Beats + Pieces

It’s Ibiza time again, and this summer Carrickmacross club Enigma celebrates its hugely successful first year by bringing 500 Irish clubbers to the white island on board a private jumbo jet. Tickets for the trip, from September 6-13, are available now from (042) 9661185. The £450 all-in price includes luxury hotel accommodation, free admission to five top clubs including Manumission, Pacha and Eden, a private boat cruise, barbeque and an Enigma beach party with Lisa Lashes DJing. Your ticket also gives you free admission to the pre-Ibiza and post-Ibiza parties in Carrickmacross… 2FM will also be out in Ibiza this summer, recording a Sessions Tour party (for delayed transmission) at Lashed at Eden on Wednesday August 27. DJs are Lashes, Mister Spring, John Power and Lisa’s boyfriend A-Star. FM104’s Al Gibbs is also expected to broadcast a number of Telstar Euphoria shows from Ibiza during the months of July and August…

Ireland’s only clubbing magazine BBm has closed for good. “We had eight good years with BBm, but the magazine has run its course,” said editor Judith Farrell-Rowan. “Eddie (Wray) and I will continue the BBm brand via the website, which will also support our annual awards ceremony and the festival Planet Love. We’ll be expanding and diversifying in other ways also. However, the club scene here is no longer able to support a magazine of BBm’s calibre. It was a tough decision to take as it’s ‘our baby’ so to speak, but there’s little doubt that commercially, things are changing within the club scene. We will channel all our attentions into developing and adding to the many facets of Planet Love Music now for which we have big plans.” Planet Love 2003, incidentally, takes place on August 30 and 31. See this issue’s free summer supplement for more details on this and all the big sunshine parties…

Dubliner Karl Davis has signed his ‘Doing Drugz’ and ‘Dublin’ tracks to top UK label Bulletproof, home to top German trance acts Dumonde, Scot Project and Arome, among others. Karl’s already had singles snapped up by Shock and 12inch Thumpers, and he’s now planning a summer move to London… Another Dubliner, Al Greene was thrilled to note his ‘Take It Away’ single on Justin Bourne’s Short Circuit stamp became the number one selling promo 12” last month on bangingtunes.com. The single gets a full release this month. Next up on Short Circuit is Strange Dave’s ‘Guarantee’, which is remixed by The Edison Factor’s Matt Williams, Justin Bourne and yours truly… Glen Brady, aka DJ Wool, releases a new compilation The Sound Of Young New York later this summer… Jay Pidgeon’s rising star continues to shine in London. He’s now working for industry top dogs Most Wanted DJ Management…

The first release on Blackout Music, sister label to the recently launched Shine Recordings imprint, is ‘Dark Dubs’ from Shine co-promoter and DJ, Alan Simms. Tough dubby grooves are the order of the day, and DJ support from the likes of Justin Robertson, Mr C and Tom Stephan should ensure the release is as successful as the recent Shine outings… Paul Masterson’s new Yomanda single ‘You’re Free’ (an interpretation of the old Ultra Nate hit) recently topped BBC Radio 1’s Coolcuts chart. It’s out soon on Paul’s You Clash! label, and will be followed by an update of an old Masterson penned top forty smash, Amen UK’s ‘Passion’… Viridian’s uplifting trance workout ‘Memories Of Blue’ is out now on creator Jason Farrell’s Lost Moon label. The Irish-only release includes a new remix of last year’s top thirty hit ‘Sound Of The Crowd’…

Celebrating its tenth year at the forefront of dance, Positiva has just signed German trance-meister Paul Van Dyk to the label in the UK. Van Dyk’s first single for the label is released on June 30. Entitled ‘Nothing But You’, the track features vocals from Jan Johnston and Kym. Remixes come courtesy of Faithless and Cirrus. Paul’s fourth artist album, Reflections, is set for release in September…

Club Tivoli in Dublin has re-opened. The judgement in the venue’s recent licensing hearing resulted in its temporary closure, but Influx has just returned to the Frances Street venue. Peter May and Paul Davis of Influx now hire Club Tivoli from the venue’s licensee, who retains the management of the venue and bar, in accordance with the recent ruling of the licensing court… The first Coastal Beats weekender of the summer takes place this fortnight in Donegal Town. Running on June 13 and 14, the 100% Irish event boasts DJs like Phil Kieran (who recently did his first Essential Mix for BBC1FM), Billy Scurry and Kenny Funk… Little Miss Fox plays Mono in Letterkenny on June 12… Fatcat Records launches Party Of One’s Caught The Blast album at The Sugar Club on June 16… Sasha plays Redbox on June 27…

London’s newest venue Egg has just opened in King’s Cross. The creation of Trade’s Laurence Malice, Egg plays host to Billy Nasty’s Tortured on Fridays, and after-hours club Spin on Saturdays. Trade’s Bank Holiday parties at Turnmills have now ceased… Limerick’s got two new dance clubs to shout about. 061 runs every Saturday at The Savoy with Buddy and guests, while on June 20 Trinity Rooms takes the place of Doc’s and promises three rooms of music from DJs like Noel Phelan, Aidan Kelly and Aoife Nic Canna… Deep house don Charles Webster plays Dolan’s Warehouse in Limerick on June 27, and The Bar in Dublin a night later…

Robbie Wooton has left Dublin for a three-year trek around the world to open six branches of Ireland’s most successful club Spirit – in New York, Cape Town, Athens, Sydney, Shanghai and Rio de Janeiro. The first of the six to open will be in New York, and the theme of the club will be native American Indians. Spirit New York is based at the renowned Twilo venue, and work is already underway for the grand opening in September… THE BEAT GOES ON!