Dance
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Detroit’s Movement festival is back for 2024 with a sprawling phase lineup. Released Wednesday (Jan. 24), the festival will feature sets from U.K. legends Fatboy Slim and Goldie, the latter of whom will play with a live band, a DJ set from James Blake, British experimental producer Floating Points, Detroit techno pioneer Kevin Saunderson playing […]
Last month, Diplo played what was surely one of his coolest sets ever, both literally and figuratively — performing from the helipad of a ship in the Southern Ocean off the coast of Antarctica. Today (Jan. 23), the producer shared the full 90-minute performance on YouTube, with the video using multiple cameras to capture the […]
Boiler Room is going global, again, in 2024.
The dance culture event series and streaming platform announced a world tour on Tuesday (Jan. 23) that will feature rising acts, local artists and scene stars playing across 25 cities.
Expanding on the platform’s first-ever world tour last year, in 2024 Boiler Room will return to London, Mumbai, Manchester, Milan, New York, Seoul, Toronto, Sydney and Melbourne. The tour will also touch down in cities including Amsterdam, Auckland, Barcelona, Bogota, Buenes Aires, Paris, Tokyo, Glasgow, São Paulo, Shanghai, Delhi, Lagos and U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas and Miami.
Dates will be announced in the forthcoming months. Organizers say that the 2024 events will be bigger than on the 2023 tour, and will include weekend takeovers in addition to one-off shows.
Artists to be featured on the tour include Avalon Emergson, Chase & Status, Flowdan, Optimo, Rico Nasty, Skream & Benga, Armand van Helden, SHERELLE, Sara Landry and many more. Like the 2023 tour, the 2024 event series will also focus on local artists and rising stars.
Boiler Room’s 2023 tour hosted more than 200,000 attendees across 20 shows. In addition to the live events, streams of the events have aggregated millions of views.
Since launching in 2010, Boiler Room has created an archive of more than 8,000 performances bymore than 5,000 artists across 200 cities. This archive now aggregates more than 283 million streams per month. Boiler Room was acquired by ticketing platform Dice in 2021.
See the complete city and artist roster below.
Courtesy Photo
For decades, people have boot-scooted across dance floors in taverns and clubs, propelled by music and a communal desire for fun. The line dance — a choreographed dance featuring groups of people dancing in one line and executing a sequence of dance steps simultaneously — has ebbed and flowed in popularity over the years, most […]
Before festival season is festival lineup release season, with Lightning In a Bottle joining the pack Monday (Jan. 22) with its 2024 artist roster.
Leading the lineup are Skrillex — who will be making his debut at the longstanding SoCal event — along with Labrinth, James Blake, M.I.A., Fatboy Slim, CloZee and Lane 8.
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Artists are spread across multiple stages at the fest, with Lightning In a Bottle — which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year — reserving its Woogie Stage for house and techno acts. Artists likely to play that stage this May include Damian Lazarus, Honey Dijon, Nora En Pure, Floating Points and Nia Archives.
The lineup also features a strong contingent of bass artists including Machinedrum, Barclay Crenshaw, ISOxo and Skream doing an all-dubstep set.
The 2024 lineup also features Aluna, a club set from Bob Moses, Overmono, ANNA b2b Sama’ Abdulhadi, Justin Martin, Mura Masa, Tipper, a sunset set from Tycho and a large collection of emerging acts.
Lightning In a Bottle takes place at Buena Vista Lake near Bakersfield, Calif., over Memorial Day weekend, May 22-27. Produced by The Do Lab, the camping festival also hosts a wide range of experiences including interactive yoga and movement classes, talks and workshops, games, races and other special events. Tickets for the festival go on sale Wednesday (Jan. 24.)
Ahead of Lightning In a Bottle, The Do Lab will return to Coachella to host its annual stage at the fest. The lineup for this stage will be released in the coming months.
See the Lightning In a Bottle lineup below:
This week in dance music: Coachella announced a 2024 lineup populated with more than 60 dance artists, including the hyper-anticipated return of French duo Justice. We also got the first look inside Hollywood’s newest nightclub, The Spotlight.
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And there was, as always, also a load of fresh new tracks. These are the best dance songs of the week.
REZZ & Holly, “DYSPHORIA”
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REZZ and Portuguese bass producer Holly link for the predictably heavy “DYSPHORIA,” the first collaboration from the pair. The track falls squarely in each producer’s wheelhouse, with huge drum hits, meticulously chopped and twisted bass, cinematic build-ups and inventive climaxes. Out on REZZ’s label, HypnoVizion, the song is the lead single from CAN YOU SEE ME?, the Canadian producer’s fourth studio LP. Touted by REZZ as “the perfect entry to this new bass music era for my project,” the song is happily challenging, veering in unexpected directions and exhibiting the best of both producers’ capabilities.
“This one means a lot,” adds Holly. “I’ve been looking up to Rezz since I came across her music in 2015. I have always respected the world she’s built with her art and how true to herself she has been since day one.”
Shygirl feat. Boys Noize, “tell me”
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’90s house music maintains its massive influence on dance music of the moment, with varying degrees of success and innovation. U.K. artist Shygirl, working here in collaboration with German fan favorite Boys Noize, does right by this trend with uplifting new track “tell me.” Taken from her forthcoming Club Shy EP, coming February 9 on Because, Shygirl joins contemporaries Romy and Dua Lipa in romanticizing Y2K’s clubbing culture. And with “tell me”, she’ll actually make you want to dance, like she did for tens of thousands of fans when she opened for Beyoncé on the Renaissance tour’s London stop last summer.
Sammy Virji, “Moonlight”
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U.K. producer Sammy Virji is one of the rising producers carrying the ever-burning torch of U..K Garage into a new generation. His latest, “Moonlight”, out on Positiva/EMI Records, brings the familiar groove of garage beats beneath a catchy vocal hook and hypnotic synth chords, with the production offering a pleasing turn in its eventual key change. Kicking off his North American tour in Toronto on January 25, the artist and DJ is one to watch for 2024.
Joy Orbison, “flight FM”
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Rife with the esoteric sound design we’ve come to expect from U.K. producer Joy Orbison, “flight fm” is an uptempo house track with deep, rolling basslines that are reminiscent of his fellow Croydon natives, Skream and Benga. Released on XL Recordings, the track was produced while the artist was waiting for a ride to his performance at the festival Lost Village, tested on the car’s speakers before debuting that night. The song has since been rinsed by contemporaries including Four Tet, who spun it not once but three times during a Manchester B2B2B with none other Skrillex and Fred Again.. last year.
Elkka, “Passionfruit”
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Clocking in at over nine minutes, Elkka’s “Passionfruit” revolves around an omnipresent synth melody and elegant piano phrases courtesy of American pianist John Carroll Kirby. Out on Ninja Tune, the song is an homage to patience — “the pleasure in taking your time with someone, to explore them and them you,” she says.
“This song was born out of an improvisation between John and I in the studio,” Elkka adds. “I took it home and expected to cut up certain sections, re-arrange etc but I quickly realized that I loved how it developed, expanded and didn’t rush. That’s what the song is about.”
Wh0, Mark Knight & James Hurr feat. Kathy Brown, “Turn Me Deeper”
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Toolroom boss Mark Knight rallies with James Hurr and Wh0, bringing the labels’ signature peak-time energy to iconic ’90s house anthem “Turn Me Out” by Sol Brothers and Kathy Brown — and for a good cause, too. Funds raised by “Turn Me Deeper” benefit the song’s vocalist, Kathy Brown, who is currently undergoing treatment for stage four lung cancer. The label has pledged all of its royalties towards Brown’s GoFundMe campaign to pay for health care fees, while all original writers have allocated their publishing earnings to the cause as well.
Hollywood’s ever-evolving nightlife scene is about to expand again, with a new club, The Spotlight, set to open later this month.
Located in the heart of Hollywood at 1601 N. Cahuenga Blvd., the 2,700-square-foot space will have a 300-person capacity and feature genre-spanning musical performances in an elegant, dimly lit setting. See exclusive first look images of the venue below.
Taking over the space formerly occupied by A/V Nightclub, The Spotlight will be operated by Framework. The Los Angeles-based production company is behind Hollywood’s nearby nightclub Sound and, in partnership with Goldenvoice, programs Coachella’s club-centric Yuma Tent. Framework was founded by Kobi Danan, who helped open and operate A/V from 2011-2013.
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The first round of musical programming for The Spotlight will be announced in the coming week.
Regarding The Spotlight’s programming, Danan tells Billboard that “One night, you can expect exceptional underplays, another, we transform into a platform to showcase emerging talent, but regardless of the night, our guests can expect consistency in the quality of programming all whole being encapsulated by an elevated customer experience. Our goal has always and will always be to revive Hollywood as the premier destination for music.”
While Sound is just a half-mile from The Spotlight, Danan says programming at the two clubs will be different, with Sound “built with a simple philosophy, to bring a novel and always-evolving electronic underground experience to nightlife in Hollywood. Electronic music, in all its varieties, is the true heart of what we do at Sound, and will continue to do.
“The Spotlight, on the other hand,” he continues, “is a space for versatility. At our core, we’re not just electronic dance music enthusiasts, we’re patrons of all things music, art, and culture. Having The Spotlight in our portfolio gives us the opportunity to diversify our programming, and lean into our passion for live music and fostering talent across the spectrum of every genre, while creating an intimate space for creativity in all forms to thrive.”
He adds that the club’s intimate setting is the “antithesis” to the projects in Framework’s existing portfolio.
The Spotlight has, Danan says, undergone “top to bottom aesthetic changes,” with the golden-toned lighting and curtain-draped walls recalling Hollywood’s golden era. The venue features a new stage featuring a custom DJ booth built on automatic hydraulics that can quickly transform the stage from DJ setup to live music seteup in seconds. For sound, The Spotlight was also refitted with custom L-acoustics and tuned to accommodate diverse programming.
The Spotlight is located in The Marion building, built in 1920 as a hotel. By the ’70s, the space had become a 24-hour gay bar called The Spotlight, with this new iteration paying homage to this Hollywood pedigree by returning it to its former name. The Spotlight also has the grandfathered license of the original spotlight, allowing the club to stay open until 6a.m.
The Spotlight in Los Angeles
Courtesy of Restless Media
The Spotlight in Los Angeles
Courtesy of Restless Media
The Spotlight in Los Angeles
Courtesy of Restless Media
The Spotlight in Los Angeles
Courtesy of Restless Media
The Spotlight in Los Angeles
Courtesy of Restless Media
After much anticipation and as much speculation, the Coachella 2024 lineup was released Tuesday (Jan. 16). The Southern California festival will feature headliners Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator and Doja Cat, with the rest of the bill featuring, as always, a strong contingent of dance/electronic acts. The dance artists getting highest billing include Justice, […]
This week in dance music: The dance world roared back to life after the relative calm of the holidays, with CRSSD dropping its spring 2024 lineup and Bonnaroo and Hangout Fest both including a load of dance artists on their bills — including headlining sets from Pretty Lights and Fred again.. at Bonnaroo.
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Meanwhile, Kraftwerk announced a nine-show residency at Disney Hall in Los Angeles this May, Alesso was announced as a performer for a big Super Bowl party in Las Vegas next month and New York City’s Teksupport announced an 18-show boat party series settling sail in May.
As part of Billboard‘s “future of genre” series, we spoke with extremely of-the-moment producers Odetari and 6arelyhuman; “Strangers” phenom Kenya Grace signed a global publishing admin deal with Warner Chappell, and Beatport made two key promotions and claimed over $100 million in revenue for 2023.
In sadder news, Black Coffee was injured in a flight accident in Argentina, but is reported to be “optimistic and doing well.” And the world lost a legend, the BBC Radio 1 presenter Annie Nightingale — the stations first-ever female presenter — dying this week at age 83.
And along with all this, we have 2024’s first week of heavy dance music releases. These are the best new dance tracks of the week.
Jamie xx, “It’s So Good”
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The Label: Young
The Spiel: The sole lyrics on the latest from Jamie xx function as self-fulfilling prophesy, with a childlike voice reiterating “It’s so good!” over a complex, percussion-forward production that incorporates Brazilian funk and loads of fun (but also cerebral) bells and whistles, as well as the breathing room that makes them all pop. The song soundtracks a new Chanel ad campaign and is also xx’s first new music since the absolute bangers “KILL DEM” and “Let’s Do It Again” from 2022. More music from this year from the perpetual fav would, indeed, be so good.
Camelphat, “Running Man”
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The Label: Mahool Records
The Spiel: In the Camelphat arsenal since 2023 and (finally) getting an official release this week, “Running Man” is a punchy, wind-up toy of a melodic house track, with the urgently blinking synth at the fore building to a nearly hectic place before releasing, then rising again. The track is out on Mahool Records, the label from Saudi Arabian dance company MDLBEAST, marking the imprint’s third-ever release. Camelphat’s spring tour dates include L.A.’s Skyline, EDC Mexico, Ultra Music Festival in Miami and Awakenings in The Netherlands.
Gorgon City feat. Bbyafricka, “Biggest Regret”
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The Label: Astralwerks
The Spiel: You think you’ve got Gorgon City’s latest figured out, until the 30-second mark, when a thunder of bass enters the production like a gamma ray, leaving as quickly as it came as the song returns to a spare beat that gradually grows lusher with a swirl of piano stabs and the hypnotic voice of Los Angeles-based singer BbyAfricka, before booming in once more. The track is the first new music from the duo since their excellent 2023 album Salvation. Their 2024 tour schedule thus far includes festival dates at M3F, We Are FSTVL, Forbidden Forest and Hideout.
Logic1000 feat. DJ Plead and MJ Nebreda, “Every Lil”
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The Label: Therapy
The Spiel: The third single from Logic1000’s forthcoming debut album Mother, coming March 22, slinks into your ears like a curl of fire smoke through a crowded dance floor. A collaboration between the Berlin-based producer, Australia’s DJ Plead and Miami-based MJ Nebreda, “Every Lil” is seductive and transportive, lifting us from the late afternoon mid-winter darkness to an all-night beachside party in some tropical locale, a vibe created especially by this one’s emphasis on hand percussion. The song comes ahead of Logic1000’s new podcast Logic1000 & Helena Star Present: Therapy, which will feature conversations about motherhood, mental health and the music industry.
Four Tet, “Loved”
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The Label: Text Records
The Spiel: The first track on Four Tet’s forthcoming album — the producer’s twelfth studio LP, the title and release date for which have not been announced — is quintessential, with Kieren Hebden finding the same sort of shuffling, gently swaggering beat that’s been a defining element of much of his studio output. Over it, he layers a gently glowing synth and, midway through, some light cacophony in the form of what sounds like a pair of baking trays being banged together. The four-minute track then returns to its soothing low simmer, playing like a salve for the nervous system — which is, appropriately, also the effect that feeling loved has.
New York City dance promoter Teksupport is taking the party to the New York City harbor. The company is unveiled on Friday (Jan. 12) a partnership with the Cornucopia Majesty, a 30,000-square foot private yacht that provides luxury cruises past the New York City skyline, the Statue of Liberty and other landmarks. The boat’s observation […]