General

So you may have noticed a severe lack of broadcasting from Synth over the last few weeks or so. Let us assure you that we've not abandoned the show, merely made it monthly so we can focus more energy and time towards it. Tonight we return with all our usual features and a whole stack of amazing new records to play (and when we say records, we mean high quality mp3s of course).

Grobbie gone done it again. Does this boy even sleep? Over the weekend we were treated to a free download from the Glasgow-based Tuff Wax producer and needless to say it smacks of sheer quality. If you’re just waking up to the new week this will go some way to easing you into a rather dreary Monday morning. Drifting in on shimmering synths and gothic vocal cuts, the foundation builds with rumbling sub-bass and a subtle kick before fading into a distant horizon. Perfectly executed and genuinely stirring, ‘All Of This Time’ is further proof that Grobbie is quite simply ready to blow…

If you’re a regular visitor to this blog you’ll be fully aware of how highly we rate Glasgow-based Deep House aficionado, Dominic Martin. Over the past twelve months his productions have consistently delivered some of the freshest sounds to come out this city and we have no problems in declaring him as one of Glasgow's finest new talents. Releasing on such labels as Tronicsole, Lost My Dog and Point Blank, his sound combines jacking Chicago House with a futuristic 2012 flavour, oozing late-night sophistication and pure unadulterated groove. Building a reputation over the last few years for unwavering quality, his music has found its way into the hard-drives of everyone from Miguel Migs to Round Table Knights, Lee Curtiss to Roger Sanchez, proving the producer is as versatile as he is talented.

In the passing of Whitney Houston, the world may have been robbed of yet another precious talent all too prematurely, but in the wake of such tragedy we are often blessed by a wave of tributes from fellow musicians who wish to pay their respects in their own way. While we can’t admit to being the greatest of Whitney fans, we do have an appreciation of what she contributed to music and as such it gives us great pleasure to present one of the finest post-mortem remixes we’ve heard to date.

We like consistency here at Synth. Knowing that on the last Friday of every month you can count on How’s Your Party? to deliver the biggest names in bass is a reassuring constant which never wavers. Over the last few months the Mixed Bizness monthly has hosted everyone from much hyped up and comers Disclosure to Dubstep superstar Benga, making the night an essential fixture in the party calendar. So, with that in mind, it comes as no surprise to find Digital Soundboy big-hitters, Breakage and Redlight manning the decks next week in what will undoubtedly be another sweat induced throw-down.

We may be all about Glasgow here at Synth, but we have major respect for Aberdeen’s Tuff Wax Records. Not only do they continue to release some of the most exciting new electronic music in the UK but they also do it on vinyl – something not many labels have the balls for in this day and age. With the link up coming from city-hopping, bass-aficionado, Grobbie we were more than hyped to find the promo for his debut release in our inbox.

Launching amid a blaze of hype, the Bad News Launch saw the likes of Zed Bias, Loefah, Pinch and Girl Unit descend on Glasgow for what has to be one of the most talked about new events of 2012. For those feeling a little testy about shelling out £10/14 entry at The Arches think again, as it’s a steal when considering the big names on offer. Lucky ex-Outlook attendees even managed to snag free entry by presenting their festival bands, celebrating the release of the 2012 tickets.

Oh Hudson, you make us all weak at the knees. If like us Valentines Day means buying yourself a box of chocolates and sitting in a dark room watching Maid In Manhattan then you should definitely get locked on to Hudson Mohawke’s Valentines Slowjams. The LuckyMe lothario has selected some of his all time favourite heart-melters and boy, if you’re not feeling the love after 45 minutes you may as well resign yourself to celibacy.

It’s quite appropriate that from this period of relative quiet we return with a release which burns with all the energy of a rising sun. We’ve been transfixed by the solar-sound of Holobeams & Broken Machines for some time now, his self-titled debut EP indicating a comprehensive understanding of an electronic landscape which has yet to be mapped. Returning last month with the highly anticipated follow up ‘Holofractal’, we are again taken under by his crystallised vision, finding ourselves on another journey of unlimited horizons.

In amidst all the reverberating sub bass, bro-stepping dubstep and cross-genre blurring of modern UK club music it’s refreshing to find a sound which has been around from the start, but has only recently again found prominence. House music in its purest form has of course always been there, but thanks to a recent resurgence in soul-bearing vocals and irresistible basslines the spirit of Chicago, New York and London is truly back. To Joe Goddard & Raff Rundell aka The 2 Bears, such heritage is central to their sound and with their forthcoming debut album ‘Work’ receiving critical acclaim, the fur-clad duo have become synonymous with bringing back the groove.

With Soma's 20^th anniversary celebrations still fresh in our minds and Pressure recently announcing their first party of 2012 it’s understandable that we’ve become more than a bit excited about the next twelve months. Kicking off what will no doubt be another incredible year for our favourite House & Techno label is the fourth instalment of the Slam Remix series which has seen some of clubland’s most exciting new and established talent take on the duo’s extensive back catalogue. Of course the potential for some exceptionally on point remixes for one of Techno’s most widely respected production teams was always going to appeal, and it is here on Part 4 that the concept hits true perfection.

2012 is going to be a good year for Sei A – we can feel it. Transcending numerous genres and melting the darker sides of electronica into a style which is inimitably his, the Turbo signed Glaswegian has certainly been raising a few eyebrows with his eccentrically twisted take on modern Techno. Following on from the crystallised ‘Frozen Flower’, we are now treated to forthcoming release ‘Flux’ - a swirling slab of hypnotic bleeps, psychedelic breakdowns and tribal kicks, altogether combining to create some serious after hours madness.

Christmas has come and gone, the New Year party that ended yesterday has left you incapacitated and a tree fell through your window this morning thanks to hurricane ‘get-to-fuck’ – there is no getting away from it, January is shit. Thankfully however one of Glasgow’s most consistently filthy production duos, Dirty Basement have just released the ‘Thirsty Work EP’ – a perfect combination of liquid bass and just the right amount of get up and go spirit.

It feels quite appropriate that our first post of 2012 should feature an entirely new project by an old favourite. You may already know him as Jinty – presenter of Gutter Riddim on Subcity Radio and one of Glasgow’s finest Grime DJ’s, but under his new moniker Inkke his focus is entirely on production. Dropping into our inbox yesterday like an electronic insight into the next twelve months, the ‘Pink Dot EP’ is a wild exploration of futuristic Hip Hop underpinned by ghostly melodies and low-slung bass.

And so we reach the end of what was a fantastic year for Glasgow. Both the quality and quantity of music coming out of the city was at times truly astonishing and as we look towards 2012 we couldn’t be more excited at what lies ahead. Over the past twelve months we’ve seen new producers find their feet, established names soar and entirely fresh up and comers take us by surprise. Sifting through a year’s worth of music was certainly not easy and inevitably there were tunes we wanted to desperately fit in but couldn’t. We do however feel that the list below represents some of the most important tunes of the year with regards to new sounds, certified club smashes and songs you might have missed. With 2011 literally bursting at the seams with talent we can only assume that 2012 is going to be nothing short of spectacular…

In keeping with their exceptional approach to pre-party promotion you will have found an all-star cast of guests featuring on a special Vitamins NYE show on Subcity Radio last night. It’s not every day you find the likes of Number’sJackmaster, Lucky Me’sBamboo Palace and All Caps going back to back on student radio, but as we know Vitamins pull out all the stops when there’s a party to prepare for, and boy, is there a party to prepare for. This New Year’s Eve Numbers and Vitamins are joining forces to bring you a super-hype night of out and out party music at Stereo, enlisting the likes of S-Type, Nok La Rok and All Caps to get your 20-12 bounce on.

A last minute contender for tune of the year? Quite possibly. Dynamode have been bubbling away nicely for the last twelve months and it’s with this utterly irresistible number that they cement their place as not only one’s to watch for 2012, but also get incredibly excited about. ‘Like Me’ has so much raw groove it’s in danger of reclining into a state of irreversible ecstasy. Just wait til’ that bassline drops…

Perhaps one of the hardest working men in the business, Martyn Henderson aka Mas# has had an incredible year as both presenter of his own show at Capital FM and producer of some truly exceptional music. Earlier in the year he served up the ghostly-grooving ‘Somebody’s Property’ and this week he turns out something equally ethereal in ‘Horn Of Africa’.

It’s perhaps only right that given the time of year we get some things for free and after hyping up Mia Dora’s remix of Roots Manuva’s ‘Get The Get’ for months it now gives us great pleasure to announce that the fine people over at Ninja Tune are giving it away gratis.

"The last few weeks have been frustrating – I feel like an apology and explanation is in order. Obviously any regular visitors to Synth will have noticed an abrupt halt in content going up on the site over the last month, something which could not be avoided unfortunately. After building the reputation of Synth over the last year, forming contacts, friendships and foundations it was of great anguish that I had to stop without much notification as too why."

Unfortuantely due to unforseen circumstances there will be no new content at Synth for at least the next week. Archived material from both the website and the radio show will still be available to access, but for now we're very much on a whitie and computer interaction is limited. Apologies for any inconvenience and thanks to everyone who is getting in touch and sending us music, you will be replied to!

* The How's Your Party? Present Benga competition will still run as normal

In the last How’s Your Party? of 2011, Mixed Bizness have returned to an old favourite who has never once let them down. People who were lucky enough to witness his now legendary performance at the Art School last year will all testify that Beni Uthman aka Benga is one of the biggest party-starters this city has ever seen and his appearance at the Sub Club next Friday will no doubt only serve to strengthen that reputation. A pivotal player in the stratospheric rise of Dubstep, Benga is arguably one of the first superstars of a genre which only ten years ago was confined to the underground.

So as we hurtle towards Christmas the nights are getting longer and our show on Subcity is getting darker. For the first half of tonight's episode we went deep into the mix with some of our favourite House & Techno doing the rounds at the moment, featuring the likes of Slam, Rob Etherson & Eats Everything. Fortywinks provided this week's Tea Time Rave Off with some dangerous grooves to get you moving into the weekend, plus Tim Narloch, Domsko & Bass City Rollaz fought it out for our Local Hero Award. Trust us, this week it was TIGHT."

There are some tunes that just nail you from the drop. Bass City Rollaz mix on Keith & Supabeatz is one of them. Popping up on Soundcloud earlier this week as part of an official remix competition, you’ll find this fresh take on ‘Every’ quite frankly impossible to ignore. Cheeky vocal cuts, rolling basslines and a rave-tantric breakdown collide to make this an all-out assault on the dancefloor.

Loneliness and touring go hand in hand. Despite the free-loading entourage, the newly acquired groupies and the constant encounters with press, promoters and fanatics, each new city, country and in some cases continent detaches you further from the essential familiarities of home. Never in one place long enough, you become a slave to your own popularity. It is this crushing contradiction of life on the road that French Electro producer, Yuksek has explored with his new album.

Oh yesss….our day has just got instantly better! You might remember us posting a short minimix from Domsko’s forthcoming LP, ‘Family Affair’ a few months back - a five minute fusion of irresistible beats and shimmering synths which pretty much had us frothing at the mouth. Well, we’ve now been treated to a collection of full length songs in part 1 of an official album sampler, and to say they surpass expectations would be an understatement. Featuring two fresh original productions as well as a Milton Jackson remix and summer smash ‘Hard Yards’, this has instantly reminded us just why we got so excited the first time.

It’s not often that one band provides the soundtrack for two consecutive summers, but in the case of Azari & III, they’ve managed to do just that. Be it Ibiza, Sonar, Glastonbury or Coachella, the Canadian quartet have quickly become one of the hottest names in modern dance, releasing single after single of sex-dripping, four-to-the-floor action and claiming themselves some of the most heavily played and instantly successful remixes of the last five years.

Can it really be four years? Four years since the likes of A-Trak, Mehdi, Chromeo and Switch made week night clubbing utterly essential? Four years since the likes of Rustie, Jackmaster and Hudson Mohawke were the supporting acts billed as ‘fresh local talent’? Ever since starting out as a weekly party in October 2007, How’s Your Party? has been responsible for booking some of the most ridiculously on-point guests Glasgow has ever seen. Imagine sauntering out on a Thursday night to see A Trak at your local spot now, it simply wouldn’t happen. But four years ago, these were the type of names you could expect every single week.

If you were there you how it went down. The energy, the atmosphere, the bounce-factor - it was all off the scale and now Vitamins have released photos to prove it. As predicted, Canadian beat-rider Lunice inspired dancing reminiscent of a Chickasaw crunk-fest, while Bristol’s Baobinga managed to overloaded the system when he dropped Emalkay’s ‘Crusader’ over Ludacris’ dirty south anthem ‘What’s Your Fantasy?’. Trust us, the reaction was nothing short of riotous.

As an artist, you should always have a special relationship with your label. There should be a mutual understandment and a shared passion for sharing your music, each release should be doted on like a small child. After all, if a label isn’t going to give you the support you need, then why bother in the first place? That’s why it’s so reassuring to see London-based House imprint Lost My Dog putting the spotlight on some of their most influential artists and giving them the opportunity to explore and expose their sound in a new full-length series called 'Family Affair'.

Over the last few months or so there have been a few tracks which have just refused to go away. Dynamode’s ‘Right Hand Red’ is one of them. Deep in July, while we were enjoying fleeting moments of summer sun, this track kept us wrapped up in Balearic bliss, dreaming of turquoise oceans and Mediterranean skies. With reflective chords and a deep-grooving bassline we found it hard to ignore its hypnotic charm and wistful nature.

Throughout the summer of 2011 we’ve been bringing you some incredible content from our pals at We Love…Space Ibiza, delivering exclusive news, interviews, mixes and footage from arguably the world’s best club and one of the island’s most extravagant events. Finally, fifteen weeks on since the summer sprang into life; we’ve reached the end of the road and We Love’s monumental closing party. And yes, we do have tickets to giveaway…

So, summer’s officially over then, the nights are getting longer, the weather is getting progressively worse and that bastard, winter is probably preparing to dump its big white load on us again. The outlook may be grim, but if there’s one thing that can be said about the darker months, it's that the willingness to party becomes almost insatiable. Afterall, what else have we to look forward to? So, with that in mind, Glasgow’s most generous party starters, Mixed Bizness have kindly offered to give away two free tickets to this month’s How’s Your Party? featuring none other than Jack Beats.

The last decade of club music has probably been the most exciting in living memory. New genres have risen, old ones have been revitalised and some have fallen by the wayside. But what I perhaps find most interesting is the very recent popularisation of late 90’s RnB an early 00’s Hip Hop. There is no doubt that during the period of between 1998 and 2005, ‘urban’ music (as some may refer to it) reached an almost unfathomable peak. For the first time Hip Hop was selling out stadiums in the UK and artists like Eminem were appearing in their own movies. Commercially the sound was massive.

Autumn may be creeping in here at grey old Blighty, but over in Ibiza there is still one month of solid summer to enjoy and the ever exciting prospect of this season’s closing parties. We’ve been reporting directly from Space Ibiza over the last few months as our friends at We Love… keep us up to date with exclusive content from their legendary Sunday night extravaganza. With any luck we're going to have a couple tickets to giveaway for the last party of the summer, so keep your eyes peeled.

We mentioned on Monday how September is one of our favourite months of the year. Not only do the promoters pull out all the stops but Subcity Radio finally returns to broadcast! There’s no need to stress how pivotal Subcity is to the Glasgow club scene, such influential names as Optimo, Mungos Hi-Fi, Boom Monk Ben and Pro Vinylist Karim all had their time at the station, nurturing their talent and giving them a medium to share the music which shaped their lives. Subcity is an opportunity for friendships to form, plans to be made and most importantly getting your sound out to the masses…

September could well be our favourite month of the year. As students filter back and people return from holiday the parties tend to kick up a gear and the promoters go all out to make you dance. Forget that preposterous season which was masquerading as 'summer', we officially have the night back. So, with that in mind it comes as no surprise that one of Glasgow’s most revered and forward-thinking monthlys have organised a party of bi-winning proportions.

They’ve topped Soundcloud’s Edit chart with every upload, produced incredible mixes which have maxed their download limit within hours and been championed by everyone from Greg Wilson to Hudson Mohawke, Bill Brewster to Jackmaster. Slow It Down may be all about dropping the tempo but their rise to edit fame has been anything but sluggish. This week we were finally treated to a preview of their own original work, and to say it lit up our inbox would be an understatement. Teaming up with jack of all trades, Rob Etherson, this minute long clip is so groovy we actually locked our legs trying to do The Hustle while listening to it.

Incase you hadn’t noticed, Soma celebrate 20 years of releasing quality club music this month. Glasgow’s premier dance label and one of the finest purveyors of House & Techno in the world are responsible for more bonafide tunes then you’ve had hot dinners, so reaching this landmark occasion is a big deal for the entire industry, not just the Pressure devoted, Slam worshipping underground. Ever since launching in 1991, the label has strived to unearth the hottest new talent and push it in only one direction: up. Think Daft Punk, think Silicone Soul, think Joris Voorn and you realise just how many quality artists they’ve unleashed into the world.

Having just finished listening to Glasgow-based producer Voltergeist’s latest album ‘Burnt & Buried’, we are left mesmerised and a little stunned. Electronic music is certainly most poignant when it is completely organic, from everyday sounds, objects and experiences to the wildest reaches of your own imagination, it is when you recognise endless possibilities that you start to create them. When inspiration hits you right, you can create the type of music which is instantly yours and it is here on ‘Burnt & Buried’ that those boundless influences have come together so perfectly.

It’s that time of the week again when our friends at We Love… make us insanely jealous with their tales of superstar DJ’s, late nights and too many vodka limones. Incase your new to Synth, we are primarily all about Glasgow, however this summer we’ve been pen pals with one of the greatest club events on earth – We Love…Space Sundays. Each week we’ve been giving away tickets to this monumental party as well as bringing you exclusive footage, interviews and mixes directly from Ibiza.

You may have only recently found The Shimmy, and that comes as no surprise. Speaking with one of the head promoters on Saturday we were surprised to hear that the free-spirited House & Techno collective had been putting on underground parties in Glasgow for many years. Established through word-of-mouth and often using secret locations, each event was treated more like a get together for an extended group of friends then an all singing, all dancing club night. It was only recently they emerged from the underground to bring that ethos to the masses. Still maintaining their seductive allure, they have thrown parties with likes of Kaiserdisco at the Art School, invited curious clubbers to discover city centre basements and maintained the mystery with free-ticketed outdoor gatherings. Promoting a truly hedonistic party vibe, they invite people to sport top hats and leave the working week behind. After all, what happens at The Shimmy stays at The Shimmy.

And so summer 2011 marches on, and I use the term ‘summer’ lightly as if you’re currently residing in the UK, you’ll be aware that we have infact been cheated of a whole season this year. Thankfully in Ibiza however they don’t have that problem and the sunshine isle is of course in full swing.

It’s always reassuring when a producer is willing to give away such quality music for free. In the past you may have been sceptical of such blasé promotion but during the current climate of illegal downloading and falling music sales, a free release can instantly capture an audience you might otherwise have missed. And that is exactly what happened when we featured Holobeams and Broken Machines in our Local Hero segment last week. Intrigued by the beautiful ‘Four’ we decided to investigate the entire EP as a whole. Needless to say we were instantly rewarded.

In some ways we’re actually quite annoyed at 21 year old bedroom producer Ivan Hall Barrientios - even though each one of his productions have seared giant holes in our speaker stacks and claimed more Local Hero awards than we care to mention, it appears when it comes to releasing music he likes to take his time. Frustrating yes, but who are we to rush him when the quality is this good?

So we’re back from our week of madness in Ibiza. As always, the addictive blend of partying throughout the night at some of the world’s best clubs and soaking up the sunshine on some of the world’s best beaches has left us with a severe case of the post holiday blues. There is simply no where like it in the world, and apart from the blatant hedonism, it’s the unique atmosphere which keeps us coming back time and time again. For four months of the year you get to experience what it would be like if the weekend never ended…and trust us, it's a beautiful thing.

If there’s one particular local artist who has had us gripped from the very start, it would have to be Monopunk. Surfacing only late last year under his progressive guise ‘Dajosm’, his tunes immediately had us bouncing about the studio in a fit of bass-gurning athleticism. While we have to admit the sounds of his big room, hands-in-the-air material proved particularly addictive, the advent of the Electro-obsessed Monopunk proves Dave Smith has the skills to transcend any up-for-it dancefloor. With the release of the highly popular ‘Expo EP’ proving popular among both tech heads and bassline fanatics alike it was only right he follow it up with something equally as damaging.

As if we couldn’t be excited enough about Hudmo’s ‘Satin Panthers’ EP dropping next Monday, the man himself has gone and uploaded the ENTIRE thing to Youtube and boy, was it worth the wait. Opening with the sparkling ‘Octan’, before dropping into the irresistible ghetto bounce of ‘Thunder Bay’, Satin Panthers has literally taken it to another level. Try slapping it with a generic label and you’ll be branded a fool. This is the type of music which can’t be pigeon-holed, soaring far higher then anything we’ve heard in 2011. It’s gold-teeth grinning sub-bass, bouncing back-room grime and inter-celestial hyper-step rolled into one, put simply it’s the sound of the future today (or at least what Robert Moog envisioned music would be like in the 21^st century).

The best thing about running this website is that you never know who will get in touch and what refreshing new music you might be exposed to. Earlier this week we were contacted by a producer by the name of Cur$es who invited us to have a listen to his debut album, ‘Solar Temple’. As is usually the case at the moment we were pleasantly surprised by what we found, with yet another promising producer to add to our growing list of Glasgow-based up and comers.

Tuesday morning, the sun is shining and our friends at We Love… have just sent us a direct update from the party isle of Ibiza. All throughout the summer we’re bringing you some of the best video footage, mixes and interviews from the institution known as Space and giving away free tickets to We Love… itself. Sundays have of course been going as strong as ever this year with a line up that just gets better week on week. We’re particularly excited at the moment as we’ll be heading out there ourselves at the weekend so expect a full-blown account on our return.

It’s that time of the week again, Tuesday morning and we’re off to Space Ibiza to find out what We Love… have been up to and who is proving popular on the island. As per usual the line up has been incredible this year and this week we bring you a French takeover with interviews and footage from Miss Kitten, Ivan Smagghe and and Dan Ghenacia at the club. Apart from fascinating tales of record shops, airlines and vespa accidents, you will be suitably entertained by Ivan's gesticulations and Miss Kitten’s incredible likeness to Nancy from Hollyoaks.

We were trying to think just what could make a standard Monday afternoon more bearable and after much deliberation we decided another competition was in order - having something to look forward to always makes the time go much quicker. So our good friends at Mixed Bizness have kindly offered up two free guestlist places for next Friday's How's Your Party? and the line up, as always, is exceptional.

Nicolas Jaar seems to be one of those unavoidable buzz names at the moment. Creating a hype he can entirely stand up to and falling into the same absurdly hip group of visionaries as Soul Clap, Art Department and Wolf + Lamb, his music straddles a hazy blend of low-slung Deep House, Disco & RnB but infused with a late night funk which puts it in a category all of it's own. Truth be told, all these genre labels are on the whole pointless as he carves out a path which is unequivocally his.

It may be a grim, Tuesday morning here in Britain, but over in Ibiza the sun has come up on yet another beautiful day and 90% of the holiday-going public are still in bed - perhaps still recovering from a mammoth session at We Love… on Sunday night. Throughout the summer we’ll be bringing you a small dose of that magic mixture of sunshine and madness in the form of our weekly We Love… update complete with ticket giveaways incase your heading off to the white isle yourself. Check out our competition at the foot of this post if you are lucky enough to be jetting of this weekend.

It’s been a long time coming, but HaHaHa finally dropped his ‘Adzuki Beans EP’ today on the consistently fresh Tighten Up label. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you’ll know how highly we rate this young producer, who apart from making searing beats on his laptop is also one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. This year has been shaping up to be a big one for him with his Raksha collaborations proving to me immensely popular and of course his own material making fans out of the likes of Martyn, Carte Blanche & Sinden.

You may remember us raving about Peace (now named Peace, The Illest) back at the beginning of May, his web-released Hungry EP was an eclectic selection of some of his finest beats and a strong indication of just how much potential this young producer holds. The EP went on to claim much blog coverage and standout track ‘Sunburst’ even got picked up by Radio 1. Now, he has teamed up with fellow Glasgow producer Arm Wtchs Fngrs, who apart from boasting a name that requires more than a passing glance also shares the same frenetic sound which first attracted us to Peace.

So the rain may have returned to Britain but the sun is still shining in Ibiza. Incase you missed our introduction last week, we are going to be bringing you a weekly update directly from Space as We Love… continue to rule the summer with their essential Sunday night party marathons. Expect exclusive mixes, interviews and video footage as they attract some of the hottest talent in dance music from around the world, and yes, we will be giving away free entry to the club! (See foot of post for this week’s competition)

There can be few finer club brands the world over than ‘We Love…’ their legendary Sunday party at Space Ibiza continues to push the finest, most exciting new talent in dance music alongside extravagant live performances and headline DJ’s. For over ten years they’ve provided a weekend finale which can truly be labelled as one of the greatest club institutions the famous island can boast. What can be more indicative of the Balearic experience then sipping on a vodka-limone at 6pm on the famous terrace and hearing your favourite DJ’s warm up for a 12hr session you’ll never forget?

You’ve got to love Phuturelabs – the Glasgow based collective and label are always unearthing new and exciting artists, pushing boundaries and giving away quality music for free. Today sees their fifth full release with FOUND member, River of Slime delivering a deliciously eccentric passage into what can only be described as aural insanity.

You may have noticed a severe lack of content from us this week - our lead writer is sick and as such can't make it to a laptop at the moment. If you've still been checking then thank you, we should be back to normal output in the next day or so, and we do have plenty to catch up on when we do. In the meantime, it's regular trips to the toilet and shit daytime TV for us...

So as you may or may not know, SWG3 have had some recent licensing issues, which as far as we can tell have seriously restricted their ability to hold club nights – certainly Subcity were caught short by this on Saturday night, and now all scheduled after-hours events have had to source other venues – a pain in the arse for promoters but even more so for SWG3 management – we hope you find a way round it soon!

As you know, we love writing about Glasgow - it's our favourite city and there is always something to cover. However, as it stands we're getting more feature requests then we can currently handle. That is why we're looking for new contributors!

You may have noticed the name Polymath cropping up around Glasgow recently, over the last month he’s supported everyone from Kissy Sell Out to Clouds bringing a deluge of bass pummelling Electro to all that gather before him – and for good reason, the Inverness born Techno titan was recently snapped up by Glasgow based DJ agency, Muck who seem to be on a single handed mission to not only break him in Glasgow but also around the world. It was only last week that the aforementioned Kissy played not one but three of his productions on his highly popular Radio 1 Show, as well as tweeting him as somewhat of a handyman in the remix department.

It’s been a long time coming but Naïve resident Peace has finally released his debut EP – and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Over the past year or so his manic approach to production has always fired the imagination, choosing complex compositions, arresting acapellas and cinematic soundscapes over standard club bangers. We’ve always maintained that being different is more likely to get you noticed, and to be quite frank Peace just doesn’t sound like anyone else out there right now…

Illegal downloading is perhaps one of the most damaging problems the music industry has ever faced. Unfortunately 90% of the time morals don’t even come in to it – why buy something when you can download it for free from the internet? Without the physical theft of music, on some level it doesn’t even feel like stealing, you wouldn’t go into HMV and fill your bag with the latest CD’s but if you stumble across that tune on Mediafire, well, what’s one download going to hurt? And this problem is perhaps more pronounced in club music – when the majority of releases are single based, it becomes even more tempting to claim your five-finger discount.

We're finding it hard to put into words how much we love this video from Heartbeats main man and Electro-pin wizard, Megamegaman. His unique sound has been claiming him a lot of attention recently, with radio play on BBC Introducing Scotland, support slots for the likes of Jaguar Skills and even winning him a remix competition for Zombie Nation. Comparable to a Gameboy hitting puberty (a compliment Mega if your reading this), his music is what we like to describe as 'freaky naughty' - heavy basslines, grinding synths and a pulsing energy - at times making Skrillex sound like a funeral for Johnny 5.

It may be the Royal wedding on Friday but we also have another highly anticipated event to look forward to. On Friday our big ol' pals at Spectra are throwing a mega Turbo party that includes Techno wonder-kid, Gesaffelstein and big-haired, A&R wizard Thomas Von Party. Advance tickets are £10 but we've managed to wangle two guestlist places for the Synth faithful, meaning you can trundle along to Stereo on Friday night - skip the queue, pay nothing on the door and go about raving your tits off...