Ministry of Sound

DJ Academy: New Ableton Production AND Live performance course

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

It's 2011, the hangover is finally clearing and one of your New Year's resolutions is to finally get your ass into gear, stop mixing half-heartedly in your bedroom and become the DJ you've always wanted to be! Which is handy really because...

The Ministry of Sound DJ Academy and Subbass DJ Academy have joined forces to delivery a DJing and music production course like no other; Ableton Complete. Covering all aspects of Ableton Live, it will take you from making beats and producing tracks to playing them live at the most renowned club on the planet (that's Ministry of Sound, just in case you were wondering...!).

The course is split into 2 stages:

- Stage 1 will see you spending the weekend at the Subbass DJ Academy studios in central London, learning all aspects of making and creating beats and tracks in Ableton Live. Working with an Ableton Specialist, you will quickly learn and understand how to build and master killer drum loops and thumping basslines, as well as how to remix and sample your favorite tracks.

- Stage 2 of the course takes place at the world-famous Ministry of Sound, where you will learn how to mix your favorite tunes and your own productions into an Ableton Live DJ set. Our certified Ableton trainers will take you through all aspects of Ableton’s Live Performance right in the club, where you will gain experience and understanding of some of the most renowned DJ booths in the world. DJ booths frequented by the likes of Pete Tong, Sasha, Swedish House Mafia, Paul van Dyk, Armin van Buuren and Laidback Luke, to name just a few who have played there before you!

The transition from studio to the club is something not to be taken lightly and most certainly something not to be rushed! But have no fear…we have built in a period of practice and preparation time between the two stages of the course. This will give you the time you need to really get to grips with producing and working in Ableton before you are unleashed on to the mighty, award-winning sound system at Ministry of Sound.

Spaces on this course are very limited and we would advise booking early to guarantee and secure your spot on what is a fantastic opportunity to learn and experience the full force of Ableton Live.

For more information and to book your place, head to http://www.ministryofsound.com/club/dj-academy/.

Yasmin to support Chase & Status on tour this March!

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Chase & Status have become a unique urban phenomenon in the past 5 years; having produced a string of drum & bass anthems, collaborated with the likes of Plan B and Kano, remixed some of the world's hottest artists including Jay Z and The Prodigy, it's no wonder that this award-wining duo were hailed 'The most exciting producers in the UK today' by Pharrell Williams of N*E*R*D. Having completed 2 massive live tours of the UK and Europe in the last 12 months, they’re hitting the road again in March for their 9-date 'No More Idols' headline tour of the UK and this time our new signingYasmin will be joining them as support act!

Already established as a respected hip-hop DJ, Yasmin signed to Ministry of Sound Recordings/Levels Entertainment last year and her debut single ‘On My Own’ is out on 30th January (pre-order here!). Having left a trailblazing mark on the hip-hop scene with her DJing skills, Yasmin has already toured with N*E*R*D, Will.i.am, Taio Cruz and most recently with our own Example, as well as featuring on Devlin's recent single 'Runaway'. 'On My Own' was produced by drum & bass legend Shy FX and showcases her ethereal voice, lyrical imagination and candid choruses to stunning effect. Her totally unique style has seen her already receive huge support from BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra, and Yasmin is fast becoming one of the hottest names to hit the music scene this year. Supporting Chase & Status is the next step on her journey and 2011 is going to be one hell of a ride for her - so stay tuned for more news from Yasmin herself very soon!

For tour tickets, head to www.gigsandtours.com and check outwww.chaseandstatus.co.uk for info.

www..yasminsworld.co.uk
www.facebook.com/yasminonline
www.twitter.com/itsyasmin

Vote Ministry of Sound in the DJMag Top 100 Clubs

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Okay, we're just going to be totally honest here and lay it on the line. We really need your help!!! DJMag have opened voting for the only global nightclub poll that matters - the Top 100 Clubs - and while last year we came in at a very respectable number 4, come on guys...please please vote for us and help us to get to that coveted number 1 spot!

Last year was our best ever and as always, we're working hard to make sure that 2011 tops all its predecessors in every way! The club is currently closed for its annual makeover; while we can't unveil just yet EXACTLY what we're up to, we CAN promise that the club is going to look, sound and feel even better than ever when we re-open on 21st January!

Speaking of which, we have some truly spectacular lineups coming up over the next few months. The Gallery have outdone themselves with the absolute top of the trance world coming to visit, including Paul van Dyk, Above & Beyond, Ferry Corsten, Thrillseekers, Markus Schulz, Marco V, Gareth Emery, Andy Moor, BT, Aly & Fila and many more. Meanwhile Saturday Sessions will play host to the creme de la creme of the club world including Systematic, John Dahlback's Mutants, Funkagenda's launch of his new night Funk Farm (featuring a DJ set from Basement Jaxx!), Defected (featuring French legend Bob sinclar) and Toolroom Knights (where the usual suspects will be joined by Umek AND Wolfgang Gartner!).

So please show your support and vote for us at www.top100clubs.com. Here's 5 reasons why you should...!

- Be an amazing demonstration of just how incredible our fans really are (as if we needed any more proof!)
- We love what we do, could never do anything else and and are totally and utterly dedicated to giving you the best night of your life
- Last year was our best ever and we're working hard to make sure that 2011 is even bigger and better in every way!
- It would be the best possible thank you to the people who work incredibly hard and all sorts of crazy hours behind the scenes to make the club what it is - from those we look after DJ bookings, promotions and the day to day running of the club to the technical team and the staff who work the bar, the tills, the cloakroom...there couldn't be a better way to reward them for all their efforts
- Not to sound cocky, but we ARE in it to win it and we really think we deserve it - because we truly believe that we are the BEST club in the world! It's well-known that we have the best soundsystem in the world, and we also have the best venue, the best team, the best residents and the best lineups this side of Mars

The Sound of Dubstep 2 Remix Competition

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

When we released the hugely successful first instalment of 'The Sound Of Dubstep', the scene was just making its big breakthrough into the mainstream. Now though that breakthrough has happened, the genie is out of the bottle, and dubstep is everywhere. So we're leading the way with ‘The Sound Of Dubstep 2’, taking you on a journey into the diversity of the biggest genre in dance music right now.

With over 40 tracks of intense bass, breaks and beats, you’ll be quaking in your boots with another epic collection of heavy hitters featuring Magnetic Man, Nero, Skream, Benga & Coki plus some exclusive remixes of Shy FX, Luck & Neat , Tempa T & Example amongst many others.

And to celebrate the release, we're giving you the opportunity to take a track from our extensive archives, drop the bass and cause some nasty damage! The track we want you to remix is garage anthem 'A Little Bit of Luck' by DJ Luck & MC Neat - one lucky winner will really stand out from the crowd in their very own brand new pair of personally designed Nike ID trainers, and in addition the winner will also receive a Soundcloud Pro account and a copy of the album! Plus, 3 runners up will win Sound of Dubstep 2 goodies!

Need some inspiration? Check out our album megamix below! Then get going - we're all ears!!! To enter, click here. The closing date is 31st January 2011.

Sound of Dubstep 2 Megamix by Ministry of Sound

Click here for full Terms and Conditions.

Vote Wretch 32!

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Massively exciting times!!! Our artist Wretch 32 has been nominated in MTV's Brand New For 2011, so please support and vote for him to win! Voting is open until 31st January at www.mtv.co.uk/brandnew, and here's a word from the man himself on why you should get involved...

Don't look back in anger...

Sun, 02 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

- 2010 was an absolutely rocking year for the club. We were incredibly fortunate to have the cream of the world's DJ crop come to play for us throughout the year, there are too many to mention properly but thanks to every single one of them! We also announced new residents in the form of Michael Woods, Cosmonauts and Will & Joe Ask, who have continued to smash the decks for us on a regular basis. We hosted arenas at London festival extraordinaire SW4 and partied on a boat on the Thames, at the Somerset House ice rink and across the world - and we also joined forces with our regular partners in crime, Toolroom Knights, for a global adventure that will see us coming to a dancefloor near you in 2011! But the best thing about our club nights is YOU. Having such a loyal fanbase is an incredible feeling and needless to say it's you guys coming to party with us that makes every single night so much fun...and we couldn't do it without you, so thanks! We can't wait to do it all again in 2011, and boy have we got some HUGE lineups coming up for you! More about that later in the week...

- There's one particular club night that we just HAD to mention - the DJMag Top 100 Awards in October - which saw the undisputed king of trance, Armin van Buuren, crowned for the FOURTH year in a row!!! One hell of an achievement and something that no other DJ has managed so far, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy or one who deserved it more. Which is a fact that set at the Top 100 saw him prove all over again, as the crowd went absolutely wild in one of the most electric, uplifting and euphoric atmospheres we've ever seen!

- Ministry of Sound Recordings had a truly fantastic 2010, with our first artist, Example, becoming THE breakthrough act of 2010. What a year, which finished on a real high after he'd: had chart smashes in the form of Kickstarts, Two Lives, Last Ones Standing and Won't Go Quietly, had a gold-selling album - Won't Go Quietly - , played a packed festival schedule, sold out his first UK headline tour, supported Faithless during their winter tour and done some pretty cool and crazy stuff including the legendary Nandos crawl and BlackBerry Live & Lost! It's been an absolute pleasure working with such a talented, down to earth and incredibly hard-working artist and to have seen him done so well and to have been a part of it truly has been an honour for us. Example's bringing out his new album in 2011, has a new UK headline tour throughout February and March and is no doubt going to do even bigger and better thing in 2011 - we can't wait! Needless to say we'll be keeping you posted on all the goss right here.

- 2010 saw us also sign some incredibly exciting and hugely talented new artists who are about to break through in 2011 and we couldn't be more chuffed to be bringing them to your attention - so say hello to Yasmin and Wretch 32, who both have debut singles out in January (Wretch 32's 'Traktor' is out on 16th January and Yasmin's'On My Own' on 30th January)! They've both already been hotly tipped for great things in 2011 and beyond - so stay tuned, because we'll have big news about BOTH of them this very week!

- Single-wise we also had a fantastic year, having had the privilege of releasing hits for Alex Gaudino, Tim Berg, DJ Fresh, Gyptian, Afrojack, TV Rock and more....and we're starting 2011 as we mean to go on, with 2 HUGE releases in the form of Eric Prydz' epic new offering, 'Niton (The Reason)', (out on 6th February) and the new smash from DJ superhero Roger Sanchez,'2Gether' (out on 20th February). Keep your ears peeled for those and much more this year!

- There were too many brilliant albums in 2010 to mention, but we celebrated some important milestones including The Annual 15 Years and released possibly our widest ever range of albums in 2010, encompassing techno, drum & bass, dubstep, garage, R&B, house, trance, disco, 80s, chillout and more. You can't please all of the people all of the time but we hope you guys enjoyed the diversity and, as ever, we've got lots of rocking releases up our sleeves for 2011...

- 2010 saw us move even further into the worlds of mobile and digital technology, launching a Radio app, an iPad app and finally our brand new mobile app - the first to let you get club tickets delivered directly to your phone, have them scanned at the door and jump the queue! Pretty nifty. Through our website we launched a brand new range of Ministry of Sound merchandise, including the world's best club artwork, and we'll have lots of new designs and products coming your way this year. We also passed the 300k fan milestone on Facebook and 30k on Twitter, massively exciting times - we absolutely love talking to you guys, it's one of the best things about the job, so please get in touch on Facebook and Twitter to chat to us and find out what we're up to!

- We celebrated our 19th birthday back in September which was absolutely amazing, and we're already looking forward to celebrating our 20th birthday this year! We've got absolutely MASSIVE plans for that, but patience - all will be revealed in due course! :)!

Whew...we tried to keep it short, really we did, but there was just too much to mention! So, sayonara 2010 - it's been emotional...

Exclusive: Borgore interview

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

23 year old Israeli producer Asaf Borger, aka Borgore, is a controversial figure in the world of dubstep; his hard, grimy sound has split dubstep lovers into those who love him and those who hate him, and his music is so filthy that it has become its own genre: Gorestep. Having studied music and theory from the age of five, playing various instruments and exploring different musical genres over the years, Borgore is an artist with no boundaries and many musical talents (he's also a drummer in a death metal band). As a self-proclaimed 'provocation addict' who's known for his explicit lyrics, Borgore is never one to take himself too seriously and he's usually to be found with his tongue firmly in his cheek - amply demonstrated when he released an EP called 'Borgore Ruined Dubstep'. Needless to say his talent for getting himself noticed hasn't gone, well, unnoticed and he's already collaborated with US superstar Diplo, he recently finished a massive US tour to sold out dates everywhere and a plethora of positive reviews. He is now in the process of signing with a major label. He's also pretty funny and, being a massive character and not your average media-trained music monkey, we jumped at the chance to interview him! Strap yourselves in...

Describe your musical style? What IS Gorestep?

Well its hard to define, can you define Dubstep? It used to be anything at 140bpm that has bass but its not even that no more. Gorestep, you hear and you know what it is.

You released ‘Borgore Ruined Dubstep’ – so DID you?!

Its just that 5 years ago if you played dubstep to your old folks you could have gotten away with it, and then I came and ruined it for you.

Looking ahead 3-5 years, what do you see as the future of dubstep?

Lets hope that brighter than drum and bass'. On a serious tip though dubstep has the potential of wearing almost any mask, it can sound like hip hop, metal, reggae etc etc, so I don't know if in 3 or 5 years it will still be so very wobbly - though I'm sure bass is here to stay and 140 bpm is a great tempo.

Talk us through a live Borgore set?

Checklist for a borgore show - the cheapest cloth in the closet 'cause those ain't gonna survive, insurance 'cause bones might be broken and condoms 'cause the hormone level is way above a regular dubstep show.

Who are the top dubstep producers out there right now? What about outside of dubstep?

There are so many good producers it's retarded, I wish we had as many good politicians, we would have already have peace and green energy. Everyday I'm in the mood for someone else, right now I can't stop listening to Nostalgia - The Hero, I bet you've never heard of this producer therefore I made my point, too many good producers.

Describe a day in the life of Borgore?

Airplane, waiting, Airplane, waiting, Airplane, waiting, club, quick shower, waiting, Airplane.
Kidding I never shower.
I do, but it made you smile.

How did your collaboration with Diplo (Sunsets) come about?

Diplo is a bad ass scouter, he is almost never wrong with predicting the future in the music business, he discovered dubstep much earlier then most Americans and luckily I was around.

What would be your dream collaboration?

Ella and Louie.
But both are dead.
I really want to work with my favorite rappers - Ludacris, Drake, Eminem etc. I want to work with divas as well - Beyonce, Rihanna etc etc.
As far as metal goes I'm already working with my favourite bands, therefore one dream have already been accomplished!

What are your top producing tips?

Production is like an instrument - the more you practise the better you get. You're not born with it, it's a skill you need to grind all the time.

You’ve just finished a big US tour, what’s next for you? What will new Borgore tracks sound like?

I was always trying to think outside of the box, sometimes it worked sometimes it failed but I am still going to try! This year, I want to expand my repertoire as a musician. I am working with metal bands, hip hop artists and more. Music is my passion and I don't limit myself.

You’re known for your love of provocation – what’s the naughtiest thing you’ve ever done?

I have a lot of stories to tell but I'm not sure about telling them through this medium since they're pretty racy!

Good point...we'd better leave it there!

The Sound of Dubstep 2 is out now - get your copy here.

www.buygore.com
www.facebook.com/Borgore

Get ready for live streaming on New Year's Eve!

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Following the success of streaming the Toolroom Knights 4th Birthday party across the world wide web to a mass global audience, Ministry of Sound Radio and Toolroom Knights are back to do it all again for the New Year's Eve Big Bang!

Yes that’s right…for the first time EVER we will give you the ultimate FREE Ministry of Sound and Toolroom Knights NYE Party experience live & direct wherever you are…all you have to do is tune into to hear world-class talent on the world's best sound system.

Tune in exclusively from 11pm (CET) to the UK’s number 1 online dance radio station to help us commemorate what has been a fantastic 2010 & celebrate looking forward to an even better 2011 for all.

You can tune in globally online via iTunes, iPhone & web radio platforms such as Shoutcast – look out for the streaming link also on our Facebook & Twitter pages.

Listen to our Ministry of Sound Radio Web player here.

Download our Ministry of Sound Radio free iPhone app here.

www.toolroomrecords.com
www.djmarkknight.com

Free Congorock mix

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

This Sunday shake off that Christmas hangover, dig out your dancing shoes, get up off the sofa and come party with us! We're very lucky to have an absolutely storming lineup, perfect for blowing away the Christmas excess with a good hard bang!

One of the select few who'll be spinning the wheels of steel in the Box is Congorock; with a name that points to African tribal influences mixed with a rock'n'roll attitude, Italian-American Rocco Rampino has been fast climbing to the top of the underground dance scene. He describes his own sound as 'tropical hard house'; we say it's fun, fast, furious and 100% per cent guaranteed to get you waving your hands in the air like you just don't care!

So check out this blinding minimix that he recently did for Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1 - it'll have you rocking and rolling, ready for a Boxing Day rave-up in no time!

Minimix for Annie Mac BBC RADIO 1 by Congorock

Tickets for Sunday are selling like hot potatoes, so get yours here for a full dose of Laidback Luke, Congorock, Sinden and more! See you down the front...

VIDEO: Joris Voorn interview

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Joris Voorn's tech-house triumph took over Ministry of Sound back on 6th November with Nic Fanciulli - check out this video interview taken by the Guestlist Network from that night. Joris will be headlining again for us on New Year's Day, and it's going to be one hell of a party! James Zabiela and Simian Mobile Disco will also be spinning the wheels of steel, so why not come on down and start 2011 as you mean to carry on?

It's going to be a roadblock, so don't forget to get your New Year's Day tickets here...and now we'll leave you in the very capable hands of Joris!