Zone Magazine Issue 011 - Paul Oakenfold

ESSENTIAL DANCE MUSIC
ISSUE 011 2016
" I’m excited about the
trance scene right
now "
plus
hardwell
roni size
sam feldt
al gibbs
hanne & lore
dj mix series
006 john gibbons
free sample packs
poolside house + future bass
ibiza diary 2016
young dj & producer josh coakley tells all
the mouse outfit
nutty t
dave caffrey
iain taylor
kathel
studio tips 001
zone sorts out the best DAW's for your studio
whats in your studio?
zone invites producers to talk about their toys
luminosity review 2016
trance music event in the netherlands
WWW.ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE

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ISSN 2009-8014 (Online)
ISSN 2009-8006 (Print)
ESSENTIAL DANCE MUSIC
FOUNDER, EDITOR, PUBLISHER & HEAD OF CREATIVE
Paul Newhouse
FEATURE WRITERS & CONTRIBUTORS
IRELAND & UK
Paul Newhouse - paul@zone-magazine.ie
Paul Sawyer - paul.s@zone-magazine.ie
Brett Kydd - brettkydd-music@live.co.uk
Jerry Coughlan - jerry@zone-magazine.ie
Emma Dilemma - emmadilemma2013@gmail.com
Bazza - bazzaranks@gmail.com
Loukas Pour-Hashemi - louk@icanpromo.co.uk
Darren Braddick - darren@zone-magazine.ie
Stewert Tormely - malcolmfunktionmusic@gmail.com
Bryan Love - bryan.love@blueyonder.co.uk
PORTUGAL
Dimas (D-Formation) - contact@d-formation.net
SPAIN
Wellington Almeida - wellyington@me.com
GERMANY
Pete van Payne & Adreas Düffel - andreas@zone-magazine.ie
USA
Kaiulani Newhouse - kaiulani@zone-magazine.ie
[Cali]
AUSTRAILIA
Timur Miraliyev - tstar.production@gmail.com
BRAZIL
Sabrina Bertolini - sabrina@zone-magazine.ie
PHOTOGRAPHY
Evan Doherty - http://www.thisisevan.com
Darren Farrell - https://www.facebook.com/darrenfarrell7
Fanny Van Poppel - https://www.fannyvanpoppel.com
Alan Donaldson - https://www.facebook.com/
AlanDonaldsonPhotography
Alan Stimpson - alan.stimpson@gmail.com
Pippa Rankin - https://www.facebook.com/PippaRankinPhoto
Urs Siedentop - http://urs-siedentop.tumblr.com
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GerardHenningerPhotography
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GENERAL ENQUIRIES - info@zone-magazine.ie
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David Crotty
david@zone-magazine.ie / advertising@zone-magazine.ie
PR Officer - Julianne Longo - julianne@zone-magazine.ie
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CONNECT
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Phone - ++353 [0] 85 866 9476
Paul Newhouse - paul@zone-magazine.ie
ZONE MAGAZINE is owned and published by Paul Newhouse. Arrangement, design
& Editing, Marketing by Paul Newhouse. Copyright 2016 Zone Magazine. The views
expressed and opinions given in this magazine are not nessicerally shared by the
publisher. No part of this magazine shall be re-published without prior agreement
from its publishers. Readers should take care when responding to any adverts in
Zone Magazine, which apear without any indorsment or responsibility, from Zone
Magazine.
WELCOME
Well Folks, back again with another huge issue! With so much
happening in the world of Electronic music, across Ireland & the world,
we endeavour to capture as much as we can for you to feast your ears &
eyes on!
Lots of great things happening here at Zone HQ just for you lot, so
keep comming back! Zone would like to welcome a few new members to
the team; Maira, Julianna, the 2 Dannielle's, Stephen and David!
In our feature interviews in this issue we talk to cover man, and one of the
pioneers of dance music, Paul Oakenfold. Paul is without a doubt one of dance
music's leading lights and his story is one that is littered with success after success,
as he has single handedly achieved more in his career than most dance DJ or artists
could dream of.
Next up is international God that is Hardwell, talking about his imprint Revealed
Recordings!
We also talk to Sam Feldt, whilst still a young pup at 23, Holland born Sam burst
onto the dance music scene in 2015 with ‘Show Me Love’, which proved to be his
definitive claim to fame.
We have Irish boys: Al Gibbs, one of Irelands most recognised and hardest
working DJ's, and Dave Caffery, long standing Irish DJ & Producer, and there is
Kathel, an up-comming producer & writer.
We also talk to guys from Germany, Steffen Neuhaus & Stefan Helmke AKA
Hanne & Lore, the duo that have been doing their own house thing for years now.
We talk to one of the UK's most legendary Drum & Bass ambassadors Roni Size,
at this year’s Boomtown festival.
We talk to Iain Taylor AKA iAIN rEJECT, from the UK. He's held residencies at
Manchester’s now fabled Hacienda nightclub before moving onto other Acid House
institutions such as Tribal Gathering and their weekly parties at Sankeys Soap, and
the Glade Dance stage and Radio One stages at Glastonbury festival.
We have another new section starting this issue "Studio Tips" with Daneil Daly.
Starting this issue with what DAW's to choose.
Bazza's Ragga Stack talks to "The Mouse Outfit", Manchester's finest live Hip Hop
crew, who are heading over to the green Isle very soon!
Rising Irish star Josh Coakley tell us about his recent trip to Ibiza, with a 4 day
DJ Diary.
Adding to all this we have a new section "Label Focus', and of course "The best
sets on the net" & "Whats in your studio?"
As if all that was not enough of course we have our regular reviews and charts
from the talented and dynamic Zone crew.
Also this issue we continue Zone Magazine's FREE exclusive DJ Mix series with
Mix 006 from Irish international DJ & Producer John Gibbons.
We also have our FREE gifts from Funktion Loops, 2 sample packs each issue, all
you need to do is purchase our cool publication!
As usual we would like to thank all of our very many talented contributors and
friends who provide so much content, love and support for what we are doing, they
are listed on the left hand column on this page if you want to contact them directly
with the latest news.
From myself and the whole Zone crew, we just wanted to say thanks again for
your continued support, peace.
Paul & Zone Magazine Crew!
PAUL
Get Zone Magazine
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BUY PRINT COPY HERE

contents
News
6-10
11 -
FREE DJ Mix Series
FREE Sample Packs
Paul Oakenfold
12
Features
12 - Paul Oakenflod [UK]
18 - Revealed Recordings
With Hardwell [Netherlands]
21 - Roni Size [UK]
24 - Iain Taylor [UK]
26 - Sam Feldt [Netherlands]
28 - Al Gibbs [Ireland]
32 - Kethel [Ireland]
38 - Ibiza Diary - Josh Coakley
[Ireland]
43 - Hanne & Lore [Germany]
Regular Features
34 - Bazza's Ragga Stack
36 - Studio Tips 001 - DAW's
44 - Whats in your studio?
45 - Label Focus
46 - Best Sets On The Net
Artist Spotlight
40 - Dave Caffery [Ireland]
Hardwell
26
20
18
Luminosity Beach Festival
Sam Feldt

Al Gibbs
28
Club & Event Reviews
20 - Luminosity Beach Festival
[Netherlands]
42 - Butter Beach Festival [UK]
42
Music Reviews
50 - House, Techno & Trance
Danny Slade [UK]
52 - Hard Trance & Techno
Louk & Leo Dantes [UK]
53 - House & Techno
Waxhands [UK]
54 - Hard Dance / Hard Style
Nutty T [UK]
55 - Cross-over dance
Danielle Holian [Ireland]
24
38
Hanne & Lore
Charts
48 - 49
House - Techno - Trance
Hardstyle - Hard Trance
TechHouse - Dance
Josh Coakley - Ibiza Diary
Iain Taylor

NEWS
DJ Awards Launch Bedroom DJ
Competition 6th Edition in partnership
with Mixcloud Doorly to mentor winner.
DJ Awards launch Bedroom DJ Competition 6th Edition in
partnership with Mixcloud for emerging DJ talent to win a
trip to Ibiza for a unique one to one master class with
Doorly.
The theme of this year’s DJ Awards is Let’s Dance, so we
are inviting the next generation of DJs to send us a mix that
will make us want to do just that! We will be looking for
mixes that show individuality and a passion for electronic
music.
Function Loops proudly announces the release
of Psychedelic Trance Synths 2, the follow-up
to the immensely popular psytrance synths
collection, and EDM Supreme Bundle -
discounted bundle of 5 bestseller packs!
Psychedelic Trance Synths 2 is the second installment in the top selling
psytrance synth series. It contains another 100 key-labeled synths,
designed to fill the missing gaps in the tracks.
They're recorded at 138BPM, but same time they're super easy to time
stretch and change the key, without loosing the quality and the main idea.
Psychedelic Trance Synths 2 will also fit in any psytrance sub-genre.
Audio demo:
https://soundcloud.com/functionloops/psychedelic-trancesynths-2-sample-pack
Video demo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoET1wUzO7A
More info:
http://www.functionloops.com/psychedelic-trance-synths-2.html
EDM Supreme Bundle from SHARP delivers hand-picked, top selling
sample packs in one discounted bargain bundle. This massive pack is
over-loaded with kits, loops, samples, templates, MIDI files, presets for all
popular VST's.
The kits are packed with drums, basslines, melodic loops, FX loops, vocals
and all the sounds form the demos. EDM Supreme Bundle takes
inspiration from the mainstage acts of all the biggest EDM festivals around
the globe.
Video demos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFDBCOgNQS0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_DSSnCAVxs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ydlDkw-dYE
More info:
http://www.functionloops.com/edm-supreme-bundle.html
All the sounds are 100% royalty free. Psychedelic Trance Synths 2 costs
$15.90, EDM Supreme Bundle is $34.90
(70% off regular price).
There’s a great prize up for grabs. The winner will get the
chance to get a unique insight in to the world of electronic
music and it provides a fantastic platform to showcase their
skills in dance music’s clubbing capital of the world, Ibiza.
They will get to play a set at an iconic Ibiza venue and
feature on DJ Awards Radio Show that will be broadcast
worldwide on Pioneer DJ Radio and in Ibiza and Formentera
on 92.4FM. It will also be posted on Pioneer DJ Radio’s
Mixcloud page.
What’s more, the winner can bring a friend along as they
receive flights and accommodation to Ibiza, they will attend
the DJ Awards 2016 private press reception where the
world’s press will be in attendance. In addition they will
have VIP entry into the DJ Awards 19th Edition ceremony
and official party plus they will receive a winner’s gift bag.
The winner will also go home with a prize pack of Pioneer
DJ equipment including the new, top of the line DDJ-RZ,
one of the first professional, native controllers for rekordbox
dj.
Doorly will be mentor for the one on one master class at the
Pioneer DJ Lab at Café Mambo Ibiza. His skills behind the
decks and in the studio have seen a rapid rise in the few
years since Pete Tong touted him as a future star just. His
dedication and passion to DJing is apparent to everyone
who sees him perform. Sets are played out across four
CDJs, plus samplers and FX units, and he is a firm believer
that a DJ set should be a live, unique experience.
He’s a firm favourite in Ibiza and internationally. His
concept Doorly & Friends is a big hit both sides of the
Atlantic and he’s had releases on Cajual, Dirtybird, Moon
Harbour, Toolroom and Hot Creations to name but a few.
Doorly has been directly involved with testing, design and
training with Pioneer DJ equipment therefore there’s plenty
to learn from the Huddersfield native.
It´s an impressive prize and an invaluable opportunity for
any aspiring DJ.
There will also be three lucky runners-up who will each
receive a pair of Pioneer DJ HDJ-700 professional
headphones.
Past winners have come from Ireland, UK, Spain, Malaysia,
and Romania. This year it could be you!
Check out how to enter here:
http://djawards.com/bedroom-dj-competition/
06 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE

AMSTERDAM DANCE EVENT 2016
New names added to the ADE
Sound Lab Programme
including Richie Hawtin and
Daniel Miller
The Amsterdam Dance Event announces
new names for ADE Sound Lab. In
addition to names already confirmed,
including Dave Smith, Jameszoo, Octave
One and Francesco Tristano, ADE Sound
Lab today reveals that Richie Hawtin,
Daniel Miller, Mark Verbos and Matador
will also be taking part in ADE's unique
artist/fan forum ADE MusicTalks.
ADE Sound Lab is a free, multi-day
program covering everything about
sound, where sound synthesis,
audiovisual art and innovative ways to
produce sound are shared, demonstrated,
discussed and developed. The program
includes artist and engineer talks,
audiovisual art installations and live
performances, DIY workshops, and top of
the line gear.
PLAYdifferently
Hawtin will be discussing the philosophy
behind and development of his new
PLAYdifferently mixer, which is the result
of a partnership with British product
designer Andy Rigby-Jones, who worked
on Allen & Heath's Xone mixer series for
well over a decade. Hawtin will
demonstrate the MODEL1 PD in a
technical masterclass, while in a seperate
session Dublin based producer, engineer
and DJ Gavin Lynch, better known as
Matador, will focus on how to use the
MODEL 1 PD as a studio performer and a
live performer.
Instrument Design
There will also be a keynote featuring the
multi-talented and pioneering musician
and instrument designer Mark Verbos,
Verbos has worked as an electronic
musician, recording engineer/producer
and synthesiser tech/designer since the
early 1990s. As an electronic musician, he
has released countless recordings and
performed around the world, with his live
performances well known for being
entirely improvised using analog gear. His
own synthesiser brand, Verbos
Electronics, is renowned for its aesthetics
and musical interfaces.
Modular Basics
Daniel Miller, founder of Mute Records,
musician, producer is a noted collector of
vintage electronic instruments, whose
collection includes the vocoder used by
Kraftwerk on the group’s early tracks. The
focus of his session will be a Modular
Basics course. He'll bring a small modular
set-up and show what he can do with it,
plus he’ll be talking about his latest sonic
adventures and the role of analog
synthesis in his long and varied career.
Miller will also be taking questions from
the audience.
ADE Sound Lab takes place on ADE's
Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Oct.
20/21/22). More speakers, dates, time
and venues will be announced shortly.
If you're planning on visiting ADE Sound
Lab make sure to grab the annual ADE
Card for just 10€, which allows you to
access to all ADE MusicTalks and live
performances.
ADE Festival
The Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), the
world’s largest club-based festival and
conference for electronic music, will take
place this year from the 19th to 23rd of
October. Over 2000 artists will perform at
the event including:
Adam Beyer (SE), Agoria (FR), Art
Department (CA), Axwell Λ Ingrosso (SE),
Blind Observatory (DE), Craig David (GB),
Daniel Avery (GB), Dave Clarke (GB),
Derrick May (US), Dixon (DE), DVS1 (US),
Ellen Allien (DE), Etapp Kyle (UA), Fedde
Le Grand (NL), Gerd Janson (DE),
Hardwell (NL), Hot Since 82 (GB),
Jackmaster (GB), Jamie Jones (GB), Jeff
Mills (US), Jennifer Cardini (FR), Jessy
Lanza (GB), Joris Voorn (NL), Karenn
(GB), Karotte (DE), KiNK (BG), Kölsch
(DK), Laurent Garnier (FR), Levon Vincent
(US), Loco Dice (DE), Louisahhh (US),
Martin Garrix (NL), Maceo Plex (US),
Margaret Dygas (GB), Mathew Jonson
(CA), Michael Mayer (DE), Maya Jane
Coles (GB), Miss Kittin (FR)Monika Kruse
(DE), Nicole Moudaber (GB), Octave One
(US), Palms Trax (DE), Raresh (RO),
Rhadoo (RO), Ricardo Villalobos (CL),
Rebekah (GB), Recondite (DE), Richie
Hawtin (CA), Robert Hood (US), Roman
Flügel (DE), Route 94 (GB), RÜFÜS (AU),
Sandrien (NL), Secret Cinema (NL),
Skepta (GB), Slam (GB), Seth Troxler
(US), Shanti Celeste (CL), Speedy J
(NL),SUUNS (CA), Sven Väth (DE), Tale of
Us (IT), The Martinez Brothers (US), and
Tiësto (NL).
For a complete overview and to book
tickets: www.a-d-e.nl/artists/
ADE SLEEP/OVER at NDSM
This year ADE introduces ADE SLEEP/
OVER, a pop-up campsite located on the
impressive post-industrial site of the
NDSM Shipyard, only 15 minutes away
from the city’s Central Station. A brand
new addition to complement the 24/7 ADE
experience, the spacious campsite offers
over four hundred comfortable, heated,
sleeping accommodations with jawdropping
views over the city of
Amsterdam. Besides a unique stay and
meeting point, ADE SLEEP/OVER and the
industrial backdrop of the NDSM Shipyard
will play host to it’s very own program,
including music events, artist talks and
contemporary art installations.
For more info visit
www.adesleepover.com
The Amsterdam Dance Event takes place
from the 19th to 23rd of October, 2016.
For more information about ADE:
www.a-d-e.nl
The Amsterdam Dance Event is organised
by the Stichting Amsterdam Dance Event,
an initiative of Buma. ADE Official
Partner: KPN
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 07

Thank you from Sonus Festival:
10,000 people from 50 countries around the world at Sonus Festival’s fourth
edition, soundtracked by all-star cast of international selectors
2016 BEST SHOTS
http://bit.ly/2ceG0bB
Over the past four years, Sonus Festival has carved it’s niche as one of the most authentic electronic festivals in the world, each
year uniting underground aficionados the world over across five days and five nights of unparalleled programming. After this
edition has proved to be the most epic instalment to date, team Sonus would like to thank all the party-people, artists and staff
from across the world who made Sonus Festival 2016 the best yet.
Sets from Ricardo Villalobos, Joseph Capriati, Len Faki, Tijana T, Apollonia, Butch, Dixon, Jackmaster, Zip, Karotte, Luciano, Loco
Dice, Tale of Us, Pan-Pot, Pralesh and more made this Adriatic adventure so special, even after heavy wind and rain affected some
of the headline sets on the first night. Marco Carola and Adam Beyer showed their love to their Sonus family by returning the next
day to play sets at Kalypso club, the place that also played host to a 16 hour ‘end-of-festival rave marathon’ with sets from family
members Villalobos and Zip, alongside Sonja Moonear, Binh, Cabanne and a surprise session from Seth Troxler.
Sonus Festival has proven with it’s magical atmosphere and incredible programming that it is a must-do event for any true house
and techno fan. Next years fifth anniversary promises to be something extremely special, expect the team to pull out all the stops
to impress! The past four years have seen Sonus team showcase the spirit of electronic music in a way like no other, uniting key
players from the international scene in a magical way. This year seeing over 10,000 ravers from 50 countries globally involved.
Bought to you by the team behind Time Warp events, the festival programmers unbeatable relationships with artists mean more
on-site surprises and special sets than any other.
And over to the artists
Adam Beyer: “Absolutely loved Sonus festival!”
Luciano: “Thanks Sonus Festival for two amazing parties.”
Chris Liebing: “Sonus Festival rocked!! We had such a fantastic time in Croatia. Sonus Festival was
absolutely off the hook rocking. The organisers at Cosmopop did an amazing job.”
www.sonus-festival.com || facebook.com/sonusfestival | #sonusfestival | @sonus_festival
FREE back- catalogue for ALL!!
The nice guys over at rREJET music are giving away their backcatalogue
to everyone!
Celabrating their 16th year imprint this year, with some top
quality tunes, supported by lots of big boys in the scene, grab
your copies now!
http://www.facebook.com/rejekts
Also, if you subscribe to there promo list, you get promos up to
4 weeks in advance, digital & vinyl, and DJ mixes! All for 25.GBP
Thank you guys!
http://www.rejektmusic.bandcamp.com
08 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE

Todd Terry launches his new imprint
Terminator Records
New York DJs / producers Klienfeld and Krames have
just released their Momentary Disruptions EP, their
first collaboration as well as the very first release on
Grammy Award nominated DJ/Producer Todd Terry’s
new imprint, @Terminator.
MAURO PICOTTO PRESENTS
'FROM IBIZA TO YOUR
HEART'[Alchemy]
Released - 25-07-2016
With over 220 minutes of continuous DJ mixes
plus 60 single tracks, "From IBIZA To Your HEART"
is undoubtedly the biggest compilation of 2016.
Techno, house, Ibiza and Meganite classic tracks
all in one place.
Mauro Picotto has also worked on 3 continuous DJ
mixes to showcase the biggest Ibiza tracks of the
season, his biggest Alchemy records to date and
all the classic Meganite tunes that made the
history of the legendary party.
James Zabiela
"The Player and Science are large ones"
Roger Sanchez
Science - "Thanks for the music"
Secret Cinema
"Try That has the groove on!!!"
Leftfield
Science - "bangin tune, really good"
Hybrid Theory
Viaggioso - "sick"
Kissy Sell Out
"really like "The Player"
Stefano Fontana
"I love the player, great job Mauro"
Mark Allain
"Every Track is a banger"
Momentary Disruptions EP offers four tracks of thick
atmospheres, meticulous production, and the striking
juxtaposition of science and soul. The short-player, which
features original vocals by Krames, opens with “Disruptee”
clawing it way through the speakers and demands listeners to
“Look into your mind. Stare into your soul”, thus setting the
stage for a punishing techno showdown in an abandoned
warehouse in hell. “Disruptions” is a piece of proper techno
that pierces listeners through the heart with an emotive vocal
riff, before disrupting bass rattles through and the track
opens fire for a gritty acid-tinged trip.
“Disruptor” (Housemeister Medley) is a chugging, mechanical
beast with the same plaintive vocal sample, along with acid
synths and rolling, speaker-crushing kicks. “Disruptor” closes
the EP with sinister melodies, chopped vocals, dark layers and
a thumping deep bassline that could only have been created
by a pair of evil techno geniuses.
Brooklyn’s Klienfeld was recently spotlighted in DJ Mag’s
“Bubblin’ Up” feature and his tracks, released on AYCB, Dron3
Recordings, Afterwave Recordings and others, have been
charted by the likes of Skream and Breach. Klienfeld has
recently played out at Mixmag Lab NY, Output, Verboten and
Trans Pecos in Brooklyn.
Along with recent performances at House Of Yes, Verboten,
Bossa Nova Civic Club and Sirius XM Sway In The Morning,
the Brooklyn-based Krames (Sean Krames) has recently put
out official remixes for Zebra Katz, Tiger Tooth, Cakes Da
Killa, and has gathered support from The Crystal Method and
Felix Da Housecat, as well as releasing on his own imprints,
Afterwave Records and Gold Whistle.
Krames says of the release: "Collaborating with an artist
like Klienfeld is inspiring for me because we
compliment each other's styles and we don't have to
compromise our sound. When we work together we
are able to bring our best to the studio and create a
feeling of nostalgia and future techno at the same time.
Momentary Disruptions is an EP that showcases
techno's ability to transcend genres and really
highlights our love for analog production."
About working with Krames, Klienfeld adds: "Last year I
bumped into Sean Krames at a mutual friend's event (Cody
aka Codes) that I was DJiing. I've always looked up to
Krames' music back when he was steady churning out the
Baltimore style dance trax so naturally when we met it was
like 'Damn this is meant to be! Somehow the techno gods
have spoken!' I had been checking out his modular live
performances prior to that day and I was always intrigued by
that stuff. We have been like two peas in a pod ever since,
DJ'ing and making techno trax steadily. We have our next
Terminator EP pretty much etched out already! It's gonna be
a good year!"
https://www.facebook.com/terminatorrecords
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 09

COMPITITION
Function Loops launches the Academy with
two courses covering the basic knowledge,
but also some very in-depth, advanced tips
and tricks.
First course (already a best seller) is Pro
Secrets and Tricks. It delivers an in-depth view
and exploration of electronic music production,
revealing all the parts of the process: kick,
percussion, bass, chords, melody, plucks and
most important - final mix.
Further, a user will have the chance to learn
about eq, reverb, delay, compression,
sidechain, sound design, grooves & rhythms,
music theory, notes & keys, virtual instruments,
various effects and a bunch of tricks and protips,
that every producer needs to know.
The second and most recent course is Stem
Mastering with Ozone - mastering course for
electronic music producers. It addresses all
those who want to quickly master their tracks
and learn all the secrets behind the process.
The course contains the following stages:
preparing the stems, working with reference,
finding the problems, fattening and widening
everything up, adding harmonics, using
maximizer, limiter, eq, reverb, harmonic
exciter, stereo imager, compressor and more
useful tricks and tips.
Pro Secrets and Tricks and Stem Mastering with
Ozone courses are $29.90, respectively $19.90
(launch prices). Each course comes with three
free video tutorials (no registration required).
More information: Function Loops Academy
OUR GUYS OVER AT FUNTION LOOPS ARE
GIVING AWAY 2 FREE PRO SECRETS & 2 STEM
MASTERING COURSES FREE FOR SOME LUCKY
ZONE READERS.
Click Here:
http://zone-magazine.ie/function-loopslaunches-academy-win/
10 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE

Free Sample Packs & Exclusive DJ Mix
Well folks, this issue of Zone
Magazine, our good friends,
and sponsors, at
www.functionloops.com are
giving us 2 free sample packs
for every purchase of Zone
Magazine Print. Please give
them a visit!
Sample Packs
FUNCTION LOOPS -
Formed in 2011, Function loops have achieved wide acclaim in 4 years for supplying producers and djs with high quality sample
packs that are guaranteed to help with the creative process if you are just starting a track, or if you need a bit of inspiration.
Poolside House delivers 8 summer inspired Construction Kits, loaded with beats, basslines, synths, leads, pianos, vocals and fx
loops. A fusion of Deep House, Tropical and Chill vibes in this summer collection, ready to rock pool and boat parties around the
globe.
Each Kit is BPM and Key labelled, packed with Loops, Shots, MIDI files and Presets, full flexibility for you. The whole content is
100% royalty-free, use it in your tracks, get singed by labels and book gigs.
Don't wait too long, grab this collection now for instant inspiration.
http://www.functionloops.com/poolside-house.html
Future Bass from SHARP (Function Loops Label Group) brings a fresh collection of over 200 files, loaded with Loops, Shots, MIDI
files and Presets. This new genre evolving fast, now it's your chance to nail it and ride the wave.
6 x Construction Kits and a bonus FLP, at your fingertips. The Kits are bpm and key-labelled for ease of use, packed with full range
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FREE Exclusive DJ Mix Series - 006 - Aug 2016 - John Gibbons [Ireland]
OK folks from this issue here at Zone Magazine we have our
FREE Exclusive DJ Mix each issue!
This issue we have internationally aclaimed Irish DJ & Producer John Gibbons
and with some top EDM influenced tunage!
Zone Magazine Exclusive DJ Mix Series
006 - August 2016 - John Gibbons
1. John Gibbons - Would I Lie To You [Warner]
2. Midnight City - Free [ffrr]
3. Tobtok – Aber [Perfect Havoc]
4. Kissy Sell Out ft. Lisa Williams – This Is Our Night [Carrillo Music]
5. Offaiah – Trouble [Universal]
6. Jax Jones ft. MNEK & Mike Dunn – House Work [Polydor]
7. Jerome Price – Me Minus You [RCA Records]
8. Kideko & George Kwali – Crank It [TMT]
9. DJ Snake ft. Justin Bieber – Let Me Love You (Cooper’s Mixshow Remix) [Promo]
10. Afro Medusa – Pasilda (Erick Morillo Remix) [Armada]
11. Sander Kleinenberg ft. DYSON – Feel Like Home [Armada]
12. Tommy Conway – In My Arms [Full Tilt Recordings]
13. Spankox – To The Club (SPKX Mix) [Armada]
14. Marco V – Crunch (Timelapse Remix) [In Charge]
15. John Gibbons - Your Love [Sony]
https://www.mixcloud.com/ZoneMagazineDJMixes/
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 11

feature interview [uk]
Paul Oakenfold is without a doubt one of dance music's leading lights and his
story is one that is littered with success after success, as he has single handedly
achieved more in his career than most dance DJ/ artists could dream of.
From the get go, he was one of the pioneers of the scene and also an
ambassador for the music and lifestyle that we all know and love as dance music
fans and lovers of the clubbing and dance festivals. He set the trend for so many
others to follow and its hard to even fathom the importance of his achievements over
the last three decades of dance.
He and a handful of others are credited with creating the spark that ignited a fire
that has burned so bright for so many dance music fans and all along the way he
has been pivotal in the way that the dance scene progressed. He has had an
uncanny knack of picking the right career path just before so many others walked
that same way and he has been a worthy ambassador for the lifestyle that goes
with the love of House and Dance Music.
From his early days of running one of the World's first House Music nights in
London through his groundbreaking superclub residency at Cream in Liverpool in
the late 1990’s and the consistency of his Perfecto Record label since the late 1980’s
and his championing of Trance music before it became a global phenomenon, he
has paved the way for promoters, DJs and dance fans alike.
His touring the World as support for Madonna and U2 , his 36 Essential Mixes for
Radio 1, his 3 grammy nominations, his film scores, his groundbreaking 3 year
residency in Las Vegas etc etc, if it is worth doing, Paul seems to have done it and
often before anyone else even dreamed of it.
I was lucky enough to have Paul as a regular guest at my own club ‘Escape’ in
Swansea in the Superclub boom in the late 1990’s and spent time with him on many
occasions discussing the scene and the direction it was going in and even then he
was predicting the future correctly, so to catch up with him albeit in the form of an
interview fills me with awe as I already know that he will have a great deal to say.
And it was with trepidation that I prepared the questions that I ask as I know
already that this will be an interesting and enthralling insight into the mind of a true
dance music legend:

It’s been a long time since we last
discussed the dance scene back in the
early 2000’s...so much has changed that I
hardly know where to start. Dance music
has truly exploded as a World phenomenon
since it has taken the U.S. by storm so my
first question to you is please tell us what
you are currently up to in the U.S.?
Great to chat again. I’ve just finished my
third artist album, PopKiller, and am getting
that ready for release. I am actually back on the
road in Europe at the moment with a few shows
before then heading home to Los Angeles and
then have a run of shows there. It’s a good time
of year as lots of new music forthcoming and
the gigs are really strong.
You have such a multi-faceted career with
the radio show, label, live gigs, film scores,
compilation and artist albums etc. Is there
any favourite area or do you love doing it
all?
I love it all. If it has to do with music, I love
it. I will say though that I do miss scoring film,
I’m hoping to get back into that world soon.
Music production wise, you recently
released Paul Oakenfold x BRKLYN x Amba
Shepherd - ‘U ARE’ which I gather is from
your forthcoming album ‘Pop Killer.’ Can
you tell me about the creative process
behind the album as I gather that there are
many high profile collaborations on it?
Amba Shepherd is a very talented writer and
vocalist. Her and I were working on this track
and are both fans of what BRKLYN is doing. We
originally wanted a remix from them but liked
what they did on the original. At the moment I
am not revealing too much about the album
because I want to keep it as a surprise for when
it’s released but we’re closing in on the release
date now, so they’ll be more news soon.
Was it easy to work with so many different
artists with varying styles and from
different musical backgrounds? ‘The Red
Hot Chili Peppers’,’ Azealia Banks,’ ‘Ceelo
Green,’ ‘One Republic’ and ‘The Wanted’ is
an impressive array of very talented
people!?
All of them were great to work with in the
studio. You’re right, all come from very different
backgrounds but are musically gifted so it
makes it a bit easier.
Going back in time now, did you ever
imagine the scene that you were involved
in from its inception would ever grow so
big?
No. At that time we weren’t doing it for the
scene, or for money, or whatever. We were
doing it because we loved the music.
You have been involved in music for such a
long time now that it seems to almost be in
your DNA. Could you ever imagine doing
anything else as a career choice?
I can imagine being a chef as I went to
school for that profession but I’m happy with
my life in music.
When we last discussed the future of the
dance scene all those years ago, you quite
rightly predicted it becoming popular in the
U.S. Has it surprised you at how big it has
got or was it what you expected?
No, not really, it’s very much what I
expected.
" I’m excited about the trance scene right now and I’m thankful
that I can be somewhat of an ambassador of the resurgence
with Insomniac putting on shows like Dreamstate all around
the world. "

You have achieved so much in your career
so far, and have been pivotal in so many
ways. What do you think is next for the
dance scene and how do you see your
involvement in it?
What’s next for me is giving back to the
community in a few ways you will see soon. As
far as the scene goes, I think it’s just going to
continue to grow.
Retrospectively If you could change
anything that you have done in your career
what would it be, and why would you
change it?
I wouldn’t. Everything led me to here.
Going back again, you quite rightly
predicted the massive Trance boom in
Clubland in the late 1990’s, are you still as
enthusiastic about the genre today and will
it ever be as big as it was in its boom
years?
I’m excited about the trance scene right now
and I’m thankful that I can be somewhat of an
ambassador of the resurgence with Insomniac
putting on shows like Dreamstate all around the
world. It’s an exciting time for the genre and
keep a look out for some more things from me
real soon in that world.
The scene in the U.S. has grown so fast
compared to the rest of the world, and it
has taken quite a slating for its love of EDM
as a genre. Is there a move away from the
style now or does it still have a hold over
U.S. audiences?
It’s already started to become a blend of all
electronic music styles. Some hit tracks from
guys like Calvin aren’t “EDM” sounding.
What style of music do you think will
replace EDM as the next big sound?
I think the sound of electronic music will
continue to evolve. There is no one “style”.
On your travels you must come across
some amazing new talent. Is there anyone
that you are predicting great things for in
the future?
I’ve just signed an artist called Harry Vederci
that I’m excited about. He has some really great
music coming soon.
There has been a lot of criticism of late of a
certain magazine’s ‘Top 100 DJs’ poll with
people protesting that certain DJ’s have
unfairly manipulated the amount of votes
etc, do you have any thoughts on the
matter and do you think that these type of
polls have any credibility anymore?
I don’t really pay attention to those polls. I
am focused on different areas with my own
career.
The internet now plays a massive part in
the dance scene with hundreds of blogs
and online clubbing lifestyle magazines, do
you think that this is a good thing for the
scene or was it better when there were
only a handful of dance publications?
I think it’s good. The more the merrier. We
just want to share our music so the more
opportunity to do this should only be a positive
thing. It’s healthy to have a big media side to
an already big music side for the electronic
scene.
" The brand will always be special to me. I have so
many amazing memories from my time playing under
both brands. I am proud to be a part of their history
and they’ve definitely been a big part of mine. "
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 15

You have played all over the World now
many times, is there anywhere
geographically that you prefer to play
these days?
I love playing in Argentina. Mexico is also a
great spot for me and of course, home in
London. I like to play new places and
experience new crowds; it’s always been a buzz
for me.
As one of the first exponents of the
Balearic clubbing scene, do you still visit
Ibiza regularly?
I’m actually in Ibiza right now. Every summer
I come to Ibiza, it’s part of my annual DJ
calendar still and a place I still love to come and
visit.
What are your thoughts of the scene there
at present?
It’s busier than it’s ever been and everything
is a bit too expensive but that’s what happens
when something becomes so popular to outside
world.
It has taken a lot of criticism of late as it
has become somewhat elitist and very
money orientated, have you any thoughts
on the way it has changed in the last few
years or is it just part of the natural
evolution of clubbing?
I think it’s the natural evolution. Vegas
became the same. I started my residency there
at the Palms a while back now look at it. It’s
become one of the centers of the world for
clubbing, it’s incredible. Everything has to
evolve, Ibiza is changing and it’s a shame in
some respects but with change comes different
opportunities.
Will it always be a special place for
clubbing and the dance scene in general or
will that change in the future to another
World destination?
I think it will always be a special place, at
least for me. But I don’t see why another
destination isn’t possible.
And the Dance Festival scene has turned
into its own worldwide success story. Do
you have any favourites and if so, what
makes them so special?
It has been crazy to see how big the festival
scene is now. I always enjoy playing EDC and
I’m liking what Dreamstate is doing.
You are playing Creamfields in the UK this
summer and the Clapham Common free
event again. Do they both hold a special
place in your heart as you have played
them so many times now?
Yes, both of them do. It means a lot to me to
play big shows in the UK and those two events
have been some of the best. I love to party with
the UK crowds.
And your history with ‘Cream’ and
Creamfields as Dance Brands are pretty
intertwined as you have worked so closely
with them for such a long time. It must be
a special relationship that you have with
them?
Yes, we go way back. The brand will always
be special to me. I have so many amazing
memories from my time playing under both
brands. I am proud to be a part of their history
and they’ve definitely been a big part of mine.
Clubbers need events that take a risk and push
the boundaries and Cream and Creamfields
have both always done that.
Again going back in time we worked on a
project together to broadcast dance music
to the masses. There are now some very
established broadcast portals out there but
none have really broken into the
mainstream. Can you ever envisage this
happening or is the experience of visiting a
club or festival too personal?
I can definitely envision this happening and I
think it will relatively soon. There’s a lot of
change in the world of media and clubbing right
now, the experience itself is evolving a lot right
now. it’s a very exciting time.
You have done many film soundtracks now,
have you ever thought of doing your own
movie about clubbing?
I have, quite a few times actually. We’ll see.
Maybe will happen soon.
And book wise, do you think you will ever
put pen to paper and write another
autobiography?
I would like to yes but I still have a lot of
things directly ahead that I’m excited about.
Maybe in the future but for now there’s no
immediate rush to pen another one. Let’s see
what the future brings.
Thanks Paul.
Thank you, stay well!
Words By Danny Slade
Pics Courtesy of Paul
Oakenfold

"ALL IN ONE BOX"
OUT NOW

feature
Revealed Recordings With Hardwell
__________________________________________________________________________________
If you are a fan of dance music the
names ‘Hardwell’ and ‘Revealed
Recordings’ will be ones that are
instantly recognised and ones whose
history are intertwined. The Twice
topping ‘DJ Mag Top 100 Poll’ winning
Dutch DJ originally started the label as
an outlet for his own productions and
collaborations in 2010, but since then
it has grown into so much more, with
over 260 releases of which 47 have
become Beatport number 1’s and over
170 have made it into the Beatport
Top 10.
Considering that the label has only been in
existence for 6 years and from such humble
beginnings, it is fair to say that it is one of the
global success stories of the Dance Music
Industry that from my perspective knows no
parallel. It has also launched the careers of the
likes of: Dyro, Dannic, Julian Calor, Thomas
Newson, Kill The Buzz and many more and is now
also famous for its tours, events and high profile
residencies in Ibiza and beyond.
From an A&R perspective, it has been
Hardwell’s approach of scouring the globe in
search of new talent that has delivered in spades
for the label and some would say that it was his
tearing up of the rule book that has made him
into the legendary figure that he is today. Instead
of just waiting for demos to land in his inbox, he
has actively gone on a mission to discover and
nurture new talent from all over the globe and it
is this philosophy that has set ‘Revealed
Recordings’ apart from many other labels in the
globe.
And now that he has the success that only
most can dream of, instead or resting on his
laurels, he continues to search for new talent with
his album series, ‘Hardwell Presents Revealed’
which offers listeners a real taste of all that is
new, good and great about the electro dance
scene today. He has recently released his sixth
edition of the series which features music by:
Futuristic Polar Bears, HIIO, Olly James & LoaX
and many more and again, the album has been
well received by the press and public alike.
Another string to his bow is his ‘Revealed
Radio Show’ where again instead of sticking to
the usual suspects, he still champions music from
an ever talented array of new artistes on a
regular basis, as well as featuring guest mixes by
the good and the great alike like: Afrojack,
Bassjackers, Sick Individuals, and Hardwell
himself who all play the music that they feel is
the next big thing, and not what's already out
there and being hammered to death by so many
other radio shows that like to play it safe to keep
the ratings up.
‘Revealed Recordings’ has become a global
brand now and one that regularly tours the
World. They have in fact staged events in
America, Canada, Greece, Switzerland, Austria
and Netherlands, and have played host to arena
stages at some of the biggest festivals in the
World such as ‘EDC Las Vegas,’ ‘Ultra Music
Festival,’ ‘Creamfields,’ Tomorrowland and many
more. In fact you could almost say that a sign
that if your festival is great enough is, if
‘Revealed Recordings’ are hosting an arena at
your event!
To fully gain an insight into Revealed
Recordings ethos, the best way that I could think
of to explain the philosophy behind it all is to ask
the man himself so without further adue Here is
what Hardwell had to say about Revealed
Recordings:
Firstly thanks for taking the time out from
your busy schedule to answer these
questions, our readers greatly appreciate it.
My first question is about Revealed
Recordings inception, in 2010, what made
you start your own label?
Setting up a label was something I had
thought of before. I always wanted to have full
control of my music and that even includes how
the music is managed ones it leaves my studio
and is signed with a label. So owning my own
label was a way to control this aspect of my
music even more. The other reason is because
I’d also been through the process as an artist
wanting to get signed various labels before and
knew of the struggle you face and how you often
get treated. So I wanted to build a platform that
wasn’t just for my music, but also to help others
and use it as a home that new talent would know
they could come to and their music would be
taken of in the best way possible.
As it started growing in stature, how did you
manage to cope with such a successful label
alongside your other commitments to DJing
and producing tracks etc?
It was a lot of work and once it really started
gathering pace it was a lot to keep up with, so I
decided to put together a team to help me run
the label. It’s the only way possible. I’ve always
been heavily involved, and continue to be
involved in all aspects, mostly because for me it’s
an obsession. A healthy one but one I truly love
being a part of the process every step of the way.
The smart thing about running a label is being
open to ideas and not closing the door on new
talent. We’re always pushing forward, seeking out
new talent and constantly talking about new
music and sounds and styles that have grabbed
us lately. From managing the release schedule to
the artwork, you have to keep a constant
proactive approach to make sure every release
that goes out is treated with the same level of
passion and commitment.
You have always made it a policy to break
new musicians and new music with the label
and you have specifically gone out of your
way to give these new artists a chance to
succeed, how do you find the time to sift
through all of the new music that is offered
to you?
__________________________________________________________________________________

" The label has grown into a life force of its own. It’s such an
amazing experience to watch. I am so happy the label can
now be used to help others and be a piece in the jigsaw that
carries them to the next stage in their career. "
__________________________________________________________________________________
It helps being a DJ. All of the music on the
label is music I’d play in my sets, it’s music I
believe in and really love. I’m committed to the
art of djing in the same way I’m committed to
discovering new music, I truly love the search for
new music, and this helps a lot with the growth of
the label. I’m always looking for new talent and
new music. I spend a lot of time whilst travelling
listening to promos and prior to each show I’m
going through the promos of the label and my
own looking for that special track.
What advice would you give to new
producers out there to get their music
noticed by a wider audience? It’s fair to say
that the whole ‘Revealed Recordings’ project
has snowballed over the last six years and
has grown into a massive entity in dance
music. Did you ever imagine that it would
grow so big and so fast?
I had dreams, I’ve always had big dreams, but
I think to imagine it would have become this big
is truly out of my wildest dreams. The label has
grown into a life force of its own. It’s such an
amazing experience to watch. I am so happy the
label can now be used to help others and be a
piece in the jigsaw that carries them to the next
stage in their career. The only advice I can offer
is what was once said to me which is “believe in
yourself and follow your own path”. We’re very
open at the label and if you’re music is what
we’re into then we’ll support you. The thing for us
is we’re always pushing our ideas and projects
forward to improve the quality of what we’re
working on, so it’s really excited to be a part of.
Out of the many different facets that make
up the magnificent gem that is ‘Revealed.’
which one if any would you say was your
favorite?
I love helping the artists where I can. I enjoy
the process of sharing my experiences and also
getting in the studio and offering any help I can.
It’s also fun to get artists involved in the events
we run and give them a chance to DJ out to a
crowd with the freedom to play what they want.
For me seeing new artist’s breakthrough and
being able to help with that for new talent is
something I’ve always been very happy to do.
Revealed Recordings has its own distinctive
sound be it EDM or Big Room, do you think
that you will ever move away from that
sound in your label output and the style you
play personally?
The label, like myself, is always looking to
evolve its sound but you have to take that
direction of change at a slower place if you’ve
grown a community of fans and they have a
passion and love, like we do, for a style and area
of electronic music we’ve become known for. I’ve
always tried to keep dj sets mix varied. The label
has a slightly different direction but it’s again
varied. As mentioned it’s constantly evolving so
I’m sure we’ll be sat here in years to come talking
about different sounds and genres we’re into.
You must get to listen to some amazingly
talented producers and DJs, are there any
that you care to mention who you think have
got what it takes to make it big?
Julian Calor is a talent who has that capacity to
make it big as a producer. He’s doing this really
cool visual concept project at the moment titled
Involve, where he’s building sound structures
around these short video visuals from a designer.
Definitely something to check out and a project
that demonstrates his qualities as a producer
away from typical dance music sounds.
And with your own numerous productions
and collaborations, how do you find the time
to get into a studio and actually produce?
These days we work a lot of time into my
schedule to give me the freedom to go and work
on new music. It’s important to be smart and
manager this otherwise you never get to
complete half the projects you start on the road.
I’m really enjoying it and I’m excited to show a
lot of new music soon that I’ve been working.
Are you always working on tracks on your
laptop on planes etc like a lot of DJ/
producers that I have spoken to or do you
prefer a proper studio to create music in?
I do work on music whilst on the road. I’m
never too far away from my laptop working on
ideas etc whilst touring but for me nothing beats
being in my own studio. I love it. As well as a DJ,
I’m a producer at heart so working off a laptop
isn’t the same feeling.
Finally can you tell us what you have coming
out, or coming up that we should be on the
lookout for?
I recently released the latest edition of my
Hardwell Presents Revealed Compilation Volume
7. I also just did a track giveaway with a new
record titled ‘Wake Up Call, it’s something really
cool and one you should definitely check out. I
have a collaboration coming up with Craig David
called ‘No Holding Back’ which is due out later
this year and I’ve some other new music coming
up, which I’ll be announcing very soon.
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/djhardwell
Words By Danny Slade
Pics By Gerard Henninger
__________________________________________________________________________________
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 19

festival review [netherlands]
Luminosity Beach Festival
Whoever utters the words 'Trance is
Dead,' has obviously never experienced the
atmosphere and thrill of Luminosity Beach
Festival. The annual festival which this year
celebrated its 9th consecutive term, has come a
long way since its inception in 2008. The event
which began its journey as a 2 day event
hosting 20 DJ's, has since grown and evolved to
become a 3 day event with 55 DJ's, while still
staying true to its original concept of sun, sea,
beach and trance.
The festival commenced on Friday the 24th
of June, with a set from Romanian export
Bogdan Cupcea, more widely known as
Suncatcher. As the crowd slowly infiltrated the
Mainstage, Bogdan wasted no time and kicked
his set off with Ferry Corstens remix of Lost by
Gareth Emery featuring the captivating vocals of
Northern Irelands very own Janet Devlin. This
was followed by a set full of euphoric and
uplifting sounds that perfectly set the scene for
what was to follow over the next three days of
the festival. Meanwhile in Area 2, Re:Locate VS
Robert Nickson, despite some early hiccups
produced a flawless live show, which included
live renditions of some of their biggest tracks
along with some live remixes and mashups for
equal measure.
All in all, Friday was an overwhelming
success with amazing performances from The
Thrillseekers, Sean Tyas, Allan Morrow and
Menno de Jong just to name a few. But the
standout display came from man of the moment
and Glaswegian trance hero, Will Atkinson. As
he slowly teased the crowd with a blend of
techno and uplifting vocal trance, he dropped
arguably one of the most diverse tracks of the
past few years and possibly one of Wills best
tracks to date, Pat Butcher. The crowd erupted
into chants of “Here we, here we, here we
fucking go” as the intensity within the arena
elevated to another level. A special mention also
has to be given to rising star Shugz, who
recently was hailed by non other than John
O'Callaghan as a “Future Talent.” Shugz had the
honor of closing Area 3 and did so in thrilling
fashion bringing the opening day of the festival
to a close.
Saturday began very chilled with some
mellow progressive offerings from Orkidea and
Rex Mundi, which was slightly refreshing to hear
and acted as a nice opener to what Saturday
20 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE
had to offer later in the day. Orkidea paved the
way for Airwave who stood up to the plate with
a very versatile set full of hands in the air
moments, fused with some energetic elements
too. Meanwhile on the mainstage, Sied Van Riel
began his set with the heavily supported Davey
Asprey rework of the classic Filterheadz track
Yimana. On the second Mainstage was Daniel
Kandi, where fans got to take part in the ever
popular “Sit Down Jump Up” during the
breakdown of his exclusive remix of Above &
Beyond – Sun in Your Eyes. Simon O'Shine kept
the crowd on their feet with some classic fan
favorites such as Ferry Corstens remix of
Invisible Touch, as they ducked in and out to
watch coverage of the European Championships
which was being shown in the bar area. On the
mainstage, fans got to witness what could be
described as the Holy Trinity of modern trance,
in the shape of John Askew, John O'Callaghan
and Bryan Kearney who played one after
another.
John Askew provided his usual banging tech
trance sound, including a new rework by him of
The Prodigy – Voodoo People and his brand new
original monster Chop Salad. John O'Callaghan
as usual did not disappoint and played one of
the most fitting tracks of the festival as the sun
went down. The swelling pads and familiar
vocals of the Hughes & Ballentine rework of the
timeless classic Follow Me by Lange Feat The
Morrighan, filled the air as the sun came to rest
over the ocean outside the mainstage. Next up
was Bryan Kearney. Bryan has become one of
the figureheads for energetic and uplifting
trance as of late and his set was a perfect
example of the sound trance fans of today have
grown to love. Bryan played an extra half an
hour of pure classic trance which gave fans a
taste of what was to come on Sunday.
Sunday was a day predominantly filled with
DJ's playing trance classic sets on the
Mainstage. Acts like Jam El Mar, Binary Finary,
Judge Jules, Eddie Halliwell and Paul Van Dyk all
featured on the mainstage. Temple One, Sam
Jones, Sneijder and Vini Vici provided fans with
their dose of modern uplifting and driving trance
in the second area. Sunday was a day that
catered to every trance fan, from the die hard
90's trance loving crew, right up to the hard
hitting psy trance lovers, there was something
for everybody to feast their ears upon. Sunday
was an extra special day for trance fans, as it
saw the return of Paul Van Dyk after his short
break from the scene, following an accident
earlier in the year. Jam El Mar, one half of 90's
powerhouse act Jam & Spoon kickstarted the
action and even played the popular Jam &
Spoon track Follow Me, which funnily enough
was originally released as a B Side, but
nonetheless became an instant classic.
Meanwhile in Area 2, some of the young guns
in the shape of Sam Jones and James Dymond
put on an outstanding display, both producing
well rounded sets. As Kai Tracids Hard Trance
set full of pounding kick drums and squelching
303's came to a close, Judge Jules made his
way to the stage. Jules played anthem after
anthem including Strange World, Storm and
Lizard, before scratch maestro Eddie Halliwell
stepped up to provide what can only be
described as a classic BOSH set. Eddie produced
a flawless set with live FX and scratching,
reminiscent of the classic Eddie Halliwell of
10-15 years ago. Next up was Paul Van Dyk
who received a warm welcome from cheering
fans holding up “Welcome Back Paul Van Dyk”
signs. Needless to say Paul did not disappoint
and had the crowd cheering from start to finish.
Indecent Noise closed the stage and the festival
with a Hard Trance set, that gave festival goers
a much needed surge of energy after a long
weekend of dancing to some of the best trance
acts of the past, present and quite possibly the
future.
2017 is set to be the biggest year yet for The
Luminosity crew, with an extra day added
bringing the festival to a total of 4 days of non
stop trance. In addition to this, if you thought
the festival couldn't get any bigger than that,
you'd be wrong. Luminosity Beach Festival 2017
will also feature an additional stage along with
even more DJ's to perform ,which guarantees
the tenth anniversary of the festival will be the
craziest trance event of the year. Tickets for
next years installment are already selling fast so
head over to luminosity events for more
information.
Connect: http://luminosity-events.nl
Words By Daneil Daly
Pics By Alan Donaldson

feature interview [uk]
I caught up with the legendary Drum &
Bass ambassador Roni Size at this year’s
Boomtown festival after being immersed in
the craziest and most theatrical festival
that I’ve ever attended.
Sector 6, a stage set to rival that of Bang Hai
Palace, has been created for Boomtown 2016.
The industrial masterpiece will act as the official
base of the Revolution, hosting a strong line up
of bass heavy spectacles.
As a long time master of bass, Roni Size is a
perfect fit for this new project. After a huge year
of live touring with his Reprazent band, he has
returned to the decks with partner in crime, DJ
Krust after 12 years.
These underground legends will be delivering
a show drawn from the roots of Jungle & DnB &
old classics, unreleased studio cuts and originals
remastered, with original Full Cycle frontman,
Dynamite MC.
You had a massive year in 2015, can you
tell me a bit about what you’ve been up to?
Well I think over the last three or four years
I’ve really been pushing to get myself back into
that premier league table. We’ve got a release
coming out on the 10th June on Full Cycle and
it’s been a really interesting moving forward
because the audience and the technology and
the way everything is done has changed so
much.
For the generation who know nothing about
what Full Cycle, Reprazent and Roni Size is all
about, it would be good if they can maybe go
and get to know a bit of history and look at
exactly what we’ve contributed to the scene over
the years and start to engage in what we’re
doing moving forward.
Has the evolution in technology changed
the way that you make music?
Nah. At the end of the day, musically, writing
comes from the heart and the technology is
something which I embrace. I think, really, it’s
more about trying to reposition yourself as an
artist.
Having a whole generation of 16~20 year olds
who came into the dance music/drum and bass
scene in the late 2000s... They’ve only been in it
for the last 10 years. So it’s a re~education and
it’s a challenge that we’ll meet head on.
Boomtown is known for showcasing a
range of genres, especially underground
bass music. You’ve been pretty
instrumental in the growth and the reach of
live drum and bass, what made you want to
evolve that part of the sound?
I think when you perform as a live musician,
you have the stage to yourself. You can put up a
live drummer, bass player... You can put a really
dynamic show together which can evolve and
you can play on some major stages around the
world.
The fact is that there are a lot of bands out
there who have a live show, but they’re not
really live bands. Back in the day, we embraced
trying to be 100% live band and now we’re a
live show! We want to go out there and show
people that we don’t just stand behind two sets
of turntables and “put your hands in the air”...
There’s a lot of substance to what we do.
What can the Boomtown residents expect
from your show?
Well it’s a Full Cycle takeover so we’re going
to be playing stuff from Full Cycle which is mine
and Krusts’ record label.
We just recently started it back up and are on
our second release of this new venture. The first
part of the journey started back in 1993 and
then we took a step back in about 2008 because
we had other work commitments. Now, in
2015/16, the label is starting to reach all the
areas of drum and bass.
We’re going to come to Boomtown and spread
the name so people know that Full Cycle is a
label they should get involved with. It’s going to
be showcasing some new artists and playing
some classics which have made it what it is
today.
The Bristol Sound is something that’s
recognised worldwide, what do you think it
is about it that appeals to such a wide
range of people?
Well drum and bass and jungle have been
around for a good two decades now, so it’s not a
new music. There are a few new styles coming
through but they’re all based around drum and
bass and jungle.
The Bristol sound, Full Cycle sound, is
something which incorporates its’ own flavour
from the city. That is hip hop and reggae
culture; soundsystem culture and that’s what
people have tapped into.
They’ve tapped into basslines and ragga
vocals and it’s made it popular, people want to
replicate that sound. You’ll buy a brand new plug
in and you’ll go to the lists and you’ll see Bristol
Bass or Bristol Drums or Bristol Sounds (laughs).
You can go through and see how it’s made an
impact, not just through selling records but
through the Bristol sound itself.
Boomtown’s known for being an immersive,
theatrical and engaging experience that
leaves punters with lasting memories. What
are you looking forward to most?
It’ll be my first so I’m a Boomtown virgin! I’ve
heard a lot about it though. Obviously there’s
going to be a Full Cycle takeover so I’m looking
forward to that and I’ve heard it’s a great party.
I like the fact that it’s my first year at
Boomtown, I’m looking forward to being
pleasantly surprised.
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/ronisize/
Words By Paul Sawyer
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 21

feature interview [uk]
When iAIN TAYLOR's (aka iAIN rEJEKT), first release got props from legends like Sven Vath, Sasha, M.A.N.D.Y, DJ Hell, Mr C, John Digweed,
Claude Von Stroke, Steve Lawler, Slam, Layo & Bushwacka, Nik Faniculli and even cats like Tom Stephan and Hernan Cattenaeo then you could be
forgiven for thinking that you may be onto something. More releases followed on both Dirtybird and Iain’s own rEJEKT Music label with tracks also
being licenced to Ohm and Steve Lawler making several offers to bring the rEJEKTS onto his then fledgling Viva recordings.
Iain has never exactly been a conformist and the whole point of rEJEKTS was to give himself and the artists he worked with the complete freedom
to do things their own way and in their own time and with the emphasis firmly on being deliberately different. Quality over quantity you might say but
also having had dealings with major backed labels in the past it just felt like the right thing to do, to be bold and go it alone.
After all he did have a fair bit of experience when it came to making a dancefloor move. He had started his own DJ career 11 years previously at
Manchester’s now fabled Hacienda nightclub before moving onto other Acid House institutions such as Tribal Gathering and their weekly parties at
Sankeys Soap (also in Manchester) and then to places like Fabric (London), Back To Basic’s (Leeds), The Bomb (Nottingham), The Sub Club
(Glasgow) and even The Concorde 2 in Brighton (The home of the mighty Fatboy Slim and his “Big Beat” movement) and the Glade Dance stage and
Radio One stages at Glastonbury festival.
There is a whole lot more to Iain, so Zone's Paul Newhouse just had to have a chat....
Who is Iain Taylor, and what where your
first steps into the music scene?
Iain Taylor is a human being from Planet
Earth. From the Republica De Mancunia (better
known as Manchester). My first forays into music
were while I was still at school. From the first
moment that I heard mixtapes from the likes of
Grandmaster Flash, Carl Cox, Sasha and 808
State and then the legendary Stu Allen Show on
Piccadilly Key 103 and worked out what they
were doing, I was hooked. I did some awful jobs
back then which were basically legalised child
labour just to pay for my vinyl obsession
including paper rounds, hay bailing and “de
eying” potato’s which I wouldn’t wish on my
worst enemy. I was always pretty tall for my age
and so was able to get into clubs like Stories In
Widnes and Legends in Warrington before moving
onto clubs like the Hacienda and Bowlers in
Manchester. I got a job in a record shop when I
was 18 which gave me access to promos before a
lot of other DJ's at the time and in 1995 one of
my mixtapes got me a midweek gig at the
Hacienda which really gave me the bug. From
there on I promoted my own events and pestered
people and put together tours to get more gigs
until I eventually landed a residency with Tribal
Sessions at Sankeys Soap in 2001 which took
things up another level.
Your first music release was supported
by some of the heavy weights in the
industry, tell us about that, and how it felt at
the time?
It’s almost indescribable the feeling you get
when DJ's who’ve been your heroes, from back
when you were still at school, then come back
saying they love your music and are playing it
out! Seeing a video online of John Digweed
dropping Rejektion at Creamfields Argentina was
pretty special. I knew the music was good, I’d
always had belief in that and I stayed fiercely
objective, to make sure I didn’t put anything out
that I wouldn’t play myself if it had been made by
someone I’d never heard of. Claude Von Stroke
had made an offer to sign a track we’d done
called Datarape for Dirtybird which was actually
the first track to come but that was only part of a
compilation. Steve Lawler also wanted to sign our
debut EP as the first release for Viva Music both
of which were huge confidence boosters but Viva
releases would only be digital at that time so we
decided to start our own label and get the trax on
wax but yeah Sasha, DJ Hell, MANDY, Layo &
Bushwacka, Slam, MR C, Nic Faniculli and loads of
others also supported it which was honestly mind
blowing for us at the time.
What is this 'rejekts' thing all about?
Ha! If I had a pound for every time I’d been
asked that! Why would you call yourself a rejekt?
Or imply that you are an outcast? Well that’s kind
of how I felt a lot of the time. I was obsessive
about my DJ style and the quality of the music
that I made and there seemed to be a lot of
samey samey music made more from formulas
than from the soul. It was also a feeling that I got
when I was going out as a punter. I would get
lost in the moment and dance like no one was
watching but some of the parties I was
frequenting to hear exciting new DJ's seemed to
be more about looking cool and what labels you
were wearing more than what labels were getting
dropped on the decks. I wanted to take a stand
against this shit which is when I came up with
rEJEKTS. It has a bit of a political connotation.
Back then we were rejekting George W Bush
(well both the George Bush’s) and the Iraq war
and the use of scare tactics and fear politics to
control society. Our second release “Black And
Red” which announces “The End Of The Earth Is
Upon Us” is also exactly 9.11 minutes long. Now
we’re most definitely rejecting Donald Trump,
Nuclear Power, Drilling The Artic and the
corrupting power of big business and the TTIP
agreement. In a nutshell we rejekt hate, racism,
elitism, bullies, bigots and general bastards! We
rejekt music by numbers, flagrant capitalism, too
cool for school, manufactured boybands and the
generally mediocre. Strive for excellence, be
creative, be a Sheppard not a sheep and try for
something discernibly different. Do you think that
society welcomes you to its bosom? Well if you,
like me, live out your life in nightclubs, then you
too have been quietly ejected from polite society,
discos are the only place that will have us now,
join us, we are the rejekts!. Music for drop outs,
no bodies and general no hopers. The only thing
you need to have is an open mind and the
friendly attitude . . . we’ll do the rest!
You have played all over the globe, tell us
what your favorite club and country is to
play and why?
Ah man! There’s so many! I think the UK is still
the best for me. Nothing came close to Sankeys
at the time but also clubs like South In
Manchester, Back To Basics, The End (RIP),
Fabric, The Egg, Chibuku, The Sub Club, The
Concorde 2, The Bomb (RIP), Stealth, The Thekla
– Bristol, Clwb Ifor Bach, La Belle Angel are all /
were awesome places to play and the Glade at
Glastonbury but other stuff worldwide would be
Soda - Helsinki, Luxy - Taipei, Room 18 – Taipei,
Dragon i - Hong Kong, Q Bar – Bangkok, Metro -
Sydney, Ambar - Perth, Cloud 9 – Beijing, Tango
– Beijing, Guan Shou – Shanghai, Play – Mexico
City, The Global Unity Movement Parties in
Ecuador, Follies – Paris, La Suite – Brest,
Melkweg – Amsterdam, Hedon – Zwolla, The
Monday Social – Los Angeles, And of course
Pacha Ibiza, Underground Ibiza, Space Ibiza.
There’s loads more but these have been some of
the most memorable.
You don't often release on other labels, is
there a reason for this?
There has been quite a few labels that have
wanted to sign my tracks. At the moment I’m
keeping my own stuff for my own rEJEKT Music
label. I’m a control freak like that and like to build
a concept from the ground up including designing
my own artwork and picking my own remixers
and working out the different promotion
strategies and label party details in my own way.
We have done some remix stuff for Peep Show
and also Maintain Reply in Italy and Wilde Berlin
as well as licencing tracks to Balance, Vision Of
Love, Ohm and Crackhouse. Having said that as I
get a bit older, I am getting a little less precious
and am currently working on a handful of EP's for
other labels and am going to start considering
more remix work. 2017 is shaping up to be a
really good year for me.
You held a 7 year residency with one of the
most influential clubs, Sankeys Soap, and
during, what is commonly referred to as the
venues "Golden years". How was that and
how did it come about?
I was DJ'ing fairly sporadically at Sankeys
Soap in 1997, around the time that the Hacienda
closed it's doors for the last time until of course
Sankeys was forced to close as well in 1998.
Manchester’s club scene was a lot rawer back
then but by 2001 big steps had been made and
communication between the police and club
owners had improved massively by the time
Sankeys was reopened in that year by Tribal
Gathering I was already playing at some of the
cities other big clubs like Planet K, The Music Box,
Generation X and North.
I was invited to play some sets which went
really well and soon after I was offered a weekly
residency. Back then the club took a little while to
get back on its feet under the new management
and I remember David Vincent travelling to see
Sasha play in another city to give him a brick
from the Hacienda and sell how good the club
was and it wasn’t long before other DJ's followed
suit and pretty soon it had struck a chord with the
music lovers of Manchester and it was take off
time.
I remember telling people like Groove Armada
and Andrew Weatherall how good it was and then
seeing how blown away they were by the crowd
and the Phazon Soundsystem that was originally
designed for Twilo in New York. I remember stuff
like James Zabelia’s first set there, Anja
Schneider and Sebo K’s first time and DJ Bone’s
first UK set there too. Great times man! My
favorite memory has to be in 2003 when I came
back from a 7 date tour of Australia feeling on top
of the world. I was playing in the Soap Box before
the Plump DJ's and I think Steve Lawler was
playing downstairs. It was at the end of
September and all the students were back in the
city and hungry to party again. The place was
heaving! Loads of mental manc mixed in with
wide eyed students and sweat dripping from
everywhere. I had a moment and stood back
thinking to myself “there’s no place like home!”
Ibiza or Miami, and why?
Ibiza, easily! It’s no contest. Ibiza has a soul,
it’s evolved over years and throws up some of the
most amazing parties in and outside of the clubs.
It has a real under current to it that operates
largely outside the super clubs in cave raves,
forest gatherings, villa parties or beach parties.
There’s some real characters who have been
there for generations. The Ibicenco people are
famous for their hospitality and it has some of the
most fabulous and magical places and people.
Ibiza All Day Every Day! Miami is dope but it’s
more of an event. Ibiza is a way of life!!

iAIN TAYLOR
" So you think society welcomes you to it's bosom? Well if
you, like me, live out your life in disco's. Then you too have
been politely ejected from normal society. Disco's are the only
places that will have us now. Come join us!
We are rEJEKTS! "

Digital, CD's or Vinyl, and why?
All of them! I use Traktor with two X1
controllers which allows me to access 4 decks
with amazing ease and loop and FX elements to
create something completely original. For me it’s
about the creativity. I have resisted the Laptop
DJ culture for a long time but with what you can
do now is just too powerful to be ignored. I still
use CDJs and Vinyl and always take records and a
CD wallet to my gigs just in case something goes
wrong with the technology. I love to pepper my
sets with some subtle scratches and the odd
spinback with a big delay when dropping from
one track to another. I know there are purists out
there who think DJ's should still mix or who only
play vinyl.
I mixed on 3 turntables and 2 CDJs every week
for 7 years at Sankeys, sometimes using a Rane
rotary mixer which is tricky (we only broke that
out for certain DJ's who knew how to work the
sound system properly) and I would regularly
have 3 deck mixes on the go with a teaser track
or acappella on the 4th or 5th deck to mess with
people so I’ve earned my props. These days I
aim to create something unique and spontaneous
that even I might not be able to create once
taken out of that moment. I mean why limit
yourself to 1 format?
What would you be doing if there was no
dance music?
I’d probably be a Red Bull X Rider or maybe an
actor or the front man of a Thrash Metal Band but
probably a drug addict!
You bagged a residency for DJ Mag's
'Dispatches', tell us more about this?
DJ mag used to show me quite a bit of love
back in the day! I got a phone call from someone
on day to tell me that my Adventures In Acid Mix
CD had made it into the “Office Play List” for one
issue. I can’t remember who it was but they
were like “they never put mix CD's in there man”
I think he was more excited than I was. Simon
Morrison who writes that column was sent to
cover one of my nights and we hit it off and after
a fair few further nocturnal rendezvous we had
the idea of him coming on tour with me so that
we could basically get paid to cause more of the
mischief that Manchester was getting tired of.
And that was it really.
I had built up my own boutique DJ agency in
the early years of my career and so I knew how
to organise a string of dates properly and
everything always ran like clockwork and of
course the music was solid cutting edge new stuff
and exciting underground clubs and so DJ Mag
gave it the “big blue thumbs up” the rest has
been scribed into the pages of DJ mag. Simon
actually has a book out called Discombobulated
(because it has the word “disco in it”) which is a
collection of his experiences while writing the
dispatches column. A couple of our Jaunts are
covered in there. Taipai and Shanghai I think!
Your not just a DJ or producer, what else do
you do in the music scene?
I run a record label, the aforementioned
rEJEKT Music which has been running since 2007.
I also regularly run label parties / program clubs /
festivals around the world. In the past I have
been a musical director, A DJ agent, A tour
manager, a studio technitian and have taught
music production. No rest for the wicked!!
Whats the future for the label?
I’m really excited by what’s coming up on the
label. I’ve pulled back a little on the relentless
touring to concentrate on my own productions
and the development of the label. I’ve signed
loads of EP's from artists who we haven’t worked
with before. At the end of September we have an
amazing 4 track EP from New Yorker Curses
(Safer At Night / Nein) which covers sleazy Tech
House, Techno and Nu Disco, all with his heavy
analogue drums and throbbing bass. Then we
have a 3 tracker from Jammhot (Dirtcrew /
Leftroom) which is right on that “Real House
Music” tip with plenty of organic feel and
analogue warmth.
That will come with remixes from Dudley
Strangeways and Neil Diablo and then I have
stuff from Francois Dillinger (Techno), Ashley
Casselle (Deep House), Al Bradley (Tech House),
Arian911 (Minimal House) and Crisjin (Proper
Techno). Label regulars Riki Inocente (Deep Soul
Infused House) and Nik Feral (Tech House /
Techno) are also lining up releases for 2017 as
well as a full artist album from Italian artist Frank
Sinutre. We’ve also started doing at least 2 label
compilations a year now with the next one due
for October.
Any advice for up-comming DJ's or
producers?
I’d say making music is the best way to get
yourself out there. I have no regrets but if I
could’ve gone back 10 years and talked to my
younger self I would’ve said to spend more time
in the studio. Putting on parties is an important
way to get experience too but loads of hard work
so I wouldn’t advise doing it alone. Most
importantly don’t take any notice of what other
people are doing. Concentrate on doing your own
thing to the best of your ability and stay true to
your own convictions and everything else should
fall into place. Unless you’ve got fuck all talent of
course! Then you’re screwed!
What has been the most successful release
on your label to date?
Our first EP was really good but that was at a
time when you could still sell 1500 records on an
underground release. Probably the Riki Inocente
Remix EP's. The original four tracker had three
cuts of gritty, soul infused house with a real
urban feel with a remix from Jamie Trench and it
did really well. I decided that we should do a
remix EP so sent the tracks out to perspective
remixers and what came back was outstanding. I
ended up doing two remixes too alongside
another mix from Jamie Trench and then Jem
Haynes, Deo & Z-Man and Gurwan.
The whole thing just seemed to snowball and
we ended up putting out another 6 mixes over
two EP's. Our Strung Out In Reno EP's did really
well too with Stacey Pullen licencing two tracks
(yes 2) for his Balance 028 Mix comp and Brett
Johnson’s remix getting licenced to Vision Of Love
2 alongside tracks from MCDE, Maya Jane Coles,
Matthew Herbert, Four Tet and Ripperton.
The Do's & Dont's of a touring DJ in your
experiance.
Don’t get too hammered and miss your plane
(done that), be friendly, don’t just stay in your
hotel room until 10 minutes before your set, I’d
say get to the club at least an hour before and
soak up the vibe, make sure you have an
organised itinerary printed out and not just on
your phone. NEVER put your records in the hold!
If you play off a laptop or USB stick burn some
CDs just incase, if you play on vinyl then take
your own slipmats and needles.
Taking your own headphones always helps and
take a spare mini jack converter because people
are always losing them. I’d also say having sex
with the promoters girlfriend is probably a big no
no, if you want to get booked again that is (have
never done that).
Thoughts on the music industry today?
Music is so throwaway these days. It’s
ridiculous! We’re putting a lot of effort into
producing limited edition coloured vinyl and trying
to make releases more meaningful with T Shirts
and Label parties. The way that technology has
evolved has meant that there are 100 times more
artists and releases than there were 10 years
ago. Inevitably this also means that there is a lot
more crap out there but it also means that there
is more absolute gold too. Back when it cost so
much to do a vinyl release, you really had to be
sure that it would sell and you would send test
pressings to DJ's and record shops to get
feedback.
Now that music is so easy to produce and
release a lot of the quality control has gone out of
the window too. Luckily I’m in a position where I
get most of my music sent to me from labels that
I have been working with for years but I do still
go hunting down new artists and labels!
Strangest night in clubland?
I think when I went to Taipei which is the
capital city of Taiwan. It was with DJ Mag and so
the promoter keen to show us a good time took
us to a KTV bar which is basically a TV Karaoke
bar / Brothel! It was really surreal but it’s totally
part of their culture so I found myself surrounded
by Chinese guys signing Karaoke really badly and
prostitutes trying really hard to get picked to
come home with me. It freaked me out a bit at
first but after a few whiskies I started to have fun
with it.
I went home alone but I was making the girls
work hard for what they thought was money in
the bank. After playing the club that night I
hooked up with some guys I knew from when I
played at Ministry of Sound there the year before.
They took me to an after party half way up a
skyscraper where I played for about 5 hours
before we spent the rest of the day going to
house parties all over the city. We were
absolutely smashed falling in and out of taxi’s and
different people’s houses but taxis are so cheap
that if we got bored or the party ended we just
rolled to another place.
The whole time it was absolutely tipping it
down. Amazing night. There’s a big community of
Canadians over there who love the British and the
Taiwanese are really cool and they lap up western
culture. Taipai is probably my second or 3rd
favourite city in the world. After maybe Beijing or
LA.
Last words!
Look after each other! Dig deeper for the real
underground shit. Don’t let other people put you
down and above all . . Don’t believe the Tripe!!!
Connect:
www.rejekts.co.uk / www.facebook.com/
rejekts / www.soundcloud.com/rejekts
Words By Paul Newhouse
Pic By Gemma Parker

feature interview [netherlands]
Sam Feldt.. A name fairly
dominant in the recent dance music
boom! But, where did he come from?
How has such a young lad come up
through the ranks so quick? Zone
Magazine’s Brett Kydd investigates.
Whilst still a young pup at 23,
Holland born Sam Feldt burst onto
the dance music scene in 2015 with
‘Show Me Love’, which proved to be
his definitive claim to fame. The track
is a unique take on the eponymous
90s dance classic, completely
restructured with the vocals used in a
completely new way. It receives
massive DJ support, scoring millions
of SoundCloud plays, marking Sam
Feldt’s definite arrival as headlining
artist.
It started long before the
aforementioned single which catapulted
his career - Sam Feldt worked behind the
scenes as a producer for quite some time,
perfecting his musical talents. The end of
summer 2013 was when he made gained
ground and released his early work.
Within a year of this Sam was snapped up
by none other than Spinnin’ Records and,
from there, released his first track under
the label.
It didn’t take long for the young
producer to gain the attention of
international dance media as he proved to
be already at the top of a new exciting
wave of melodic deep house. Besides
releasing his first original tracks with De
Hofnar, the widely popular ‘Bloesem’ and
a sophisticated edit of the Fleetwood Mac
anthem ‘Big Love’, he also presents
catching remixes for popular folk band
Mumford And Sons, Naxxos, I Am Oak
and Jose Gonzalez.
By the end of 2014 the instant classic
summer tune ‘Hot Skin’ came out, made
with fellow producer Kav Verhouzer and
building up to over 800.000 YouTube
views after its release. At this point, Feldt
is already a reputable name delivering
loveable vibes on a regular basis.
Racking up the stats with almost two
million plays on SoundCloud as well as a
#1 Hypem spot for his remix of the
Sander van Doorn & Firebeatz release
‘Guitar Track’, you could say Sam has
placed his feet firmly under the table.
Sam has played all around the world,
sharing the stage with the biggest names
in the industry like Kygo, Robin Schulz,
Thomas Jack, and Kölsch. His sound is
characterised by beautifully built
melodies, lots of atmosphere and emotion
packed in a tantalising but often chilled
out groove.
Meanwhile, the Dutchman explores the
wide world of this fetching new deep
house sound with his mix tapes and radio
shows presented to his SoundCloud fans
regularly, making him more than a
household name in the recent house
scene. A new flame has come, and it’s
getting brighter by the day.
I had a chat with the extremely busy
DJ & producer to ask him about his latest
tracks, life on the road, and new geeky
technology.. In brief, this feature covers
the important parts of our conversation..
You're the man behind the most
recent remix of one of the most iconic
dance songs of the 90's. Your version
is a lot more down tempo compared
to previous releases. What was your
inspiration behind this 'Show Me
Love'?
I found an amazing cover of it by
Kimberly Anne on YouTube. When I heard
her voice singing the track in such a
different and emotional way I knew I had
to do something with it.
DJ & Producer EDX added to the pack
with his remix of 'Show Me Love' - So,
what do you look for when giving the
thumbs up for someone to remix your
track?
It has to serve a specific purpose.
Looking at the Show Me Love track, the
original is really chilled and not really
something for the clubs. For the remixes
we decided to look for a good club mix
and I think EDX nailed it.
It's not all about that one track
though, as you were first picked up
by Spinnin' Records who signed your
debut track with De Hofnar -
'Bloesem'. With the deviating work
you've came out of the studio with,
how would you describe your sound?
I'm not a big fan of genres and would
describe my music simply as Sam Feldt
music. The key ingredients are emotions
and melodies. The rest is not really
relevant: I release tracks ranging from
100 bpm to 128 bpm and from pop to
progressive house.
I'm excited to see that you've got a
new track out, tell me about it!
I've just released Summer On You, a
collab with Lucas & Steve and Dutch
singer Wulf. It's getting picked up really
well and all over the Dutch radio at the
moment. We just crossed 10 million
streams on Spotify too so I'm really
happy to see it's going so well!
Is there any exclusive collaborations
on the way you can tell me about?
Definitely, there's a new single coming
up with Deepend (you know, the guys
from Matt Simons - Catch And Release
Remix) called Runaways and a new one
with Alex Schulz and the singer of Cheat
Codes.
Just on that topic, who would be your
all-time favourite artist to collaborate
with?
It has to be Paul McCartney!
Who is your breakthrough artist for
this year, who is really doing it for
you at the moment?
Oooh, there's too many to mention, to
be honest. Although, when I’m putting my
Heartfeldt radio show together I always
include a lot of tracks from the guys I feel
are doing great things.
Connect:
http://www.soundcloud.com/
samfeldt
Words By Brett Kydd
Pics By Fanny Van Poppel
" I'm not a big fan of genres and would
describe my music simply as Sam Feldt music.
The key ingredients are emotions and
26 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE
melodies. "

feature interview [ireland]
I set off to Dublin on the eve of Friday 12th August for my
arranged interview and meeting with Al Gibbs, chauffeured and
supported by my wonderful partner, both of us avid fans of the
named above so the excitement was rife in the car en-route. I had
never been to the FM104 studios before. Upon entering the
building I was overwhelmed and it felt so very surreal to be
standing in such a place. Al greeted us and took us to the studio,
his warmth was very much felt.
As a fan for years, it was undoubtedly an unforgettable experience. His
indentation within the music scene is of a colossal amount, responsible for
injecting the highest forms of happiness to people all around every Friday
evening. They tune in to basque in his exquisite tune selections and bubbly
banter. His infectious, appealing and charismatic mannerism – how one
voice can offer so much comfort, a haven almost for those that like to
unwind, indulge or escape inside a few hours of aural heavenly bliss.
He is both a remarkable artist and music enthusiast that shares even the
most well hidden treasures to his listeners and followers, unwrapping their
unquestionable beauty around the ears of the youths of today, gems as old
as the stars, only few will truly acknowledge their rarity and divinity. The
dance decade’s hour is a perfect opportunity to catch these gems. I mean
how often would you get to hear the likes of ‘Jam and Spoon – Right in the
Night’ or ‘Mory Kante – Yeke Yeke’!
They blow over the airwaves with a chilling touch of nostalgia, enough to
take you back to a dancefloor, a night of your life that you can never forget,
rekindling an untouchable memory, impervious to time, as if it was
yesterday. The first few beats in and you’re back there. Beads of sweat upon
your forehead, a sea of flashing lights, darting lasers and simply just the
faces of people that you never knew but were always there. That one tune
blaring, tingling vibrations, never feeling so alive as you did then in the
midst of a crowd of hundreds, all there for the music.
Years on and that tune comes on, courtesy of Al Gibbs; you become
possessed with an overwhelming feeling of euphoria and excitement,
remembering that night of your life, a priceless, sensory thing, the immortal
strength that music really has, the love it creates, an existence in which so
many can relate – its connections and how it brings people together.
I remember how opportunities to listen to each show in its entirety
seldom occurred. Long trips meant full enjoyment. Driving home along a
sunset coated sky, wipers speeding across the windscreen during a
thundering winters night, the shimmer of Christmas lights whizzing past,
friends, family, nights out, nights in - how we’ve travelled distances, ones
we’ll always recall, and that one voice that carried us there, the big man, the
freak himself, Al Gibbs.
So basically he holds infamous stature and importance to many listeners
around the country, particularly Leinster, but for me on a personal level, it
was always a dream to interview, his being such an inspiring, influential
person. I had the pleasure of attending the Button Factory three weeks ago
for the launch of the ‘Freaks on Friday Hall of Fame’ with none other than
Mauro Picotto. I don’t think I had ever looked so forward to a gig in all my
life. Of course Al made sure that we were all geared up and ready to go,
dropping teasers on air during the weeks building up to the gig. There I was,
standing in the sold out venue, an absolute sweatbox to be completely
honest, smiling clubbers all around me, hand in hand with my man, soaking
in the hype and Mauro drops ‘Iguana’ as the final tune of the night. Well I’m
sure I can speak on behalf of anyone else that was there when I say that it
was nothing short of electric. that night will be imprinted in my mind for the
rest of my days. Hats off!!!!
I propped myself up into Jim Jim’s chair in the Strawberry Alarm Clock
studio. I gasped as I took in my surroundings; bright red microphones
scattered along the oval desk, famous names scribbled across the FM104
placards on the walls and Al himself sitting facing me. The pressing of the
record button meant all systems go and the interview began.
__________________________________________________________________________________
What’s your busiest day of the week? What
does it typically entail? ‘A day in the life of
Al Gibbs’…
Obviously Friday is a very busy day. I do all
sorts of stuff in the background of the radio
station. I do some of their events, some of the
marketing stuff during the week, also then I do
their gigs, then I’m here and I produce the show.
I don’t just go on air and press play at 7pm. We
put it all together in the background. I leave the
house traditionally around 8/9am, I get in here
early and I would be working away flat out until
lunchtime, then I try and get an hour off to go for
a swim or something just to break up the day.
Then back in here normally for 2/2.30pm and
then work through just to sort the final
preparations for the show, on air for 7pm, do the
show live, 52 weeks of the year, there, there
abouts, probably taking 2 – 3 shows off in the
year.
We used to record it but it’s actually more
hassle to record it than it is to bring someone else
in to present it, so one of the guys, Andy Preston
covers it. After the show, I go off and do a gig,
sometimes 2, I get around! But as a dj, you need
to be working, you need to be gigging at the
weekends. It would be easy just to do the radio
show and go home, but I kind of find if you’re not
gigging, you kind of lose touch with the music. I
normally get home around 4/5am Saturday
morning, they’re hectic hours but I’m still able to
do it – so yep Friday is my busiest day definitely.
How long have you been in the business?
Where did it all begin? Tell us about life
before Freaks on Friday.
Ok so I’m djing since I was 15, I’m 39 now,
and I’m turning 40 in January. We’re bringing the
show to Ibiza at the end of the September and to
also to celebrate my 40th! We’re going to be
there for the official closing of Space, the official
close down of the night-club itself. When I started
going to Ibiza, with Space, it was kind of at it's
absolute peak, in about 1998, so I just thought it
would be a good way for me to sort of do my
40th. We’re not going to do Ibiza anymore with
Freaks, we’ve kind of done it every year, it’s
obviously a brilliant ending career story, but also
for Ireland, it’s a good finishing point. After this
Ibiza trip, there’ll be no more, we’re going to do
Croatia or something like that.
I’m DJ'ing a long time, 25 years. I’ve been
professionally DJ'ing since I was 18, every night
of my Leaving Certificate I had a gig, didn’t
impress my folks as you can imagine, it’s been
very good to me, it’s been a great career, it’s
been a great experience. It’s been a part of me as
much as anything in my life, it’s a huge part of
me. Before I started djing on radio and working in
the clubs, I was very much interested as a kid in
the radio thing, and I remember watching a
music video for ‘Snap – The Power’. There’s a DJ
at the beginning of it, some Russian guy comes
on and says something about Sputnik; there’s
microphones and transmitters and stuff in the
video and I was just switched on to it, I don’t
know why but there was a calling there; so I
followed that calling. I was very much involved in
the pirate radio scene in Dublin, Pulse FM was the
big one, DLR, all those type of stations; it was a
hobby. I suppose it was like a wise man once said
‘If you can turn your hobby into a job, you’ll
never work a day in your life’, and that is the
truth.
Did you ever imagine your idea would grow
to be this huge? What’s the best feeling you
get doing your job and what does your job
mean to you?
No I definitely never thought that I’d be doing
this and that it would be a career. When you’re
doing it for so long, you maybe take it for granted
sometimes, and you get used to the good life and
to the good sides of the life. There’s nothing like
playing in a room with a thousand hands up in
the air; just people losing their minds, even
though it might become common place
sometimes; there’s still going to be stand out
moments in gigs where it makes it all worth
while. You can go through spates, and I have
gone through spates where you do a load of
terrible gigs and you go this isn’t worth it
anymore, I hate this; but if it’s what you want to
do and it’s what you love, you just keep bashing
on and well I’m still here I suppose!
Name one difference you feel prevalent in
the music scene today opposed to 15 years
ago. How do you predict the scene to
develop in years to come?
There’s a huge difference between now and
then, whatever about the scene, the scene just
goes around in circles. It’s young people,
discovering this new music, getting really excited
about it, whatever genre or style it is, they party
their little socks off for 5 or 10 years, they grow
up and look back and think that that era was the
best era that ever was and that’s happened and
because I’m nearly 40 now, I’ve probably done
that 3 times. The music is different now because
it’s so disposable, I was only having this
conversation today with someone else; when I
was DJ'ing 20 years ago, you would buy a record,
that record you could play for a year, a year and
a half, now you download a track, you play it
twice, and it’s forgotten about.
The music is more disposable and that’s not a
good thing, people have no value of music, it’s
just a thing, back then it was a material; a piece
of vinyl, cover art and it was a thing, a physical
thing, now it’s a file sitting in a computer
somewhere and I think that side of it, music has
lost out but I suppose the upside of that is that
there’s people making music, who are naturally
good producers that would never have been
heard of and now coming to the forefront because
of technology the way it is, and I guess that
would be the answer to that question!
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28 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE

" I’m DJ'ing a long time, 25 years. I’ve been professionally DJ'ing since I
was 18, every night of my Leaving Certificate I had a gig, didn’t impress
my folks as you can imagine! It’s been very good to me, it’s been a
great career, it’s been a great experience. It’s been a part of me as
much as anything in my life, it’s a huge part of me. "
__________________________________________________________________________________
Who is your personal number one artist and
why?
That’s a tough question, it would change , I
have to say on a weekly basis, who I think is
brilliant, like what happens to me is I fall in love
with music for a while, I fall in love with a
particular piece of music, or a particular DJ or
sound, and then after, it’s like anything, you get
used to it, you’ve listened to it too many times,
you get bored of it, so you push it on and move
on to the next thing, so I don’t think I have an all
time number one or an all time favourite, there’s
certain djs that I love. I love Erick Morillo, LOVE
Erick Morillo!!! Because when I was 20, he was
the God at the time, he was playing Ministry of
Sound, love Danny Tenagli, love Carl Cox, some
of the newer guys, so big fan of Matador, big
champion of Matador, so for me there isn’t a
number one, there’s just lots of them!
You’re stranded on a dessert island. The
only possessions you have are a DC player
and a one track CD. You don’t know how
long you’re going to be stranded for so
you’re going to need a tune that you never
get tired of hearing. What would be your one
tune and why?
Probably Sasha – Xpander. I love Sasha –
Xpander. I used to play it in the Redbox, in the
glory days of Redbox on a Thursday night and we
were doing maybe 1,800 people on a Thursday
night, they were just coming for the music, it
wasn’t like they were just going for a student
night or turning up for cheap drink, they were
coming just for the music. When I played that
record, the place used to just erupt. It was a
different kind, they weren’t punching the air, you
could just tell that they loved it, they had love for
this song, and he re-mastered it a couple of years
ago and so I play it all the time, it’s just a great
record, it’s really easy to listen to.
When it comes to your preference in music,
have you any guilty pleasures?
Yes I do, I’m probably going to regret saying
this but I actually really like listening to Justin
Beiber (I ask him if he’s a Belieber, to which he
replied no I’m not at all, he’s a little prick to be
honest!!!!) I just think the production of his stuff
is really good , it’s all Diplo and all the lads...
Major Lazer. Yeah it’s just well produced music,
when it comes on the radio, it does get turned up
a little bit, but that’s my only guilty pleasure!
Have you a shower anthem?
A shower anthem…do you know what I don’t
really listen to music in the shower. I suppose
now that I’m that bit older, music has a sort of
space in my life, where it used to be my whole
life, I sort have that space because I’ve kids and
wife, and a normal life outside of dance music. I
go home and I still have to be a dad and still
have to make dinner so no I don’t sing in the
shower, I don’t really listen to music as much at
home as I used to. I listen to music all day, I
listen to it in my car all the time and when I’m
away, but once I’m at home in the evening time,
unless I’m producing music, I’m not really
listening to music, honest answer!
You’ve achieved so much to date, symbolic
in so many respects to the nation. What’s in
store for the future. Have you any further
hopes and dreams?
Emmm!, yeah I suppose I do, I’m producing a
lot more than I was, I stopped producing because
there was just so much music coming out, like I
think Beatport uploads 20,000 songs a week,
trying to get through or bash through that
amount of music, I just went, there’s no point,
the music isn’t even going to be heard, so I
stopped producing for a while and now I’m back
doing more. We’ve a song actually called ‘Ask me
to dance’, it’s basically a monologue of old Dublin
stories.
We asked people to send in stuff, it’s a slow
song, it’s not a club track, it’s a slow piece of, I
don’t know what it is, people are having a word,
kind of like their memories of Dublin, it’s really
just for whatever reason taken off and everybody
is asking for it, so that gives me hope that there
is a way to get the music out to people. I just
signed a record with Steve O to Toolrooms, that
comes out in October, it’s called ‘Congestion’, it’s
a techno track, I’ve never made techno before.
So yeah, we went in and locked ourselves in a
room and produced 10 tracks. This is the first
one, it’s coming out on the Amsterdam
compilation and then a full release later on in the
year.
__________________________________________________________________________________
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 29

__________________________________________________________________________________
"So a lot more production and just keep
doing what I’m doing. I can’t do FM104
forever, I’m 40 like do I want to be here
playing club music when I’m 50"?
I don’t know, but we’ll see, we’ll see what
happens, you know you don’t want to be the aul
lad at the party!
Explain the Hall of Fame?
So we were doing these oldskool gigs, started
them in Tripod, Bank Holiday Sunday, they were
a huge success, the crowds were really nice, we
were really happy with them. We kept them going
for a while, but we probably kept them going for
a little bit too long and then we had competitors,
they were doing the oldskool thing as well, but
we were trying to do it with a little bit of class,
the competitors were just happy to put on any old
shite so we felt we were in competition with these
people that didn’t have the love for the music like
we had, so we stopped. Last year, we had done
something at Halloween, an oldskool, dress up
thing and that was huge.
There were 900 tickets sold in a week or
something so I went do you know what, there’s
still life in this, let’s see if we can come up with a
way to present it with a bit of class and I suppose
passion. So we sat down and we said ok let’s just
ask people who’s their favourite oldskool producer
of all time and see if we can put some sort of a
list together and that’s how it started. We let that
run on air for two months, people sent in their
votes and we compiled a list of about 30, and
then I went ok so number one - who would we be
able to get and number two – who I would like to
hear. Mauro Picotto was the first one because he
was just so popular in Dublin so that’s kind of
how it started and we’re going to do some more,
I can’t say who but we’re going to try and do two
a year and no more than that.
I always ask known music figures such as
yourself for their pick of a ‘One to Watch’. It
can be anyone, in your opinion who you feel
is about to blow up and inject the scene with
loveable and addictive music, someone
deserving of course.
I have to say Moderat, I think he’s just been
announced for the Metropolis festival in
November. I’ve been playing some of his tracks,
my friends have been talking about him for a
year, year and a half. I started listening to his
stuff back in March, got 4 of his tracks and they
are mind-blowing, so good and so different.
Sometimes a new artist comes along and it’s the
new cool thing but when you listen to the music
it’s absolute shite! It’s because somebody
somewhere thought it was cool and a lot of
people roll in behind them without actually having
their own opinion.
I’m always cautious of that when people say
this is the thing, listen to this. I’ll listen with an
open mind and make my own opinion about it –
at least I like to think I do!
What sole piece of advice would you give to
someone looking to pursue a career in radio
hosting/presenting?
Don’t do it (laughs!) only joking! It’s a tough
industry, it’s very, very tough to get a start and
people ask me all the time, ‘What will I do?’ ‘Give
me some advice’. The truth of it is, this is the
advice – just don’t give up! If you don’t give up,
you’ll eventually get there, or close enough to it
so just don’t give up. If it’s what you love, don’t
give up.
There were plenty of times when I started,
when I was a kid, when I was only just starting
and you’re getting notions about becoming this
DJ, but Irish people will absolutely slate you for
that, if you just kind of get through that, then
just stick with it, you’ll get there.
Can you offer a few words about your peers;
the guys that have supported you along your
journey, your buddies in the scene.
Robbie Butler, who works for a guy called John
Reynolds – he used to own Tripod. He is basically
Forbidden Fruit and Metropolis Festival – that’s
who he is! He’s the main guy, he books the acts
and runs the site but we’ve been friends long
before he had that job. We used to DJ together in
the Pod. He’s been a huge part of everything I’ve
done really. He’s always been supportive. I’ve
always tried to help him; he’s always tried to help
me.
John Reynolds of course, Brian S from MCD,
they’ve always been supportive and really in this
business, you need people like that to believe in
you, you need them to book you for gigs, give
you that platform. Like I have a platform with the
radio, but I don’t have a platform where I can
have 50 festivals I can play a year so you need
people like that in your life. They’ve always been
very good to me and I’d like to think that I’ve
been good back.
What’s been your greatest achievement to
date?
I’m going to be really cheesy and say my kids.
I’ve two girls. They came along when I was pretty
young. I had Alannah when I was 22. So yeah
absolutely my kids!
Define music in your own words…
I would just say that music is an expression of
your soul. That’s a very deep answer but it’s the
truth. It’s not something you can explain – Why
do I like a particular sound? Why do I like a
particular thing? It’s in you and it just comes out
of you. It’s your soul; it’s something spiritual.
Music is spiritual.
Be sure to tune into Freaks on Friday, every
Friday with Al on FM104 from 7pm to keep
up to date with upcoming gigs, festivals and
weekly competitions to win free passes.
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/freaksonfriday
Words By Emma Harper
Pics By Emma Harper,
Redbull & Darren Farrell
__________________________________________________________________________________
30 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE

feature interview [ireland]
Cathal McGinley AKA Kathel, born 1989, from Buncrana Co. Donegal. He writes lyrics and over the last year he has created
interesting and engaging melodies that have caught the attention of many listeners. His lyrics are insightful and evocative and
have gained him some life-long fans.
Kathel has unwavering passion about bringing music to life as an EDM track. Working with session singers, and then producing
EDM pop style is what gives him excitement and motivates him the most.
Last year he started developing an interest in EDM music production and so merged all the songs he wrote and started
developing them into tracks. Since releasing a few tracks has had a lot of positive feedback from other DJ’s and producers, and
getting noticed reaching towards the top in the Spinnin' records talent pool charts and contests.
Zone's Paul Newhouse has a chat with this seemingly positive up-comming DJ & Producer from the Green Isle!
Tell us how you got into music, and then
EDM?
Tell us about your writing, what styles you
do and what you have done?
started at the time with listening to a lot of
Damien rice.
There was a friend of the family who was a DJ
I would watch playing. I also started working
part time in a night club so from there listening to
people DJ and also watching the film "Its all gone
Pete Tong", I developed a fascination with EDM.
I then bought myself a pair of belt driven
turntables and mixer and from there started
buying and playing records.
When I finished secondary school I did a music
technology & performance course, which started
my interest in guitar as a result I started to selfteach
myself guitar and learning some basic
chords.
Then the moment I started to get the chord
progressions, I just started writing my own songs
to play along with and that’s how it all started
with the songwriting. My song writing influence
Then after a while playing around with the
guitar any thoughts or even what someone would
say would give me inspiration. Lyrics would come
into my head and I would type it in my phone or
write it down on a piece of paper then from there
I just started using songwriting as a creative
output for everything.
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32 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE

__________________________________________________________________________________
After that listening to a lot of new EDM in the
charts and remixes of singer, songwriter songs I
decided to have a session singer sing one of my
songs for fun called "Sunshine", which she did
amazingly. Then I swapped out the guitar for
piano added some beats and made a EDM
composition around it. It turned out better than I
could of imagined and people really liked it. At
this point I already had a good few decent songs
written so I decided to marry my songwriting with
EDM production and start producing and releasing
my music as EDM.
Have you got lots of toys in your studio?
I have this Olympus LS-100 Multi-Track Linear
PCM recorder which can edit and play back up to
8 tracks at a time separately and lots of other
great features so its great for recording live
sound. It's a studio in your hand basically. Then
of course I have a Mac with logic, FL, Ableton &
plugins massive & sylenth . Also, I would go to a
electronic music studio called Movin Music
Academy, where I can do either DJ'ing or
production, they have everything there with the
only limits being your imagination.
Favourite toy in the studio?
Well at home I have this Spanish guitar I got
at a market in Barcelona, which sounds amazing,
and I use it to write all my songs. It turns out it
was hand made in Mexico and is worth 20 times
over what I got it for.
Have you done much DJ work?
I have always been focused on production but
from releasing a few singles and sharing them
through social media I’ve been asked to DJ in a
few clubs so I’ve been taking a DJ workshop and
learning on the CDJ-2000's there and preparing
with rekordbox. So hopefully in the near future
I'll have the opportunity to play some gigs with
my set.
Top 5 tracks?
Reflect - Need To Feel Loved
Daft Punk - Robot Rock
Tiesto - Elements of Life
Paul van Dyk - For An Angel
Faithless - Insomnia
Favourite track you have produced and why?
"Sunshine" because it was the first of my
acoustic songs I decided to make into an EDM
track. The whole process from first writing a
song on paper and then watching it come to life
from the ground up into an EDM track is super
exciting.
Any advise for expiring producers?
Have a clear idea of exactly what you want to
achieve. Find what way works best for you to
produce and get into a good production routine.
Be obsessed be passionate for what you are
producing. Follow through with each project to
the end and find motivated like minded people to
learn and produce with.
Future plans?
Well, from recently releasing my 9 track album
Sunshine, I would like to do a few warm up gigs
playing my own set and then keep writing
producing and putting out new music. Then
hopefully one day be playing my music in front of
thousands of a people at a big festival that would
be the big goal.
My Album Sunshine, which is out now is
available on all platforms; Spotify, Youtube,
Beatport, iTunes etc. You can search my
Facebook Page Kathel for all the latest and new
music.
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/KathelMusic
Words By Paul Newhouse
Pics By Kathel
__________________________________________________________________________________

azza's ragga stack
Vibes on toppa Vibes
Greetings friends. I recently heard rumours that Manchester's finest live Hip Hop crew: ''The Mouse Outfit'' were bound for the
Emerald Isle, I wanted to get in touch with their head honcho Chini to get the low down. As someone who used to live in Manchester I
know first hand about the strength of Hip Hop culture and scene up there and I wanted to talk to Chini about the fact that Manchester
seem to be taking over the UK these days and the Mice are sitting right up at the top. Read more plus my top ten for this month below.
Thanks for reading and feel free to get in touch if you have something I should see, read or here.
Top Ten
01) Chainska Brassika Ft. Tippa irie ''Just Love''
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjWXiClE1YA
Big London Collab here, I love the way this tune flips.
02) Kybaka Vs. Pyramid
http://reggaelizeit.com/videos/kabaka-pyramid-kabakavs-pyramid-video/
MADD!! Love this video and 90s style Ragga/HipHop -
classic vibes!
03) Raging Fyah ''Raggamuffin''
https://soundcloud.com/raging-fyahcloud/raging-fyahraggamuffin-everlasting-2016#t=0:00
This is so good taken from their album ''everlasting''
expect to hear this in every Reggae dance.
04) Blend Mishkin Ft. Skarra Mucci ''Come
Original'' (Vibration Lab remix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhQyAR5c3hs
Bubbling Digital Dancehall version of Blend Mishkin and
Skarra Mucci.
05) Parly B ''Duppy'' (Prod Fleck)
https://soundcloud.com/scotchbonnetrecords/parly-bduppy-ft-fleck
Big production from Athens' rude boy; Fleck. Parly
delivers the goods vocal wise as per usual.
06) Mathman & The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble ''Where i'm
From''
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw-sWGxqJD0
Big and classic Hiphop vibes from Dublin to USA as
Mathman links with the lads from Hypnotic Brass
ensemble.
07) Dutty Moonshine ''
https://www.facebook.com/duttymoonshine/
videos/10154451099504419/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED
08) Rony Blue ''I'm So Sorry'' (potential Badboy Remix)
http://www.junodownload.com/products/rony-blue-imso-sorry/3160600-02/?track_number=2
Massive remix from one of the best Jungle/DnB
producers in the game at the moment.
09) R.I.P. Remix DJ Supreme Ft. durrty Goodz, MyDiggi,
Curoc, Ramson, Badbones, Stylewarz & Devastate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
time_continue=95&v=DMD6rONIjGE
BIG. Quick rolling drum breaks, Tight rhymes and sick
scratching.
10) ''Back To Life'' (Scrimshire waaaait for it edit)
https://scrimshire.bandcamp.com/track/back-to-lifescrimshire-waaaaaaait-for-it-edit
Do as the man says and... waaaait for it. You wont be
disappointed.
Your brand new album is a 13 track
remix LP. Can you tell us what kind of
styles we can expect from this and
how you picked and sourced the
producers to remix the originals?
The styles range from jazzy hiphop
through to drum and bass, ska, dub and
bass music. It's quite a diverse collection,
with faster club orientated tracks and
more traditional hiphop that fans of the
originals might like. The main influences
are jazz and reggae with soul, funk and
electronic elements. Some of the remixes
have retained many of the instrumental
parts and some have created an entirely
new track around the original vocals.
Chini, Defty and Pitch selected the
producers to be involved.
Most of the remixers have some
connection to us though the Manchester
music scene or have worked with one of
the MCs on other projects. There are
loads of artists in Manchester that we
wanted to work with so we contacted a
few and they all agreed to get involved.
Dub Phizix had worked with Fox and
Sparkz before and they are both featured
heavily on this album. Tall Black Guy and
Mungos' Hi-Fi we’ve never met before but
were just big fans. For some of the
producers we had a particular track in
34 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE
mind for them to remix but for others we
let them choose. We’re hoping to work on
stuff with many of them again in the
future too.
You have a a large and wide crew,
how does this work for your busy
touring schedule? Do you need to
work a trimmed down road form and
then a family outing in Manchester /
UK kind of thing or is it an all or
nothing scenario when it comes to
booking the Mouse Outfit for
festivals, club shows?
All the vocalists we work with are also
busy artists in their own right, either
doing solo gigs or as part of other crews,
so it’s very rare that we can get the full
team together. Dr Syntax and Sparkz are
on pretty much every show, but
sometimes the stars align… or the money
is right… and we can bring a few more
rappers to the gigs. In Manchester I think
the most we’ve had on stage at once is
about 13…
You guys seem to press vinyl for each
release. How important is it to have a
physical product to accompany the
standard digital releases these days.
It’s no secret that vinyl has made a bit
of a comeback. We recently did a tour of
the Netherlands and sold out of vinyl
without really shifting many CDs. Maybe
that will change again in the future, but
every musician will tell you it’s a pretty
special moment when they get the first
test pressings of something they’re
working on, particularly if you grew up
buying vinyl like most of us did.
You have many features on the new
album. A lot with local MC's: Fox,
Black Josh, Sparkz Ect. Is this a
family only ethos or are there MC's /
Rappers in the UK and beyond you'd
like to collab with?
The main reason we work with local
MCs is because it’s easier to get a vibe
going with friends in the studio rather
than putting a track together over the
internet with someone who lives at the
other end of the country. It’s also easier
for us to keep an ear to the ground in
Manchester and meet talented rappers or
singers that haven’t quite forged a solo
career for themselves yet. We will be
working with some well known rappers on
the next album but we can’t give that
information away yet. I can say that there
will be some female vocals on future
tracks.

" The main reason we work with local MCs is because
it’s easier to get a vibe going with friends in the studio
rather than putting a track together over the internet
with someone who lives at the other end of
the country. "
There seems to be an all out
revolution going on up in Manchester
musically these days. It's obviously
always been a musical hotspot but
more recently the hiphop, Grime acts
are blowing up. From the outside
looking in, it would appear that a lot
the different acts, crews seem to be
supportive of each other. Is this the
case> Can you tell us a little bit about
this and what the current climate in
Manchester is for Hiphop, Reggae,
Bass Music parties, shows and
festivals?
Manchester’s music scene is more
buoyant than it’s ever been since I’ve
been living here. Not just in terms of main
stream success but also when it comes to
independent acts making an impact both
nationally and internationally. We’ve just
been at Boomtown where we were part of
a Manchester takeover on the Poco Loco
stage with DRS, Levelz, Jenna & The Gs
and Red Eye Hi-Fi. It was pretty much at
full capacity, 1 in 1 out all night.
Manchester is big enough to be diverse
but small enough that everybody knows
everybody. Add that to the fact that some
musicians are in multiple groups and it
makes total sense for us all to support the
same scene. Other independent acts like
Henge, Werkha, Age of Glass and Shunya
have also been picking up gigs across
Europe in the last 6 months. We’re hoping
to get back out there at the start of 2017.
You guys have come a long way since
the inception of The Mouse Outfit.
Thousands of fans worldwide, a busy
schedule and doing big shows and
festivals. Whats the next step and
have you any plans for new studio
projects and tours for TMO?
We’re about to finalise a few dates in
our biggest ever tour for Autumn / Winter
2016. At the moment it looks like there’ll
be nearly 30 shows in the UK and Ireland.
That will be timed shortly after the release
of our remix album and then we’ll be
cracking on straight away with new
mouse outfit tracks. We’re working in the
studio on the instrumentals at the
moment and we’ve started on a few
demos with vocals… the new album is still
in the early stages but we’ll definitely be
trying to move forward from the last two
albums with a wider range of styles both
in terms of production and vocals.
You are coming to Ireland in Oct. Will
this be your first time in Ireland? Can
you tell us a little bit about this trip?
We’ve been wanting to come back to
Ireland since our two festival shows at
Body & Soul in 2015. That was loads of
fun and we’ve been getting requests for
gigs from fans ever since. It was looking
like 2017 would be the year, but a late
shout for a booking in Cork came in so
we’re trying to organise a few shows to
coincide with that. If this doesn’t happen
then hopefully this show will lay the
ground work for a more extensive tour in
Ireland next year.
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/
themouseoutfit
Words By Bazza
Pic By Pippa Rankin
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 35

STUDIO TIPS 001 - DAW's
Daneil
When it comes to music production
and audio recording, one of the main tools
you will need, is a DAW (Digital Audio
Workstation). There are over 50 DAW's to
choose from, each one with different
interfaces, plugins and workflows, but the
core purpose remains the same with each
of them. Which DAW is the best is a
constant debate found on online forums
and on social media , but it is near
impossible to choose one as the best. The
best DAW is simply the one that works best
for you and suits your needs. That is why
instead of trying to tell you which one is
the best, I have listed some of the more
popular DAW's below, including a bit of
information on each so that you can decide
what you think might be the most suitable
for you.
_______________________________________
Logic Pro X (Mac)
Logic Pro is a Mac only DAW that is very
affordable and has something to offer musicians
of any genre or background. Though a lot of
electronic music producers use Logic Pro as their
DAW of choice, it is a very popular program to
use within the film and tv scoring industry.
Pros-
Huge library of built in plugins
Very clean interface
Remote use on an iPad
Daly
__________________________________________________________________________________
Cons-
Mac Only
Only supports 32-bit AU plugins
Can be difficult to use on smaller screens and
laptops
Price - €199.99
_______________________________________
Ableton Live 9 (Mac/PC)
Ableton Live has been offering consumers a
unique and different style of workflow for the past
15 years. Ableton's mix of both live performance
and music production capabilities, have made it a
popular choice within the electronic music
production scene. The clip based sequencer and
audio warping capabilities of Ableton Live are just
a few of the stand out features.
Pros-
Amazing for both DJ's and Producers
Endless amounts of free online tutorials
Slick GUI design
Cons-
Some native effects could be better
The piano roll is a bit too basic
Basic audio editing can be tedious
Price - €79 to €549
_______________________________________
Steinberg Cubase 8 (Mac/PC)
Cubase is like the wise grandfather of the DAW
world having been a staple in many studios
around the world for the pas 25+ years. Though
it is both PC and Mac compatible, it has
traditionally been favoured more within the PC
community. It is a great all around program
which performs editing, recording, quantizing and
music production to a very high standard.
Pros-
Great for music production as well as audio
recording
Straight forward for beginners
Supports both 32 and 64bit VST2 and VST3
plugins
Cons-
Requires a usb dongle key
GUI is pretty dull
Not as many video tutorials as other popular
DAWs
Price - €99.99 to €599
___________________________________
FL Studio 12 (PC)
FL Studio has solidified itself in the DAW history
books as one of the best production tools in both
Hip Hop and Dance Music, mainly because of its
easy to use step sequencer. Though audio
recording did not become an option until later on,
its popularity has grown even more ever since.
For years it has been a favourite of beginner
musicians working out of their bedrooms but
don't let that fool you, FL Studio is a very
powerful DAW.
Pros-
Straightforward and easy to use
Possibly the best automation capabilities of all
DAW's mentioned
Huge library of loops, samples and native plugins
Cons-
PC only
The price of the total bundle is costly
Multitrack recording not possible with the Fruity
edition
Price - €89 to €680.27
__________________________________________________________________________________

Pro Tools 12 (Mac/PC)
Pro Tools has been known as the industry
standard DAW for quite some time now and is
developed and marketed towards a more
professional and commercial audience. Though
mainly marketed as an professional engineers
tool, it has seen some praise from a rare few
budding bedroom producers.
Pros-
Industry standard in audio recording and post
production
Found in almost every major studio around the
globe
Fast workflow
Cons-
Aimed more towards recording rather than
production
Lacks the midi and automation power found in
other DAW's
Uses AAX format plugins and does not support
VST or AU plugins
Price - €549
___________________________________
Reason 9 (Mac/PC)
Reason is the creation of Swedish company
Propellerhead and offers users a different
approach to music production compared to other
DAWs. The interface of Reason is very interesting
as it mimics an actual studio rack and even gives
you the option to route patch cables at the back
of the
Pros-
Unique workflow compared to other more
traditional DAW's
A must have for any budding synthesist
Very detailed GUI
Cons-
Not suitable for audio editing
Could be overwhelming if it your first DAW
Doesn't support third party plugins
Price - €69 to €369
___________________________
Bitwig (Mac/PC)
Bitwig is a relatively new entry into the DAW
world, having first been released in 2014 by a
select few developers from Ableton. Despite being
such a new product it gained momentum early on
and became quite popular.
Pros-
Plugins are sandboxed meaning if they crash, the
whole program does not crash
Bitwig have some big ideas in the pipeline for
upcoming versions
Supports both 32 & 64 bit plugins
Cons-
Some features and GUI are very Abletonesque
Limited amount of native plugins available
Though Bitwig is still relatively new, it can still be
quite buggy
Price - €299
" The best
DAW is simply
the one that
works best for
you and suits
your needs. "
__________________________________________________________________________________
For the producer who may want to just dabble
every now and again and entertain their
productive needs, Audacity would be worth a
mention. Audacity is a great way of introducing
yourself to the world of recording and using
effects plugins to enhance and alter your sound.
Best of all Audacity is completely free, it wont
cost you a cent. There are no demo restrictions
which makes Audacity the perfect choice for any
budding producer or engineer who may not yet
have the cash to shed out on a typical DAW.
When it comes to choosing the correct DAW for
you, here are some questions you can ask
yourself which should make your decision much
easier.
1) Are you a Mac or PC user?
2) What is your budget?
3) Is your focus recording or
producing?
4) Are you a live performer?
These are just a few questions you should ask
yourself before purchasing your first DAW. Of
course you should not base your decision on your
answers to these questions, you should first
download the demo and test it for yourself, but
use these questions as a push in the right
direction if you cant make up your mind. This is
not to say you can't have more than one DAW
and having more than one DAW can offer more
creative possibilities by Re-wiring two DAW's into
one.
_______________________________________
Next issue: common music production and
studio myths
__________________________________________________________________________________
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 37

IBIZA DIARY 2016
" The whole experience for me was mind blowing and one I
will never forget. The feedback I received was amazing and to
be asked back to play next season is overwhelming to say
the least. "
It was Friday July 1st and I was
finishing off and preparing my sets for
Ibiza for the next day. It still felt surreal
to think that tomorrow I would be taking
a journey to the biggest clubland in the
world to perform at some of the biggest
clubs that Ibiza has to offer and at just 17
years of age.
Well, I didn't sleep a wink as you could
imagine. Up at 5am to get ready to hit the
road to live my dream. Ibiza let's be
havin' ya!
Day 1.
At the airport I bumped into fellow
Irish DJ Glenn Stankard who was also on
the same flight as me as he was also
performing over in Ibiza at one of the
events I was playing at too "SIN Sundays"
at Ocean Beach. Great respect for this
guy, he has achieved so much and has
been to Ibiza so many times to perform.
After just over two and a half hours I
had touched down in Ibiza and the
weather was just glorious at 32 degrees.
A 30 minute taxi ride and we were at
the hotel in San Antonio. I had some time
to kill as I wasn't in Eden until the early
hours of the morning. I heard Steven
Cooper from 98fm was on the island too
as he was performing at the new bar
Shenanigans in the Westend. I reached
out to him and we met in Linekers bar for
a cool drink and a chat.
Steven is an incredible person and so
funny. This man supported me from day
one, playing my tunes on "Coopers Club
Collection" and believe it or not I had
never met the man as all communication
38 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE
was done via facebook and email. It was
Steven's first time in Ibiza performing too.
We stayed talking for a few hours then it
was time to get something to eat and
back to the hotel to chill out and do some
last minute prep work.
Tonight was the night that I would be
playing in one of the most iconic clubs for
a very respected brand "Sintillate" in San
Antonio and I was buzzin' for it. I had
heard from many other DJ's that the
sound system at Eden was probably one
of the best on the island, and well it didn't
disappoint.
The club is set out like in a circle with a
top tier to it too, for clubbers to look down
while you perform. The vibrations going
through me from the DJ booth where
amazing. I played more commercial
sounding tracks for that night which went
down well. I stayed around for a while to
see and hear some other DJ's perform
and then headed off. Steven had told me
he was performing in Shenanigans that
night in the Westend so I decided to drop
up and pay him a visit.
Westend was buzzin' and very busy,
and I found Shenanigans, through the sea
of clubbers. The place was very busy and
Steven was banging out the tracks. He
even stuck on one of my own productions
which was amazing. Steven just has this
amazing presence about him while he
performs.
It was a long day so I decided to call it
a night and head back to he hotel to get
some shut eye.
Day 2.
I woke up and headed downstairs to
have some breakfast. Refreshed and
ready to go I was on my way down to
Ocean Beach to perform for SIN Sundays.
Ever since I was 14 years old I always
wanted to spin at Ocean Beach and for
Sin Sundays and now the dream was
becoming a reality. I love Ocean Beach, it
has such a great vibe there. My set this
time was very different to the one I had
played in Eden the the night before. It
was more of a very chilled, deep house,
pool side selection. I met Tom Crane, who
is resident there at Ocean Beach. This guy
is amazing and has performed at some of
the best clubs in the world. I was
honoured to meet him and for him to give
me support and encouragement.
So here I was playing to a sold out
Ocean Beach and the youngest ever DJ to
perform there and for the SIN Sundays
brand. Somebody pinch me! I received
great feedback from everyone about my
set and loved every minute of it. It was
great to chill then and do some
networking. I created an exclusive CD for
Ibiza entitled "This Is Ibiza", so I was
busy handing some of these out. I got to
meet Wayne Lineker again. He is such a
lad and have a huge amount of respect
for him and he has also been supporting
me from the start too. Even professional
poker player and the ultimate playboy
Dan Bizerian paid a visit that day. After
some food I decided it was time to go and
get back to the hotel to freshen up as I
was performing later at Ibiza's newest
night club LYT.

Day 3.
I woke up on Monday afternoon feeling
refreshed as all of these late nights were
certainly taking their toll on me. We
stayed by the pool for most of that day,
then got showered and changed and
decided to head to Cafe Mambo's to take
in the sunset. If you have never
experience this before I recommend to
put it on your bucket list. People gather
from all over the island and sit to watch
the sun setting. Music from Mambo's
plays in sync with the sun going down.
It's an experience in itself. We caught
Kydus doing his thing at Mambo's and
then headed to LYT for the second time to
play. The place was really busy this night
and I decided to up the tempo with some
nice bassy house.
The place was buzzin' and the
atmosphere was unreal. After my set I
couldn't hang around as I had to get to
Playa den Bossa, as I was headlining at
Sankey's for Liverpudlian brand "EXIT" at
The Redlight. I was absolutely buzzin' for
this gig and couldn't wait to bang out
some tech-house. I arrive to the place
packed to the rafters. Also performing
that was was Sam Devine, Sam Holt,
Franky Rizardo and Scott Diaz. Scott took
the time to drop up to see me before his
set. Such a nice guy and I have huge
respect for him. I'm even getting the
opportunity to remix one of his tracks.
How sick is that? I played from 4am till
closing. The place was rammed and the
vibe was stunning. I loved it from start to
finish and received great compliments
from people about my performance. It
was very overwhelming. It was 6.30am
now so I bailed in a taxi and headed back
to the hotel in San Antonio.
Day 4.
Still buzzin' from the night before, but I
was feeling tired. Got up had breakfast
and prepared for my very first boat party
with "Pukka Up". Pukka Up have the
largest and wildest boat parties in the
world. I have also just had a track signed
to Pukka Up Records with Damon Hess
entitled "Teardrops" so I was very excited
to be able to showcase this on the boat.
Two boats were going out that day and
each one was sold out with over 200 party
goers ready to dance their asses off.
Got on to the boat and from the start
the boat was rockin'. Met the resident DJ
of Pukka Up, Adam Barnett who has been
performing for Pukka for 5 years. Such an
amazing guy and very funny. Had an
absolutely amazing time playing the boat
party and the buzz from everyone on
board was stunning. We docked at
9.30pm and I decided to take a trip down
to Ocean to see Grant Collins. This was
my last night here so I just wanted to say
goodbye to him and everyone else. The
place was winding down when I got there
but still a great buzz about it. I said my
goodbye's and thank you's to everyone
and headed for something to eat and back
to the hotel.
The whole experience for me was mind
blowing and one I will never forget. The
feedback I received was amazing and to
be asked back to play next season is
overwhelming to say the least. The
hospitality was top notch and everyone I
met was so nice. It was a very busy few
days in Ibiza but loved every minute of it.
I was the youngest DJ/Producer to play at
the events I performed at which has me
still buzzin' to this day.To be able to also
fly the flag for Ireland performing there
means alot to me. I'm looking forward to
returning to the island next year to play
for some more iconic brands and clubs.
Literally counting down the days, but for
now it's back to creating some music and
a good night sleep in my own bed.
Till next year Ibiza, thank you for
having me and see you in 2017!!
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/
joshcoakleyofficial
Words By Josh Coakley
Pics By Evan Doherty &
Sankeys

spotlight interview [ireland]
Dave Caffery started off early 94
when he first bought a set of Technics
1210's and from then has played at some
of the biggest underground festivals and
raves & clubs around Ireland.
His first residency was at the Tunnel
Nightclub in Galway, which he held for 3 years
were he supported Raymond Franklin, Paul
Webb, Chukie at his time there.
Dave moved on and has played at, Ultra
Europe Croatia, Electric Picnic, Boom Festival,
Joy Festival Ireland, Decompression Ireland,
Abosulute Fridays, Thee Place, East Nightclub,
Karma Galway, Phever Mansion Events, Wright
Venue & for High On Life.
Dave also presents his weekly radio show
'Funky Sessions' on Phever live every Friday
8-10pm (GMT). He likes to play energetic sets
and right now he is loving the Funky House and
Techno Styles.
Dave is one of Irelands most experienced DJ's
& has supported a whole aray of Irish &
International artist, so Zone's Paul Newhouse
had a chat:
When and how did you get involved in the
electronic dance scene?
It all started when I was in school and we
started to run under 18 Disco’s during the
summer holidays, well they where really raves.
From then on I caught the bug and bought a set
of Technics 1210’s and spent most my
Saturday's in Dublin City’s record shops Abbey
Discs, Tag Records and Comet to name a few,
getting the best tunes I could and get find.
What brands do you work for, and have
done in the past?
I’ve worked for loads over the years these
would be my most memorable; Ultra Europe -
Electric Picnic - Joy Festival - Decompression -
Wright Venue - The Planet - Karma- The Sound
House Would be Clubs and Festivals. Groovebox
- Travel2Ultra - Phever - Wright Venue Artis
would be some or the recent Brands.
Top 5 tracks?
This is a though one,
1/ Underworld - Born Slipy because of so many
memories as I’ve been playing different versions
of this since 1996 and still works.
2/ Loco & Jam - Sleepwalker
3/ Carl Cox - The Nite Life
4/ Filterheads - Sunshine
5/ Bedrock - For What You Dream Of
Classics or Nuskool?
Both but my passion is Techno.
Digital, CD's or Vinyl and why?
I started on Vinyl and played it for years and
now play on CDJ’s i love to play both but for
now I’m happy with CDJ’s.
Club, Festival or session?
To be honest as they are all different
atmospheres and people. I quite enjoy playing
them all, but the feeling on a big stage, when
I’d drop in the bass, it's such a great feeling,
you can't beat it!
What does Dave like to do thats not music
related?
Darts or Fishing.
If you where not a DJ or Producer, and
there was no EDM scene, what would you
be doing?
I have to be involved in music in some shape
or form, it's what I’ve always being interested
in.
What plans do you have for the future,
both as a DJ and Producer?
Gig’s - Electric Picnic coming up, Phever Gigs
in October, Decompression in November, plus
some nice gigs for November December TBA .
I'm just finishing building a new studio and I will
be spending a lot of time during Winter, Spring
in there to start getting some tracks laid down.
Any shouts?
Of course, big thanks to Groovebox for
everything and looking forward to seeing more
great things to come from there head man
Shane Mv1, Also to Phever.ie its great to work
with so many Talented DJ's with there being a
lot of seriously good DJ’s onboard. I couldn’t
forget Travel2Ultra and Rory Lynmun for all the
great work and what they’ve done around
Ireland getting quality DJ’s to battle it out for
places to play at Ultra over the last 4 years.
Best club in Ireland you have played at and
why?
Wight Venue - When your playing to 1200
Plus Crowd and it go’s off, the atmosphere in
this Club is Brilliant. 30k sound rig and one of
the best lighting systems in Ireland it has to be
here.
Anything you would like to say?
Just a big thanks to everyone who has
supported me and have help me along with
what I love to do. Im looking forward to
producing new tracks and to keep DJ’ing around
the country and hopefully meeting loads more
like minded music enthusiastic people.
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/
DaveCaffreyDJ1
Words By Paul Newhouse
Pic By Alan Stimpson
40 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE

festival review - uk
A Soggy Sunday of Dance!
If I had to sum up my day reviewing the
dance tent for Welsh music festival Glass
Butter Beach this year I would say there
was plenty to ‘wet’ the appetite even on a
weekend plagued by extreme weather
conditions which had the organisers
cancelling a full Saturday’s list of events.
Despite the bad weather conditions,
festival organisers worked non-stop to
make sure Sunday’s events went ahead
and eventually, we got the green light.
The line-up for the dance tent included
Lionel, Brandon Lee, Ed Mackie, Strictly
Underground, Paul Sawyer, Goldierocks,
and heavy hitters Waze & Odyssey and
Patrick Topping.
The first few sets consisted of a mix of
popular classic and new House & Tech
tracks from local and guest DJs Lionel,
Brandon Lee & Ed Mackie. The tent
started to fill up nicely, and even after a
3-minute break due to equipment
changes, the crowd still stayed, and as
Strictly Underground took to the stage
they revved up the BPM’s with a high
temp techno set.
It was then time for Krafted’s “Paul
Sawyer” to take over the decks, beginning
with a strictly underground sound which
had an infectious groove whilst keeping
42 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE
the young audience happy. During the set
a series of builds and drops gave the tent
that hands in the air factor with tracks
such a “Detlef –Kinky Tail” standing out
as dancefloor winners. Knowing a more
commercial sound from Goldierocks was
up next there was a smooth switch in the
sound for the last 15 minutes of the set
which ended with classics such as born
slippy. I would say it was very intelligent
and professional set from Soultrak.
Goldierocks then took over the decks
and straight away went into a high energy
dance set playing a mix of well-known
commercial tracks which throughout used
quick cutting and transitions from one
track to another keeping the crowd
entertained and not leaving space for a
rest bite. By this time we could see the
full effect of the on-stage visuals provided
by the talented VJ Leon, from Habs2ci,
who made sure he kept up with the pace
of this set using live, in-time, visual
mixing.
The stage was then set for the big
guns, Waze & Odyssey and Patrick
Topping who both produced top class tech
house sets which kept the crowd to the
bitter end despite the weather conditions
getting worse and worse outside of the
tent.
I also managed to catch some of the
action over at the Main Stage, which
produced a cracking set from The Cuban
Brothers, whose performance included a
selection of cover tracks done in an
infectious, high energy performance style.
This had the crowd jumping up and down
right throughout the set.
All in all; the Glass Butter Beach team
did everything they could throughout the
day to keep the entertainment coming
whilst constantly ensuring safety was a
high priority.
Despite many disappointed festival
goers missing out on Saturdays events I
hope GBB comes back stronger next year
and they get to put on a show fitting of
the work that they put in.
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/
glassbutterbeachfestival/
Words by Gavin
O’Callaghan (Red Lab)
https://www.facebook.com/redlabuk
Pic by Darren Braddick

feature interview [germany]
Steffen Neuhaus & Stefan Helmke
are Hanne & Lore, the German duo that
has been doing its own house thing for
years now. Over the time they have
headed up their own parties, label and
even ran a record shop, all the while
DJing and producing increasingly
influential sounds.
Taking inspiration from 80's and 90's
life as much as music – e.g. the fashion,
skating, video games and home
computing of those decades – Hanne &
Lore have played at esteemed clubs like
Watergate in Berlin as well as on many
festivals such as Amsterdam Dance Event,
Nature One, Rave on Snow and Nation of
Gondwana, among others.
Often committing drums, vocals or melodies
to iPhone apps, this German pair’s music is a
collage of sounds, sketches and snippets
recorded on the road and during every day life
that are then reworked in their studio into
tracks like the recent tech house of ‘WhatIF’,
released on Kitball Records. To date their
considered material has been released on labels
including Monaberry, Terminal M, already
mentioned Kittball and Snatch Records, and the
two-some have also been called in to remix
artists like Super Flu, Lexy & K-Paul, Monkey
Safari, Tube & Berger, Andhim and a multitude
of others. In 2013 Hanne & Lore founded their
own label, Heulsuse. With their latest EP on
Kittball Records, impressive podcasts and some
fresh stuff in the pipeline, Hanne & Lore are as
essential and influential now as they have ever
been.
How was your Festival experience this
year? How did it compare to prior years?
We played a lot of interesting Festivals like in
the years before. It’s always a pleasure to play
open air and enjoy this special feeling. It’s really
awesome to recognise how much love and
afford organizers, mostly of the smaller
festivals, put in the event itself. Nevertheless
many open airs have been cancelled this year
due to the bad weather…unpredictable weather
seems to be the new german summer
dimension. But hey, we have to deal with it. By
the way - You’ll find some festival feeling and
some of our recorded live sets on our
soundcloud page.
Your wildest moment in the booth in 2016
so far?
It happened in august at a private party – a
secret spot - exceedingly crazy party crowd in
indescribably party mood - every 5 minutes
somebody stumbled over our floor monitor
speakers or fell over on the dance floor. But all
that in best humor - a real freakshow of a
techno party. Fortunately there are still some
months left for more party madness. Really
looking forward to the upcoming club-season
already.
You just released your WHATIF EP on
Kittball Records. What went into its
inspiration and creation?
It was like always - turning on the gear and
started improvising and jamming. The 70’s
string hit was very inspiring - so it was clear
that "WhatI" would get a special touch of
summer feeling in the end. The B Track called
"Luna Sqaure" was finished earlier than the A-
Side indeed and includes some fresh summer
vibes as well. We recommend some freshly
squeezed pineapple juice, while enjoying this
beauty.
You have worked with guys like Thomas
Schumacher, Ramon Tapia and Monkey
Safari in the past. Are you down with all
these guys, too?
For sure, we see all of them during the year
while we are touring. It’s always a pleasure to
meet such nice guys and respectable artists. We
always have a drink or two and spent some time
together.
You delivered a massive output of
mixtapes and podcasts over the last few
months. Soundspace, Electronic Beats,
Whenwedip – just to name a few. What’s
your secret to maintain the quality in high
level?
While the listening behavior is changing
mixes and podcasts get more and more
important. We’re really happy to work with
these great blogs and magazines and deliver
good mix sessions. And on the other hand it
gives us the possibility to express ourselves in
different styles to different audiences.
Sometimes a little smoother and other times
more clubby or straight to the floor. But all in all
we love to work together on a mix and digging
the tunes out for it.
You’ have been in Ibiza this summer – how
are the crowd and isle this year?
As always Ibiza has that special feeling that’s
hard to explain – everybody is free and mad for
a unique party time - you have a huge property
of parties with big line-up's every day & you
have an unbelievable open minded crowd. So
spinning there is always a special moment of
the summertime. Besides this it’s always nice to
meet other artists and to find inspiration at the
beach or while cruising.
How is the scene in your country,
especially in Berlin, doing in your eyes?
Berlin is still the place to be for electronic
musicians. More than any other city in Europe,
probably around the globe. The number of
parties every day is still incredible and the lineups
are top notch. And there are so many
groundbreaking clubs and interesting venues.
Next to this some of the most innovative
software and studiogear companies are in town.
Besides the music scene Berlin offers an
incredible street art movement, so you are able
to explore the city everyday a new experience.
What gear do you use in the studio? Any
particular plugins or pieces of hardware
you are using in the cave for shaping your
typical Hanne & Lore style?
It's a mixture of hard & software - for
example; Roland Juno 106, SH 2000, CR 8000,
JX3P, some Yamaha, moog and AKAI stuff like
Advanced 49 Master keyboard. A special toy is
the emulator 2 - this has always been an
unrealizable dream of our childhood.
For someone who hasn’t explored one of
your DJ sets, what sort of style can they
expect?
Just have a try! It's sort of deep/tech house
that will make you dance immediately! You
should check out our social media channels and
explore our sets. Let the music speak for itself.
What can we expect from Hanne & Lore the
next months?
Many groovy sets and even more rocking
dance floors! Our latest remix for Djuma
Soundsystem has been really housey and
sunney side up. Actually we are working on a
little bit more darker sounds. Some more
releases are planned already and you will have
the possibility to enjoy them very soon.
Connect:
http://www.facebook.com/hanneundlore
Words By Lars Kämmerer
Pics By Urs Siedentop
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 43

whats in your studio?
Nutty T hails from the UK and started
his illustrious career back in 2005, when
he set up the Nutty Traxx label. He has a
very unique style that can be only be
described has dark and hard, combining
elements of hardstyle and raw aggressive
acidlines. Standing at well over 150
releases the man much like his music is
unpredictable and unrelenting, and his DJ
performances are without a doubt a
spectacle of wild and insane antics.
He has worked with such acts as Delete,
Vazard, Thera, Da Tweekaz & Luca Antolini to
name a few. His tracks have been supported on
BBC Radio 1, Q-Dance Radio, Loudness,
Defqon1 plus much more with tracks included
on EMI & Ministry Of Sound compilations. Not to
mention number 1 best sellers on many major
stores, and Runner up as the best Hardstyle DJ
and Producer in the HDM Awards 2014.
How did it all get started for you?
I first started producing in around 1998
making Old Skool Hardcore, then I went onto
more Hardhouse and Hardtrance. I heard
Cosmic Gate - "Fire Wire" for the first time and I
was like 'Wow this is awesome!' After years of
producing this style I heard a Hardstyle track
Deepack - "The Prophecy" and I never looked
back. I was given a few opportunities by labels.
I sent a 160 bpm track to Nukleuz and back
then Dave Louka, I think that was his name,
A&R at the time for the label, said he would sign
the track if I made it more UK Hardcore. I
wasn't too sure and he asked me to perhaps
send it to Tidy, as it was more Hardhouse. Back
then the A&R man was Lee Haslam and he said
44 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE
he would be interested, but they usually do
track at about 145 bpm.
At the time I didn't want to change it, but
looking back now though these guys were
probably right. Someone suggested to set up
set my own label. So in 2005 I set up Nutty
Traxx, which back then was Nutty Trance. Now
here we are.
Who are your favourite producers or DJ's
and who would you love to be in a studio
with?
If I had the choice, my dream collab would
be The Prodigy. This is one of the reasons I fell
in love with producing.
A close second would have to be Zany, I
can't praise this guy enough, the amount of
tunes that he has been involved with that I've
loved including Southstylers, Donkey Rollers
and his original alias are phenomenal.
With a few hits under your belt and still out
and about doing your thing, where are you
now and where do you see yourself over
the next few years?
Well Nutty Traxx will be bringing out an
album with various artists from the label,
celebrating 10 years hence the name - Decade
Of Darkness.
I'm really starting to push more unique
sounds and help my fellow artists on the label
progress to even higher levels.
Whats your favourite toy?
Virus TI is at the top of the list of equipment,
the amount of power this has is unbelievable.
It's definitely a must have for any serious sound
designer and producer.
Do you see yourself incorporating live
producing into sets?
Not in the near future, but never say never.
Any tips for building your tracks?
I usually always start with the break first,
then work your way around.
Any tips for sending demos?
Never just send a link, at least send a little
bit of information about yourself and listen to
the tracks on the label prior to sending. Don't
forget to be humble when you send your demo,
the last thing labels want to hear is 'Oh this
tune is the bomb'.
Also when they give you feedback about
certain things take the criticism on the chin and
learn from it. The last thing you want to do is
throw a hissy fit and say 'My mates thought this
was awesome, you don't know what you're
talking about.' That will probably be the last
time they give you the time of day.
Studio Toys:
Virus TI2, Novation KS Rack, Waldorf Blofeld,
KRK Rokit 8's, Keyrig 49, Tascam - 122 MKII,
Quad Core PC, Cubase, Sylenth, Massive, Many
more VSTi's.
Connect:
www.facebook.com/djnuttyt/?fref=ts
Words By Paul Newhouse
Pics By Nutty T

label focus
18-09 Records is a fantastic
house & techno label based in
Scotland. They have released
material from the likes of FAKE SELF,
ACID AJ, Patrick J, Ryky and label
owner David Grant. What’s
remarkable about this label their
versatility and the consistency of
their output whether tech house,
techno or straight up deep house
tracks. Recently they got a bit of an
image update with a fresh new logo,
artwork and website, and their next
few releases will be taking them into
darker territory with more straight up
techno releases scheduled.
Top 5 Releases:
Patrick J – Locked Out EP
Patrick J returns to 18-09 with his first
EP since May, providing three superb tech
house variants on the 'Locked Out EP' that
were well worth the wait.
Falling is an excellent intro track to the
EP. Jackin beats and deeper sounds is on
order with this track with stabs that hark
back to that 90's garage house sound.
Let's Do It is an all round deeper sound to
Patrick's usual sound, the type of track
you would expect to hear at the after
party of a main techno event. Droning
basslines combine well with well placed
percussion to produce a track worthy of a
place on most set lists.
Keep On is the all round track that
encompasses the sound of many genres.
Deep house bass coupled with jackin
grooves and a tech arrnagement makes
this track the pick of the bunch.
Ryky – On Right Now
After the success of his previous EP in
2015, the Move It EP, Ryky returns to
18-09 with this big and bashy tech
houser, On Right Now. Stand out from the
track is the subtle sampling of Ellis D - My
Loleatta.
Original Mix is a proper tech house
track, a bassline that gets you right in the
core and shuffling percussion that will
move your body. Supplemented with
warm pads and that subtle sample, the
original mix is a perfect track for house,
tech house or techno sets.
Graeme Vass' remix sets more of an
early night tone and strips the original
mix bac to a more house orientated track
that would sit well as a builder track.
Piano rolls are the order of the day with
this remix and compliments the original
mix well.
Ryky provides a secondary mix to his
original with the Ghetto Mix which harks
back to that 90s house sound that is
proving to be a winning formula just now.
Thumping kick drums, 808 and 909
percussion and sweeping pads combine to
make this remix another cracking take on
the original.
ACID AJ – I Don’t Know
Acid AJ returns to 18-09 with the follow
up to Housewives on Acid with this huge
tech house smasher, I Don't Know.
Original Mix plays true to Acid AJ's
signatue sound of solid bass coupled with
hard hitting perussion and very catchy
vocals which act as the hook of the track.
An excellent weapon for late night tech
house sets or early night techno sets.
Matt McLarrie is on remix duties and he
comes highly rated with previous works
being on Criminal Hype, Younan and King
Street and support on his tracks come
from Kerri Chandler, Steve Lawler and
Mihalis Safras. Matt's remixes takes the
harder sound off the original mix whilst
maintaining that tech house edge.
FAKE SELF – Chaos In Europe
Man of the moment, Fake Self, returns
to 18-09 with his first full release on the
label after providing the remix that
propelled previous 18-09 Rokaman - Get
Up to the number one spot of the
Trackitdown Tech House Chart.
The aptly titled Chaos in Europe, is a
no nonsense tech house track that would
sound relevant within any house set. A
basic but effective bassline is layered
underneath stabbing synths, shuffling
percussion and a vocal loop that breaks
free from being 'just another house track'.
Ryky – Underground Perspective
Returning to 18-09 with the follow up
to his number one track, On Right Now,
comes Ryky with this tech stomper,
Underground Perspective.
Sampling an interview from Detroit
techno legend Carl Craig discussing his
music, the original provides a top slice of
tech house in, what is fast becoming,
Ryky's signature sound. Grooving
percussion, stomach trembling bass line
and hint of acid synths, this track is sure
to be another smash for Ryky.
Remixes come from Alex Descarada,
head of CRAFT Underground Records, with
his first release on 18-09, that strips the
original back to a more minimal tech
sound whilst making full use of the vocals.
Fake Self completes the package with a
more upbeat tech sound remix that would
suit both house and tech sets.
Connect:
www.facebook.com/1809records/
Words By Conor McEvoy
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 45

- Best Sets On The Net -
Hugo Mc MCann
This issue I am gonna be a little selfish and hit you up with 5
of my personal favourite Sets from the last few years ! I am
delving into the lesser known reaches of the ‘DJ List’ for this so I
hope you find something that you have never heard before and
indeed some sounds that set you on that all important journey of
discovery that I always enjoy when hunting down new music. I
know you will dig these ! Best Sets.
Hobo - Live at Bar Americas - Mexico
First up we have (In my view) one of the most talented and often unheard-of
DJ’s on the scene today H O B O (Real name Joel Boychuk). With
simple beginnings in between Canada and Detroit, the young star has risen
from total obscurity, to performances at some of the world’s hottest clubs,
along-side it’s hottest DJs. Fabric in London, Amnesia in Ibiza, Tenax in
Florence, and Europe’s biggest festivals are among the stops that this Hobo
has made in his never ceasing wandering. Boychuk has made it very clear
that he doesn’t ever plan on sitting still; (The HOBO philosophy) so
wherever you go, keep your eyes peeled. There’s a good chance he’ll be
wandering through. In this 2 hour journey we hear everything that makes
HOBO so great it’s one of the Best out there !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrU487wbTxo
Bart Skils - Fabric - London
This guy should not need any introduction but for those unfamiliar with
Bart Skils and his work with seminal techno label Drumcode here it is. Bart
Skils has established himself as one of Holland’s most respected and highly
demanded techno dj’s. His dj sets are celebrated by techno lovers as
extremely forward thinking and musically well constructed. His constant
flow of top quality releases are internationally rated as some of the most
cutting edge techno tracks focussing on pure dancefloor grooves and
atmosphere. His massive productions gave him opportunities to remix
artists like Moby, Joris Voorn, Nicole Moudaber, Kaiserdisco, Johannes Heil
to name but a few. With numerous venues and events worldwide like
Awakenings Amsterdam, Berghain Berlin, Fabric London, Cocorico Italy,
Rex Paris and Wire festival Tokyo. With these continuous gigs all over
Europe and constant flow of releases Skils’ dj star has been rising steadily
and is shining bright. In this mix we hear him tearing up legendary London
club Fabric !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=echRIv5o6c4
40 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE

Metodi Hristov - Kling Klong DJ Set
Metodi Hristov is one of my current favourite remixers and producers on the dance
scene right now ! Metodi has produced a huge library of quality tracks and is currently
producing for big labels and remixing popular artists, converting the music to fit his
own style. A part of those labels are Glasgow Underground, Gruuv, Rejected, Lapsus
Music, OFF Recordings, Deeperfect, ViVa Music, Toolroom Records, KD Music and
many more. As well as being a highly respected producer he has already earned a
reputation for being a formidable DJ having played all over the world and with some
particularly notable sets. Metodi's rise over the last year has been nothing short of
phenomenal! Here we hear him mixing things up for the ‘Kling Klong’ podcast session
an absolute MUST for lovers of Tech-House / Techno !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATVt9_ARgzA
Paco Osuna - Club4 Barcelona 2016
If you are a regular to these pages then you will be no stranger to Paco Osuna, we
have featured some of his set’s in issues past but as we are being a little self-indulgent
here we are going to feast our ears on another one ! With a career spanning more
than 20 years, Paco Osuna is one of the most renowned artists in the industry. As a DJ
he is lively, intelligent and sophisticated, with a deep awareness when it comes to
sound aesthetics. For Paco, all sessions are important and it is a requirement of his to
invent and renew every time he steps onto the stage. Musical monotony has never
been an option. In this set we get a taste of what makes Paco so great as he takes us
on a multi genre journey through dance music at this years Club4 session, wrap your
ears around this !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xquNH9d6TFo
Purple Disco Machine - Heile Welt – Zauberwald
Something a little different now with an amazing house and funky tech set from
probably the best in his class Purple Disco machine. The sound of Purple Disco Machine
describe some as "Deep Funk". In 2009 the project Purple Disco Machine was founded.
In recent years, PDM has composed many tracks, including, "My House", which was
published by Off Recordings. The PDM hype was lifted to a new level in the summer of
2013: The track stormed Beatport and reached Beatport Deep House #1 and overall
#3 at peak and holds still in the Deep House Top15! Tracks like "Let It Whip" or "I
House You" and the numerous PDM remixes were received well on the dance floors.
With the latest EP called 'Move or Not' the Purple Disco Machine return to OFF
Recordings to infuse us with yet some more dancefloor destroying funk. In live
performances PDM features a creative and diverse mix that is always presented in a
sophisticated and authentic way. This is PDM making bodies move at ‘Heile Welt’ last
year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCoz4PgLFCY

CHARTS - TOP 10'S July/Aug 2016
Hugo McCann [Ireland] [House & Techno]
1. Jaceo - Gargantuan [Tronic]
2. Kevin McKay - Balance Work (Loco & Jam Remix) [Glasgow
Underground]
3. DJ Toni - Closer Faster Stronger [Suara]
4. Antonio Ricardo - Blindaz (DJ Tonio Remix) [White Label]
5. Noir - Obscurité.chno (Thomas Schumacher & N.M.M.D. Remix) [Noir
Music]
6. Mark Knight - Yebisah [Toolroom]
7. Adrian Hour - Hear What They Hear [White Label]
8. Alvaro Smart - Get It Over [Lo Kik Records]
9. Bimas - Intensify [Truesoul]
10. Pablo Say - Party Time [White Label]
Brett Kydd [UK] [Ultra Europe] [EDM]
1. Axel Knox & Rory Lynam - Aurora [Housepital Records]
2. John Gibbons - WILTY [Warner Music]
3. Chemical Surf - Down [No Definition]
4. D.Ramirez - Brutal Power (Barber Remix) [Slave Recordings]
5. Daniel Portman & Calippo - Rijeka [Enormous Tunes]
6. Malaa - Diamonds [Confession Records]
7. Orkidea - Nana [Blackhole Recordings]
8. Sebastian Ingrosso - Dark River (Axwell Remode) [Refune music]
9. Static Revenger - Happy People [Armada]
10.House of Virus & Peter Brown Ft Dominic Lawson & Yvonne Shelton -
Love Story [PROMO]
Waxhands [UK] [House & Techno]
1. Jona Sul – Milkboy EP [SOUTHERN FRIED RECORDS]
2. Alan Braxx + Fred Falke – Most Wanted [VOID]
3. Kasey Taylor, Lister Coray – Departime (Florian Kruse remix)[LOFI 45]
4. Jonny Vaz – Loagoa EP [INTIMATE PROJECT MUSIC]
5. We ran at dusk – Subartica (Cetera remix) [ABSTRACT SPACE
RECORDS]
6. Simos Taglas – Blue Sun [PER-VERT RECORDS]
7. Alex Larlo – Time Against [NEW VIOLENCE RECORDS]
8. Josu Freire – Suburbios [BAILE MUSIK WHITE]
9. Kiyo – Cortisone [STONED DOGS RECORDS]
10. Raffa FL – How we do [CRIMINAL HYPE RECORDS]
Pete van Payne [Germany][Techno Emporium
Records][Techno & House]
1. A. Paul – Blunt [Devotion Records]
2. Advanced Human - Labyrinth [Gynoid Audio]
3. Alex Smott, German Valley - Going Down [Boayer]
4. AnGy KoRe - Hande gewaschen [Wild]
5. Hans Bouffmyhre - State Of Sanity [Sleaze Records (UK)]
6. Israel Toledo - On Pill (Original Mix) [Dark Fields Records]
7. Jason Fernandes - Encrypted Transmission (Original Mix) [Sleaze
Records (UK)]
8. Lex Gorrie - Last Call (Original Mix) [Sleaze Records (UK)]
9. Thomas Schumacher - Ficken #3 (Original Remastered) [Electric
Ballroom]
10. Tim Wolff - Skeptic (Jonas Kopp Remix) [Dynamic Reflection]
Keith Byrne [Ireland] [Illicit] [House & Techno]
1. LHK - Unison [Sweet Melodic]
2. Glenn Molloy - Perplexed Emotions [Pro B]
3. LHK & Dacer - Cruciatus [When We Dip]
4. Chicco Secci & Fabio B - Crosses (Kastis Torrau & Donatello Remix)
[Promo]
5. Moderat - Running (Tale Of Us Remix) [Promo]
6. Chicola - Childhood [Lost & Found]
7. Mark Quail - Solar Inception (7th Star Remix) [Frequenza]
8. Tale Of Us - Lies (Walking With Kings Remix) [Progressive Astronaut]
9. Huminal - Jester's Disease [Proton]
10. Human Machine - The Mule [Exit Strategy]
Paul Newhouse [Ire.][Redbox][House & Techno]
1. Eddie Amador & Dany Cohiba - Crazy (Soul Divide Remix) [Freakin 909]
2. Erick Morillo - Oooh Feat. Angel Taylor (Extended Mix) [Subliminal
Records]
3. Full Intention & Marshall Jefferson, Sleezy D - I Believe [Freakin909]
4. Robert Solheim Just Cancelled That (Frisko Rework) [Aquavit Records]
5. Chris Geka & Tecca - Langha [Conic Records]
6. Norty Cotto Sted-E & Hybrid Heights Roland Clark Todd Terry - Set You
Free (Norty Cotto Original Remix) [Inhouse]
7. Martin Eyerer & Ackermann feat. Craig Walker - To An End (Kaiserdisco
Remix) [Kling Klong]
8. Chris Geka & Tecca - Ozaky [Monique Musique]
9. Jonno Brien - Disco [MUM]
10. Ninetoes - Little Beat Thing (Kevin Over Remix) [Kling Klong]
Amber Leigh Melby [USA] [Trance]
1. Human Resource - Dominator (RAM Remix) [Black Hole Recordings]
2. JohnAskew - A Million Stars [VII]
3. Tempo Giusto - Nicked [Create Music]
4. Willem De Roo - Warrior (Extended Mix) [A State Of Trance]
5. The Thrillseekers, Hydra - Amber (Extended Mix) [FSOE]
6. Amos & Riot Night Leap Of Faith [Go On Air]
7. Exis - The Count (Extended Mix) [Who's Afraid Of 138?!]
8. Lee Haslam, Peter Berry - State Of Mind [Tidy Two]
9. Will Rees - Weapon [Damaged]
10. Indecent Noise - Come Get Some (Bjorn Akeson Remix) [Mental
Asylum]
Danny Slade [UK] [Rainbow Rooms] [Dance]
1. Weiss - You’re Sunshine [Toolroom]
2. Zonderling - Be Free [Hexagon]
3. Sheridan Grout - A New Tomorrow [Mondo Records]
4. Various Artists - Chemical Audio EP [Valvula Records]
5. Matt Eray - Magic Seven [MPS]
6. Various Artists - Kenja Ibiza (Part 2) [Kenja Records]
7. Navona - Mandy EP [Drum Records]
8. Malatoid / Alex Henning - Flair + Memento EP [Digital Traffik]
9. Luca Donzelli, Mar T - Disco Techno Revolution EP [Moon Harbour]
10. Various Artists - Talkin Deep EP [Deep Site Vinylized]
Josh Coakley [Ireland] [Pukka Up] [House]
1. Damon Hess X Josh Coakley - Teardrops [Pukka Up Records]
2. In It Together, Laura Louise - Beachball (Vocal Mix) [Let There Be
House Records]
3. Milk & Sugar - Ready Or Not (Redondo Remix) [Milk & Sugar
Recordings]
4. Saison - Do You (Jolyon Petch Vocal Mix) [Guesthouse]
5. Chris Rockford, Phil Dinner - Let The Music Play [Pornstar Records]
6. Damon Hess - Nobody [ApartmentSixtyThree]
7. Garreth Maher - Ride On Time (3Beat)
8. Glen Horsborough, In It Together - Next Time [Let There Be House
Records]
9. Camilla Destiny & Sol Brothers - Real Ones (Future House Remix) [Spio
Recordings]
10. Johnny O'Neill - Can U Hear Me (Josh Coakley Remix) [Seveneves
Records]
Iain Taylor [UK] [rEJECT Music] [House & Techno]
1. Deo & Z-Man – Cristal (Curses Remix) [rEJEKT Music]
2. Shinedoe – Unseen [Intacto]
3. Sishi Rosch – Powerhouse [Jackathon]
4. Nana K & Ben Champell – Jackflip 81 [Lauter Unfug]
5. Moby – Go (Loco Dice Mo Strings Remix) [Desolat]
6. Jammhot – Forth Order (Iain Taylor’s Fifth Order Remix) [rEJEKT Music]
7. Dompe – Rosey (Own Way Remix) [Style Rockets]
8. Shadow Child & Bodhi – Um [Food Music]
9. Vecchi – Ungrateful [Mister Music]
10. rEJEKTS – Hole [rEJEKT Music]

CHARTS - TOP 10'S July/Aug 2016
Louk [UK] [icanpromo] [Hard Techno]
1. Oliver Kucera - TRDX902 [UKR]
2. Jake Conlon - Black Heath Works [Dubtek Vinyl]
3. Vegim - Mood Frequencer (Dave The Drummer V2 Mix) [Hydraulix]
4. Malice - Paranoia [Construct Rhythm]
5. Hoth System - Motion Detector [Dubtek Vinyl]
6. Oscar Mulero - Misophonia [Mord]
7. Jack Master - Bang The Box (Slam Mix) [Soma]
8. Kevin De Vries - When Time Stops (Skober Mix) [Complexed]
9. Josh Wink - Talking To You (Jon Rundell Mix) [Intec Digital]
10. Point Blank - Meng's Theme [Gem]
Eddie Amador & Dany Cohiba [USA/Spain] [House]
1. Dany Cohiba- Face In My Hand [CANDY BEACH RECORDS]
2. Eddie Amador & Dany Cohiba- Round & Round [CANDY BEACH
RECORDS]
3. Dany Cohiba- Sea Of Peace [PACHA RECORDINGS]
4. Eddie Amador & Dany Cohiba- What You Do [PACHA RECORDINGS]
5. Vanilla Ace- The Gee [CLUB SWEAT]
6. Mark Knight- Yebisah [TOOLROOM]
7. Carl Cox, Nile Rodgers – Ohh Baby (David Tort´s Dub Tech) [CR2
RECORDS]
8. Calippo- Mesa Verde [ENORMOUS TUNES]
9. Armand Van Helden –Wings [SPININN RECORDS]
10. Redondo- Jack My Body [SPININN DEEP]
Nutty T [UK][Nutty Traxx][Hard Dance/Hardstyle]
1. Christian D & Jonny Mad - The Dark [Activa]
2. Nutty T - I Am Death [Nutty Traxx]
3. Mindshockers - Who Am I? [Nutty Traxx]
4. Radiance - Experimental [Spoontech]
5. Double F-ect - Monsters [Activa]
6. CGK - Agony [Nutty Traxx]
7. Francesco Zeta - In The Ghetto [Loverloud]
8. Quinny - Creatures Of The Night [Electric]
9. Dean Zone & The Sixth Sense - I Feel (Lynxx vs TB Chaos Remix)
[Hyper Reality]
10. Nutty T vs Adventum - Trashin My Scene (DJ Nitram Remix) [Nutty
Traxx]
Chris Geka [France] [Juicy Music] [House]
1. Langha - Tecca, Chris Geka [Conic Records]
2. Balance Work (Loco & Jam Remix) - Kevin McKay [Glasgow
Underground]
3. Clockers - Tecca, Chris Geka [Juicy Music]
4. Gargantuan - Jaceo [Tronic]
5. Problems - Juanito [UNDR THE RADR]
6. Sunset - Rafha Madrid [Vamos Music]
7. No Reason (Luca Donzelli, Mar-T Remix) - Sonny Fodera, James
Puentes [Cajual]
8. Music Power (Metodi Hristov Remix) - Mendo [Deeperfect Records]
9. Heroes - Paride Saraceni [Snatch! Records]
10. Force Majeure - Christian Smith [Drumcode]
Paul Sawyer [Krafted Group] [House & Techno]
1. Faskill - How to Confuse a Cat (Kobana remix) [Spring Tube]
2. GBrown - Another Perspective [Particles]
3. Sapiens & Springa - Extroversion (James Monro remix) [Particles]
4. Munbraze - Invenire (Dark Afternoon Mix) [Suffused Music]
5. GJAKA K. - Feel It [EJ Underground]
6. Magitman, Brisker - Just Another Day (Ben Coda remix) [Tribal Vision]
7. Lee Williams - Familiar Shores [EJ Underground]
8. Stas Drive - Passage of Time [Stereodinate Music]
9. Kidd Corp - Back to Moon [Suffused Music]
10. Shingo Nakamura - Caramel [Silk Music]
11. Beat Maniacs - Gravitas [Particles]
Chunk [Ireland] [Dolphin Friendly Tunage]
1. Subb-An - Feel For You [Beste Freunde]
2. Ramon Poslera - House Anthem [124 Recordings]
3. Dusty Hanz - Biggest Baddest (FAKE SELF Remix) [Dolphin Friendly
Tunage]
4. Das Carma - Virtual Reality [124 Recordings]
5. Joseph Tacker - Biggie Calls [Big Bait Germany]
6. Waitz - Glue [Basica Recordings]
7. Pawsa - Trip [Gruuv]
8. Danny Serrano - Trust [Deeperfect]
9. Martin Ikin - Rage [Simma Black]
10. Luigi Rocca - Holies [Materialism]
Dave Caffery [Ireland] [Techno]
1. Loco & Jam - Twisted Minds [Tronic]
2. Nicole Moudaber - Old Souls [Intec]
3. Pig & Dan - Chez Dre [Drumcode]
4. Raffaele Rizzi - Dreams Come True [Bitten]
5. 2000 and One - Kawasaki [100% Pure]
6. CamelPhat - Reverse It [Suara]
7. Hot Since 82 - Yourself [Knee Deep]
8. Green Velvet - Flash (Eats Everything Remix )
9. Carl Cox,Nile Rodgers - Ohh Baby (David Tort's Dub Tech Mix) [CR2]
10. Monika Kruse & Pig and Dan - Boogie Man [Terminal M]
Warren James [AUS] [Trance]
1. James Rigby - Anodise [Kearnage Recordings]
2. John Askew - A Million Stars [Vii]
3. Tempo Giusto & Ima’gin - Pachinko [Outburst Records]
4. Sean Tyas – Turbo [Kearnage Recordings]
5. James Dymond – Push [Future Sound of Egypt]
6. Shugz – Edens Calling [In Trance We Trust]
7. Liam Wilson – 166 [Unrstrcted]
8. Estiva – Stiekem [Statement!]
9. Bryan Kearney – By My Side [Armada Music]
10. Will Atkinson & Jase Thirlwall – Squelcher [Kearnage Recordings]
WANT YOUR BRAND HERE? SPONSOR THE
CHARTS PAGES HERE EVERY ISSUE.
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MUSIC REVIEWS
Danny Slade [UK] - Dance
Various Artists - Kenja Ibiza (Part 1) [Kenja Records] - Zone Top Tune - 10/10
Some serious bangers on this release and its only part 1 of 2 releases from the Kenja stables which include the
lead track by Kenja’s very own Ronnie Spiteri amongst others that are seriously decent dancefloor fodder.
Ronnie Spiteri’s ‘All wrapped Up’ is a deep chugging houser that really locks you into the groove with its funky
bassline and is followed by Rich Wakley & 2 Homies ‘Rewind It Back’ which is another deep and dubby dancefloor
devastator that is all about less is more. Next up to the plate is Raffa FL with ‘Pop Corn’ which has a super funky
bassline and swung percussion and that is followed by the ItaloBros with ‘Sodium’ which is a slow builder and
lastly you get the Di Chiara Brothers with ‘Acid Dream’ which has some serious retro leanings with tight drum
programming and 303’s.
If you like your beats on an underground tip and aren't afraid of tracks that shy away from any vocals then this EP
is for you. Its all about the grooves on this release and grooves there are by the bucket load. I didn't get a chance
to visit the White Isle myself this year but if this is an example of the type of music that was being dropped, I
must have missed a good one and In fact this release is so damn tasty, that I am going to make it my tune of the
month!
https://soundcloud.com/kenjarecords
Raumakustik - Dem A Pree [Emerald City] - Zone Recommended Tune - 10/10
Volker & Seb aka Raumakustik have gained a lot of fans with releases dropping on Toolroom, Suara and
Formatik of late and with this release on Emerald City, I am sure they are about to gain a lot more. There are
three mixes on this release and all of them are destined to do some serious dancefloor damage.
First up is the Original Mix which is a tech house masterclass with a percussive intro that builds through vocal and
horn stabs to a middle section which releases all kinds of aural craziness with a breakdown with vocal loops and a
distorted electro bass line that just begs to be heard at high volume. Next up is Patrick Topping’s Remix which ups
the tempo and strips it back to a behemoth of a remix with a super distorted bassline, frenetic vocals and looped
crowd sound samples.
But if thats not enough they also throw in an excellent remix by rising star Jey Kurmis has been making a
name for himself on labels such as Moon Harbour, VIVa Music and Wow! Recordings. His version opens a whole
new can of whoopass and dials the craziness up another notch with with slabs of sound being launched out of the
speakers in a way that makes you want to hit the dance floor as fast as possible!
Noe picking a favourite mix is a real challenge here as they all work so well but it has to be done, so I choose the
‘Original Mix’ as that is where all the fun really started. It also goes without saying that this tune scores top marks.
https://soundcloud.com/raumakustik
Ibized 2016 - David Penn [Urbana Recordings] - Zone Rating - 9/10
You can pretty much tell from the cover what you are getting from this album sampler which is the latest in
Urbana’s sun drenched ‘Ibized’ series of albums which contains a healthy mix of new and unheard old versions of
tracks that encapsulate that summer vibe succinctly.
First up on the sampler is David Penn’s ‘Those Days’ which starts with a conga loop and builds with a kick drum
and female sung vocal sample into a funky, dubby summer groove machine with a recognisable trumpet sample.
Next you have Sandy Rivera’s remix of IDQ’s ‘Your Soul’ which is a cut up chunky groover with ethereal pads,
electric pianos and muted drum patterns that is all underpinned with a solid frenetic bassline.
Then things get seriously funky with David Penn, Dantiez, KPD feat. Kwedjatey’s ‘We Are Human’ which is built
around a bass loop and features an emotive full male vocal with a powerful and poignant piano lead line which has
Jazz Funk leanings and works a treat over the sparse backbeat.
I could go on describing the individual tracks but I am guessing that you get the picture and it is pretty clear that
this album is definitely one not to be missed if you like your house served up sun drenched and perfect for those
long hot summer nights in Ibiza that the UK is sadly missing of late. But as they say its good to dream and I have
to say that although this emotive collection of tracks won't take you there physically, It will certainly give you a
feel of what you are missing!
https://soundcloud.com/urbanarecordings
Various Artists - Trallion Purple Volume 1 [Trallion Recordings] - Zone Rating - 9/10
This four track release is the first in a series of releases on Trallion, a label known for its quality trance output so it
comes as no surprise that this E.P. is made up of ‘all killer and no filler’ tracks. There is also not much information
included with the mail out so I can't give you any background information, but this is sometimes the best way as
the music has to do the talking and I am pleased to report that it has a lot to say about itself!
First up is Darkwinder with ‘Deosil’ which is hard yet melodic and knin of reminds me of System F’s ‘Out Of THe
Blue’ which is no bad thing with a galloping bassline, snare rolls, risers and a nice main riff as the main hook. Next
is Tommy Silent with ‘Come Back Home’ which is slower paced and more progressive with an almost breakbeat
intro which builds with vocal pads into an uplifting trancer with a massive breakdown with ethereal synths and
loads of atmosphere.
The third track is by CJ S.A.Y.which speeds things up again but is quite minimal in its approach and has a real old
school trance feel to it with a jangly piano top line and a warm synth melody which usher you into a breakdown
with harmonious overtones. Finally you have Erick Pride’s ‘Sinners’ which has a more Tech Trance approach with a
dirty synth riff, risers and a soaring main riff that tears the roof off. All four are accomplished tracks and I look
forward to hearing more works from all four producers.
https://www.facebook.com/trallionrecordings/
Tavo Under - Loose Control [Uranobeat Records] - Zone Rating - 9/10
I have no information whatsoever about this two mix release apart from the facts that there are two mixes and that
the label is from Mexico/ Columbia, but that is often a good thing as it gives a chance for the music to do the
talking and not the PR company.
First up is the Original Mix which is is a Tech Houser with a percussive intro which builds slowly adding layers of
sounds throughout which chugs along nicely and would be great as a warm up track. Then you get the ‘Gianni
Ruocco Remix’ which from the offing has a bigger and more atmospheric sound with vocal samples, swung
percussion and eerie sound effects which make it into a bit of a main set monster. There are a number of
breakdowns as well which gives it the tension that a good track often needs and I can see this version staying on
my memory stick for many months to come.
I only wish that I had some more information to give you about the track and label but thats just the way it is
sometimes. The catalogue number is URB221 so they must be a well established label that I am now glad that I
know the existence of.
https://www.facebook.com/URANOBEATRECORDS/

Danny Slade [UK] - Dance
MUSIC REVIEWS
Latroit - Everything Is Beautiful [House Of Latroit/Kobalt] - Zone Rating - 8/10
This tune first saw the light of day when it was featured in Fatboy Slim’s video recorded set from Glastonbury and
quite rightly it shone as a quality piece of commercial edged Bassline House.
The track itself is a proper party starter which starts with a looped female sample saying “Beautiful” over some
phat beats which takes you to a vocal and piano lead breakdown which is neatly followed by some seriously catchy
deep bass to get the dance floor swaying in a way that any good summer anthem should do, and this is a proper
anthemic track with just the right amount of vocal to keep it uplifting and the right amount of bottom end to bet
those booties shaking to the beat.
In fact my only criticism of this release is that there is only one mix included but then again when a track is
accessible as this one is, maybe that is a good thing as the last thing you need is to be bogged down by a load of
pointless remixes when one killer mix will suffice.
So if you are the type of DJ that likes to get your audiences showing a lot of love for a tune out on the dancefloor,
this is a track that is well worth looking out for and I for one will be playing it in my sets for the foreseeable
future.
https://soundcloud.com/deepsounds/latroit-everything-is-beautiful-premiere
Blue Amazon Presents Super Fluke - Your Voice [Krafted Music] - Zone Rating - 8/10
This six mix release from Blue Amazon features a vocal sample from Suzanne Vega’s 1987 track ‘Tom’s Diner’
saying ”I Am Thinking Of Your Voice” as the main hook and a fine hook it is! In fact the track itself has been
sampled 67 times according to Google which is high praise indeed but back to the track in question, The mixes
cover a range of styles of which my favourites are the following:
The ‘Tech Stomping Mix’ which uses a tough backbeat with metallic sounds, acidic stabs and a tight synth
bassline, the ‘Extended Dub Mix’ which is a fine piece of electronica with a deep growling bassline, swung
percussion and a retro sounding analogue synth riff and the ‘Zac Gee Radio Mix’ which cuts up the vocal sample
and adds risers, a rubbery bassline and in my opinion is is not long enough, but that is the case with radio edits.
On the whole the six mixes are all competently produced and are living proof that a good and quirky original
track has a long shelf life, which is perhaps why this track is still being used to this day to supply beats and vocal
hooks to a plethora of artists both new and old. It is also worth mentioning that this track in no way sounds
dated although the sample is an old one and I will be happily playing it for a long while.
https://www.facebook.com/EJUnderground
Chris Bekker & Tricia McTeague - We Can Be [Vandit Records] - Zone Rating - 8/10
Vandit’s latest release comes in the form of a full vocal mix, a dub and a club reworking from label boss Paul Van
Dyk which is a real arms up in the air affair.
First up though is the Original Mix which kind of defies classification in the classical sense as it manages to sit on
the fence between a number of genres and is all the better for it as Tricia McTeague’s full vocal is a soaring affair
and the backbeat is a House/ Trance hybrid with arpeggiated synth riffs, risers and a tight analogue synth bass line
which should win fans from many a different musical tribe.
For those who like things a bit more full on the Paul Van Dyk Remix bumps up the BPM and delivers a full on Trance
work out with cut up vocal samples, a driving kick drum, galloping bass line, snare rolls and added melodies which
fatten up the sound nicely.
There is also a Dub Mix which is pretty self explanatory and will suit DJs that don't like playing vocals in their sets.
My choice for my favourite mix is a closely fought battle as the trance lover inside me would love to pick the
banging Paul Van Dyk mix but the quality of the Original is undeniable and in this case just wins due to its
versatility and the quality of the vocal delivery.
http://www.chrisbekker.com
Various Artists - Ayeko Various Artists [Ayeko Records] - Zone Rating - 8/10
There is nothing like a mystery to whet one's appetite and this compilation is a bit of a mystery as its on a label
that I’ve never heard of and from a promo company that I don’t know how to contact to thank for the quality
grooves they keep sending me! What I do know is that it is a label sampler and that the genres covered are
Tech and Deep House and thats about it I’m afraid.
First up is Corey Romero’s ‘Let Yourself’ which has a simple frenetic bass line, risers, stereo panned violin stabs,
a spoken male vocal sample saying “let yourself go” and loads of crazy sound effects which make for a
compelling groove. Next up is Central Rodeo’s ‘Kinshasa’ which dials up the funk with a tight bottom end, rolling
percussion, a grooving bassline and plenty of spaced out vocal samples.
Then you have Dylan Casale & Mecho’s ‘Foggy Morning’ which starts with a lolloping kick drum and builds with
tizzy hi hats, more crazy vocal samples a stabby lead line and not much else, it is the most minimal on the
release but still manages to pack a funky punch. Then lastly you have Marko Borgo’s ‘All Ways’ which is a more
rhythmic track with crazy percussion loops, throbbing synths a rubbery bassline and a female spoken vocal
which is eerie and ethereal.
The release date is September 9th and the catalogue number is: AYK026. My favourite track is ‘Kinshasa’ but
all four are of a discernable quality. If you like your grooves on the deep and quirky side, this sampler is well
worth a listen. http://www.ayeko.com
Yamen & EDA - Temporis EP [One Records] - Zone Rating - 8/10
French duo Yamen & EDA make a welcome return to One Records to release this accomplished four track Deep
Tech House EP thats sure to turn heads wherever its played as the production is polished to a tee.
First up is the title track ‘Temporis’ which is all about the percussion and ambient sounds that seem to eloquently
bombard your senses but never overload the soundstage and this is followed by ‘The Mankind’ Which starts with a
simple percussion loop and builds through a thudding kick drum and female spoken vocal samples into a real deep
dancefloor groover.
‘Hustle’ Has a breakbeat intro and develops through different percussive elements with added dubby synth stabs
and quirky vocal samples and builds into a full yet subtle aural assault with futuristic samples and a subtle electro
synth bass line and finally ‘Running Out’ kicks in the beat full on and adds more of their trademark quirky samples
and progressive percussion loops which build up to a harmonious cacophony that is controlled and endearing.
All four tracks work equally on their own as they do as a whole and my favorite out of a good bunch is ‘Hustle’ as I
am a sucker for a break beat every time. What I do recommend though is that you check this release out if you
like your music a little different from the rest and admire diversity in sound.
https://www.facebook.com/onerecofficial/

MUSIC REVIEWS
Louk [UK] - Hard Techno & Trance
Oliver Kucera - Tension [UKR] - Zone Top Tune - 10/10
You've probably all heard me rave about this guy before, there is just something about his production that really
hits the spot with me! Fusing the elements that made the techno we all love of old with some modern production
styles was always going to be a winner, and this is something he excels at. All three tracks on this EP are worthy of
a play but it's the rather quirkily titled "TRDX902" that stands out for me.
Chopped up vocal stabs, some lovely chords and a monster of a kick drum and ferocious attitude make this
something special rather indeed! Just one of many belters to come for the rest of this year on Roman Zawodny's
awesome UKR imprint.
https://www.beatport.com/release/tension-ep/1820524
Jake Conlon / Hoth System - Dubtek Vinyl 003 [Dubtek] - Zone Recommended Tune - 9/10
I love this label. After throwing some well renowned parties in Leeds, the Dubtek crew have focused their efforts
on a record label that concentrates on the rather purist industrial sound. Only three releases in, yet all three have
masses of long standing playability that ensures they will feature in record boxes for quite some time. And even
better is that they are released on vinyl too.
Jake Conlon offers two cuts that wreak of the fact that he is from Birmingham, and the 'Black Heath Works' cut
really causes some chaos when dropped, with its building synth work and frenetic percussion. The two tracks from
Hoth System are more than worthy of a play too.
http://www.unearthedsounds.co.uk/products/jake-conlon-hoth-system-dubtek-vinyl-003
Construct Rhythm - Prime Selection Series One [Construct Rhythm] - Zone Rating - 8/10
This label should need no introduction, I have raved about them since my teens. The recent double pack from label
boss Andreas Kraemer & Crazy Erg is still in the record box now and here Andreas manages to select four high
quality percussive grooves to produce a vinyl that really works well for the darker floors.
With his own 'Gloove' being a straight up rolling number, and Pounding Loop 'Moments' taking on a harder form, it's
the cut by 'Malice' that is the favourite of the release. With 'Paranoia' being both uptempo, sinister and an
altogether rocking production when played in a peak time set. All four are playable so I'd really seek this one out if
I were you.
http://www.juno.co.uk/products/andreas-kraemer-prime-selection-series-one-ep/615097-01/
Josh Wink - Talking To You (Remixes) [Intec Digital] - Zone Rating - 8/10
One thing I love about Wink is his ability to build dark and twisted grooves that are both accessible and manage to
be longstanding in your record box. That was definitely the case when this first surfaced back in 2014 on Ovum.
Intec superstars Carl Cox and Jon Rundell both step up to remix it and deliver two very credible, yet different
versions that complement the original well.
Carl's mix takes on a funky route, including many of the elements that make the original so special, while Jon
Rundell's mix is my favoured one here, keeping things sinister with lots of detailed percussion and synth work.
Expect this to be played lots over the remainder of the Summer.
https://www.beatport.com/release/talking-to-you-remixes/1810843
Point Blank AKA Secret Cinema - Meng's Theme [Gem] - Zone Rating - 7/10
This was a big track for me when growing up, on the notable R & S imprint, and Jeroen Verheij has produced many
a wonderful production under his Secret Cinema guise since. Gated synths and tonnes of emotion make up the
original which works for taking the crowd on a more melodic tip.
On remix duties are Christian Smith and Wehbba, who chill the original out a bit, taking on a deeper tech groove,
that still retains the charm of the original but is more suited for earlier on in the night. The original still wins favour
for me and it is lovely to get a remastered copy of it. I'm off to Spain next week so expect this one to be cained
there!
https://soundcloud.com/secretcinema
52 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE

Waxhands [UK] - House & Techno
MUSIC REVIEWS
Saytek – Machine Jams [Cubisim] - Zone Top Tune - 10/10
A name now synonymous with the recent resurgence of live techno, Saytek has spent the last few
years building up a solid following. With releases on Cubism, Soma and Fabric, with his Eps and live
albums garnering support from fans and industry insiders alike.
With “Machine Jams”, he takes things back to what he is renowned for. Over an hour of solid live
techno. But dont let let the “live” tag fool you. These tracks are expertly put together. The
production is top notch and it ever deviates into self indulgent jams which go on for far too long.
Opener “Putting the pieces together” sets the tone. Definitly the intro track, a floaty arpeggio leads
into the pounding 4/4 beat which carries the album along. Dont expect any downtempo numbers
here, this is the sound of what you will get when you see Saytek in a club. And it doesnt disappoint.
Heavy on the acid, with a distinct detroit influence aswell this is an album that will get any party
started, or if you fancy keeping the night going when you get home, get this on and watch the sun
rise.
https://www.beatport.com/release/machine-jams/1808877
Jona Sul – Milkboy EP [SOUTHERN FRIED RECORDS] - Zone Recommended Tune - 10/10
Based in Brighton, Jona Sul has been making significant waves with his unique take on electronica.
This 4 track ep serves as a great intro to his sound. Title track Milkboy is as close as you will get to
a club track, and is a mix of deep house and with scatty spoken and dreamy vocals drifting over the
minimal bass and drums. All 4 tracks have a similar style and sound, and will be perfect for a sun
drenched beach or outdoor party as the sun is rising or setting. Perfect baleiric music, and has
summer written all over it.
https://www.beatport.com/release/milkboy/1793933
Kasey Taylor, Lister Coray – Departime (Florian Kruse remix) [LO FI 45]
Zone Rating - 9/10
Released a while back, the original release of “Departime” did well enough, but with the release of a
new batch of remixes, including ones from Vincenzo, Damir Smith and Retza, my pick of the bunch is
the Florian Kruze take on it. A perfect plend of smooth deep house elements in the breaks and a
chunky recurring bassline, tough punchy drums and a smattering of 303 over the top, this is a great
mid set track that will keep people going.
https://www.beatport.com/release/departime-remixes/1824241
Steve Shaden – Criminal – [NAKED LUNCH RECORDS] - Zone Rating - 7/10
Italy's Steve Shaden hooks up with Portugal's Naked Lunch Records and drops an absolute beast
of a track. Verging dangerously close to “hard techno” with the pounding kick and monotone
bassline being driven along with enough shuffle and minimal percussion to keep the groove going.
Simple but effective, I can see this being very effective when unleashed on the right dancefloor.
https://www.beatport.com/release/criminal-madhouse-ep/1789637
Jonny Vaz – Lagoa EP [INTIMATE PROJECT MUSIC] - Zone Rating - 8/10
Boston based Jonny Vaz delivers a sun drenched EP on Intimate Project Music. Again summer vibes
all over this one, with all 3 tracks being perfect for any outdoor party. Smooth pads chords and stabs
are the order of the day, with punchy funky bass. The El Mundo remix of “Spray” takes things to a
more techy level, with the arpegiated bassline running throughout and giving the track a more late
night edge. Quality release.
https://www.beatport.com/release/lagoa/1815720
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 53

MUSIC REVIEWS
Nutty T [UK] - Hard Dance & Hard Style
Christian D & Jonny Mad - The Dark [Activa] - Zone Top Tune - 10/10
One of my personal guilty pleasures in hardstyle music is the dark side of the the genre - and this is no exception.
The Italian label Activa deliver again with this banging Raw showcase from Christian D & Jonny Mad.
The track hits you like a hammer in the back of the head, bringing forth some unnerving sounds with a fearsome
screech big kick rolls and fearsome synths.
They push the envelope in the breakdown with a big throbbing bass stab, an eerie vocal that really relishes in
darkness and big relentless saw leads..Then BOOM it hits you, with big raw kicks, menacing kick rolls and
screaming screeches galore.
You will definitely know when this track drops, the dancefloor will go wild. This is one hell of a tune that will be in
my sets and on the Nutty Traxx Underground Sessions radio show for a long time.
http://www.djtunes.com/cristian-d-jonny-mad-1/the-dark/the-dark__7741430
Mindshockers - Who Am I? [Nutty Traxx] - Zone Recommended Tune - 10/10
The Mindshockers duo come to us all the way from Germany - and really show us what the Germans can do with
this phenomenal track.
Just in case you were thinking this was going to be warm and uplifting, you listen to this and you could not be more
far from the truth.
The track takes you on a journey from past to present and flows nicely with a monsterous bassline and some
great industrial style screeches, that is reminiscent of early Hardstyle tracks.
The track then takes a jump into the present, with a fury of hard kicks and screaming screeches which keep you
wanting more. The mammoth breakdown hits you with some orchestral elements, choirs and a big soaring melody
that builds into a brilliant climax that really push this track to another level.
If you like your early sounds or your new raw sounds, this is definitely the total package, full to the brim of
Hardstyle goodness. As the track title suggests you will be asking yourself 'Who Am I?'
https://soundcloud.com/nuttytraxx/mindshockers-who-am-i
Dean Zone vs The Sixth Sense - I Feel (Lynxx & TB Chaos Mix) [Hyper Reality] - Zone
Rating - 7/10
Hyper Reality have been making some waves on the Hardtrance circuit, this time with an offering of these three
tracks.
First up Dean Zone from the UK & Dutch born The Sixth Sense have both joined forces to bring you this hardtrance
take, combined with dramatic synths a big belting bassline and energetic melody.
The second is an Oldschool Mix from Lynxx which builds with a driving 303 riff, rolling percussion and driving
bassline.
However it is the Lynxx & TB Chaos mix that is the mix for me with some really great elements that make this
track special. The track has a big bassline with some nice synth work and an acidline that is merciless.
The breakdown hits in with some nice reverberating effects and a really great gliding pad that just gives me
goosebumps. This is one hell of a track, more of this please......
https://soundcloud.com/hyperrealityrecords
Noizy Boy - Lose Focus [KDX Digital] - Zone Rating - 7/10
Noizy Boy is already a name recognisable for his Hardtrance productions. His newest track 'Lose Focus'
comes in the form of a dark menacing number, which takes you on mystical trip, which is as far from the fluffy and
euphoric as you can get. Lose Focus is a prime example of the what the Noizy Boy sound is all about. The track
consists of a gritty bassline, soaring synths, percussive hits and distorted growling stabs, with a solid dramatic riff
building throughout the track.
Supported by the likes of Mark EG, Proteus, Fausto, Renegade System, DJ W, Faze 2 and many more.
https://soundcloud.com/kdxdigital/noizy-boy-lose-focus
Francesco Zeta - In The Ghetto [Loverloud] - Zone Rating - 8/10
The Italian Stallion Francesco Zeta brings forth this hard hitting stomper.
Francesco Zeta, one of the most productive Hardstyle producers and already known for few hits in the past like
Fairyland, Fear and Dark and more, has decided it is the time to create his own label.
There are 3 tracks on the Panic EP but for me 'In The Ghetto' ticks all the right boxes.
After listening to this track I instantly fell in love with how unique it sounded. I have been a fan of Francesco Zeta
for some time and this is no exception.
He debuts the first track on his new Loverloud label which flows with creativity.
The track pushes the bounderies introducing a bellowing bassline and some marching synth stabs,
injecting some nice crossover influences. The breakdown starts off with a brilliantly filtered detuned melody
that is overlaid by a tough Ghetto vocal before hitting in again, making this a big slab of hardstyle crossover
madness.
https://soundcloud.com/francescozeta/in-the-ghetto
52 54 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE

Danielle Holian [Ireland] - Crossover
MUSIC REVIEWS
Calvin Harris - Motion [Fly Eye / Columbia] -
Calvin Harris is one of the highest paid DJ's at this moment in time. He has updated his EDM image and gone in a poppier direction in
order to stay relevant with songs like, 'Dollar Sign' and 'Summer' from his fourth full-length studio album, Motion. Each song on this
record is superglossy and fun making the listener want to get up and dance. Motion was released on October 31, 2014. Its genre is
mostly EDM and electro house music.
Each tune is a crowd-pleaser and radio-ready. Motion features guest appearances from the likes of Haim, John Newman, Ellie
Goulding, Tinashe, Gwen Stefani, and All About She. There aren't any lines crossed on this album; it relies on the choruses which are
anthemic rather than the beatwork which doesn't add up to the songs potential standard. Harris fails to push boundaries with this
record as he plays it safe staying in a guarded risk-free area of dance and pop.
One top tune for the readers reading this review would be 'Outside' which features Ellie Goulding. It was the fourth single off the
record and a second colloboration between both artists following 'I Need Your Love'. It has the perfect balance between dance and
pop. The chords are larger-than-life. There is musical magic in this song. A tune I would recommend off the album would be 'Faith'.
It was co-written by Harris, John Newman, and Steve Mac. It introduces the listener to the record. John Newman sings, "I need a
little space in my mind / I need that little hope I can find / I need a little, I need a little faith / Is that too much to ask for?" It is
highly styled with some classic from Harris. With the strong vocals, it's a great kick-start intro to the album.
Most of Motion's sound seem recycled from his previous albums. Harris' personality doesn't shine throughout Motion. Although each
song is elevating, hearing the same line of attack played over the 15-tracks gets boring. As the first half guests unfamiliar acts, the
second half shares more known talents which saves the record overall.
https://youtu.be/0zYcAMAVCmU?list=PLNGjON-ocOxXx19PYvHldCGzbhWFmnzpZ
Plutonic Dust - Grand Delusions [P Dust Records]
Grand Delusions is the debut studio album from Plutonic Dust, a electronic music dance band, which was released in April, 2016.
The nine-track album is held by Veronica Moran’s enchanting vocals which takes the listener on a journey of delusion involving them
deeply in the electronic sound. Grand Delusions is heavy and distorted with its disco beats and reverberation vocals. The five-piece
band create something new. Track-to-track they aren’t boring, just a little repetitive. There are some parts of the record that seems
downbeat, but still showcases its excellence. The tunes would work as an instrumental electronic music if the vocals were taken
away.
One song I would recommend would be ‘Kill For Gold’ which has a feeling of nocturnal vocals. It’s a lovable tune. Moran breaks away
from her particular sounding as she sings ‘we drive these streets from midnight’, with the Chic-esque guitar rhythms. The haunting
keys and guitar are a disco-funk. A track I would recommend would be ‘Rain Talk’ which has a 90s feeling to it, revolving around
rave and house. The funky guitar riff has a vibe of nostalgic. The vocals are rising to perfection.
There is a groundbreaking evolution of electronic music that Plutonic Dust are hitting. They are different and unique and bring their
own twist to the music scene. Each tune is well produced, wonderfully put together, and an ultra-modern blend of styles.
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/grand-delusions/id1099410934?i=1099411156
Zedd - True Colours [Interscope Records]
True Colours is Russian-German electronic music producer Zedd’s second studio album. It was released in May 2015. The record
features many collaborations from the likes of Selena Gomez, Troye Sivan, Logic, and Kesha.
The album’s leading single, ‘I Want You To Know’, which features vocals from Revival singer Selena Gomez, and was released on
February 23, 2015, and landed at number 17 on Billboard Hot 100, receiving positive reviews in general. The 11-track album sees the
listener going through a lot of emotion as the album includes songs about breakups, love, being positive every day surrounded by
sugar-rushed beats, making it a crowd-pleaser.
True Colours opening track, ‘Addicted To A Memory’, which features Bahari, was released as a promotional track to download when the
record was out to pre-order before its initial release. Although the aforementioned song and ‘Straight Into The Fire’ seem to be
acquainted pop-structured, the DJ was careful with the production of True Colours. He mixed EDM, rap, and soul well into his second
album. Each song is different, but fast-paced, sweet, with breathless melodies. It’s fresh.
One song I would recommend for the readers of this review would be, ‘True Colours’, with vocals from Animal single Kesha. The
original track featured vocals by Tim James. It’s the fourth single from the record. It’s a gothic, unsteady electro ballad. The lyrics are
hauntingly beautifully sung: “All my life, one page at a time / I'll show you my, my true colors”.
One top track from the album would have to be the closing track, ‘Illusion’, which features Echosmith. It’s breathtakingly perfectly
produced. It’s taken to a whole another level. The lyrics are bittersweet, “It feels like the fairytale is over, I really wanted these pages
to begin / With "Once upon a time" like all those lullabies.” It takes the listener on an emotional roller coaster ride.
True Colours is far from boring. Even though there are certain topics discussed throughout the record, it still doesn’t stop it from its
brilliance.
https://youtu.be/ZqJiXLJs_Pg?list=PLVngzfjgawnDBeb5_ix0QQPp6lMJ3OoxMAlbum
Will.I.Am - #willpower [Interscope Records]
Will.I.Am's fourth studio album, #willpower, dominated the EDM world when it was released back in 2013. The genre floats
between hip-hop, electronica, and dance-pop. It's a great summer album.
The 17 great club tracks featuring Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Nicole Scherzinger, Skylar Grey, and Lil' Wayne. The record is
somewhat fresh, but each song is undoubtedly oppressed with auto-tune and recycled beats. But each track is almost a hit. A good
club anthem. His duets with Britney Spears 'Scream & Shout' and Justin Bieber '#thatPOWER' are perfect dance tracks. The lyrics
throughout the record are ridiculous, they're mostly pick-me-up, party type play-on-words. Each track is different with electro-tech
rhythms. They're all catchy and chart-ready but dips into many genres.
One song I would recommend for the readers of this review would be 'This Is Love', which features Eva Simons. The feel good
progress with keyboards hooks on this tune is a smooth party tune. One top track I would recommend for the readers would be
'Fall Down' which features Miley Cyrus. It's a crowd pleaser. It's has happy lyrics: "You make my world, you make my world go
'round." The techno-based sounds make the listener want to get up and dance for the five minutes and seven seconds.
The album seems to have been produced for an easy listen. The only flaw to this record is that it tried to be trendy, compared to
having meaning behind the project.
https://youtu.be/b3qsBfsjFLQ?list=PLCrK7BWaeauPwu9LM0EKjYY580Tbt3-uU
The Chainsmokers - Bouquet [Columbia]
The Chainsmokers debut extended play, Bouquet EP, is solid and noteworthy compared to their EDM hit #SELFIE. It was released on
October 23, 2015. They have incredibly grown into a more indie taste music, for these days at least, but they still hold EDM very close
to their music flavours.
The first single from the American DJ duo's Bouquet is 'Roses' which has an instance of stuttering in the song, it's beauifully written
and composed. ROZES features on the single, who sways in with gorgeous vocals. It's a great opening song. This tune quickly became
a hit sensation. 'New York City' follows but is completly different. It's a soft, deep house music tune. The vocals are powerful, unlike
anything else they have released before. It's their most emotional track to date. The EP is electronic and features great rhythm. Each
tune seems emotionally inspired by heartbreak. Until, 'Waterbed' is closest to their first major single #SELFIE in ways although it's
more quirkier. It's lighthearted with delightful beats.
A top tune for the readers reading this review would be 'Good Intentions' which features BullySongs. It's upbeat and a crowd pleaser.
It'll get the listener on their feet. But it's underrated. A song I would recommend from the EP would be, 'Until You Were Gone' which
features Emily Warren. It's fun and catchy. The drops and beats are unique. It's the most danceful track on the EP.
The five-track EP is diverse. The duo were clever with their teases in the making of the EP. They seem to be EDM lovers whom add
something different to each song they produce. Although each song seems cliche, it's still enjoyable. There is a story unfolding
throughout the EP. It's art with a bit of indie pop glitz EDM.
https://youtu.be/vViWIfhrG30
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 55

'REBIRTH'
LEE WILLIAMS RETURNS TO EJ UNDERGROUND WITH
HIS LATEST TWO TRACK EP
OUT NOW ON
WWW.KRAFTEDMUSIC.COM