Stampede at We Are FSTVL. UK clubs keep closing. The industry wasn’t as profitable in 2018. Abelton Live 10.1 now available.
Panic at We Are FSTVL. Several festival goers were injured in a stampede at the entrance of London’s We Are FSTVL last Saturday. The rush was caused by a lack of wristbands, leading to queues and numerous collapses from the afternoon heat. A video of the stampede shows ravers screaming while pushing their way past metal barriers. Cuts and wounds were reported, and We Are FSTVL said “five customers sustained minor injuries” in a statement that went on to blame “unforeseen technical difficulties at the wristband exchange” for the incident. “Our sincere apologies for anyone that was affected by the issue at the gate,” the statement continued. Watch video of the incident below.
#WeAreFestival @wearefstvl my friend filmed this, i was trapped inside the tent while all this was going on clinging to a pole so I didn’t get trampled on, after three hours of queuing and the blaring sun it wasn’t ideal…. pic.twitter.com/yoYZyTgJUN
— alexi hickin (@alexi_hickin) May 26, 2019
Strange Brew. A new music and arts venue is asking for your help in becoming a reality in Bristol. Called Strange Brew, the proposed 330-capacity space will be offering an “eclectic program of live music, exhibitions, club nights and performances with a late-night cafe-bar and record shop,” according to its Crowdfunder page. The independent grassroots venue is backed by a team with 10 years experience in organising pop-up music events. They are now looking to create something permanent in an area that has lost 20% of its venues and bars in the last 7 years. To donate, and to learn more about the proposed venue, head here.
More UK club closures. According to the IMS annual industry summary, the number of nightclubs in the UK dropped by 21 percent in 2018. The document details commercial, governmental and cultural pressures, like dating apps and wellness trends, as well as the increase of festivals, as reasons for the strain on venues. In 2018, clubs like Mint Club Leeds, Oxford’s The Cellar and The Harley in Sheffield have all closed. Read the full report here.
The bottom line. The Forbes’ World’s Highest-Paid DJs earned the lowest amount since 2013, says the IMS business report. Last year, the top 10 highest paid DJs earned $261m, down from $298m in 2017. This is partially due to lower attendance in Las Vegas, which is the most financially lucrative club market in the world. Electronic music’s global market share also declined in the last 12 months, down from 11.6 to 9.5% in the UK, and 3.5 to 3% in the US. However, Germany and Canada saw growth of about 1% during that time. Dance music remains the third most popular style on the planet, behind rock and pop, with an estimated 1.5 billion listeners. Video games have had a major impact on electronic music recently, representing what IMS calls a “huge opportunity for Electronic DJs & artists.”
Get Schwifty! Following its recent collab with Ghostly International, Swedish gear company Teenage Engineering is teaming up with the creators of Rick and Morty for a special edition of its mini Pocket Operator synthesizer. The PO-137 will feature a special animated LCD screen, 120 seconds of sample memory, an alarm clock, a folding stand, as well as voice samples performed by co-creator Justin Roiland, including Rick’s famous catchphrase, “wubba lubba dub dub.” Like the Ghostly collaboration, this one is likely to sell out quickly. Head over to the Teenage Engineering website and sign up to be notified when it goes on sale.
Ableton Live 10.1. Ableton is offering its most recent update for Live for free. 10.1 was announced back in February, and will have new view options with flexible zooming, extra devices including Channel EQ and Delay, and a new feature that will allow users to drag and drop samples into the Waveform synth to create new timbres and sounds. Though perhaps its most important new update allows users to Freeze a channel that features sidechain routing. Head here for more info.
SoundCloud update. Weeks after announcing integration with Pioneer DJ, Serato, Virtual DJ and other platforms, SoundCloud has announced software integration with Native Instruments’ Traktor DJ 2. Streaming is only available for SoundCloud Go+ members, and allows for streaming of the entire 200 million-song SoundCloud catalogue directly to your DJ software. To celebrate, Native Instruments have commissioned setlists from DJs like Felix Da Housecat, Objekt and Kornél Kovács. Download Traktor DJ 2 for free here.
MOTOR Synth. One of favourite pieces of gear at this years Superbooth 19 cam courtesy of Latvian gear company Gamechanger Audio who showcased “the world’s first electro-mechanical desktop synthesizer”: the MOTOR Synth. Gamechanger have now launched an IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign, where it will be available to pre-order for $749.00 USD for 30 days. Once the campaign closes, you’ll only be able to buy it online and in-store at the MSRP of $1,299.00 USD when shipping starts, scheduled for around November or December 2019. What makes the MOTOR Synth different is how it produces sounds, using a system of electromotors as its main sound source. Specifically, it accelerates and decelerates eight electromotors to precise RPMs, which correspond with specific musical notes. The crowdfunding campaign is now active, head here for more details. Demo below: