Pacha Ibiza takes down top-tier DJs: "The DJs wanted more money to play less... It was an abuse."

By Ken Taylor

Pacha has long been an anchor club on the Ibiza nightlife scene, having laid down its roots in the ’70s and established itself as an anti-Franco retreat for bohemians and artists. Of course, over the decades, it’s grown into a multi-million-dollar-a-year business and has hosted some of the biggest names in dance music ever—Tiesto, David Guetta, and Erick Morillo being just a few of them. Now, however, the club’s owners are striking back at the astronomical fees being demanded by top-tier DJs, and as such, have fired their music director, Danny Whittle, and have not renewed booking engagements for Luciano, Morillo, or the Defected In the House event.

Morning Roundup

Eats Everything interviews Skream, the story of Tresor, new gear from Novation, Pro Tools, and Nord, plus, James Blake = not stoked, and The Knife speaks!

By Ken Taylor

What a morning for gear news! We’ve got updates from Nord, Pro Tools, Novation, and plenty more in the lead-up to Musikmesse, plus, your usual dose of music news of all sorts, so cruise on through!

Morning Roundup

Luciano joins Bridges for Music, Avicii cancels tour for illness, Ron Jeremy guests in Armin Van Buuren's video, and Machinedrum's t-shirt kicks off a Twitter war

By Ken Taylor

It’s odd when something as innocuous as an ugly t-shirt can launch a Twitter war, but hey, that’s the state of the world today, so deal with it. But that’s not all—we’ve also got a new video from Armin Van Buuren, which features pornstar Ron Jeremy, a Nina Kraviz flick (which has nothing to do with porn stars, BTW), and an on-the-level update from Luciano, who heads to South Africa next week.

Morning Roundup

Old-school Friday! Altern-8's Fireside Chat, Kode9's aughties jams, and 10 years of Cadenza

By Ken Taylor

Everything old is new again, as they say, and that couldn’t be more true with today’s news items—revisit the jams of rave past with a slew of Kode9 mixes, an audio interview with Altern-8, and a birthday celebration for Luciano’s Cadenza label.

Beatport Live

Perc joins Beatport Live on Friday, February 22

By Ross Jackson

On Friday, February 22, Beatport Live presents UK techno talent Perc. Having gained early recognition for his hit “Up” on Kompakt, Perc went on to catch the ears of Richie Hawtin, Luciano, Chris Liebing, Slam, John Digweed, Green Velvet, Erol Alkan, Steve Lawler, and many more. That critical and peer acclaim led to him being signed to bona fide techno powerhouses like Ovum, Drumcode, and CLR. As well, his own label, Perc Trax, has become a force in itself.

Morning Roundup

Coachella and Ultra announce lineups, Ask Flux Pavilion Anything, and Pretty Lights shows off his pretty tights, plus more from NAMM

By Ken Taylor

Oooh, boy, is this an exciting day. Not only do we have more news from the big gear-industry tradeshow NAMM, but we’ve also got lineups for Ultra Music Fest and Coachella in today’s wrap-up. See who makes the cut after the jump.

Interview

Andrea Oliva jumps into the Top 10 with his techy-tribal rework of Luciano's "Rise of Angel"

By Matt Ferry

Switzerland-based Andrea Oliva has enjoyed massive success seemingly from behind closed doors. A committed member of Luciano’s Cadenza crew, with residencies at some of the world’s top clubs, and productions sprinkled throughout the catalogs of the most celebrated labels in underground house, Oliva’s ascendancy has been a long one since his first introduction to dance music 17 years ago.

We caught up with the four-to-the-floor master and asked about his recent charting remix of Lucian

Track of the Day

Luciano talks about the endless-summer epic "Rise of Angel"

By Matt Ferry

For the thousands of dance music fans that made the pilgrimage to the white isle during the 2012 summer season, Luciano’s quarter-hour epic “Rise of Angel” became their anthem. Building and teasing with cinematic intent for over 15 minutes, “Rise of Angel”‘s driving synth line and piano hook create a blinding Balearic bliss that washes over any clubgoer who bears witness to its glory.

Morning Roundup

DJs weigh in on the election, Skrillex drops his Doors video, the 15 best remixers working today, and Luciano goes to jail

By Ken Taylor

Did producer/DJ extraordinaire Luciano really get sent to the clink? Read on to find out, and while you’re at it, check out Skrillex’s new video and hear Steve Aoki’s thoughts on the success of the modern DJ.

Interview

Richie Hawtin exits ENTER. and goes beyond EDM with his upcoming CNTRL tour

By Ken Taylor

Most folks head into Ibiza with plans for a pretty chill summer—but that’s not really Richie Hawtin’s style. The Minus label head and constant re-inventor of what we’ve come to know as techno doesn’t ever really stop, and this past season saw him rachet up the activity as usual, with his first-ever residency on the island (at Space) and now, a 17-day-and-night tour of the US and Canada called CNTRL: Beyond EDM. The tour, which he’ll embark upon with friends like Loco Dice and DJ TechTools’ Ean Golden, and which will feature guests speakers and DJs such as John Acquaviva, Carl Craig, and Kevin Saunderson, will find Hawtin hitting college campuses by day to teach a bit of techno’s history and technology to students and then by night connecting all those dots in a club atmosphere in the same city.

The CNTRL tour is set to kick off next week in Buffalo, NY, and will take him through his hometown of Windsor, Ontario (full disclosure—it’s also my hometown, where I formerly worked for Hawtin’s Minus label years ago) and other midwestern cities, but before it does, we checked in with Hawtin to get more insight into the upcoming road trip and his just-completed Ibiza residency.

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