London
Free production classes for 13-25 year olds to be provided by Native Instruments
Native Instruments (NI) will host two free workshop days in London later this month.
Powered by two of NI's expansion packs, Global Shake and Lockdown Grind, the workshops will centre on afrobeats and drill music.
The workshops are set to take place in Barking at The Broadway on the 27th and 28th August, and will be free to successful applicants aged between 13 and 25. The three hour long sessions will feature Maschine walk-throughs, tips, tricks and advice from artists and producers.
Independent London club The Cause will shut in January 2020
London's DIY venue The Cause will close its doors in January next year.
The club, which originally had a year-long contract and was due to close in April this year, have extended their contract until the beginning of 2020 with New Years Eve serving as the closing party.
New record store opens in east London
A new record store has opened in east London.
Drum & bass is finally addressing its diversity problem
Recognise: Air Max '97
A year on from his debut album, and a year after moving from Australia to London, the latest Air Max ‘97 project has landed, the four-track ‘Falling Not Walking’ EP. The release features two collaborations with artists also impressing with their own distinctive shades of club music — Italian producer TSVI on ‘Paroxysm’, and Manchester’s LOFT on ‘Xhrinicibles’.
Decisions is a label founded on the basis of releasing idiosyncratic “music to move people”. With past releases from the likes of DJ Plead and Oroboro, van der Lugt is excited about the label’s upcoming projects. The first, from Avbvrn, due later this month, and later Isamov, a producer from New York City whose tracks feature in recent Air Max ‘97 sets (including his Recognise mix).
With upcoming shows in London, New York, Glasgow and Madrid, Air Max ‘97 also recently played a show in Hangzhou, China, in a venue called Loopy, behind the food court on the third floor of a mall. “It’s a concrete cube with a huge Funktion-One soundsystem,” he says. “I was so gassed to finally go there, the crowd was amazing, creative, young and free.” Travelling the world is an “indescribable privilege” for van der Lugt, who will never miss an opportunity to meet local people, eat in their favourite restaurants, and explore local scenes.
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Independent Label Market to take place in London this week
The Independent Label Market (ILM) returns to London this Saturday, 13th July.
The first ILM took place in London in 2011 and has since hosted markets across Europe and the US, working with over 200 independent record labels.
The London ILM will take place at Coal's Drops Yard in Kings Cross from 11am until midnight, with the afterparties held at Spirit Land and SUPERMAX.
Sherelle, Elkka, Jossy Mitsu, more locked for Femme Culture Pride party
London-based label and collective Femme Culture will host their annual Pride party and fundraiser, PROUD, Saturday 6th July.
Femme Culture, who champion female-identifying artists and promote gender parity in the music industry, won Best Breakthrough Label at DJ Mag’s Best of British Awards in 2018.
London gay club XXL is being forced to close by developers
London gay club XXL is facing closure after plans for a £1.3 billion development have been given the green light.
The 1,500 capacity club, which has been open for 19 years, is one of London's oldest gay clubbing institutions, and the last gay club in the capital's Southwark area.
XXL club owners recently lost a court appeal with investors Native Land, who are backing the plan for 489 apartments, a hotel, an office building and shops above the club's railway arch location and on the neighbouring land.
The Sound Of: Astrophonica
Beyond the sound, cohesion is extended by a strong visual look. Every piece of artwork, though often different in immediate style, is created by the design company UTILE, of which Fieber’s brother is one half. Fieber counts himself “super lucky” to have his sibling on board, and explains that “he is very much the designer. I might give him a brief here or a little idea there or something, but it’s all down to him really. He puts it all together.”
“I think if there’s one record that I’d play to someone from my label, who doesn’t particularly like drum & bass, or doesn’t know what drum & bass is, or doesn’t know what I am as an artist, it would probably be that record.”
Records themselves are a big part of the Astrophonica story, with every release currently pressed to vinyl, with unique artwork, which fans can buy bundles including t-shirts and risograph prints of.
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