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Guy J Interview
Australia has its own cult mix compilation brand in Balance, rivalling Global Underground in its prime. Israeli progressive house trailblazer Guy Judah, or just Guy J, is the latest DJ to headline a volume in the arty spin-off Balance Presents…, after London’s jozif.
In fact, Judah’s set…
DJ Friction Interview
D&B is big again, with DJ Fresh a pop star and Rudimental blowing up. Now the Brit DJ Friction (AKA Ed Keeley) once hailed as ‘the new Andy C’, is dragging the music back into a cool subterranean with his intricate FabricLive 70.
The Fabric mix-CD packages…
Q+A With Alison Wonderland
Alison Wonderland came to prominence through EMI’s She Can DJ competition – but there’s a lot more to the Sydney DJ than a talent contest.
Did a lot of thought go into releasing Get Ready as the debut single from your album?
I play mostly hip…
Maya Jane Coles Interview
Londoner Maya Jane Coles, oft namechecked by other DJ/producers, has finally delivered her debut album, after 2012’s acclaimed DJ-Kicks. Comfort will impress devotees with its deep and dubby soundscapes – not to mention Tricky cameo.
The Comfort title is ironic since Coles – who composes, produces, engineers and mixes her…
James Blake Interview
The post-dubstep auteur James Blake has delivered one of 2013’s best albums so far in Overgrown, surpassing even his soulfully discordant and cerebral eponymous debut, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Now he’s headlining Splendour In The Grass.
But, first, the Brit, conducting nocturnal phone interviews in…
Q+A With Nick Thayer
Last year Melbourne DJ/producer Nick Thayer unleashed his Like Boom EP via Skrillex’s OWSLA. Now comes the follow-up, Worlds Collide, with input from… Mötley Crüe drummer-cum-DJ Tommy Lee.
How did you connect with Skrillex?
It was very organic. I just got an e-mail one day – probably about a…
Funk D’Void Interview
The deep techno stalwart Funk D’Void (AKA Lars Sandberg) may be known to play pre-gig ping-pong matches with fans but, as a DJ/producer, he avoids gimmicky. Sandberg, based with his young family in Barcelona, Spain, last toured Australia’s clubs at the end of 2012, in support of his Balance 022…
Porter Robinson Interview
Porter Robinson’s upcoming DJ tour is selling out – but it may be the final time Australians see the American electro-house prodigy as they know him. Robinson is developing a ‘live’ show for 2014. That the general quick-mix DJ who’s twice joined our festival circuit, has committed to a club…
Bliss N Eso Interview
On the surface, Jonathan Notley, Max MacKinnon and Tarik Ejjamai are just three regular dudes, but put them together and something magical happens. As Bliss N Eso, their fifth album Circus In The Sky is the prime example of this phenomenon, something that McKinnon (MC Eso) describes as…
Q+A With Yuksek
In 2011 French DJ/producer Yuksek, AKA Pierre-Alexander Busson, revelled in vintage pop on a brilliant second album, Living On The Edge Of Time. He actually sang. The Reims native, bored of DJ culture, would then bring his band to last year’s Splendour In The Grass. But now he’s re-embracing club…
Static Revenger Interview
American DJ, producer and video director Static Revenger, AKA Dennis White, has journeyed far, from being active in Detroit’s nascent techno scene to spawning crossover dance hits such as 2010’s I Like That with Richard Vission and Luciana – an Australian Top 3 and double-platinum. Now White, who hopes to…
YelaWolf Interview
Wolves are so hot right now, from the direwolves in Game Of Thrones to motifs in fashion. Alabama MC YelaWolf, AKA Michael Atha, has noticed. “Honestly, yeah, I can see some influences in a lot of culture,” he says. “I don’t think it’s necessarily people are biting, but I can…
Q+A With Cosmo’s Midnight
Over the past year Sydney-based twin brother duo, Cosmo’s Midnight, have been taking cues from low-end house, lush beat work and the local ambient electronic scene to create a sound that’s uniquely their own. This month they’re bringing their debut EP Surge to our town.
Describe your 2013 so far…
PackFM Interview
He counts DJ Premier as a devoted fan and he’s not afraid to “take a good jab at Kanye” – now New York MC PackFM is returning to Australia for the second time after the superstar reception he received the first time around last year. Since then, he’s released a…
Naomi Keyte Interview
It has been three years in the making and now local folktronica artist, Naomi Keyte, is celebrating the release of her debut EP, Edge of Morning. This seven-track speaks of life’s transformations, where the songs reflect the transitional highs and lows of everyday life. Rip It Up sits down with…
Clubfeet Interview
Clubfeet could yet be the only indie-dance band to have ‘Melbourne/Capetown’ in brackets after their name. Two of the five members hail from South Africa. “They go back there on an infrequent basis,” confesses Bennington le Bruce (programming, synths, percussion and backing vocals) of frontman Sebastian Cohen and bassist Yves…
Q+A With Question Question
Following their debut single Black Rainbow last year, Question Question are stepping things up with new EP Cry At The Moon. The EP is set to be launched at Pilot Records’ first birthday celebration this weekend, alongside fellow label artists Menagerie and Urtekk who are also releasing their debut EP…
Dizzy Wright Interview
Las Vegas – otherwise known as Sin City – has become synonymous with all things seedy: gambling, gangs, strippers and epic hangovers. That is, until now. Ever since he dropped three releases in 2012 (including debut album SmokeOut Conversations, a promo mixtape and The First Agreement EP), Dizzy Wright (known…
Tricky Interview
Tricky (AKA Adrian Thaws) has accepted that 1995’s classic Maxinquaye will always be a touchstone for his work. And, in doing so, he’s furnished a credible 10th album, False Idols – a meta-commentary on celebrity culture. Thematically, it harks back to Thaws’ rap Tricky Kid (a line of which inspired…
Q+A With Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet is beloved by electronic music fans as the young singer of ’80s new wave combo Yazoo (with ex-Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke). But she’s forged an impressive solo career. The Brit’s latest album is The Minutes, a collaboration with producer Guy Sigsworth (Björk, Madonna and, most relevantly, Mandalay).
…
J Cole Interview
Hip hop may have hot MCs like Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky, but only Jermaine (‘J’) Cole is Jay-Z’s protégé. The conscious MC/producer has never favoured OTT braggadocio and doesn’t attract hype, yet he is ambitious. Indeed, this month Cole is back with his sophomore, Born Sinner. One of 2013’s…
The Tongue Interview
When Suffa from the Hilltop Hoods says ‘yes’ to guesting on your album, you know it might not be an embarrassing output after all. Also featuring fellow South Australian MC Jimblah, as well as Ellesquire, Illy, Sky’high, Thundamentals and more, The Tongue’s third album Surrender To Victory could just be…
Q+A With Masta Ace
Brooklyn hip hop legend Masta Ace is back in Australia once again, bringing with him Stricklin and New York producer Marco Polo for a round of unmissable shows which will see him at Rocket Bar on Mon Jun 10. Since the ‘90s he’s become known for making concept albums like…
Darkbeat
Currently celebrating a big milestone for the Darkbeat collective, DJ and brand founder Daniel Banko (Rollin Connection) reveals he has huge plans for his ever-growing Darkbeat empire which, just prior to its 10th anniversary, has also launched a record label. To raise a toast to an amazing past and to…
Q+A With P.Smurf
His lead single I Heard The World Screaming is tearing it up on Triple J at the moment, so what better time for Melbourne MC P.Smurf [Daily Meds] to launch his debut solo EP than now…
What have been some highlights this year?
Playing at the Adelaide Fringe Festival…
