It's music festival time! Summer means lots of open-air activities and general frolicking in the sun aided by fruity ciders. Today my galpal Shannon managed to score us some backstage passes, so off to Finsbury Park we went.

The standout acts of the day were Pharrell and Kanye West, according to PR management. But according to moi and the level of crowd hand action, earlier acts Iggy Azalea and Tinie Tempah had the stage and lights. I was interested to see Iggy, a fellow Aussie, live and boy did she have the stage at her control. Oozing sex appeal but keeping the attention on her rapping, this girl's got IT.

Tinie Tempah had the crowd in the palm of his hand. Responding to his every command, the show was anything short of electric.

Champagne flowed and smiles aplenty today at the Roundhouse in Camden, as I, along with the Formula E team and our guests, celebrated the global launch of the Formula E. This first electric car race with FIA support and a ten month ten city schedule is the first of its kind both in sport and innovation.

Using only electric cars of the same model, the race will very much depend on the skill of the drivers and their ability to correctly manage electric cars, pushing them to their limits.

And boy, do they have boundaries to push. Not only can these vehicles for from 0 to 100km/hr in three seconds their innovative tyre desing means less carbo offset and greater speed and control on the track.

Anyone who knows me well, knows I'm a huge environmental freak ... so this gig is right up my alley. With this race we can show that electric power is the future. It's sexy, friendly and ... don't believe me? Let an all star line up of teams convince you then.

Here (right) I am with the Virgin car ..yup that's right, Sir Richard Branson is in on the word. As is Leo DiCaprio. They both have teams and know what;s the next best thing.

Testing will start at Donnington Park in England on the 3rd and 4th of July. Register your interest here and come and see for yourself what the future holds.

Come on ride the train, in silence ! Well not in complete silence ... silent discothequeing !

About 40 - 50 of us met at the Broadway entrance of the J-train subway for a silent disco with Seth Troxler.
No-one knew what to expect, but like good little soldiers we all gathered at 8:45pm and rode the 9 o'clock to Brooklyn.

 We all got off at Hewes Street, crossed the platform and waited for the J-train back to Manhattan. Huddled at the end of the platform, as the subway approached anticipation rose. Green fluorescent dots shone bright through the harsh orange platform lights, as everyone switched on their headphones. 

Today I went to the preview of Mulberry's new mens collection that also featured the live painting and decorating of Mulberry's take on the Faberge egg.

During the month of April, large Faberge eggs will be painted by designers and 'hidden' in a range of locations around the city. People are encouraged to download the app and find all the eggs, to raise money for the Elephant Family - a conservationist group that helps to save the endangered Asian elephant and its habitat.

There I met one of NY's hottest event DJs - Brendan Fallis. One thing I've already noticed about New York is that there are a lot more "brand event" DJs in comparison to London. Actually, here the DJs themselves are personalities whereas in London they'll get a personality to show up at an event, stick a pre recorded CD in, twist a few knobs and hold the headphones pensively as if they are proving the E=mc2 theory ...
I think NY will be an interesting music scene to examine in the next two months.


Onto said music things, on my Shazam tag list (yes guilty) ...
"Happy (Mountal Remix)" - Pharrell

Otherwise, the track list ranged from boppy tunes from the 90s peppered with cool house remixes of MGMT and Empire of the Sun.

Fondue, fire places and red wine. That about sums up the perfect weekend in the snow. Maybe a slide or two on a sleigh. Well, that was the standard till I stumbled upon - and played, in a private club in one of the most beautiful chalet's in Verbier, Switzerland.

This weekend I was a guest of Chalet L. Raphael. Easily one of the largest and  .. who else has an underground swimming pool AND club underneath their snowy driveways.

The party lasted till every CD in my case was out and strewn across the decks. A little breather to break up the long set was happily welcomed as I got to play B2B with long time Parisian friend Benjamin Kazan, part owner of the infamous Chez Raspoutine club in Paris.


Some tracks dropped:

• "00.5" - Carlo Gambino

• "Finder" - Ninetoes

• "Fall For You ( Sandy River's Classic Mix) " - Kings of Tomorrow
  
  • "Kiss ( Rene Amesz)" - Prince
    
    So as you can see .. quite the eclectic mix
    
    
    
    

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is one of those hidden beauties in the heart of often trashy Soho in London. A beautiful escape from the bright lights and drunken zombies. For a few quid you can park yourself in
front of some inspiring music, till the late hours of the morning.

Jazz is poetry. It is one of the most hybrid genres of music, with influences from all corners of the globe.

One of my favourite Jazz composers is Ketil Bjornstad. Melancholic productions that bring up feelings of nostalgia, reflection and appreciation of the beauty of life.

I discovered him after watching a Polish film - Samotność w sieci, for which he composed the entire soundtrack.

Of course, jazz music has influenced house music. Melodies that intertwine with bass beats, high hats, subtle trumpets and highlights the beauty when two genres come together. Here are some tracks to think about:
"Atmosphere" - Kerri Chandler
" Jazz For You" - Chase Buch
"In The Music" - Deep Swing
"Jealous" - Martin Rothbarth

Truffled burgers, rose and deep house ... ah did someone say a well curated brunch party or what?

Today marks the first of many brunch parties to be held by NAC, a new restaurant in Mayfair. Owned by a good friend of mine, I'm excited to be apart of this new concept. The whole team is super fun and the crowd loves music .. always a win win.

Here's a little tracklist of what's to come

"Everything ( Mark Fanciulli remix )" - Rampa
"The Guitar Man" - Weiss
"United" - Claptone
"I wanna feel" - Secondcity

Come down for a tipple and a dance!
NAC // 41 North Audley Street, London

Last night was my second gig of my month long residency at Tazmania Ballroom in Hong Kong. It’s a great place where people meet for a drink before continuing their night, or stay to play ping pong and listen to music.

Tazmania Ballroom opened in 2010 and is much like a glamorous speakeasy bar. Designed by Tom Dixon, it oozes class and sophistication.

A mix of  foreigners and Hong Kong trendy locals mingle over bottles of champagne and competitive rounds of ping-pong. On Wednesdays, the ping-pong tables are replaced with pool tables that come down from the ceiling. how very James Bond-esque. If you’re not in the know or well connected, slipping past the doormen may be a challenge.

I played a more funky, rnb inspired set last night. I’m liking tracks with hard bass lines and edgy lyrics these days, they are great party starters and also good beats to listen to even when just having a drink at the bar. And a little shameless blowing own trumpet moment – I received a cute little note … Tremendous. What a word!

Taz Tracklist:

- “Let It Whip” by Purple Disco Machine

- “Frisky” by Maceo Plex

- “Ghetto Heaven” by Manuel de la Mare and Luigi Rocca

- “Hallelujah Anyway (Director’s Cut Signature Praise)” by Candi Stanton

24 hours in Hong Kong and I already feel like a local. I’m still pinching myself that I am finally here. With no time to waste, I was out on the streets. I already found an organic store, conveniently two doors down from my apartment, a cute wine bar and I had my first taste of the legendary club Dragon-i.

I meet James, the musical director and booker for both Dragon-i and Tazmania Ballroom (both clubs are owned by the same owner) for dinner. James if flamboyant, fun and straight out there fantastic. We had dinner at Dragon-i’s restaurant that later turns into the main dance floor. It’s filled with models – basically cause they are treated like royalty here. It’s the usual situation where your comp card is the gateway to a surplus of food and alcohol.

The night was heavy. It was a public holiday in Hong Kong the next day so those that stayed in town, were right here on Wyndham Street. By 11pm the club was full and Remy, the resident DJ stepped into the booth. This guy has some technical talent – I haven’t heard such an eclectic mix of house, rnb and a mash up of rock since my youthful discotheque days.

Everyone was just a little too hospitable and nice – I got home at 4:30am. It did seem to cure my jet lag though.

Today I walked around the area and had lunch with a friend overlooking the Hong Kong bay. He then booked me in for a reflexology session in his new spa – this is exactly what a DJ needs ! Those legs to be pampered and zenned out.

Ten Feet Tall is the name of the little piece of heaven I predict I’ll be frequenting as many times as I go clubbing here … It’s so good it scored a blog post on my world guide, right here.

5am. You hit the snooze button. Half an hour later and it’s really time to get up now. You get ready and walk out the door.
Cars beeping.
Buses revving.
Motorbikes whizzing past.

NOT the soundtrack you want to start your day off. Urgh, how uninspiring!

Well, I’ve got you sorted. My new mix is it out and packed with summer tunes that will have you smiling and bopping up and down.

https://soundcloud.com/djizabella/do-it-dance

Just click the link and if you’re on Soundcloud don’t forget to follow me for new mixes !

Here’s to good mornings!