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[[1L]] november 2011 www.mixmag.net

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game reviews

Maya jaNECOlES

BattLefieLd 3exploding onto consoles for the first time ever, Battlefield 3 turns you into an elite Us marine experiencing chaotic missions in locations including new York, Paris and tehran. with a real sense of tension and the massive 32- player online mode for which the franchise is famed, extra beef comes courtesy of its new frostbite 2 engine, set to revolutionise first- person shooters with motion-captured body movements, amazing visuals and awesome, fully destructible environments – ideal when you’ve got tanks, choppers and jets to blow everything sky-high with! phil dudman

assassins Creed: reveLationsthis beautifully rendered new edition to the Creed series sees master assassin ezio auditore on a perilous renaissance journey of discovery on the trail of an artefact that could end the templar and assassin war forever. this is an expanded, open-world, free-running stealth thriller killer that features new gameplay such as the ‘hookblade’ (used to zipline across cities and yank enemies in for a combo attack), craftable bombs, stonger narrative appeal and improved multiplayer action, including a long-awaited ‘capture the flag’ mode.phil dudman

soniC generationsthis is the definitive gaming experience for sonic fans old and new, and a return to form for the blue spiky one. when a mysterious new power creates ‘time holes’ that pull him and his friends back through time, new sonic and Classic sonic join forces to replay vintage levels like green Hill and the Chemical Plant in mega drive-style, side-scrolling 2d and brilliantly reimagined hi-def, 3d modes. speedier than ever before, this frantic blend of cutting-edge game- play and time-honoured nostalgia marks 20 years of the world’s favourite hedgehog with a game he really deserves.pd

nBa 2K12wish you were a little bit taller? well, this B- ball game is as player- friendly as it is classy. from intensifying crowd response and player customisation (right down to tattoos!), to mid- game, real-world nBa score feeds, it has it all. answers to post- match interviews will determine which college team you get into, an ‘association’ mode lets you both play and manage your team and the commentary is fluid, realistic and full of banter. the ‘greatest Players’ mode even allows you to don Jordan’s Jordans as you play each legend’s greatest game in their footsteps. slammin’.phil dudman

01 P LoPez & CatnaPP get me off“the perfect vibe for the start of my mix”

02 sUBwaY illusion“the cosmic pads in this tune put me in a trance. A favourite of mine”

03 tiLman taUsendfreUndLost treasure of the Juggernaut“Just my kind of vibe. Warm sounds all the way”

04 session viCtimLarge Processor“i like this unconventional kind of four-to-the-floor music. it’s not made for the club, it’s just interesting abstract sounds and floaty vibes”

05 aLex arnoUtmovements in soul“thanks to mr Arnout for letting me use this exclusive cut!”

06 LUCa C & Brigante feat aLi Lovedifferent morals (Clockwork remix)“such a good remix. stripped back simplicity is the key here”

07 axeL Bomansell Your soul“Axel is one of my favourite producers of the last year or so. this track lives up to the standard”

08 danieL Boonam Lagerfeuer in Berlin“i’m all about the musicality which is why this track stood out when i first heard it”

09 Kris wadswortHCrushed“What kris does best”

10 vernon Bara & igor viCentedon’t feel no way“i feel like i’m trekking in the jungle when i hear this track. might be the bird sounds in the breakdown”

11 maYa Jane CoLes Parallel worlds“i made this the day before i recorded the mix and decided to slot it in last minute. Part of my next eP on Hypercolour”

12 martYnmasks“martyn always has such a distinct groove, which is what i love about his productions”

13 HUxLeY madatme (Huxley donedidit remix)“Huxley is another one of those producers that can’t seem to do a thing wrong”

14 aLPinesCocoon (nocturnal sunshine remix)“the Alpines are going to be big. When i remixed this i was originally planning to make it more stripped back, but i loved catherine’s vocals so much i had to keep them as they were”

From martyn and Axel boman to brand new mixes and tracks from maya Jane coles herself, this month’s brilliant cD is packed with exclusives. “When i DJ the core of my set is usually house- and techno- based, but that’s definitely not what i’m all about, as a DJ or as a producer,” she tells us. “i like exploring the more unconventional and musical sides of house and electronica, and i wanted this mix to express that. my taste varies so much; every mix i record has a different vibe.” make no mistake: she’s special.

YoUr

traCK-BY-traCK

gUide to

maYa Jane CoLes’

‘feeL tH e fUtUre’

mix

Pyro-technics n. the impressive, if careless, act of setting fire to your decks at the end of your setwire-i-oughta! expr. an expletive often emitted during the embarrassing first moments in a dJ booth when, instead of getting straight into a mix, you spend a

good five minutes trying to untangle your headphone cable.rutter island sl. a term used to describe a tacky, non-ibizan european holiday location. “did you go to ibiza for the closing parties?” “no, i thought i’d save money and do Kavos. worst idea

ever. it was a proper rutter island, with Black eyed Peas everywhere”festival tan exp. to have only one tanned forearm, on account of all the festival wristbands covering the other.tinny temper n. someone who gets angered by bad quality speakers

dancefloor dict ionary

‘focus dates’ and ‘impact dates’ are helping the dance industry sell more music – but what are they?

Release the pressuren A sHiFt in how dance labels release music has led to an increase in sales.

traditionally, tracks were promoted heavily in the lead-up to their release date – so when they finally became available they would sell loads in their first week, ensuring a high entry position in the singles charts. that’s changing.

“Getting a top 20 single is only relevant for certain sections of the market,” says George ergatoudis, Head of music at radio 1, speaking at the international music summit in ibiza. “building awareness is key.”

these days, technology allows tracks to be downloaded as soon as they’re finished. this means that instead of long lead-times and far-off release dates, dance labels put a track on sale immediately and promote them in the run-up to a ‘focus date’ or ‘impact date’. the added time the track is on sale in the lead-up to this date means fans no longer need to wait weeks to buy it.

James Drummond at southern Fried says sales are benefiting from the shift:

“it used to be that you’d hear a track on tong’s show but when you Googled it or Youtubed it you’d find nothing, and forget about it. now we like to get the track live to download and promote towards a focus date so people can buy it while it picks up press and radio plays along the way. it means we can release a track early, but then focus our promotion around a key date such as radio 1 in ibiza or miami. Without focus dates we wouldn’t necessarily have got the 2 bears’ ‘bear Hug’ playlisted on radio 1. impact dates allow us to be more flexible with promoting the music while we continue to sell it.”

And its not just dance acts that have changed their release times; after the Uk government told major labels that long leads encouraged piracy, giants like sony and Universal have committed to work towards an ‘on air, on sale’ policy.

For Mixmag readers it means you’re more likely to get your hands on tracks you read about without waiting for a distant release date. niCk StevenSon

INDuSTRy NEwS