- Music
- 14 Jun 10
They may be Big In Japan. Now Derry's Japanese Popstars are set to be pretty huge everywhere else too. The band have signed to Virgin with the first single, the Jon Spencer hook-up ‘Destroy' released on 30 May. Naturally, the boys are over the moon to be on the same label as The Chemical Brothers and Massive Attack.
Also breaking through with their latest releases are a handful of acts featured in He's Electric over the past three months. Deadbot's Much Better EP got a full digital release last week on Satan's Circus UK, including Hystereo, Arveene and Misk and Irish-based Croatian's SymbolOne on remix duties. Oldskool crate-diggers The Dirty Dubsters are getting a very apt full vinyl release on Break-Down Records of their SoundClash EP, including massive bootlegs of Grace Jones and Marvin Gaye. Adam Keni gets a worldwide digital release of his T.H.I.S. belter on Minimalnuts Records, which has been given the thumbs up by The Bulgarian and DYNO so far. Adam throws a launch party for the release at Pentagon, The Pod next Saturday 28 May.
If you're on a trance dancefloor and get hit with an ‘i'm back in the mid-'90s feeling, chances are you've just heard Greg Downey's Wide Open Space featuring Mansun. The Belfast producer delved into the Britrock cellar to sample Mansun's 1997 smash, and the results got early support from the likes of Eddie Halliwell, who played it in his Essential Mix live from Amnesia broadcast. The bootleg happily co-incided with the band's plans to re-release their Attack Of The Grey Lantern album as a 3 x CD box set, which will now include Greg's mix. Better again, singer Paul Draper worked with Greg on the original vocal track and the supercharged new results will be available on 07 June.
Dublin's seminal Power FM pirate radio station is expected to back on the airwaves later this year, if only on a temporary basis. The station, which currently operates online is widely regarded as the one of the most influential dance stations in the history of Irish club culture. And yet, despite numerous bids, has not yet received a permanent license. You can tune into them online at www.powerfm.org, to find out more details on their temporary return.
No bank holiday would be complete without a massive hard-dance bash, and next month doesn't disappoint. The Atomik Festival, one of the UK's premier hard-dance promotions brands, touch down their current tour at Rapture, Enfield, Co Meath on Sunday 06 June which boasts the likes of The Tidy Boys, Lisa Pin-Up, Paul Webster, Anne Savage, BK and Kutski. Atomik pull out all the stops with what they call ‘a full on west-end stage show' choreographed with the music and lighting.
Hot on the heels of Howard Donald last month, another Howard is making his unlikely appearance in He's Electric. International drug smuggler, author and cult hero Howard Marks is coming to Twisted Pepper on 04 June. Mr Nice is performing his spoken word show early in the evening, and following it up with a DJ set at the Mud clubnight later. A limited amount of tickets are still available from www.bodytonicmusic.com