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1985 Music is one of the most consistently excellent labels in bass music. Helmed by drum & bass maestro Alix Perez, it’s not only survived but thrived since he moved to the other side of the world from its core fanbase, thanks to his laser-focused approach to A&R and design. Here, alongside a mix from Perez, Ben Hindle learns about his winning formula

When Alix Perez takes to the roundhouse stage for the closing set of his 1985 Music party in January, it’s a landmark moment or both...

Vintage '90s images taken from old free party events

In the summer of 1989, DiY collective — one of the first house sound systems in the UK — emerged onto the rave scene. In this excerpt taken from founding member Harry Harrison's book, Dreaming in Yellow, he discusses DiY's role within that movement, and the importance of free parties during the '90s rave scene

Much has been written and debated over the years about just why the concept of a ‘free’ party was so important. Much more than simply...

With sizzling electro, crunching breakbreats, frenzied footwork and much more in between, Nikki Nair records a jaw dropping productions mix for the Recognise series, and...

Ibiza Past is the Instagram account we all need in 2020

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s never take things for granted. While many murmurs rumbled on in recent times around how Ibiza has lost...

DJ Mag’s tech editor, Mick Wilson, investigates Black and non-Black POC representation in the music tech sector, and what industry leaders are doing to address...

Black and non-Black POC artists have always been at the forefront of electronic music; pioneering DJs and producers who created whole genres, and others who...

House and disco infiltrator and Love on the Rocks label innovator Paramida steps up with a deliriously fun mix for her DJ Mag Podcast –...

For a person who once referred to herself as “Berlin’s most hated”, Paramida seems to be getting on just fine. As head honcho at the...

We pick the brains of the Berlin-based tech producer, TJ Hertz...

Objekt is TJ Hertz — a Berlin-dwelling producer who's gained notoriety with a series of carefully crafted dancefloor focused 12s for a select group of...

DJ Mag heads to Ghana to explore a rapidly expanding, festival- driven scene that, while rooted on pop and traditional sounds, is beginning to open...

March is an important month in Ghana’s calendar; it’s when the West African country celebrates gaining independence from British colonial rule in 1957. The month...

DJ Mag goes rogue at an intense week of electronic music...

Miami Music Week kicked off in style last week, with thousands of electronic music lovers descending on the Florida city.

Check out our review of...

A guide to dance music's pre-rave past...

We've drafted in Greg Wilson, the former electro-funk pioneer, nowadays a leading figure in the global disco/re-edits movement and respected commentator on dance music and...

Embarrassing bangers & regrettable records inside...

We all remember the first music we bought, right? Whether it was wax, cassette tape, CD or er... MP3, there's little doubt that your first...

For his debut album, he's zeroed in on his musical passions to create something that sums up his musical personality to a tee...

Julio Bashmore is all about contradiction. He’s been championed and attacked by the underground and the mainstream in equal measures, his hooky, earworm melodies drawing...

Defected's Danish DJ Noir runs Noir Music. We got in touch...

Rene Kristensen aka Noir has a reputation for being incredibly chilled out, and he's not entirely sure why. But it could have something to do...

MCs were often maligned in the early days of drum & bass, but nowadays it's pretty much universally accepted that a renegade mic-spitter is a...

“There is no other music in the world where an MC stands on the stage for an hour and continuously sprays lyrics with such clarity and power over so many frequencies,” Eksman, one of the d&b scene's foremost MCs, tells DJ Mag. “The life and evolution of the drum & bass MC has grown from strength to strength over the years, and I have no doubt that down the line many more great things are in store for the future generation of MCs in our music.” 
Undoubtedly so. The role of the drum and bass MC has steadily progressed simultaneously with the scene it resides in, although in the early days MCs experienced negativity from some DJs. But the MC has fought for its corner, and now overwhelmingly basks in the same golden glory as the DJ.

Dubstep original will never turn his back on the sound that made him

As you’ve doubtless heard, dubstep is dead in the water. Cursed with a lethal mix of commercial success, mass popularity, a huge internet presence, countless sold out raves, the scene is, as any fool can tell, totally knackered. Somebody needs to pause and tell Skream this quick, because from where he’s standing, the world has never looked better. Currently on a short solo tour of the States, the man who describes himself as having “dubstep as my blood group” has been gleefully pushing the boundaries of the sound, chopping up half speed snare smashes and bully boy basslines with taut explosions of house, disco and techno, knowing full well that rather than destroying the scene he loves, he’s blowing it wide open.