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Dance Culture VibeEpisode 13 - Nick HalkesNick Halkes is the co-founder of XL Recordings, launched Positiva Records under the EMI banner, and has had an incredible and multifaceted career in music.From humble beginnings at his middle school disco and selling smiley face t-shirts in Ibiza in the late 80s, to signing The Prodigy and releasing his own rave hits. Nick’s career is the story of passion, business acumen, and the courage to take the right risks.Nick has played a huge role in shaping the electronic music landscape, and in this episode we discuss:Finding dance music at ag...2021-02-131h 06Dance Culture VibeEpisode 12 - Assad Saifullah KhanPakistan is not on most people’s list of rave destinations, and as one of the most conservative Islamic countries on Earth, for those pursuing what can be viewed as Western immorality, the stakes can be life and death.But the rave experience is undeniable, and is perhaps worth laying it all on the line... This week's guest, Assad Saifullah Khan, pioneered Pakistan's underground rave scene as a DJ, promotor and a pioneer. Known variably as DJ Barrister, and as his newest musical incarnation is BASK, in this episode Asaad and I discuss:The ori...2020-12-2152 minDance Culture VibeEpisode 11 - Paul LinneyPaul Linney has been on the frontlines of our dance culture institutions for more than 30 years. He’s spent his life immersed in music, DJ’ing and running clubs and bars from a young age. Amongst many other accomplishments, Paul is a regular at the highly revered Pikes hotel in Ibiza where his nights are consistently recognized and awarded as the Best One-Off Events on the Island. This, where an invitation just to play at Pikes is high praise unto itself.In this episode Paul and I discuss:Sneaking out to the M25 ravesHow to re...2020-10-1853 minDance Culture VibeEpisode 10 - Paul MacPaul is classically trained musician whose early taste in music was shaped by the experimental post-punk period of the 1980's in Australia. Exploring Sydney's burgeoning gay dance party scene around that same time, Paul discovered the culture and music that was to become rave in Australia.In 1991 Paul joined Andy Rantzen to form the legendary Australian electronic music group Itch-e & Scratch-e, releasing what I and many believe to be the greatest Aussie electronic music track of all time. Paul is one of the most thoughtful and insightful guests I’ve had the pleasure of talking with one the...2020-10-0455 minDance Culture VibeEpisode 9 - Michael TullbergMichael moved to Los Angeles in 1991 and built his career in photojournalism, documenting the city’s goth and industrial scenes as well as the celeb-studded upscale Beverly Hills party scene. Dissatisfied with the velvet rope mentality and unremarkable music, Michael found his way into the underground rave scene at just the right time, towards the end of 1995.Los Angeles was ground-zero for North American dance culture. The city was unique in its abundance of talent, its unique venues, and entertainment industry tastemakers. What happened in LA set the tone for America’s rave experience for years to come...2020-09-171h 07Dance Culture VibeEpisode 8 - Adam FreelandAdam Freeland is one of dance music’s most dynamic artists. As an early pioneer of the nu-skool breaks genre, Adam blazed a trail and made a name for himself on dancefloors around the world. Pete Tong has said of Adam that “he’s a pioneer", "one of my favorite DJ’s" and "one of the uk club scene’s national treasures”.Adam's 1996 Coastal Breaks mix is widely considered to be the first defining mix of the genre, however his music beyond breaks has blurred all the lines, transcended all the boundaries and with his current incarnation, his 3 piece...2020-09-1046 minDance Culture VibeEpisode 7 - Michael CainThe Starck Club opened in Dallas, Texas, in 1984 and immediately revolutionized the American nightclub experience. The Starck broke every boundary that conservative Texas held at that time, with unisex toilets, legal ecstasy and a hedonistic polysexual vibe that would see everyone from Rob Lowe to George W. Bush making an appearance.The music policy was diverse and initially preceded house music, with acts like Grace Jones, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, David Byrne, Book of Love, and many other.I mentioned Rick Squillante, one of the club's resident DJ's, at the e...2020-09-0354 minDance Culture VibeEpisode 6 - Colin RothbartColin's career began when he scored a role on the 1993 reality TV show, The Living Soap. The series focussed on 6 university students sharing a house in Manchester. During this time Colin was cultivating an early love for dance culture at The Hacienda, PSV, and the many raves that took place in and around the city.A few short years later Colin was co-hosting one of the most infamous and offbeat club culture TV shows to have ever existed, Trainspotters TV. The show follows Colin and his co-host as they check out clubs and parties around the UK a...2020-08-2739 minDance Culture VibeEpisode 5 - Thee-OGrowing up in early 90’s LA, Thee-O was immersed in the unique party crew scene that developed in the city’s east. The scene wasn’t quite rave as we know it, and consisted of local crews who threw events in backyards, parks and warehouses.The party crew scene overlapped with the rave scene as it began to develop, and Thee-O made his rave debut at underground event in 1992. Since that day he has seen LA’s rave scene from all angles.In this episode we discussLA in the 90’sThe party crew scene of East LA...2020-08-1842 minDance Culture VibeEpisode 4 - Deborah ParsonsDeborah is a force to be reckoned with. Her creativity and drive have placed her front and center with some of most innovative productions, live events and experiential installations.In addition to her role as Founder and CEO of Creative House Productions, Deborah is also the Managing Director of the experiential design and build production company, Better Green.In this episode we discuss:The emotional rollercoaster that Deborah and her team have been on since the event’s forced postponementHow the concept of A Lost Weekend: Human Traffic Live will redefine the rave experienceThe am...2020-08-1135 minDance Culture VibeEpisode 3 - Mitchell GomezMitchell is a leading voice on drug policy and trends, and his work with Dancesafe has been covered in Rolling Stone, The Guardian and the Los Angeles Times, amongst many other publications.This episode is a mind-bending brain download in which we discuss:The underground breaks scene in 1990’s FloridaHow the entire world’s supply of MDMA precursor was destroyed in 2008, leading to a multiyear droughtThe mysterious new MDMA recipe published online that changed the worldHow agile drug markets reroute around “damage to the network”The influence of drug cartel money on national policyThe DIY yeast and bact...2020-08-041h 41