Ears To The House

05/07/2024

Back in the days when Ears To The House was a one-man band - indeed, before this site was even called Ears To The House - we published an article about how Mutya Buena of Sugababes fame was seemingly being kept a distance away from a release she was involved with. Buena herself subsequently got in touch, and she wasn't happy…...

Back in the days when Ears To The House was a one-man band - indeed, before this site was even called Ears To The House - we published an article about how Muty

03/07/2024

Welcome back to another edition of Wednesday Whisper - our midweek column where we talk about a rumour or an anecdote circulating in the dance music world. This is where you'll find the sort of stories that are just a little bit too hot for our lawyers... This week, even the most underground dance music heads out there can't fail to have noticed that Taylor Swift is in the middle of a very long tour at the moment....

Welcome back to another edition of Wednesday Whisper - our midweek column where we talk about a rumour or an anecdote circulating in the dance music world. This

02/07/2024

Out of all the people one might imagine would end up involved in pioneering hip-hop, Timothy Westwood was an unlikely candidate - but such was the destiny for the son of Bill Westwood, himself a bishop in the Church of England. Indeed, as Britain's Daily Mail once put it, "the only 'hood' he would have been familiar with growing up was the one on his anorak"....

Out of all the people one might imagine would end up involved in pioneering hip-hop, Timothy Westwood was an unlikely candidate - but such was the destiny for t

10/03/2024

DJs Playing Badly: where the DJs fail epically | February 4, 2024

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0yMOxXLd2m/?igsh=MWRoYzY4NDRndzRzYQ==

04/03/2024

As the world continues to muddle through the strangest Monday since, well, the last one, there is at least one person out there who continues to see the positive side of things. Indeed, the only surprise in the Ears To The House office is who exactly it was - for it's none other than Derrick May himself. Yes, Detroit's 61-year-old most occasional DJ took to social media last week to issue a message to the world - and we're not sure whether it's because he really believes it or simply because plank lover Mike Weston has told him to....

As the world continues to muddle through the strangest Monday since, well, the last one, there is at least one person out there who continues to see the positiv

28/02/2024

Welcome back to another edition of Wednesday Whisper - our midweek column where we talk about a rumour or an anecdote circulating in the dance music world. This is where you'll find the sort of stories that are just a little bit too hot for our lawyers... This week, which long-time DJ is currently the subject of some unkind questions about his relentlessly burgeoning waistline?...

Welcome back to another edition of Wednesday Whisper - our midweek column where we talk about a rumour or an anecdote circulating in the dance music world. This

22/02/2024

Back once again with the ill behaviour - Ears To The House returns this coming Sunday. We've got a few things we want to say...

05/02/2024

A long time ago, launching a record label was a serious endeavour that required serious work. Releasing music used to cost large amounts of money with no guarantees of recouping it - hence why a lot of the early labels were part of bigger media conglomerates or had substantial financial backing. Those days are long gone. All that's now needed is a name, a logo, and some kind of online distribution service - at which point, you can launch your label and get your music onto whichever download and streaming sites that you like....

A long time ago, launching a record label was a serious endeavour that required serious work. Releasing music used to cost large amounts of money with no guaran

29/01/2024

Turning a one-off festival into an annual event isn't something that comes naturally to many - and a lot of people have tried and failed in the process. Kudos, therefore, to Detroit's Movement Electronic Festival, who launched on shaky ground many years ago, but has since become one of the stand-out events of the festival season. But one thing that's hard to deny is that the Paxahau owned festival has changed significantly over the years - not least in the fact their lineup is much more international these days than it used to be....

Turning a one-off festival into an annual event isn't something that comes naturally to many - and a lot of people have tried and failed in the process. Kudos,

29/01/2024

There's not many things that cause sleepless nights to those running big corporations - but facing a potentially even bigger adversary might just be one of them. Just ask Tim Cook at Apple - who found himself in precisely this situation only recently, and found himself firmly on the losing side. A few years ago, the European Union decreed that new devices being sold in its territory would have to use USB-C charging ports....

There's not many things that cause sleepless nights to those running big corporations - but facing a potentially even bigger adversary might just be one of them

29/01/2024

The year 2023 ended in a very muted manner for Derrick May - performing a DJ set on a skywalk at a Detroit steakhouse alongside Kevin Saunderson, D Wynn, and Insane Who Sane. May played a rather slow set for an hour, and even got to meet local celebrity Moorish Mudd - but it was a stark contrast from his glorious appearance in South Korea just four years earlier....

The year 2023 ended in a very muted manner for Derrick May - performing a DJ set on a skywalk at a Detroit steakhouse alongside Kevin Saunderson, D Wynn, and In

12/01/2024

When you sit down and think about it, there are some seriously strange things about house music that you just don't see elsewhere. Such as the propensity to release house records that are about house records - rockers don't make tracks with lyrics defining what rock music is, after all. One of the most famous is Eddie Amador's "House Music" from 1997 - probably the track which made him famous, although the…...

When you sit down and think about it, there are some seriously strange things about house music that you just don't see elsewhere. Such as the propensity to rel

10/01/2024

Welcome back to another edition of the Wednesday Whisper - our midweek column where we talk about a rumour or story circulating in the dance music world. Namely, the sort of stories that are just a little bit too hot for our lawyers. Now, DJs having underwear thrown at them during their sets by over-excited ladies isn't unheard of in the dance music scene - but which tech-house bro DJ is currently trying to keep a certain aspect of this under wraps?...

Welcome back to another edition of the Wednesday Whisper - our midweek column where we talk about a rumour or story circulating in the dance music world. Namely

10/01/2024

There are certain phrases and names in the dance music world that make some people very excited indeed - and two names who certainly have that effect are Sasha and John Digweed. The two DJs first met in the early 90s and started working together - honing their technical skills and talents for selecting the right records to play. Indeed, for many years, witnessing the two of them playing together was all but impossible - their own separate DJing schedules simply didn't allow it....

There are certain phrases and names in the dance music world that make some people very excited indeed - and two names who certainly have that effect are Sasha

10/01/2024

Angel numbers are divine messages that are believed to be sent from the spiritual realm. If you’ve noticed that a particular number sequence appears around you repeatedly, you might be experiencing an angel number phenomenon. These are sequences of numbers that are believed to hold a special meaning and significance. The ultimate meaning of the 1942 angel number centers around creativity and expression....

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1r5nsYAwVg/?igsh=dHplMDk5Ym1iMWl4 Angel numbers are divine messages that are believed to be sent from the spiritual realm. I

09/01/2024

DJs in the dance music world operate in a very curious environment. Despite the word "dance" literally appearing in the type of music they're meant to play, for a DJ to actually dance whilst playing in the booth is seen in some quarters as an act of heresy - yet hardly anyone ever questions this. For some reason, DJs - whose job it is to actually make people want to get up and dance - must look serious at all times and not appear to enjoy themselves....

DJs in the dance music world operate in a very curious environment. Despite the word "dance" literally appearing in the type of music they're meant to play, for

08/01/2024

As we get ready to say farewell to another Monday, it's time for our usual look back at the increasingly extensive archives of the dance music world. Each week, members of the team pull out three choices from dance music history, ranging from well-known to those which have been forgotten over the years. This week, our editor is in a distinctly 90s US garage dubs kind of mood - for those unfamiliar with the terminology, dubs are remixes of records that focus more on chord progression and less on the vocals....

As we get ready to say farewell to another Monday, it's time for our usual look back at the increasingly extensive archives of the dance music world. Each week,

08/01/2024

These days, it's incredibly rare to see footage of Derrick May doing anything at all - mostly because no one usually wants to film it. It's a pointless endeavour documenting Detroit's most occasional DJ - most companies won't want to touch the stuff, and many others will get cold feet once the press starts getting in touch about those s*xual abuse allegations made against him around four years ago....

These days, it's incredibly rare to see footage of Derrick May doing anything at all - mostly because no one usually wants to film it. It's a pointless endeavou