DANNY HOWARD'S AUGUST COLUMN
Nothing else matters... But the music
BBC RADIO 1 IN IBIZA
So we’re well-and-truly out the door as far as summer is concerned and nothing signals peak season like Radio 1’s huge Ibiza Weekend. It all happens across the weekend 1st — 3rd August and in my opinion it’s our biggest line-up in recent years, balancing the hottest new talent in dance music together with the most established names in the business.
On the Friday night at the incredible Ushuaia Beach Hotel, dance music giants David Guetta, Afrojack and Eric Prydz top the bill along with house dons MK and Duke Dumont. The addition of live performances from chart-topper Kiesza with Annie Mac and a special set from Ten Walls will be sure to create those special moments. Then for the grand finale in true Radio 1 Ibiza tradition, Pete Tong invites a special guest to go back-to-back and close the show — this year Pete welcomes UK star Hot Since 82. It’s going to go off!
THERE’S A QUEUE AT THE TOP
Dance music as a scene is absolutely booming right now, which is great news for us! The question is, how long can this carry on for?! The place to look is at the top of the UK Official Chart... Already we’ve seen the likes of homegrown talent SecondCity, Route 94, Duke Dumont and Calvin Harris score #1s, as well as international stars like Oliver Heldens, DVBBS and Borgeous. I get the feeling there will be many more to come... Keep an eye out for Ten Walls, Oliver $, David Guetta and new Calvin Harris tunes that are set to unleash potential No.1 hits over the coming weeks.
ARTY PARTY!
He’s responsible for one of the remixes of the year so far with his epic take on London Grammar’s ‘Hey Now’ and now he’s done it again, this time on Porter Robinson’s ‘Lionhearted’. Young Russian producer Arty seems to have the knack of choosing records that he knows will be taken to the next level with his progressive style, whilst at the same time complimenting what the original is all about. Emotional, uplifting and euphoric with a touch of class is the best way to describe Arty’s remixes — you need to check him out. A future star for sure... if not already!
DON’T YOU JUST HATE THE SOUND OF YOUR OWN VOICE?!
Sounds weird coming from a radio presenter but I still go off the scale on the cringe-o-meter when I hear myself on Dance Anthems each week! What’s even weirder is when I hear myself on a TV advert, which is exactly what will be happening in the coming weeks for my new Radio 1 Dance Anthems Ibiza album.
I’m sure you’ll appreciate the indirect plug that I just shoe-horned into the column but it did get me thinking — who decided that my dodgy Northern accent on national radio was a good idea?! Never mind a TV advert! Nevertheless, I’m proud, grateful and having a lot of fun — so I guess the cringe continues!
