Planet Love 2006, running on September 9 at the historic grounds of Shane’s Castle in Antrim, will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 1FM – a massive coup for the final Irish dance festival of 2006.
Festival broadcasts include the Judge Jules and Fergie shows, as well as the Essential Mix. A selection of DJ sets throughout the day will be recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 1.
The initial line-up includes the live Irish debut of chart-toppers Chicane and DJ sets from the world’s number one, German Paul Van Dyk along with the banging brigade of Lisa Lashes, Eddie Halliwell, Marco V, Scot Project and Mauro Picotto. The full stage layout will be revealed later this month.
The festival runs from 2pm until 2am, and early bird tickets are on sale from www.planetlovemusic.com until Saturday June 24, priced stg£33 including all fees.
After that tickets priced stg £39.95 (including booking fee) go on sale from Ticketmaster outlets nationwide.
Prolific Cork ex-pat Mark O’Sullivan has set up a new label with Swede John Dahlback, the younger cousin of Mark’s partner in DK7, Jesper Dahlback.
JM Recordings launched with a single from Mark & John, coupling ‘I Saw Your Eyes’ – a chugging slab of dark, acid techno – ‘When You Caught The Sun’, a lush, bass-propelled electronic house groove.
Mark already co-owns Ork Recordings with Cork deep house DJs, Greg Dowling and Shane Johnson, and its fourth release – Fish Go Deep and Mark O Sullivan’s ’Wurk’ – is scheduled to drop in July.
Ahead of that comes DK7’s ‘Life Is Everywhere’ remix package on Output Recordings, the latest single from the duo’s awesome Disarmed album.
Already scooping Single of the Week in the influential UK dance mag, Update, the double 12-inch comes with a new DK7 remake of ‘Heart Like A Demon’ along with two mixes of ‘Life…’ from hot Brit house producer Paul Woolford and one from Mark.
Mark, incidentally, has also remixed Paul Woolford featuring Bobby Peru’s ‘Erotic Discourse’ for Ralph Lawson’s much-respected house stamp, 20:20 Vision.
Northern trance duo, Agnelli & Nelson, have signed their ‘Wear That Dress’ tune to Dutch superstar DJ Ferry Corsten’s Flash Over imprint. Chris and Robbie describe it as “an indie-driven, peak-time, vocal-led monster destined to cause serious arena damage this summer”.
It’s one of a number of new tracks recently completed by the pair ahead of upcoming DJ bookings in Lebanon, Poland, Sweden, Asia and Australia. They are also booked to appear at the massive Dance Valley festival in Holland on July 15.
Keith Downey’s Psychonavigation Records label is set to follow this month’s eagerly-anticipated David Bickley album, Still Rivers at Night, with an intriguing mini-album, Interference, in September.
The CD release will feature mixes from Brighton’s chill-out champion, Chris Coco (of BBC Radio 1FM fame), Sean Quinn (of Psychonavigation), Digitonal (from Seed), and the aforementioned Bickley and Fish Go Deep.
Derry ex-pat Steven React and his Scottish ex-pat partner George Mitchell have remixed Pink’s new single, ‘Who Knew’. Their tough house treatment has secured much radio and club play in Britain.
Derry-based Lush! resident DJ, Col Hamilton, has produced his first solo single, ‘Catch It, Kill It, Scran It’. The quirky electronic house tune has been signed to Belfast producer Aaron McLelland’s Mena Music stamp. It’s already being caned by Fergie on BBC Radio 1FM.
Belfast techno star Phil Kieran’s remix of ‘S Also on June 30, in The Vaults in Dublin, the first ever Lektrik party boasts hard dance from Anne Savage, and futuristic trance from John O’Callaghan, Bryan Kearney and Marcel Woods among others.
Scottish stalwarts Slam guest at Fabric in Tralee on June 23. Andrew Weatherall is one of two guests at Electric City in Traffic on June 23. Joining the Rotters Golf Club main man is Italian Alexander Robotnick, who promises an ’80s set.
The Savoy in Cork is running a hip-hop weekend from Wednesday June 28, when Irish diva Laura Izibor kicks off the party, until Sunday July 2 (when the former worldwide mixing champion, Cash Money, appears).
90 Degrees is the banner for the new Friday night house sessions which has just been launched at Traffic in Dublin. Residents Howie K, Mhardi and Nelson Romalho will be spinning funky house.
And finally, PoD Concerts has announced that following the sold-out success of its inaugural Garden Party festival in Ballinlough Castle, Co Meath on June 4, the event will return in 2007 as a two-day camping event … THE BEAT GOES ON!