Djoon is nestled in a vibrant ‘new’ district of eastern Paris and for near 10 years has played host to known and unknown local and international talents from the soulful New Yorker to the afro deep South African, from the pioneers of Chicago and Detroit to Berlin’s deep tech or eclectic London artists… From my point of view it is from far the best place in Paris to listen to some real house music. Always seeking talent, this temple of encounters between dancers and music lovers has seen its wooden dance floor trodden by clubbers from all over the world. Here is its last compilation mixed by the legends Joaquin Claussell and Black Coffee.

To celebrate the 20 years of the well-known German label Kompakt, I rummaged through my old vinyl records, my CDs and MP3 to select the best releases of the label founded in 1998 in Cologne by Michael Mayer, Jürgen Paape and Wolfgang Voigt. This results is a set of 2h with the presence of the label's most iconic artists like Michael Mayer obviously, Superpitcher, Jurgen Paape, Justus Köhncke or some more sporadic artists like Gui Boratto, Coma or Sei A. The set also attempts to show you the diversity of the artists who signed for it.

Melodic and groovy - that’s the distinguished sound of the two Thuringians Marcel and Thomas, aka Boss Axis, from Germany as in 2008 they decided to have a share in the electronic music scene. Their sound features warmth, pressure and especially harmony, on what they emphasize in particular. Their attention to detail is obvious. Recently, they were titled “ministers of melody”. The review about their latest album released in December entitled “Bridge a divide” is a splendid performances of Boss Axis like fireworks of euphoric moments.

It is one of the biggest surprises of the month that I received as a promo some days ago thanks to Rebel Butterfly PR: the new album of Daniel Steinberg. Sometimes you need to lose your mind, to regain your musical soul. For Berlin DJ/producer Daniel Steinberg, an intense touring period in the wake the releasing of his debut album “Shut Up” warranted just that. Suffering from a heavy tour comedown and questioning the direction of not just his music, but his ongoing desire to continue as a globetrotting artist, he locked himself in his East Berlin studio for a nine-day period of “self-imposed exile” that ultimately laid the foundations for his latest housy/funky opus, «Treptow» (a neighbourhood in Berlin).

Blue Hawaii, Arbutus Records and many of their Montreal counter-parts all began with the same breath in early 2010. To date they’ve released an 8 song EP: in May of that year, Blooming Summer (Arbutus Records 2010) was recorded following the pair’s travels in Central America. It frames a time of warmth and novelty, featuring dense female harmonies, tape saturated synths, guitars and drum machines. Eventually Ra– returned to her role in BRAIDS, touring constantly, while Ag–moved to Europe, treading deeper into dance music, electronics, and production. The two decided to make “Untogether” in 2012, honestly the best album we’ve heard so far this year. A great surprise let’s say.

On March 1st, 1993, Kompakt opened the blue doors on Gladbacher Straße 36 for the very first time and thus, a new record store was born. Two moves, a name change, almost exactly 500 publications and a staggering 20 years later, Kompakt is still here and stronger than ever. That’s why throughout 2013, they will celebrate “20 YEARS OF KOMPAKT” in all shapes and colors, including this exciting jubilee 2-CD release jam-packed with floor favorites, towering chart-toppers and secret weapons from the rich history of one of Germany’s most-loved labels! A must have for all electronic music lovers.

You don’t need to be in the same studio or club, or even the same continent to experience a musical connection; regardless of distance, you recognize the click instantaneously. Some 7000 kilometers divide techno master craftsmen Marc Romboy and Ken Ishii, but that didn’t prevent them uniting to produce Taiyo (Japanese for ‘sun’, the origin of everything), an album that is as much about the duo’s shared musical vision, as the inevitable flicker of creative conflict that marks collaborations of this nature. Indeed, to Romboy and Ishii, the challenge of balancing these subtle differences lies at the core of album and where the most interesting and unexpected sonic ideas are spawned.