Chloe Sinclair, Author at Public House UK

Ministry of Sound announce new immersive Dolby sound system for 2016

This week Ministry of Sound announced the arrival of a new cutting edge sound system, Dolby Atmos, that will bring “a complete paradigm shift in how consumers experience music”. We got the chance to experience the difference for ourselves and find out what this means for DJs, clubbers, and the future of Ministry of Sound.

Since the Ministry of Sound club opened its doors in Elephant and Castle in 1991, it has been at the forefront of cutting edge audiovisual technology, firmly establishing itself as a destination venue for clubbers from across the Capital and beyond. Recent years have seen the competition between venues reach fever pitch, and along with the growing pressure from local councils to crack down on nightlife and capitalise on valuable real estate, the modern London club has needed to develop an edge. For MoS, that may well be Dolby Atmos – an immersive sound system coming to The Box room in 2016.

Gabriel Corey, product manager of Dolby Atmos, explained the idea behind the new system. Originally developed for the cinema, the developers were approached by music artists who wanted to know how they could incorporate surround sound technology into a DJ set or live show. At this point, that technology did not exist – so they decided to work with the artists to make it a possibility, and where better but in the Ministry of Sound, an establishment “originally completely designed around the principles of sound.”

DJ, Producer and owner of Circus Recordings, Yousef was on hand to demonstrate the new system.

Within The Box, overhead speakers have been added to complement the existing 6 stacks around the room so that elements of a track can be moved around in real time. The result is truly impressive – tracks played in surround sound give the feel of being in front of a live band, but even more so, as if the players are around the room and the vocals are being belted from the rafters. A side by side comparison to the classic stereo sound makes a clear case for the superiority of the Atmos system. However, discussions with other DJs and producers in the room have raised a common concern – the time commitment involved in preparing a set for this new system. There’s no way of just ‘turning up’ and making use of it – tracks need to be specially prepared and with many acts playing two or more sets in a night, the question is whether DJs simply have the time to use Atmos to it’s full potential.

In order to convince consumers and DJs alike, MoS are running a residency from January with a range of events spanning different genres to showcase the sound.

Kicking off with Hospital records and with Yousef bringing Circus to the venue in March, the residency culminates in September to coincide with Ministry’s 25th anniversary. It’s hoped that by then, clubbers and artists alike will agree that this new technology is the future of music events. Whether Dolby Atmos is a hit with clubbers or not, it’s great to see new ideas and investment in our Capital’s nightlife, and we can’t wait for the residency to begin.

Tickets and full residency details will be announced soon via http://www.ministryofsound.com/club

Review: Egg Presents Sam Divine, DJ Spen and Franky Rizardo

This year has been a massive one for Sam Divine, with two nominations in the DJ Mag Best of British awards as well as an impressive progression with her own record label, D-Vine Sounds. Last Friday saw the House music heavyweight headlining at Egg LDN for the latest edition of Egg Presents, alongside Franky Rizardo and the legendary DJ Spen.

Arriving to the club, it was clear this night was going to be a big one – queues stretched past the barriers and the newly revamped main room was jam packed ready for the first big name of the night, DJ Spen. Watching the Baltimore-based DJ play was entertainment in itself, mixing crowd-pleasers and house classics with an intense concentration and infectious energy that held the majority of the crowd through the two-hour set.

As Divine’s set approached, the main room filled up once more and by the time she appeared behind the booth the entire floor was rammed and the room was buzzing. Joined in the booth by a camera crew – trailing her recent events and documenting her rise through the ranks of House – Sam launched seamlessly from Spen’s soulful set into a more bass-heavy feel, expertly reading the crowd and keeping the energy high with Patrick Topping’s tech house banger Rights. The next two hours exemplified Divine’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the genre, with a re-worked edition of Dennis Ferrer’s Mind Ur Step and Dominica’s Gotta Let You Go as highlights that had the whole room singing along to the vocals.

As the set moved towards the climax, we were left wondering whether Franky Rizardo, up next, could hold on to the buzz in the room. Any doubts were unfounded however, as the Holland export delivered a banging set with tracks like Frankey & Sandrino’s Acamar keeping the attention of the crowd, progressing nicely to finish with chilled-out, melodic tunes that had the remaining dancers shouting for more well after the billed finish at 7.40am.

As the lights came on and the crowd filtered out into the chilly London morning, we felt as though we’d only just stepped in. There’s still plenty to look forward to from Egg this year with Ilario Alicante heading up the next Familia party this weekend, plus a nomination for Best Large Club in the DJ Magazine Awards.

You can vote for Sam Divine, Egg LDN, or check out the other nominees by clicking here: DJ Mag Best of British

Exclusive Interview :: SCUBA

Introducing the newest member to the Public House UK team; Chloe Sinclair, and to kick things off, she has this amazing exclusive interview with SCUBA…

Scuba vs. RA Top 100: “Don’t worry about being popular, play music you believe in”

The annual Resident Advisor polls are open and artists across the board are coming out to thank fans for support and encourage them to vote for their act. Last year’s winner Dixon has already been tipped to take the top spot for the third year in a row, while other established names and new additions to the scene battle it out for places in the Top 100.

Followers of techno DJ Scuba on Instagram will have seen a rather different approach – a tablet open on the poll site complete with what appears to be a few sizable lines of cocaine and a neatly rolled note. A bold move, as XOYO has just announced the DJ as the first quarter resident of 2016. Spanning 12 weeks, Scuba will be appearing alongside massive acts such as Chris Liebing, Len Faki and Nina Kraviz.

I caught up with Scuba to get his opinion on drugs, ranking artists, and how this creates division in dance music.

Chloe: What were you trying to show by posting this photo? Was there a statement intended?

Scuba: The period around the RA poll gets worse every year. The DJs in with a chance of polling go into a frenzy of vote soliciting, and a lot of the ones who have no chance of making it snipe at them from the sidelines. It’s a pretty pathetic spectacle that reflects badly on everyone involved. The Instagram post was a follow up to a tweet I posted offering people a free bump of ketamine in return for a vote. It was intended as a comment on how silly and hypocritical it all is. DJs spend the entire year mostly behaving pretty badly and getting paid a fortune to do a pretty easy job, and then each November they all write heartfelt pleas to their fans thanking them for their support in an attempt to get a good placing in the poll and hike their fees for next year. Fuck that shit.

Chloe: Do you think there is a better way of conducting this kind of poll? A lot of fans, particularly newcomers to dance music, rely on lists like this to decide where to spend their time and money.

Scuba: I think there’s enough coverage in the editorial of RA and many other sites for people to learn about new music without having to resort to a ranking system which pits people against each other and creates division in a part of the music scene that has always been about unity and understanding… at least in theory.

Chloe: In regards to drugs – do you think DJs have a responsibility to talk about safety?

Scuba: I’m on the record as encouraging people to take drugs. I certainly wouldn’t say all drugs are positive, but I’m in favour of experimentation and what a person gets out of any kind of psychoactive experience is an entirely subjective thing.

Yes I think safety is a key issue with drugs, and DJs have as much of a responsibility as anyone else with a public platform to make sure people keep safe. The same is also true with alcohol and sex. There’s a big difference between encouraging people to experiment with drugs and glamourising excessive alcohol consumption. There are positive experiences to be had from every drug, but you have to be careful – but that’s such an obvious point it should really go without saying.

Chloe: The culture around the RA poll does seem to show a diversion from the values of the underground music scene. What advice would you give to an artist just starting out who sees a high ranking in one of these polls as an ultimate goal?

Scuba: This is why it’s completely unhelpful – music should not be a popularity contest. Of course everyone wants to build their audience and there’s nothing wrong with that, but when people start basing their careers around an annual public vote then that’s inevitably going to start distorting behaviour away from music and towards things which should be peripheral at the very most.
Ultimately the poll is about money – DJs increasing their fees and RA driving people to their site.

For someone starting out I would say this – if you want to make money don’t go into music, there are much easier ways to get rich. If you just want to make tunes or play the records you like, then just do that – don’t worry about being popular because the danger is you’ll end up making and playing music you don’t believe in.

The RA Poll is open now at http://www.residentadvisor.net/poll.aspx

Catch Scuba at XOYO from 9th January 2016. See the full lineup at http://12weeksoftechno.com

– Chloe Sinclair, Public House UK.