Mark Casey, Author at Decoded Magazine

House, techno and rave culture: The social and political ramifications

Feature Articles FeaturedMay 4, 2022November 17, 2022

From the beginning of the modern pop era in the 1950s, youth culture has found a means of expressing itself by way of attachment to contemporary musical styles, often being…

Review: Phil Kieran – Endless Suspension EP

Music PremieresDecember 3, 2020December 3, 2020

2020 has, to use the mildest possible terminology, been a profoundly curious, difficult year, a maelstrom of uncertainty into which the entire planet has been thrown. Countless liberties have been shelved; privileges once taken…

“Of course it’s important to keep your followers engaged but I think a lot of people fall into the trap of not taking time out. ” – Holly Lester

Featured InterviewsOctober 7, 2019October 8, 2019

Holly Lester’s journey from a quiet corner of Ireland to the boisterous world of full-time DJing is something of a whirlwind. She is rapidly climbing the ladder, and she has…

AVA Festival 2019 announce Len Faki, The Black Madonna, Ben Simms and more

Festivals NewsJanuary 24, 2019February 2, 2019

The 5th annual AVA Festival line-up has been released, and in keeping with previous years, every stop has been pulled out, solidifying the Belfast event as Ireland’s most exciting electronic…

AVA hits Manchester to take over The Warehouse Project with Sven Väth, Bicep, DJ Koze, Peggy Gou, Charlotte de Witte and more

Events NewsJuly 26, 2018July 26, 2018

Belfast party-starters AVA have announced their contribution to this year’s The Warehouse Project programme, where they will close the Store Street season, and it’s a line up that’s typically them:…

“People from Belfast are out making and playing music all over the world yet they could be doing it here. But they’re not supported” – Jordan

InterviewsJuly 24, 2018July 24, 2018

For one so young, Jordan possesses quite a storied history in dance music. Beginning his career as a teenager under the tutelage of Fergie, he famously required the help…

“Art is always about something. And that can be very conscious or it can be very abstract, so I’m always trying to express something through every composition that I make” – Koichi

InterviewsJune 13, 2018June 13, 2018

In a city that is bristling with talent and ingenuity, and an appetite for electronic music that is as keen as any other metropolis in Europe, one doesn’t have to…

First announcements for AVA Conference 2018 speakers include Larry Heard, Bicep and KiNK

Events Festivals NewsMarch 7, 2018March 7, 2018

Details of the conference portion of this year’s AVA Festival in Belfast have been announced. With the performances taking place at a new venue across the city at S13, The…

“It’s part of the process to upgrade your sound and makes things more exiting for you when you are in the studio, it’s also part of the creation” – Paul Ritch pres. Kaczmarek

InterviewsNovember 13, 2017November 13, 2017

Ever since arriving on the scene in 2006 with ‘Samba’, Paul Ritch has served up a pleasing array of tribal techno that is very much imbued with a sense of…

“That’s my niche in Berlin, there I feel comfortable with my music and the crowd’s feedback always proves me right” – Matthias Meyer

InterviewsOctober 3, 2017October 3, 2017

Matthias Meyer has emerged from his Hamburg upbringing and slotted neatly into the world of deep house, releasing tracks such as ‘Tout Va Bien’ and ‘Salt City’ and securing a…

Sisters are doing it for everyone: Is female equality still a concern in electronic dance music?

Feature ArticlesAugust 14, 2017August 15, 2017

Culture is an aspect of life where people identify themselves under a unifying, often artistic banner; where one can feel a sense of belonging that sits outside of the drudgery…

“Who the hell is telling me when I can go out and when I should stay at home? I don’t get it. I wanna be dancing at six in the morning if I feel like it” – Chris Liebing

Feature Articles InterviewsJuly 31, 2017July 31, 2017

Ask anyone with a taste for techno to rhyme off a few legendary names, and Chris Liebing’s will invariably be in that number. Hailing from the small German town of…

Decoded Radio presents Warung Recordings with Albuquerque aka Borgman + Leo Janeiro Interview

News RadioJuly 18, 2017July 18, 2017

Since 2002, Warung has been responsible for spreading quality electronic music in Brazil. The work of a whole decade was able to develop true effects in the cultural reality, and…

“I Think after you start as a Hip Hop DJ and you practice every day and master your crafts then it’s super easy to play all other kinds of music. I think Hip Hop is the Champions League of DJing” – Ninetoes

InterviewsJuly 6, 2017July 6, 2017

Ninetoes arrived on the house music scene with a bang in 2013. His track ‘Finder’ set Ibiza on fire that season, being the most Shazam’d track on the island. This…

“I plan on growing musically and collaborating more and more with musicians until I feel I can deliver an album that can be a timeless piece” – Edu Imbernon

InterviewsMay 23, 2017May 23, 2017

Edu Imbernon takes nothing for granted. Touring relentlessly, producing, and running two labels (Eklektisch and Fayer), all whilst keeping an eye on his pets and fixing up mean paellas, the…

“Believe in music you like, this is the key. Trends come and go, good music remains” – Mauro Picotto

InterviewsMay 18, 2017May 18, 2017

Mauro Picotto is one of the busiest, most versatile, and well-known figures in dance music, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He has, to date, released over 700…

“Ibiza Ibiza Ibiza! It is without a doubt one of the best places on the planet and certainly my favourite destination” – Solardo

InterviewsMay 10, 2017May 11, 2017

It’s been quite the whirlwind two years for James Elliot and Mark Richards, AKA Solardo. The Manchester duo went from being mates with different tastes and backgrounds, to collaborators who…

Trance icon Robert Miles dies aged 47

NewsMay 10, 2017May 10, 2017

Swiss-Italian DJ and producer Robert Miles has died in Ibiza of an undisclosed illness, aged just 47. Born Roberto Concina in Fleurier, Switzerland, to Italian immigrant parents, he returned to…

“I got a bit bored with the sound I had been producing in the last couple of years and I’ve leaned back to a bit harder, rougher techno sound” – UMEK

Interviews Mixes TechnoMay 5, 2017May 6, 2017

Slovenian techno stalwart UMEK isn’t one for cruising through life and dining out on past glories. In fact, one could say he’s hungrier than ever. With 24 years of experience,…

“I will always have a soft spot for drum and bass, but techno is who I am and always been” – Vinicius Honorio

Interviews Mixes TechnoApril 11, 2017April 19, 2017

Brazilian Vinicius Honorio is on the techno ladder and is climbing it rapidly. Also one half of drum n bass duo Optiv and BTK (with Ed Holmes), London-based Vinicus’ brand…