Nicht nur aufgrund unseres unbändigen Lokalpatriotismus, sondern auch der Tatsache einer 1a Veranstaltung empfehlen wir auch die diesjährige Soundtropolis in der Grugahalle Essen. Kommenden Samstag, den 29.10.2011 verwandelt i-Motion die Grugahalle in Essen erneut zu einem Epizentrum elektronischer Musik. Mit der bereits dritten Ausgabe dürfte das Konzept mittlerweile als bewiesen gelten. Passend zur “3″ gibt es ab sofort auch einen dritten Floor – Soundtropolis bildet somit einen guten Querschnitt durch alle Spektren der elektronischen Musik ab. Dies zeigt sich auch am vielfältigen Lineup, euch erwarten Top Acts & DJs wie etwa Laserkraft 3D, Felix Kröcher, Dennis Sheperd mit einem Heimspiel, Mark Knight, Tube & Berger, Dabruck & Klein, Ante Perry und die üblichen Verdächtigen wie Woody van Eyden, Alex M.O.R.P.H. sowie die alten soundwerk Bekannten Tristan D. und Andy Tube & Miller. Tickets sind für 26 Euro im VVK bzw. 32 Euro an der Abendkasse erhältlich. Soundtropolis ist für das Ruhrgebiet eine hervorragende Veranstaltung und setzt mit dem aktuellen Line-Up für eine Stadt wie Essen definitiv Maßstäbe.

Unsere Empfehlung: Freitag mit den soundwerk airwaves vorfreuen und Samstag bei Soundtropolis raven! Mehr Infos gibt’s online.

Back from the white isle (why is it called this btw?) we’re ready to share the latest experiences! The isle was packed and it was sizzling hot – daytime & nighttime. Basically we had three parties: Judgement Sundays, Toolroom Knights & Full on Ferry the last week.

Judgement Sundays wasn’t much of a surprise as we’ve been there last year twice. The lineup with Eddie Halliwell and Ferry Corsten alongside the usual suspects Jules, Tristan and Micky Slim was a highlight though. Eden in San Antonio (where we were based) is a nice venue. It was great fun to see a lot of people again & I enjoyed listening to my mashups being played out to a club crowd too of course. Really professional, positive party, nice vibe, great atmosphere. The pre-party was in Ibiza rocks which was also a great experience.

Toolroom Knights had Chris Lake, Roger Sanchez and Mark Knight on the bill and took place at the legendary club “Space” in Playa d’en Bossa. As Dezz & me have been to Pacha last year (for a craptacular SHM party) we were looking forward seing another of the “big” clubs in Ibiza. Especially remarkable is the awesome light/wall construction in the back of the main room. Creative ideas & nice visuals. The sound was good, especially the second part of Chris’ set was to my liking. I saw Roger Sanchez playing live for the first time and he rocked the crowd. Nice combination of 16-bar house rhythms and various acapellas constituted a nice progressive, housy set. Sadly, the vibe was kind of aggressive, probably a mixture of people being on drugs & the amount of guests. It was too crowded & not our type of people. Good party, bad venue.

Full on Ferry was taking place at Sankeys, the former “Kiss” in Playa d’en Bossa. Lineup included Gabriel & Dresden, Aly & Fila and Ferry of course. This was a remarkable party because the club is rather untypical for Ibiza (low ceiling, dark), the sets have been awesome (my fav were Gabriel & Dresden) and – maybe most surprising – prices for drinks have been rather fair! Well done although not too packed, truly recommendable.

Aside from the three parties we’d of course recommend the pre-parties at the shore of San Antonio (Mambo, Savannah, etc.) and the food at the Kanya beach club. Ibiza is a true party experience, we’d recommend putting some days-off after your party marathon for full recovery. Some photos of the tour may be found at Facebook.

Der Countdown läuft, weniger als eine Woche noch bis zum MidWest Music Festival mit einem Lineup, welches sich gewaschen hat: Fedde Le Grand, Mark Knight, Martin Solveig, Dirty South, Tiesto, Sebastian Ingrosso, Patric La Funk und weitere Stars werden auf der Galopprenbahn in Neuss alles geben. Wer noch keine Tickets sein eigen nennt, sollte sich beeilen, es gibt nur noch wenige Karten, also zugreifen! Die Timetable für die beiden Floors wurde zwischenzeitlich übrigens auch schon bekannt gegeben.

Am kommenden Freitag wird es, passend zum Festival, ein exklusives MWMF Special bei den soundwerk airwaves geben, ab 22 Uhr mit den soundwerk allstars.

With Ibiza being “the” hot-spot for EDM in Europe, you can’t really circumvent one of the more remarkable nights on the isle: For more than 10 years now, Judgement Sundays fills up the “Eden” in San Antonia throughout 16 weeks in summer, presenting one of the most exciting line-ups on the island. Hosted by BBC Radio1 grandmaster and global DJ Judge Jules, expect to see some serious talent joining him throughout summer, DJs will include Eddie Halliwell, Ferry Corsten, Krafty Kuts, Cosmic Gate, Micky Slim & others. Live vocals, dancers and a magic club atmosphere with several rooms regularly drag you into another world. Head over to their website to check the line-ups for the respective dates, we’ve got a video to get you in the mood:

Ibiza calling!

Sommerzeit ist Festivalzeit, das ist kein Geheimnis. Die entsprechenden Publikationen und das Internet sind voll von entsprechenden Ankündigungen, Sputnik Spring Break, Nature One, Melt, Pollerwiesen, Summerjam – you name it. Aufmerksam werden sollte man allerdings auch auf einen großen Underdog: Das MidWest Music Festival in Neuss verspricht mit Tiesto, Fedde Le Grand, Martin Solveig, Dirty South, Mark Knight, Funkagenda, AN21, Max Vangeli und Patrick La Funk eine Line-Up, wie man es in Deutschland selten findet. Unglaublich aber wahr: Für 29 € gibt es noch Earlybird Tickets, danach sind die Tickets mit 35 € aber weiterhin mehr als empfehlenswert [Kaufen]. Das Spektakel findet am 24. Juli 2011 auf der Rennbahn in Neuss statt und ist unser Hot-Pick for the summer!

We’re mostly back & alive now so let’s wrap up what happend at the end of March:

Starting off rather slowly on Tuesday we jumped in to Miami Massive at Nikki Beach which promised an outstanding lineup of DJs such as Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Redroche, Patric La Funk, D.O.N.S., Muzzaik and many more. In fact it was a nice afternoon at the wonderful Nikki Beach club, though there was not a lot going on. NB became emptier at dawn, probably most of the DJs didn’t turn up (which I can understand). Nice try though and maybe not too bad that we didn’t go full throttle. Plus our cabana servant looked like David Guetta Thanks to Tommes for having us!

On Wednesday we’ve been invited to the Shelborne pool party with Dennis Ferrer, A-Trak, SOS and some other guys. This was a nice one, people were notably freaky, music was loud but good, people had a great time. We went off in the early evening to the Cr2 party at the Wall hotel. This one has actually been my first night out in Miami and both the location plus the DJs playing such as Dan Castro, MYNC and Yolanda Be Cool have been awesome. Would have loved to see Chuckie but our batteries were low. Thanks to the Cr2 guys and especially Sophie for having us, great fun!

Thursday was one of the harder days with a smooth Frisky Radio party at the Betsy Hotel to start with. AMAZING sea views from the rooftop terrace, some Corona plus Frisky beats that may make you move but let you chill at the same time. On to beatport in the late afternoon with Fedde Le Grand, Mark Knight and a bit of our guest-from-the-past John Dahlback. Sound was really massive, people have been nice, the Gansevoort is a great venue too. Thanks to Beatport for having us. We concluded the day at the Starphasing party of one of my personal favourites Dirty South at the Mansion. Again a terrific venue and a nice party, started by Thomas Gold. Thanks so much to Vanessa for having us.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday have been devoted to the Ultra Music Festival which again did a great 200+ artist lineup that is impossible to completely enjoy. We picked some of the DJs we liked and even splitted. Not much to say, Kaskade, Laidback Luke, Afrojack (more than 4 sets if I counted right), Armin van Buuren, MSTRKRFT, Beardyman, Wolfgang Gartner, Benny Benassi, Alex Gaudino, Will I.Am, Boys Noize, Dada Life, even Guetta, The Chemical Brothers and all the others were great. Don’t know exactly why Erasure, Duran Duran and some other guys were booked but we’re open minded No matter if mainstage, livestage, one of the domes or the other floors, Ultra plays in a class of its own.Very well organized, good VIP treatment and recreational possibilities, an exceptional artist village, reasonable priced and crazy, normal + sexy people from everywhere. Completely different to SoBe though. Thanks to the TAO South Beach for having us in their comfy VIP area.

Sad we didn’t make it to either Laidback Luke at the Liv (who played “Good Morning Miami” by the way!) or Axwell at the Liv, Arkadia and the other Shelbourne and Beatport days seem to have been great too. Also a shame I didn’t meet all of the guys & girls I intended to meet but Miami is simply crazy. We’ll pick up on that! Needless to say the weather in Miami was PERFECT throughout the whole week and the very distinct South Beach lifestyle always gets you in the mood. Great people, crazy people, friendly people and electronic music mayhem. Go there once but leave before it kills you

Thanks to everyone in Miami for making MMW 2011 such a blast!
Some sets of Miami to follow on soundwerk airwaves in the due course + pictures are on Facebook.

Following our claim to deliver you certified quality in electronic music we’d like to share the top recommendations for parties during Miami Music Week (also referred to as Ultra Music Week) from March 21st – March 29th in Miami. Regarding actual WMC parties, you might check The List to find the best ones. Be sure to get your tickets early, some events already sold out plus you don’t want to be waiting in line without getting in

Tuesday, March 22nd

• Miami Massive 2011 @ Nikki Beach
  Great Lineup featuring (amongst others) TV Rock, Patric La Funk, M.I.K.E., Funkerman, Albin Myers, Prok & Fitch, Mason, Bingo Players, etc.
  Tickets are $25 at Wantickets
• Benny Benassi @ Mansion Miami
  Lineup also includes Calvin Harris, Riva Starr & Congorock
  Tickets are $30 at Wantickets
• Steve Angello presents Size Matters party @ LIV
  Lineup also includes Tinie Tempah, Junior Sanchez, AN21 and others
  Tickets are $50 at Wantickets

Wednesday, March 23rd

• DJ Mag party @ The Shelborne
  Great pool party with Dennis Ferrer, Dubfire, A-Trak, Joachim Garraud & Carl Craig
  Tickets are just $15 at Wantickets
• Mixmag Beach Party @ The Gansevoort
  Lineup includes Danny Tenaglia, Marco Carola, Riva Starr, Felix da Housecat,  Umek, DJ Mehdi
  Free party, first come first serve
• Laidback Luke Presents Super You & Me party @ LIV
  Lineup also includes Congorock, Skrillex, Sidney Samson, Sandro Silva & Wynter Gordon
  Tickets are pricey $125 at Wantickets
• Cr2 Records – Miami 2011 @ W-hotel
  Lineup includes Chuckie, MYNC, Yolanda Be Cool, Dan Castro and more
  Guestlist only (guestlist@cr2records.co.uk)

Thursday, March 24th

• Beatport Pool Party @ The Gansevoort Hotel
  Lineup includes Mark Knigh & Sander Van Doorn + more tba
  First come, first serve, free party!
• Anjunabeats Party @ The Ice Palace
  Lineup includes Above&Beyond, Cosmic Gate, Kyau & Albert, Super8, Gabriel & Dresden and more
  Tickets are $50 at Wantickets
• Dirty South Pres Starphazing @ Mansion
  Lineup includes Dirty South, Norman Doray, Thomas Gold and others
  Tickets are $50 at Wantickets

Friday, March 25th

• Ultra Music Festival
  No introduction necessary, completely sold out unfortunately.
  www.ultramusicfestival.com
• Pete Tong Radio 1 Pool party @ The Surfcomber Pool
  Lineup includes: James Zabiela, Joris Voorn, Richie Hawtin
  Tickets are $40 – $60 at Wantickets
• Beatport Pool Party @ The Gansevoort Hotel
  Lineup includes Skrillex, Tommy Lee & DJ Aero and more
  First come, first serve, free party
• No Sugar Added Miami 2011 @ Nikki Beach
  Probably the best event to attend when not going to UMF
  Lineup includes: Armand Van Helden, AN21, Max Vangeli, Norman Doray, Radio Slave, Dada Life, Sidney Samson, Style Of Eye
  Tickets are just around $30 at Wantickets
• Markus Schulz and Friends @ Space
  Lineup tba
  Tickets are between $40 – $50 at Wantickets

Saturday, March 26th

• Ultra Music Festival Day 2
  (see above)
• Pacha Ibiza classics Pool Party @ The Shelborne
  Lineup includes Pete Tong, Bob Sinclar, JP Candella, Sunnery James
  Tickets are $30 at Wantickets
• One Night at the Masquerade Motel @ TBA
  Lineup includes Axwell, Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso, A-Trak, AN21, Armand Van Helden, Calvin Harris, Dirty South and others
  Tickets are $75 – $95 at Wantickets
• Beatport Pool Party @ The Gansevoort Hotel
  Lineup includes Richie Hawtin, Dubfire and more tba
  First come, first serve, free party
• Xmix Party @ The Shine
  Lineup includes Armand van Helden, Bad Boy Bill, Junior Sanchez, Todd Terry, Harry Choo Choo Romero
  Tickets are $15 at Wantickets
• Mau5trap Miami label party @ Arkadia
  Lineup includes Moguai, Mosdam, Tommy Lee and more
  Tickets are $60 at Wantickets

Sunday, March 27th

• Ultra Music Festival Day 3
  see above
• Nervous Pool Party II @ The Clevelander
  Lineup includes Oscar G, Peter Rauhofer, Junior Sanchez, Superchumbo, Muzzaik and more
  Tickets are $25 at Wantickets
• Beatport Pool party @ The Gansevoort
  Steve Angello Size Matters Pool party
  Free party, first come, first serve
• Space Closing party @ Space (The Terrace)
  Lineup includes Louis Puig, Wally Lopez, David Tort, Kurd Maverick and more
  Tickets are between $30 – $45 at Wantickets

Dear fans of soundwerk airwaves,

2010 has been a tremendously successful year for us musicwise. We had more than 20 guests, 50 shows and > 100 hours of pure music pleasure on air for you. Almost 10.000 of you dear fans have subscribed & liked us on Facebook. It’s time to express a deep & true “thank you” to all of you fans, partners, guests & friends of soundwerk airwaves. Without you, the whole show would be pointless. Although we are working hard and putting a lot of effort & spare time to deliver a weekly 120 minutes ride for you we really enjoy what we’re doing and we will continue doing it throughout 2011. More world class guests, more top-notch recommendations and more friendly gossip to keep you happy. Thanks to all of you for a wonderful 2010, we’ll keep on rocking!

That being said, we’re not leaving this year without delivering the bomb to you: Be prepared for a full 6 hours (!) live special on new years eve. The soundwerk allstars & friends are live (!) on air for you with the best tracks from 2010 and sneak peak to what’s coming in 2011. Starting at 9pm on Friday, December 31st, we’re celebrating the arrival of 2011 jointly with you and promise to deliver a cutting edge mix of premium quality music no matter where on the world you are. Tune in!

Yours Dezz, Dru & TE

While we booked our flights to beautiful Miami yesterday, the UMF crew doesn’t disappoint and revealed part 1 of their massive lineup which is already very promising! The festival will be three days (instead of two) and welcome some high profile acts an DJs such as TiËsto, Wolfgang Gartner, Ferry Corsten, Deadmau5, Mstrkrft, The Chemical Brothers, David Guetta, Skrillex, Carl Cox as well as some “mainstream” acts like Empire of the Sun, Cut Copy and others. Many more have been revealed so far, here is the full list. Tickets are on sale, 179,95 USD for regular admission or 499 USD for VIP tix.

It’s out and on! The infamous Winter Music Conference will happen at the Miami Beach Convention Center from March 8th till March 12th. Right now early bird tickets are on sale for $275. They usually include access to the conference, the panels & discussions, the official parties and at least discounts on most other parties.

What’s interesting here is that the Ultra Music Festival, now in its 13th year, will be at the end of March, as usual. WMC officials state that they’re moving dates to not have the actual WMC clash with the parties too much. I find this to be a bit strange as the conference and party stuff makes up WMC for me. But they’ll do it for a reason I’m sure.

Ultra for the first time it’ll be three days, 25th, 26th and 27th of March 2011. Early Bird tickets are already sold out as the website states but general admission 3 day combo passes are about 179,00 USD while VIP Tickets are really getting VIPy at 499,95 USD – probably due to the longer time of the festival. No information on lineup and location so far but you may expect the best. We’ll keep you posted!