Paul Oakenfold
Photo: Perfecto

Paul Oakenfold, Deep Dish, Gorillaz and more than 100 other electronic music acts from around the world will perform at a massive Miami Beach, Florida, party on March 23.

The fourth annual Ultra festival will kick off the Winter Music Conference, a yearly five-day electronic music gathering that has been transforming Miami Beach into the epicenter of DJ culture for 17 years.

Paul van Dyk, Carl Cox, DJ Skribble, Timo Maas, Goldie and Roni Size with MC Dynamite are among the other artists who will perform on six different stages at a yet-to-be-announced location.

Also on the bill are DJ Craze, DJ Dan, Christropher Lawrence, Rinôçérôse, Tall Paul, Josh Wink, DJ Rap, Dieselboy, DB, George Acosta, DJ Icey and Liquid Todd.

Gorillaz will perform live with Del the Funky Homosapien, the voice behind their massive single "Clint Eastwood."

Tickets will soon be available online at www.coolworld.com and www.ultrafestival.com.

The Winter Music Conference, scheduled from March 23 to March 27, will be held at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Last year's Ultra festival featured many of the same acts, along with John Digweed, Pete Tong and BT (see "Winter Music Diary: The Beats Go On With Bukem, Bahamadia, Digweed").

• Paul Oakenfold
• Deep Dish
• Gorillaz
• Paul Van Dyk
• Carl Cox

Fatboy Slim
Photo: Jill Greenberg

Hold onto your glowsticks — the breakout summer for electronic music outings is turning out to be a dud.

Following cancellations of the Mekka Tour and Creamfields Las Vegas last week, London-based promoter Cream announced Wednesday (August 8) it was axing Creamfields New York due to sluggish ticket sales.

The September 1 festival was to feature nearly 50 acts on six stages. Fatboy Slim, the Crystal Method, Orbital, Timo Maas and Darren Emerson were among the artists and DJs lined up to play the Calverton Business Park in Riverhead, Long Island.

An event spokesperson said Clear Channel (formerly SFX) advised Cream to call off Creamfields New York because ticket sales have been lower than expected. Clear Channel noted a decline in ticket sales for most summer tours and festivals (see "Concert Attendance Dips Sharply In First Half Of 2001").

"Both Cream and Clear Channel are hugely disappointed that the event is not going to take place this year," a Cream spokesperson said. "All the artists and DJs involved were looking forward to participating in such a significant event for dance and electronic music. We would like to apologize to anyone who has already purchased tickets and to anybody who was planning on doing so."

Ticket refunds are available at point of purchase.

Cream's Jim King said last week that Creamfields Las Vegas was canceled because "the land that we had been told was available for us to use in Las Vegas turned out to be unavailable" (see "Creamfields Las Vegas Canceled").

The Mekka Tour, which was to feature the Crystal Method, Paul Oakenfold and others, was postponed to next year just three days before it was to kick off, because organizers did not give themselves adequate time to plan it (see "Mekka Tour Postponed Until 2002").

A relative success in a summer of ill-fated ventures, Moby's Area:One Tour, featuring a mélange of electronic, hip-hop, pop and rock artists, came to a close on Sunday in Devore, California (click for a feature interview with Moby about the tour).

The fourth Creamfields U.K. is set for August 25 in Liverpool. Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Gorillaz, Carl Cox and Paul van Dyk will headline.

• Fatboy Slim
• The Crystal Method
• Orbital
• Timo Maas
• Darren Emerson

Timo Maas
Photo: Reprise

Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, Deep Dish, Seb Fontaine, John Kelley and Dave Seaman can't all be wrong. Timo Maas is undeniably hot.

The Düsseldorf, Germany, techno, house, trance and breaks DJ/producer has given tracks to mix albums by those top tier DJs and at least 20 others in the past two years. He's also been commissioned by BT, Green Velvet and Madonna to remix their high-profile singles — "Never Gonna Come Back Down," "Flash" and "Don't Tell Me," respectively.

As the centuries turned, Maas was everywhere. Now, dance music aficionados who have grown accustomed to what Maas calls "wet and hard funk" are asking: Can Timo keep up the pace? "Well, the truth is, last year I did four remixes and everything else was a re-release from the last four years [dug out from the vaults] as my name got bigger, so I never had that pace to begin with," Maas admitted Friday. Still, 2001 is shaping up to be another landmark year for the über-producer as he plans to release his first true mix album and first true production album (his debut last year, Music for the Maases, was a combination — a mix album of his catalog of singles and remixes). Maas, who was introduced to American audiences with a residency at New York's famed club Twilo, will also soak the rest of the country on Moby's Area: One tour.

His mix album Connected, released May 15 on Kinetic, gives fans a hint of what to expect when he comes to a festival tent near you.

"It is the sound of exactly now for me," Maas said of the double-disc release. "Mixing compilations is very similar to mixing a set, as you need†to choose the right records, and the right balance between very new and records just breaking as the compilation arrives in the stores. And you have to build the music like a whole night out." Connected includes a collection of underground dance ditties and mainstream club hits. Maas' own remix of Fatboy Slim's "Star 69" kicks off the second album, while Deep Dish's "Gladiator Remix" of Delerium's "Innocente," featuring Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer, is a highlight on the first album. DJ Dave Clarke also appears on the album, with a remix of Midfield General's "Coatnoise." Maas contributes a new track, "OCB," and a remix of Placebo's "Special K." "The album needs to appeal to a broad cross section," Maas said of Connected, which flows from freaky breaks to hypnotic trance. Maas, who scored Top 40 singles in Europe with his own "Der Schieber" and "Ubik," and a Top 10 hit with his remix of Azzido Da Bass' "Dooms Night," will venture into all sorts of dance music territories on his production debut, Loud, due in October.

"The direction will be something of a surprise to people," Maas said. "It's quite varying in styles, with a lot of guitars, a bit of rapping and very funky, as well as some quite rough techno tracks on it." Maas experimented with rock on "Ubik," which featured Martin Bettinghaus from German funk group Spice on vocals, and will dabble in R&B later this month when he remixes a track from Kelis' new Wanderland. Come July 11, when Area: One opens in Atlanta, expect to see Maas not just behind the decks, but in the crowd, taking in music that ranges from Nelly Furtado to Outkast to New Order (see "Area: One Festival's Details Come Into Focus").

"Obviously, clubs are my roots, but I'm looking forward to seeing something new, especially since the album is heading a little in that direction," Maas said. "[Area: One] will help me represent myself to a more live audience rather than club, which I'm excited about." Area: One, which also includes fellow DJs Oakenfold, Cox and the Orb, will hit 16 cities across the U.S. this summer.

Maas will also play the following club dates, according to his publicist:

• 6/16 - Miami, FL @ Crobar
• 6/17 - New York, NY @ Centro Fly
• 6/20 - Las Vegas, NV @ Ra
• 6/21 - Houston, TX @ Hyperia
• 6/23 - Los Angeles, CA @ Circus
• 6/24 - San Francisco, CA @ Spundae

• Timo Maas
• Paul Oakenfold
• Carl Cox
• Madonna
• Kelis

Fatboy Slim
Photo: MTV News

Fatboy Slim, the Crystal Method and Orbital will headline America's first Creamfields festivals in Long Island, New York, and Las Vegas in September.

DJs Timo Maas, Tall Paul and John Aquaviva will also perform outside of the Big Apple on September 1, while Basement Jaxx, Sandra Collins and DJ Dan will play Sin City on September 29, organizers announced Monday (May 21).

Several other top electronic acts are slated for both shows, including former Underworld DJ Darren Emerson, Stereo MC's, Uberzone, Richie Hawtin, Pete Tong, Josh Wink, Photek, Max Graham, Scott Henry, Scott Hardkiss, Scanty Sandwich and the Dub Pistols.

The Long Island festival, which will feature an outdoor main stage and several circus tent arenas hosted by influential clubs from the East Coast and the U.K., will also include DJ Feelgood, Christian Smith, DJ Dara and DJ DB. The event will run from 2 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Dave Ralph, Donald Glaude, Bad Boy Bill, Christopher Lawrence and Adam Freeland will spin at the Las Vegas festival, which will feature an outdoor main stage and six tents. That show will run from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

More acts, along with ticket information, will be announced later this month, organizers said.

Leading European dance event promoters Cream staged the first Creamfields in the U.K. in 1998. Held annually since, it has become one of the biggest dance-music festivals in the world, attracting 50,000 fans last year.

This year's U.K. fest will be held August 25 at the Old Liverpool Airfield in Liverpool. Fatboy Slim, Gorillaz, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, Sasha, John Digweed, Paul van Dyk, Goldie, Seb Fontaine, Judge Jules and Pete Tong are among the artists scheduled to appear.

• Fatboy Slim
• The Crystal Method
• Orbital
• Timo Maas
• Basement Jaxx

Fatboy Slim, the Crystal Method and Orbital will headline America's first Creamfields festivals in Long Island, New York, and Las Vegas in September.

DJs Timo Maas, Tall Paul and John Aquaviva will also perform outside of the Big Apple on September 1, while Basement Jaxx, Sandra Collins and DJ Dan will play Sin City on September 29, organizers announced Monday (May 21).

Several other top electronic acts are slated for both shows, including former Underworld DJ Darren Emerson, Stereo MC's, Uberzone, Richie Hawtin, Pete Tong, Josh Wink, Photek, Max Graham, Scott Henry, Scott Hardkiss, Scanty Sandwich and the Dub Pistols.

The Long Island festival, which will feature an outdoor main stage and several circus tent arenas hosted by influential clubs from the East Coast and the U.K., will also include DJ Feelgood, Christian Smith, DJ Dara and DJ DB. The event will run from 2 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Dave Ralph, Donald Glaude, Bad Boy Bill, Christopher Lawrence and Adam Freeland will spin at the Las Vegas festival, which will feature an outdoor main stage and six tents. That show will run from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

More acts, along with ticket information, will be announced later this month, organizers said.

Leading European dance event promoters Cream staged the first Creamfields in the U.K. in 1998. Held annually since, it has become one of the biggest dance-music festivals in the world, attracting 50,000 fans last year.

This year's U.K. fest will be held August 25 at the Old Liverpool Airfield in Liverpool. Fatboy Slim, Gorillaz, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, Sasha, John Digweed, Paul van Dyk, Goldie, Seb Fontaine, Judge Jules and Pete Tong are among the artists scheduled to appear.

• Fatboy Slim
• The Crystal Method
• Orbital
• Timo Maas
• DJ Dan

Fatboy Slim
Photo: MTV News

Fatboy Slim's five nods tops the long list of nominees for the DanceStar 2001 Tiscali World Dance Music Awards, which were announced Wednesday (April 25).

Close behind are Sonique and Spiller, each nominated for four awards, which will be presented June 6 at London's Alexandra Palace.

Fatboy Slim, a.k.a. Norman Cook, is up for Best Club DJ, DanceStar of the Year and Best Breakbeat/Eclectic Act for "Sunset (Bird of Prey)," Best Album of the Year for Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars, and Best Video for "Demons" (featuring Macy Gray).

The other nominees for DanceStar of the Year are Timo Maas for "Ubik," Spiller for "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)," Craig David for "Rendezvous" and Sonique for "It Feels So Good." Sonique's Hear My Cry is also nominated for Best Album along with Daft Punk's Discovery, MJ Cole's Sincere and Bent's Programmed to Love. Fatboy faces stiff competition in the Best Club DJ category from Erick Morillo, Danny Tenaglia, Paul Oakenfold, Sasha, John Digweed, Seb Fontaine, Fergie, Carl Cox and Judge Jules.

Morillo, founder of New York dance label Subliminal Records, will host the awards along with Gail Porter and DJ Brandon Block.

Faithless, who occasionally feature founder Rollo's sister, Dido, are among the acts scheduled to perform. Others include U.K. garage duo Architechs, trance star Darude, Denmark percussionists Safri Duo and Jakatta, who will perform his hit European single "American Dream," a reworking of the title track to the film "American Beauty." Additional artists will be announced later.

Moby, Artful Dodger, ATB and Chicane (featuring Bryan Adams) performed at last year's inaugural ceremony.

DanceStar 2001 will be webcast live at Tiscali's music portal, www.musix.com.

A worldwide academy chose the nominees and winners are voted on by the public at www.dancestar.net.

In conjunction with the awards, DanceStar will release a compilation album featuring many of this year's nominees.

• Fatboy Slim
• Timo Maas
• Sonique
• Daft Punk
• M.J. Cole

Fatboy Slim
Photo: MTV News

Now that his newborn baby is entering the toddler stage — Woody was born in December — Fatboy Slim is ready to head back to work.

With a new video in rotation — the Spike Jonze-directed clip for "Weapon of Choice," starring Christopher Walken — and "Star 69," the second single from his third album, Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars, due May 8, Fatboy Slim has put together a string of five DJ dates that will begin with his performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 28 in Indio, California.

The single release of "Star 69," which recently reached #3 on the Billboard Club Play chart, will include remixes of the track by German wunderkind Timo Maas, Detroit ghetto-tech phenom DJ Godfather, X-Press 2 (the latest project of veteran U.K. dance producer Ashley Beedle) and DJ Delite, who Fatboy's spokesperson referred to as a "mystery DJ." The single will be available on CD and as a double 12-inch, with the CD also featuring the "Weapon of Choice" video.

Three of the dates will also feature former Underworld member Darren Emerson on the bill, along with Scanty Sandwich (born Richard Marshall), an English big-beat producer who released a single, "Because of You," in 1999 on Fatboy's own label, Southern Fried Records, that sampled Michael Jackson's "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" from Ben (1972). The brief tour will make stops in San Francisco; Dallas; Pontiac, Michigan; and Chicago.

Fatboy said last year that he had learned from his friend Emerson that having a baby doesn't necessarily mean getting more rest.

"Darren had a baby last year, and after a month he was phoning his agent going, 'Get me on tour, I need some sleep!' " he said.

Apparently Fatboy went through the same process, which he correctly predicted late last year when asked about the baby's effect on his career.

"I might have three months off or I might wanna get straight back to it and get away from the 3 a.m. feed," he said. "I definitely wanna have time to be around the first couple of months." Fatboy performed last week at the Winter Music Conference in Miami Beach. Halfway has sold 150,000 copies since its release in November. Fatboy Slim tour dates, according to his publicist:

• 4/28 - Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
• 4/30 - San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore (w/ Darren Emerson and Scanty Sandwich)
• 5/1 - Dallas, TX @ Lizard Lounge
• 5/3 - Pontiac, MI @ Clutch Cargo (w/ Darren Emerson and Scanty Sandwich
• 5/4 - Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom (w/ Darren Emerson and Scanty Sandwich)

• Fatboy Slim
• Timo Maas