Magazine

New Daft Punk Book Will Detail Their Impact on Modern Music Landscape

It's hard to argue the impact that Daft Punk had on the modern music landscape. From festival production to the numerous producers they've inspired, Daft Punk's contributions to the culture are innumerable. Veteran music journalist Gabriel Szatan will detail these contributions in a new book set for release in 2023 titled After Daft: How Daft Punk Rewired the 21st Century. The Bookseller announced

10 Influential Hispanic House and Techno Artists

Hispanic artists have played a prominent role in dance music since its inception. Their contributions to the culture can’t be understated. Dance music history is synonymous with the rise of Latinx producers in mainstream music. And as music has evolved, those artists have continued to be the backbone of the culture growing into global superstars. Hispanic DJs played a vital role in developing dan

Shelley Johannson's Essential Classic Dance Playlist

So much of our recent chat with Shelley Johannson centered around her musical roots. She opened up about the songs that made her fall in love with dance music and how they’ve made such a lasting emotional impact on her life. Her podcast One-Eighty and her Instagram feed perfectly encapsulate her love for moving forward while never forgetting where she came from. She’s a dance music encyclopedia an

Dutch Festival Group ID&T Sells to Superstruct Entertainment

Superstruct Entertainment, the UK-based festival group behind events like elrow, Hideout, and Parookaville has purchased Dutch festival group ID&T. Known for festivals like Awakenings, Mysteryland, Sensation, and over 80 other nightlife brands ID&T operates many of the largest dance music festivals in the world. Superstruct is owned by private equity firm Providence Equity Partners. The US-based f

10 House Hits That Defined the 90s

House music was born in the 80s but really hit its height in the 90s. As its sonic footprint expanded, many directions of influence emerged. And in the process gave birth to countless genres making it a global phenomenon. At the turn of the decade, the grips of the house movement expanded to the far corners of Europe. Tracks with origins in Chicago, Detroit, and New York were studied, reconstructe

The History of Tech House: Dance Music's Beloved and Derided Genre

The birth of tech house is symbolic of the tenacity of electronic music. Dance music is malleable and constantly changes and evolves. It's the key to its decades of success. Tech house has a warm and funky style. A union formed in the ‘90s, tech house has evolved into the sound of mainstage dance music. Similar to Chicago house it’s heavy on loops, vocals, and syncopated basslines. It adds the wei

Jamie Jones Brings Paradise to New York City

The summer is ending strong in Paradise. Heavy-hitter house producer Jamie Jones brings his popular Paradise event series to New York City on September 25 to world-renowned Avant Gardner to showcase the best in house and techno. Get ready to escape, because you’ll feel like you’re on vacation in Ibiza for one of the best nights of dance music of the whole year. “People often ask me why I called th

GoodSex Share the Best of Chicago's House Music Community

Colin Tyler and Joe Domingo pulled double duty at ARC Music Festival. Both as the DJ duo GoodSex and as co-conspirators in charge of the ARC Car. Otherwise known as the GoodBus, the art car was central to the festival grounds. It's made from a reclaimed 45-foot school bus purpose-built for spreading positive energy and bangin’ beats. The 10,000-watt four-point VOID audio was at the center of the a

The Essential Paul Johnson Playlist

Hailed as one of the most iconic house artists of all time, Paul Johnson died on August 4th in his hometown Chicago, Illinois. The self-taught producer has ignited dancefloors globally since the late 80s with house hits such as “Get Get Down,” “Let Me See You Butterfly,” and “Follow This Beat.” Johnson’s music has a sincere and addictive quality—filled with soulful sounds and irresistible bassline

5 Reasons ARC Music Festival Blew Us Away

Chicago celebrated the fading days of summer with ARC Music Festival. An ode to the birthplace of house music, the festival brought together a diverse lineup of house and techno artists for a one-of-a-kind open-air event just south of downtown. It was a first-time event of this caliber for Auris Presents and the veteran group of Chicago dance music promoters proved that their years of experience w

How Chicago House Arose From the Ashes of Disco

Chicago House is one of dance music’s most prominent subgenres. The unforgettable spawn of disco, it boasts stylistic origins from electro, Italo disco, and hip hop. Its high-energy sound is anchored by drum machines such as the Roland 808 and 909. And its heavy use of samplers and synths illustrate the innovation that occurs when technology and art intersect with no regard to the constraints of p

Time Warp New York Announces Lineup For 2021

Time Warp is an institution in the techno community. The destination festival is lauded for its immersive production and incredible musical programming. Today in partnership with their New York partner Teksupport, they announced the lineup for their return to New York. The highly anticipated event will take place November 19-20 after a forced two-year hiatus. Teksupport had lined up a brand new Br

Felix Cartal’s Streaming Festival Supports LGBTQ Advocacy Group The Ally Coalition

On Wednesday, August 25 Canadian producer, Felix Cartal divulged his plans for a special project to be released on September 1st. Expensive Sounds From Nice People: A Streaming Festival, his first Twitch festival, features sets from renowned DJs Dr. Fresch, LŪN, Hotel Garuda, Subset, and QRTR. The festival is named for his album Expensive Sound For Nice People released earlier this year. The Juno

Previously Unreleased Frankie Knuckles Music Has Been Unearthed

Frankie Knuckles is considered the godfather of house music. His seminal DJ sets at Chicago’s Warehouse gave birth to house music culture. And he was shining example of black and LGBTQ excellence. Tracks like “Your Love,” and “The Whistle Song” still reverberate from the speakers of clubs and festivals. They stand as a testament to the timeless quality of his work. DJ International, one of Chicago

Honey Dijon's Etsy Collection is a Celebration of Queer Culture

Trans DJ, producer, and advocate Honey Dijon launched a Creator Collab on Etsy celebrating queer culture. The 20 piece collection includes printed scarves, earrings, statement piece homeware, and playing cards created by women of color and queer artists. The collection references cultural footnotes from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. The period of collective change within marginalized communities gave

10 European Destination Festivals to Add to Your Dance Music Bucket List

By: Melisa Yuriar | follow her on Twitter: @mildcob There’s no shortage of exciting destination festivals for house heads and techno tourists. And nothing beats the experience of exploring a new city as you take in the sensory bliss of a far-flung festival. From established powerhouses like Awakenings and Creamfields, to underrated gems like Street Parade, let us be your guide as we tour some of E

Acid House: The Errant Knob Twist that Started a Culture Revolution

From thick sub-bass to cortex-tickling supersaws to metallic growls and every texture in between, dance music has birthed no shortage of novel sounds. Almost 40 years ago, though, the most alien timbre any producer could imagine came from an unexpected culprit: the Roland TB-303 Bass Line. At that, it was discovered by accident. The device is responsible for the instantly recognizable squelch soun

Gaston Steenkist of Chocolate Puma Announces End of Touring Career

Gaston Steenkist, aka Dobre, of Chocolate Puma, announced his retirement from touring. The Dutch DJ and production duo have worked together for three decades. Their career is marked by dance floor destroying records like “Scrub The Ground” with DJ Fun and Tommie Sunshine and “Rebels On The Run” featuring Grace Tither. “A lot has happened in my personal life since the beginning of this pandemic, bo

5 House Acts With Surprising Pasts

Overnight success takes about ten years. By that measure, your favorite DJ or producer was grinding long before you even knew they existed. And they probably tried countless times to find their groove. Dance music is a vast web of genres and subgenres. Its diversity makes it easy for artists to stay in the scene while they test out new sounds. DJ aliases also allow artists to exist in relative ano

Dance Music Mourns the Loss of Paul Johnson and K-HAND

The dance music community today mourned the loss of two of its pioneers. Chicago house legend Paul Johnson passed away this morning at age 50 from complications related to COVID-19. And First Lady of Detroit K-Hand, aka Kelli Hand, passed away yesterday at age 56, the cause of death was unknown at the time of publication. Both artists were powerful voices in dance music history. Born and raised i

Mixmag's The Lab LDN Returns With Sasha

Last Friday, July 30th Mixmag HQ hosted its first Lab LDN in over a year. And what a way to open up the greatest office party in the world than with the legendary Sasha on the decks. The live mix series has been on hiatus since the start of the pandemic, but as restrictions loosen in the UK, the Lab opened back up for this masterclass in DJing from one of dance music's most lauded artists. Sasha j

Deborah De Luca Will Drop A Special Hometown Stream From Naples, Italy

The reigning queen of Italian techno, Deborah De Luca will rock a hometown stream on July 5th, 2021. In partnership with Beatport, she will DJ from the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy. The event will stream via her Facebook page. Located only a stone’s throw from where she was born in Le Vele, Scampia, this is sure to be a passionate set for the Italian DJ and producer. De Luca’s h

Check Out Pig & Dan and Gregor Tresher's Psychadelic NFT Drop

New artists enter the NFT space every day. It’s become tough to distinguish what separates one from the other. Pig & Dan (Igor Tchkotoua and Dan Duncan) and Gregor Tresher’s upcoming drop is a refreshing note of compelling music and visual storytelling. And it aims to use a more equitable financial model. And challenge the idea that art on the blockchain is bad for the environment. The titans of t