Author: Ian Fleming

Melbourne-based DJ/producer Phil Krokidis, who was better known as Phil K, has died following a battle with bladder cancer. He was 51.

Krokidis was diagnosed in July 2018. In February 2019, a GoFundMe campaign was launched to raise money for his medical expenses.

During his career, he helped popularize the sound of the Aussie breaks scene. He dropped his first record called “Summer Breeze” as The Free Radicals with Andy Page and Ivan Gough in 1996.

He went on to release music on Global Underground, Lobotomy Records, Audio Therapy and Institution Recordings.

He also mixed a selection of well-received mix albums, including 2002’s Balance 004: Phil K (EQ/Stomp), 2003’s Retro>Future (Functional Breaks) and 200’s: Renaissance Presents The Therapy Sessions: Dave Seaman & Phil K (Renaissance).

Krokidis was also half of Lostep, a production duo featuring fellow Australian Luke Chable, and in a trio with Damon Fonooni and Dave Preston, known as The Operators.

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An inquiry by New York State’s health commissioner into a Hamptons, NY charity party that violated social distancing rules has resulted in a $20,000 fine levied against the event’s promoters.

Video of Safe & Sound, a “drive-in music experience in the famous summer hot spot, the Hamptons” featuring the Chainsmokers, Goldman Sachs boss David “DJ-Sol” Solomon and Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman’s band held July 25, went viral and set off public outrage in New York, an area hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tickets for the pricey event ran between $1,250 and $25,000, with proceeds going to local charities No Kid Hungry, Children’s Medical Fund of N.Y. and Southampton Fresh Air Home.

The state investigation revealed that 2,150 people attended the event and far exceeded the number allowed on the permit. The limit was 50 for nonessential gatherings under Phase 4 of the state’s reopening, which Long Island entered on July 8.

Taking to Twitter, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the fine, adding the local municipality will not be able to approve permits for local public group gatherings without permission from the State.

NEW: Following an investigation into the Chainsmokers concert in the Hamptons this summer, the promoters will be fined $20,000 for violating public health law.

Further, the Town of Southampton cannot approve permits for group gatherings without State approval.

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) October 14, 2020

In July, event promoters In the Know Experiences and Invisible Noise defended their actions, stating CDC guidelines were followed. They have yet to comment about the fine announced yesterday.

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Four years in the touring life of Brazil’s DJ Alok have been documented in an eye-catching stop-motion video put together by Sergio and Gabriel Twardowski.

Before COVID-19 forced clubs and festivals to close to prevent the spread of the disease, the brothers had crisscrossed the world with Alok.

During quarantine, the Twardowskis took inventory of the photos they captured and took on the Herculean task of curating the images into a breathtaking visual document.

According to Designboom, the pair searched through 900 hours of images looking for similar characteristics between the clips over the course of two months. The process of creating the stop motion itself took six days.

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With fashion brands forced to go virtual at Milan Fashion Week due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Prada went the extra mile for the virtual presentation of their Spring-Summer 2021 womenswear collection. The Italian luxury brand tapped DJ/producer Richie Hawtin to score the soundtrack for the runway show streamed on September 24.

Hawtin’s brand-new, 12-minute “Sin Thetik” — crafted under us Plastikman alias — is accompanied by a 20-minute ambient version.

This is Prada’s first show since Belgian fashion designer Raf Simons joined Miuccia Prada as the company’s co-creative director. Simons became co-creative director in April 2020.

Obligatory press release gush from Hawtin: “Very proud to announce my collaboration with Prada to soundtrack their SS21 collection. Plastikman “Sin Thetik” was created over an intense few weeks and was inspired by my conversations with Raf along with directions for Miuccia. The process was new to me, however I always felt the respect and openness from Raf & Miuccia to allow me to explore where the sound of Plastikman would fit in this new context. This is just the first piece of music today, expect more very soon…”

Watch the show and an interesting conversation with Prada and Simons below that was surprisingly not awkward.

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