Beats + Pieces

Agnelli & Nelson are back with a bang. The Northern duo have just completed work on their new single ‘Shiver’, which features Paul Hamilton (aka The Burn) on vocals. The single is scheduled for release in May on Xtravaganza. Ahead of that, Chris and Robbie will be compiling and mixing the official 2005 Trance Awards compilation album, which is released in April to coincide with the awards ceremony. The pair will be embarking on a UK club tour to promote the album…
Irish drum ‘n’ bass producers Beta 2 and Calibre are featured on the new Total Science compilation: Sektor’s One, Two, Three (Audioworks). Beta 2 contributes ‘Peacemaker’ and ‘Scan’, while Calibre’s offering is ‘Tempo Dub’. All three are worth buying the budget-priced set for… Dublin hard dance label Hard Sounds has won massive praise for its extreme second release, pairing John Kerrigan & Karl Davis’ ‘Pills’ with Aftermath’s ‘Basuco Beat’, which hit UK shops last week and flew off the shelves … Jay Pidgeon tells BEATS & PIECES that he hopes to relaunch Crash Test Recordings in March. The label folded after one release last summer following the collapse of its distribution company, but Jay says he has secured a new deal and has a glut of releases ready to go...
First Friday is a new joint collaboration from Trinity Rooms and recording studio and DJ school Viva Music which runs, funnily enough, on the first Friday of every month. Taking over two rooms of the Trinity Rooms complex, FF will feature the best of up and coming south-western talent… Extreme hard dance fans will be thrilled to learn that the hooverism hero, Karim, plays seaside town Bray, Co Wicklow on March 11th. The Do Not Bend label boss is supported by Club FM’s demon of the dark and dangerous, John Kerrigan… A new funky house club Soulprovider kicks off at The Edge in Belfast on February 19th. Residents Ultan Woods and Bill Anthony will be joined by Defected Records’ star Paul Farris…
Godskitchen returns to the Point on March 27th. Marco V, Lisa Lashes and Fergie will be pumping up the BPM count, and tickets are on sale now… Freeform 5 play The Empire in Belfast on March 5th… hotpress scribes Barry Redsetta and Richard Brophy join forces behind the wheels of steel for the first time next month. The pair play at Electric City in Dublin on March 31st… One of this column’s favourite Irish producers, Jape, joins Erol Alkan at Johnny Moy and Scott MacNaughton’s new night this fortnight. Mash-Up runs at TBMC in Dublin on February 18th…
Belfast based music collective Hydroponic’s latest eclectic club Dirty Needles (monthly at The Garrick) tomorrow night (February 11th) welcomes Arnaud Rebotini, one-half of pioneering French electro-tech-house outfit Black Strobe. Arnaud has DJed for Depeche Mode, and is supported by Hydroponic DJ Michael McKeown… World No3 DJ, Armin Van Buuren plays Redbox tomorrow, while his fellow Dutchman, voted the world’s No1 DJ for the past two years, Tiesto plays Redbox on March 4th …And finally, congratulations to Club Matrix in Dungannon, Co Tyrone, which celebrates a successful first year this weekend. Joining residents Ryan Maxwell and Chris Davis are Italian giant Mauro Picotto, up and coming melodic Italian trance act Nu NRG and UK house don Allister whitehead… THE BEAT GOES ON!