Home Grown

After A short hiatus I have returned.  Work commitments (AKA the wife) have meant I have had to spend some time away from the computer.

I return with some quick news that Swedish home grown John Dahlbäck is playing at one of the UKs biggest dance festivals this year.  Global Gathering has year after year pushed the boundaries and this year will be no different, and with more and more Swedish names appearing in the already massive line up I wait in anticipation for Global Gathering to head to Scandinavia and do what they do best.

Take a look at www.globalgathering.co.uk for more sexy info.

Birthday Bash

This little bit of news is coming back from my mother land known to many as England.  In a seaside town called Brighton there is an event that takes place once a month with varying themes and entertainment.  I am of course referring to Brighton’s Pussy Cat Club.

Starting way back in 1995 when dance music seemed almost unstoppable a new and unknown club night was born.  Pussy cat club wanted to be different, it didn’t want to be another dance floor with attitude and an unwelcoming atmosphere, it was to be a night were you can truly be who you want to be and feel like you are in a club full of your closest friends.  To this day it remains the same.

Every month punters are encouraged to dress up,  and although not compulsory I would hazard a guess 97% of the crowed do just that.  In fact I can say hand on my heart from the many, many nights I have attended in the past and had a little jump around, on only my first visit did I let the team down and not dress up.  I should hang my head in shame.

I would argue the music is a mix of classic house, new house and electro (although there may be some who disagree) from resident DJ nippa, Alex Outram and Electrotonic.  Regardless of the genre what really matters is it works, the crowed is always up for it and very friendly.  You’ll never find an ominous character or two in the corner here.  Everyone comes to relax and loose themselves in the music.

Its not just the music that makes Pussy cat club what it is, every month has a varying array of stilt walkers, fire breathers, professional dancers and all sorts.  So even if your feet have given up on night or you just fancy a rest there is always something to keep you entertained.  In fact so friendly is the entertainment that towards the end of  my last night at Pussy cat club before moving here to Sweden my partners in crime and I found ourselves sitting on Brighton beach 7 in the morning watching the sun come up with one of the dancers.  What a great memory to behold.

June will be the Pussy Cat Club 14th birthday and I seriously recommend paying a visit.  If you cant make it then you might be glad to know E-Beans will be there recording the event and holding interviews with head cat Jan, the DJs and the ever loyal crowed.

Long Live The 80s

I Was Once Like You by Firefox AK Vs. Laid is a song I stumbled across purely by accident, but it is one of my best accidents yet. This has almost instantly become one of my most listened to tunes of the month and has even knocked off Imogen Heap’s Hide and Seek (Tiesto Mix) from my top ten (sorry Imogen, but you had a good run).  I must admit it has got a “pop” feel to it and hardcore underground dance fans may find this a bit too commercial, but I think this is what appeals to me the most.  Its not suppose to be taken too serious, its just a nice catchy song.

Firefox AK aka Andrea Kellerman of Sweden, originally started out in a London hip hop group known as Anamorphic before going solo under the name Firefox.  It is noted on other various websites the AK part of her title only came into effect when Mozzila released the now popular firefox web broswer.  In 2006 Andrea moved to Berlin to be closer to the growing electro scene and to start work on a second album which was released in Scandinavia in Feburary last year.

For this release she collaborated with Laid (who also go under the names of Zoo Brazil, Cuba Computers, Nars, Outcold and are often regarded as tech and house producers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WkfFaiQkVc).

Once I was Like You is Andrea’s second single from her 2008 album and if this is anything to go by I’m genuinely excited to hear more from Andrea in the future.

A high-quality YouTube video is available here for viewing.

Lindstrøm`s Grey Area

Mr.Lindstrøm is known by his friends, family and bank  manager as Hans-Peter Lindstrøm of Norway.  Living in Oslo and currently enjoying great success with his sensational musical abilities.  He’s handsome, well groomed and no doubt a hit with the ladies, but this is about as far as I can go in my attempt to make clear cut definition of what makes Lindstrøm what he is.

A quick Lindstrøm name search on various music websites will result in just under seventy different tags in an effort to categorise his music.  Admittedly some of these tags appear to have been conjured up after a late session and whilst feeling a bit worse for wear, for example “spaced out Vangelis-like” (Vangelis being the composer to Chariots of Fire), but never the less this just shows how broad his sound is.

In the same way The Prodigy are hard to categorise, so to is Lindstrøm and I think that is what appeals to many.  You can never be too sure whats coming up next, but you can be certain it will be pleasant and uplifting.  If I was forced to lump Lindstrøm into a handful of genres I would have to say (tentatively) he falls into techno, nu-disco, minimal and chilled house.  What ever you want to call his music, the bottom line is its fun and at the end of the day that is what matters to me.

On the 23rd May he will be playing at Paradiso in Amsterdam, and following that at KOKO in Camden Town, London on the 11th June.  Be sure to check him out.

Emmaboda Festivalen

As a (young) man who loves his electronic based ear food its always a thrill to see a line up that features some truly exciting talent and this is something Emmaboda festivalen seem to have aced at this years festival.

http://www.emmabodafestivalen.se/artister.asp

A live set by toomanydjs, The Bloody Beetroots, Familjen, name the pet and Boysnoize to name but a few.  Having seen only toomanydjs out of the entire lineup I’m very excited about the possibility of  making it to this years festivities and it would be my first festival of 2009 which is always a moving moment (as i try and recoup my expenses).

Resistance Is Futile

So I eventually caved in, I have added my name to the list of literally millions by starting a blog.  This will be my little sanctuary were I will share with you my little discoveries in the world of dance music (not dance band, please do not get the two confused.  Both genres may have interesting cover titles and an equally interesting style of dancing, but only one is worth listening to).

I’m going to start off easy and share with you a Swedish video that was brought to my attention by a friend of mine.  Anybody who frequents dance events should come clean and admit that they have attempted at least some of the moves shown.  I put my hand up.  I have tried all of them, maybe not intentionally but I certainly gave it everything I had.

Using my investigative skills (facebook) I managed to track down Joachim Nordeke, one of the actors in the video.  It transpires the video was made for a school project and was in response to a Finnish dance video which delivers equally as much entertainment, especially so at the two minute mark where it really kicks off!

Enjoy!