Well hello there. Meet the newest festival on the Australian summer calendar:Tell No Tales.
Run by the Hardware crew, the event is “inspired by the European summer” – whatever that means. Marketing/promo bullshit aside, the lineup speaks for itself. Headlining will be minimal techno maverick [above]Ricardo Villalobos (let’s hope he doesn’t repeat the “car crash” set he performed last year at Cocoon In The Park – you know what I’m talking about) alongside Pan-Pot, Audion (AKA Matthew Dear), Agents Of Time and Nastia. Noiice. Very noiice. It’s going down on Sunday December 4 at the Royal Randwick Racecourse.
Oh my! It’s the return of a DJ so good that the last time he was here his set stopped my girlfriend and I breaking up (well, at least for a month, long story). Yep, having not returned to Australia since 2010, when I was dating Katie, the Chicago head Chez Damier is coming back our way. Having worked with the likes of KMS Records, The Music Institute, The Bellville Three (AKA Derrick May, Juan Atkins and Kevin Sanderson), alongside his seminal productions with Ron Trent, Damier is one of the few remaining pioneers of deep house that hasn’t sold out and relinquished the art of their craft for Ben Franklins. He’ll be supported by Anno, Mira Boru, Ben Fester, Kali, Stereogamous and Sydney Pony Club on Sunday September 11 at Harpoon Harry.
Straight up one of the best DJs in the world, Jackmaster, has locked in a Sydney headline show. One of the most in-demand selectors of the past five years, the Glasgow don is one of the only names in the game who has never even touched upon an original production or remix. The dude DJs – and that’s all he does. The dude DJs well. The Numbers co-founder (the label has released the likes of SBTRKT, Deadboy, Redinho, Jessie Ware, Sophie, Jamie XX and Mosca) is a favourite of Ben UFO, Mike Servito, Seth Troxler and Jamie Jones, and is a regular at the world’s most revered clubs such as Berghain and fabric. Head to his Soundcloud and give his 2015 Mastermix a rinse for a proper schooling. Catch him on Saturday November 26 at the Greenwood Hotel.
Tour rumours: If you’ve even just stepped foot into a club this year then you’ve no doubt heard Midland’s track ‘Final Credits’ (on ReGraded). Those diva vocals: damn son. You’ll get to see the lad spinning it himself mighty soon. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see John Talabot coming our way in the near future. Oh, and a headline show from techno kingpin Function in January? You better believe it.
Best releases this week: What’s that? You’ve realised that the record from Frank Ocean that has taken over the internet is kinda bourgeois and want to listen to something worthwhile? I gotcha covered. Will Long’s deep house debut Purple / Blue on Comatonse Recordings is luuuush. Both tracks are accompanied by an overdub from DJ Sprinkles, making this shit one of the most fire records of 2016 thus far. Highly recommend. Ukrainian deep house cat Vakula’sCyclicality Between Procyon and Gomeisa (Dekmantel) is well worth your time, as is Kareem and Huren’s Le 17 Janvier Los Angeles, USA (Noiztank).
Recommended:
SATURDAY AUGUST 27
Darshan Jesrani @Club 77
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 8 – SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11
Red Bull Music Academy Weekender: Mr. Fingers, Bok Bok, Peanut Butter Wolf + more @Various venues
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 10
Giorgio Gigli @TBA
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11
Chez Damier @Harpoon Harry
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16
Detroit Techno Militia@ Goodbar
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 24
Rebekah @Burdekin Hotel
SUNDAY OCTOBER 2
Bicep @UTS
SATURDAY OCTOBER 29
Green Velvet @Greenwood Hotel
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 11 – SUNDAY NOVEMBER 13
Return To Rio: Carl Cox, De La Soul, Eric Powell, DJ EZ + more @Del Rio, Wisemans Ferry
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 12
Marcel Dettman @Chinese Laundry
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 26
Randomer @TBA
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 26
Jackmaster @Greenwood Hotel
FRIDAY DECEMBER 2 – SUNDAY DECEMBER 4
Subsonic Music Festival: Lee Scratch Perry, Mad Professor, Josh Wink, Ben UFO + more @Riverwood Downs Mountain Valley Resort
Got any tip-offs, hate mail, praise or cat photos? Email [email protected] or contact me via carrier pigeon. Hit me on Twitter via @tysonwray.
