Hardkiss: The Story So Far
One year after the tragic death of Scott Hardkiss, Gavin and Robbie Hardkiss have brought the iconic San Francisco label back from the brink. This is the fascinating story of Hardkiss - or, at...
How I Play: Scott Diaz on the Culture and Craft of DJing
DJs today are confronted with an astonishing number of choices, from vinyl to digital media, controllers, mixers, and the unending stream of more music being released for consumption than at any time in history.
It's...
DJ Skull: Don’t Look Back
One of the most versatile producers to come out of Chicago in the 1990s, DJ Skull is back on the scene and working at a more prolific pace than ever.
Consider it making up for...
How I Play: Steven Tang on the Culture and Craft of DJing
DJs today are confronted with an astonishing number of choices, from vinyl to digital media, controllers, mixers, and the unending stream of more music being released for consumption than at any time in history.
It's...
This Entire Scene Was Frankie Knuckles’ Dance Floor
Where do you begin the story of the man who began it all? The man who began it for you?
Should I start at the beginning - the literal beginning, the first three words of...
Joey Negro Mix: Live at Goldfish in Sydney February 28 2014
Update: Our man Joey Negro just sent us an exclusive mix ahead of his date this Friday, March 21, 2014 at Primary Nightclub in Chicago.
Here we go now: Joey Negro (who we interviewed for...
How I Play: Joey Negro on the Culture and Craft of DJing
DJs today are confronted with an astonishing number of choices, from vinyl to digital media, controllers, mixers, and the unending stream of more music being released for consumption than at any time in history.
It's...
Why I’m Not Going to WMC: The Love Is Gone
I checked Hotels.com, Cheapohotels.com, CheapestHotelsInThePlanet.com - you name it. The best I could get for a TWO star hotel room and up ranged from between $331 to $850 a night. And every review of...
The Icon: Dance Mania Star and Ghetto House Legend DJ Funk
We stand today in praise of the Icon, Dance Mania star and Ghetto House legend DJ Funk.
The man behind party anthems including "Knock Knock", "Work That Body", "Fuk-U-Later", "Pump It", "Run & Work It",...
Some of Your Friends Are Already This Broke: The Problem With Digital Music
"Some of your friends are probably already this fucked."
That's how Steve Albini concluded "The Problem with Music", his famous essay breaking down the malevolent economics of the music industry. It analyzed with mathematical precision...
Listening Room: Kelly Sylvia on Remedy (Blood and Stone)
There's a story behind every track, or at least the good ones.
Welcome to our new music discovery feature, Listening Room, in which we share a stream of a new track and ask its creator...
5 Records with James Jack Rabbit Martin, the Greatest Acid House Producer Ever
A year ago I published a piece on the legend behind the mysterious Chicago acid house producer James "Jack Rabbit" Martin. I had it posted here without much fanfare. In truth it was a...
DVS1 Interview
Zak, aka DVS1 (Hush Sound | SoundCloud | Facebook) broke through on an international scale following the release of his 2009 debut on Klockworks. It was one of those "overnight" waves of success that...
In the Studio with Tortured Soul
Every month 5 Magazine's Man & Machine features talks about musical machines with the men & women who love them.
This month we focus on live instruments and production, in our talk with two members...
Roy Davis Jr. – 5 Magazine’s January 2014 Cover Profile
At a time when dance music is now outselling Hip-Hop, we can shamelessly go with the glass half full analogy and say that the EDM scene is revitalizing the underground. New fans are primed,...
Watch Strut’s New Dance Mania Documentary (Video)
Hardcore Traxx, the Dance Mania compilation from Strut Records, is still slated for a release sometime in 2014 on February 11 2014.
In the meantime, the label just dropped this 15 minute "mini-documentary" and promotional...
Hunee: The 5 Magazine Interview
In contrast to the sterile one hour sets that are a by-product of the computer age, Berlin-based DJ and producer Hunee is known for his adventurous, extended sets, dropping disco with techno, acid with...
How About You Just DJ? Tortured Soul Answers
Seven years ago, I saw Tortured Soul live and said to myself: "This is the future I'm looking at."
Everybody I knew that kind of wanted to DJ kind of started to DJ. It seemed...
The Grandpa of House Music: Bud Pressner and Gary Indiana’s Lost Audio Empire
As a hired hand for Trax Records, Bud Pressner mastered a staggering number of classic Chicago House records in the 1980s.
This is the story of that eccentric old man in the waning days of...
Listening Room: Dakini9 on Trail Markers
There's a story behind every track, or at least the good ones.
Welcome to our new music discovery feature, Listening Room, in which we share a stream of a new track and ask its creator...
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Dedication: To Juan Atkins
There was never a moment before today that Juan Atkins was not a vital part of the American electronic music scene.
