Monday Choon: Axwell Ingrosso - This time

For those who attended Ultra South Africa earlier this year, you would know this song very well. Even though it took a while for the team to set up the stage for these two Swedish producers, it was well worth it in the end. Axwell and Ingrosso killed it and even I had my doubts about them closing the show but I had to eat humble pie and accept that the organisers knew what they were doing when they had them close off an memorable day. Their track "This Time" has been out for a while but it's received a fresh mix from the two and some lyrics from Pusha-T, and the end result is fantastic.

                       
               

Monday Choon: HI-LO - Renegade Mastah

 

Who is HI-LO? When the first track of his "Crank it up" was released in June this year, it drew quite a following as it was a great track but no one had heard of this guy before. Turns out HI-LO is an alias used by an already big up and coming name in the dance music genre and with it, he decided to launch his new record label "Heldeep" on which he will release all his music. Well, the question you must be asking still, is who is he? He is none other that Dutch Deep house genius Oliver Heldens! This kid can do no wrong it seems, his HI-LO alias is to produce high bass, fast paced Deep House music. This week's track is HI-LO's new one, "Renegade Mastah", it may sound familiar to you as it was used in the UMF Miami Aftermovie. It's a great track and quite a catchy one, and you got to give it up to Oliver, many of the new young EDM producers on the scene tend to head down the high techo sounds but he's sticking to what he loves and doing great with it, hopefully we'll see him again next year at Ultra South Africa. 

                    

Monday Choon: Ultra Miami 2015 Aftermovie

I've always been a big fan of the aftermovies produced by Final Kid for the Ultra festivals, they always seem to manage to blend the right amount of production, special effects and music to give one the feeling like they were present at the event. Which is why I was left a bit disappointed last year when they ditched their normal style and broke the movie up with interviews of people and DJ's. Don't get me wrong, I love to hear what they have to say about the festival but for me the Aftermovie is about experiencing what was Ultra in that 10 or so minutes, giving the viewer that sense of fomo and euphoria at the same time and I'm glad that they realised this as this years aftermovie they have reverted back to the usual style, just mind blowing production with some of the sickest beats merged into a video that will make you itch to fly to Miami for next years event. Final Kid are the geniuses again behind this epic video and they out did themselves again, you can view it in 4K and yes while it is bandwidth thirsty, trust me, it is worth it. Miami is the ultimate party, they can be Ultra's in many countries, tomorrowlands, electric carnivals you name but this still remains the number EDM party of the world and this video is proof of it. They used a wide range of electronic music in the video, starting off mellow and ending with the hard trance, it is nothing short of epic!

                    

Monday Choon: Protoculture - Pegasus

Nate Raubenheimer, doesn't ring a bell? Probably because you better know him as Protoculture. The South African DJ has been blowing up a storm in the local and international trance circuit over the past few years with his music and his last big gig was at Ultra SA in Cape Town. I was disappointed that he didn't make an appearance in the Jhb leg but I'll have to catch him some other time. He's signed up to Armin van Buuren's Armada record label and most of his stuff can be heard on A State Of Trance, just the other week todays featured track 'Pegasus' was voted future favourite by listeners of the show. It's a great track that's been getting airplay from Armin himself during the ASOT700 global parties. Always been a fan of his work and love it when he's on the ultimix on 5fm, makes me proud to see a local doing great things in the world of EDM.

                       

Relive Ultra 2015

It's been almost a week since Ultra South Africa came and knocked us off our feet and into the air in a a frenzy of song and dance. Bigger, better and more louder than 2014, this years event sure did not disappoint. Cape Town kicked off proceedings with an Ultra exclusive event hosted by Uber which saw a select few who have the Uber app and were quick on the button, go on a sunset party cruise with Goldfish, Oliver Heldens and Martin Garrix. Seeing videos and pictures from the cruise made everyone who wasn't there extremely jealous but we had the next two days to party with those legends and thousands of others. 

Cape Town's show saw an increase in numbers since last year and everyone was blown away from the performances but since I and the many others were going for the Joburg leg, we had to wait one more day to experience the greatness that is Ultra South Africa. Gates opened 11am sharp, with scores of people starting to trickle in, many already having attended pre-ultra parties and were psyched to start the celebrations. With 3 stages and endless amounts of talent ranging from local to top listed internal DJ's, it was bound to be an incredible day no matter what form of electronic music you fancied. 

The UMF Radio stage seemed to be place to be for early goers as the area was packed to catch the on stage DJ's but as the hours went by and the numbers came pouring in by the thousands, the place filled up. Whether you were in General, VIP, VVIP or back stage like some of us, the vibe and energy was amazing to experience. On the main stage Rodger Goode, Goldfish, FeU and Mark Stent warmed the crowd up with their mixtures of local electronic, house and tribal music until the first headliner hit the stage. 

Oliver Heldens, the youngster from the Netherlands came onto raptures from the crowd, having never played in SA before, Ultra SA Jhb leg was his second time and the ovation he received was well deserved. Following him saw Canadian dance music duo brothers Chris and Alex Andre, better known as DVBBS (pronounced dubz) come on, the live interaction between them and the crowd was something to behold with many rating them as their favourites from the day. 

As the sun began to set and the air began to cool, the entertainment started to heat up with a repeat from last year taking to the decks. Martin Garrix has been sensational over the past few years in the EDM scene, producing hit after hit and climbing up the DJ Mag list as well as beatport lists, it no wonder why many who have been in the industry for a while now hold him in such high regard. The kid is a talent and he proved again, with another mind blowing set, coupled with pyro's and laser lights. He sent the crowd into a frenzy when he played his latest hit featuring Moti, "Virus". 

With the sun completely gone and the crowd amped, it was time for the number DJ in the world to make his mark on the number 1 dance music festival on the continent. Hardwell who last toured the country back in Decemeber 2012 was back with a bang. With plenty of new work and some crowd favourite oldies, it was exceptional set for the guy who's ranked above them all in the world for two years in a row now. Having seen the best in the business, you would think it would be hard to top that but step in the legend of Trance, the one, the only, Armin van Buuren. 

Fresh from his ASOT700 world tour, Armin just went to prove that no matter what number he's ranked, he is still one of the best in the world. With his uplifting beats, 3D electronic show and his new stage trick where he controls the lights with the movements of his hands, left the crowd spell bound. He played most of his new work and towards the end brought out some classics that have been re-worked, most notably his mashup of Exploration of Space by Cosmic Gate and Andrew Rayel's remix of Insomia by Faithless. It's probably one of the best sets I've heard from Armin, to see him on stage, in his element, doing what he does best to please us, his fans was unreal. 

Feet aching, back breaking from walking around the whole day from the media tent to the various stages, we had to muster up energy for one final act on the mainstage but while Axwell and Ingrosso took time for their stage setup, some of us made our way down tot he Electric Music Stage to catch the opening 30 minutes of Gorgon City, many felt they deserved their own time slot on main stage but can see why the organisers decided to let them close off things on that side of the park, With hits such as "Real", "here for you" and many adoring SA fans, there was quite a crowd to see them play. 

With the stage finally ready and the voice of Ultra Damian Pinto ready to introduce them, it was time for the lass stage act of the night. Axwell and Ingrosso have joined forces again after the break of up Swedish House Mafia, whether they'll go onto the same success as they did when Steve Angello was still part of the group remains to be seen but they are heading in the right direction. Their set, although consisting a lot from their SHM days was phenomenal and for me having missed the SHM tour, sort of made up for it. Axwell, true to his nature grabbed the mic and got the crowd going, it was a great way to close off what has been an amazing 14 hours of music ecstasy. The crowd begged for more after their set seemed to have ended and they responded with probably their greatest SHM hit, "Dont you worry child" , an amazing fireworks display to end off saw the thousands that made their way to Nasrec that day leave with a massive smile on their face knowing that they were part of something special and already at the back of their mind, planning next years visit. 

Big thanks to Electric Music, AmpliconPR, Ultra South Africa and SMG Rocks for making this trip for me possible. See you guys next year for Ultra SA 2016!

Road tripping with SMG Rocks!

The weekend of Ultra had arrived, myself and 3 mates decided that we would make a road trip out of it and drive up for the biggest music festival on the continent. Being the only media representative from KZN I figured we had to do it in style, so I rang up the guys at SMG Rocks Umhlanga to see if they could assist and they came through with flying colours!

On the day of departure I rocked down to their dealership which is situated in the eye catching corner of 21 Lighthouse Drive, Beacon Rock in Umhlanga, it's kind of hard to miss, especially when they have an actual Mini stuck to the wall! It was my second visit to the dealership, my first was rather different as I was invited to the Mini Roadster launch and we visited the construction site of what was to become this awesome, one of a kind showroom in South Africa. I say one of a kind because SMG Rocks is the first exclusive Mini dealership in the whole of South Africa, every other Mini showroom is attached to another car dealer, mainly their sister company BMW. 

When you walk into the place, you immediately realize this isn't your normal car showroom, bright colours, funky lights and cool Mini memorabilia adorn the space with a variety of the Mini models on the showroom floor for display. The place spells one thing and that is FUN! Which fits the description of the car perfectly. At the front reception desk, once can find the original Mini, the car that started it all. It's quite amazing to see how it has evolved from that into what it is now, one can say it "grew up". 

I was greeted by Clairice, the lady that made this all happen, she handed over the keys to my very own Mini for the weekend. Seeing that we were 4 in total, SMG Rocks sponsored us the new 5 door hatch Cooper S. Having already driven the Cooper at the official launch late last year, I was keen to get behind the wheel of the S and see what it had to offer. The car, although small does pack a mighty punch with its 2 litre, twin scroll engine pushing out 141kW and 280Nm of torque, enough to match some hot hatches. The cars design keeps to Mini's philosophy and looks great, even with the additional two doors, the car still looks proportional and is a looker of note. 

After a quick cappuccino from the Vida E in the showroom... (yes, they have their very on Vida Cafe in store, how awesome???) It was time to hit the road. My biggest concern was the size of the boot, yes boys are known for packing light but times have changed and guys trends too, so gone of the days of one t-shirt lasting us the whole weekend. Suffice to say there was more than adequate space in the Mini 5 door's trunk, and with the added storage cabin below, it made things very handy when packing. Once loaded, and with a full tank of fuel, it was time to hit the open road to Johannesburg. 

The first thing you realize when driving a Mini is how easy it is to drive, it's hard to put into words the sense of joy it brings to you while even performing the most mundane task like going to the shop to buy bread and milk. With its low center of gravity, short wheel base, small turning circle, ultra responsive steering, coupled with that beast of the engine under the hood, it really does feel you're driving a go-kart. Tackling the twisty high speed bends of Inchanga and Cato Ridge was loads of fun but once on the road to Pietermaritzberg we had to behave since those average speed camera's would be keeping an eye on us all the way to Johannesburg. 

It wasn't a major issue though as I got to test out the cruise control feature, which is dead simple to use. The controls are located conveniently on the steering wheel, simply activate it, set you're speed, take your foot off the pedal and enjoy the ride. Someone in front of you slows down? No need to tap the break, just decrease the speed using the controls again, you can  decrease or increase speeds intricately by a 1kph or click down harder for 10kph variants. This made the drive to Harrismith a breeze as it is hard on your foot to keep the vehicle speed at 80 while navigating your way through Van Reenen's Pass, especially when you have such a punchy engine under the hood. 

Having driven many previous generation Mini's, because of the size and the amount you push the car, it did tend to be on the thirsty side, surprisingly at the half way point on the journey, the only thing that needed filling up was our belly's! The Cooper S range still showed that we could do 291km's with only 280km needed to go, one tank would suffice. The average fuel consumption was sitting on 6.7l per 100km which is damn impressive for a 2 liter engine and a car that's packing weight with a full boot and 4 adults.  

On the road again and now deep in the Free State, where the only radio station one can pick up is OFM, it was time to make use of the bluetooth audio streaming function of the Mini. Simply sync your phones bluetooth with the car and not only make hands free calls from your phone but also enjoy your music being played on the 6 speaker sound system. Having compiled a special "Ultra 2015 playlist", it was the perfect way to get amped for the even the next day. 

As fate would have it, we'd reach the City of Gold, right in peak time traffic, this made me very grateful to have an automatic transmission. Plus with the scorching temperature, the dual climate control aircon made things comfortable for all of us in the car. Getting around the streets of Jozi with the Mini was a blast and we also got a lot of heads turning and the attention of other Mini drivers seeing that the 5 door is still new to our roads. It certainly made an impression in the Media and Staff parking lot at Ultra, with some of the organisers wanting to take a closer look at the car whenever I went back to get stuff out of it during the event. 

After partying the night away at Ultra for almost 12 hours, with very sore legs and lack of sleep it was time to head back to Durban. The trip again was made so much better with the Mini, the car just kept on surprising us. Many asked if it was comfortable for the four us, and we always got bemused looks when we told them, the car is small but its spacious! None of us were cramped or bothered and the fuel consumption got better on the drive down as most of it was downhill driving.

It was a sad goodbye when I had to return her to the dealership on the Monday morning but having spent the whole weekend with it and doing just over a 1000km's, it was an awesome experience for us all. The people down at SMG made the trip all that more special with their excellent service, it's no wonder they picked up top honors at this years Mini awards, with them winning top volume sales in South Africa for the Mini Countryman, Paceman, Cooper and Cooper S hatch. Kirsten Hickey, a sales agent at the dealership also received 3rd runner up for sales agent of the year and Ian Greig received runner up for manager of the year.  Every Mini owner I know only speaks in high regard of them and it's no wonder they getting the credit they deserve. So next time you're in the market for a new car, pop by to SMG Rocks and give the one of the many Mini's a test drive, I'm sure you'll be in for a surprise.

Location: 21 Lighthouse Road, Umhlanga Rocks, Beacon Rock Building

Website: www.mini-smgrocks.co.za

Facebook: SMG Rocks

Twitter: @SMG_Rocks

Instagram: smg_rocks

Monday Choon: Armin van Buuren - Hystereo

It's the final week and its just a matter of days till South Africa is taken over by Ultra fever! Some of the biggest names in EDM will grace our shores for two days of Ultra madness. Friday sees the first leg of Ultra SA taking place in Cape Town, then shifting focus onto Nasrec in Joburg for the second leg. Among the star studded line up is the King of Trance music, Armin van Buuren. He held the number 1 spot on the DJ Mag list for a number of years and deservedly so, he's weekly show A State of Trance is broad casted to millions and with every 50th show, he celebrates with a sell out world wide tour. Armin's melodies are something to be hold, his on stage presence is like no other and even though he isn't the last one act of the night for Ultra SA, he's bound to be phenomenal. 

Today's featured track is from the maestro himself, released last year Hystereo saw itself climb up the various charts and become an instant favourite on his show. A number of remixes were soon released but for me, the original is still the best. Be sure to see Armin and the other top DJ's at this years Ultra South Africa, tickets are still available, so don't hesitate and get yours now!