BIG FISH LITTLE FISH CARDBOARD BOX Life Fridays
Wow, another massive month for plucky new electro and fidget night BFLFCB (even the acronym is huge). For May the highlights are Duke Dumont on the 7th and local Marine Parade post-breaks, electro rock heroes Evil Nine on 28th. But the one we’re most excited about is DFA’s The Juan MacLean on the 21st. His Human League-influenced LP ‘The Future Will Come’ has been a SOURCE office fave and although his overly techy DJ Kicks mix album didn’t excite as much we’re looking forward seeing what James Murphy’s favourite son can deliver. (JK)
DISCO OF DOOM Honeyclub Sat 1st
Another bold booking for Seven Sins as Tom Real and The Rogue Element can get seriously heavy when they get together. We missed them when the played last time but they must have rocked it to be invited back. If you’re expecting breaks you’ll be in for a shock – this project is the pair turning their attention to nasty, dirty electro house. (JK)
SHOGUN AUDIO Digital Sun 2nd
Drum’n’bass’s boy wonder Sub Focus teams up with Bristol’s bad-man Joker, who’s recent remix of the former’s ‘Could This Be Real’ probably brought the two together for this evening. Expect purple basslines and light refracted at speeds of 180bpm as both artists have new tunes and remixes to drop, including Joker’s ‘Tron’ track that would make even Jeff Bridges quake in his boots. Sigma, Spectra Soul, MC SP and Master are all on hand to help blow your bank holiday Sunday sky high. (ZC)
SWEATSHOP New Hero Thurs 6th
Basically the art of making music to dance to was perfected by hip-hop producers in the early 90s and everything that has followed has been rather unnecessary – you only need to watch Kid’n’Play’s House Party to realise that this is an indisputable fact. Sweatshop is a night that seems to share this philosophy and is in all likelihood the only place in town where you can get your grind on to Bobby Brown and En Vogue. Total win. (DA)
CLIVE HENRY The Loft Fri 7th
Sharing a limo back from a festival in Montreal last year we discovered that since the Ibizan authorities stomped all over Circo Loco, the ex-peace Division fella has been busy taking his low slung post-tribal tech house around the world. So popular is he across the globe that he doesn’t get to play in Britain that much, and that’s due to the regard of residency at Ciro Loco. Expect an international crowd at this Inside Out appearance, and that’s a good start for any party. (JK)
NICE AND NICHE MEETS OBSESSION Coalition Fri 7th
Returning to Brighton after touring the country, N&N bring some of the hottest UK talent down to our sunny shores with Griminal, Scorcher and BBC 1Xtras Cameo doing their thing. Last time this happened it went off and tickets were gone sharp-ish, so best grab an early bird. Grime, funky, r’n’b and Afro beats all wrapped up for a tenner. See you there. (DC)
SUPER DUB PRESSURE Concorde Fri 7th
Boasting a 40K Dirt Sound System, Clandestine Cultivations (the label behind Super Dub Pressure) may actually destroy the Concorde with this line-up. Loefah and N-Type headline the gig, with Oneman back to back with Addison Groove plus Afterdark and Clandestine too. With the second room bursting with local names as well, if want to rattle your ribs in May you know exactly where to go. (ZC)
DIGITALISM Concorde Sat 8th
They’re responsible for that 2007 dancefloor smash ‘Pogo’, not to mention ‘Idealistic’ and ‘Zdarlight’ which made everyone’s electro summer in 2005. After cars, Digitalism are Germany’s biggest export, producing an excellent blend of dance punk that manages to be accessible while still retaining enough of an edge to be down with the kids. This evening’s hosted by Horse Power who are quickly making a name for themselves in Brighton by booking top global acts such as this and 2manyDJs a couple of months ago. (ZC)
SUB PRIME Digital Sat 8th
Benga, one of dubstep’s pioneers over the last ten years, graces our shores for Sub Prime hosted by the Subsplash DJs at Digital. He’s been a busy boy over the last few months globe trotting and Doorly, who’s best known for that ol’ ‘Bonkers’ remix has been making earth-shattering reworkings of great dance tracks for a while now, and he doesn’t shy away from a good ‘womp’. (ZC)
ANNIE MAC PRESENTS… Digital Sat 15th
As part of the Great Escape festival Annie Mac presents Jakwob and Seiji at Wax:On. The Radio 1 DJ and dance music darling needs no introduction, and Jakwob’s been resonating through the dubstep scene since last year when his remixes for the likes of Ellie Goulding started doing the rounds and garnering much critical acclaim. Sieji’s recent minimix for Annie’s show evidently made a very positive impression as he joins this heavyweight line up of fresh talent for a night that will make any booty go bang. (ZC)
FENECH SOLER Audio Sat 15th
When applied to dance music, the word ‘uplifting’ has come to mean something really quite depressing – a prefix of doom usually associated with horrible trance. This is a shame: sometimes music is genuinely uplifting because, you know, its good. Fenech Soler seem to specialise in those main-room electro disco tunes that turn a mildly enthusiastic dancefloor into a very sweaty one. Radio 1 are all over them at the minute and you get to see them for free at Audio. Whoop! (DA)
DONKY PITCH 1ST BIRTHDAY Volks Thurs 20th
It really doesn’t feel like a whole year since the Donky Pitch crew first brought the wonk to Brighton’s dancefloors. Anyway, to celebrate becoming a one-year-old they are hosting an extra-large party with a rather wonderful array of international artists. French wobbly-bass master Fulgeance will be co-headlining with Scandinavian Skweee godfather, Randy Barracuda, who is worth seeing just so you get to drop his name into conversation. Brighton can count itself lucky – this kind of thing just doesn’t happen in many cities. Get down there and put a Donky on it! (DA)
HOUSE OF X-PRESS 2 Coalition Sat 29th
Rocky, Diesel and Ashley Beedle return, and what these three can’t do back to back isn’t worth doing. Six decks can sound like a right old mess but the trio have been playing so long together – since house was in its infancy with Boys Own – that they seem to have a sixth sense. Expect things to be deep, soulful and tribal. If you like proper house then you’ve probably already got your ticket. (JK)
Dan Ashton, Dan Carnaby, Zac Colbert, James Kendall