ has a little more urgency and jaunty energy, Innellea bringing the electrified funk…
*Five Phases is a series of releases and an upcoming extended Live Set journey, taking the audience in five phases from birth to death. From light to light in an audiovisual reflection of life: The Awakening – Rebellious Learning – Forced Adoption – Reflected Wisdom – The Conclusion. This EP represents the third and fourth phase of life. Forced Adoption and Reflected Wisdom.
Artist(s): Innellea
Title: Five Phases – Reflected Wisdom
Record Label: Afterlife
Cat.Number: AL074
Release Date: 27th January 2023
Tracklist:
1) Innellea – Reflected Wisdom – Five Phases Project (4/5)
2) Innellea – Forced Adaptation – Five Phases Project (3/5)
Manchester-based promoters JBM Music have also announced shows from Bellaire and Oden & Fatzo at the recently refurbished and reopened Manchester venue in the first quarter of 2023
Creators of memorable live music experiences in the UK, forward-thinking events company JBM Music have announced a run of remarkable shows at the recently refurbished and reopened Manchester music venue, New Century.
The venue, which has undergone a stunning £10 million transformation, boasting an updated live music and event space as well as a modern dining concept, will see some of the biggest names in electronic music gracing its stage.
Confirmed to perform over 4 dates through February and March, dance fans in England’s second city can look forward to world-class sets from the likes of Lille-based house music producer Bellaire, deep house architect Kerri Chandler, presented in association with The Warehouse Project, techno legend Jeff Mills, with support from enigmatic Manchester DJ, Cleric, and dance trio, Oden & Fatzo. See the flyer above for more details.
ARTBAT and their impressive UPPERGROUND imprint launch into 2023 with the second in their ‘Selected’ series with another powerful four tracks featuring the talents of Sasha Carassi and Husa & Zeyada, Losless, Adam Sellouk and Roman Kyn.
Tracklist:
1) Sasha Carassi, Husa & Zeyada – Bad Wrongs [ Listen Here ]
UPPERGROUND continues to grow and the label enters 2023 coming off the back of a sell out New Year’s show at Zamna in Tulum, and with many more UPPERGROUND events incoming this year, 2023 looks to be a very strong year for the Ukrainian artists’ label.
For the second in the ‘Selected’ series the pair pick 4 very special tracks that have been the backbone of their sets for the past few months.
First out of the box is Sasha Carassi’s collaboration with Husa & Zeyada titled ‘Bad Wrongs’. This is a raw and rasping electronic track, with its passionate and raw vocal cutting through, this is a special track that is going to be featuring heavily in many a DJs set over the coming months.
Next up is ‘Deeper’ by French DJ Producer Losless, who combines soundscapes, acid sounds and a hypnotic-like arrangement that takes you on an emotive and powerful journey. The track makes you want to close your eyes, will transport you throughout the cosmos and gives you a moment of introspection into life.
Following on we come to the sounds of Adam Sellouk with his aptly named ‘Hypno Therapy’ track and he doesn’t disappoint. Using a strong powerful saw bassline which opens and closes, he adds a trance infused sounding melody lead creating a track that is truly hypnotic and spiritual and one that will certainly be a firm favourite with crowds who love to experience a smooth and enlightening journey when they’re clubbing.
Last but most certainly not least is Roman Kyn and his latest creation ‘Take It’. A pulsating bassline gets you locked in from the get-go, before the enigmatic synths and thought provoking vocal hits. The combination of everything together gives this track uplifting emotion and feels like a blend of modern day and the sound of early electronic music pioneers such as New Order, and Depeche Mode and is an inspiring track to finish off the second edition of ARTBAT’s ‘Selected’ series.
Cross The Tracks today announces its complete lineup for an unmissable one-day celebration in Brockwell Park, London on Sunday 28th May Bank Holiday 2023. No other festival offers such a quality mix of soul, jazz and funk with Ezra Collective, Liv.e, Sam Gellaitry, Nightmares On Wax (DJ Set), Emmavie, Alexander Nut, Ishmael Ensemble, Akemi Fox, muva of Earth, Sam Gellaitry, Adi Oasis, Zakia, Winnie, Kaidi Tatham & DJ Gilla DJ set, Ingrid Allman (Freez) live PA, Johnny Reckless, D. Vyzor, The Style Siblings, Abi Clarke, The Shejay, Mr Thing, Vanessa Freeman & Lyric L plus DJ Dibs and Disco Ballin’ now added to the likes of NxWorries (aka Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge), Kelis, Masego, Alfa Mist, Gilles Peterson, Roy Ayres, Children of Zeus, Yazmin Lacey, Son Little and tens more. Make sure to secure your tickets at https://www.xthetracks.com/.
These latest names bring more musical goodness with acclaimed British jazz quintet Ezra Collective leading the charge with their innovative fusion sounds. Featuring bandleader Femi Koleoso, bassist TJ Koleoso, keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones, trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi, and tenor saxophonist James Mollison the group has a real chemistry built up over years of playing live together. They’re as able to pump a dance floor as they are to offer suave home listening soundtracks so expect a fluid musical trip from this influential London outfit whose second album in 2022 saw them reach critically acclaimed new heights.
Liv.e infuses funk, soul and Southern hip-hop influences on top of hazy lofi production, while hot Scottish talent Sam Gellaitry has a vivid sound that plays with in-between sounds and hazy disco, layered vocals and jazzy rhythms. Add in a DJ set from the one and only downtempo, dub, Latin and world music maestro Nightmares On Wax, plus more from hip hop and soul singer, writer and producer Emmavie.
On top of that come Eglo label head and eclectic selector Alexander Nut, contemporary jazz outfit Ishmael Ensemble, broken beat innovator Kaidi Tatham pairs off with DJ Gilla for a special DJ set, there will be a live PA from Ingrid Allman (from acclaimed Brit-funk outfit Freez) plus much more from Akemi Fox, muva of Earth, Sam Gellaitry, Adi Oasis, Zakia, Winnie, Johnny Reckless, D. Vyzor, The Style Siblings, Abi Clarke, The Shejay, Mr Thing, Vanessa Freeman & Lyric L plus DJ Dibs and Disco Ballin’.
Aside from the music, Cross The Tracks offers plenty to explore from a rich creatives’ market to insightful talks, panels and workshops by charity partners. There is also a wealth of site art to bring the lush green apr to life and over 40 breweries from across South London, more than 40+ food and drink traders and specially designed stages. All this plays out with great facilities in Brockwell Park with plenty of bespoke bars, food vendors, luxury toilets for VIP access and lush chillout areas.
The final countdown has now begun to this carefully curated and tasteful celebration of soul, jazz and funk.
DJ Bone, Helena Hauff Invites, DJ Stingray 313, Objekt, Anz, Dr Banana, Donato Dozzy, Hieroglyphic Being (live), The Ghost, Freakenstein, Josey Rebelle, Nicolas Lutz, Paquita Gordon, Roza Terenzi b2b D Tiffany, Truly Madly, XDB, Youandewan, Zip, Iration Steppas, Fumiya Tanaka, DJ Perception, Gene On Earth, Dyed Soundorom and tens more all play
Memories from a historic 10th anniversary are still etched into the minds of all who attended, but today Dimensions looks forward to summer 2023. Croatia’s most forward thinking festival is back at new and already much loved home The Garden Resort in Tisno from 31st August – 4th September with another untouchable mix of cult stars, pioneering legends and new school talents as well as the famous boat and label parties, live sets, back-to-back exclusives, debuts and much more. For full information and tickets, head towww.dimensionsfestival.com.
The sweeping secluded bay, towering pines and gorgeous sea views of Croatia’s Garden Resort has proven to be a perfect setting for Dimensions, which is all about high quality production, carefully curated line-ups and crowds of serious music lovers. It now has a real family feel built up over 10 previous editions that makes every dance a special one where musical memories are made and new bonds formed. Whether that’s while sailing out to sea on one of the array of hugely popular boat parties, baking in the sun as DJs drop warm beats on the beach, getting freaky at an afters or dancing under star-lit skies at the cult Barbarella’s Discotheque is up to you, but rest assured there is no finer place to spend your summer getaway.
This summer, Dimensions has poured heart and soul into another rich and diverse musical programme that covers all shades of bass, house, techno, electro, garage, disco and plenty in between. Much of that will be overseen by the welcomed return of popular label and brand partners such as the one and only Fabric, Bristol label Dr Banana, Berlin mobile record store and DJ duo The Ghost, London party and label Butter Side Up, Welsh community minded gathering Freerotation, Leeds’ legendary Subdub, plus Maricas, Heels & Souls, Casa Voyager, Picnic, Outlaws Yacht Club and more. On top of that, 2023 sees the addition of new partners such as Scotland’s leading electro label Craigie Knowes as well as the psychedelic lovers from Club Cosmos.
Some firm festival favourites and long-standing affiliates return including blistering techno from Helena Hauff, high speed electro from Detroit’s Stingray, heady house and minimal from The Ghost, tasteful eclecticism from Josey Rebelle and stylish spaced out electronic sounds from Hamish & Toby.
In terms of debuts, Italian techno sculptor Donato Dozzy will play for the first time while Sugar Free and Peach play back to back for the first time on any line-up with further b2bs scheduled from Malika & Matthew Neequaye, Christian AB & Quest, Gene On Earth & Dyed Soundorom, Youandewan & Huerta, Masda & Evan Baggs, tINI & Doudou MD, and Roza Terenzi & D. Tiffany.
Live shows are always a big part of Dimensions and this year Sweely, Z@p, Hieroglyphic Being, OCB aka Driss Bennis and Steevio all line-up while lovers of heavy weight bottom ends have plenty to look forward to as Mala, Iration Steppas, LTJ Bukem, Josey Rebelle, Tim Reaper, Om Unit and Tasha all bring their finest bass next to Skee Mask, Objekt, Anz, Bluetoof and others who will be repping a rich take on UK centric electronic sounds.
On top of this there will searing electro from Assault, Freakenstein, DJ Bone and Helena Hauff (who also brings her Presents concept with another hard-hitting line-up ), plus UKG and beyond with Dr Banana who return with a stellar takeover featuring Lady Passion, Perception, Enchanted Rhythms and more, while otherworldly explorations come from Sybil, Carl H, Simon Scott and GiGi FM. ISAbella brings her MARICAS party back to Tisno with a special takeover and you can expect mind bending sets from Nicholas Lutz, Onur Ozer, Unai Trotti and Raphael Carrau amongst many more.
There’s still plenty to be announced including the unmissable after party programme at Barbarellas Discotheque. Last year’s takeovers included The Ghost x Limousine Dream, Truants and Planet Euphorique. Passes to all three nights are currently available from £30 viabit.ly/D23Afters.
Let’s not forget the boat parties; 3-hour sessions on the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic with some of the finest artists, labels and collectives around. Details soon to be shared.
Dimensions is a must-attend festival for underground music lovers and it always sells out. Get your tickets early atwww.dimensionfestival.com.
FULL LINEUP ANNOUNCED (A-Z)
Adam Pits & Lisene – Space Cadets, Albin, Aletha, Alex Kassian, Andy Luff, Anz, Bluetoof, Borys & Noizar, Bugs Groove, Carl H, CCL, Christian AB b2b Quest, Craigie Knowes, d.phylleia, David Martin, DJ Assault, DJ Bone (Electro Set), DJ Masda b2b Evan Baggs, DJ Perception, DJ Pipe, DJ Stingray 313, DJ Voices, Donato Dozzy, Donna Leake, Dr Baird, Dr Banana, Dr Rubinstein, Eich, Enchanted Rhythms, Enrica Falqui, Flo Dill, Francesco Del Garda, Freakenstein, Full Circle – Alexis Le Tan & Joakim, Fumiya Tanaka, Gabbs, Garrett David, Gene On Earth b2b Dyed Soundorom, GiGi FM, Hamish & Toby, Harri Pepper, Heels & Souls, Helena Hauff, Hieroglyphic Being (live), Inner Zone, Iration Steppas (live), ISAbella, Jack Wrenn, James Andrew & Charley, James Falco, Jaye Ward, Jen Harkness, Joe Delon, Joe Gill, Josey Rebelle, Junior, k means, Kold Faction, KRN, L.F.T., Lady Passion, Laidlaw, Lena Willikens, Liquid Earth, Lora Mipsum, LTJ Bukem & MC Lowqui, Lucy Cook, Mala, Malika, Mari.te, Matthew Neequaye, Matthias, Melody, Migz, Mother Earth, Neel, Nicolas Lutz, Nite Fleit, Objekt, OCB aka Driss Bennis (live), OK Williams, Om Unit, Onur Özer, Paquita Gordon, Paramida, Peach b2b Sugar Free, Pete Melba, Prosumer, Raphael Carrau, Rasho, Ron Obvious (live), Roza Terenzi b2b D. Tiffany, Sean OD, Selfhood, Simon Scott, Skee Mask, So-Fi, Steevio was (live), Sweely, Sybil, T. Jacques, Tasha, The Ghost, Tho & Loren, Tim Reaper, tINI b2b Doudou MD, Tony Neptune, Travis, Tristan Da Cunha, Truly Madly, Unai Trotti, Velvet Velour, Voigtmann, Vrm Vrm, XDB, Youandewan b2b Huerta, Z@p (live), Zip
PARTNERS
25 Years of Subdub, Butter Side Up, Cartulis, Casa Voyager, Club Cosmos, Craigie Knowes, DJ Stingray 313 Presents, Dr Banana, Fabric, Freerotation, Heels & Souls, Helena Hauff Invites, MARICAS, MUDD Show, Outlaws Yacht Club, Picnic, Planet Euphorique, Resident Advisor, SlapFunk, space•lab, Spaced, The Ghost, Tribe Records, Trommel.
World renowned house label Defected is heading for a full takeover of Leeds for the first time in five years. On Coronation Bank Holiday Sunday, May 7th, key label associates and friends Gorgon City, Hannah Wants, Low Steppa, Sam Divine, Arielle Free and Rio Tashan will line-up at the all new Canvas Yard, a major event space with out-of-this-world production that will make for a true celebration of all things house. Head tohttps://www.canvasyard.co.uk/defected-leeds for tickets.
Defected is one of the longest running and most influential house labels in the world. It consistently serves up the most authentic sounds from deep to soulful to vocal, with a long list of essential festivals, key Ibiza residencies and a seminal ongoing mix series that very much defines the contemporary house landscape.
This exclusive takeover will feature one stage with 10 hours of music from midday. It will be the largest event the label has ever thrown in the city with a wide range of street food and a chill out village making it the perfect Bank Holiday celebration.
The venue is Canvas Yard, a brand new four year collaboration between Moda Living and New Citizens. It is a dedicated event space in the heart of the city that will be transformed with cutting edge audio-visual production and a powerful sound system to deliver the perfect soundtrack.
Says Lance from New Citizens, “We’re pleased to announce our second event for Spring 2023 at Canvas Yard as we welcome house music royalty Defected back to Leeds for their first show in the city in over 5 years. With a huge line up joining us on a special bank holiday weekend, we’re all set for another fantastic event to celebrate the opening of our new venue.”
Providing the sounds will be chart-topping, hit-making house stars Gorgon City, the always innovative Low Steppa, Defected Radio’s longest running radio host and chunky house specialist Sam Divine, plus Radio 1’s rising superstar Arielle Free.
Hannah Wants’ recent hit ‘Cure My Desire’ was a standout Defected release of 2022 which peaked at #20 on Shazam UK Chart and was on the KISS FM playlist for 16+ weeks so expect to hear that one nice and loud. Last but not least is Rio Tashan, winner of Defected’s 2022 Unsung Heroes competition for new residents who has since made a major mark on the brand performing at Defected Croatia, Defected Malta and at their New Year’s Eve celebrations at Printworks.
This is a rare chance to experience the full Defected experience in Leeds that you definitely won’t want to miss.
