Beats + Pieces: Track it Up

A new website www.trackitdown.net has just launched a legal MP3 service for DJs hunting upfront new releases and hard-to-find classics. With most DJs now using CD and MP3 players in their sets, trackitdown aims to offer downloads for a relatively small price from over fifty labels, legally, quickly, and virus free. And you can sample all of the tracks first online.
The team behind this groundbreaking project consists of some of dance music’s key figures, including ex Nukleuz head honcho Ed Real, producer BK, former Amato Distribution label manager Jon Rundell and techno legend Chris Finke. All believe the death of vinyl is imminent and that new technology will drive DJ culture in the 21st century .... Many people are still making records, however, not least Dublin production team Raff and Alan Pullen, who this fortnight launch their Crash Test Recordings label with Raff & Jay’s ‘Give It Up’. The second release is Predators 3’s ‘Teknopop’ which has already been included on the TV-advertised Anne Savage-mixed Frantic Euphoria compilation album and which will be released with Robert Dalton’s Swarm on the flipside. Anne Savage’s Frantic album – mixed at RDG Studios in Dublin – also includes a new Raff & Jay remix of nineties classic ‘Point Zero’ by Li Kwan. ... Another hard dance effort on the shelves this fortnight is ‘Insane’ from Karl Davis on Bulletproof Limited Edition ... 2FM presenter Mark McCabe’s got his non-dance single and album out this month under the guise of Music From The Fourth Place, but despite his criticisms of the Irish dance scene in recent interviews, the affable DJ is still making tough club cuts with Jay Cisco under the Digitribe moniker. Superchumbo’s Tom Stephan and Pete Heller are among the heavyweight international DJs spinning the latest Digitribe single ‘What Happens Next’, out now on on acclaimed US label Twisted ... New releases lined up on Irish breakbeat label Bassbin are ‘Bless Me’/‘Firefly’ and ‘Untightled’/‘Continuities’, both by hot London duo Frantic & Neptune ... Top European DJs Tiesto, Marco V and Paul Van Dyk are all caning the Agnelli & Nelson remix of Ferry Corsten’s ‘It’s Time’. The Northern duo are currently remixing Armin Van Buuren’s trance classic ‘Blue Fear’ for Xtravaganza ... Cork duo Fishgodeep are lining up an album for release on New Jersey’s i Records this summer ... Ex-pat Fergie releases his first mix album in two years on September 6th, relaunching the Mixmag Live series in the process ... Limerick club Streetlife takes over the Radisson SAS in Galway tomorrow (July 2nd) with Dave Clarke at the helm. Joining Dave for the latest big dance event in a reawakened Galway is the North’s deep don Alan Simms, Limerick hopeful Bad Boy Blast and Galway record store owner and Spirit resident Noel Phelan. Clarke is also playing acclaimed Dublin club Electric City tonight (1st) but that sold out weeks ago ... Temple Bar Outdoors announced the launch of the first ever Latin Quarter Festival, which will run over the August Bank Holiday Weekend and features a host of international and local musicians and DJ’s as well as a street carnival experience across Dublin’s Cultural Quarter. Popular DJs and promoters such as Bodytonic (WAX), Afronova (Project), Razor (Traffic, THE END, London) and Muggy (SPIN1038, BluSoul Recordings) will provide a backdrop of quality Latin, house, funk and soul in Temple Bar’s most popular late bars, joined by international acts such as Martin Morales (Outcaste Recordings), top Brazillian live group Trio Mocoto, Rodrigo y Gabriela (pictured) and DJ Norman Jay. Tickets for all of the Latin Quarter gigs are on sale now ... Legendary gangsta rapper Ice T plays Crawdaddy on July 18th and 20th ... New Wexford hard dance club at Nolan’s Tavern in Broadway runs every Friday with Jay Hatchel, Boca Byrne and guests ... End Recordings artists Layo & Bushwacka! will be playing Redbox in Dublin on July 9th. Also at Redbox, Oldskool returns on July 2nd with DJs Liam Dollard, Shay Hannon and Ian Clarke, while Lisa Lashes plays on August 1st ... Dean Sherry and Barry Dempsey have launched a new Friday club Housewerk at Metropolitian in Dublin. According to Dean, “there will be a freestyle music policy and we’ll have lots of well known DJs spinning sets they wouldn’t normally play” ... Norn Irish drum’n’bass kings Calibre play Bassbin on July 3rd ... Hot Dublin bands Mainline and The Things live in Temple Bar Music Centre on July 5th with DJ Johnny Moy in support. Admission is free ... London techno lord Ben Sims plays Electric City in Dublin on July 22nd. Louis Osbourne is there on the 8th ... Asian Dub Foundation play Crawdaddy in Dublin on July 30th and 31st ... And finally, life-long DJ Dave Purnell from Dublin reckons the biggest problem since the smoking ban was introduced is the stink in all pubs and clubs - “farting, BO and feet are making pubs and clubs reak” he says. So he’s now selling the Airoamer. “It’s not an airfreshener, it doesn’t use fumes created by heating oils, nor is it an aerosol. It’s an environmental fragrancing unit, not only can it neutralise bad smells but it can intoduce all kinds of smells into the atmosphere,” Purnell informs. Interested venues should contact him at Audio Tek on 01-8900200 or 087 2730103 ... THE BEAT GOES ON.