The closing weekend of Neo Kaos Garden at Ibiza's colossal new venue, [UNVRS], was less a party and more a vibrant, collective odyssey into a world where art, music, and technology violently and joyously collided. The event, a partnership between the legendary party organisers elrow and the visionary artist Okuda San Miguel, was described by Okuda as a "digital circus," a 2.0 version of his psychedelic universe brought to life with geometric creatures, moving stages, and a 360-degree immersive spectacle.
Before Polo & Pan existed, the duo, Paul Armand-Delille and Alexandre Grynszpan, knew each other from their separate performances at Parisian bar Le Baron. Sensing synergy, the two musicians joined forces in 2012. At first, they mixed existing songs before producing their own music. This proved the correct move as in the following years, the duo became one of the leading electronic acts in France, echoing the careers of their musical ancestors, Justice and Daft Punk.
cementing its legacy as one of the world's most well-known electronic duos. On YouTube, the grainy black-and-white video for "Galvanize" has 118 million views, while 1999's "Hey Boy Hey Girl" - which features a glorious ensemble of dancing CGI skeletons - has surpassed 90 million. The visuals for "Let Forever Be," directed by Michel Gondry, is a kaleidoscopic masterpiece using practical effects rarely seen today and remains a personal favorite.
Magdalena Bay turns up the rock Miami-by-way-of-LA duo Magdalena Bay became an SFGATE staff favorite over the past year for their candy-coated synth pop. At Portola, they expanded into an explosive four-piece live band, bringing an energetic rock edge worthy of its place on the main festival stage. Bonus points for four costume changes from singer Mica Tenenbaum. - SFGATE senior culture editor Dan Gentile
Keith McIvor, better known as JD Twitch, of the influential Scottish electronic duo Optimo, died on Friday, September 19. The news was shared on the group's Instagram page with a note written by McIvor's bandmate, Jonnie "JG" Wilkes. Optimo did not specify McIvor's cause of death, but the musician had disclosed, in July, that he was diagnosed with an untreatable brain tumor. He was 57 years old.
He died on Friday in Glasgow's Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice, his DJ partner Jonnie Wilkes (AKA JG Wilkes) announced. In a 28 year partnership he changed my life immeasurably and together we took our work in directions and to places few people are lucky enough to explore, Wilkes said. I am forever grateful for everything he bestowed on me, both as a partner in music and as a friend.
Music fans got a surprise last night as Coachella, the biggest music festival in the country, shared its lineup months earlier than past precedent, with previous releases taking place in November 2024 and January 2023. This year's lineup features a bill of bands that leans heavily on pop superstars. Top billing goes to Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G, a trio of pop acts that run the gamut from latest and greatest (Carpenter), to established industry titan (Bieber) to international superstar (Colombia's Karol G).
Daphne Oram was one of the first British composers to produce electronic sound and an early practitioner of musique concrète in the UK. In 1957, she produced the BBC's first-ever fully electronic score for a play, and that led to more commissions. Just a year later, she helped set up the legendary BBC Radiophonic Workshop, where she was central to the development of British electronic music.
When electronic-ambient-new age pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre was working on 1976's Oxygene, in his makeshift home studio, he often had to tape down two preset buttons of his Korg drum machine to achieve the effect he wanted. Thanks to the breakout success of that record and its winning blend of bright keyboard melodies and warped analog synths, Jarre didn't have to resort to such ad-hoc methods for long.
London's newest mega-club is back with another monster programme Broadwick Live, the team behind Printworks, Beams and Manchester's Depot Mayfield, opened its biggest venue back in October 2023 by taking over the former Tottenham IKEA and turning it into the 608,000 sq ft, 15,000 capacity Drumsheds nightclub. Across its first two seasons, the warehouse space has played host to the likes of Skepta and Jammer, Bicep, Hercules & Love Affair,
Serving as Kevin Parker's first Tame Impala album since 2020's The Slow Rush, Deadbeat sees Parker taking inspiration from the Western Australia rave scene and 'bush doof culture,' which refers to an Australian subculture centered around outdoor dance parties with electronic music in remote natural settings. Along with embracing a more electronic palette, the album also digs into Parker's frustrations with himself, likening self-sabotage to a negative feedback loop and examining the minutiae of his bad habits.
DHB Portugal is back and bigger than ever. From September 19th - 21st, 2025, the iconic beachside venue Irmão, Costa da Caparica, will once again host an unforgettable weekend celebration of music, community, and art. Now in its third edition, DHB Portugal has become a must-attend gathering for music lovers from around the world. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean, the festival offers more than just music; it's an immersive journey of sound, dance, and connection.
Karl­heinz Stock­hausen appears, among many oth­er cul­tur­al fig­ures, on the cov­er of Sgt. Pep­per's Lone­ly Hearts Club Band. His inclu­sion was more than a trendy ges­ture toward the Euro­pean avant-garde; any­one who knows that path­break­ing elec­tron­ic com­poser's work will notice its influ­ence on the album at first lis­ten.
They include techno innovator Dorian Craft, Spanish house star Enzo Leep, Carpets and Snares label and record store boss Jorge Caiado, inventive tech house titan Luca Saporito (Audiofly), Items & Things's dark minimal and disco queen Magda, Scorpios Mykonos and Bodrum resident Rita Soko and many more, with over 70 artists confirmed to perform at the festival. These latest names are in addition to the likes of the already revealed Apollonia, Bonobo, Cabanne, DJ Tennis, Folamour, Janeret, Patrick Mason, Saiorse and many more.
"MUTEK has always been at the forefront of digital art dissemination, with special installation projects having been presented in the past. For this second edition of Village Numérique, we have expanded our offering with a greater diversity of media, more in-depth content, and more ways for the public to discover digital arts," Mikaël Frascadore tells designboom.
From Manchester to Ibiza, Amsterdam to Tokyo, Hannah Laing has brought her sets of hard house, trance and techno to every big club scene in the world, but the festival had to be at home.
The OP-XY is a fan-made MIDI sequencer that reimagines the OP-1's design, enhancing its functionality for electronic music composition and performance.
Jordi van Achthoven, known as They Call Me Steve, unveils his single 'Do You Think About Me,' showcasing his distinct style ahead of his album 'Escapism.'
The EP 'LET IT GO' from Ezy St. Records is a genre-blurring release featuring producers Sammy Alexander, Guti, and Mike Shannon set for June 6, 2025.
Pacha ICONS is set to return to Playa Pacha with techno legend Carl Cox, promising an unforgettable electronic music celebration in an idyllic beach environment.
