2008 in review, highs and lows...

Highlight for me was Life. Just one great laugh all weekend in a wonderful setting.

Low point was Solas. I still look back and think (i) bloody weather and (ii) what might have been...

MikeHoncho

Gui Boratto in Wax
Richie Hawtin, Gaiser, DJ Yoda extravaganza night that I had in Tripod / POD
Japanese Popstars in McGruders
Modeslektor / A-Track / Santogold at Electric Picnic
Marc Houle in The Button Factory
Green and Blue in Frankfurt (Villalobos, Vath, Extrawelt, Loco Dice)
Ame in Watergate Berlin

Too many to mention what a savage year I had.

joker77

Don't really go clubbing a whole lot, am going to make an effort to get to more live dance acts / djs next year.

Highlights - Underworld @ Electrip Picnic (had to leave after 40 mins but I loved every second, sound system was excellent in that tent as well)
Tresor in Berlin - great to see it for the experience, such a stereotypical German club it was almost comical, but had a blast.

Low points - Booka Shade @ EP. Was really built up for this, but thought they were p*ss poor live. Sound system didn't help.

SteveDon

Electric city with donnacha, sunil and chymera
Solas - Alex Under, Heartthrob (pity about the weather tho)
Ben Klock in the twisted pepper, sweaty night
Richie Hawtin and Dubfire in Tripod
Mountainfest 08

plenty more aswell, its been a great year

Fintomiginto

Dj Yoda, 808 state & Tom Middleton in Tripod.:p
Tony Humphries in The Tivoli. The mans a living legend and a terrible nice fella to boot.

But my best night by a mile was Danny Tennaglia in Tripod.
(Discounting the fact he played a remix of R.E.M "Losing my Religeon"):eek: we wont talk about that. Up until then the place was rocking.

My heads a bit mushed, I go out nearly every weekend but they are the only ones I can remember!!!:pac::pac:

Jello

Highs:

The Chemical Brothers

Saw MSTRKRFT in Spy, with a surprise appearance from 2ManyDJ's, really enjoyed it. Was annoyed I couldn't go to Soulwax/2manyDJ's that night so seeing them in Spy on the same night really made up for it. Saw MSTRKRFT again at a festival and were just as good.

Kraftwerk/Soulwax - great show, atmosphere, setting.

Aphex Twin - amazing

Boys Noize - saw him 3 times this year, was amazing each time.

Digitalism, Justice were also up there.


Lows:

Not many really, Erol Alkan I was expecting more.

tman

Highs;
Old Skool closing set at life festival... ****ing brilliant!
Underworld & Tiga @ EP
All of Glastonbury (roll on '09!!!)
Many messy sessions over in London, including 3 clubs in 1 night for my birthday!
Getting absolutely cunted last Friday on a spur of the moment session:pac:

Hopefully next weekend will be another one... Ben Stevens playing within staggering distance of my place

Lows;
The (kind of)end of SiSi/110th Street
Galway nightlife going to ****e...

jonny68

Best set to the year: Francois K @ The Button Factory in the summer, im a big fan of people mixing and blending instead of being boring and predictable and sticking to the one style and Francois K fused together Soul, Funk, Disco, House and some Techno and it sounded brilliant.

Tune of the year:Tough one this, i would say Getting Ready by K-Klass but this is a remake of a classic old skool Italian House tune called Getting Out so ill choose this absolute storming tune, not even big in Ibiza but who cares, it doesn't have to be to make it a great tune, House Music at it's absolute finest

I've been playing this now all year and it's still an amazing track.

Kemal feat. Foxxee - City Street Walkin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_al1gOGfwU

Remix of the year:
Undoubtely it has to be the Shapeshifters remix of the seminal Orbital classic Chime, they really done a fantastic job remixing this and even won over old skoolers with this remix (amazing video as well)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HzzOLu_2CY
Another excellent remix is Funkagenda & Mark Knight - Man with the red face which when i first heard i didn't like but now i think it's brilliant.

Generally this year has been absolutely shocking for remixes with some cringeworthy mixes of classic old skool tunes, originality is sadly lacking in todays dance scene!!


Best nite of the year:
For me personally so far it was probaby the MN2S Closing Party in El Divino, Ibiza, with Joey Negro, Derrick Carter, Danism and Michael Gray,amazing tunes, top atmosphere and El Divino is amazing,that view from the Terrace is stunning what a shame it's to be demolished next year!!!


Festival of the year:
Gotta be Life, im finished with mainstream festivals, why pay €250 when you can get an early bird ticket for Life for €70 for 3 brilliant days, with some brilliant music and sound people, will definitely go again in 2009 if im still in this country.

DJ of the year:
I'm gonna choose Carl Cox, 20 years on the scene and he is still as fresh as ever, no one can beat Coxy.

Most anticipated event:
See my signature, im really excited about going to Fantazia, it is going to be stunning.

Prediction for 2009:
The darkness that has descended on dance music over the last few years has been like a dark cloud, im predicting a big return for uplifting keyboard/piano tunes with vocals, also i think Hardcore Breaks will continue to go from strength to strength.

jonny68

Some non dance.

Best Film:
Cloverfield - something else:eek:

Best Album:
The Verve - Forth
Fantastic comeback album from the legendary Verve

Cun*ts of the year:
The mickey mouse dysfunctional Irish Government for allowing the country to slide into a dark recession while they take all summer off and 6 weeks paid holiday at xmas while families struggle on the breadline, utter cun*s,oh and Mary Harney as well, she should be burned at the stake.:pac:

MikeHoncho

Im gonna ad Modeselektor in Twisted Pepper last night to my list. Great show. Best atmosphere ive seen anywhere in ages.

Scubadevils

Model 500 at DEAF & Leonard Cohen at Kilmainham

Oh and my son who was born in February! Already big into techno...

Executive Steve

playing in poland and in paris

interviewing the likes of coldcut, marky, noisia, equinox, outrage, splitloop, code, zyon base, polar etc

getting into dubstep in a bigger way

convincing a record shop to sell records

sun and bass 2008 in sardinia. inspirational and educational.

2562 in traffic

supporting equinox, outrage, nookie, calibre, zero tolerance, bailey, storm, and benga


regrets:

missing my slot at mantua due to work stuff

not bringing records with me to the life fest - ended up being asked to fill a slot at the last minute and had to say no.... d'oh!

jtsuited

Highs of the year:

Jaysus too many to mention. But I'll try.
Getting my first tracks signed and released. Finding out Hernan Cattaneo and 16 Bit Lolitas had been playing them out a lot.
Getting signed to Harthouse's sublabel New League (don't know release dates).
Getting to know people in dance music in Ireland and Europe.
My first gig was brilliant. Not your typical first gig and had a blast.
Playin the Pod was pretty awesome too.

Gettin my studio up to scratch. Making a few quid from music. Which was about time considering the hours i work at it.

Meeting a lot of people in 'the industry' who were as into music as I was.
Props from one of my producer heroes on Soundcloud.

Gui Boratto in Wax.

I had an absolute blinder of a year, and achieved everything I had set out to do at the start of the year (and a lot more). It was a bit scary when everything sort of happened so fast and me being fairly new to this part of the industry, got a little bit nervous.

But the past month I've been hid away in the studio churning them out so I'm delighted to wrap up the year now on a high.

Lows of the Year

Realising that the vast majority of people do not know their arse from their elbow when it comes to economics.
Folks, this recession was always gonna happen. No matter what politicians were doing what, nothing was going to stop this.

Unregulated greed in Wall Street and deluded economic optimism at home have put us where we are now. Which is not as bad as some people would make out. The economy is going to restructure itself, Ireland will become a knowledge based society, and huge amounts of unskilled, semi-skilled and manual workers will emigrate.
Easy Come Easy Go.
Money didn't suit a lot of Irish people anyway.

Apart from the recession, can't think of many other lows.
And I'm not sure the recession is such a bad thing for me anywho. I was going to have to get the feck out of here in order to live because of the ridiculous price of rent etc. and now that the banks aren't gonna have so much credit, the price of living will come down/balance out to something sane.

So eh, put me down for an all highs 2008

jtsuited

Felixdhc wrote: »

Model 500 at DEAF & Leonard Cohen at Kilmainham

Oh and my son who was born in February! Already big into techno...

congratulations dude. i have a nephew who already (he's just turned 1) has taken a shine to my macbook and oddly enough Brian Eno.

SRFC90

MikeHoncho wrote: »

Im gonna ad Modeselektor in Twisted Pepper last night to my list. Great show. Best atmosphere ive seen anywhere in ages.

Man where did ya hear of them playin!? I'd of loved to see them but didn't even know they were on!!

Scubadevils

jtsuited wrote: »

congratulations dude. i have a nephew who already (he's just turned 1) has taken a shine to my macbook and oddly enough Brian Eno.

Cheers, actually our second... already have a 4 year old daughter who incidentally is also an Eno fan. She listens to Eno most nights to go to sleep and has done now since she was about 2 - it replaced her old kids music box / night light. Her favourites are The Pearl & The Plateaux of Mirror, both being Harold Budd collaborations and amazing albums. She has good taste... but then again, she also loves Girls Aloud :pac: