The Pondering Blonde

Lo Kik Nights South Africa Tour

A quiet side street, a deep resonating vibration emanating from within, a door disappearing into a dark room and opening onto a carnival-like escapade of colour, energy and rumbling sound, where Amazonian beauties gyrate in unison to rhythms you only imagined. This is the subversive, subtropical thunder of a night out in sultry Brazil. Shape up on your techno samba Gringo; the jungle is coming to you…

Tech !t Or Leave !t Productions, in collaboration with Blunder Productions, joins forces with Lo Kik Records to bring their unique label party ‘Lo Kik Nights’ to local shores. The original event series has been running the world amok from its home in Brazil’s capital Sao Paulo, to Miami, Russia, and now it comes to South Africa for an exclusive 3 city tour, with label head Rafael Noronha.

LO KIK RECORDS >>> RAFAEL NORONHA

Lo Kik Records greeted the world in 2007, slamming Brazil’s epically festive dance culture and talented muso’s onto a global platform.  Headed by Rafael Noronha; the label is all about layered music with a fresh and dynamic soundscape, inspired by a tropical-edged attitude and the colourful jungly chaos of Brazil.

Covering the genres of house, techno, tech-house, minimal and all the juicy variations in between, Lo Kik captures the essence of South American culture and gives it digital freedom to the world! Top Brazilian artists like Rafael, Re Dupre, Glocal, Andre Bastos and Gui Boratto have waxed the wires with over 50 chart topping releases.

Rafael’s enduring journey into dj’ing and production started 8 years ago and he’s quickly become renowned for his powerful, innovative sets and impressive mixing skills; stealing the limelight at the Brazilian ‘Dj Sound Awards’ in 2005 and 2006. In 2008 he claimed the award for Best Dj and is now considered one of Brazil’s best dj’s!

The Lo Kik Nights event series has been running the world amok from its home in Brazil’s capital Sao Paulo, to Miami, Russia, and now it comes to South Africa for an exclusive three city label party doused with enough Amazonian love and lambada to make you feel like your dancing in the jungle yourself.

TECH !T OR LEAVE !T

Tech !t Or Leave !t- the production label of Michael Kennedy aka One Track Mike, is excited to present the first of his concept event productions and bring to the local dance scene a refreshing and international flavoured electronic soundscape. Mike, a respected electronic muso as well, has been involved as an event planner in the scene for many years, formerly under Triphazard Productions, considers Cape Town- and South Africa as a whole- an inspiring place for local and visiting artists, especially during 2010.

‘Electronic dance genres have cross-pollinated over recent years and the divide between followers of a particular sound is diminishing, which makes Cape Town a musically dynamic city, bound for global awareness on the electronic circuit.’

With another exciting installment already in the works, these SA tours bring an opportunity for dance music lovers to experience the party scene from abroad, as well as stand as a walking- and dancing!- advertisement for our scene amongst other industry leaders- ideally resulting in more more more music for us all! Join the Facebook Group: Tech !t or Leave !t for tour news and updates!

BPM Life Interview with Rafael Noronha

Rafael Noronha is label boss, feature artist and general guru on all things Lo Kik! Rafael’s enduring journey started 8 years ago and he’s quickly become renowned for his powerful, innovative sets and impressive mixing skills; stealing the limelight at the Brazilian ‘Dj Sound Awards’ in 2005 and 2006. In 2008 he claimed the award for Best Dj and is now considered one of Brazil’s top dj’s.

Besides his solo productions, he’s remixed music for the likes of Glenn Morrison, Gui Boratto, D-Nox & Beckers, Jon Rundell, Andrey Loud, Planet Funk and Utah Saints, together with friend and production partner Re Dupre and does a weekly slot on Energia 97 FM’s Clubtronic radio show, which features the most requested dj’s in the country.

As A&R of RC2 Music Group, which manages Lo Kik Records and Wired Music, Rafael scouts the best up and coming artist from around the country; both labels are dedicated to launching Brazilian talent on a global platform and to the Brazilian e-music market. The company represents one of the biggest and most diverse structures in artistic management and consultancy in Brazil, and is responsible for some of the major electronic music festivals in the country.

FOUR TO THE FLOOR WITH RAFAEL

How did you start the label, and how did you get artists like Gui Borotto to release on it…?
We started the label naturally with the growth of local music production. Working in this industry for a few years and knowing a lot of talented people involved in it, the necessity to show our values to the rest of the world and have a serious and professional work behind it, pushed label’s in the beginning.

Gui Boratto, besides a great artist, is a great friend. He accompanied the growth and maturation of the label and the artists, and the releases came organically from that. The idea to do a release for the first time on a Brazilian label and have 3 Brazilian artists remix was chosen by him and the result was a special and rewarding project!

Tell us a bit about the dance scene in Brazil…
Nowadays we can say that we have one of the biggest dance scenes in the world; many clubs and parties are focused on dj’s performing and the degree at which we’ve progressed can be seen in the amount of international artists daily in Brazil.

Indeed the commercial music still has its predominance but considering the huge territorial extension, electronic music is present in the four corners of Brazil and the various aspects of electronic music all have its own space too. The label is based in Santos, approximately 40 minutes from the Brazilian metropolis, São Paulo city.

How did you start dj’ing and what do you have in mind for the future?
I started playing 10 years ago when I was 17 years of age, but even before that I was always the ‘wrong’ one in the middle of class listening to strange music. For a long time I was just a dj and had a very good market in Brazil and during this time I got a lot of experience with various types of clubs, parties, people, dancefloors… and also had the time to listen to much music.

All this was very important to starting my own music label, I studied music as well, and today I find myself in the future doing what really gives me pleasure, which is working with the music, being in the studio producing, studying, managing Lo Kik and also showing my work at the parties.

Have you ever visited South Africa, and what are you expecting from your trip?
This is something that I’m actually really anticipating. South Africa is a beautiful country and has a history that I have followed since childhood, and while studying. And knowing that I know all this and being able to show my work there fascinates me a lot. And with it also being the year of the World Cup, a very special moment for the country, I hope to get the experience being a Brazilian, hehe; after all we’re the best team in the world of football!

http://www.myspace.com/lokikrecords
http://www.myspace.com/rafaelnoronha

BPM Mag Interview with Protoculture

There aren’t many in the world who can truly say they’re ‘Big in Japan’ but SA’s pioneer of groovy intergalactic psytrance, Nate Raubenheimer, aka Protoculture is one to have chewed on some serious sound sushi up North- and a little Goldfish as it turns out; his remix of Goldfish’s Cruising Through for BPM’s first Remixed competition was picked up by Pacha Recordings last year- and nominated in this year’s SAMA Awards for Best Remix- results still to follow. But nowhere near tempted to trade up for white beaches and Blue Lagoons on tap, Protoculture’s year is going to be filled with a little more jungle fever and a whole lot of Love Technology…

There’s no other way to say it; Protoculture is one of the few South African artists to have truly broken into the global game. His rigorous tour travels take him around the world each year and see him owning the stage at infamous festivals like Glade in the UK. Just his schedule over the next 3 months reads like a dj’s dream date- Maitreya Festival in Australia, Ground Beat in Japan and Soul Vision in Brazil- where he jet sets off to in the next few days with nothing but whipping the locals into an exotic frenzy on his mind!

You’re third album, Love Technology is coming out end of March, give us the rundown.

‘Ye I’m really excited about Love Technology. My second album took a bit of an electro tangent and this album has come back to where the first album started, so it’s kind of like a full circle and I’m really happy with it. There are elements of electro, progressive and a more housey trance sound. It’s good to shake up the psy sound and keep it interesting- sometimes a lot of it does run into each other and sound the same.’

You’ve played with some of the best dj in the world- Armin, PVD, ever tempted to cash in and bang the cheese?

[Laughs] No, I can’t stand the diva vocals! I admire the likes of Armin, he has made a great a career for himself- as a business model, he’s pretty damn good and I think there’s no harm in pushing what you’ve done further if you have the platform to do so. The way he’s marketed, runs his label- he’s a professional at the top of his game.

So hanging out with these guys in the VIP room, what are they like?

They’ve always been childhood heroes of mine, so it’s great to chill and chat with them. They’re just pretty normal guys. They keep it quite tidy these days, back in the day they partied hard. Very hard. Now they play, hang around a bit and they leave. When you’ve been doing this for many years, each party is just another gig for you really.

What is it like on tour, do you get to explore much while you’re there?

Often the tour schedule is just crazy and you don’t have time to enjoy the party or get to experience the city. My wife used to come with me but now she doesn’t tour as much. It’s not a holiday, there’s an itinerary of times to be here and there- sometimes you finish the gig and come off to find a taxi waiting to take you to the airport to go to the next city. One time I was picked up by helicopter so I wouldn’t miss my flight!

You recently launched your own podcast…

Yes, the podcast is called Trance Global Express- its available on iTunes- the first episode was released in January. It’s a monthly 2 hour radio show, featuring my mixes and new tracks and having some fun with the music- I’d been thinking about doing it for a while, so excited to see how it develops over the next few months!
Look out for Protoculture’s new album Love Technology in stores from late March!

BPM Mag Interview with Troydon

There’s always an energetic stirring on the underground when news of a rare pilgrimage home from Troydon starts making the rounds. House heads clamour to shake their hips to his infectious house vibe and pay their respects to the Dj and Producer who traded the City of Gold for the Big Apple several years ago. His 2010 return is no different, so we thought a catch up was due. Here’s Troydon on his latest move- to the City of Angels no less; making music with Diplo and Switch and Die Antwoord!

It’s been a while since BPM last spoke to you; tell us what you’ve been up to production wise the past couple of years?

The last couple of years I was in New York I was doing a lot of engineering at a pretty high profile recording studio, Downtown Music. Things were pretty busy so I didn’t make much of my own music during that time but it was always something I was interested in and I learnt so much having never gone to school for recording or music when growing up. Even though I had to put making my own music on hold for a little while, what I learnt and just the life experiences I gained by working in a studio, will be of great value to me in a number of different ways in the future.

You left SA for the Big Apple several years ago- how has it been as a producer and sound engineer to make inroads into the American music industry?

It’s been really hard work and long hours full of sweat and tears, with the ups and downs as we all face in the music industry, but I love what I do and wouldn’t change it for anything. I think perseverance is key and if you just keep on knocking and knocking eventually things start to open up. I’m still really excited about the prospects of what’s out there and absolutely anything could happen in the future. It’s all possible!

Los Angeles recently became your home town, many reputed dance artists have made this their home of late- David Guetta, Steve Angello… is there something in the night air?

Yes, there is definitely something in the air… But our move happened pretty naturally; while working with Switch at Downtown in NYC when he was out recording I mentioned that my wife (Lisa) possibly had some work opportunities in LA and he said we should do it and offered me to come and work for him. We figured it was the path we are meant to take so we went for it. It’s been about 6 months, and so far we’re pretty happy. It was kinda strange getting use to driving everywhere again though after catching trains around NY for 5/6 years but I am really enjoying that freedom of just being able to get up and go. To me it’s a bit like a combo of JHB and CPT with the city/downtown LA and then also having such beautiful beaches right here too. Plus I love snowboarding and we have mountains about an hour and half away……..bonus!

We’re seeing it filtering slowly in on MTV and the like, how is the commercial music market in the US now opening up to the ‘new’ electronic music sounds?

I really think the latter part of 2009 has shown everyone that the US is most definitely open to it in a big way! I really believe 2010 is going to be an exciting year here for electronic music on a much more credible level than what we have heard so far. There’s a lot of excitement because people have seen what is possible and are hungry to push to try to make things happen.

You have a new moniker called SUBSKRPT and done remixes for Major Lazer, Rusko and Crookers, what is your vision with this alias and how does it differ to your Troydon productions?

This is something that I am really excited about and I think it’s largely due to the fact that I am getting time to make music again! The vision is pretty broad for this moniker and I really don’t wanna box Subskrpt musically at all. Just off the bat the Major Lazer Cashflow remix is Dubstep, the Rusko Woo Boost remix is a club banger and the Crookers remix I did is a bit more poppy than anything I have ever done before. I have also just finished mixing a compilation of Dubsided’s Catalogue and did an exclusive track for that which is pretty much deep house again.

So I guess its all fair game at the moment. Anything that’s good, fun and exciting is what I want to do. This attitude has really made making music fun again and I think you will hear that translate in the material that you hear coming from subskrpt in the future. Check out www.myspace.com/subskrpt for updates as there are a few more pretty exciting things on the cards that I can’t mention as yet ;-)

You are renowned for your Chicago influenced house sound, how has it developed or changed over the past few years? How much do you let yourself be influenced by music trends?

Good solid house music will always be my roots and what I grew up on. I’ll always love it but I think as you get older and more experienced, as far as making music goes, u start to explore and open up to more. I think this is just a natural progression for me. I want to keep growing and I feel that if I just keep doing something that I already know how to do I’ll get bored and that’ll translate in the music that comes out- something I definitely don’t want to happen.

You appear to be less loudly branded and hyped than many dj/ producers, is it your intention for the legend of Troydon to be spread organically?

I think that’s partly due to my personality as I really battle to dance & shout about myself and tell everyone how good I am. It’s something that I need to work on but I’m glad the material I did under my own name has grown organically because it is such a great reflection of who I am. I will however be trying to improve on this with the subskrpt bits. For some reason because it’s not under my given name it makes me feel like I can say things like “the new subskrpt beats are super sick and you need to look out for what’s coming cause its gonna be hot! ”-which is something I would have never said about any Troydon material, haha!

Dance-loving SA is always happy to hear about your return, are you aware that for many you represent an original- and much missed- house music era in our country?

I do indeed and it puts a bit of pressure on me to play music that I’m known for at home. I will do my best to play some good solid house beats for the real old school heads but also throw in some fresh new exciting stuff for the kids that are coming up now to enjoy too. This way the new kids are being exposed to stuff they do not know and the older house heads can get a taste of some of the new stuff but not just get pummelled with bleepy crazy mental ADD music all night long which makes you feel like you could explode!

What advice would you give to local artists trying to establish themselves internationally?

Just make music you believe in and have fun with it. Don’t take it too seriously; enjoy what it means to be able to make music. It’s a true blessing and you should have as much fun as possible when doing it because that energy all comes across in the tracks! Look at “Die Antwoord” when I first watched the clip for “zef side and the ninja one” they were only on a few thousand views. After Diplo put it on his blog it then got on to Pitchfork and now they at like 500 000 views or something crazy!

I am just trying to point out how quick things can break and how well it translates when you can see people are not taking themselves too seriously and are truly having fun with music and art! I mean, tons of people watching those clips don’t understand half of what is going on anyway but they can pick up on the energy which is key.

What characteristics of SA life do you miss- local cuisine, favourite places etc?

I miss all of it! Food, clubs, people, family, weather, lifestyle. I am so excited when I come home and am always sad to leave. This time is even more special for me too because I am officially an uncle as my sister has recently had a baby boy so I am very happy to get to come home and meet my first nephew. Gotta get him spinning records and making music as soon as possible!

Let Them Eat Cake

Models eating all the designer cake- you gotta love it! Cake and Cakes are fashion videos featuring models in designer clothing slowly but surely scarfing down entire cakes. Created by Stephen Blaise for Fly 16×9, the two twenty minutes videos are taken from an expanded 4 hour and 18 minute installation. Load them up and check em out for a truly decadent visual experience. :)

Mocha Cake with Cherry Blossom’s by Miu Miu
Chocolate Mocha Dome by AF Vandevorst
Mirror Caramel Cake by Prada
Orange White Chocolate Tiramisu Cake by Zero Maria Cornejo
Striped Cake with Chocolate Roses by Fendi
Chocolate Torte with Chantilly Cream by Prada

Cakes from FLY16×9 on Vimeo.

Cake from FLY16×9 on Vimeo.

Fly 16×9 is ‘The first fully digital fashion magazine where music meets art meets video’. -Style.com > http://www.fly16×9.com

Pulse Radio Interview with Luna City Express

On the back of year which saw Luna City Express launch their artist album and generally rock dancefloors across Europe into a state with their infectious house sound, Marco Resmann; one half of LCE, stream rolls into Australia this week to give the club kids down under a bit of a techno tickle. Here he is on house and techno finally making friends, his record label, Upon You’s first album release and being nicknamed ‘the silent wizard’ –Careful, that could catch on!

Tell us a bit about your label [Upon You] with Marcus and Hawks, what is the concept behind the name and the sound vision?

Upon You is a personal platform for our own music as well as befriended producers and exiting newcomers. The idea behind the name is that we’re taking care of the music and the rest is up to the audience, the DJs and the users. “It depends upon you. Said and done.”  We started the label in February 2007 with my ‘VUT & VAT’ EP. Since then we’re releasing almost every month. Last year we released a straight digital platform, available in all important stores worldwide.

Furthermore we launched a physical sub-label called Upon You Sweet & Sour Series. You could superficially call the Upon You profile Tech-House but with every release a new nuance of ambitious and functional club sound is being absorbed. You will find some Deep House Tunes as well as Techno tunes in our label repertoire. Basically the Upon You label-sound depends always on the sound of each single artist.    

As Luna City Express, yourself and Norman have a unique and refreshingly housey sound, and your solo sets have a funky techno vibe-do you enjoy playing up a variety of sounds?

My heart never stops beating for House Music but I’ve always had a small affinity for Techno too. You can hear it in my productions and DJ sets as well. Regarding my DJ sets it depends on the club, the crowd and of course the playtime. On one hand I love to open a night with slow and deep tracks and on the other hand I really like to play funky Techno or prime time tunes. Everything inbetween is possible.

I’m always open-minded and discover new sounds. Projects like Pan-Pot or Phage & Daniel Dreier introduced me into the world of minimal techno 5 years ago. Daniel was the one who lead me (and influenced) me the most to this typical Berlin after hour sound. But when I’m playing my sets or do my productions, I never forget my roots.

Over the last 2 years, the techno/house sound has lightened up, become quite tribal, quirky and generally a lot more fun, did you know this ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ was coming?

To tell you the truth, no! But I’m glad about this development. Of course nowadays the pressure is much stronger, it seems like almost everyone is producing House tunes at the moment, even producers which had never been into House. The good aspect is that everything fuses together, the gap between Techno and House is not that big anymore. I’m feeling very comfortable with playing Techno and House in one DJ set. As Luna City Express we’re playing House Music since Norman moved to Berlin in 2000. House Music and Berlin weren’t the best couple, but we’ve had enough DJs and crowd, who were keeping House alive.

Luna City Express seems to have a lot of fun with their music; how do you and Norman come together in production? Is one of you is the creative crazy, and which one more sensible and controlled?

Working in the studio is for us like cooking a meal, also with the ambition to create maybe something new, or to break out. We collect many ingredients and put them into all our pots. To be honest, we never have a certain recipe. We both are always sharing creativity in our kitchen, which is more than essential to get a good result.

You’re almost right with your second question. One of us is crazier than the other who is more sensible and controlled. A couple of years ago we had a vocalist in the studio and this guy had called Norman the comedian and me the silent wizard. I think that statement answers your question best. Generally I’m taking care of all that technical stuff and create the base. We do the final arrangement together, which is always like a back-to-back session.

Which has been your favourite Luna City Express release?

Our album ‘Hello From Planet Earth’ on Moon Harbour!

‘Hello From Planet Earth’ your recent debut album was a great success, can you tell us about how the album came together?

Oh thanks for the compliment! The whole process started with a big listening session to figure some suitable tracks out. We took some I had originally produced for my own album and produced the rest step by step. The idea for the album was to collaborate with musicians and we invited therefore 2 vocalists, a saxophonist and a pianist. The results were very satisfying! Altogether we’ve spent less than one year on the album-production. Matthias Tanzmann was satisfied with each finished track and in the end we didn’t have to make any big compromises.

Are there any plans yet for the next album yet?

Yes we’re really motivated to do a Trip Hop / Down Beat album.

You’ve been involved with Mobilee’s Pan-Pot, how did you add to this project musically, and how has it been watching them and their sound evolve?

First of all I’ve never played a DJ set as Pan-Pot. We did the first releases together in my studio. It was similar to the Luna City Express production process. I was the head of Engineering and have always created the musically base. The project became quickly successful and Thomas and Tassilo were improving their knowledge and producing skills. I was proud to see how they get more and more DJ gigs and how they grew up musically.

Pan-Pot as well as Phage & Daniel Dreier and Luna City Express became effective at the same time. It wasn’t possible for me to keep all 3 projects on the same level. I really needed to put some projects on hold to focus on my own career, but I never even thought about giving up Luna City Express.

Do you still indulge your love of Trip Hop in production? Are you taking any inspiration from the whole dubstep invasion?

If I’ve got some time I do produce Trip Hop or Down Beats. But since I’m running my own label I barely have time for some experiences. I’m not really into that whole Dubstep thing. Even though it’s catching a growing audience. But of course I’ve noticed releases like Ricardo’s remix for Shackleton or the recent hit of Joy Orbison. Maybe I’ll grapple the whole Dubstep thing soon!

Moon Harbour is a label known for its fresh, innovative take on electronic music, what’s it like being part of developing this reputation for many years?

We’re proud to be a part of the Moon Harbour Family. Particularly as we’re using the perfect project name, which wasn’t on purpose! We’re releasing on Moon Harbour since 5 years and we know that we always sound a bit different compared to the other releases.

Tell us about Marco Resmann. As a solo artist – you seem to have a more experimental take on house, what inspires your track releases?

About the Marco Resmann releases…of course it wouldn’t make sense to make the same sound as LCE but I wouldn’t say that I have a more experimental take on house on my own productions. I still haven’t found my own ‘sound’ and sure, on one hand I’m still searching but on the other hand, honestly – I don’t want my sound to be determined.

What are you up to musically during 2010, and any other tours after Australia?

The next special project will be the first Upon You CD release. We’re planning a double CD. On the one hand we have one with exclusive tracks from our core group of artists and from a few guests, on the other hand I will do a mix CD with edits and cuts from the Upon You back stock catalogue. The Luna City Express album-remixes are coming out soon as well. Artists like Martinez, Mathias Kaden, Catz n Dogz and Reboot did some nice interpretations of some of the album-tracks. And of course I’d love to release my own LP sooner or later. That’s my biggest challenge at the moment!

I just came back from a small US tour. I played in Miami, New York and Los Angeles. 2 years ago I toured with Luna City Express trough Brazil. The feedback from there was just amazing. So I’m really up for Middle/South America tour. I’ve got already a few requests from Argentina, Columbia and also from Puerto Rico. Let’s see if it will work out…

If Luna City Express was a game, how would you play it?

Ha ha nice question. I’m not really into the recent games, except FIFA soccer. But I’ve been a big fan of the adventure games in the early 90’s like Indiana Jones or Monkey Island. I’d see Luna City Express as an adventure game. Norman and me as the protagonists, preparing the space shuttle or rather the express to the moon, arranging the crew and the party crowd, flying to the moon and building a space basis. Destination or rather the showdown is the ultimate party on the moon!

Goldfish Submerged Sundays: View From The Goldfish Bowl

Goldfish once again captivated audiences around the world with their quirky instrumental and afro-influenced electronic act this summer. The duo; Dom and Dave, also known as ‘The Fishies’ or ‘Still Cape Town’s Hottest Export’- yes that’s right, raced their own tails around the map with gigs in the UK, Russia, Italy, France, Switzerland, Egypt, and Brazil while tuning their instruments at the base camp of their annual residency on the Balearic Island of Ibiza. Their journeys saw them taint festivals and dancefloors with inspiring energy and a golden glow that is never soon forgotten…

My maiden voyage to the White Isle was Fishy from the start; with my bum in Goldfish butter I went in, notebook and pen in hand, ready to write scandalous notes and send perfectly blurry snaps to Heat magazine about the deservedly revolting high life they were living. I mean, surely? But what I got was better- witnessing Goldfish on tour from the front row and realising the boundless ambition it’s taken to get them there, and of course; my very own Perception of Pacha!

Holding down two impressive residencies on the island this year, Goldfish played weekly at The Blue Marlin, a cooler than cool beach club which lures its punters in from their yachts on the bay. Dom and Dave took centre sundeck each Thursday and indulged a free-flow performance, incorporating loops, cuts and vocals from some of their favourite music into their usual self-produced sets. The crowds applauded this rare and pleasant Goldfish sound experience by grinding designer heels into sun beds and punching champagne glasses into the air. It hindsight, it would probably have been rude not to…

Pacha, with its infamous and iconic cherry signage is one of Ibiza’s best nightclubs, and after sampling the fruits of the others on offer, I announce with glee, my own favourite too. Sure, I went four times in a week and witnessed Goldfish billed alongside electronic heavyweights Erick Morillo, Sander Kleinenberg and Faithless- the Ibiza equivalent of milk and sugar in your tea without asking. But really, it was the amicably charged atmosphere and feel good guarantee that made it the best place to party.

Rupturing the rocky, jungle like expanse of the The Main Room or stealing the crowd away into their chasm in the Global Room; this is where Goldfish brought their full Fishy assault; remixing their impressive production list live, and layering it with signature lashings of sax and a bit of double bass. The whole club would gallantly groove onto their refreshing tip and the duo no doubt lauded a precedent for live performance on the island, etching memories into the ears of everyone lucky enough to catch one of their sets.

Ibiza is a totally surreal existence; the world’s most beautiful people congregate on the most beautiful beaches and glaze their bodies to perfection by day, inevitably; reason enough to party up a storm and gyrate in unison by night.  This is the life! If it were me, I’d have a Pharel Williams lookalike topping up my pimp cup! But the Goldfish boys don’t get caught up too much in the superlatives of island life; after winding up cables and easing instruments back into their cases, the duo chase surfable waves, fish off the rocks and attempt to master the perfect seafood paella. A steady stream of their many friends and family drop in to soak it all up with them and therein lies the crux of their success: The real deal is the only deal.

And this is still their opening act. Goldfish have grown from a local South African outfit to an international sensation; exuding the effortless quality of globally recognised dance artist’s night after starry night and even piquing the interest of superstars Maxi Jazz and Sister Bliss, who made an early appearance with entourage to catch their sunset set at the infamous Cafe Mambo in Ibiza before their own big gig at Pacha. Not many people can say Faithless has come to watch their show! With their tour schedule still working the last of its 09 magic and a remix album about to launch South Africa’s soundtrack to summertime, its best to advise you to hold tight; the current is riding strong with this one and these boys are going upstream all the way!

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!