BPM MAG - Jan/Feb'13 by BPM Magazine

bpm BEATS

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PEOPLE

CONTENTS

JAN/FEB 2013 EDITION 65

• MUSIC

04 06 07 10 12 16 20 22 24 26 28 30

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JOE’S BUTCHERY - THE HEART AND RHYTHM OF ALEX Every city, town and neighbourhood has its iconic venue. That one place where no matter who you ask, they know just how to direct you there. Cape Town has the mountain, Hillbrow has the Vodacom ...

MAGAZINE TEMPLATE DESIGN: Johann M Smith johannmartinsmith@gmail.com WANT TO STAY INFORMED? Join our newsletter! Simply email the words ‘Beats People Music’ to bpminfo@eject.co.za

ANDREA BERTOLINI MUSIC FOR ANOTHER NIGHT Meet Italian self-confessed “music addict” producer/DJ and label boss, Andrea Bertolini. His work ethic is undeniable. Being all about the push, he has notched up a whopping 219 releases, featured on 97 ... MONIQUE BINGHAM - TAKE ME TO SOUTH AFRICA “Uyaz’ uMonique nguMichael Jackson wehouse” [you know Monique is the Michael Jackson of house music]. That was one fans reaction when they arrived at House 22 in Pretoria to watch this living ...

No part of this magazine may be imitated or reproduced in whole / in part or online, without the permission of BPM Magazine. Any views, opinions & visual material expressed in BPM Magazine cc. by contributors are not necessarily shared by the BPM Magazine or its staff. We do not accept responsibility for any omissions or mistakes, as we do everything possible to make sure all information published is accurate.

READ THESE AND OTHER INTERESTING STORIES ONLINE @ FLASHMOB ON THAT OLD SCHOOL HOUSE “Many of the DJs we gave the record to were already supporting it and playing the track, they just didn’t know who we were!” Danny & Alessandro known as Flashmob are all about crafting sublimely unpretentious house music. They’ve previously stepped away from ...

MAGAZINE ENQUIRIES: info@bpmmag.co.za BPM Mag is published six times per Annum in SA only DISTRIBUTION: BPM is nationally distributed to over 320 carefully selected outlets ranging from: Retailers of Musical Instruments Gear & Equipment, Studios, Colleges & Varsities, selected music venues and more... To find your nearest outlet email: info@bpmmag.co.za

EDITORS NOTE & CONTRIBUTORS THE WALL MUSIC NEWS THE LITTLE MISFIT IN SYNC WITH: RICHIE HAWTIN EUPHONIK: SHINING IN A TOTAL BLACKOUT FELIX LABAND & THE IMPOSSIBLE DAY ROGER SHAH LIQUID SOUL PETE TONG PISCE DEEJAY PAINKILLER: MORE GAIN, LESS PAIN...! LIVE REZONANCE 2012 EARTHLING: LANDING AT BOOMERANG NYE THE DEEP END WITH LUO 5 MINS WITH ANDY BAXTER KOJO AKUSA ALBUM REVIEWS ALBUM REVIEWS ALBUM REVIEWS DOWNLOAD: DJ PICKS DJ TOP TEN CHARTS PARTY INFO & EVENTS ASTROBABBLE - CAPRICORN & AQUARIUS

STIMMING, GIESSEN’S FINEST Martin Stimming is a practitioner of enigmatic, velvety electronic dance music. Having maintained the buzz generated by his initial releases, the German born producer was the recipient of the Best Newcomer Award at ...

EDITOR’S NOTE BPM MAGAZINE TO CELEBRATE 10 YEARS IN 2013!!!

’m excited. Can you tell?

You should be too! Our little baby turns 10 this year. You can ask almost any small business owner who reaches this milestone if they really thought they’d be celebrating 10 years in business and they’ll most likely shake their head. It’s not that one doesn’t back oneself to do it; it’s just that when you have a vision and you seize the moment and run with that idea, you really only look 2 steps ahead at all times, keeping your eye firmly on the ball. Then suddenly you look up and a decade of your life has been consumed by this dedication. I wouldn’t have it any other way though. Okay that’s a lie. There are things we may have done differently and there are certainly things we’d love to see change in this industry. But that’s a story for another Editors Note. But if ever I had to feel like we are on the right track, my 45 minute conversation with pioneering techno DJ and producer, Richie Hawtin [as featured on our cover] reconfirmed and assured me of how in touch and how much we are truly part of the global dance music community. You see Richie is one of the most down to earth, articulate individuals I have ever had the pleasure of interviewing. I’ve always maintained that I meet the most interesting people through dance music; smart, eclectic and prepared to challenge themselves for their art [which is not always music, by the way and certainly not always DJs.] Hawtin epitomises this need to express and he uses technology to do it. He’ll be performing at the sophomore Cape Town Electronic Music Festival as well as embarking on a tour to Soweto and Gugulethu under the Bridges for Music initiative, which will include workshops and a rocking party in both townships. You can read about these on our news pages on Pg. 7. BPM Magazine is the proud SA media partner for CTEMF and for Bridges for Music and recognises these events to be perfectly in line with our motto to educate and showcase the talented producers and DJs South Africa has to offer. After my conversation with Hawtin [okay I know I sound smitten], I cannot think of a better person to kick off the Bridges for Music program. He is a true thought leader and one of the most dedicated advocators of electronic music I have yet to chat to. We’ve also signed up to media partner another great local initiative called the Breathe Sunshine Music Conference to be held at the Cape Town City Hall on 1 & 2 April. This is the inaugural event and we really like the concept. It just feels right since it combines various aspects of the music industry, notably through panel discussions, artist showcases, networking, exhibitions and workshops. Most important to us though, is that it endeavours to include all styles and genres of popular music in SA and will be truly inclusive across our rainbow nations demographic. Other things to get excited for in 2013 here at BPM include the brand new remix competition we’ll be launching in March and more events across the country are being planned. Heck we may even start releasing our own BPM compilations... So here’s to 2013 and 10 years of BPM Magazine! Let’s make it count.

DAVE MAC Editor-in-Chief Find me here: dave@bpmmag.co.za

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: FEATURE WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS Mary Honeychild - Mary is a fusion queen, her love for music is defined by her roots of drums, saxophone and deep bass. She discovers the break and combination in genres and takes us on journeys into the origin and amalgamation of scenes such as Jazz, Hip Hop and EDM. The Little Misfit - The Little Misfit is an anonymous observer who has been around the electronic music scene for more years than most. She’s seen it all, done it all and has the tales to tell. Not much surprises her any more although she is still wholly excited by music, dancing and socialising within this scene. It’s with this passion and experience that she casts a slightly jaundiced, feminine eye on the many components that add spice to Cape Town EDM Culture. Tendai Luwo - Recovering blueberry muffin addict, dj, remixer and voice over artist, Luo first firmly sank his teeth into music while working for Rhodes Music Radio (RMR 89.7fm) in 2009 and has never looked back since. Now a loyal disciple of all things deep and soulful, He can be found roaming the streets and alleyways searching for his next dose of good 'ol house music. Nathan Kabingesi – Nathan is a selfconfessed house junkie; you can usually spot him in a corner of the dance floor getting high off the DJ's supply. Appreciating the finely spun mix, he's not shy about calling out the occasional slip of the needle. Expect incisive and considered opinions on everything from the latest album releases to trend developments in the world of EDM. Jonathan G Shaw – Production Tips – Jon is a professional record producer who has worked with a multitude of artists and record labels in a freelance capacity. Outside this, he lectures music business at the University of the Witwatersrand and provides business consultation to the music industry. jshaw@smstudios.co.za Dave Skinz - DJ, Music Manufacturer, Wordsmith, Record Store owner, Promoter, and gamer par excellence are some of the multi-faceted roles that Skinz has played in his 15 year love affair with dance music. When not indulging himself in MMA footage and band practice, he spends his time waiting for Arsenal to take the treble. Www.daveskinz.com Donovan Leon - Donovan Leon is a Producer/ Engineer for DCL Studios and has had the opportunity to work and collaborate with many top artists & producers such as: Crighton Goodwill, Robin C Khol, L’loyd Cele, Jamali, CH2, Denim, Thembi Seete (Boom Shaka), Kwesta, Zubz, Sasha P (Nigeria), Jae, Ziyon (Liquid Deep), Verona, 37MPH and many, many more.

6 INTERACT

THE WALL GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? NEO SEHLABANE All the way from Table View 1429 Km from Lekaneng, Tembisa comes my latest issue of the BPM Mag. Finally got it. Thanks guys. I must say the Software controller scene is looking pretty competitive 'issue after issue'. "...every kid wants to be a DJ now" - Dave Mac NYTXPRESS MOLEFE keep up the super good work guys YULE DARQ DLAMINI Been following this magazine for 2 Years. Thanks for all the great study advice, gig guides, interviews and articles. Picked up the Nov/ Dec issue on my birthday. Here’s to another year. Keep it up, much love...

MELATO DEEJ ELEMENT SEBOTO Ya'll are making 057 proud. . . .I salute ABONGILE GEORGE I must say am loving the columnist page by Mr Luwo "the dos and don'ts of self promotion. And also the education by Sir Maclean - entitled to what degree? Concerning degree, diplomas and certificates. Keep it up and keep it coming. Much love! XOLANI THABISO MAPHALALA Hi I wanted to know if the software package that comes with the samson graphite 49 is suitable for deep/soulful house productions BPM Mag: Yes! Native Instruments Komplete Elements is an excellent package. But it is not a DAW program for writing tunes. It's a bunch of amazing software instruments which makes your Graphite 49 a super powerful keyboard with tons of excellent sounds. Many of which are great for deep house. So if you need a keyboard to play and compose on, this Graphite 49 is an excellently priced unit as it comes with all these amazing sounds.. Get it at Audiosure. XOLANI THABISO MAPHALALA Thanx for your help, I appreciate it ... so can I use it with fruity loops? BPM Mag: You can.

GIFT BORNSTUNNA MCOCO I'm so addicted to BPM MAG I cannot wait for the next issue. LESEGO TLALE If I can Kindly have a remix competition this December.... It Will be Gladly Appreciated.... #Thank you so much , Have a Nice Day.... TEBOGO SLEZZ LESHOTHO Guys thank you for the mag, it has brought value in terms of updates and what's going around regarding Music. Keep it up!!!! BPM mag rox!!! I'm proud of my uncle Monocles as he was featured on the BPM Mag (Nov/Dec '12 issue) under the "DJ picks section" for his recent solo project called "Loud" if you have the magazine check it out!!!! A huge thanks to the great Mthulisi Patrick (Peng Africa Records) for believing in us and the utmost appreciation goes out to the fans of Monocles & Slezz. Peace. THOKOZANI DEEPAH-I Le ya phusha majita. Big up! STEEZY MOKHELE Wow man the EP is playing right now, while reading this update. Peace.

DAVID AGSTERIBBE New BPM Mag is out in stores. Catch my reviews on Native Instruments MASCHINE 2 and Avid's Artist Mix in print or online. THATO TSELEPOSTED Ayobaness... Mr. Fire likes BPM... Its the best mag for people with rhythms in minds! PERFECT STRANGER On my way Downunder to Eclipse 2012. Yes! Found this. Gotta love South African English: "More fun, class and bang for buck cannot be found in any other package." “Perfect Stranger – Leap of Faith – (Iboga Records)” Nice review from BPM Mag SHAY MAHLUF Good luck!! If the set can be recorded for those less fortunate to be there it would be great and lots of video too!! Knock them out.

EMILY CHALLONS Will see you Friday night in Melbs first! But I don't blame you being excited for Eclipse... If only I was going!! ANTON TIOMKIN Good luck:-) & good flight to Australia bro JOHN PREFIX VICHOS Yup down here in South Africa we have an interesting take on the English Language! NICOLE GEATER And excellent taste in music & reviewers, right Dave? SAMANTHA EMMENES Source of major birthday hype.. BPM Mag caught up with man of the moment, Stimming for a chat ahead of Truth's 13th Birthday. Check it out on bpmlife.co.za, 'Stimming, Giessen’s Finest'. DAVID SCOTT My reviews for some new MIDI controllers (keyboard things for laymen) is the cover feature in the latest BPM Mag! Stoked. PHILIP OLCKERS nice. KEEGAN-JOHN MOORE Still so jealous they asked you to review all that equipment. Well done Bozo MIKE SCOTT Nice reviews bra! Hopefully you do some more. Enjoyed that. CARL VON HOESSLIN Great job Dave!! Have you seen these before, they're the "Access Virus TI" range. Looks bitching.

DROP US A MESSAGE on our Facebook page wall or email us at hello@bpmlife.co.za. We want to know what you’re loving, what you’re hating, and most importantly... What you’re listening to!

DANIEL GRANNERY See you soon brother!

Let us know what you’d like to see in the next BPM Mag and we could publish your letters here!

JESS JUSTAFRÉ See you very soon! xx

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TRAVIS 'TRAZ' HYDE When you going to be in SA again.

www.bpmlife.co.za Where the beat lives on...

THE NEWS THE LATEST CLUB AND DANCE MUSIC NEWS FROM SA AND AROUND THE WORLD

RICHIE HAWTIN TO HEADLINE THE CAPE TOWN ELECTRONIC MUSIC FESTIVAL he CTEMF returns in February 2013. The biggest news, of course, is that Richie Hawtin will be headlining the event. We put a few questions to the team on their thoughts about hosting Hawtin, why they moved their date and what we can expect this time...

from day one, and to see how well received and attended these were was also something we could have only wished for.”

RICHIE HAWTIN... “The impact that Richie Hawtin has had on the world is undeniable, but the personal impact his music and journey has had on us as a team at CTEMF is truly the driving force behind booking him. His approach to things is clean, poignant and incredibly impactful, all the while pushing boundaries and experience, we like to carry this ethos through all we do. We are all HUGE fans, and to fulfil the goal being part of bringing Richie Hawtin to South Africa and hosting him at the CTEMF 2013 is genuinely a dream come true.” THE DATE CHANGE... “We decided to pull the date forward this year (12 - 17 February 2013) to include a much wider audience who will be around Cape Town in February. The weather is still a sure-fire shot in early Feb, but also we believe at this early stage we need to find our perfect fit in terms of date. We proved the metal of this festival last year, and hopefully this

PHOTO: FAMOUS FROUWS

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WHAT’S GOING TO BE DIFFERENT THIS YEAR? “The obvious inclusion of international artists like Richie Hawtin and possibly some other surprise guests. We plan to integrate the space at the Breakwater parking garage more extensively this year. It's not that there are any massive changes this year, as much as stepping the whole operation up to another level on all fronts.”

will make it more accessible to people planning their holidays and trips to Cape Town for CTEMF.” WHAT PROVED SUCCESSFUL LAST YEAR? “The amount of positive feedback last year was a fantastic response for us all. The energy, thought and care we have put into this festival has been genuine and copious and to see this reflected back in the comments we received from fans, brands and people involved was a very special thing. The location is a winner as well as the teams we work with. We've got an amazing overall product moving forward. The surrounding Satellite (Fringe) Events as well as the workshop sessions were something we were all adamant about

ARTISTS CONFIRMED SO FAR... “We are very excited to see Ready D and Youngsta team up, for us it represents such strong aspects of the Hip-Hop community in Cape Town - A pioneer and a progressor. Another pioneer and integral part of Dance Culture in SA is undoubtedly G-Force from Digital Rockitt. To put an act like Shangaan Electro on our stage will also present an act which a large portion of people at the CTEMF will never have seen live, and this is very exciting for us. We have lots of tricks up our sleeves for CTEMF 2013.” BPM Magazine is proud to be the official media partner for CTEMF 2013. www.ctemf.com

MUSIC NEWS

BRIDGES FOR MUSIC COMES TO SOWETO AND GUGULETHU IN 2013 WITH RICHIE HAWTIN A new and exciting initiative kicks off in February 2013 - one that BPM Magazine is proud to be a part of. Called Bridges for Music it’s a 5-tier program that strives to educate, inspire, connect, enhance and raise awareness through electronic music. As a non-profit organization supporting electronic music, the members of Bridges for Music [all leaders in the global dance music industry] have used their vast experience and contacts to achieve these goals. An event and workshop will be hosted in Soweto and Gugulethu respectively with international techno superstar DJ Richie Hawtin [cover feature, Pg. 12] on his first ever tour to South

Africa. SA artists committed to the initiative include DJ Fresh, Niskerone, Black Coffee and Euphonik [featured on Pg. 16] with several others to be confirmed. Bridges for Music will host a workshop in each of these areas [Soweto and Gugulethu] aiming to connect and inspire the local talent through a 2 hour master class. Thereafter a phat party is guaranteed with Richie Hawtin and a selection of some of the aforementioned DJs performing on the night. Aside from the workshops, Bridges for Music endeavours to support local music schools, by providing them with enough resources to maximize the impact in the community. But it

gets better! As a program of empowerment, Bridges for Music is also looking for talent to take to the world stage and the February 2013 events, are the first of two separate tours that will be held, the second scheduled for March 2013. Bridges for Music is working closely with SA promoters, CTEMF [CPT] and Truth [JHB], to make this tour happen and to use music to bridge social gaps. A portion of ticket proceeds will be contributed towards the tour in Soweto and Gugulethu. To stay tuned for exact dates and how to attend, make sure you’re fans of the BPM Facebook page as we will be keeping you up-to-date online. Facebook.com/bpmmag www.bridgesformusic.com

CALVIN HARRIS RELEASES 3RD ALBUM 18 MONTHS The Scottish DJ has released 18 Months (read our review on Pg. 46) which features a star studded line-up, with guest vocals from the likes of Rihanna, Florence And The Machine's Florence Welch, Kelis, Ne-Yo, Dizzee Rascal, Ellie Goulding, TinieTempah, Nicky Romero, Dillon Francis, Ayah and Example. The album is Harris' third full-length effort of his career so far and is the follow-up to his 2009 Number One record Ready For the Weekend. Sweet Nothing is the sixth single from the album so far, with Harris' collaborations with Kelis (Bounce), Example (We’ll Be Coming Back), Ne-Yo (Let’s Go), Rihanna (We Found Love)

and his solo track Feel So Close already released. The single Sweet Nothing, featuring

SKRILLEX TO PERFORM IN SOUTH AFRICA 2013! 10 December 2012: The rumour mill went a little haywire on Facebook on the Monday after the H2O party with Steve Aoki and Nicky Romero as the story leaked that Skrillex is coming to SA in March 2013. Whilst we were not able to get an official confirmation from Electric, the guys behind bringing him, BPM Magazine can indeed confirm that the artist himself tweeted an Instragram photo with the dates as: Cape Town – 28th February, Durban – 1st of March & Jhb – 2nd of March. Follow Skrillex @ twitter.com/Skrillex

Florence Welch also features remixes by Tiësto, Nicky Romero and Dirtyloud. Calvin has sold an amazing 4 Million singles in the UK, with 1.4 Million of those sold in the past 12 Months. He has also spent 20 weeks in the Top 10 over the last year and has been touring the world DJ’ing everywhere from Las Vegas, to Ibiza, to Australia, along with playing a 56 date UK and European tour with Rihanna at the end of 2011. He is currently touring in support of 18 Months and played London's iTunes Festival this year on 15 September, co-headlining London's Roundhouse with fellow dance titan David Guetta.

GOLDFISH BACK IN SOUTH AFRICA START WORKING ON NEW ALBUM... Goldfish returned to South Africa in October last year after another Ibiza Summer residency and three month tour of Europe. The electronic duo have been based in Ibiza playing the island’s most prestigious clubs, Pacha Ibiza (on superstar David Guetta’s night F*** Me I’m Famous night) as well as a residency at the World’s Best Beach Club, The Blue Marlin Ibiza; interspersed with headline bookings in France, Germany, Holland, UK and Italy. The boys also sold out their own Goldfish Outdoor Festival in Amsterdam with a notto-be-missed After Movie doing the rounds on YouTube. Search Goldfish Outdoor (Official Aftermovie) on the channel and you’ll find it! Says Dave, “the touring has been amazing but we’re really happy to be back in the studio and working on all the tracks we have been jamming whilst we have been on the road. Ibiza is an incredible place to get inspired and we’re excited to be home for a bit to put all these ideas into our new album.” Goldfish will be performing only a select amount of exclusive gigs in South Africa this Summer whilst in studio, such as [for 2013] the Durban and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens as well as their legendary Submerged Sundays concept in Cape Town, which is now in its 6th year. The first single from the new album, Take Back Tomorrow, will be released on 25 January 2013. The album will follow sometime around March.

Stimming

THE BREATHE SUNSHINE AFRICA MUSIC CONFERENCE CAPE TOWN | 1 & 2 APRIL 2013 “PIONEERING AND GROWING THE AFRICAN MUSIC INDUSTRY” The inaugural Breathe Sunshine Africa Music Conference aims to encourage networking and the sharing of information between all involved in the African music industry. The conference aims to attract a diverse audience from the local community, national visitors, other African countries as well as European and American delegates who are working with African music in their respective territories. The event will take place over two days and the format includes workshops, panel discussions, presentations and an exhibition hall. BPM Magazine is proud to be a media partner in this event. Confirmed panellists so far include; DJ Tira, Jack Parow, Valentino Barriosetta, Evan Milton, Euphonik and many more. breathesunshineconference.com

10 COLUMNIST By The Little Misfit

The Little Misfit

END OF AN ERA FIREWORKS LIT THE SKY IN MULTI-COLOURED BURSTS, LIPS MET, CHAMPAGNE POPPED

Rezonance NYE Dancefloor he end of the world is nigh; well, the end of the year is anyway. The Mayan Calendar stops at 2012 and believers are predicting the apocalypse. Sound familiar? The year 2000 was also meant to bring about end of times, but all it brought for me - was one hell of a party. Deep in the Elgin Valley, in an unassuming apple orchard in the Western Cape, something very strange is going on. It’s the cusp of the millennium and thousands of psy-travellers have descended on a fruit farm, from Japanese psy warriors with dreads as thick as tree trunks, to Israelis with their chillums and chai. So many different races and faces - it’s like some exotic market spinning on top of The Faraway Tree. It’s New Year’s Eve 1999 and I’m at the biggest psytrance festival ever held outside of Europe: Vortex 2000. I wanted it to go on forever. Some of the most influential artists in the scene played at the festival. The line-up included greats such as XDream, Total Eclipse, Pleaidians, Kox-Box, Cydonia, Tristan, Infected Mushroom, Droidlock, and Hallucinogen. As the clock ticked over into the next thousand years, Hallucinogen played a specially made track Mi Loony Um, complete with an ominous sound of a clock ticking down. Fireworks lit the sky in multi-coloured bursts, lips met, champagne popped. A quintessential New Year’s Eve, for a trance hippy anyway. I spent five days in that apple orchard; I danced under the sun with a man painted midnight blue, I think his name was Shiva, when my feet finally gave in I slept under the stars, I ate falafels with my new Israeli friends, and I showered al fresco under an icy water pump.

“THESE PROMOTERS ARE INVOLVED IN CREATING SOMETHING LASTING THAT AT ITS CORE IS INHERENTLY GOOD.” Though definitely not the first South African trance party, it was the one where the scene kicked it up to another level. Suddenly we were world contenders. Over the next couple of years Vortex continued to set the standard, and South Africa became a trance destination for international travellers. Our production talent became famous across the globe and our artists were (and are) consistently on the biggest line-ups on the planet. I haven’t spent every New Year’s Eve at a South African psy party. One I can remember was six, or so, years ago with my touring psytrance producer boyfriend. Now anyone who’s dated a DJ will tell you, thanks to their gigs, you end up in the strangest towns. One New Year’s Eve, he was booked in Switzerland and we arrived in a medieval village, Porrentruy, which by the looks of it hadn’t changed since the 1500s. We walked through the deserted streets with teeth baring statues of warthogs dripping in red wax, a dark tower loomed over the small, ancient town, and when we finally found people in a bar they just stared at us like we had come from another dimension. With atmosphere like this - you can imagine the party. It was a wild night of thumping psy trance with menacing overtones - I can clearly remember one of the DJs, Eskimo, with his lunatic grin and flaming red hair lit up by green lasers.

Back on home soil Prism came up in the ranks - a magical partnering of the two leading psy promoters in SA; Alien Safari and Vortex and these New Year’s Eve parties shone like its namesake pulling in huge crowds of happy, shiny people. This annual festival later evolved into Rezonance after of a dissolved Vortex partnership - the nitty gritty of which we won’t get into here. Now a powerhouse of a festival that sees a staggering attendance of around 8000 people, a couple of stages and 80 international and local acts. Soon Boomerang arrived on the scene, and now there are two true blue psy events on New Year’s Eve. It’s testament to the scene’s ever growing popularity that both festivals are successful, though Rezonance is the behemoth of the two. Not just New Year’s Eve parties, the people behind these parties - Vortex & Alien Safari, and even the newer breed like Boomerang have created a legacy. The scene, while wildly successful, isn’t just financially motivated. These promoters are involved in creating something lasting that at its core is inherently good. We’re part of conscious movement to make the world a better place one stomp at a time. Through small things like leaving a donation at the gate for the less fortunate, organisers that encourage car-pooling, and festivals that make donations to charities. The overall message made by these parties makes a pretty good New Year’s resolution: have respect for yourself, others and the environment, and always play nice. I wish you a happy New Year, trancies, as we move from the Mayan era to the next hopefully anyway.

12 COVER FEATURE

By Dave Mac

IN SYNC WITH

RICHIE HAWTIN “TECHNOLOGY HAS CREATED WAYS FOR MANY OF US TO EXPRESS CREATIVITY WE MAY NEVER HAVE KNOWN WE HAD...”

he first thing that strikes me as I dial Berlin for what turns out to be an enthralling 45 minute conversation with legendary techno DJ, producer and possibly electronic music’s finest ambassador, Richie Hawtin, is how different the world of EDM [an acronym I sense Hawtin does not particularly like] is to the world of rock and pop music. In what was possibly one of the easiest interviews to set up with an international artist, Hawtin’s assistant, Thomas, casually came back to me with a simple email; “I pencilled the interview into Rich’s diary for tomorrow, 5 pm CET. You can call him on his mobile:_______.” The voice on the other side of the phone is very relaxed, I sense he is at home although I don’t think to ask and after

pleasantries and introductions my opening remark is exactly about how more personable the EDM scene [there’s that word again] is, as opposed to the mainstream. This strikes an immediate chord with Hawtin as we embark on an holistic discussion on all things electronic.

A HISTORY LESSON Richie grew up in Windsor, Ontario, Canada which is just across the border from Detroit ‘Techno’ city. When prompted with who his biggest inspiration has been over the years he doesn’t hesitate to cite the Detroit scene and specifically the greats, Jeff Mills and Derrick May as being two legends who influenced his approach to his art, “I’ve always looked at ways to use technology to ‘fuck things up’ like those guys used to with turntables back in the day.” Indeed Richie’s legacy is as much about

the music he creates, the DJ sets he plays as it is about the technology he has helped develop and continues to. In fact his 2001 release, DE9 - Closer to the Edit - is regarded by some as the tipping point for what was to become minimal techno. He agrees but adds, “I think even more so Transitions [his 2005 release’]. But yeah Closer to the Edit was an interesting concept and a new one. I didn’t know specifically what I was creating except that this whole process of cutting up tracks and segueing them together seamlessly, augmented me as an artist. I was on a wave of popularity and had so much music being sent to me that I just felt a need to introduce a lot of these producers to the global scene by creating this tapestry of sound.” Using snippets of tracks must have been a difficult concept for some of the producers to digest; “Luckily most were friends of mine, so they kinda trusted my vision.”

TECHNOLOGY Hawtin was and still is a visionary, not only in the art of producing some genre defining moments in his career, sought after DJ sets and concept based events and tours, but also in the world of music technology, something he takes very seriously. I, like many others assumed that Richie has been central to all of Native Instrument’s DJ range of products from the Traktor software - which he uses to their hardware interfaces. He laughs, “No, no, the association comes mainly from the fact that I was involved with the company N2IT who actually developed the Timecode technology to interface turntables with computer software. This is where Final Scratch came from and still forms the basis for Native Instruments’ Traktor Scratch Pro. In fact they [NI] still licence this technology from N2IT.” But he does acknowledge his massive influence on the development of computer based DJ technology, “I’m always looking for more ways to develop the art of DJing through the technology we have at our disposal, so yes if I envision something new that will forward this thinking, I certainly do speak to them, but it’s the same for other products like Ableton which I also use.” A curious question put forward by one of our local DJs proves quite apt and seems to strike a nerve with Richie. It’s to do with ‘Laptop DJs’ staring at their screens too much [something Richie has mastered the art of not doing.] “Actually I’ve told my label DJs to practice at not doing this and be mindful of not getting sucked into the screen. I’ve also insisted they put a sticker over the Apple logo as this is also a distraction.” He pauses, then adds thoughtfully, “it’s still better than watching the back of a DJ while he digs in his crate of records!” True that! I add that if you know your tunes, you won’t have to stare at the waveforms much on your laptop. He just laughs, “most of the time I don’t know the stuff I’m playing or how

I’m going to play it. That’s the magic right there. Cutting up bits of music on the fly, bringing stuff in and out, effecting, looping... remixing. I actually like it when it becomes totally fucked up sometimes, go’s out of time.” Going out of time prompts me to broach the ongoing debate of the sync button. “Do you and your compatriots ever discuss this”, I ask. “Not really. I think some are just a bit unsure about embracing this way of playing. In fact I’ve also had one of my label DJs express concern that he won’t be taken seriously enough if he migrates to laptop DJing.” Richie of course does not have these reservations and loves that “technology makes us more connected to the dancefloor.” His final words on technology [a subject I sense we could spend all night talking about] are inspiring; “Technology has created ways for many of us to express creativity we may never have known we had. I used to sit in my basement as a kid tapping into sounds and ideas and through computers and all the other technological advancements at our disposal today, amazing creativity can be created.” This is indeed the driving force behind Hawtin’s important leadership in advancing the art of DJing.

RICHIE AND SOUTH AFRICA Through the Bridges for Music initiative Hawtin will be visiting South Africa for the first time in February 2013. “Friends of mine have holidayed there. I believe it’s an amazing country and I’m really excited to be finally making it over. I’m also particularly excited about the township tours we’ll be doing and the chance to spread our love for electronic music.” [You can read all about the Bridges for Music concept on Pg. 7]. He adds, "I believe music can play a crucial role in raising awareness of social issues and artists should have a responsibility to give something back. This is why I was inspired to be a part of the Bridges for Music concept from the minute it was presented to me." Richie is no stranger to embarking on meaningful expeditions to further the cause of underground dance music having just recently completed an ambitious college campus tour of Canada and USA alongside Loco Dice and Ean Golden. With the sudden tsunami of interest in EDM in the USA, a subject Richie also has an insightful perspective on, the CNTRL tour championed what Hawtin and [Loco] Dice term the ‘futuristic and underground side of the genre.’ Despite the massive commercial side of dance music today with pop artists jumping on the bandwagon he is both excited and philosophical about the future. “I love that the new breed of party people have grown up with this music so they are often genre-less in

their appreciation.” We both agree that the new generation will indeed get down to a good Dubstep set as easily as say, a techno one. Richie adds thoughtfully that despite the mainstream side to dance music, he is confident that it’s not going to blow out too soon and those genuine advocators of the underground will keep on producing the cutting edge he is so well known for.

THE TOUR: Bridges for Music: A non profit tour which will include workshops and a party in Soweto and Gugulethu. www.bridgesformusic.com When and where: February 2013 [join the BPM MAG Facebook fan page for further details] Cape Town Electronic Music Festival: When & Where: 15-17 February, V& A Waterfront, Cape Town Truth Nightclub: When & Where: 16 Febuary @ Truth JHB Citations: Thanks to Valentino Barrioseta [Bridges for Music] for arranging the interview. Thanks to the following SA DJS for their input; Richard Marshall, Dave Skinz, Thiago Kanan and Brendon Geary.

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16 FEATURE

By Tendai Luwo

EUPHONIK SHINING IN A TOTAL BLACKOUT

true entertainer’s career has to go through the motions. From breaking onto the scene and being the new kid on the block, to becoming a household name, then finally a little bit of scandal here and there to add a touch of spice to the story of their life. Euphonik has officially been through and seen it all, at least for now, and more than anything he came out of it a whole lot stronger and packing an even meaner punch than most would expect. With a Superga sneaker line, his own T-shirt range, an added radio slot on 5FM and a brand new album in the bag, Nasrec Expofrom Centre Euphonik has risen the ashes and is readyJohannesburg for world domination. DJ’s December go as quickly 2012 as they came but 15 therehttps://www.facebook.co are surely no signs that Euphonik will be leaving us anytime soon. He happily m/events/2837313717315 attributes his longevity to hard and smart 28/ work as well as knowing what he is here

for. “I love this industry and I try my best to do more for it than it does for me.” On top of this, a penchant for ingenuity has been one of his strengths throughout his illustrious career. This is most evident in the growth and changes illustrated in his music.

Total Blackout The album is a new sound for Euphonik, a very new sound. One that was inspired mostly by his extensive travels, “When you leave to go overseas you can’t help but be inspired by what’s happening all over the world and it’s only a matter of time before that sound is massive here as well.” CTICC But because I’ve been following his musicCape since Town the start and I’m possibly one of the16 fewDecember people who2012 needed time to warmhttps://www.facebook.co up to the ‘New Euphonik’, I can’t help but ask him if he isn’t scared that his m/events/1069643261285 new found EDM sound may alienate the 82/?fref=ts fan base he initially started out with.

“I don’t believe in doing things to maintain a fan base. I always follow my heart and my heart is leading me towards what I’m doing now. I know I’ve lost a few followers but I’ve also gained a hell of a lot. The only thing that is constant is change.” The album holds great sentimental value to the young DJ though, from its title to the content, everything has meaning and a story to tell. The title itself is based on how 2012 had been such a bitter sweet year for Euphonik so before the break of dawn there is always complete darkness hence it is aptly named Total Blackout. Beyond that, Euphonik also took the initiative to step into the studio far more than he had with previous albums. 14 of the 26 tracks found on the album are Euphonik’s own productions although he does trek back into the archives to fetch some of his classic gems like Vuma and Seng’khathele featuring Shota.

One of the lead singles, Shut Up, which is a sample of former police commissioner Bheki Cele’s famous ‘Go home and shut up’ rant, serves as a big screw you! to all those that felt they had something to say about Euphonik during his trials and tribulations of 2012. The album in itself carries its weight in gold and one can believe that it does what he intended it to do. Its Ultimix-like flow ensures that it’s the perfect party starter album, and its blend of urban musicians and electro music ensures that it appeals to a far greater audience than what most would envision.

Helping Hand Like the Arch Bishop has Dalai Lama, Euphonik has a good friend and business partner in DJ Fresh. Over the years Fresh has played a significant role in mentoring Euphonik as a young entertainer and ultimately this guidance blossomed into a longstanding friendship that still exists today. I’m curious though whether Euphonik has passed on this same knowledge and wisdom to any other blossoming DJ’s and gladly he has. “I help out a lot of DJs and producers throughout the year and I’m

“I LOVE THIS INDUSTRY AND I TRY MY BEST TO DO MORE FOR IT THAN IT DOES FOR ME.” always available to give people advice where they need it. DJ Clock, Bhekzin Terris, Chris Sen, G-Funk and DJ Loyd from Cape Town are a few people I’ve helped.” On a less intimate but equally effective note, Euphonik also has the DJ 101 sessions. A venture he initiated in 2009 that serves as a crash course introduction into the DJ industry. The 2012 edition featured renowned DJ and producer, Black Coffee and attracted around 550 participants all hoping to tap into the fountain of wisdom that these two industry heavy weights offer and hopefully will one day emulate their success.

Beyond The Music Not one to limit himself to just being a DJ, Euphonik also partnered up with DJ Fresh to launch Oh Ship, a 3 day themed boat cruise from Cape Town to Mossel Bay then back to Cape Town that aimed to turn the South African party experience on its head.

On top of this Euphonik also has his hand in real estate amongst other things, “I dabble in the property game and I’m working on some behind the scenes music industry things that excite me. I love learning as much as I can about my craft.” By now it is clear to see that Euphonik is continuously hopping from strength to strength and the only direction he could possibly go is up. With his eyes firmly set on becoming an international phenomenon and proudly carrying the South African flag high it’s obvious that very little can stop this man on his conquest - not even himself. But before I bid him adieu I’d like to know what legacy he’d like to leave at the end of it all. To which his response is as honest as a nun, “Honestly I haven’t quite figured that out yet, but firstly I want to make myself happy before I try doing it for anyone else.” Well whether he is doing it for us or not, we are happy either way with what he has to offer thus far. Read Tendai’s album review on Pg. 42 Facebook.com/ euphonikdj

20 FEATURE

By Mickdotcom

FELIX LABAND AND THE IMPOSSIBLE DAY hen I call Felix Laband up I have no idea what to expect. It’s been six wide years since Dark Days Exit, Laband’s high watermark following on cult favourites Thin shoes in June and 4/4 Down the stairs, the latter two albums having already re-sculpted dance-floor soundtracks throughout Cape Town, and brought him to the attention of hip German Electronica and Acid-Jazz label Compost. Dark Days Exit, widely and wildly lauded by critics throughout the hipper corners of the globe, introduced a more pensive aspect of Laband’s musicality. Its moods shifted from prettily haunted to vaguely ominous - its beauty was carved in twilight spaces, its beats shuffling in shadow. It was a great record, and - by his own admission - was created in a period of inspired productivity. Following the clamour of praise and applause, Laband opted to withdraw from the adoring crowds. Then seemed to fall away from the earth itself... leaving, in his stead, the usual proliferation of whispers and rumours that tend to accompany such sudden and sustained

“...IT MAKES YOU REALIZE THAT SOME PEOPLE EXIST IN A LIVING HELL, WHILE OTHERS PARTY NEXT DOOR.” disappearances. I’m surprised at the relaxed voice on the other side of the phone, inviting me to his studio in Rosebank. When my editor asked me to interview Laband at his new spot in Joburg, I calmly assured him that Laband was very much Cape-centric, and that his ‘new spot in Joburg’ was probably just another snippet of fictitious rumour. Several days later - more than a little disbelievingly - I found myself driving up a typically pretty, leaf-twirling Rosebank street. Stepping into Laband’s home is like stepping into a living Felix Laband album cover, in 3D. The cozy, calm space of trees and geriatric-friendly gardens outside are replaced by Laband’s signature cheeky, unsettling manipulations of found images Here’s Barack Obama’s face blooming Ziggy Stardust tattoos; there’s Mugabe poking his newly mandible-fanged head through an ANC poster; here’s a cute huddle of Pornettes being penetrated by lucky skeletons; there a sweaty babe being ruptured by weird technologies. Some of the collisions/collages bear the legend Deaf Safari...

‘And that shit’s happening right now...' Laband and longstanding girlfriend Lauren have to pop out to a friend’s place (I’m a tad early), and instead of asking me to take a drive and come back later, or wait outside, Felix says I can chill in their lounge, “We’ll just be 15 minutes...”

From whichever perspective you view it, this is a very prettily ribboned gift for any journo or fan to receive - 15 minutes of unselfconscious exploration... of inspecting the periphery, the creative traces of an artist’s living space. I flip through two boxes of records, which, along with the room-lining CD collection (hopping from book-shelves to cardboard box to cardboard boxes to crates and back) is mostly, and surprisingly, generic. No Steve Hofmeyer though. The Laband DVD collection is more intriguing - some dark and experimental titles wink at me.

21 When they return (“Feel free to read some books...” Laband mentioned before leaving) I’m paging through an occult pulp novel by Ira Levin (author of Rosemary’s Baby.) “You should check these out; insane stuff. Important,” he says while scooping up a selection. Then he pops off to make some coffee (“Do you take milk?”). Felix Laband has been reading. A lot. The tumble of books he hands me are mostly non-fiction, “this guy missioned right into Sierra Leone, amazing shit.” Rwanda’s RUF; psychopathic child gangs; political analyses of corrupt regimes; the behind-the-hush cesspool of what SA troops did and experienced at the border in those sinister Eighties, “they’d basically arrive there, fresh off the helicopter, and be inaugurated by seeing a burning man being dragged down a dirt road. These kids (in Sierra Leone) basically waltzed into the capital and hacked off everybody’s limbs. Everybody’s.” Heavy stuff and one can see it in Felix’s eyes, in his gait, the heaviness. It takes something out of you exploring the dark - it claims its pound of flesh. Africa that is Laband’s new mission, the Africa behind the scenes, behind the screens, behind the vaulted walls of fearful rich white/black folk soothing Africa’s reality away with the salve of money. Money has become the ultimate security system - the distance that turns tragedy into comedy, or at least something inoffensive... Whatever’s been in his veins before, Laband is mainlining harsh reality, “It just freaks me out that this shit (the Rwandan genocide and ongoing nightmares in Sierra Leone) went down while we were teens. It makes you realize that some people exist in a living hell, while others party next door.” Laband is tired of the hip crowds, the self-congratulatory throngs of Capetonian Hipsters, with their jaded wit - with their comforting distance from hacked-off limbs and prepubescent children torturing people for kicks. “It makes you realize we’re all flesh,” Laband says, in reference to some deeply disturbing Sierra Leone footage he’d seen. Laband is meaning to inject some reality into his music too.

That, and some Jozi. I ask him about his move to Johannesburg: The answer is simple - he wants to mix with new artists, new rhythms; he wants to move new crowds. One of the tracks he plays me off the long-pending new album Deaf Safari is neck-deep in Kwaito... but a tweaked Kwaito - bounce-heavy, yet Alien. Another track snakes ingeniously around the rhythmic rants of some North African evangelist. Said track freshly reveals the inherent musicality of African sermons music is Everywhere, in prayer and

damnation alike. It’s an interesting approach, Deaf Safari: Get people boogying to get them thinking. Listening to the Deaf Safari tunes I sense Laband’s got his approach down... The familiar motifs still pop up here and there - tinkling vibraphones, prettily looped acoustic guitars - but there’s a new edge here: Dark Funk Phosphorescent beauty which can only be appreciated in shadow... “People can talk all they want, and I guess I’ve kinda lived up to all the rumours... but when Deaf Safari drops I want it to hit. I want it to mean something.” Laband started off as a teen punk - Incurable when he was in Standard 7, later Fingerhead. It was listening to electro-Goth and Industrial groups (Alien Sex Fiend, Skinny Puppy) that got Laband interested in programming (their latter outfit utilized a drum machine). That spirit - adolescent, hungry - is still there, waiting to pounce.

Hungry Futures. Felix Laband is revisiting his live band days - Deaf Safari will be the first Laband album to feature his own vocals, own lyrics. “I’m at a place where I have something to say...” From what I’ve heard, it’s going to be something of an onslaught. Check one. Check 1-2-3.

22 FEATURE By Jayson Geland

"MY OLD BALEARIC TRADEMARK SOUND DOES NOT REALLY EXIST ANYMORE. THE NEW ALBUM REPRESENTS WHAT I AM PLAYING RIGHT NOW.”

ROGER SHAH oger Shah has long been a revered and coveted name on the international dance circuit. The German trance colossus' prolificacy and ingenuity are legendary. With more than six albums to his credit, a multifarious array of remixes and an inventive live performance to boot, it's not hard to see why he's remained an esteemed fixture in the scene since his emergence in the early nineties. Far from merely a DJ, Shah is a sonic explorer; roaming audible landscapes in search of the uncharted territories from which he assembles new sounds, forging new musical avenues. Having earned the adulation of his contemporaries, Armin Van Buuren is among his many admirers, and global audiences alike, Shah has firmly established himself as an irrefutable innovator of his craft. Born in southern Germany, his initial ventures in music began with him learning to play the keyboard at age ten, going on to play in a band not long after. But it wasn't until he encountered dance music that he knew that a life spent composing and performing was on the cards for him. At age twenty he started to DJ, slowly building his profile with hits such as 1999's The Mission and since then has been at the helm of numerous acclaimed releases on some of Europe’s top labels. One intriguing aspect of Shah's life as a DJ

is his constantly shifting musical identity. Over the course of his career he has developed something of a reputation for his vigorous employment of multiple aliases. Titles such as Sunlounger and Savannah are just two examples of his chameleon-esque name hopping. However, this pursuit is not one rooted in vanity, the reason for it is surprisingly practical as he explains, "It has more to do with contracts and exclusivity reasons with record companies, or even just working with different producers on different projects. This way I could also work and check out different record companies to see how they work." Around 2010 he dropped the 'DJ' prefixation from his nom de guerre, opting to go simply with his birth name to coincide with his live act taking on a more instrumental approach. Shah has toured broadly this past year, promoting his album Openminded. His entertainment value as a performer has undoubtedly gone from strength to strength too, with his act forgoing the usual treatment of selecting and mixing tracks in favour of incorporating live playing and vocals. Undeterred by trivialities such as destination, his philosophy with regard to performance is one of earnestly sharing the unifying experience only music can provide, as he states, "Music is a universal language and has no cultural barrier, it doesn't matter where I play or for what kind of culture, the response is almost always the same. People sing along with

their hands in the air.” 23 November saw the release of the latest instalment of Shah's Magic Island series, Volume 4. Known for its signature Balearic blend of rhythm and melody, the series has turned listeners the world over on to the sounds of distant, beatific summer isles. With this iteration however, Shah is hoping to capture something new rather than resting on the back of a tested formula. "My old Balearic trademark sound does not really exist anymore. The new album represents what I am playing right now." Critical response to the new release has been favourable so far. Ever on the move, Shah is already plotting out his activities in the coming year with designs for soundtracks for several Hollywood films in the works, having recently been appointed as an in-house producer at Disney. This, along with a prospective fashion imprint goes to show that the man is rampantly trotting out the path to artistic fulfilment. Roger Shah is due to perform at Truth Nightclub on New Year’s Eve and at Bloublometjies in Cape Town on 12 January. It's a tour he's feverishly looking forward to, "The people have been very enthusiastic about my music. I think this is a great country to build something special." Become a fan here: facebook.com/rogershahartist

24 ARTIST Q ‘n A

By Dave Mac

LIQUID SOUL "I CHANGED TO PSY MUSIC BECAUSE I FOUND MUCH MORE FREEDOM TO LET MY INSPIRATION FLOW WITHOUT BOUNDARIES.“ wiss born Nicola Capobianco‘s visit to South Africa is long overdue. The melodic progtrance maestro has been wowing dancefloors for 10 years and then some; unfortunately everywhere else but here. Once a Euro trance DJ and producer [in the 90’s], he traded his white glove and whistle for something more psychdelic and meaningful by creating his Liquid Soul moniker in 2001. We hit him up with a little cyber chat ahead of his first SA gig in March 2013.

After years of performing alongside big commercial names such as Tiësto and Armin van Buuren, what made you decide to start Liquid Soul and produce music for the underground? I changed to psy music because I found much more freedom to let my inspiration flow without boundaries. But I am still in love with trance as you can hear in my productions. Speaking of the underground, here in Cape Town, psy is the biggest single music scene and fairly mainstream when compared to Europe for example. Despite it’s obvious global popularity it remains underground. Why do you think that is? First of all, I think the scene still has a bad image to some. Then I also think that the scene wants to keep the “underground” feeling and does not look for mainstream popularity which is cool since we have huge and high quality parties worldwide anyway.

If someone who knew very little about trance asked you what the difference is between what Tiësto or Armin does and what you do, how would you describe this to them? Sure! I am not as cheesy as they are, but I follow the same concept of uplifting and emotional music which lets you feel high and puts a smile on your face. The psy and prog trance scene tends to stand alone from the other genres, globally; you don’t often see psyprog artists performing at big mainstream electronic festivals. Having said that you’ve done two big remixes for Paul Oakenfold. Do you get much opportunity to meet and mix with the more mainstream producers? Actually I have received a lot of offers to do remixes for mainstream artists which does make me proud in a way, but I choose the tracks carefully and say no to many offers as I dont wanna go too commercial or cheesy. But I think it‘s a good thing to play at mainstream events as it gives me a chance to show my music to people who might not ever hear it. How aware do you think the DJ MAG Top 20 DJs are of the psyprog scene and of its top producers? I think they are aware; I see Neelix made it this year, but to be honest it‘s hard to enter the list without a massive promotional campaign. Travelling and performing sounds like a great life, but actually it can also take its toll. Many hours in airports, in hotel rooms, probably

quite a lot of time on your own etc... do you ever wonder how long you’ll keep it up or do you just love it too much? I do think about how long I can go on, because it’s often hard as you say, especially the flights. You often don‘t get to sleep properly too, but in the end its an awesome job and I still love it. Your sound is large, full of layers and complex melodies. Outdoors and in big room clubs with large crowds this must work well. What about smaller events indoors? Those intimate 200/300 people on a dancefloor events? Do you ever get to play those? Yes of course. Some countries have a small scene so I do these gigs often and it offers me a nice balance between the major raves. I also play DJ sets once or twice a month in a small afterhour club in Zürich ‘cos I like the atmosphere and the close up energy that only small dancefloors can provide. And lastly, what turns a dancefloor from good to awesome? When the smiling crowd gets in a trance and becomes one. facebook.com/liquidsouliboga Liquid Soul will be playing at the Love & Light party on 9 March alongside Symphonix and a host of leading SA Djs. Join the Love & Light Facebook Page facebook.com/loveandlightCT - for further details.

26 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

By Sergio Pereira

“I'M LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE A CONSTANT IN PEOPLE'S LIVES...” the only time you get any rest - but the biggest priority is being preoccupied with making sure you deliver the best you can do. Your radio show has become incredibly popular in South Africa. After so many years on-air, how do you manage to keep the show so fresh and interesting? I think it’s my natural inclination to always be looking to what’s going on... on the street, on the dance floor, looking for the next thing musically [and] checking out all the new trends coming through... It keeps me young and rolling to that extent. Also, the environment of [BBC] Radio 1 is a challenging one - the whole station is about championing new music. That also helps, because it keeps you on your toes. It’s not like being at a station, which’s happy to grow old with its audience and keep doing the same thing; [BBC Radio 1] still wants to be relevant to a core age group. So, it’s a combination of all those things and the fact that I still DJ so much I was a club DJ when I started, and radio came on top of that - but I always feel like what I’m doing on the radio is representative of what’s happening in clubs. I’m still enjoying playing in clubs, which I can’t quite believe, but I do (laughs).

PETE TONG he undisputed global ambassador of electronic music, Pete Tong, will be hitting South African shores once again; this time for the New Year’s Eve “Live City Linkup” between Ballito and Cape Town. The legendary British DJ chats to BPM about his Mzansi memories, playing two cities in one night, his criticallyacclaimed radio show and his legacy.

Pete, what are some of your memories of South Africa? The first time you come to a country like that, it’s obviously the scale of it... Seeing the shanty towns for the first time, and then [going to] downtown Cape Town, which was a bit of a reality check. Then, when I went to Jo’burg for the first time, you don’t necessarily see the

public in quite the same way, but you see the fact that all the houses are like fortresses (laughs)... Just getting in touch with the reality of the situation. I think it’s changed a bit now, but that’s the way it was in the late ’90s/turn of the century... You’re playing 2 cities on New Year’s Eve; it’s bound to be exhilarating to jet between Ballito and Cape Town. What sort of a rush does this give you? It’s exciting to be able to be in 2 places at one time. I just want to deliver, really. I say it’s more the pressure of just delivering to people’s expectations. These situations tend to go by so quickly that the other thing you need to remember is to enjoy them (chuckles); that’s why we’re going to try to make the journey between the 2 places a little bit more fun with competition winners and media and stuff like that. But, for me, quite often jumping on a jet is

Do you ever think about your legacy in dance music? I don’t really think about it, no (laughs). I suppose I’m lucky enough to be a constant in people’s lives. Therefore, that’s grown my reputation and had an effect on people over time. When you stay in the same place doing something for a long time, like I have on the radio, then you do build up some clout and people’s trust, and that enables you to break records and introduce people to music better than someone else. That’s the biggest legacy for me. On another note:You were one of the first international DJs to give South Africa’s Goldfish the thumbs up. Do you still keep tabs on what they’re up to? Yeah. I see them all the time, because they’re always in Ibiza. I feel connected to Goldfish; they’re almost mates. I was very impressed; it was one of those things that you had to see it, as well as hear it, when they first started, to really get that they were truly artists - not just another couple of Djs. NEW YEAR'S EVE LIVE CITY LINKUP takes place on 31 December 2012 at Ballito's New Year's Eve Street Party at The Village Centre (5pm to 5am) and the Waterfront Rooftop Party,V&A Waterfront, Cape Town. (7pm to 4am).

28 DJ Q ‘n A

By Nathan Kabingesi

”... THERE IS SO MUCH MATERIAL OUT HERE, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF ALLOWING TIME AND SPACE FOR IT SURFACE.”

PISCE DJ isce DJ (pronounced Pysk) has been a feature on the Cape dance scene for a couple of years now, championing the cause of local Deep house. Nathan Kabingesi caught up with him to chat about being a house superhero, his R.O.A.R nights and the Cape Town Electronic Music Festival.

I’ve always wanted to ask you about the name, where does it come from? [Laughing] I’m a Pisces and so is my mother. Our birthdays are a day apart. She was so excited that my father almost got it spot on that she gave me this nickname ‘Pisce’ and it stuck. What do you make of the phrase, “Go Deep or Go Home”? If you do not like deep or can’t enjoy it for the whole night, then don’t bother coming through. How did your DJ career kick off? I had a very special double cassette ghetto blaster, which could play two cassettes at the same time. WOW! I used to copy what I used to hear and see DJ’s were doing, until my brother gave me his old car. I sold it the very next day to finance my first mobile sound system. What was the idea behind the Rising Sons (Solun Music)? Firstly, we were trying to break the norm of waiting to be offered a compilation deal and just do it for ourselves. Secondly, we wanted to share

the opportunity to showcase what Cape Town has to offer musically. “Together We Stand” kind of thing. You’ve got a track on the Rising Son’s compilation; can we expect to hear any more productions from you in the near future? I’ve released material before Rising Sons; Hola Cape Town compilation 1989, more of a kwaito/ mid-tempo kind of style. I have more samples on my reverbnation page. Otherwise, I am dreaming up more projects like Rising Sons. Dino Michael’s latest Godfather of House release is selling better here in Johannesburg than it is in the Cape… Care to comment on this? This trend goes back a way, even in the old kwaito days. So I guess it’s a lack of buying culture. Although in recent times I have seen a bit of a change while I was working in music stores. At the same time there is not enough investment in the Cape when it comes to marketing releases. People want to be excited and hyped up. Remember your biggest clients are not the DJ’s but the average consumer. Very few DJ’s and/or producers from Cape Town manage to transmit their sound successfully to the rest of the country, why do you think that is? I think they generally don’t channel their material properly. Tell us about your La Dolce Vita and Defenders of the Deep events.

La Dolce Vita was a concept that was intended to give the CPT market and CPT DJ’s a frequent night with an awesome experience at an awesome venue without having to wait on big parties. Defenders of the Deep - For that one night we are the superheroes of the deep, we make our stand and we take no prisoners… metaphorically speaking of course. How did you land a spot at the CTEMF? It was Jake [Lipman] and Ruffest who invited me, and man, I had a great time there. I brought my muti along and it seems to have worked [laughing] Given the typical demographics of the Festival, do you think it’s really representative of Cape Town? Yes, I think it is, and it will grow even more. 2012 has been a bit of a breakthrough year, what with Thibo Tazz and Dino Michael striking the right chords with their respective releases. Do you think Deep House in CT is finally ready to take its rightful place on national stage? Oh yeah, there is so much material out here, it’s just a matter of allowing time and space for it surface. The Cape Deep culture needs… R.O.A.R

30 ARTIST Q ‘n A

By Dave Mac

PAINKILLER

MORE GAIN, LESS PAIN... LIVE @ REZONANCE 2012

e’s back! Third time lucky they say although for Roy Engel he doesn’t seem to need it. South African dancefloors just can’t get enough Painkiller and by the sounds of things he can’t get enough of us either. Performing this year at Rezonance he’ll also be doing an Ateam live show alongside his kimosabe, Bliss. Here’s what Roy has to say ahead of his visit...

You’ve been to South Africa a few times now, what more have you learnt about Cape Town since the first visit? It’s addictive heh, heh. The more I come there the more I wanna stay longer or come again. Psytrance music has so many sub-genres now, although I do think there is place for all of them at a good party. We have dark-psy, night time psy, day time psy, full-on, progressive, psyprogressive etc. How would you categorise the sound of Painkiller? I agree the line up of parties should have a nice build up merging several sub-genres. The Painkiller sound is designed for dawn, just after a psychedelic night-time and heading towards a psy morning, but the category to be more exact would be Hi-tech trance or just Nutek style as we call it. And the sound of ATeam? The A-Team sound has more of an experimental and happy vibe which makes it unique and slightly different to Painkiller and Bliss [the duo’s solo projects.] It features well at prime time, morning time and kind of combines

all sub-genres together somehow, (apart from dark-psy which is a totally different bpm range). I believe your new EP - The Loop - was a collaboration across 4 different studios. Did you guys just file share across the internet or actually travel to each studio? The tracks with Punchline and Azax Syndrom were created sitting and working together but the final stages were done swapping over the net. The track with Alienn was all over the internet. Does this mean each track has a different personality (aside from the people involved)? Yeah it does, each studio sounds different; room size and acoustic wise. We also have some different plugins on our computers. But the final tracks were done in my studio. An Israeli in Barcelona. I know it's not the strangest thing ever but it is a little surprising that you settled there since the psy scene is not very big. How did you come to live in Spain? [Must have been a girl heh, heh] Arriving in Barcelona was a 100% spontaneous decision when I left San Francisco in 2001... Back then the scene in Barcelona was more alive with many cool parties around and it attracted many artists, but since then it has all gone backwards with parties getting bust by the police... so many [people] left. Me, I stayed ‘cos it’s a good place in the middle of the world; it has the Mediterranean beaches, our record label based there and... Yeah, loving and living with my girlfriend in a very cool place too.

What is it about Israel, do you think, that makes psytrance such a big genre there? Israel has very special energy and high value for life as there are times when people are not sure about tomorrow... So they party harder, longer and as much as they can. Israel is also one of the main places for trance and electronic music on the planet, with first and second generation trance producers always keeping it fresh and alive but then so is Cape Town. You seem to have made quite an impact on us here in SA. I'm sure you love playing to the South African dancefloors... There is no doubt about that; definitely one of my favourite destinations to play! When last did you play a gig and find yourself wondering "what the hell am I doing here?" Let’s say twice in the last six months, but in life it’s all about balance so after a few killer parties you know the next one might not be that great [laughs]. Which psy legend from the 90's would you say had the biggest influence on you and your sound? Astral Projection is the legendary group that got me into trance but there were many influences such as MFG, Shakta, Tsuyoshi [Suzuki], Double Dragon, X-dream and Transwave to name a few. Then also somewhere between Absolum, Talamasca and CPU influenced my sound. facebook.com/painkillermusc Rezonance NYE 2012/13 facebook.com/rezonancefestival

32 ARTIST Q ‘n A

By Dave Mac

EARTHLING DJ CELLI AKA EARTHLING RETURNS TO SA FOR BOOMERANG NEW YEARS EVE

ot every person born and raised in Ibiza favours the Balearic beats the party island is so well known for. In fact Celli [Earthling] is in some ways the antithesis of this, although it wasn’t always like that... “When I grew up it was a party island already... different than today. More hippy stuff. I remember lots of full moon parties on the beach, with live music and drumming as opposed to giant airplane-hangar sized clubs rammed full of tourists.” In fact one of Celli’s first jobs was as part of a decorating team at Club Amnesia. “Back then the clubbing experience was quite different than it is now. The clubs didn’t even have a roof at that time so you can imagine the difference. The team I was part of also used to put on large outdoor parties on the beach, or in various outdoor venues which we could get away with at that time... nowadays that's impossible here on the island.” Of the music in Ibiza today he says “It’s not all super-cheese. I do enjoy going to Cocoon (Sven's night) or to any of the other nights that play decent Techno. But I’d prefer a good outdoor trance party any day!” With over 90 releases and 6 albums to his name, it was the ’94 summer season that brought the freaks from Goa to the island; “[they came] with their DAT tapes full of this freaky new sound called Goa Trance (artists like Doof, Hallucinogen, Psychaos, Koxbox, Total Eclipse etc.) As soon as I heard that stuff I totally fell in love with it, and haven't looked back since!” I ask Celli what he missed most from those crazy Goa days. “Probably the thing I miss most is the ‘no-rules’ approach to writing music that existed back then. Every song seemed different and unique. These days things are way more formulaic and artists seem more focused on production and keeping up with trends as opposed to experimentation and introducing crazy new ideas.” He’s not a man to dwell on the past though, and continues to release cutting-edge tracks on a very regular basis.

The sound of Earthling in his own words, “[is] dedicated to a certain sound which is generally in the 140 - 145 BPM range.” I ask him what the best time is for an Earthling set at a party, “... one-night party is about 2 am... and for a Festival, I’d say about 10-11pm.” I’d have said 7am, once again revealing how ‘up-for-it’ us S’effricans are. “Scratchy” is the word Celli uses to describe what we like. But perhaps the most revealing answer comes with regards to the heavy reliance that modern psytrance places on the breaks, build-ups and drops to get the floor going. “Yes breaks and build-ups are pretty essential if you are going for those hands-in-the-air moments that so many DJ's and producers are looking for. Personally I’m not really looking for that. Myself, and the other artists and DJs at Zero One Music [Celli’s new psytrance imprint - www.zero1-music.com], prefer to keep our music and sets more linear which hopefully allows people to go into a trance more easily, and allows them to really hear all the subtleties in the music, and focus on the trippy, psychedelic soundscapes.” He says he gets the most love from India and Japan for his music, although he

certainly appreciates the SA dancefloors too, “I feel you guys can appreciate the real psychedelic music. The dancefloor is always jumping from beginning to end. The party locations are always gorgeous and the people are full of smiles. I can’t wait to come back for Boomerang Festival this New Year's Eve. Not long to go now!” He sounds genuinely excited! We close on a humorous note. Every DJ has a set now and then which makes him/her feel very alone up there behind the decks. I ask Celli when last it happened to him. “[Laughs] In Australia. I was the only Psy Trance artist at a Techno festival and when I came on I cleared the dancefloor in about 3 minutes. That was a weird feeling. But I knew that it just wasn’t my crowd, so I didn't lose heart!!” Well Boomerang festival sure is the right crowd for an Earthling set so no chance of clearing that floor! Don’t miss out on Earthling at Boomerang this New Year’s Eve. Facebook.com/earthlingmusic | zero1music.com To find the Boomerang NYE event on Facebook simply go to facebook.com/mindcultivation.za

34 COLUMNIST By Tendai Luwo

THE DEEP END WITH LUO THE F WORD TENDAI CONSIDERS THE MERITS OF CHARGING TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE AS A WORKING DJ hilst trawling the streets of Twitter, I came across an interesting tweet. It read “@Ndumisco Ncgobo: Everybody’s a deejay. When I meet a man in his 20’s I don’t ask if he deejays. I ask when he’s playing next.” Now whilst we’ve known this for years, it had me thinking, how do we actually all survive? South Africa is no Vegas when it comes to partying. Truthfully there are a handful of clubs to choose from, and even less play your specific genre throughout. So then how are all theses DJ’s surviving and making ends meet? This brings me to the agenda for today’s gathering: A DJ only has 3 selling points. His skill level, his crowd pull and how much he charges. The first point isn’t even that vital because we all know at least one big name DJ that sucks like a teething baby, and the second can be worked around with the right promoter / artist relationship, but the last one can make or break a potential booking. I’m sure we’ve all been in the following situation at least once:

“Hi. My name is *insert DJ name here*” “Hi DJ ______. So what do you play?” “I mostly play house, but I’m versatile.” “Cool. Great! So what’s your fee?” Silence. “Well.You know it depends hey. Like ummm. Ya it depends.” Sound familiar? It’s okay. We’ve all been there. As a matter of fact, that question still throws me off to this day. Your performance fee is such a sensitive issue. It represents how you view yourself as a DJ, so you can’t be blamed for being a little Steve Urkle’ish when asked to name your price. A whole lot of thoughts tend to go through your head when asked to name a price. No one wants to be a charity DJ forever but at the same time

every now and then you might end up losing a booking because the promoter can’t find a reasonable correlation between your quoted fee and his initial weighting of your clout. So now what? Much like approaching a pretty girl in the club, there is no fool proof rule book to setting your fee. More than anything though, I’m an advocate for flexibility. Start off with a flat fee based on your skill level and popularity in that particular area. Sidebar +3500 Facebook friends does not make you a celebrity DJ, so don’t fool yourself. Rather be real with yourself and assess how many people you believe would genuinely come to a show because you were one of the DJ’s on the lineup. From here on your fee should hover around the meridian you set. Don’t be afraid to ask the promoter questions like, ‘Are you charging an entrance fee? Is the event sponsored? Is it indoor or outdoor?’ All these factors contribute to how much you can ask for. For example, corporate gig tends to pay well above what a normal club gig would but also if you are offered a residency, consider charging less but appreciating the fact that you will have a regular source of income. Sadly though, some of our fellow brothers in music are on a mission to undercut us like dodgy car salesmen. Personally I recall being passed up on a residency spot in Pretoria for a DJ who was willing to play for a 12 pack of beers. But I guess this is the reality when we live in a time where numerically, AIDS and DJ statistics are interchangeable… 1 in 3.

Alas don’t let all this dishearten you though. At the end of the day, all one can do is strive to give their utmost best, pray that they receive what they are worth and hope that the other DJ passes out in the DJ booth after his 4th beer.

FUN STUFF

5 MINS WITH...

ANDY BAXTER

WE GRAB 5 MINUTES WITH SOME OF OUR FAVOURITE DJ'S & ARTISTS AND ASK THEM... WELL... JUST ABOUT ANYTHING WE FEEL LIKE!!! ndy Baxter, is a man [and DJ] who has successfully made a home out of the iconic clubland known as Ibiza; he is a 'Pacha Ibiza' resident and an international touring artist. Andy loves a good party and especially appreciates the carefree lifestyle on offer on the party island. He flirts with Balearic sounds, hip-hop, disco and rare groove to deep, melodic tech house. Baxter’s DJ skills have endured five seasonal residencies with the legendary 'We

Love... Sundays at Space,’ season number six with iconic Ibiza sunset institution Café Mambo and a twice weekly residency at high-end beach club El Chiringuito. He also hosts his own monthly event in Ibiza, 'The Vinyl Fix was born'. His keen ear for new talent and influential sounds landed him the role of A&R scout for seminal label Defected. To go along with his string of achievements he has also scooped up an award for the best Ibiza DJ at the prestigious Ibiza DJ Awards this year.

1. Pacha is all about... A lifestyle that portrays music, fashion, glamour and the expression of good times.

Throughout 2012, Andy has embarked on multiple new studio productions and he continues to present his radio shows on Ibiza Sonia and Resident Advisor. The European off season (our summer) sees Mr Baxter touring the Americas, Australia, Asia and of course South Africa this December for NYE. We ask him about his previous visit to Cape Town [last year NYE], find out what he was like in high school and a lot of other random stuff too.

16. An enemy is someone... I keep at arm’s length, but also respect. 17. You were... a dreamer ... in High School.

2. Dance music exists because... We love to dance.

18. ... Amazing banter and a great sense of humour ... makes a female attractive. (A great body will help too)

3. Talent scouting is a lot like... Food tasting, things can't be under or overcooked. 4. Describe El Chiringuito in five words. Paradise, Beach, Restaurant, Idyllic, Amazing.

19. The worst piece of advice someone’s ever tried to convince you of is... Get yourself a real job.

5. As a clubber, ‘We Love... Sundays at Space’makes you want to... Research the history of Detroit Technocrats when you get home.

20. What have you learned to never ever do again and why? Take anything for granted, because when it's gone, it's gone.

6. What is your definition of success? Being happy, doing exactly what you want to do in life.

21. What is the most overrated virtue? VIP Areas

7. Playing at the Grand Cafe & Beach Bar in Cape Town proved.... We could have an amazing time both night and day, in one venue, very simple but both parties were completely different. 8.Visiting Cape Town again another summer in a row for a gig this December has you anticipating... An even bigger show to last year's, which was amazing. 9. What is the one thing you know how to do really well in less than five minutes? Make a cup of tea. 10. If you lived in a fantasy cartoon world where all the characters were DJs, your catch phrase would be... 'Step aside bitch.’

11. Bacon & Eggs or Tofu with greens? Got to be Bacon & Eggs 12. There are far too many ... Smart phones ... in the world. 13. What do you like to do when no one's watching? Talk to myself and make stupid songs up. 14. Nobody likes a... Smart ass/Fake/Liar or Cheat. 15. What would purgatory be for you? I am religiously confused.

22. If you weren't spending your days pursuing your love of the music industry, how else would you be paying the bills? Professional landscape photography or worldwide food taster. 23. The global music scene is all about... Moving forward and joining people from all over to share musical knowledge past and present, and to keep the industry fresh for the next generation. 24.You love it most when... People dance to music they have never heard before and they feel it. Catch Andy @ Pacha Ibiza New Year’s Eve @ The Grand, Granger Bay, CPT

DJ Q ‘n A By Nathan Kabingesi

KOJO AKUSA K

ojo Akusa is a bit of an enigma. With international roots but a strong Limpopo foundation to his music, he’s remixed tracks for some of the biggest names in the business, all the while refining his own signature sound. Nathan sits down to talk to him about his love for making noise and, being a rebel embraced by the mainstream. Your name sounds like you were born into a Japanese family settled in Central Africa three generations ago… [Laughing] I wish! My parents met while studying in Russia. I was born there, then raised partly in Ghana and S.A. Kojo is actually my middle name, it means “born on Monday”. Have you always been musically inclined? I’ve always loved noise, as a kid I was always making beats on pots and pans. In ’98 I started collecting casettes tapes; Vinny, Kanunu, Fresh, Glenn Lewis. I was also into the stuff Jazzanova and The Rurals were making

How and when did you get involved in music production? I’ve always been artistic; drawing, painting. In 2003, I was doing first year I.T. and a friend figured this would translate into music making. He showed me this DAW software he wasn’t able to figure out. I played with it for about two weeks and it all just came together. I started with eJay and FL Studio, initially making hip-hop beats ‘cos that came easiest, but it was inevitable that I started producing House. And the move to Pretoria, what prompted that? Music was a big part of the decision. I’d kind of gotten fed up with feeling stifled in Limpopo. People had been encouraging me to make the move and start something; I guess if you never get fed up, you never get anywhere. Plus my fellow Beat Rebelz members (Smiles & Bullfit 1) had moved on to other things in ’08/’09. I never thought that I’d get rich from making music, it’s just one of those things that I happen to be good at.

How did you get involved with Peng Africa? Darque introduced my music to Andy Compton (Label Head-Peng Africa), and I guess he liked what he heard [laughing]. Andy’s a very smart guy; he’s got such a great vision for his music. There’s a distinct sound that carries through your productions; if you could describe it in a sentence… Hmm. I’d call it “aggressive bass lines overlaid with ambient strings, hats and soft chords”. I noticed certain phrases that kept cropping up in my remixes, and that has formed the basis for my style as a producer. I try not to limit myself to a European/South African or whatever House. I’m trying to make music that’s international because I’ve been influenced by music from all over the world. Do you approach remix duties differently to your own productions? The process is the same; the end result is the same. The only real difference comes with time pressure; some tracks go from scratch to

finished product in a matter of hours, others as much as a month. Your remix of Miza ft Noluthando’s Feeling is getting a lot of love; did you have any inkling when you finished with it that it would as big a track as it has become? I wasn’t expecting anything hey, especially considering how long it took to complete the project. For the longest time, my sound was a little alien too for local ears. As Beat Rebelz, we were consciously trying to go against the grain, and I guess Feeling just happened to come out at a time when the average cat on the street was ready to embrace the fruits of that philosophy. Da Capo, Soulcool, Lele X and Funk DeepStar, SoulFortune and yourself among many others, can Pretoria still be considered the S.A capital of House music? [Laughing] Not yet. There’s definitely a lot of talent in Limpopo, but people still need to come out to PTA to make it, you still need to come out here and prove yourself.

Why do you think the Deep culture is so strong in that part of the country? The stuff coming out of Limpopo is so different to what’s happening elsewhere, and I think a lot of that is because how isolated we were initially, we weren’t as hip to trend shifts as the rest of the country, that gave us the opportunity to make something that was completely our own, whether it’s tribal/ancestral or deep, it’s ours. S.A house music needs… Diversity. Any plans to release an album in the near future? Not immediately. The Hey E.P will be out in a week or two, so keep a look out for that one.

42 ALBUM REVIEWS

1. Sol Phenduka - Sol Phenduka (Sony Music)

<Ancestral House> Ancestral house makes a return to the South African music forefront with the release of Sol Phenduka’s debut album. After the success of his runaway hits, Uhuru and Mount Zion, a full length album was the only logical step for the YFM radio jock and this self titled album makes a decent effort as a breakthrough offering. The inclusion of his more popular early releases such as Isolomizi and Chalk’ n Cheese helps to capture the listener’s attention early on with an air of familiarity. Production-wise Sol strives to offer something unique to an already crowded market with his fusion of traditional vocals and elements as well as jazzy undertones in his instrumentation. At times though some of the productions come across as slightly monotonous and the general looping nature of house songs becomes more evident than one would like to experience during a listening session, but this is merely a matter of preference and nitpicking, so it can be overlooked. Overall the album is well worth a listen and even though there is still room for the emerging star to grow, the project is definitely worth of a nod and tip of the hat. Reviewed by Tendai Luwo

2. Roger Goode - Pandoras Box 2 (Sheer Sound) 3.

(House) Roger Goode is back with the second instalment of his evocatively titled Pandora’s Box, once more enticing you to give in to your curiosity, lift the lid on the place where you stow your more carnal inclinations and let loose your inner party animal. With seventeen tracks covering just about every conceivable manifestation of progressive house, the Goode doctor’s latest offering has something for everyone. From the deep, techy sounds that the album opens with, through the dirty, grungy tunes that would make even the most straight laced wanna get down, to tracks that cheekily defy categorisation, floating somewhere in between electro, techno and disco. The album is incredibly well mixed, each track blending smoothly with the next, and given the high production value of the majority of the tracks, it all seamlessly fits together like one of Roger’s more eclectic live sets. One or two of the tracks commit the cardinal sin of repeating bars to the point of inanity, but the sequencing doesn’t allow them to spoil the sonic journey for too long. Always sensual, at times soulful, if you like your house deep and progressive, this one’s for you. Reviewed by Nathan Kabingesi

3. Lulo Cafe presents The Layabouts - Future Retro (Soul Candi) 5. <House> Future Retro is easily one of the most hotly anticipated albums of the year, and with good cause. The lads from London have been teasing our ears with singles taken off the album for about a year now, painting a sonic portrait resplendent with soul, funk, soft chords, and deft, driving bass lines. As Long As You Believe feat. Omar and Do Better feat. Portia Monique were both monster hits this year, cementing the strength of the Future Retro Mix, while the ever so soulful Perfectly featuring the sultry stylings of Shea Soul has become a well-loved gem since its release more than two years ago. A few hits does not a classic album make, but the lads from London have taken care to

&LIGHT C I T Y

include superb productions that fill the album out nicely (no pun intended) resulting in one of the most coherent aural packages to come out this year. The very distinctive Future Retro sound is reinforced through the album in the form of repeated phrases and progressions that play perfect counterpoint in each track, taking the listener on a soul-infused musical space ride fuelled by raw emotion. Well worth the wait. Reviewed by Nathan Kabingesi

4. Euphonik - For the Love of House - Total Blackout (Soul Candi) <House> It has long been said that Euphonik alienated his urban fan base when he started heading down the EDM route, and to some extent that is true. For The Love Of House:Total Blackout definitely stays true to this new found sound but doesn’t detract away from the quality that one would expect from a Euphonik production. Largely inspired by the emotional rollercoaster that was his 2012, the album features a lot more of Euphonik's own productions as compared to previous albums. It kicks off with his signature 4 The Love of House acapella then carries on in an Ultimix like fashion, blending seamlessly between various acapellas and beat tools. Euphonik features 14 of his own productions, both previously released like Vuma and Uthando as well as exclusives like You’re Mine and Total Blackout, all throughout the 26 track offering. The majority of his productions will please both his new and old fans. Collaborations with the likes of Lolo and Shota help create a unique balance between the EDM sound and his urban demographic appeal. This is most evident in the fist pumping thumper that is Lose Yourself feat. Shota and Chris Sen. Euphonik also dabbles in his fair share of remixing and remaking which includes a remake of the Jack Knife. Total Blackout diligently adds to the reputable repertoire that is Euphonik’s For the Love of House series. Reviewed by Tendai Luwo

5. Deep House Chronicles 8 - Mixed by Thibo Tazz (Soul Candi) <Deep House> Soul Candi returns with another musical offering for your headphones in the form of Deep House Chronicles 8 and this time they’ve placed the duty of compiling this album in the lap of Cape Town's very own, Thibo Thazz. There is no denying that Thibo’s love for house music comes from deep within and this spirit is carried throughout the compilation. Soul is the order of the day for this compilation and its steady mix of finely crafted musical numbers ensures that it takes a firm hold on the heart of the listener from the get go. Thibo manages to educate the ears and mind of the listener through carefully selected vocal tracks that are neither too laid back nor intrusive, thus staying true to the title and offering a true deep house experience that one hates has to end. The Atjazz Love Soul remix of EL Contraste by Shigeru Tanabu is sure to be one of the favourites on the album. It’s simple percussion set and funky bass licks with haunting vocals by Akane Del Mar make it irresistible to the repeat button. Soul Candi has most certainly hit the nail on the head with their collaboration with Thibo and he has definitely done the series more than justice. Reviewed by Tendai Luwo

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46 ALBUM REVIEWS 6. Cape Town Sessions - Various Artists -Ministry of Sound /Just Music 6.

<Dance Music> The Cape Town Sessions double disc compilation is summer dance music; fairy light, dripped in the warm breezy ambiance of Camps Bay's Victoria Road bar and club strip, frequented by upper suburbia nightclub trawlers, rich kids, models, actors, and tourists who are in for a taste of the trendy lifestyles of iKapa magic. The first disc features remixes and original tracks by two of the city's hottest dance music properties, Goodluck [London Sixteen 66] and Pascal & Pearce [Disco Sun] - who also remix pop folk singer Yoav's Beautiful Lie which is disc one’s opener. All other selections are by renowned international dance music producers some of which have previously put Cape Town on their international tour circuit roster, such as Mark Knight. Other works by some great producers can be heard from Ralph Good, Black Legend, Chris Lake, Erick Morillo, Todd Terry, and Cassius to name a few. Why and when you should play this two disc treat? Disc 1 when you're getting ready at home, warming up with those all essential party pre-drinks. Pump disc two in the car/cab/rented sports car or limo depending on how you like to roll, on your way to the club or promising house party. You will surely find your bones loosened up and your juices set at the right temperature before you get there. Reviewed by Mary Honeychild

7. Example - The Evolution of Man - Just Music

10.

<Dance Music> Example, South London’s rave-rap superstar releases his fourth album The Evolution Of Man moving away from the Dubstep/Electro style he developed for himself on his debut album. This offering, in its reach to reflect a sense of evolution of the man/artist that he is, sees him get all rock ’n roll as is noted by the crunchy guitars of Come Taste the Rainbow produced by Benga. His surly singing and sharp rap casts him in a range of the loveable, pitiful loser, underdog for which we feel empathy - kind of like a modern teen movie. The skinny guy with nothing to offer except his quirky personality and strange take on things. The anti hero. This has served him well with an album that is a testimony to mainstream determination. Stand out tracks are Perfect Replacement and Queen of Your Dreams. He is a talented artist who delivers chart topping commercial dance music contributions to UK music. The Evolution of Man is a new and fearless way Example is choosing to express himself, some may move away from it but it’s safe to say most fans will instead be eagerly awaiting future releases to see what style he will develop next. Reviewed by Romy Hi Hat

8. Calvin Harris - 18 Months - Sony Music <Electro House> Calvin Harris is a talented producer and stands out amongst mainstream electronic producers as one with an honest and firm grip on the balance between talent and well developed ears and skills. The Scottish producer/DJ's third album is called 18 Months as he has been releasing singles from this album for about the same length of time, hence the name. In a whirlwind of three years since his sophomore release Ready For The Weekend out in 2009 he shot to worldwide recognition with the global chart shattering pair-up with Rihanna called We Found Love, a buoyant, beat-driven floor-filler that topped

two dozen charts by the end of last year. Enter the era of Calvin Harris, something of a hot commodity; straight after that he found himself enlisted to produce tracks for Mary J. Blige, Scissor Sisters, Cheryl Cole and Ke$ha. Calvin kicked things off with 18 Months back in 2011, with the release of the Kelis featured lead single Bounce which did really well across Europe and in Australia, but did not garner the same fervour in the States. Aside from his collaboration with Rihanna and Kelis, the album is glittered with famous and influential names such as Example, Neyo, Ellie Goulding, Tinie Tempah, Dizzee Rascal and also includes producer Nicky Romero. If you're into an international dance music sound that is delightful in its delivery without trying too hard to be 'hot right now' you will like this album. Reviewed by Romy Hi Hat

9. Spoek Mthambo - Future Sound of Mzansi Sony Music <Kwaito-Tech/Rap/Electronica> The Future Sounds of Mzansi? If only! It’s a bold statement and one we could all collectively wish was true. The things is Spoek Mthambo’s music blends influences of kwaito, afro-tech and rap with cutting edge beats and this should be the future sound of an electronic South Africa, but alas our airwaves are still inundated with either lowest common denominator dancepop or coma-inducing urban house that often sounds like it was designed for the elevator. This here my friends is the real deal. FSOM is a collection of Mthambo’s productions and remixes over the past four years and as a presentation of his work it stands proudly as some of the most cutting edge electro/rap cum kwaito filtered afro-tech happening right now. Much more upbeat and dancefloor friendly than his slightly introspective [yet awesome] debut album, Father Creeper, this 15 track collection features Spoek in collaborative mode as he eases his way through a range of ‘in-yer-face’ productions that should get your groove on. Any album that features Sibot gets my vote too. Much has been made about the burgeoning electronic music scene in South Africa; sadly Die Antwoord is what most of the world relates to as truly S’effrican, when in fact it should be Spoek Mthambo they’re all listening to! A truly gifted talent on the rise... This IS the future y’all! Reviewed by Dave Mac

10. Andrea Bertolini - Ready For Another Night - Iboga Records <Progressive House> Maestro producer Andrea Bertolini brings his new floor-ready album to the table entitled Ready For Another Night. Having had a rather illustrious and an international career filled with accolades and sensational dance chart success, Bertolini’s high energy blend of Progressive House and Techno has also allowed him to remix and collaborate with some phenomenal artists from across the globe including John Acquaviva, Mauro Picotto and Dhany from Benassi Bros. He lists the Progressive masters D-Nox and Beckers as one the biggest influences on his sound and this is prominent throughout the new album with the intensely layered rhythms and hooks. Hard edged drum grooves with catchy uplifting melodies give movement and colour to this audible light show. This record is sure to catch the ears of dance floor thrill seekers and keep Bertolini in the Headlining slot of any club night or festival he decides to take on. Reviewed by Stefan Wyeth

www.bpmlife.co.za Where the beat lives on...

48 ALBUM REVIEWS 11. Deedrah - Out of Control - HOMmega Records

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<Electro Psytrance> Frederic Holyszewski, or Dado, as he is known to his friends, has a pretty impressive psytrance CV. Partnering as Transwave in the 90’s with Christof Drouillet aka Absolum, they were stalwarts of the Goa scene. He has since released a ton of albums and singles under various monikers as well as a handful of really impressive collaborations too; as a solo artist he is best known as Deedrah and Synthetic and his collaborative acts, G.B.U in the early 90’s, and more recently as Krome Angels with Dino Psaras and Shanti Matkin, all produced cutting edge music. Out of Control is his 4th album as Deedrah and includes no less than 13 tracks, 4 of which are collaborations and 2 remixes. Ranging from 125 BPM (closing track) to 143 BPM, Dado will take you on an eclectic ride. His signature sound has always pushed the boundaries of what would be termed psytrance and Out of Control is no different, with a smorgasbord of electro, tech and psy all rolled up into a blistering collection of diverse beats and bass. Whilst not all his melodies are my personal taste, a Deedrah bassline is something to drool over and having witnessed his live sets several times, I know what this music does to a dancefloor. Out Of Control is a diverse collection for the open-minded trancehead or any purveyor of electronic dance music. Reviewed by Dave Mac

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12. Beat Bizarre - Muhkarv - Iboga Records

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<Progressive> When you have reached the point of no return, electronic surrealists Beat Bizarre will take you further over the edge than you’ve ever dreamed possible. Music simply could not come any more tailor-made for a psychedelic experience than this. The phrase “going to town” hardly describes the Beat Bizarre stance on music production, in fact, when I first listened to their debut full length release Lewd I hands down refused to accept that it was created by humans. The sound is characterised by highly subliminal rhythms and vividly animated soundscapes that morph and melt before your very ears. The brand new album, Muhkarv will take you on a ride that favours a slightly more demanding listener. Suffice to say there is just more studio magic happening in a single track on this disc than pretty much any Psy album available today, it is astonishingly dense and deftly put together with subtlety and a dark sense of humour. Muhkarv is easily one of the most artful dance records out this year. Reviewed by Stefan Wyeth

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13. Cimi - White World Bridger - Furthur Progressions Records <Psyprog> Cimi is the solo project of Marcello Baccheschi (his other project M-Theory) an Italian born producer now living in the UK. Two years in the making, White World Bridger is his debut solo album. Cimi is a sign in the Mayan calendar which is loosely translated into English as “white world bridger”. The opening cut has a slow build up, with a phat beat that is added and later includes a sweet rhythmic tune. The Flying Scotsman feat. DJ Hamish made me want to boogie with its sharp, full synth tones and beautiful melody. My aural senses were toyed with by the contrasting synth tones of Drops & Triplets. I love a good Flegma & Zyce track and the silky smooth Reanimation is

stunningly remixed by Cimi. The mind blowing The Surfer has very interesting sounds not normally associated with progressive psychedelic trance music; here we are introduced to 80’s hip hop sounds, nice distortion and gritty vox. Buddha Nature, a collaboration with Liftshift, is a lovely lazy summer tune. The focal point on this album is Alien Feelings with its crunchy and slow synth. This is a tune to make love to and its sensual tone gives me gooseflesh. The album closes off with the playful and bouncy Sunset Bar, a track laced with psychedelic texture. Highly recommended. Reviewed by Riqardo

14. Atmos - 604 - Iboga Records < Progressive> The new Atmos record out on Iboga, entitled 604 comes in the form of a double album featuring releases from the past 2 years and a notable remix disc. When it comes to laying down a festival dance groove, Atmos can only be classed in the upper echelons alongside Anders Trentemoller and the like. As one of the primary purveyors of the Scandinavian sound, Atmos has paved the way for countless other artists to follow with a catalogue that spans nearly 15 years of definitive releases. As the alias suggests, Atmos has always sought to embody the elemental forces and this original concept of writing music specifically to be played outdoors has resounded strongly throughout his music - since the first few releases like The Only Process, the absolute classic Klein Aber Doctor and made even more evident on the debut album Headcleaner back in 2000. Whether the bassline is broken or rolling thunder, the emphasis is on the Psychedelic groove patterns that drive this rhythmically unified music. Apart from writing generally much longer tracks that seem to mysteriously grow faster, Atmos has always had an uncanny ability to design sounds larger than even your local cinema could throw at you. Finally after over a decade, Atmos returns to grace Cape Town once more this summer and is sure to stun fans both old and new. Reviewed by Stefan Wyeth

15. Major7 - Rezonance - Iboga Records <Psyprog> Major7 is Nadav Bonen and Barak Argaman also known as X-noiZe. They decided to try their hand at progressive psytrance music hence the new name. Some people I know always say that progressive psytrance is the only music that doesn’t progress, I have news for them. This stuff is red hot and different. Revelation Dawned has dark and brooding areas, then speeds up, drops, builds up again and bang! Sub 7 is a really cool collaboration with Sub 6 (Ohad and Golan Aharoni) and their influence can clearly be heard. Drugs with D-Addiction beats on the Techno door. The huge beat of Mental Note is a dance floor magnet and this X-noiZe tune was remixed by Major7 and Capital Monkey. Higher State of Consciousness by Josh Wink, as remixed by Major7, is a really bouncy track. The awesome remix of Human Design by Captain Hook is spectacular. I didn’t expect to see the name of Astrix on a progressive album, but the remix of Adventure Mode is stunning. The slamming Major Mode is by Major7 and Vertical Mode and will keep the dance floor jamming. Excision is remixed by Major7 and Egorythmia and the brilliant final track Black 7 is a live mix. Highly recommended. Reviewed by Riqardo.

For more reviews online go to: BPMMAG.co.za

50 DOWNLOAD

DJ PICKS

DOWNLOAD SITES: www.afrodesiamp3.com / www.audiojelly.com / www.beatpor t.com www.djdownload.com / www.djsonly.com /www.emusic.com http://free.napster.com / www.junodownload.com / www.rhapsody.com www.stompy.com / www.trackitdown.net / www.wasabeat.com

ARTIST | TRACK | STYLE THE COMMERCIAL HIPPIES - UNDERGROUND OVERGROUND PSYTRANCE Five stomping tracks from the Commercial Hippies and the best part – they are free! All you gotta do is head over to their website thecommercialhippies.com and grab ‘em. 5 silky sleek tunes, very well produced, banging and psychedelic. Includes a great PH Phat remix too. Picked by Dave Mac NEELIX - DARK MATTER EP - PSYPROG Neelix (Henrik Twardzik) is the Hamburg based artist Henrik Twardzik that played live in SA at the beginning of this year. Both Dark Matter and String Theory are smooth progressive tracks that would work outdoors or in a club. Picked by sevenR INTERACTIVE NOISE - LETS START THE WEEKEND EP - PSYPROG Hugo Venegas is Interactive Noise (born in Mexico) and this is his latest two part EP. The first progressive track Let’s Start It has a nice gritty sound and The Weekend Start has a slow beat with a really groovy feel. Picked by sevenR CLASS A - CLASSIC EP - PSYPROG Class A is Vlad Krivoshein and Ranji Ran Rajuan from Israel and this is their debut EP. It is hard to believe that they have only recently been signed as these four tracks are brilliant progressive tunes. This stuff will keep me glued to the dance floor. Picked by sevenR INCEPTION - AUDIO SPRAY EP - PSYPROG Audio Spray is yet another great Blue Tunes Records EP release. Three awesome progressive tracks with more bounce than you can shake a stick at. The collaboration with Bitmonx was amusing with the Vanilla Ice, Ice Ice (minus the Baby). The final track has real class with string instruments and operatic choir, stunning. Picked by sevenR MONOLOCK - OPEN AIR EP - PSYPROG Monolock is the Israeli producer aka Sharon Graziani and the tracks on this progressive release has a massive full on sound. This Is Now is soothing and beautiful, then suddenly I was hit squarely in the ears by Dubstep and piano… Wow, I love this track (and EP)! Picked by sevenR SONIC SENSE - STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN EP Sonic Sense is Israeli producer Isachar Yakubov and he has produced another banging progressive EP. These tunes will get your feet moving and have a HUGE sound. Stairway To Heaven will definitely be a dance floor killer this season. The beautiful Cleopatra is the second track and is a collaboration with Mind Spin. Picked by sevenR I’M LOVING YOU - DEEPARMY - DEEP HOUSE Deep, Sexy summer vibes going down here. The DeepArmy is a new group to look out for, consisting of the Boys Darryl and Elster from Beatarmy and a new member... Densh. Simple keys, simple build-ups and an awesome vocal. This is one of those summer sing along songs: ''We got everything you need, living life just you and me, give me yours I’d give you mine, till the end of time'' By the way this track is featured on the Fresh and Euphonik TOP 10 on 5FM power nights! Picked by Beatarmy LA VIDA - MI CASA GREGOR SALTO MIX - HOUSE The first time we played this was at the Nicci Beach legendary Sinsational student nights, 1:01 the vocal comes in and one can imagine what the girls did. WHOOO HOOO jumping up and down! I could see girls running from outside just to get to the dance floor. Look out for the Mi Casa Platinum album with a couple of new tracks never heard before. Picked by Beatarmy INFINITY - INFINITY INK CLAUDE VON STROKE REMIX - TECH HOUSE Infinity Ink did a great job, but this remix deserves a download! Check the group out; http://www.facebook.com/pages/Infinity-Ink/237768699611581 Pals, amigos, musical mates... Luca C and Ali Love bring us Infinity Ink and an

array of blinding releases hot off the turntables. Here Hannah Davies catches up with the unique duo who has achieved critical acclaim as both solo artists and as a united front. Their sound is an amalgamation of different influences electronic and more rock/band orientated. Picked by Beatarmy THE EDGE - ROBOSONIC - HOUSE ROBOSONIC have been building a reputation for producing multidimensional electronic music with their highly acclaimed debut album Sturm und Drang [accompanied by a series of 12” vinyl], released on their own label DISKOMAFIA in November 2007. The boys have proven their skills at a wide variety of events, including festivals, illegal raves, penthouse parties, clubs and on the radio. The Edge is an old school riff from Snoop Dogg 'Every Dog has his day', used cleverly with phat basslines and sweet percussion. Picked by Beatarmy SUGAR - DEEPARMY - DEEP HOUSE 4 Draw bar organ being used with an old trumpet for the riff, technical 3 dimensional vocals and a phasered build. The DeepArmy has found that DJ's all love the phasered build and have incorporated it in their track. Check out the DeepArmy on Soundcloud at: http://soundcloud.com/beatarmy/sugar-deeparmy-unmastered - If you're just a DJ... start producing or soon you will run out of gigs, just a tip. DeepArmy Picked by Beatarmy DJ FALE & LERATO FT. PULE & ANDILE - KUDALA NDIKUVELA EP HOUSE Peng Africa makes it increasingly hard to be a music journalist because at some point we will all run out of new words to express just how great their releases are. Their latest offering is DJ Fale’s soul uplifting EP, Kudala Ndikuvela. Characterised by an electrifying guitar solo, all mixes of this track will have you lifting your hands in the sanctuary. Picked by Deejay Luo AFRO SEEDS & TSHOLO - ALRIGHT - HOUSE DEEP A Soulful Instrumental by Afro Seeds combined with sweet vocals by Tsholo. This is a heart-felt song about nursing a broken heart and being able to move on from it all. Picked by Afrodesiamp3 CHYMAMUSIQUE - PIANO LANGUAGE EP - HOUSE DEEP Chymamusiq Records presents to you the Piano Language EP and has one of the tunes that will keep dance floors moving this coming festive and beyond. Consisting of heavy drumming and piano scales in the middle to give it that jazzy moving feel. You got to have it! Picked by Deejay Luwo MAHOOTA VS.VETKUK - DINALEDI PT 1 AFRO HOUSE DJ Vetkuk vs. Mahoota is back again with another slamming release entitled Dinaledi Part 1 featuring Dr Malinga and DJ Clap. Make sure you don't miss out on this one, coming from Kalawa Jazmee Records and DJ Vetkuk Vs Mahootas album. Picked by Afrodesiamp3 TUMI - CHANGES (REMIXED) - AFRO DEEP Gintonic Records proudly presents the superb debut artist album from unique vocalist, Tumi on her solo project. Fans of soulful house across the planet will appreciate this first drop: Tumi - Changes. Picked by Afrodesiamp3 DJ MBUSO - HOUSE PLAYER PT 1 - AFRO DEEP DJ Mbuso needs no introduction in this industry as he has worked on loads of projects for Phezulu Records. House Player is another addition to his well renowned brand, keeping him as one of South Africa’s best House Music producers. On this one he worked with the likes of Drew Smith, Thantaswa, Thebe, Harrison Crump, Fale and Abicah Soul…enjoy! Picked by Afrodesiamp3

For trade enquiries or to find your nearest dealer call Pro Audio - SA (011) 608-2099 | sales@proaudio.co.za | www.proaudio.co.za

54 DJ CHARTS

JAN/FEB’13

DJ CHARTS CTEMF CHART (CTEMF / Electronica / CT ) 1. Card on Spokes - Disguises • 2. Sibot & M. Sayyid - Sky Lark • 3. Pure Solid - High Risk • 4. Bodycode - Immune • 5. Petite Noir - Disappear • 6. Richard The Third - Boss ft Rebone (SFR Remix) • 7. Sello Plombir (Brendan Moeller Dub) • 8. Mix n Blend Joy feat. Crosby • 9. Terrence Pearce - Needy • 10. Dakin Auret - All I Need (Floyd Lavine Remix)

PASCAL & PEARCE (Just Music / Electro House/ CT) 1. TJR & DJ Dan - Jacked up Funk (Original Mix ) (InStereo Recordings) • 2. Ummet Ozcan - The Box (Original Mix) (Spinnin Records) • 3. Contiez feat. Treyy G - Trumpsta (Djuro Remix) (Safari Music) • 4. ShockOne - Chaos Theory (Dubstep Mix) (Viper Recordings) • 5. EDX - Touched (Original Club Mix) (Toolroom Records) • 6. Chuckie & Junxterjack - Make Some Noise (Original Mix) (Cr2 Records) • 7. Afrojack - Annie's Theme (Original Mix) (Wall Recordings) • 8. TJR Ode To Oi (Original Mix) (Rising Music) • 9. Arno Carstens - Two Dogs (Pascal & Pearce Remix) (Gallo Records) • 10. Aston Shuffle & Tommy Trash - Sunrise (Won't Get Lost) (Axtone Records)

PISCEDJ (PisceDJ / Roar Entertainment / Deep, Soulful & Commercial House, Kwaito, Old School / CT) 1. The Rising Sons - Volume 1 • 2. PisceDJ, Mtezman – Roar Pleasure 2012 • 3. Terry Grant ft Carrie Manning - Tigerskin • 4. Sterling Ensemble, Pete Simpson - She's My Earth • 5. Alton Miller - Feel The Same • 6. DJ Qness, Xoli M - Don't Go • 7. Erin Leah - Radio Billie Stereo Ella • 8. Monocles & Slezz ft Vusani - Still • 9. Rocco, ft Akram WorkingHard • 10. Sheree Hicks - Green Light

BIGBABYMLB (Bigdady D Entertainment / Afro House & Soulful House / Tshwane) 1. BigbabyMLB ft Brian - Izinto Ziyenzeka (Bigdady D Entertainment) • 2. George lee laryoh - Africa Help Your Children - Static Plastic Epic Remix (Static plastic) • 3. BigbabyMLB - Delusional Madness Drums - Crew Remix (Bigdady D Entertainment) • 4. Boddhi Satva - Brass offering (Yoruba Records) • 5. Talk -Touching You - Lars Benhroth Remix (Deeper Shades Recording) • 6. Sisco & Soul Sista ft Tasha Bexter - Music Is My High (Multi-Racial Records) • 7. BigbabyMLB -Africa Vibino (Bigdady D Entertainment) • 8. BigbabyMLB ft Sarcarcia - Africa Musha Wanga -Tony Montanajnr Remix (Bigdady D Entertainment) • 9. SDM ft Tshegofatso - I Am Her Main Mix (I Touch Recordings) • 10. C-Quence ft Coco - Sweet Harmony (Kopanyo Entertainment)

DJ SNAKEHIPS (Felix Laband / Good House / JHB) 1. Christian Tiger School - Carlton Banks (RedBull Studio) • 2. Professor ft Demor - I Swear (Kalawa Jazmee Records) • 3. Tshwara Lebota - Off the Wall (Shelter Music) • 4. Phonique ft Gui Borrato - Space Cruiser (Dessous Recordings) • 5. Zakes Batwini ft Tumelo - Bum Bum (Sony/ Soulistic Music) • 6. Mpiwe - Baainar Theme {Eltonick Tribal Remix} (Soul Candi) • 7. Big Naz ft DJ Tira - Umlilo (Afrotainment) • 8. Professor - Fingerprints (Kalawa Jazmee Records) • 9. Rodriguez Jr - Lila {Rodriguez Jr. Bamako Mix} (Boxer Recordings) • 10. Maceo Plex - Bring It Back (Crosstown Rebels)

SOLETEK (Mentalwave / House / JHB) 1. Evren Furtuna - My Miracle Baby (Plastic City) • 2. The Layabouts - Here With You (Reel People Music) • 3. The Steals - Dead Flames Rising (Shur-IKan Rising Vocal) (Tribe Rec) • 4. DJ Kent ft Liquideep - Top Of The World (88 Productions) • 5. The Layders - You Know What You Mean To Me (Jullian Gomes Rmx) (Soul Candi) • 6. The Arrows Lovesick (Soletek Rmx) (Mentalwave Music) • 7. Goldfish - Woman's A Devil (Eelke Kleijn Rmx) (EMI Holland) • 8. Joey Negro & The Sunburst Band - Take It To The Top (Andreas Saag Remix) (Z Records) • 9. Liquideep - Welcome Aboard (Mentalwave Music) • 10. Soletek ft. Say - Hold On (Mentalwave Music)

DJ GAME (Soul Candi / House / JHB) 1. DJ Game ft Happy - Destiny (Soul Candi) • 2. Bob'ezy & Bevan Godden ft Michael Ashley Summer Rain (Soul Candi/Barcode) • 3. DJ Game & After9 ft Miss Tee - Soulfull Heart (Barcode Music) • 4. DJ Game ft Xoli M - Never Say Goodbye (Afrikan Roots Rmx) (Barcode Music) • 5. DJ whisky - Panic Button (Soul Candi) • 6. Rootedsoul & Afrikan Roots - Zwakana kamkoma (Raw Gruv Rec) • 7. DJ Mphoza - Get U (Soul Candi) • 8. DJ Game ft Happy - Touch (Barcode Music) • 9. Bacteria - Touch Your Soul (Soul Candi) • 10. Butiza ft Dr Duda – Somandla (Soul Candi)

DA SOUL K (Art & Sole DJ Crew (Hardcore Ink Rec) / Soulful House / JHB) 1. Arnaud D ft Heidi Vogel - Green & Yellow (Global Soul Music) • 2. The Layabouts ft Omar - As Long As You Believe (Jullian Gomes Remix) (Reel People Music) • 3. Dolls Combers ft Donna Hidalgo - Let's Come Together (60 Hertz Project Remix) (Dolls Combers Records) • 4. Essential-I & Pontsho Pictures (House Afrika) • 5. Chymamusique, Kaylow - We Are To Be (Main Mix) (House Afrika) • 6. Alton Miller & Stephane Vera ft Angelique - Stars in Your Eyes (Andre Lodemann Vocal Mix) (Mixed Signals Music) • 7. New Believers ft Merel Sluman - Be Back Tonight (Drexmeister Rework) (Solitone Music) • 8. Reel People, Dyanna Fearon - Butterflies (The Layabouts Vocal Mix) (Reel People Music) • 9. Groove Motion feat Lifford - You Give (Original Mix) (Drum Records) • 10. Art & Sole - She'z Gone (Main Mix) (Hardcore Ink Records)

56 NATIONAL EVENTS

Get listed for FREE at: info@bpmmag,co.za Simply email us your details on time - It’s FREE!

Mon 31 Dec | 5FM Black Tie and Barefoot (NYE)5 Beach Party | JHB @ Outer Limits, Broadacres Lifestyle Centre | Dj's: 5FM DJs C-live, Fix and Catherine | Feat: Multiple undercover bars, dance floor arenas as well as an indoor VIP experience, where the champagne will flow all night long | Dress Code: “Black Tie” but “barefoot” | 17h00 | R150-R300 | www.ticketspace.co.za / Facebook: blacktieandbarefoot

Mon 31 Dec | Revolution NYE III | JHB @ Hornbill Lodge | Host: Teknotribe, Mansion Records and Fu Cha Gathering | Dj's: Lost and Found, Solaris, Psydeva, Archive, Gokon Rave, Kozvox, Kinetics, Killer B, Dre'ama, Manifesto, Bionic, Phatgressive, Julian Chaptel, Jimmy Chronic, Emoutikon, Gonzo, Nick Grater, Reezo Hassan, Sebotage, Senjo, Rob Sloan, Deep Candy, Primal Underground | Feat: Insane UV Décor ,2 stages, Chill Areas, Camping, Intelligent Sound & Lighting, Medical Assistance, Fully Licensed Bar, Clean Toilets, Lots of ablution, 24 hour Security For your Safety | 9am on the 31st | Gate:R300, Outlets:R240 & Online:R260 @ www.webtickets.co.za | www.teknotribe.co.za

Mon 31 Dec | Fire & Ice New Year's Eve Street Party | CPT @ Fire & Ice Protea Hotel | Dj's: Glen Lewis (MetroFM), DJ Naves (MetroFM), DJ Sphectacula, DJ Fistaz Mixwell, DJ Ozy, Ashton Ables, DJ Justice, Sub Zero Dancer | R120-R1500 | reservations@fireandicehotel.com

58 ASTROBABBLE

By Lois Siddhu

CAPRICORN 21 DECEMBER - 19 JANUARY

JANUARY 2013 SUMMER SOLSTICE -- 21ST OF DECEMBER @ 13:13 HOURS

ARIES | 21 Mar - 20 Apr | FIRE Maybe you've tried to be what people expect you to be, but different people want different things and you feel obliged; you are a very expressive person and if you do not have an outlet for your nature you end up saying things you regret.

LEO | 23 Jul - 22 Aug | FIRE You do not have to keep tabs on everything and everybody and this is due to cause you some distress and over tax your mental state. In general you are extremely reliable but you don't have to be responsible for everything.

SAGITTARIUS | 22 Nov - 21 Dec | FIRE You need to learn to identify the true goal of your heart and strive always towards the goal with clear and focused intent and learn to control or direct your turbulent emotions and be guided by the light of conscious awareness.

TAURUS | 21 Apr - 20 May | EARTH Obsessiveness can be unhealthy as it prevents you from seeing matters objectively. Your sense of yourself is very tied up in the feeling of needing to be perfect but your healing is about recovering what has been neglected.

VIRGO | 23 Aug - 22 Sept | EARTH Healing is a deep-seated part of yourself but this energy can be expressed in a healing way or it can become an analytical, obsessive orderliness that takes you away from what is your true destiny.

CAPRICORN | 22 Dec - 19 Jan | EARTH When you are practically attuned to the underlying mystical realities of life, rather than just superstitions, or beliefs in only the material world, then you are able to reach the pinnacle of success.

LIBRA | 23 Sept - 22 Oct | AIR Integrity and heart-knowing aligns you with divine will and limitless possibilities. The magician works with intuition and the subconscious to refine their world around them and this can be your reality.

AQUARIUS | 20 Jan - 18 Feb | AIR It is through the planting of seeds that you catalyze new growth potentials and this is also the hidden or occult side of earth caring. All your new endeavors start with the seeding process and it is your gift to bring forth seeds to stimulate new growth.

GEMINI | 21 May - 21 Jun | AIR The mind rules matter and not the other way around. If you let material considerations defeat or rule over you, you have missed the point of having the kind of mind that is designed to overcome just such difficulties. CANCER | 20 Jun | 22 Jul | WATER You will learn and discover the power of your thought patterns and possibly the ability to direct your thoughts as a channel in a healing way. As the doors open into this new dimension your choices will determine your results.

AQUARIUS 20 JANUARY - 18 FEBRUARY ARIES | 21 Mar - 20 Apr | FIRE Deep down you are afraid of failure. You need to see what is failure in your life to understand it and where it comes from and see where this fear of not being good enough and acceptable to others, originates from.

SCORPIO | 23 Oct - 21 Nov | WATER If you are feeling that you do not have sufficient in life you should examine your receptivity and your belief of “lack” and “never enough.” You may be looking at a half empty cup and not a half full cup.

PISCES | 19 Feb - 20 Mar | WATER Remembrance of recurrent cycles like the flowing of water puts you in touch with your emotional responses. It is essential to learn to deal with your emotions and tears that are a part of the physical make-up in everyone.

FEBRUARY 2013 MOVING FORWARD INTO A NEW CONSCIOUSNESS. LEO | 23 Jul - 22 Aug | FIRE Alienation and emotional discomfort will result in your insistence on being right and your own growth will stagnate. Everybody is different and acts differently. Be magnanimous and stretch your learning experience into viewing things from all viewpoints.

SAGITTARIUS | 22 Nov - 21 Dec | FIRE If you could glimpse the vastness of the possibilities available to you, you would shift your way of thinking, to include what you have always relegated to the attic of your subconscious and therefore not paid attention to.

TAURUS | 21 Apr - 20 May | EARTH You are getting prepared for your own independence and to move away from past experiences to discover your own emotional self. Now this will generate more tension than action and your feelings alternate between self-awareness and self-abasement.

VIRGO | 23 Aug - 22 Sept | EARTH Procrastinating around your workload will cause problems and it will benefit you if you concentrate on finishing what you've started. The challenging aspects are there to assist you in your spiritual growth.

CAPRICORN | 22 Dec - 19 Jan | EARTH Water can sound like an incessant drip or it can bubble away merrily. Likewise with your emotions you can enjoy the feelings of pleasure and joy or you can get locked in the incessant dripping of dissatisfaction.

GEMINI | 21 May - 21 Jun | AIR Your quest in life is seeking Truth but the more you seek the more elusive and ethereal it becomes until you realize that the only Truth is what is within yourself. Realize your own truth and how capable are you in being truthful within yourself.

LIBRA | 23 Sept - 22 Oct | AIR Underlying frustration comes when duties and responsibilities suddenly escalate. Although you will feel compelled to express your truth and opinion there are restricting elements that will force you to keep your temper in check.

CANCER | 20 Jun | 22 Jul | WATER You will move the earth for those you love but do things with resentment if you are not appreciated. Take precaution that you do not always look after others to the extent that you are depleting your own energies and then you get angry.

SCORPIO | 23 Oct - 21 Nov | WATER It is time to clean up your act around the home and attend to fixing broken things: you can discover aspects of yourself that have been dormant and unused and find creative ways to give voice and expression to them.

AQUARIUS | 20 Jan - 18 Feb | AIR You may try to please everyone and consequently you remain in the same old groove and tend to blame others for things going wrong. You need to face your hidden fears and anxieties and accept who and what you are. PISCES | 19 Feb - 20 Mar | WATER Compulsive and excessive behaviour is prone to stir up deep-seated fears that lead to anger. Life does not owe you anything but you owe it to yourself to stay within your own centre and not get tangled in others network of needs and wants.

Lois Siddhu lives in a circle of mountains in the Baviaanskloof. For professional Astrological Counseling CALL 049 839-1178 or Email: masonwaspstudio@telkomsa.net