Ministry of Sound Blog

A new TV series entitled Wasted, which exposes the levels of drug-abuse in the UK, is to be aired on Current TV from next week.

Determined to show what is going on in our world, the TV channel continues its drive to put on what we consider to be relevant to our lives with this expose of all things drugs. (more…)

A combination of Amsterdam and Felix da Housecat is enough to make someone reconsider buying that ticket to Ibiza.

While the Dutch capital, a well-known Mecca for those who believe in the powers of the green herb, may lack the sun and beaches one can find in Ibiza it can hold its own on the music scene. (more…)

Sportswear behemoth Nike has revealed drum n bass flavour of the month, Pendulum will be playing at its Nike+ Human Race at Wembley on August 31st.

Joining the Australian crew at the world’s largest running and music event will be Moby and Carl Craig.
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The internet has made it easier for techno-heads to reach their favourite DJs and find out where they are playing, this is according to their emperor/ruler/king Tiesto. (more…)

Nic Fanciulli has been pencilled in to play at this summer’s South West Four event, it has been revealed.

Local promoters Push, who will be hosting the fourth arena at the one-day dancefest, have secured the deal and the house master will naturally be headlining, Skiddle.com reports.

Fanciulli, who really earned his stripes when he became the main room resident for the ClubClass night in Maidstone Kent, will now join the likes of Carl Cox, Armin van Buuren and John Digweed at the show.

The promoters behind the capture gushed at the move saying it was a great achievement to have a DJ with so much kudos agree to work his magic for the London event.

“Nic is one of the new breed of superstar DJs having been talent spotted by Pete Tong. Nic’s ascension to the upper echelons of the international DJ community has been nothing short of meteoric,” the promotion company told the website.

M.I.A. ’s decision to pull the plug on her European tour could find their sadness turn to despair as the colourful Londoner recently told a crowd in the US that what they were seeing was her last show.

Mathangi Maya Arulpragasam, to give the singer her full name, told revellers at the Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee that it would be her final performance.

While on stage, the Hounslow native told the adoring crowd beneath her: “This is my last show…and I’m glad I’m spending it with all my hippies”.

After belting out the slightly left-of-field classic “Paper Planes” to round off her performance, she declared again that it would be her final outing, just in case anybody had forgotten: “Thanks for coming to my last gig” she said before leaving the stage.

Quite where this leaves her European faithful is unclear but it seems the 30-year-old doesn’t have the love anymore.

It seems she doesn’t just want to “bang-bang-bang-bang and a take your money” after all.

 

In many ways a good DJ is a lot like a good chef.

A good chef after all, would not limit himself to one cookbook, one country’s food, or one type of wine.

He or she would dip his fingers in as many pies as possible, putting together a combination of different parts to tease the taste buds and keep the punters coming back for more.

A good DJ does much the same thing - pick the best ingredients, put them together and voila, out comes your tune.

Yet there are good DJs and bad DJs as we know.

Which camp Luciano falls into is not really open to debate and he brings to electronic music what Jean Christophe Novelli brings to grub, something that stands out from your average beans on toast lot.

The Swiss-born club spinner, who learnt the fundamentals of rhythm and melody by playing the Spanish guitar as a wee nipper, likes to do things differently.

Speaking to Beat Factor, the beat master reveals how a banquet of different world-music genres contribute to the hypnotic records he has become synonymous with.

“I think there are a lot of influences from the places I’m playing it. Some gipsy influenced [stuff] come from places like your country; when I’m in the studio or at home I always listen to non-electronic music: music like jazz, African, gipsy, South American music,” he said.

House nuts wanting to read more about the man can check out the review of Luciano at DC10 here.

French DJ and Black Strobe man Ivan Smagghe had to cancel a headline gig in New York at the weekend when he was rushed to hospital suffering from heart palpitations. (more…)

Folks in Bristol give yourselves a big pat on the back - your club scene has been praised by someone who knows a thing or two about nightspots- the baby-faced beatmaster Pharrell Williams. (more…)

Bjork and Tricky seems like a plausible collaboration - two dark, some would say depressing, artists making dark and…well, depressing music.

Dizzee Rascal and Lily Allen as well - two rude, go-against-the grain, young artists who make the soundtrack for the streets of London.

Basement Jaxx and Yoko Ono? (more…)