In 2015, Belfast’s first AVA Festival and conference found its home beneath the towering yellow Harland & Wolff cranes — affectionately named Samson and Goliath...
Anthems
Last month, 16,000 ravers attended Belfast's AVA Festival at its new home on the Titanic Slipways. DJ Mag traveled to AVA to discover how the event is creating a sense of unity, community and a second wave of rave in the city
On his upcoming 25-track opus ‘Ancestorz’ — which he describes as his life's work — long-serving jungle soldier Congo Natty unites many voices from across the diaspora, joining dots through the history of Black music and celebrating the new jungle generation. In a series of in-depth interviews for DJ Mag, he talks to Dave Jenkins about love, revolution, unity, and reclaiming his place in the history books
Released in 2002, a dream collaboration between UK house heroes X-Press 2 and Talking Heads' David Byrne, ‘Lazy’ lit up clubs and the pop charts alike. Here, Dave Jenkins talks to the group’s Ashley Beedle, Rocky and Diesel about how the track transcended generations and genres to become a timeless hit
Since beatboxing first arrived on British shores from the US in the ’80s, the passion and innovation of UK acts have taken the art to unimaginable heights. Jak Hutchcraft charts the development of the scene, speaking to boundary breakers and educators, and finds it in ruder health than ever
THC delivers a vinyl-only mix of high-energy house and classic rave thumpers for the Fresh Kicks mix series, and chats to Eoin Murray about her love for ‘90s dance music, the Venus Vessels non-profit collective, and building her name during the pandemic
Ibiza played a central role in spreading a new take on trance around the turn of the millennium — a more soothing vein of the sound that captures the mood of a Mediterranean sunset. As clubs in Ibiza are opening again for the first time since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, DJ Mag dives into the roots of a genre that was inspired and shaped by the island’s unique appeal: Balearic trance
The latest and greatest DJs and producers rising to the top this month. From hard-hitting techno and soulful house anthems to ravey post-punk bangers, here's June 2022's list of upcoming talent you should be keeping track of