Fontaines DC came on stage at Southampton’s Guildhall with a deserved confident swagger. Commencing with ‘A Hero’s Death’, the song heralded singer Grian Chatten’s anxiety that their follow up album not being able to match the swift instant success of their debut.
With both their debut albums nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, these fears were in vain, and the band certainly warrant their hype. It’s no wonder this show sold out with Dublin’s finest post-punk band having headlined their first festival this summer. Despite the pandemic still raging on, it was great to see the venue full again, with the necessity of covid passes or a negative lateral flow-test to gain entry should you have been lucky enough to get a ticket early.
Comparisons with The Fall would be easy to make, but lazy as they’ve outgrown this as they made clear singing ‘ Don’t Get Stuck In The Past.’ There is more than a hint of The Pogues lyricism mixed in for good measure on tracks such as ‘Roy’s Tune’, mixed with the ferocious energy of Joy Division’s on ‘ Hurricane Laughter’ and ‘Televised Mind.’ In fact, the singer has also perfected late Ian Curtis’ stare as he prowled the stage.
Leaving the stage for the first time to rabble-rousing anthem ‘Boys in the Better Land’, Grian sang ‘If you’re a rock star, porn star, superstar, doesn’t matter who you are/Get yourself a good car and get out of here’.
Hopefully more venues in Southampton will be full again soon, but this will certainly be one of the gigs of the year in the city no matter what.
Music professionals and fans from across the region can purchase their tickets for MDLBEAST’s music conference, XP. The three-day event with a conference & nightlife aspect will take place in Riyadh from 13th – 15thDecember and is set to become the most forward-thinking gathering of music leaders in the region.
Tickets for the ‘Day Xperience’, which includes access to the conference for all three days, are available for 1,950 SAR and increase to 3,450 SAR for the ‘Full Xperience’ ticket, offering three-day conference access plus entry to the evening parties and events. A ‘Lite Xperience’ ticket is available for 150 SAR and includes access for one day between the hours of 4pm to midnight. For guests attending the evening events only, the ‘Night Xperience’ ticket costs 750 SAR for one night, increasing to 1,750 SAR for all three nights.
XP is set to welcome leading international and regional music industry executives, policy makers, artists and creatives to participate in workshops, panel discussions and roundtables as they come together in building the future for the region’s music industry.
XP programme director, Nada Alhelabi commented, “It’s fair to say that we are entering the most exciting time for the music industry in the Middle East, ever. The opportunity is enormous, the potential is being unlocked, and what we need is a moment for the industry to come together to seize this chance with both hands, XP is that moment’’.
She added, “We have built a very special program around the four key pillars; talent, the scene, policy, and social impact. We’re going to cover every corner of the industry with real outcomes and actions which will have a genuine and positive impact in the regional music industry.”
Programming for XP will come under four pillars: Talent and Development; Inspire and Promote; Data, Policy & Advocacy; and Social Purpose– with each pillar containing carefully curated panel discussions and networking opportunities.
Topics under Talent and Development will range from ‘Amplifying Music Futures – What does this new generation of creatives need to thrive?’, where the focus will be on laying down the ingredients for success in the industry. Another topic of discussion is titled ‘It’s a real job, mama’, which will look at how, currently, careers in the creative industries are limited for many young people in the region, and what can be done to change it.
Inspire and Promotetopics will range from ‘Supercharging Music Tourism – Creating a sustainable new economy in KSA’ which will explore the changing landscape of the sharing economy, and the companies striving to make access to events and entertainment easier. A fishbowl session titled ‘How music can put a city on the global map’ will outline best practices in placemaking for music venues and festival sites.
‘Empowering Women in Music’ will be a hot topic under Data, Policy and Advocacy, as XP explores the advantages of female representation and having a diverse workforce. Another discussion under the same umbrella will be ‘The social and economic impact of the music industry on society’, which looks at the significant ROI music has on cities across the world.
Social Impact programming will look at subjects which extend the positive reach of music culture into communities. This takes many forms with ‘Green events, green planet’, one example event which willshowcase the innovative power and progressive thinking within the events industry.
Ramadan Alharatani, CEO of MDLBEAST, says: “XP is a truly ground-breaking opportunity to contribute to building a new music and creative ecosystem that will offer benefits for all. The Middle East and Africa music market, which accounted for around US$170 million in the year 2018, is expected to grow to more than US$650 million in 20271. This is the scale of the opportunity and the reason why XP exists, to build the infrastructure to support and accelerate that growth.”
To ensure this, the XP programming has been carefully curated to cover the most important topics we are faced with today and I’m delighted to welcome some of the brightest and most exciting minds to join us in inspiring the next generation of music industry professional.”
Artist: Parallells Title: The Kitchen Record Label: Klassified Cat.Number: KL016 Release Date: 14th October 2021
Tracklist: 1) The Kitchen
The Kitchen is the first single from Parallells’ album “A Day At”. They invite their audience on a sonic expedition where eclectic sounds from a specific location provide the rhythmic foundation for each track. This one takes place in the French restaurant Le Quai des Artistes. Through the lyrics and music the two brothers tell the story of a chef and his secret recipe of life.
Parallells immerse themselves into the sounds of the kitchen, the noise of the stoves thrown on the fire, the gnocchi machine announcing the tempo, the sharpening of knives and the cutting beats of vegetables, the
e order from the chef to the sous-chefs or the tingling of cutleries becomes the melodies and rhythm of the soundtrack. Accompanied by Simone Cesarini on the guitar, and Alessando Mazzieri on the base, the two brothers sing the life’s recipe in a low pitch smooth French language. A groovy underground musical journey giving you appetite! https://www.facebook.com/parallellsofficial/
Seth Troxler, Maceo Plex, Sven Väth, Dixon, Solomun, Gerd Janson, Tale Of Us, Joseph Capriati and more all headline After more than two years away, Time Warp Mannheim 2021 is set to be a long-overdue dance floor reunion on October 29th and 30th.
The one stage, two-day celebration will be delivered in Time Warp’s usual authentic style and it takes place in the spiritual home of Maimarkt Mannheim, with Friday headliners Seth Troxler, Solomun, Adriatique, Gerd Janson and Dixon, and Saturday headliners Sven Väth, Tale Of Us, Pan-Pot, Maceo Plex, Adiel and Joseph Capriati all lining up. After so long away due to Covid, tickets are already selling fast, so act now to ensure you don’t miss out!
Time Warp Mannheim 2021 will take place on just one floor, but with the full production experience. Most important of all is the crisp and punchy sound system, but you can also be sure of all the usual sensory thrills from a brand new and unique light and floor design that has been developed for this special occasion and first dance together in 30 months. Robin Ebinger, head of marketing says “We are incredibly happy to have the opportunity to be able to present this event to you. It was a long way to finally make this happen, and we can’t wait to see your energy on the dance floor.” Over two nights you will be able to experience the core of the Time Warp experience. Friday sees Seth Troxler, Adriatique, Gerd Janson and Dixon and Solomun all line-up for 12 hours from 8 pm to 8 am. Saturday runs 9 pm to 8 am with Sven Väth, Tale Of Us, Maceo Plex and Joseph Capriati and Adiel supplying the sounds.
Pre-sale has just started. blind tickets have already gone as most of first phase tickets for Friday, Saturday, or the full weekend. Due to the pandemic, this edition has a strictly limited capacity, so tickets will sell out. Please make sure to read the Covid-19 rules for this event before buying your ticket.
After weeks of hard work, underground Ibiza hotspot Octan is proud to unveil a special soft launch party on October 16th with John Acquaviva, Anna Tur and more, and a season closer on October 24th that sits right in the middle of the annual closing weekend with Matthias Tanzmann, huge special guest, Fransisco Allendes and Kellie Allen. Both parties run from 10 pm until 5 am are two of the few chances to dance to underground house and techno in Ibiza this summer, but a couple more special dates will come in the future so stay tuned. Tickets are available now at https://dice.fm/venue/octan-ibiza-kmb8
Octan is on a mission to bring no-frills, proper basement clubbing back to Ibiza. Over the summer the Playa d’en Bossa space has upgraded its roof terrace and now has a central 25m square bar that makes it much easier to order drinks. The cosy, intimate space has clear blue open-air skies above it and the colourful walls have been designed and painted by acclaimed Leeds artist Nicholas Dixon.
There is a new large seating area with some suspended shade while inside the Basement is a darker, up close and personal party space with a low ceiling and a world-class sound system.
The soft launch party is on October 16th with John Acquaviva, Anna Tur, Los Dos, Milou and Mallen of Hector and then the short season comes to an end on October 24th with a huge special guest, plus Moon Harbour label boss Matthias Tanzmann, cult selector Fransisco Allendes and Kellie Allen.
These parties provide two rare chances to dance in Ibiza this summer, so don’t miss out.
Charlotte de Witte continues her fantastic year with brand new EP, Asura, on her KNTXT label. All three of the tracks on this release were exclusively included in her BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, which was broadcasted on the 18th of September.
As well as being back on the road and serving up her high-intensity DJ sets at the world’s best clubs and festivals, Charlotte has also been busy in other areas. She has forged a new alliance with Apple Music and is now curating multiple exclusive mix series including a monthly KNTXT Residency Mix and KNTXT Active, which sees the Belgian artist and her label further investigate the connections between high-performance music, sports and BPMs. She has recently remixed the hugely influential trance classic ‘The Age Of Love’ by Age Of Love’ alongside Enrico Sangiuliano and continues to A&R essential new tunes for the label.
Says Charlotte of this EP, “with Asura EP I’m trying to give you a little insight into my musical influences by going back to my roots. We’re speaking about a young Charlotte who, about 12 / 13 years ago, got indulged in the world of electronic music by going to her first underground clubs and raves. From electro and techno to acid core and hardcore to psytrance. This EP flirts with the soundscapes of the latter.”
This EP finds Charlotte delve deep into her own past in electronic music with plenty of psychedelic influences. Opener ‘Asura’ is a brightly lit techno track with big chords that bring the colour. They are sleek and metallic and sure to get hands in the air, with acid sounds and rumbling bass all adding extra weight and depth to this fantastic opener. ‘Soma’ is another dramatic and psychedelic track with hard-edged drums pounding away beneath celestial chords. They are mysterious and emotive and bring colour to the darkness. Last of all comes another big, psytrance-tinged and emotional roller coaster in ‘Stigma’ with its all-consuming techno groove and bass that sounds like it’s fired from a machine gun. After an acidic breakdown, the drums roll again and even the biggest festival crowd is sure to be swept away.
Charlotte de Witte leads from the front once more with her standout new Asura EP.
The show, exclusively made for Clubbing TV, will run every Saturday from 9pm to 10pm CET.
Clubbing TV is thrilled to host TomorrowlandOne World Radio every Saturday on prime time television. Initially launched as a temporary project as part of Tomorrowland’s 15th year anniversary, One World Radio has now become a major force in the dance music scene.
The show will compile one hour of some of the biggest hits, played on the different stages of Tomorrowland, Tomorrowland Winter and Tomorrowland’s digital editions. Everyone, from DJ superstars to upcoming new talents will be featured every week. For the next episode, which will be broadcast on October 9th, viewers will be able to enjoy some iconic tracks from Tiësto, Paul Van Dyk and Joris Voorn to name but a few.
Stephane Schweitzer (CEO – Clubbing TV) : “We are not only very proud but super excited to have TomorrowlandOne World Radio on Clubbing TV. The show is fitting perfectly in our diversified playlist as One World Radio is representing all genres of the electronic music scene, so Clubbing TV is. The team behind the project has managed to put in images The Sound of Tomorrowland in an amazing way and we cannot wait to share this with our viewers every week.”
Rendez-vous this Saturday Oct 9th 9pm CET on Clubbing TV for One World Radio – The Sound of Tomorrowland! More info on www.Clubbingtv.com
About One World Radio:
One World Radio – the sound of Tomorrowland – is the official digital radio and content platform of Tomorrowland, available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week with the Tomorrowland app, tomorrowland.com, YouTube, Radioplayer, TuneIn and via DAB+ (in Flanders & Brussels). Listeners who tune in to One World Radio will find exclusive mixes, unique tracks, new releases and the most iconic live sets from 16 years of Tomorrowland featuring a range of hosts, shows and specials. All content on the radio station and in the on-demand environment is unique and has been created by the team behind Tomorrowland.
About Clubbing TV :
Clubbing TV is the world’s first Lifestyle TV Channel dedicated to the Dance Music Culture available in HD 24/7, in over 90 countries (Via Cable, Satellite, Fibre, DSL, IPTV, Connected TVs, OTT, Web, Mobile apps) and in the Balearic Islands of Ibiza & Formentera via Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT). It offers the best live events, DJ sets, lifestyle programs, music videos, party reports from the hottest dance floors, interviews with the most famous DJ & producers plus exclusive shows, festivals and concerts gravitating all over the international dance music scene.
With the global pandemic bringing the music scene to a hault, this had prevented music venues from opening throughout the majority of 2020 and some of 2021. It made a huge impact on keeping the music scene alive for a lot of places. The National Lottery decided to bring out ‘Revive Live’, a boost for the entertainment industry to bring big bands and artists to play at smaller, grassroot venues in which all have started out at to become who they are today. Venues across the country have seen the likes of Sir Tom Jones, Rag n Bone Man, Twin Atlantic and many more.
For Cambridge Junction they have had a few of the artists playing there but Wednesday 29th September saw The Vaccines performing at the venue in J1. This show is a very intimate one as the band have just announced they are doing a tour next April which sees them playing places like Wembley Arena which is a lot bigger capacity.
Supporting The Vaccines were two piece Icelandic band called BSI. On drums and vocals is Silla Thorarensen and bass guitar and toe-synths is Julius Pollux Rothlaender. The duo play anti fascist punk music. What stood out for me with them was Silla’s microphone being an old telephone adapted into a microphone and Julius using his toes to play synth and on the neck of his bass was written ‘No Borders’.
Behind the band was a guitar case with BSI painted on it and then a little sign saying refugees welcome. The crowd seemed to enjoy the duo. They wrote their EP during the height of the pandemic and released it back in May. The tour was the first time they had played in the UK. It will be good to see the duo back in the UK again soon.
With a short interval the crowd are eager to see The Vaccines to perform. Around the stage is tall light sabre like lights scattered around the area. When the lights dim on comes the famous Pulp Fiction intro music by Dick Dale. First song to be performed is ‘Wanderlust’ which off their latest album ‘Back In Love City’. Frontman Justin is rocking the whole stage with his glaring eyes into the crowd and reaching out with his hands.
During the night there is new and old music including ‘Post Break Up Sex’, ‘Headphones Baby’ and ‘If You Wanna’. Justin mentioned that the band have not played the Junction since 2011 and the area had changed since then. Also he thanked BSI for supporting them on their tour.
Just before the encore the band perform ‘XCT’ which is apparently their favourite song to perform live in which I found out on a recent Instagram question time.
After the encore drummer Yoann Intonti comes on drumming the beat whilst the rest of the band set up and hit straight into Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra). To finish the night was the performance of ‘All In White’. This will be a night that everyone will remember.
Life without Projekt has been a life without the most colourful and theatrical party in the North of England. But finally, the much loved brand is back, bigger and bolder than ever thanks to an exclusive partnership over four events with iconic White Isle superclub Eden Ibiza. These four special dates are part of Eden’s UK tour and will see some of that special Ibiza magic come to the UK, while Projekt’s wild indoor festival also returns to the O2 Academy Leeds with all new levels of mind-blowing production each and every Saturday from September.
After two sell out collaborative events in the past, 2021 will bring four more historic parties with Eden Ibiza. Since 1999, the world renowned club has had vibrant dance floors powered by a celebrated sound system with an unpretentious crowd that really likes to cut loose. Dancing at Eden is the very essence of Ibiza and it regularly hosts superstars such as Pete Tong, Disclosure, MK and Dubfire.
Eden’s ethos is shared by Projekt, where lots of colour, explosive production and eccentric characters make it a much more involving experience than you’d get in your average darkened club. Projekt x Eden will take things to a whole new level for Leeds on October 9th, November 27th and February 12th with a 2022 show TBC and headline line-ups still to be announced.
Say the Eden team, “Eden are once again delighted to work with the Projekt team for Leeds and we are set to take things up a notch this year to really push the boundaries further. After such a difficult time for everyone it is more important than ever that our industry supports one another, we will all come back stronger together. We miss the music, we miss the crowds, we miss you most of all. Make sure to check out Projekt x Eden for some unique surprises. See you on the dance floor!”
Adds Voodoo Events Director Dave Chan,“Working in partnership with Eden, one of the biggest super club brands in the world, has been an awesome experience for us. The passion, attention to detail and energy they bring to any event is infectious. We’ve all had a rough time through the pandemic, but we’re coming back with a bang with 4 super sized Leeds collaborations in the next year! Each event will have it’s own Eden headliner as well as festival scale production to ensure the parties give everyone a bit of that Ibiza flavour.”
Projekt has always made sure each weekly event feels like an indoor festival, with a widescreen musical remit and cutting edge entertainment all for a reasonable price. The Main Arena music policy covers all things house, with the occasional selection of big name headliners including MK, Don Diablo, Oliver Heldens, Danny Howard, Endor, Format B, Shadow Child and more, while Room 2 aka the Underground is R&B & hip-hop hosted by well loved residents.
Voodoo Events started in Leeds in 2006 when two rival promoters joined forces. Since Projekt’s conception in 2014, there have been over 200 events, 300,000 party people entertained, 1.5 tonnes of confetti dropped and 500 miles of paper streamers wrapped around a thronging dance floor. This season the team is out to set a new benchmark with even more giant LED screens and visuals, CO2 jets, confetti blasters, streamers, giant balloons, dancers, curtain drops and so much more, all to ensure the most spectacularly immersive and sensory stimulating party of your lives.
Are you ready to catch up on more than a year’s missed dancing at the most explosive party in the North? Then act fast to secure your tickets as demand is expected to be higher than ever.
December 4th Festival takes place at Miami’s Virginia Key Beach Park
Life and Death and Innervisions’s collaborative party Rakastella is all about love – love for music, love for one another, love for exotic locations and for the unpredictable magic that occurs when good people dance to cultured sounds. Showing true resilience after a two-year break, the sustainable oceanside festival is back on December 4th, 2021. Expect diverse and eclectic musical thrills, special sunset moments and breathtaking vistas at the historic and picturesque Virginia Key Beach Park, Miami, with headliners Âme, Anfisa Letyago, Ash Lauryn, Avalon Emerson, Ben UFO, Dixon, Eris Drew & Octo Octa, Jayda G, DJ Harvey, DJ Holographic, Jimi Jules, DJ Minx, DJ Tennis and many more exclusives.
Rakastella’s unforgettable 2019 edition left people wanting more. It set a new benchmark for eco-friendly musical experiences, and now it returns with another thoughtful lineup that covers both established international greats with vital emerging newcomers from all manners of diverse backgrounds.
The world-class music plays out over multiple stages, all with their own unique identity and special production. The one and only dance-punk DJ Harvey will play an exclusive set, while Âme & Dixon play one of their famous back-to-backs, Eris Drew and Octo Octa make a long-awaited back-to-back Miami debut and are sure to bring their high energy sounds, while Innervision artist Jimi Jules brings his enchanting grooves. On top of that come diverse DJs from all over the world and many different genres such as the UK’s Ben UFO, Atlanta-based house heroine Ash Lauryn, Detroit’s revered DJ Holographic, Detroit’s “First Lady of Wax” aka DJ MInx, electronic innovator Avalon Emerson, hit-making party starter Jayda G and many more.
This idyllic gathering plays out in Virginia Key Beach Park, which dates back to 1896 and the formation of the state of Miami itself. The barrier island park features expansive wetlands, scenic beaches and sweeping views of the bay and the Atlantic which make for a unique backdrop for spine-tingling musical moments when the sun sets.
Rakastella is hugely respectful of the local environment and ecology so they are proudly bringing back the Keep Her Wild program, powered by Ascendance Sustainable Events. This mission is to protect the beautiful Virginia Key and minimize the event’s environmental impact and raise attendee awareness. All single-use plastic and styrofoam are banned at the festival, there is a return of aluminum canned water, paper cups and vendor compliance requirements.
Rakastella is a unique opportunity for endless discovery and a wealth of experiences that enrich the soul.
