Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The Dance Beat: Remix from Rehovot



The Jerusalem Post profiles Israeli DJ/producer Yinon Yahel, best known in these parts for remixing Deborah Cox's "Beautiful UR."

For Yahel, who still lives in Israel but travels constantly, it’s important to reach out to people who are traditionally enemies of the country and find common ground. And that hallowed land, for him, is music.

“I get Palestinians and Lebanese attending my shows and coming up to me to talk. In a club, we’re all just people.”
Read the whole thing here.

Monday, January 10, 2011

The Dance Beat: News from Vancouver's Electro Scene



The Vancouver Sun's Francois Marchand reports that "something big is bubbling" in the city's underground electro scene:

If you paid attention to what was happening in the music blogosphere in 2010, three names from Vancouver's electro scene kept being repeated over and over again, and not just in the 604 area. Party duo Humans, chilly electropopster Teen Daze and grimy noisemaker Babe Rainbow put out three EPs that knocked us out, each in their own special way, and 2011 could prove to be the year where the loop is looped and their names truly become household. How and why could Vancouver's electro bubble finally burst?
Full story here.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Tonight on bpm Spotlight: KASKADE


Tonight at 8:30 pm ET on bpm Spotlight: meet Kaskade (a.k.a. Ryan Raddon), the Chicago-born DJ and producer whose latest album, Dynasty, features collaborations with Tiesto and Dragonette.

Fyi: Kaskade will be among the headliners, along with Chromeo, Dragonette and K-OS at the 2011 Freezing Man Festival in Edmonton on January. 29 Details here.

Follow Kaskade on Twitter.

Here's the video for "Fire in Your New Shoes," featuring Martina of Dragonette:

Miss Raquel's Month in Review!

Vitalic - Birds

Miss Raquel December Month in Review


Happy New Year to you - and thanks again for reading yet another year of me blabbering on about the electronic music happenings here in Toronto and Canada. And thanks for watching electronica this past year. Remember if you have videos and/or events, please hit me up at info@scenestermagazine.com.

We’ve kicked 2010 out the door and let in 2011. As far as music is concerned I have to say 2010 was a good one, with tech-house as the dominant force. We heard less minimal and more house and deep house than in 2009. There have been risks taken in rhythms, vocals and basslines, and deepness. 2010 was the year for all that was deep-sounding.

Creativity and boundaries were pushed with videos from such artists as:

* Vitalic - Birds (my pick of 2010)
* The Bloody Beetroots ft. Steve Aoki - Warp 1.9
* Paul Kwitek - Katun
* Jamiroquai - White Knuckle Ride

Some standout tracks were:

Pendulum – The Island (Steve Angello, AN21, Max Vangeli Remix) – Size Records
Cari Golden/Pan-Pot – Captain My Captain (Original Mix) – Mobilee Records
Lee Burridge, Matt Dekay – Wongel (Original Mix) – Cecille
Pfirtr– The Dub Track (Len Faki Remix) – Figure
John Tejada – Sweat (On The Walls) (Martin Landsky Remix) – Poker Flat Recordings
Funk D’Void – Flealife (Christian Smith Remix) – Outpost Recordings
AFMB – Backup Days (Original Mix) – Drumpoet Community

And this is to only name a few,as there was a lot of goodness in 2010.

The only downfall to this past year was the influx of DJs coming out of the woodwork thinking their snizzle is the sizzle. For this I have the perfect the blog to read from The Lowler Agency in L.A. You can find the link at the bottom of this review.

What I saw this past year musically was of course the usual club politics, which I feel year after year always hurts the EMDS. We need to step back for 2011, dig into our musical crates and pull out P.L.U.R.: Peace, Love, Unity, Respect.

Photo: houseplant.dj
DJ Dan - Footwork Bar & Afterhours, Toronto, ON

On this night Robb G (one of my favourite crazy deck ducks) opened. Then Jelo (a sheer deckician) and DJ Dan tore it up!

I can't say any more than this was a dirty filthy good mess!


Make it Funky 5-Year - Revival, Toronto, ON

This was a great Make it Funky (MIF) 5-year anniversary.

Musical selectas were QBERT, who laid down a 2.5-hour set, Big League Chu, Mikey D, Farbsie, Thunder, Lady Linsee, Sunpredictable, Travis Robinson, Dave Saddler, Zirca, ill Gates, Dave Dub, Red Turtle, Dirtyred and Robb G.

It’s great to see a crew such as MIF putting on events as solid as this for the past five years.

Too bad there’s haters on a particular message board slamming Jay and Farbs (MIF) for reviewing their own event, which to me was more of a huge thank-you to those who came, saw and have been solid attendees throughout the years. What ever happened to P.L.U.R.?


Avicii and Glenn Morrison NOT at 99 Sudbury, Toronto, ON

I believe greed reared its ugly head for the So, We Dance? New Year's Eve bash with Swedish DJ Avicii and Glenn Morrison at Toronto's 99 Sudbury (a restored glass factory), which police shut down before the countdown due to safety issues outside the venue.

According to the Toronto Star, only 300 of the 1,500 people with tickets made it into the venue when DJ sets by Avicii and Glenn Morrison were cancelled around 11:30 pm, said Jennifer Love, a spokesperson for the organizers of the event.

Love said according to The Star the special events venue at 99 Sudbury St. can accommodate 1,500 people and the event was cancelled because people without tickets showed up and tried to force their way in. My sources said the majority of people in line had bought advance tickets and weren’t allowed in, and this is what caused the mad New Year’s mob.

According to Toronto's 14 Division, which showed up on the scene with at least 20 officers, the organizers could be at fault.

Avicii said there were lots of people waiting outside when he arrived at the venue around 10:30 pm. “I felt very bad. I was really excited to play, but they did not let me,” he said. "It's horrible, horrible. I hate not playing for people."

What happened to P.L.U.R.?

For 2011 I feel we need to step up and remember that the music is the reason we love being in the EMDS, and to kick greed, hate and entitlement to the curb.


UPCOMING EVENT

Join me for one of my favourite DJs Chus & Ceballos – This is London – Friday January 21.

Presented by Adnan Media with residents DJs Manzone & Strong.

Celebrating This is London’s SOHO Anniversary Party Friday January 21 at This is London, Toronto, ON.

I’ll be there, so if you see me come please say “Hi.” I’ll be in the bottle service booth beside the DJ booth.

For list and information contact Adnan at (416) 274-2753.


Here’s the blog I mentioned at the top of my review, Writing a Cover Letter and Submitting a Press Kit By David Lowry.

SEE YOU ON THE DANCEFLOOR!
- Miss Raquel
Keep in touch with Miss Raquel on Facebook and Twitter.
Don't miss electronica: every Saturday @ 8 pm ET.


Monday, January 3, 2011

bpm:tv January Highlights

The dramatic finale of Superstars of Dance airs Jan. 14 & 16

CHECK OUT OUR ROUNDUP OF WHAT'S AIRING ON bpm:tv IN JANUARY.


Live Sessions – Mondays & Sundays at 8:30 pm ET
Go behind the scenes with groundbreaking electronic music artists as they perform at Canada’s top clubs. This month’s highlights include epic sessions by Canadian “trance sitar” master Prosad (Jan. 9), Miami-based house DJ and producer Robbie Rivera (Jan. 16), and Dutch trance superstar Ferry Corsten (Jan. 23 & 30).

Sophie Ellis-Bextor
London Live – Mondays & Wednesdays at 10 pm ET/PT
Every week, bpm:tv flies you to London and puts you in the front row for a series of exclusive concerts featuring the hottest dance and electronic artists in the world. We’ve got a live performance this month by sultry British songstress Sophie Ellis-Bextor (Jan. 10 & 12), plus a special “Pop” edition featuring performances by Nelly Furtado, Fergie, Sugababes, Duffy and Pink (airs Jan. 17 &19).

Kaskade
bpm Spotlight - Tuesdays & Thursdays at 8:30 pm ET
From The Prodigy to Pete Tong, Carl Cox to K-OS, there's just one show on Canadian TV that brings you up close and personal with the biggest names in dance and electronic music. This month's highlights include one-on-one interviews with U.S. house producer Kaskade (Jan. 4 & 6), Grammy Award-winning French hitmaker David Guetta (Jan. 13), British house duo Basement Jaxx (Jan. 20) and ethereal dance-pop diva Sylvia Tosun (Jan. 27).

Superstars of Dance - Fridays at 8 pm ET & Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT
** SERIES FINALE: JAN. 14 & 16 **
It's the Olympics of dance: the best dancers from eight countries face off in a spectacular winner-take-all battle for global dancefloor domination. Michael Flatley and Susie Castillo host this nail-biting performance competition from the creators of American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance.

Back @ Ya! – Every night at 7pm ET
It’s Canada’s only all-request dance hour! Effervescent host Jorie Brown takes your email requests, shout-outs and dedications, and plays the videos you ask for – from old school classics to the hottest new hits. Send your requests to Jorie at requests@bpmtv.com.

Hot 20 Dance Chart  – Monday to Saturday at 9 pm ET/PT
From the turntables to your TV, bpm:tv’s Hot 20 Dance Chart is the definitive guide to the tracks that are tearing up dance floors around the world. Join Scott Fox as he counts down the week’s biggest club hits. Follow the Hot 20 on Facebook.

Danny Davalos
Get Up N Dance – Daily at 8 am and 1 pm ET / Mondays & Sundays at 8 pm ET
Ever watched the dance routines in music videos and thought: “Sweet! I want to be doing that”? Well, time to stop thinking about it, and start doing it. Time to Get Up N Dance. Hosted by award-winning dancer and choreographer Danny Davalos, this new series reveals the secrets of mastering the world’s most innovative street dance styles, from hip-hop to breakdance.