Issue 41 - November 2015
The Strong New Flavour of Ibiza
ON THIS ISSUE P 03: BLACK COFFEE Interview by Silvio Aliferis P 08: SUNDARA KARMA Interview with Oscar Lulu by C. Massei P 14: At the races with NICK MASON Interview by Matt Dawson P 20: MIRROR Interview with Tas Danazoglou by M. Dawson P 22: KLEMENT BONELLI Interview by Nelly Loriaux P 26: MARK NETTO Interview by Nelly Loriaux P 30: RAM Interview with Harry Granroth by M Dawson P 32: STEREOTRIBES Interview with Travers Lee by C. Massei P 44: THE GOLDEN AGE OF BURLESQUE By Sophia Disgrace P 46: DJ AWARDS 2015 By Nelly Loriaux
SONIC SHOCKS TEAM Editor in Chief & Creative Director CRISTINA MASSEI Associate Editors MATT DAWSON & NELLY LORIAUX
Front page photo credit: Nelly Loriaux
US Correspondent DENISE BRITT
Other contributors on this issue: Sophia Disgrace Please contact info@sonicshocks.com or head to www.sonicshocks.com for more info
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© Nelly Loriaux Interview by Silvio Aliferis Before the results were out, Silvio took the helm to interview our favourite to win Breakthrough in association with Mixcloud: Black Coffee. Our money was on the the right horse, as Black Coffee later went home with the trophy. Durban born producer, DJ and entrepreneur extraordinaire Nkosinathi Maphumulo took us through the journey that saw him become one of South Africa’s most successful exports, his take on the South African house music scene and his association with disadvantaged communities’ project: Kopanong Disability Movement Organization. Hi, thanks for having us. You and I already have a mutual connection as I was conceived in South Africa. Where are you guys from? Nelly is French, lives in the UK but born in Paris and bred in the countryside of Picardie and Jamie, our assistant for tonight, is British. I'm from Portugal, but I was born in
Mozambique. My parents went on honeymoon to South Africa where I was conceived but I now live in the UK. That's crazy man. I was in Beira last week. Mozambique is getting better; they are rebuilding quite a lot. How do you feel about being nominated for breakthrough artist in association with Mixcloud? It's a big thing for me, exciting news, one of those things you put on that wish list Let's talk about the music scene in JNB. I believe it is still very much underground at the moment, by this I mean it does not get enough coverage, so it can get difficult for people to know where their music scene is. Do you find there are differences between cities like Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg? Every city has its own vibes with Johannesburg being the main 'hub' for dance music. The thing about South Africa is there isn't really a scene per se. Johannesburg has big influences and Durban is strong but it's just music; there are no clubs that you can say have been around 10 years running which specialise in house music. You can hear house on the radio, you can hear my songs on radio followed by Drake and you can hear Will.iam. We have music shows of course but not based on any scene. Producers pretty much do whatever
Š Nelly Loriaux
they want to do. We have the freedom to produce a music trend or vocal trend. That’s a special thing about my country. All the songs that make it become household babies. So house music is not an underground thing where it is only heard in the clubs. It’s for everyday life. You are seen as one of the biggest South African music export though... (smiles) I am getting there.
You have 4 albums under your belt now and found the time to set up your own charity foundation for disabled and under-privileged people, which is remarkable. Could you tell us a bit more about it? We've partnered with a school in Cape Town. So far we have taken just one student, that's all we can afford. The students had to write to us and let us know why they wanted to be in and they had to have special needs. I think our dream is to grow as time goes by and take more students, we are trying to empower people, to improve their quality of life, and we are investing in a career so that one can get a certificate and a job. http://www.djblackcoffee.org/index.html NB: The beneficiary of DJ Black Coffee Foundation is Kopanong Disability Movement Organization, formed with an aim to alleviate poverty and unemployment which largely affect people living with disabilities and the disadvantaged communities. When you play in a club, what do you least expect people to do?
People taking selfies or playing with their phones. When I play, I want people to dance, get into the music, I want them to forget I'm here, no need to look at me, just feel the grooves and enjoy the music. Do you have any recent project? I have just released an album 2 weeks ago in South Africa. One of the single is on Instagram, People are downloading the song 'We Dance Again' and making a video with it. It’s a dance challenge really .People then upload their videos using only this song. So now I am challenging you and anyone around the world to participate at #therealblackcoffee (Instagram). Would you consider yourself a visionary or an innovator?
Both (laughs). Are you planning to work with other artists in the near future? There is a lot of stuff I am working on. I have just released an album called 'Pieces Of Me' on which I collaborated with many amazing vocalists such as Nakhane Toure. On the innovator side, we are developing an app like iTunes for Africa. If you win tonight, how do you plan to celebrate? I am launching the album on Thursday in Johannesburg so in moderation. Good luck for tonight!
Interview by Cristina Massei Photos Emma Viola Lilja They’re only just about to release their second EP, but Sundara Karma’s fame is fast preceding their records and their gigs are selling out like fake blood on Halloween. Their recent single ‘Flame’ has reached over a million streams on Spotify and almost 100k YouTube views in less than two months after being premiered by Huw Stephens on Radio 1 and playlisted on X FM. New single ‘Vivienne’ is Huw Stephens’ current ‘Hottest Record’. At such a young age, what for others may be a great achievement for Sundara Karma is just a promising beginning. So who are they, and where do they want to go? Sonic Shocks caught up with Oscar Lulu to get the lowdown. Your headlining tour has just started right? Yes, we are in Birmingham at the moment chilling out in our dressing room at the Sunflower Lounge. How’s it been going so far? It’s been going so well actually, we’re really quite taken back by how well it’s been going. Most of the shows have been sold out, last night we played Nottingham and there was a stage invasion which was crazy! How do you prepare for a gig? Normally it consists of having a few drinks because normally we’re pretty hungover in the morning and when you have a little drink the hangover tends to go, so we do that and then we will listen to some music, preferably Luther Vandross or maybe a bit of Sum 41; then we’ll scream at each other for a little bit then go on stage! I hear you’ve been recently recording in Berlin, was that for the EP II (out November 6th)? We have – not for the second EP but for our debut album. Aha! So when’s that coming out? Next year sometime, mid next year. Is the whole album being recorded there or just some parts then back here for the rest? It’s been really manic the whole recording process for this album so we’ve done some stuff in Brixton, some stuff in other parts of London, Berlin, Oxford so yeah it’s a real collection of places which is kind of cool. Are any of the songs off either EP going to be included? ‘Vivienne’ will be, that’s all I can really say at the moment, I’m not sure about the others just yet but from the first EP ‘Loveblood' and ‘The Night’ will probably be on it.
How do you feel about EP II, are you happy with the results? Yeah, we’re really happy with it, I don’t think we would have put it out if we weren’t! It’s exactly what we wanted the second EP to sound like and it’s nice to have EP I and EP II, they’re very much a partnership and you should listen to them together. I think the second EP is a progression really, the production is more polished so is the song writing I would say, it’s slightly moved on a little bit. You guys are signed to RCA?Chess Club; when did that happen? Between the first and second EP. Vivienne I really like, there’s a sentence in the song that’s also on your Facebook; ‘We can change the world if we stop getting high.’ There’s also references to drugs in the video – is it a personal reference or just lyrics? It’s both. I like lyrics to be ambiguous so they can really be open to whatever you feel it’s referring to. What I’m trying to say when I say that is more like, we could make a difference if we stop; there’s a difference between people who get high and do it for some sort of creative purpose, to do something with themselves or to find – dare I say it – deeper meaning, and the other high of just watching rubbish TV and eating a lot of junk food [laughs], so that’s the type of high I’m referring to when I say ‘we can change the world if we stop getting high.’ When I was younger I used to hate those friends that would get high and just do nothing, just spend all weekend just lying down there. Yeah! I think it’s more a self frustration thing because that’s how I feel about myself. Aside from the headlining tour, you’ve played with The Wombats and Circa Waves
along with a series of festivals; how does it feel playing on such big stages at such a young age? It was terrifying but you get used to these things, it wasn’t like we went from playing in a pub to suddenly playing Alexandra Palace, there was a lot of progression in-between the two. It’s like walking into a cold lake, you gradually dip your toes in then put your feet in, you don’t just jump straight in. That makes me wonder – how old are you? Nineteen. So considering you took the time to dip your toes gradually, may I ask when did you start? Haydn and I have known each other since we were eight, Dom and Ally I’ve known since I was thirteen and we’ve been Sundara Karma since we were fourteen so for a really long time, it’s not like an overnight thing at all. Music’s always something you wanted to do then? Yeah, absolutely no alternative. Did you ever have a plan B? I didn’t you know, I never really had a plan B and my parents weren’t too happy about that! I couldn’t think of anything else, I’d do this even if it meant sleeping on the streets. There’s quite a lot of young and very interesting acts around at the moment, is there any other band you’ve met on your way that you think we should check out? There’s a band supporting us on our headline tour called Vitamin that are really good, I’d
recommend checking them out. In Reading where we’re from there’s a lot of good bands coming out – Haze (EverHazel), Palm Honey and a band called The Amazons, they’re really cool. You organise your own night in Reading as a way of keeping the scene alive, what’s the situation there at the moment? It’s great, it’s really come together now which is wonderful to say. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to say that about Reading, there’s something really special happening because everyone’s just come together at the right time and it was so dead before that I just think there’s been this reaction towards the dullness and now… It’s not there yet by any means but it’s really come a long way. It’s nice to know we don’t all have to go to London to make it work. Exactly! This is the whole point of doing it. When is the club night? It’s once a month, we don’t have a house residence yet, we’ll put on loads of different people – anything that’ll get the kids excited! We’ve done a lot of shows at the Purple Turtle (the first ever Purple Turtle which is in Reading) which we love. We’re playing the next one in November and it’s sold out which is so crazy to say, I never thought we’d sell out a show in Reading and we have! What are your influences, for people that have known of you for the first time through this feature? I don’t know if this will help people but I listen to so much music: The Doors, Pink Floyd, Biggie Smalls (Notorious B.I.G), Marilyn Manson, The Antlers, The War On Drugs, Fleetwood Mac, Arcade Fire is a big love of the band. We like anything that sounds good. Is your music the type that you see being played in stadium sized venues or more for the intimate ones? Our music is ‘anthemic’, people have used that quite a lot but we never really strived to be ‘anthemic’; we just like listening to big sounding songs but when I’m writing a track I don’t think ‘oh this is going to sound great in a stadium!’ We haven’t played a stadium, Alexandra Palace is the biggest gig we’ve played, but I hope they sound good in an arena. It’s awesome to play a small intimate show and a big huge really live energy stadium.
The first time you played Alexandra Palace or a venue like it did you feel nervous? No, not at all, we just felt completely at home, we really liked it! We don’t think too much about it which I think is good, we’ve just got on and done our thing and then freaked out after we’ve played maybe! What is it that you really love about music? It’s the creative part, it’s really been a great outlet to me music, I’d be a different person if I wasn’t able to write, listen or be involved in some sort of way. It’s very much a breathing thing for me, whenever I predict the future music’s always there as cheesy as that might sound! What’s a dream venue to play? To play Glastonbury would be amazing and then maybe to play in the middle of the ocean with dolphins around us, eighty percent of the ocean hasn’t been discovered! Oscar’s choice of venue triggers a brief discussion about the beauty of the underwater world, before we let him go back to the rest of the band and get ready to perform in front of yet another packed venue. There are still a few chances to catch Sundara Karma live this month: 02nd November - Louisiana, Bristol 03rd November - Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff 04th November - The Magnet, Liverpool 05th November - The Macbeth, London 07th November - Thirsty @ Readipop, Reading EP II is out on November 6th and available now for preorder here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/ep-ii/id1046854525?app=itunes For more info head to: https://soundcloud.com/Sundara-Karma
At the races with
NICK MASON
Interview by Matt Dawson There are some things in life that just bring a sense of passion to not only individuals but also whole communities at large; think of for example street parties during various Jubilee celebrations throughout the years. In Sicily their Jubilee from 1906-1977 was the creation of Vincenzo Florio and a race considered to give birth to an era of motorsport itself: the Targa Florio. The documentary A Sicilian Dream envisions to capture the incredible history of the race from the rivalries between companies such as Ferrari and Alfa Romeo, the drivers that became heroes in particular the stories of Brian Redman, Nino Vaccarella and sadly the tragedies that eventually led to the race’s end in 1977. On the 19th October the premiere hit London and the protagonists Alain de Cadenet and Francesco de Mosto were joined by a special guest of honour: Pink Floyd's drummer extraordinaire Nick Mason. When not behind a drumkit you will easy find Nick behind a steering wheel, maybe competing at Le Mans; a passion inherited from
his father, a filmmaker who shot a few documentaries on the topic. We talked motors and music with Mr Mason before the London premiere of 'A Sicilian Dream'. What was it that got you interested into motor sports/motor cars specifically? I know your father made some documentaries. Basically it was my father that got me into it, he was a filmmaker – he did documentaries for Shell primarily about motoring, motor sport and mechanical things, he made a film on the Mille Miglia, on Le Mans and eventually a five part series on the history of motor racing but he also used to race himself so for me as a kid the big treat was to be taken to Silverstone when he was racing. I believe you have a 1930 Bentley that he used to race at Silverstone. That’s right. We’ve had it in the family for nearly seventy years. It was also due to Enzo [Ferrari]’s invitation your father took part in the Mille Miglia. Absolutely, he had actually gone there to film it but he came up with driving the car and it was Enzo that facilitated that, it wouldn’t have been possible without Enzo sort of making it happen. I presume then you and your father knew of the legacy of the Targa while growing up – I suppose a similar feel would also come in the case of Le Mans in France where you’ve been a few times with the Ten Tenths team. I did the real race in the eighties then I did the historic race sort of recently but Le Mans slightly different because it’s still an active event whereas I think the Targa there’s this sort
of nostalgia that applies to some of the great races that no longer exist: the Nurburgring thousand kilometre race, the Carrera Panamericana, that sort of thing. It’s sort of keeping history alive I suppose. Would you say those are your favourite races historically? For me my favourite races are long distance sports car races full stop, Le Mans was always the ultimate goal of where I wanted to get to but the cars I tend to like particularly tend to be those sort of cars and the events that go with them, the heritage of the events. What was the first car you had? My first car was an Austin 7 Chummy 1927, cost twenty quid and it was very much what my father thought should be part of my education which was something very simple that could be fettled at home, that’s where I learnt the basics of looking after a car, I mean the funny thing is now that no longer exists really because virtually every car now arrives now with a plate over the engine saying if you touch this you will die and you will invalidate your guarantee so those days are over more or less of actual tinkering but that was very much my sort of introduction to cars and eventually to more sporting cars, the Chummy gave way to the [Austin Seven] Nippy then a pre war Aston Martin. What other documentaries would you say are your favourite? My favourite music documentary of the last year or two is Twenty Feet From Stardom which I thought was terrific and had some really unusual and interesting points to make, it was fun and educational which is what you really want out of a documentary. Apart from that the other great motoring one would be the Senna film of course – it’s taken documentaries to a new audience almost – it was so well constructed and so straightforward really just using his voice, I thought that was sensational. You’ve produced a few albums in your career – two of them being The Damned, Gong and Robert Wyatt. How was it working with both those groups and if there was any particular memories you had? Gong and The Damned were very different obviously but both actually really enjoyable, I’ve always enjoyed working on other people’s music, it’s very good – it gets you out of the house so to speak in terms of working with Pink Floyd – Gong was very interesting because very high standard of musicianship, you could suggest an idea and they’d be able to play almost anything. I particularly remember Pierre Moerlen (drummer) and suggesting something that I couldn’t play myself but that he immediately could connect with and play, in fact I then went on to do another album with Steve Hillage [1978’s Green], it was sort of a younger version of where music was sort of going at the time, it was becoming more sophisticated, better technical players which was very much part of the Gong thing. The Damned – I probably enjoyed it more than any of them did because they were in the middle of yet another as bands do musical differences, the band really was split completely between what Captain [Sensible] wanted to do and what the others wanted to do but what I loved about it was the fact that the album was made in probably about a week in the studio, about the same time the Floyd albums were more or less taking a year I would think to do. I do remember saying to the Captain on one occasion: ‘Yeah that was good, maybe we should do another take?’ and he went ‘Nah, why bother?’ That attitude is quite refreshing!
In cinemas n ow Available on DVD from 9th Nov ember You did a solo album in ’81. Would you ever consider doing another? No, not really. To say it was a so called solo albums were never really solo albums at all, it was sort of predicated on the record deal that gave us the opportunity to make solo albums, what I did was I made an album that really was a Carla Bley/Nick Mason album which was great fun to make, I loved working with Carla and with Mike Mantler, in fact I ended up over the years doing a number of other projects with Mike in particular but it’s not where my interest lies, it was an opportunity not to be missed but it’s not something that I pine for.
How would you sum up the legacy of Pink Floyd in present day? I’d avoid the question. I think trying to write one’s own take of what it means to other people is almost impossible, I think it’s that for other commentators to try and make sense of. From my point of view it was a case of we were incredibly fortunate to be able to do what we wanted to do and do it the way we wanted to do it, no constraints in terms of other people telling us what we should do or how to do it and how other people perceive us is still a mystery, almost everyone that mentions it tends to have a slightly different take on what was important, which the best album was or whatever. There are different facets to music that mean different things to different people. Are there any upcoming artists in particular that you enjoy? It’s funny, one talks about up and coming and actually finds new bands are now fifteen years old or something! [laughs] Kaiser Chiefs who I saw recently, Ed Sheeran, people like that. I think almost all new music as long as it’s sort of original, people are always wittering on about the X Factor and sort of confusing X Factor with the music business, the X Factor is great television entertainment but it’s not what’s actually happening with in terms of music with longevity. Of course now and again the X Factor will turn up extraordinary talent but in general it’s about a television entertainment show and there’s a whole sort of underworld of new music all the time with young bands with really interesting ideas and with stuff I’ve done at the Roundhouse it’s quite extraordinary how many people there are out there trying to make a living in the music industry.
Interview by Matt Dawson With a combination of members of Satan’s Wrath, Repulsion and producer Gomez Mirror bring a remembrance of classic and proto metal together to create an album that fans of metal and rock will love. We speak to Tas Danazoglou about how the group was formed, UFO and his favourite album of the year. First of all I have to say that the mixture of Satan’s Wrath, Repulsion members along with Gomez and Jimmy is a great one, how did this manage to come together? Thank you for your kind words. The idea of creating a classic heavy metal band was in my mind for many years and it wasn’t until lately that came to reality. I‘ve known Jimmy for more than 25 years and obviously was the first that I contacted as I consider him one of the greatest heavy metal vocalists of all time. Second person I contacted was my brother Stamos whom I wouldn't consider to form a band without him. Then i thought of Gomez that I’ve known for years also and he did an amazing job drum and production wise. On his suggestion the last member to join was Matt from Repulsion that I found out he is an amazing guitarist and incredible person. With a love for proto metal running throughout the record what albums would you
say were inspirations while working on the record? I consider MIRROR a classic heavy metal band. For our debut album I would say the very basic influences were early Maiden and scorpions, UFO, Uriah Heep, Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. Of course there are countless others but the main ones are these. Which albums would you say are very underrated? The first that always comes to my mind is Pentagram’s Relentless. It’s definitely in the top 10 heavy metal albums of all time. Are there any plans for live dates with Mirror? Yes the tour program is being made now as we speak. We were fortunate to sign with The Agency Group booking agency. What would you say is your favourite track on the record? My favourite track is Elysian but I believe the whole album works very good as a unit. Some days I like Galleon more and other days Year of the Red Moon. It keeps changing. As we get closer to the end of 2015 what is your favourite album of the year? Definitely The Book Of Souls by Iron Maiden. Mirror's self titled album will be available worldwide from 13th November. Preorder now at http://www.omerch.eu/shop/metalblade/products.php?cat=4484
Interview by Nelly Loriaux Klement Bonelli’s remix of Marvin Gaye’s hit ‘Marvinello’ with Swiss colleague Michel Cleis and American singer Martin Wilson had been one of Ibiza 2015 anthems of the summer and earned him an invitation to this year’s DJ Awards. You may not have heard of him as yet, but keep an eye out for this young artist whose name is hot on the lips of ravers throughout the French clubs circuit, from hometown Lyons all the way to Paris. Nelly caught up with him at the Awards ceremony… Although you haven’t been nominated for a Kryptonite, you do have a special interest in being here tonight, don’t you? Yes, you are absolutely right. In a way we are sort of nominated, a sort of recognition for a number that has been working really well in Ibiza this summer. We are thrilled to have been invited to the DJ awards. Tell us a bit more about this. It’s a number that I have produced with a Swiss colleague Michel Cleis and an American singer Martin Wilson named ‘Marvinello’. Incidentally it’s a remake of a Marvin Gaye’s hit that we have rearranged our own way. Let’s talk a bit about you; I believe you are from Lyons (France)? Yes, I am And how is the dance scene in your area? In a previous interview you didn’t seem particularly impressed by it. We did go through a rough patch but it has evolved thankfully. For the last 3 years we are living in, what we could describe as, a golden age. There are an increasing number of nights happening with a positive energy surrounding us. This probably also came from a popular festival called ‘Nuits Sonores’. It has helped push the town forward hence making the scene grow even further. So a big improvement from your previous conception where you looked upon the clientele as blasé and far more interested in showing off in clubs than actually listening to the music. Definitely. People have finally understood, they have become a lot more receptive to the music and appreciate our performances nowadays.
-Let’s talk about your performances in France, or other countries for the matter. I play primarily in France but I don’t limit myself to the French territory. I did the Ministry Of Sound in London circa 2002 or 2003. It was my first ever date abroad, I was really young then. I went through a quiet period but things have picked up since. -In your opinion, what are the most reputed French club for this particular scene? I am fortunate to be playing in an infamous club In Lyons called ‘LE SUCRE’. It is Laurent Garnier’s club, I perform there 3 or 4 times a year. In Paris there’s the REX CLUB (NB: Started by Laurent Garnier in 1992, it remains one of the city’s oldest and longest running spot for techno and house parties) and CONCRETE (NB: Held on a boat, it is the after party of choice for those who want to keep going come 6am on a Sunday morning).
In Bordeaux, you can find the IBOAT and of course there are also small concert halls around the country that hold techno nights. Actually it seem that those nights have increased exponentially, giving a sort of indoor mini festival atmosphere. What about your artistic side? What is happening right now? I released my debut album last year called ‘Compass’ and I am currently finishing the second ‘episode’ as I wanted to do it in 2 parts. It should come out beginning of 2016. I tend to produce a lot therefore I have a rather impressive number of tracks waiting to be released. In 15 days, I will release a track on Kevin Saunderson’s label KMS. I also have my own label KROME RECORDS so a lot of those will end on there obviously. Do you release under any alias as well? I created an alias a few months ago: KLEMUNO. With this, I produced a sort of African, more
(Ibiza's dance scene) did go through a rough patch but it has evolved thankfully. For the last 3 years we are living in, what we could describe as, a golden age.
Š Aldo Paredes
tribal house tracks, bit of a different vibe I guess. I believe you are more house and techno at heart? Totally but this alias is for a particular label - my editor’s actually - called ATAL MUSIC. I decided I would release under this alias on his label. Although it is a bit different from what I usually produce, I believe it is complementary. I have another alias under which I produce in LIVE called KB69, with 69 representing Lyons’ department number by the way. Are you going to perform at Pacha tonight? Yes, Martin Wilson will perform during the DJ awards ceremony. When the after party starts, he will perform a second time after which Michel Cleis and I will follow through with our mix. https://www.be-at.tv/brands/pacha/pacha-ibiza/dj-awards-2015-ceremony/michel-cleisb2b-klement-bonelli Excellent, looking forward to it. Is there a particular artist you would like to see win tonight? I don’t remember in which category he was nominated but I really like BLACK COFFEE. I was fortunate to invite him to one of my night a few months ago at THE CELSIUS and we hit it off. So I’d love to see him walk off with a Kryptonite. Let’s finish off with an off the cuff question. If you could go back in time, which era would you choose and where would you go? That’s easy. In 1979, the year I was born, so I could go to the PARADISE GARAGE. This interview can also be read in French at www.sonicshocks.com (Cette interview est disponible en Français à www.sonicshocks.com)
MARK NETTO
Interview by Nelly Loriaux Mark Netto, one part of the Dalt Vila success story, finally brought home the gold in the Ibiza Music Event category at this year’s DJ Awards. A regular figure on the Ibicenco scene, Mark still has a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, oozing confidence but grateful at the same time for everything that Ibiza has allowed him to achieve, a stepping stone to even greater venture. Nelly talks to him in the build up to the winners’ announcement. First off, you have been nominated for best Music Event. What do you think are your chances? I think everybody's chances are good. The thing is the events in Ibiza are starting to grow outside of the, what we could call, the normal nightclubs, which is good really. It is a sign of
the time that the scenes are getting stronger and bigger in Ibiza and it is good to have a certain level of independence, to find a level of permissiveness and control. Talking about control, I believe some new laws have been coming into place recently, particularly for boat parties but also licensing restrictions and noise complaints. Do those laws affect your ventures in any way? Yes and no; if you consider that 5 years ago there was no daytime clubbing and no open air clubs nights allowed, it has improved really. Now we are in a position to have those, we have our events at Dalt Vila, we have events on the beach at Talamanca so there is more permissiveness but in a more controlled environment. I believe it is somewhat better. However, there's been some effect that came about from this election year as the power did shift somehow in the local town halls. You have a lot of new policy makers trying to make statements which kind of muddle things up a little bit as well. Coming back to your events, how are things going so far?
We have developed quite a few new events within IMS, we have our new event in Shanghai this weekend, we launched an event in Asia-Pacific last year that exceeded our expectations and we also have LA. We have positioned ourselves alongside established events like the opening of the Ibiza season, Coachella in Los Angeles, Zoukout in Singapore and storm Festival. All of those events kind of allowed us to be there when it's relevant. Obviously Ibiza is home to us, we have the support of the town hall, and we have Dalt Vila so Ibiza will always be our base. It is just great t have the opportunity to branch out and have the influence of Ibiza being felt around the world. We are grateful for what Ibiza has allowed us to become, bringing new opportunities we can embrace fully. What thing would you say you are the most proud of? So many things really but personally and professionally, I mean for me something like booking Danny Tenaglia for the first time in Ibiza was a proud moment, he was my favourite DJ, my idol. Also doing the Dalt vila shows for the first time, in such an iconic place, to have the opportunity to do an event there, now that was amazing. Of all the nominees appearing at the DJ awards, is there one you would love to see win tonight? I know it's always a bit difficult to choose so I will tell you first who my team and I would like Go on, tell me! Black Coffee (For those watching NCIS, you will know what I mean when I say I got a 'Dinozzo' moment when Mark suddenly waves to the table behind me where Black Coffee is sitting‌) We are talking about you in my interview! But yes, it is exactly the same for me. Black Coffee, hands down. He’s from the same city as me, he's very popular with his peers, hardworking and musically it's what I grew up with so all the best to him for tonight. Let's finish off with a light-hearted question. If you inherited an acre of land and money was no object, what would you do with it? Bansky did his Dismaland in a disused LIDO at Weston-upon-mare so what would Mark Netto do with his acre of land? I would probably want to make the most bio diverse garden that can be possible and use it as an opportunity to find my refuge. I live in an island surrounded by people, by parties and by water therefore sometimes I wish that I could be immersed in complete nature, separated from it all. I love my diversity, my garden so that what I would probably do.
Interview by Matt Dawson With a new album that opens a new chapter for the Gothenburg group in Svbversvm, it was a good time to chat to guitarist Harry Granroth about their intentions with the record, KISS and why ‘The Elder’ is his personal underrated album… What was the intention for you with Svbversvm following Death? We just continued to work on new songs and of course we wanted to write the best album that we possibly could. During this time the band was facing internal issues which practically put the band on hold but after a long break the band came back to life again. When strong enough, with new songs, rehearsals for the new album could begin and I really think we managed to write and record a very consistent, good sounding album this time. We knew that we wanted to record 'Svbversvm' in a different manner than we did with 'Death' which was recorded as close to a live situation as possible. This time it was more like when we recorded 'Lightbringer' with a lot of details and we tried many different things during the recording sessions. Also we were producing ourselves so there was minimum input from the other people than the band. Personally I prefer this method and I believe the songs benefit from this as well. Only time will tell if it'll stand the test of time but so far it has been well received by critics as well as fans. How was touring the UK and Europe during 2015? As we were busy writing and recording 'Svbversvm' there was very little touring in 2015 and we've actually never played in the UK but for 2016 we hope that there will be a big change and live dates are being added at the moment. Hopefully that'll include the UK. Another goal is to play the summer festivals 2016 and plans are already in the works. A couple of years ago you celebrated the Sudden Impact EP with a special concert in Gothenburg , how was that experience? That was a great experience and that marked an era for us. The 10-year anniversary of our first release of course but it was also a new start in a way for us with new guitarist Martin Jonsson. The people involved included some of the film crew that shot our earlier videos, longtime friends and fans that contributed to this special night and even if this was a very hectic and busy day it was all a great experience. What would you say is your favourite track on Subversvm? This is very difficult for me to say. After the mixing and mastering was done I didn’t listen to the album for a long while and I didn't really have an opinion about the whole thing probably due to exhaustion. But when listening back to the album and brushing up my memory I'm really satisfied with all the tracks but if I should mention some tracks I'd say 'Return of the
Iron Tyrant' 'Eyes of the Night' and 'Usurper' 'cos I really like to play those songs. On the other hand we will include many of the new songs in the live set so I'll probably enjoy them as much. Who influenced you in becoming a musician and who was the artist that got you into rock/metal? I think that would be KISS and Ace Frehley that got me into rock, later on bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden got me into Heavy Metal. I still listen to these bands but not necessarily the newer stuff by them. I prefer the old stuff. Which albums would you say are the most underrated? Not many comes to my mind at the moment but speaking of KISS, 'The Elder' is one. I think this is a good album even if it was not well received by fans and they might not like it so much themselves. It might not be the greatest album if you want KISS' rock & roll but it's still great music, I still play it once in a while. Which albums would you say are your personal best of 2015? Haven't had the time to pick up so many releases this year but a few: Ghost - Meliora Orchid - Sign Of the Witch Queensryche - Condition Human Š Magnus Lindgren
There's a new player in the crowdfunding jungle...
Interview by Cristina Massei The concept of crowdfunding is nothing new: in 1997, Marillion had a whole U.S. tour paid for thanks to a fan-based internet campaign, which raised $60,000 in donations. The idea was conceived and managed by fans without any involvement from the band, and after that Marillion kept using this system to fund the recording and marketing of its albums.
Over the past decade, the rise of the internet and DIY revolution made it easier for artists to put their work out there, effectively over-saturating the market; at the same time, illegal downloading cut music revenues, bringing the industry to a climate of austerity. The music scene became an affair of ‘too many bands, too little money’, and flamboyant excesses a far memory. While the early struggles were then the road to - hopefully - a major contract and resulting rockstar status, now labels think far and wide before signing an act, and the financial backing they offer is mostly a stripped, no-frills business. As a result, crowdfunding platforms like Pledge or Kickstarter have been growing from strength to strength and today represent a huge slice of the music market and an invaluable tool for any artist. The result is a closer, improved relationship between artists and their fanbase. After all, it’s always been about ‘being part of it’, and fans have never felt more involved than today,
knowing that if that album is out or that tour is happening is thanks to them. A beautiful relationship that Travers Lee sees going beyond the concept of crowd and calls a ‘tribe’. “I’ve been involved in digital marketing for about fifteen years now and I’ve followed how language is used to describe something and changes over time. Crowdfunding was a term created before 2010; it was at the time where consumers had more passion in the process of consuming or being involved in the community than they were part of, and I believe that crowd is actually not the best way to describe that interaction. I think it’s much more of a tribe – the way they experience music together, express their passion for creative work, how they follow each other around”.
Latest crowdfunding platform Stereotribes was born from this very idea. Travers defines it as ‘Kickstarter meets Bandcamp’ to highlight how it brings together self-financing and selfpromoting tools in one sleek new concept. “Social media play a huge role. When I got started there were chatrooms; over a decade social media really found its feet and now it’s become the basis of any digital platform that exists today, from any perspective whether it’s a consumer, marketing perspective or a panel”. There’s more: Stereotribes caters effectively for all crowds, as Travers explain. “We believe everybody who has a passion for music or contributes are relevant. The future of the creative industry lies in how groups of people work together to create innovation. For example people do music documentaries, someone creates a new music game like Guitar Hero, a new app, new technology for some kind of headphones, people who want to create innovative online education around music, someone wants to start a small festival or even as grassroots as having a really cool party. It really is celebrating and amplifying the passion of music”. So say for example I wanted to bring a band to my city and raise the money to take them there, would that work?
“Exactly, this is where it comes back to the tribe, we believe that music fans have every right to get a campaign together to celebrate their passion by bringing a band they love – the video with the Foo Fighters (www.youtube.com/watch? v=JozAmXo2bDE) was an example of that. if you have a great idea and you’ve got a community that want to get behind it it’s something that we welcome”. There’s however a sticky point about current crowdfunding platforms, as they’re progressively being taken over by major labels and turned into their own pre-order tool, suffocating the smaller independent campaigns in their bid for exposure. “At this point of time I don’t have investors breathing down my neck and I’m trying to take it from the perspective that this platform should always be relevant. There is a gap, you’re right, between someone who has a huge passion for music, someone who’s developing their skills all the way up to people who are signed to labels and they’ve got the support and backing behind them. Now we don’t think labels are evil, they have their purpose; what we’re interested in is the future of talent and for artists to fund the resources they need, whether it be a label or other communities, to be able to achieve what they need to achieve at this potential stage in their career. We are considering working with indie labels because they’re the ones that struggle as well; just like the artists they want to get started, learning the ropes to support each other with all the corporate stuff going on”. And it doesn’t stop there, in fact Stereotribes offers a number of tools for self promotion, including press and radio opportunities for all campaigns. “We’ll be announcing a competition for any artist who sets up a profile, which will be reviewed by Simon Gogerly - he doesn’t just work with anyone and we’re giving away two days in his studio. We’re doing a lot of video interviews with artists and we’re teaming up with radio stations to get them on the radio to tell their story - we want to be a storytelling
app as well”. Investigating the website ourselves, there’s really a plethora of tools and opportunities for creative minds. With workshops, networking events and much more on offer, Stereotribes is potentially a one stop shop to get your project known and THEN funded, rather than just being another band asking money to strangers. It’s quite obvious that this was the brainchild of someone with a passion and knowledge of the business. “The first time I ever realised I had a passion was when I was ten and my school basically had people go into a room with a record player at the far end and put headphones on to listen to tones – if it was higher, same or lower. A couple of months later they were explaining I’m not tone deaf, so we’re going to put you into a music program and they gave me a saxophone; so I played saxophone all through school. The school was terrible and nothing engaged me, that was the first time I had a passion for something and I maintained it all the way through high school. When I left high school I played in a band that performed at festivals in front of thousands of people, we got radio play and I had a full career as a musician. I did that for about half a decade then I moved into marketing and digital but always maintained the passion”. The beta version of Stereotribes was launched on October 23rd and the app is now open to everyone to register and explore. “What we want from this stage is for creative talent and music fans to explore it, set up their profile or maybe start their own campaign, then when we have a critically backed campaign we’ll do a public launch and we’ll go from there”. Good luck to Travers and his excellent tribe. What’s your campaign?
Get started now on
www.stereotribes.com
By Sophia Disgrace
Burlesque!
Welcome to your one stop drop for all the news on the best burlesque nights in the capital and beyond! I’m Sophia Disgrace, I’ve performed at numerous events in the UK and abroad, from festivals to the most exclusive clubs. I perform in a neo-burlesque style and often incorporate other elements such as angle grinding into my routines. I like to shake the audience up a bit! Burlesque - or 'the art of tease' as it’s also known - first rose to prominence in the 1950s; in recent years it’s enjoyed something of a revival, with stars such as Dita Von Teese helping to popularise the scene once again.London as ever is at the fore front of this movement, which is both alluring and inspiring for men and women alike. So party people, not long until the dreaded Xmas is upon us once more! Put aside your shopping woes for a moment and take a detour into the wonderful world of burlesque...
Night Train Revue - Burlesque and Cabaret @ The Trades, Rotherham - Saturday 14th November from 7.30pm to 11.00pm Featuring an enticing selection of stars from across the globe, Night Train Revue offers an evening of entertainment from the likes of Coco Deville and pro jazz and blues vocalist Em Brulee. Other must see acts include Pinky Deville (a top 10 finalist in Miss Viva Las Vegas Burlesque Competition 2015 no less), vintage madam Domino Barbeau and, back by popular demand, the one and only Abigail Collins! Abigail Collins was been described as having 'The physique of an athlete and the mouth of Joan Rivers' - now if thats not reason enough to book yourself a ticket I dont know what is!! Tickets are from £10.00, please refer to www.nighttrainrevue.co.uk for more info
Chic Bonbons Present An Evening of Burlesque & Cabaret @ Zigfrid Von Underbelly, London - Wednesday 18th November from 8.00pm to10.00pm This event actually runs every third Wednesday of the month, so if you cant make this date, don’t fret pet: there’s always next month’s! Held at a truly unique venue, the Underbelly is the perfect setting for a Cabaret night. Think taxidermy, zebra print, lashings of retro rock’n'roll attitude and you'll get the idea! Performers Chic Bonbons promise us a night of classic, Parisian tease, reminiscent of the infamous 'Crazy Horse' show in Paris! So slip into something suitably decadent and step into a world of sultry burly delight gallic style! Tickets are from £12.00, please call (0207) 613 1988 for further info.
The Danni Dee Show @ Freedom Bar, London - Every Wednesday from 11.00pm ’til the early hours Short of cash? Want a night out but your bank balance is saying otherwise? Well worry no more, as i have just the thing for you‌. oh yes guys and gals, take your fine 'selves over to The Freedom Bar in Soho for a night with Miss Danni Dee and co.! Join the self proclaimed 'Legs of London' Danni Dee, for a night of suitably camp night of frolics,glitz and ott glamour - plus there's a different guest DJ every week! This event is FREE and an official favourite of Sonic Shocks Burlesque. Please refer to www.freedombarsoho.com/ for further details And now, in a slight change to our usual programme, I present to you....
Nipple Pasties in a Nutshell! Do you know? * Nipple pasties are thought to have originated from around the 19th century.There was a surge of interest in exotic cultures during this period and nipple covers were considered to be a daring example of Oriental costume and style. *Nipple pasties rapidly became, an essential part of a burlesque dancers attire (or lack of it).The pasties allowed girls to strip down but not off, thus providing a welcome insurance against over zealous censorship laws of the early 20th century. *Burlesque declined in popularity during the latter half of the 20th century, but has seen a welcome revival in recent years. As such the nipple pastie, and its sister,the equally titillating (sorry!) tassle, are now being donned by pop stars,house wives and even boylesquers the world over! I highly recommend Etsy as the go-to place online for modern day nipple adornment. I recently picked up a wonderful pair of spiky pvc pasties, lovingly hand made by this lady - go check her out!
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/KatzLittleFactory
Presented by Lucy Horobin and Des Paul, the 18 edition of the DJ awards took place once again at Pacha, gathering artists from around the world eagerly awaiting to walk off stage with a Kryptonite. Under the theme ‘Meet On The Beat’, 10 DJ categories nominees voted on by the public as well as 11 special awards chosen by an independent panel of professionals, were presented with their awards under the watchful eye of Pacha’s infamous cherries with a special performance of Ibiza 2015 anthems of the summer ‘Marvinello’ by Martin Wilson ( mix by Klement Bonelli and Michel Cleis). th
The ceremony was then followed by the DJ awards official party, for the first time in recent years actually taking place at Pacha, with some of the winners taking turn in the DJ booth for an evening of great vibes on the dance floor. Pictures from the ceremony can be found in our gallery:
http://sonicshocks.tumblr.com/post/130823556678/gallerydj-awards-2015-pachaibiza-by-nelly Pacha ceremony by be-at.tv: https://www.be-at.tv/brands/pacha/pacha-ibiza/dj-awards-2015-ceremony/18th-edition-dj-awards DJ awards highlights at Ocean drive and Pacha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbCav-kh9lc&feature=youtu.be