Palestinian DJ Sama’ Abdulhadi has been released on bail after serving eight days in a Jericho jail.
The Palestinian Authorities court order is subject to investigation on charges of “desecrating a holy site and religious symbols and violating COVID-19 emergency measures.”
Sama’ was recording her set for Beatport‘s series The Residency at a courtyard within Maqam Nabi Musa in the West Bank when the private event, with 30 total friends and working crew, was shut down early by a group of protestors.
Although she gained written permission from the General Director of the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to perform, Sama was criticized for playing techno at a religious site and ultimately arrested. More on the situation here.
A petition soon appeared up on Change.org, acquiring more than 100,000 supporters. The page declared: “Sama Abdulhadi is being made a scapegoat and held accountable for a crime that did not happen and one that she certainly did not commit.”
Sama’ shares her own statement via Beatport:
I am safe and well and would like to thank everybody who has spoken out in support of my situation and called for my immediate release. I am overwhelmed by the support from my fellow musicians, artists, activists and the entire music community. I want to thank anybody and everybody who has made me feel so supported. At this moment, I just want to spend time with my family.
Listen to her powerful Boiler Room set from 2018 below.
Though it may have been difficult to predict just how long COVID-19 would last after nearly a year of global shutdowns and quarantine measures, some concert and nightlife venues have already begun making necessary adjustments to continue operations during the pandemic.
Club Space in Miami is one such venue. With the help of Bar Lab—and with social distancing and safety measures in mind—the fabled club has announced the launch of its new open-air venue endeavor, SpacePark.
In the Magic City Innovation District, Space Park’s events debuted on New Year’s Eve with Artbat and Rony Seikaly. As with all the events planned for the outdoor venue, Club Space sorted out the booking, with Bar Lab spearheading the beverage offerings.
“The opportunity of doing an open-air venue at a park with our brothers at Bar Lab came to us somewhere in the summertime,” David Sinopoli, co-owner of Club Space, said in a statement to Miami New Times. “It’s a lot about timing, and it’s a lot about opportunity and collaboration.”
“We’re local companies. We’re here because we love our community, we’re friends and coworkers,” added Gabe Orta, co-founder of Bar Lab. “We want to make sure we do it the right way, and our intentions are coming from a community point of view. For us, it’s going to be as much of a big party. We’re going to try our best to make our community happy.”
Of course, for the time being, safety guidelines including face masks and temperature checks are in place, and attendance is limited to 25% of the park’s 6,000 person occupancy limit. Miami’s citywide curfew is also being followed, and events are allowed to be held from 3PM until midnight.
Club Space reopened in October with many of the same safety guidelines, but without the space to provide a truly satisfying live music experience. “Since the park is so much larger, the surface area we are going to be using feels ten times bigger than the club,” said Space co-owner Coloma Kaboomsky. “At [Club Space], we have 30 tables. At the park, we’re going to have 60 tables with much more room. We are going to have four small dance floors where you have to wear a mask. It’s limited capacity, and each dance floor has its own bar.”
“It is not just going to be an event space, per se,” Sinopoli added. “We’re going to grow it and activate other community businesses in there to come in as a micro-concept.”
Festivals’ rescheduled dates and lineups have not only been in a state of flux but also fodder for conversation around the live event circuit, and Britain’s Glastonbury Festival is no exception. Although rumors that the festival will not see a 2021 return have been darting around the internet for the better part of a year, Glastonbury co-organizer Emily Eavis says otherwise.
British performer Mel B recently sparked further speculation about the status of the 2021 iteration in an appearance on BBC Radio 5, stating, “I know that Glastonbury’s been cancelled…so a lot of big stage performances are on hold again this year, which is sad but we’ve got to get this virus under control.”
Eavis avidly denied this claim in a January 4 tweet, assuring potential attendees that there will be an official announcement as soon as possible, and that there is “no news on this end yet.”
Happy new year to you all! There’s no news this end yet, we haven’t cancelled. Will let you know right here as soon as we have an update..
In August, Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis said he was hopeful that the vaccine would be distributed around the world before the beginning of 2021, which would set the festival on track for its planned return. The world has entered January 2021 without widespread vaccine administration, but all hope is not yet lost, according to Eavis’ tweet.
The United States Capitol has been placed under lockdown as thousands of Donald Trump supporters have been clashing with police.
The president’s supporters stormed Capitol Hill today (January 6) to protest the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory in Congress, which resulted in the complex being locked down and nearby office buildings having to be evacuated.
According to Fox News, a number of protesters breached security and got inside the building while others clashed with police outside. Eyewitness video captured police repelling the attackers with batons, pepper spray, and tear gas.
Elijah Schaffer, a reporter for The Blaze, tweeted: “Trump supporters have breached the Capitol building, tearing down 4 layers of security fencing and are attempting to occupy the building – fighting federal police who are overrun This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Thousands, police can’t stop them.”
BREAKING: Trump supporters have breached the Capitol building, tearing down 4 layers of security fencing and are attempting to occupy the building — fighting federal police who are overrun
This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Thousands, police can’t stop them pic.twitter.com/VVdTUwV5YN
Staff working in the Cannon House Office Building and Madison Building, which houses the Library of Congress, were told to evacuate due to the protests.
Politico‘s Olivia Beavers reports that police in the Cannon House Building were “going door to door yelling at people to evacuate” because of a suspicious package found in the 300 Block of First Street SE.
HERE is why:
Capitol police are investigating a Suspicious Package in the 300 Block of First Street SE.
“Staff and other personnel are directed to AVOID THIS AREA until further notice.” pic.twitter.com/gkTQQFiLjU
In the weeks leading up to today’s rally, officials in Washington had taken steps to curb any potential violence relating to the event.
According to Time, more than 300 National Guard troops had taken positions near the Capitol Building, although Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser asked they not be armed in an effort to avoid the escalation of confrontation.
See more footage and images from the Capitol Building protests below:
Trump supporters are trying to break past police lines at the Capitol building.pic.twitter.com/kzLo2vWyfq
Trump loyalists and police continue to clash, as thousands more are making their way to the Capitol building. Trump loyalists pepper-spraying and punching D.C. police. pic.twitter.com/qvJ2RKYcrU
Police officers are holding them steps away from the Senate chamber, which is locked. Senators are inside. I see a few confederate flags. pic.twitter.com/YI7X7KmuUG
Whoa: Trump supporters going at it with the police on the steps of the Capitol as Congress counts the Electoral College ballots inside pic.twitter.com/LiQhaa5KkQ
Protesters have torn down a barrier. Fireworks going off outside the Capitol. People in a tower telling the crowd to press forward. “Move forward and we can beat them.” Throwing things are police. Crowd pushing up chanting USA. This is unreal pic.twitter.com/FDEQu9HyPX
Several people got on to a scaffolding outside Senate, took it to second floor, which looked like the area where McConnell’s office is located, and started banging on windows pic.twitter.com/IIZ21nkzFT
Pro-Trump protesters carrying flags march through the Capitol building, chanting “we want Trump,” forcing a lockdown with members of Congress inside. https://t.co/RXfJKeGG2Kpic.twitter.com/Uk2Tt4fmC8
Meanwhile, figures from across the world of entertainment have been sharing their reaction to the hotly contested US Senate runoff elections in Georgia, where the Democrats look set to clinch victory.
Two Senate seats are up for grabs in these special run-offs, with overall control of the chamber for the next two years within the Democrats’ reach if they manage to win both elections and split the Senate 50-50.
Incoming Vice President Kamala Harris would then have the casting vote in the Senate, enabling President-elect Joe Biden to push through his agenda when he enters the White House on January 20.
Kompany dropped the melodic and heavy “Feel It All” back in August last year, and now it’s getting some choice remixes. Among them is Halcyon founder Oolacile, who brings his own future riddim style to the mix in this impressive remix.
The biggest change is obviously in the drop, as Oolacile tweaks the first melodic drop with more of a shimmering synth palate and future riddim style drums. The changes have an almost calming effect on the overall vibe of the drop, whereas the second drop, originally heavy, is turned into a stunning, almost pseudo-liquid drum & bass section.
There are so many different vibes and flavors in the remix, this one is definitely going to be a fan favorite. Check it out below!
New year, new compilation from Excision‘s Subsidia Records.
After the label debuted in late 2020 with a gargantuan 118-track release, it has since released two thematic follow-up compilations—the second volumes of the wonky Dusk and the relentless, heavy-hitting Night. Subsidia has now dropped the curtain on the sophomore edition of Dawn, which focuses on future bass and melodic dubstep.
An unquestioned highlight of the compilation is a hotly anticipated collaboration between Excision, Whales, and RIELL called “The Last Time,” which kicks off the record with a soaring punch. What follows is an 18-track cycle of riveting, vocal-driven bass music that lends to a euphoric journey through the uplifting avenues of EDM.
Standouts from Dawn: Vol. 2 are aplenty. OMAS and Les Gold‘s “Lost In Outer Space” is a hypnotic, gritty melodic trap tune brimming with soul. Computa‘s “Feel Alive” does just what the title suggests by emboldening listeners with a blissed-out drop featuring frenetic, fluttering arpeggios. Cyrus Gold and Elation‘s “Other Side” beautifully interpolates potent future bass chords with metallic dubstep fills in a genre-bending masterpiece.
Following his hospitalization for a brain aneurysm on January 5 in Los Angeles, Dr. Dre is “doing really great and getting excellent care from his medical team,” and is optimistic that he will “be back home soon,” according to an Instagram statement.
TMZ originally broke the news that Dr. Dre, real name Andre Young, was hospitalized for a brain aneurysm. Doctors reported that Dre is lucid and in stable condition, but are still trying to determine the cause of the bleeding.
Just hours after the artist was admitted to the hospital, his house was the target of an attempted burglary. LAPD officer Lizeth Lomeli confirmed to NBC News that at around 10:00 p.m. PST on January 5, LAPD officers responded to a report of an attempted burglary in which suspects were seen “coming over a hill” towards Dre’s Brentwood home. Lomeli confirmed that after a “short pursuit,” the four suspects were arrested. An investigation is ongoing.
Prague’s melodic techno and deep house producer BLACKLOUD celebrates the release of his Synesthesia EP, out now via Wold Records. The set of three sensorially stimulating original mixes from the burgeoning producer come as a warmly welcomed addition to his discography and set the tone of what to expect from him come 2021.
Conceptually derived from the psychological phenomenon synesthesia, where those affected experience a perceptual difference in the experience of the 5 senses, his EP aptly aims to associate color with sound. Across the EP’s 3 cuts “Magenta“, “Teal” and “Anthracite” we see BLACKLOUD illustratively weave together compositions of melodic deep house and techno that evoke an imaginative chromatic response.
The first of the triplet, and an essential primary color in the printing process, “Magenta” was inspired by the essential organic sounds of BLACKLOUD’s studio: a cricket’s chirp, the chatter of a cat and the collision of a coffee mug on his station’s surface.
Absent of direct external inspiration, “Teal” was the color envisioned by BLACKLOUD when building the production from break-beat rhythms. In likeness to the EP’s namesake, the resulting track evoked the experience of the bright blue derivative.
Driving in nature, the brooding hues of black and blue inspire the dark, atmospheric club-ready number “Anthracite”. Structured with emotive chord progressions alongside sharp arpeggios, the track brings the EP to its conclusion with energy and intrigue.
Stream BLACKLOUD’s Synesthesia EP on your favorite platform here, or find it below on Spotify.
A new film about the KLF, Welcome To The Dark Ages, has been released – find out how to stream it below.
The electronic duo, who returned to action in August 2017 following a notorious 23-year period of silence, are the subject of Paul Duane’s new film.
The KLF’s Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty no longer consider themselves “a pop group”, a press release about the film explains, but rather “new age undertakers building ‘The People’s Pyramid’, a monument built out of 34,952 bricks forged from the ashes of the dead and have made November 23 in Liverpool ‘The Toxteth Day of the Dead’.”
A synopsis for Welcome To The Dark Ages reads: “Welcome To The Dark Ages begins in the 23rd century, in a post-apocalyptic wasteland which was once the northern English City of Liverpool. In the district once known as Toxteth, a mysterious pyramid stands among demolished buildings.
“Returning to the late 20th century, we revisit the origins of the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, The JAMs – otherwise known as the KLF – who became the top-selling singles act in the world and then left the music business, burned £1 million of their own money and signed a contract agreeing to a 23-year silence.”
The synopsis continues: “23 years later, in Liverpool, this silence ended at 23 seconds past midnight on 23 August, 2017. On this day the KLF were no longer pop stars but had become undertakers, and were planning to build a 23-foot-high pyramid in Toxteth, Liverpool, made from bricks which would each contain 23 grams of a dead person’s ashes, proposed as a new British ritual for the commemoration of the dead.
“The film follows the first year of this project, up to the first Toxteth Day of the Dead. We meet and interview the people who have bought their brick in the ‘People’s Pyramid’, from hardcore fans to an eight-year-old girl who convinces her dad to buy a brick for her and her five-month-old sister.”
Jimmy Caulty and Bill Drummond of The KLF (Picture: Roberta Parkin/Redferns/Getty Images)
In a statement about the film, director Duane said: “When I attended the JAMs event, Welcome To The Dark Ages, in Liverpool in 2017, I became convinced a film needed to be made about their new incarnation as builders of the ‘People’s Pyramid’. The band hadn’t agreed to be filmed since the early 90s. But I persevered, and they eventually agreed. We started filming.
“On day two [of filming] they told me they were no longer interested in taking part in the film. I just kept filming, and they allowed me to film anything I wanted as long as I didn’t ask them anything or try to make them do anything. When I showed the finished film to the JAMs, they asked me to destroy it.
“I disagreed with their judgement. Eventually, they came around to agreeing with me that the film should be released after all. So here it is.”
Earlier this month, music by the KLF was uploaded to major streaming services for the first time.
After spending much of 2020 off the radar, Snails has emerged from his shell to tease the start of what looks to be an intriguing new chapter.
In his first tweet in over six months, Snails dropped a trailer welcoming fans to his “new world.” The famed dubstep and bass music producer’s clip is both exciting and spine-chilling as it depicts one of his signature slugs slithering its way out of a hollowed out eye socket. Snails additionally changed his defaults on social media to sport a similarly slug-infested look.
As though those images weren’t ominous enough, the slow-building audio will have you firmly gripping the edge of your seat. Likely an indication of new music soon to arrive, Snails showcases just enough to prove his bellowing “vomitstep” style basses will all but certainly be back with a vengeance.
We last heard from Snails with the release of “DEATHMATCH,” a collaboration alongside SVDDEN DEATH released in March. The track was Snails’ only original release in 2020.
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