DANNY HOWARD INTERVIEW

After winning the RADIO 1 superstar DJ competition in 2011 this guy has just shot into the limelight on the house music scene , here's our interview with Danny Howard.

1. You have achieved so much in your djing at such a young age , what first made you want to become a dj ?

Well, I've always been into music which I know helps if you want to be a DJ haha, but I guess my desire to want to become a DJ was when I used to sit on my computer after school when I was like 12, and watch videos of Tiesto playing to a ridiculous amount of people! You used to get a buzz just watching it... so to now get the chance to do it is just unreal!

2. Who influenced your djing when you started out ?

There wasn't anyone in particular but I was lucky enough to have the UK's biggest club (at the time) on my doorstep (The Syndicate in Blackpool) and they had every big DJ you could name on their from Armin to Guetta and I saw them all but it was one amazing night when Erick Morillo came to town and he played a very special set that had me dribbling in awe at the end.... THAT was who I wanted to be! 

3. What was your 1st dj set up ?

First DJ set... haha... 2 Numark T60 Direct Drives & a KAM mixer! It was a real starter package but on them I mastered the art of beat matching with vinyl, something that will be extinct soon with all the magic 'sync' buttons on DJ set ups! Makes me sound really old skool but it's such a shame that the skill of throwing a mix together on two records is out the window! 

4. Congratulations on winning the radio 1 superstar dj competition last year , how did it feel to win ?

Like I'd won the lottery! Literally... It was a feeling you don't get everyday! Out of hundreds of entrants, I won the whole thing and I still laugh to myself about it when I say it now. 

5. How has your life changed since winning the competition ?

I'd be lying if I said it didn't! It's given me a real leg up in what is such a saturated and brutal industry and a lot of people think that because I won, I have it easy now which is not true as I'm working harder than ever now to make sure I make the most of the amazing opportunity it's given me! 

6. What was your big tunes from 2011 ?

Biggest tune for me was Avicii - Levels and although I can't stand it anymore due to hearing it 1625372732638462 times... I played it at Ushuaia at the Radio 1 party in Ibiza and it went off and that was it... Every gig I played... I played that tune! 

7. Who were your favourite producers in 2011 ?

My favourite producers were Avicii & Bingo Players! Anything with their name on I loved! 

8. What can we expect from Danny Howard in 2012 ?

You can expect some bloody big tunes that I've been working hard on in the studio! My first release is out on Spinnin Records in March which I'm so happy about! They look after some big big DJs and I'm very proud to be associated with that! I've also just finished a rework of Tiesto - Adagio For Strings which I'm eventually going to give away free on my Facebook (facebook.com/dannyhowarddj), so keep an eye out for that. 

9. Any DJs you think we should keep an ear out for in 2012 ?

Yeah... Madeon! I saw him play in Hull for Radio 1's INMWT tour and he was simply amazing! He's 17 and looks quite the opposite to a superstar DJ/producer but this guy is going to be flying this year, I mean, he's supporting the Swedish House Mafia this summer... Doesn't get much bigger than that does it?!

10. Which artists/producers have stood out for you over the last few months ?

An obvious choice would be Nicky Romero. His productions have been huge and he's only going to get bigger. Another future star of 2012! 

11. Where can people see djing you over the next month or 2 ?

I'm playing in Coventry, Leicester, Liverpool, Wolverhampton, Dublin over the next couple of months and then another gig I can't wait for is The Honey Club in Brighton in April! 

12. What do you like to do when your not working to relax ?

Well I don't really have much time to relax! When I'm not working I'm either in the Gym, Playing football or chilling with my girlfriend! Other than that though I'm mostly in the studio or DJ'ing! It was my dream to do this job so I make sure I do it hard!! 

Finally a couple of fun question's that we are now adding to all of our interviews

13. What ringtone do you have on your phone right now ?

Standard iPhone ring tone BUT when I get a tweet... it's a bird tweeting! Probably a bit sad actually... 

14. What song is your "guilty pleasure" ?

My guilty pleasure is Prince - Kiss! Although I also like Pixie Lott! I'm also going to shut up now too :) 

15. Favourite tv programme as a kid ?

I used to love stuff like Topcat, The Flintstones & Keenan & Kel, then I used to go to bed at 7. Now I don't get in til 7... 

ONCE AGAIN A HUGE THANK YOU TO DANNY FOR THE INTERVIEW

HERES A CRACKING MIX FROM DANNY TO DOWNLOAD (don't forget to check out the rest of his soundcloud aswell)

Audio Jacker Mix

Heres a HUGE slice of funkyness from one of favourite djs/producers at the minute , Audio Jacker

Dirty Secretz Radio Mix 27

Heres a cracking mix from Dirty Secretz , Get downloading 

LEMPO & JAPWOW INTERVIEW

Heres an interview from Lempo & Japwow , 2 rising stars in the house music scene that are catching our eyes (and ears at the minute) , Read on , enjoy the interview and dont forget to check out the links at the end (Especially their soundcloud for plenty of top tunes , including a host of FREE downloads)

1. First of all tell us who Lempo & Japwow are and how you 2 met?
Our real names are Mike McGuinness and Claire Savage. We’re an international DJ/Production duo based in Manchester, UK. We run our own house label, Applique Music. Claire has had several successful production pseudonyms, most notably as Wonk, which led to the launch of her own electro-house imprint Wonked Records. Lempo is resident DJ for Manchester brand Bitch and a Radio Presenter on Manchester Global. 

The first time we met was Lempo submitting demos to Wonked Records back in 2009. That led to a Lempo vs Wonk collab on his "The Death Of Micky Fidget EP" - after that we crossed paths at several clubs and festivals either warming up for each other or in the crowd while the other was performing. Then, in late 2010 we decided to hook up in the studio for a second collab this time as Lempo and Japwow. The fruit of that labour was "Hi-De-Ho" which got signed to CR2 Records within days and we realized we had a good chemistry so from there we made the deciion to become a dj and production duo.

2. Tell us a bit about your sounds/style ?
We bring a fresh angle to the ever-changing club scene with our own unique style of electro-swing infused with Tech house. We both have a background in hip-hop but fell into the house trap in the late 90's following acts such as AVH, Daft Punk. Prodigy, Fatboyslim etc. We make alot of our own bootlegs and edits for live shows which always feature well known samples to keep energy in the sets.

3. Which producers inspire you when making music ?Currently we both really like producers such as Timberland, Will Gold and Rizzle kicks. Pretty much anyone who is having fun with there music. But inspiration comes from everywhere and we are both very eclectic in taste... on japwow's i-pod you can find the likes of Linkin park and Pendulum - on Lempo's you will find anything from Coldplay to David Bowie.

4. What production software do you use ?
We use Logic for 90% of our production but certain features in Abelton are still needed to get things such as vocals to sit just right!

5. What can we expect from Lempo & Japwow in 2012 ?
More of the same really, we have alot of releases lined up for the summer with Applique Music and Cr2 Records. We are planning a UK tour and working on a top secret album project for a big name.

6. What was your biggest highlight in 2011?

Working on Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots are made for walking" vocal would be right up there, as would collaborating with Artful but the main highlight is the support we have gained from radio stations and top artists such as Capital FM, Roger Sanchez, Eric Morillo etc. Without that support we would not get noticed and it has gone a long way to getting us a foot in the door for 2012. 

7. If you could work with anyone in the music industry who would it be and why ?
We both 100% agree that collaborating with Timberland and Missy Elliott would be epic - Imagine the madness that would come from that studio session.

8. Any tips on which producers to look out for in 2012 ?
Defo keep an eye on Will Gold, Will Clarke, Ron May and David Jones - all making great tech house with some edgy samples, much the same as what we do but all these boys are gonna be smashing the charts and clubs this year! :)

9. What do you 2 do to relax ?
You will laugh at this as it all sounds more strenuous than relaxing, but when we're not in the studio, at work or giging... Lempo plays football alot and goes to watch Man City, Japwow loves a bit of Karate and Zumba - she supports the other Manchester football club, as you can imagine that makes for good banter!

10. Current favourite tunes ?
Japwow: Rizzle Kicks - Mama Do The Hump
Lempo: Coldplay - Paradise

NOW FOR A FEW "FUN" QUESTIONS

11. Last thing you both bought that cost less than £5 ?
We bought a McDonalds on the way to the studio today ;)

12. Do either of you have any bad habits ?
Smoking would be Lempo's bad habit, Japwow collects toys which ain't big or clever.

13. Last film you both watched ?
We watched Resident Evil 4 together last week, scary video game shizzle.

WAYS TO FOLLOW LEMPO & JAPWOW

OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLICK HERE

SOUNDCLOUD CLICK HERE

FACEBOOK CLICK HERE

TWITTER CLICK HERE

YOUTUBE CLICK HERE

AND OF COURSE BEATPORT CLICK HERE

ONCE AGAIN A HUGE THANK YOU TO LEMPO & JAPWOW FOR THE INTERVIEW

eSquire podcast 002

eSquire is a favourite of ours at ClubLifeBlog so we thought we best share his latest podcast. Turn it up & play it loud

Carl Andrew Mix

Heres a cracking house mix from Carl Andrew , Expect more mixes from this guy in future.

FUTURISTIC POLAR BEARS INTERVIEW

SAVE THE POLAR BEARS ....... 

1. First off , for those who dont know , Who are Futuristic Polar Bears ? (FRAN) We are a 3 man DJ/Producer team from the UK consisting of Luke Hayes, Rhys Buckley and myself Fran Cosgrave.

2. How did the 3 of you 1st meet ? (Luke) Myself and Fran had been working together for a good few years and at the end of 2009 we wanted to start a fresh new and exciting project. We met Rhys at the start of 2010 at a gig we had been booked for in Swansea, he deffo was the missing piece of the puzzle.

3. Im sure everyone wants to know this next question , Where did the name come from ? (Rhys) We are all members of the World Wildlife Fund and want to help save the Future of Polar Bears hence where the name came from. We actually adopt a polar bear as well, we named him "Manuel De La Bear" after one of our favourite producers. 

4. Tell us a bit about your sound/productions ? (Fran) Our sound comes from all sorts of influences, we're lucky to have musicians in our ranks as well with Rhys being a classically trained pianist and Luke a drummer. We make and play what we feel and as long as it makes people dance and smile we are happy :).

5. What was your highlight of 2011 ? (Luke) Gosh theres so many. 3 things that stick out are playing at Global Gathering, Signing for Subliminal and NYE @ Secret Party Project alongside Sonny Wharton and Ralph Good was pretty special.

6. What do you have planned for 2012 ? (Rhys) We have lots of exciting new material dropping this year on some pretty cool labels including Hotfingers, 303Lovers and Destined as well as some pretty amazing gigs in the UK and abroad.

7. What do you think to the UK house music scene right now ? (Fran) House music is still vibrant in the UK and there are so many amazing producers coming through. I'm also starting to see more house nights popping up around the UK again which is encouraging to see.

8. Who are your favourite producers at the minute ? (Luke) We are loving My Digital Enemy, Threesixty & Ant Brooks at the moment. They are constantly featuring in our DJ sets and on the Radio Show.

9. Any upcoming releases we should keep an eye out for ? (Rhys) Keep a look out for our collaboration with Sonny Wharton forthcoming on the mighty 303Lovers we are excited about that. We have also just completed a remix for Dada on Destined Records, theres a lot of hype about this release.

10. If you could have anyone do a vocal for 1 of your productions who would it be ? (Fran) We have actually just finished a track with Peyton who we've been massive fans of for years so keep an eye out for that. We'd love to do a track with Shawnee Taylor or maybe Sam Obernik, everything they do sounds amazing.

AND NOW FOR A FEW "CHEEKY" QUESTIONS

11. What are everyones bad habits ? (Luke) I smoke, that’s about it. The other 2 are clean living and sober…

12. Do any of you have any party tricks ? (Fran) I'm good at gaffer taping people to the ceiling lol…

13. What was the 1st single you all remember buying ? (Fran) Happiness & Darkness Jungle and Breakbeat EP. (Luke) - Introspective of House Vol 2 mixed by Jeremy Healy. (Rhys) - I can't remember probably something I don't want to mention lol… 

WAYS TO FOLLOW FUTURISTIC POLAR BEARS

OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLICK HERE

SOUNDCLOUD CLICK HERE

FACEBOOK CLICK HERE

TWITTER CLICK HERE

And dont forget to check out the futuristic polar bears mix on the Club Life Blog (A few posts down)

Louie Lopez

Heres a cracking mix recorded for RockFM (Cyprus) with FREE download

Mix Munkies

Adventures In House Vol 2

Adventures in house (vol 2) by Mix Munkies on Mixcloud

DJ Martin Co Guest Mix

Heres an exclusive mix from Martin Co with FREE download link full of club bangers. 

Funky - Progressive - House - Electro - Mash Ups (Basically a bit of everything)

The mix includes his brand new Futuristic Polar Bears vs Sunlovers bootleg.

Dont forget to check out Martin's official Soundcloud by CLICKING HERE

And you can follow him on Twitter by CLICKING HERE

TRACKLIST FOR MIX

1. Axwell - I found u (Breakdown & Acapella) INTRO 
2. Gramophonedzie - Number 1 
3. Joey Negro - Must be the music (Crazibiza Mix) 
4. Stonebridge - Put em high 
5. Freemasons ft Amanda Wilson - Love on my mind (Carl Creme & Rezza Remix) 
6. Nadia Ali - Rapture (Avicii new generation mix) 
7. Veracocha - Carte Blanche (Dabruck & Klein mix) 
8. Futuristic polar bears vs Sunlovers - Fire Offshore (DJ Martin Co private bootleg) 
9. Bassjackers vs The egg - Mush mush walking away 
10. Tristan Garner - Overdrive 
11. Bingo Players vs Sak Noel vs White stripes - Seven loca rattles (DJs from mars mix) 
12. Knife Party - Internet friends (Max DJ touch up) 
13. Avicii - Levels (Dirty freek mix) 
14. Hardwell - Amstergay 
15. House Of Pain - Jump Around (Wise D Remix)

Futuristic Polar Bears Mix

Heres a cracking mix from some of our favourite Producers right now (Keep an eye out for their interview on the blog VERY SOON)

Futuristic Polar Bears deliver their 1st promo mix of 2012 with 12 "slammin" tracks including 3 of their own huge releases!!!!

1. HARDSOUL & BAGGI BEGOVIC – SURVIVAL (AMESZ MELO HOUSE REWORK) 

2. ERICK DECKS – DAFT DISCO (RALPH GOOD MIX) 

3. RALPH GOOD & FUTURISTIC POLAR BEARS FT MARSHALL – DANCE 

4. UMEK – SUNDAY AT EL ROW 

5. TETCHY – CONCEPT OF GROOVE 

6. FUTURISTIC POLAR BEARS & REZA – MASSAI EP (AFRICO) 

7. REDONDO – TRIPPIN 

8. FULL INENTION & HAZE – SIGNIFICATION 

9. MY DIGITAL ENEMY – BACK TO THE MANSION 

10. OLIVIER GIACOMOTTO – LECHE DE TIGRE 

11. DADA FT DKSF – BODY SHAKE (FUTURISTIC POLAR BEARS MIX) 

12. KOEN GROENEVELD – AIRBUZZ (STEFANO NOFERINI MIX)

THE DIGITAL MONKEY INTERVIEW

The digital monkey is one of our favourite new producers so naturally we approached him for an interview and being the nice guy he is , he said yes ........

1. What inspired you to become a dj ?

I remember being at some kind of family party and watching the mobile dj for sometime. from then i was hooked really. It wasn't untill i was 14 that i got my first pair of belt drives. It was mainly a hobby up untill i was about 18 or 19 when i started going to proper events. thats when i really thought i want this as a career! 

2. Do you remember your 1st ever gig ? if so how did it go ?

The first gigs i did were little parties and events in my local town. a good place to build your confidence. and try out new things. Alot of people at those gigs were friends which puts you at ease slightly. 

3. What is your dj style and what do you play ?

I like to be a bit random in my sets. The main genre is Electro but i throw allsorts into them to create a kind of mash up experience. I have loads of mashups and bootlegs I've created that always seem to please. 

4. How did you get into producing ?

That was down to my step dad returning from work one evening about two years ago with a work friends unwanted copy of cubase. I gave it sometime but couldn't get my head round the detailed program as a newbie, So I investigated other programs and ended up purchasing Reason.  recently i have started combining them all together. However i am still a reason fan through and through, although many will disagree. 

5. What was your highlights of 2011 ?

There has been so many! had my first official release in january or febuary 2011 (I cant remember) haha, The pushing my live gigs i landed my biggest yet a wonderland festivals in London which was unbelievable. Coming Runners up in the rizzle kicks remix competition helped me with alot of confidence at a point when musically i had lost all creativity. Another Track i created recieved so much support and played on global stations and in some of the biggest nightclubs around. The feeling i got when Friends were messaging me saying that had just heard my track being spun by huge djs was unbelievable! 

6. You've had some big support with your productions so far , whats next for you in production ?

Production wise i plan to just keep working on original material. Hopefully remixing for some well known names in the industry. I'm also working on a computer game based series of free downloads. Egged on by a few people haha 

7. Which producers should we look out for in 2012 ?

There's so many! Electro House wise i would say HotShit, The Element, The Noisy Freaks (Huge already but will keep growing) And the same with Dead Cat Bounce. I have just stumbled across there work and its unreal. In other Genres im going to say the likes of Jini Cowan, Andy Harris, Theres so many artists that should be pushing the boundaries this year! we'll just have to watch out! 

8. When your not djing or producing what do you like to do ?

Well if you know me i spend alot of my time winding people up ha, I also enjoy the extreme sports E.g Snowboarding and Bmxing. I also like to chill out do a few sketches etc and obviously go out and rave! 

9. Any artists/producers you want to work with in the near future ?

Theres so many again lol. i do alot of work with friends under different alias's. collaboration wise im have a few in the pipeline. one with a producer based in london known as The Element and the others are a secret lol 

10. What did you get upto this new years eve ?

This New Years was the first new years i haven't dj'd in a while. I went to storm in coalville to support one of my mate who was booked to play there. Was a really good night and brought back some really good memories of the old hard house days. 

and finally a few "fun" questions which we are adding to all of our interviews now.

11. Tell us a joke ....... I dont really know any jokes. Sorry, Apart from my brother.. He's a pretty big joke. 

12. Who was your 1st celebrity crush ?

Lindsey Lohan! haha always has been and always will be lol 

13. What was the last thing you bought for under £1 ?

Socks! out of the bargain bin at Primani haha 

WAYS TO FOLLOW THE DIGITAL MONKEY

Official Facebook CLICK HERE

Soundcloud (Releases) CLICK HERE

Soundcloud (Free Downloads) CLICK HERE

Official Twitter CLICK HERE