Acclaimed international DJ, producer, activist, and Web3 entrepreneur Vivie-Ann Bakos—aka BLOND:ISH—has become a leading voice for climate consciousness across various mediums while paving new paths between artists and fans within the digital space. Last week, Bakos blazed a new trail unveiling a pioneering partnership for her Bye Bye Plastic Foundation during International Music Summit Ibiza, the premier forum for electronic music.



This Summer, Bye Bye Plastic will partner with Web3 platform, Socialstack, to launch the $BYEBYE social token, a cryptocurrency that can only be earned through environmental actions. It offers unique redemption opportunities such as limited NFTs, membership, and real-world experiences. Celo, a carbon-negative blockchain, powers this first-of-its-kind impact-driven social token.



But how is such an innovative program made possible with so many moving pieces?


Bye Bye Plastic is the inaugural grant recipient of Socialstack’s Climate Action Social Token Fund. This groundbreaking initiative comes in collaboration with Celo’s Climate Collective to fund and provide infrastructure to cultural and brand leaders for the development of Web3 communities addressing the climate crisis. 




The $75K grant will allow Bye Bye Plastic and Socialstack to run the first-ever Impact To Earn (I2E) campaign in the Web3 space, with $25,000 in CELO tokens rewarded to those who take positive actions. This aims to capitalize on the notable rise in popularity of Play To Earn (P2E) gaming. 




BLOND:ISH shared her intentions for the token format, saying, “The sustainable and circular economy still needs to appear stimulating and incentivizing in our everyday lives in order to win the tide of climate change. With a token that rewards environmental actions, we aim to not only gamify but also effortlessly change the culture that will shape a plastic-free and more regenerative world.”



And why is a fledgling space like Web3 such an exciting new vehicle for this kind of climate-conscious movement? Craig Wilson, CEO of Climate Collective, shares, “Reversing climate change is a problem that is best suited to Web3. Climate is a mass coordination problem, and Web3 is a mass coordination tool.”



Web3 describes decentralized online ecosystems based on the use of blockchain technologies. For further explanation of blockchain-based projects and their use in the music industry, check out our insights in 10 Dance Music Led Blockchain Projects.



$BYEBYE will launch at the end of Summer 2022. For more info, visit byebyetoken.com





Connect with BLOND:ISH on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Connect with Bye Bye Plastic on Instagram | Facebook

Connect with Socialstack, Celo, and Climate Collective for more info

BLOND:ISH Launches Innovative Climate Conscious $BYEBYE Token

“With mindfulness, you can establish yourself in the present in order to touch the wonders of
life that are available in that moment.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh



I am a DJ who lives a spiritual life. These are two statements that many wouldn’t expect to coexist. I got sober from drugs and alcohol at the tender age of 16, having gone through the wringer with addictions early on.



Recovery necessitates spiritual growth, and while exploring different ideas to find what resonated with me, I came across the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh. His words spoke to me deeply. They showed me how to implement a mindfulness practice, where I’ve learned to be fully present in the moment and experience life fully. As I’ve dedicated myself to becoming a career DJ, this practice has been a much-needed source of relief as I have navigated a tumultuous industry.







One can argue that music is one of the most challenging businesses to build a career in, especially as an artist. There are certainly some who rise to prominence quite quickly, but for most, it is a path that requires a consistent, concerted effort towards a long-term goal. Throughout the journey, there are setbacks, triumphs, disappointments, windfalls, and many more peaks and
valleys.



I was very caught up in this pendulum early in my career, swaying from thinking things were just about to break to thinking I had no hope of “making it.” This took me to a place where I became so focused on achieving my goals that I was completely missing the journey. I would think if only I had this next thing (label signing, manager, gig, etc.), all the other dominos would fall.



After a particularly crushing disappointment when it felt like everything was lining up for me, only to disintegrate, I very nearly gave up on the pursuit of music. Mindfulness practice ultimately saved me. By becoming present in the moment rather than focusing on the things I wanted but were out of my reach, I discovered a deep sense of gratitude.



I get the opportunity to reach people through one of the most beautiful mediums that humanity has stumbled across, both through releasing original music and performing. I get to brighten others’ lives and help them feel better understood. Music has had a profoundly positive impact on my life, and it is an honor to share this passion with others.



Today, I try not to get too high or too low. I aim to allow myself to experience the emotions that flow from merging my career with my passion without being overwhelmed by them. In doing so, I can better focus on the work at hand. When I am rooted in the present moment, there is joy in each activity, from playing to a packed dance floor to writing in a studio to taking small actions in which I advocate for myself. I am awake to the beautiful, driven, and talented people who surround me on this path.

OpEd: How Being Mindful Made Me a Better DJ

For those who are dying to know what keeps ravers coming back to the shadows of the underground, gather around and lace up your combat boots: let’s talk about hard techno.


Before we begin, let’s make sure we’re up to speed on the basics. Techno music originated in the late 1980s and early ‘90s, establishing itself in US cities including New York, Detroit, and Chicago. Growing out of European dance music and becoming an unstoppable force of its own, techno has enraptured the global music market even beyond electronic genres.


Marked by thumping 4/4 kick drums and synths that can sound equally nostalgic and futuristic, this is the sound that powers the underground and influences countless subgenres across the electronic spectrum.




So, what about hard techno? Some may believe good, old-fashioned techno is intense, yet it’s nothing compared to its ferocious counterpart. Born in the late ‘90s, the Schranz movement— led by industry veteran Chris Liebing— saw techno producers dish out even harder kicks and ultra-fast tempos reaching and even exceeding 150 beats per minute. This style is what we know now as hard techno, and it’s become a sweeping movement in dance music like never before.


When we call this music ‘hard,’ we refer to the hardcore influences that act as the foundation of this sound. If you’re familiar with genres like gabber or uptempo hardcore (200 BPM, anyone?), you understand why this genre is aptly titled. Crushing kick drums and heavy distortion are the trademarks of hardcore and its many subgenres, including the sound of hard techno.


In 2019, journalist Annabel Ross penned a piece for Beatportal titled Why Techno Is Harder, Faster and Angrier Than Ever, exploring the emerging trend of techno DJs playing harder music. “Subgenres that were once considered fringe, or even garish, like gabber and hardcore, are suddenly everywhere,” she wrote, “and purveyors of these styles, and of harder techno, are often enjoying a sudden and unexpected boost in status.”




Ross investigates a few reasons why this has become a trend: the natural ebb and flow of the genre’s popularity across generations, rising tensions among nations and individuals worldwide, and simply just the fun of dancing like a maniac to mega-fast beats. Whatever your reason, there’s sure to be a style of hard techno just for you.


Made for aggressively stomping on the dance floor inside an abandoned warehouse at 3:18 a.m., hard techno is best complemented with minimal production when it comes to the setting — you won’t find 20-foot LED walls or confetti drops at these shows. Some of the best hard techno parties are nestled in a dark alley on the city streets, powering the dance floor with just a DJ setup, speakers, and maybe one all-consuming red light or strobe. This music is for dancing yourself clean of all sins, basking in the drama and the terror of the kick drum as you try to keep up with the DJ.






Despite the often rigid instrumentation across hard techno, there are plenty of opportunities to feel the groove and a sense of release in this music. With artists like Krl Mx influenced by the galloping percussion of psytrance and others like Vizionn pulling inspiration from classic trance of decades past, the spectrum of hard techno contains multitudes.




If you prefer the bouncier styles of hard music, there’s no shame in dabbling in the uber-fun genres like donk and hard house to work your way into the hard techno dungeon.


Visiting the catalogs of storied producers such as Fatima Hajji will be your key to the vast world of hard techno. With releases spanning back to 2008 available on digital streaming services, Fatima’s anything but traditional hard techno fare serves as a fine, diverse guide for new fans.



There’s more hard music on mainstream music festival lineups in today's electronic music scene than ever before. Take this year’s lineup for EDC Las Vegas, for example, which features hard techno acts Deborah de Luca, I Hate Models, Charlotte de Witte, and even hardcore acts Mad Dog, DJ AniMe Rob Gee. Now accessible to a broader audience, the potential for hard techno’s global explosion seems all but inevitable. We’ll see you on the dance floor — and don’t forget your stomping boots.

Let's Talk About Hard Techno

May in Ibiza is all about fun and happy vibes. The island starts to bloom, and the sun never stops shining. Hotels, bars, and restaurants around the island have opened, and most of the beach and nightclubs kick off their summer residencies. Below are some recommendations if you want to experience Ibiza like an authentic islander!






Circoloco Opening at DC-10 – Monday, May 2

Circoloco was born in 1999 as a free after-party hosted at DC10 on Monday mornings but soon spread to become a dance brand in many other countries. This summer, it celebrates its 24th season on the White Isle. The opening, closing, and New Year’s Day events are a ritual trifecta on Ibiza.



Circo Loco is an inseparable part of DC-10 and is symbolic of the underground clubbing scene in Ibiza with no production, no decoration, and very little promotion. A night in which the crazy clown face brings us all together to dance non-stop to incredible techno sounds. A real dancing marathon that starts at four in the afternoon and continues until 7 am on May 3 if you dare! Tickets are now available here.









Follow Circo Loco on Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud




Defected in the House at Eden – Friday, May 6



In the heart of San Antonio Bay, Eden is one of the great clubs of the island and, since 2016, home to Defected. The proverb of one of the most extended Ibiza residencies has always been, “In our house, we are all equal.”

It continues to be the most affordable night on the island, with an embracing vibe that allows clubbers of all ages to enjoy their legendary brand of house music and some free pre-parties at Café Mambo.

So, if you are passionate about house, soul, and disco, the second week of Defected takes place from midnight on Friday, May 6 at Eden and 20 other Friday nights in Ibiza till September 30! Get your tickets here.








Follow Defected on Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud







ANTS Opening at Ushuaïa & Hï Ibiza – Saturday, May 7



Celebrating its 8th season, one of Ibiza’s most popular events by United Ants colony will take over the two Platja d’en Bossa clubs for the first time to kick off the season in style!


Ants is a party concept born in Ibiza in 2013 that soon gained a solid reputation both on the island and worldwide. Performers and acrobats dress up as ants in full-body black suits and put on a mind-blowing show with spectacular production, decor, pyrotechnics, ice cannons, confetti showers, and breathtaking visual effects. Expect an unparalleled atmosphere and a lineup of world-class underground house and techno talents nixing hot new tunes with old-school anthems.

On top of that, Ants presents a new theme this season, ‘Invasion,’ inspired by the ‘B-movies’ of the 1960s and pretends to transform both venues into mesmerizing science fiction playgrounds. Join the invasion at Ushuaïa in the afternoon from 3 pm and then carry on across the road to Hï from 11 pm until the early hours of the morning. Get your tickets here.









Follow United Ants on Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud




Glitterbox Opening at Hï Ibiza – Sunday, May 8




Glitterbox is a party concept created by Defected boss Simon Dunmore back in 2014 that fits in perfectly with the island due to its infectious energy and good vibes. It combines contemporary house music, soul, and disco with a slice of glam, incredible live performances, and drag queens to entertain the crowd. It brings back the distinctive and inclusive Ibiza spirit to the dancefloor. It's a genuinely uplifting celebration of love, smiles, sing-alongs, and hands in the air moments.




Check out the full lineup for this summer below and buy tickets here!







Follow Glitterbox on Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud





Whether pre-gaming or winding down after the afters, spending a day at a beach club is mandatory when in Ibiza. Whether you want a lazy day sunbathing with a mojito and some tasty Mediterranean bites, or if you are looking for some entertainment while dipping your feet in the sea, Platja d’en Bossa is a must. It's the longest beachfront on the island, where some of the most popular beach clubs are located.




Nassau Beach Club can be found in the middle of this picturesque beach, with friendly staff and fun yet laid-back attitude. You can sample Mediterranean cuisine or select from a wide selection of cocktails from your hammock or Balinese bed. It is also a great party retreat by the sea with music all day long and some special happenings during the summer. www.nassaubeachclub.com/









Located at the end of D’en Bossa, Beach House is like a Caribbean oasis with a bohemian style that offers distinct experiences. Chose from massages and yoga classes on the beach in the morning before a revitalizing breakfast or bottle service if you want to live a more luxurious experience. They occasionally host events with DJs, and it's also ideal for trying local products. Open from dawn to dusk. www.beachouseibiza.com/









Bora Bora opened in 1982 and is the oldest beach club on the island. It is a perfect option if you like to keep close to your party desires and dance on the sand or around the pool in its backyard, El Patio. You can also book accommodations here at the Bora Bora Apartments (only recommended for party animals who like the fuss and don’t care about bustle). There is also a restaurant where you can savor Japanese-Mediterranean fusion food with beach service. www.boraboraibiza.net

Circoloco, ANTS, Defected & Glitterbox Return for the 2022 Season

London-based DJ, producer, and label owner Archie Hamilton served up an hour of slick minimal house goodness for Gray Area’s OCHO back in December 2021. The accomplished artist recently launched his Frequency club event series in the UK, which offers attendees a unique audio-visual experience.







The latest Frequency party kicked off under the iconic railway arches of The Steelyard, London. It also featured Oden & Fatzo, Jaden Thompson, and more incredible acts behind the decks. The Frequency series continues this Bank Holiday Sunday at Mint Warehouse, Leeds, where Hamilton is frequently welcomed back with open arms.









The proud owner of Moscow Records and Moss Co., Archie Hamilton is a well-respected name in dance music both in the UK and abroad. He delighted fans worldwide with the release of his debut album, Archive Fiction, in the summer of 2019.

Now established in both North and South America, Hamilton is also an irreplaceable feature on the Ibiza circuit, performing at Circoloco, Music On, and the closing of Amnesia in 2019. He also was called upon in January 2020 by Pete Tong for a coveted spot on the Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1.

Keep your eyes peeled for Hamilton’s sets this summer at Music On Festival, Amnesia Opening Party, Baltic Weekender, and many more clubs and festivals across the globe.




Follow Archie Hamilton on Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud

Follow Frequency Events on Instagram

Dive into Archie Hamilton’s Ultra Funky Mix for OCHO

Leave it to Jamie Jones to deliver the perfect poolside groove. It’s a well-known fact that no one does bass lines like Jones, but “My Paradise” is one of his spiciest to date. A pining vocal and salsa-inspired piano step this tune up a notch while the strings and horns sweep us off into a sublime oceanside sunset. Audibly induced bliss at its finest.





Inspired by his frequent jaunts to Ibiza over the years, Jones recalls his earliest days on the White Isle.



"I remember back in my early Ibiza seasons around 2000,” Jamie begins. “There were these big anthems that used pumped up 909 hi-hats, a heavy kick drum, a looping disco groove. Producers like Armand Van Helden and Full Intention did it so well. I wanted to re-create this for the 2022 dancefloor and 'My Paradise' is what came out.”



The Hot Creations label boss has been one of dance music’s leading figures for the better part of a decade, pioneering his distinguished brand of warm house and techno. Spirited bass lines, irresistible percussion kits, and unparalleled taste create house music heaven for anyone listening to a Jame Jones set. Some might even call it, Paradise.



Paradise started as Jamie’s distinguished Ibiza party in 2012 and has since grown into a renowned international events brand. From Miami to Ibiza, London to New York, Dance music fans the world over dream of a chance to catch one of Jones’ Paradise events. As we excitedly make our way into Ibiza season, Jamie Jones pays homage to his Ibizan roots and drops the perfect summer party starter, “My Paradise,” out now on Defected Records.



We recommend you enjoy this latest offering with the sun overhead, a drink in hand, and ample room for dancing, but let’s be real, any setting will do.



"My Paradise" is available on all platforms now. Stream or buy here

Follow Jamie Jones on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud

Jamie Jones Returns To Defected With Summertime Groove, 'My Paradise'

In the substantially complicated ecosystem of music labels, publishers, distributors, and royalty collectors, the idea of artists getting paid quickly may sound like a revolutionary concept.



Now broaden that thought experiment to a more extensive ecosystem. What if we could create a new financial system for music that can support real-time revenue streams and ultimately hand much more power to the individual artist? Several innovative blockchain-based projects are taking this on. Dance music has always been tech-forward. And many artists have entered the crypto space with designs of making space for increased earning power, more direct fan interaction, and leaving behind systems that don’t favor the kind of revolutionary creativity that made dance music possible.


These projects make it possible for artists to get paid for their art easier, faster and choose how they want the rights to their creative content to be distributed. In addition, they let the greater community peek under the hood in the studio, offering an inside look at future projects, be they music or merch. Fans can now contribute directly to these future projects without a record label in the middle. And they hope to reduce reliance on third-party ticketing platforms and the exorbitant fees that come with them.




How cryptocurrency works, in a nutshell

In 2008 Satoshi Nakamoto gave birth to Bitcoin— which officially introduced the first cryptocurrency. The first official Bitcoin transaction happened in 2010 when Florida resident Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 BTC for two pizzas. Over a decade later, Bitcoin's value hit a record high in January 2021 when one BTC became worth more than 40,000 USD, meaning those pizzas would cost $400 million by today's standards.




Cryptocurrency materialized out of widespread distaste for society's bank-reliant money model. Essentially, it ensures average citizens can have complete control over their funds without government interference.




The most important part is the operation on a blockchain, which eliminates double-spending. The blockchain is a publicly accessible, transparent ledger. When a person makes a transaction, it creates a data "block" that houses the sender and recipients' addresses — a unique transaction ID — and a timestamp.




Those blocks form a digital chain as transactions continue. They cannot be edited. And once someone participates, their computer begins keeping a copy of the blockchain. That means — say, in the case of Bitcoin (or any other crypto)— any hacking attempt would be immediately flagged, thanks to the hundreds of thousands of computers that are now keeping track of and updating Bitcoin's decentralized blockchain.




These days, Bitcoin is just one of many forms of usable cryptocurrency. And there are also non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which can hold unique assets like art, tickets, or trademarks instead of money.




According to music's cryptocurrency enthusiasts, all these things are possible — a growing group of tech-obsessed entrepreneurs with the common goal of applying the technology of blockchain and bitcoin to the multibillion-dollar global business of selling albums. Crypto advocates want to continue engineering new financial systems for music that can support real-time revenue streams and ultimately hand much more power to the individual artist.




We’ve pulled together a list of our top picks for crypto projects led by those in dance music.







RCRDSHP






Built by established DJs, producers, agents, and many more key players in the industry, RCRDSHP is a digital collectibles platform launched earlier this year to transform our experience with electronic music.


RCDRDSHP works to surprise its users by curating and dropping digital content known as a "pack." In the background, the system is validated by blockchain and non-fungible tokens. The packs contain collectible content that can be bought and sold, listened to, watched, or combined with game mechanics to unlock new premium collectibles and real-life experiences. Learn more about the project here.







WAX MOTIF- $WAXM




Wax Motif was one of the first in the scene to recognize the power crypto holds to create unique direct-to-fan relationships. He launched his social token known as $WAXM in 2020. WAX coin allows users to engage directly with him in various ways, from meet and greets to production workshops. His ever-growing Discord has forever challenged the way he sees the community that coalesces around him.




As part of the $WAXM experience, there are three different limited-edition NFT creations, two of which could only be acquired by scanning a QR code at a specific live event. The last of his three NFT creations is only awarded to the "OG $WAXM holders," which shows how NFTs and social tokens engage an artist's community both in-person and digitally. Effectively, Wax Motif has continued to establish new sources of revenue that exist within the crypto economy.




Learn more about $WAXM here.




XLR8R




XLR8R is launching a platform for independent artists to create, mint, and auction NFT tokens. In collaboration with NFT platform partner Cargo, they plan to launch a curated NFT marketplace dedicated to electronic music. This will allow artists and labels to create, market, and sell NFTs, thereby placing the control of art back into the hands of the creators, allowing them to be paid directly for their work in perpetuity. Learn more about XLR8R here.













DJEnerate NFT




Djenerates is a music NFT project created by a fantastic crew who live and breathe the electronic music scene. Founded by celebrated NFT producer Hipworth and backed by heavy hitters such as Bedouin, Blond:ish, Giorgia Angiuli, Maceo Plex, and some of the leading electronic music brands. This has allowed fans to access some of the most exclusive clubs globally and metaverse events, limited edition NFT's from leading artists, including swag and other signed collectible items. 




Read more about the project here.










Crypto DJs




Created by a small group of DJs, music lovers, and experts from across the music industry, CryptoDJs allows fans to engage with their favorite artists, including Pig&Dan, Christian Smith, Simina Grigoriu, Victor Ruiz, and Mark Reeve. They have built individual access to exclusive communities and content through collectible NFTs in the form of digital cards. Each card is unique, and 10% of the cards feature exclusive audio tracks, adding rarity value to the tradeable.




The more you build your collection, the more you earn access rewards to exclusive experiences and content by acquiring pre-designed card combinations. Different combinations will unlock bespoke opportunities. Some of these experiences include backstage passes, meet and greets, concert passes, and more.




Check it out here.




Don Diablo’s Hexcoin




Dutch DJ and producer Don Diablo used the Gaze Coin platform to launch his cryptocurrency token, Hexcoin, named after his record label Hexagon. Gaze Coin, also known as the GZE token, is a currency and platform that provides artificial virtual reality creators a trackable recovery on investment by awarding audiences for viral content.




Don Diablo will be using Hexcoin (HXG Coin) for his platform as a currency for people to access content from his label. The coin offers rewards by tracking what you watch. The longer you watch content, the more monetary value it provides the content creator.




For additional details about Hexcoin, you can visit the website here.







Emanate




Emanate is a network marketplace built for music lovers and creators. Its strength is that immediate payments and automated technology drive it, Emanate connects players in the music industry in a way never before seen.

Powered on the backend by Web3 technology, the platform manages the entire journey of music creation, distribution, promotion, and monetization. What’s unique about this platform is that everyone can earn, not just artists, and they have a rocking referral program. Emanate shares payments for popular playlists you create. As well as provides micro rewards for music discovery and curation and time-limited earnings for simply listening to new music.




This is a music lover's dream! Learn more about this robust platform here.







EDM Dancecoin




EDM DanceCoin (EDMC) is the first of its kind utility fan token built by electronic music lovers for electronic music lovers. The tokens are housed with a Dutch foundation that organizes and manages the fundraising. The foundation also provides sponsorship and financial support for various festivals and projects.


The ecosystem of this system supports not only the commercial music industry, live music venues and festivals. It also includes music education, health, and wellness through music and the economic supply chain that makes music happen, front and backstage.




Check out this worthwhile project in full here.







Birdhain

Dance music tastemaker Dirtybird is opening the doors to its own Web3 nightclub, Birdhain, in its metaverse, Birdyverse. Based on the famous Berlin nightclub Berghain, it's an all-hours virtual nightclub with DJ sets running every day and night. The Birdyverse at large is open to anyone with a cryptocurrency wallet, like MetaMask, but you must hold a Dirtybird Flight Club NFT to join Birdhain. Once entered, users will be able to wander, chat, scour, and interact with the mysterious island shaped like a cracked egg.


To join the Birdyverse, log in here and connect your Crypto wallet. You can read more on the Birdyverse in this interview with Claude Von Stroke over at Resident Advisor.







Audius




As the streaming landscape competition continues to get more competitive between the largest streaming platforms, finding competitive advantages to drive paid subscribers has never been more complex. Audius is a platform that uses blockchain technology to offer clarity and transparency for artists. Artists can upload their music and have an immutable record of owning that content. If the content is misused, musicians can easily prove ownership of the intellectual property and take the appropriate measures to stop it from being used without their authorization.




It also gives musicians more control regarding the monetization of their work and enables them to connect with fans directly. Check out the inner workings of the platform here.




Editors Note: Using blockchain technology in this way is not without its issues. While Audius claims to be solving ownership problems, that hasn't stopped users from uploading copyright-infringing content from major labels. As noted in a 2019 piece by Dani Deahl for The Verge, "the company confirmed to The Verge that there is no content ID system in place to catch potential infringement. Though individual uploaders can be held liable for infringement, there’s no way for Audius to remove infringing material, and there is also no way to file an infringement claim on the website."

10 Dance Music Led Blockchain Projects

Founded by credentialed advocate for sexual assault prevention, Kay Brown, Four 4 Consent aims to change how music industry professionals approach and learn about sexual assault prevention.



The newly unveiled Nightlife Safety Summit is a year-long ambassador program for artists, managers, agents, venue staff, and “any industry professional wanting to educate themselves on nightlife violence prevention within the music industry,” says Brown.


The course is not for the commitment-phobic: All ambassadors selected for the exclusive year-long program will need to commit to eight hours of Zoom classes a month. Of the ten mandatory meetings ambassadors attend to complete the course successfully, two will be group-focused, with sessions scheduled with their industry peers located nearby or within the same industry subgroup.




Four 4 Consent plans to hone in on two of the biggest music hubs in North America—the greater Los Angeles area and the East Coast, for “scene-specific education.” The non-profit organization’s goal with the year-long program is to educate and successfully mentor over 140 electronic music industry ambassadors in the hopes that they continue to prevent sexual assault and violence at every tier in the music industry pipeline.






“Sexual assault and violence can happen to anyone in the industry ladder, regardless of what you’re wearing and who you are,” said co-founder & Director of Operations Nikki Berry. The music business management graduate and Columbia College Chicago valedictorian recalls working booking and hospitality at a venue in Chicago and being accosted and harassed by men during a show for being the sole woman working that night.




“At one point, I decided to help out my door guy with ticketing, and the guys working kept asking me things like ‘Who’d you blow to get this gig?’ when I had literally just produced and booked the entire show. So when Kay asked me to join her, I said of course I want to help make people feel safe! People get treated like this no matter who you are—whether you’re a woman, queer, a person of color…it’s hard out there. If I can do anything to make someone feel more comfortable or respected, whether they are an attendee, someone working behind the scenes, and in the industry, that’s what we’re here for and why we’re doing this,” said Berry.




Four 4 Consent consists of Berry, the Director of Operations; Founder and Executive Director, Brown; and co-founder and licensed professional counselor, Brittany Guitterez. Together the Four 4 Consent organizers share over a decade of varied experience with the music industry and in advocacy work, with multiple members having worked in artist, label and tour management, hospitality and stage management, talent acquisition, and buying.




The idea for F4C, says Brown, stemmed from exasperation with the lack of consequences faced by several high-profile EDM musicians after allegations surfaced against them in 2020.




After penning an article for ‘Fresh Music Freaks’ on artists, sexual violence, industry dynamics, and accountability, Brown saw the piece shared at an unprecedented rate. A dialogue began to emerge across the wider electronic dance music community.





“I think the third persona is something people really don’t understand with music, and combining it with parasocial relationships makes it even more dangerous,” Brown shared on dynamics and accountability concerning artists.




Brown’s mentor, Indrani Goradia, a women’s empowerment advocate and the founder of RAFT, Resilience for Advocates through Foundational Training, encouraged Brown to continue the momentum.



“[Goradia] said, Kay, you have the person in your corner that you need who is dying to push forward and work with you on this. Don’t play small. And so I asked my friend Nikki and shortly after we brought Brittany on board,” she said.




Since founding the non-profit, the Four 4 Consent Executive Director has been recognized by California's Office of Emergency Services as a Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Counselor and awarded “Registered Advocate with Advanced Standing” status from the Ohio Advocate Network.




Licensed counselor, Guitterez, is Ohio-based and has years of experience working with mental health matters, trauma, and even forensic issues.

Her expertise was pivotal in creating the Nightlife Safety Summit course material, as was the other organizers’ extensive knowledge of violence prevention, the music industry, and their combined formal education in Criminology, conflict resolution, mental health, and trauma.




To apply for the program as an ambassador, text “Ambassador” to (313) 367-1228 to receive links to apply for either the Los Angeles cohort or the Midwest/East Coast cohort. For more information about the new program, email ready@four4consent.org.



Follow Four 4 Consent on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

'Nightlife Safety Summit' Program Aims to Prevent Sexual Assault in Nightlife

When Factory 93 and Day Trip teamed up last year to co-create a brand new festival, Skyline, in Florida for house and techno lovers, they did it big. Headliners like Maceo Plex, Nicole Moudaber, and The Martinez Brothers were front and center. This year, they continue the tradition of uniting the best DJs in the world for two days, May 27-28.


Today Skyline revealed their lineup by day so you can plan your Memorial Day Weekend to perfection. True to Factory 93’s goal to “explore the intersection of untethered creativity and bold self-expression, while never taking its finger off the pulse of the underground,” this year’s lineup is a splendid blend of big names and rising talent.


Headliners like Adam Beyer, Eric Prydz, and Green Velvet definitely stick out. But, we’re also hyped to see blossoming artists take the stage like TSHA, HoneyLuv, Malóne, Chelina Manuhutu, and J Worra.



Whether Channel Tres is bringing the groove, we’re getting deep with Zhu or banging it out to Will Clarke’s thumping funky techno, this two-day spectacle is a dream come true for any house and techno lover.


But the reason the day-to-day lineup is extra important right now is that Skyline will soon begin to sell single-day passes. At 12 noon EDT on Thursday, April 28, you can choose which day suits your vibe best, but you can bet we’ll be there both days.


Similar to Gray Area’s mission, the Skyline team is committed to bringing together the international house community, so we can’t help but show up and support. Will you be there?


Check out Skyline’s lineup by day below, and get ready to grab your single-day passes on Thursday!


On May 27-28, 2022, Skyline happens in the Orlando Memorial Amphitheater at the Central Florida Fairgrounds. Single-day tickets go on sale Thursday at 12 pm ET





Follow Skyline on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Skyline Orlando Announces Day-to-Day Lineup and Single-Day Passes

It’s clear from their nonsensical self-written bio that German duo Super Flu doesn’t take themselves too seriously. It's a hilariously written string of non-sequiturs and indecipherable statements. 



“Welcome to the world where crispy baked bass drums give the keynote, where Momratzn twitch to tweaking hi-hats and speech bubbles wave engaging basses to you!?" It begins. "Do you falter on making a tough decision? Super Flu recommend you garlic bread rolls and 6-minute-boiled eggs!”



The duo don't subscribe to any convention, as further evidenced in their wide-ranging fifteen-year catalog. Their genre-fluid approach puts a playful spin on the art of DJing and producing underground music. Mathias and Felix of Super Flu have described their sound as “eco-house with fair-trade techno elements.” In other words, they make tasty music.





Super Flu have made their impact on the scene in many different ways. Their label Monaberry is notorious in the underground world of electronic music, helping artists that would otherwise be too left of center to sign elsewhere to break out well before international recognition.




Founded in 2009, Monaberry was Super Flu’s answer to the gauntlet of record label A&R. Frustrated by the implications of having to cater to specific labels' sounds, Mathias and Feliks decided that starting their own label would allow them to be independent and create whatever music they wanted. Furthermore, it has served as an opportunity for them to identify rising talent, helping prominent artists like Andhim and Monkey Safari find their footing and reach a wider audience.




Below are our five selections from the uniquely independent Monaberry record label.




Super Flu & Andhim - Reeves

The title track of this EP, “Reeves,” marked the beginning of Andhim’s introduction to the world of underground music. Simon Haehnel and Tobias Müller started making music together in 2010, and just two years later, Super Flu spotted their immense talent and collaborated with them on this breakout EP.




Super Flu - Go

One of Super Flu’s most notable tracks, “Go,” is a prime example of what we’ve come to expect from the eclectic pair. A slow roller with a scintillating bassline that has listeners grooving from its opening seconds, “Go” breaks down into husky impassioned vocals that remind listeners of a rock & roll song without any of the percussive elements. It sounds like a winding psychedelic trip through a far-off desert.




Super Flu & Monkey Safari - Halle Halle

Similar to their relationship with Andhim, Super Flu was also instrumental in Monkey Safari’s origin story. Also beginning their careers in 2010, Monkey Safari had scant releases and limited success.

Super Flu plucked them from obscurity and collaborated on an EP released in 2011 titled Eutreph. The lead single “Halle Halle” relies on distorted percussion and heavy sub-bass to create a techno groover.




Diva Halle - Super Flu & Angelov

When it comes to identifying rising talent, Super Flu continues to do the business. In 2021 they released “Diva Halle” with Angelov. The young Solomun protege regularly releases on Diynamic. “Diva Halle” is a superb effort from the tenured Super Flu and newcomer Angelov, bringing both artists' signature synth lines to a seven-minute track that screams for big room plays.




Super Flu - Re Nue

Another track from the Go EP, “Re Nue,” is a beautiful construction from the German duo. A more stripped-back approach prompts a track suited for the early morning hours in a small club or outdoor sunrise party, with tropical sounds interspersed throughout a compelling drum pattern.

5 Reasons You Should Check Out Super Flu's Monaberry Imprint

Ibiza is an inseparable part of some of the world’s biggest party brands. Some were born on the island. Many call it their second home. The White Isle has been a permanent magnet for a wide range of genres and music styles, inspiring aficionados and party-goers worldwide.



Since the first superclubs—Amnesia and Pacha—were founded in the ’70s, Ibiza has remained synonymous with dance music and club culture's evolution. And with each new club and residency, Ibiza further cemented its global reputation as a trendsetter.



The golden age of electronic music in Ibiza went hand in hand with the rave wave of the 90s, encouraging promoters and musicians from across the planet to try their luck on the island each summer with new creative concepts.



Throughout the years, big-name DJs and world-renown promoters have

become residents at the clubs they once raved as teenagers. Ibiza has helped them reach new heights in the industry and been an engine for their careers.



As Ibiza prepares for its biggest season yet, let’s look at some of the island’s most influential artists and their longest-running residencies.



F*** ME I’M FAMOUS by David Guëtta 

David Guetta first made his imprint on the island in the late 90s. Already a regular on the dancefloor, he was invited to play on the infamous Space Ibiza terrace. He also ran a few parties at Amnesia under the name Ohlala!.



He would personally hand out flyers on the beaches to promote his early performances in the early days. But in 2003, when he started F*** ME I’M FAMOUS, the Parisian DJ, producer, and songwriter had already started his meteoric rise both in Ibiza and worldwide.

His residency brought glamour, exclusivity, and one of the hottest productions to the island with a crowd made up of rock stars, top models, fashion designers, and jet setters. He introduced posh VIP appeal to the nightclub scene of the White Isle.

In 2019, Guetta decided to move the iconic party brand to Hï Ibiza after starting a partnership with its sister venue in 2016, hosting the open-air party BIG by David Guetta at Ushuaïa Ibiza.

Even after becoming a global success story, Guetta continues to curate his sexy and provocative shows in Ibiza and beyond.











Carl Cox: THE REVOLUTION

In 1985 Carl Cox, his then-girlfriend, and his sister Pamela came to Ibiza for the first time with a recently purchased Fiat Panda that they also slept in. They had no idea where they were headed, but the bright lights of San Antonio drew him in. The little money he had was spent on one epic night at Amnesia, and despite being broke, it changed his life.

Carl was already becoming a key figure in the Acid house and rave parties in the UK and quickly fell in love with the island's music, culture, and sunny weather. Carl returned to Ibiza every year, sometimes to party and others to DJ. He became a staple of the scene and finally got a residency at Space Ibiza in 2001, helping establish the venue as one of the greatest clubs in the world. His party CARL COX: THE REVOLUTION was at the forefront of the Ibiza scene for 15 consecutive years and became the most successful residency in the island’s history.

Carl has proven his love for playing music, breaking tunes, and celebrating life as a dance music pioneer, the king of techno, Intec label owner, a magnetic personality, and an all-time favorite in Ibiza. Although his relationship with Space Ibiza ended when the club sadly closed its doors in 2016, he remained attached to the island.

Cox launched PURE CARL COX a year later at Privilege. In 2018, he played the One Night Stand party at Amnesia, Pacha, and DC-10 and brought Resistance (his lauded partnership with Ultra Music Festival) to Privilege in 2019.

The British icon continues to be one of the most in-demand DJs, with countless festival and club appearances every year. Yet, seeing him in Ibiza continues to be a singular experience.



COCOON by Sven Väth

Sven Väth arrived in Ibiza on holiday when he was 16, and it changed his life. When he returned to Germany, he realized that he wanted to become a DJ. His career began in the ’80s, and as techno arrived in Berlin, he led the revolution.



Sven imagined his COCOON concept after La Fura dels Baus (a Spanish theatrical company) came to Berlin in 1994. The show’s hanging cocoons filled with water inspired him to pour his money into a brand that represented metamorphosis and change.



The techno night soon became Amnesia's flagship party and became a paradise for all the ravers on the island who loved techno. When the 2019 season closed, COCOON had been on the island for 20 years. Its influence on the sound of Ibiza is immeasurable. He's built a strong community of cocooneros, revolutionized afterparty culture, and elevated the music careers of many DJs such as Richie Hawtin, Luciano, Loco Dice, Marco Carola, and Ricardo Villalobos. Without Cocoon, dance music in Ibiza might look completely different today.



FLOWER POWER

The most deep-rooted party on the island is FLOWER POWER, a concept that recreates the magic of the 60s. This slogan originated in California as a peaceful movement against the war in Vietnam, where flowers represented an iconic symbol of non-violence, love, and harmony.



Ibiza was home to many hippie communities who found an ideal place to rebel in opposition to societal norms and feel free. The island has celebrated nearly four decades of this gathering, where people of all ages wear clothes adorned with intricate details, vibrant colors, and real flowers. It’s all soundtracked to the anthems of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Music from The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and Led Zeppelin transport you to another era. In 2022 the genuine party returns to Pacha for its 40th season.



These are just a few successful residencies that have shaped Ibiza’s party scene. Ibiza now has over 20 superclubs, tons of day clubs, nightclubs, hundreds of beach clubs, and many more places to enjoy music. But the essence of these parties and DJs will never be lost.

Explore Ibiza's Longest Running Residencies

What do you get when combining boundless young talent and seasoned veteran vision? You get our track of the week—Mr. Diamond and LEON’s new collaboration, “Rum.”



Mr. Diamond is Ecuador’s meteoric dance music representative, rising to international recognition in just two years. LEON has evolved into a stalwart figure in Italy’s budding dance music scene through the last decade while holding down residencies at some of the world’s most prestigious clubs. The two groove-masters recently linked on a rippin’ new single on The Martinez Brothers’ label, Cuttin’ Headz, and this pairing couldn’t be sweeter.


“‘Rum' is the perfect balance between both me and Leon’s musical background,” Diamond shares.


“Starting from the early tech sounds of 2000, going to the roots of UK Garage for the drums, and lastly ending with some rave synths before it drops! We’re super happy about the end result, and it makes us smile whenever we hear the crowd go mad with it!”

High-octane drum kits, mind-numbing sound design, and an indomitable groove to boot? “Rum” is a USDA-certified cross-generational banger that will crank any party up a notch.

Mr. Diamond & LEON Join Forces on High-Speed Single 'Rum'

Firing you into the stratosphere with intense hooks and thumping kicks, Sama Abdulhadi’s 2020 set for Monegros Desert Festival's livestream delivered immeasurable energy. An icon of the Palestinian underground scene, she is one of the first DJs and producers to emerge internationally from her home country.

Her tracks and sets elevate techno into an immersive narrative, bringing in a myriad of real-life samples she records on her travels and shapes in the studio. “The music is Berlin techno, but I perceive it in a Lebanese way,” Sama explains.

Abdulhadi’s 2018 Boiler Room set, viewed nearly 10 million times, introduced her talents to the global electronic music community. Her ambition has always been to put Palestine on the musical map.

Abdulhadi continues to inspire a community of artists in Palestine despite Israeli government restrictions. She uses her global success to support a growing number of musicians at home. Abdulhadi set up Union, an artistic community in Ramallah, that helps local DJs and producers to improve their skills, and advises them on challenges they’ll face going forward.

The globetrotting maestro is set to play at Halcyon in San Francisco, Coachella, Fabric, and many more incredible clubs and festivals in the coming months.

This year’s edition of Monegros Desert Festival features Paul Kalkbrenner, Giorgia Angiuli, Maceo Plex, and more - tickets are available now.



Follow Sama' Abdulhadi on Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud

Follow Monegros Desert Festival on Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud

Blast Off With Sama Abdulhadi for the Monegros Livestream

It’s a fool’s errand to try and summarize the mania, magic, and music of bloghouse through 10 tracks alone. But if there’s anyone who’s up to the task, it’s the music nerds at Gray Area.

Amid the renewed interest in the much-missed era, this list attempts to distill the wealth of sounds that made it so memorable — and continue to prove influential — into a single, definitive collection of songs. To borrow a word one of the selected artists below built an entire album around. These cuts are essential to understanding everything bloghouse encompassed, from the sacred and transcendently beautiful to the unapologetically brazen and profane.

Maybe you had the good fortune of spending the late aughts and early 2010s clad in American Apparel and shutter shades. Or you're just discovering this world through the intrigue of “indie sleaze.” Either way, you’ll find plenty of sneering, genre-defying spectacles of sound to love here. Scroll on for Gray Area’s selection of essential bloghouse tunes and recommendations for further listening.




Justice vs. Simian - We Are Your Friends

This is it — the big, era-defining anthem. It’s the one that brought a generation of kids into the dance music fold, propelled two of its key groups to stardom, was enough of a crossover hit to adorn the title of an ill-fated movie, and whose video spurred one of Kanye West’s earliest award shows meltdowns. “We Are Your Friends” is bloghouse refined to a perfect four-and-a-half minutes, blending its various strands into an idealized expression of the movement. With its impossibly earworm-y production and lyrics, the song lovingly pushes you in the chest and all but bullies you into getting in on the fun. In short, it’s flawless.

See also: Justice: “D.A.N.C.E.” / Scenario Rock: “Skitzo Dancer (Justice Remix).”




Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler

“Hustler” is the towering centerpiece of one of the best albums to emerge from bloghouse. Attack Decay Sustain Release was the first LP released by James Ford and Jas Shaw as Simian Mobile Disco after the pair broke away from their former band Simian to move in a more explicitly electronic direction. Their indie rock origins served them well on the dance floor. Soon enough, they codified many of the things that made bloghouse great, including the in-your-face production and playful raunchiness depicted in the very-much-of-its-time music video for “Hustler.” Attack Decay Sustain Release is as fully realized an electronic album as they come — but if you have to dip your toes into just one track, make it this frenzied blast of musical fanaticism, kleptomania, and survival.



See also: Simian Mobile Disco: “Sleep Deprivation” / Simian Mobile Disco: “It’s The Beat.”




Robbie Williams & Soulwax - Lovelight (Soulwax Ravelight Vocal Mix)

There’s a lot to be said for the musical finesse brothers David and Stephen Dewaele have flexed at every step of their career. As both 2manydjs and Soulwax, the duo spent the late ‘90s and early aughts paving the path for bloghouse’s arrival by deftly blending indie rock and dance music into one brain-bending brew. (Quick clarification: 2manydjs is their name while mixing on the decks, while Soulwax is their moniker for original music, remixes, and live shows as a band.) Although they remain as prodigious as ever in 2022 with their record label DEEWEE and other projects, it was during the bloghouse era that they cemented their reputation as masters in the art of remixing. The words “Soulwax Remix” are synonymous with quality, and of all the reconfigurations they’ve done, their 2006 effort for English pop star Robbie Williams may just be the nuttiest.



"Lovelight (Soulwax Ravelight Vocal Mix)” is an aural roller coaster, a torrent of crisp hand claps, perfectly placed percussion, and screeching synths set against Williams’ sultry come-ons. Propulsive is a mild word to describe what's happening. Long before the industry abused “the drop” to the point of memeification and mockery, it was deployed by artists like Soulwax to genuinely surprising effect. Whether you hear this one while out clubbing or at home, steel yourself to get scraped off the walls by the time it’s over.




See also: Soulwax: “Accidents and Compliments” / The Gossip: “Standing in the Way of Control (Soulwax Nite Version).”



DJ Mehdi - Signatune (Thomas Bangalter Edit)

The genius of “Signatune” lies in its simplicity. Although the original by DJ Mehdi is nothing short of a sonic assault, the version released on 2006’s Lucky Boy only lasts a scant minute and four seconds. Leave it to Thomas Bangalter, one-half of Daft Punk, to kick it up a few notches by adding a light touch: now looped across six minutes with just a kick drum, the occasional interlude, and “Rollin’ & Scratchin’”-esque skittering adjoined to it, Bangalter’s edit transforms “Signatune” into a lightning bolt of dopamine from the dance floor heavens.


The song’s emotional resonance is only heightened by the havoc Bangalter famously wreaked with it during Busy P’s 2009 birthday party at Cinespace (where, indeed, he mixed it with “Rollin’ & Scratchin’” — more than a decade onward, the footage remains one of the craziest things you’ll ever see on the internet) and Mehdi’s tragic passing in 2011. “Signatune” is a tour de force of raw production prowess, and the passage of time has done little to dull its power.


See also: DJ Mehdi: “I Am Somebody (feat. Chromeo)” / Chromeo: “Fancy Footwork.”




Cut Copy - Hearts on Fire

One of the beautiful things about bloghouse is the sheer number of musical styles that fit under its inclusive, neon-tinted tent. Whether it was hip-hop, electro, or synth-pop, few genres had trouble staking a comfortable claim in the bloghouse landscape. Synth-pop specifically thrived in this environment and, as throughout the history of popular music, played a large part in bringing rock-inclined listeners into the dance floor fold.


Much of the era’s best synth-pop came from Australia, where record label Modular Recordings fostered a regional sound fusing indie rock signifiers with electronic ecstasy. The most definitive release among artists of that particular time and place — think the likes of Midnight Juggernauts, The Presets, and Van She — arguably came from Cut Copy. The band’s 2008 album In Ghost Colours represented a crossover moment for bloghouse, winning over Pitchfork-reading hipsters and raucous club kids in equal measure. It helps that several scene luminaries — including Hercules & Love Affair, Boys Noize, Joakim, and even a pre-breakthrough Calvin Harris — enshrined the record’s status by contributing remixes of the album’s many standout cuts.


“Hearts on Fire” is the shimmering linchpin tying the emotional threads of In Ghost Colours together. (All apologies to the “Lights & Music” evangelists.) Equal parts melancholy and euphoric, the track soars across the expanse of feelings a dance floor can evoke. Armed with a buoyant beat, lovelorn lyrics, a horn-heavy climax, and blink-and-you-miss-it Jennifer Lopez vocal snippets, “Hearts on Fire” is as tailor-made to soundtrack crying in the club as it is moody late-night drives. If any track here transcends bloghouse for a place in the pantheon of great pop music, it’s this one.




See also: Bloc Party: “Banquet (Boys Noize Remix)” / Friendly Fires: “Skeleton Boy.”




Switch - A Bit Patchy

“A Bit Patchy” is something of a secret handshake among the bloghouse faithful, notably accompanying the most chaotic sequence in Soulwax’s scene-defining documentary Part of the Weekend Never Dies (where a hilarious Peaches cameo immediately precedes it) and kept in semi-regular rotation thanks to dance music veterans like Boys Noize.


Anchored by a prominent sample of “Apache” by the Incredible Bongo Band — which also provides the tune’s punny title — “A Bit Patchy” sees Switch take the source material and contort it to better resemble his signature style. As with other Switch productions, it’s goofy, fidgety, and squelchy as all hell. “A Bit Patchy” might not be the most immediate song newer bloghouse converts fall head over heels for, but give it a bit of time, and they’ll come around on it.


See also: Boys Noize: “& Down” / In Flagranti: “Business Acumen.”




Does It Offend You, Yeah? - We Are Rockstars

Sneer is a crucial ingredient in the bloghouse formula, and few did it more snottily than Does It Offend You, Yeah? As noted in writer Lina Abascal’s book surveying the movement, Never Be Alone Again: How Bloghouse United the Internet and the Dancefloor, the group emerged in a blaze of glory, releasing their rowdy debut LP You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into and wreaking total havoc at music festivals before returning to the chaotic ether from which they came. But before they simmered down, Does It Offend You, Yeah? trampled over scenesters’ ears and good taste with tunes that rocked as hard as they raved.



“We Are Rockstars” is the platonic ideal of bloghouse bedlam, a finely tuned electro temper tantrum with jeering lyrics taking the piss out of online notoriety. The song left a large enough impression to thrash its way out of the clubs and into the larger cultural conversation, fueled in part by its appearance in the trailer for 2009’s Fast & Furious.



Does It Offend You, Yeah? seems to be gearing up for a big return with the release of “GUESS WHO JUST ROLLED BACK INTO TOWN,” the band’s first single in a decade. Brace yourself for the answer by cueing up “We Are Rockstars” and flashing back to the days of MySpace Top 8s and carefully chosen profile songs.


See also: Mr. Oizo: “Positif” / SebastiAn: “Ross Ross Ross”



The Whitest Boy Alive & Fred Falke - Golden Cage (Fred Falke Remix)

For all the chaos that bloghouse is closely and rightfully associated with, many of the period’s best cuts also delivered moments of sublime, otherworldly beauty. Fred Falke’s remix of “Golden Cage” by The Whitest Boy Alive is one such song. The French DJ-producer’s rework takes the original track — a sparse-but-groovable slice of melancholic indie pop — and bathes it in glistening synths primed for peak dance floor euphoria.


Music journalist Larry Fitzmaurice may have said it best, “People who liked music for three years in college call it ‘indie sleaze.’ People who partied too hard into their 20s call it ‘bloghouse.’ The truly enlightened and pure of heart call it ‘The Whitest Boy Alive, 'Golden Cage (Fred Falke Remix).’”


See also: Hot Chip: “Boy From School” (Erol Alkan’s Extended Re-Work)” / Friendly Fires: “Paris (Aeroplane Remix)”




Uffie - Pop the Glock

Uffie exuded more swagger across the three-and-a-half minutes of “Pop the Glock” than most artists do in their entire careers. Following in the tradition of raunchy electronic female vocalists before her — electroclash starlets Avenue D, Peaches, and Miss Kittin immediately come to mind — the ex-Ed Banger cohort rattles off a flurry of brags that can’t help but stoke the imagination. Just who is her crew, and what makes them militia? How did she and Feadz get so bangin’? Is she actually as fast as Twista on the mic? And most importantly, will she really pop the glock?


Like any great work of art, the questions it raises are more important than the actual answers. “Pop the Glock” both captured the zeitgeist and tacitly reshaped it, embodying mid-2000s celebrity decadence, setting a precedent for viral internet success, and unifying the disparate threads of hip-hop, underground club music, and pop all at once. The most impressive thing about it all? She made it sound effortless.


It's possible that Katy Perry may never have kissed a girl, and Kesha couldn’t tick-tock on the clock were it not for “Pop the Glock.” Contemporary culture owes a lot to Uffie, and we can show our appreciation by pressing play on Sunshine Factory, her forthcoming second album co-produced by Toro y Moi.




See also: M.I.A.: “Paper Planes (DFA Remix)” / CSS: “Let's Make Love and Listen to Death from Above”





MSTRKRFT - Bounce (feat. N.O.R.E. & Isis)

“All I do is party” — is there a better summary of the bloghouse ethos? The electro-punk maestros of MSTRKRFT teamed up with NYC rapper N.O.R.E. and Isis for “Bounce,” a concentrated burst of punishing beats and braggadocious flow. It’s a tight party rock anthem that wastes zero time getting to the serious business of throwing down and exemplifies the madness that tended to ensue whenever hip-hop and bloghouse collided.


If the brief running time leaves you wanting more, the standalone single release of “Bounce” features an extended version and remixes courtesy of The Bloody Beetroots and Felix Cartal.


See also: Busy P: “To Protect and Entertain (feat. Murs)” / Kid Cudi: "Day 'N' Nite (Crookers Remix)"

The Essential Bloghouse Bangers

Many people who have heard Afrohouse describe it as "spiritual." It sparks uninhibited self-expression, euphoria, and freedom, touching the deepest parts of its listeners. Afrohouse is the African subgenre of house music that started as a niche underground genre involving elements of tribal house, deep house, and the beautiful sounds of soulful music. Pretoria, Soweto, Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town in South Africa are widely considered Afro House's roots and come with their incredible unique beats and sounds.

Dance music from South Africa holds a deep-rooted sound based on African history. It carries the voice of its people—pain, suffering, and the hardships of daily life, but also celebration, romance, love, and joy. The music is a feeling that tells a story and takes listeners on a journey.

Soulfulness, percussive compositions, rich tones, and a profoundly touching emotional intensity characterize Afrohouse. The sound is defined by voices, ranging from soothing vocals to African ethnic chants. The BPM fluctuates between 80 and 122. This is known as "allegro, the heartbeat tempo" and is an essential technique to hit that sweet sound spot.


Afrohouse—like the rest of dance music's broad swath of genres—has a patchwork of subgenres such as tribal house, Afrotech, and ancestral house.


Some of the current heavy hitters in the Afrohouse scene taking the indigenous genre to the global stage include South Africa's Black Coffee, Black Motion, Caiiro, Prince Kaybee, Sun El Musician, Zakes Bantwini, Shimza, Simmy, and Kenya's Suraj.


Moblack, RISE, Aluku, and DM.Recordings are some of the European labels that have given African dance music more international exposure. Major companies in the United States, on the other hand, have been slow to nurture native talent, typically signing local artists only after they've gained international attention. This has resulted in a self-sustaining underground sector, with many Black-owned businesses and young celebrities becoming wealthy, but systemic privilege remains.




The west often exoticizes the genre. Western spectators often mistakenly believe that "genuine" African dance music includes indigenous chanting or tribal rhythm. This occurs because most individuals have just a rudimentary awareness of the range and depth of South African music. One of the most common reasons is how brands in the Western world mediate culture. Many African artists are only given attention through a limited lens that focuses mainly on the more popular acts.


African dance music is already mutating, with dynamic styles like Amapiano swiftly gaining traction worldwide. Future generations of African artists will continue to be inspired by the global reach of Africa's electronic music. Many people believe that Afrohouse has hit its pinnacle, but it is a genre that has the potential to be internationally recognized in the next few years.

Let's Talk About Afro House

Ibiza enters a new era in the final week of April after two years of hiatus. Its most anticipated party season kicks off in the last days of the month, and below are some recommendations to keep you dancing from day till night!



While Ibiza is known for its electric nightlife, events happening during the sunlight hours of opening week are not to be missed, including one of the first major global dance music industry gatherings since the start of the pandemic, the International Music Summit Ibiza. It kicks off on Wednesday, April 27-29, at Destino Pacha Ibiza Resort. You can check the full program and speakers here.







The Summit Grand Finale party takes place on Friday, April 29, at 5 pm inside the ancient walls of Ibiza’s old town, Dalt Vila. This one-of-a-kind event is something that every electronic music fan should experience once in their life and has taken on the role of the official start to the Ibiza season. The line-up features fantasy back-to-back pairings (Jamie Jones and The Blessed Madonna will carry out a b2b closing set) as well as stand-out solo sets:









On Saturday, April 30, Defected Records will also be taking over the Dalt Vila fort in partnership with IMS, delivering an outstanding list of talents. Honey Dijon, Bob Sinclar, Danny Tenaglia, Louie Vega, and more join forces for an epic afternoon of house music. 





Tip: Don’t miss these because IMS events are the only few parties at this historic location during the season!



Two of Ibiza’s most iconic clubs open their doors on Friday, April 29



Pacha will be celebrating its Grand Opening party with Solomun all night long to take you on a deep, hypnotic, and underground music journey. The night under The Cherries roof promises to be memorable as Pacha unveils its new look. This is its third and most extensive round of refurbishment since the “Casa Payesa” first opened in 1973.





In parallel, Amnesia will host the Pyramid pre-season event the same day from 7 pm, offering cutting-edge technology, lighting, and performances.

The superclub is famed for its sunrise session on the terrace, when the sun streams through the windows, illuminating the entire crowd. Here in Ibiza, we love to dance as the sunbeams through Amnesia’s terrace, so when you come to the island, you have to experience this moment!



You’ll dance from dusk till dawn to the rhythm of a great variety of house and techno sounds by Luciano, Paul Woolford b2b Richy Ahmed, Marco Faraone, and Syreeta. And for the techno lovers, the main room brings Amelie Lens, Ben Klock, Airod, and Luca Donzelli to the game.



Last but not least, Ushuaïa and Hï Ibiza join forces on Saturday, April 30, to present Better Together, a day and night musical marathon featuring performances by many of the biggest names in electronic music.



Ushuaïa is a hotel and a spectacular open-air venue located in Platja d’en Bossa that operates with parties from midday till midnight. Paul Kalkbrenner has a long history with the openings, and he has once again been invited back, joined by fellow live act Stephan Bodzin, ARTBAT, Kölsch, Mathame, and Layla Benitez will complete the line-up.





Across the road, Hï Ibiza will open at 11 pm with some of the greatest female talents on the scene, such as Anfisa Letyago, Chloé Caillet, and Charlotte de Witte, and other heavy-weights like Adam Beyer, Chris Liebing, Damian Lazarus, Black Coffee, and The Martinez Brothers, creating together with the crowd a unique celebration of music and human connection.







To top off Ibiza’s most anticipated opening season, the colossal week wraps up with a host of lush music celebrations on Sunday, May 1, including Defected Festival at Amnesia, Loco Dice all night long at Pacha, and the legendary Duran Duran in concert at Ushuaïa.





Aside from being the party island of the world, Ibiza is home to over 80 different beaches and calas, so there is no better way to begin a proper Ibiza listing than with a beach suggestion!



Las Salinas is one of the most idyllic beaches on the island and a popular meeting point for tourists and celebrities. The beach is in the middle of a natural park of the same name, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1999. Its landscape is surrounded by pine woods, free of buildings and hotels, and known for its soft golden sand, crystal clear waters, trendy restaurants, and beach clubs. It offers a paid parking area with clean facilities and shaded bays.





In the middle of this 1.5-kilometer-long beach, there is a chiringuito (Spanish for a small beachside bar or restaurant) called Jockey Club. It is a family-friendly beach bar open year-round. The atmosphere at Jockey Club is uplifting and relaxed yet glamorous. Among some of its services, this beach bar stands out for its Mediterranean cuisine with fresh and quality ingredients, locally crafted beers, and cocktails made with seasonal fruit. There is also a little boutique where you can find some accessories and beachwear. It is an excellent choice for relaxing on a sunbed and ordering food while gazing out to sea or sitting on its terrace enjoying the Balearic beats and DJs playing live sets during summer.

Gray Area Guide to Ibiza Opening Weekend

Gray Area welcomes Chicago legend Gene Farris to curate this week's Set. A limitless producer and DJ with over three decades of experience, Farris is also the CEO and founder of Farris Wheel Recordings. 

Farris defiantly embraces all aspects of house and techno in both his music and sets. His vast discography includes chart-topping releases on Relief, Dirtybird, ViVa Music, and Defected, and he’s collaborated with icons like Green Velvet, Jamie Jones, Sonny Fodera, and more. 

He began his career spinning acid house and disco vinyl in the cavernous spaces of underground warehouse parties in the early ‘90s. He held an eight-year residency at Chicago’s unforgettable Boom Boom Room. Later, he moved to Europe and took on a four-year residency at Jimmy Woo in Amsterdam.

But like all greats, Farris experienced moments of self-doubt in his career. “In the late 2000s I was living in Amsterdam, and I was having a really tough time,” he explains. “No one was really making the sort of music I was making, techno was really thriving and tech house didn’t really have a scene around that time and I just felt really lost. It got to a point where I was seriously considering retiring from DJing.

“I reached out to my brother Green Velvet and told him how I was feeling, and he encouraged me to find myself again. We started making disco music together and that helped to reignite my spark and love for music, and we spent a few years working on an album together.” 

Farris’ choice for Set of the Week is an outstanding mix from Marco Carola, which uplifted him at the time, and propelled his life forward. “At a similar time, I discovered Marco Carola, and the style of his music really influenced the music that me and Green Velvet made together throughout that period and the process. This mix in particular really helped to inspire me.”

Follow Gene Farris on Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud

Words by: Luca Rizzello, follow him on Twitter

Mix of the Week: Gene Farris Shares How Marco Carola Inspired Him

“Minimal Pop Tech” queen, SOHMI, joins us as guest curator for this week’s edition of Track Of The Week. The Korean-American artist has carved out a glistening pocket in dance music that is uniquely her own, free from the confines of genre, catering only to a groove and a good time.

SOHMI is currently preparing for her inaugural Coachella performance, followed by a substantial string of spring and summer performances. Thankfully, she cut out some time from her busy schedule to share Jil Tanner’s standout melodic tech track, “Trust the Process,” off her latest EP, The Vision. The journey within this selection is enough to blast even the most apathetic of bystanders into a full-on journey, highlighting Jil’s years of Dance music experience.  

“I recently discovered Jil Tanner's music and was instantly blown away by it. Her productions straddle that perfect line of minimal, groovy, and melodic - reminiscent of another powerhouse producer and DJ from Germany, the incredible Anja Schneider,” SOHMI says.

“One of my favorites from Jil's catalogue is a track from her latest EP, The Vision, called 'Trust the Process'. I had the chance to play it to huge audiences during both my recent shows with Boris Brejcha. Each time the track was an absolute moment. It's a driving groover that sort of keeps steadily climbing, pushed forward by impeccable drums, a winding synth motif, and splashes of crystalline arps. All of this leads to an epic, stuttering breakdown that builds tons of tension before finally sending us off into a final drop that is both minimal yet still impactful. It's exactly my kind of melodic tech house track: minimal and hypnotic with a hint of drama, without ever veering into the melodramatic.”

We love seeing appreciation from one eclectically experienced artist to another. If there’s one thing we can learn from both SOHMI and Jil Tanner’s careers, it is to “Trust The Process.”

Track Of The Week: SOHMI Selects Jil Tanner’s Hypnotic 'Trust The Process'

Tony H doesn't really know how to slow down, and he's not trying to. If we were just referencing the hundreds of releases he's dropped since his first track, "Does It Turn You On," in July 2013, we can easily call him prolific. But he's also a label head—he launched Late Night Munchies in 2015 to drop his friends' tunes, and the Munchies After Dark sub-label in 2019 for techno—A&R for Space Yacht, and a touring DJ. Just wrapping your head around everything the Panama-born, Seattle-based DJ/producer is doing is a lot, and as we learned in a recent conversation with the energetic rising star, there's also a lot more in the works.

On April 8, Tony dropped his fourth release of 2022, the groovy acid house-dosed Slow Burner EP on Lots of Practice. It features "Slow Burner," which Tony describes as "a Burning Man kind of track" with a sickening, bubbling acid bassline, peak time banger "Werkin This Body," and the Michael Fam remix of the title track.

We talked Slow Burner, his busy schedule, staying creative, the wide-ranging music he grew up on, and how he got into DJing. We also learn he's working on launching a new label for his own music, and creating an NFT drop for Late Night Munchies, among other things.

When I ask what he imagined "Slow Burner" being the soundtrack for, he pauses briefly then smiles. "You know what? One of my favorite movies is Pineapple Express. The beginning scene when they have him in the lab, testing out the new weed. I feel like if they put that in slow motion and played 'Slow Burner' behind it, it would be perfect. Or in Superbad when Michael Cera is dancing at the beginning, if they have the song behind it, that would be everything."

And as for what kind of dance floors he imagines the EP best heating up, there's two very different vibes.

"''Slow Burner' is such a Burning Man kind of track. I wouldn't play it at a festival ever, I don't think, unless it was Burning Man, or an underground party. Acid house has its peaks and its kind of deeper grooves. I feel like I could run a whole acid house techie set and fit it in that way. But 'Werkin This Body,' I've played at peak hour in my set already. So that's like the A and B, or the yin and yang of the EP. 'Slow Burner' is much more for chilling at home, maybe you're taking an edible or smoking or whatever, and then 'Werkin This Body' is more peak hour, more party, more ass shaking vibes."

It's evident that part of what fuels Tony is the desire to always be learning and discovering. He explains he's been taking a lot of online classes from IO Music Academy to learn how to make new sounds and deepen his skills as a producer. "Slow Burner" was born after he took a workshop about a free plugin called Sting!

"I was just messing with [Sting!] and this Minimoog plug in I have and the pattern kind of made itself and then I went back and rearranged it. The minute I heard the pattern, I was like, 'I have to use this.' I didn't want it to ever stop. That's why the track is very consistent with that acid line. If I could've made that track 20 minutes long, I probably would have."

For "Werkin That Body," he was able to give life to an acid bassline he'd made for another track that didn't work out. It was also the first song he made backwards from his usual process, building around the bassline this time instead of creating the percussion, kick, and claps first. He'd also been listening to a lot of old Josh Wink that week and was really feeling inspired to make acid house.

Another learning adventure he's been on recently is jumping down the rabbit hole of NFTs. When he joined the Space Yacht team, they'd already done one NFT collection, which inspired him to educate himself on the world of crypto and, soon enough, he became fascinated with and engaged in the community.

He's been working on an NFT drop for Late Night Munchies, based around the ice cream character from the label's early days, that will be officially announced in the near future. They're working with a graphic designer / 3D creator to add movement to the art and make it next level. 

"I'm excited to create a story and music for these NFTs," he shares. He's also inspired by the possibilities of NFTs. For starters, he'd like to turn the NFTs into visuals for his DJ sets, and make merch inspired by them.

Clearly, creativity runs through his veins, and he's naturally drawn to discovering new avenues for it. In terms of staying inspired to make as much music as he does, "it ebbs and flows,” he says. "I'll have a week where I can pump out like 15 tracks and then I'll have a six-month period where I'm still working on one track." In addition to taking classes, he listens to a lot of sets from his favorite artists and stuff his homies send over to get in the creative headspace. Working on remixes and edits helps too. Fall and winter, when gigs slow down and the weather in Seattle chills down, is when he "pumps out" tracks and puts them in hibernation to release throughout the following year.

He draws inspiration from many places, including plenty of tunes outside of the dance / electronic umbrella, thanks to his far-reaching music tastes. His musical education began at an early age. Every Sunday, back home in Panama, when his mom was cleaning the house, she'd play everything from jazz, old school hip-hop, and R&B to classical to Jamaican and Brazilian music. 

"Probably the only thing she won't listen to is screamo music," Tony says with a laugh. As a preteen finding music on the internet, he got deeper into hip-hop and asked his friends to buy him Ludacris' Chicken-n-Beer and a Missy Elliott CD, because his mom wouldn't let him get any discs bearing the "explicit" label and pulling out the edited versions in the school yard obviously wouldn't go over well.

When asked how this rich musical diet influences his DJing and production, he's quick to assert it can be heard in his DJ sets, which some have referred to as "hip-house." His love of jazz makes him a sucker for tracks with trumpets or horns. In terms of his production, his wide music taste "helps me know what I'm hearing…and makes me try to get to that sonic level."

By high school, he'd begun his journey into dance music. He still remembers listening to his first Ministry of Sound compilation in 2008 and declaring "I love house!" 

"House, tech house, and tribal house have always resonated with me," he adds. At the time in Panama, there were lively beach parties pumping tech house and tribal house. His early DJ loves include Sean Miller, Hector Couto, Fedde Le Grande, Carl Cox, Felix da Housecat, and Cajmere. 

He got his first DJ gig in 2010 at the hostel he was working at, starting out with a tiny Numark Total in the lobby, soon after getting his own night to throw down at the hostel bar. He then started playing parties around town, and never really stopped DJing. But even before he got his own mixer, he was the aux cord DJ at every gathering, queuing up tracks on his iPod to keep the vibe going.

After finishing school, he moved to Alaska to work (his dad was in the military, so he asked to be transferred as a civilian) and had more down time to work on music and other creative ventures, one of which became Late Night Munchies. "At the time, a lot of my friends that were producing literally had no idea how to get their music on Spotify or Apple Music or any of the websites we use. And I had a friend that was like, ‘You could be the guy that provides the platform’… It was born under the pretense of 'it's for all the homies releases'…And here we are, seven years later, almost," Tony reflects.

"Late Night Munchies has really blossomed, to the point where I've already scheduled all of the releases for this year. This is the earliest I've ever done that, before the end of March. That's awesome. And now I run all things for the label. I do the graphic design, all the mastering, all the A&R, and all the distro. I literally run everything from frontend to backend. I do that for both labels, but now that Late Night Munchies is just taken care of, the focus is on Munchies After Dark, which I want to stay very underground. We'll sign a lot of new artists, for their first release ever.

For Late Night Munchies, the long-term goal is to host festival stages. In Seattle, I've already hosted a label showcase in a room at one of the venues here that has multiple rooms. So the vision long-term is definitely to keep signing all these artists and giving them a platform to put their music out on, which has always been the goal, especially locally. There's a lot of dope producers here in Seattle."

Since running everything for the two Munchies brands isn't enough, he's also launching another imprint, Not Me Being Chaotic Records—the name started as a joke but stuck—for his own music and collabs. Look out for his first release to drop on it sometime this summer. And since the pandemic shutdowns kept Tony much more static then he's used to, he's looking forward to traveling more and meeting people again this year, and is hoping to get on the festival circuit next year. If you find yourself in the Pacific Northwest, make sure to catch Tony while you can, spinning at his Be My Guest show every first Friday at the Timber Room in Seattle.

Tony H Talks New 'Slow Burner' EP, Getting Into NFTs, His Rich Musical Education & More

There’s no better way to kick off festival season than with a spine-tingling mix from Tale Of Us. Those who were lucky enough to see the duo’s set at Ultra this year will undoubtedly be telling their grandkids about it in years to come. Widely regarded as one of the world’s biggest dance music festivals, Ultra 2022 was held in Bayfront Park, Miami, and featured 100 artists spread across several stages. 

As global heavyweights in melodic techno, Tale Of Us is a duo requiring no introduction. Their sets never fail to elevate clubs and festivals into a transcendental realm. Carmine Conte and Matteo Milleri met in Milan while studying music production at the SAE Institute. 

Now based in Berlin, the pair’s Afterlife brand is known the world over for mesmerizing events and groundbreaking releases from Stephan Bodzin, Recondite, Mind Against, Agents of Time, and many more. 

Replete with bursts of melodic intensity, avant-garde soundscapes, and driving rhythms, their Ultra set isn’t one to be missed. The visuals are so hypnotic that they swallow you up entirely; you could watch their entire performance on mute and still be hooked from start to finish. 

As always, it looks set to be another busy festival season for the pair, with appearances at Caprices Festival, Terminal V Festival, Kappa FuturFestival, and beyond.


Follow Tale Of Us on Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud

Words by: Luca Rizzello, follow him on Twitter.

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