Matt Hardwick is the epitome of an international DJ. He lives and breathes electronic music. Since his inception into club culture Matt Hardwick has completely immersed himself in it. His rapid ascendency into dance music with the global phenomenon that is Gatecrasher is something which has been well documented. The association with Gatecrasher, the first of many landmark achievements in his career, took Matt’s name from the dusty streets of Sheffield to the bright lights akin with international stardom, along the way seeing him play some of the greatest events the world of clubbing has to offer. Whether it was playing at the sell-out Don Valley stadium gig in front of 28,000 people on New Years Eve 2000 or playing to 15,000 people at the amazing Gatecrasher NEC events - Matt was the heartbeat of the lion that roared throughout the trance boom of the late 90’s.
However, Matt’s growing reputation really came to the fore only as recently as the beginning of 2002 with the completion of his first Radio 1 Essential Mix. The mix struck a chord with clubbers and promoters the world over. The resounding success of his debut Essential mix led to Radio 1 requesting a follow up in October 2005. This mix was so popular it was quickly shortlisted for the ‘Essential mix of the year’, only to be pipped to the post by Sasha.
In the ten years that he maintained weekly residency with the globally renowned Gatecrasher, Matt packed and delighting dance floors from Sydney to Los Angeles to Moscow and Johannesburg.
In late 2004 Matt’s position as Gatecrasher resident ceased, as he felt that the resident tag was inhibiting his development as a DJ in his own right. Entirely amicable his departure raised many an eyebrow but went on to surpass even the most cynical of these critics as Matt’s career blossomed. A testament to his ability is that, whilst travelling the globe over, Matt is still booked regularly to perform for the club, as he is for Godskitchen, Minister of Sound, Slinky, Passion and The Gallery.
Whilst retaining a strong diary of club dates, Matt has also been a prominent feature at many of the world’s most prolific festivals including 50,000 people at Castle Dance in St Petersburg, Godskitchen Global Gathering, Creamfields, Homelands, Escape in the Park, South West 4, Laserpoint Festival in Finland and Gatecrasher Summer Sound System. Whilst enjoying successful tours throughout Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, North and South America.
All this aside, it is perhaps Matt’s production profile which has brought his name to the fore of recent years. From his first two singles with the popular duo Smith & Pledger, entitled Day One and Connected, through to his club anthem ‘Slave to the Machine’ with fellow DJ John Askew, Matt’s music has received extended support from the likes of Tiesto, Paul Oakenfold, Armin Van Buuren, Ferry Corsten and Judge Jules and found its way on to over 50 compilations worldwide. To follow up on the success of their joint single, Matt and John launched a double CD compilation called ‘Live as’ for ‘Discover World’ in 2006. Mixed club live and box fresh the ‘Live As’ series gives a raw appeal that most commercial album somewhat lack, providing a real experience of the dj in his truest form.
However, it was 2007 when Matt Hardwick really came of age when after kicking off the year with his remix of ‘Gulf – Impossible’ was selected by Motorola, along with mixes by Mauro Picotto and Marco V, to launch the new David Beckham Razr phone, before being invited by his old family in Sheffield to record an underground mix on the retrospective album, “Gatecrasher Immortal”, following the fire at the superclub. The album received critical acclaim and went on to sell an unprecedented 100,000 copies and shortly after saw Matt being voted number 48 in the world in the 2007 DJ Mag Top 100 Poll (up 16 places from 2006).
So to 2008 and what’s next for Matt Hardwick? With an ever increasing number of globetrotting performances, his hot collaboration with Mark Pledger titled ‘Falling Tides’ out early January 2008 on Anjunabeats and a full release planned for his remix of ‘Gulf – Impossible’, it is business as usual for one of electronic music’s brightest stars.
17/11/08 Trouble Ahead, Trouble Behind: More Rockiness Awaits
17/11/08 Trouble Ahead, Trouble Behind: More Rockiness Awaits
A difficult rearview is now prelude to more turbulence ahead, and investors are exercising caution. Instead of heady optimism and bottom-scraping scrappiness, most are girding for another rollercoaster week, including those carrying music-related shares.
That includes Warner Music Group (WMG), a company that bottomed an all-time low of $2.74 last week, only to resuscitate to $2.77 by Friday. Sirius XM Radio (SIRI) also tested the trough by landing at 26 cents at the end of the week, a depressed valuation that betrays a host of serious ills.
Those companies have fundamental issues, though broader headwinds remain unfriendly. On Friday, the Dow shed 337.94 points to 8.497.31, a 3.82 percent drop on Friday. Overall, the Dow dropped 4.2 percent on the week, based on a bearish mix of bad earnings, layoffs, tightening consumer confidence, and pending meltdowns of mega-corporations like GM.
Other music-related stocks felt the pressure. Live Nation (LYV) landed at $5.50, a 36.6 percent drop on the week, based on negative analyst projections related to concert attendance. Irving Azoff-helmed Ticketmaster Entertainment (TKTM) also ended sharply down, dropping 24.7 percent to $5.87. The Orchard edged downward 1.9 percent, landing at $2.54; and Apple (AAPL) slipped 5 percent to $90.24.
16/11/08 More Layoffs at Sirius XM Radio...
16/11/08 More Layoffs at Sirius XM Radio...
Sirius XM Radio is continuing to shed staff, a pare down that comes against a troubled company forecast. The latest round involves roughly 30 staffers, according to a tips from All Access, FMQB, and Orbitcast. The move closely follows a freshly consolidated dial, and the eliminations involve a number of program directors from shuttered stations.
Last week, Sirius subscribers were transitioned into the merged dial, a process that created some confusion among listeners. Additionally, the elimination of certain stations - often in favor of a redundant or similar station - created some disappointment among loyal followers. The broader impact on subscription levels remains unclear, though the move towards a simpler, consolidated dial was probably inevitable.
15/11/08 Duke Wants Proof; Pushes Back Against RIAA
15/11/08 Duke Wants Proof; Pushes Back Against RIAA
Duke University now wants proof of infringement before forwarding an RIAA notice, according to the Office of Student Affairs. That replaces an earlier practice of simply passing a pre-litigation notice through to its students, without examining the case. "What we're saying is that in order for us to pass on a settlement letter to a student, we're going to start requiring evidence that someone actually downloaded from that student," vice president for Student Affairs Larry Moneta told Duke newspaper The Chronicle.
The move probably presents a speedbump for the major label trade group, though symbolically, it signals another episode of resistance by a major university. It could also signal the beginning of greater levels of pushback, based on technical definitions of what constitutes infringement. Outside of academia, the RIAA is now defending an infringement methodology that equates "making available" with illegal transfer. An upcoming retrial focuses on whether induced downloads through RIAA partner MediaSentry are a veritable substitute for actual downloads from a third party, a transaction that is far more difficult to prove.
15/11/08 IODA Gets a Bigger Piece of Indie Japan...
15/11/08 IODA Gets a Bigger Piece of Indie Japan...
IODA is now pushing further into the Japanese independent music scene, thanks to a deal involving BounDEE. The San Francisco-based IODA, a top digital distributor for a range of independent labels, is tapping BounDEE to distribute content across a number of online and mobile outlets in the region. BounDEE is also offering physical and marketing solutions for a smaller group of IODA labels and artist.
The BounDEE network includes over 200 stores, a footprint that includes a significant mobile reach. Most importantly, BounDEE offers a relationship with mobile music heavyweight Label Mobile, just one of several important partners. According to figures from the IFPI, 91 percent of music is consumed over mobile devices, a ratio that makes it imperative for IODA to expand beyond outlets like iTunes Japan. "Our relationships in the mobile market will help IODA's labels get access to the number one way digital music is consumed in Japan," said Hideaki Shimizu, chief executive. of BounDEE.
In return, IODA will also distribute BounDEE artists into regions like the United States, part of a recipricol deal.
14/11/08 Lost Beatles Track Surfaces... Now What?
14/11/08 Lost Beatles Track Surfaces... Now What?
Beatles aficionados were recently delighted to find that a 14-minute, "lost track" actually exists. The track, "Carnival of Light," was confirmed by Paul McCartney during a recent BBC interview. "It does exist," McCartney told BBC Radio 4. The song was actually conceived in 1967, and performed only once in public, according to McCartney. "I like it because it's The Beatles free, going off piste," McCartney described. "The time has come for it to get its moment."
The song was rejected for inclusion in the Anthology compilation, according to McCartney, and the fate of the track remains unclear. As described, the song sounds more like a sonic escapade, and less like a tightly-conceived Beatles classic. Perhaps more "Revolution 9," and less "Love Me Do," though the presence of the track could re-energize digital discussions. The Beatles, longtime digital holdouts, have yet to license their content online, though fans have been trading the entire catalog illegally for more than ten years.
