DJ MAG ASEAN ISSUE 004 by DJ MAG ASEAN

ULTRA

EDITION

SEPTEMBER 2015

ULTRA EXOTIC SNEAKING SUNSETS RAVE OF THRONES BL3NDING BEATS TURINING UP THE HEATBEAT ZOUK GRAND OPENING REVEL-IN-THIS

COLOSSEUM CLUB JAKARTA

STORIES & THINGS

RM 15.00

#003

PP 18496/052014 ( 033873)

䤀一吀䠀䔀吀伀倀㄀䐀䨀匀䄀䜀䄀䤀一㼀

䤀吀✀匀䤀一夀伀唀刀䠀䄀一䐀匀⸀ 106

DJ MAG ASEAN /SEPTEMBER 2015

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

107

FROM THE TOP

EDITORIAL EDITOR (INDONESIA)

PRIMA

prima@djmagasean.com MUSIC WRITER

LYDIA LOHSHINI (MALAYSIA) lydia@djmagasean.com

PAT SANTOS (PHILIPPINES) pat@djmagasean.com JUNIOR ART DIRECTOR

How time flies. It’s been an incredible five months since we launched the brand; DJ MAG ASEAN and in that time we have produced three very successful magazines since June this year (four including this). Just like the dance music scene, change is the only constant. I’m happy to see our brand reaching readers beyond Southeast Asia at such an early stage. The DJ MAG brand is one that is definitely looked highly upon here and we are working to meet those high standards every day. I’m proud to have a team that’s fully committed to bringing our readers only the best in dance music from across the globe. We have some exciting announcements coming your way soon with a few projects in the pipeline nearing completion. The industry in Southeast Asia is still peaking; we do expect a lot more big international festival’s making its way here in the coming months. We might have one of our own as well! So look out for that. We have also rolled out the first phase of our new look by going back to the original DJ MAG red logo and cleaner, more eﬃcient communication material. But that’s only on the surface; you can expect to see a lot more improvements in the months to come. Until then do enjoy our ULTRA issue!

IZUAN SOBRI

izuan@djmagasean.com GRAPHIC DESIGNERR

WAN IZZATUR ASYRAF asyraf@djmagasean.com ADMIN EXECUTIVE

SHARIFAH MASTURA

mastura@djmagasean.com

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGER

REYVISA UMARI (INDONESIA)

reyvisa@djmagasean.com

MIGZ DEL GALLEGO (PHILIPPINES) migz@djmagasean.com CONTENT STRATEGIST

SHAHEILA AZMI shaheila@djmagasean.com

MANAGERIAL CHAIRMAN

ISKANDAR OTHMAN CO-CHAIRMAN

YAM TENGKU SHAHRAIN DIRECTOR

NORAZILAWATI CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

NICHOLAS DANIEL RAJ CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

KUMARAN GUNASAGARAN COUNTRY MANAGER

BHARATHA YUDHA (INDONESIA) baba@djmagasean.com COUNTRY MANAGER

ES LAMUNG (PHILIPPINES)

philippines.cm@djmagasean.com PUBLISHED BY REGAL GATES SDN BHD (1134948-D) A-22-13, MENARA UOA BANGSAR, NO.5 JALA N BANGSAR UTAMA 1, BANGSAR 59000, KL, MALA YSIA.

NICHOLAS DANIEL RAJ CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

PRINTED BY POWER PRESS&DESIGN(M)SDN BHD 10,JALAN 12/32B,TSI BUSINESS &INDUSTRIAL PARK,BATU 6 1/2 OFF JALAN KEPONG,52000 KEPONG,WP,MALAYSIA DISTRIBUTED BY MPH DISTRIBUTOR SDN BHD THE VIEWS EXPRESSED HEREIN ARE THOSE OF INDIVIDUALS AND NOT NECESSARILY SHARED BY DJ MAGAZINE

[SEPTEMBER 2015 ]

CONTENTS 22

FEATURES 22 Yves V : Stories & Things 62 Turning up the HEAT(BEAT) 60 BL3NDING BEATS

HIGHLIGHTS 76 Childs Play ! 101 A Moment of Your Time 18 Ultra Beach Bali

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

56 66 40

BEST OF THE REGION 30 32 34 36 38 46 48

DJ Nikki DJ Elmer Dado DJ Remy Irwan DJ Tong Apollo BEST 5 Supporting Clubs PARTIES

DJ MAG ASEAN RED 67 72 73 74

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

Quicksilver True Wetsuit Heimplanet Fistral tent A Flashy Outdoor Music Wonder The Watch Co

REGULARS 02 06 08 14 85 76 97

Editor’s Note Fresh From The Decks Quicktakes Fashion Synced On The Floor Tech

QUOTES

DECK

FRESH FROM THE

“

“IT MADE ME BELIEVE THAT I COULD DO IT - IF YOU SEE AN ARTIST YOU KNOW THAT GREW UP NOT TOO FAR FROM YOU OR SPEAKING YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE DOING WELL – LIKE PUSH FOR EXAMPLE BEING SUCCESSFUL AND FOLLOWING THEIR DREAMS, THEN IT MAKES YOU REALIZE AT A YOUNG AGE THAT ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, YOU JUST HAVE TO WORK HARD AND MAKE THOSE JUMPS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN!”

”

SEE PAGE 22

DJ MAG ASEAN / JUNE 2015

“

[ DJ BL3ND ] I PROBABLY HAD MORE THAN 15 TO 20 MASKS. RIGHT NOW, I’M ACTUALLY GETTING A NEW ONE DONE. SEE PAGE 60

JUNE 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

”

“

[ HEATBEAT ] WE WANTED TO SHOW PEOPLE WHAT WE ARE ALL ABOUT AND ULTIMATELY TAKE THEM ON AN AMAZING MUSICAL JOURNEY SEE PAGE 62

”

QUICKTAKE

READY TO TRAVEL WINES Wine drinkers can now enjoy their pick-meup without all the hassle of lugging around bottles, wine glasses and corkscrews. The folks at Union Wine Co. feel that there is too much fuss around wine so they’ve decided to serve wine in a can. Underwood Wines believe that “it’s more important what goes into the glass than what type of glass it is” and thus have made wine just as accessible and mobile as beer. With this genius creation, wine enthusiasts can put their pinkies down and enjoy a fuss free wine drinking experience without the packaging aﬀecting the taste of your wine. The ready-to-travel wines come in Underwood Pinot Noir, Underwood Rose, and Underwood Pinot Gris. www.unionwinecompany.com

PHARAOHS OF TRANCE The world of dance music is about to go down in the history books for what DJ duo Aly & Fila are about to do. In celebration of the 400th episode of Future Sound of Egypt (FSOE), Aly & Fila have been touring and playing soul out shows all over the world. But in true Aly & Fila fashion, the duo announced that being the proud Egyptians that they are, the actual 400th episode broadcast of FSOE will be a live DJ set at the pyramids of Giza! The intimate show will take place on the 11th of September at the Great Pyramids, and all we’ve got to say is Kudos, this is one feat only dance dynamos like Aly & Fila can pull oﬀ. http://futuresoundofegypt.com/

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

RAVE OF THRONES

Game of Thrones can really tug at heart strings and keep us at the edge of our seats, but there’s one character that would like to lighten the mood. Bran Stark’s muscle man, Hodor recently announced that he was going to pursue his love for dance music. DJ Kristian Nairn will be bringing the Rave of Thrones with him as he trots the globe, with his live sets featuring GOT theatrics with Knights, dire wolves and even White Walkers making surprise appearances during his sets. Trust us when we say we’re hoping he comes on an Asia tour soon because the inner GOT fan in us just about needs a Rave of Thrones night out!

PSYCHEDELIC SKIES

THE TURNTABLE FOR ALL

Burning Man has added one more art installation to their festival and it’s going to be one for the books. The newest art installation will be giving an all new meaning to “electric skies” and goes in line with this year’s theme of “The Carnival of Mirrors”. This year the world famous week-long festival will be putting together one of their wildest installations, the Large Hadron Kaleidoscope Ceiling. This piece will feature 2,500 individually controlled LEDs fashioned into mind-blowing arrangements and patterns overhead, and will be amplified with the help of mirrors around the exhibits interior. The art installment is set to be an experience like no other amidst the dark dessert skies. Attendees will be able to lounge beneath the art piece with heart prism glasses for a light show like never before.

Fern & Roby are designers who aim to please and this time around they believe that they’ve created The Turntable that would meet the high standards of audiophiles out there. But the duo did not stop there; they’ve also designed it to be a piece of fine art. The Turntable uses a 70 pound cast iron plinth to reduce resonance and achieve vibration dampening and also features a 35-pound bronze platter, dynamically balanced to 1000 rpm to attain the best performance. This stunning audio equipment that doubles as a work of art will satisfy both audiophiles and those with an eye for design. https://www.fernandroby.com

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

QUICKTAKE

[FASHION]

PLEATS PLEASE We understand how big of a role shoes play when it comes to festivals, wearing the right pair of kicks can either make or break your festival experience so this time, we’re got the perfect pair for you. Native Shoes have partnered with PLEATS PLEASE Issey Miyake to put forth a second collection of shoes that have been inspired by the classic moccasin sneaker and Native’s latest silhouette. The lightweight shoes come in five diﬀerent colors and are completely animal cruelty free. Now you can run young, wild and free in these stylish yet comfortable pair of kicks that will definitely be your key festival look. www.isseymiyake.com

[TECH]

NO TROUBLE WITH TROBLA If you’re a music buﬀ who just about needs to bust a move every now and again but find that your smartphone can’t quite be as loud as you want it to be then the Trobla Smartphone Amplifier is just what you need. Trobla doesn’t only amplify your music but it also doubles as an artpiece. Trobla is a simpler, greener and smart device that does not require you to plug in and charge. Built from Slovenian wood, sound travels smoothly through a hollowed chamber that’s guided by a cone that amplifies your music to your liking. The only thing electrical of the amplifier is your smartphone. http://trobla.com

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

WALK OUT WARDROBE We all know the fuss and the muss that comes with packing for a trip, but the great minds at W London Hotel have now come up with a way for you to pack less luggage. The hotel is promoting a minimal way of traveling by introducing their Walk Out Wardrobe service, a new designer wardrobe service. Encouraging guests to travel light, the hotel partnered with digital dress rental service, Girl Meets Dress to launch Walk Out Wardrobe that oﬀers guests a wide range of luxury ensembles that fit any and every occasion. Girl Meets Dress provides apparel from their archive of over 4,000 designer items. Guests at the W can contact concierge service for the wardrobe service. www.wlondon.co.uk/en/wardrobe

[FASHION]

XOO TAKES CHARGING TO A NEW LEVEL Festival season is upon us and it’s time to start stocking up on all those essentials. Other than food, water and your best buds, battery comes next on the list. Running out of battery on your smartphone can just about be a pain at a festival but fret not, xoo have introduced a new line of phone charging belts that blend style with cutting edge technology. This wearable charger is nestled between the fine leather, allowing you to charge your smartphone via a concealed wire. The XOO belt packs 2,100mAh of charge and comes in various colors and sizes to suit your festival style. http://xoo.co/

ADE TAPS ON JEFF MILLS The Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) the world’s leading event for EDM marks its 20th anniversary this year and has arranged for Techno trailblazer Jeﬀ Mills to spend a day at the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam to compose a trio of tracks in line with this year’s Amsterdam Dance Event. Mills will be working closely with artist’s work Philosopher in Meditation as he composes new music based on the painting. As part of a series of special events lined up for the 20th anniversary of ADE, Jeﬀ Mills will be recording three new tracks at a private session organized by ADE followed by a session where the DJ/Producer will reflect on his experiences at ADE.

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

QUICKTAKE

ULTRA WORLD DOMINATION Ultra Music Festival is force to be reckoned with in the dance music community since its inception nearly 20 years ago. Ultra’s brand has been growing far and wide, and it’s looking like the festival have their sights set on world domination with the introduction of various new venues this year. The expansion has been feverish; crossing boarders the world over and having recently announced their venture into Puerto Rico with their Road To Ultra franchise. It is only about time before the festival giants concur more cities and continents and who knows maybe your country would be next!

ALIBABA TAKES ON THE MUSIC INDUSTRY With a slew of other major corporations introducing various new music ventures, Chinese e-commerce platform, Alibaba have joined in the highly competitive market. After announcing earlier this year that they struck a deal with music giant BMG for distribution rights, Alibaba now seeks to plant itself as a new player in the industry. Alibaba launched its own subsidiary Alibaba Music Group which will be manned by the company’s CEO Song Ke, and Chairman Gao Xiaosong who both have experience in the music industry. Although still in its development stages, it’s looking like this new addition is going to be a power player in the music industry.

REVEALED TAKES ON ASIA The world famous Revealed Recordings have put together a team of promising DJ’s who will be coming out way this September! Establishing itself as something of an electronic music dynasty over the past 5 years, Hardwell’s Revealed Recordings has handpicked some of the finest talent the planet has to oﬀer, and gradually assembled a team of the most promising and gifted artists in electronic music. This September, the imprint will be taking their eclectic roster to Asia for an illustrious run of tour dates through Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Bangkok, Singapore, Taipei and Seoul. The DJ’s are set to journey into the heart of Asia with colossal nights at some of the biggest and best clubs on the continent.

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

[INTERVIEW]

F-TAMPA

FTampa is Brazil’s rising talent who is pushing the boundaries and concurring Electro House circuits the world over. He knew from a very young age that music was his calling and one band break up later, FTampa’s DJ career took oﬀ. This young DJ now finds himself at the decks in Tomorrowland and releasing tracks on Spinnin and Revealed, looks like the only from here is up for FTampa. Brazilian producers get big worldwide because I know they are good and just need a push. You’ve garnered support from the industry’s hard hitters like Hardwell, Martin Garrix, David Guetta and many more. How does it feel like knowing your work is getting the recognition it deserves? Inspiring! I mean, I work hard to make my tracks and I’m always trying to be better and better. When you have the biggest guys playing your tracks, it means you are going the right way!

Hi there! Tell us about your journey towards becoming a DJ. Did you stumble upon it or was it a career you wanted to pursue? I have been a musician since I was 13, and I have played in bands almost my entire life. I became a producer when my band decided to break up, so becoming a DJ was just a matter of time. Was there a specific track or DJ that made you realize this was the industry for you? Deadmau5 and Felguk were the first guys I heard. I became crazy about electronic music and tried to make my own beats You’re credited to be one of the industry’s up and comers who is pushing Brazilian EDM to the next level. What do you think sets Brazilian EDM apart from the rest? Brazil is a big country, and there is a lot t of DJs that decided to stay there to play only in Brazil because there are so many venues. Brazil is diﬀerent from the rest of the world. I’m trying to help lot of

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

We’re digging your newest release “031”. Tell us more about the track, what inspired it? The Fish House is one of my best friends and he used to be a bad producer! Every time that he would send me tracks I was like, “Just stop dude”. Then he started to study and he is amazing now!! He came up with the idea for 031 before Tomorrowland Brazil, and I loved it and told him “You are ready, let’s do this.” We just got inspired by the Tomorrowland thing. He is going to be one of the biggest Brazilians very soon

feel like knowing that you’ve got legions of fans worldwide rooting for you? It’s just unreal. When I started I was not expecting to be like this, and I feel really blessed and happy. I will keep working hard to make it bigger and bigger. I really want to say thank you for all my fans. They are just amazing! If you could stage a rave anywhere in the world, where would it be and which track of yours would you start it out with? It would be in Brazil because I love my country and I would start with That Drop! Festival season is upon us here in Asia, are there any upcoming festivals that you’re looking forward to playing at or hope to be a part of? I would love to play any festival I can and you can find where I’m playing looking at my website, FTAMPA.c om . I also love to play on clubs because then you need to read the crowd all the time and it’s amazing! I can’t wait to be there having fun with all you guys! Looking forward! Make sure you vote for me in this year’s TOP 100 DJ at FTAMPA .com/vote !

We hear you’re working on collaborations with R3HAB, KSHMR, Henry Fong and Helena. When will we be able to get our hands on those collabs? All collabs need time to be better and better. We have some ideas, but we are trying to make something unique which is very hard nowadays. There’s also lot of new music coming out, and I can’t wait to share it with everyone. Bigger things seem to be in store for you, what more can we expect from you in the coming year? I will keep re leasing tracks as fast as I can, and I will always try to make something unique and new. I have lots of tracks that will be released this year and I’m really excited. You’re playing sold out shows all over Brazil, Europe and Asia, how does it

FASHION

THRILL WITH PACSUN Been Trill returns with a new collection and this line has been created exclusively for PacSun, dubbed “Ace Collection”. The capsule collection blends New York City’s irreverent youth culture with various athletic staples. The pieces include graphic tees, mesh and wool baseball jerseys, hoodies and sweatpants. The apparel feature the brand’s signature typography, slogans and graphics that would be perfect to don at the upcoming Ultra festivals!

BE LIVING ART WITH VANS X ELEY KISHIMOTO

Stand out in the crowd this festival season as you flaunt the Vans x Eley Kishimoto collection. Vans new partnership with Eley Kishimotos sees the two brands launching quirky collection boasting bold and graphic unisex footwear and accessories. Both the design powerhouses used archived designs and introduced three new exclusive prints for the Vans x Eley Kishimoto ready-to-wear Living Art Collection. Eley Kishimoto used Vans Waﬄe Sole and Checkerboard pattern to create a series of new prints for the collection. We can already see these prints being flaunted all over festival grounds this season because the patterns will most definitely set you apart from the crowd. http://www.vans.com/shop/vans-x-eley-kishimoto

DENIM REPORT++DENIM REPORT++

++DENIM REPORT++DENIM REPORT++DENIM REPORT++

WILLIAM RAST LAUNCHES SPRING/ SUMMER 2015 COLLECTION William Rast is the American clothing line by chart topping,

JEANS FOR THE GIRL NEXT DOOR NEXT JEANS is a denim brand from the Philippines established in 1987. The brand has since pushed out fashion forward every day wear targeting teenagers and young adults who always seek to be on top of their fashion game. The folks here pride themselves in producing traditional quality clothes that aim to give their customers a creative change in their everyday outfits. With collections such as Patterns & Prints, Neon Trees, Wild Tribes, and even Boho Chic, Next Jeans clearly creates trendy apparel that is in sync with the constant evolution of the fashion industry. With various collections, this brand caters to your seasonal denim desires.

award winning artist and all round fashion forward man, Justin Timberlake and his friend Trace Ayala. What started out as a denim label has now expanded into a lifestyle collection and has made a name for them in the world of fashion. The brand’s well known signature embroidery on the back pockets that resemble a “V” with a slash across it has been seen on the who’s who of both the fashion and entertainment industry. At the New York Fashion week, William Rast launched their brand spanking new Spring/ Summer 2015 campaign that featured slick tailored suits for men and slinky chic looks for women. Also featured are distressed and sleek black denims that look like they belong in every fashionista’s closet.

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

BE A BAENDIT Carrying around your sunnies can sometimes be a problem, dumping it in your bag may result in a cracked, lens-less or just plain broken pair. Hong Kong based Bændit, the eyewear brand has launched a nifty new design for sunglasses. Bændit’s unisex shades as the name suggests are bendable and modular, allowing wearers to not only bend and twist them but also customize their eyewear with interchangeable parts. Bændit’s are made out of plastic titanium, making the eyewear lightweight and flexible. What’s brilliant is that the shades come with over 100 diﬀerent color combinations from interchangeable stems to nose pieces and lenses. That means you can coordinate your shades to your outfit without having to invest in a dozen pair of shades. http://www.baendit.com/

WILD FESTIVAL STYLE Adidas seem to be rolling in quite a number of collections this year and we love their Mary Katrantzou x Adidas Originals line. The line that was recently launched see’s wild and colourful prints on fashionable yet functional wear. Katrantzou is known for her heavy influence of wild prints which can be seen on every piece in the collection. The Brit’s eye for kaleidoscopic digital prints can be seen across mesh tops, boyfriend tees, pleated skirts and even rave-ready bomber jackets. This psychedelic collection would be perfect for the festival fashionista that wants to stay cool in the summer heat but be trendy at the same time. www.adidas.com

MURDER RIH WROTE

A EU PGTUESMT B2E0R 1 52 0/ 1 5 S D J/ M DA J GM A S GE A SNE A N

FASHION

WHAT A SITE!

SHANGHAI TANG INTRODUCE RETRO ROUND Luxury fashion label, Shanghai Tang recently released their newest collection of high fashion eyewear for Summer 2015. Borrowing inspiration from Hong Kongs fashion in the 1960’s, the Retro Round design speaks volumes with its metal brow bar and the signature coin detailing that adds a modern touch to the vintage look. Featuring high quality mirror lenses and firm frames, these shades boast an air of luxury and class. The “Retro Round” is available in four frame and lens combinations - Black frame with ink blue mirror, black frame with gold mirror, clear frame with aqua mirror, and a tortoise frame with silver mirror. https://www. shanghaitang.com/

RINGLY, THE ONLY WAY TO ACCESSORISE We think we’ve found the perfect accessory to cater to the social media butterfly this festival season. Remember the times where we used to go out of our way to buy mood rings because it fascinated us how they changed hues, well Ringly has gone and one up-ed the use of rings everywhere. Ringly are traditionally jewel adorned rings with semi-precious stone pieces that contain light and vibration notification features. This feature wirelessly communicates via an app enabled smartphone. To sum things up, Ringly allows wearers to be notified as needed using vibrations and pre-set colors. Phones can be kept away, in backpacks and pockets and the rings will notity users via color of their notifications. This functional fashion accessory is going to be all the rave especially since they’re waterproof and comes in such a chic design. https://ringly.com/

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

AUGUST 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

SPECIAL FEATURE ULTRA BEACH BALI FEATURE

et ready for this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most anticipated beach festival, the ULTRA Beach Bali, which will make its big debut at the famous Potato Head Beach Club in Seminyak, Bali on Thursday, September 24th and Friday September 25th, 2015. This event marks the penultimate stop of the 2015 ULTRA Asian Tour which was created waves of excitement from Seoul, Bangkok, Macau, Tokyo, Singapore, Taipei and soon to be Bali before ending in Manila.

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

We’re expecting some captivating production and amazing performances that the ULTRA franchise is known for. More so, since the event has garnered an amazing response from people in the region as tickets flew off the shelves in a matter of days and has since been officially SOLD OUT. In true testament to how big of an impact dance music is here in Asia, tickets sold even before the organizers had announced any form of festival line up. It was only a matter of time before the ULTRA Music franchise got their chance to take on one of the world’s famous tourist destination, the exotic Indonesian island of Bali. With tickets being sold out, over 10,000 people from different countries in Asia and Australia are expected to attend the two day festival. It will be a massive gathering and it will crown Bali as the new dance music festival arena. “We want to turn Bali into the exotic party paradise of Asia and Australia,” said the CEO of ULTRA, Russell Faibisch. With all the good vibes surrounding ULTRA Beach Bali, the folks behind Ultra most definitely made a good call. From their First Phase Line Up Announcement, ULTRA Beach Bali have selected two of the most celebrated names in the world of electronic music today, Skrillex and Alesso, as their headliners. They will be supported by other big names like the Fool’s Gold Records head A-Trak, ULTRA veteran Fedde Le Grand, Toronto based producers Zeds Dead and rising stars like OWSLA family member Mija and the Dutch electro house pair, Vicetone. Skrillex, is one of the most prominent DJs and producer in the world today. Since his first debut EP, ‘My Name Is Skrillex’ in 2010, Skrillex has been conquering the world of electronic music with his unique stage performances and brilliant dubstep music production. He created his own label called ‘OWSLA’ in 2011, and then went on to win 6 Grammy Awards consecutively for Best Dance Electronica Album, Best Remixed Recording Non Classical, and Best Dance Recording in 2012 and 2013. He is also sitting comfortably at #9 on our

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

DJ Mag Top 100 Poll. What else we can say, Sonny ‘Skrillex’ Moore will be the one to bring the house down at ULTRA Beach Bali. It’s also good to see him back on Asian soil this year. We hear fans are equally eager to see Alesso performing at ULTRA Beach Bali. Fresh oﬀ releasing his first debut studio album ‘Forever’ in May 2015 under the famous Def Jam Recordings, the album has made headlines and is being praised by fellow industry giants. We expect him to bring all of his new album tracks, including the radio chat topper ‘Heroes (We Could Be)’ at ULTRA Beach Bali. Alesso is currently ranked #15 on DJ Mag Top 100 DJ Poll. In addition to the headliners Fedde Le Grand, Vicetone and Gorgon City will be the main supporting entertainers on Thursday for Alesso and Kygo, while A-Trak, Mija, Zeds Dead and Sasha will be the main supporting acts for Skrillex on Friday. The two primary stages are split pretty evenly on genre grounds from the main stage to the newly minted resistance stage, premiered at the Miami edition in March. We truly believe ULTRA Beach Bali will be the benchmark for other similar festivals in the region. Potato Head Beach Club will be transformed into a dance music playground for two days as revelers swarm the famed venue to party the weekend away. We can’t wait to see the popular “U” logo spread across Seminyak Bali, and finally be able to enjoy a world class dance music show on Asian soil at ULTRA Beach Bali. For those of you who don’t know what ULTRA is all about, well allow us to take you on a short journey. ULTRA WORLDWIDE is the global edition of the World’s Premier Electronic Music event, ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL. The ULTRA brand was founded in 1997 by

Executive Producer, President & CEO Russell Faibisch, and began producing electronic music events in South Florida, which led to the inaugural Ultra Music Festival in 1999 on the sands of Miami Beach. The internationally renowned festival, which has taken place every March since its inception, celebrated its seventeenth anniversary from March 27-29, 2015 by bringing over 165,000 music enthusiasts to the sold out waterfront event in the heart of the City of Miami. Ultra Music Festival returns to Bayfront Park for its eighteenth annual edition, 18-20 March 2016. Choosing to follow a unique, creative vision and a wholly organic growth focused around a true love for music, artists, and fans alike, the ULTRA and ULTRA Worldwide brands represent not only the world’s biggest and most successful remaining INDEPENDENT electronic music festival brand, they are now the most international of any festival brand in the world by far. The event organizers continue to transport the unrivalled experience from the Miami flagship festival to an ever-growing number of destinations and fans all over the globe. Over the past seventeen years, literally thousands of the world’s most iconic DJs, producers and live acts have mesmerized audiences with awe-inspiring sets at ULTRA festivals in ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, CHILE, CROATIA, IBIZA, JAPAN, KOREA, SOUTH AFRICA and of course MIAMI, as well as ROAD TO ULTRA events in CHILE, COLOMBIA, MACAU, PARAGUAY, SEOUL, TAIWAN, THAILAND, TOKYO, USA, and now forthcoming events in BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, SINGAPORE, THE PHILIPPINES as well as ULTRA BEACH – BALI. Each and every new global edition is founded on the same successful recipe that has been perfected over seventeen years in Miami, combining the most diverse electronic talent with the most technologically advanced, large-scale festival productions in the world. Thanks to the power of social media and YouTube, people across the globe have been given the chance to experience ULTRA Music Festival through their computers or smartphones. Their Aftermovies tend to build the anticipation and create a need in revelers to want to experience the musical journey that is Ultra. Through these videos and podcats, Ultra has drawn a global fan base who are eager than ever to be a part of the Ultra experience. This is bucket list worthy! We’ll see you at ULTRA Beach Bali 2015!

2200

DJ M DA J GM A S GE A SNE /A N S E/P A TE UM GB U ES R T 2015

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

STORIES &THINGS 22

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

ith over a decade of experience under his belt, his arrival on the DJ Mag Top 100 Poll was long overdue. Yves V has landed with a force on the global dance music scene and is blazing forward onto new horizons. It was no surprise then that Yves V landed on #55 as a new entry on the poll. Before hitting it big, Yves Van Geertsom or better known as Yves V taught philosophy and physical education in Belgium and moonlighted as a DJ. Driven by his passion and love for world of electronic music, Yves V decided to actively be a part of the industry and thus became a full time DJ in 2011. It wasn’t long before his music garnered the reception he needed to catapult him to international stardom. Yves V’s interest in music was forged at a young age by his parents, and although young Yves was reluctant about playing the violin, he now credits his early music education for teaching him discipline and having a better ear for rhythms and beats. At 15 this talented Belgian bought his first records and started practising in his basement. Not long after his career began by playing at various small local clubs and parties in Antwerp. His DJing career took oﬀ soon after, as he was oﬀered residencies at Envogue, Jamesons, Noxx and many other clubs. Yves V started out listening to techno sounds in his spare time but swayed towards more a house and progressive influenced route when the time came for his to produce his own tracks. He now describes his music as “melodic, positive and energetic” and fans the world over seem to agree as they throng his shows and are arguably the reason he stands firm on the DJ Mag poll. Yves V broke out into dance music scene with his famed track “Cloudbreaker” that was in collaboration with hometown talent Basto. The track struck big as it reached number 25 on the Flemish Ultratop 50 and number 29 in the Dutch Single Top 100. The single went on to soar on various other charts in Netherlands and France and found its way onto playlists the world over. Yves V has clocked numerous hours in the studio churning out ear cradling tracks that become major dancefloor anthems. His tracks are privy to being played by major artists such as Tiesto, Hardwell, Steve Angello and many other hitmakers. It was an inevitable transition from being an underground DJ to having tracks sit fit comfortably on Beatport’s Charts. Yves V’s track “Madagascar” with his Belgian brethren Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike together with Asian talent Angger Dimas was a smash hit that earned him a name amongst his peers. Never one to stay in the confines of one genre, Yves V has worked his signature style onto various remixes from artists across the board. He has notably worked with Timbaland, Missy Elliot, Ginuwine and many other artists. Yves V went on further to create hits such as “Sonica” which up to today has become a crowd favourite alongside “Old School Sound” that can be heard all through festival season. His track in collaboration with Sander Van Doorn “Direct Dizko” his the sweet spot when it landed on the Top 10 Beatport Chart and raked the #1 spot on the Buzz Charts. It wasn’t long after that Yves’ hits started becoming anthems, as his summer hit “ Wait Till Tomorrow” garnered massive air time after premiering Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike’s Smash The House Radio.

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

COVER STORY

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

Yves V’s talent hasn’t gone unnoticed as he’s been a poignant part of the Tomorrowland and TomorrowWorld family. His almost decade long residency with the world famous festivals has taken him on global tours. He has credited the festival giants for giving him “the platform to achieve everything I have so far”.The man behind “Couldbreaker” has had staggering success since the release of the hit. Having played on the Tomorrowland mainstage more times than any other DJ recorded, and charming crowds with his boundless energy and uplifting and melodic hits, it’s no wonder his sets are always abuzz with multitude of fans. He has built a spectacular portfolio with chart topping hits and electrifying sets, earning him a spot amongst the industry heavy weights. In addition to concurring festival mainstages, Yves rechristened airwaves with his radio show V Sessions that takes on his ideas and musical direction. The radio show is syndicated on over 30 stations worldwide. He further expanded his V Sessions brand by creating a series of exclusive events where he hosts other DJ’s such as Eric Prydz and Pete Tong. With a little nudge from the Tomorrowland family, Yves has since curated his very own V Sessions stage, and is currently on its fourth year running. The line up to his V Sessions stage has been quite impressive with the likes of his hometown hero’s Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Nicky Romero, Sultan & Ned Shepard, Pete Tong and has even become a platform for newcomers such as Dannic, Dyro, D-wayne and many others. After over a decade of DJing, Yves V plays tracks across a spectrum of genres, notably heard on his famed VSessions radio shows. This DJ Producer believes that “everything that you do influence you as a person and as an artist.” and thus refuses to be categorized into one genre “I don’t want to be put in a box, and bound by restriction on genres”. His globetrotting ways have introduced him to fresh new musical and productions styles that he constantly incorporates in his tracks. Yves V has recently been gaining more attention in the industry, as his tracks fill the playlists of DJ’s worldwide, and his name listed on line ups and billings of clubs and festivals alike. This DJ is most definitely on a solid path to the top as he gears up for another fulfilling year ahead. DJ Mag ASEAN finds out how Yves V has gone from playing in a basement to playing at the biggest festival mainstages around. Tell us about yourself. We heard you attended music school as a child, how was that experience like, did you play any instruments back then? It was interesting! My parent’s had friends who were involved in an orchestra, so they had some influence over my choice of learning and playing the violin but I am glad I did it, it gave me an understanding of

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

discipline and hard work at that young age, even if really I’d rather have played the piano! What was your earliest music influence? When I first really took an interest in music, it was rock, grunge, hip-hop – those kinds of artists and bands that your parents don’t understand but every generation has. For me it was Green Day, Pearl Jam, Nirvana and of course Daft Punk a lot of guys like that that really opened up music for me to explore, I was also into some of the Belgian trance scene with guys like Push. You were once a P.E. teacher how did that come about? Have you always been interested in sports? I always tried to combine my job as a teacher and DJ as long as I could. But 4 years ago I had to make a choice and of course DJing was my first choice, travelling around the world and sharing my passion for music is a dream coming true. I’m very happy that I can call this passion and hobby my ‘job’ When did you realize that you wanted to become a DJ? I bought my first record when I was 15, so DJing was always my passion. I always wanted to play in clubs but I never dared to dream of what I’m doing now.

How did you first delve into DJ-ing, were you selftaught or did you have a mentor to guide you? I’m pretty much self-taught, I was really into digging for vinyl when I was around 15/ 16 and listening to DJs in local club. In the beginning I just played at my home, later on we did some small parties with some friends. It took me a long time to be where I am now. I participated in DJ contests, send my mixtapes to all the clubs in the neighbourhood, organized my own parties etc.

How has your musical background helped with the production side of things over the years? It’s helped me very much, like I mentioned earlier, learning an instrument when I was young taught me discipline but also skills like music reading – but I think as a producer you should never stop learning, I think it’s important to absorb as much as you can especially with new software, hardware and processes coming out each year. It’s great as it opens up the door for a lot of younger producers to have their music heard which generations before us didn’t have but it also means that everyone is a bedroom producer these days! I started a little late with producing music so I’m very happy that I still work with my studio partner and I’m learning from him every day.

COVER STORY

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

You know how in Brazil football is almost part of their identity, do you think it is the same with Belgium and Dance Music as it is the home of Tomorrowland and various other festivals? Yes, definitely! Tomorrowland is the ultimate festival that music fans from all over the world want to attend, progressive, hardstyle, techno, trance, house, it’s all there and it’s amazing to be a part of it every year. The original festival in Boom also puts in tens of millions of euros into the Belgian economy alone, which can only be good for both the locals who live there all year round and the visitors that come for the festival in the Summer.

You were born and bred in Belgium; do you think that Belgium’s tight connections with electronic music nudged your involvement into the industry? It made me believe that I could do it - if you see an artist you know that grew up not too far from you or speaking your native language doing well – like PUSH for example - being successful and following their dreams, then it makes you realize at a young age that anything is possible, you just have to work hard and make those jumps to make it happen!

You have dabbled in various genres in the music industry,working with top names remixing Timbaland and Missy Elliot. What was it that made you decide to focus on house music? I’ve always been a fan of all kinds of music from rock to hiphop so to be able to remix the Ginuwine track that featured both Timbaland and Missy was a dream! I wanted to make sure it

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

had my own unique stamp on it with the tight build-up and melody on the breakdown, but still respecting the original artist’s vocals.

You have been in the industry for quite a while now, how has the industry and your production style changed since the time you first started out up to now? I think I evolve with the trends but I never stood still with this and always try to follow my own feeling. Your big break into the scene came with your track Cloudbreaker, tell us about how that came about and how it changed your game as a DJ. Cloudbreaker completely changed the game for me, it gained me a lot of attention as a producer in my own right as my first big release but working with Basto was also great. The track came together quickly for us once we were in the studio and to have that natural flow with him is something I think you can really hear it in the final release, even now. Also my collaboration ‘Madagascar’ with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike was a huge track for me.

You are a globe trotter, playing festivals and shows all over the world. During your recent travels, has anything presented itself as a muse to you? It’s hard to define what a muse is but I find inspiration in the people I meet and the places I visit. When I was over in India for the start of the year, it was beautiful – the food, the culture, I just want to absorb it all!

COVER STORY

I wanted an open-door feel where everyone is welcome, no one is excluded and music lovers can really connect with the sets and like-minded people. Its high-energy and feel-good!

You played at the S20 Festival in Bangkok and even credited it to be one of your best shows, what was the experience like? Will your Asian fans be seeing more of you in the coming months? Yeah, I really enjoyed it, the production was amazing, the team was brilliant and the crowd, crazy! I love Asia, it’s one of my favourite regions to visit, I’ll hopefully be out there before the end of the year/ early 2016 – hope to see you guys out there when I next play!

This would be another year in a row that one of your tracks has made in onto the Tomorrowland Aftermoviesoundtrack. Tell us about them. The Tomorrowland anthems that Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike have created in the past with Chattahoochee and Waves have both been great and as a fellow resident, to have our music become a part of the event when people look back at the aftermovies and reports, is only a great thing – it almost makes the hairs on your neck stand up, knowing that people have that shared connection between your music, the event and the great memories from their trip. Who knows what next years will be but I’d love to jump into the studio with Dimitri and Mike and really work our magic It’s the same with places like Brazil, Thailand, America, Mexico, I just want to experience it all and learn from it. There are so many incredible countries in the world.

You’re also a resident DJ at Tomorrowland, how did that come about? What does it mean to you as a DJ to be a Tomorrowland resident? I’ve performed on the main stage there 9 times now and it doesn’t get any less exciting, it’s such a big part of my life and an amazing institution to be a part of. It is the #1 festival in the world with hundreds of thousands of fans attending even over in Brazil now and TomorrowWorld in Atlanta – it is the greatest event on the planet and to be a part of the make-up is a dream come true.

V Sessions has its own stage at Tomorrowland. Tell us more about the creative direction your stage takes? And what makes your stage stand out? I’ve hosted my V – Sessions stage at Tomorrowland since 2012, it’s just a chance for me to get together some great friends who make music and talents I’m really into, to come along and play a set and live the whole Tomorrowland experience. I think the vibe and energy is great at the V - Sessions stage and is the first thing a lot of people notice, which is really what I wanted to create.

The lineup at your stage is massive, with the likes of Sidney Samson, Promise Land and R3hab, so what is it like being backstage at V Sessions? Please describe the vibe to us.

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

BEST OF THE REGION [ INDONESIA ]

REMY IRWAN

[ PHILIPPINES ]

ELMER DADO

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

[ THAILAND ]

[ MALAYSIA ]

NIKKI

TONG APOLLO

BEST OF THE REGION

MALAYSIA

DJ NIKKI 30

DJ NIKKI HAS MADE QUITE THE NAME FOR HERSELF IN THE DANCE MUSIC INDUSTRY. FROM WINNING DJ BATTLES TO HELMING THE DECKS AT ULTRA KOREA, IT’S STARTING TO LOOK LIKE THE SKY’S THE LIMIT FOR THIS RISING DJ. WE TOOK SOME TIME OFF TO TALK TO NIKKI TO FIND OUT HOW SHE STARTED OUT IN THE INDUSTRY AND HER ACHIEVEMENTS THUS FAR.

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

vibes all through the 2 days, everything was well organized. I was taken good care of by the team. It was definitely one of the best gig’s I’ve played and I’m so honored to be given a chance to represent Malaysia at a world class festival like this! You’ve recently played at Supermartxe Festival, Octagon Seoul, Tokyo and many other venues alongside your Ultra Japan gig, share with us your most memorable experience or gig. I can almost consider all these gigs memorable however my most unforgettable one was in KL when someone jumped on stage in the midst of my set, grabbed the mic and proposed to his then girlfriend. The crowd was stunned for a second but cheered on after they realized what was going on, everything happened spontaneously. I remembered I was playing “Walking Alone by Dirty South” , I was hoping that she say “YES” to him before the vocal comes in otherwise I’m screwed. Lol Hi there! Tell us the story behind becoming a DJ. Did you stumble into the industry or was it a dream of yours? It was probably my curiosity that got me into this industry. I’ve always wondered what DJ’s do behind the console. So I decided to take up a professional course and some friends who were in this industry taught me a little on handling the decks. Never thought I would become a DJ one day, it’s just the interest and passion for music that got me into the industry. After winning the Heineken pres. Juice DJ Quest competition, gigs start swarming in and that’s when it turned into a career. Who/What have been your muses and inspirations? My inspiration is based on my daily encounters in life and I translate it musically. It could be anything, inspirations just come to me for instance, while looking at the crowd, and I get inspired too. And I think playing 3 decks, it gives me adrenaline rush and that pushes me to give more in my performance. How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it? My music can be described as driving and uplifting. I like to create a more pumping and groovy sound to drive the crowd higher

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

but it also depends on the venue, will be playing a slightly mellow sound if they have a weak roof. No I’m just kidding! I don’t mind throwing some classic tunes and parts from classical pieces too in between my sets to bring the elevate them. Tell us about the DJ battles that you’ve been it, the Juice DJ, Pioneer Digital Battles and being awarded in the Heineken Music presents Juice DJ Quest. JUICE DJ Quest and Pioneer Digital Battles award have actually opened a path for me in this industry. I wouldn’t achieve so much without the award. These competitions had given me a lot of publicity and recognition that I need as a DJ/artist. I’m proud to be given the title and it’s something that kick started my career. Last year you earned the coveted chance to play at Ultra Japan. Tell us about the experience. Yeah it was amazing. It’s something I’ve always thought about since I started this career and getting the chance to play such a great spot at Ultra Japan, is pretty incredible. I have a kind of vision and a little dream and when that happens it’s more surreal than anything. It was a 2 day event. The door opened at 11am and it was almost full house by noon. There were just good

You’re on your way to global success, and we see bigger things in store from you. What else do you have planned for 2015? The year has been treating me well so far, there’ll be a lot of shows coming towards the end of the year. I’m hoping to do more tours and connect more with people of different cultures and collaborate with some musicians and instrumentalist to create fresh tunes that differs from the usual stuff yet acceptable for the masses. “Never rest on your laurels”. I’m always looking to improve and see how things could be better, and hopefully I can achieve that. What is your current summer anthem? I have quite a few but if I have to pick one, it would be Sweet Disposition (Danrell Remix) by Temper Trap. It’s a great remix. If you could stage an outdoor rave anywhere in the world where would it be? Well to be honest I don’t mind where it would be in terms of country. I love the nature, it would be really cool if I get the chance to stage an outdoor rave outside of the city, in a jungle or the ocean perhaps, or an even crazier idea is to have it under the ocean! I guess that could be achieved in a short time. I love to set plenty of short term goals and take it from there. By doing so, I can assess myself and make adjustments in carving the path to success.

BEST OF THE REGION

[VIETNAM]

ELMER DADO HAS BEEN ROCKIN’ DANCE FLOORS FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS NOW, AND HAS ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS ONE OF PHILIPPINES’ MOST RECOGNIZED HOUSE MUSIC DJS. ELMER HAS PERFORMED WITH WORLD FAMOUS DJS LIKE TIESTO, ARMAND VAN HELDEN, DEEP DISH, RICKY STONE, PETE HELLER & JAMES ZABIELA TO NAME A FEW. GET TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS WELL-RESPECTED, VETERAN DJ AND HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS.

PHILIPPINES

ELMER DADO

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

How did you begin DJing? I started DJing in high school with my mobile group Altered Voice. Then a friend invited me to audition with the ANZIA/ First Audio Group, an elite DJ management group during the 80’s and 90’s. And luckily, I was accepted. My first club assignment was Pare Club in 1988. Then I was transferred to Faces, the most popular club back then. Then later on, I moved to Club Mars, the longest running club in the Philippines. It stayed for 12 years before it closed down in 2002. You’ve accomplished so much. What are your favorite milestones in your career, and why? My favorite milestones in my career were my gigs in Europe in 2008. But the one that I cherish the most was our gig in Las Playas, this posh club in Zaragoza in the Aragon region. But the biggest crowd we ever had was our gig in South Korea together with Super Junior in 2012, with more than 200,000 people in attendance. We were the only non-Koreans who performed there. You’re not just a solo artist, but have a group as well. Tell us about Elmer Dado and Gruppo Tribale. Elmer Dado and Gruppo Tribale combines electronic dance music with live percussions. Our repertoire ranges from Latin House to Tech House to Tribal House to EDM, depending on the demographic of the club or event.

How would you describe your music to the unfamiliar? To those who hasn’t heard me play yet, I’ve played almost all House music genres and sub-genres throughout my career. But everyone who knows me well, always tell me that my sound is always leaning towards percussive and groovy. You’ve been in the industry for so long. What do you think about the evolution and current electronic music scene in the Philippines, and how do you feel about it? From being a minority when I started, electronic music has dominated clubs, bars, radio and even music video channels. There are a lot of local electronic music producers nowadays which is really good for the industry. What are your future plans in your music career? Do you ever think about retiring? I’ve thought about retiring a lot of times when EDM got huge, because I really am not a big fan. But with Gruppo Tribale, we’ve accepted the fact that we have to learn to adapt and continue entertaining

our audience, but with our own treatment. It worked well. So there’s no reason for me to quit as of the moment. We have a finished album, but we’re not releasing it yet because we’re waiting for the perfect timing. Once the EDM hype dies down, then we can introduce our original music. But with my solo DJ sets, I really have very few clubs to play in. What are your hopes for the music industry? I have high hopes for our electronic music industry because there are a lot of very good local producers and really good DJs. All we need are more open minded investors that are willing to put up venues for non-mainstream dance music. If you were to describe yourself as musician, or your music journey through 1 track, what track would that be? If I were to describe myself and my musical journey, it would be “Plastic Dreams” by Jaydee. That track is my all time favorite and it made me to where I am right now. And one more thing— I’ve never stopped dreaming!

What is the inspiration behind the DJ and percussion tandem? It was a project I conceived more than 10 years ago when I met a group in Ibiza that combines House music with a Flamenco guitar, dancers and percussions. What is the diﬀerence between you as an individual DJ, and a DJ with Gruppo Tribale? When I do my DJ set, I stick to the music that I love the most, which is House. I play a lot of Tech House lately. With Gruppo Tribale, I always read the crowd and play the music which suits their music preference.

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

BEST OF THE REGION INDONESIA

REMY IRWAN

A TRUE PIONEER IN THE UNDERGROUND DANCE SCENE IN INDONESIA, REMY IRWAN’S ABILITY TO ADOPT AND ADAPT MAKES HIM ONE OF THE MOST WELL RESPECTED DJS IN THE SCENE FOR OVER 15 YEARS. HE KEEPS ON PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES WHILE MAINTANING A SENSE OF CROWD FRIENDLINESS WITH HIS OWN TAKE OF MINIMAL, HOUSE AND TECHNO MUSIC. NOW HE’S LIVING IN BALI TO SPREAD THE VIBE AND ALSO MANAGE ONE OF THE HOTTEST NEW NIGHT CLUBS IN BALI, STARK HOUSE. DJ MAG ASEAN WAS HONORED TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET INSIDE THE MIND OF A MAN WHO HAS DONE IT ALL, BOTH AS A DJ AND A PERSON WHO ALWAYS SUPPORT THE LOCAL DANCE MUSIC COMMUNITY AND INDUSTRY.

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

It’s an honor to have you here. Please tell us more about yourself and how you started out in the industry. First of all, big ups to my father because he was the one who introduced me to music. He has lots of vinyl & cassette. I still remember first tape I bought: Richard Clayderman & Phil Collins, and I was 11 years old that time. After that every time I had money I bought more tapes. And for my career I started professionally as resident DJ at 1994. Since then there’s no turning back. Who or what have been your inspirations and influences? 90’s house & techno icon are the best. Frankie Knuckles, Marshall Jeﬀerson, Francois K and Richie Hawtin For more than 15 years, you’ve been one of the most respected DJs in Indonesia. Can you tell us what it takes to be in your position right now? Give respect and treat others as you want them to treat you. Most important is be more open minded. Don’t be a stereotypical person; see everything as a good thing. Even though people know me as a techno DJ, I listen to all types of genres like trance, progressive, classic disco, indie dance, deep house or anything in between. As long that music gives me happiness, I’ll play it. Except for EDM nowadays, it’s really not my cup of tea. People mentioned you as a true pioneer in the underground dance scene in Indonesia. Share us the story. It goes back to early 90’s where underground music was a rare thing. Not many people were aware of what it is. It was more towards private parties back then. We moved from place to place to create and run this underground party. In the early days Achdiyat, Stewart & Alan were the creators this project named BLISS. I’m was a follower at that point, but was already involved in some of their parties. Finally, in April 1994 we moved to Niaga Tower. That was the rebirth of B1, first underground club in Jakarta/ Indonesia. After 3 months Achdiyat & team leave B1. And I joined B1 as resident DJ and continued their legacy alongside with Romy & Naro. After 1 year in B1, we split up with our own project. Me & Romy formed R2 later known as 1945MF and Naro formed The Original Naro. Up until today, I’m 100% sure that B1 was everyone’s playground in early days of underground movement in Jakarta. Golden days! What has been your most memorable gig so far? For me every gig has its own story but if I could list down some ; its in Space Ibiza, Big Bang Fest in Lahr and weekend nights at Embassy. Can you tell us more about Jakarta Techno Militia and what’s the inspiration behind it? It’s a collaboration project between many labels such as Dafkaf Inc, Microchip and House Cartel. We share the same mission and dreams on what’s best for us to keep the underground scene alive. We continuously run underground nights in several small bars and clubs around Jakarta. Oﬀ course, the inspiration comes from the big guys in Detroit. Respect!

For me is more than just a label, it’s the other family that has grown with me as, 1MAN, Miko and myself created DAFKAF Inc. in year 99. We were on a mission to spread great music and good vibes to the people. In early years of DAFKAF we’re so lucky had the chance to create and run parties in some of café & club in Jakarta. So the story goes, in 2002 EMBASSY open and three of us became the resident. Later that year Adhe, Achdiyat, Georgia, Alvin K, Uchiel, Daniswe, Dedosixteen, Mamit, Sony, Putra, Rangga & MC Lil Dan joined the family. And with DAFKAF I’m lucky enough to host WE LOVE party from Space Ibiza and take in on a 10 city around Indonesia. In return they flew me to Space Ibiza to play with Felix Da Housecat, Groove Armada. Such an honor to have had that chance to share the decks with them. And DAFKAF continued spread the good vibes and bringing big names into Jakarta’s club scene like Francois K, Green Velvet, Eats Everything, Yousef, Shin Nishimura, Joris Voorn, Technasia, Scuba and Ben Klock to name a few. Tell us about your plans and expectations for the rest of this year and upcoming years to come? I’m living in Bali now and manage Starks House. It’s a beer garden concept with a spacious club at the back of the bar. Still new and it has taken time to develop the concept. It’s a tight competition in Legian street, most of the guests are tourist and they’re more into commercial kind of song. To entertain this type of market, we bring GODSKITCHEN brand as weekly residency with some international line ups also some local/ national talents. I have faith that our eﬀorts will work out and give contribution to the industry also share the vision to young generation of what electronic dance music is all about. Is there any favorite track you’ve been playing on your gigs lately? Too many, hahaha.. But lately this track Strandbar (Eric Duncan Mix) by Todd Terje always gives goose bump every time I play it. Nice tune!! What’s your opinion about people start bringing underground music to mainstage? The truth is underground music is always there, a sidekick to the mainstream also as a stabilizer to the dance scene. It’s a good thing for sure if people push them back to the main stage. For me, underground scene is about culture; way of life and it will exist for many years to come. Do you have any tips to share to young and upcoming DJs? Go explore, spread the good vibes and stay humble.

Can you tell us more about your label/management Dafkaf Inc.?

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

BEST OF THE REGION

THAILAND

TONG APOLLO

3 36 6

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

1.Tell us about your journey towards becoming a DJ ?

It has been more than 10 years since the day i decided to become a club dj. I started as a radio dj which was more into interact with the listening, not mixing or anything related to djing. But the influence of the music back then (those 00s Hip-Hop&RnB), so I wanted to put in my own eﬀort, to learn how to dj, making friend with people in the scene and was appointed for audition in the clubs. Growing up, who was your inspiration? Did you ever think you’d be doing this? As a club dj, I would want to make my own beat. It would be an unbelievable thing to play my own beats and see the crowds go crazy. So it’s like a great motivation for me to seek for information of how to produce my own track, watching tutorials on Youtube. Regards to your music, being released commercially and your tracks were on the Top 100 Electro chart, how did you feel to achieve this milestone? It was incredible! It never thought that so many people would love my track and support me! Not so sure whether am I the first Thai producer who mark a spot on Beatport’s Top 10 electro chart or not, but I’m sure that I will never forget this amazing moment!

As Thailand’s EM industry has been known for providing best female DJs (DJanes) to the world, some are doing very well on the international scale and having tours endlessly. Who do you think would be the next favourite DJane? To be honest, i don’t have any specific lady producer in my mind right now. But who knows? Maybe one of my students could step up to be one of the leading DJane in Asia. Do you have thing to say it out loud to your fans? Thank you so much for giving me such a great support. You guys are awesome! If you could play 3 tracks to describe how do you feel toward Believers or One-Directioners, what would you choose to play? The Pussycat Dolls - Don’t Cha ft. Busta Rhymes Incubus- Pardon Me Nelly - Hot In Herre

What would be the next big thing in Thailand & SEA’s Electronic Music (EM) scene It’s amazing that Electronic Music scene is getting more attentions and supports from Southeast Asians, and we have proved that Asian music festivals are as awesome as many in Europe. What was the oddest thing ever happened to you in the club? Once upon a time, I was spinning in one of the clubs in BKK. There’s a random girl approached me at the booth. She requested for “ID” song (she literally asked for track title “ID”) To me it was very funny because the term ‘ID’ is used for unidentified or unreleased track How would you describe your sound? I’m a kind of producer that would prefer to create a nicely arranged melody and scales than banging my track as loud as possible. What would you want to say to newly aspiring DJs/producers? Be yourself, find your own character and indeed don’t give up. If you could have establish a band with 3 international DJs/producers, who would you pick to join your crusade? And what would you oﬀer them to eat or see while you were having a tour in Thailand (please tell us 3 lists of food, event, place or something weird) Alesso, Dannic and Fedde Le Grand would be the heroes who join my league. These guys are known for their talents and amazing live mixing skills. Of course, I would bring them to float market in Chao Phraya River (The riverside in BKK) and introduce the traditional meals to fulfil their craving.

Replace a word “Llama” in a title of your favorite song TONG APOLLO - Mother F*ucer Llama DJ (Original Mix)

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

BEST OF THE REGION

ULTRA BEACH BALI

The folks at Ultra seem to be on route to global domination and have added various new venues to a now widely international festival brand, Ultra Music Festival. This year, Ultra will be premiering on the beautiful and exotic island of Bali as Ultra Beach Bali debuts on the 24th and 25th of September at the famous Potato Head Beach Club. The famed venue sits comfortably along the prestigious stretch of Seminyak, overlooking the glistening waters of the Indian Ocean. With an estimated crowd of 10,000, Potato Head Beach Club was an easy choice since the institution has thrown extravagant parties since its establishment. Featuring a 500 square meter lawn, two bars, two restaurants and an infinity pool overlooking the stunning coastal views, we can only imagine the stunning visuals, stage and sound system that the music festival giants will descend upon the award winning location. Revellers will be partying the weekend away amidst the perfect blend of traditional Balinese culture and the modern dance music beats slaying the crowds. With an impressive phase one line-up consisting of Skrillex, Alesso, Fedde Le Grand, Zeds Dead and A-Trak, it’s no surprise that tickets have been practically sold out!

ROAD TO ULTRA SINGAPORE Singapore will debut Road to ULTRA Singapore on the 19th of September at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre as the Lion City takes on the festival mammoth that is Ultra. We broke the story earlier this year where revellers were left guessing Singapore’s role in the Ultra franchise when social media started buzzing with images of the Singapore flag projected on major screens at the Ultra festival in March. Since the oﬃcial announcement, we’ve been getting super stoked because it will take place at the leading destination that hosts various events all year round. Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre is a unique and vibrant venue. The extensive space provided by Marina Bay Sands will be transformed into a dance music playground especially since the venue is backed by Las Vegas Sands Corp and will be hosted by Ultra! Skrillex, Alesso and Nicky Romero will be headlining UMF Singapore which is already proving to be a massive show. Early Bird and Phase One tickets are sold out so you better cop up the remaining tickets in Phase Two soon!

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

DANCE MUSIC INVADES JAKARTA

Get your dance shoes on Indonesia, you’re about to be invaded by an EDM festival like no other. Invasion Electric Dance Festival is set to be Jakarta’s largest indoor music festival. The festival organized by Euphorics is set to take over Hall A at JIExpo, Kemayoran Jakarta on the 26th of September. After attracting 15,000 attendees in 2013, Invasion is back once again with EDM Hard hitters, Dash Berlin, Alesso, Ale Mora and Mr Belt & Wezol headlining the festival. Invasion Music Festival is set to be a spectacle as the massive indoor stage is to be fashioned with extensive giant LED screens and visuals. Early Bird and Pre-Sale tickets have been sold you so you better cop your own tickets before the festival is sold out.

THE OCEAN OF DREAMS Thailand get your sunscreen and beach bods ready for TLT Presents Beach Party- The Ocean of Dreams this coming 5th and 6th of September. Hosted by Trance Music Lovers Thailand, this is about to be a trance party like no other featuring Jonnie B, Hype Viper, Hybrid Jay, VINNIE, Fiske, DJ Tan, DJ Goa Gummy and a slew of other DJ’s and artists taking over the stage. This two day beach party boasts Thailand’s best trance acts amidst the amazing views and vibes of the beach. Grab your friends and your bathing suits and head on over to TLT Presents Beach Party!

ELECTRIFYING RUN!

ROAD TO ULTRA PHILIPPINES ELECTRIFYING

RUN!

Part of the Ultra Music Festival global expansion, the EDM festival unveiled Philippines as one their many new locations. On the 26th of September ULTRA Events will stage the very first UMF event in Philippines, taking place at Mall of Asia grounds. After recent hosting 12,000 screaming fans, the SM Mall of Asia raises the bar for entertainment and. You can be sure they will be throwing it down for EDM’s major players, Skrillex, A-TRAK, MIJA, W&W and many other DJ’s who will be helming the decks for the premier Ultra party in Philippines. Arguably one of the biggest festival brands out there, it comes as no surprise that the Early Bird tickets have been sold out. Keep close tabs with Ultra for Wave 1 and 2 tickets because this is one party you definitely would not want to miss out on!

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

BEST OF THE REGION

COLOSSEUM CLUB , JAKARTA

n Ancient Rome, the Colosseum was the largest amphitheater ever built and is considered one of the greatest works of architecture and engineering. It was used as a venue where people gathered to witness the glorious fights between the gladiators as a source of entertainment. Indonesia brushed up on their Greek history and decided to build their very own Colosseum to once again entertain attendees but this time with unbeatable blends of electronic dance music.

4 40 0

Colosseum Jakarta, the famed super club that emerged as the new heartbeat of Jakarta’s dance music scene, launched in 2013. The Colosseum club brand quickly spread all through Jakarta, garnering the attention of party goers around town making them fully aware of their presence and have since successfully delivered newer and better nighlife experience. Since then, the prominent club has won ‘Best Club of The Year 2014’ title from the prestigious annual electronic dance music and night life awards from Indonesian media.

Located strategically in the center of night life activity in Jakarta, Colosseum Club is a relocation project from the 1001 Club & Hotel Management. Their previous establishment was located in Hayam Wuruk area in Central Jakarta. The folks behind the superclub have chosen the right spot for their relocation, the Kunir Street No:7, which was once the home of legendary club called K-7. This is the venue that once held Armin van Buuren concert in 2007 with thousands of attendees. Destined for greatness, Colosseum rejuvenated K-7 Club with a more modern design and up to

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

date technology. They went on to maximize every inch of potential in the venue, and have since turned it into a modern super-club with the capability of hosting and entertaining 3,000 people. Every inch has been refurbished into one big modern entertainment arena. Imagine what the inside of an arena that spans over 1,000 square meters, with 16 meters high ceiling above you looks like, and you can see five floors of VIP room balconies surrounding your 360 degree view. It’s hard for your eyes to stray from Colosseum’s massive mainstage as it quite literally takes your breath away. Revelers who have partied the sun down at K-7 will surely feel like they’ve taken a step into the future once they’ve set foot into Colosseum. Once inside the Colosseum arena, one thing that will quickly catch your attention is the massive modern LED lighting system which has been designed to imitate a big room chandelier, that arguably looks similar to the ceiling lighting design at the MTV EMA 2008 in Liverpool. For this aggressive expansion design, they brought the craftiest lighting designers in the world who also worked on some best clubs in Ibiza and New York. Colosseum’s immense space has become a canvas for those artists to bring their ideas and designs, and putting their best eﬀort to make Colosseum the best club with unparalleled lighting fixtures in Jakarta and Indonesia.

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

With big room design and large space like that, it’s no wonder Colosseum’s management only want to be powered by the best audio system available today : Funktion One. They’re English inventors and manufacturers of professional loudspeaker systems with sonic accuracy and an excellent sound directional focus control. The crowd can feel the diﬀerence when they’re dancing to Colosseum’s crisp treble and their tremendous pumping bass sound. Many of them praised the crystal clear audio system of Colosseum, including all the artists, DJs, singers, and bands who ever performed on their stage.

Colosseum got their first nationwide impression when they hosted the After Party for Djakarta Warehouse Project in December 2013. This event successfully made Colosseum the talk of the town with attendees spreading the word about how the superclub has upgraded itself to become a euphoric place to visit for night entertainment. Since then partygoers started paying more attention to the establishments upcoming events. Including the Road To A State of Trance 650 Jakarta on February 28th and March 1st 2014 with Tenashar and Ben Gold. From

BEST OF THE REGION

there, Colosseum also became the reguler host for Djakarta Warehouse Project Road To and After Party in 2014 and upcoming December 2015. The most recognizable event brand from Colosseum is the ‘Cirque D’Colosseum’. Held every Friday, this event puts different International DJs on blast almost every week as they helm the decks for the nights biggest sets. The most successful event for this brand was the first anniversary of Cirque D’Colosseum with Andrew Rayel on January 23rd, 2015. More than 2,500 people came to watch the #24 ranked DJ on the DJ Mag Top 100 2014

4 42 2

poll, and it was an amazing performance from the Armada Music rising star. People are still talking about how epic it was to see Colosseum packed with legions of fans. Andrew Rayel also shared his excitement after playing there with a testimonial on their website saying “..Colosseum is one of the best clubs I’ve ever been to, the sound system is amazing, the production is amazing, the crowd is one of the best. I think everyone should visit Colosseum at least once in their life. So, I can’t wait to be back here again”. Enough said. There are also other testimonial from DJs such as Markus Schulz, John O’Callaghan, Aly & Fila, Jacob van Hage and many more, all of them saying how Colosseum is one of the best club in the world they ever been to, and they keep mentioning the great quality of their soundsystem, LED’s, lighting and the atmosphere of the club. It’s fair to say that Colosseum starting to get international recognition and eager for some more. With all of that success, Colosseum does not stop there. In March 6, 2015, they launched a new brand event called ‘Enter The Void’ or ETV. It’s a special event series

Where The PArTY COMeS ALIVe

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

PArTY ON!

dedicated to their massive passion for underground music scene that has already been requested by many of their loyal patrons. ETV was also created to support the movement that has already been started all over the world, to bring underground music to the mainstage. Last month, Enter The Void also featured at Colosseum’s Sunkissea event held at Headquarters Club Kuta and Pyramid Club Bali. It also featured legendary DJ John 00 Flemming and Miss Nine as their International DJ Acts. Sunkissea is their first event outside their own club and first time in Bali. The folks at Colosseum attain rave reviews from event goers and Sunkissea seems to be a promising future brand in Bali if they decide to continue this as an annual event. Colosseum is not always about DJs and Electronic Dance Music party. Since the beginning, they’re already widening their market and increasing their patrons by creating a special event concept called ‘Stage Empire’ every Thursday. This special event is created to cater to audiences who live music performance from singers and bands. Many famous local acts, singers and bands have performed on Colosseum’s prestigious stage, such as Dewa19, /rif, Kla Project, Ungu, Naif, Nidji, Kerispatih, Kotak, Glenn

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

BEST OF THE REGION

Fredly, Sandy Sandhoro, Titi DJ, Krisdayanti, Afghan and many more. ‘Jakarta Saturday Night Live’ is an event that caters to crowds who want the best of both worlds thus have set up lineups with both DJ’s and singers or bands giving live performances. Colosseum and their management are known to maintain and support the brand development of their residents such as Trilions, Beathoven, and Dimention. Special credits to Colosseum who successfully managed Trilions, that consists of Osvaldo Nugroho, Six Pratama, and MC Rongkie, who have performed for the whole week last Summer in Ibiza. Trilions also got their chance to perform at a special event ‘Full On Ibiza’ hosted by the one and only Ferry Corsten. They shared the same deck with Ferry Corsten, Cazzette, and Ummet Ozcan. It was truly an achievement for both Colosseum and Trilions. With many positive things that keep happening inside Colosseum, we can expect more of their continuity in evolving and developing their part in electronic dance music entertainment industry in Indonesia and ASEAN region. Colosseum always put their patrons satisfaction as their number one priority. Partgoers are always looking for the best night

ANDreW rAYeL SOAKING IN A CAPACITY CrOWD AT COLOSSeUM CLUB

4 44 4

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

INDONeSIA’S PrIDe AND JOY

life entertainment destination, and Colosseum is here deliver. With that kind of responsibility, the club has created a plan to upgrade and add even more excitement in the future. On August 21st 2015, they held a surprise launch party for their Second-Phase of Mega Lighting Installment. You can check their Instagram account @colosseumjkt right now and see the magnitude of their mind-blowing new lighting system. It’s now looking even more impressive and bigger than before. They’ve also added more to their stage FX, including special Pyro-Flame system, the CO2 jetblowers, Confettis, and many other fixtures. Colosseum Club Jakarta has no intention to slow their pace, and we are expecting more from them to keep adding top quality production to their super club. Whenever you decide to visit Jakarta, just make sure you stop by Jalan Kunir No:7 West Jakarta and be ready for Colosseum Club’s breathtaking visuals, exhilarating sound system, and infinite party experience inside a mothership size arena.

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

BEST OF THE REGION

STRATOSPHERE AT THE ROOF

ho doesn’t love a rooftop bar? With the perfect blend of breath-taking views, unlimited amounts of spirits and lively music, patrons are sure to have the time of their lives. Rooftop bars seem to be popping up on every high rise buildings these days but Stratosphere at The Roof is on a different level, quite literally. Stratosphere stands out for being a luxurious rooftop escape located over 30 stories above the busy streets of Bandar Utama. Noted to be Malaysia’s first ever grassy helipad bar, the establishment boasts a 360-degree unobstructed view of the city and its surroundings. The rooftop escape doubles as a champagne bar and caters to their customers every need. Stratosphere is also known for their signature cocktails that come in quirky and fun flavors such as Blueberry Martini, Stratosphere’s Red Sunset, Starry Starry Night, Applito and The Green Lantern that are Stratosphere’s definite must haves. Nestled atop of the 1 First Avenue Building, Stratosphere is most certainly a place you would want to check out, at least once. Upon reaching the top, the establishment’s hospitable staff makes you feel right at home amidst the glowing and enticing lights emanating from every corner, including your tables. The minimalistic décor is a nice touch as it does not distract you from the magnificent surrounding views. The bar is located at a sweet corner of the helipad, flaunting a wide array of champagnes and spirits alongside an impressive sound system that not many rootop bars have been able to pull off. And every now and again, Stratosphere will play host to various number of DJ events, notably their very own Sundown Sessions, with DJ’s spinning your favorite hits as you party the evening away.

Stratosphere The Roof | Sky Level 1 First Avenue Bandar Utama47800 Petaling Jaya Selangor Malaysia.

4 46 6

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

71 Gramercy

erched on the tallest building in the Philippines, 71 Gramercy is the definition of partying in the sky. Situated on the 71st roof deck floor of the luxurious Gramercy Residences in Makati, it undoubtedly has the most spectacular view of the sunset and night city skyline in Manila. Aside from being a famous nightspot in the city, it also doubles as a restaurant with a view. Run by award-winning chef, Carlo Miguel, the establishment serves quality, innovative gastronomic cuisine; dubbed as “modern New York dining” with a twist of Chef Miguel’s interpretation. Just as its menu is inspired by New York, so is the interior decor of 71 Gramercy. With high ceilings, posh interiors, with hints of artwork on its walls, and an ambience set with dim lights, the place beams with sophistication and class. 71 Gramercy is composed of the restaurant area, two terraces equipped with full bars with the other having a DJ deck, and a lounge. Their bars serve a wide variety of cocktails, beer on tap, wine, liquor and champagne. When the clock strikes ten in the evening, that’s when the party gets started. Attracting celebrities, models, fashionistas, and elite partygoers, who enjoy 71 Gramercy’s wide array of weekly music nights, namely: Nothing Mondays; #Choosedaze; Electric Runway Wednesdays; Fame Thursdays; Sorry Mom It’s Friday; and Saturday Fun Machine. Resident DJs include Manolet Dario, Rico Arce, John Monreal, Abdel Aziz, Brian Cua, Toy Armada, to name a few, and rotating guest DJs. Exquisite food, breathtaking roof deck view,

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

beautiful people, and great music— 71 Gramercy is definitely an ace nightspot to be.

71 Gramercy: 71st Floor The Gramercy, Kalayaan Avenue, Makati City, Philippines; www. fb.com/71Gramercy

BEST OF THE REGION

ZEDD TRUE COLORS TOUR , MANILA

ast 8 August 2015 in the Mall of Asia Arena, a certain majestic night began with Callum David, warming up the crowd with his mix of deep house and pop tracks, followed by EDM protégé, Haywyre who served a whole new music to the appreciative audience with his electronica and jazz tunes. Then there was a huge flash of light, and Zedd stood in front with hands in the air. It was an overwhelming experience, with the people singing and jumping together to soaring songs and a sea of colorful lights and stage visuals. It was a night Zedd brought out the spirit of True Colors, and it was infectious. 12,000 Dreamchasers. 3 remarkable acts. One night of magic and uninterrupted energy. There is no place you’d rather be. The magic of Neverland Manila presents Zedd True Colors is a night you would never have wanted to end.

PIC : ART OCA

4 48 8

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

DREAMFIELDS FESTIVAL BALI

his year’s Dreamfields Festival in Bali has become another success story for the promoter, Matrixx Events, with more than 15,000 people gathered in the iconic Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park, Bali. It was surely an amazing experience for first time revelers who missed festival premier last year, and even better for those who’ve come for round two. Matrixx’s eﬀort to keep using the cultural icons from Bali as the Main-Stage theme is truly appreciated by everyone. The Garuda Stage and White Rock Castle Stage from last year’s Dreamfields Festival have been replaced with the new Barong Stage (MainStage) and Butterfly Stage, with both equally outstanding layouts. Both stages were separated by huge limestone pillars that further highlighted the light shows International and local names graced the line-up of Dreamfields Bali 2015 and made the festival that much more memorable. Butterfly Stage reached its peak when the unstoppable Krewella and Yellow Claw performed just before the Dreamshow, while Barong Stage,the mainstage attracted a large crowd throughout the festival, especially with crowd favorite Andrew Rayel who garnered the biggest crowd this time around. The highly anticipated “Dreamshow” started with voice-over speeches that slowly built revelers anticipation, before they finally unleashed the spectacular show. It was a combination of super lighting works, furious laser play, perfectly timed fireworks, and unique round-screen visuals that were in unison with the drops and the beats of several popular dance tracks from Tiesto & KSHMR ‘Secrets’ to new rising star Galantis with their track ‘Runaway (U & I)’. VINAI (Barong Stage) and Angger Dimas (Butterfly Stage) both closed their respective stages with a bang to end this year’s Dreamfields Bali 2015!

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

BEST OF THE REGION

party

BELVEDERE LIGHT THE NIGHT VENUE: SKYBAR, TRADERS HOTEL ADDRESS: Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia CITY:Kuala Lumpur

PIC : DANIEL TAN

5 52 2

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

YELLOWCLAW AT BLOWFISH VENUE: Blowfish ADDRESS: CITY: City Plaza at Wisma Mulia, Jalan Jendral Gatot Subroto Kav. 42, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 12710, Indonesia CITY : Jakarta

SAEUPGTUESMTB 2E 0 R 1 25 0/1 5D J/ M D JA GM A G S E AA SNE A N

BEST OF THE REGION

party

ZOUK LAUNCH PARTY VENUE: Zouk KL ADDRESS: Formerly at Jalan Ampang, currently located at TREC CITY: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

5 54 4

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

LABEL LABEL’S ARTIST OF THE MONTH SatoShi Fumi

Asia Music is a record label that’s based in Malaysia and the Philippines, was founded on the basis of highlighting Asian talent. Started out by Oscar Oka who is the Founder and CEO with the help of Pav Parrotte, the Director of Music & Business Development together with Alinep who is the Director of Artists and Repertoire. The label was launched in 2007 and was geared to be a platform that launches Asia or Asian based artists to release underground house and techno music. Together, the head honchos of Asia Music have raked over 50 years of experience in the industry between being DJ’s, Producers, Promoters and even club owners. They have culminated talent and skills throughout their years in the industry from touring, producing and playing countless sets around the globe. Their experiences definitely help mold Asia Music into the label it is today. After a revamp, Asia Music now has opened its doors and policies to artists regardless of their origin but intends to keeping to their main aim which is to highlight releases that have some form of Asian origin or connection thus staying true to the name of their label. Since its establishment Asia Music has been distributing quality music worldwide, bringing to light various underground dance music artists. The label has been progressively growing through the years and has seen massive success in the past 3

years. Asia Music has flourished in the dance music scene as they have been receiving support from the likes of Sasha, Danny Tenaglia, Nick Warren, Vince Watson, DJ T, Richie Hawtin, Osunlade and many others. www.asiamusic.co

Satoshi Fumi from Tokyo is signed to the label as well as being one of the labels touring DJs. Fumi has been releasing for many years now and has a solid discography of releases on labels such as Get Physical and Plastic City. Satoshi Fumi’s sound can be placed anywhere from Acid to traditional Deep House, he is one of Japans secret weapons and whether as a DJ or a producer he can really grab your attention. https://soundcloud.com/satoshi-fumi

Ryan Pamatmat is an artist from Manila but now based in London. Ryan is currently working on perfecting his live sets where he uses a multitude of analogue and digital gear for his performances. Ryan has a deep techy after hours sound that he has been perfecting ever since he moved to London. Ryan’s passion is evident through his music, you would not regret giving him a listen. https://soundcloud.com/djryan429

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

WWW.DJMAGASEAN.COM

BL3NDING BEATS

ew electronic artists can match the stage presence and energy of DJ BL3ND. In the short time he’s pursued his career; the Los Angeles native has created one of the most loyal followings of any DJ. With a staggering 360 million views on YouTube, 1 million YouTube subscribers, and more than 4 million Facebook followers, DJ BL3ND has won legions of superfans (known as BL3NDERS) across the globe with his exuberant viral videos and electrifying live sets. DJ Mag ASEAN sat down with DJ BL3ND on his ‘2015 Asia Tour’ first stop in Jakarta, Indonesia. Hi there DJ BL3ND! You’re the one of the biggest hits in the industry, and it all started with a YouTube channel in 2009. Tell us about your journey towards becoming a DJ and what milestones have you achieved so far?

It all started as a hobby that I do on my free time after school. Back then, I bought my own DJ system with the help of my dad, and I invested also. In the beginning, I played for family parties for around three years, but then I had enough, so that’s when the videos began. I wanted to do something diﬀerent, so I put on a mask, and started making these crazy videos. I didn’t think they would’ve become so popular, and I am very thankful to all my fans called the BL3NDERS for sharing my videos and my music all over the world. In 2013, I was surprised to get #91 rank on DJ Mag Top 100 Poll and it was even better in 2014 with #78 position. I also honored to get the SoundCloud ‘Artist of The Year’ and the 62-week record Top Spot on Billboard’s Uncharted Chart. It’s been 5 year since I’ve been doing this, and every year has become a whole diﬀerent experience. Was there a specific DJ or Track that made you realize DJ-ing was something that you wanted to pursue? Yeah man, i first listened to Daft Punk ‘Around

the World’ when I was a kid, but I didn’t think much of it, and it was just a song that l liked so much back then. In 2008 and 2009, I started to hearing more of the dance music. Afrojack came up, Chuckie came up, and I really fell in love with the crazy Dutch sound at the time, and that influenced me a lot to what I do now, just crazy music and a lot of energetic stuff. How did you come up with your DJ BL3ND persona? Does the persona help you maintain a private life behind the scenes? DJ BL3ND just came out naturally. When I started making my videos, I didn’t want people to know who I was, because I know I wanna go crazy with the performance but I didn’t want them to think that I’m crazy or something, so that’s why I put the mask on. Now it became a real thing, and I tried to keep the persona of DJ BL3ND as this crazy guy who keeps doing crazier things differently each year. There are some leaked pictures of me, but I try my hard to keep both of my normal life and DJ life as two different things,

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

SPECIAL FEATURE with only my people back home knew that I am DJ BL3ND. Your shows are highly requested all around the world because they’re so energetic and there’s never a dull moment, your stage presence is unlike any other. The shows normally go on for over an hour, how do you keep up? How do you remain so upbeat throughout your sets? I fell in love with this music because of the energy, so when I’m playing my shows I make sure that my whole set are full of energetic stuﬀ, even though I put some vocals on several tracks it has to be followed by energetic drops. For me, that’s what keeps me going and that’s why I do this. I like the crowd to have a good time and get crazy with me. It’s the BL3ND energy; we make sure we’re having a crazy party night every time. What is it that you do to make your shows as memorable and as popular as they now? I like to keep it fun and energetic as possible. A lot of hype, a lot of craziness. I talked to the mic and keep the crowd going. I like to crowd surf when there’s a chance to. I do a lot of things, because for me DJ-ing is an easy thing to do, so I mixed quick and after I put on the track i will find my ways to keep it going and keep it more entertaining. So you will never find a dull moment when I’m playing. What do you think sets BL3NDERS apart from other electronic music fans? They are definitely crazier and more active in the social media. They are very supporting and very loyal throughout my career, and they keep sharing the DJ BL3ND videos and the music for the whole world to hear. I am grateful to have such fans, and like me, they also share the same energetic and crazy attitude towards dance music. They’re the reason why I keep doing this, and the reason why I’m sitting next to you right now. BL3NDERS are crazy and the great thing is, they also keep evolving with BL3ND music. You not only tour around the world, but you also have a podcast called ‘Freak Show’ and your own label, Loko Sound. What brought the decision to start those projects and how do you keep up with it all?

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

Freak Show is this monthly mix podcast that I do for all my favorite tracks of the month, and I don’t like to do weekly mixes because then I have to use tracks that I probably don’t like, so I waited one whole month, hear all the cool tunes and including my new tunes and put them all together in one monthly mix full of nice music, at least for me and my fans. As for Loko Sound, well, I make music for my fans. So if I send out my music to other labels, and if the label at the end of the day doesn’t want to sign it, I’m not gonna be upset about it, because I only make music for my fans and for them only. It’s always about them, and that’s why I started the Loko Sound, which basically means Crazy Sound in English, so whenever I have a new track to release, I just release it special for my BL3NDERS fans over there. You were a record holder on Billboard’s Uncharted Chart, holding the Top Spot for 62 weeks ad you’ve also managed to climb the ranks of the DJ Mag poll without running a campaign. How do you think that you’ve managed to achieve all this success without fans even knowing your real name? I never put any campaign, I never tell people to do this or to do that. For me, it’s all natural, and I think what people loved about me is that they know I’m doing this for them. When I’m doing my shows, i take my time, I take pictures with them, I talked to them online. I keep doing what my fans like about me since the beginning, and that’s why I guess I get a lot of love from them because I never changed. BL3ND will always be the same, keep evolving each year and doing what he do the best. We’ve read that you prefer your music being called ERM rather EDM. Why so? That was just a random thing back in the day, you know. While EDM is for Electronic Dance Music, my ERM is stand for Electronic Rage Music which goes back to crazy music with crazy energy that makes people get wowed, jumped, screamed, and get naughty and all of those crazy stuﬀ. Bigger things seem to be in store for you, what more do you have planned for 2015? I’m working currently on an EP that I would like to release in 2016, and put a proper US Tour for it, so I’m pushing forward to do it the

best that I can. After that, I might move on producing a full album, it was something that I’ve thought about carefully. I’m thinking, is it worth it to put all your track in one album release, or you can do better with lesser tracks for your EP and release it more frequently. For an EP, I’m thinking about 5-6 songs each, with features like collaboration with singers. But before that, I have a lot of single releases like the ‘Bad Monday’ who just came out, and I have another song called ‘Creature’ which has a vocal on it. I’ve been doing more collaborations recently with my friends on Soundcloud, so you’re going to hear many BL3ND releases out there and fans will be ecstatic to hear it. It’s all about the crazy energetic beats. We saw that you recently posted a picture captioned “BL3ND for President” and we’re very much up for it. What would be your first plan of action as the President? Probably change the nature of the world. First thing I would do, if I ever get to be the President, I would change the laws about the fuel gas usage from cars and rules for smoking people. It’s all about being more green, eco, and to create a safer and cleaner environment. People need to breathe more clean air, especially for kids and toddlers. They need to be living in a healthier world. If you could stage a rage anywhere in the world, where would it be and what track would you start it out with? If I could rage anywhere in the world? Wow, that’s hard to pick. These past two years I travelled everywhere in the world, I mean I love everywhere that I played. I tried to play special tracks for every country that I am in. And finally, you seem to have a diﬀerent mask for each show, how many masks would you say you have in total? In total, throughout my career, I probably had more than 15 to 20 mask. Right now, I’m actually getting a new one done. Like I mention before, BL3ND’s gonna keep evolving with everything and the mask is one of them. You’re gonna see more crazy masks with crazy colors, adding LED’s possibly in the future. Just making BL3ND crazier that he already is. You gotta keep the energy up everytime.

WWW.DJMAGASEAN.COM

Turn up the HEAT(BEAT)

his year marks a decade of Argentinian production duo Matias Chavez and Agustin Servente making music and hitting dancefloors around the globe as Heatbeat. Joining forces in 2006 and backed by long-standing experience with traditional instruments like the piano, guitar and drums, today, their résumé of international acclaim and support is longer than most would care to read. The likes of Paul Van Dyk, Armin Van Buuren, Tiesto, Markus Schulz, and Ferry Corsten, among many others, are no strangers to playing Heatbeat’s tunes as part of their tune repertoire. We catch up with the boys from the land of Tango on how they came to be, their artist album ‘Global

Montser’, and what’s been keeping them busy lately. Welcome to Malaysia guys. Tell us about how Heatbeat came about. Thank you, it is great to be here! It’s a pretty cool story actually. The both of us were active contributors on this website called Nightclubber, where we shared our tracks and samples with like-minded music enthusiasts from all corners of Argentina. One day, Agustin send me a message about this new tune that he was working on and from then on, we worked towards being a two-man show and Heatbeat is the result of it. How would you describe your style of sound? Well, our sound is a mix trance with everything from electro to dubstep, techno, trap and even tango. Like this one song we did called ‘Heatbeat Boom’ which is a fusion of trance and tango, which is a typical Argentinian sound. A lot of people tell us that our sound has a lot of Latin American

energy and this is because we like these kind of beats as it rings close to the heart. How’s the scene like back home in Argentina? It’s been great actually! The scene has grown to a be very active in the last decade and Buenos Aires now plays home to a few big EDM brands too; Ultra Buenos Aires, Pacha Buenos Aires, Crowbar Buenos Aires – with the last Ultra here seeing 80,000 fans coming out to party. You guys rocked your first Ultra Miami this year. What was that like? Ultra Miami was really awesome – we got the chance to play alongside some of our friends, such as Armin. It’s like a dream come true for us. Tell us about your album, Global Monster. What was your influence behind that? We wanted Global Monster to represent the kind of tunes and sounds that we like to listen to – it’s a personal representation of our sound as DJs. Our influence definitely comes

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

SPECIAL FEATURE from our Argentinean roots, and from our tours around the world. We wanted to show people what we are all about and ultimately take them on an amazing musical journey. What are your favourite tracks from the album? Well, Augustin’s go to track in the album would be ‘Secret’, featuring Quilla. That track came about as we reworked an old tune of ours called ‘Roses Never Cry’, adding a vocal to it and turning it to a truly trance track. My favourite is ‘BuenosAurus’, like our capital city as a dinosaur – which is very much a dancefloor track – one that gives out a great bassline and stunning riﬀs. What is keeping you busy in the studio these days? We have been spending a lot of time in the studio and at the moment we are working on two remixes and a couple of new new collaborations. We can’t wait to share this tracks with our fans so do keep on the look out for our releases!

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

RED B Y

D J

M AG

A S E A N

Rolling out the carpet for the modern, stylish and discerning music lover, RED brings you the latest handpicked premium lifestyle must haves from around the globe. Indulge in the finest that fashion can get you in TailoRED, fix your spirits with StirRED, check out the best rides (on and oďŹ&#x20AC; the road) in EngineeRED, and get jacked to the top-class tech and gadgets around town in GeaRED.

[ TA I LO R E D] [ENGINEERED ] [STIRRED] [GEARED] [PREFERRED]

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

p. 66 p. 68 p. 70 p. 72 p. 74

[ TA I LO

]]

OMEGA SEAMASTER 300 SPECTRE WATCH The strap isn’t quite the same as the original Bond watch. And this

isn’t a Rolex. But the Omega Seamaster 300 Spectre Watch will be on his wrist in the upcoming film. The watch is based on the ‘50s model of the same name, which happened to be among the first to use the anti-magnetic Omega Caliber 8400 movement. The seconds hand is changed from the original, from a point to a “lollipop” with a circular end, and the numerical indices on the bezel run from 0-11, so as to better keep up with time in diﬀerent parts of the world. It’s finished with a black and gray NATO strap sporting both 007 and Omega logos on the hardware, and is fittingly limited to just 7,007 pieces.

PENDULUM Developed exclusively for the Apple

Watch, the Pendulum Collection is a series of premium accessories designed to be worn oﬀ your wrist. Inspired by the original way that men wore their timepieces, the Bucardo pocket watch transforms your 42mm Apple Watch into a classic, vintage-inspired pocket watch. Engineered to interface directly with the band slots of your Apple Watch, simply slide your wristbands out and slide your Bucardo accessory in. It handsomely protects your Apple Watch, and opens to give you easy access to the Apple Watch face.

MCM BIONIC BAGS German-born leather goods purveyors MCM present a new

collection for Pre-Fall 2015. Taking inspiration from a fictional future, the luxury brand present several of their iconic styles in innovative materials, created using a three-dimensional printed process. In sync with the space technology theme, the bags are also crafted using GEONIC material, a 3D hybrid surface-design material that provides ultimate durability and water resistance. From bucket bags and document holders to backpacks and fanny packs, the Bionic Series collection is no short of eye-catching designs and silhouette

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

[ TA I LO

]

QUICKSILVER TRUE WETSUIT We’ve all been there, all had an important business meeting scheduled just

minutes before the best waves of the day. Actually we haven’t. But if we had, we could have used one of these True Wetsuits. Developed by Quiksilver in Japan and TBWA\Hakuhodo, they’re available in three styles, include a jacket, pants, shirt, and tie, and are made-to-order over the course of two months from waterfriendly high-stretch jersey neoprene and dryflight fabric

HUGO BOSS SUMMER 2015 Inspired by sophisticated winter destinations and our favourite winter resorts, this year’s BOSS Fall/Winter collection is all about tailored luxury with a sense of the outdoors. For menswear this means that tailoring is full of clean, sleek lines and detailing is subtle yet precisely conceived that runs throughout. Bringing about a sense of exclusivity, and timeless luxury, but at the same time, a casual ease to it that makes the looks both downtown- and mountain-ready. This sophisticated style incorporates superior, highquality fabrics along with travel-friendly breathable technology and water-repellent finishes. Finding a balance between clean, tailored lines and functional fine materials, the new styles embody serenity and simplicity. From quilted winter sports coats to lightweight outerwear. The collection also features new shapes that remains perfectly proportioned – keeping your looks smart and sharp at any point of the day.

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

[ENGINEE

]

BMW X4: THE X FACTOR YOU’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

gears manually, and the multi-function steering wheel houses additional controls for your audio system and cruise control.

Yes, the X models are spacious and conquer every terrain. But more importantly, they possess the same sports car prowess you expect in a BMW. From signature kidney grilles to performanceenhancing, aerodynamic designs, this could just be the X factor you’ve been looking for all this while. Want to navigate the downtown scene? Or just explore the open road? Wherever you’re looking to go—there’s an X model built for your lifestyle.

BMW’s mighty inline 4-cylinder TwinPower Turbo serves as the workhorse to this SAV. Displacing just 2.0 liters, this 240-hp marvel generates 260 lb-ft of torque at just 1250 rpm, for potent thrust that kicks in right from the start and continues all the way up to 4800 rpm. Lightweight and smoothrunning, it incorporates BMW’s award-winning High Precision Direct Injection, Valvetronic and Double-VANOS technologies. BMW’s Full-Color Head-Up Display projects information such as navigation directions, current speed, and a scrollable song list onto the windshield, directly in your line of sight. So now you can keep your eyes on what matters—every inch of thrilling road.

hen BMW built the first X5, they didn’t just create another SUV. Instead, they invented something entirely new: the Sports Activity Vehicle. By fusing ample space with dynamic power and sleek design, each SAV delivers the thrills of a BMW.

But one drives the X4 to make a statement, and it’s not a quiet one. The coupe-like roofline flaunts sportiness, while an aggressive front bumper and a lower center of gravity show oﬀ muscular prowess. Once you take the wheel, the interior boasts style that’s sporty and luxurious unlike anything else. With its coupe-like roofline, tastefully athletic curves, and optional Shadowline trim, this set of wheels warrant every bit of the attention it commands. The X4’s low center of gravity means that you can tackle even the tightest corners, while air curtains give you an aerodynamic edge by reducing drag around the wheel housings; delivering a coupe performance for all your drives ahead. Its sports coupe inspiration comes through in features like a low seating position and optional 10-way power adjustable front Sport seats—part of M Sport— with 2-way manual thigh support and headrests, plus driver’s seat and mirror memory. Get a more hands-on drive with the 8-speed Sport automatic transmission. Paddle shifters allow you to change

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

Being connected during your trips gets easier with the ConnectedDrive tech in the X4 — assimilating a world of applications at your fingertips. Stream your music wherever you are with a variety of apps such as Pandora and Spotify, and share your journey and adventures through web apps like Twitter and Facebook. Notch up the RED factor of your X4 with the optional M Sport or xLine range of goodies. Exclusive choices of Nevada leather upholstery and contrast stitching engulf the driver in luxury, perfectly complimenting high–quality wood or aluminum trim options. Audiophiles need not worry about the aural experience in the X4, as one can simply opt to give their X4 pristine sound with a Harman Kardon Sound System package that utilizes vehicle-specific equalizing and a powerful 600 watt amplifier.

[STIR

]

MONKEY SHOULDER Christened ‘Monkey Shoulder’, this vintage whisky is determined to mix things up in a world where tradition reigns. Authentic to its core, Monkey Shoulder only uses malt Scotch whisky from three of Speyside’s finest distilleries. Created by William Grant’s Malt Master Brian Kinsman, this rare whisky marries a specially selected batch of 27 casks from three of Speyside’s finest single malts which have been maturing in first fill bourbon casks. Rooted in malt whisky lore, the name Monkey Shoulder referred to a temporary injury suﬀered by the malt-men when turning the barley by hand. It’s a reference to a condition that maltmen sometimes picked up while working long shifts,

turning the barley by hand. It had a tendency to cause their arm to hang down a bit like a monkey’s, so they nicknamed it ‘monkey shoulder’. Today, the name Monkey Shoulder lives on as an aﬀectionate tribute, to honour the hard graft of all the maltmen past and present. Some say it tastes just like riding bareback on the wild moors of Scotland with a flame haired maiden on Christmas morning. Others agree it tastes like 007 wearing a tuxedo wetsuit. If you haven’t tried either yet but want a handy little cheat sheet to check out, here you go but remember it’s completely up to you, what you think it tastes like. Whatever you make of Monkey shoulder, it’s amazing on the rocks or bartender to make one of the Monkey Shoulder mixes we have there, or get them to rustle up something they’ve invented. Have a crack

at some of them too, as we’ve made sure you don’t have to be a bartender guru to knock these up. Nose – Delicate floral notes are intertwined with a zesty citrus orange and soft fresh fruits (apricots and peaches). Hint of honey and a spicy oak enveloped with a rich vanilla sweetness. Taste – Beautifully sweet and a rich vanilla flavour. Brown sugar and creamy toﬀee balanced with oak notes and just a hint of spice (cinnamon and nutmeg) Finish - Exceptionally smooth with a lingering sweetness. On its own it is smooth and rich and is also highly mixable as a cocktail

DJ M DA J GM A S GE A SNE /A N S E/P A TE UM GB U ES R T 2015

THE KENN A one of a kind invention from the minds of Stephen Kenn and the guys at Gin&Luck. This leather, canvas, and elastic webbing kit comes with 9 empty bottles, a mixing spoon, and a detailed book containing instructions on how to pack the kit for different types of trips, as well as 15 different cocktail recipes created by the men behind some of the world’s best cocktail bars. Pack the kit using supplies from your home bar according to the individual instructions for your trip type, then use it to make 3 different cocktails.

THE MACALLAN MEETS OAKLEY: A GENTLEMANS FLASK Luxury and performance have united to create the ultimate auxiliary tool for the aspiring single malt whisky aficionado. The Macallan have collaborated with Oakley, Inc. to create the definitive solution for the industrious and active gentleman. One of a kind, the carefully considered and expertly executed Flask is the last word in dynamic and premium craftsmanship from the inside out. Durable in style as well as design, the resilience of The Flask is assuredly hardy in application. From the rubberised bottom for a non-slip grip to a small rectangular air vent on the side of the funnel to allow for ventilation, every potential circumstance and environment of usage has been considered. Ladies and gentleman, if you’re taking your single malt whisky for a ride, then The Macallan Flask is the only way to go. Trust us when we say this, pulling this out and taking a swig from it makes you feel like a total badass – a cultured total badass!

S EU PGTUESMT B2E0R 1 5 A 2 0/ 1 5 D J/ M DA J GM A S GE A SNE A N

[GEA

]

HEIMPLANET FISTRAL TENT

Forget packing it through the woods — with many lightweight tents available, setup has become the biggest sticking point for most models. It’s not one for the Heimplanet Fistral Tent. This compact structure can accommodate up to two adults, and thanks to a design that unites the inner tent, fly sheet, and air frame, all you need to do is unpack and inflate, with no other assembly required. Other features include two entrances with vestibules for gear storage, and a pack weight of just 5.5 lbs.

LEATHER COLEMAN COOLERS

With temperatures steadily rising, it’s time to finally retire that beat up cooler you’ve been dragging around for years. With these Leather Coolers from Coleman, you get all the tried and true quality that the Coleman name brings, but also get a cooler covered in hand stitched leather. Whether you need to keep a sixer cool or tote around lunch and drinks for the whole family, Coleman has you covered with coolers that are finally as good looking as they are reliable.

DJ M DA J GM A S GE A SNE /A N S E/P A TE UM GB U ES R T 2015

[GEA

]

A FLASHY OUTDOOR MUSIC WONDER

It is a speaker. It’s a flashlight as well. But that’s not all the Outdoor Tech Buckshot Pro Speaker Flashlight does. Thanks to the rechargeable lithium-ion battery, it also serves as a power bank for your USB-charging devices, and doubles (or quadruples) as a speakerphone. It’s water-resistant and impact resistant, with built-in playback control buttons, 10-hours of battery life, and an included bicycle handlebar mount for those times when two wheels and a horn just aren’t enough.

GRAAVA ACTION CAMERA

SANDISK CONNECT WIRELESS STICK

It doesn’t shoot in 4K or super slow-mo, but unlike the footage you capture with most wearable cams, the video you shoot with the Graava Action Camera won’t end up collecting dust on an external drive. That’s because it uses a combination of sensors and intelligent software to detect the most exciting portions of your video, then automatically edits it down into something that’s instantly shareable. It can even edit video shot with more than one camera, so you can get diﬀerent angles in the same clip — all you need to do is drop it on the wireless charger stand and let it go to work.

It’s about time the flash drive was reimagined, and SanDisk is probably as good a candidate as anyone to take on that challenge. With their SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick, they’ve added Wi-Fi to the flash drive, allowing you to transfer files, videos, and music easily from your smartphone, tablet, or computer. Just install the app on your mobile device and wirelessly save and access your photos, videos, and files — or share with multiple devices at once, even if the stick isn’t in the same room.

S EU PGTUESMT B2E0R 1 5 A 2 0/ 1 5 D J/ M DA J GM A S GE A SNE A N

[PREFE

]

stablished in 2013, The Watch Co builds their foundation on a good quality and innovative design. They believe in seeking new talents and connecting with likeminded individuals that share these values. At the Watch Co., they also believe in empowering individual choice. Their portfolio consists of some of the watch industry’s most notable boutique labels, each oﬀering its own unique, distinct flair. After all, the time telling experience extends beyond mere minutes and seconds. It is about collective memories and memorable milestones. The Watch Co wants their timepieces to be more than just a wristwatch. They want them to be there where you are. While you are creating memories and celebrating milestones. The Watch Co. latest campaign, TAART – Time and Art will be on display at the Art & Science in Grand Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia for six weeks. The opening party already being held on Thursday the 13th of August 2015, with invitations extended to The Watch Co.’s and Art & Science’s partners and media associates. The opening party went succesfully with many people were curious about their new timepieces releases, including celebrities like the pop and jazz singer, Raisa and creative enterpreneur of Euphoria Project, Keenan Pearce. The warm and fun atmosphere spread through out the space of Art & Science, accompanied with the chill out and house music from the turntables played by the DJ, and refreshment beverages provided by Carlsberg, the oﬃcial supporting beer for the party. Art & Science is a new modern one-stop lifestyle store. It’s a collaborative project between Aksara Bookstore and 707 Store that carrying forward the distinct character both partners have pioneered in Jakarta’s retailscene, adding to it a refined taste for the sensible lifestyle. Art & Science aims to provide the best of both ends: a range of wearable and rare fashion pieces, functional and curious objects, as well as tight selection of current and classic book releases. The store is decorated with a minimal design and cozy atmosphere, which is perfect for the launch of The Watch Co. TAART campaign exhibition. The exhibition will continue until the 24th of September 2015. Limited edition timepieces will be available for purchase from nine of The Watch Co.’s brands in alphabetical order : Autodromo, Braun, Bulbul, HyperGrand, Kitmen Keung, Nendo by N. Tsovet, Uniform Wares, and Void Watches. There will also be a special showcase of Daniel Wellington’s upcoming Dapper Collection. A select of range of our Essentials collections will also be available from Design House Stockholm, Hard Graft & ystudio. TAART – Time and Art is an expression of The Watch Co.’s appreciation for art and design, an attempt to emphasize the artistic value of their

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

curated brands, introducing and incorporating art into their timepieces, creating a reverse experience of pop culture. Embodying their concept to redefine time, TAART is an eﬀort to visualize the notion of appreciating the little random moments in one’s life and to interpret the concept of human activites seen from the perspective of surrealism; an art and literacy movement that explores juxtaposed reality based on imagination free from reason, and neither natural nor social conventions. Although visually surreal, viewers will still feel engaged to relate to the concept of activites exploring one’s vast imagination. Each of the 12 frames acts as a tribute and dedication to the greats of surrealist art. All artworks were shot by the taable, a multi disciplinary creative hub founded by Axel Oswitch and Amanda Kusai, who have devoted themselves to art direction and photography, with works also at the intersection of art and design. Driven by the passion for the visual culture, the taable are dedicated in transforming the ordinary into something much more with their witty and clever interpretation of every day.

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

ON THE FLOOR

Martinez Brothers

Child’s play!

Less a secret, more a yearly celebration of hedonism and childishness, this year’s Secret Garden Party proves why it is one of the UK’s most special festivals — even in the rain...

eading along the winding countryside roads of Abbots Ripton, after stocking up on Strongbow at the nearby Tesco, Gardeners like ourselves meet playful signs... ‘Imagination Station, Actual Facts Not Welcome’ and ‘Mental Gym Next Left, Exercise Your Demons’. And imagination is what Secret Garden Party encourages most. All it takes is one walk around the festival site and a few glances at the fancy dress choices — whoopee cushions, blow up bananas, Crayola crayons and a family of Smurfs, among countless others — to lose yourself in a world of childish silliness (this year’s theme). You’d be hard pressed to find a more colourful and imaginative festival: glistening ‘Disco pineapples’, multi-coloured jellyfish made from neon feathers and string, decorated didgeridoos hanging from trees and real-life taps flooding water into the Great Lake... There’s also the Lake Stage which requires a boat/ dinghy ride to get to; oh, and it’s made out of Lego bricks. If that wasn’t a throwback enough, then the aptly titled ‘Shrine To Childhood’, created by artist, designer and prop builder Sylvie Macmillan, would bring everyone’s younger, more playful selves back to life. Centred around a praying Marge Simpson statue: Transformers, WWF figures, an Etch-a-Sketch, beanie babies, Gameboys, Operation, Mouse Trap, Kerplunk and — perhaps the creepiest installation — Buzz Lightyear taking a nude Barbie doll under his wing. With further exploration, there’s a whole host of other creations to make you think WTF: a giant magical snail called Shaboo with springy eyes; Le Freak — a vertical explosion of colour which stands tall only when someone rides its bike — and oversized robots doubling up as industrial-sized speakers at The Dance Off, a stage with a wrestling ring for its dancefloor, a bright

pink bouncy castle and ball pit; there’s also an oversized Fantastic Mr Fox with its mouth wide open and a gunge room to take us back to the days of Dave Benson Phillips’ ‘Get Your Own Back’ — the activities for adults pretending to be children are endless. Similarly, Secret Garden Party’s DJ line-up is a dance music lover’s dream. Returning in 2015, there’s hillside haven The Drop and lakeside ‘paradise lost’ the Pagoda. House, techno and electronica runs from 2pm Thursday to midnight on Sunday. One of this year’s newest and best additions was the Little Horrors tent. Hosted by Maya Jane Coles, who, returning after last year’s triumphant set, invited some of her “weird and wonderful friends” along to the Party and performed for the first time under her Nocturnal Sunshine alias. The red Big Top-style tent, chock-a-block from Citizenn & Ejeca’s joint set on the opening evening right to Catz & Dogz’s who closed the tent on Sunday evening, has revellers eagerly edging in from the rain and mud. In fairness, it’s not often you find the likes of Maya, Kim Ann Foxman, B. Traits, Huxley, George Fitzgerald, Daniel Avery and Waze & Odyssey ALL performing in the Cambridgeshire countryside, let alone on the same weekend, so it’s no surprise how over-subscribed Little Horrors turned out to be. Aside from the world class DJ talent on tap, live theatrical performers give the crowd something truly thrilling. Throughout Hot Since 82’s deep house set, a scary-looking bare-chested man with face-paint like The Joker is caught sticking latex over his nipples before juggling — and swallowing — fire batons. Returning for its fourth year — ‘bigger, bolder and more bass-heavy than ever before’ — The Drop, which rests on the base of a steep slope next to the Great Lake on one of Secret Garden Party’s many hills, is constantly rammed 2pm to 6am. Boasting the biggest names in

house, techno, electronica and everything in between, the mirrored stage full of trippy colours welcomes everyone from The Martinez Brothers who deliver rolling tech house to a typically eclectic b2b2b2b from Jackmaster, Joy Orbison and Ben UFO while J.E.SuS — comprising of Jackmaster, Eats Everything, Skream and Sasha (the latter filling in for Seth Troxler) close the festival in style. “I don’t get it,” mutters a guy dressed in tie-dye prints and baggy harem trousers. DJ Mag ponders whether we do either. But, surely, that’s the whole point. Secret Garden Party isn’t meant to make sense or be understood. It’s a place which allows unparalleled freedom and fun (if only for a long weekend) away from the humdrum of every day — you can build sandcastles on the beach, get married, have a birthday party, roast marshmallows by the campfire, watch Mickey Mouse on the big screen, play human Buckaroo, relax in a hammock made from cellophane and even meet the cast of Games Of Thrones. That’s why this festival’s grown from a 1000-person event to the in-demand Secret it is today! BEN JOLLEY

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

Head For The Exit The past, present and future of the most important festival in the Balkans...

xit isn’t a festival, it’s a movement. Held each year in a gargantuan fortress that sits atop Serbia’s second capital of Novi Sad, Exit is loved and touted as much by locals as it is by the jet-set festival crowd — a shining beacon of youth-fronted revolution in the Balkan region. Born out of student uprisings against an oppressive regime at the close of the ‘90s, Exit festival has grown exponentially since its maiden voyage (titled Zero Exit) in 2000, inviting the world to peak inside Serbia’s once-closed borders in the process. The success of the Exit brand has been so immense that last year its founders decided to expand to a brand new event in the Balkan region, transporting Exit’s mantra to Montenegro’s idyllic coastline with the aptly named Sea Dance festival. This year saw Exit’s run mean more than ever before to its founders, as the party institution celebrated an impressive fifteen-year legacy inside Petrovaradin Fortress’ rocky walls. More than just an excuse to get on the sauce, Exit has helped to patch the conflicts between ex-Yugoslavia’s super separatist nations, with big plans for what’s coming next for its so-called ‘Exit Generation’. DJ Mag tripped out to Belgrade, Novi Sad and Budva for Exit’s fifteenth round, to find out what Exit means to Balkan club-kids today, and what the future really holds for this revolutionary and much-loved festival brand.

MUSIC IS THE ANSWER Rewind to the Serbian capital of Belgrade in 2000. Governed by brutal dictator Slobodan Miloševic and part of a corrupt, deeply flawed and quietly crumbling communist regime, Serbia is in a

veritable state of ruin. Strict United Nations sanctions and severe economic inflation add to the country’s global isolation, whilst the Serbian public Hardwell are kept in the dark thanks to a tightly controlled media and wide-spread government propaganda. Three university students, Dušan Kova evi, Bojan Boškovi and Ivan Milivojev, decide to throw a clandestine hundred-day event consisting of concerts, exhibitions, movie screens and local theatre, in the hopes of motivating young people to challenge Miloševic’s regime. This party is called Zero Exit. The following year Serbia’s crippling sanctions were lifted in favour of a democratic political system, allowing international acts and media inside Serbia’s borders for the first time in a decade. It’s here that Exit’s primary purpose morphs. No longer a vessel solely for immediate social action, the ‘zero’ title was dropped as co-founder Dušan saw the opportunity for Exit to become a platform with which to entice global acts, opening Serbia’s borders to the wider world in the process. Roll any well-known techno DJ off your tongue and they’re bound to have spun at Exit in the last fifteen years — cue legendary selectors Sven Vath, Carl Cox, Laurent Garnier et al. British dance acts in particular have proven consistently fashionable with Serbian youth since the ‘90s; legendary rave outfit The Prodigy are hugely popular in the region. They last headlined Exit in 2013 and returned to the Balkans this year to front Exit’s younger sister, Sea Dance festival. One UK mega act previously missing from Exit’s impressive musical alumni is Faithless; the group finally made their debut in full strobe-soaked glory this year. It’s Exit’s revolutionary roots that have made the lyrics of acts like The Prodigy and Faithless

so potent — ‘We Come One’ was received with wild fanfare when frontman Maxi Jazz chanted its famous tag-line at the close of Faithless’ new live show. “Lyrically, I think Faithless’ lyrics really mean something to people here, it really resonates,” says Faithless member Sister Bliss when we meet side stage on the second night of Exit. “In places that there has been war, strife and genocide, Maxi’s lyrics really take on a new dimension.” There’s little doubt that promoting Serbia as a tourist destination in the early 2000s was a hard sell. However, over the last fifteen years, income from Serbian tourism has rapidly been on the up — it now accounts for over 2.5 billion dollars of the nation’s yearly revenue. Exit has been instrumental in promoting Serbia as a safe, and most importantly, appealing destination to the outside world; no mean feat considering bombs were dropped on Belgrade by NATO during many clubbers’ lifetime. This year’s Exit saw a spike in tourists from Belgium and France, whilst the event has always pulled a strong UK contingent. Exit’s appeal, it would seem, is only getting broader.

WE COME ONE It’s not just the brains behind Exit festival that have been flying the flag for Serbian nightlife since the revolution. A small crop of Serbian DJs have also slowly been bubbling to dance music’s surface over the last decade, no more so than respected vinyl selector and national hero, Marko Nastic. The crowd reaction to Nastic’s set when we watch him in Exit’s Dance Arena is suitably reverent; he closes out his set with a spin of DJ Koze’s future classic, ‘XTC’. Nastic’s own foundations in dance music smack of a similar liberal ideology to that of Dušan’s. He

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

TEN TRACKS THAT DOMINATED EXIT ADVENTURE 01. Faithless ‘We Come One’ Faithless returned to the Main Stage at Exit for their final encore with this 2007 classic; a special moment considering Serbia’s war torn past.

02. Aphrohead ‘Let’s Prance (Radioslave & Thomas Gandey Last Communication Mix)’

Maxi Jazz

Adam Beyer and Joseph Capriati dropped Aphrohead’s summer slammer at the opening of their set in the Dance Arena.

03. DJ Koze ‘XTC’

Sister Bliss

Serbian DJ legend Marko Nastic closed his set with DJ Koze’s new trippy classic ‘XTC’ on Pampa Records, a perfect match to 7am sunshine in the Dance Arena!

04. Leftfield ‘Afrika Shox’ kick-started his career playing ecstasy-fuelled raves in ‘90s Belgrade with Dejan Mili evi and Milos Pavlovi, as part of well-known trio Teenage Techno Punks. “During the ‘90s it was difficult to buy records,” says Dejan Mili evi, who played twice at this year’s Exit. “I used to take a train to Budapest to buy vinyl and it would arrive at 3am, so we’d have to hang out in the city until the morning when the shop opened. I was only sixteen.” TTP’s members still spin at Exit each year alongside Serbian up-and-comers; it’s yet another way the festival continually honours its past and promotes its key musical players from a cross-section of Balkan nations. “The first time I came to Exit was in 2007, just as a visitor. My first year playing was 2010, and since then I’m playing every single year. It’s very special to me,” says Lea Dobricic. After Nastic, Dobricic is probably the best example of a Serbian DJ who’s taken her profile worldwide — she regularly DJs in Ibiza and Europe, and last year nabbed an ongoing residency at Elrow. Exit’s booking policy is just as diverse as its crowd; it’s the only festival DJ Mag has been to that features both underground techno and death metal on its wide-ranging bill. This year saw a more polarizing dance music line-up than ever before, from the tropical house jams of Thomas Jack to the earbleed EDM of Dutch DJ Hardwell, it was a shift away from Exit’s once largely techno-facing line-up. The change-up seems to have worked — EXIT clocked a record-breaking 55,000 attendees for its Saturday night show. Night one saw the most techno-heavy line-up of Exit’s four mammoth nights — think Adam Beyer, Joseph Capriati, Octave One, Chris Liebing, plus Serbian golden girl Lea Dobricic, whilst the Dance Arena’s closing set on night four was left in the hands of Roman Flügel back-to-back with Simian Mobile Disco. “Programming is important to us. You can start your night in the upper fortress with some chilled out tunes, you can visit the Latino stage and dance salsa, you can go to the silent disco, listen to some rock in one of the bars. Then you move down to the Main Stage with some of the top pop acts in the world, and then head to the Dance Arena for house and techno after that,” says Exit’s communication director, Sagor Meškovi. “Your night progresses with the music.” A trip to Exit’s gargantuan festival site does really feel like a lovingly-crafted journey. It stretches over 20 stages of rock, pop, dance and indie, plus art installations, watering holes and interactive performances. Thanks to Serbia’s continued exclusion from the EU and turbulent past, a trip to Exit festival is also overwhelmingly cheap — another appealing factor for UK fans in the jet-set festival flock. A ticket to Exit will set you back about half of what a similar UK event would, plus drinks and food clock in at up to 70% less than at home. Exit sells its tickets at a reduced rate to Serbian locals, banking on European visitors to substitute the festival’s income. But it’s not just about selling tickets and crunching numbers. Exit prides itself on its strong sense of social and corporate responsibility, channeling profits into various charitable causes — including an ongoing fund to maintain and restore the fortress. “It’s about the social message of the festival for me, that’s why I keep doing it,” says Dušan. “You know, festivals started with things like Woodstock, as a part of a social movement, and somewhere along the line, this message has been lost.”

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

Leftfield brought their new live show to Serbia for Exit, with the tribal rhythms on ‘Afrika Shox’ a festival standout.

05. Little Louis ‘French Kiss’ UK DJ Doorly dropped Lil Louis’ ‘French Kiss’ as the sun was sinking low on The Sound You Need stage at Sea Dance.

06. Roisin Murphy ‘Dear Miami’ One of the only songs the singer performed from her biggest LP ‘Overpowered’, ‘Dear Miami’ sounded divine in Sea Dance’s Main Arena.

07. The Prodigy ‘Take Me To The Hospital’ The Prodigy go hard. ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ followed by ‘Take Me To The Hospital’ closed their set at Sea Dance.

08. Mano Le Tough ‘Primitive People (Tale Of Us Remix)’ Tale Of Us took it old school with a strippeddown version of their mega remix of Irish Innervisions star, Mano Le Tough, during their set at Exit’s Dance Arena.

09. Kölsch ‘Cassiopeia’ The closing track of Kölsch’s Exit set, ‘Cassiopeia’ was the perfect ending to a magical mix from the Dane.

10. Faithless ‘Insomnia’ Serbians voted ‘Insomnia’ the ultimate Exit song before the festival, and when Hardwell dropped the Faithless classic a new generation of Serbian youth lost their shit to it.

THE EXIT GENERATION With Exit’s origins rooted in the living memory of most of its staff, Dušan has big plans for the brand. It wasn’t until last year that he and his team decided it was time to expand into a new event, kick-starting Dušan’s new passion project, Sea Dance. Not one to do things by halves, Exit’s Sea Dance festival picked up a gong for best medium-sized festival at last year’s European Festival Awards, though its beachside location on the idyllic Montenegrin coast makes it feel vastly different to Exit. The thing that ties the two events together is the brand’s new party tour, Exit Adventure, a package travel deal that includes entry to both festivals plus travel and accommodation options. Interestingly, it’s not just Western European jet setters that are signing up for Exit Adventure, but also club kids from around the Balkan region. “The ‘90s were dark, very, very dark. Exit was the first festival that really crossed borders for ex-Yugoslav nations. You can hear accents from all different Balkan nations in our crowd at Exit and Sea Dance. [Exit] was the first event you could hear Croatian bands in Serbia, Bosnian bands playing with Serbians, Slovenians, Montenegrins. At the time it was a shock, but it was very important to help get us out to the world,” says Sagor Meškovi proudly. “I think that attitude continues today, people come from all over the world for Exit, and hopefully, now for Sea Dance.” With just two days in between the two festivals, Dušan describes the whole affair “as a very complex logistical operation” with most of the festival’s main elements imported from Serbia. So why bother? “Because this location is amazing, that’s why we chose Montenegro. There’s not many places in Europe where you can have loud music, a beautiful beach, plus space for camping all in the same place. It’s special,” he muses, when we chat backstage on Sea Dance’s closing night. It’s no secret that Montenegro’s seafront is stunning, with this year’s Sea Dance welcoming ex-Moloko frontwoman Roisin Murphy, Rudimental and crowd favourites The Prodigy over its four-day run. Sixteen years on from Zero Exit and the flickering embers of the Miloševic regime are still alight. Earlier this year, the aftershocks of the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia and Herzegovina echoed through the nation, with current Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic assaulted by an angry mob at the annual memorial service in Bosnia. Dušan says he’s hoping to build an “Exit generation” — a new flock of young people who won’t have to experience the bloodshed and tyranny of past generations. “We want to keep this region together, the Balkans, and given our turbulent past this is important. We want a new Exit generation of young people, who will grow up in a peaceful and stable place,” he says, passionately. Widely regarded as the worst act of genocide since World World II, the recent reaction to Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic proves past Balkan tensions are still yet to fully heal. But thanks to social activists like Dušan and his Exit team, the future looks overwhelmingly bright. “I genuinely and deeply believe that music is the best tool we have,” smiles Dušan, confidently. “We want to have fun, and we want to spread this social message. That’s what’s important about Exit, that’s why we do it.” CHARLOTTE LUCY CIJFFERS

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

Dance like a machine! DJ Mag gets our metal on at Melt Festival, Germany’s notorious mash-up in

Giorgio Moroder

an enormous open-air industrial museum...

he iron city of Ferropolis lies on a small peninsula. Smattered with mechanical giants, some up to 30 meters high, it still pays testament to an era of days long gone by. What looks like a scene from Mad Max is actually the site of a former strip-mining operation located two hours south of Berlin, but now host to one of Germany’s most acclaimed and longest running electronic music festivals, Melt. The stunning environment, a beautiful lake beside huge excavation, has certainly helped cement the festival’s reputation as one of the best of its kind. But this is also due to a 20-year-long history of fusing together both well-known alternative bands and pop stars as well as an impressive array of electronic headliners and credible house and techno acts. So even for the die-hard clubber with a sole interest in electronic dance music, Melt is well worth a visit. Also notable is the generally chilled out vibe. With 20,000 visitors spreading out to see acts over seven stages, one might expect hectic crowds pushing against each other. But at Melt everybody seems unstressed, taking their time to wander around, so much so that many ignore the shuttle buses going between the camp and festival sites in favour of an unhurried half-hour stroll along the lake. Thursday night kicks off with a pre-party. One huge tent is already packed with excited festival-goers as Art Of Noise producer Trevor Horn and his recent band project play through an irresistible string of uber-classics such as ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ or ‘Relax’ by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, another pop group he pioneered. The atmosphere is then taken

up a notch with New York singer (and former Björk support act) Santigold inviting people from the audience up on stage. Aside from that it’s a fairly quiet night, with festival-goers still arriving and setting up tents. It’s not until Friday afternoon that the real party really starts to get going. Berlin outfit Modeselektor open their Melt!Selektor-Stage with an unexpected ambient set, playfully informing people they will not be dropping any beats “because there’s more than enough of that coming”. Something unsurprisingly confirmed by their testosterone-induced closing set much later. In between, Jamie xx once again proves his rich musical taste and uncanny ability to balance soulful, elegant elements alongside tougher techno textures. However, the stage’s main attraction proves not to be a DJ, but rather a small strip of sandy beach. This has ravers rocking with their feet dipped in the water and gazing out onto the lake, which makes for a special vibe indeed. It might be a little too relaxed were it not for Dorian Concept’s soulful performance during sunset. The young Austrian synthesizer-virtuoso and RBMA alumnus has translated his compositions to great effect for the live context, being joined on stage by live drums and bass and making for an early festival highlight. Striking a similar tone but to a much larger audience is pianist Nils Frahm and his impressive set-up of grand piano, Rhodes, a Juno as well as drum machines, a modular synthesizer and even an electronically-controlled wind organ. Becoming increasingly successful both within the electronic and the classical music scene, Frahm seems only to get more inspired and adventurous, leaving listeners in awe during each with his extensive musical

Marcel Dettmann

exploration of various themes. The stage is conveniently seen from afar, cleverly set

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

into what was once a mining pit, effectively making it an amphitheatre with tiers on all sides. Sadly, though, even with the luxury of being seated, Italo-disco legend Giorgio Moroder is a huge let-down. Billed for a 55-minute set that’s neither a live nor DJ set, Moroder rattles through a playlist of his most recognisable hooks and basslines while clapping off-beat and making other awkward hand gestures. In addition, his iconic pieces all sound notably modified by frenetic drum rolls and big drops, unashamedly catering to an EDM sound not usually associated with this festival. Following him is another questionable booking choice: Kylie Minogue. While her glittery and cheesy show hardly fits the alternative context of Melt, its audience — perhaps with a touch of irony — seem to love it, even forming a flashmob of ‘90s aerobics moves. Ultimately, though, both these bookings reinforce that Melt — despite going heavy on house and techno — has a commercial slant that cannot be denied. The stages are named after sponsors, branding is all-apparent and while walking around we are bombarded by promotional teams giving out items and begging us to have their picture taken with them. These kinds of distractions and a very mixed crowd in terms of age and attitude do serve to distract from a overall unifying vibe to totally get absorbed in, but that’s perhaps inevitable for a festival of this size and with a legacy as such — and DJ Mag is left amazed by Melt’s many offerings nonetheless. Besides, the chance to dance away at Big Wheel Stage to the likes of Sven Väth, Scuba, Chris Liebing or Marcel Dettmann is never something we’ll turn our noses up at. Things categorically go off at Sleepless Floor, which is located just outside the festival’s gates and opens early Saturday morning when all other stages have closed, sucking in people on their way back to their tents. Essentially a huge sandbox with a DJ booth and booming sound rigs, this rave runs non-stop until Monday noon and plays host to some of the most current names. Highlights include Chicago’s The Black Madonna, whose eclectic set is as volatile as the weather, and Cologne’s Lena Willikens, whose dark collection sketches out a seriously moody atmosphere. Sunday welcomes varied selections from both Dekmantel Soundsystem, the guys behind the Amsterdam label-turned-festival, and Live At Robert Johnson regular Massimiliano Pagliara. With all sets around two-hours long and a crowd way more up for it than at any other stages, it’s where it’s at most the weekend. Apart from this, we find the odd nice surprise such as a raclette stand playing loud trap music or a block party with a reggae soundsystem. It’s a mixed bag, but always something for serious dance heads — even if that means spending most time on the Sleepless Floor. LEOPOLD HUTTER

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

TAP INTO

JAKARTA’S

NIGHT LIFE

AVAILABLE ON

#SEIZETHENIGHT 4 s i n d h e n a p p . co m w w8w.

@sindhenapp

s i n d h e n aD JpMpA G

SINDHÈN app

ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

SYNCED

One of the founding fathers of the hardcore scene, DJ Promo is back with a new album bursting with two discs full of new material.

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

SYNCED

DISCO REVIEWS JONATHAN BURNIP jonathanburnip@gmail.com productions from Unisex Audio Club, Beato Cozzi and label boss, Craig Bratley. From Unisex Audio Club’s throbbing EBM opener ‘Event Duality’ to Beato Cozzi’s ardent nu-disco version of Seal’s ‘Killer’ and the standout Craig Bratley cuts (notably Bratley’s rattling, disco-not-disco highlight ‘Analogue Voodoo’), these are some of the best I’ve heard of late and you may struggle to find better examples.

A Walk In The Woods Evening Sky (Remixes) Night Noise Music

9.0

Carlos Peron Dirty Songs Dark Entries

10 The 100% reliable Dark Entries label release an EP of scarcities from Yello founder, Carlos Peron. After leaving the band in the early '80s, Peron produced a series of tracks that pre-dated, influenced and became staples in the new beat scene — a period that this release focuses upon. These tracks would become known as the foundation of house and techno — and the astonishingly versatile use of rudimentary equipment (notably the early appication of a Roland 303 and 808) still makes them sound so utterly relevant today.

Jose Padilla

Lollipop (Remixes) International Feel

8.5

Long-standing Cafe Del Mar resident, Jose Padilla, released his ‘Many Colours’ album earlier this year, writing alongside label-head Mark Barrott, Tornado Wallace, Wolf Muller and ‘Lollipop’ producer, Telephones. Here, as an extended 12” mix, this dreamy Balearic moment from the LP lands with a couple of extra remixes from I:Cube and Dream 2 Science — both working the melodies into two early Nu Groove-inspired deep house productions.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

Where The City Meets The Sky: Chasing Yesterday (Remixes) Ignition

8.0

Remixes of tracks from Gallagher brother Noel’s LP ‘Chasing Yesterday’ are incoming — with new versions from the likes of Psychemagik, David Holmes and Toy Drum. Composer/DJ David Holmes delivers the pick of the bunch with his thunderous break-heavy fix, while the Psychemagik boys whip up club-ready, Moroder-style vocal and instrumental versions for the disco-tech. Toy Drum spaces out drums, vocals and electronics on his pretty, trippy dub mix.

Holly Johnson

Ibiza Sampler (Tom Moulton Remixes) Pleasuredome

8.5

Pioneer of the remix and 12” formats, disco super-producer and Marlboro Man, Tom Moulton, turns in a surprise mix for Holly Johnson’s emotive house moment of last year, ‘Follow Up’ (that also featured one of Frankie Knuckles' final remixes). Moulton’s new versions hark back to a classic era with soaring string arrangements (albeit digital) and a battery of disco-style percussion — working both instrumental and vocal cuts.

Various Artists Cruddas Park EP

Magic Feet Recordings

9.5

New four-track release from the excellent Magic Feet label with

Producer Nicolas Bernard mints this new Amsterdam-based label with Acid Washed, Sinchi and Wait & See to remix this killer debut. In the style of an old Don Carlos/Italo house track, his dreamy production — falling somewhere between that of Pete Herbert and Todd Terje — has been honed through years of soundtracking TV and meddling with various other dance music genres. The remixes never stray too far from the mood of the original, but the Acid Washed mix and Bernard productions definitely stick out.

QUICKIES The Sonic Emporium

Hurts

Blindetonation

Columbia Records

Gemini Seven

8.0

Some Kind Of Heaven (Claptone Remix)

7.5

Space disco from The Sonic Emporium, landing on Japanese label, Blindetonation. Includes a couple of darkwave remixes from Heretic and William Earl.

Synth-pop duo get their latest made over from the man-in-the-venitianmask, Claptone. Features vocal and instrumental versions.

Kisk & Claudio Coccoluto

We Don’t Need

Testa A Testa

Apparel & The Dub

8.5

Label bosses go head to head on this infectious disco split. Kisk opts for a jazzier tone, while Claudio Coccoluto weighs in with the deeper ‘Unbelievable’.

Los Massieras WYN

9.5

Los Massieras (aka Hugo Capablanca, Andrew Claristidge and Satch Hoyt) flip Heaven 17’s ‘(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang’ in an oddball, disco-notdisco style. Killer.

Duncan Gray Promise EP

Rock To The Beat

9.0

Following releases for Weatherall’s Bird Scarer and his own excellent Tici Taci label, Duncan Gray makes an appearance on Rock To The Beat. Lurking at a mid-tempo swagger that never crosses the threshold of 120bpm, Gray employs some sleazy disco-noir touches and scorched acid effects in release highlights, ‘Promise’ and ‘Copper Bolt’. A strong EP accompanied with remixes from promising Mexican producer, Lokier, and label boss Steve Ekman.

Anthony Mansfield & JP Soul

DUNCAN GRAY TICI TACI/ROCK TO THE BEAT 01. LA DECADANSE ‘La Decadanse EP’ Astrolab

“I love everything about this EP. It has all the magic ingredients. Originality. Guitars. Doom bleeps. Frenchness. People should make more stuff like this, and then send it to me.”

02. LOKIER ‘Always Dawn’ NEIN

“Somewhat of a bonanza year for NEIN. Always something good coming at ya. This is my current favourite. I don’t normally go for really cheerful tracks, but this is a joyous chug missile.”

Ode To Moulton Roam Recordings

8.0

21st century disco producers Anthony Mansfield & JP Soul return with an EP of functional machine music. ‘Ode To Moulton’ is actually a humble tribute to a lamented studio space in San Francisco (not the legendary producer), where the duo tooled these chirpy nu-disco/protohouse tracks. Standouts are the Badarou-esque title track and the quirky dub of ‘The Steam Cleaner’.

03. RICH LANE ‘Getting There’ Cotton Bud

“What can you say about a track that has both started and ended an ALFOS party? From the sublime downtempo ‘Cotton Dub’ to the full-on vocal original, it’s a cracking EP which Andrew Weatherall described to me as ‘An anthem for the ALFOS crowd’.”

05. FUTURE BONES ‘Far From Grace’ Play Pal

“The Bones have made a big impression on the slo-mo crowd in the last 12 months. This track is chock-full of creeping tensions and bursts of space guitar over a rhythm which you could build a skyscraper on, it’s that solid.”

06. RAVE-ENKA ‘Antibac’ Paper Recordings

“Paper still got it. This is a ridiculously infectious and deeply bouncy chug monster. Swings like a bastard, with a build-up that just keeps going. And at a wonderfully downtempo pace.”

07.

S R KREBS ‘Talking to Yourself (Kasper Bjorke Dub)’ Her Majesty’s Ship

“This EP of S R Krebs remixes is pure quality from my favourite label. This Kasper Bjork dub is just fantastic. Psychedelic rapture. Makes me feel all wobbly.”

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

HOUSE REVIEWS

SYNCED

BEN ARNOLD ben.a.arnold@gmail.com

QUICKIES Sandy Rivera

José Padilla

Deep Visionz

International Feel

Take Away My Pain

7.5

Rob Savage

Dubble D presents Moodymanc

8.0

8.5

A meeting of Italian minds here, as labels Apparel Music and The Dub join together to both release the same EP on the same day. Apparel main man Kisk presents the bass-loaded 'Blissanova', which busts out jazz sax come the interlude before going back to the dark disco. Over, veteran DJ and producer Claudio Coccoluto presents 'Unbelievable', an emotive, wildly euphoric, crackling loop pinned down with rasping drums and orchestral stabs. It's dizzyingly good. Deserves to be released twice. If not three times.

Comfort Me

Well Cut Records

A bombastic, peaktime deep houser from Brighton's Rob Savage here on Dub Pistols main man Barry Ashworth's Westway Records imprint. Strap in, this is made of sturdy stuff.

8.0

The man like Moodymanc on fine form here, enlisting Classic bossman Luke Solomon to re-rub EP track 'War & Peace' to devastating effect. The jack-tastic 'Hashtag' ain't too shabby either.

BRODANSE DANSE CLUB 01. BRODANSE ‘Miss Your Love (DJ W!LD Remix)’ Danse Club

“We played this in Room 1 at Fabric a few weeks back and the crowd went nuts! It’s all about DJ W!LD’s re-sung vocal with his sexy, deep French accent.”

02. JOHNNY D ‘Nightclubbing (Marko Nastic Remix)’ AMA “That sound! What is that sound!? Disturbingly good.”

03. LAUHAUS ‘Collectify (Original Mix)’ Soweso

“Full of groove and deep as hell — basically, anything Lauhaus does is golden.”

04. A SCOTT & CHAD ‘Mrs J (Cab Drivers Remix)’ Constant Sound

“Wow, that bumpy bassline — heard Tania Vulcano drop this at Circo Loco and bums began to move all over the place.”

05. ADAM CURTAIN ‘Talking In Your Sleep feat. Gloria Adereti (Original Mix)’ Classic

“This track has been making the rounds with us for a while now; we dropped it at Fabric and Space and everyone loves it.”

06. STEPHANE GHENACIA ‘Mamajunk (Original Mix)’ Colors

“This got dropped twice in one night at Sankeys by Apollonia way back when. Hunted it down for ages after that.”

07.

Testa A Testa Apparel/The Dub

8.0

More Balearic than Alfredo's espadrilles (or Padilla's own espadrilles, for that matter), the mixes of recent album track 'Lollipop' from I:Cube and Dream2Science are really quite sublime.

Westway Records

Kisk & Claudio Coccoluto

Lollipop (Remixes)

Old-fashioned deep house music from King Of Tomorrow, Sandy Rivera. A firm disco-heavy loop and a bassline that refuses to quit make this a guilty pleasure. Or a regular one. Depending where you're at, really. Deep Precision

organs with a slamming house loop and a diva vocal. It shouldn't work on paper, but by jove it does in practice. Arm yourself.

MR G ‘Backtrackin’ (Original Mix)’ Dungeon Meat

“What a perfect collaboration — Mr G on Dungeon Meat. Match made in heaven. The whole record is phat.”

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

COMA

Jimmy Edgar

Lora Kompakt

Shine EP

8.5

Ultramajic

9.0 The vanguard of Detroit's second wave (despite his current Berlin address), Jimmy Edgar hammers home a message of metallic rave, with Loleatta Holloway howling, stabs stabbing, and hats rattling through seven minutes of abject dancefloor madness on 'Let Me Tell U'. 'The Dip Chair' calls back to his hometown, machine music with a deep and palpable funk. 'Two Of Wands' goes Warp circa 1988, simple, but devastatingly effective house music. And just 'cos he can, he winds up with 'Feel What It Is', a glistening slow-jam for all you robot lovers out there. Epic.

Tom Ellis

Half Century EP 22 Digit

8.0

sense of the word. Happy birthday.

Romanthony

Too Long Glasgow Underground

8.0

Romanthony passed away in 2013, aged just 45. As a long-time friend and collaborator of Kevin McKay and his Glasgow Underground imprint, it seems most apt that some of his last ever vocals be shaped into new tracks, as they have here. Romanthony re-recorded his vocals for 'Too Long' (originally laid down with Daft Punk for the closing track of the 'Discovery' album) not long before he died, and here McKay enlists Doctor Dru and Newbie Nerdz to work some dancefloor magic. Dru's mix is thick with organs and soul, while the Newbies blaze their irresistible garage vibes.

A thoroughly blazing 50th release Adesse Versions from William Welt and Peter Wash My Soul Bartram's 22 Digit imprint from the Local Talk prolific Trimsound and Morris/Audio 8.0 alumnus Tom Ellis. 'The Wrong Kevin Gorman – aka Adesse Versions Format' is wonky, off-kilter house – fires off three sensational tracks music with nought but a metallic for Mad Mats and Tooli's Stockholm hat keeping its wayward, hypnotic imprint, Local Talk. 'Wash My loop in order. 'Other Day', with its Soul''s synths scythe through lunging, lurching percussion, holds clattering percussion and harsh ride it down with deep and unctuous cymbals. 'The Light', meanwhile, pads, and later some mildly sinister is all Detroit vibes, with its pulsing Rhodes. 'Dissent', however, is the pads and squelching bass. 'Thank star of the show. It swings and U' wins by a nose, though, an shuffles — minimal in the very best edit-cum-tribute to DJ Shadow's 'Midnight In A Perfect World', juxtaposing his warming, kinetic

COMA are Cologne pair Marius Bubat and Georg Conrad, purveyors of esoteric electronic pop sounds over the past few years for Kompakt. Their 2013 album 'In Technicolor' was super. Have a listen. This new track from forthcoming album 'This Side Of Paradise' is a lovely piece. Madrid's Pional does a blissful thing with it, but it's the inimitable Robag Wruhme who takes the track into realms unknown. It's understated yet epic, calm yet thoroughly euphoric. It's superb — in short, and you should obtain it post-haste.

Huxley

2.0 Aus Music

8.5

As the title might suggest, this does indeed feel like the sound of Michael Dodman, aka Huxley, moving into a second phase. The US garage swing is (almost) gone, favouring the driving sound of Europe at 5am. 'Weapon' is throbbing, big room mania. A nagging vocal bores its way into your brain, while the kick boots your squarely in the sternum. It's steadying stuff. 'Still Love' burbles beautifully, a piano accent and vocal playing off each other. 'Voks' bleeps and farts, before the eye of the hurricane delivers melancholy pads and fierce rulin' diva. 'Sink Hole' returns with the swing, a few face-melting breakdowns and a persistent, fuckyou bassline. Bravo.

SYNCED

ELECTRO / PROGRESSIVE REVIEWS ANGUS THOMAS PATERSON angusthomaspaterson@gmail.com

QUICKIES great in the first place.

Faithless

Insomnia 2.0 (Avicii Remix) Sony

8.0

Dusky

Ordinary World EP

Universal Solution Luquan

Silk Digital

Widely welcomed as the harbinger of the apocalypse, all the online hate ignores the fact that Avicii is way ahead of the EDM pack in terms of genuine musicality; not to mention the fact it was commissioned by Faithless themselves. ‘Insomnia 2.0’ does a great job of reworking a seminal classic for the main stage, while respecting what made it

7.5

The Manchester producer has made some particularly lush and atmospheric progressive for Anjunadeep the past few years, though this seductive, deep breakbeat number gets a release on Silk. Brace for shivers down the spine when those synths swell a few minutes in.

17 Steps

9.5

Quivver

Time Go By Bedrock

7.5

You’ll need to look to the final track on his new ‘Takin Over EP' for Bedrock for where he properly unleashes his euphoric, emotional side. ‘Time Go By’ is the kind of record that is so overflowing in progressive thrills that it’s a candidate for one of the epic stormers that John Digweed tends to close his sets with. Don’t let its opening tempered grooves fool you, as we’re given a dizzy blast of euphoria little more than a minute in.

Dan Sieg

Over The Stars Silk Royal

8.5

So soon after his excellent artist album last year ‘A Sense of Wonder’, Dan Sieg again returns with another lush, melodic masterpiece that deserves to be heard. ‘Over The Stars’ is a rollercoaster ride of emotions that swells from its mellow beginnings into a dizzying breakdown, before pulling back into melancholy again after the drop.

Thomas Hayes Lost

Enhanced Progressive

7.5

Another of the gems that regularly surface on the Enhanced

Progressive stable, ‘Lost’ is a delightful progressive trance record featuring a particularly intense build, which simmers seductively around its piano hook in the breakdown. There’s energy and emotion to spare, though Thomas Hayes pleasingly holds it back from entering peak-time trance territory.

Cassini Fermi

Tessier-Ashpool

7.5

The Tessier-Ashpool stable again show their knack for futuristic sounds that make for some wild, unhinged fun on the dancefloor. Cassini builds ‘Fermi’ around a mutant R&B stomp that delivers a hefty bottom-end punch, otherwise conjuring all sorts of electro mayhem to embellish the groove. Deranged in the best possible way.

Various Artists

Some Things Rise EP Life + Death

8.5

Life + Death’s place in the clubbing zeitgeist is captured succinctly here, with a four-track EP that embodies the sound that’s connected so much with crowds: deep, dark, dirty progressive in all but name (or Beatport genre classification). The four artists showcased cover an impressive amount of ground, with Sei A in particular fashioning a sludgy bassline that’s begging to be unleashed on a dancefloor at 3am.

Dusky make a stylistic pivot with ‘Ordinary World’ that sees them competing with Eric Prydz in the unbridled euphoria stakes. They teased these tracks for months prior to release, and for good reason. ‘Ordinary World’ is by far the raviest collection of anthems that Dusky have put their name to, recalling the explosive progressive bombs that characterised their earlier output under the Solarity alias. Even the deep house conventions that garnish ‘Skin Deep’ are a mask for its true nature as a peak-time destroyer, while ‘Parakeet Feet’ is pure Pryda-style thrills. One of the finest collections of bangers you’ll hear all year.

MATT LANGE MAU5TRAP 01. MATT LANGE

‘Removes Me’ Mau5trap

“This is the first full-length track on my upcoming ‘Ephemera’ artist album on mau5trap. I’ve opened my sets recently with it, and it’s perfect for setting the mood for the rest of the night.”

02. JON HOPKINS

‘Open Eye Signal (George Fitzgerald Re-

mix)’ Domino

“I love Jon Hopkins’s music, and this remix casts it in a light that really works well in a club.”

03. SIAN ‘Shame Cube (Oliver Huntemann Remix)’ Octopus Records

“I still play this at pretty much every gig. It just works so well every time.”

Dark, deep and grandiose in all the right measures.

04. NICOLE MOUDABER

Matt Lange

05. ADAM BEYER ‘Teach Me’ Drumcode

“This track to me has the perfect amount of melodic ambience while retaining a dark and throbbing pulse throughout.”

Removes Me mau5trap

8.5

Matt Lange’s debut ‘Ephemera’ LP captures his talent for imbuing his progressive bombs with stunning musicianship and sound design prowess, and its opener ‘Removes Me’ is the perfect statement on the delights contained within. On the surface it’s dark, brooding techno, though as it builds towards its apex, the melodic elements are gradually woven into the framework with some stunningly dense, layered studio work.

‘Fly With You’ Drumcode

“It’s so moody, and the undulating bass just kills me. Love it.”

06. RECONDITE

‘DRGN2’ Hotflush

“I like using this record a lot to transition between different keys or different moods. It’s wonderfully adaptable.”

07.

MATT LANGE ‘Hyperwarp’ mau5trap

“Another from my upcoming ‘Ephemera’ album, it’s just a straight-up filthy, subby techno record with some rather gnarly neurofunk-inspired bass work.”

08. DUBSPEEKA

‘Primary K272’ Drumcode

“Great Reese bass, which I’m always a sucker for, and I love that the rhythmic phrase is over the course of six bars.”

09. JOHN GRAHAM Records

‘Something New (Hybrid Remix)’ Distinctive

“John has one of my favourite voices, and once again Hybrid show just how far ahead of almost everyone else they really are. Such a fan.”

10. MATT LANGE ‘Lying To Myself ’ mau5trap

“Relationship woes led to the most personal and possibly my favourite record I’ve ever written. Thankfully, we sorted that out but the music remains. This was one of the last tracks written for my Ephemera album, and in my mind the most powerful.”

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

DUBSTEP REVIEWS

SYNCED

MARKLE 58a Tetherdown, London, N10 1NG

QUICKIES DJ Cable & Sware

Le Castle Vania & LumberK Man The Phantom jvck

Mean Streets Records

Deep Medi

Medusa

8.0

Two tough grime instrumentals here. ‘Medusa’ is on that next hype tip and ’I Like Torture’ dials it down a few clicks but keeps the lengy moodiness.

Blink

7.0

Second release from K Man, back with more of his gutsy, Coki-esque midrange burners.

Om Unit

Torchlight Vol. 1 Cosmic Bridge

7.5

Klient Kosa

877 Records

7.0

A three-track DJ tool of solid bass weaponry with the settings cranked up to maximum dancefloor mayhem.

A slick and accomplished EP from Cosmic Bridge boss and all-round don, Mr Unit. Essentially all drum & bass, but needled through with a thread of roots, a stitch of dubstep and a twist of experimentalism — vibrant and forward-thinking.

You Know My Name Always Never Records

0.5

If ever there was a duo trying to make a clusterfuck of a record, it is this. In that typical EDM tradition of trying to cram a load of different genres into an EP, all it does is ultimately sound like a sad, socially awkward 40-year-old virgin having a rave in defunct Second Life with an ounce of Meow Meow pushed in his arse.

Rabit Tearz

Different Circles

7.5

The third release on Mumdance & Logos’s vinyl-only label is a split artist offering featuring our very own Rabit, with Adelaide resident, Strict Face, on the flip. Fast becoming a standard within the instro grime scene, the confidence to release beatless material dominated by bold angular melody lines is superbly typified by ‘Tearz’ and the Widows remix of ‘Into Stone’. The only boom bap is from Strict Face’s original, which is more hip-hop than Eski beat, but still oddly captivating.

Natty Gaia

Vibes & Pressure

7.5

IPMAN TECTONIC 01. IPMAN ‘Ghostrunner’ Tectonic “Obligatory plug.”

02. KILAWATT ‘Flustercuck’ Osiris Music UK

“Dystopia music. Killawatt’s from the future and knows we’re all doomed.”

03. ACRE/FILTER DREAD Drumz34 Pan x Codes

“This is what horror survival games should be soundtracked with instead of cheesy hybrid electronic orchestral shit. It would be tense times.”

05. GANTZ ‘Elmo Rehab’ Blacklist

“Gantz has a wicked way with his productions, can’t help but like them.”

06. MARTYN ‘Vancouver (Head High Remix)’ 3024

“Really awesome shuffled-up remix of one of my favourite dubstep tracks ever made.”

07.

GENERAL LUDD ‘Burning Mack’ Autonomous Africa “Shifty roller for a good cause.”

08. ETCH/K-LONE ‘Broke’ Wisdom Teeth

“Both the vibe and title of this track resonate with me strongly. Slick stuff.”

09. PANGAEA ‘Stimulant Dub’ Hadal

“JunglEy + dubby + agreeably broken groove = I am happy.”

10. ACRE

‘Deathdance’ Unreleased

“This tune needs a release.”

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

After making a decent debut back in 2007, much was promised of this artist, but nothing came. Now, after his self-imposed hiatus from the music industry, spending time in Africa finding peace and perspective, he’s back with a suitably spiritual number. Deep roots, cerebral horns, and a message of conservation and respect for the world we live in. Check Prince Fatty’s superb dub, using the bassline from Jacob Miller’s 'Baby, I Love You' to great effect.

Skuls

Lost Knowledge Terrohythm

7.5

A slick, dense and bouncy little EP from this Bay Area (San Fran not Torquay, yo!) duo. For a start, it’s chock full of trappy snare action and monumental bass quakes heavy enough to wobble the arse off a malnourished stray dog. Add in a deft attention to dripping melody lines, and a smattering of OG vocal snippets, and there is a lot to like in this EP. Worth keeping an eye on.

Mesck

Dead Language Chestplate

8.0 DVA

Allmyrecords EP Hyperdub

7.5

A strong experimental collaboration EP from Mr Leon DVA, back on Hyperdub after two years. It’s a mindbender of a three-way, so if you’re expecting some nice dancey DJ tools, jog on. But if angular, uber-syncopated drum patterns, with an ADHD-like energy, is your thing, check the Addison Groove track first and foremost. For those with a need for a bit of coherence, check ‘Perxoflyf’, the closet thing you’ll get to a dancer. A bold EP.

Virus Syndicate

Rag$

Midication Records

6.5

The LA-based producer returns with his second release on Distance’s mighty Chestplate label, with a concrete threetracker of bass artillery. Expect the usual dark, esoteric rollers from this camp; ‘Dead Language’ kicks things off with an absolute growler, followed by the sinister tones of ‘Anti-Social’ and rounded off with the contrasting, almost soulful ‘Undertone’, which morphs slowly into another darkside creeper.

Manchester’s longest running dubstep crew, headed up by producer Mark One with MCs JSD, Goldfinga and Nika D, return with a tight little number aiming their vitriolic flows squarely at the hollow, drug-fuelled music industry. It’s a simple yet taut, tense and lolloping beat which allows the vocals to punch through whilst keeping the feet stepping.

SYNCED

TRANCE REVIEWS

Dark Soul Project & Mathov

TIM STARK djmagtrance@gmail.com

QUICKIES

The Dark Side And The Light J00F Recordings

8.5

Having recently, belatedly discovered Dark Soul Project’s poleaxing mix of Kay D’s ‘Dreams’, it was with no small delight to see this new D.S.P.-er drop into the inbox but days later. Alongside Mathov, the Argentinian’s latest may sub some of the former’s thrust for thrillingly murky, echoing trance ether, but it's no less intoxicating. The loud, panning, shifting percussion programming alone should give your thrills’ thrills!

Nick Callaghan & Warren Adam

Above & Beyond Mike Saint-Jules feat. Gemma Hayes Iris In Trance We Trust

Counting Down The Days (Above & Beyond Club Mix)

7.0

Anjunabeats

8.0

More singles fruit-falling from the ‘We Are All We Need’ album tree. ‘Counting Down’'s real stars are A&B’s booming, almost three-dimensional production and Gemma Hayes’ “Taking over” chorus hook.

It’s somewhat ironic that even when MS-J isn’t producing at his absolute best (a la ‘Iris’), he’s still dropping something that’s better than nine out of ten tracks hitting the promo inbox this month.

Occlusion Kearnage

8.0

MONETY!

SHO

Rank 1 vs. M.I.K.E. Juno

High Contrast

9.0 These days, Rank 1 only produce ‘event’ records. Whether it’s high concept numbers like ’13.11.11’ or asgood-as-they-promise collab propositions, each one comes with a headline. ‘Juno’, though, actually manages both! A love-letter to the titular (some might say ‘original’) trance synth, between its brass-balls production, sharpshooting arrangement, ingenious FX, infectious mainline and its near supernatural ability to make the Juno sound, well, almost fresh, this is really doing some overtime.

Driftmoon Stellar ASOT

8.0

A few months back, we called Driftmoon out over their ASOTreleased ‘Live Your Dream’. Thankfully, ‘Stellar’ represents a considerable upgrade. It not only avoids the pitfalls of ‘Your Dream'’s orchestral pomp, but further reminds us of exactly what makes a real ASOT killer. Specifically, that means spiked sub-riffs, striking percussion, carnivorous LFO and an intense, attacking lead element that, floor-side, could swallow you whole.

Markus Schulz Feat. Delacey

Destiny (Kyau & Albert Remix) Coldharbour Recordings

8.5

Inside its first minute, Kyau & Albert’s mix of ‘Destiny’ sends so many uncommon FX the listener’s way it can’t fail to arrest your attention. The fun doesn’t stop at its industrial metallic clangings, chiptone-y FX and whistling subriffs either. Over the thump-happy drums and distorted bottom-end squelch, Delacey’s infectious vocal works every bit as well as it does on the original.

Daniel Kandi & Max Braiman Sky0cean! Always Alive

7.0

What Daniel Kandi doesn’t know about building up and arranging a roaring production underlay probably isn’t worth learning. Through phased sweeps, quickly releasing filters, animated submelodies and propulsive bass, ‘Sky0cean!’ gets its hooks in within seconds. It is somewhat of a victim to its early successes, though. Come the break, and its comparatively underwhelming main riff reveal, the wheels do wobble a touch.

Galloping drums, belt-fed, rattat-tat-ing percussion, fire and brimstone FX and a breakneck tempo — yep, we’re well and truly in Kearnage country! ‘Occlusion’ further spikes the punch with a tight-as-you-like riff that scorches its mid-section like brushfire and a cheeky ‘sample-of-thesample’ from Trancesetters’ classic ‘Roaches’. Jamie Walker’s mix is marginally less ‘6AM’, but has a nice, rubberized echo chamber judder to it.

The Noble Six

Undimmed (Alex Di Stefano Remix)

BEN NICKY VANDIT RECORDS/ARMADA 01. BEN NICKY ‘Red Alert’ Who’s Afraid Of 138?!

“My latest single on Armin van Buuren’s label is something really experimental. I tried to be as creative as possible with this. Big riffs, psy-trance bassline and big room stabs.”

02. PAUL VAN DYK & ROGER SHAH FEAT. DAPHNEE KHOO ‘Louder (Ben Nicky Remix)’ Ultra/NewState

“Still playing this religiously every set and it always creates a great singa-long. Was an honour to remix for Paul and to also collaborate on a few upcoming projects.”

Subculture

7.5

This is another sure sign that Alex Di Stefano’s star is firmly on the up-and-up. Unpredictably, yet refreshingly, his ‘Undimmed’ mix begins with raw breaks loops before the 4/4s finally muscle in underneath. The start of the drop brings only fleeting tension relief, as the Italian once again cracks open the breakbeat tin. Raking the riff over the top of it, the mod wheel begins to twitch and when it does, it twitches hard.

03. VINI VICI

Solarstone & IKO

06. WILL ATKINSON

04. LEE OSBORNE FEAT. ROXANNE EMERY

‘Safe In The Sky (Cold

Rush Remix)’ Monster Pure

“Always been a massive fan of Roxanne’s voice and actually brought her on stage at my show in Hollywood last month during this track. Superb remix from Cold Rush, who always deliver the uplifting touch which recalls the old Anjuna days.”

05. DARKISH, SUB 6, ON 3

‘Sun Stormer’ Hommega

“I find offbeat psy-trance can be slightly repetitive to a crowd nowadays, but this track is really cool, with some unique sounds, acid and a low-end that really pumps through.”

‘Through Spirit’ Future Sound Of Egypt

“This track has such an uplifting breakdown — hands in the air the whole time. I find uplifting trance templates are pretty similar nowadays but Will always brings a slight twist to his productions, which I always dig.”

Once (Alex M.O.R.P.H. Remix) Black Hole Recordings

8.0

‘The Tribe’ Iboga

“Without a doubt, one of the most popular psy tracks of the year. It’s kind of overplayed now but that is due to it being a massive dancefloor pleaser. Some of the best videos from my shows have been whilst dropping this.”

07.

REORDER & STANDERWICK PRES. SKYPATROL ‘Shut

While in no way stinting on IKO’s Up!’ Future Sound Of Egypt keystone vocal, Mr M.O.R.P.H. “Was playing this song as ID for months. Massive reaction on the dancefloor and its good to see my local boy and close mate Standerwick killing it in the does frame the song closer to the Beatport charts regularly.” mid-section, immediately giving his version more of a ‘Club Mix’ 08. LIQUID SOUL & ZYCE FEAT. SOLAR KID ‘Science Ficfeel. Bookending Kieran Scragg’s tion’ Iboga “Driving psy-trance with a massive shuffle/swing on it, great track to play midbittersweet refrains are sweeping, set to keep the groove going. My go-to label when looking for new stuff.” panning sub-melodies, heavily delayed/effected harmonic piano 09. TEMPO GIUSTO ‘Spatter Analysis’ Lange Recordings and sprinting bass. Touch-paper lit, “This guy has been churning out the slower, techier stuff recently and this track is awesome for early set energy. Good to see Lange releasing some more it only takes some visceral 303 to of the harder sounds at the moment.” set the whole mix off.

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

BASS REVIEWS

SYNCED

OLI MARLOW, info@sonicrouter.com

QUICKIES Detboi Scatter

ScatterKeysound

8.0

For music that's all about impact, this shit hits hard.

Fitzroy North

October w/ Borai

Don Hielo (Mwëslee Remix)

Head 4 Phuture BRSTL

7.0

Fine Grains

Detboi delivers four slices of recalibrated junglist pressure for the dark 130bpm crew that is Keysound. Tried and tested in the club, the slow melding breaks might wrongfoot you, but the ideas and execution of it all is so so right.

9.0

Jules October is a bit of an unsung hero in my eyes. His DJ sets and production work — and even his interviews — just have a way of sucking you in. His charisma is definitely matched by his talent and although the slew of forthcoming grunge-tinged jams I’ve heard blew my teeth white, this outing on the BRSTL label is a bit more subtle. Perfect for the DJs, ‘Head 4 Phuture’ is slick and brisk.

The Mwëslee remix of Fitzroy North’s ‘Don Hielo’ is the best thing on the fifth release on Fine Grains by a mile. Mainly because the horn-line sounds a little bit like Tatyana Ali’s creeper smash ‘Boy, You Knock Me Out’.

FaltyDL

Rich Prick Poor Dick Ninja Tune

7.0

I don’t know which of the above it makes me when I come clean and admit that I’m all about the B-side of the latest FaltyDL 12” to emerge on Ninja Tune. I’m a white man who loves Sun Ra too much to go in for the relentless poundy-poundy of ‘Rich Prick Poor Dick’ when I could have the loose, supple, glassy, bosom-like groove of ‘Bookaloo’. I do love that Drew is just doing him, though.

MONETY!

SHO

Rabit/Strict Face

Tearz/Into Stone Different Circles

9.0

DOLENZ SONIC ROUTER 01. M.E.S.H. ‘Epithet’ PAN

“M.E.S.H. delivers his savage industrial textures laid over broken rhythms on this slow burner.”

02 LARAAJII ‘Trance Celestial - Movement 4’ Leaving Records

“Thirty years after its creation, this sounds just as fresh as if it was written yesterday.”

03. MUQATA’A ‘Al Khawarizmiya Al Hissiya (Zygote Remix)’ Unreleased

“Take your favourite Palestinian rapper, place him on Dr Zygote’s beastly production and you get an absolute monster.”

04. TEHBIS ‘Earl Ray’ Hit And Run

It says a lot about the clout of the people involved (sup Jack) in the Different Circles label that they’ve made as big a splash as they have over just three releases. Strict Face’s ‘Into Stone’ manages to be mournful and yet rampantly enjoyable at the same time — with or without the drums — and Rabit feels like he’s crying pure luminescent science fiction tears on ‘Tearz’. A 12-inch prospect like nothing else on this page.

“Tehbis drops a very diverse debut EP for Hit and Run. This is my personal favourite, but the whole release is really impressive.”

05. STINKIN SLUMROK ‘YBS (feat. Black Josh)’ Blah Records “That Slumrok raw shit + Black Josh = bonus!”

06. QUELLE CHRIS ‘Where The Wild Things Roam’ Self Released “Quelle demonstrating why he’s one of hip-hop’s most interesting artists right now.”

07.

BOLTS ‘Messages (One 4 Mercury)’ Fly High Society

“Bolts continues to push his unique style on this smoker’s anthem with a sweet jazz hook and spaced-out vocal.”

08. TOOFLESS & JEHST ‘Stereoscopic Paramnesia’ Self Released “Two of my favourite rappers collide over a Muqata’a beat which leaves you thinking like... wtf just happened?”

09. DAM FUNK ‘We Continue’ Stones Throw

“Dam’s re-captured the rawness of his earlier pieces. I can’t wait for the album!”

10. KUTMAH ‘Ms Camomile Put Yo Ass To Sleep’ Self Released

“The gawd KUTMAH dropped a suitably haunting new beat tape BLK/SMR recently. This track’s stupid dope.”

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

new depths through oodles of decay and delay.

L.SAE

The West As It Will Be Timedance

9.0

Batu’s Timedance imprint peeks its head over the precipice with its second release: a two-tracker from L.SAE that approaches the techno tempo from a slightly different angle. OK, so yes, it has got kick-drums and claps and it’s got a bunch of over-saturated percussion, but the real delight of it is its execution. Contorted, choked synth-work wiggles about in the middle distance whilst the drums just power on — sounding so well rounded and grey. It’s all so wondrously bleak.

Appleblim

Lokane

Tempa

Infinite Machine

Avebury

7.0

You can’t hate on Appleblim — it’s actually impossible. He’s long had a real verve for making, releasing and spinning a desirably off-kilter selection of 4x4 music, and his latest 12” for Tempa continues that trend on the A-side with ‘Avebury’, a jam that is essentially a buoyant bassline and a four-to-the-floor kick, whilst the other two cuts explore ambience, plummeting to

The Eastway Project

7.5

I’ve said it before, but it really is amazing just how much Night Slugs’ Club Constructions sensibilities have sent shockwaves into the mouse-work of new producers. Saying that though, it feels like Lokane definitely understands the idea of driving vocal ticks better than most, and his application of that command upon the microsample in the title track of his debut EP for Infinite Machine is fantastic.

Royal T

Shotta Remixes Butterz

8.5

Wielding the power of Wen, Kahn & Neek and the trio of Royal T, DJ Q and Flava D for a remix 12” must be a pretty heavy thing, but well... Butterz have become that powerful a force lately. Kahn & Neek add weight and those infectious tick-tocking grime snares on their version of T’s ‘Shotta’ whilst Wen completely deconstructs the thing, stretching elements of it out over 11 minutes into a soup of sub-bass and heavy-flanged lasers.

ItsNate & JD. Reid Me+1

Astral Black

8.0

I’m gonna have to be the real obvious guy and just come out and say that the partnership of the Soulection affiliate JD. Reid and the somewhat prolific London vocalist ItsNate works really well. There’s just something about the layering, the timbre of Nate’s voice and the poise of his delivery that is nothing but complemented by Reid’s sinewave low-end and drum palette. Mr Mitch’s remix is the wavey icing on the cake, though.

SYNCED

HIP HOP REVIEWS NEIL KULKARNI, 81 Crosbie Road, Coventry, CV5 8FX

QUICKIES L'Orange & Kool Keith feat. Mr Lif Twenty Fifty Three Mello Music Group

8.0

'Time? Astonishing!' is the title of the new L'Orange opus and anyone who heard the album he's already dropped this year, April's startling 'The Night Took Us In Like Family', will be slavering for this latest offering. Strange, surreal beatmaking and rhyming par excellence. Get cognizant immediately.

Your Old Droog Kinison EP

Droog Recordings

7.5

Ukranian-American man of mystery follows up on the intrigue caused by last year's self-titled album (which a lot of people thought was by Nas under a pseudonym) with this longplaying EP, presumably (judging by the samples) inspired and fired by Sam Kinison, comedy maverick and total legend. Lots to get stuck into here — intriguing samples and a production style seemingly uninfluenced by anything else currently going on in rap. Like last year's first transmissions, you can tie this in with Action Bronson and a generally retrograde vibe (and disgust with the present) in rap — all of which would be counterintuitive and unforgiveable if the results weren't so compelling. Highlights — the taut spooked funk of 'Homicide' and DJ Skizz' squelchy 'Sasquatch In A UFO'. Find it on Soundcloud and drink deep.

Papoose

The Club Honorable Records

8.5

Nice to hear Pap finally getting some worthwhile productions behind his undeniable flow. Haven't got round to 'You Can't Stop Destiny' (the new album) yet but if this is any pointer, should be doozie. Massively amused though by some listeners' reactions to this Premo monster, a prevailing motif being that they can't understand why his voice is 'drowned out' on this track. That's Premo, you dumb motherfuckers! That's the way his production WORKS! We're now dealing with a generation of hip-hop fans whose

primary access to hip-hop (datpiff/ playlists/YouTube) have taught them that a hip-hop track is one in which the VOICE dominates and bullies everything else. Hoping the new Papoose can set them straight that it's when that voice is in divine congress/holy WAR with the production that hip-hop truly occurs! Great track, get it.

Prhyme Mode

Shady/Interscope

8.0

From the 'Southpaw' OST, and the first new Phryme we've heard since 2014. I was as hyped for this as I was when I was a kid and you heard rumbles that Gang Starr or Jeru were going to drop something new. You'll be glad to hear not a lot's changed since that superb selftitled debut — gnarly Primo beats, Adrian Younge lacing the whole with swathes of gorgeously detailed grainy strings and jazz, Logic and Royce swapping killer lines, and some scratches from Primo that are just so exquisitely timed and frabjous that three minutes is way too short to fully enjoy it. Until a new album drops, keep hitting rewind on this little beauty. Superb.

Golden Rules feat. Yasmin Bey Never Die Lex Recordings

9.0

Just utterly exquisite. Golden Rules' just-dropped LP on Lex, 'Golden Ticket' will be palmed off as a leftfield contribution to this year's greatest hip-hop but really what I hear is a massive ongruity here with Outkast at their trippiest (I can't be the only one who hears Andre 3000 in Eric Biddiness' voice). Absolutely no reason on earth why this shouldn't be huge — a gorgeous

Meek Mill The Age Of L.U.N.A Boom (feat. Zangwu) NA

9.0 Holy hell — how have I avoided Age Of L.U.N.A for so long? Scratch that, WHY have I avoided Age Of L.U.N.A for so long? I'm an idiot — this it utterly ace, a leak from their new tape that kicks off in a welter of wibble and bloopy madness, then streamlines itself into a raw stomping Dilla-style thrum of wonder, Butch Arkas and Kyote Noir swapping lines that recall everything that can be awesome and fresh about London rap music when it's delivered with such uncut ferocity and strength. The mixtape this comes from, 'Live Under No Authority' is now available for nowt from a broadband connection near you and should be downloaded as soon as humanly possible. Essential.

Wanna Know (Drake Diss) Soundcloud

3.5

Meek hates Drake who hates Mill who digs Ghostface who hates Action, and who the fuck cares about any of this b.s? This whole idea that ghost-written hip-hop is

some new perversion of true old-school hip-hop authouring — it's always gone on since the days of Sugarhill and will always go on and DOESN'T FUCKING MATTER FOR SHIT! Muhfuggas need to get the fuck off Twitter and grow the fuck up! The track sucks by the way, as you'd expect from MM.

Fetty Wap

I Wonder N/A

1.5

Good god — it'd seem that productivity is all you need nowadays, just make sure you're bothering people with new shit every week and it'll ensure that you’re 'bubbling under'. 'I Wonder' bubbles under like a particularly recalcitrant and unflushable floater that keeps bobbing to the surface, no matter how hard you yank the chain.

GRIZZLY GATO SUB-BOMBIN RECORDS 01. JAY ELECTRONICA

‘Road To Perdition’ Soundcloud

“Hip-hop’s biggest enigma. When this song leaked, we got very excited.”

summery sprawl of a track, lit up with a dub sense of space and intrigue, and put together in a unique spirit, one that aims for beauty and transcendence and that will always speak clearly to anyone for whom hip-hop has performed a crucially psychedelic role, a druggy, delighted, dazed and unconfused shaft of sunlight into our grey days. Soundtrack to a summer we never got. Make it happen every time you press play.

02. BADBADNOTGOOD & GHOSTFACE KILLAH FEAT. DOOM “Ray Gun” Lex Recordings

“That video tho...”

03. RUN THE JEWELS ‘Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck)’ Mass Appeal/Fool’s Gold

“Great song, great artists, great video — period.”

04. HOMEBOY SANDMAN

‘Angels With Dirty Faces’ Stones Throw

“Mostly everything the homie does is great. Although this isn’t very current, it still stands as one of our favourite Sandman songs to date. Most of the world needs to catch up to his work anyway.”

05. ELSPHINX ‘Pork Swordsman (Remix)’ Pig Food Records “Good friends making some classic shit. “

06. YOUNG JEEZY

‘Holy Ghost’ Def Jam/CTE World

“He’s like the Reverend/Preacher in rap and this song is like the epitome of his style.”

07.

ILOVEMAKONNEN ‘Down For So Long (Remix)’ OVO SOUND

“That ‘80s emo trap shit with a verse added by Despot is just magical, like a unicorn shitting in the woods.”

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

HARD DANCE REVIEWS

SYNCED

DJ KUTSKI kutski@mac.com

QUICKIES Alex Kidd & Kidd Kaos Kiddstock Theme 2015 (Andrea Montorsi Remix) Kiddfectious

7.5

Alex Kidd’s epic Kiddstock festival is back for 2015 along with a fresh look at the anthem, featuring a big remix package. My choice of these is Andrea Montorsi’s mix, taking things in a subground direction, and with the festival hosting Q-Dance’s Qult brand on the main stage this is very fitting.

LNY TNZ & YNNCK feat John Harris Yard Of The Free Hard With Style

9.0

Hands up, party hardstyle with a super-catchy vocal, bouncy melody and powerful kicks to smash any hard dancefloor.

Ophidian

Angel (Idrake Remix) Enzyme

9.0

This classic remix finally gets a release. Rapidfire snares make this breakcore track sound just as fresh today.

01. NOISECONTROLLERS & BASS MODULATORS ‘Solar’ QDance

“We teamed up with Noisecontrollers late 2014 and wanted to add something different to the hardstyle scene. After the release of ‘Rocked Up’, we came up with the sax idea and it worked out perfectly. To see this track rock the endshow at Defqon.1 this year was really something else!”

‘Release’ Scantraxx Recordz

“One of the biggest melodies ever made, and a big track of the year contender. It gave us goosebumps the first time we heard it like it does ever since.”

03.

AUDIOTRICZ ‘United As One (Wish Anthem 2015)’ Scantraxx

Recordz

“Also in our playlist everywhere we go. This melody, tempo changes, breaks and sounds describe our definition of a solid and crowd rocking track.”

04. BASS MODULATORS ‘Oxygen’ Scantraxx Recordz

“After we dropped this baby for the first time in our live set at Hard Bass this year, the critics were overwhelmingly positive. We tried our best to create a vocal track with depth and meaning. So happy with this one!”

05. NOISECONTROLLERS ‘Wolfs’ Nscntrl Records

“The Boss at his best! Grade-A sound design and triple-A mixing skills, combined with a solid build-up, is what makes this track a dancefloor bomb.”

06. DEVIN WILD

‘Everlasting’ Scantraxx Recordz

“We had fun playing this one when it came fresh out of this youngster’s studio. It has that typical anthem-ish feel around it and is definitely playlist material this summer.”

07.

XTC Love ( Deepack & Bertocucci Feranzano 2015) Q Dance

BASS MODULATORS SCANTRAXX

02. ATMOZFEARS

Bertocucci Feranzano

WILDSTYLEZ & BRENNAN HEART ‘Lies Or Truth’ Lose Control “They do it again. This Lose My Mind combination is always a guaranteed win. A track pumped with emotion, and a melody like this will get the people to go crazy everytime. Full support.”

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

8.5

Awesome rework of this '90s hardcore classic! This time brought up to date in the hard, raw stylings of Deepak alongside the original producer of the classic. Despite being somewhat slower in tempo than the hardcore original, they manage to keep all the energy and pace that made the original such a hit. A great reinterpretation of a classic that should keep old skool fans as happy as the younger audience that might not even know the original.

Kutski & Audiofreq feat Ragga Twinz Hookshot

Hard With Style

9.0

It’s always exciting to me when different genres of music start flirting with each other. There was a lot of negative exposure of trap music in the hardstyle scene initially due to the uncleared use of many samples, but now the waters have calmed, there are some very interesting crossovers happening. With this track I teamed up with Aussie hardstyle producer Audiofreq to try and merge these sounds further with the help of legendary UK rave MCs Ragga Twins. The result is a ragga vocal-led dancefloor track, with the first drop being more urban sounding, and the second four-to-the-floor hard. This is picking up plays from the key players in both scenes, and we hope it will cement the relationship between these two styles further.

Lowriders

Don’t Get Back (Dr Rude Remix) Dirty Workz

9.0

A bouncy hardstyle classic from yesteryear that has been left alone for just long enough to make this remix a super-exciting addition to DJs playlists, and fresh on the dancefloors. Keeping all the elements that made the original so fun and catchy and adding fresh reverse bass and big kick sections, this one will be a hit in the clubs for years to come yet again!

Sephyx feat Persons Crime For Love Dirty Workz

8.5

Dirty Workz are at the top of their game right now, delivering big summer smashers for the festival season and this new male vocal

Promo feat. Ophidian Unacceptable Third Movement

10 euphoric release from Sephyx ticks all the right boxes. Featuring a well sung vocal, euphoric summery melody and tight drops, it's the perfect backdrop to tie up the summer festival season.

T.I.M 8 Bit

Subground

9.0

It’s no secret that I love my 8-bit sounds, especially when incorporated well into hard music. T.I.M nails it here with a quirky 8-bit main melody which isn't overused, dropping with real subgroundinspired power with heavy kicks, a pounding bassline and a screechy top-line.

Rebourne Galaxy

Fusion Records

9.5

Rebourne just keeps doing it; releasing euphoric trance-led productions with a hardstyle flavour, allowing them to be picked up and played right across the board. With many of the key trance acts such as Armin van Buuren and Dash Berlin finishing their sets with euphoric hardstyle remixes of their tracks, this fits right into the trend. ‘Galaxy’ features epic trance melodies, impeccable production and a key change section at the last breakdown which can't help but make you smile!

One of the founding fathers of the hardcore scene, DJ Promo is back with a new album bursting with two discs full of new material. My pick of the LP is 'Unacceptable', a collab with underground producer Ophidian. Promo has always been outspoken about his passionate views on the scene, and this track is equal measures dancefloor banger and a political statement about the scene today, commenting on the origins of the scene and questioning if it has lost its way. A bold statement for any artist to make amongst their peers, showing again Promo’s passion and dedication to hardcore!

Psyko Punkz feat Murda Doutzen

Dirty Workz

8.5

Fusing hip-hop lyrics with hardstyle to great effect here, the Psyko Punkz deliver one of their strongest tracks to date. This hooks you in from the start with a simplistic, catchy intro melody with short snippets of the rap vocals leading up to a festival-sized main hook and breakdown, adding more lyrics but knowing when to hold back as to not overdo it. Taking Pskyo Punkz back to the top of the game!

SYNCED

ALBUM REVIEWS

9.0

8.0

Mr G

Night On The Town Phoenix G

Tim Deluxe The Radicle Strictly Rhythm

G by name, G by nature

Radicle change

Just last year, Colin McBean served up his most personal and essential LP to date. Typically, it was a firmly rooted, smokily dubbed-out house affair full of backroom grooves all imbued with a personal sadness at the loss of his father. For his next trick, G sticks to his elongated, drum-driven format, but more kinks appear along the way. The mood is less stoned and whiskey-soaked and more turbocharged and visceral. Reverb features heavily, tracks have a little more head room and range from flappy, corrugated things to more churning, slow-motion wobblers. His usual vocal musings and mutterings are gone in favour of sterner technoid atmospheres yet still nothing detracts from McBean’s ability to lock you in and keep you there. If cuts like the brooding, pressurised ‘Inhibition’ don’t

After a four-year self-imposed hiatus

get you going, nothing will. Kristan J Caryl

— that included taking piano lessons, running marathons and immersing himself in old jazz records — Tim Deluxe returns with his third artist album, ‘The Radicle’. It isn’t your traditional electronic album; there are no synths or drum machines, instead Deluxe sought the help of contemporary jazz musicians to realise his vision. It’s Deluxe’s personal reaction against modern electronic music that’s seemingly forgotten its cultural and musical roots. Highlights include ‘Captain, Captain’, a jaunty slice of jazz-fusion that twists and turns in all the right places, whilst the album’s intro track ‘Jas’ sets the tone for the album early on. Elsewhere, there’s a cover of Miles Davis’ ‘So What!’ — which bends the classic into new forms — whilst ‘SHANTI’ features a sax solo John Coltrane would be proud to put his name to. Andrew Rafter

Damiano Von Erckert Also Known As Good ava. Records

8.0

Got anything good? COLOGNE’S Damiano Von Erckert has crammed a lot in in the space of a few short years. A case in point would be that this is his third album since he started his career in electronic music in earnest something like five years ago. It can take some artists a decade to produce one. The first was a collaboration with label cohort Tito Wun, so he had some help there, but ‘Love Based Music’ in 2013 was all his own, featuring the likes of Motor City Drum Ensemble and Stones Throw’s Georgia Anne Muldrow. This new project finds him flexing some different muscles than the house-based business he has become known for. Broken groove ‘First Day Of A Dollar’, with its soothing electric pianos and pads,

seems to pay tribute to the soul and funk he grew up with (his dad was a DJ too). ‘New Ehrenfield Swing’ too is an irresistible facsimile of classic ‘New Jack Swing’. There is, of course, some sterling house music here too. ‘We Flow’ conjures Jon Cutler-esque vibes, featuring Chicago singer Amalia, while ‘LOVE LOVE LOVE’ has vocals from New Jersey hip-hop and R&B producer Miles Bonny over a bumping loop and liberally applied organs. ‘Marcos, Jean, Ralf’, meanwhile, features guitar licks from !!!’s Tyler Pope. Ben Arnold

Paul Kalkbrenner

Dam-Funk

Columbia

Invite The Light Stones Throw

Raiding the archives

Strong second set It’s been six years since his debut album and futuristic take on funk flipped our wigs. In-between there was the excellent Snoop Dogg collabo ‘7 Days Of Funk’, but now Damon Riddick is back in full effect. His profile has risen considerably in that time and with it his ambitions and songwriting skills. Snoop appears again, but also Q-Tip, soft rock cat Ariel Pink, Leon Sylvers III of disco band The Sylvers, lo-fi producer Nite Jewel and soul star Jody Watley. Dam is never overshadowed; his dreamy synth work and growly G-funk basslines dominate, and it’s tracks like ‘We Continue’ that make you feel like you’ve been transported to Cali, or ‘Missing U’ with its wistful rare groove flavour and vocoder. But ‘O.B.E’ will take some by surprise — a 4/4 almosthouse trip that is the peak of the whole high. Ben Murphy

7.0

8.0

Hearing that Berlin techno luminary Paul Kalkbrenner had signed to a seriously major label, Columbia, initially seemed surprising. It’s less surprising when you learn he was given unprecedented access to the Columbia and Sony master archives for his new album – an incredible and, frankly, intimidating gift. Ever the considerate producer, Kalkbrenner uses only three vocals: R&B act D Train, Luther Vandross’s ‘Never Too Much’ (the result is kind of cheesy) and Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit’ over an orchestral techno odyssey. These tracks are interesting, if not quite as epic as intended – but ‘7’ is about far more than just heritage samples. Kalkbrenner still finds time for a gritty techno workout in ‘Mothertrucker’ and the kind of melodic, sweeping compositions that we all know him for. ‘7’ is a big, colourful record, befitting of a dance album on a major label, but with more than enough of Kalkbrenner’s musical personality shining through. Tristan Parker

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

7.5

8.0

Deep Space Orchestra

Santiago Salazar

DeadStock33s

Synkro

Use Of Weapons

Love What You Feel

Skint Records

Apollo

Memory

Chicanismo

Everything Is Turbulence

Changes

Out of this world

Detroit meets Latin vibes

Tune in, trip out

Burial and rebirth

Chris Barker and Simon Murray have released little in the last year or so, but now we know why: they have been locked away working on a debut album. It comes after years of assured, meaningful 12”s on their own label as well as Quintissentials and Delusion Of Grandeur, and makes all the required alterations to work as a full-length proposition. Rather than ditching the dancefloor entirely, the pair explore its intergalactic fringes with robust hardware jams that range from nervetwitching and propulsive to synth-laden and suspensory. ‘Voodoo Wingman’ displays a great sense of musicianship as well as groove science, ‘Dream States’ is perfectly cavernous and sci-fi, and ‘Mission Hills’ strikes a strong emotional note with its sombre chords and tender pads. As such, never was a production pair more appropriately

DJ S2, aka Santiago Salazar, is based in Los Angeles, but relocated to Detroit to join the Underground Resistance crew for a spell. Like UR, he refines elements of funk, jazz and synth melodies into a potent techno tincture. But Santiago also taps into sounds derived from his Latino heritage to make him stand out from the pack. ‘Mama Paz’ is a break-laden oddity of Afro-Cuban chants and percussion laid over gated, spacey synths, while ‘Sucio Beat’ combines rich polyrhythms with house, a wicked bassline and zonked out FX. ‘Varrio To Varrio’ is a gorgeous Detroit piece adorned with dramatic synth stabs that Derrick May would approve of, while ‘Chicanismo’ departs for a frazzled synth future. It loses focus in the second half — lacking the melody and layers — but most producers would give their eyeteeth tomakeSalazar’sbesttheirown. Ben Murphy

As well as always wearing a fine actual hat, Justin Robertson has worn many metaphorical ones with just as much swagger. By now he is something of a UK institution having excelled at tech house, acid house, Hacienda-era Balearic and after touring the festival circuit with his own live band. His most recent focus has been on machinemade, tripped-out psychedelic disco as Deadstock 33s, and now comes a second full-length under that alias that is one of his most complete artistic statements to date.Featuring 12 robust club cuts that come with flabby bass, alien synthesisers and a future sense of robotic boogie, it is a mind-expanding affair that melts dub with disco, chug with acid and oriental synthscapes with haunting and spaced-out sonics. What’s more, silvery textures and oodles of reverb help knit the whole into more than just a collection of tracks. Kristan J Caryl

Manchester musician Joe McBride also records as part of Houndstooth techno duo Akkord, but it’s his Synkro alias that has been going longest. Initially making atmospheric dubstep and skeletal d&b for labels Exit, Mindset and many others, he’s settled with R&S’s ambient offshoot Apollo for his longawaited debut. The ambient focus suits Synkro well; ‘Changes’ is cloaked in lavish, deep soundscapes, pads that go on forever, and clicks and glitches that hint at his love of found sounds and field recordings. D&b is there only in the sparsest of forms, a beat here, a kick-drum thump there — apart from on the scene-stealing ‘Body Close’ — but it’s a richly melodic record with a melancholy and darkness that suggests Manchester streets streaked with rain. Lush vocals crowd ‘Shoreline’ and linger in the backdrop of ‘Your Heart’, the closest comparison being Burial or Machinedrum perhaps. It’s the sort of record to stick on headphones and get lost to. Ben Murphy

named. Kristan J Caryl

Pan-Pot The Other

Second State

7.0

A mixed bag PAN-POT have been releasing music for a decade now, and even turned out a full-length debut album as early as 2007. It rather went under the radar though, and in the years since, the German pair of Tassilo Ippenberger and Thomas Benedix have become a festival headlining act heralded for their live techno chops. As such, the proposition of a full-length from the pair is rather daunting, because few producers (or even fully-fledged bands) manage to carry over the thrill of live music to the recorded format, especially with a schedule as gruelling as the one this pair entertain. Despite what the accompanying guff will tell SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

you about the album being a “grand display of sophistication”, ‘The Other’ is in fact a distilled club set. Sure, it veers from a tried-and-tested path along the way, but you aren’t really going to be listening to this one at home (unless during a post-club party) because it is a perfectly bleak and alien affair full of dangling rubber bass riffs, sweeping white noise blasts and minimal rhythms. When the pair move away from the bigger techno tracks they can easily bang out by now, they start to sound a lot more interesting and singular. Take the absorbing ‘The Luxury Of Living By Day’ with its melancholic, post-apocalyptic sense of

doom and forlorn kicks, or ‘Punxsutawney’ and its lazy sense of groove and aloof vocals: these are nuanced tracks that suck you in and make you feel something, rather than the dry wall of plastic techno that is ‘Twelve’ or the staid and disposable plod of ‘Fist Bump From Destiny’, both of which feel you leaving rather cold. As a sample of what to expect from two fine live practitioners this is an able statement, but as a lasting electronic full length, it leaves you feeling rather unfulfilled. Kristan J Caryl

SYNCED

ALBUM REVIEWS

QUICKIES 7.5

8.5

Mark Nicholas

Chus + Ceballos

Banoffee Pies Records

Stereo productions

Ipman

Nomadas

Sacred Space

The House The Vaults Built Mark Nicholas has been flying under the radar since the late 1990s, with some of his releases from that time still commanding a following and high prices on Discogs. His release on Banofee Pies was only supposed to be a 12”,but Nicholas unearthed so many gems from the vaults that the label selected ten tracks to best represent his prolific yet largely unsung musical career. His productions have a jazzy, soulful house sound with a slight hip-hop bent due to their short, repetitive sampled loops that sound very much like they were recorded and triggered during live jams. ‘Disco Groove’ is a highlight and does what it says on the tin and filters the Salsoul sound through Nicholas’s creative process. Whispers of many of house’s greats like MAW, Kerri Chandler, Pepe Bradock, Atjazz and more can be heard mashed up in ‘Sacred Space’, with a flavour that’s very much Nicholas’s own. Zara Wladawsky

Depating

House done right

8.5

The nu-breed of “deep house” has garnered a bit of an unfair reputation over the last few years, intertwined with shuffling dancefloor bros, fluoro fanny-packs and lager on tap, but Spanish duo Chus & Ceballos are flying the flag for the more authentic side of the genre. Opening cut ‘Abisinia’ sees haunting tribal licks dance with vintage Booka Shade-style arpeggios, setting the tone for fifteen cuts of silky deep house that effortlessly ooze with seamless precision. ‘The Calling’ is all trippy, space-aged vocals and clipped percussion, whilst ‘Esvedra’, ‘Alma’ and ‘Black Rock City’ have their roots firmly planted in prog. ‘Back To Basico’ slams down a full five minutes of bouncy, drumfronted house before ‘Heaven’ closes things off with a “phwoar”-inducing bass lick à la Kolombo. Classy, catchy and not a shuffler in sight, Chus + Cebellos help prove vocal-led deep house isn’t just for chumps. Charlotte Lucy Cijffers

Darkstar

Grant

Warp

The Lauren Bacall

Foam Island

The Acrobat

Darkstars in their eyes

Grant maintained

Darkstar’s third album, ‘Foam Island’, is an honest account of social and political changes which founding members Aiden Whalley and James Young witnessed during trips to Huddersfield. ‘A Different Kind Of Struggle’, for example, features excerpts from interviews with young people from the area talking about their political isolation set against innocent synth lines. ‘Cuts’, on the other hand, takes its cues from the UK’s austerity, as warm, glowing synths play alongside a monologue from a council worker explaining how they’ve managed the cuts.‘Foam Island’, then, is a bold, honest portrayal of UK life for young people. The political disillusionment of ‘Days Burn Blue’ — written during the recent election — rubs shoulders with more hopeful songs like the cushionsoft ‘Foam Island’.‘Foam Island’ is a difficult yet highly rewarding listen from a band that’s still willing to take risks. Andrew Rafter

Who is Grant? I mean, really, who the hell is he? Is he a he? Is he a she? And who is Lauren Bacall? Well, that one’s less difficult, but the label The Lauren Bacall has produced a handful of understated but immaculate singles this year (and another in 2014) from Grant and someone else called Gable, who appears to be equally enigmatic. According to Grant’s publicist, he (or she) wants to remain as anonymous as possible, and links through Discogs to a veteran producer for the legendary Trax label from Chicago is seemingly a blind alley. Perhaps enough, then, about who, and more about why we should care. ‘The Acrobat’ is glorious, that’s why. Eight tracks of life-affirming, emotive house music which should, if you have even a scrap of soul in you, make you fall in love with it all over again. It loses a half point out of 10 because nothing is perfect. But this is perilously close. Ben Arnold

8.0

Rocktronica a-go-go

A dark and atmospheric album with inspiration from all corners of the electronic universe, combining distinct elements of drum and bass, but there are also distinct elements of grime, garage, techno and house. Lead track ‘Regicide’ is a brooding, 140bpm take on ‘90s jungle, while ‘¥’, ‘Ø’ and ‘U’ are a trio of must-hear tracks. Whisky Kicks

It’s great to see rocktronica scousers Killaflaw finally get their album out after some trials and tribulations. Live favourites such as electro-rocker ‘Broken Idol’ and the epic ‘Set Me On Fire’ are matched by new tracks like ‘Own Way’ and ‘Faustus’, and surely this will now catapult them high up into the barren-looking ock/dance void. KIM o’Connor

Jori Hulkkonen

Battles

La Di Da Di

7.0 Say yes to another excess

Despite its nursery rhyme title, the third album from this avant-garde New York rock group is distinctly short of tunes you can whistle. ‘La Di Da Di’ has a complete overload of convulsive drumming, screeching guitars and spasmodic electronics however, and also begs to be heard with the volume rightuptothemax. Paul Clarke

Monokle

Darker Than Blue

Oh But I Am

Ki Records

London’s Kwesi Darko returns for a second LP as Blue Daisy after a string of successful singles, opening for Public Enemy and collaborating with Tricky. ‘Darker Than Blue’ sees the producer and rapper explore deeply emotional territory that focuses on between light and dark, both thematically and musically, with a singularly mesmerizing approach Zara Wladawsky

The Finnish producer releases his first solo album in half a decade, and it’s a wonderfully whimsical homage to bits of pop, Balearic, house, disco and Italo songwriting. The wheel isn’t being re-invented here, but we dare you not to get at least a few of Jori’s tracks stuck in your head with your toes tapping after just one listen. Zara Wladawsky

Settling further into his new home at Ki Records, the Russian producer serves up a full-length LP brimming with textural ambience, glitchy tempos and glacial passages that are as much for introspective solo listening as they are for the dancefloor. Many of the highlight tracks feature haunting vocals from various friends also active in his country’s quickly growing electronic musicscene. ZW

8.5 Colorful Chiaroscuro

9.5

Wall of Sound

I am the Ipman!

Blue Daisy

8.0

Killaflaw

8.0 The Incredible Hulkkonen

7.5 Look Closer

REPEAT THE LPS WE CAN’T LEAVE ALONE...

LHF For The Thrown

Keysound Recordings 10

Dubby, rhythmic electronica from the LHF collective.

Seven Davis Jr Universes

Ninja Tune 8.5

SDJ’s debut LP is on another planet.

The Orb Moonbuilding 2703 AD

Kompakt 9.0

Ambient veterans The Orb return with a spaceage album.

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

ON THE RIGHT TECH Italian DJ/producer Phra from Crookers gives us the lowdown on how he got the killer sound on the Crookers bamger ‘I Just Can’t’ featuring Jeremih earlier this year...

RyAn CROssOn

Detroit-born, London-based, throwing a bit of Berlin into the mix

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

TECH NEWS

ELECTRONIC BATTLE WEAPON

Can Rane’s TTM5mkII Serato mixer be the turntablist’s new weapon of choice? p.159

MAN MADE MACHINE

Magda and NYMA explain their VERSUS DJ controller. p.162

DEEP SPACE NINE

Producers get deep bass with SubPac S2 Tactile Bass System

p.164

EGG-STATIC SOUNDS

How cracking are MunroSonic’s EGG100 speakers? p.166

ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR

Grab your BPM 2015 tickets now...

t may seem like one of the biggest clichés when it comes to event write-ups, but for this year it is most definitely true — BPM is back bigger and better than years gone by. After proving itself as Europe’s number one go-to DJ technology conference, BPM is stepping it up again and not resting on its laurels by adding more elements to enhance the customer experience. New exhibitors, new panels and new in-show events have been added to the running order, and the line-up of manufacturers who already use BPM as a testbed to show off their range of existing products — as well all the new kit they are going to drop into the public domain — is meatier than ever. BPM is setting up camp over the weekend of September 12th – 14th in its now established home at the Birmingham NEC Arena. Tickets for this year’s BPM DJ & Electronic Music Production show come in a three-tiered format and are on general sale now. General Admission tickets cost just £15 when purchased in advance of the show, giving visitors a cool saving on the usual door price of £20 Advance Enhanced Experience tickets are priced at £39 (costing £49 on the door) and ensure Fast Track entry to the show, access to the exclusive Chauvet BPM Arena viewing area, a free drink inside the Arena, and a limited edition BPM 2015 T-shirt. The advance VIP tickets will cost £89 (more on the door) and offer convenient Fast Track entry, access to the ultra-

exclusive VIP Lounge, including complimentary drinks and light snacks, and an exclusive VIP Magma bag. VIP pass-holders will also gain access to the exclusive viewing area in the Chauvet BPM Arena and will also receive a limited edition BPM 2015 T-shirt. And there is still a chance to make a £5 saving on the entry price using our exclusive DJMAG5OFF code when you book your tickets online. Unfortunately, with over 90% of the tickets already bagged, the chance to win a free set of retrostyled Zumreed ZHP–005 headphones (if you were one of the first 100 people to order advance tickets) has gone. But there will still be plenty of chances to pick up all sorts of goodies at the show. As well as guaranteeing entry to BPM 2015 across all three days, these advance tickets will permit entry to the co-located PRO Performance and Venue Technology show, essentially giving visitors an added bonus of being able to check out two shows for the price of one. The Pro Performance and Venue Show is one of the newer additions to BPM over the last few years and focuses on (as the name suggests) the Pro club and venue install side of things — Audio, Lighting, Video and Effects — which sits perfectly with the whole theme of the weekends offerings. One of the most popular in-show events back for 2015 is the New Product Demo Stage, which was a major DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

SOUNDBYTES

NATIVE NEWS The long awaited Traktor 2.9 update is now available, bringing with it full STEMS capacity. This means that DJs now have complete control over the new STEM format directly from their software. A whole stack of STEMS content has been released with the update, which has full support on the D2, S8 and F1 controllers. A reliable source has also informed DJ Mag that a new Traktor product will be unveiled at the BPM Conference later this month. native-instruments. com attraction at 2014’s show. This is a dedicated area showcasing some of the hottest new kit that has just been released or will be hitting the stores over the next few months. Whilst some of these products will be on show throughout the event, the New Product Demo Stage is a chance to see them all in their full glory. Pioneer DJ, Native Instruments, Allen & Heath, Korg, Numark, Denon, Moog and Arturia are just some of the manufacturers already lined up to deliver some top-draw demonstrations. With over thirty demo slots, the Product Demo Stage will be one of the busiest attractions of the weekend. In an additional announcement that will please turntablists and ‘scratch perverts’ everywhere, the DMC World Championships will host its UK Finals at this year’s BPM show. Now sponsored by Rane, this year’s championships will no doubt be a top attraction to all those who marvel at the deck wizardry of these DJ supremoes. BPM lays claim to being Europe’s biggest DJing and electronic music production event, providing thousands of visitors with three days of high-octane performances, inspiring educational content and interactive product displays. It’s also the ideal place for DJs, producers, performers and technicians to hang out with like-minded people and get to experience all the fun of the fair. visitbpm.co.uk

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

CUTTING THE CHORDS Numark drop a cost-effective wireless headphone that will allow DJs the freedom of the booth. By cutting the wires, DJs can now move around without fear of getting tangled. The HF Wireless Professional DJ Headphones uses up-todate Bluetooth technology to deliver perfect audio to the highest level, all without the standard cable. £59.00 numark.com TAKE CONTROL Akai Professional take more strides into the professional production and DJ arena with the release of the revamped and refreshed MPD Series of controllers. There are three new models that make up the range all featuring new, ultrasensitive thick fat MPC pads for a very tactile feel

STUDIO ESSENTIALS David Zowie’s smash hit ‘House Every Weekend’ is still causing damage on the dancefloor. Here are five of this weekend warrior’s studio essentials...

Native Instruments’ Maschine 2 “I use the Maschine by Native Instruments for most of my drums. It has a nice set-up and workflow, especially if you are from an Akai MPC background. The layout of the libraries makes it easy to scroll through to preview your kits. Plus, it’s fun to bang drum-pads and get away from the computer screen.”

Korg M1 “I use the Korg M1. It sounds warm, rich and colourful. I have used the emulation of this but nothing beats plugging in from the source. There are those ‘90s era sounds, which to me is nostalgic. It fits my studio better than the elephant-sized Triton.”

Logic Pro 9/ Macbook Pro “I have used Logic since Logic 5, probably because I’m stuck in my ways. This is probably why I am still yet to move onto Logic X. I love the ‘logical’ layout, which just makes sense to me. I have used other DAWs and have an old M-Box for Pro Tools but continue with Logic, which I run off my Macbook mostly.”

Yamaha HS8 Monitors “I use Yamaha monitors in my studio now. They seem to have a clean reference without colouring the sound too much, and are the right size for my room. Like any monitors — get used to them.” 99

TECH NEWS

VERDICT

APP REVIEW APP: DEVELOPER: FORMAT: PRICE:

DR MEAKER

CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT KORG MS20

Drum & bass maestro Dr Meaker’s single ‘Good Fight’ is out now on Circus Records. Here’s the piece of tech that he can’t live without... “My Korg MS20 — Original MkII. It’s been with me at every gig I’ve ever played as Dr Meaker — in excess of 500 shows over the last 10 years. Playing and tweaking the MS20 is my trademark on stage. I like the freedom of having no memory patches, and this has taught me to learn it inside out. People love the analogue madness I bring! “I bought my MkII from eBay in 2005 for about £500, and the minute I switched it on I fell in love. It’s the bass sound of drum and bass. It does the classic beating oscillator ‘Reece sound’ and also those classic dub siren/bleep effects. Just sling a delay on it and you are set. The thing I love most about it is its raw-as-fuck oscillators and its (screaming) resonant high-pass and low-pass filters in series. The filters are so cool when playing live, as I can use them like an extremely versatile and funky EQ unit. “Over the years I’ve had parts break but I’ve refused to sell it and keep taking it to Andy at EMIS, who either finds original parts (over 30 years old) or finds other ‘same spec’ parts that do the job — he has even salvaged parts from old washing machines! I will never part with my MS20 and will always have it on the road with me, as it’s the most raw-sounding synth I know — and I LOVE it to bits.”

100

TXFX2 IMAGINANDO IOS / ANDROID FREE

TKFX2 is the redesigned app from Imaginando aimed at Native Instruments Traktor users. The new version of this unique FX controller now offers more features and better performance with an all-new pimped up design to make it even better when using it with smart-phone devices. TXFX2 does one thing and one thing only: it allows DJs to manipulate and control the FX functions of Traktor Pro DJ software. It’s a controller for the FX section essentially and not for the general features of the Traktor software. That being said, it is more than just a one-trick pony as it really does offer users of Native’s flagship DJ software a way of getting creative in the FX department, which aids more creative performances. In use it can be likened to Korg’s Kaoss Pad with its large X/Y touchpad. DJs control parameters of their chosen FX within Traktor using the X/Y touchscreen, which gives DJs more control than just FX knobs. It is fun and simply to

SOUNDBYTES

7/10

use. Once plugged in, you will be up and running in no time. Version 2 now offers Multi FX mode, the ability to assign multiple parameters to a single axis (nice for getting those monsterstyle tweaks), USB wired connection (it still can be used wirelessly) and a Link Mode for triggering four units with a single pad. New additions make TXFX2 a more complete app and recommended for anyone who likes to explore the FX side of Native’s Traktor software.

SMALL BUT PERFECTLY FORMED M-Audio have released a neat set of desktop monitors designed to be used in compact DJ or production set ups. The AV32 and AV42 variant come with 3-inch and 4-inch drivers respectively and a myriad of connection options. Don’t let the small size fool you as both versions pack a punch in the sound department and are perfect for dance music devotees. £69 AV32 £99 AV42 . m-audio.com

COLOURS OF THE RAINBOW

Mixvibes’ Cross DJ Pro for Android brings with it a world of amazing technicolour. The 2.3 update offers seven colours and 49 varying colour combinations that can be applied to the deck and wave view sections. The new portrait view mode now lets DJs view a single deck on one screen, offering more control over the player. The overall app has been revamped to offer better, faster performance and improved layouts. £4.99 mixvibes.com

SOUND DESIGN

SoundGizmo is a new way for the independent music community to take control of their music catalogues and benefit from potential new ways of monetizing their work. SoundGizmo is an all-in-one catalog and website management tool for DJ, artists, producers and independent music companies aiming to put the power back into the hands of musicians and rights holders. SoundGizmo offers a comprehensive set of tools to manage, promote and drive income from your music. soundgizmo.com

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

TECH NEWS

Ryan CRosson RYAN CROSSON, DJ/producer and labelhead, is one part of the Visionquest crew. He has circumvented the globe in pursuit of his trade, residing in many of the world’s best cities for electronic music. A rich mix of cultures and influences have helped to propel Mr Crosson into the dance music stratosphere. DJ Mag tracked him down before his next jaunt to grab a moment of his time... — that’s a good combination for anyone wanting to be involved in electronic music... “And now on to NYC! I think it’s been an amazing combination of locations to be exposed to all sorts of music — not just electronic. London has much more to offer, on the whole, than Berlin and Detroit but Berlin is still the best in the world for electronic music. New York is hot right now though, and I’m happy my move is sort of coinciding with a lot happening in New York at the moment.” How did you get into the dance music scene, and more specifically DJing and producing? “DJing was a combination of a house party where some people I knew bought decks and me buying a set-up with a friend. Producing came later, after I started to hang out with the Beretta crew. Brian Kage helped Seth [Troxler] and I a lot at the beginning and sort of set us on a path to make our own stuff.” What was your guiding force? “At that time I was just loving music, loving partying and being able to play what I wanted to hear. It was a slow process the first few years but as my skills improved and I bought more music and made more music, the passion just continued to grow — and still is growing. The more I can get out what’s inside my head, the more I’m enjoying doing what I do.” How did you go about putting your new EP ‘On The Rise’ together? What was the vibe that you wanted to create with the new record? “I had started ‘Cadets In Heat’ first but

SEPTEMBER 2015 / DJ MAG ASEAN

it was just a sketch that had been in my computer for about a year or so. After I went back and started to develop it further, I took a break and started something else based on a drum loop that I made at the airport, which became ‘D’. ‘On The Rise’ came after I needed a break from ‘D’. Then I jumped back to finish up ‘Cadets’. I tend to jump around between projects if I’m getting lazy and not trying to work out some dynamics, or if my ears are tired. Each of the tracks have a bit of different influence in them and it turned out to be probably the most well-rounded EP I’ve been able to put together. To be able to work those ‘Detroit’-type strings in ‘Cadets’ made me really happy. I wanted to make something like that for a while. Once it was time to put the EP together, I had five tracks in total that I sent over to Lee, Shaun and our label manager.” When it comes to the studio process, are you quite hands on? “I make all the music myself, I arrange it all myself, and try (I say, try) to get a decent mix-down. After that, my lovely wife steps in and mixes it down for real and then it goes to mastering, after I sit with her and tweak what she has done. She’s a serious professional, Grammy award-winning gangster in that studio and so if she has the time to help me, I’m going to take it. She’s light years beyond me when it comes to mixing and recording. She’s light years beyond most people I work with. The next step is to start learning from her.” What bits of kit do you like working on? “A mix of analogue and VSTs. I’ve been finding gear a lot more fun the past few years, and the results come quicker and are more dynamic for me.” What projects are you currently working on? “We’re working on a Visionquest sixtrack EP to be released in February 2016 or before. I say February 2016 because, given current timelines with pressing and distribution and once we get a

pool of six tracks we’re happy with, it will end up being February. The important thing is to get it right. Also, still noodling around with a second album with Cesar Merveille and a solo album. The latter will definitely come to fruition once I can get set up in NYC once the shipping container has arrived.”

101

TECH PRODUCER VERDICT BUILD QUALITY EASE OF USE FEATURES VALUE FOR MONEY SOUND QUALITY

9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0

HYPE Sounds that have to be heard to be believed. A synth with the WOW factor that can find its home in any dance music genre. GRIPE Too many good sounds to go through in its preset banks. Omnisphere 2.0 has to be the most powerful computerbased virtual instrument on the market — simples.

9/10

ALL CORRECT AND OMNIPRESENT

Spectrasonic’s Omnisphere 2.0 Power Synth delivers out of this world sounds... IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING, and for many the wait was almost too long to bear. Finally, a plugin that has shaped

continued to develop their virtual instruments and technologies to the point where they unveiled the updated versions of these soft synths. Welcome Stylus RMX, Trillian IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING, and for and Omnisphere: these three products im many the wait was almost too long to provedontheiroriginalversions,afeat most bear. Finally, a plugin that has shaped thought couldn’t be possible, and once the dance music production scene has again Spectrasonics led the pack in terms of been revamped and is out to conquer all. powerful virtual instruments. Now after all Omnisphere2.0fromSpectrasonics was that success, they’ve only gone and done it officially released a few months ago and this eagerly-awaited soft synth has already again with the release of Omnisphere 2.0 — aptly named Power Synth. The name itself taken its place at the top of the pile. Not many soft synths can come near to the sonic just doesn’t do it justice; Omnisphere 2.0 has to be one capabilities of Omnisphere 2.0 or deliver the performance that makes this one of the of the most powerful soft synths on the planet. The depth and body of the sounds most powerful music creation products in on offer are simply breathtaking. It’s a true the market place. synth-player’s dream; sound sculp- tors Spectrasonics have always released pretty sturdy and robust virtual synthesizers, from and anyone who is into the sound design element of the dance music scene will simply back in the day when it gave to the world Atmosphere the forerunner to Omnisphere, be in awe of what Omnisphere 2.0 delivers. When DJ Mag Tech first ran the upgrade Stylus a powerful groove synth that has package (which was a simple process within featured on many a dance floor filler and itself) and called up a software channel on Trilogy a truly impressive Bass synthesizer the DAW, we were greeted with the familiar that has torn apart many bass-bins in blue-looking GUI, which instantly brought its time. All these three soft synths were unleashed to the masses in 2002 and reined a smile to our faces. Once we started tinkering away on the supreme for an eternity. But as with all top-flight opera- tions, Spectrasonics didn’t keys of the controller keyboard, we realized that we were playing on something leave it there and throughout the years

special. The sounds were immense, and we immediately spent the next five hours (!) creating new tracks and riffs. Omni- sphere 2.0gaveinstantinspiration,itwas like being given a new lease of creative life — every patch we played on led to a new track! This level of inspiration is surpassed on any synth. It is obvious that we are fans, but only because Omnisphere 2.0 is that good. The reason why this Power Synth sounds so amazing is down to the engine that drives the plugin. The technology that sits behind Omnisphere, Spectrasonics’ STEAM software synthesis, has been developed and refined over the years to what it is today. Ominsphere 2.0 brings many different types of synthesis together into one fully-featured soft synth. FM, Wavetable and Granular Synthesis are just some of the options that are available. An immense selection of Filters are also available to be used, as well as the ability for users to import their own audio as a soundsource into Omnisphere and then tweak it using the plug-in’s extensive editing facilities. Users now have over 12,000 sounds to explore; it is colossal (we’re not even half-way through them all and we’ve been playing on this for a few months now!). These presets are the starting point for your

own creative endeavors, and the basis for youtostarttinkeringawayonyourown sounds — that is, if you feel brave enough to jump into synthesis. If it’s a step too far for your capabilities don’t worry, small tweaks of the presets can be done by using the sound manipulation tools that are part of Omnisphere’s make-up. 58 FX units are on offer, which can be applied to the sounds to further enhance and change them to suit your needs. When we first started working on this review, it was destined to be a more technical read — principally highlighting the mechanics of Omnisphere. However, as we played with it more, we thought this level of detail would be far more technical than what we wanted to relay. Basically, we hope that this review will fire up your tastebuds to go and get it, and at least play with it. Once you hear Omnisphere 2.0 and see for yourselves what can be done with this virtual instrument, you will be as hooked as we are. Omnisphere 2.0 is like having a room full of the world’s best synths in one box!

VISUALISE YOUR MUSIC

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR

TAKE A BREAK

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

Having a mental picture of how you want

It’s too easy to opt for the cheaper,

When you hit the proverbial wall, the best

It’s always great to do something totally

your tracks to sound will help when it

inferior option but don’t be fooled

way to relieve the tension is to take a

different and unexpected, and this

comes to creating your music.

— sometimes it’s worth saving up a little

break, get up and go and do something

should also be applied to your

bit longer in order to get that piece of kit

completely different. It will refresh your

productions — who knows what little

you are truly after.

ears, mind and soul.

gem will result from this.

102

PRICE £285 CONTACT spectrasonics.

TIPS

DJ MAG ASEAN / SEPTEMBER 2015

We reveal some handy tips and tricks to help you on the road to wicked productions...

DS KILLER SOUfreNshe st sounds How to create the on the dancefloor...

BODYMOVES REVEALS HIS MOVES

THE BRIXTON-BASED globetrotting DJ/producer BodyMoves gives us the lowdown on his Killer Sounds…

Welcome to Plug-in Corner, our monthly exposé of some of the best plug-ins around for creating electronic music