Size matters!

Ok, I know, I'm reaaaaaally late on this one. But let's just say, it's a review of one of the best CD releases for 2010. After buying the album at Beatport, I got totally inspired by "Size matters" - the latest compilation by Steve Angello and AN21. So inspired, that I immediately had to purchase the CD as well for my collection :D



The music is amazing, not that we expect something else from Steve and his lable. ;)
The release includes 2 CDs:

1. Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano - Snitch
2. Matteo DiMar - F this club
3. Douze & Kris Menace - Lockhead
4. Cirez D - The Tumble
5. Firebeatz & JoeySuki - Hidden Sound
6. Shawnee Taylor, Harry Romero, Alexander Technique & Junior Sanchez - Where you are
7. Tim Berg, Sebastien Drums & Norman Doray - Tweet it
8. Thomas Gold - AGORa
9. Steve Angello - Rave 'n' roll
10. Congorock - Babylon (Steve Angello Edit)
11. Steve Angello - Knas
12. Swedish House Mafia - One (Original Mix)
13. Swedish House Mafia - One (Congorock Remix)
14. Pendulum - The island (Steve Angello, An21, Max Vangeli Remix)
15. Fran & Oliver Koletzki - Hypnotized
16. Ridney & James Talk - Forever (Ramon Tapia Remix)
17. Marco Lys - Mombasa
18. Mark Knight - Sax
19. Sebjack - Bigger (Paul Thomas & Myke Smith Remix)
20. Matteo DiMar feat. Dashka - Blower
21. Dirty Vegas, Ned Shepard & Sultan - Crimson Sun
22. Kim Fai - P.S
23. Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (AN21 & max Vangeli Remix)
24. Florence & The Machine - Drumming Song (Boy 8-Bit Remix)
25. Eddie Thoneick & Erick Morillo feat. Shena - Nothing Better (AN21 & Max Vangeli Remix)
26. Gorillaz - On Melancholy Hill (AN21 & Max Vangeli Remix)
27. AN21 & Max Vangeli - Swedish Beauty

Every single track is a bomb. I know, I'm not supposed to say this, but my favourite tracks are definitely "Swedish Beauty" and "The Island" - the most beautiful tracks for 2010!!, followed by "KNAS", "Where you are" & "Nothing Better". It's a pure pleasure to listen to the whole compilation. Big applaude to Steve and Antoine for this one :)

Take One

Ok, so I took my time to write this article, but this is only because I wanted to watch the movie first. Since yesterday, you can watch "Take One" in Germany for free:

http://www.raveline.de/magazin/musikthemen/hotacts/swedishhousemafia-takeone/

http://www.virtualnights.com/news/3001542

http://www.myvideo.de/channel/get-no-sleep

The Swedish House Mafia documentary was made by Chistian Larson and is a film about the Swedes, their tour life, their personalities, about their ideas and their music.




I was so touched by this movie, I can't find words to describe how I felt after watching it. And the great thing about the movie is that you get to know the real Seb, Ax & Steve - how they feel about their success and it is so inspirational and cute at the same time to see how nervous the guys were before their first Brixton gig :) The most amazing scene for me was the birth of "One" - the first SHM single. I swear (I probably shouldn't say this :D), I had tears in my eyes, while watching it. The soundtrack makes you so amazingly happy and accompanied by the right scenes, it's just pure PERFECTION.




I can only recommend you to purchase the limited edition of "Until One". It includes the movie itself, the soundtrack "Until One", a book with behind-the-scenes impressions and a vinyl of the "One" and "Miami 2 Ibiza" instrumentals. (can't wait to get my hands on my copy :D)





If you want to be part of the SHM-history, you should get very quickly your credit card and book one of the last 47 tickets (information is from yesterday!!) for the "One Night Only" tour in the UK. The tour was almost sold out in less than a week!!

Kandilicious Compilations

Hed Kandi released another amazing compilation just yesterday! "Hed Kandi: The Remix 2011" includes some amazing mashups, the playlist is listed below:

Disk: 1
1. Alex Gaudino - I'm In Love (I Wanna Do It) (Instrumental Edit) / Example - Kickstarts (Acappella)
2. Danny Byrd Feat. I-Kay - Ill Behaviour (Dean Rigg & Christian Hoff Mix)
3. Joey Negro - Must Be The Music (Nicola Fasano Dub) / Axwell Feat. Errol Reid - Nothing But Love (Acappella)
4. Jason Borne - Dynamite (Maitland & Leiter Mix)
5. Calvin Harris - I'm Not Alone (Instrumental) / Soulsearcher - Can’t Get Enough (Acappella)
6. Shiny Grey - Why (Rob Wilder & Wes Clarke Twisted Disco Remix) / Dennis Ferrer - Hey Hey
7. Usher Feat. will.i.am - OMG (Riva Starr Remix)
8. Bordeauxx - Get Down (Instrumental) / Dizzee Rascal & Armand Van Helden - Bonkers (Radio Edit)
9. Weekend Millionaires - Barbra Streisand (HK Mix)
10. Federico Scavo - Let's All Chant (Manuel De La Mare & Marshall Remix)
11. Groovefinder Feat. Leah Mcrae - All This Love That I'm Giving (Christian Hoff Mix)
12. DKS - Sing With A Swing (A New Thing Remix)
13. Carl Hanaghan & Ted Nilsen - Wear It Out (Mr Vasovsky Mix)
14. Ultra Naté - Free (Bob Sinclar Remix)
15. Eric Prydz - Pjanoo / ATFC Feat. Lisa Millett - Bad Habit (Acappella)



Disk: 2
1. Tim Berg - Seek Bromance
2. Example - Two Lives (Wez Clarke Remix)
3. Solitaire - You Got The Love (Mark Maitland’s Against The Clock 2011 Mix)
4. Byron Stingly - Get Up (Everybody) (Carl Hanaghan & Ted Nilsin Remix)
5. Nalin & Kane - Beachball (Chris Lake Remix)
6. Tyken Feat. Awa - Every Word (Hagenaar & Albrecht 2011 Mix)
7. Solu Music Feat. KimBlee - Fade (Frater & Stent 2011 Mix)
8. Fehrplay - Ayita / Shakedown - At Night (Acappella)
9. Mick Lion - Beautiful Monster (OneSaneMan Mix)
10. Christian Hoff - Katayama / Louie Vega & Jay ‘Sinister’ Sealee Starring Julie McKnight - Diamond Life (Acappella) 11. Steve Angello - Tivoli / Afrojack Feat. Eva Simons - Take Over Control (Acappella)
11. Benny Benassi Presents The Biz - Satisfaction (Instrumental) / Steve Angello & Laidback Luke Feat. Robin S. - Show Me Love (Acappella)
12. Till West & DJ Delicious - Same Man (Hagenaar & Albrecht 2011 Mix)
13. Technotronic Vs Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike - Pump Up The Jam (Crowd Is Jumpin Mix)
14. Steve Angello - KNAS / Dirty South Feat. Rudy - Let It Go (Acappella)


Disk: 3
1. Dannii Minogue - More More More (Super Red Berry Mix)
2. Jason Borne - Written In The Stars (Super Red Berry Mix) 3. Adeva - In & Out Of My Life (Shield Vs Robytek 2010 Remix)
3. Booka Shade - Night Falls / Plastic Operator - I Won't Back Down
4. Mick Lion Feat. Chris Ming - Forget You (Futurdisko 2011 Mix)
5. Craig Jensen Feat. Gina Foster - Club Lonely (Volante Remix)
6. Jamie Jones - Summertime (Rob Mello No Ears Mix)
7. Phonat - Love Hits The Fan (DCUP Remix)
8. Alfred Azzetto - Colors (Walterino Main Mix) / Kristine W - Feel What You Want (Acappella)
9. Tensnake - Coma Cat (Round Table Knights Remix)
10. David Penn & Rober Gaez - Sunshine People (UNER Dubfected Remix)
11. Rasmus Faber & Alf Tumble Feat. Candi Staton - Wilder Side (Tong & Rogers Wonderland Club Mix)
12. Dido - Everything To Lose (ATFC Remix)



And like this isn't enough, my favourite label is releasing a "Best-of-Box" in a few days. You can buy "Hed Kandi: Anthems & Artwork" through the 10/12. The compilation contains not one, not two, not three, but FOUR CDs with the greatest hits over the past years. But what is more important - it includes a book with over 100 pages with some of the most beautiful girls made by Jason Brooks. It is an amazing Christmas gift, so don't hesitate too long - it's a limited edition!






Disk: 1
1. Jamiroquai - Love Foolosophy (Knee Deep's Re-Edit)
2. Shakedown - At Night
3. StoneBridge Feat. Therese - Take Me Away (Vocal Mix)
4. Soulshaker Feat. Lorraine Browne - Hypnotic Erotic Games (Soulshaker Original Club Mix)
5. Michelle Weeks - The Light (Jazz-N-Groove Prime Time Mix)
6. Shawn Christopher - You Can Make It (Jamie Lewis Classic Mix)
7. Kings Of Tomorrow - Young Hearts
8. Soul Central Feat. Kathy Brown - Strings Of Life (Stronger On My Own) (Full Length Vocal)
9. Soulsearcher - Feelin Love (Soulsearcher Club Mix)
10. Mighty Dub Katz - Let The Drums Speak
11. Peyton - A Higher Place (Eric Kupper's Gospel Degree Vocal Mix)
12. Junior Jack - Thrill Me


Disk: 2
1. David Guetta & Joachim Garraud Feat. Chris Willis - Just A Little More Love (Wally Lopez Remix)
2. The Egg - Walking Away (Tocadisco Remix)
3. Mylo Feat. Freeform Five - Muscle Car (Sander Kleinenberg's Pace Car Mix)
4. Armand Van Helden Feat. Tara McDonald - My My My (Joy Kitikonti Remix)
5. Tiga - You Gonna Want Me
6. Jaydee - Plastic Dreams (ATFC's Plastic Surgery Remix)
7. Who Da Funk Feat. Jessica Eve - Shiny Disco Balls (Main Mix)
8. DJ Gregory - Tropical Soundclash
9. Alter Ego - Rocker (Eric Prydz Remix)
10. GusGus - David (Tim Deluxe Mix)
11. Spektrum - Kinda New (We All Live & Die) (Tiefschwarz Dub)
12. Les Rythmes Digitales - Sometimes (12" Mix)


Disk: 3
1. X-Press 2 - Lazy
2. Solu Music Feat. KimBlee - Fade
3. Craig Jensen Feat. Gina Foster - Club Lonely
4. Soldiers Of Twilight - Believe
5. Petalpusher - Surrender
6. Physics - 7am Sessions (Thai Soul Sunrise Mix)
7. Jon Cutler Feat. Kemdi - You Groove Me
8. Richard F Feat. Simonne Cooper - Feels Alright (Vocal Mix)
9. DJ Chus Presents The Groove Foundation - That Feeling (Original Stereo Mix)
10. Blue Six - Music & Wine
11. Bent - Always (Ashley Beedle's Mahavishnu Remix)
12. Late Night Alumni - Empty Streets


Disk: 4
1. Degrees Of Motion - Shine On (Original 12")
2. T-Empo Feat. Julia Roberts - Saturday Night Sunday Morning 2007 (T-Empo Club Mix)
3. Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart
4. The Nightwriters - Let The Music Use You
5. Ten City - That's The Way Love Is (Deep House Mix)
6. Mass Order - Lift Every Voice (Take Me Away) (Bumped Up Mix)
7. Aly-Us - Follow Me (Club Mix)
8. Gwen McCrae - All This Love That I'm Giving
9. Soul II Soul Feat. Caron Wheeler - Back To Life (However Do You Want Me) (Club Mix)
10. Rufus & Chaka Khan - Ain't Nobody
11. The Source Feat. Candi Staton - You Got The Love
12. Ce Ce Rogers - Someday (Club Mix)

P-p-p-p-odcast

So, today is definitely my personal "Patric La Funk"-Day :D Aside from releasing his two hot and brandnew tracks "Jazz" and "That's Why", Patric uploaded his latest podcast on SoundCloud.

Patric la funk Podcast _017 november 2010 by patriclafunk

On this month's playlist:

01. Noir - Africanism
02. Belocca - Boogie Wonderland
03. Nez - Inside Of Me
04. Shapeshifters - She Freaks
05. Calvin Harris - I'm Not Alone (Deadmau5 remix)
06. Thomas Gold - Àgora
07. Prok & Fitch - After The World
08. Kaskade - Raining
09. Morgan Page - I've Had Friends (Jean Èlan rmx)
10. Marco V - Reaver
11. Chuckie & Hardwell - Move It To The Drum (Promised Land remix)

The episode is really hot so go, go, go and download it!

Jazz....that's why :)

It's a great end of the month for Patric La Funk. After some very successful studio sessions with Kim Fai and Fedde Le Grand (can't wait to listen to the results, by the way :) ), he released not one but two tracks on Beatport.



The first one called "Jazz" came out on 23/11 and it's a co-production with his studio-buddy Timo Becker. The track is super melodic and perfect to dance to in the club :)




The second track - "That's Why" is by Patric La Funk and Jorgensen. The release is out now on Beatport and includes the original mix, and two remixes - one by Alan Lockwood and the "Elegance Mix" by Alex Gomez and Bias.
It got already great feedback by Gareth Emery, Groove Armada, Markus Schulz, Jerry Ropero, Sarah Main, Mark Knight, Matt Darey, Sander Kleinenberg and, and, and..
You can see for yourself by buying the original @ Beatport.

Nicely done, gyus :)

Feel the vibe with Tara McDonald

She is the voice behind some of the most significant house music projects of the past years. She is one of the most amazing performers I've ever met - always looking fabulous, always in a good mood and with the BIGGEST heart someone could ever imagine! She is Tara McDonald, a young and very talented UK song-writer and singer and I'm sure, that she doesn't need to be introduced. Her talent lives through her music, which touches people all over the world. One day after her new project with Sherry Flavour "The Grand (We're not alone)" got released, Tara found some time to talk to me about her fans, her shoes and her new album:)






E: Tara, your new single called “The Grand (We're Not Lonely)” was released on 22nd November on Selekted Music, after getting big support by Armin Van Buuren, Cosmic Gate, Above and Beyond, Flash Brothers and many more. Can you tell me something more about it?



T: I had heard the instrumental of this track “The Grand” by Sherry Flavour and really loved it. Then I was approached by 3 different people from completely different sources to write a vocal line for it, so it seemed something that I was destined to do. I decided to write a song called "We’re not lonely" because when I hear the music I am uplifted and it can completely change my mood. I work in club life and sometimes you can have a bad day and don't always feel like going out. But once I hear the music playing I am transported and know that many other people feel that way. I want to remind myself and others that no matter where you are in your life you are not alone.

Sherry Flavour & Tara McDonald - The Grand (We're Not Lonely) (Radio Edit) by Selekted Music



E: Have you ever thought about an own album?

T: Yes! This is my next ambition I want to fulfil. I am a very cautious person. I wanted to feel ready for such an important stage in my career. I used to get so nervous about performing and had to overcome that. So I started backing singing and recording vocal sessions for pop and rock stars to get more experience in the studio. Then I started touring with them. After that I wanted to make records but was still too scared to do my own one so I wrote songs with other producers (mainly dance) and released tracks for their projects. This was great as I got to tour doing my own club shows and had to do some press and radio interviews and sometimes big live performances especially when I was working with David Guetta. Now I feel that I have experienced nearly every aspect of putting a record together and I'm now ready to work on my solo album (in fact I have already started and I'm so excited about it!)




E: What came first? The singing or the song-writing?

T: I guess what came first for me was singing as this is something you enjoy doing when your very young. When I was about 5 years old I was at a friend’s birthday party and there was a magician there. All of us children were singing happy birthday and the magician came over to my father and said "is that your daughter there?" My father nodded. He said "all the other children are shouting but your daughter is really singing" so I guess that was a sign of what was to come.



I didn't start writing songs till I was around 8 or 9, these were not good! But I was aware of song structure and interested in words/lyrics and how they could make you feel and tell a story. I started working in music at 9 years old traveling to London to perform in the musical “Les Miserables”. I had always loved to sing and dreamed of performing on a stage, I had to persuade my parents to let me be in the show. They took me along to the audition for fun, I don't think they ever expected me to get the part and I haven't stopped working since.


E: How comes that you’re in the house music business?

T: House music opened its arms to me and I have been very grateful. I was very shy growing up and going to nightclubs for me was pure escapism. In the day I felt I couldn't express myself because I was very insecure about my appearance and found it hard to talk to people except my trusted circle of friends. But somehow all that changed when I walked into a dark nightclub with the music pounding so hard it rocked my whole body. I wasn't image conscious there, I felt free. I became a different person like my bad ass alter ego :D So I always felt very comfortable in this environment, it was a way to escape. Simply dance music made me feel good and I was soon addicted to it.


E: Can you tell me about the moment, when David Guetta and Axwell got in touch with you, asking you to work with them?

T: The Axwell situation was through a music publisher, they gave me the track as they were finding it hard to get the right vocal line. I had always loved the instrumental and lucky for me they liked what I did.





The song "Delirious" with David Guetta was born out of another unusual situation. I had been contacted on MySpace by a guy called Sven Kirshner from a company from Yamabooki. He wanted to send me some tracks to write on but didn't tell me who they were from. It was good as I decided what tracks I wanted to write to on the strength of the music alone and I fell in love with one piece of music that I decided to call "Delirious" and another track I wrote too from that time was an instrumental from the Todd Terry Allstars that I called "Get Down". This was a really creative time and I feel very proud of both these records. David and I then met up in London and he got a real shock as he had only heard my voice before on "My my my" that I featured on with Armand Van Helden, he hadn't seen me before and thought I was going to be a big black woman.




E: When you write a song text, do you always know the melody already? And which way round is easier?

T: When I write with DJ/producers it's usual that I am sent a track, this can be rough and then I will just listen to this over and over again. I will start singing melodies that come into my mind and maybe I will get some lyrics at the same time. This happens sometimes but more commonly I will find the melody first and an idea to write about. Then it’s like a puzzle adding the pieces together. It has to be natural, it’s all about feeling and instinct.




E: How did you discover your passion for house music?

T: My passion for dance music came through my love of the nightlife in London, it was a real mix of excitement, fashion, glamour and a love to dance all night long. Now I'm in the process of putting together my own album, it's such an incredible time. I'm experimenting with different sounds in dance music, adding in different flavours too and I can't wait to share these songs with everyone!


E: You play a different role in every music video. Have you ever thought about acting?

T: To be honest I am loving working in music right now and haven't thought much about acting although a couple of people have asked me recently. It's defiantly something I would consider in the future but it would have to be a very special project and right now I want to concentrate on my album.



I have however just presented my own radio show for Sarah Main's "The Main Room", I had never done this before and it was a great experience to pick out some of my favourite tunes. I decided to concentrate on focusing on the singers and songwriters in house music as I am one myself. I had so much fun doing it.


E: Which was your most personal gig experience?

T: I feel so blessed to have had some truly amazing experiences over the years that have meant so much to me. It doesn't matter if it's a massive event or a small club gig, they all matter! The best feeling is sharing your music to an electric crowd. I have a few experiences I would like to share with you....



One of the biggest gigs I did was about 10 years ago, I was working with Planet Funk and we were performing at the MTV dance festival in Ibiza. I had never been to Ibiza before and was so excited to finally be on the island which is the mecca for all things dance music. We performed alongside Basement Jaxx and Faithless and the gig was at Privilege the world’s biggest nightclub. I was so nervous but the audience loved it and I felt such a high afterwards.




Another great memory was when I performed in Jakarta last year, I was singing "Get Down" and I usually put this in the middle of my set as it was a big club track but not so well known commercially. I had no idea how big this sing was in Indonesia. It was crazy, normally the biggest songs of the night from me are "Delirious" or "My my my" so I was really pleasantly shocked with the reaction I received.



More recently this year I played at the Tomorrowlands festival on the main stage in front of 90,000 with Dimitri Vegas, Like Mike & Dada Life. We wrote a track together called "Give Into the Night" which was the official Tomorrowland anthem and went to number 16 in the commercial chart in Belgium. I am really proud of this record as it's the first track that I have recorded the vocals for myself at my home studio and the artwork for the single cover was so beautiful. It was a great honour to play on the main stage after the Swedish House Mafia and I was blown away by the audience. It was really crazy!




E: Which was THE most strange fan gift?

T: I haven't had many strange gifts but I do feel so touched that the music I make reaches people and through that the fans care about me. I had one fan from Cairo in Egypt travelled all the way to Moscow on a private jet just to give me a rose before a performance which was pretty special because he thought I might be nervous. Also when I was in Germany recently a guy put something in my hand while I was singing. (yeah T, I saw that! :D) I gave it to my tour manager as I was performing in a dark club and couldn't really see what it was plus I was singing too. When I got off stage I saw it was a beautiful necklace in 22 carat gold. I really wanted to thank him but it was too late, he had gone already. So hopefully he'll read this and know that I kept it and I was very touched. Another fan in Romania is a very talented designer Anca AKA Little Artist she made me this beautiful leather bag in leopard print with a record on the front with my logo on.


E: Who makes your outfits for your gigs?

T: I am a bit of a shopperholic to be honest and I love to find new outfits. That’s my best excuse for shopping - "I need it for my job"! I will buy things from the high street, designers and also I do have some things made just for me. I'm not precious about where my clothes are from. Sure, I love expensive designer clothes like all girls but I'm just as happy with something from H & M. I did have one dress especially made for me that I wore for a Playboy party that I was performing, designed by Prince Charming who lives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He wanted to make me into a modern day Jessica Rabbit!




E: How many pair of shoes do you have? :)

T: I honestly can't tell you...but it's a hell of a lot. I'm not good at throwing things out so the collection is getting bigger and bigger!


E: It seems to me that you love to tweet :) what is Twitter for you?

T: I love twitter and anyone out there that wants to follow me my address is http://twitter.com/taramcdonaldtv Follow me! :D

Twitter for me is amazing as it's such a quick and easy way to communicate to fans and update them what you're doing, new records, where you're playing and to thank the people that are supporting you. It’s also a great way for me to find out what other artists or my friends are doing. Everyone has such crazy schedules these days. Like last week I was playing in Dubai I tweeted about it and Afrojack tweeted me back saying he was there too. Without twitter he probably wouldn't have checked my web page. So it can be a good social tool too :) My mum likes to follow my tweets as she never knows where in the world I am so she can look at my twitter post and say ok she's ok she's just landed in China and is doing soundcheck LOL


E: Do you love your jet set life or do you sometimes get tired of being away from home every day?

T: I do love my jet set life......now. When I first started touring and doing my club shows I wasn't as well known as I am now so I used to travel everywhere on my own which could get very lonely. Also living out a suitcase can be hard, especially as I hate packing! It’s easier for the male DJ's and singers in a way as they just roll up to the gig in an old T-shirt, but for a girl there is a lot more pressure to look good. Trying to travel light with only hand baggage (in case the airlines lose your bags) but when you’re away for a week can be tricky. Touring has become such a big part of my life and now I'm in hotels more than I'm at home so I'm used to it.
This month for example I have performed in Miami, Dubai, Milan, Paris, Marrakech, Warsaw, Luxembourg, Belgium, and a Russian tour.



On average I'm on more than on 6 flights a week. Sometimes I get to stop and see something of the country and I love that. When I was performing in Egypt earlier this year, the ash cloud incident happened and I couldn't get home. This ended up being great as I got to explore Cairo, saw the pyramids and the museum and made some lovely new friends there. Also I played a show in Rome this year too and took a late flight back so I got to see the ancient city of Rome.



Sharing my music with people is such an incredible feeling. Believe me, the things I miss at home are a small sacrifice. I love what I do so much and know I am very lucky to live through my music. I am blessed and I’m learning to get better at packing my luggage!


Pictures by artist.

"One Night Only" Tour by SHM

Swedish House Mafia announced their UK tour dates for May 2011. You can party with them on following dates:

26/05 - Barrowlands Glasgow
27/05 - The Academy Manchester
28/05 - Alexandra Palace London

A small tip from me - order your ticket asap, Brixton was sold out extremly fast last May!! Pre-sale start is yet to be announced, official on-sale starts on 3/12 at 9AM.


Sources: Official Swedish House Mafia Facebook Page

Last night Seamus Haji saved my life :)

I'm not sure that everyone has heard his name, but I'm definitely sure that everyone has danced to his music. Seamus Haji is not just a name, he's a cult. Although he thinks of him like someone who has just followed the trail of the vets of the house scene, it's not only my personal opinion that he himself is one of them. It's a great honor to present you the producer of "Take Me Away" - one of the songs responsible for my falling in love with house music :)



E: Seamus, your track together with Mark Knight and Funkagenda “Good Times” enjoys a huuuge success all over the world. How long did it take you to get done with it? And do you have a special studio-work-mode?

S: That took some time to get the vocals right as it was such a classic to cover of course. I can't remember exactly how long it took but it was something that took a lot of tweaking and going back over to get the arrangement right in certain places. Plus everybody knows the Chic original so well so I wanted to give it a twist and accentuate the 80's vibe in the music with the electro synth hook and we carried on that theme in the video with the roller skates!


E: You’ve worked on so many projects together with Paul Emanuel. Do you prefer working on your own or in a duo?

S: I think it's good to do both. Paul doesn't DJ so I'm the one who's out there in the clubs and he's focused on the studio. Sometimes I like to do my own thing and sometimes our schedules don't permit us to work together. I like to do the odd collaboration which I've done with people like Mark Knight & Funkagenda, Kaskade or Romain Curtis for example and then when Paul and I get back together I think we usually come up with something special.


Take Me Away - HAJI & EMANUEL Feat. Erire (edit) by Erire



E: Tell me about your favourite gig over the years, which you’ll never forget.

S: The Week in Rio De Janeiro was pretty amazing! Every time I played one of my tracks or remixes they'd play the video on a massive screen at the same time. The crowd was amazing!


E: Which software do you use for your productions?

S: Logic and Live





E: How does a typical “Seamus Haji”-day look like?

S: If it's a week day - drop kids to school, then either in studio all day or working from home on the record label then usually catching up with my family in the evening or friends out socialising.


E: What can you tell me about “Big Love Music”?

S: Well Big Love is a record label and it all started 8 years ago. The label is still running but I have now been appointed as Head of A&R for legendary New York house label Strictly Rhythm. So now I'm exclusive A&R to them I can't sign any more music to Big love so maybe Big Love is something that I'll come back to in the future. Let's just say that Strictly made me a very good offer and I probably would have kicked myself if I turned the job down and then seen it go to one of my peers so I'm excited about the future! Saying that we are putting out our last release on Big Love this month Seamus Haji & Romain feat Awa "Just A Friend".


E: What can we expect from the newest compilation by “BLM”?

S: It's a look back at this years releases from Big Love so big vocal projects mixed with releases from our more underground imprint Big Love Digital with lots of exciting artists like Filthy Rich, Romain Curtis, Jason Chance, Jesse Voorn, Per QX, Nino Anthony, Dirty Harris, Whelan & Di Scala, Reza, Grant Nalder & Adam Asenjo.


E: What is the one place in the world where you would love to perform, but hasn’t had the chance yet?

S: I've always had a lot of studio/label and family commitments so I've never really liked to travel too far or gone away for too long. I was only just recently convinced by my agent to go to South America for some mini-tours for the last 2 years and I did have a brilliant time but I hate being away from my family. I always hear good things about Zouk in Singapore!


E: Are you nervous before a gig?

S: It depends on where & the size of the crowd really. If I'm on unknown ground then I can get a bit nervous yes! I find that I won’t notice I'm nervous before the gig but I may feel nervous as I start until I settle in and get the crowd on my side...well fingers crossed! :)


E: Seamus, looking back to the beginnings of your career, if someone had told you you’ll soon be working with Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Moby, Sugababes or Axwell, what would your reaction have been like?

S: I probably wouldn't have believed them. I remember when I was starting to make name for myself on the US House scene in London in the mid 90's and even though I'd play the more underground stuff from MK, Roger Sanchez & Masters At Work I'd also play the remixes they'd do for big artists on major labels so playing the David Morales remix of Mariah Carey's "Dream Lover" and seeing him go on to win a Grammy for it was very inspiring. As a DJ I thought "that's what I want to do" but didn't think I'd get anywhere close to it. People like David set the bar for the rest of us to follow.

The Annual 2011

The waiting has come to an end. On the 05/10 Ministry Of Sound released a new compilation set and I have to say, it's quite amazing. "The Annual 2011" includes 3 CDs with over 60 great tracks and 3 full lenght mixes on each CD.

My personal favourites on the first CD are:

- Steve Angello - Knas (Original Mix)
- Laidback Luke feat. Jonathan Mendelson (Chris Kaeser Remix)
- Tim Berg - Alcoholic (Dada Life Remix)
- Dabruck & Klein Albyn Myers - Lönneberga (Original Mix)
- Duck Sauce – Barbra Streisand (Original Mix)
- Alex Gaudino – I’m In Love (Original Mix)
- Swedish House Mafia feat. Pharell – One (Vocal Mix)
- Avicii & Sebastien Drums – My Feelings For You

The second CD offers also some amazing tunes like:

- Tim Berg – Bromance (Aviciis Arena Mix)
- Morgan Page feat. Jan Burton – I’ve Had Friends (Jean Elan Extended Remix)
- Robyn – Hang With Me (Avicii’s Exclusive Club Mix)
- Dirty South feat. Rudi – Phazing (Original Mix)
- Max’C, Chris Kaeser feat. Anita Kelsey – What We Gonna Do (Mode CK Mix)
- Eddie Thoneik, Erick Morillo feat. Shawnee Taylor – Live Your Life (Eddie Thoneick
Dub Mix)

And I love these tracks from the last CD:

- Patric La Funk - Next To You (Sweat) (Original Vocal Mix)
- David Costa feat. Lima - Into You (club Mix)
- Patrick Hagenaar feat. I-Fan - Part Of Me (Original Mix)
- Fatboy Slim - Star 69 (Thomas Gold 2010 Remix)
- Wolfgang Gartner & Mark Knight - Conscindo (Origina Club Mix)
- Jean Elan - What It takes (Club Mix)
- Jovicii feat. Andy P - Don't Hold Back (John Dahlbäck & Avicii)

You just have to buy this release, it's definitely a must-have!! Listen to the mix below and see for yourself :)

Patric La Funk - Solid

Patric La Funk's new single "Solid" will be released on Beatport in less than one week - on the 31/10. The track has the perfect club sound and I'm sure that it will be played many times at parties in the next couple of months. The release will also include the remix by Manuel De La Mare, to wich you can listen below.

A Message From Norway

Everyone knows the maxim that two heads are better than one. But when it comes to Martin Danielle and Carl Louis it's absolutely unthinkable to seperate those guys. They're working together in such a perfect symbiosis, it is an indescribable pleasure to listen to their projects. Their single "The Message" (one of my favourite songs in 2010 by the way :)) had an enormous success and among its biggest supporters are Axwell, Chris Lake and Tiesto. And although Martin and Carl have many appointements, they took some of their precious time to talk to me about their past, presence and future :)




E: How did Martin Danielle and Carl Louis meet?

M&C: We grew up together in the suburbs of Oslo at this awesome little place called Snarøya. Best friends since the age of 7.


E: How does it feel to hear your own song played by Axwell?

M&C: It's incredible!! Axwell was the first artist that really made us aware of house music and we have loved his music ever since the first time we heard it! Axwell's music also equals perfection production wise, so it's a HUGE honor for us that he playlisted "The Message" for long!


E: Is there a Martin Danielle without Carl Louis or a Carl Louis without Martin Danielle, in other words, have you ever thought about starting solo careers?

M&C: Well, when we started this journey we decided we wanted to do it together, and we both agree that we have a bigger chance of success this way. The synergy is great between us and we overlap each others qualities making our music as good as we know how.


E: Norway or USA?

M&C: little bit of both :)


E: Describe your latest project in 5 words.

M&C: Carl Louis & Martin Danielle

New Month - New Podcast

Hey guys, sorry for the delay, but unfortunatelly I did not have Internet on my Lufthansa flight yesterday :D And while I was in the air, the new episodes of my two favourite podcasts where uploaded on SoundCloud. I`ll keep the introduction short and will let the music speak for itself...

First was the mix by Marco Lys. It`s incredibly fresh and melodic and it includes some tracks from his new album with Chris Lake "Cross The Line". It`s definitely a must-have!!

Marco Lys October 2010 mixset by Marco Lys


01. WestBoy - "Seduction" (Audiojack's Runaway Drums Remix)
02. Moby - "Go" (Marco Lys Mombasa bootleg)
03. Spirit Catcher - "No Way Out"
04. Loko - "Xexi Luv" (Original Club Mix)
05. Nalin & Kane - "Beachball" (Marco Lys remix)
06. Chris Lake & Marco Lys - "Cross The Line" (Main mix)
07. Channing - "You've Got Me Out" (Marco Lys Dub remix)
08. Loco & Jam - "La Surco" (Original Mix)
09. Chris Lake & Marco Lys - "The World Around Us" (Original mix)
10. Slam - "Cacophony" (Original Mix)


The second new podcast episode is by my favourite German DJ Patric La Funk :) As usual, the track selection is amazing and is the perfect choice for the romantic weather outside.



Patric la funk Podcast _016 october 2010 by patriclafunk


01. Sander Kleinenberg - "Ryanl" (Pleasurekraft rmx)
02. DBN & Patric La Funk - "Inside Out" (Inpetto rmx)
03. Dido - "Everything To Lose" (Atfc rmx)
04. Louis Vega - "Diamond Life" (daddy's groove rmx)
05. Martin Solveig - "Hello" (Michael Woods rmx)
06. Jerry Ropero - "Coracao" (Sandro Monte rmx)
07. Bob Sinclar - "I Feel For You" (Anthony Ross rmx)
08. Matt Caseli - "Sign Your Name Across My Face" (Sebastian Klieg rmx)
09. Antillas - "Sole"
10. Jerome Ismae - "Flashing Lights"

If you want to support the guys, download their mixes on Soundcloud and buy the original tracks on Beatport :)

Exclusive interview with Alex Gaudino!!

Alex Gaudino does not need to be introduced - his music speaks for him. With his “Destination Calibria” and “Watch Out” Alex found his way into the front rows of the world’s best house DJs. His sound is a mixture of Italian electro house and a small but defining pinch of craziness, which makes Alex’ music a guest of honour at every house party. On 20/08 Beatport released one of his latest projects – “I’m In Love (I Wanna Do It)” and only a month later - his remix of HJM’s “Milano”. First is already #10 in the Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart and includes remixes by no other then Jupiter Ace, Kurd Maverick and Robbie Rivera and the second, I’m sure, will soon be celebrating also a big success.



E: Alex, your new single “I’m In Love” got really great support by Pete Tong, Judge Jules & Dave Pearce and can be heard on BBC Radio One and Kiss FM. What is the main idea behind it?

A: We started with the piano riff and then we found the vocal hook of "I'm in love" that was sounding amazing with the music. Then the rest came


E: You have recently worked on remixes for some really big names like Armin van Buuren, Tiesto and Bob Sinclair. When you think back to the beginnings of your career, have you ever imagined coming so far?

A: Not so far , but I've always hoped for success as everyone else who starts this kind of thing, but it's basically a passion..


E: Can you tell us something more about your collab with Steve Edwards “Take Me Down”?

A: It was great even if unfortunately that record hasn't had the results we've expected. He's a great singer.


E: What was your best moment at this year’s WMC?

A: At the FG Party and at the Ultra Festival.


E: Do you make compromises regarding your own style in order to be liked by more people or do you stay true to yourself?

A: I try to let people like what i do...


E: Many DJs believe that it’s more professional to prepare their set before the actual gig. What do you think of this and how do you prepare for a show?

A: It's a good thing to be prepared , but sometimes it's great to improvise.


E: What to expect from you in the future?

A: To continue doing what I'm doing, making our projects reality!






Special thanks to Alex Gaudino and Davide Ippolito :)

I'm in love...

A new track is celebrating its official release next week. The song is called "I'm In Love" and it's by Compact Disco - three cute and very talented guys from Hungary :)
The release includes the original version of the track and three remixes by no other than HJM, Dave Martin Hamvai & Roberto Winny and Noend. You can watch the official video below or download the original on Beatport on 15/10. It's definitely worth it!



with the lovely support of Davide Ippolito

Out Of The Rain

After hearing this song for the first time in Patric La Funk's september podcast two weeks ago, I instantly fell in love with it! The melodic "Out Of The Rain" (released on Beatport on 30/08) is produced by the young Italian talent EDX who worked on this project with Tamra Keenan and the result was this incredibly beautiful song. EDX is known to have done some great remixes for a lot of big names in the business - Deadmau5, Bob Sinclar, Axwell, Steve Angello, Roger Sanchez, Laidback Luke and Armin van Buuren are only few of them. show your support by downloading the original, it is already one of my favourites for the autumn :)

MixMag goes Ingrosso

The October issue of Mixmag has something very special for the Swedish House Mafia fans - a free CD mixed by no other than Sebastian Ingrosso. "Ibiza Closing Party" contains several BIIIIIG hits including the most beautiful song of 2010 "Swedish Beauty" by AN21 & Max Vangeli, the Congorock Remix of SHM's "One" and many more. I won't be telling out more, just go and buy it, it's totally worth it!!

From London With Love xxx

After spending one week in the busiest city in Europe, it was inevitable to fly back from London with the new compilation by Hed Kandi "World Series: London". The 3 CDs mix contains really great music and was released on the 20/09 - only three days after the official start of the London Fashion Week. Inspired by the catwalk music this compilation shines with hits like my favourite "Last Forever" by Norman Doray, Tristan Garner & Errol Reid, "Till Tonight" by Laidback Luke & Jonathan Mendelsohn, "Even" by Avicii & Sebastien Drums, the electrifying "La Tromba Risin'" by Lys and Lake feat. Copyright & Tasita D'Mour and many, many more. Go and grab your copy here and be part of London's fashion vibes. :)

"Cross The Line" out now on Beatport!!

It's finally here :) The first and brandnew album by Chris Lake and Marco Lys is exclusively on Beatport, waiting for you to download it!!! On it, you can find our old beloved tracks like "La Tromba", "Sloane", "Violins" and "Humanica", but also some new burners like "Cross The Line", the funky "Running Out", "Stay" with vocals by Nastala and the incredibly melodic "Atari Funked the Amstrad". I can highly recommend it to you all! It's a masterpiece!! :)

Cross the line with Marco Lys!

Eveyone knows him, everyone loves his unmistakable sound and everyone has danced to "La Tromba". Marco Lys is one of the most promising young producers from Europe and one week before his first album with no other but Chris Lake is going to be released on Beatport, he took his time to talk to me about his favourite XBox games, la bella Italia and his future :)




E: Lys, tell me about your first experience with electronic music.

M: I was around 15 or 16 when I started to fall in love with dance music. I was used to do my own compilations recording songs on the radio. At 17 I started to dj at private parties and at 18 to make first demos with a Commodore Amiga 500. In 1991, I released my first record and I still have it framed on my studio wall!


E: What do you love more – djing or producing?

M: Both! Especially when I play tracks of mine, the emotion that people give me is priceless.


E: What inspires you most?

M: The music. :) There are artists, who inspire me for a long time with their music. Sometimes I can get inspiration when I go to the club listening other djs, I get back home thinking about the records they’ve played. Sometimes city noises give me inspiration...everything is good for inspiration!


E: Are you the only one in your family, who is in the music business or is music in your blood?

M: I’m the only one in my family, but my girlfriend is a good singer!


E: You were born in Venice. Do you still live there and if not, have you considered moving to another country?

M: I was born in Venice and moved to a close city in north Italy (Vittorio Veneto) when I was 1 year old and I’m still living there, I love it. It’s a beautiful city, 1 hour to the sea in the summer and 1 hour to the ski slopes in the winter! A city I really would love to move to is London, maybe, one day...I’m already spending 1/3 of the year there.


E: Do you have other hobbies beside the music?

M: Yes, I like to practice sport and breakdance when I have the time.


E: You experiment a lot with your sounds. Do you use samples or do you create them by yourself?

M: I use both. When I started to make music many years ago there were no software synths or plugins. I was used to squeeze my 2 hardware synths like lemons to create new sounds. Nowadays there are so many virtual synths you can basically have all the sounds you need, this saves me a lot of time but it doesn’t mean I use presets as they are, I like always to experiments with the sounds.


E: The last two years were very successful for you. You released “Few Things” and “Mombasa”, and not to forget the amazing “Speechless”, “San Francisco Rain” and “La Tromba” with Chris Lake. Your sound is unmistakable. Were you afraid that people might not understand your music and have you expected such an enormous success?

M: Wow! Thanks for calling it “enormous success”! Well, I was not afraid but at the same time I didn’t expected it. It’s always exciting to receive good feedback from the people!


E: Your first album with Chris Lake is about to be released. Do you have a favourite song?

M: Oh, it’s a tough choice! I love all of them and each one has its own story behind it.


E: I’ve heard that you are a big fan of the Xbox360 :) Which is your favourite game?

M: Forza Motor Sport 3 and Tiger Woods, I see there’s a new edition of this last one but I haven’t put my hands on it yet.


E: What are your goals for the future?

M: I wanna start new collaborations in the next months, some have already started, I’m in the making of a new solo project and there are some more Chris Lake & Marco Lys projects to come, and I want to land a hit #1 on beatport...who doesn’t wish for that?!?


Thank you Marco for this interview. I wish you all the best for your career and for the upcoming album :)

For all of you who can’t wait any longer – the new album of Chris and Marco "Cross The Line" will be released on 27/09 on Beatport. I can’t wait to get my copy and until then you can hear some of the amazing tracks on it in the mini mix on youtube :)





Picture by artist

Patric La Funk in the mix

Hey guys, check out Patric La Funk's monthly podcast. The September mix offers a biiiiig variety of great new productions. You can see for yourself in the playlist below, but I can asure you, it is totally worth it to download this hot piece - as for me - I already have it on my iPod :) Enjoy and we can't wait for the next month to come :)

Patric la funk Podcast _015 september 2010 by patriclafunk

01 Mason - You Are Not Alone
02 Pryda - Vega
03 Kiko Oko - Lovely Serenade (Eelke Kleijn rmx)
04 Reuben Keeney - Esatue
05 Adam Shaw - Out Of Reach
06 Edx - Out Of The Rain
07 David Tort - Chase The Sun
08 Vincent Thomas - Music Of Yours
09 Bass Kleph - Where Do We Go From Here (Hook & Sling rmx)
10 Michael Woods - Dyanamik

Seb is back

Ok guys, last weekend was definitely legendary! Mr. Veldmann surpassed everyone's greatest expectations! I'm still so overwhelmed with emotions and it's not easy to put all impressions into words, but I'll try my best!:)

Location: Dusseldorf's most fabulous club 3001. Time: 23pm. Patric La Funk is standing behind the booth, getting the crowd ready for a huge party. I had the amazing opportunity to experience this event from a new point of view and standing next to Patric, while he was playing, was just awesome! Watching all these people dancing around and singing along with their favourite songs was so breathtaking!










When I was at his gig for the first time last June I got this strange feeling that he's going to have a huge career, even bigger than it already was. Now, this feeling of mine has slightly become reality and I'm most certain that Patric La Funk is one of the most talented house music producers in Germany! Among Patric's choice for the night were songs like Mark Knight's "Devil Walking", the amazing bootleg of "Watch the Sunrise" which Patric made together with Prok & Fitch, "Nothing Better" by Erick Morillo and Eddie Thoneick and right after I thought it couldn't get any better I heard "Hey Hey" by Dennis Ferrer and "Pong Forever" by Wippenberg vs. Norman Doray & Tristan Garner.







At about 1am Patric made room for Goldfish - two great musicians from Cape Town, who amazed me with their set. I've always been a huge fan of the mix up of house music and live played intruments, but Goldfish can't be compared to anything else. Dominic Peters and David Poole offered such a great variety of sounds, which made the songs even more awesome!





It was 2am when Sebastian Ingrosso entered the club and made his way to the stage. As expected, everyone went crazy :D What can I say - Dizzeldorf loves him. And for a good reason. Seb gave his best. He played for more than two hours and it was one hit after the other - "One", "Kidsos", "In the Air", "My God", "Leave the World Behind" and many, many more. I was really looking forward to hear the new Swedish House Mafia track and I didn't have to wait long. "Miami 2 Ibiza" is even more electrifying live! One of my personal highlights of his set was "Sweet Disposition". I guess, the SHM guys could play this song for the next 10 years and it'll never get boring.









I had the luck to be on two more of Sebastian's gigs this year and it is so great that his set is still full of surprices! Standing behind him, while he was mixing was intoxicating. He is so in love with what he's doing, he lives through his music and when he's playing you have the feeling that he's the most happiest person in the world. :)




After Ingrosso left, Patric took over the booth for the second time this evening to continue with his amazing set. All in all, it was one of the best parties I've been so far. And I'm really, really looking forward to the next one. :))





Special thanks to Patric La Funk, Benny Bokrezion and Fabian Veldmann