This will be the first year both James and I will be crossing the European borders and heading to Hideout Festival on Zrce Beach, Island of Pag in Croatia, from 3rd – 5th July. We’ll be popping our festival abroad experience cherry with an event which has become a staple choice for electronic music lovers all over the world, Hideout is so widely talked about that we decided this year we had to be part of the action. Especially since the typical British summer weather has a habit of causing havoc with downpours and floods, the stunning beachside location of Zrce Beach, surrounded by a mountainous backdrop plus guaranteed sunshine (hopefully!) and high temperatures is certainly part of the appeal.

We’ll be travelling with our friends, Music Festival Holidays, who offer affordable and easy travel packages to UK and European festivals including Outlook, Benicassim and Tomorrowland. Although it involves a 30 hour coach journey there and back, DMM could not be more excited to be amongst fellow revelers, get the party started early and arrive in the country which The Guardian have recently argued as being ‘Europe’s best festival destination’.

Let’s look at the ridiculous line-up – where to start with the huge array of the best DJs, artists and producers of the electro, house and dance world? With DJ sets from the likes of Chase & Status, Four Tet, Rudimental and SBTRKT, plus Jamie Jones, Seth Troxler, Julio Bashmore, Claude Von Stroke and Loco Dice to name but a few, there are far too many for us to name right here. All we can say is, Hideout is the place to be to see pretty much any of the biggest names in the industry and with so much variety, everyone will be sure to have an incredible time.

Hideout isn’t just about the festival itself, with such a stunning location, it’d be a waste not to include boat parties and take the vibe out onto the sea. Hosted by 2020Vision, Aus & Simple, Black Butter Records, Broadwalk Records, Desolat, Digital Soundboy, Drop The Mustard, Dub Boro, Hessle Audio, Heidi, Jackathon, Metropolis, Mono_Cult, Numbers, One Records, Skream & Benga and We Own, you really are spoilt for choice. Some are sold out now so make sure you check on the website and get your tickets quickly – if there are still some left, they won’t be for long!

What’s great about Hideout is the inclusion of the pool parties within the ticket price, which is a fantastic addition and the perfect excuse to cool off in the day, chill out a bit in between the mad partying and soak up the sun while listening to your favourite DJs. From Jackathon & Zutekh to RAM Records, Dirtybird to Circo Loco plus Hot Creations and Metropolis, there’s plenty going on each day during the official Hideout week – we’re already planning ahead and making sure we cram in everything so we make the most of our Croatian festival experience!

Watching the video, if 2012 is anything to go by, this year looks set to be bigger and better than ever which we cannot wait to be a part of – see you on the beach and in the middle of the rave as always!

Get in the mood and check out Hideout on Soundcloud – here’s a mix we dig from Regulate’s Jack Swift:

Follow Hideout Festival on Twitter @HideoutFestival and like on Facebook.

The first festival of the official #DMMFestivalSeason was welcomed by sunshine, the Bank Holiday vibe and a vibrant buzz in Leeds when we arrived at midday on Saturday 4th May. Now in its 6th year, Live At Leeds would be taking over various venues across the city from 1pm onwards for the day/night, celebrating “the best in upcoming local bands alongside more established national acts”. It was clear to see just how popular the event had become from the hundreds of people queuing up outside the grand Leeds City Museum to collect their wristbands; from indie kids to rockers, students to a more mature audience, this was a festival with a difference and we couldn’t wait to get the party started.

Our first stop was the O2 Academy where Leeds boys, The Pigeon Detectives, kickstarted the day for what was a very special, homecoming show. The packed crowd showed their admiration and love for the 5 piece as they smashed through their pop-infused indie tracks, mixing in records from their highly anticipated new album, ‘We Met At Sea’, with popular classics like ‘I’m Not Sorry’ and ‘Take Her Back’. We must highlight lead singer Matt’s brilliant performance as a front man, his energy was contagious and the cheekiness of his banter with the crowd was amusing – “What time did you lot get up to be as pissed as this time of the day?” had us laughing. The Pigeons simply blew the roof off during their hour-long set and set the day off to a cracking start.

After a few cheeky drinks in between, we headed down to The Cockpit to see four piece rock’n’roll Leeds band, the China Rats. I’d seen the guys a few times before where they had the crowd dancing around to their catchy, 50s punk/pop inspired sounds and as mates, I was keen to see them as part of the LAL festival. Although the guys were great on stage and I personally felt proud to see them up there, we were rather disappointed with the lack of enthusiasm from the crowd, which we felt didn’t do China Rat’s music and performance justice. The lads have a lot of potential and we hope that future sets will see more movement from the crowd that they deserve!

Not wanting to miss London Grammar, we ran over to Leeds Met (The Stage) to catch the last half of their set. After being mesmerised by their ethereal, chilled-out and melodic tracks like ‘Hey Now’ and ‘Metal & Dust’, we were keen to witness the beautiful, haunting voice of main singer, Hannah Reid. Her voice translated perfectly in a live setting and had the audience encaptured in a stunning performance from the three-piece, which pointed towards the likes of The XX and Massive Attack in its serenity, making a nice breather from the higher tempo, rockier vibes of the rest of the festival.

Leeds University Union, The Refectory, was our next stop for Californian 5 piece, The Neighbourhood. We’d fallen in love with their evocative combination of hip hop/soul elements with rock, dub and electro vibes, resulting in dark, moody but irresistible tracks and couldn’t wait to watch a live performance. Looking effortlessly cool on stage and playing with passion, the guys certainly did not disappoint and treated to us to an incredible set, featuring well-known tracks, ‘Female Robbery’, ‘Sweater Weather’ and ‘Let It Go’ which had us singing our hearts out to. The only thing we felt let it down was again, a rather unenthused crowd, who we expected to be rocking out to this fantastic music; perhaps the Leeds crowd is becoming more conservative?!

It was a tough choice of who to see after 9.30pm, with Peace, Rudimental, Everything Everything or Darwin Deez being the main contenders; we decided with the latter and headed back over at Leeds Met (The Stage). A curious, entertaining and complex individual, Darwin Deez’s whole set offered toe-tapping tracks with positive, almost hippy-ish energy, which spread through the crowd as they bounced along and enjoyed the likes of ‘Radar Detector’ and ‘Constellations’. A more dynamic reaction compared to other sets throughout the day, the band’s random bursts of dancing injected fun into the set, ending the night on a happy high.

It wouldn’t be a festival without an afterparty and decided on the Propoganda night back at the O2 Academy, where the Pigeon Detectives and Rudimental were later playing DJ sets. We must say, starting out in the basement bar, the resident DJ played some absolute classics which got us both dancing our feet off (what was left of them) – the Higgy Wiggle was out in full force and even I extended on my ‘Spammy 2 Moves’ nickname!

Later on upstairs, we caught one of DMM’s favourites, Rudimental, take over the decks and fill the space with an awesome selection of drum’n’bass/jungle sounds – including their popular tracks too, of course. Good to see a personal favourite, Andy C, up there joining the lads in the bass-heavy offerings!

ROUND-UP

As our first Live At Leeds experience, we’d like to thank and shout out everyone involved in the festival, from the organisers to the press agency, i LiKE PRESS, to the friendly, helpful security guards across each of the venues we visited. Every aspect of the festival, particularly the materials like the website, app and programme, were first-class and further established the event a key date on the festival calendar!

LINE-UP: 8/10
CROWD: 6/10
VENUES: 7/10
ORGANISATION: 7/10

Where to start with the approaching and long-awaited season all music lovers set their sights on for the year…summer and FESTIVALS. Camping, wellies, warm beer, straw hats, the week-long recovery session afterwards; we love it all. Whether in the UK or abroad, we are beyond spoilt for choice when it comes to live music events, from indie/rock offerings in the city to the best in dance and electronic music on the beaches of Croatia, there’s something for everyone.

This year for DMM, we’re keen to go to as many festivals as possible (not just dance, electronic and house ones, but a whole variety of genres) and bring back with us plenty of mad stories and experiences to share, memories of seeing our favourite artists and DJs live, far too many photos and probably damaging our liver a bit too much. But that’s what it’s all about, so here’s our guide to the festivals we’ll be covering this year – if you’re going to any, we’ll be there at the front!

Live At Leeds: 4th May, Leeds

Celebrating “the best in upcoming local bands alongside more established national acts”, Live at Leeds 2013 will see some of the biggest names in indie/rock music take over Leeds for the day and well into the night. With a stormer of a line-up, including The 1975, Everything Everything, The Neighbourhood, Peace and Rudimental, we’re expecting to get our rock on, relish the indie vibe and immerse ourselves into everything the festival, now in its 6th year, has to offer.

Read more on DMM >>
www.dancemusicmanchester.co.uk/2013/live-at-leeds-2013-festival-rekindling-our-love-affair-with-indierock/

See who SpamellaB’s top 5 artists/bands are via Culture Vulture.

Live At Leeds / @LAL2013 / Facebook.com/Liveatleeds

We Are FSTVL: 25th May, Essex

The very first We Are FSTVL sees the Damyns Hall Aerodrome in Essex play host to over 70 of the hottest names in electronic dance music across 10 stages/arenas from 11am – 2.30am. With some of the world’s leading club brands and labels, including Cocoon, Crosstown Rebels, Defected In The House and Kehakuma, plus specially built areas within the venue including a beach arena, we’re predicting We Are FSTVL to be the first of many and a unique festival experience we won’t forget.

Read more on DMM > www.dancemusicmanchester.co.uk/2013/introducing-the-first-we-are-fstvl-festival-may-2013/

Check out our interview with the gorgeous Sam Divine, who will be playing in the Defected In The House arena >> www.dancemusicmanchester.co.uk/2013/dmm-inteview-defecteds-sam-divine-ahead-of-we-are-fstvl-in-may/

We Are FSTVL / @wearefstvl / Facebook.com/wearefstvl

Parklife Weekender: 8th – 9th June, Manchester

Possibly Manchester’s most well-known festival, summer would not be the same without a Parklife Weekender fix. Having grown in size and reputation since 2010, it has become a highlight of the festival calendar and continues to bring some of the biggest and well-known names to Heaton Park. Spread across seven arenas plus the huge open main stage, expect to see the likes of Julio Bashmore, Disclosure, Sub Focus, Bondax, Maceo Plex, Example and Eats Everything smash Manchester up over the weekend.

Read more on DMM >> www.dancemusicmanchester.co.uk/2013/from-manchester-with-love-parklife-2013-line-up-announced/

Parklife Weekender / @Parklifefest / Facebook.com/parklifefestival

Hideout Festival: 3rd – 5th July, Croatia

What more could you want from a festival: guaranteed sunshine and hot weather, beach and boat parties and a huge line-up offering an array of the biggest names in electronic, house and dance music… That’s where Hideout Festival comes in and ticks all the boxes. Located on Zcre Beach, Island of Pag in Croatia, be treated to the sounds of Chase & Status, Loco Dice, Modeselektor, SBTRKT, Seth Troxler and Skream & Benga plus many more!

Hideout Festival / @hideoutfestival / Facebook.com/HideoutFestival

Cocoon In The Park: 13th July, Leeds

What happens when you put Sven Väth, Richie Hawtin, Ricardo Villalobos and Craig Richards in a typically green Yorkshire landscape? The result is Cocoon In The Park, the official annual event for the UK’s techno music lovers in Temple Newsham, a gathering which will witness an impeccable sound system, creative visuals and performers – and of course, bringing the party-goers together for its 5th birthday!

We’re selling tickets! >> Make sure you follow us on Twitter @dancemusicmcr / Facebook.com/dancemusicmanchester to buy them.

Cocoon In The Park / @CocoonInThePark / Facebook.com/CocoonInThePark

Beacons Festival: 16th – 18th August, Skipton

Taking over Heslaker Farm in Skipton will be the annual Beacons Festival – as we see it, Yorkshire’s smaller-scale answer to Glastonbury but still offering huge names in the world of electronic, house and melodic music. From Django Django to John Talabot, Dutch Uncles to Ghost Poet and Eats Everything to Bondax, Beacons Festival isn’t just about the music. We’re looking forward to the chilled environment, sampling the Gourmet Street Food, pizza and whisky tasting, plus pop-up tea rooms too!

Beacons Festival / @BEACONSFEST / Facebook.com/BeaconsFestival

Creamfields: 23rd – 25th August, Cheshire

After last year’s chaotic end which saw the festival ending a day early, we’re hoping and praying this year’s Creamfields won’t be a wash-out! A firm DMM favourite, 2013 sees yet another incredible line-up, spoiling us with the biggest and the best names in dance, house and electronic music. There’s far too many to list, but think Duke Dumont, The Prodigy, Paul Oakenfold, Steve Angello and Porter Robinson, you’re on the right lines.

Creamfields / @Creamfields / Facebook.com/Creamfields

Mint Festival: 21st September, Leeds

The very first Mint Festival at Lotherton Hall last year was one of our highlights of 2012, most noticeably the Bitch arena and we can’t wait for its return this year. Bringing together some of the world’s biggest DJs in house, techno, dance and drum’n’bass (official lineup and details to be announced), Mint Festival is the perfect end to the festival season.

Read more on DMM >> www.dancemusicmanchester.co.uk/2012/our-highlight-of-2012-so-far-mint-festival-leeds/

Mint Festival / @Mint_Festival / Facebook.com/MintFestival

The Dance Music Manchester team have a lot to look forward to this year in terms of festivals. From the first We Are FSTVL down in Essex to Manchester’s Parklife Weekender and of course, Hideout Festival further afield in Croatia. 2013 is the year we try to go to as many as we possibly can.

This isn’t just restricted to dance, electronic and house-based events though as we seek to broaden our music tastes and experiences across the UK, one reason why DMM will be  covering Live at Leeds this year for the first time. For SpamellaB in particular, this means re-visiting her indie/rock band roots and going back to a city where many good (messy) memories have been had.

Although Manchester is our spiritual home, Leeds is another city bubbling with creativity and bursting with rich musical talent. Known more for its indie/pop/rock associations thanks to the likes of the Kaiser Chiefs, Alt_J and The Sunshine Underground emerging from the city, Live At Leeds is about celebrating “the best in upcoming local bands alongside more established national acts”, which is very apparent when looking at the impressive line-up.

Back for its 6th year taking place over the first May Bank Holiday, LAL isn’t just about getting drunk, dancing about and singing along to your favourite bands (although it’s still compulsory). The weekend kicks off with The Unconference on Friday 3rd May, a schedule of seminars and talks about the music business supported by Leeds Metropolitan University; a great opportunity for those who are genuinely passionate about music to get involved.

Saturday 4th May is all about the main event, with Aluna George, Everything Everything, Rudimental, Peace and The 1975 taking over various venues across the city. Other upcoming bands like Swim Deep, Tribes, The Neighbourhood and China Rats will be joining them, plus talented singers such as Ryan Keen or Laura Mvula – for only £22.50 for the day to see over a 100 bands, it’s a pretty good deal. For those lucky enough to get a ticket, on the Sunday, The Vaccines will be playing a separate event at Millenium Square to round off the weekend’s live music feast.

This is just merely a mention of some of the well-established names alongside some which you may not have heard before but may do in the near future. What we’re looking forward to the most about LAL is witnessing a difference in genre, atmosphere and location and indulging our inner indie/rock-ness.

Don’t miss out!

Get your tickets from Luna tickets.
Follow @LiveAtLeeds2013 / Like Live At Leeds on Facebook
The full schedule will be revealed on 15th April – keep an eye out on the website!
Check out Live At Leeds on SoundCloud to get in the mood.

Sam Divine has become a favourite DJ of SpamellaB and I for a few months now. I rekindled my love affair, lasting nearly a decade now, for Defected towards the end of 2012 and shared the brand’s distinctive, upbeat, summery house flavours with SpamellaB as part of my attempt to convert her from DnB / dubstep over to the other side of the dance music fence! (Quite successfully I may add!) Sam’s own take on Defected’s sound has provided us with some brilliant, varied sets over the past few months, a highlight of ours being the “Live from Defected at Minstry of Sound” set on SoundCloud, which is included at the end of the interview!

 

You’ve come a long way from DJ’ing in Bristol nightclubs to mixing huge compilations, residencies in Poland, Naples and Ibiza and playing huge festivals as part of Defected. How much of a difference did it make to be signed by Defected and how did this come about?
It’s made a huge difference in comparison to quality of gigs. I was just as busy before I got signed but I was doing everything myself. 80% of my gigs came from MySpace and I was lucky enough to have a constant flow of work. Defected signed me to the agency rosta in 2009 after I worked as promotions manager for them in Ibiza.  I played a few warm up sets at Mambo and stepped in for Junior Jack & Kid Crème when they missed their flight. After the summer Simon signed me and I haven’t looked back since.

You recently played at the musical institution that is the Ministry of Sound in London for Defected in the House. How was the night, knowing that in the near future it may be closed for good?
Defected always pulls off great parties and Ministry is no exception. I love the club, its one of the only big clubs I still go to, the atmosphere and sound is incredible.  I’ll be really sad if Ministry closes, its part of London’s clubbing history and one of the only decent big clubs left besides Fabric.

Your mixes have recently become a favorite at DMM HQ, alongside fellow Defected DJ’s, Franky Rizardo and Copyright. Where does the inspiration come from behind each set, to provide the variety? Is there a special routine when preparing for a gig or mix?
Thank you I go into every gig blind, I spend the week listening to promos that I get sent, sometimes from labels and sometimes from people that contact me through twitter and facebook. I take the time to listen to everything, you never know when you’re going to come across a gem. This takes up a lot of time but its important that I keep my sets sounding fresh. I have my favorites that I play in pretty much every set, one because I love them and two because they work the dance floor every time. Every country has a different sound and you learn this from experience so I learned not to plan my sets, I have a rough idea of what I would like to play but that can instantly change as soon as you walk in a club and read the crowd.

You have been called up for duty on the new Nikki Beach 20th Anniversary album on Defected. What flavors and sounds should we expect from the compilation and do you know when it will be available for our listening pleasure?
This is a really cool project for me and I’ve been given total free reign with the tracks. The first CD is day vibes so I’ve kept it quite Soulful and vocal, the kind of stuff I would want to hear laying round a pool or at a cool beach club. The second CD is more edgier and tougher, 2am vibes. The compilation is dropping in March as single track downloads and 2 full mixes, you will also be able to buy a physical copy.

When DMM saw the lineup for We Are Fstvl in May, we were immediately drawn to the Defected in the House area with Noir, Flashmob, Copyright, FCL, Hot Since 82 and yourself on the bill. How excited are you for the festival and why should festival lovers head down to Essex?
I love playing outdoors full stop so playing Festivals are one of my favorite gigs to play. Defected has a solid line-up, in fact We Are Fstvl’s whole line-up is pretty ridiculous but it terms of sound and what Defected will bring in terms of production and merchandise giveaways it always feels like an Ibiza vibe. I love the fact its in Essex, people travel miles even abroad to see the line up that We Are Fstvl have put on so that fact that its in London its sure to be a complete sell out.

The #DMMDanceOff is clearly a huge highlight of any festival! Will you be joining us and what is your killer move?
Hell yeah, I can cut some serious shapes when needed.

Ibiza is around the corner, how would you summarize last summer?
A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! I’ve been working on the island as a DJ for 7 summers and last year it felt like everything clicked into place and all the hard work had been totally worth it. I’ve been resident at Ushuaia for 2 years, its my favorite place in the world to play, not just because of the satisfaction I get as a DJ from playing there but also everyone involved from the directors to the bar staff, to security and even glass collectors. It’s one big family and I feel part of that now.

What are you hoping for from the White Isle this year?
All I’m saying is watch this space, if I get what I’m hoping for then it’s going to be the summer of all summers

Quickfire Q’s:
What item travels the World with you, wherever you are? My laptop
Guilty pleasure track? Mmmm hard question
If you were an animal, what would you be? A Cat
The term “EDM”. Love or Hate? Love, it divides shit music from the good, good being proper House music
Any plans to head up to Manchester any time soon? I’m in Manchester quite a bit, we should meet and have tea and biscuits in the Northern Quarter

Live from Defected, Ministry of Sound:

Sam Divine – Deserve Me ft. Rebecca Knight (Free download)

 

You can catch Sam Divine, playing at We Are Fstvl, May 25th in Upminster, Essex. We’re heading down for the day and highly recommend you join us! Tickets are available here