Afrobeats are everywhere in 2020, and house music fans should thank Shimza for his contribution to the tech-tingled house bass lines of this particular sound. Hailing from South Africa, Shimza (DJ and producer) has been a beacon for his community as well as being a favorite on the international scene visiting clubs from Spain to Paris, Dubai and much more.

On the birthday of human rights hero, Nelson Mandela, the talented DJ honored the Nobel Prize Winner with a livestream performance via Billboard Dance’s Facebook page. Shimza took to the decks from Robben Island, a site of extreme historical importance where Mandela served the last 18 years of his 27-year sentence right before he became the first black President of South Africa.

A stunning performance of pride and talent, providing a ray of light to the masses directly in the middle of COVID quarantine. Read the full article as covered by Festival Advisor writer Kat Bein on our website now.

Festival Advisor Talent Scout: Shimza was originally published in FestivalAdvisor on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

“Some people think you need $40,000 to make a music video,” says Taelor Deitcher, perhaps better known by his production alias Felix Cartal. “I think you just need a creative idea, then you can make anything work for whatever budget you have.”

This year could be seen as a huge barrier by many people or it could be taken as an opportunity to learn, create, and better yourself. Cartal chose the latter and channeled himself and his goals over the last few months — and his entire career, actually.

The mid-2000s was when we were first introduced to the Canadian producer while he was touring with MSTRKRFT and other house era icons. Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak Records signed him and acted as his home base for many years, and saw the release of his debut EP, Skeleton, and his first studio album, Popular Music.

He’s come quite a way since then, touring the world and gracing dancefloors with his always-evolving sound — melodic house for those of you that might not be familiar. But right now, looking at 2020, he’s come full circle by reverting back to his electro-infused blog house roots.

Along the road, Cartal has built his own personal brand, but by reinventing himself through his art to his music, music videos, collaborations, and more recently live streams, he has created a strong future-proof brand for himself.

Our writer Alex Silva sat down with the platinum hit producer around the release of the music video for his latest single, “Harmony”. Read the full article on the Festival Advisor website now.

Talking “Harmony” with Felix Cartal was originally published in FestivalAdvisor on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Everyone knows Miami is the city where parties never end, but Fiin is the local talent putting 305 sounds on the map. It’s clear that the Ultra Music signee keeps the love for his city and his craft at the heart of everything he does.

Carrying his reputation of being the go-to opener at downtown’s defunct 24-hour Heart Nightclub, to Relic Sundays — a weekly session where Fiin and another Miami favorite go all night on the decks. You can’t pigeon hole Fiin to any one genre, as he and his friends play whatever they like just as long as it keeps the crowd moving.

The weekly event is back in action as Florida reopens its doors to the party-heads, and the remaining days on his schedule are filling up with gigs, like his upcoming show with Seth Troxler in Ft. Lauderdale.

Our resident writer, Kat Bein, Festival Advisor’s editor-in-chief and this week’s talent scout, profiles the Miami DJ. Read the full article and get the deets on the Festival Advisor website now.

Festival Advisor Talent Scout: Fiin was originally published in FestivalAdvisor on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We’re back once again with an XTRA SPICY update of new music to get you through these challenging times. We’re not going to lie, it was a tough task to narrow the neverending list of bopping new beats down to our favorite 30 but we got there in the end and we think you’re going to love it!

Have you heard the Canadian duo, Bob Moses' latest track, ‘Desire’? On first listen, we couldn’t get enough so when we saw that they had released a Live 2020 Band Version, there was no way we weren’t going to share it with you.

If Bob Moses doesn’t get you going, we’ve included Meduza’s brand new remix of Dermot Kennedy’s, ‘Paradise’, along with beautiful melodic beats from Guy Gerber and CamelPhat.

For those of you that need a little more ‘oomph’ to help shake off the cobwebs from this rollercoaster of a week, stick your headphones on and blast the sounds of Kaskade, Alesso, and Tisoki. We assure you, they’ll get you into the weekend spirit!

And if you didn’t think that was enough, and you’re itching for something a bit more gritty, wrap your ears around Valentino Khan and Barely Alive.

So without further ado, give it a listen:

Tunes To Brighten Up Your Week was originally published in FestivalAdvisor on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Welcome to Festival Advisor’s Organizer Q&A series. Here, we have one-on-one conversations with some of the festival market’s most exciting and innovative minds.

We want to get to know our favorite festivals better, and today, we meet Gustavo Pereira of NEOPOP Festival.

House and techno fans in Portugal know Neopop. For over 15 years, the annual event has fed educated fans a smorgasbord of alternative offerings, focusing more on quality and diversity than sticking to a genre-specific formula.

Gustavo Pereira is Neopop’s loving founder, and it’s his pleasure to present the summer festival each year in the first half of August. Taking place in the sea-side city Viana do Castelo, Neopop draws a vibrant Portuguese and Spanish clientele as well as a whole range of fans from around the world.

Dancers can get lost in the music surrounded by the magnificent views of the Lima river, a towering lighthouse and a beautiful hill-top sanctuary. Pereira says the experience is one so “unique and memorable,” you have to feel it to truly understand.

We caught up with him to hear more about Neopop, it’s history and inspirations, and the mission at the heart of all their bookings. Check out the video below and read the full interview on our website to learn more about this one-of-a-kind experience.

Festival Advisor’s Organizer Q&A Series: Gustavo Pereira (Neopop Festival) was originally published in FestivalAdvisor on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The days may be getting colder, but our XTRA SPICY playlist is still full of hot new music (we’re sorry). Lockdowns, quarantines & social distancing haven’t stopped a whole host of our favorite artists from creating some killer new tunes, and we’ve curated them in one easy playlist for your listening pleasure.

It’s a big week for the techno world, with new music from Alan Fitzpatrick, Pig&Dan, Bart Skils, Joris Voorn and more. The latter is a pulsing melodic journey — would recommend to a friend.

For the bass headbangers, Las Vegas’ own Aweminus combines with Toadface for a space bass jam, and we’ve also got Getter, Mr Bill & ill.gates, Buku, Illenium, Lucii and more on rotation.

Not to be forgotten, we’ve got plenty of bigroom belters too, including Eric Prydz’ long awaited NOPUS — this one is sure to give a well needed hit of euphoria. Not to be outdone, we’ve also got big new tracks from Ferry Corsten, Zedd, Afrojack, to name but a few.

Has that whet your appetite enough? Well, if so, tune into this week’s playlist here:

Looking For A New Workout Playlist? Look No Further was originally published in FestivalAdvisor on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

“Not even close to a newcomer, Jubilee has been queen rave “Mami” since her days driving the “I-95” from Fort Lauderdale to Miami.

The NYC-based producer and DJ wears her Florida nativeness on her sleeve, infusing each acid synth sound with humid midnight energy and sweat machine mood.

Her 2016 debut album After Hours was a kandi-colored explosion of dancehall and old school electro over 808 tats and 909 booms. The 2019 follow-up Call For Location upped the ante with the sweet sunset sounds of “Fulla Curve” feat. IQ, meandering bliss on “Daylight Ravings” and more.

Today, she drops even more heat with what might be this writer’s two favorite Jubilee jams yet — a double-sided slam for peak warehouse hour. “Are We There Yet?” and “Ride With Me” keep her party conversation going, adding the kind of deep metallic depth and grimy groove our sleek modern scene needs more of.”

Kat Bein, Festival Advisor’s editor-in-chief and this week’s talent scout, profiles the NYC-based DJ ahead of her four-hour straight set this Saturday October 24th live on Elsewhere NYC’s Twitch channel. Read the full article and get the deets on the Festival Advisor website now.

Festival Advisor Talent Scout: Jubilee was originally published in FestivalAdvisor on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The bloggers-turned-house & techno mainstays talk monetizing livestreams & releasing a dance music album in a pandemic.

There’s no tiptoeing around a pretty simple fact — Bicep are nerds. The obsessive nature and attention to detail of Andy Ferguson & Matt McBriar’s project has been apparent since their introduction to the public by way of their Feel My Bicep blog, launched way back in 2008.

Since the founding of the deep-cut fixated site, their instincts have inarguably served them well, as the Belfast boys are now best known for their own original productions, live performances and rowdy DJ sets than they are for being dedicated writers and crate diggers.

Their ascent to the lofty peaks of the underground (sometimes not-so-underground) dance music world has been propelled by the ambition that is apparent in all of their projects, be they mere dance music blogs, or pioneering live shows.

Breakthrough successes, like 2015’s “Just” and their acclaimed self-titled 2017 album, saw their underground sensibilities pierce through to the mainstream world — something that takes a delicate balance, and is not oft done in the world that they reside.

The painstaking curation behind the duo’s written word and sound extends to their vision as well. Their live performances offer mind-addling visuals, and the imagery of their logo and the nostalgia-filled video for “Glue” have become as integral as the music to the project.

Bicep’s forthcoming sophomore LP, Isles, feels like a natural progression of these ideas and principles. The record was designed to be exactly this dual experience; its ornate production makes for a truly captivating home listen (a line often toed poorly by dance music albums), as well as a contrast against the more punishing versions produced for a live music experience.

Our writer Zach Schlein sat down with the Northern Irish duo to discuss the new album, along with their pioneering pay-to-play livestreamed concert. Read the full article on the Festival Advisor website right now.

Northern Irish Duo Bicep On Their New Album Isles & Pioneering Live-Streamed Concert was originally published in FestivalAdvisor on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The DIY spirit of dance music has long been a part of the lifestyle, and no city embodies that more than San Francisco. Indeed the roots of rave culture lie in the re-appropriation of technology and, in particular, the occupation of unused spaces. As any hope of festival season or safe club events evaporated as a result of COVID, it was up to the dance music community to be the trailblazers, or guinea pigs, depending on how you look at things.

Germany led the way with the world’s first Drive-In rave. And as venues and promoters all over the world followed on with their own creative approaches to socially-distanced events, The Midway in San Francisco evaluated how it could reimagine its business model.

The 40,000-square-foot venue is part warehouse, part art gallery. Situated in the SF’s Dogpatch neighborhood, The Midway has become something of an institution, playing host to a swathe of dance music’s most lauded artists. In the months leading up to the outbreak of COVID and the subsequent lockdowns, the team welcomed Charlotte DeWitte, Claude VonStroke, Claptone and Bonobo, but the LED walls and lasers of its cavernous main room have been dark since March.

In a welcome development in May, outdoor spaces were deemed safe to reopen, bringing hope of inviting fans to the once-bustling patio area. This was made possible by The Midway’s full kitchen and café, Madame Zola’s Fortune.

We spoke to The Midway’s Booking Coordinator, Sarah West, to hear what it’s like being one of the only large-scale venues in the US willing and capable of reopening safely amidst a global pandemic. Read the full interview on the Festival Advisor website right now.

This San Francisco Venue Is Revolutionizing Socially Distanced Events was originally published in FestivalAdvisor on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Florida has something of a global audience — between news oddities, elections, weather and the occasional face eating, it has a certain reputation that spans the globe.

Since spring 2020, many have questioned the State’s Governor Ron DeSantis’ lax approach in halting the spread of Covid-19. While the rest of the world and the majority of the US went into an aggressive lockdown, implemented mask-wearing rules, introduced rigorous free COVID testing & tracing, and placed restrictions on certain businesses, Florida’s gubernatorial arm did nothing at all, leaving county mayors in charge of making their own safety measures, causing significant confusion and inconsistency in the Sunshine State.

Now, as one of the last to enter lockdown and one of the first to lift it, the Sunshine state exceeds New York in positive Coronavirus cases. And despite a growing number of positive cases, Florida is officially open for business.

No other metropolitan area — save for maybe New York City— is more excited than Miami-Dade County to start partying again. And so, it only makes sense that the city’s long-running stalwart, Club Space, would be the first large-scale nightclub to reopen and try to rebuild nightlife & normality in some form.

The Martrinez Brothers kicked off the reopening October 10th and 11th. Last week, Maceo Plex spun on both October 17–18th. Our writer Brittany Gaston was there. Read the full article on our website now.

Raving in the Time of COVID: A Diary From Miami was originally published in FestivalAdvisor on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.