The xx’s Romy has once again called upon Fred again.. for another single from her upcoming debut solo album, Mid Air.
A stunning showcase of Romy’s gripping songwriting, “The Sea” is the story of a summer romance that never ends. With help from Fred and the prolific record producer Stuart Price, the track lays down a gentle but driving beat that pulsates like a nightclub you can see down the coast.
Wrapped up in a Mollie Mills-directed music video, the lyrics are brought to life so fans can really take in the atmosphere created by Romy with a beautiful performance from her and her wife, Vic Lentaigne.
Romy’s Mid Air album is scheduled to released on September 8th via Young. She collaborated with Fred again.. in late 2022 for “Strong,” a heartbreaking track about the loss of her mother, before again joining forces for “Loveher,” an emotive release about the beginning of a relationship. With so many powerful releases, it’s safe to say her debut solo offering is shaping up to be one of the best of the year.
“The Sea” is out now. You can find the new single on streaming platforms here.
Travis Scott‘s ‘Utopia’ launch concert and livestream from the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt have officially been cancelled.
READ MORE: Travis Scott – ‘Astroworld’ review
The cancellation was confirmed by Live Nation Middle East on social media, and is due to “complex production issues”.
“Unfortunately, despite highest efforts, complex production issues meant that the show could not be constructed in the desert. We understand that this news is disappointing and not the outcome any of us desired,” Live Nation wrote.
— Live Nation Middle East (@LiveNationME) July 26, 2023
Refunds for the concert and live-stream, which was set to take place on July 28, are now being issued to all ticket holders via their point of purchase, per Live Nation.
The cancellation comes the Egyptian Musicians Syndicate appeared to announce earlier this month that the show would no longer go ahead due to safety concerns and “peculiar rituals performed by the star during his performance, contradicting our authentic societal values and traditions.”
Last week, Live Nation issued a statement refuting the claims, saying: “There have been no changes to Travis Scott’s show in Egypt; any reports to the contrary are false.”
‘Utopia’ will serve as the follow-up to Travis Scott’s acclaimed 2018 effort ‘Astroworld’. Scott previewed the upcoming album for Houston’s professional baseball team, the Astros, in May. ‘Utopia’ has been confirmed for release on July 28 along with accompanying film, Circus Maximus.
Travis Scott’s 2018 album ‘Astroworld’ scored a five-star review from NME‘s Jordan Bassett, who wrote: “This is the sound of a musician who has worked to forge an entire world, an empire, around himself – we can peer in, but from afar, guessing at his motives and life behind the velvet rope.”
In recent news, it was announced that Travis Scott will not face charges following the deadly crowd surge at Astroworld Music Festival in 2021. During Scott’s headline performance on November 5 2021, thousands were left injured when the over-capacity crowd surged towards the front of the stage. 10 people were killed by compressive asphyxiation during the show — with victims aged between age nine and 27.
Enchanting ravers for four days and nights of larger-than-life electronic music, the beloved Imagine Music Festival is gearing up for its return to Kingston Downs from September 14-17.
Over 100 artists are poised to throw down across four stages this year. Organizers recently unveiled a second wave of artists and added a swath of exciting names to its impressive lineup, like SOFI TUKKER, Elderbrook, Nostalgix, Mersiv and EDM.com Class of 2023 star MARAUDA. While Subtronics and Ganja White Night will team up for their first-ever B2B festival performance, SLANDER will present a techno-influenced “Before Dawn” set.
c/o Imagine Festival
Imagine is also one of the country’s most scenic camping festivals. Ahead of the event’s 2023 edition, we caught up with a group of its artists, who shared their camping essentials.
Read on to discover what you should bring along to make the most out of your Imagine Festival experience.
Crankdat
c/o Press
Honestly I’ve never been camping. However, if I were to go, I think my essentials would be a good sleeping bag, a bluetooth speaker and a super yoked portable charger to keep my phone alive.
TELYKAST
c/o Press
Our most valuable camping essential is… a bright flashlight! The worst is when you are camping and you can’t see at night, especially when you are exploring or making sure there isn’t a monster outside of your tent. A lot of people say, “I have a light on my phone, why do I need a flashlight?” But trust us, you do.
My top camping essential is honestly my Air Rail sleeping pad. I’ve tried so many different types of pads and mattresses over the years and this thing is by far the most comfortable. Plus it’s extremely lightweight and compact, which means you’re not going to break your back trying to lug around a huge mattress and air pump. Maybe not the most exciting camping essential, but it is a must-have for me!
LAYZ
c/o Press
A spacious tent will always be my number one camping essential because it gives you extra comfort. I tend to overpack and having a big tent allows you to bring more items and you won’t feel so cluttered.
Ninajirachi
Billy Zammit
One thing I can’t go camping without is sunscreen. 20 minutes in the sun without protection and I will be burnt (laughs). Like if I’m going swimming in the sun, it’s a full body ritual. The skin is the largest organ and it’s very important to take care of it, which is what I’m always trying to tell my friends with different skin to me when they say they don’t need it. Everyone should wear it, for real.
Squired
c/o Press
It’s of course going to have to come back to making music in some way. My top camping essential is definitely my TASCAM DR-40 mic. Being able to record sounds out in nature is such a fun and inspiring way to create music. I always have to have my mic with me on a trip.
VNSSA
c/ Press
My top camping essentials are ear plugs, to protect your hearing and get a good night’s sleep, a reusable water bottle, to keep water and other beverages cool throughout the day, and also cheddar Goldfish crackers. I’ve survived entire weekends on Goldfish and it’s an easy snack that’s perfect for camping.
Jeremy Salken of Big Gigantic
c/o Press
Festival season is the best time of year but man it wears me out fast between flying, driving, performing, hanging, etc. My top essential lately is this electrolyte/vitamin powder I’ve been hooked on called Raveraide. We met the guys that make it a few months back. It’s got all the stuff in the normal electrolyte powders plus way more vitamins and nootropics which are great for brain/body function. All stuff that’s such a big help when you’re up late, dancing, traveling and raging at a festival. Best of all, it’s super super clean. No weird natural flavors or additives. I literally bring it everywhere with me!
My top camping essential is probably the least practical, but most fun. I refuse to go camping without a disposable camera. I love being able to unplug when I’m camping and forget about everything else going on in the world… but I’m always trying to capture memories!
DJ Diesel
c/o Press
Neck Brace—or Icy Hot (laughs). If I’m going to a festival I am the guy starting the mosh pit at every set so I would need a neck brace to make sure I don’t break my neck… or I would just bring some Icy Hot. A blow-up Shaq-size mattress, because after a long day of head-banging, I need to come back to a bed, so a personalized blow-up mattress would be an essential. And lots of water. Water is always an essential so if I am camping at a festival I am bringing a ton for me and my crew. No questions about it.
Adriatique are back with another run of shows in the South of France. One of the hottest artists in Europe at the moment, Adriatique have racked up an impressive amount of Summer tour dates, including a residency at Ftelia Beach Club in Mykonos, Greece. In addition to their plethora of dates in eastern Europe, Adriatique have become regulars in Ibiza at DC-10’s Circoloco night and Tale of Us’ residency at Hï Ibiza.
Making a quick pit stop across the stunning French Riviera, Adriatique will play on August 2 at Baoli Cannes and on August 4 at Indie Beach Club Saint Tropez. Known for their magical sunset performances and their visually-attentive “X” branded shows, the Swiss DJs will certainly bring in sold out crowds to both events. “Desire”, their new single with Marino Canal is the quintessential record to get fans ready for Adriatique’s upcoming dates. Reservations are available for their upcoming South of France dates here and here.
Featured image:
Tags: Adriatique, CircoLoco, dc-10, Hi Ibiza, marino canal
Acclaimed Irish singer and activist Sinéad O’Connor has died at the age of 56, her family has announced.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time,” read a statement by the singer’s family reported by The Guardian.
The news of her passing comes a year after her 17-year-old son Shane took his own life in January 2022. Her final social media post was a tweet of a picture of her late son with the caption: “Been living as undead night creature since. He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul.”
No cause of death has been revealed.
Sinead O’Connor. Credit: SGranitz/GETTY
Born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O’Connor in Dublin on 8 December 1966, she rose to fame in the late 80s with her debut album ‘The Lion And The Cobra’.
Throughout her career, O’Connor released 10 studio albums, with her cover of Prince‘s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ reaching worldwide acclaim and peaked at Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 that same year.
Her rendition of the song topped the charts around the globe and earned her three Grammy nominations. The iconic accompanying video for the track, directed by English filmmaker John Maybury, became as famous as the song itself.
O’Connor would go on to have a falling out with Prince himself claiming in an interview with The New York Times that she faced a violent confrontation with the musician at his home after securing a hit with ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’.
Tributes have been pouring in for the singer from fans and celebrities across social media.
Outlander star Caitríona Balfe posted a photo of O’Connor to her Instagram page with a caption that read: “I hope you are at peace … and with your baby boy. Thank you for sharing your soul with us and soothing us with your incredible voice beautiful Sinéad. RIP.”
Garbage took to Twitter to share a photo of the singer with a caption that read: “I am heartbroken”.
The Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan also took to his Instagram to share a photo of the Irish crooner with a caption that read: “I knew Sinead a little, having met her at a show of hers and then later when she was living at the Walker’s home outside of Chicago.”
He continued: “Fiercely honest and sweet and funny, she was talented in ways I’m not sure she completely understood. But Sinead stands alone as a figure from our generation who was always true to the piercing voice within and without. And for that I will always admire and respect her. And never forget that she was once cancelled for an act of simple resistance. Her crime? Tearing up a photo.”
Rapper Ice-T tweeted a tribute to her sharing: “Respect to Sinead … She stood for something … Unlike most people … Rest Easy..”
Check out more tributes to the legendary Irish singer below:
Oh my God – Sinead. THE greatest voice of her generation, no contest. And so egoless: her harmonies on eg: John Grant’s “GMF” are so minimal, but lift it up into the cathedral rafters.
Though O’Connor made headlines for her music, she also garnered a lot of attention for her activism and provocations.
Most notable was her infamous SNL performance of Bob Marley’s ‘War’ in which she ripped up a photo of the pope and replaced the song’s lyric “racism” with “child abuse”. She ended the performance by saying “Fight the real enemy,” and would later go on to explain the move was in protest of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
The performance was met with a lot of criticism. Actor Joe Pesci threatened to smack her in his Saturday Night Live monologue, Madonna mocked her by ripping up a photo of a sex offender and saying “Fight the real enemy” and Frank Sinatra called O’Connor “one stupid broad”.
Earlier this year, O’Connor was presented with the inaugural award for Classic Irish Album at the RTÉ Choice Music Awards.
She dedicated the award for the album, ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got’, to “each and every member of Ireland’s refugee community,” adding: “You’re very welcome in Ireland. I love you very much and I wish you happiness.”
O’Connor is survived by her three children Jake Reynolds, Roisin Waters and Yeshua Bonadio.
Kygo is trading tropical house for desert heat this fall.
The Norwegian dance music superstar and his Palm Tree Crew cohorts are headed to Egypt’s Great Pyramids of Giza, the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, for a rare music festival.
Scheduled for October 26-29, the Egyptian offshoot of Palm Tree Music Festival will also feature performances from Tiësto, Kungs and Frank Walker.
View the original article to see embedded media.
On May 29th, legendary techno artist Carl Cox performed a megalithic set at the Pyramids. You can check out footage from the historic performance here.
Around the same time, Palm Tree Festival made its first appearance in SoCal, taking over Dana Point’s Doheny State Beach. The serene ocean breeze, towering palm trees and atmospheric ambience made for prime real estate and led to quite a debut. With its crisp air and ocean mist, the one-day festival featured Kygo, Tove Lo, Ellie Goulding and more.
Tickets to the upcoming four-day festival at the Great Pyramids of Giza are on sale now. Fans can sign up for pre-sale access here.
Steven Spielberg and Paul McCartney recently attended a screening of Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer together.
The pair were spotted outside a cinema in New York’s summer vacation hotspot the Hamptons on Monday (July 24). You can view the pair at the premiere below.
McCartney and the famous director have known each other since 1986, when the former Beatle told Rolling Stoneat the time that he sought out Spielberg’s advice on the possibility of making a movie about the Fab Four’s career.
More recently, Spielberg noted that The Beatles song ‘Michelle’ from 1965’s ‘Rubber Soul’ brought back memories of his first kiss in college.
— Christopher Nolan Art & Updates (@NolanAnalyst) July 26, 2023
He toldBBC Radio 4at the time: “The melody is just heart-achingly beautiful. I look over at her [my girlfriend] and she’s got tears in her eyes just before the song was over she jumps over on my side of the car and starts kissing me.
“When I got to know Paul a number of years ago, when Paul and I met and became friends, that was one of the first stories I ever told him. I had a chance to tell Paul McCartney that story.”
Meanwhile, Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy recently said his wardrobe for the movie was partly inspired by David Bowie during his Thin White Duke era.
“Chris sent me a couple of shots of David Bowie, certain periods in David Bowie’s career, like Thin White Duke and around ‘Young Americans’ time,” Murphy said.
“He had these massive trousers and he was so emaciated but so fucking cool. So we used that, weirdly, for some of Oppenheimer’s trousers.”
Speaking to NME recently, Murphy said that he likes playing characters that are “unknowable, ambiguous, kind of enigmatic”, adding: “To me that’s human life: the knotty, weird grey areas… A good man’s life is wholly uninteresting.”
NME described Oppenheimer, which came out Friday (July 21), in a five-star review as a “mind-blowing biopic hits like a bomb to the brain”.
The artist known to the drum & bass world as Moleman has always done things his own way. Releasing mostly on the grassroots label Fat Tape records since he began with this moniker in 2011, Moleman has lived up to his name as he’s generally shirked the limelight and big labels, preferring to do his own A&R and work with people who support his vision. Hiw music speaks for itself, however, and he’s still managed to become a household name in liquid D&B and is a favorite on Liquicity radio, BBC Radio and 1Extra, DJ Mag, et al.
The upcoming release of Moleman’s new project, a full-length LP called Duality due out this week on July 30, is no exception to his track record of doing things his own way. He’s self-releasing this 13-track album, which studies the two different sides of his work, hence the name. The first part of Duality is more energetic and pop-driven, while the second half is introspective and ambient. Let’s not cast aspersions based on that description, however: all the tracks on Duality are still up to Moleman’s high standards of production, sound design and flowy, melodic liquid.
The opening track on Duality, entitled “This Feeling” opens with quite an existential sample about perception, so even though Moleman considers the second half of the album to be the more contemplative side, fans might find themselves in a deep think even while they dance to the fast snares, celestial melodies and insane ameny breakdowns. The next track, “Beautiful Dreamer” has a similar, semi-trippy spoken word opener that may remind some dreampop fans of M83’s earlier work but it’s got that 174 pitch that is the heartbeat of any D&B head.
174 is certainly not the only tempo on Duality. Moleman draws from his work in other genres to bring dubstep, future bass and even trip hop bits into tracks like “Take On the World” and “Solar Flare.” Every track is distinctively his, however, with that instantly recognizable, lighter-than-air sound design and those crisp drumlines. By the end of the album, listeners will have bee taken on a journey through the best of liquid D&B and through the mind of Moleman.
YEDM managed to get a hold of “Starlight,” a celestially-inspired track from the second part of Duality which contains some of the fastest secondary snares ever heard juxtaposed with a vintage sample used in hip hop and rave music for nearly four decades, taken from an audio recording of an audience member during a performance of Lyn Collins’s “Think (About It) in 1972. It somehow blends seamlessly into this 2023 liquid track and gives it that ravey edge for which Moleman is known.
Duality is really a study on the many way liquid is still a very big part of the beating heart of drum & bass, pulling melody and influence from so many bygone eras and turning it into something beautiful for the modern ear. As one of the masters of the subgenre, Moleman is not only showing the many facets of his own career but of liquid and drum & bass on the whole. Expect to hear something from this album at every festival and sunrise set this season and into the future; it’s an instant classic.
Duality drops on July 30 and is available to pre-order on Bandcamp or to pre-save on Spotify.
Ah, Splash House. Where the only thing hotter than the sun is the envy of those who couldn’t make it.
Summer and Splash House go together like SPF 50 and a lifeguard’s nose. For three weekends each year, the beloved dance music festival transforms the quaint city of Palm Springs into a down-and-dirty pool party utopia.
But it wasn’t always the hedonistic house music dreamworld we see today. Splash House comes from humble beginnings, launching as a renegade independent party back in 2013 before evolving into a persevering powerhouse of the SoCal festival scene. Now celebrating the event’s 10th anniversary, its organizers are planning to meet the moment with an unforgettable pair of weekenders.
Many DJs and producers can trace defining moments in their careers to the sun-kissed pools of Splash House. We caught up with a handful of them to hear their best stories.
DJ Susan
“Last year I was playing a festival in Halifax Nova Scotia the day before my Sunday set at Splash House, and I had planned to leave after my set, fly to LA and drive to Palm Springs late that same night. Well that flight got canceled and I was forced to stay overnight. I got the first flight out the next morning, and if my flight would have been delayed even 30 minutes, I wouldn’t have made my set. But by the grace of God, I made my flight and had enough time to drive from LA to Palm Springs.
I was so hyped that I made it, I was bursting with gratitude and energy. And what happened next was one of the most polarizing Splash House performances of my career—it was absolutely insane. It was an unreal moment feeling like I wasn’t going to make it, but when I did, man…”
DJ Susan performing at Splash House.
c/o Press
Anna Lunoe
“So a few fun facts: I actually played 2013 Splash House too—it was the first year and something happened and I had to DJ from the balcony of a hotel to about five people in a pool below who may have not known where the music was coming from [laughs].
This day in early 2014 I flew in all night from another show—there were delays and I got dressed in the pick up from the Palm Springs airport and went straight on stage. The heat was immense! I had just released the All Out EP and I remember Jason Bentley from KCRW was watching my set from up the back, which felt important. The heat was almost as intense as the crowd! Huge energy from the crowd. I was on the brink of heatstroke by the end of my set! As I came off stage a young DJ called Mija and her best friend Megan came up and introduced herself. There is a pic of that somewhere.
Since then I’ve had so many defining sets at Splash House. Later that year I played what felt like a really important set that defined that moment in time. All the important DJs and managers were there, the energy was electric, my set felt huge, my songs were resonating, people were starting to really get me and after packing up my life and moving across the world in 2012, I finally felt like all the stars were aligning for some kind of big moment to come. In hindsight, I think I was right.”
Anna Lunoe performing at Splash House.
c/o Splash House
Kyle Walker
“After my set last year, the energy spilled over into a nearby hotel room where I got to play a few more tunes. The atmosphere was charged and there was full production in this regular hotel room. That afterparty was really memorable and makes me excited to get back to Splash House and do it again.”
“Last summer, we played at Margaritaville, which was the stage we played for our first Splash House years ago. That was actually one of the first DJ sets we ever did, so coming back and playing to such a packed pool was extremely surreal.
The moment I always remember from that set is playing our song ‘Lay It All On Me’ and watching a wave of splashing. Now we’re coming back for our second go at the Air Museum afterparty which, is going to be incredible. Last time we did a live set there that was one of the best shows we’ve played.”
CID performing at Splash House.
c/o Press
Following its momentous season opener in June, Splash House returns to Palm Springs for two consecutive weekends starting August 11-13. You can purchase passes and find out more on the festival’s website.
Anti-Flag have released a statement regarding the political punk band’s sudden split without any form of explanation.
Last week (July 20), the band split up and deleted all of their official social media accounts and website. The news came suddenly and unexpectedly. There has been no explanation or reason behind the decision to disband.
They took to Patreon to share the announcement of their breakup. The statement read: “Anti-Flag has disbanded. The Patreon has been switched into a mode where it will no longer charge the monthly fee.”
Today (July 26), both the band – comprised of Pat Thetic, Chris “#2” Barker and Chris Head – and frontman Justin Sane, aka Justin Geever, have released two statements regarding the decision to disband.
ustin Sane of Anti-Flag performs during the Monster Energy Aftershock Festival at Discovery Park on October 21, 2017. Credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty
Brooklyn Vegan has reported that allegations of sexual assault were made against an unnamed singer that many believed to be Anti-Flag’s frontman. Geever has denied the allegations against him calling them “categorically false” and says that Anti-Flag broke up because “under these circumstances it would be impossible to continue.”
His statement read: “Recently, there have been claims of sexual assault made against me and I can tell you that these stories are categorically false. I have never engaged in a sexual relationship that was not consensual, nor have I ever been approached by a woman after a sexual encounter and been told I had in any way acted without her consent or violated her in any way. Now that I have had a few days to absorb the initial shock, I am making this statement to set the record straight.
“Sexual assault is real and has a devasting impact on victims. I have devoted my entire adult life to standing up for these victims as well as those suffering oppression and inequality, who are victimized, demeaned, and abused. I have always been, and will always be, that person. The statements being told about me are the antithesis of what I believe and how I have conducted myself throughout my life.”
He continued: “In regard to Anti-flag disbanding, as a band, the decision was made that under these circumstances it would be impossible to continue,” adding “I want to thank my family and friends, and the many, many fans, musicians, and bands who have reached out to me to offer their support and help.”
Anti-Flag performs live at The Knitting Factory on March 26, 2008 in New York City. Credit: Joe Kohen/GETTY
Thetic, Barker and Head released a separate statement regarding the split and allegations that read: “A core tenet of the band Anti-Flag is to listen to and believe all survivors of sexual violence and abuse. The recent allegations about Justin are in direct contradiction to that tenet. Therefore, we felt the only immediate option was to disband.”
They continued: “We have been shocked, confused, saddened and absolutely heartbroken from the moment we heard these allegations. While we believe this is extremely serious, in the last 30 years we have never seen Justin be violent or aggressive toward women. This experience has shaken us to our core.
“We understand and apologize that this response may not have been quick enough for some people. This is new territory for all of us and it is taking time for us to process the situation,” they said, adding “It was a privilege for us to be in the band Anti-Flag, as we seek to find our path forward we wish healing to all survivors.”
In other news, Anti-Flag’s most recent album was 2023’s ‘Lies They Tell Our Children’. The LP reached Number Six on the German Album Charts. Germany was also the location of the band’s final show on June 24.
They were set to embark on a North American tour later this year but that has since been cancelled.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN
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