The Pondering Blonde

Don’t Mind The Gap, Get Innit

Remember the day’s people went on a Gap year, returning with enough dosh to put a deposit on a house or buy a new car? Well, it’s likely those people never left their grotty flat share and ate baked beans on toast every day; kinda useless when you have one of the maddest, interesting cities at your fingertips! If you go overseas you’ve got to experience it and get your nails into the awesome, dirty, sexy culture and live it up! Well, in my almost 2 years as a party-chasing Saffa in London, I certainly did try! Here’s a scratching-the-surface summary of life on the nightshift in London Town.

London really is a melting pot of incredible culture. But you can’t sit in Wimbledon aka Little South Africa expecting it to come to you- you have to chase it and get involved. A round up of our regular (not necessarily all at once!) nocturnal team included several South Africans, a Brazilian, an Italian (and sporadically; her loud Italian entourage), a lone-ranging Turk, a couple of Aussies, two Spaniards, an American, a Welsh lass, and a good dozen curious Brits, among them! It’s a truly incredible thing to be surrounded by so many different people and never a dull moment on a night out!

It has to be said, South Africans aren’t the most stylish bunch; Saffa’s are more likely to spend cash on going out and getting hammered than on new threads, but this is a good thing… We just don’t look as good doing it. The locals are pretty lekker and accept- no, welcome- raving travellers who adopt their city and dancefloors- contrary to belief that they’ve been sulking about immigrants for decades (Those old farts moved to Cornwall ages ago anyway!) But as they say, everyone leaves eventually, and while it’s a bummer for residents to watch international friends come and go; when it comes to the London clubbing community at large, this constant shift and new energy is what keeps UK dance culture so alive and well!

The core club scene, aka those deemed the coolest club kids of all by no-one in particular- they’ve just danced up the year-miles to prove it, is actually kind of small when you elbow your way right into the thick of it- everyone knows everyone and supports everyone. And so you just have to go and party at everyone’s party every weekend- it would be rude not to. (No mean feat I tell you!) When they know you, they put you on the guestlist, let you skip the queue and coat check your stuff for free. It’s the little things that make it home, right?

If you’re still clubbing at Pacha and Ministry of Sound 6 months into your London Life it’s safe to say you probably couldn’t find the underground in a mine shaft- but hey, maybe next time you can tickle the Deadmau5 pantomime behind his ear even? Okay, big room shows are great, and the underground is not without its massive warehouse parties, but there’s nothing like an intimate shindig with your favourite dj just metres away- you can even pinch his bum if you want to… I’m just saying!

Experiencing The End before it closed and witnessing the power of its era in dance music history sucked me right in. I entered a world that crossed the border of Recreational clubbing into the 24/7 realm of Professional Party People. A community ‘headspace’ that speaks EDM- discussing venues, promoters and releases in beats per minute; the same way you might natter to your girlfriend about your day at work, the traffic and what’s for dinner. It’s something else entirely and privy to a well-networked and thriving music scene- totally worth trading your collection of pictures of The Queen to experience first ear and foot! London, you sexy vicious bitch; to be continued…

De Puta Madre: Ibiza

Finally; my first ‘ultimate clubbing experience’ on party-island Ibiza, and just my luck the torrential rains decide to pour down for a week for the first time in 10 years! The island known for its white beaches, blue waters and beautiful people was awash with soggy socialites with nowhere to rest their laurels. Correction- escapism is what Ibiza is all about, so while the gods were not in favour of us spit-braining ourselves an exotic shade of Balearic brown; you can bet we got more than a mighty big ear full of club culture, shimmying to the select sounds of the best dj’s on the planet. Yeah, it wasn’t what they promised on the brochure, but we’ll take it…

Ibiza is certainly an existence unto its own; tailor made to wine, dine and ease the mind; it’s a life size playground in paradise and hedonism is the order of the day. Every single day. I’m told Ibiza workers tune into the news for a shot of reality TV when delusion is on the verge of becoming a K-hole of no return. Yes, I said that. Basically, it’s our answer to Vegas and whether you’re rolling with Kevin, Perry and going large in San An, or riding high on a rubber dingy to the Blue Marlin beach club from your yacht, there’s a place for you to play. Anything can happen in Ibiza… and will. So there’s only one rule; let the magical island vibe guide you and trust you will experience what they mean when they say ‘Ibiza Fucking Island!’

Island politics pretty clearly dictate the type of vacation you’re bound to have based on where you leave you luggage and you need to know this before you book. If you’re going for the cheap beer, T ‘n A and consider coming to, 6 days later with a Northern accent and an I heart Ibiza key ring pierced through your ear lobe as a successful trip- take a left and head West at the next exit. If you want to experience island style Electronic Dance Culture, West side is otherwise only a pre-party pilgrimage for a sunset showdown later in your stay- for a real underground adventure; come with me…

My theory is, if you’re going to do Ibiza, do it properly, and with South Africa’s White Isle representatives, Team Goldfish, as our guides, we indulged a front row tour of the islands best parties, people and Paella. From dancing behind the dj box with Sander Kleinenberg and Trentemoller at Pacha; sunning ourselves next to the gazelles on Salina’s beach- ‘hot’ doesn’t even touch sides in reference to these good looking humans- no wonder the place is repute for couple breakdown!- to discovering audio orgasm with James Zabiela at We Love Space and coining the expression ‘Jesus Jones!’ as the only way to fathom what he did us…

There was also being in the VIP room with Loco Dice, dancing with Satoshie to Villalobos, a tipped hat and German Greetz from Mr Vath himself outside Cocoon and tapas with Faithless while The Fish churned out their Jazzy-Afro beats at Mambo. -The only moment of being truly star stuck that I’ll ever admit to; resulting in my spilling Sangria on my leg which Maxi kindly offering to mop up with a £20 note- that man is an icon and I will forever be a slave to his music! Yes, it’s pretty safe to say we did Ibiza proper.

So, here’s a finger to the rain and sneaky low 5 to a quality bottle of fake tan; party vacation of a lifetime? Absolutely. Worth repeating? Without a doubt. Which reminds me- EDM SA needs shares in a villa- I’m coming round to do a collection. Ibiza Fucking Island indeed.

Have Legs Will Dance

Dance Music Culture. That’s what we call it, and month in and month out websites, magazines and conversation with friends surround, discuss and dissect everything about it from the dj’s and music to the parties, equipment and club layouts. Yes, when you find yourself debating the soundscape of a Funktion1 sound system and whether the dj’s tunes are working the room- you’re no longer an ordinary party-loving patron anymore.

Back in the day the ‘The Lifestyle’ meant you were into some seriously kinky stuff in high society circles but these days it refers to anyone immersed in their subculture and indeed it refers to us in ours. We eat, breathe and dream Electronic Dance Music. We talk about dj’s like they’re our neighbours and plot our nocturnal rendezvous with more zeal than a dancing dervish. And yes, men even plan their party outfits!

But with all the analytics, politics and fashion frolics- there’s a huge industry element lacking in limelight and love: The dancing. The body slamming, club slumming and shoe shuffling antics- our physical offering if you will- brought to action whenever we hear our flavoured beat. Dancing is the club cultured roots that brought us here in the first place. It’s where we met, made and merged party families- because we found other people like us, who understood the music like us- who moved like us. And it just made sense that we moved together.

Even those Skippies on the Funky Floor… sure, they almost knock out half the club with their moves but they’re sweating in glorious, unadultered Fidget bliss; a community and vibe all of their own- this is their moment, their music’s reflexious identity- and they’ve been working up a life-size stutter all week to purge into this release! And before you beat them away with a well-oiled Techno Arm, behold The Krochn; a spastic little dance with fancy footwork infecting Techno floors across Europe- and soon, a dark and pokey dancefloor near you! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Every sound has its soldiers and we all march in our own special way. Even our team of party-stompers have their own rodeo-techno dance- now affectionately dubbed ‘The Hade Ho’ – like Howdy Ho but with a South African twist- well that’s what happens when the Saffa’s make such a momentous discovery!- and there’s nothing like a marathon party familia Ho-down. As my friend Sj so rightly puts it, ‘This is what we came here for!’ And indeed, bender weekenders trying to dance at every great party on offer have seen the word ‘legless’ redefined.

Forget ‘unconscious expressive movement’- okay, ye that too- but first and foremost this is about compulsion. The unexplainable urge to direct your feet to that dance floor and surrender to the music again and again. You know, that moment when you realise you’re in; you’re body starts to ride the groove and you don’t even have to think about legs and arms and rhythm, they all just seem to come together and cavort in the most perfect of soul-touching symmetries.  That is what we do this for. And it’s beautiful. And nothing feels better.

I mean, where or who would we be if we didn’t have dance music? If we didn’t move with gravitational force to throw shapes at these sound shrines each weekend? People just don’t bond the same way over gardening and baking. And then there’s trying to explain this all this to your mother! And we wonder why the world looks at us like we’re crazy!

Pulse Radio Interview with Jay Haze aka Fuckpony

Jay Haze. You know; the ‘controversial and outspoken American-in-Berlin dj and producer, most famed for that interview- oh how society loves a pariah! My call to Jay one sunny September afternoon is possibly better timed than the interview he did a mere 36 hours after his entire studio went up in flames; capturing the essence of Jay Haze on a very dark day in 2008.

Sitting on a couch at Handle With Care, his record manufacturer in Berlin- ‘a good, sunny day in the city’, he had me know; Jay was in a good mood and had all the time in the world to repeat the now iconic tale about that weekend. Far from being a ‘retribution’ piece; our conversation just became ‘the one that went deep enough’ and as it turns out, there’s a very light side to being Jay Haze.

We’re only a few minutes into our phone conversation when Jay gives me his now jaded account of the day of the fire. ‘I’m walking up to my apartment and see fire trucks and police all over the place, something’s seriously burning. I’m wondering what’s going on, and as I get closer, I realise it’s my studio. They’re blasting water everywhere and I’m told I won’t be able to go inside it for a couple of days. I’m due to leave for a gig at Fabric in London in a few hours- and everything’s gone.’

‘What am I gona do, sit at home and cry about it? So I get on the plane and flew to London without my records, nothing, to do this gig. I meet up with Ricardo (Villalobos) – we’ve been friends for like 11 years- and he just knew. He was like ‘Come, let’s play.’ After my set we went to room 3 and played together. We played for hours, jamming for just hours…’ It was one of the most amazing nights of my life.’

No doubt, time has made the incident burn a whole lots less, made Jay romanticise it even, but that’s because indeed, if anyone knows, he does; everything happens for a reason. Whatever the purpose of Jay’s ‘Fire Hazardous’ day, he’s figured it out and made peace with it; he’s moved on. On the now infamous interview he did for Resident Advisor where he slagged off M-nus and their ‘boring’ parties and spoke brazenly about an abusive family life, being homeless and selling drugs, he says. ‘They caught me on a bad day, what can I say?’

Jay Haze is a man who thinks deeply and speaks off the cuff. A fire ripping through his studio is only the cherry on top of a story that defines how far he has come. All the way from a coal mining town in Philadelphia, USA, in fact. Dubbed ‘Philly’s Lost Son’ – whether affectionately or not I can’t say- but Jay’s story wins him a mentalist medal of honour,  because he hasn’t let it define him, he’s only told it like it is and persevered in reaction to it.

So, who really is Jay Haze, aka reverent producer, Fuckpony? The man behind the Turningspork and Contexterrior Record Labels- and credited with discovering the fresh talents of Troy Pierce and Samim- contrary to reputation, isn’t fussed about ‘hype’ and being a scene personality. Haze is most notably an artist. When it comes to music, Jay indulges a creative spirit and makes what he feels. ‘Some days I wake up and I want to make Hip Hop, the next day I might think of something and go, yeah, there’s a groove there- and come out with a soulful Chicago house track.’

Haze was influenced by all sorts of music growing up; ‘Prince, Bob Marley, Al Green, The Police and Talking Heads. ‘Oh, and my favourite track of all time is probably Family Affair by Sly and The Family Stone! Philadelphia has a really rich music culture. There was a real ‘live’ element in the 60’s and 70’s lots of soul, reggae- I grew up with that. In the 90’s House parties started, and it was hard for people to get at first, there’s a big black culture in Philly, and at first everyone said House was white, gay people’s music.’

An instrumentalist, Jay plays the Bass Violin and the Piano, and his tracks are renowned for long instrumental breaks and piano riffs. His ethos is ‘functional yet artful dance music’. ‘Music for me is and always has been an expression. I don’t want to be put into a box- oh he makes this or he makes that- I just make it if I feel it.’

His refreshing perspective towards music as an art form saw him release his triple album, Love and Beyond, for free on his website last year. ‘Music is about connecting people, it’s for sharing. It’s not about the money, I made this music and worked so hard on it, I wanted everyone to be able to hear it. I don’t want to worry about sales and credit cards, I don’t care about wealth. That’s something I’ve always stuck by.’

Which brings us to Jay’s humanitarian efforts; the global movement DJ’s for DRC, which rally’s dj’s, performers and even party people around the world to donate money to relief groups in the Democratic of Congo. ‘It’s a small effort really, but I believe if we come together and all offer a little bit we can have a profound impact and make big changes. The plan is to get as many dj’s and performers in the electronic music scene to donate half their fee from one gig, from September to the end of the year.’

Some of the biggest artists like Tiefschwartz, Loco Dice and Luke Solomon have done their part. ‘The situation in the DRC is one to spend a little time and reflect on, that country is affected in every way- child slavery, sexual abuse on women, starvation, water poisoning… it’s so sad!’ Jay plans to travel to DRC himself in 2010 to actively see his efforts are put to good use. ‘I’ve been homeless. A lot of people don’t understand that… But when you get out of a hole like that, and you actually get something, you want nothing more than to help other people.’

Jay’s new Fuckpony album Let the Love Flow; a really sexy melodic love affair, playing homage to his house head, is out in late October. ‘It’s not like anything I’ve done before. I played the piano and programmed the whole album with a great feeling and vibration. It was a naturally flowing album that was pure feeling and emotion.’ You’ve got to give it to the guy for being one of the most genuinely hard working guys in the business. It’s all about the bigger picture; spreading good energy and letting the love flow- nothing dark about that.

Pulse Radio Interview with Geddes

Geddes has been making party people across London mulletover and over for 5 years and counting, and has set the precedent for underground clubbing with its understated-cool crowd and aural-driven atmosphere.  With the release of his latest track, Paperweight with Alex Jones, his label Murmur plotting releases like electronic landfill and his events success spilling into the festival circuit and abroad, Geddes is far from toeing the line. We cornered Geddes to find out a little bit of this and that ahead of Mulletovers 2^nd affair at the Eastern Electrics festival this bank holiday weekend.

mulletover stands strong as one of London’s best underground event brands- how did it come about?

I wanted to do a night and originally started mulletover with a guy called Jafar.  We were due to do our first party but the venue we were using got closed down and Jafar knew Rob who coincidently was doing a party on the same night, he had a spare room upstairs and the party went ahead.  We did another party together after that and decided we’d work under the same banner and here we are five years down the line.

The event has stretched its legs to festivals and one-off parties abroad. Tell us about mulletovers journey…

We first started doing parties in Ibiza, then Croatia.  Festival wise we were part of TDK Festival in London, Lovebox in Victoria Park last year and now Eastern Electrics with Resident Advisor.  This year is the first time we’ve been invited to do Glade Festival, which was wicked.

Glade Festival is said to be the subversive alternative to the other hyped UK festivals, how was it to have mulletover being part of it?

‘The thing about Glade is, it spurned from grassroots and they hardly have any sponsorship to help them along, it makes the difference to the festival and the people who go- it’s definitely special. We had Mr C, Adultnapper and Jamie Jones play for mulletover in the club tent and it rocked from start to finish, we had a great time!’

You’ve apparently managed to miss a few of the Mulletover parties- how does that happen- do you get lost trying to find the secret location?

I missed three parties and all of them being in Ibiza.  Moral of the story is not to put you passport through the washing machine J

How did you find yourself in the music industry and what initially guided your organic sound?

I was surrounded by music at an early age, it was quite an important part of my family’s socializing, and we’d spend hours dancing in the living room to Frank Sinatra, Grace Jones and Barry White.  Then my sister got a job with universal records and was product manager for Twisted Records, which was home to Danny Tenaglia and Murk, from then on I knew what I wanted to do.

You’ve played witness to the London scene over the last decade- what have you seen and learnt from it?

Trends move quickly, one minute minimal is the in thing then house is back.  Be true to your school!

You also produce under the guise Rekleiner with Anthony Middleton and Luca Saporito- how do you three come together to create this intricate and melodic sound?

I knew Luca from West London and he was hassling me to play at mulletover, through his persistence we became friends and started working in the studio together. The rest is history though however the guys are now in Barcelona so it’s hard for us to get together and make music now.

What has been one of your favourite gig experiences to date?

Robert Johnson in Frankfurt is the most amazing place to play, good sound system, small room and nothing else is needed.

Your track Paper Weight with Alex Jones is your first EP on Murmur and was released in July- what is the response so far?

Yeah it had a really good response from the promo we did, both Alex and I are very happy!

Murmur launched in 2008 and is cutting the edge with great track releases from great artists- what can we look forward to next?

We have a great EP from Tom Demac we’re very excited about, something else from BLM who’s a London-based artist, M.in from Frankfurt, Mic Newmann from Australia and hopefully something from Meat.  Release schedule is full now till next year.

If there was one sound you could remove from the earth and never have to hear it again- what would it be?

The noise of buses going past my window late at night, they are so noisy I can’t open my window and in this hot weather that’s not ideal.

Eastern Electrics Bank Holiday takes place on August 31^st 2009, with Anja Schneider, Damian Lazarus, Glimpse and Geddes playing the Mulletover room. Tickets available from Resident Advisor.

Excuse The Mess Interview with Ralf Kollmann

Where did your musical journey begin and how did you find dance music and the techno sound?
Little Ralf loved to listen to the radio. I discovered special shows that aired Maxi and Instrumental Versions once a week and recorded everything with my father’s old tape machine. I was inspired by his record collection, even though I didn´t understand what this music was about. He had this Krautrock stuff, Kraftwerk of course and some other early experimental synthesizer bands in his collection. I made my first steps in the disco arena when the first techno and house wave developed in the clubs in Germany and other cities, in the early 90’s.

I got my early club lessons in Sven Väth´s legendary Omen Club in Frankfurt. I remember a very special night when Richie Hawtin, Daniel Bell and Speedy J all played together, it blew my mind. I realized then that this was a new movement and a whole new lifestyle for a young generation was created. Wow! Just realized that this was 17 years ago… I started as a passionate Raver and became a passionate Maker- being proud of mobilee and our artists playing a little role in the global techno circus.

Tell us about growing up in Germany and watching the development and evolution of dance music scene- from the front row as it were.
I wouldn´t say that I sat in the front row, cause before Germany was hit hard by electronic dance music there was a house movement in Chicago and Detroit, later the Acid House hype in the UK developing from Manchester… When I discovered clubbing it took a few years before techno became mainstream by the help of Love Parade and Mayday. The Sponsors and Media in Germany followed up with Top 10 Chart Positions- I think it was similar to the huge success of Prodigy and Underworld in the UK. That boosted the original Techno underground in the mainstream market and some vibes got lost of course.

When everybody was used to seeing Techno beats and Euro Dance on Music TV, a new underground developed, around 2000- and that inspired me a lot to dive back into the music thing again; celebrating it, enjoying it, feeling it and finally, starting the label in 2005 with Anja Schneider. It’s great that people who inspired me as a little raver are now colleagues and friends. And I still like to rave of course!

Why is everybody obsessed with Berlin right now?
Berlin is one of the most liberal cities in the world. When it comes to clubbing; Panorama Bar and Bar 25 are known all over the world in reference to Berlin’s Nightlife. Compared to other metropolitan cities, it’s affordable to live here without having three jobs. It’s quite relaxed and the city is a huge creative space. There’s a big density of international Labels, DJ´s and Producers who’ve decided to make Berlin their home. The Sound is defined by international activists who discovered Berlin as an inspiring city to live, make music, go out and have fun- it’s the undisputed epicentre of techno music and it will probably not change in the near future.

You’ve played in many cities around the world, recently playing in New York, Miami, Amsterdam and Dubai, tell us about your travels…
It’s always a pleasure to travel and discover other cities, countries and meet enthusiastic and passionate people. Especially the music we are playing and enjoying ourselves; it seems to connect very special people all over the world. The vibe is similar everywhere… if I am playing in a small wooden hut at a beach or at 5 star hotel club resort in Dubai, the people are interested in the music we are doing.

Barcelona is amazing during Sonar Festival, San Francisco and Los Angeles are my favourite party towns in the US. I have a lot of fun playing in London and also Ekaterinburg in Russia. I must say, it’s a luxury that in Berlin we have the opportunity to party for 24 hours- sometimes it’s sad when the party stops at 3 or 4am, when it was just about to get nasty! But every trip has something unique, and it’s great to if you have residencies all over the world where you make friends and know what to expect when you are coming again.
I’m really looking forward to coming to South Africa for the first time in my life and being the first mobilee dude there!

You’ve been nurturing the mobilee label going on 5 years now, how does it feel to have created this yourself and been part of an international music movement?
Anja Schneider and me started it as a side project five years ago and within a short time it accidently became a full time job for both of us. Every mobilee artists is playing an important role and transporting our vision with every gig and every release. After five years we are more than proud that we created an established platform for talented artists who play all over the world. We started the label at a time when the music market changed completely and that taught us to be flexible and go our own way all the time. It’s important to leave the well-worn path sometimes and try something new and take risks. And we still see ourselves at the beginning with what we started and have ideas and visions for the next years to come.

Mobilee is 5 years old in 2010, what can you reveal the label plans to do to celebrate?
We are just developing the activities for next year. The 5 years anniversary is playing an important role next year and will be the main theme in 2010. We are doing a world tour on five continents in 5 cities each. We will release a very special anniversary compilation featuring exclusive, never-before-heard material from every artist on our roster. This is one celebration you aren’t going to want to miss. We call it “mobilee 5² tour” and it will be showtime! Hope we can make stop in South Africa again next year!

Mobilee is recognised for being on the cutting edge of modern music marketing techniques, tell us about the thought processes behind that…
We are living and acting in a high tech environment. We grew up with internet technology and social networks. It helped us to become popular worldwide without spending multi million dollar budgets in marketing so it’s obvious that we are trying to be on the top with modern music marketing techniques. We just launched a mobilee touch mix application for the I-Phone. The update with 5 new tracks and even unreleased music is available in a few days. We are trying to create a lot of visual content for our artists and exclusive content like mixes and behind the scenes features for our social networks.

It’s very important to keep an eye on what is going on out there. You should always be prepared for sudden changes and embrace new technologies and opportunities. You can cry about how difficult it is to sell music because of illegal downloads, or you can spend this energy finding new ways of distributing your music and using the creative potential of your artists and staff to develop new ventures

Mobilee is also known for its familia vibe amongst artists on the roster, how important is this kind of energy to running a successful label?
That’s part of our label philosophy. We wanted to establish strong and long lasting relationships with our artists from the beginning on. Nowadays you need a strong platform and a strong brand if you want to be recognized as an artist. We are joined forces, building up a strong visual and musical identity, we produce our own event ideas for Sonar

Festival, Winter Music Conference or Amsterdam Dance Event and give our artist as much creative freedom as possible. I think that’s part of our unique standing. We are musically versatile. The mobilee sound is created and defined by our artists and not dictated from above. The personal relationship to our artists is very important. If the personal chemistry is not right we cant achieve something together. We would never release music from someone we don´t like personally, even if it’s the biggest hit we have ever heard in our life.

How would you describe the sound of the label and how has it developed over the years?
It’s essentially just what Anja and I like musically, and this can often vary. We started listening to house and techno a while ago – and we’ve been passionate ravers since the early 90s – so the Mobilee sound is very versatile and primarily defined by our main artists. For us, the most important thing is to release music that makes people dance. Club music is made for the dancefloor – especially 12” releases. When you get down to brass tacks, the whole industry is based on nothing more than moving people’s asses every weekend!

Excuse The Mess with Mobilee Records, South Africa Tour

EXCUSE THE MESS WITH MOBILEE RECORDS
30TH OCTOBER – VOODOO LOUNGE JOHANNESBURG

Excuse The Mess crept onto the scene in 2008 with a secret Party in an empty office space in Central London. Two sound systems, a full bar and over 100 people snuck into the off-limits area on the 9^th floor and danced until the early hours of the morning in front of windows boasting breathtaking views of the city. The mischievous tone was set from the start, with partygoers helping to clean and remove all evidence of the subversive shenanigans at the end; birthing ETM’s etho’s of an underground club night with a cheeky twist.

Early days saw ETM taking to the backrooms of some of London’s favourite nightclubs, and stole the show in the Loft at Egg on New Year’s Eve with sheer good party vibes and spirit. Excuse The Mess became ‘the little party that could’ and set the precedent in 2009 when it bust out its first warehouse party at Corsica Studio’s with 3 international acts; Mymy, Matthew Styles and Ralf Kollmann, charging the room with an illustrious array of deep house and techno.

Excuse The Mess soon had some of the best local dj’s and vj’s vying for a spot behind the decks. Joining London resident’s Nick Maleedy, Russell Caten and The Fix; Ralf Kollmann, co-owner of mobilee Records with Anja Schneider, joined the team as international resident, bringing his fresh-as-hell German techno assault to the ETM Soundscape. In 5 years mobilee Records has become one of the most watched Techno labels in Europe, their artist roster includes the wickedly talented Pan-Pot, who headlined the ETM show in June and lead the packed Alhambra Warehouse in East London into a Berlin-stomping frenzy.

500 Showcase now presents Excuse The Mess to South Africa!

Excuse The Mess residents Ralf Kollmann and Nick Maleedy are bringing the best from their boxes in London and Berlin to make South Africa part of the ETM family this October! Ralf’s presence is as intense as the full bodied-moving minimal techno he plays and is renowned for tight track selection and tighter mixing, flecked with all kinds of tasty unreleased material. Nick’s penchant for deep house, stripped down techno and tribal grooves sees him mix a sophisticated playlist, and playing  alongside some of Europe’s finest including Pan-Pot, Matthew Styles, Thomas Schumacher, Danton Eeprom and Giles Smith.

Exclusive VJ Appearance from Ben Anchor, whose 8 year career in visuals has seen him reside with the CHAIR TV VJ’s crew and perform at Manchesters infamous Warehouse Project alongside the likes of Richie Hawtin, Luciano, Goldie and Justice.

Join us for the first leg of the 3 city tour at the Excuse The Mess Masked Ball at the sacred Voodoo Lounge in Johannesburg for a no excuses deep house and techno indulgence, complimented by the best local dj’s from Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

We ask you in advance to Excuse The Mess

Little Lexi leaves Defected

My time as Little Lexi on Defected has come to an end since my return to SA.

It was a totally rad experience being the girl with the ‘clubbing dirt’ and blogging about it every week on the site… See below all my posts over the 8 months I was stuck in…
Big love to the boys at Defected HQ in London- them lucky bastards sit in their office grooving to the latest house music all day-  tough life eh! :)

You can get a dose of the latest Defected wordsex at here.

Luminocity Presents… Goldfish LIVE at Hub Club, London

Goldfish have grown from a local South African outfit to an international sensation with their eclectic live act, which blends instrumentals and sweet vocals over afro-infused Electronica. The duo held two residencies in Ibiza this summer; playing weekly at the revered Blue Marlin beach club and vibing the Main Floor and Global Room at Erick Morillo’s infamous Subliminal night every Wednesday at Pacha. Goldfish have taken the stage at some of the world’s biggest music festivals including Glastonbury, Sensation White, Ultra Music Festival and Get Loaded in the Park where they performed alongside Faithless, Basement Jaxx and Orbital; jetting off to Russia, Italy, Egypt, France and Brazil in between.

Luminocity, a new boutique artist agency, presents Goldfish LIVE in London for an intimate last summer session at Hub Club in Shoreditch, one of East London’s most novel warehouse venues. On the back of an incredible season and their anticipated Goldfish dj mix for the August issue of Dj Mag; this is set to be a special final show. With support from mobilee’s hottest new recruit Hector and the Spanish duo Sonogama, from the dynamic Sounderground Records label, the night is set to indulge an intriguing sound shakedown. Join us from 11pm onwards- early bird tickets are available from Ticketweb and RA for £12 and £15 at the door.

Mobilee’s newest recruit, Hector is a London favourite with residencies at Dig Your Own Rave, Kubicle and regular slots at Fabric. Balancing an experimental nature with a commitment to the spirit of house, his mixed up, moody sound and progressive energy creates a unique ambiance on the dancefloor. From Phonica Records to releases on Horizontal, mobilee, and Cecille among them, Hector has come an incredible way from his Mexican roots; his tunes finding their way into the sets of Ricardo Villalobos, Onur Ozer, Dinky and Appleblim

Sonogama are the Spanish duo of Ayoze Chico and Ollie Mendez. The pair found their musical future partying in the Canary Islands and went in studio together, where they founded their label Sounderground Records. The label, based in Germany has released tracks for Brendon Moeller, Dan Berkson and James What.  Sonogama have played across the UK and Spain, including residencies at London’s Kitchen Party and !KNUF. Sonogama indulge a shared passion for tribal-tinged European house and their behind the box antics are an epic energy force for the dancefloor.

Nick Maleedy has an instinctive ear for dark and dubby house that reeks of moody, intelligent and experimental flavour. His refined and unassuming manner makes for an interesting dancefloor experience whenever his sets hit the room and his residency at Excuse The Mess has seen him play alongside some of Europe’s finest acts including Pan-Pot, MyMy, Matthew Styles, and Ralf Kollmann.

Rhythmatic Presents… Spencer Parker at Corsica Studios

Rhythmatic continues to set the tone for eloquent underground club nights in London with an event of unsurpassed intelligent music, stylish people and home grown atmosphere. Rhythmatic events are taking the whole cake when it comes to anticipating an audiences wants and needs, and serves up an ever enticing combination of ‘Night Out’ that’s is always devoured with glee!

This time around Rhythmatic takes you deeper underground with a too-sweet sampling of London’s tastiest export, Spencer Parker at the helm. We thought it best to get nab him before he heads off to Aus and Europe for most of the summer and we hear he’s got a bag full of the best and a whip ready to crack the occasion! The man is said to have an ear for the music and an eye for the floor and he will no doubt get the room gagging for it at Corsica Studio’s- one of the Big Smokes most coveted dark spaces!

Rhythmatic is excited to make its debut at the venue, and offer their audience a new place to get down and intimate. It’s all about the decadent rhythm and this one is sure to thrust you in the right direction!

“Rhythmatic is one of the best night’s I’ve played in London recently, good guests, great crowd and being given complete musical freedom by promoters who really know what they’re doing, make it somewhere I look forward to returning to” – Spencer Parker

SPENCER PARKER

Spencer Parker is one of Europe’s leading djs, and fast becoming a household name in all senses of the expression. His unique style of house music is in demand the world over with productions, remixes and re-edits being supported by Radio Slave, Luciano, Laurent Garnier, Richie Hawtin, Ben Watt, Nic Fanciulli and Pete Tong. A set from Spencer is a journey of acid house, techno and cool jack’in tracks and the odd trippy vocal. Since jumping into production his tracks have been released on prestigious labels such as Rekids, Tsuba, Buzzin’ Fly, and SAW. His skill sees him open intelligently for big names and a rock a main floor in his own right. If you haven’t seen him live in action yet- now’s the time to get involved!