TECHNICS ANNOUNCE ENTRY LEVEL TURNTABLE
The new turntable will set you back £799
Technics have announced a new turntable.
After unveiling the new 1200MK7 direct drive turntable last week, Technics have shared details of a brand new "entry level" turntable which will be available later this year.
Titled the SL-100C, the turntable has been marketed as the lower-priced version of Technic's SL-1500C, and unlike the SL-1500C, will not feature an in-built phono stage or pitch fader.
“The huge success of the SL-1500C, offering a fully featured package for the dedicated hi-fi enthusiast, with all the core Technics turntable technologies, has shown we have hit the mark within a popular and competitive turntable class,” says European Technics product manager Frank Balzuweit.
“The demand for this high-quality ‘plug’n’play’ turntable – having exceeded our own expectations – is still undiminished even to this day. However, there is still a strong appetite from the market to deliver a similarly attractive package at an even more affordable price.”
The Technics SL-100C will be available from June for £799. You can read more about it here.
When the SL-1210MK7 was announced back in 2019, DJ Mag made a documentary about the new Technics range and why it’s still relevant for modern DJs. You can watch the video below.
WMC Returns In A Virtual Format For 2021
SERATO ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR BIG SUR AND APPLE M1 CHIPS
The DJ software also adds support for wireless DVS system Phase
Serato has announced support for Apple’s latest macOS Big Sur and their new Silicon M1 chips. The new update – version 2.5 – includes support for the operating system released last year as well as Apple’s new in-house, tailored microchips, the first they’ve built themselves. The result is a much faster, smoother Mac experience, without a huge price increase. Many pro audio and DJ companies initially advised against updating to the new system while they updated their software and hardware for the new chips.
If you don’t have an M1 Mac, the new version will still work with any computer that’s running Big Sur.
Version 2.5 also adds support for the wireless DVS system Phase, which is now an official Serato accessory. Beatport and Beatsource LINK offline lockers are now also part of Serato, meaning users can cache playlists and up to 100 files straight to the software.
Finally, support has been added for Reloop’s latest controller Ready, announced today. Find out more and download the new update here.
WATCH A NEW DOCUMENTARY ABOUT BALTIMORE CLUB MUSIC ON NETFLIX
The film premiered at the 2020 SXSW Festival
You can now watch a documentary about Baltimore club music on Netflix.
Dark City: Beneath the Beat is a musical documentary about the Baltimore club music and dance culture scene directed by TT The Artist, who found her sound in the city, and captures the "irrepressible bounce and infectious beats of a Baltimore club seen that demands to be seen and heard".
The musical documentary features a Baltimore club music soundtrack, showcasing the Maryland city's native artists, DJs, dancers, producers and creatives, and reinforces the immense power of a community in a city with a significantly high crime rate.
The film, which premiered at last year's SXSW Festival, is available to watch now, and features music from the likes of TT The Artist, Colada, Mighty Mark and UNIIQU3.
Check out the soundtrack below, and watch the film via Netflix here.
CONFIRMED: EDC LAS VEGAS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH MAY 2021 DATES
Insomniac founder and CEO Pasquale Rotella has confirmed that EDC Las Vegas will move forward with its planned May 2021 dates.
Sharing a number of cryptic countdown videos that were tantamount to torture for EDC fans, Rotella eventually announced the news in a triumphant Instagram post.
"Electric Daisy Carnival is finally on the horizon. There were times during the pandemic when many of us lost hope," Rotella wrote. "We were challenged to learn & listen to our hearts & trust that the storm would eventually pass, making way for a bright & sunny future for those in our community & around the world."
"With the world being shutdown for over a year, I’m happy to announce we’re on our way to being able to celebrate in person," he continued. "Book your flights, hotels & shuttles — EDC Las Vegas is on for May 21+22+23!"
The news arrives after a tumultuous 24 hours for the festival, which the promoter expects to attract 200,000 people over the course of its three days, May 21-23.
After Live Nation posted a slew of EDC Las Vegas-specific job listings including the phrase, "Travel required in May," many fans believed they had the smoking gun they needed to start planning for spring. Those plans were then marred by the news that the Nevada Department of Business and Industry went on to reject Insomniac's robust safety plan.
However, it now seems the company was able to submit a revised proposal and secure the approval of state officials. "We are moving forward as planned & will be working closely with local & state officials to make the show as safe as possible," Rotella's statement continued, also noting that fans "can expect the full EDC experience with no details spared."
The 2021 edition of EDC Las Vegas will move forward with its planned 2021 dates.
Insomniac
The scope of the festival's COVID-19 plan is not yet publicly known, but Rotella's post says that more details on safety protocols and the lineup "will be shared soon."
Insomniac's initial proposal noted that the 2021 edition of EDC Las Vegas "will not rely on social distancing as its method for health safety." In lieu of social distancing, attendees and staff members would either have to be vaccinated or able to produce a negative COVID-19 test onsite.
The preliminary proposal also revealed that organizers are also considering the deployment of COVID-19 scent detection canines, pending the results of ongoing studies of their effectiveness. If deemed effective, Insomniac is planning to place the dogs at all of the entrances of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to search attendees. However, it's important to note that the revised proposal may look vastly different.
TOURING DJS’ IMPACT ON CLIMATE EXPLORED IN NEW REPORT
The carbon footprint left by touring DJ is examined in the new reported by Clean Scene
The environmental cost of DJ tours has been explored in a new report by Clean Scene.
The report, which can be read in full here, examines “the carbon footprint of touring DJs and [looks] towards alternative futures within the dance music industry.”
The 20-page report, titled Last Night a DJ Took a Flight, points out that, prior to the pandemic, many DJs would travel the world on a weekly basis to play clubs and festivals, and would regularly travel between two or three countries over the course of a weekend. The report states that the dance music industry has been given a unique opportunity to rethink this environmentally unsustainable system, and to reimagine a clubbing landscape that is less damaging to global climate.
Clean Scene compiled their figures using data from Resident Advisor’s Top 1000 DJs chart from 2019, and estimated that those DJs took approximately 51,000 flights that year. That equates roughly to 117,000,000 km travelled, 3,200,000 litres of fuel and 35,000,000 kg CO2 into the air. That much CO2, the reports states, is the equivalent of 20,000 households’ electricity for one year, powering 8000 festivals for three days, or pressing 25 million records.
“The average touring DJ emits 35 tonnes of CO2 per year,” the report continues. “And their carbon footprint is more than 17 times higher than the recommended personal carbon budget of approximately 2 tonnes of CO2.”
Clean Scene also states that there is a considerable disparity between the DJs among the listed 1000 who tour the most and those who tour the least. “The average footprint of the 100 DJs travelling the most is nearly 88 tonnes versus just 3.3 tonnesfor the 100 travelling the least,” it states. “Respectively this is 44 and 1.5 times higher than the recommended personal carbon budget mentioned above. This unequal distribution of carbon emissions mirrors the disparity of environmental harm caused by a small fraction of the population of the world at large.”
While the report emphasises that it is not placing blame on artists (rather, looking at the industry as a whole that has facilitated the culture as it is), it states that collective action must be taken to create a dance music scene that is more environmentally sustainable.
The report goes on to outline a number of potential steps that can be taken by promoters, DJs, agents and ravers. These include committing publicly to making one’s practice in the industry less environmentally damaging and setting goals, concentrating on and booking more local talent, removing exclusivity clauses from clubs and festivals, and thinking about more efficient routes for touring.
Artists are also encouraged to update to a green rider, which you can get some tips on here.
A significant point made in the report outlines the ways in which considerations of climate change in the industry apply specifically to conversations around racial justice and justice for those who are oppressed by power structures. “Climate change is dehumanising, and those whose lives have been historically exploited will always be the first to feel it's real impact,” it reads.
The report states that if a reduction in booking international acts is being considered by promoters and clubs in Europe, then BIPOC artists should be prioritised when they do choose to book internationally so that artists from marginalised can be helped to thrive. Artists and agents are encouraged to “apply pressure for promoters to include BIPOC artists to line-ups, even giving up your own slot for someone else.”
You can read the full report from Clean Scene here.
Revisit Martin Guttridge-Hewitt’s 2019 feature for DJ Mag, exploring the environmental cost of dance music, here.
ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL, MIAMI SUED FOR WITHHOLDING TICKET REFUNDS
Other ticket holders began filing lawsuits against Ultra in May last year
Event Entertainment Group, the umbrella company behind Miami's Ultra Music Festival, has been sued in a new, eight-count class-action suit.
According to a recent report from the Miami Herald, the latest suit, filed by Corwin Law in Boca Raton, is seeking damages in excess of $15,000 for a number of clients who purchased tickets to the "postponed" 2020 Ultra Music Festival.
The lawsuit, which was filed late last month in the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County, states that Event Entertainment Group promised ticket holders who bought tickets for the March 20-22, 2020, that in lieu of a refund, their tickets could be transferred to the 2021 or 2022 versions of the festival. According to the lawsuit, Ultra allegedly promised ticket holders an enhanced benefits package for the 2021 festival instead of giving refunds.
“It is totally unconscionable for the promoters to withhold refunds for two plus years, and for the City of Miami to allow it, with no guarantees that this event will be able to take place in 2022 or 2023,” attorney Marcus Corwin told the Herald. Corwin filed the suit on behalf of Gabrielle Petroka and other Florida residents who purchased tickets to the 2020 Ultra Music Festival.
In May last year, Florida residents Samuel Hernandez and Richard Montoure issued a lawsuit against Ultra, after being denied refunds for their tickets to the festival. Then men spent $3000 dollars and $1032.02 respectively on tickets. In a 25-page document, both men outlined their attempts to seek refunds for their tickets but were told that Ultra would only offer compensation tickets for either the 2021 or 2022 edition of the festival.
At the time of filing, it was reported that Ultra’s ticket policy does specify that refunds can be given at the festival’s discretion, maintaining that it is up to its "sole and absolute discretion to either issue full or partial refunds to purchaser, not issue any refunds, or reschedule the Event."
6,000 CLUBBERS TO RETURN TO DANCEFLOOR IN LIVERPOOL THIS MONTH IN COVID-SECURE EVENT TRIAL
The club nights are part of a series of trial events taking place in the city to test safety of mass gatherings
6,000 clubbers will return to the dancefloor in Liverpool this month, to participate in a covid-secure event trial.
In February, it was announced that the government's Events Research Programme (ERP) — which is trialling events at nightclubs, stadiums, theatres and concerts with volunteers — would pilot several events in Liverpool to collect evidence and better understand best practice amid easing coronavirus restrictions.
On the 30th April and 1st May, 3,000 people will attend Liverpool's Bramley-Moore Dock each day for two of DJ and producer Yousef's Circus events, allowing the ERP to study club environments and coronavirus. People who want to attend must live within a Liverpool postcode and will be subject to rapid coronavirus testing prior to the event, as well as a second test some time after the event.
Claire McColgan MBE, Director of Culture and Tourism in Liverpool previously told the Liverpool Echo: "Liverpool is an event city. They are a critical part of our economy, culture and community and so we are delighted to be working with partners across Government, our colleagues at University of Liverpool and a number of local venues and promoters to plan this series of pilot events.
"Our experience as the pilot city for mass testing means we have the knowledge and infrastructure in place to deliver complicated projects safely, and we really hope we can help provide the evidence needed to ensure the wider sector is able to open across the country in the coming months."
In a statement issued following the announcement of Liverpool's pilot event, Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Assocation, said that although the developments were welcome, there needed to be more similiar schemes in place. “Really pleased to finally hear the announcement of the Events Research Programme pilots, starting mid April, in particular the Circus Nightclub pilot in Liverpool with Yousef and his team, who have been advocates of this sector for many years and will work hard to ensure we are represented.
“With limited pilots taking place in Night Time Economy businesses through April, we are concerned that this will only give an acute view of the challenges faced within such unique environments where one size does not fit all.
“We would welcome further engagement by Government to consider further pilots across a wider scope of NTE businesses.”
Earlier this year, MPs were warned that UK nightlife faces “extinction” without immediate government action, after a survey of over 20,000 night time economy businesses, workers and consumers were asked to share experiences and opinions on the huge problems currently faced by the sector amid the pandemic.
In the key findings of the survey, which were compiled by the Night Time Industries Assocation, the inquiry found that 85% of people working in the night time economy are considering leaving the industry, and that 78% of workers within the sector had, at some point in the last 12 months, been furloughed. The NTIA also highlighted the fact that on average, businesses in the night time economy had been forced to make 37% of their total workforce redundant, and that in the second half of 2020, clubs and music venues traded at an average of 28% of their pre-coronavirus turnover.
(Photo via: Bramley-Moore Dock Facebook)
NEW YORK LAUNCHES VACCINE PASSPORT APP TO ‘FAST-TRACK’ REOPENING OF VENUES
The free and voluntary “Excelsior Pass” is available now
A digital vaccine passport app has been made available to New Yorkers in a bid to speed-up the reopening process for business and venues in the state.
The “Excelsior Pass” is a free, voluntary app that uses secure technology to confirm if a person has been fully vaccinated against coronavirus, or has recently tested negative for the virus. The app will then generate a QR code for the user, which participating venues and businesses will be able to scan upon arrival.
The app’s launch is intended to help “fast-track the reopening of businesses and event venues in accordance with New York State Department of Health guidelines,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in an official statement.
“New Yorkers have proven they can follow public health guidance to beat back COVID, and the innovative Excelsior Pass is another tool in our new toolbox to fight the virus while allowing more sectors of the economy to reopen safely and keeping personal information secure,” he added.
The launch of the “Excelsior Pass” marks New York as the first North American state to implement a vaccine passport-style system, and follows an announcement from earlier this month which stated that entertainment and music venues will be able to open at 33% capacity from April.
As part of the app’s initial launch, the “Excelsior Pass” is being used by numerous New York theatres, stadiums, arenas and wedding venues. Madison Square Garden and Times Union Center are among the first venues to
Cuomo continued: “The question of ‘public health or the economy’ has always been a false choice — the answer must be both. As more New Yorkers get vaccinated each day and as key public health metrics continue to regularly reach their lowest rates in months, the first-in-the-nation Excelsior Pass heralds the next step in our thoughtful, science-based reopening.”
The “Excelsior Pass” is available on iPhone and Android phones, and a “special emphasis” has been placed on data privacy for users. The app uses technologies like blockchain and encryption to protect data, and no health data is stored or tracked within the app.
Learn more about the Excelsior Pass here.
In the UK, the prospect of introducing vaccine passports has proved divisive. Earlier this week, after it was revealed the the government has been considering vaccine passports for reopening the hospitality and nightlife sectors, which currently remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NTIA issued a statement warning that the scheme was “unworkable”, and could cause "further anxiety" for venue operators. NTIA CEO Michael Kill described the prospect as a "clear subject of cross sector discrimination”.
Earlier this month, it was announced that a vaccine passport for tourists to enter Spain — including Ibiza and the rest of the Balearic Islands — will be ready to be implemented by June.